Reflection on Project 1

I had never before written a Quick Reference Guide, or any kind of similar writing for an English class, so this was a very new experience.  Here, I will discuss my process and general reflections on the project.

Hell9. "Thinking." 2/12/11 via Wikimedia Commons.
Attribution 3.0 License.

The biggest challenge was that initially I didn’t grasp the narrative style of writing.  I thought I did, but really I was just writing something similar to a Wikipedia article.  Once I spoke to my instructor however, I understood the main problem was I needed to root my controversy in an event.  I was just broadly describing the history of ivory trade. 

Once I decided focus on the event of China tightening its regulations, I could then progress to talk about the new US restrictions, and then the backlash from the NRA.  I talked about the terrorist aspect in relation to why this controversy matters to the general public, which also helped better structure my QRG.

I liked doing all the research for this project.  Sometimes it was really overwhelming, but once I got my ideas organized, I enjoyed finding out more about an issue I should have been aware of but wasn’t.  I looked for my sources initially just by a Google search, but once I had read a few articles, I discovered more by exploring all the hyperlinks in the articles.  That really helped my find sources I wouldn’t have known to look for. 

Even though some days it was really exhausting trying to understand the issue of ivory trade (initially I wanted to cover too much, and did a ton of research because of that), I think my enthusiasm for the topic helped me stay on track and become very knowledgeable.

Building a logical argument was the most effective rhetorical strategy.  In doing so, this allows the readers to come to their own conclusions.  Personally, I’m a strong environmentalist and would like to see a ban on all ivory trade all together, but I had to evenly represent all sides of the argument.  Using inflammatory language with heavy moral connotations wasn’t effective, because that wouldn’t accurately represent an argument. 

I couldn’t say that the NRA are just a bunch of crazy gun lovers, and they’re so extremist I just disregard most everything they claim.  Instead, I had to keep my writing rooted it facts.  I had to logically prove that the NRA’s hunting claim was not credible, because it directly contradicted many significant research conclusions, and didn’t back up its claim with any evidence.  I also couldn’t just assume that the LRA was crazy and extremist, because then I wouldn’t sound credible.  I had to find evidence of actual terror they were bringing to the villages.

This project has been very different than other English projects I’ve done in the past.  The analysis and grammatical/syntax components were similar, but most everything else was not the same.  Most of my assignments have been essays, which are meant to exist in hard copy form.  Writing an article meant for the internet naturally has new aspects: hyperlinking, images, white space.  

Additionally, the writing style of this project was new.  Most of my writing in the past was professional and much further removed from the audience.  It was meant for my instructor to read, or another part of the academic community, not the general public.  The tone required was a change from how I normally write.

The technology side of this project was important.  Understanding how to read articles online and establish credibility is growing increasingly relevant, since the internet is relevant to my coursework and my personal life.  Getting familiar with doing online research will help me in the future; especially learning how to use a database and access scholarly reports.  The grammar foundation I’m beginning to construct will also be helpful in general, because writing is relevant in all fields, including science.


REFLECTION

I didn't relate much to Mathias's experience, because most of it seemed to be opposite of what I was going through.  He didn't have enough resources to look at, while I was paging through way too many.  He also had done something similar before in terms of blogging/QRG conventions for a class he took.  I did find that like him, it was helpful to have a textbook to guide me.  I understood Austin's struggle with the lack of peer review he received, although I think he had a tougher time than I did.  Austin mentioned that writing in general is a challenge.  Although I don't feel that way about writing overall, this assignment was definitely challenging.