Class Reflection

Well, this Winter was my first semester at BYU. I was a little scared because I was supposed to take a basic writing class but when they saw my writing SAT scores they said I was good enough for this class, so I registered for it. It was a completely new way of living, just doing everything in english, but I got used to it after a couple weeks. I liked the professor, Mr. Holland seemed really fair for grading our homework and he is always willing to give us an extra day or two for turning in our papers. Class was fun, maybe funnier than I expected with the games and stuff.

Academically, I needed a class like this because I needed to get used to writing in english. Maybe I don't use the most technical words ever, but I have noticed my papers get better as I write more and more of them. I wrote at least 40 pages when I mix the blog posts and the papers, which really helped me develop my writing skills in english. I learned a lot about rhetorics and how to make your ideas sound really convincing, as well as some more grammar, punctuation and I learned how to criticize what other people writes, which really homes in handy everyday when talking to people. Now I can probably express myself more clearly when speaking in english and I think I can make stronger arguments not only writing but while speaking too. Overall, I enjoyed this class very much, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be because of the new language and because I'm the kind of guy who would rather do math than write a paper. It was good to have this class,

Gustavo

My Proposal Reflection!

Our incredibly awesome proposal's topic is online safety for kids and families. We chose it because we think it is a very relevant issue in today's society because of the increasing popularity of the Internet, giving it a good Kairos. We used many colors in our design to give the proposal a happy look and to promote happiness between families and how many bad situations can be avoided by just following our proposal's suggestions. We walked through each one of the staces, starting by the definition of the problem and ending with our suggestions. The phrases we put all over the proposal stand out to make a call for action. The best part of it is we can all do something about it and not wait for someone to actually care and start investing money or something! It is a proposal that everyone can apply on their lives and it will not only help their families but their friends' families. Many proposals focus on one person or institution that can take it or not, but we were more realistic and made it so everyone can apply it on their lives if they really care about their health.

We appeal to ethos, pathos and logos with strong arguments and the cohesion and flow of the sentences makes it really easy for anyone to read. There's no complex wording and it doesn't become too long or too boring to read. We also found some really good pictures to describe what the problem looks like sometimes, and these make an impact on the reader that calls for action and supports our proposal. The design is really entertaining, standing out to the reader because of all the colours and pictures. And the best part is, we got cool pictures of mixed words to make it look professional, like this one!

 

 Certainly, nothing can be better than our proposal. We deserve an A!

Issues Paper Reflection

My paper, titled “Online Safety”, makes a clear argument about the crisis that the security online has been suffering during the last decade. The introduction is well supported with plenty of background and information to put the reader in context, while following the staces. This argument is important to a wide variety of readers because of its kairos, as it is a topic that most readers will find interesting because of Internet’s popularity. This makes the paper stronger and more interesting. The thesis is well presented, clear and easy to understand and it introduces what is going to be touched throughout the paper. The thesis creates interest in the reader, as everyone is interested in what measures to take in order to protect themselves from the online dangers.

The biggest counter argument is that of the government’s actions, which is well taken care of, as it is proved with supporting research that the government has done more than enough and the power to change this remains in the very same population of Internet users. Logos, Pathos and Ethos are all found throughout the paper when citing sources, giving examples of children and teenagers who have died due to Internet Safety issues and logic statements. The organization is really good, dividing the issue into its two main topics and every paragraph and sentence is in the right place to create a good flow as one reads the paper. There is definitely a voice that suggests that this paper was written by a person, and not any person, but one who is part of the public and is concerned about security. MLA format is obeyed and the grammar and punctuation is really good. Suggestions made by the author are not repetitions of argument other authors have done about this issue, making this paper unique because the suggestions are actually applicable by any reader of this paper. The conclusion touches the main topics, definitions and suggestions, finishing off with an interesting and touching phrase to leave the reader anxious to follow the suggestions and help.