What’s one new thing you’ve learned about this course or resources at Baruch for writers that you found interesting?

When I heard of the Writing Center for the first time, I immediately assumed that it was where you submit a draft of your papers to have it reviewed by professors or by your fellow peers. While you can certainly do that there, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the it can do much more than that. Aside from written assignments, it was nice to see that they gave feedback on different types of written work that you normally wouldn’t think would be reviewed there, such as PowerPoint presentations or resumes. The different service options are extremely helpful and can cater to each person’s specific needs. For example, if you are unable to have a one-to-one session, then you can submit a draft online to receive feedback. With what the Writing Center can provide for students, it is a beneficial resource for students and their writing.

Briefly (in a few sentences) summarize the reading from “What is Rhetoric?” (summary)

Rhetoric is how you express yourself through any form of communication and how the audience interprets it. Most of us are quick to associate the term with literature, but it is something that is present through many different parts of our daily lives. An example would be the way you dress. By choosing specific colors and styles for an outfit, you are expressing yourself and others can form their own interpretations about it. In literature, the same thing occurs when an author chooses to write in a certain way and leaves his or her audience to try and understand what he or she was trying to convey.

One new thing I learned about this course is that there are five foundational goals that I will be able to meet by the end of this term. First and foremost, I would be able to read and analyze different forms of literary texts with a critical point of view, be able to identify the style of the author and the rhetorical strategies the author applies to convey his/her message clearly. Secondly, I will be able to write my own piece of work by utilizing similar rhetorical strategies and in consideration of the audience, my work is intended towards. Thirdly, when I write in the future, I will be able to use reliable sources and different perspectives to further strengthen my argument. Also, my work would be composed through a series of drafts, peer review, revision, and editing. Lastly, I will be using conventions for writing and composing my work that has impactful rhetoric language in it. This course will definitely help shape my ability to read and write proficiently.

 

In simple words, the reading “What is rhetoric?” talks about the misconceptions of what the term really means, the variety of meanings it can be interpreted into, what is a rhetorical analysis of an “artifact” (subject to rhetorical analysis) and why is it significant. It starts off by clarifying that rhetoric doesn’t mean to manipulate or to deceive, but rather it is a way to persuade someone into doing something or think in a certain way. Later on, the reading discusses that every writer uses different rhetorical strategies depending on the audience he/she is writing for. Furthermore, the significance of identifying this is that it helps us be more persuasive in our own writing and is also important in developing critical thinking skills. In the end, since rhetoric is being used in every little part of our lives, learning how to identify it holds utmost importance.

What’s one new thing you’ve learned about this course or resources at Baruch for writers that you found interesting?

I learned the five key foundational goals I should have for all English reading or writing classes that would be critical in the improvement of my writing and reading comprehension skills. Additionally, I learned about all the resources the Writing Center here at Baruch College offers to help all the students become better writers.

“What is Rhetoric?” (summary)

From the perspective of the writer, rhetoric is the use of language, strategy, and other symbols to persuade the reader of the author’s intentions and thoughts. Accounting for all the differences among their audience, the author finds the best way to communicate the objective of their text. Keeping in mind who the audience is, the author considers how to appeal to different readers in the most effect way, such as using a combination of logic and reason, emotion, and character. The writer’s ultimate goal is to leave signs for the reader throughout the text so that the reader may understand the author’s thoughts and ideas as well as the purpose and importance of these concepts.

As the audience, rhetoric is the readers’ understanding and interpret of the text they have read. The goal is not to have the readers’ understanding and the author’s intention to be parallel, but that both positions be independent of the other. After analyzing the writing, it is the readers’ task to interpret the use of language along with other symbols and make sense of what they believe to be the meaning behind the text and why. Essentially, the readers are creating a theory as to what they believe the author may have possibly been trying to express. 

Something New and What I Found Interesting:

One thing that I found interesting was Baruch’s student publications. In my high school, I was part of a literary magazine class similar to Baruch’s Encounters Magazine. What I learned that was new was the fact that Baruch doesn’t just have one magazine but two. I really liked the concept of Refract Magazine and wished there was something like that in my high school. I also really like the idea of one-to-one sessions and how any student writer can learn and benefit from that.

 

What is Rhetoric? Summary and Response:

Simply put, rhetoric is the how and why for a piece of writing. A successful rhetorical analysis disregards the opinions of a claim and instead focuses on how the author presents the claim and for what reason. In the present day, anyone can find rhetoric anywhere. It is merely the interpretation that we present to a writing or any other form of expression.

What makes this section of the reading so good is that it divides the definition into the parts for what is true rhetoric. Subheadings such as, “Artifacts and Texts” and “Using a Lens”, helps give the reader a clearer understanding of what rhetoric is while also becoming more specific with details. Also, by comparing rhetoric to the ‘buying a product that has a certain audience’ it helps establish and connect the term to a scenario that is easier to understand for the reader. I find the history of rhetoric interesting and how differently it can be defined.   

Rhetoric is, according to the text, the method of analyzing the writing of others and a method of shaping our own thoughts and ideas. Rhetoric uses three big topics to describe how we reason and think. these three being logos, pathos, and ethos. People are free to interpret however they please, its up to the one conveying the message to make sure their argument is understood the way they want it to.

One resource that I see myself using a lot during my time here at Baruch is the writing center. It is important to get a second opinion before handing in a final draft. The professionals at the writing center can take a second look at your paper to make sure you don’t have any grammar or spelling mistakes as well give feedback and suggestions to make your paper the best that it can be.

 

Something New

One new thing that I learned about was all of the resources that the Baruch writing center provides, in particular, the weekly workshop to improve your writing and professional skills. I am curious to see what kinds of tips the professors teach every week. I did hear that the writing center taught you how to organize ideas and structure paragraphs, but what I did not know was that this center also gives you advice and techniques on how to write to potential employers. This is exactly what I need to move on with my internship search. I do not know how to write a cover letter and I am hoping that the Baruch writing center can help me out.

What is Rhetoric?

In summary, rhetoric shows how language can be used to be knowledgeable of others’ choices and how we can in turn make our own choices to communicate more effectively. We can do this by addressing the audience in different ways: logos, pathos, and ethos. Each type of language will have a different outcome for the audience and we can use rhetoric to determine which is the best choice for the situation. From reading these short passages, I learned a lot more about rhetoric than I thought I would. Rhetoric is in everyday life, like ads on Youtube or how we communicate with our friends. Understanding the purpose behind things you do everyday can help me become a better critical thinker and a marketer in my future.

 

Baruch definitely focuses on students’ improvements in writing and has more than enough resources provided for its students. One thing in particular that I found interesting is how many services there are to support Baruch students while they are taking these writing courses. Their one to one sessions are very useful for students who work better in an environment of teacher to student and since it is 50 minutes, it is the perfect duration to learn something and not get bored. Not only that but if 50 minutes are too long or an appointment was forgotten to be made, Baruch provides a 25 minute walk-in consultation for students seeking to find assistance for a short period of time. Furthermore, my personal favorite part of this course is that a draft can be uploaded to an online scheduler where written feedback can be given. This would help a student to know what their next step can be. Since Baruch focuses on critical analysis, research, and the craft of writing, these resources are excellent and would be essential to the students.

The reading “What is Rhetoric?” starts off by explaining that rhetoric is not something deceiving or manipulative, like what many may think, but is a way of communication. It is not the same as expressing an opinion but rather a statement and evidence to back up that statement. Therefore, in the 5Ws and How, it would be the ‘how’ and the ‘why’. A rhetoric analysis would be how we interpret the text, in theories, rather than what we think the author meant. Before I read this piece of writing, I also thought negatively of anything that was rhetoric. However, after the reading, it really changed my point of view on how essential rhetoric is when communicating with people. It also helped me realize that rhetoric is utilized in almost everything and is necessary to know and learn about for students like me who are pursuing a business career. This sort of gives me extra motivation to do well during the course and anticipate what new information I can turn into knowledge.

 

What’s one new thing you’ve learned about this course or resources at Baruch for writers that you found interesting?

An aspect that brought to my interest is the various publications that the schools provide for student writers. These publications allow students at Baruch to express their creativity as they write various forms of writing ranging from more news based pieces, to creative writing. These programs encourages students to write and show their creativity, as their works get to become published. Others would be able to see the minds and ideas of the student writers, which can have impact on their readers. The writing center also helps student writers, as it allows them to improve and their writing and encourages more students to write more. With the range of writing aid that Baruch provides, it allows for more students to express their views on certain topics or issues. The many resources provided at Baruch shows that there is the great opportunity for students to become better writers as well as being more creative. Baruch provides such a lot of resources for writers, which has a positive impact on the school and their students.

Briefly (in a few sentences) summarize the reading from “What is Rhetoric?” (summary)

Rhetoric is in short, the analysis of an idea which is persuade in a way that others can understand this idea in your view. It is a common thing in the world, as it is used to have an effect on their audiences by persuading them to feel or think a certain way. They are used in various forms of media and persuades people to view and idea from a certain perspective. Rhetoric can vary based on the type of media that it is presented in as each type is based on how the type of media presents their ideas.