Elise Houston

James Beatty

English 2010

1 May 2019

Argument/Public Communication Reflection

This semester I have used several strategies to improve my writing, and

specifically my argumentation. I have used the best and most credible sources I could

find and fully supported any claim I made, I have used an appropriate tone for my

papers, I have tried to utilize peer reviews to their fullest potential, and I have

maintained a decent thesis and tried to make sure every paragraph could answer “so

what?” and hearken back to the thesis.

Finding sources can be daunting, but it can be done. You must make sure you

read as many viewpoints as possible, so you have a full idea of the picture before you

try to argue a viewpoint. You must also make sure that your sources are credible,

writings by experts are a good way to ensure this, but it is by no means foolproof.

Finally, you must make sure that each source you choose supports the point you are

pairing it with. Sources are only as good as how they are utilized.

Objectively, I feel like my tone was pretty good. It may err on the side of too dry

and technical, but I would prefer that to the alternatives I’ve found, papers that are

passionate but aggressive and fight-provoking, papers that are passionate and technical

but condescending, or papers that are passionate but you can’t follow their logic. I’ve
really worked on fluidity and readability this semester, rather than my usual brusque

tone. I think I’ve improved in this area.

Peer reviews were better in this class than in any other class I’ve been in. I

received some really useful feedback. Feedback about the content or noticing patterns

has been useful for the most part. I have been able to improve my papers because of it.

It was really discouraging, however, that my final feedback was mostly useless. I felt like

the crevice of communication was back, the giant divide between me and everyone else

whenever I try to communicate. Still, the peer reviews weren’t entirely useless, and my

writing improved because of it.

My theses though this semester were all related and my papers as a whole

flowed together really well. A strong thesis is important because it leads the audience

through your thought process and suggests what they should think about it. However, a

thesis is strongest when every paragraph points back to it, supporting it. One way to

ensure that your paragraph supports your thesis is to use the “so what?” method.

Asking yourself “so what” as you read each paragraph will show the lack of connection,

and where there could be improvements.

While these four strategies, namely, using credible sources and supporting your

claims, using the appropriate tone for your paper, using peer reviews to their fullest

extent, and having a well-developed thesis have all helped improve my writing and

specifically my argumentation this semester, I am still far from being a good writer. I

have a long way to go before my writing can be considered “good” by anyone, and it will

take practice and further development of these and the other strategies we’ve covered
in class to help me be capable of writing I’d be pleased with. Still, some progress is

better than no progress.