Wannena K. Potter
Professor Saul
December 5, 2012
SELF ASSESMENT
English 1010 proved to be a useful course in learning to communicate effectively. In this
course I was assigned four major papers in which I learned different elements of effective
writing. The first Paper was a Reflective Paper on a past important event, the second paper was a
visual analysis on an ad, thirdly I completed a rhetorical essay in which I analyzed the rhetoric of
another writer, and the fourth and final was an Issue analysis where I conducted research on an
issue in society and provided solutions and problems with the issue.
For the Reflective paper I chose to write on a memorable birthday when I received an
important gift which belonged to my great grandmother. This essay taught me to communicate
effectively and be a more descriptive story teller. Some challenges of this paper were making
sure that the paper flowed smoothly and that the events in the paper connected properly. This
essay actually had an impact on my life at the time because I had forgotten about that birthday
which meant so much to me.
The second paper and third paper were informative and provided much knowledge on
how to analyze rhetoric and images properly. This was a great paper to write because it also
prepared me for my final paper which included all knowledge I had learned in this course. In the
visual analysis paper I learned to “read” the image/advertisement for any patterns, colors,
messages (with/without words), and the meaning of all parts of the image or advertisement. This
prepared me to read for rhetoric when it came time to write the rhetorical analysis. This
assignment was important to my understanding of logos, pathos, and ethos, which when put
together, make an outstanding piece of writing.
My final paper taught me twice as much as any of the previous papers but incorporated
all the knowledge that came from writing the previous papers. It taught me to be more engaged
in society and to pay attention to what others are currently doing in order to solve issues in
society. My issue analysis paper also allowed me to research my topic (America’s Failing
Education System) deliberately in order to thoroughly understand the issue and it’s solutions. I
struggled with finding credible sources but after searching through various sources, I learned to
read for rhetoric and language and proof which helped in writing about the issue.
Overall, I am very satisfied with this course and would highly recommend it to future
students of Salt Lake Community College. This course taught me many useful principles and
fundamentals of writing which have highly improved my writing as a whole and made me a
more efficient and powerful writer.