Semester Essay

Prior to my junior year English class, I needed to construct a summer essay in order for my teacher to evaluate my writing skills, and to no surprise I scored a B-. Not too bad not too good. That was what I was accustomed to with grades in English. I received constructive criticism as to what I excelled at and what I needed improvement in. I took that in mind as I went on with my junior year. 
——————————————————————- During the course of the school year, I have struggled immensely with my writing. I have never particularly been fond of English class simply because I was never a good writer, but the will to learn and expand has always been there. I wanted my writing to be able to captivate an audience and force them into reading every last letter. As the year flew by with each lesson lesson after the next, I grew more confident as a writer. Soaking up the ideal of rhetoric and persuasion along the way 
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My first attempt in persuasive writing was during quarter two where I had to formulate an argument about a social subject and argue my points across to an audience. I failed miserably. I lacked content and did not provide enough examples for my arguments. It was a concept new to me that I did not understand at all. Mr. Davis then explained that in order to properly persuade an audience the use of rhetoric is essential. One must appeal to the three areas of the rhetorical triangle. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Logos appeals to reason. Logos can also be thought of as the text of the argument, as well as how well a writer has argued his/her point. Ethos appeals to the writer’s character. Ethos can also be thought of as the role of the writer in the argument, and how credible his/her argument is. Pathos appeals to the emotions and the sympathetic imagination, as well as to beliefs and values. Pathos can also be thought of as the role of the audience in the argument. With the three focal points of rhetoric under my belt I felt as if I could persuade anyone into doing anything I want. 
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As a class we have covered several different writing styles, but persuasion has been my favorite by far. As more opportunities to write persuasively surfaced, I found myself scoring higher and higher. Over the year I witnessed my writing skills grow and I now believe I am no longer the mediocre writer I was at the beginning of the year. Now at the end of the year, I will take the art of persuasion with me towards the next school year to further improve my skills as a writer.