Unit One Reflection

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     We have finally reached the conclusion of the QRG, the first project of ENG 109H! As I start steeling myself for the next unit, let's look back on how we got here.

     As much as I use the Internet, I never considered that I would be writing something Internet-style. And even then, I thought that writing something that would appear in the Internet would be fairly easy; most of what I have read involved relatively sophisticated vocabulary like "noob" and "troll" and "gr8 job, m8" (Great job, mate). However, when I took the time to read the detailed, informative QRG articles posted by news companies and writers, I was impressed with how they were able to take something that would fill hundreds of pages and shrink it into a story that only requires ten minutes of time. I quickly realized during the writing process that that would be the most difficult part of all.

     First, however, I needed to collect the information, and taking a few articles from Wikipedia was obviously not the go-to solution. I had to look for places where people would talk about my topic of BPA: medical news sites, research journals, some blog posts. I was even able to access the university library's database to search for the necessary research briefs, something that I never did before. During my perusing, I found that my topic was talked about not only in medical sites, but also in magazines and general news sites as well, showing that not just doctors are concerned about BPA. There was also a short podcast in a magazine's dedicated for discussing the effects of BPA.

     After collecting all of the information, I compiled them into an annotated bibliography, in which I summarized each one of the sources I decided to use and analyzed some of their rhetorical strategies. However, I still felt as if I was "all-over-the-place"--there was so much information that I had no clue as to where I would begin. Thankfully, I learned how to make a cluster connecting each source to its main ideas and beliefs. I was skeptical at first about whether or not the cluster would be useful (I was always a "sit-down-and-get-'er-done" kind of writer), but the cluster worked wonders concerning organization and unity of topic.

     When I began to write the drafts for the QRG, I saw how all of the preparation beforehand allowed me to synthesize the outside information with my own thoughts fairly easily. I found myself weaving paragraphs together, spouting out long quotes from professionals in the medical field and writers in the public world, and creating a healthy ten pages of BPA-related facts as if I was scribbling down a short essay. It almost felt fun after a while, and it was all because I took the time to prepare myself with the proper tools!

     However, it was not all smooth sailing. I did forget that I was not the only one who was going to read the QRG. I needed to pay attention to the audience that I was writing to--not everyone was going to understand all of the ludicrously bloated medical gobbledygook that these people spoke! It was tricky for me to revise my sentences to fit more properly into a general public setting, since I, too, have a tendency to write with overinflated jargon. Now that I am fully aware of my flaw, I can dedicate more time into figuring out who I am going to write to and how I can present the information in a way so that my audience can completely comprehend, because, like speaking, writing is worthless if no one knows what you are saying!

     If there is one sentence to summarize this whole experience, it would be this: rhetorical awareness is key in writing. Rhetorical awareness will help you know to whom you are writing, how you should write, what you should write, and even why you should write. Taking time to look at your "surroundings" and your sources can significantly improve public writing and make your work more appealing to others around you instead of driving them away with super long, super technical terms.

     And from here ends Part 1 of ENG 109H! Up next, Part 2: Rhetorical Analysis! I can feel that this one is just going to be SWELL! Until then, this is Dave, signing off from Part 1 and getting ready for the next!