A Brain Analysis

“You’ll have to write an RA every night for the next two weeks.”

I did my best to keep my body still, assuring that the nodding of my head said “Oh yeah, totally. No big deal.” Meanwhile, I attempted to hide the fact that my brain was setting fires in between my ears and screaming ‘WHAT?!’ at the top of its lungs.

I went into Lang feeling pretty confident in my writing. I received good grades up until that point and took pride in my abilities. However, all of those essays took days if not weeks. (A) Writing a finalized essay every night on top of all my other homework seemed impossible. I spent more time than I’d ever like to admit staring up at the ceiling or down at my paper, wondering if I would ever be able to get the hang of this thing called an RA. I felt helpless and ignorant when I received texts from my friends announcing “Just finished!” and I was still staring at a blank sheet. 

“Why can’t I get this?”

Eventually I was able to overcome the time issue and begin my journey on the road to success in RA. However, my grades showed no progression. I was frustrated that I wasn't improving, and the fact that my grades were static was even more frustrating than when I couldn't finish them on time.

Though I struggled with the original time constraints, I grew to not only be accustomed to RAs, but to thoroughly enjoy them. (A) Rhetorical analysis is the most important thing I learned in Lang all year. Reading renowned authors’ pieces and dissecting them for not just their content, but for how they persuade, directly made me a better writer. The process of creating an argument became so much more elaborate and I was able to tell stories and make my points on a level I’d never explored before. I absorbed the tactics of famous authors and applied them to my own writings. (B)When writing arguments, I used what I learned from writing RAs. (C) When writing Synthesis, I used what I learned from writing RAs. When writing this blog, I used what I learned from writing RAs. (Catch the repetition?)

(A) Rhetorical analysis went beyond preparing me for writing better arguments and synthesis, however. (E) Because of RAs, I understand how to see manipulation in the real world. Now every time I drive passed an MSPCA sign I can’t hold back a mumble, “Pathos…”

Ms.McMahon made it a point at the beginning of the year to tell us how uninformed we were of the current world.

"Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?"

(E) As my phone blew up with notifications from NBC, The Atlantic, BBC, and more, my mind was expanded. (A,E) Rhetorical analysis didn’t only give me a deeper appreciation for past icons, but gave me a new lens to see the world through as well. Never again will I fall for fallacies. 

(B) Because of argument I am a more capable and effective persuader. (C) Because of synthesis I developed as a writer. 

(A) Because of rhetorical analysis, I am a better, and smarter human being