We are often presented with a complex jumble of things (please excuse my terminology) and asked to make sense of this mumbo gumbo. Although I am undoubtedly the world’s most adamant fan of sorting and compiling complex bits of information, I have demonstrated my ability to satisfy Outcome 2. I am capable of reading, analyzing, and synthesizing complex texts and incorporating multiple kinds of evidence purposefully to generate and support my writing. To compose a compelling piece of literary work, I must actually understand the texts of which I am drawing my complex claim from! I have successfully completed the requirements of Outcome 2 in Short Assignment 2 and Major Paper 1.
Without a basis, there cannot be an argument. By familiarizing myself thoroughly with the literary works that I analyze, I can better grasp its concepts and implications. I would do such a thing to compose a compelling analysis of the work. I ensure that my audience is well-informed of the background information needed to understand and develop their own opinions throughout my essay, “ Similar to a vine, Tan was raised through an Asian culture of regiment and conformity. It was only natural for her to have the urge to ‘fit in’ or assimilate to her American peers. As an adolescent, Tan—like many first generation children—found her family’s faltering English a barrier between being accepted and distinctly isolated.” (1).
By thoroughly assessing Tan’s story of overcoming her hurdle, I can use this as a bridge to relate to the audience’s emotion as a strategy to convince the audience of my claim, that “Amy Tan evokes similar compassionate emotions from her audience through her use of character development, emotion, and analytical logic conveyed through her insecurity-ridden journey to uncover her identity within.” (1). In another piece of my analytical writing, Major Paper 1, I address a strong counterargument, and an argument against that to guarantee that I covered both sides of the argument fairly, “Although the short-term benefit of educating the students in their ‘native’ tongue—Ebonics—may be academic proficiency, the long-term effects of being educated in a dialect foreign to the country of that dialect’s utilization would unavoidably include differences in comprehension with the majority. This linguistic difference will yield misunderstandings, which form unfair prejudices. One could argue that this difference in perspective may actually be constructive. Yes, it may be. But speaking Ebonics, a similar dialect to English, subconsciously accompanies negative connotations; ‘’bad and black’ have been interchangeable for too long. […] The practice of coupling black with bad is common: black mail, black list, black magic, black market—and now, ‘black English’’” (1).” (2). This engages the audience and encourages them to draw their own opinions of my claim. Furthermore, by utilizing first-hand input from a member of the ethnic group of which Ebonics is associated with, illuminates a strongpoint that supports my claim, “Greg Griffin, an African American freelance writer explains, ‘African-American Vernacular English does have its own distinctive features and functions. It can be spoken badly, or imitated inaccurately by [others] unfamiliar with its rules; and it symbolizes community an cultural values for its speakers that no other dialect of English in the world can convey’ (Griffin1).” (4). By referencing meaningful sources of varying contexts, I create a conversation between the sources, myself, the audience, and the logic that my writing composes.
This intertextual conversation between ideas and texts weaves a support that is exemplified by the structure of my piece. Structured my paper with a general Introduction, Body, and Conclusion form. But, my body is clearly elongated; to argue my analytical claim. Within this body, there are sections that apply my argument to specifics. Within these sections, I have split them into a philosophical inquiry and practical application. To tie this structure together, I relate my points of conclusion to a physical representation, to tailor my writing to the more visually receptive learners of my audience, “Perspective, and influence, coupled with language, are strands that weave a braid of power.” (6).
My word choice captures the essence of my sources’ use of ethos, pathos, and logos. I have exemplified multiple kinds of evidence gathered from various sources, above. By using sources that utilize ethos, I relate to the audience’s morality through character inquiry. Pathos channels the audience’s emotion, while logos ties my claim’s logic and arguments together. Ethos, pathos, and logos are the threads that hold my sources and writing together!
It is evident if one compares my earlier and later pieces of writing, that my MLA documentation was not the most precise nor accurate. I have revised my works so that I utilized embedded quotations and background information of sources, “A bridge between Eastern and Western spheres of influence, an American-born-Chinese orator, Amy Tan, rationalizes, that speakers of different dialects’ ‘intent, […] passions, […] imagery, [and] rhythms of […] speech, and the nature of [one’s] thoughts have unique takes on different subjects (Tan 716).” (5). On the bright side, I have mastered the art of the MLA heading and Works Cited page formatting!
By thoroughly analyzing and synthesizing complex texts, I have incorporated multiple kinds of evidence in sources purposefully into my writing in order to generate and support my claims and positions in my analytical writing.
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