I was told to write about my theory of writing however, since writing seems to always come naturally for me, I didn’t think I had one. I’ve been in school for my whole life and I’ve always had to write in one way or another. Whether it was writing my A B C’s or writing opinion pieces on orcas. However, I noticed as I’ve been growing older I seem to prefer having a routine. For instance, I’ve never been a fan of creating drafts. Personally, I write on one document and then read the document out loud and make corrections as I go. I seem to forget my topic or the rhythm of my writing if I attempt to create a new document and try to start over with my new corrections. My theory of writing is constantly reading and rereading my work to always try to make sense of my writing and ensure I’m answering the prompt to the best of my ability. My theory of writing may change as I continue to age. However, my theory of writing before consisted of writing a few paragraphs everyday so I didn’t feel rushed at the last minute and submitting without rereading. Now I seem to do the complete opposite. Nevertheless, I hope I can continue to learn and find ways to improve my writing. As I mentioned my main focus is making sure I answered the prompt. For the assignments I was given this year I always made sure to answer the prompt using my theory of writing. 

     For my first assignment, I wrote about orcas as I’m extremely passionate and intrigued by them. I was able to fully comprehend the key rhetorical terms such as purpose, genre, rhetorical situation, audience and stance because I choose four sources and defined each term. I was able to see the differences between each term and understand the importance of each when writing a piece. Each key term is balanced by the other. For instance, the genre relates to the purpose while the purpose of the piece needs to be suited for a specific audience in order for it to be understood by the audience. In my first assignment I wrote:

Natasha Dalys purpose was to inform the readers of the capability of orcas and how to help them. Daly understands captive orcas are completely reliant on humans however, she still feels it is important to still let go of the orcas to stop profiting from them and stressing them even more. Daly also mentions,  “large seaside sanctuaries for retired or rescued cetaceans”. These sanctuaries would be perfect for orcas who have previously been captive as humans will still care and feed for them but they will be able to live freely instead of swimming in laps around their home which to them is a pool and gnawing the cages surrounding their “pool”.The audience for the scholarly journal can be experts on killer whales. However, they can also be people who are interested in understanding how killer whales are, their capability and why they kill. In particular the author hones in on Tilikum just as the documentary, Blackfish did. People who are interested in his backstory before the Dawn Brancheau attack and how he spent his last few years can gravitate towards this journal.

Since, the purpose was to inform and the genre was a scholarly article it can cater to a specific audience. This assignment proved the significance of each term and their application in writing.

     For the second assignment, my topic remained the same. However, this time around I had to choose a model article to base my writing off of. I chose an opinion piece to have more freedom in expressing my thoughts and feelings about the issue. I felt a huge improvement in my writing as I was able to include the key rhetorical terms seamlessly into my writing compared to my first assignment. Also, I prefer writing to a larger audience so my writing can reach as many people as possible. My opinion piece gave me an opportunity to include my opinions with facts and create an interesting read for the audience. It was educational and heartfelt which will always catch the reader’s attention. Most of my paragraphs brought mental images of the struggles these poor animals went through. However, I felt this was one of the paragraphs that would make the reader have an emotional reaction:

Orcas in the wild are physically different from orcas in captivity. Orcas in captivity have a flipped over dorsal fin, which represents their lack of health. SeaWorld insists flipped dorsal fins are common in the wild however, there are no reported flipped over dorsal fins in the wild. Due to the lack of communication with other animals and being placed with different families, many orcas in captivity have rake marks through their body, or are bitten till they are bleeding. In SeaWorld during a show, the dominant female, KanduV rammed into Corky II. KanduV ended up fracturing her jaw and severing a major artery. The crowd witnessed how KanduV aggression led to her ultimate demise as she bled out for forty five minutes. This is not the only reported incident where orcas have lashed out on one another and ultimately passed away from this violence. These incidents become very common when orcas are placed in very close quarters with one another and nowhere to swim away. This rarely happens in the wild, orcas stick to their own families since all orcas have different languages and cultures and can only communicate with their family. Therefore, captivity greatly deters their physical health and wellbeing. 

In this assignment, I made sure to be very descriptive and convince my reader that my view was the only one that made sense. Opinion pieces is a great way to get the writer’s opinions however it’s also a great way to sway the reader to one side since only one argument is mentioned.

     For my third assignment, I had to choose two different genres. I chose to create an AD and write a satirical piece. I had a vision for my AD so I knew all that needed to be done was to put it together. My AD was going to follow the same satirical tone as my writing. I knew I’d be able to attempt an AD, as I previously took Photoshop classes in high school and I remembered how to use the program. I also felt visuals are a great way of showing evidence to the audience and putting it into perspective. Words are great ways of bringing facts to the audience however, pictures can give a more realistic view and be more accurate. For my satrichal wiring piece  piece it was quite a challenge. I thought I had mastered the topic of orcas in SeaWorld but it was extremely hard to pretend what I was writing was really how I felt. I tried my best to sound as sarcastic as possible. For instance I wrote:

Even though, the excessive amount of chlorine peels the orcas skin and potentially blinds them, it helps keep the water in their pools pristine and gives them a better, cleaner environment. SeaWorlds efforts brought people’s attention to orcas and lead to an easier understanding of them and learning about them. People are now researching about orcas and taking their time to help protect orcas. SeaWorld claims orcas are well-fed and kept healthy. Anyone would agree knowing captive killer whales diet consists of thawed fish filled with antibiotics and pounds of gelatin to keep them hydrated.

I truly do not believe it’s good to keep extreme levels of chlorine in the pools even though the orcas skin peels off however, I tried to play it off as not a big deal compared to how much “good” the chlorine does for them. I did the same when mentioning their food. However, this way of writing is only for specific audiences which can make it very challenging. 

      In my first assignment, I was very generic and didn’t provide much detail. Also, I didn’t have much freedom to explore ideas since it was mostly defining the terms in specific sources and interpreting them. I chose a very easy model essay on my second assignment since I knew it would be extremely fun to write as well as rewarding. In my opinion, my writing shined the most in that essay as I had the most freedom with how I wanted to express my ideas. This essay was also extremely detailed. I was able to bring mental images into the reader’s mind and help them understand the severity of the issue. My last assignment was my first attempt at satirical writing. Even though, I was nervous when writing this piece, I believe to become a better writer I need to challenge myself. I know as I continue to write it will not be the same simple tasks. I will have to learn to write formally or informally and there are many other levels in between that. However, if I continue to stick to one piece of writing I won’t be able to further grow as a writer.  I know from now on I will be attempting genres I’m not quite familiar with because I may just enjoy it and the more I practice the better writer I will become. I’m extremely grateful for this class and to Mr. Moser who, pushed me to pursue different genres and helped me find my voice as a writer.