Joshua Clark

Prof. Miss

UWRT 1104

February 2, 2017

Rhetorical Analysis

In my thesis that I put together during my senior year of high school, I defend the

more modern point of view that a college education is not and/or should not be a

necessary requirement for a successful future. Defining what success exactly means was

important since I incorporated it throughout my writing yet, I do not think that this key

term is appropriately defined in my introduction. I state everything that grants a person

success in life is an accomplishment of his or her aim or purpose (Clark 2). I then go on

to explain how college education is not always something that grants a person their

success. Although this definition of success could be generalized and applied to many

different scenarios, I think that this is too broad of a definition as it relates to my topic of

succeeding through a college education. A more accurate definition could be given to

success because college can be and is very individualistic. A student could go to college

for a completely different reason than that of another and he or she might be looking to

get something else out of it, which can lead to a multitude of things once they graduate.

During the introduction of my first point, I argue that there are many other

opportunities that present themselves to graduates of high school that end up to be just as

beneficial as opportunities that are available for college graduates. This point could be

made stronger without the use of generalizations as well. I state that, college experience

is based more on the experience than the college (Clark 3) and practically base my
point off of this claim. Although this may be true for some students, it seems a bit unfair

to accuse all college students of this. Although I do make claims like these and define

terms incorrectly, I feel like I address the counter argument well. I do not completely bash

the idea of going to college, as I state that it makes logical sense for an individual to go to

college if they have all the necessary resources to do so. Along with this, I think that my

use of quotes as it relates to the topic being addressed is another one of my strengths.

Quotes, especially in a research paper, strengthen the paper as a whole by using solid

quotes from reliable resources when used during the appropriate time. Due to the fact that

my first point is centered around the statement that college should not be a requirement

because it is more of an experience than anything else, I find myself supporting it with

the same reasoning. This is that a college education is something that is viewed nowadays

as a social norm, and it is expected of a student to continue their education at a University

once they graduate high school. This is a pattern that is seen throughout the support of my

first point. Although the supporting evidence for this claim is helpful for proving my first

point, I believe more evidence was necessary in order to firmly establish my credibility

on this point and as a writer. During the writing process of this paper, I had to keep in

mind that I would be giving a fifteen-minute presentation, defending my thesis to the rest

of the Upper School. It was important to use simplistic, clear-cut language, while still

displaying my professional knowledge on the subject. My language use was and is

something I feel confident in, and proved to be something I strived in throughout my

thesis.

I have personally always had trouble with the writing process when it comes to

academic writing. I get confused in my own writing and struggle greatly with the
organization of my thoughts as it relates to the topic at hand. During our first forum post,

we were asked to first think about what we thought the definition of writing was and then

to analyze ourselves as it related to writing in any, and all contexts. In my response, I

stated that writing was the physical process of communication through ones thoughts and

ideas and though it took on many different forms, it ultimately has the affect of leaving

the reader more knowledgeable and/or curious than they were before they began to read

the certain work. As I posted my reply, I began scrolling to see other students answers

and how they compared to mine. Although all of them could be related in some way, they

all were individual interpretations of what writing means to them. This, according to Gee,

stems from our primary and secondary discourse (8). I believe that the way I write and

the way I define writing comes from my secondary discourse which, in this case, is

mainly focused on school, although it can mean any community you involve yourself in

outside of your immediate family and friend group (Gee 8).

I attended a small, private Christian school throughout my developmental years as

a writer and there I learned the importance of a classical education, which focuses on

humanities alongside rhetoric and logic classes. Although I was placed in what felt like

the optimal setting for bettering myself as a writer, I still struggle with the fundamental

principals. Primary Discourse plays a significant role in the betterment of some skills. For

example, my immediate family is not strong at writing so naturally being involved in that

primary discourse is something that a strong institution like Trinity could aid me in, yet it

could not change the foundation I was built upon. The focus of my writing usually

revolves around the logic of it and how well my audience perceives it. Middle school and

high school taught me to avoid fallacies and inconsistencies, which is something that I
focus on the most in my writing. Although there are some mistakes in my research paper

that may slightly take away from the interpretation of it, I think that this certain paper

encapsulates what kind of a writer I have matured into, and describes my personal writing

style I have adopted throughout the years of learning in my personal primary and

secondary discourses.
 Works Cited

Clark, Joshua D. "College Education: Prolonging the Pathway to More Success." Thesis.

Trinity Academy of Raleigh, 2016. Print.

Gee, James Paul. Social Linguistics and Literacies: Ideology in Discourses. Vol. 171.

London: Taylor & Francis, 1996. N. pag. Print.