Rhetoric Reflective Essay

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Whether students know so or not, rhetoric plays an important role in every essay. Rhetoric is how we find and employ the most effective means of persuasion, how we construct careful arguments, and how our writing remains clear and to the point. Rhetoric is indisputably important, yet, I was unaware of the importance of rhetoric until I recently received a poor grade on an essay for my 400-level English course. To make matters worse, my professor made sure to comment on my weak thesis and lack of attention to audience. Thankfully—or not—, my essay was not the only one needing help. The following class period, my professor spent a full hour explaining how to write a clear and focused thesis-governed paper. The fact that she had to do this in …show more content…
In an effort to fix this student disengagement with rhetoric, John Bean proposes that teachers should not just teach rhetoric in the classroom but should also help students think more universally about audience and purpose. In his article “Helping Writers Think Rhetorically,” Bean poses that an increased focus on rhetoric in the classroom can substantially improve student writing and create more focused and communicative essays. Bean arrived at this understanding following the completion of his research on college-level assignments, when he noticed that very few students seemed to think about rhetoric when writing their essays. “Clearly,” Bean states, “students across the disciplines were not being coached to transfer…rhetorical knowledge” (Bean 39-40). An English professor himself, Bean proposes that professors should assume more responsibility for teaching their students how to properly apply rhetoric in any academic course, not just those in the humanities. What many students fail to understand is that paying attention to rhetoric can lead to an increased focus on the assigned topic, which ultimately yields better grades. Bean’s aim, therefore, is to help professors fulfill their responsibility to teach adequate writing and communication skills whilst simultaneously improving student writing—a win-win for both
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