Dear Family,

In this portfolio, I revise and reflect on four assignments from this semester in Rhetoric 105. I had to choose two major assignments and 2 minor assignments. The first major assignment I chose to use was our first essay. This essay analyzed a megaphone built in the 1930’s by an Illinois physics professor. I thought this was a good assignment to use, because it was my first major essay and comparing it to my last essay can be very helpful in seeing my progress as a writer. The second major assignment I chose was our third and final essay. This essay was a research paper discussing the debate over media’s impact on gun violence. This essay was good to use in my portfolio because it discusses an exigent topic and shows how far I’ve come since starting this class. The two minor assignments I chose was our first two critical responses. The first critical response talks about Howard White’s, “The Power of Hello.” Howard White discusses the importance of greeting people and showing respect for everybody. The second critical response responds to a piece that teaches one how to become a better reader and writer. In this piece, we read about helpful tips from three different authors about becoming a stronger reader and writer. Writing and reflecting on these four pieces taught me a lot. I learned how to do better research, analysis, and discussion. In the past, I’ve struggled with finding and communicating the important parts of readings. These four assignments taught me to accept hardship in writing and honor revision. I hope through this portfolio, you can see the amount of progress I have made from this class. I also hope my work encourages you to better your skills in whatever areas they may be. There is always room for improvement.

Sincerely,

Jeremy