TOW #28 - Reflection

I noticed that as the year progressed, I did more focus on the strategies that the author used and how they were or were not effective in portraying the purpose of the text. I think I started doing well at identifying the different devices that were used and identifying the purpose of the text. In the beginning of the year, a significant portion of the TOW would be summarizing the content in the text or providing a more personal opinion on it than later in the year, when the posts became more focused on analysis and identifying strategies, which is an important skill for the course. Earlier in the year, most of the posts didn't identify the purpose of the text and by the end, I think it became more apparent. Overall, I think the depth of the analysis improved and it became easier to identify the strategies and the purpose of the text I was reading or viewing. I think I've become good at reading more closely and finding the things the author does in the text that contribute to a better development of the purpose. I think I could have done more analysis of the devices and how they were used to further the purpose. I identify the devices and their effect but not as much how it relates to the overall purpose. I also think I could have done less summary of the material and less influence from persona beliefs. On TOWs that related to a topic I was passionate about, I focused less on the analysis and more the topic of the writing, which was straying from the purpose of the assignment. I think I did benefit from these assignments because the purpose was to read a variety of texts and work on analyzing them in a way that would be beneficial in preparation for the exam. I think it was effective because I found different types of materials and I definitely did my best to improve my analysis, and I think I eventually did less summarizing and more analysis. I think it was definitely good practice for analysis and understanding a variety of writing styles and topics. I personally believe it was a useful exercise that helped me improve.