Writing Theory

The word articulate can be defined as a person who is able to express and speak in a
fluent and coherent manner, and is typically used to describe people who have a way with words.
Articulate writers apply these principles and abilities to their craft and make their writing more
effective and get their purpose across to their audience. In the writing program here at the
University of North Carolina at Charlotte we advocate the five student learning outcomes to
evaluate student work and help develop effective writing that can be applied to any field.

Rhetorical Knowledge
Rhetorical knowledge is the ability to identify and apply strategies that suit certain
writing situations. The concept of ethos, pathos, and logos are correlated with rhetoric and it is
our choices and constraints as a writer such as genre, purpose, and audience that dictate how we
use our rhetoric. As writers we have to appeal to the senses of our readers through the use of
ethos, pathos, and logos, and the correct use of rhetoric that helps us achieve this. An articulate
writer uses his or her rhetoric knowledge to accommodate which writing style and content is
suitable according to their given constraints and overall purpose. For example, when I began
writing my thesis paper, I went for a more formal and intellectual tone with long sentences and
statistics but then realized how much of a bland tone I had set for the whole paper. I resolved this
issue by creating a more interesting introduction that would help me grasp the audience and
better introduce the following paragraphs.

The picture below depicts the first thesis introduction I had written and although it does
not have comments, I took the time to go over it and noticed the issue myself. After
brainstorming and going through other drafts I decided I needed a better hook and began to write
content that appealed more to pathos and seemed more lively.
 This is a screen shot of the new introduction I decided to go with and present at my
scheduled peer review session. As you can see I use words that appeal to the senses and In my
opinion grabbed the reader's attention more than the first draft I made.

Critical Thinking
Critical reading is the ability to effectively analyze and interpret ideas, information, and
texts. Articulate writers use this to their best ability in order to attain beneficial information from
large data and important ideas or theories from long excerpts. I demonstrated the use of critical
reading throughout the research and writing of the annotated bibliographies. I had to conduct
background research and thoroughly analyzed my sources to get a sense of their credibility as
well as find significant quotes that I thought would be of much use.

This is an example of me showing critical reading. By doing research on the authors and
closely examining their text, I provide their credibility and get an idea of their intended purpose.
This is important because apart from needing good resources, the readers also have to feel a
sense of credibility as they read information and trust the resources the author provides.

The picture below also demonstrates critical reading. This statistic was one I decided to
include in my thesis, but once I went over it I realized I really did not know much about this
survey and seemed to not have as much credibility. So as a solution to the problem I decided to
include that the survey was a small one and included more reliable statistics that could support
this survey.
Composing Process
A universal definition that can be used for a composing process is a method used to
finalize some sort of project or task. Articulate writers use some form of composing process from
the moment of conceiving their main idea to adding the final touches to the last draft. Having a
good composing process and work ethic will allow you develop flexibility as a writer in such
creation processes. Composing processes usually include many rough drafts, consulting, and
review sessions. I showcased my engagement in the composing process throughout the course of
this semester through taking into consideration all of the comments made on my rough drafts at
my scheduled peer review sessions.

Below are some examples of me going through the composing process. In the first
example I highlight a whole paragraph and the comments made to get the message across that the
paragraph needed a lot of work. My statistics were all over the place and did not make any sense,
so as a solution, I decided to go over my sources again and straighten out the data. The second
example demonstrates the composing process because I highlight a comment that I later went on
to change in my final draft. The comment concerns the use of the word “standards” which made
no sense using it in this sentence, so when I came across typing the final draft, I changed it to
“expectations.” The third example demonstrates my ongoing struggle with runoff sentences. I
found this feedback really helpful and set a mindset for my future writing to use more commas
and break sentences to get a better reading flow.
Knowledge of Conventions
Convention can be perceived as the etiquette of writing such as understanding of
punctuation, grammar, and appropriateness, all of which can determine the content and design of
best fit for specific projects. An articulate writer uses knowledge of conventions in certain
rhetorical situations. For example a writer may want to include lengthy sentences of information
into his or her writing but having an audience of younger people, he or she would change the
sentences into shorter, coherent sentences in order to get a better response from the audience. In
my experience throughout this inquiry project, I would tend to write long sentences as if typing
lab reports and would constantly have to go back and change the word choice and punctuation.

The screenshot below demonstrates my use of knowledge of conventions. The highlighted

sentence is ended with a semicolon and I use it as a way to create a pause in thought an
emphasize the idea of college as this “big migration.”

This next example uses commas as a way to include additional ideas or information. I
mention “as illustrated by mainstream society” because it related to what the paragraph and
sentence were about and helped me get the message across that society has been pressuring
students to attend college.
 This last example demonstrates my use of commas and question marks as a way to
express my ideas. I use the commas to get a better, and grammatically correct, sentence structure
and the question marks to demonstrate my curioustity on the topic I proposed.

Critical Reflection
Critical reflection is the self-evaluation of one's own work and serves as an opportunity to
better yourself as a writer. To be an articulate writer you have to be able to express ideas and
thoughts, and critical reflections allow you to do just that. By writing down your thoughts about
your own work and evaluating the overall piece itself, you benefit yourself as a writer and spark
the potential to grow. Assessing what maybe went wrong, what stood out, and where you need to
continue to practice on, will outline a path towards establishing yourself as an articulate writer.
In my examples I reflect on my drafts of my inquiry proposal and thesis and try to present all the
details I underwent in order to formulate my second rough drafts and approach the final stages of
the composing process.

Below are examples of me composing critical reflections. Both examples are reflections I
did for the final drafts of my inquiry proposal and thesis paper. These reflections are pretty
similar but in both I try my best to be as honest as possible and truly evaluate my work. I found
these reflections to be really helpful because as I now look back I can see I have progressed in
my writing, and through creating reflections, I have embedded these critiques into my thoughts
whenever I write anything now.