Running head: REFLECTION-IN-PRESENTATION

Assignment Four: Reflection In Presentation

Tavarius L. Horne
Florida State University

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Assignment Four: Reflection-in-Presentation

After many attempts to define my theory of writing, I have finally
come to what I believe to be an outstanding definition: writing is the
interpretation of emotion, character, and logic through text. I found that
my previous ideas about writing centered around emotion, when there
are other elements that influence writing that should be considered.
However, one word that remains constant throughout all of my previous
ideas is interpretation, because I believe that all writing comes from a
source, it is not just created from nothing, whether it be another individual,
another story, or even a simple object, writing is interpreting those things
and expressing them through the authors point of view. This theory can be
best exemplified in our most recent assignment; in terms of my assignment
in particular, my research and presentations were my interpretations of
the advertisements supported by details that I highlighted. There are sure
to be numerous ways the same exact advertisements I used could be
examined, but it was my interpretation that guided my writing and led me
to the conclusions that I gained from my research. I find that it is actually
very interesting because at the beginning of the course, I compared my
original theory of writing with an act, much like an actor in a play; now I
see that I attributed writing to suit my interest which is absolutely incorrect.
Later, I gained a better perspective labeling writing as the interpretation
of the world and the interactions created between the two, and while I

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still agree, this does not encompass the character of others, which is a
common concept in writing. Just as the world cannot be labeled a
human planet, just because that is one of the main attributes, writing
cannot be limited to one of its many concepts, but I feel as though my
current theory covers a significantly large variety of the meaning of
writing. Also along with the definition of writing, I feel as though my focus
on rhetorical situation was misplaced. Of course it has a rather crucial role
in writing as a whole, but in previous theories, and even in my map of key
terms, I constantly tried to find a place for it because I valued it as
something that was foreign and important, so I tried to make all my
conclusions based off that one idea, which made both my theories and
understanding of writing narrow-minded.
Ironically, knowledge that I have gained outside of the class has
helped me to develop my theory of writing the most. Especially in doing
research that connects my major to writing, discovering those
connections to the outside world allowed me to gain a broader
knowledge of writing, that was not limited to rhetorical or literary terms or
concepts. I found that my theory became the most accurate after
thinking of the writing that I completed in my sociology class that deals
with family problems and social change. In that class, we wrote a paper in
which we connected the concepts learned in class to our own families,
and while writing that paper I found that when I was writing, I was

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interpreting the characteristics of family members and I, which helped me

incorporate the idea of ethos, logos, and pathos into my theory. Much like
creating knowledge, using real world experiences and connecting the
information I gained about writing in my own style, like from sociology
class, I did not simply learn the information, but put it into practice
fundamentally allowing the information to become knowledge. Also,
even in a math class like business calculus, I found that there are many
ways to write the same answer or response and none more correct than
the other, but each depended on the process by which the student
interpreted the question. For example, when sketching a simple graph,
there are key points that each graph must have, but the shape or style of
the lines depended on the individual and his or her interpretation of the
information. Although some may draw the wrong sketch, my point of this is
that the same information from the same source has an infinite number of
ways of being written. By connecting what I learned in class to other
pieces of writing that I did on other occasions, I was able to craft my
theory of writing, not only recognizing literary elements like rhetorical
situations, but using real-life settings to place my writing and interpret how
it changed and the messages that it communicated.
Moreover, in terms of the presentation of this information, I feel with
this subject, there is no better way than an essay, displayed on screen or
projection. As aforementioned, I gained my perspective from constructing

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and reading essays for multiple subjects, which allowed me to form my

concluding theory of writing. Personally, I believe that writing as a
concept cannot be understood or interpreted from being read on a
computer, but to actually have the writing present in front of the student
in a way that does not show it as a simple essay, but a way of writing, and
how I in particular understand it, so that others may view how to form their
opinions and be able to interpret from my perspective. In terms of how an
essay will highlight the knowledge in my reflection, I feel as though it
creates a direct link to what I discuss, making it that much more powerful
to others. It gives my paper more than words, but allows the audience, or
in this particular situations, the class, to hear my theory while allowing me
to prove it. Something in addition to presenting the essay that I would like
to do is to ask questions about others interpretations of writing, because if
they have any whatsoever, even opposing to mine, my theory has proved
correct and I have done my job as an author. Being able to create
interpretations is what my theory is all about, whether it is characteristics,
emotions, or logic. Writing is the interpretation, and those who write can
never be wrong because the opinions of others displayed through text is
just that, opinions.
In conclusion, no matter the differing theories, one thing that must
remain constant for writing to even exist is interpretation. It is an art that
depends on the person creating and uses the basis of previous techniques

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to sculpt and incorporate ideas that make it their own. My theory comes
from my experiences and the things that I have encountered through
various forms of writing and what I believe writing to be from the
combination of what I have learned in this class, and from the world
around me. It becomes obvious to me from looking at my previous ideas
that they all lead to this point, that as I came along my idea become
more and more specific, until finally I found a definition that I felt
encompassed the most knowledge about writing that I understand and
have been able to identify. As a writer, I have always wanted someone to
teach me how to communicate my ideas in the most effective way, to
mold my writing so that it can be of the most exemplary caliber possible,
but now I understand that it is my interpretation that is important, sure
different assignments call for different styles of that interpretation, but the
starting and finishing point comes from what I as a reader and writer have
gained from the text of another.