Petros 1

Samantha Petros
May 7th, 2016
Final Reflection
ENGL 102
Professor Deatrick
Self-Assessment
It is imperative to evaluate strengths and weaknesses when one assesses ones own
writing. I feel that my strength has always been with forming valid argumentation. My biggest
weakness is a lack of planning and with most of my work I do not leave enough time for
excellent revision. The most important course objective presented in the syllabus was to Write
effective, sound, well-supported arguments using a variety of rhetorical techniques. I feel as
though I already had a good head start in meeting this objective. After reviewing effective forms
of argumentation in class, I began to understand how to organize and deliver a well-reasoned
argument. I believe that I have met the main course objective for the semester; my argumentation
skills have improved and I am now able to effectively structure and argue a claim.
The most important skill to have in order to argue effectively, is the ability to recognize
flaws in an argument; recognizing flawed arguments and fallacious reasoning is my forte. The
best paper and the one that earned the highest grade for me this semester was the Research
Argument. This assignment required me to evaluate another persons argument. My paper
received an 80/100. Now, this is by no means a perfect paper, but I chose it to support my point
because it is logistically sound and proves that my argumentation is strong. In fact, the loss of 20

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points was largely due to formatting issues; I also forgot to do the self-evaluation for the paper
which cost me more points beyond formatting. The bulk of the positive feedback I have received
this semester has focused on my ability to structure an argument effectively. This is notable
especially since the feedback for the Research Argument paper included, Your analysis is
excellent! Ideas are original and insightful. The paper is well-written and structured.
Argumentation is solid (Deatrick).
The Research Argument required a careful analysis of another writers argument; after
analyzing the writer, Lorelei Bennett, I concluded that her argument was flawed and the bulk of
it relied on logical fallacies. I effectively recognized her argumentation issues and aptly
explained the issues. This after all is one of the most important skills to have when forming an
argument of ones own; this is important because if an argument is going to be effective, it needs
to acknowledge and refute the opposition. My paper was a great example of analysis and
critique, as well as refutation. I also argued effectively that her paper is not only badly argued,
but alienating for the audience whose minds she would like to change. This is shown when I
acknowledge the negative impact that the bias of the article causes. I state
Bennet uses many logical fallacies which weaken the argumentation greatly. She also
fails to establish credibility, she fails to maintain impartiality, and therefore her argument
is even weaker. There is virtually nothing effective about this article, because its tone
alienates the only readers who she needs to convince (Petros 5).
This was effective as I was able to use myself as an example as well. I am a reader whose
position differed from Bennetts and my immediate reaction was to be alienated when she
quickly showed her bias and insulted the opposition. She calls them Bleeding Hearts (Bennett).
This insult is also important to note because it is yet another reason why her argument was not
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strong and why I was able to strongly argue my position; the author had resorted to the ad
hominem logical fallacy and I argued that it weakened her position (Petros 3).
There may be concerns that my other issues of formatting and sourcing hurt my
arguments, but these are largely issues that I have learned and improved upon throughout the
course. Since my arguments are solid, and my formatting issues have decreased in frequency, I
do not believe this is a valid criticism anymore. Therefore, I believe that despite these issues, I
have shown that I can learn from feedback and have met the goals of the semester I have the
ability to be successful in future writing courses.
I have proven this. It is my strong argumentation throughout the course, but especially
within this paper, that has led me to the conclusion that my ability to argue has improved because
of English 102. I feel that I have met the most important goal: achieving the ability to structure
and effectively argue claims and warrants.

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Works Cited
Bennett, Lorelei Branam. "Hollywood's War on Gender." Politichicks. Politichicks, 13 Apr. 2015. Web.
28 Feb. 2016. <http://politichicks.com/2015/04/hollywoods-war-on-gender/>.
Deatrick, Anna. 4 March 2016. Written Feedback.
Petros, Samantha. "Hollywood's War on Gender." Silver Spring, 4 March 2016. Document.