My Final Portfolio Includes: X - Researched Argument nal draft: X - Memoir, Open Genre X -Self-Assessment X - have posted my Final Portfolio

in Canvas AND on my eportfolio; also, I have associated my eportfolio with MyPage.

Marlene Mercado

When referring specifically to my researched argument paper the larger rhetorical situation of the topic is that there is quite the division on the decision. I believe that the majority of readers attitudes towards my topic would coincide with my beliefs. Clearly there are some individuals who would disagree and this is why the topic is an issue to begin with. Some common assumptions about the issue I chose are the over benefits of the Ski Link

Marlene Mercado Final Self Assessment December 6, 2013

proposal, as well as the idea that this legislation was presented in a moral manner. Common arguments about my topic include, the idea that the proposal is a transportation solution and would benefit the general public

in the long haul. My perspective fits into the prevailing debate by showing why there truly are no benefits of the Ski Link proposal and explaining how the legislative process was not traditional and thus inadequate.

is more behind developing this gondola than I understood from the beginning. This however was not enough to change my mind entirely on the debate. I feel strongly about my point of view and will stand by it. The research process for this topic was

I selected this issue because I am an outdoor enthusiast and the Wasatch Front is part of my home. I spend half of my time in the winter in these immaculate mountains and have to defend them. From the moment I heard of the proposal my perspective was formed, some might say that came from a bias opinion and that may be true. However, regardless of that just the fact that this was being proposed by Canyons Mountain Resort and Talisker, gave me clue that this entire proposal was centered around one thing and one thing only, money. My perspective did not change on the issue over the course of the semester. The one thing that did change was my understanding of the other side. I understand better now that there

challenging at times. It was simple to find sources on Ski Link and the proposal in general. It was difficult to find sources that connected to the bigger picture as well. For example, sources that focused on the legislative process, other instances of land being taken from the public and directly relating it back to the argument. The writing process was also very challenging for me. I have a hard time with structured writing. I also felt like I had information over load, I had all these sources with a lot of good information but even an outline wasnt enough to help me organize them. I even tried writing a shitty first draft and then edit from them but for some reason none of these

tactics worked. I went through three drafts and tore them up completely before I was able to come up with a draft to call my final. To be 100% honest I still dont like my final draft of my researched argument. I dont feel that it illustrates my strengths as writer. Unfortunately this piece was a requirement for the final portfolio, otherwise I would not have included it. Despite the struggles this piece helps demonstrate my determination as an amateur writer. In terms of the guidelines for this genre I feel that I met them to the best of my abilities at this point in time. Im just beginning my writing career and have a lot of space to grow. I know that researched writing is one of my weaknesses and plan to focus on this in the future.

writing that I struggle with. In terms of the course objectives I feel that my portfolio does display strong attributes from each genre, I was able to really delve into each and explore. Genre was essential in making decisions that involved ethos, pathos and logos. Decisions that needed to be made for each piece depended upon my audience. For instance, when I was writing my memoir I was more focused on the tone of the piece rather than presenting facts. The type of writing that takes place for a memoir is certainly more loose and open than that of a researched argument. It was more important to get my emotional truth across to my reader instead of the actual truth, I had to make sure the reader understood how I was feeling. Even the words that I chose to use changed with the

When speaking about my portfolio as a whole I am confident to say that it is exceptionally strong and exemplifies mainly my strengths as a writer but also reveals the aspects of

genre. I wanted my memoir to be raw so I wrote almost like I speak, I used curse words and dialogue. In my researched argument I tried to sound more sophisticated in order to

persuade my reader that my point of view is the right one. This course redefined writing from sources for me, previously I assumed that this explicitly meant boring research papers. However, I was able to demonstrate this new learned behavior in my memoir. My biggest struggle in my memoir was ultimately writing from sources, there was a big disconnect in the piece because of the lack of sources. I was forced to integrate sources into this piece in order to fully communicate my emotional truth to my reader. The writing process I was originally introduced to has quickly dwindled, and instead I have restructured it. I put forth a lot more thinking time in my new process, I feel that this is more critical than the writing itself.

stepping stone for me; the beginning of many. I think the main reason I was able to overcome this issue is because the feedback I received on my writing this semester wasnt about sentence structure, or punctuation, and BS that is irrelevant. The feedback was about content and more focused on rhetoric (the fun stuff!). I want to be a better writer and so this was really exciting for me, for once I felt that the course I was taking was just about thatmaking me a better writer.

Formerly, I did not handle feedback on my writing very well. I have a tendency to be stubborn and so at times it can be difficult to change- anything really. This course was a