Dear Reader,

Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more

unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.
-Margaret J. Wheatley

Wheatleys quote perfectly expresses why we need reflection. I learned a lot of new ways
to write this semester. I was able to pick one line of inquiry and develop my ideas around it over
sixteen weeks. I built a solid foundation for my writing by learning what a rhetorical analysis
was, extending to creating a five part project about my line of inquiry. Putting these projects into
an e-portfolio, I realized that the work that I turned in could have used some final tweaking.
Taking a step back from my work and looking at it with fresh eyes led to some needed changes.
This is what Wheatley meant in her quote. We all need to take a step back and reflect, otherwise
we can make the same mistakes again, and again, with nothing learned or gained. So, this letter
to you is to give an insight into my thoughts as I was writing, as well as an opportunity for
myself to reflect on what Ive written and realize what mistakes I made and how I can fix them.
The TEDTalk The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain was one of the most touching
things Ive listened to in any class. Even the anecdote about going to summer camp and trying to
read books happened to me. It really spoke to me about how introversion is okay, and that you
can be successful as an introvert. I enjoyed writing and responding to this TED talk. It wasnt a
hard assignment, but I was happy that I got to put a piece of myself into.
Coming up with a line of inquiry was hard. I flip flopped back and forth between wanting
to write about homeschooling, a topic I knew nothing about, and on veterans, which I knew a
little about. Eventually, veterans won because of the personal connection I had to it. Of course,

you know by now that my fianc is a veteran. Its not something he boasts, but it is part of his
identity. In the story I told during my presentation, I spoke about our struggles with the VA.
Having seen firsthand the difficulties veterans face with the VA every day, it only made sense to
write about it for my line of inquiry.
I rather enjoyed writing the review for Hungry for Change. I thought the documentary
was extremely well thought out. Ive written reviews for documentaries and movies before, but
this one was easy since I already had concrete thoughts on what I had watched by the time it was
over.
One of the very first assignments I did in this class, was a response to a video about
Socrates and his way of thinking. The purpose of the video was to discuss how Socrates
challenged people to really think about things worked, not just take concepts and ideas at face
value. This was a great way to start out the semester, especially when dealing with a line of
inquiry. This helped to get me in the mindset that I would have to think outside of the box and
challenge the ideas I had about my inquiry topic.
The exercise on writing a rhetorical analysis helped me to understand what steps to take
when creating one for the class. Going into the assignment, I was very uncertain about how this
was to be written. The exercise showed how it was done.
Surprisingly, the introduction essay was hard to write. How do you sum up your entire
being into one short essay? I settled on writing the glossy overview, deleting the few sentences I
had tried to write while in an existentialist mood.
For my rhetorical analysis, I was still debating about what I wanted to write about for my
line of inquiry. I annotated articles about veterans at first. I even started writing the essay bout

veterans, but it was hard to find a voice opposing veteran benefits. Ultimately, I chose to write
my rhetorical analysis about homeschooling. I felt like I put a lot of effort into this piece.
Unfortunately, I missed the class where the instructions to have the annotated articles and the
first draft attached to the rhetorical analysis. That was my mistake, and I feel bad about it as the
essay was one of my strongest pieces of writing Ive done to date as a student.
The proposal essay had a lot of my thoughts and feelings in it. It also had the foundations
of my research in it. I took public speaking last semester, and it helped me to give the proposal in
front of the class. I felt very strong, and like I knew what I was doing. A few classmates came up
to me after and said I did a good job, which felt amazing. I included the PowerPoint on the
polished writings page, because I felt like it belonged with the proposal essay.
The annotated bibliography was tedious. I didnt put as much effort into it the first time
around as I should have. I went back and revised it, adding in more details about the articles. I
also added more specifics about what I learned.
The multi-genre project was challenging, but I think that was its intent. It took me a long
time to discover what I wanted my repetend to be. I finally chose to follow the story of the
fictional soldier, Jacob M. LeGore, formerly of the National Guard, as he went on his personal
journey of self-fulfillment.
I chose Print Media as my first component. I wrote a newspaper article about Jacob
LeGore, former soldier having a hard time landing his first civilian job. I linked in the company
Heroes for Hire, which does help veterans find jobs.

I used an interview to bring Jacob LeGore to life. It is the newspaper reporter asking
LeGore questions so that she can write the article. It talks about his time in the military, his
struggles finding employment, and his hopes and dreams for civilian life.
Over the series of a few letters, we see how LeGore handles his new civilian life. In his
writings to his dead mother, he describes his excitement of leaving the National Guard, about his
struggles to find a job, and finally, his success in using a service to link veterans with
employment opportunities.
For the next element, I chose visual display. I created business cards with Microsoft Word
with a custom logo, and then I printed them out on cardstock. I took a picture of them, and then
uploaded it. I wrote the caption underneath to seem like Jacob LeGore was excited about getting
his first business cards. This was a pretty fun portion of the project. Plus, I get the added benefit
of now knowing how to make business cards for personal use.
The round table essay was probably one of the most challenging things Ive ever had to
write. Not because it was particularly difficult, but because it didnt speak to me like the other
assignments did. It was hard to churn out an essay when I had no devotion to it, and Im sure that
feeling comes across in the writing.
Writing this letter to you has been my favorite assignment in this class. Its freeing to be
able to reflect back on your work over the semester, and explain to you what I was thinking
while writing it.
This letter has become lengthy, and I apologize. Its not every day a student gets the
opportunity to expound on their ideas and thoughts on their work. The semester always ends with
a grade, and a farewell, and that is all. So, I thank you for the opportunity to write this. Thank

you for listening to my reflections, and for giving me the chance to give life to my work this
semester.
Sincerely,

Jessica Donnelly