Reflections on Readily Reviewing the Rhetorical Reading

I enjoyed the RA. I think I liked the OpEd a little better, just because it was more my style of writing and it was a little more personal.

It was a little harder than the OpEd, because it took a lot more thought and analysis than just saying personal arguments in a persuasive manner.

I like the peer review process a lot more this time around. Having the articles to review before gave us more time to give them better feedback, and more time to explain that feedback in class.

Overall, i really liked the RA.

Will wroth Wally-World be woefully brought down with well-written writing?

In the very first paragraph of "Wal-Martian Invasion," there is imagery of cities across the United States being destroyed and engulfed, and presidential campaigning. Imagery is also used to create the image of a 1950s sci-fi flick to compare the company to martians. Another example is used when it is compared to a "creature afflicted with the appetite of a starved hyena." This imagery is to portray an image of the company that is carnal, beast-like, and "doesn't have time for niceties."

The entire title is a metaphor and (while not very effective), it lets him have an image or thought to compare Wal-Mart to, martians, in this case. This metaphor also acts as personification, as it is giving a company life-like (even extra-terrestrial) attributes and qualities.

Attempt at an Analytical Thesis

"Wal-Martian Invasion"is effective in persuading American mass consumers of Wal-Mart's unethical practices and it's gloomy future because it uses relatable comparisons, ethical arguments, and issues that many of the working class are stricken with every day to create questioning in the minds of consumers as to the ethics and practices of the company.

Who they be sprech-ing to?

I chose a writing in the "Business and Economy" (Specifically, chapter 7-d) titled "Wal-Martian Invasion." I wouldn't say this is a topic i'm necessarily passionate about, more of something i've been interested in looking into, with interest in things like their business practices.

Audience(s):
Mass consumers, subtle audience of Wal-Mart itself

Current and/or contemporary events of importance:
By 2000, Wal-Mart begins to grow exponentially
A series of lawsuits that Wal-Mart faces

Profession/race/age/socioeconomic status:
Middle-class Middle-aged retail-shoppers

Ideologies:
Not a proponent of "Big Business"
Doesn't like the way Wal-Mart carries its business or its employees

Issues of importance:
Sexual discrimination, unethical business practices, low-wages of employees

Opponents (real or perceived):
Wal-Mart, or "likers" of Wal-Mart-esque businesses

Major fears/worries:
No major fears.
Minor fears may include other superstores coming to the aid of Wal-Mart, or tolerance of there practices by consumers.

Late Opinion on the Opinion Editorial

I enjoyed the process of the opinion editorial. Normally, i only write a single draft or two. While this improves the quality of my first drafts, it's not particularly an effective style of writing. I liked that there were multiple drafts due on different days, which forced me to be constantly reviewing and revising my work.

I found all three types of reviewing offered by the class to be very beneficial. The first, with Chris, helped point out the strong points of my paper, and gave some suggestions that could help strengthen my arguments. The peer review was great because I was able to get some advise from someone who was working on the same project, gaining insight into some practices that helped make their papers stronger. The Writing Center was a tremendous amount of help in finding ways to implement the suggestions more efficiently that i had received through previous reviews.

Overall, i enjoyed the process of writing this paper. It was a topic in which i enjoyed writing about, felt strongly about, and was able to bring up strong points and arguments.

A late reflection on the peer review

I found the peer review to be extremely helpful. It was very nice and effective to get advise from another person who is currently working on the same paper as I am, to see what's working and not for both of our papers, and better processes and practices overall. Having my paper read out-loud helped me get a feel for how the flow of my paper was, and I was also able to catch many mistakes i might not have if just reading it over quickly.

Overall, i found it a very effective and enjoyable experience.