Course Journal
In this course, I wrote three journals as reflected above. These entries reflect on important topics of study within our course such as terministic screen, use of rhetoric in persuasive writing, and identifying the purpose for a piece of writing. In the first entry I completed, I analyzed Keough’s definition and use of Terministic Screen within the writing. I learned that Terministic screen is the language that we use ultimately defines our reality or in turn, can give us a false sense of reality based upon someone’s choice of language. This has helped me identify any bias a writer may have when analyzing pieces of writing. However, it encourages me to be more careful about the way I write and the language I choose, because I could misinterpret what I believe to be the reality to a reader. The second entry I wrote in this class regarded a reflection of the unification and persuasion devices Hitler uses in the “Rhetoric of Hitler’s Battle”. Throughout Hitler’s argument, he uses many unification devices such as creating a common enemy or a sense of superiority. This reflection brought to my attention that I must be careful of what I read, how I read it, and how I put what I read into action. This source helped to educate the notion that power-hungry individuals do exist and we must not fall into their trap of persuasion. Lastly, we reflected on the iconic ideals of Thoreau in “Civil Disobedience”. This piece was at times lengthy, complex, and articulate. It took a lot of effort to find it’s the true meaning, and even more, the effort to fully appreciate it. This essay became empowering to many noble people throughout history and ultimately me. Reflecting on this helped to encourage me in the future to work to find the true meaning within a piece of writing. Breaking down writing is never an easy task, however, it can be a rewarding endeavor.