TOW #27: Reflection

This week, for the first of the post-exam TOW assignments, I read three of my old TOW posts from throughout the year. I read Tow #7: The Fruit that Really Does Keep the Doctor Away from marking period one, Tow #14: Rent Original Broadway Promotion Poster from marking period two, and Tow #20: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell from the third marking period. As I broke down each post and examined the different components, there was one clear progression that I saw from the first post to the last. In my earliest post, though I attempted to smoothly combine the necessary features into a coherent analysis, it definitely seemed a bit disjointed. By my second post I was able to more smoothly identify the rhetorical strategies and tie them in with the author’s purpose, though the transition from my introduction to analysis of strategy wasn’t very sophisticated. The growth in my third marking period post demonstrated an overall more sophisticated command of analysis, with the transitions between each component being very smooth. Even reading back this post I’m not able to clearly pick out a spot for each individual criteria that went into the writing, though each one is included. This higher level of sophistication in seamlessly tying analysis of strategies used to how they achieve the author’s purpose is the main skill that I mastered throughout the course of this year. One aspect that could still use some improvement is variation of rhetorical strategies to analyze. Looking at the body of work on my blog, I analyzed a lot of the same rhetorical strategies over and over again. In future writing endeavors I will try to vary my sources of analysis.

            When it came time for the exam, I began to realize how practicing on tow posts had helped me gain the ability to look at a piece, quickly discern the author’s purpose, identify rhetorical strategies, and connect the pieces into a coherent analysis. These skills benefitted me on the both the writing and the multiple-choice portions of the exam. Though it may have seemed like a pesky extra assignment at the beginning of the year, I feel that tows provided me with valuable practice and were beneficial in the long run. 

TOW 26: Personality trait that most often predicts success by Drake Baer

            According to a recent article published by Drake Baer of Yahoo Finance online, the number one trait in society today that links people to success throughout life is conscientiousness. Though there are a number of other traits, such as agreeableness and extroversion, which have links to the success of individuals, conscientiousness seems to be the one with the most staggering evidence and lifelong implications. With the tendency to be thoughtful and responsible, conscientious people generally succeed in a work or social environment more so than others and are even proven to live longer due to heightened health considerations. In a current American society so driven by the need to be successful, this article is contains information that is highly in demand and is very relevant to an audience of young, average Americans. In writing this piece, the author is conveying the theory that pure intelligence, contrary to popular belief, is not the most important factor to success in today’s society.

            Yahoo business insider Drake Baer appeals to logos very effectively in this article through usage of expert testimony and data. One such example of reliable testimony is when Baer cites University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth as saying that aspects of conscientiousness “self control and grit” are most integral to the academic success of children than their IQs. The author also draws from numerous studies to prove that conscientiousness rather than intelligence is the most important indicator of lifelong success. Baer mentions a convincing study from the National Institute of Mental Health, which shows that conscientious men earn higher salaries than others. The expert data and testimony that the author includes seems irrefutable, and goes a long way towards making the reader agree with his purpose. I feel that Baer utilized information very effectively in this article to appeal logically to his reader and enforce his purpose. As a reader, I am thoroughly convinced that conscientiousness is a vital factor in determining a person’s success.