Welcome to my E-Portfolio! Throughout the year I completed a wide array of work for my Rhetoric and Civic Life class. Click on the tabs at the top to explore the work that I take the most pride in!

When I began the year in my Rhetoric and Civic Life my understanding of effective rhetoric was rudimentary at best. Mistakenly, I thought that I had already learned the extent of the subject through persuasive essays in high school. Additionally, I believed that rhetoric referred solely to arguments. More specifically rhetoric and politics were perpetually entwined. I think that one of the biggest things that I took from the class is a new perspective on communication. The word rhetoric is no longer accompanied by a grimace from me; I have learned that rhetoric is a lot more than I knew. Rhetoric is about how we communicate effectively. We put this concept into practice by utilizing ethos, pathos, and logos. I had learned these concepts in high school, but I had never truly grasped their value. One concept of rhetoric that I had not learned is kairos. Kairos refers to the effective timing of arguments. In this class I learned how to tie up all these concepts and more into a persuasive communication.

Another topic that I had the chance to explore was deliberation. The deliberations that I took part of in high school were effective, but I never learned very much. All of my high school English deliberations revolved around literature. It was fascinating to hear everyone’s insight, but I never grasped the real-world benefit. After our class deliberations, I realized exactly what I had missed during the high school version. A structured deliberation forces you to look at the positives and negatives to every angle of a problem. It made me rethink the way I approach my own dilemmas and the way society as a whole resolves conflict.

I hope you enjoy looking through my work from this school year. I learned a lot about myself and how I relate to the people around me.

Thank you!