TOW #28- "TOW Reflection"

I'd first like to start off just by quickly saying that although it was painful, and highly dreaded by myself this process of writing and producing these "TOWs", the method was highly successful and I can truly say it helped me grow as a writer and build up my ability to analyze rhetoric and such.

The most distinctive negative trait that my posts had early on in the year was the summarization of the text and the authors overall purpose rather than the specific rhetorical devices and how they helped the author to achieve his or her purpose. I had quite a few posts where for a few paragraphs at a time it was consistently a textual summary that provided no real analysis or insight into the text. It is strongly evident that this has changed as I progressed through the first, second, and third marking period as I have learned to do less of a summary and more of a quick, brief summation so that the majority of the TOW can be solid analysis of the rhetoric.

To what I believe I have mastered I have to say from a philosophical standpoint I am yet to master anything. I mean Malcolm Gladwell tells us that it takes ten thousand hours to be a true master of something right? I have without a doubt improved my writing abilities and capabilities to break down a wide variety of texts I would have otherwise not been able to. But, I still feel I am yet to be a master of analysis and understanding an author's rhetoric and its application to their purpose. I can continue to improve by broadening my reading vocabulary through reading a variety of passages, texts, and stories. I think that was of the biggest help to me because before AP English I never strayed from my normal sports readings which is now only a piece of what I read and enjoy on a daily basis. I also believe that the constant, non-stop repetition of completing the TOWs made it easier for me come time for the AP exam to write the analysis essay and be able to easily knock out three in a row. It builds up your tolerance for what your mind and body can endure with writing and reading, and doing a TOW every single week really pushes you to your limits and that builds your endurance up which is a huge benefit.