reflecting on our progress... and the process.

i'd never realized how difficult it is to explain rhetoric... until i started taking classes in it. when i find myself trying ro explain the concept to my friends or family, the importance of key words becomes blatantly obvious. even the use of the word 'argument' takes on a completely new meaning when used in the context of rhetoric. each "key word" carries a meaning much deeper meaning in rhetoric than it does in other fields of study or language. having a thorough understanding of the words we've learned has made a huge difference on the way i see and use rhetoric. the word 'compose' has made an especially big impression on me. the composing process is something we've been foreced to think about over and over again, and ive truly begun to see my own process in a new light. i realize now that my complete lack of organization isn't neccesarily a bad thing, but that my free-writing style is actually ok. my own key word, process, is something ive certainly fomed new opinions about. i no longer see a process as just the means of arriving at a product. the process is actually a defining factor itself. your product IS your process.

knowledge? i guess the word goes deeper tahn jus being the comprehension of facts. its about knowing what to do with those facts, when and how to apply them. rhetorical knowledge demands the rhetorician's undertanding of context, content, and audience. the same should be applied in all situations.. knowledge can come from a lot of places. it can be discovered or relearned from an existing source. however, knowledge can be invented (and i think this is what heppens when we write freely). this is especially so in design and the arts. when you create something completely new, you create the knowledge of it, that others in turn will come to discover later. technology and evolving media are completely revolutionizing the way we go about aquiring or sharing knowledge. at the same time, this search for knowledge also demands literacy, or knowledge ad understanding, of the new tools that accompany it. in the past few weeks, my own computer and digital literacy has been tested (and im a little embarassed about the results). i think that when it comes to new media, learning by doing is the best way to get familiar with such interactive technology. this class has shaown me that.

i honestly expected that this class would be more technical, more of learning how to use certain programs, techniques, that sort of thing. but we've gone much further than that, actually involving ourselves creatively with one another (and technology!). i havent even thought of blogging since high school, and i admit i've kind of been having fun getting into it. i'm glad this class is actually going to be so useful to me, now and in the future. as an ewm-er, ive got to be ready to handle digital media and literature; something i knew very little about until somewhat recently. as online media is becoming the dominant medium in our socety, i cant help but feel that this course is going to prepare me for a pretty immediate future. its funny to see the way all of our "key terms" can be applied to rhetoric and composition in the past, but also now. these terms and all the context and meaning they carry with them are going to determine what literature and media become in the future. its all about how your audience gains the knowledge they need in order to process the argument you've composed.. with style. :)