Hannah Miller

Style Academy and Reflection for my Rhetorical Analysis Paper

            The Style Academy lesson I did was the absolute phrases lesson because it helped get more information into one sentence. Applying this lesson into my writing and using it in the revision process helped my sentences become more informative and clearer. I tried to put more information into each sentence with out making it so long that it would be too difficult to read or understand.

            For example, I applied this to my thesis so that I could combine all my thoughts into one sentence using coordinating conjunctions and taking out the “be” verb to instead using participial verbs to complete the phrases. This my thesis from the first draft: “President Obama had a far more effective speech than President Reagan. Obama’s use of humility, personal stories, and emotional and logical appeal reach a far broader primary and secondary audience than Reagan does in his far narrower minded speech.” I rewrote this many times, but this is how it looks after applying this lesson to my thesis

“Although both speeches were about religion in politics, President Obama had a far more effective speech than President Reagan because Obama’s use of humility and personal stories, statistical evidence, and emotional and logical appeal reaches out and invites the action of tolerance to a far broader primary and secondary audience than Reagan does in his narrower minded speech.”

            After applying this lesson to my thesis statement and many other sentences in my paper, I found that it was much more comprehensive. My sentences flow, and the paper as a whole feels easier to read.