TOW #27: TOW Reflection

1. What progression or change do you notice in your TOWs?
     My earlier TOWs often contain too much summary of the text (or too-lengthy quotes) and less analysis than needed. However, as time goes on, the summary decreases and the analysis of rhetorical devices increases. The ties back to the thesis in particular get stronger in my later TOWs.

2. What do you think you mastered?
     I think I mastered connecting my rhetorical devices to each other and to my thesis. In September, my TOWs often contained body paragraphs that connected back to the thesis, but rarely (if ever) drew connections between those body paragraphs and the rhetorical devices identified within them. However, in my March TOWs, there are clear connections between the various rhetorical devices, and the transitions are clear and effective.

3. What could you still strive to improve?
     Recently, I've been working with my TOWs to try to make the introduction and SOAPS part more interesting. I've been trying to incorporate that information in a less formulaic way, but I still think this could be improved.

4. How did you or did you not benefit from these assignments given their overall purpose?
     I think I definitely did benefit from writing TOWs. When reading through past assignments, I can see a distinct change in my ability to analyze and especially to connect back to my thesis. I believe that weekly TOWs provided the repetition and practice needed to reinforce and improve upon these skills, and I think, overall, my analysis essays were better because of these TOWs.