Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

The work that I have produced over this 3-month period has been a continual push towards my end product. I cannot say that it has been easy; in fact, it has been far from it, but I can say that it has been incredibly rewarding. I started this paper with a vague idea of my hypothesis; all I knew was that I had a passion for my topic and the rest would fall into place, and I was right. As time went on, I gathered and analyzed articles and various sources from which I gained valuable knowledge and support for my writing. Thanks to the structure of the Comp II class, I was able to break down the large project into manageable sections. Each time I turned in a new piece of work, I received incredible, thorough feedback from my teacher, which pushed me to be a stronger writer and consider my topic from new viewpoints. I also received feedback from a student tutor and my mom, both of which strengthened my paper. Every time I sat with my paper, I discovered something new and grew to be the best writer I could be.

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

I feel comfortable saying that I think my research skills improved the most over this 3-month period. I have learned how to critically analyze sources and use them to strengthen my writing. Not only have I learned how supporting sources add to my paper, but also how opposing sources can strengthen my argument. I feel confident in the validity of all of my sources. They have all taught me more than I could have hoped for about my topic and I am grateful that all of that research is accessible to writers. Not all of my sources are primarily about puppetry, but I understand that it is valuable to gather information on various topics and perspectives. All of my sources work in perfect harmony to craft my overall message. The sources used in my paper are supportive and make my writing credible and professional.

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

My writing is aimed towards the audience that wants to listen to what I have to say, even if they think it sounds a little insane. I know that I cannot write to a stubborn audience that never wants to change their minds. I also know that I should not write to an audience that already agrees with my statements. I wrote to persuade my audience that something that sounds counterintuitive may be effective. I wrote to confidently convince them that my point of view is worthwhile and valid. I understand that my voice is beneficial, it just takes the right approach to make a bold statement. I am confident that I analyzed my sources well and used them to support my topic and strengthen my overall argument.

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

The supporting evidence of my paper played a crucial role in ensuring that my audience understood my point and stayed with me throughout the entirety of the paper. I was incredibly vigilant in thoroughly explaining every idea in precise detail. This was accomplished not only by including evidence of my own writing but evidence from other’s articles. This created nice diversity between personal and non-personal perspectives. I believe that I broke down my overall topic into comprehensible, detailed pieces that would be easily absorbed by anyone looking to read about puppetry.

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

I took great care in citing each source to completeness and providing the true quotations or information from the article. I understand that it is not only unfair but malicious to fail to quote a source or to change the evidence to support a certain point. Every reference made in my paper is researched and restated fairly and completely. I understand that the authors of my sources worked equally hard to present their ideas; they deserve to have their voices displayed fairly. I wanted to give a range of voices the chance to speak in my paper and I believe that I included a fair variety of opinions.