As a whole, concerning my writing process, I think there is an evident improvement in quality and clarity in the overall portfolio. I would consider my first narrative piece my least developed and my final research piece the most developed. Granted that the two pieces are different in nature. Nevertheless, I think that my thesis was more clearly driven in the research paper “A Reflection on Pornography and Intimacy” than the personal narrative “Cowboy Blues.” I enjoyed both works, but I think that the research paper exemplifies my growth in organization and clarity.

My rhetorical analysis “Masculinity Wars: The Film Moonlight and a Reflection on Masculinity” demonstrates my skills of rhetorical and visual analysis. It was beneficial that Moonlight is rich in symbolism and philosophical claims. I think that using masculinity as a lens to frame the film was a challenge, as it was a mostly unique thesis from my peers, hence I could not draw much from others. On the other hand, I felt that the page limit of the paper had restricted some ideas I wished to expand on, such as the role of femininity’s influence on masculinity, a more in depth review of the music selection and its role in engaging the audience, as well as the social function that the film is contributing to the discussion of masculinity and femininity. Nevertheless, I provided sufficient examples to create a persuasive argument.

Multimedia literacy played a significant role in understanding rhetorically Moonlight. Understanding both the theoretical concept of rhetoric and how to analyze digital media provided essential knowledge to understand the film and all films in general in a new light. Some of the new skills I learned were the use of camera angles to immerse the viewer into the shoes of the characters on screen. Another is the use of symbols, such as water in Moonlight to remind the audience and walk them through the connections and relationships the film establishes between characters or claims.

In a similar vein, the research paper on pornography could have also been expanded. I was able to integrate the essential pieces of research that would be most impactful to my audience. Choosing what subjects to include into the research paper was difficult since there is considerable amount of studies and sources for many topics. Excluded discussions include sexual trafficking, the industry, and a response to pro-porn femininity. At times during the writing process, I was attempting to address too many topics, but the paper began to sound like a list of facts, instead of a sound and readable presentation.

Both in the personal narrative and the pornography research paper, I demonstrated academic citations and writing conventions. In my personal narrative, I was mindful of the oral component of the narrative, reflecting a more casual, demonstrative style than explanatory. I also focused on story-telling components, such as internal conflict juxtaposed by external conflict and expression of vulnerability and authentic stories. In the research paper, I demonstrated clear and academic citation. I did revise some of the citation and integrate them more clearly into the paper.

Out of all the projects, I believe that my pornography research paper has the most significance to me since I am involved in the anti-pornography movement. The paper was an opportunity remind myself and educate my peers on the effects of pornography. The TED talk was a challenge to condense so much information in a small, clear package. No doubt will I use these assignments in the future to contribute to the ongoing discussion on pornography. I also had fun with the personal narrative, minus the complicated editing that was involved. Granted, it could have been avoided.