Make Accents Great Again 

Reflection Letter: As a result of this assignment, some insight that I gained from it would include learning how to specify the usage of rhetorical devices and “recognizing and practicing key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations.” For example, my rhetorical text/meme had a usage of pathos and ethos to support the argument of why people shouldn’t be discriminated against based on their accents but instead supported. I also learned how to break down a rhetorical text and create one simultaneously, subtopics including the genre, audience, argument, and origin of the text. This was my first time creating a meme online, so it gives me some future references in case of it being needed. The rhetorical assignment always helped me improve my choice of audience, considering it would be much broader in my previous assignments, as well as context for both the meme and argument itself. In other words, this assignment was simple yet effective in my learning abilities and enjoyed learning from the work of my peers in class. Viewing their work allowed me to reflect on what I needed to improve in my own assignment.  

In part of 1 of my rhetorical analysis, the argument I’m proposing is that people who are fluent English speakers shouldn’t mock the accents of those who aren’t native English speakers considering it is a form of discrimination and unjustifiably wrong. The genre of the rhetorical text I created is a meme with the intended audience of those who struggle with speaking English or other languages in general, as well as for those who think its justifiable to make fun people who struggle speaking a language. I chose this argument due to the lack of awareness people have around this topic and how it’s considered universal to undermine those who have an accent knowing very well that it clearly isn’t their dominant language. I witness this occur almost anywhere; from the block I live on to even my job. It is a conflict that I do not tolerate at all considering I have non-English-speaking parents as well. The audience I chose is very broad but is mostly directed for those who do struggle with speaking a language. This targeted audience shouldn’t be afraid of the commentary others might have or the embarrassment of not fully understanding a language. The most important part is that those people should continue to strive for their goals and prove that they themselves can be successful despite not being fluent in English. The other side of the audience is for those who mock individuals with accents. Instead of pretending that English is the superior language and that they know it all, they can use that time and energy to help those who aren’t as fully developed as them in the language aspect. Helping others is the most logical thing someone can do in a situation like that. For the genre, I chose it to be a meme simply because it is the most simple and trending form of presenting ideas in modern day. The context behind the image I used is that two individuals (placed above) agree with each other on an idea that may appeal as negative or unnecessary topics. The individuals on the bottom are those who evoke positivity and agree with each other on more thoughtful ideas, making them chads. One rhetorical strategy I purposely used in my text is pathos. The emotion that can be evoked from looking at my text can be a mixture of humor and empathy based on the facial expressions and dialogue between the characters.  Another strategy I used is ethos considering the language and accents used in the text frames. Those who criticize the accents of others come off as inconsiderate and rude since English may not be their first language and/or may originate from a different location where English isn’t spoken.