At the start of the year in Humanities, we focused on learning about the American education system and how it’s changed throughout history. Unlike most essays, this essay didn’t have a static prompt that everyone answered; the prompt was open-ended and allowed each student to write about a different part of the education system. For my essay topic, I chose to advocate for a shift from the traditional model of rote memorization to a more dynamic approach centered around skill development. I argued that while students need to possess certain knowledge, high schools should focus on building their students’ skill sets instead of building their capacity to remember as much information as possible. If you’d like to explore my writing in more detail, don’t hesitate to read through the essay on the right!

In B term, we explored the use of rhetorical devices in writing and then looked at satires and how they used the devices to enhance their writing. In doing so, we read satires and dissected the rhetorical devices used in them to determine the purpose of each device and how it enhanced the satire. As we better familiarized ourselves with good satirical writing, our next assignment was to choose a satire of our choice and write a rhetorical analysis that picked apart the components of the satire that either made it successful or unsuccessful. For my satirical analysis, I chose an SNL skit on YouTube called “Hotel Check-In.” The skit humorously unravels the irritating realities of the hotel check-in process by employing various rhetorical devices, and for my analysis, I dissected and interpreted these devices to unveil the underlying comedic genius. For more on my analysis, feel free to read through the writing on the left!