Final Blog Reflection

In this blog post, I think I did a really good job incorporating voice. Some examples of this are when I said, “Divergent is a good book. Great even. And there are many things I like about it!” (Paragraph One), “If that is not a cliffhanger I don't know what is.” (Paragraph 5), and “(Or Christina, really.)” (Paragraph 7). These three are just examples. There were many other words or phrases that show my voice as well. These showcase my personality as a writer because I am an enthusiastic and somewhat sarcastic writer. In the first quote, not only did I let you know that divergent is great; I told you how great it was and how passionate I am about it. The reader can learn about me through those words and know that I really am enthusiastic. When I explained that it was a cliffhanger in quote three, I didn't just say; that was a cliffhanger. I infused that sentence with my own voice. I made it extremely clear that the example I gave was definitely a cliffhanger, and that I was completely positive of it. Not only did it tell the reader how sure of myself I was, it feels like you are having a conversation with me. In a blog post, people don’t want to read extremely high or elevated diction because we won’t feel like we will relate to the author. As readers, we like to gain a relationship to the author through their book, column, or blog. Lastly, in the third quote, I poked fun at the story. The reader can learn that I am a somewhat humorous, sarcastic, and not to be taken too seriously. In all of the types of literature we read, we learn about the writer, whether subconsciously or not. I think I made it clear what type of writer I am through my voice in my blog posts.

My choices of diction and syntax were not incidental. I did them on purpose. For example, I used the word, “boring” in my last paragraph. This is low or informal diction. I chose to use boring instead of dull, monotonous, or tedious because I wanted a word that everyone could understand. I don’t know anyone who hasn't at some time or another said: School is boring. I’m bored. And etc. Everyone knows how it feels to be bored. If there was an extremely educated person and an extremely under educated person reading my blog, they would both understand it! That’s exactly what I want to happen. In the last paragraph, I ask a rhetorical question. This creates a relationship between my reader and I and makes them feel like I am talking directly to them. Another syntax technique I used was unique punctuation. Several times, I would interrupt myself with a short phrase or sentence that either contributed to the voice in my blog, or added to my point. One of these times is when I said, “(Of course you turn the page. You can’t just end on that!)” in the fifth paragraph. I think using parenthesis to do this is an excellent way to interject and let the reader know that this snippet of text is an addition to my writing. Also, I chose to structure my blog in smaller paragraphs because I think it is much easier to read that way. These are just a few of the examples, and I’m sure if you read my blog, you could find even more!