A personal philosophy statement expresses your belief or perspective about a truth you hold dear. Drawing inspiration from other writers who have attempted to communicate their wisdom on life, nature, and the word, you’ll craft your own personal philosophy paragraph. Your paragraph should include
- a clear claim supported with evidence
- one example of abductive, deductive, or inductive reasoning
- two rhetorical appeals (ethos, kairos, logos, or pathos)
- two rhetorical devices
- correct grammar, usage, and punctuation
| Audience | Who are you speaking to? |
| Purpose | What do you want your statement to achieve? |
| Claim | What is your claim? |
| Personal Philosophy Statement | Type your response here. Your personal philosophy statement should be at least 7-10 sentences in length. |
| Logical Reasoning | How did you incorporate abductive, deductive, or inductive reasoning? |
| Rhetorical Appeals | Which two rhetorical appeals did you incorporate? How did they enhance your claim? |
| Rhetorical Devices | Which two rhetorical devices did you incorporate? How did they enhance your claim? |
Expressing Your Views Rubric
(50 points possible)
| On Target | Almost There | Needs Improvement | |
| Claim (5 points) | 5 points The claim insightfully reflects the foundation of the personal philosophy statement. | 4-3 points The claim attempts to provide an idea of what the personal philosophy is. | 2-0 points The claim may be missing or may be unclear or loosely connected to the content of the paragraph. |
| Logical Reasoning (5 points) | 5 points There is clear evidence of at least one type of logical reasoning. | 4-3 points There is an attempt to use at least one type of logical reasoning. | 2-0 points Logical reasoning may be missing or may be incorrect. |
| Personal Philosophy Paragraph (15 points) | 15-12 points The personal philosophy paragraph is thorough, creative, insightful, and reflects a sense of self. | 11-9 points The personal philosophy paragraph may lack insight or completeness of thought. | 8-0 points The personal philosophy paragraph may be incomplete or missing. |
| Rhetorical Appeals and Devices (20 points) | 20-16 points The personal philosophy paragraph creatively incorporates two rhetorical appeals and devices.There is a thorough explanation of how the appeals and devices enhance the argument. | 15-12 points There is an attempt to incorporate two rhetorical appeals and devices.There is an attempted explanation of how the appeals and devices enhance the argument. | 11-0 points The paragraph is missing most or all rhetorical appeals and devices.There is no explanation of how the appeals and devices enhance the argument. |
| Grammar (5 points) | 5-4 points There are virtually no spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. | 3 points There are a few spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. | 2-0 points There are several spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. |
