It is amazing to reflect on my work over the past few weeks and see it come together on a single site. The constant reminder that I kept in my thoughts while working on each piece of the project was that I was not trying to infer anything that could not be supported by the text. In my edition I was communicating a single notion that Gilman was critiquing the male dominated medical establishment by rendering her characters as feminine and masculine. I used direct lines from the primary source to annotate and build my thesis. I introduced the author and the story in a way that would provide sufficient background to the time in history and the work. My approach to the text only focused on annotating lines that supported my thesis, but none that went against it. One particular aspect of my research that I did not include was about John’s feminine behaviors. With his wife resting, John had to be the caretaker of their child and his wife. Taking care of children and performing household duties is not a traditionally masculine behavior. I did not include this because I was focusing on John as a masculine medical provider, not a feminine household caretaker. This was one way that I explicitly drove my audience away from some textual evidence and toward others. I also included updated ethical policies from the American Medical Association to strengthen my argument that modern medicine has recognized and strayed away from an authoritative and masculine approach. This inclusion shaped my audience to believe my argument more because of the modern changes that have occurred. 

I have learned and strengthened many skills while working on this ADE. The biggest skill that I have built is in shaping the reader’s experience through specific lines in the primary text. By drawing attention to lines that support my thesis, the audience is led into thinking about my main question of patient-provider relationships and outcomes. Although there are so many other routes that can be explored in this text such as setting, infantilism, and the importance of self expression, I drive my audience into thinking only about the medical encounter. This is a skill that I will be able to apply in other fields to persuade my audience into acknowledging what I am putting forth, and looking past the rest. For example, in a future scientific paper that I may write, I will include specific background information to support my thesis and highlight aspects of my data collection that support my hypothesis well. 

Digital literacy is another extremely important and relevant skill that I have developed through this edition. Although my portfolio was already expansive prior to this assignment, I had not used it to include an entire primary source, or this many links. I worked very hard to ensure smooth transitions between areas of my site. This was one of my main goals of completing my assignment. I wanted my audience to know exactly where to start, where to go next, and where to finish. I did not want to confuse my audience, or have them miss any information because I was not clear enough. 

These skills did not come easy and this ADE was hard work. I am happy with the final result and now have many skills such as organization, persuasion, digital literacy, and clarity to take with me.