Technical Description Reflection Essay

My technical description essay explores the components, function, and history of a doorknob. I chose this topic because a doorknob is such an overlooked object that we use on a daily basis that we forget how vital it is in our lives. Researching the history and mechanics of a doorknob has been a very fun and engaging assignment for me because there’s a lot of information about how doorknobs work as well as the evolution of doorknobs throughout history. When I prompted ChatGPT to write a reflection about this technical description essay, the generated text indicated that the essay was a thorough analysis of a doorknob and that “This technical description of a doorknob provides an in-depth insight into the materials, manufacturing process, and components of a standard doorknob” (OpenAI, 2023). This essay also gives the historical context of the history of a doorknob and discusses various ways people used to open and close doors before the invention of the standard doorknob. This assignment has really opened my eyes to the importance of a doorknob and how to build and operate a fully functional doorknob.

This essay targets an audience that wants to learn more about how a doorknob operates as well as background information on the history and revolution of a doorknob. By combining information from various websites and weaving them together to construct a solid and informative essay on the operation of a doorknob, I have successfully included multimodal composition into this description because this essay reaches out to a larger audience that wants to learn more about a doorknob. I have certainly completed several course learning outcomes because I have formulated a specific stance in my writing that demonstrates the importance of doorknobs in our lives, and I have supported my claim by describing the functions and uses of a standard doorknob. According to ChatGPT, “The essay highlights the importance of each component and its unique function in the working of the doorknob” (OpenAI, 2023), which proves that I have completed one of the course learning outcomes. I also practiced using various library resources and online databases, and I have strengthened my sourcing skills by citing information from different websites. Furthermore, this essay explains how to use and install a doorknob, specifying how the components work together to create a functioning doorknob. Although brief, this essay lists the steps needed to install a doorknob and provides resources and images that will help the reader understand the main process of installing a doorknob.

Overall, this essay did a good job of describing the function of a doorknob, and “this technical description provides a comprehensive understanding of the various components that work together to create a doorknob, which is an everyday object that we rarely think about. It also highlights the evolution of doorknobs over time and the importance of the invention of the standard doorknob in modern interior and exterior design” (OpenAI, 2023). In conclusion, this essay did a great job of specifying the components, history, manufacturing process, and how to use and install a doorknob.

Reference

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat