Last Blog

I have found the blogs to be an interesting addition to our curriculum. I had never used blogs before this semester. I am glad that I do now know how to use a blog. I think the blogs were very effective in improving our writing skills. Often times we were required to analyze readings and then blog about it. These assignments not only helped our writing skills but also helped us develop our skills of analyzing and synthesizing our readings. Often times when we were required to analyze our readings I did not look forward to it because it took a lot of time. I often had to re-read the material a few times to grasp the message and to effectively analyze what was being said. Then I had to figure out what I was going to say and make sense of it all.

Using our blogs was a great way practice writing skills that we learned in class. After writing papers and reading the remarks left on my paper gave me things to improve on in my writing. Using the blog was an extra excerise to improve upon the things that I needed to work on. Being able to read other classmate's blogs allowed me to see how other people wrote and provided examples on how to improve my writing style. I think being required a word count was often a hassle but I think it was a good thing. Being required a certain amount of words kept us from slacking off and just writing two sentences. Having a set amount of words made us think more in order to come up with enough valid points to meet the word requirement.

I think being required to comment on other peoples blogs was a good thing. Reading what other people had to say in their blogs gave me a new perspective on many things. Blogging was a good way of communication between classmates. Reading what other people had to say about my posts also gave me things to think about and a new perspective. Being able to voice your opinion about things was another great thing about the blog. I think sometimes it easier to write out your opinion rather than speak it. Commenting on blogs also lead to some in depth conversations about the topics discussed.

I found the post where we were required to include a picture to be fun. I was not aware how to even insert a picture into my blog, but was I figured it out it was very easy. I think including images in blogs are very effective. I am a very visual person and incorporating pictures often helps me retain information better.

I think having to reflect on how we did on our papers was a good thing too! This made us go through our papers and think of what we could do for our next paper to make it better. In the long run this was very beneficial because it made us realize what mistakes we made on our last papers so we would not make them again.

While I did not always enjoy writing blogs I think it was an effective learning tool. And using blogs was a great way to save paper!

An Imperial Message

An emperor has sent a message to the messenger from his deathbed. In this message the messenger is ordered to kneel by the emperor’s bed as the emperor whispers words referring to a task of an important journey into his ear. The messenger is described as losing his strength quickly in his journey which seems to be within in courts and palaces. If he is to break open the outer gates the “imperial capital” or the center of the world will be before him, something that he cannot conquer. Kafka describes the messenger as setting out on his journey full of confidence and “indefatigable”. His ego and over self-confidence is what wears him down. The messenger is described as he is losing his strength: “still he is only making his way through the chambers of the innermost palace; never will he get to the end of them; and if he succeeded in that nothing would be gained.” The messenger’s mission is described as if it is impossible for him to finish due to his cocky attitude and that he can only dream of defeating this mission. I believe Kafka is trying to say that if you go through life with an attitude that exudes that you are better than everyone you are not going to get very far. If the messenger had a more humble attitude or asked for help in his mission he may have been able to accomplish it.

Discrimination is a Virtue

This article discusses the misuse of the word discrimination. Our society, including myself commonly uses the word when referring to racism. Miller makes an argument that Americans do not understand thetrue meaning of discrimination and that we need to use discrimination in our country’s politics more wisely. Miller says: “But to use the word in this sense, as so many people do, is to destroy its true meaning. If you discriminate against something because of general preconceptions rather than particular insights, then you are not discriminating—bias has clouded the clarity of vision which discrimination demands.” In our current presidential election we have a woman and a black man. Our country has yet to see a woman or a black in the position of president. Our country has faced issues of discrimination against both women and black people in our history. American citizens should not let preconceived notions about women or black people make a difference in whether or not they decide to vote for Obama, Hillary or any of the other candidates. Voters should focus more on the qualities of the candidates and what their plan for our country entails. Miller makes a good argument when he talks about how we as Americans need to discriminate more when it comes to politics. He makes the point that we spend more time discriminating in our decisions for buying cars or choosing what kind of foods we eat than we do in decisions concerning politics. Choosing someone hold the position of president of our country is a big decision that affects ourselves, our family, future generations and other countries. In making such a big decision we as citizens should be more concerned and we should make “intelligent judgments” in deciding things such as who should be the president of our country.

Visual

Heart machines, such as the one pictured on the left were created and tested on animals. Many people have been positivley impacted by the use of heart machines, and has even helped save lives. The heart machine is one of the most well known treatments that was tested effective through animal experimentation. This is a demonstration of just one of the many treatments that is very important to advancements in medical technology and encourages the use of animals in proper medical testing.

Perspectus

1. I feel as though this author has a few good questions but finding the results maybe very difficult, and possibly impossible such as: How does this author plan on finding out how many professors actually check for plagiarism and what students are thinking when they decide to pliagarize?
2. There does not appear to be a specific or very strong thesis in the introductory paragraph.
3. The organization of sentences within the paragraphs seem to be a little unorganized.

If Black English Isn't a Language, then Tell Me, What is?

There are many different dialects of languages. In Baldwin's essay he talks about the use of language and how the "Black Language" is an important part of American history. He argues that the black language is important as it is part of their history. He begins his essay by introducing his topic with, “ the argument has nothing to do with language itself, but with the role of language.” Baldwin describes the use of language in a way in which I never thought of when he says, “ people evolve a language in order to be able to describe and thus control their circumstances, or in order not to be submerged by a reality that cannon articulate.” As a reader he engages me with such quotes as he makes valid points about the use of language in a way I would never think of. He then makes another very valid point: “language is also a political instrument, means and proof of power. It is the most vivid and crucial key to identity.” He then begins to talk about black language. The black language holds great importance to the identity of black people. Baldwin then brings up a counter argument when he says: “ if this unprecedented journey does not indicate that black English is a language, then I am curious to know what definition of language is to be trusted.” He brings up an opposing view while also including his response to the counter argument in the same sentence. Baldwin’s approach to this argument is logical as he explains his topic, provides examples, addresses the counter argument and a strong response to the counter argument.

Annotated Bibliography

Woods, Geraldine. Animal Experimentation and Testing: A Pron/Con Issue. Berkely

Heights, NJ: Enlsow Publishers, 1999.

This book was very helpful in writing my argument paper because it provided me with view from both the pro and the con side concerning the issue of animal testing. The author explained the circumstances of animal testing and the concerns of people from both sides. She also used quotes and facts from reputable sources and people who are directly involved in animal testing. My source is from 1999, even though it is from 9 years ago the topics in which it talks about are still very present. The fact that the books a little bit older also shows how long this debate has been going on.

CRAAP

I chose to evaluate the "DHMO in the Dairy Industry" website. This website was last modified on March 11, 2008, being that it is today's date it is up to date. All of the links on the page work. The message of this website is to all those who drink or eat dairy. The article talks about the lack of regulation of DHMO in dairy. The website explains what DHMO is and what it does and why it is posing a problem. The author of this article is Tom Way and there is an e-mail adress on the home page to contact him. The website is ended with .org, which is usually more credible than .com websites. The article on the page is very easy to read making it easy for the audience to understand. The author provides exact e-mails as he tries to make his point, making it seem reliable as we read exactly what was said in the e-mails. The author seems to feel strongly about the use of DHMO in dairy and that it is bad, which hints to a possible bias in the article which could affect the readers view on the dairy industry. The purpose of this article is to inform people on the use DHMO in dairy. The website appears to be a good website if you were researching the use of DHMO and that its fact are reliable but it may have a bias towards the dairy industry.

The Right to Fail

This article relates to my own experience in that I feel the everyday pressures of today’s world that tell me that inorder to be successful and socially acceptable I must “attain certain goals by a certain age.” It was not even a thought in my mind to ever take a year off after college, I always knew I was going straight to college as it was encouraged by my family and friends and that is what majority of students from my school were to do. I plan to graduate from college in four years. I have to get into nursing school on time in order to graduate in four years. This time limit that I feel I have puts a lot of pressure on me. The author brings up the question of, “what if we fail?” What if I do not get into nursing school on time and I am not able to graduate college in the usual four years? I have a fear of failing because not only will I feel as if I have let my family down and that I will not be socially accepted because I would not be graduating college in four years. The author also brings up the point of ,” boys and girls to find their proper road is often to take a hundred side trips, poking out in different directions, faltering, drawing back, and starting again.” At such a young age making important decisions such as a major for a career that I will have for the rest of my life took some time, and I still might just change my major and choose to take a different path. You learn through trial and error. Failing is not always a bad thing. Everyone has their own perception on what success is, and who are we to tell others what success is?

Logical Fallacy

I found an article from the NAU newspaper called, ”Gun Control Won't Fix School Shootings". In this article I found that the author used the fallacy appeal to force. In his article he tried to say that if the shooter in the Virginia Tech shooting had been screened for the prescription drugs he was taking for his psychological issues before he bought his guns then the incident may not have happened. The author also says, “We can stop inflicting mass trauma and pain on one another, but we first have to decide whether it makes more sense to cultivate compassion or hostility to reach a state of harmony.” The author uses an indirect sign of force when he says, “our world drives people to snap fairly regularly so we need to change something about the way we live and relate to each other.”

I found an article on the New York Time’s written by a woman of the name of Maureen Dowd. In her article she discusses Hillary and Obama in the upcoming election. In her article I found the logical fallacy of personal attack. Dowd attacks Hillary and her campaign when she says, “women have moved past that men-are-pigs, woe-is-me, sisters-must-stick-together, pantsuits-are-powerful era that Hillary’s campaign has lately revived with a vengeance.” The author seems to be mocking the message that Hillary is portraying in her campaign and her image. She makes it apparent that she does not agree with the way Hillary is going about her campaign and how she emphasizes the fact that she is a woman to try and get more votes. The logical fallacy of genetics is also present in this article. Dowd interviewed a man who is voting for Obama, the man said he is voting for Obama because, “My ancestors came to this country in chains; I’m voting for Barack.” This quote makes it apparent that the only reason this man is voting for Obama is because he is black, and because he is black he must be a good candidate for presidency . A woman was interviewed on why she is choosing to vote for Hillary and she said, “My sisters came here in chains and on their periods; I’m voting for Hillary.” This quote makes it apparent that this woman is choosing to vote for Hillary just because she is a woman and because she is a woman she must be well qualified for presidency.

Middle Schoolers Get the Pill

In reading “Middle-Schoolers Get the Pill”, two points of view would be, those who agree that children in middle school should be give birth control, and those who believe that they should not. A counter argument in this article could be those who believe that eleven year-olds should not be given birth control pills. One could use the point that children at that age should not be having sex because they are too young. Children are not even close to being done developing at the age of eleven, and many have not even began puberty. Children that age are not mature enough to handle the consequences that could come from having sex. If and eleven year old child were to get pregnant there is no way they would be able to support the baby themselves. They would have to put the baby up for adoption or have their parents take care of it. Having a baby at such a young age could cause some serious health risks for both the mother and the baby. The article states that the blame for young girls having sex is the Culture Wars, and the opposing views of teen sex between conservatives and liberals. One perspective I feel was overlooked is what influences young girls to have sex. Many girls are influenced by the media, friends, older siblings and their parents. What messages are being portrayed to young girls by the media and our society that makes them feel as though they have to have sex or that it is ok to have sex at such young ages?

Rhetorical Analysis

I wrote my rhetorical analysis on Conan O’Brien’s Stuyvesant commencement speech. In my essay I addressed how he used pathos and ethos but had a lack of logos. My thesis stated that Conan connected with his audience through his humor by using pathos and ethos but failed to use logos so it would not appear that he was preaching to his audience. The strongest point in my essay was my incorporation of the rhetorical appeal and the rhetorical triangle. My weakest point in my essay was my language use and syntax.

In my essay I struggled with using the same tense agreement. I had several instances when I talked in present tense while I talked in past tense in others. For example, “Conan knew that he had to give an entertainment speech.” I used the present tense when I used the word knew and I used the past tense when I used the word had.

Another topic that I struggled with was syntax. I had difficulty getting my ideas out and making sense of them. My wording in some sentences made it a little confusing. Some of the ways I phrase my sentences can make it puzzling for the reader. To fix this I believe for next time I need to say the sentences aloud to make sure that the do in fact make sense. Another thing that could help me with my syntax is making sure my sentences flow and they are well organized. I also need work on my word usage. Making sure I use appropriate verbs and adjectives will help fix this problem. Another thing I need to work on my use of comma’s, this also goes along with sentence flow. If I put my comma’s in the right places it will help my sentences flow better, making my point and my ideas stronger.

In writing my paper I wrote an outline first to help organize my thoughts. I went through the speech and highlighted each pathos, ethos and logos in their own colors, making it easier to write my outline. When it came to writing my actual paper having the outline help me develop the organization of the paper. I discussed each element on their own and provided supporting quotes of examples. I used multiple quotes for each point I made to really emphasize it. I also watched his speech on youtube to really get the effect of the way he said things and how it came across to the audience. Despite my attempt to use good organizational skills, they were not the best and could still use some improvement. For next time I may want to have two or three other people proof read my paper and ask them to watch especially for organization. I need to make sure that all my ideas flow and that I use good transitional sentences in between each paragraph.

In writing my next essay I am going to focus most of my attention on organizing my thoughts better. Then I will make sure that I use the right words, good grammar and good sentence structure. Doing both of these will help me to make my point of the paper stronger and it will help me develop better skills as a writer.

Freire and Plato

In Paulo Freire’s, The Banking Concept of Education, ideas of student-teacher relationships are presented. Issues of being oppressed as students are brought up. In some educational settings the teachers oppress their students in a narrative character. The teachers teach their students in a manner that the teacher is the supreme authority and knows everything. The student is inferior and knows nothing. The students are to receive the information, repeat it, memorize it and repeat the process, this is known as the banking concept of education. This method is argued to limit the students creativity, individuality and their ability to think critically. The humanist theory of teaching contradicts the theories of the banking concept of learning. Humanist encourages their students to think critically, preparing them to be able to handle real life situations. In the end it obvious that with the humanist theory a student will be an independent thinker and will be more prepared for the real world. The students who were oppressed through the banking concept of learning will not be well prepared for real life situations and will be unable to think on their own.

Plato’s, The Allegory of the Cave form the Repulic, Book VII, talks about ignorance and learning. Plato stresses the idea that one needs to open their eyes to the world and be aware of their surroundings. You can not go through life looking at things in the same light or one-sidedly. Plato’s message to the audience is that you cannot be successful going through life with your eyes closed, or being ignorant. Plato proposes an alternate role of the teacher than in Frefire’s essay. Plato says teachers are to be facilitators in learning. Students are already full of knowledge. The teachers help the students realize their full potential by facilitating them and asking them questions. Plato believes that we learn through reasoning.

Both authors propose that the best way to learn is through individual critical thinking. Students and teachers are a team, not opponents with one being better than the other. Students learn just as much from their teachers as teachers learn from their students. One is not properly educated if they are oppressed or go through life ignorantly. A student most learn to be open minded and think for themselves.

Synthesis

Sprint and Nokia laid off workers because of the increasing competition within the cell phone industry. They gave an explanation as to why they decided to lay off workers and released it to the press. They laid off a reasonable amount of workers but did not get rid of all the jobs from one factory. Roger Smith did not like to discuss his reason for closing an entire plant. Sources reported that Roger’s reason for closing the plant was that he was outsourcing jobs to Mexico where labor would be cheaper. GM was one of the most successful and profitable companies at the time of Roger’s decision to close the plant. Roger’s decision to close the GM plant in the town of Flint was out of greed and selfishness.

30,000 people were laid off when the GM plant of Flint closed. Being the main source of income for many families of the town, the closing of the factory caused a great devastation in the town. Spring and Nokia waited to lay off workers when there was a logical reason. The cell phone companies had to lay off workers in order to save money in the competition to keep their business running. They were more compassionate in their decision to get rid of jobs within their companies. Roger Smith was very unreasonable in his decision to get rid of a mass amount of jobs within his company. He cause a great amount of strife for the people and families who were laid off. He showed no remorse for the families nor did he try and find alternate solutions for the family as far as income to live. Families were evicted from their homes with no place to go and could not afford groceries. When confronted Roger Smith acted like a coward and tried to avoid the subject at all costs.

Companies decide to lay off workers

I chose an article that talks about companies laying off employees. The cell phone companies Nokia and Sprint are planning on laying off workers. Nokia announced in early January that they will lay off 2,300 workers from their plant in Germany. It was also reported in January that Sprint is planning on laying off a considerable amount of people from their plants as well. With the increase in competition between cell phone companies the companies felt that they needed to make lay off’s. Sprint also has a need to lay off some of its workers as they are planning to relocate their headquarters to Kansas. It was also noted in the article that Sprint laid off 5,000 employees last year, but an explanation as to why was not included.

In Roger and Me GM decided to lay off an extreme amount of 30,000 of their employees. Roger Smith’s reason for laying all of these employee’s was to save money for the company, but GM was currently one of the most profitable companies. It appeared that Roger was a very greedy man and just wanted way to make even more money. The lay off’s of the 30,000 GM workers did not only have a big impact on the workers themselves but also their families and the town. Roger Smith showed no compassion what so ever for the workers that he laid off.

The Sprint company has reason to lay off their employee’s as they are relocating their headquarters, where a good amount of their workers are employed. Both Nokia and Sprint laid off workers due to the increase of competition within the cell phone industry, which will help create more profit for the company. Both the cell phone companies are laying off a good amount of workers, but nowhere near 30,000 workers. The cell phone companies had logical explanations for laying off their workers, but Roger Smith did not.

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Roger and Me

Michael Moore’s documentary, Roger and Me told the story of the toils of the town of Flint after the big GM factory lay off’s. Michael showed how the people suffered due to the 30,000 people of the town who lost their jobs at the factory. He did interviews with the former employees and their families and he showed the affects it had on the town. Moore uses logos to show the true effects of the devastation of the town of Flint.

Moore follows the town Sheriff throughout the whole movie as he goes to home after home evicting families out of their homes. He even kicks a family out on Christmas Eve. Having documented the families being kicked out the audience saw their true emotions and how realistic it was. Showing the evictions through the whole movie made it the effect more profound for the audience as we realized that these families were being kicked out their homes with no place else to go. Michael also interviews some of the employees about life after being laid off to get his point across even more. He shows how one woman had to take up a career of killing bunnies for their meat and selling it to make some extra money so she could go grocery shopping. Michael showed scenes as he drove down the streets of Flint with all the shops boarded up and no one on the streets. The town became one of the highest rated cities for crime.

The town tried to build itself back up by building a luxury hotel and building a theme park. Even the new attractions did not attract people to the town of Flint or make things better. The hotel and theme park did not get enough business and they too had to close. The documentary was very convincing that Roger Smith selfishly closed down the GM factory to make more money and had no compassion for any of the workers that he laid off. It was also convincing that the closing of the factory is the cause for how run down the town of Flint is now. Showing interviews that he had with the former

Wolfgang

Wolfgang’s comic strip is a great example of pathos. Being a comic strip there was no need for a lot of senory words as we can see it in the pictures, though the few words provide more explanation. In the first set of pictures we see what seems to be a man on his death bed at a hospital. He has x’s over his eyes, possibly signifying extreme sickness, for a few of the pictures. His face changes showing the pain he is feeling. He is hooked to i.v.’s, there are cards and flowers all over the room and a few pill bottles on the bed side table. There are no words yet so you are left to use your imagination as you interpret the pictures.

In the next set of pictures he appears to be dreaming. He is shown in many different scenes. He is in a house sitting on a couch with a young boy and a man, he is flying over a city he is watching a boy play baseball in a park, in a car with a boy and a girl and in the hospital with a young man. Then words are added to the comic. The first set of words we see say, “Wait that’s not right that’s not the way..” It now appears that maybe he is looking back on his life and has all of the sudden seen something that did not happen the way he remembered.

The young boy in the pictures begins to explain things to the old man. He tells the old man that his heart stopped and he may possibly be on the road to death. The old man asks if they are going to the heaven and the young boy tells him that his reward for living a good life is not going to heaven but the life of dignity is its own reward. At the end the old man comes to the conclusion that he should just let things be and they will turn out how they are supposed to. Wolfgang’s comic strip uses pathos as it discusses the idea of death, which is a very emotional subject.

The Southland

The Southland was written about the states of the south. They hold a great amount of history for our country. The author explains the great history behind the south and the north in the civil war. He takes the audience on a visual tour in our minds throughout the states with his use of imagery. The writing appeals to an audience interested in history. The author describes the great history in the battlefields from the civil war scattered throughout the south. He uses logos in using analogies to create feeling in his description of the struggle the south went through and still endures from the civil war days. He says, “Some you find living in the pomp and splendor of Jefferson’s time; some live like animals, in a condition comparable only to that of primitive beings in Africa.” Here he describes the people of the south and how diverse they are by using analogies and comparing some to animals of Africa. His word choice is very intricate and sophisticated setting a serious and informative tone for the piece. The author uses pathos as he is also very persuasive in his diction while he shares the passionate feelings of the south. The author shares some of his feelings, “I stand beside the graves of the dead in our own South the horror of war assails me with desolating poignancy.” This is a good example of his strong diction in creating pathos as he shares his feelings. He explains the friendly character the southern people have and how strongly they still stand age makes the south seem very appealing. He describes the south, “There are thousands of dream places in the old South. You can sit on a bench in a tiny Confederate Park or fling yourself on the banks of a levee or stand on a bluff overlooking an Indian settlement, the air soft, still fragrant.” He uses persuasiveness again in making the south very appealing to the audience. The southland is an informative piece on the great character the south carries and the history it holds.

Blog Analysis

I chose to analyze the blog "Wonder Woman". By the title of the blog I assume that it is a girls blog. The layout is pink with maroon accents and polka dots in the background. I think the polka dots in the background add some flair to her blog and make it more unique.The colors and layout give me even more evidence to believe that it is a girls blog along with the title. For each blog she has posted the text is a different color. She has used the colors purple maroon and pink for her text. The use of different color of text I believe makes her page more fun and shows some personality.

Mother Tongue

Tan’s essay on language made me look at language in a different perspective. As a child of parents who emigrated to United States from China she was able to see firsthand how difficult it can be for a grown adult to learn a new language. She has had to help her mother struggle through language barriers that she has to deal with on a daily basis. Tan’s mother spoke broke English and Tan often felt that when she was with her mother she too had to speak broken English, though in her writing and talking with peers she spoke properly the way she was taught in school. Tan writes the essay opening the eyes of her readers to see the complexity of language and how native speakers often take their own language for granted. She made me as a reader realize that language truly is a beautiful thing as it allows us to express to others who we are and that how we word or say things in our expression make a big difference.

Blogs

I have never posted a blog myself nor am I a regular reader of blogs. I have used blogs created by companies to check out certain products before I decide to buy them. I think blogs can be a fun way to express yourself. I see it as a type of journal, just online. I think being able to create an alias for your blog so no one knows who you are is a nice feature. With an alias you can write whatever you want without worrying what other people think about what you specifically are writing. You can read other peoples blogs and make comments. I find it interesting that people who do not even know each other can talk back and forth through commenting on blogs and create a relationship online. As Teemu Arina said in the "youtube” video, blogs can be used as a reflection. Other people can read your blogs and comment their views on your reflection. This can help you to broaden your view of thinking or see things in a different way. Blogs can also be a useful tool in educating people, helping people to think out of the box or differently than they normally would.

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