Final Blog Post

The semester is finally at an end. I really enjoyed writing on this blog. The blog was a place where I could think and write about my reflections and ideas. Blogging helped me organize my ideas before I wrote an essay which I found really helpful. By posting my ideas on my blog I was able to also receive feedback from by classmates. This was really helpful before I wrote my essays. Hearing other ideas and different perspectives on my topic helped me to collect evidence. I think blogging is a good way to express your ideas because it's different than writing an actual essay. Blogs can be a little more laid back and you can write freely without any restraints. Blogging helped me learn how to organize my writing. When I was writing my essays I had an easier time putting my paper together. The only changes I would have made when posting our blogs was if we could blog about whatever we wanted. Sometimes I had a lot of trouble reflecting on essays that I didn't really understand and I disliked. If we had more room to write what we wanted I would have blogged every day. Overall, I really liked how we were able to express our ideas online and communicate with our classmates outside of the classroom.

Brainstorming Proposal Argument

For my proposal argument I decided to write about the use of "performance-enhancing" drugs. Many people are aware of this problem so I will probably focus more on the solutions and necessary actions that should be taken to address the problem. The use of "performance-enhancing" drugs is a growing scandal and problem among professional and collegiate athletes. This problem is hurting many sports and is very dangerous to the players who use these drugs. There have been many cases where players have tested positive for these "performance-enhancing" drugs and something needs to be done to fix this problem. The solutions to "performance-enhancing" drugs being used that I am going to focus on are that they need to be banned in every sport, and every sport needs to test their athletes often. Every sport has different punishments for using these drugs. I am going to talk about how each sport handles the problem and the actions that they are taking to get rid of these drugs. I think that this is a really interesting topic because I am an athlete myself and I really love to watch professional and collegiate games. It really disappoints me that these players are using these drugs and some are getting away with it or getting minor punishments. I think that this is a serious problem because it affects the athletes well-being and the sport they are part of.

The Hardest of the Hardcore

Dylan's paper on the war of Iraq and the function of contractors was interesting to read. I think that his paper was interesting and would have appeal to his audience because of how serious the war in Iraq is and it is greatly affecting our lives every day. Dylan essay is about how mercenaries, ex-military personnel hired by the Pentagon to help the U.S. military, are used during warfare and the problems behind this method. Dylan clearly explains his 6 major reasons why using mercenaries are problematic. Each reason he makes he supports with enough evidence for the reader so that he seems credible and his paper is credible as well. One major problem that he mentioned that caught my eye was the problem of mercenaries not having national loyalties. He used the example of the Persian Gulf War and how mercenaries working at one of the bases fled when they heard that they could be in danger of chemical weapons. This was a strong example and a good point to prove that mercenaries are problematic during war. Overall, I think that Dylan's paper was strong and had a lot of evidence and good points. The only problem that I noticed was his conclusion. I thought his conclusion wasn't strong enough to clearly explain what he proved throughout his paper as well as what should be done. He didn't provide his audience with any solutions. All he said was that Congress and the people of the U.S. need to take action so this doesn't happen. He doesn't explain if his conclusion is that mercenaries should be eliminated all together or if Congress should take action so the abuse of power and lawlessness does not occur. I think that he should have given possible solutions to this problem so the audience has an idea of what should be done.

Angle of Vision Image

For this blog I chose an image that was agaisnt drunk driving. The image I chose was of a woman who had been in a drunk driving accident. She was hit by a drunk driver and survived the accident. The woman's face is in the image and you can see that she was injured and her face was permanently damaged. The woman's face was the first thing that caught my eye. The picture of her was so sad that immediately I felt bad for the woman. The writing on the image says, "Not everyone who gets hit by a drunk driver dies." After you see the picture of the woman, the picture of the woman before the accident and you read the caption, you become very persuaded that drunk driving is a horrible thing. I think that the picture of the woman was the most persuasive part of the image but the text on the image was also eyecatching. Not only does it remind you that drunk driving is bad but it makes you think about the people who were survivors of drunk driving and what they have to live with for the rest of their lives. The angle of vision is defintely apparent in this image and I think that it is very effective.

Chapter 14 -- Classical Argumentation

The classical way of arguing entails for the reader to take a stand on an issue, offer reasons and evidence to support your position and to summarize and respond to alternative views. This technique makes you aware of your views in the beginning, how they change, and what causes them to change. I think classical argumentation can be really useful for writers to understand and use before and while they write a paper. If writers use this technique they will see many improvements in their writing. The classical way of arguing helps you to understand how you have to develop your essay so that you provide enough information to persuade the reader to believe your views. If you do not develop your essay the reader's opinions will never change and that means your essay isn't persuasive enough. I think its important to break down your essay before you finish it and make sure that the reader can clearly understand your points and opinions.

Liberal Education

Edmundson's essay on Liberal Education was interesting and proposes many different topics for debate. While reading the essay I did use the with the grain and against the grain technique and found that there were many points he made that I agreed and disagreed with. Overall Edmundson is basically saying that students these days are a lot different than students in previous decades. He thinks that students are less passionate, and more laid-back. He says, "Your inhibited, except on ordained occasions, from showing emotion, stifled from trying to achieve anything original." He goes on to fully examine students' actions and personalities throughout the essay.

Overall I think that the points Edmundson makes in this essay are very interesting. He states his opinion but also backs it up with evidence that we, the students, might not even realize. I am looking forward to analyzing this essay a lot more.

Chapter 6

For this blog I thought I would talk about the Reading With the Grain and Against the Grain technique. I found this section of the chapter really interesting. To read with the grain is to be an "empathetic learner" and see what the author wants you to see. You have to look at the writing through the author's eyes and adopt their beliefs and values. Using this technique you support the author's thesis with your own examples. You can take what the author states and apply the information in new ways, so it makes sense to you, as the reader. This strategy can help you develop a strong response to the text.

The other way of reading a text is reading it against the grain. To do you must question and argue the author's ideas. You have to have the total opposite way of thinking and become a resistant reader. The reader must read the text and and see different things that the writer isn't trying to show to you. You can raise points that the author didn't use to go against the writer. This will help you create a very strong response because you will challenge the author's reasoning, sources, examples, etc, and provide alternative ones.

This strategy will help the reader interact with the text that is provided. It is very similar to the believing and doubting game that we learned about already. It makes you see both sides of the text, rather than reading and just analyzing it with one view.

Chapter 5:Two Contrasting Descriptions and a Self- Reflection

Positive Description
A warm, sunny day students are outside engaging in friendly conversations. A clear, blue sky attracts students to sit on the newly, cut grass and relax in the peaceful atmosphere. Boys laugh and throw a football around while people watch as they walk by. Couples walk, hand in hand, as they make their way into one of the buildings. Everyone holds doors open for one another, exchanging smiles along the way. Students are listening to music as they walk to their destination, while saying hi to people they know as they pass by. Birds flying overhead as students eat their lunch. Someone walking by drops one of their items and someone runs to make sure that it is returned. The politeness seems contagious.

Negative Description
A windy day blows papers around and students chase after them. Students are walking alone, with their headphones on, and not interacting with others. People are rushing to get to class on time, as they push their way through the doors of the building. Students are trying to do all the work they possibly can before they become too stressed out. The empty, crushed, plastic cups fill the trash cans. The obnoxious and loud cell phone conversations are overheard. So many students trying to accomplish what they need to crowds the area. The sun beating down on your body makes it uncomfortable and you can't even sit still. Birds flying around, making noise is distracting and bothering you. A football hits someone in the head and tension builds. Garbage is piling up and the unpleasant aroma fills the air.

Loose Change

The video clip that we watched was about the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. This video used the angle of vision strategy we read about in Chapter 3. The filmmakers wanted to show the possible corruption that could have occured that day and wanted their audience to question the government. They used the angle of vision to raise awareness about this topic to the general public. Throughout the video they use the rhetorical aims, pathos, logos, a nd ethos, that we talked about. I think the video definitely could have influenced some people's minds about this horrific day, but if you really look into the information that they provided there seems to be many flaws.

The filmmakers throughout the movie use many eye witnesses and sources that definitely could be questioned. They definitely showed their side of the arguement but they also used unrelated evidence that had nothing to do with the events that occured at all. I think that since they have made many different versions of this event, they should have eliminated many of the flaws that they had in this video.

U.R. Riddle Letter

To whom it may concern,

Although I have not been in contact with Mr. Riddle recently, I frequently worked with him as a student several years ago. I am hoping to portray as accurate a picture as possible of what I remember of him.Mr. Riddle was not known for having a punctual nature and a heavy criticism for the overall appeal of my class. He has issues with prioritizing and a lack of responsibility. Mr. Riddle missed the midterm for being out of town during the time signed up, but when the test was taken, he received an A on it. He has shown major theoretical principles through his term paper on the psychology of management. It has proven to be one of the best term papers I have ever read.In the business world, his presentation would not be up to par. His appearance was commonly unkempt. His appearance also reflected his attitude. He commonly was considered a loner and had trouble interacting with other classmates that could reflect badly into a business team atmosphere. He failed to participate in a group project because he openly criticized other students as “idiots”.Although he had a very intellectual mind, Mr. Riddle failed to show promise in the business world. From my perspective, he didn’t show the necessary qualities necessary for the job.

Sincerely,
Chad Hanna
Kristen Walters
Loren Stoehr

Angle of Vision

In Chapter 3 of our textbook they bring up a strategy you can use to persuade a reader called the Angle of Vision. I thought this concept was very interesting and helpful. Not only are you able to emphasize you points but you also get to control how and what your readers "see." The example of Angle of Vision where they used different ways you would talk to your friend and your grandmother was very helpful and helped me understand the full concept. I think that this ia definitely something that I will incorporate into my writing to help get my point across and to persuade readers to see what I want them to see. If the writer omits or selects certain details they can really control the picture that the reader will see when they read their work. I think it is a good thing when readers lose their awareness because it would be eaiser for them to accept and understand other writer's views and opinions.

Get It Right. Privatize Executions

The article by Arthur Miller has some very interesting opinions. I agree with what Arthur Miller is argueing. If the United States were to privatize executions it could possibly make people think twice about their actions and the rate of crime in our country could decrease. If citizens saw how criminals were being executed it could definitely have an impact and maybe make them think twice about certain situations they could get themselves into. If executions were public it might help families that were affected heal easier. They could finally see that these murderers and criminals were getting what they deserved. When people commit crime and/or murder they never think of the people that are going to be affected. This is a way for all family members and friends that were affected by these criminals' actions to that justice was served. Everyone has their own opinion and if they dont agree with privatized executions they don't have to participate or watch them. No one is making anyone watch these excutions therefore, it gives citizens the option to witness these executions if they would like to. If the country does privatize executions and it becomes popular, it will be an easy way to make money as well as provide entertainment to the citizens.


Arthur Miller's ideas are totally absurd. He compares executing criminals to entertainment we watch. There is no way you can compare the murder of someone to a television show or a sporting event. Executions should always be done inside prisons or in a secluded place where only certain people may watch. Executions are not something our country should be proud of and should publicize. There should be no reason for children to see these horrible events. It will traumatize them for the rest of their lives. Privatized Executions will create more violence, controversy and drama. For the families of the criminal, it would be horrible and unbearable to watch someone you love being execution in front of thousands. These criminals are humans. No matter what they did to put themselves in those situations they are still humans and should not be treated with such malice. If we privatize executions it will affect the way other countries view our society and it will lower our standards. Executions are not something our country should be proud of and should not be something we flaunt so everyone can see.

Virginia Looks to Shift Toward Wind Power

The article, "Virginia Looks to Shift Toward Wind Power," has a thesis statement that will definitely catch your eye. This article is about how a company, Freedom Works, wants to build a wind farm in Virginia to produce more electrical power for Virginia residents. The thesis statement in this article is, "Freedom Works, a company with projects in four states, wants to generate electricity for the power-hungry Washington are and beyond, despite concerns about disturbing wildlife, spoiling untouched lands and creating noise and light pollution."
This thesis statement brings up many controversies, as well as, answers a question that might concern Virginia residents. It states that this company, Freedom Works, wants to build these farms despite the chances of disturbing wildlife, untouched lands and also creating noise and pollution. Some people living in Virginia or out-of-state could be against this project because of their beliefs about disturbing wildlife or their concerns about more noise and pollution. This thesis statement gives the reader imformation that is very interesting and definitely draws attention to the article. It also has an emotional side that people might connect to.
Not only does this thesis statement bring up many controversial aspects of the project but it also answers a question that many people might have needed. The thesis statement tells you exactly what Freedom Works wants to do and what is going on with the project. The thesis is an example of a strong thesis used to suprise readers with something unexpected and new, which we read about in our textbook. The surprise of building these wind farms and the effects it might have on our enviornment could draw the reader's attention and make them want to read the rest of the article.
I chose this thesis statement because I thought it was straight forward and the writer gave the reader important information in one statement. The writer didn't write their opinion in the article so they left it up to the reader to make their own conclusion about the events taking place. The thesis was interesting and created controversy that will give the reader a reason to keep reading on.