In this chapter we learn of different ways presenting well written argumentative statements when writing an essay. We learn how we can distinguish different methods of arguments when we are trying to present something to our audience. For example, we first learn about distinguishing between reasonable and fallacious argumentative tactics. By providing generalized information without proper investigation or just ones thoughts is considered to be fallacious, like stereo typing that a specific race will forever be on welfare. When using information like this, we want to provide enough supporting evidence to confirm this.
Also, we learn about coming up with analogies. How we can come up with a reasonable analogy and avoid unreasonable ones. For example, coming up with an analogy that has a false statement. Implying that it is or will do something without the proper support will be considered a false analogy. Assuming that something will work does not mean that it will. When making assumptions, we should consider our readers and provide as much supporting facts as possible. Giving a statement of your thoughts will not be sufficient.
Furthermore, we learn how to distinguish between legitimate and unfair emotional appeals. We do want to be careful when expressing emotional arguments in our work. We want to provide legitimate info with our reasoning behind our thoughts and avoid any misrepresentations of our thoughts. Like saying that you will loose 30pounds in a week by taking a pill without having enough support or background on this pill.
In my work, I will make sure to revise any arguments that I may had included and make sure that I had followed the proper guidelines when presenting an argument. I will make sure that I also include any supporting facts or additional information that could help my overall argument and not make it look like its just my own opinion and that's that.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Happy Endings- Response
Choose a quote from the readings and share your critical thinking in response.
"Jerry holds all his goods and regrets ever saying that we weren't good enough to have the kind of love that he wrote about in last Sunday's Bullettin. That's what got me crying. We weren't good enough for the kind of love that Shirley had every Sunday, the kind of love that makes the bottom lip quiver and mothers rush through crowds to hug you at the end of the movie."(26)
To be honest, I have never once seen a Shirley Temple episode in order to really understand what the characters in this story had experienced. However, I have seen several shows if not movies that can relate to the kind of stories that Jerry and Lois-Ann wrote during Sunday school. Everyone wants a happy ending for every moment of their life. Unfortunately, most of the time the complete opposite seems to occur in which most people live with devastation of some kind.
In this quote, they talk about not being good enough to have a happy ending as good as to the one they had written. That they were good enough to have the same kind of love that Shirley experiences in every episode. I don't see how anyone can ever think that way. What can possibly be going on in your life that could cause for you to think that you are not worth to receive the same kind of love that someone may get on a television show? Could their lives possibly be in that bad of a situation that makes them feel hopeless? I strongly feel that everyone should experience a happy ending at least once in their lifetime. Hopefully more than once.
Come to think about it, I can't remember that last time I cried because I was happy. In my opinion, that kind of cry is the best kind that you can ever have. The worst that you can ever experience is for the loss of a loved one, or getting bad news of some kind. No news is good news to me. I feel though that everyone should have some kind of hope or desire for something that will truly make them happy. Either thinking about it or writing it down just as the author did with Jerry every Sunday, gives them a sense of hope that something great will be coming their way.
"Jerry holds all his goods and regrets ever saying that we weren't good enough to have the kind of love that he wrote about in last Sunday's Bullettin. That's what got me crying. We weren't good enough for the kind of love that Shirley had every Sunday, the kind of love that makes the bottom lip quiver and mothers rush through crowds to hug you at the end of the movie."(26)
To be honest, I have never once seen a Shirley Temple episode in order to really understand what the characters in this story had experienced. However, I have seen several shows if not movies that can relate to the kind of stories that Jerry and Lois-Ann wrote during Sunday school. Everyone wants a happy ending for every moment of their life. Unfortunately, most of the time the complete opposite seems to occur in which most people live with devastation of some kind.
In this quote, they talk about not being good enough to have a happy ending as good as to the one they had written. That they were good enough to have the same kind of love that Shirley experiences in every episode. I don't see how anyone can ever think that way. What can possibly be going on in your life that could cause for you to think that you are not worth to receive the same kind of love that someone may get on a television show? Could their lives possibly be in that bad of a situation that makes them feel hopeless? I strongly feel that everyone should experience a happy ending at least once in their lifetime. Hopefully more than once.
Come to think about it, I can't remember that last time I cried because I was happy. In my opinion, that kind of cry is the best kind that you can ever have. The worst that you can ever experience is for the loss of a loved one, or getting bad news of some kind. No news is good news to me. I feel though that everyone should have some kind of hope or desire for something that will truly make them happy. Either thinking about it or writing it down just as the author did with Jerry every Sunday, gives them a sense of hope that something great will be coming their way.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Rules For Writers - Chapter 47
In this chapter, we get to learn of ways on how to construct an argumentative essay that will not only support our views but help others (audience) understand how or why it is that your argument is true. We are shown a way of composing this essay by not being too aggressive but reasonable enough to have our audience think and have an open mind to want to read more. It discusses how we should accomplish this by completing a well written thesis statement that will grasp the readers attention and interest to want to hear you out and see exactly what it is that you have to say.
With our arguments, we want to make sure that we not only include our personal views but should also include scholarly resources that can help us, as the writer, persuade the readers to change their point of view. Besides including your own arguments, we should also include information from the other party. This will essentially help the reader understand that you did go out and research both sides of this topic, and in the end help support your overall views as to why you think this certain way.
When integrating supporting information from accredited resources, we want to make sure that we give credit to the person who had written this thought and site it in proper MLA formats in order to insure that the reader is aware that you did obtain this info from a certain site or book. We do want to include clear and concise arguments to support our reasoning's and give as much supporting evidence as possible. When writing our essays, we want to think about the opposing party and their counter arguments in order to achieve a convincing, persuasive, argument. By including views of the opposing party, this may in the end help them understand the reasoning behind your arguments by comparison, in which the reader would likely have a better understanding behind all of your arguments.
From taking English 302 last semester, I realized that I liked to write argumentative essays more than any of our other essay topics. I found it to be who I really am as a person to argue any facts that I may be opposed to and try to find any reasoning's behind it. After reading this chapter, it gave me a refresher of what I should be focusing on when writing this type of essay and to keep in mind of our audience as we are trying to persuade them to change their views. By being too straight forward and not providing the facts, it will ultimately have a negative effect on your reasoning behind your essay in which you will not accomplish your overall goal. I will make sure to include as much supporting info as possible and of course include the opposite parties views, in order to maintain their interests throughout the essay and provide constructive, reasonable, supporting arguments.
With our arguments, we want to make sure that we not only include our personal views but should also include scholarly resources that can help us, as the writer, persuade the readers to change their point of view. Besides including your own arguments, we should also include information from the other party. This will essentially help the reader understand that you did go out and research both sides of this topic, and in the end help support your overall views as to why you think this certain way.
When integrating supporting information from accredited resources, we want to make sure that we give credit to the person who had written this thought and site it in proper MLA formats in order to insure that the reader is aware that you did obtain this info from a certain site or book. We do want to include clear and concise arguments to support our reasoning's and give as much supporting evidence as possible. When writing our essays, we want to think about the opposing party and their counter arguments in order to achieve a convincing, persuasive, argument. By including views of the opposing party, this may in the end help them understand the reasoning behind your arguments by comparison, in which the reader would likely have a better understanding behind all of your arguments.
From taking English 302 last semester, I realized that I liked to write argumentative essays more than any of our other essay topics. I found it to be who I really am as a person to argue any facts that I may be opposed to and try to find any reasoning's behind it. After reading this chapter, it gave me a refresher of what I should be focusing on when writing this type of essay and to keep in mind of our audience as we are trying to persuade them to change their views. By being too straight forward and not providing the facts, it will ultimately have a negative effect on your reasoning behind your essay in which you will not accomplish your overall goal. I will make sure to include as much supporting info as possible and of course include the opposite parties views, in order to maintain their interests throughout the essay and provide constructive, reasonable, supporting arguments.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Essay 2 - Rough Draft
Jaime Rivera
Lauren Servais
English 100
10 March 2011
Essay 2 RD
Family is something that everyone cherishes the most. Family is what usually drives you, are there when you are in need of assistance or just need someone to talk to. When people ask me what matters most in my life I would always respond family. In my dictionary, family always comes first along with close friends who are also considered part of my family and then my job. Chang-rae Lee wrote a magnificent story called Coming Home Again in which he discusses his relationships with his family when he was growing up. Over all, you get to understand what had driven him in his life in order to shape him into what he is now and how he became to appreciate what he knows now.
Lee gives many examples throughout the story that helps us understand as the reader how his life was growing up in a Korean family and how his personality began to change during his teen years, which ultimately helped him become who he is today. As a child, Lee writes about a time when he loved to see his mother cook. Out of all the different interests he could have picked up on, he remembers being in the kitchen was his most favorite place in which he holds dearly to his heart. He mentions, “When I was six or seven years old, I used to watch my mother as she prepared our favorite meals. It was one of my daily pleasures” (12). Lee formed a bond with his mother by visiting her in the kitchen as often as he could to observe the delicious dish she was going to prepare next. “I would enter the kitchen quietly and stand beside her, my chin lodging upon the point of her hip” (12). By spending time observing his mother cooking during most of his childhood, it helped shape him into the person he is today. He confirms this by introducing us in a setting of his mothers’ kitchen cooking up dishes that his mother had prepared for them many times before. “I was usually in the kitchen, preparing lunch or dinner, poised over the butcher block with her favorite chef’s knife in my hand and her old yellow apron slung around my neck” (11). Lee did this to help with his family’s needs since his mother fell very ill with cancer in her stomach in which he felt a certain obligation to cook in order to keep his family's spirits up.
Another time that is remembered most in most family's is the time that you get to bond when you gather around the dinner table. I know that anytime that I had sat around the dinner table it was always a pleasant time to speak to my family and just sit back and listen to what we each have to say. This was also one of Lee’s most cherished period of his life. When he cooked he mentions that “the point was simply to sit together at the kitchen table and array ourselves like a family again… crammed in the center was all the food I had made—a spicy codfish stew, say, or a casserole of gingery beef, dishes that in my youth she had prepared for us a hundred times” (11). Food played a huge role in this family, it’s what helped them bond and grow stronger together. It was one of the main things that helped shape Lee. Another instance, he mentions “during the following days, it was always the cooking that started our conversations” (16). He also recognized himself in positions that reminded him of his mother, “Whenever I cook, I find myself working just as she would, readying the ingredients… My mother never left me any recipes, but this is how I learned to make her food, each dish coming not from a list or a card but from the aromatic spread of a board” (12).
Moreover, we get to understand how a family’s relationship can become stronger when someone spends some time away. You get to appreciate that person or persons in your life even more and just think about the times that you would like to cherish the most. Lee speaks of a time when he was not so pleasant to his parents. He was a teenager going through so many changes and as most teenagers do, they react negatively towards their parents. He stated, “I was a teenager, and so ever inclined to be dismissive and bitter toward anything that had to do with family and home” (14). That pretty much sums up every teenager and their relationships with their parents, some of them are lucky to grow a stronger bond during these times but more than anything, there is a sense of aggravation.
****more to come****
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Insufficiency of Honesty - Response
a. Choose one of the examples Carter provides. Do you agree with Carter's reasoning?
After reading Stephen L. Carter reasoning as to why honesty, or a form of honesty, could not be viewed as integrity, all I could say was...wow. That was a lot of info to take in and surprisingly enough, it did make a lot of sense. I never really thought of how people could have many different definitions to what integrity means. Based off the essay, I guess the number one thing that most people say is that honesty plays a huge role. Carter on the other hand disagreed in many ways in which he had given us many examples to go off of as to why he thinks that way and is one of the reasons as to why I chose to answer the first question.
One of the examples that Carter used was about telling everything that you know, which is a form of honesty. He supported his beliefs by giving us a scenario that involved a man basically on his death bed confessing to his wife that he had been dishonest to her and had cheated on her with another person 35 years earlier. This was a marriage that had lasted 50 years in which the wife may have thought were all wonderful years until of course she heard this news. The man's conscience was finally in peace before he died but what about his wife? Carter stated that the wife could of course forgive him but she will now not have anything that she could cherish during the 50 years that they were "happily" married.
I feel that this was a great example to show that although the man was honest with his wife late in life, it basically caused pain for his wife. Carter used this example to show that although someone will be telling the truth, it can be at the expense of someone else getting hurt. Integrity is not about hurting people but it's more for looking out for people. I do have to agree with Carter's reasoning with this as I never really looked at it this way until I read this example out of many examples given, this one really stood out the most to me. Only because many people out there say like it is but its causing pain in others while it's benefiting themselves which is not what integrity is all about.
After reading Stephen L. Carter reasoning as to why honesty, or a form of honesty, could not be viewed as integrity, all I could say was...wow. That was a lot of info to take in and surprisingly enough, it did make a lot of sense. I never really thought of how people could have many different definitions to what integrity means. Based off the essay, I guess the number one thing that most people say is that honesty plays a huge role. Carter on the other hand disagreed in many ways in which he had given us many examples to go off of as to why he thinks that way and is one of the reasons as to why I chose to answer the first question.
One of the examples that Carter used was about telling everything that you know, which is a form of honesty. He supported his beliefs by giving us a scenario that involved a man basically on his death bed confessing to his wife that he had been dishonest to her and had cheated on her with another person 35 years earlier. This was a marriage that had lasted 50 years in which the wife may have thought were all wonderful years until of course she heard this news. The man's conscience was finally in peace before he died but what about his wife? Carter stated that the wife could of course forgive him but she will now not have anything that she could cherish during the 50 years that they were "happily" married.
I feel that this was a great example to show that although the man was honest with his wife late in life, it basically caused pain for his wife. Carter used this example to show that although someone will be telling the truth, it can be at the expense of someone else getting hurt. Integrity is not about hurting people but it's more for looking out for people. I do have to agree with Carter's reasoning with this as I never really looked at it this way until I read this example out of many examples given, this one really stood out the most to me. Only because many people out there say like it is but its causing pain in others while it's benefiting themselves which is not what integrity is all about.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Shooting Dad- Response
What is the significance of the title?
I would have to say, when I first read the title of this story, I was immediately thinking about someone actually killing their father. The title really did catch my attention but then once I started to read into this, after the second paragraph, I began to loose interest. As I read a long, at the end the author then gives explanation for the title by mentioning what her fathers last wishes are once he passes away. Don't get me wrong, I was relieved in a way that this was not about murder but I also felt that I was mislead to think something way different.
The author gave several examples as to why she did not have a good relationship with her father, different political views, his ambition with building guns, hunting, showing her and her sister how to shoot a gun at the age of 6 to name a few. Yes they had their differences but to think about it, what teenager does not have a difference with their parents? I remember quite well that I did but kids at that age are basically trying to find themselves and discover who they really are. The author discovered that she loved art, music, living creatures, and absolutely hated guns. At first, with this description you think that she is describing the differences between her and her father, but in the end you find out that they are very much a like.
Yes, she did not like her fathers line of work, but she realized that his work is art. Something that he was very ambitious about and it something that she absolutely loves. She finally realized that her father and her were very a like after a complete stranger went up to them and said "that's quite the machine you got there." (p 439) At that time she noticed her fathers cannon and then realized he was talking about her recording equipment which is called a shotgun mike. At that point, she mentions "my dad and I are the same person. We're both smart-alecky loners with goofy projects and weird equipment." (p. 439)
After realizing that they are one in the same, she became more fond of her fathers art and was more than willing to shoot a canon at any time but never a gun. She promised to fulfill his last wishes of shooting his ashes through his canon on the first day of the hunting season that way he was able to take his last hunting trip since he loved it so much and he will be shot out of one of his very own masterpieces.
I would have to say, when I first read the title of this story, I was immediately thinking about someone actually killing their father. The title really did catch my attention but then once I started to read into this, after the second paragraph, I began to loose interest. As I read a long, at the end the author then gives explanation for the title by mentioning what her fathers last wishes are once he passes away. Don't get me wrong, I was relieved in a way that this was not about murder but I also felt that I was mislead to think something way different.
The author gave several examples as to why she did not have a good relationship with her father, different political views, his ambition with building guns, hunting, showing her and her sister how to shoot a gun at the age of 6 to name a few. Yes they had their differences but to think about it, what teenager does not have a difference with their parents? I remember quite well that I did but kids at that age are basically trying to find themselves and discover who they really are. The author discovered that she loved art, music, living creatures, and absolutely hated guns. At first, with this description you think that she is describing the differences between her and her father, but in the end you find out that they are very much a like.
Yes, she did not like her fathers line of work, but she realized that his work is art. Something that he was very ambitious about and it something that she absolutely loves. She finally realized that her father and her were very a like after a complete stranger went up to them and said "that's quite the machine you got there." (p 439) At that time she noticed her fathers cannon and then realized he was talking about her recording equipment which is called a shotgun mike. At that point, she mentions "my dad and I are the same person. We're both smart-alecky loners with goofy projects and weird equipment." (p. 439)
After realizing that they are one in the same, she became more fond of her fathers art and was more than willing to shoot a canon at any time but never a gun. She promised to fulfill his last wishes of shooting his ashes through his canon on the first day of the hunting season that way he was able to take his last hunting trip since he loved it so much and he will be shot out of one of his very own masterpieces.
Rules For Writers - Chapter 4
In this chapter we learn about being able to construct effective paragraphs that will focus on your main ideas, support your thesis, being coherent, etc...
We learn about creating a good topic sentence that will primarily summarize the main idea of the paragraph in one sentence. This sentence would be a general idea of what the reader is going to be reading in this paragraph and of course it is going to be something that will for one support your main idea for writing this essay and you will follow your topic sentence with more support to back up your main point. Furthermore, we learn about making sure that we are staying on topic by sticking to the point. We do not want to include any useless information or information that will drift our readers off the main points.
Another thing we learn about is when to appropriately use examples or illustrations in our paragraphs. Examples are commonly used to support something with facts or give instances of certain ideas. Illustrations are "extended examples frequently presented in story form."(p44) Another thing that is covered is about narration on being able to tell a story usually in chronological order but they could include flashbacks, or interruptions that will take the reader back.
We also learn about being descriptive with our paragraphs by describing person, place, or thing by using concrete and specific details. When writing about a process, ,we want to be descriptive with how that thing is completed or just give the reader explanation from a-z in order for them to have better understanding on how to achieve that thing like making a pizza for example. Another thing that we learn about is how to properly compare and contrast by expressing any similarities of a subject that will further assist us with proving a point. Causes and effects are to be used in a situation to show argument. We also learn about classifying our paragraphs that will help us write a smooth written essay that will support the reasoning from beginning to end. Of course, as learned previously, we want to be as coherent as possible when writing our paragraphs in which it should easily go with the flow from one paragraph to another. We want to clearly link our ideas to the main point of the topic sentence as well as being able to repeat any key words that can help the reader have better understanding and not lose interest or the main idea for that paragraph.
Lastly, we learn about being able to maintain consistency by making sure that we do not drift off the main topic and how to transition a sentence with what has been read. Also, most importantly, how to determine when the proper length has been achieved for that one paragraph. We do not want to overwhelm our readers but instead make sure that we keep their interest throughout the essay until the very end.
After reading this chapter, I have better understanding on how to effectively compose a well written paragraph that will over all support my thesis, main ideas, and making sure that I stick on topic. I will make double sure to read my essay out loud to make sure that everything sounds coherent and that I am providing enough detailed information to support everything being written without drifting off.
We learn about creating a good topic sentence that will primarily summarize the main idea of the paragraph in one sentence. This sentence would be a general idea of what the reader is going to be reading in this paragraph and of course it is going to be something that will for one support your main idea for writing this essay and you will follow your topic sentence with more support to back up your main point. Furthermore, we learn about making sure that we are staying on topic by sticking to the point. We do not want to include any useless information or information that will drift our readers off the main points.
Another thing we learn about is when to appropriately use examples or illustrations in our paragraphs. Examples are commonly used to support something with facts or give instances of certain ideas. Illustrations are "extended examples frequently presented in story form."(p44) Another thing that is covered is about narration on being able to tell a story usually in chronological order but they could include flashbacks, or interruptions that will take the reader back.
We also learn about being descriptive with our paragraphs by describing person, place, or thing by using concrete and specific details. When writing about a process, ,we want to be descriptive with how that thing is completed or just give the reader explanation from a-z in order for them to have better understanding on how to achieve that thing like making a pizza for example. Another thing that we learn about is how to properly compare and contrast by expressing any similarities of a subject that will further assist us with proving a point. Causes and effects are to be used in a situation to show argument. We also learn about classifying our paragraphs that will help us write a smooth written essay that will support the reasoning from beginning to end. Of course, as learned previously, we want to be as coherent as possible when writing our paragraphs in which it should easily go with the flow from one paragraph to another. We want to clearly link our ideas to the main point of the topic sentence as well as being able to repeat any key words that can help the reader have better understanding and not lose interest or the main idea for that paragraph.
Lastly, we learn about being able to maintain consistency by making sure that we do not drift off the main topic and how to transition a sentence with what has been read. Also, most importantly, how to determine when the proper length has been achieved for that one paragraph. We do not want to overwhelm our readers but instead make sure that we keep their interest throughout the essay until the very end.
After reading this chapter, I have better understanding on how to effectively compose a well written paragraph that will over all support my thesis, main ideas, and making sure that I stick on topic. I will make double sure to read my essay out loud to make sure that everything sounds coherent and that I am providing enough detailed information to support everything being written without drifting off.
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