proposal progress (7)

I finished writing my essay, I wrote about 4 pages.  I did a lot of research regarding abortion and found a lot of good books.  I am looking forward to taking a position in my next paper over j-term.  

proposal progress (6)

I started writing my paper tonight and have about 3 1/2 pages done.  I also went to the library today and checked out several really interesting books from several perspectives about abortion.  I am already learning so much that I didn't know.  My plan for tonight was just to look up the information, but I ended up being really intrigued by the stuff I was finding and just decided to start. 

proposal progress (5)

I have started an outline for my paper in order to set up some sort of structure of what I want the lay out to look like.  I have found many website concerning both sides of the topic.  It is almost a bit overwhelming how much information I come up with in a search engine for abortion.  So, it's almost more difficult in a way to obtain credible information.  But, I have still found some pretty good sites. 

Proposal progress (4)

I have not began to write my paper yet, but I plan to start my research for my paper monday. 

Proposal progress (3)

I wrote my proposal last night, and am looking forward to doing more extensive research about it.  I also think that because there is so much informations I won't get bored with it aver the 2 months. 

Proposal Progress (2)

I have decided to do abortion.  There are many debates about this subject and I know that I am going to take the Pro-life side of the argument.  I did some research and found a couple websites that actually had pictures of the fetus at different stages, and from early stages even before the 3 month mark there were signs of body parts.  Some of the pictures were vary disturbing to look at because they were actual pics of abortions that had taken place, and a lot of the aborted babies looked basically developed.  

Proposal Process

I'm not positive what I am going to do yet, I am leaning towards abortion because that is one issue I have an idea about where I stand, but I would like to know more facts an evidence about it so I can make a clear stand.  I know that I defiantly am more pro-life than choice, but i do feel like there are certain circumstance where a choice should be able to be made such as if you were rapped and are too young to carry a child.  Overall, I think it would be a good learning experience for me to find out all the facts about both side in order to have a clear position on the issue. 

Let a Thousand Licensed Poppies Bloom

This proposal is about the harvest of opium which is bad in the sense that it feeds heroin addiction and finances terrorism, yet it is an essential drug in pain relievers and the United States wants Afghanistan to destroy the crop.   I think that this article is pretty persuasive in the fact that it presents many facts that back up all the claims it makes.  It effectively presents both sides of the problem.  It also has a way of appealing to the audience using pathos, due to the fact that it brings up at one point that without opium people with cancer, AIDS and other painful conditions was die in pain.  

The author of this article wants opium harvest to continue because it is essential in medicines we need for people.  He proposes many things with a large amount of facts and statistics that back up the claims.  The style in which he wrote this though seemed to get a little cluttered with information, and there did not seem to be a clear distinct proposal right of the back, which would be more helpful to see before you know all the facts. 

C.P Ellis

I think that Ellis's story does offer a credible way to overcome misunderstandings and hatred between races.  The main reason racism occurs is because of biased notions that are instilled on you through others you are around, and they have no real backing except hate for no apparent reason.  Ellis is able to see past this by opening up his mind that was once hard-headed, and seeing past the unreasonable hatred.  Once he was able to open himself up to others, he realized that all his notions about the black race, was not true.  He didn't accept the black race as humans with real emotions and feelings, but once he stopped and began to work with a black woman he saw that all human beings have the same emotions and feelings as whites.  I don't think this solution would work on a larger scale because I don't think a lot of people that come from that extreme of a racial back-round like Ellis are able to open their minds eaisly.  If you have grown up knowing one thing your whole life like a member in the Klan it is an extremely rare thing for one to suddenly have this change in mind or realization about life.  I think that Ellis is rare in that he was able to expand his views about life to something he never knew to be true before.  

The Pressure to Cover

Yoshino argues that mainstream is a myth because in our present day the word has lost its meaning.  He states that humans hold many different identities and not one person can be fully within this "mainstream" definition.  Calling someone mainstream would allude that they are completely average in every aspect, and Yoshino is arguing that no person can be completely  average in ever part of their lives.  There is not one vision of normality, and even to be fully normal is not normal any more.  Because one can not define normal, there is no possible way to actually fit a mainstream description.  I think his reasoning is fairly persuasive because his brings in reasons to describe why people tend to place people in a "mainstream" light.  He bring in a range of all types of  groups that anyone can relate to.  This makes us understand how even though everyone wants to fit in with a group, you can never be fully mainstream because no one personality can possibly be defined as normal.  I would define "mainstream" as the average thing that everyone want to try and fit in to be.  Something that doesn't attract attention, and would ideal not be accepted yet not rejected by all..just average.  You hear many people talk about how mainstream is "boring".  This is simple because in oder to fit into the mainstream stereotype you can't have an extreme of any characteristic. 

Conclusion to Incidents

Life in the North is not all Linda had hoped it to be.  She assumed that because it was a free state that she would be treated as such.  But, these expectations were wrong.  There were great prejudices against blacks, and she felt no more free than she did in the south.  She was also still burdened with nervousness because she had to constantly watch her back and run from place to place avoiding Mr. Flint visits to find her in New York. 

  Linda obtains her freedom after Mr. Flint finally dies and she is placed fully under the position of his daughter Emily.  After time Emily's husband buys her freedom from a man that Mr. bruce hires.  Emily is happy of this and only longs to see Linda again.  Linda has mixed emotions about her freedom because she does not believe that anyone should have their freedom bought, because no human belongs to anyone.  She believes that she does not rightly belong to one person in the first place and should not have to be bought in any means, even if it is buying her for her freedom.  Even thought Linda was against being purchased she did feel a sudden release of wight lifter from her shoulders when she finally become a free person.  She could walk without fear through the streets of her old southern town, and be freely with both of her children. 

Passage from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

One passage i found extremely emotionally loaded was when Mr. Flint came to Linda's house and excused her of having more men try and buy her.  He proceeded to grab her violently screaming at her, and at the same time grab her son and through him across the room.  When she tries and run to her boy he grabs her and doesn't let her go.

The first thing that majority contributes to my emotions is that it is written so that we are to experience exactly what Linda is seeing.  When her boy was tossed across the room I wanted to know right then if he was alright or not, but because it's from Linda's point of view we were left to wonder if he was okay or not, just like Linda.  Linda said at one point that she looked over and could not tell if he was dead or not.  This was a big emotional cliff hanger because all I wanted was to know if he was okay, but she was still being held my the master.   The pace at which she writes also contributes to the emotional appeal.  The sentence structure is short and follows each other at a quick pace.  The dialogue is short and and consists of many words in a short space.  This adds to the confusion of the situation so we can more understand how the character is actually feeling.  Because it is so fast, we are expected to retain a lot of information in a short amount of time, thus leave us little time to comprehend what is happening.  When you have less time to think threw what is going on, then it tends to have a bigger emotional impact on the reader.

In the book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, it is important that this book is truth because it let people understand that this is something that actually happened, not just an interpretation that could be made into any thing they wanted to be.  There are many books based off of true life events, but are created stories to replicate what actually happened.  With this people can then choose that it is fiction, and use the fact that it's a fictional story as a base for it not actually happening.  The fact that this is a real story, lets people connect on a more emanational level because this girl actually lived at one time.  It leaves little room for one to say that the story is not credible, and gives a first hand story on what actually happened in our history.  It is also important that the author did not clean up the stories because it takes away from the truth of history.  These stories are vital for us to hear and read about uncensored, because they are apart of our history, and people need to be correctly educated on what our country has done to people without the sugar coating. 

Political News

Im watching CNN, and their main focus is on Indiana and Kentucky, but mainly Indiana.  Their poles right now have Obama in the lead, and in every graph or statistic they have up at the moment seem to be angled in Obama's favor.  They have a group of political speakers talking, who they say are "the best political team on televsion."  This team seems to be biased to me, because right off the bat they go into talking about how john McCain is not stable in the economic process.  They continue to up Obama saying that sense september he has never been behind in the poles.  They also are talking about how many people consider leaving Iraq as the main concern, and this is why Obama is ahead in the poles and a good thing for our country because the protection of its citizens is number one.  One of the political speakers says, "the security of citizens is the first job of the president of the United States, this is a good thing for the country, but not for John McCian's political fortunes."  They continue to talk about how McCain in a negative light.  ti would be understandable to me to have a group talking that weren't biased for one side, or even if they had half for Mcain and half for Obama, so we could hear both sides.  But, in the course of listening to each member of the 6 member group talk, not one of them seemed pro-McCain.  All their reporters are reporting out of areas where people are supporting Obama, and are continually advertising Obama's speech later tonight in chicago. In my opinion a national news station should simply report the actually news, and not present biased views.  The purpose of the news is to report what is actually happening, not their opinions about with is happening.  People are strongly influenced by what the media says, and in my opinion it is not fair to let it be influenced in this way. 

Talking about Racism

Growing up in a small private school, I have basically been sheltered all my life.  So, I can honestly say that I have never really have witnessed or been apart of a profound confrontation about race.  Of course I know that these things happen in the world and I have heard and seen instances on the news, but I have never actually been apart of something.  Because racial confrontation is not something I see or hear every day, or for that fact really ever considering I go still go to a small private school with a white majority.  From only seeing my worlds perspective, one could look in and easily say that racism is not a problem.  After reading Watchel, I would have to agree.  Racism is not the issue, its indifference. 

I live in a world where it is unseen to make racist remarks or even consider to think of yourself as racially superior to another race, and the basically everyone I know can honestly say they have no problem with racial differences.  But this is not where the wrong doing is coming from in todays society.  As years go on our generations are becoming more and more excepting of other cultures, but that doesn't mean we are still not neglecting it.  We make no effort in caring if racism is going on, or what other cultures might be experiencing.  As long as we are morally correct and don't do anything bad we think we are fine.  The reason racism and racial divides still occur today is because this lack on interest.  We put no effort towards trying to put an end to it. 

Causes of Predjudice

The "socialization process" according to Parrillo is when children are shaped and molded by the prejudices that their parents have.  This effects a child's attitude, beliefs, values, and perspectives of others cultures.  Many children are very impressionable and simply conform to what their parents tell them is right, because they know no other right.  This molds a child's mind at a young age and influences how they may think and value certain things in the future.  This makes it so that certain cultures values and beliefs are passed down from generation to generation. 

I do agree that beliefs and prejudices are instilled this way.  Many prejudices have to real substance behind them expect for unknown hate.  That unknown hate is simply passed down within a culture you grow up in.  It is also logical that a young child being brought up in a home of set beliefs would follow those and grow up to have similar values and outlooks towards life.  Children are too young to really know what they believe because they aren't given an alternative.  I also believe that once children grow older they can and do start to mold their parents ideas into their own once they mature and experience all perspectives of life.  The main belief that has been instilled on me from this concept is religion.  I grew up with Christianity and knowing it was right from my parents.  But, the only reason I believed it was because they did and I never thought about having my own opinion.  But, as I grew older I started to form my own opinion on the matter, and still am a christian.  But, not just because it's what my parents believe, but because it's what I believe.  

Discharging a Debt

according to Cose, official investigations, apology, and restitution are important to the victims of great historical injustices because in order to grow as a country, we need to take responsibility for our wrong doings in the past.  Taking full responsibility shows that we acknowledge our mistakes and are willing to learn from them.  By owning up to this, we can end some conflicts we might still have with people.  How we treated the Japanese in WWII is an example that Cose brought up.  Not only were people extremely hurt during WWII, but generations are still being effected by it today.  So, it was important that we recognize this for moral reasons and also for resolution.  To move and grow as a country, it is best to clear old waters with people.  This helps us as a nation because it stops pointless feuds that we might still have because of scares from the past, and in a way it protects us from starting new conflicts based on past mistakes.  The United States has mad many wrong decisions in the building of our country and the best way to deal with them is to put them all out on table and admit our wrong doings. 

Cora vs. Willy

Willy's idea of success was that to establish yourself in society one must be well liked and have the appearance to back it up.  Willy based his views on society ideal of the perfect success as a person who has achieved financial success through appearance and popularity.  Cora idea of success did not have to do with societies influence.  She thought success to be anything where you achieved your goals through following your passions.  In Willy's eyes, Cora would not have been a success because she was not in a good financial status.

Willy tried so hard to push this idea of success as one where you were well liked and have all the financial opportunities you need, yet he could never achieve this kind of success.  Cora, on the other hand, was able to achieve her idea of  success because it was based on her own ideas, not societies.  Cora did not follow societies version of the perfect success, but mad her own ideal success.  Cora succeeded Willy, because of this.  She was able to fulfill her own notions of success because she could be content with her own goals.  Willy would never be able to achieve a sense of contentment because the goals of society, which he followed, were always changing. 

Death of a Salesman

In death of a salesman Willy believes that individual opportunities comes from hard work and determination.  In order to be a success you must want to be successful and work hard, because it is not handed to you.  Willy worked very hard all his life to achieve a substantial reputation for his company, yet he was later fired and regarded an unimportant weight when he get old.  Willy did not see how this was plausible because he had worked so hard for the company and given it so much, But Herald, his boss, did not even take this into account.  All that mattered was the success of the company, and Willy was not seen as a contribution to this success no mater how hard he worked for it.  Willy also saw his son Biff as unsuccessful because he was lazy and did not have any determination to make a lot of money.  This frustrated Willy because he wanted to have sons that were successful, and didn't think that they could achieve success without determination and hard work. 

On the other hand, the author, Arthur Miller thought the exact opposite.  He made the implicit argument that success was based on luck and what you were born into.  He did his by have a number of characters in the book that were successful based on luck or fortune passed down to them.  Ben, Willy's brother, was a character that was brought up many times in the play.  Every time he was brought into a scene he would mention that he walked into the jungle and happened to find a diamond mind and walked out a rich man.  This implies that it was simply luck the gave him success.  Willy's boss was also did not work hard to achieve his success, he was simple handed down the business from his father.  

Because of the fact that in the end, Willy was not successful and fired from his job, and his two boys failed at their attempt of become a success together proves that the author thinks that success in society is based off of luck and status, not hard work and determination. 

Death of a Salesman: Question

Throughout the book Willy tries numerous ways to kill himself, but they are very small attempts.  If he really wanted to kill himself why didn't he choose a drastic way that would for sure kill him rather than all of these small attempts that seemed to just get him in deeper trouble? 

Speech Reply 2

One particular presentation that caught my attention was Matt's presentation about School on Wheels.  I think this organization is a great idea because it give children that don't have the opportunity of education a chance to change their lives.  I did not know that much about school on Wheels until yesterday, and i would like to continue to learn more about it and how to volunteer.  I think it is great that School on Wheels takes the initiative to be flexible around kids that don't have a stable home life and are always constantly moving about.  Without this flexibility and openness this program would not be successful.  Over all I think that this organization is an amazing  and creative idea for helping education children that wouldn't have this opportunity other wise. 

Noah's presentation about Habitat for Humanity also caught my attention because although i have heard the name before, I didn't know what it did.  This too is a great idea that give families an opportunity to live in their own house without being crammed into a small apartment.  I thought it was interesting how they don't just give the family the home, but they have a program where they have to work to help build it. 

Speech Reply

Out of all the speeches given today the one that struck my attention the most was J.D's speech about Christo Ray High School.  I had never heard of this high school, let alone that it was based out of Indianapolis.  I strong agreed with J.D's statement that helping in a long term way is much more effective and influential than just handing someone something that they are in need of at a certain time.  This  high school seems like a very effective way to help children receive and education along with learning skills that can obtain a job in life, which is an essential in getting by in life.  I was very impressed that he said the graduation rate of the students was 99%, most public high schools located in Indianapolis are no where around that.  This shows me that Christ Ray must be doing something right.  It is refreshing to me that there is a high school that has demonstrated a new approach to teaching and is successful.  

Progress on Speech

My simple claim and reasoning for why people should donate their time and money on The Pour House is because it give the homeless of indianapolis a chance to get back on their feet.  They do this by providing food, clothing, therapy for working out their problems, education courses, and helps them apply for things such as identification, health care, social security, and drivers license.  My warrant is that it is our ethical obligation to help those that are less fortunate than us, especially those in our own community.  The morals of University High School are based off of stewardship, so to support a cause based on ethics is valued.  Other could say that it is not our obligation to help the homeless because they should be in control of their own lives, but as wealthy Americans we have the resources to better our community and should take advantage of that.  I need to work on obtaining and researching more specific evidence for the grounds to my reasoning, along with the backing to my warrant. 

The Pour House

The Pour House is an non-profit organization based out of indianapolis that is centered around helping the homeless mainly in the downtown area.  They first assist the homeless with necessaries such as food, clothing, and a place to stay, but what this is unique about this organization is that they then build relationships with the people that they are helping.  They help them sign up for medical care services, try and further their education, help them obtain social security to get a job, and provided therapy sessions to deal with problems they are facing.  The Pour hose is a growing operation that is constantly adding more features to this list. 

This organization draws my attention because it is beneficial to people in our own community, and it is simple to get involved because its based in Indianapolis.  I also am very familiar with this organizations works because we are family friends with the woman in charge of the organization, and my dad is on the board.  I strongly believe in the goals of this organization, because it not only give back but has a long term effect on people.  Its not just a one time chance to get help or food and the next day it's gone. 

Self-Reliance

Ralph Waldo argues that in order to be a success in your own eyes one must first fallow your own idea of truth.  In return, this truth can not be shaped or molded in any way by the influences or idea of others.  Waldo states, "To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, — that is genius."  You must follow your own truth and not mold it of off  opinions or truth of others before you, and to do this in a sense you have to reject the ideas of the people around you.  

In part, I agree with the idea that to be successful you must follow your own truth and not let others shape who you are.  But, I don't think that it is necessary to discredit other peoples found truths.  You don't necessarily have to take the truths of others as your own, but you can take them and shape them to your beliefs.  It is almost impossible to come up with your own thoughts on every matter of life, and pass them as your own.  As humans, we learn and grown from the already discovered truth of others.  Thus, making Waldo's idea of success very hard to accomplish.  We are not easily capably of thinking on our own without taking into consideration the opinions or ideas of others. 

Class in America

In this essay I do not believe that Mantsios is making an argument that the elite in America are exploiting the poor.  I think he is simply arguing that the stereotype of America being a nation with equal rights and powers is a complete myth.  Mantsios uses statistics and account of actual peoples lives to support his reasoning.  He follows the life of a man who was born into a wealthy family versus a man born in a middle class family versus a women born in a lower class family.  He makes the obvious point that when you are born into money you have many more opportunities presented to you.  Your education is much higher and you are able to pay for luxuries such as tutors in academics or extracurriculars, and thus opening good college opportunities and have the money to pay for it as well.  A women that is born into a poor family does not have these education opportunities and is only concerned about making money, and possible getting into a college.  The point Mantsios is making is that we do not have equal opportunity in America.  It all depends on where we were born into and who we are born to be.  The gap between upper class and lower class is huge in America, and if we did have equal opportunities to become successful this gap could not exist. 

Stephen Cruz Vs. Horatio Alger

Initially, Stephen Cruz believes the American Dream to be one of hard work and determination, in fact, he thought that he was a perfect example of this dream.  He had very little growing up in a Mexican family, and was as innovative as possible in order to live the American Dream for himself.  He was able to work his way up creating opportunity for himself and become successful.  Horatio Alger was a man who to had the same thought process on the American Dream.  Alger believes that anyone born into poverty was able to create the same opportunities that everyone else had though "hard work, persistence, initiative, and daring."  At first glance, and even in Stephen eyes, he was a living example of this dream.  He worked though college and was then presented with many job offers creating endless opportunity and what would seem to be the definition of the American Dream.  Horatio might have had the same view and understanding as Alger at first, but he soon came to the realization that he was not living the American Dream at all, in fact, he was now questioning its actual existence.  He realized that the only reason he was presented with these job offers had nothing to do with hard work.  It only had to do with the fact that he was a minority that people found expectable to have in company a and still look accepting to all races.  He realized that no matter what he did he could never work his way up higher than the job he was originally presented with.  Horatio came to the knowledge that the American Dream did not exist, and was truly controlled by the majority.  It had nothing to do with hard work or determination, but who you were born to be in society. 

Ragged Dick

Dick did not have much and had given up much hope of obtaining his dream.  Until one day his world was flipped upside down when he was given all of this for one heroic action.  The implicit argument in this excerpt is saying that if you are willing to dive in and risk your self for one thing expecting nothing in return, you will be greatly rewarded.  It is trying to prove that in order to become successful you must take chances in life for this to happen because things are rarely handed to you.  In addition to this, when taking these risks you must not have your own good will in mind, but the interests of others.  In this story in order to be successful you have to be willing to do anything even if it means putting your own life at risk for the sake of others.  If you have what it takes to be a "hero" then you will be rewarded with your greatest desires in life.  essentially, if you give with nothing expected in return you will receive much more than if your motives were not for the good of the cause. 

Visual Arguments

Visual arguments persuade the viewer in a very different way than writing arguments.  When you can look at something and see a picture such as a graph, photograph, website, or posters, the argument seems to click much faster.  If I was reading an article that had the same facts as a graph, I know I would believe the graph over the writing piece.  It is much easier to look at something because all the facts are laid out in front of you and you can easily compare it to something else.  Because I am much more of a visual person, when reading a writing piece it is hard for me to see the full effects of the facts that they are trying to convey.  Arguments such as posters or bumper-stickers also are much more persuasive, because they are short and to the point.  It leaves little room for questioning the other side of the argument.  Real photos are also much from visual persuasive than writing.  For example, if I were reading an article about genocide's in Africa it would be a lot more persuasive than actually seeing a real picture.  When reading you tend to question the missing facts or what is missing because you are never really sure if it is real.  But, on the other hand, if you see a real picture you know it's true.

Ethos and Pathos

when setting up an argument you have to have both emotions and ethics working together in oder to best appeal to your audience.  It is not only important to connect to your audience, but to have the audiences trust as well.  To gain this trust, one must create a strong knowledgeable tone by supporting your point with substantial evidence that proves your credibility.  Once the audience believes that you know what you are talking about then they can start to listen to you argument.  As a writer setting up an argument, if you wish to have the support of readers you are responsible for providing your readers with true substantial evidence.  When it comes to the media, there is always something they are debating.  But, they usually never use ethics in their reasoning.  To appeal to their audience they make up what ever they can credible or not.  They set up their arguments based on what they think people want to hear, not what the truth is.  Because of this, the media has lost their credibility due to the fact that most of what you hear from them is not true.  But as a respectable author, if you wish to have respect and gain peoples trust you must use ethos and pathos in a respectable manner. 

David Langley- Skateboarding

David langley's argument is settled around the unjust treatment and judgment that skateboarders have to face on a regular bases.  Langley feels that as a skateboarder his is judged with stereotypical notions, and treated unfairly when it comes to where and when he can skate.  He uses many different pieces of evidence and claims to help him support his argument.  

The first main piece of evidence he uses is one of his won experience.  A time when a police officer grabbed him and gave him a warning for skating in public even though David was sure he didn't violate any laws.  He stated that it was unfair that there are so many laws that forbid skateboarding in public areas because he feels that skating is a form of transportation.  Such as bikes, cars, or even a simple means of entertainment like a surfboard. He also gives the point that as a skate boarder he is actually helping the environment by keeping the air clean and picking up trash in order to not run over it while skating.  Even though David has good evidence for his claims, he still leaves me to question why there are these laws in the first place.  He gives me no good reasons as to why there would be an established law against skateboarding, yet there isn't one against biking.  It makes me wonder about the other side of the story. 

Pseudo Arguments

Pseudo arguments are very frustrating because you know no matter what you can not persuade the person to change their mind.  It is so easy for me to get very mad when arguing with someone that wont even consider you point of view, yet you are willing to consider theirs.  I have experienced this many times if the topic of politics come up with people my age.  When it comes to an argument about Democrats versus Republican with people my age, I can barley stand to listen.  I feel that a lot of people my age I know simple fallow their parents example and don't have their own real opinion they just feel like they are right and there is know changing it.  I think its important to not subject yourself to one side so you can open yourself up to all the possibilities.  Many times when getting into these arguments the person doesn't even have real information to back up their statement.  They simply say "because its the right thing to do," or make a bad comment about the opposing side thinking that this somehow justifies their reasoning.  In general, pseudo arguments are pointless because they don't go anywhere.  I think it is important to listen to others sides and take it into consideration in order to add growth to your opinion. 

Pathos

Pathos is an important key element in writing a persuasive argument because it helps you to connect to the reader on a more personal level.  It lets you engage the reader so they can open up to your point of view on a deeper level.  If you have an argument that is just logic the reader will feel no connection to the piece, and not pay much attention to why your point is important.  But, by adding in things that can trigger the readers emotions and imagination then the reader starts to think about the argument in a whole different light, because they are now using their own thoughts to connect to the authors meaning.  When we use our own experiences or when our own feelings are stimulated when reading something we are able draw up what we feel is our own conclusion to what the author is meaning.   It might not seem like engaging the reader through imagination and feeling would help when it comes to an argument, but if you want to make a point then using pathos is one of the most important things in writing or making an argument

Response to "A Case for Torture"

Michael Levin argues that torture can be acceptable under certain circumstances.  Although he recognizes that torture is unconstitutional, he also states that it is necessary in life or death situations.  He uses many examples of terrorist that could potentially kill hundred or thousands of people and they only way to stop them is to torture them in order to obtain the answers we need to stop the attack.  What he does not recognize is that torture is not going to automatically stop the attack, and in most circumstances we don't usually know who the perpetrator is. 

Michael Levin uses several extreme cases that seem inhumane not to agree with.  he does this to further prove his point in that torture needs to be used to some extent even if it is agaisnt our constitution.  I would have to mainly agree with Levin's argument in that I believe if a terrorist is willing to harm others then they need to be prepared for harm themselves.  There is no part of me that can argue that a person trying to kill many people life should be spared and in return hundreds die.  But, what Levin seems to believe is that torture is the answer to all our problems if in certain terrorist situations.  I can agree that in certain situations torture needs to come into account, but there are other ways of getting around such things that he fails to mentions.  

Biotech Foods

Peoples main concern about biotechnology enhanced food is the safety.  Because there is no label on grown food such as fruit, people are concern that they don't know what they are eating.  Who is to say that there is not harmful chemicals in the food, and there is no way of knowing because the ingredients are not listed.  This is why many people suggest that it should be a law that all biotechnology foods are printed with labels.  The council for biotech foods say this is not necessary because they test the foods for safety and there has never been a case where the food has harmed people.  They also think that it would waste an extreme amount of money in order to produce labels. 

If biotech foods were to be printed with labels I don't think it would make a difference in who bought the food or not.  When we look at labels the main things were look for are fat content, calories, or the amount of sugars.  We don't read the fin print about all the unknown chemicals we are putting into our bodies.  So, who's to say that the food even with labels are safe?  There is no point is wasting money putting labels on food that essentially people wont even pay attention to, because even if there was a harmful ingredient we wouldn't know how to tell.  The only logical thing to do is let the consumer know that the food is biotech enhanced, and if that person thinks those foods are potentially harmful then they don't have to buy it. 

Genetically Modified Food

Both of these advertisements are about the concern of genetically modified food, but one is for it and one is against it.  Even though it seems like you would be for genetically mortified food or against it i happen to agree with the argument of both advertisement.  For example, the cartoon on page 1 makes the point that it doesn't matter that the food is genetically modified because it is necessary that it be this way in order to be grown somewhere with little water, and it is better for people that are starving to have food then nothing.  On the other hand, the advertisement on page 24 shows how you don't know what is in genetically modified food and the effects could be potentially harmful to you.  There is no arguing with either statement because each proves there point without being much room for alternative reason.  As the reader I can not argue that starving people should not be fed, but at the same time I don't think it is right for us not to know what kind of chemicals we are eating.  So, the authors prove their point in a way that is really unarguable.  

Explicit and Implicit arguments

Explicit and implicit arguments are both ways of writing that prove a point in some way, but they are very different.  An explicit argument uses proven information and fact to prove a point that is fully supported by evidence.  This means that the point of the argument most likely is a proven fact that can not be wrong.  On the other hand, an implicit argument is told in the form of essays, short stories, poems, or a form of artistic representation.  These are usually without proven facts opinions, but the author creates his argument in a way that people connect.  After reading at an implicit writing response the viewer is then understands the point of the argument without the need of evidence.  For example, The poem Dulce et decorm est is implicit. It portrays a story of a solider in the heavy light that it is heroic to die for ones country.  The way he wrote it made one feel that the man dying was a hero because of the circumstance he was in.  Its such a bitter and horrible death that it is very hard to disagree that this man was not a hero.  the author in this poem proved the point by his writing of a story, which was most likely fictional, but we still agree with the argument he was making. 

Memory

I yelled to my mom that I was leaving to go to a friend’s house.  This wasn’t a normal visit to a friends house it was the first time I was about to drive somewhere alone.  I tried to contain my excitement and insecurity about driving on the road without any assistance.  I didn’t want to look too eager, but inside I was beaming.  My mom came up to the door and I could tell she was getting emotional.  So, to spare the awkward moment I acted nonchalant and said I would be back in a couple hours.  I felt my mom’s eyes burning into my back as I slowly walked to my car and opened the door.  There were millions of different feelings twirling inside of me, and I wasn’t sure which one to follow.  I didn’t feel like I was old enough to be driving; yet another part of me couldn’t wait to turn on the engine and press my foot to the gas.  As a released the break I felt like I was releasing my childhood.  I was a driver on the road, and it made me feel old.  Along with this emotion I couldn’t help contradicting this feeling with the fact that I am only 16, and that isn’t that old in my mind.  I still confided in my parents and let them take care of me.  I wasn’t any older at all; it was just a feeling of maturity that came with the responsibility of driving.  To stop my overflow of emotions I turned up the music and was quickly lost in an upbeat song.  I laughed and smiled as I sang along with the music, and I realized that all this release of emotion was the feeling of freedom. 

Reflection on Class

One thing we have focused on that caught my attention was the idea that you think and act for others, and when it comes down to actually thinking on your own you don't know how.  This put all types of thoughts and questions in my head.  I began to contemplate wether i fit this mold.  Do I do things simple for the acceptance of others, or do I actually think on my own without taking account of others actions.  What I realized is that almost everyone fits this mold.  As humans, every action we take or think is in response to others, because we have a deep longing to be loved and excepted.  You could contradict this by saying that there are always those who stray away from the "normal," and don't seem to care about what others say or think.  But, if you get down to it the main reason some people don't seem to fit is because they want to be perceived in a certain way, which is still basing your persona on the views of others.  When it comes down to it, because we have grown up with a content mix of people around us there isn't avoiding basing your thoughts on the ideas of others.  We do it for acceptance or attention, and when it comes down to it we really don't have our own opinions because we have spent our whole lives basing it off of others.

Response to "How to Tame a Wild Tongue"

Over time, as cultures evolve so do their languages.  The changes in a society directly influence how we say things, utilize certain words, and change words meanings to fit with our cultures standards.  There are many different effects that slowly change language as time goes by.  Living in the United States, there are many different cultures living among us.  Because of this, our different languages tend to mesh together until there are english words in a foreign language or foreign words in english.  We also tend to follow trendy words that are popular among the media.  People follow these newly invented words simple because it is the "cool" thing to do, and eventually these words are added to our dictionary.  Our language is always going to to developing due to the fast pace lives we live. 

I don't think there is a specific time when your language changes, but a slow development of change.  As you grow up, new words enter your vocabulary and you start to discover how you like to talk and portray yourself to others.  Most of the words I would use with my friends I wouldn't use with my parents or grandparents due to the fact that they don't use the same words or know the current meanings.  The use and meanings of words are constantly changing thats why different generations tend to have a different sound to the way they talk.  Languages are in constant development because of the continual changes in our culture and influence on other cultures language. 

Response to Red Sky in the Morning

This past month i went on a mission trip to costa rica.  We were sent to a small village of about 4 hours outside of San Juan.  While in the village, i stayed with a host family of a married couple and their 6 year old daughter.  The first night i was there was awkward and uncomfortable. Because i know little spanish, there wasn't any great way to understand what they were trying to communicate to me.  That night, I slept in the same room as their daughter and wanted so badly to talk to her about everything!  I was sitting on my bed ready to go to bed when suddenly she ran in the room, sat on my lap, and pushed a notebook and pen in front of me.  I didn't understand what she was doing until she started to drawl a little stick figure, and wrote out her name above picture.  She then pointed to me and gave me the notebook, so Ispelled out my name in clear letters and said it out loud.  She took the pen from me and started to drawl another stick figure under my name, and made the 2 figures hold hands.  She looked up at me with a huge grin and said both of our names aloud while pointing to both of the figures.  That moment I realized that something a large as a language barrier might make it feel like you are in a whole different world, but really there is nothing different between you.    When living in America, it is easy to be distracted by materials and jealousy.  This little girl made me realize that i need to concentrate on the simpler things in my life such as my friends and family, not the stuff I have or want, because in the long run none of that will matter. 

HELLOOOO

I DID ITTT!!