I really enjoyed reading Chapter Five. Chapter four went over ethos only very slightly, and I was left with a very vague idea of what ethos really was.
Again, after learning more about the tactic of using ethos, I feel that this is something I do on instinct. When I went to a job interview for the Bureau of Land Management, I dressed similarly to their presenters – in jeans and a ponytail rather than a skirt and flip-flops. It showed that I would be fine with an outdoor job like the one I was applying to, and that I wasn’t a “girly-girl.” However, I didn’t try and wear heavy boots and work pants, because that would have been too far from a representation of any part of me. I feel that this is completely compatible with what the author said about dressing to be the character your audience will relate to and trust.
I liked what the author said about fitting in a lot. In my early years of high school I occasionally dressed up in silly outfits just for the fun of it, and on completely random days. As I got older I stopped doing this as much, reserving the costumes for special events and Halloween. I didn’t really think about why I did this, but after reading this chapter I see that I probably sensed that dressing up was changing peoples’ view of me and they didn’t take me as seriously as I wanted them to, because I didn’t dress as though I wanted to be taken seriously. The connection the author made between fitting in and the survival of the fittest really portrayed this idea clearly. Even though we want to come out and be who we are, we have to conform to the larger group at least some of the time in order to rise in society.
Society has always shaped individuals in a way. Society’s rules generally have an effect on most of us. What the author said about going with the audience’s rules and expectations directly relates to this idea. I’ve often thought about how unfair it is that we are judged and judge so quickly based on the appearance of our character, but this chapter brought a new view on this subject. Instead of sulking about it and settling on always being an outcast, the outcasts can actually use this general rule to their advantage. It’d kind of be like working behind enemy lines. If you can conform to your audience enough to get them to trust you, you can eventually use other types of argumentation to bring them about to your ideas.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Response to Chp. 4 "Soften Them Up"
I found the chapter “Soften Them Up” to be incredibly interesting and definitely useful. I loved that even though the author was talking about pretty adult, complicated ideas, he used the example of an argument with his seven-year-old son to prove his points. I enjoyed it, and liked his theory that arguing by pathos, logos, and ethos are instinctual and not something that scholars can do through years of study. He also illustrated with this example how these strategies can be used in an every day situation, how they can be useful in more than just a debate setting.
Argument by logic, logos, of course made the most sense to me. I’ve been out-logiced many times by my boyfriend and understand very well the value of knowing how your opponent is thinking in order to win the argument. And I know very well what it is to end up doing exactly the opposite of what I intended to argue against, and still hold no hard feelings. I have to respect those who have mastered logos.
Arguing with character, ethos, also seems very useful to me. Getting people to trust me feels like something I do by instinct rather than by conscious thought. In an argument, especially one that is based mostly on opinion, appearing and being trustworthy is very important. People won’t even listen if they believe your scamming or lying to them.
I think the argument tactic I use mostly would have to be argument by emotion, or pathos. I hate to think that I’m manipulative, but I’ve definitely used my emotion or empathy of another’s emotion to achieve my ends. I think being an actor has drawn this tactic forward in my repertoire of argument strategies. When you act you need emote your character’s feelings very clearly, but you also need to feed off the audience’s emotions. Their mood is definitely one of the key things that make performances what they are. Also, I’ve changed my acting slightly according to how the audience is feeling. For example, though I was projecting my voice very fully, when it came to a serious scene and I could tell the audience was dead silent, I toned it down to meet their needs and draw them in closer to the story of the scene. I think this strategy has melted over to how I behave when I’m arguing or even just talking to someone.
After reading this chapter I realize that I argue more with pathos rather than anything else, and it would be extremely useful to work up all aspects of my argumentative strategy, both in the academic world and my personal life.
Argument by logic, logos, of course made the most sense to me. I’ve been out-logiced many times by my boyfriend and understand very well the value of knowing how your opponent is thinking in order to win the argument. And I know very well what it is to end up doing exactly the opposite of what I intended to argue against, and still hold no hard feelings. I have to respect those who have mastered logos.
Arguing with character, ethos, also seems very useful to me. Getting people to trust me feels like something I do by instinct rather than by conscious thought. In an argument, especially one that is based mostly on opinion, appearing and being trustworthy is very important. People won’t even listen if they believe your scamming or lying to them.
I think the argument tactic I use mostly would have to be argument by emotion, or pathos. I hate to think that I’m manipulative, but I’ve definitely used my emotion or empathy of another’s emotion to achieve my ends. I think being an actor has drawn this tactic forward in my repertoire of argument strategies. When you act you need emote your character’s feelings very clearly, but you also need to feed off the audience’s emotions. Their mood is definitely one of the key things that make performances what they are. Also, I’ve changed my acting slightly according to how the audience is feeling. For example, though I was projecting my voice very fully, when it came to a serious scene and I could tell the audience was dead silent, I toned it down to meet their needs and draw them in closer to the story of the scene. I think this strategy has melted over to how I behave when I’m arguing or even just talking to someone.
After reading this chapter I realize that I argue more with pathos rather than anything else, and it would be extremely useful to work up all aspects of my argumentative strategy, both in the academic world and my personal life.
Letter to Freshmen Prewriting
Humboldt State Freshmen:
Bring an umbrella. You might say you don’t need one, but trust me, you do. September and October will go right by without anything more than a drizzle. Us locals will warn you, come November, and one morning you’ll wake up to ankle-deep water on the walkways and no break in the rain for a week. Bring a damn umbrella, and keep it with you. And bring boots.
Be outgoing. It’ll be extremely awkward when you do finally stop staring at the floor and realize that the girl you’ve ignored in math class actually lives on your floor, and you now need someone to study with. Introduce yourself to everyone on your floor, first thing. Some of them will end up being your lifelines when you’re homesick or just sick or need someone to quiz you.
And make sure you set up clear guidelines for living with room mate(s) on day one. Make some rules so there isn’t tension or argumentation later. Don’t worry if you can’t remember anyone’s name at first either. They probably forgot yours too. And you can always be one of those people that are just “bad with names.”
Eat well. Yes, the J supplies ice cream at all times. This doesn’t mean you should eat it all the time. HSU does posses a lot of stairs that will counter the freshman fifteen; however, you still shouldn’t eat all of that ice cream. Besides just being healthy, you should also eat well because sickness goes around like a joint here, and everyone gets it eventually. Good food means good health that means your roommate gets spared from taking care of you as you sweat feverishly. Not getting sick is almost as challenging as Chem 109.
Get to know your advisor and ask them anything and everything. No question is really a stupid question. Someone else probably has asked the same thing. It’s more important that you know what you’re doing and whether you’re on track. Don’t worry too much about your major, not yet. You have a couple years to figure it out and you can change your mind anytime. Just take things that you need as generals and then don’t forget to take something you have fun doing or are really interested in. Explore horizons. You might find something new to love. Your professors are also good to know, or at least be familiar with. They know their subjects well and will always be willing to help you. Don’t see them as scary or intimidating. They are your friends. It also helps to know some upper classmen or even people one semester ahead of you when you choose classes. Ask who the good teachers are or what they would recommend taking. They have been in these classes and know their way around them better than you.
Bikes are fantastic. But you can’t bring them on city buses, only on the main line. Get a lock with a thick cable or a U-lock. And shower caps are fantastic to cover your seat on wet days. Make sure to make eye contact with drivers. My roommate got hit (gently) on her first day riding in town. Be careful.
Take out your trash and keep your room clean. It’s way easier to concentrate on your essay or whatever if you have a good environment. If your dorm room doesn’t work, the third floor of the library is ridiculously quiet. But having a comfortable place to study at late at night is important. Don’t leave food out – the smell will not benefit your study habits. And, if you make a habit of putting things away and such, you won’t need to spend valuable study time cleaning off your desk.
Go to class. It sucks to get over confident in a class, then think you can skip a couple only to find out that you missed something important. Try and schedule your classes at good times, so you don’t constantly have something you’d rather be doing. You will regret skipping classes, especially if you get sick and end up skipping even more stuff. It’s harder to make things up in college than in high school. Deadlines are firmer. But if you are sick, or absolutely can’t go to class, email or talk to your professor, so they know you made an effort, but just can’t go. Ask what you’ll be missing or even better get the numbers of a few people in class so you always have someone to call and ask about missed assignments or clarification on something you missed.
Study for at least two nights before a test. Just studying the night before doesn’t cut it. Exams are usually about fifty questions or longer. Grading usually isn’t on a curve. This is especially important when your grade is completely dependent on exams. Study.
Find the shortcuts to class. Ask around about the back ways to get to places. You’ll need these shortcuts when you’re running late or you’re lugging your laptop to class. Don’t go in the woods alone at night. There are crazy people out there. Stick to main campus at night or bring a friend. Don’t use the footbridge into town by yourself at night. It’s sketchy.
Watch out for drugs. They’re big at any college. Don’t take anything from anyone you don’t know. You think you’re getting a beer and it turns out to have ecstasy in it. Next thing you know you wake up with no idea of where you are or what you did last night. Only take drugs if you trust the person you’re getting them from with your life and you have people around you in case something goes wrong. Also, drugs in class (at least the really bad ones) are no good. You will probably have a bad trip.
The most important thing is to be happy. Take care of your body so you don’t have to worry about that. Eat well, exercise. Don’t leave things till the last minute to keep stress levels down. Stay away from habits that make you unhappy or too tired to go to class. Passing your classes is supposed to be why you’re here. Keep your goal in mind, even if it’s foggy and vague.
Survive. Do what you need to do to stay happy and healthy
Bring an umbrella. You might say you don’t need one, but trust me, you do. September and October will go right by without anything more than a drizzle. Us locals will warn you, come November, and one morning you’ll wake up to ankle-deep water on the walkways and no break in the rain for a week. Bring a damn umbrella, and keep it with you. And bring boots.
Be outgoing. It’ll be extremely awkward when you do finally stop staring at the floor and realize that the girl you’ve ignored in math class actually lives on your floor, and you now need someone to study with. Introduce yourself to everyone on your floor, first thing. Some of them will end up being your lifelines when you’re homesick or just sick or need someone to quiz you.
And make sure you set up clear guidelines for living with room mate(s) on day one. Make some rules so there isn’t tension or argumentation later. Don’t worry if you can’t remember anyone’s name at first either. They probably forgot yours too. And you can always be one of those people that are just “bad with names.”
Eat well. Yes, the J supplies ice cream at all times. This doesn’t mean you should eat it all the time. HSU does posses a lot of stairs that will counter the freshman fifteen; however, you still shouldn’t eat all of that ice cream. Besides just being healthy, you should also eat well because sickness goes around like a joint here, and everyone gets it eventually. Good food means good health that means your roommate gets spared from taking care of you as you sweat feverishly. Not getting sick is almost as challenging as Chem 109.
Get to know your advisor and ask them anything and everything. No question is really a stupid question. Someone else probably has asked the same thing. It’s more important that you know what you’re doing and whether you’re on track. Don’t worry too much about your major, not yet. You have a couple years to figure it out and you can change your mind anytime. Just take things that you need as generals and then don’t forget to take something you have fun doing or are really interested in. Explore horizons. You might find something new to love. Your professors are also good to know, or at least be familiar with. They know their subjects well and will always be willing to help you. Don’t see them as scary or intimidating. They are your friends. It also helps to know some upper classmen or even people one semester ahead of you when you choose classes. Ask who the good teachers are or what they would recommend taking. They have been in these classes and know their way around them better than you.
Bikes are fantastic. But you can’t bring them on city buses, only on the main line. Get a lock with a thick cable or a U-lock. And shower caps are fantastic to cover your seat on wet days. Make sure to make eye contact with drivers. My roommate got hit (gently) on her first day riding in town. Be careful.
Take out your trash and keep your room clean. It’s way easier to concentrate on your essay or whatever if you have a good environment. If your dorm room doesn’t work, the third floor of the library is ridiculously quiet. But having a comfortable place to study at late at night is important. Don’t leave food out – the smell will not benefit your study habits. And, if you make a habit of putting things away and such, you won’t need to spend valuable study time cleaning off your desk.
Go to class. It sucks to get over confident in a class, then think you can skip a couple only to find out that you missed something important. Try and schedule your classes at good times, so you don’t constantly have something you’d rather be doing. You will regret skipping classes, especially if you get sick and end up skipping even more stuff. It’s harder to make things up in college than in high school. Deadlines are firmer. But if you are sick, or absolutely can’t go to class, email or talk to your professor, so they know you made an effort, but just can’t go. Ask what you’ll be missing or even better get the numbers of a few people in class so you always have someone to call and ask about missed assignments or clarification on something you missed.
Study for at least two nights before a test. Just studying the night before doesn’t cut it. Exams are usually about fifty questions or longer. Grading usually isn’t on a curve. This is especially important when your grade is completely dependent on exams. Study.
Find the shortcuts to class. Ask around about the back ways to get to places. You’ll need these shortcuts when you’re running late or you’re lugging your laptop to class. Don’t go in the woods alone at night. There are crazy people out there. Stick to main campus at night or bring a friend. Don’t use the footbridge into town by yourself at night. It’s sketchy.
Watch out for drugs. They’re big at any college. Don’t take anything from anyone you don’t know. You think you’re getting a beer and it turns out to have ecstasy in it. Next thing you know you wake up with no idea of where you are or what you did last night. Only take drugs if you trust the person you’re getting them from with your life and you have people around you in case something goes wrong. Also, drugs in class (at least the really bad ones) are no good. You will probably have a bad trip.
The most important thing is to be happy. Take care of your body so you don’t have to worry about that. Eat well, exercise. Don’t leave things till the last minute to keep stress levels down. Stay away from habits that make you unhappy or too tired to go to class. Passing your classes is supposed to be why you’re here. Keep your goal in mind, even if it’s foggy and vague.
Survive. Do what you need to do to stay happy and healthy
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Response to Chps 2 & 3 from "They Say I Say"
Reading these chapters were very tedious for me. I found myself skimming through paragraphs to find the author's next point. In my head I was easily able to summarize the author's own writing into much simpler things, like a paragraph into one or two sentences. It seemed to me that the author repeated themselves over and over, where they could have just simply stated the information once.
I was able to find some useful information about both summarizing and quoting though. The author did a very good job explaining how to summarize correctly. I learned a lot from the part about putting yourself in the shoes of the author you're summarizing. I've never heard of that approach before. It makes sense to do that. I have often seen people summarize another author's work but put their own bias and opinion on it. The excerpt made me clearly understand why this wouldn't be a good idea in the world of academic writing. The book did a great job of explaining how academic writing is part of a conversation and that using summary is simply a way of explaining the different sides of the argument and not as a way of using others ideas.
The author also did a good, although overly thorough, job of explaining how summarizing should be structured. The example of the listing summary was a good one. It was very clear from the example how this would be a very boring way of summarizing.
Overall the selection was very thorough with its examples and information about how to summarize. Ironically, I feel like this section could have used some summarizing to be more concise and clear.
The third chapter on how to use quotations was also helpful but longer than needed. Some of the examples seemed to be repetitive.
The information I found useful was the different ways of framing quotations and inserting them into writing in an effective way. The suggestions of how to use the quotations to the fullest extent of usefulness and knowledge was very helpful. I liked the suggestions of how to use certain verbs in order to imply the meaning of the author of the quotation before even using the quote. The suggestion to overly explain your quote rather than under-explain it was a good point. This not only was good in context, but it also made me realize that even though I though the author of these chapters was over-explanatory and repetitive, some might need the extra and more detailed information to understand the author's points.
I was able to find some useful information about both summarizing and quoting though. The author did a very good job explaining how to summarize correctly. I learned a lot from the part about putting yourself in the shoes of the author you're summarizing. I've never heard of that approach before. It makes sense to do that. I have often seen people summarize another author's work but put their own bias and opinion on it. The excerpt made me clearly understand why this wouldn't be a good idea in the world of academic writing. The book did a great job of explaining how academic writing is part of a conversation and that using summary is simply a way of explaining the different sides of the argument and not as a way of using others ideas.
The author also did a good, although overly thorough, job of explaining how summarizing should be structured. The example of the listing summary was a good one. It was very clear from the example how this would be a very boring way of summarizing.
Overall the selection was very thorough with its examples and information about how to summarize. Ironically, I feel like this section could have used some summarizing to be more concise and clear.
The third chapter on how to use quotations was also helpful but longer than needed. Some of the examples seemed to be repetitive.
The information I found useful was the different ways of framing quotations and inserting them into writing in an effective way. The suggestions of how to use the quotations to the fullest extent of usefulness and knowledge was very helpful. I liked the suggestions of how to use certain verbs in order to imply the meaning of the author of the quotation before even using the quote. The suggestion to overly explain your quote rather than under-explain it was a good point. This not only was good in context, but it also made me realize that even though I though the author of these chapters was over-explanatory and repetitive, some might need the extra and more detailed information to understand the author's points.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Response to Quick Review Chapter 31
This chapter of Quick Review held a lot of information about plagiarism. I liked the various solutions to avoiding plagiarism that the reference supplied. Once again, I had to learn to give credit to the people and works I used in my Broadcast Journalism class. We generally used the tactic of simply putting the site or person's name into the sentence we were working. For example: According to BBC News, this statistic...etc. I'm interested to learn some of the other ways to give credit to sources, like using quotations or citations. I've never really learned to properly cite a source before. I've always found other ways to integrate my research into my papers and other things.
I really liked how thorough the reference was in this section. I found the examples to be very helpful in understanding what the book was talking about and how to properly apply these concepts on my own. I especially liked the table of useful verbs for summarizing, another skill I haven't really practiced before.
Overall, I really don't agree with plagiarism. I have written pieces before and would be enraged to find out that someone was claiming my work or ideas as their own. I'm glad that I have such a good source to show me how to avoid doing that by mistake. I have no problem with giving author's their credit.
I really liked how thorough the reference was in this section. I found the examples to be very helpful in understanding what the book was talking about and how to properly apply these concepts on my own. I especially liked the table of useful verbs for summarizing, another skill I haven't really practiced before.
Overall, I really don't agree with plagiarism. I have written pieces before and would be enraged to find out that someone was claiming my work or ideas as their own. I'm glad that I have such a good source to show me how to avoid doing that by mistake. I have no problem with giving author's their credit.
Response to Quick Review Chapter 30
This chapter was primarily about how to search the web. I feel I'm pretty well versed in this, having done a large percentage of internet researching in high school. This chapter did introduce to me the idea of subject directories. I never really knew that such things existed in Google or other search engines. I can see how they would be incredibly useful in a search that resulted in a lot of spam websites at the first pass. I wonder how widely used this directory is. I've never even heard of it until reading this chapter. I'll have to give it a try on my next internet searching adventure.
This chapter also covers the differences between reliable and unreliable website sources. Generally I've tried to be very aware of this distinction. For example, through trial and error I've learned that Wikipedia is useful when you're trying to find out something general about a subject, just out of curiosity, but it is a very unreliable source when it comes to writing a research paper or a radio story. My old Broadcast Journalism teacher outlawed the citation of Wikipedia very early on in the course. Generally now days, I try to only take facts from websites that I've heard to be reliable, or ones associated with a organization or person I trust. For example, I might not believe something I found on Wikipedia until I saw the same factoid in an article on the CNN website. Through writing stories for radio I also had to become aware of a website's bias and learn to read between the lines. I also became an expert at finding sites with a counter-bias, so that between the two I could understand the real story.
I feel very confident about the topics discussed in this chapter, though it was interesting to learn about the search directories.
This chapter also covers the differences between reliable and unreliable website sources. Generally I've tried to be very aware of this distinction. For example, through trial and error I've learned that Wikipedia is useful when you're trying to find out something general about a subject, just out of curiosity, but it is a very unreliable source when it comes to writing a research paper or a radio story. My old Broadcast Journalism teacher outlawed the citation of Wikipedia very early on in the course. Generally now days, I try to only take facts from websites that I've heard to be reliable, or ones associated with a organization or person I trust. For example, I might not believe something I found on Wikipedia until I saw the same factoid in an article on the CNN website. Through writing stories for radio I also had to become aware of a website's bias and learn to read between the lines. I also became an expert at finding sites with a counter-bias, so that between the two I could understand the real story.
I feel very confident about the topics discussed in this chapter, though it was interesting to learn about the search directories.
Response to Quick Review Chapter 28
While reading this through I recognized a lot of elements I've already used before in writing research papers. For example, the specific ways to get a good interview. I feel I've used this many times in both my Broadcast Journalism class and high school English classes. The only thing I found surprising was the comment made about not depending on a recording. In the past I have always asked for a recording and usually got the interviewee's consent. I guess in the future I will need to be more precise in my note taking during interviews.
The other thing I found different from my already existing methods were the different search strategies. In the past I have always used all possible outlets, including books, articles, the internet, and people. I've never really systematized it before. Honestly I'm not sure if it will help me. I've always found my way of researching to be pretty effective. It lets me stumble upon things I wouldn't have otherwise found.
The last thing in this chapter that I haven't encountered before was the idea of an annotated bibliography. The bibliographies I've done in the past have simply been there to cite my sources. I kind of like the idea of having a few notes on the source to explain what the source was really about.
I think I will definitely use some of the new techniques I came across in this chapter. Even though it hasn't been my style in the past, I can see how doing a research paper in a more organized and systematic way would be beneficial to both the research paper and one's sanity. I will look forward to using a more organized search strategy and trying out the annotated bibliography. Research papers have always been a little tricky and I'm glad to find new ways to make it easier.
The other thing I found different from my already existing methods were the different search strategies. In the past I have always used all possible outlets, including books, articles, the internet, and people. I've never really systematized it before. Honestly I'm not sure if it will help me. I've always found my way of researching to be pretty effective. It lets me stumble upon things I wouldn't have otherwise found.
The last thing in this chapter that I haven't encountered before was the idea of an annotated bibliography. The bibliographies I've done in the past have simply been there to cite my sources. I kind of like the idea of having a few notes on the source to explain what the source was really about.
I think I will definitely use some of the new techniques I came across in this chapter. Even though it hasn't been my style in the past, I can see how doing a research paper in a more organized and systematic way would be beneficial to both the research paper and one's sanity. I will look forward to using a more organized search strategy and trying out the annotated bibliography. Research papers have always been a little tricky and I'm glad to find new ways to make it easier.
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