Lesson 10

Prompt: Summarizing Tool That I Use.

I use note taking in the form of bullet points, which include my own thought bullets. The pro/con outline also helps in note taking because it gives the notes more dimension, so that my opinion is formed from the controversy as opposed to my opinion being formed from dogma. 

 Prompt: Freewrite

I live many lives in reality. At this moment I am sitting in a apartment with my older brother John. Words and art are plastered all along the walls; we are thinking. John is my favorite sibling of seven; he told me a few months ago before I moved out of state that I am his twin in mind. I was deeply touched although i didn't bother to show it, as my pores were seeping humorous adoration. 

We talk mainly, and fight at times as though we are fighting ourselves. John is taller than he looks, he has mint eyes. His skin is olive. His nose is small and sharp. His grin is lop-sided.

When I feel (as I do too often) that I am being harassed because of my wits as a woman among men, I turn into John. Internally this feels like a walk along a crisp street speckled with autumn leaves. I walk with my brother and laugh at how they didn't get this joke and that and well... me. He gets all of it and more, as usual. We drink coffee and smoke cigarettes and cook magnificently upon our arrival at our flat, and then I open my eyes and there I am; John. 

I do hope he never dies. 

Lesson 9

Prompt: Whats left?
What else do I still need to do?
What is left to conquer in this course is finding reliable sources of an accurate oppositional view for the big good paper, and the finishing of lessons 10-15.

Prompt: Outside Help.
What do I need outside help with?

I need help learning to stretch the fabric of time and space, mainly time. I also will be needing some outside help in lesson 13, which will not be difficult as I tend to consult outside sources.

Prompt: Am I Threatened?
Why am I feeling threatened by this 7-10 page research paper (if you are)? or Why am I feeling confident about this research paper?

I am feeling confident in regards to the paper, and concerned with the time aspect of everything paper included. I had previously thought that the paper had to be 15 pages long, and am relieved that the length is 7-10 pages. I also feel confident because whenever I begin to write, I discover that it is much easier to say too much while making a point than it is to not say enough. Typing is also very fun for me, so that helps in the motivational psychology of tackling this task. Because I have chosen the subject of the federal illegality of medical marijuana and have all ready written a rough draft and researched the subject immensely, I feel that there is every reason for me to feel confident. The instructor feedback gave me a clear picture of what the final paper will need; a accurate and documented summary of the opposition presented in a way that appeals to the thought process of my target audience. Because of this clarity of direction I know what needs to be done and so am experiencing the emotion of anticipation instead of stress. The time aspect concerns me slightly and so, carpe diem.

Lesson 8 Prompt: Research Topic Visual

<http://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/24223>
This image of a anatomical man depicting the potential therapeutic uses of marijuana relates to my thesis in that it visually depicts that there are a wide variety of serious diseases that marijuana healthily treats via its therapeutic effect. The other picture on this webpage shows the not federally legal but legal under the laws of the state status of marijuana in the United States. Out of the 50 states, 15 of them have de-criminalized marijuana, while the de-criminalization is regularly proposed in most of the other states although the legal system is slow to pass such bills. These two pictures support the abolishment of the federal ban on medical marijuana.

Lesson 8 "Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt."

I disagree with the title "Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt.". Both violence and advertising, and the physical and mental, are are the same form of hurt towards women and men alike. The mental, influenced by advertising results in the physical violence which creates a sad reality for culture as a whole. A refuter of the mental becoming physical need only to observe the effectiveness of advertising in its influence on behavior and ideas of behavior in culture. The depiction that particularly stood out to me in relation to this paper was on page 425 from Jean Kilbourne’s essay “Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt.” It is part of the anthology, Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing.

  I chose this image because much of the online discussion in response to Kilbourne's interpretations of sexism and objectification in advertisements were skeptical as to wether or not her reading between the lines is a little fanciful with a panty bunch on top. This image captivates both interpretations of sex and sexism. Kilbourne makes a differentiation in theory between sex and sexism with the element of the glorification of violence justified by depicting women as objects. In this picture I would think that the situation in itself is sexual and not sexist. However, this depends upon whether or not the woman in this picture is distressed or not, as trying to determine whether or not she is depicted as an object is as fuzzy as defining an individual in culture. Advertising is the source of definitions for the individual in culture. 

This picture encourages hyper sexuality triggered by products (objects) in a over dramatized and impersonal (objectified) way. The accompanying title for the advertisement pushes it over the edge from typical stereotyping to worrisome. The title is "Wear it out and make it scream." nice word choice for closely binding together the ideas of sexuality and violence on many levels. Wow. After reading the title, the previously fence riding neutral scene of a black and white picture with a woman sporting a very interpretable face (pleasure or pain?) and three indifferent men one grabbing her hair, another caressing her, and another just hanging out paying no mind in the setting of a classic chain fence backdrop with red paint splattered and smeared over the picture, becomes a little more disconcerting in its violence/sexuality combination message.  

Because I initially would have thought of this advertisement as nothing more than sexual, I have been personally shown the effect that advertising has had on my ideas of sex and roles of the sexes. I believe that the dangerous aspect of advertising in this way is how impersonal the ideal is made out to be. This method of dehumanizing an entire population is seen in teaching soldiers to kill, and in the statistics of violence against women in the modern world, coupled with the amount of money spent on advertising (the art of manipulation of the masses). Media de-humanizes men as well as women, as the Squirrel Nut Zippers say "All the boys are monsters and all the girls are who**s.". Perhaps if media's purpose was not to make money, it could be used in creating a more healthful and artistic psychological ideal that deserves the title of culture. 

Lesson 8 Thesis Statements

User: Mary Brickley
Instructor e-mail: Not Available
Start time: 6:21 PM

Question 1:
Click on the sentence that would work better as a thesis statement for a two-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a two-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.

Your answer:
A recent trend in law enforcement known as "community policing" shows much promise in deterring criminal activity.

Correct answer:
A recent trend in law enforcement known as "community policing" shows much promise in deterring criminal activity.

Score: 1

Question 2:
Click on the sentence that would work better as a thesis statement for a two-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a two-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.

Your answer:
So far, research suggests that zero-emissions vehicles are not a sensible solution to the problem of steadily rising air pollution.

Correct answer:
So far, research suggests that zero-emissions vehicles are not a sensible solution to the problem of steadily rising air pollution.

Score: 1

Question 3:
Click on the sentence that would work better as a thesis statement for a two-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a two-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.

Your answer:
The Sex Pistols could not have succeeded without singer and lyricist Johnny Rotten, who provided the stage presence, poetry, and authentic working-class rage that galvanized the group’s young English audiences.

Correct answer:
The Sex Pistols could not have succeeded without singer and lyricist Johnny Rotten, who provided the stage presence, poetry, and authentic working-class rage that galvanized the group’s young English audiences.

Score: 1

Question 4:
Click on the sentence that would work better as a thesis statement for a two-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a two-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.

Your answer:
Because it has become outdated, the electoral college should be replaced by a system that allows the US president to be elected by direct popular vote.

Correct answer:
Because it has become outdated, the electoral college should be replaced by a system that allows the US president to be elected by direct popular vote.

Score: 1

Question 5:
Click on the sentence that would work better as a thesis statement for a two-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a two-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.

Your answer:
Though employers currently have a legal right to monitor workers’ e-mail and voice mail messages, this practice can have serious effects on employee morale.

Correct answer:
Though employers currently have a legal right to monitor workers’ e-mail and voice mail messages, this practice can have serious effects on employee morale.

Score: 1

Question 6:
Click on the sentence that would work better as a thesis statement for a two-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a two-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.

Your answer:
In his autobiographical Narrative, Frederick Douglass draws on techniques used in popular texts of his day—sentimental literature, the Bible, and rip-roaring oratory—to persuade his audience to reject slavery.

Correct answer:
In his autobiographical Narrative, Frederick Douglass draws on techniques used in popular texts of his day—sentimental literature, the Bible, and rip-roaring oratory—to persuade his audience to reject slavery.

Score: 1

Question 7:
Click on the sentence that would work better as a thesis statement for a two-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a two-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.

Your answer:
Although they are widely ignored and derided as mindlessly violent, video games are a form of popular art that deserves to be evaluated as seriously as television and film.

Correct answer:
Although they are widely ignored and derided as mindlessly violent, video games are a form of popular art that deserves to be evaluated as seriously as television and film.

Score: 1

Question 8:
Click on the sentence that would work better as a thesis statement for a two-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a two-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.

Your answer:
Judges should have discretion in sentencing drug offenders so that those convicted of nonviolent or first-time offenses do not automatically go to prison.

Correct answer:
Judges should have discretion in sentencing drug offenders so that those convicted of nonviolent or first-time offenses do not automatically go to prison.

Score: 1
Question 9:
Click on the sentence that would work better as a thesis statement for a two-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a two-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.

Your answer:
Instead of repealing the estate tax altogether, Congress should raise the current exemption significantly, to two million dollars, so that wealthy estates are taxed but those of the vast majority of Americans are not.

Correct answer:
Instead of repealing the estate tax altogether, Congress should raise the current exemption significantly, to two million dollars, so that wealthy estates are taxed but those of the vast majority of Americans are not.

Score: 1

Question 10:
Click on the sentence that would work better as a thesis statement for a two-to-five-page college paper. Remember that a thesis should be a central idea that requires supporting evidence; it should be of adequate scope for a two-to-five-page paper; and it should be sharply focused.

Your answer:
The social service system in Metropolis has broken down because today’s workers are underpaid, poorly trained, and overworked.

Correct answer:
The social service system in Metropolis has broken down because today’s workers are underpaid, poorly trained, and overworked.

Score: 1

Number of questions attempted: 10
Number of questions correct: 10
Percentage score: 100%

Lesson 6 Response to Figure 13.1

Thesis: Internet chat rooms can cause children to be exposed to serious danger. In the picture a little girl and her teddy bear stand at an open door which represents the internet. Outside the door is blackness, and menacing eyes depicting the anonymous nature of all participants in a chat room.

Lesson 7

Who is the audience for your essay? What is the thesis of the essay? Does it include the claim and 3 supporting reasons to make it a strong thesis?

Thesis: The federal ban on medical marijuana should be abolished in the United States in accordance with the will of the majority, as the plant cures and treats many health problems without the terrible side-effects all other pharmaceuticals are accompanied with. The audience for this essay is all persons that desire holistically healthful treatment of medically afflicted persons. The three supporting reasons that medical marijuana should be abolished are; it is the will of the majority in the United States, the plant is first and foremost an effective and healthy medicine, and that the plant is more effective in healing than alternative legal narcotics which have very unhealthful side-effects.

Can the audience be swayed by your claim and reasons? Why or why not? Tell why each reason is strong enough to sway a person to your way of thinking.

I believe that that audience could be swayed by this essay because all of the opposing controversy is media drama, and is based on very little fact. I believe that the audience of persons that would be interested in reading about any natural treatment of a deadly or chronic disease, would be well beyond believing advertisements. This is why I am sure that these people would agree with the legalization of medical marijuana. Because marijuana is not hype, it works.

What value does each of your sources have to your audience?

My current number one priority in writing this paper is to throughly research the opposition's sources. The opposing sources are even more important than the many wondrous supporting sources in this topic, because the information that is primarily in circulation is the opposition. Before I present "Granny Storm Crow"'s comprehensive medical treatment list or a slew of the uses for THC-less hemp, the slate needs to be prepped. I read the opposition's views, but didn't translate them as the reader would ask them. To make a well-rounded paper the opposition must be explained well.


Participation, Read another student's blog. Indicate whose blog you read. Did you make any comments on that blog? Why or why not? Ask about extra credit points for making a comment on someone else's blog.

I chose to read and comment on Sasha's blog "The Krammer Chronicals". I responded to some of her post's, What are the details of extra credit of which you write?

Lesson 6

1. <http://mommylife.net/archives/2009/06/political_carto_1.html>
Thesis: At the rate our governments are proceeding with business as usual, taxpayers will continue to pay an increasing percentage of their earnings to fuel the current system; making for a desolate future. This comic depicts a little boy and girl in horse yolks labeled "future taxpayers" pulling a humungous steamer labeled "big government" through a desert. The steamer is covered in luggage labeled "wall street", "banks", "health care", "energy" and a few others.  The comic clearly states that the impossible work of up keeping the government is in the hands of our children.

2.  <http://www.creators.com/editorialcartoons/mike-luckovich/19098.html>
Thesis: Tax avoidance strategies for major U.S. corporations are many, for the average U.S. citizen the tax free options are post-death and social security death. This comic is titled "Tax Avoidance Loopholes". The comic shows a fat suited grinning man titled " U.S. corporation" reclining on a tropical beach. In the accompanying screen is a balding man titled "U.S. citizen" looking at a noose, a chair directly in front of him.  This comic shows both that U.S. corporations and U.S. citizens are imbalanced in wealth, and that they are also drastically imbalanced in tax duties as well. Generally speaking, this comic depicts the imbalance of freedom in the United States. 

Lesson 5

 What have you learned about your instructor's expectations of you?
I think that the instructor believes that I do have the mental capacity to write papers worth reading, but need to work on organizing thoughts in a influential manner. I appreciate very much the opportunity to learn how to communicate more clearly. I know that I have many contributions to give in any subject, if only I have the structural tools necessary to depict my thoughts.

What have you learned about the textbooks we are using for this course?
Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric in Reading taught me to view arguing as a tool for positive solutions. It also taught me to view truth as relative workability. A Writer's Reference taught me about the structure of writing, and how this structure is important because it is the organization of thoughts  which makes them widely accessible.

What have you learned about the writing process and/or about yourself during this lesson?
I have learned that writing is not as daunting as I had previously thought. Because I have been dubbed shy in some circles during my life, I did not realize how easy it is for me to express myself very creatively and efficiently. I have learned that in writing, structure is key. If I don't establish a structure early on, my research of a subject will never end! I have learned how to jump into a paper, which previously was the most difficult stage of the writing process for me. Now I research the sides of a subject while collecting sources and taking notes in bullet point form, then I proceed with a conversational break down of these points in the icebreaking form of freewrite. This approach helps to incorporate flow with structure. I have learned that I love to write, and that I have allot to say.

Which technique would you choose not to use again? Why?
The idea mapping technique resulted in many pictures of ideas, which in the end were not very helpful to the construction of the paper. I will not use this technique again, although I may substitute it for a collage for a visual understanding of a subject. I enjoy free writing as it banishes the nervous prospect of beginning.

Techniques for generating ideas.
The most useful prewriting techniques for me were the combined strategies of free writing and pro/con outlines. Free writing gets the ideas flowing, and allows a mental exploration of the topic at hand. Outlines provide my writing with the structure it needs to be directly effective. When combined these strategies created the conversational factuality that I love to read, and now write. The previously missing element of structure is now present via outlines .

What might other students be having difficulty with in this class?
I wonder if other students in this class may be having difficulty knowing what step to next take. In English classes there is not a clear numbered list of questions or topics to tackle one by one. For me, this makes it hard to conceptualize the big picture of what needs to get done at which times.

Lesson 4 · Which genre of argument would you most likely write on your own? Why?

I would most likely write an academic article because writing is an exploratory tool for me, and communicating an idea by relating facts is a straightforward relevant purpose for a piece of written art. My goal in writing is to educate myself in topics that are relevant to society currently. The academic approach also helps me to write from the narrative perspective of facts, which takes the first person stance out of the idea. I believe that the framing of unbiased inquiry into important subjects is a healthy tool of thought for everyday experiences.
I also enjoy writing dialogues, specifically debates, because it allows me to reflect on the different points of view on a matter. Debate brings to the thought process many different facets of perspective. I enjoy this form of writing because it creates well-rounded opinions, which make for well-rounded solutions. Studying a subject for this form of argument is fun, as one can simply start a conversation for research.