Week 6 - Plagiarism Exercise

As far as Plagiarism and paraphrasing are concerned, I am definitely nervous and need more study and practice time. I have a great memory and, at times, I remember things exactly as I hear or read them. That makes it hard when it comes to paraphrasing and I need to make sure to double check and make sure I'm not plagiarising.

Week 6 - Visual Arguments Reading Response

Making a Visual Argument: Cartoonists Take On Affirmative Action on page 934 has five cartoon visual arguments.
The first visual argument was drawn by Mike Lester, “It’s Got to Be the Shoes. This picture has a Supreme Court justice clown holding out his hand at the height requirement. Reaching the required height is a boy who is wearing tall platform shoes. This picture looks like its mocking the affirmative action decision and is making fun of the judges who made the ruling. A girl standing behind the boy, with the tall shoes, is recognizing that “it must be the shoes.” If only we were all the right height.

Second picture was drawn by Dennis Draughon, called “Supreme Irony.” This picture is short, sweet and to the point, because all the Supreme Court Justices are sitting in their designated spots considering the fate of affirmative action, which would promote racial diversity, the funny thing is that all the justices are white, but one. This argument is effective in getting the point across to its reader.

The third picture and the most cluttered of the visual arguments. It was drawn by Mike Thompson. It’s called “Daniel Lives on Detroit’s Eastside.” It looks to me like Daniel has a hard life, but thanks to affirmative action, he’s able to get into college. Then, typically, there’s a jerky white person annoyed and jealous. She isn’t appreciating what Daniel has been through in his life.

The last two arguments are both effective in getting their point across and I believe it’s good that we have free speech in America, where we are able to laugh at controversial political decisions.

Week 6 - Reading Response

“Who’s a Looter? In Storm’s Aftermath, Pictures Kick up a Different Kind of Tempest” written by Tania Rallion page 640. This essay was based on defining who was considered a looter. It was based on two photos taken by completely unrelated photographers. The first picture, of a black person, was captioned as a looter and the second picture, of a white couple, was captioned as survivors attempting to feed themselves.

The photographers are the caption writers and they basically wrote it as they saw it. The first picture’s photographer saw the black person enter a store and come out with the items pictured. He considered this as looting, because he took these items from the store without paying.

The second picture’s photographer stated that he saw the items, the white couple had in hand, float out of the store and that is when they took them. He felt it was more of a lost and found situation. He was not intending to make any offensive remarks that would insinuate because this was a white couple, they were not looters.

It all comes down to the viewer and their own definition of looting. Some may feel that someone who is stealing for food is not considered a looter and others could be against it no matter the circumstances. Stealing electronics during a disaster could be considered a way of survival for the intended purpose of selling the item for money later. It could also seem like looting to others, because, obviously electronics can’t immediately help someone unless it’s a battery operated radio. Who is the judge? Even if the photographer is biased, as individuals, let’s come to our own conclusions.

Week 5 Reading Response #3 Visual Arguments

The ‘Making a Visual Argument: Public Service Campaigns Use Language to Send a Message’ section on page 822 made some great visual arguments. There were five different pictures which were supposed to relate with young people. They all had appeals and spoke to different groups.

The first picture shows a couple and had the words “He might dump me. He’ll think I’m judging him. But I care about him.” This picture’s purpose was to encourage youth to be courageous no matter the circumstances. They may not want to lose their significant other, but what’s most important in the long run? - “Courage” was in the lower right of the picture and it takes a lot of courage for a teenager to stand up for what’s right and best for someone they care about.

‘Regret – The Anti-Drug,’ and the second picture’s visual argument was loud and clear. It was a picture of a little girl’s bicycle wheel bent and separated from its main piece, the bike frame. This picture definitely sent a sad, but obvious message. Being under the influence of not only alcohol, but of marijuana as well - can cause dangerous accidents such as the one shown in this picture. Obviously whoever hit this bike hurt a child and that would lead anyone to a lot of ‘regret.’

The last three pictures in this piece were awesome and show kids that not all cool people do drugs. They actually show the opposite. These young people are proven examples that you can be successful, young and stay off drugs. These messages are great proposal and causal arguments – by not doing drugs, you *can* be successful and happy in life. There’s more to it than meets the eye.

Week 5 Reading Response - #2

In "An Opportunity for Intelligent Debate," John Zwier’s (page 884) essay is literally going through his thought process after realizing that President Bush was going to speak at Calvin College for the commencement ceremony. He seemed to go back and forth considering the pros and cons of this event. He evaluated the situation and decided what it meant for his college and community. He evaluated the possible causal outcome, of how it could affect Calvin College, and came to a conclusion of what he would propose for the best results.

John Zwier quickly realized that the President’s visit would give Calvin College much needed attention. It would put his college “on the map” and would also affect “enrollment and donations.” This seemed like a win-win situation to him.

After recognizing all the positive in President Bush’s visit, John Zwier realized some negative effects it could potentially have. First, he remembered that a special person was going to be speaking and the senior class would miss out on the opportunity to hear the originally planned speech. John Zwier also didn’t want Calvin College to be associated with a specific religion, political party or politics in general.

John Zwier’s essay went from the very beginning of his evaluations, to the causal outcomes and finally to his proposal of a good Presidential visit. His final proposal was evident; John Zwier didn’t want Calvin College, a Christian college, associated with any political party or religion. He also hoped the audience was respectful of the President, but recognized that it wouldn’t be a pep rally.

Week 5 Reading Response - #1

After reading Tannen’s essay ending on page 835, I am aware that she recognizes the everyday problems that mothers and daughters encounter. Her reasons make sense. Nobody else, but a caring mother could know her daughter as well as she does. Although this may seem like a blessing, it can actually cause problems within the relationship as well. Tannen describes “metamessages” between mothers and daughters which aren’t easily kept from each other, because their relationships are so extensive. A mother and daughter almost seem to know each other too well.

Tannen also gave some examples of “metamessages.” Something that may seem as innocent as gift giving can turn into a possible argument. For example, a mother could give her daughter a cook book which could potentially cause her daughter to question the intent of the gift. Why would her mother buy her a cook book? Maybe she would assume that her mother doesn’t think she cooks well or as often as she should.

I agree with Tannen’s opinion of why mothers and daughters have problems communicating. I have experienced the same problems in my relationship with my mother and know we have run into the similar situations. I don’t like being judged by my mom and she probably feels that at times, she’s walking on “eggshells” when speaking to me.

I have four daughters and one son. The way my son and I communicate is different than the way my daughters and I do. I am not exactly sure why. I guess that is something that I’d have to look into. I’ve noticed that most mothers and sons interact differently than mothers and daughters. I am sure there is a sophisticated explanation for that, but I haven’t done enough research to completely understand it.

Lead Sentences - Week 5

Bristol Bay May Get Knocked Up

Some 2 million acres near Alaska's Bristol Bay will be opened to development for the first time under a plan released Friday by the Bureau of Land Management.

http://www.grist.org/news/2008/11/17/bristol/index.html

This lead sentence is a summary and I picked it mainly for the title, it’s catchy. The sentence itself is interesting and made me want to read on.


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Notable quotable

“We can't embrace the losing formula that says only tax cuts will work for every problem we face; that ignores critical challenges like our addiction to foreign oil, or the soaring cost of health care, or falling schools and crumbling bridges and roads and levees. I don't care whether you're driving a hybrid or an SUV -- if you're headed for a cliff, you've got to change direction."
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/2/6/8424/25121

This lead sentence is a quotation and I also liked this title. It drew me in. The quote itself is interesting – I like to read quotes.

Grammar Girl - Episode 21

Grammar Girl’s advice in episode #21 proved very helpful in proofreading my ungraded assignment one essay. I listened to all her suggestions and actually followed a couple of tips when proofreading my essay number one.

The first suggestion I followed was to print and read my paper as a hard copy. As I read this essay on regular paper and not on my computer screen, I noticed some mistakes that I obviously missed while typing and electronically proofreading it. It seemed as if the sentences didn’t flow as well and there were some missed comma opportunities. The actual visual style didn’t seem as nice either. I could have done a bit more editing to make it look neater as well.

The second suggestion I used was to read it backwards. Although this strategy had the potential in helping prevent spelling errors; I don’t think it would be as beneficial in other areas like preventing comma placement and sentence structure mistakes.

All of Grammar Girls proofreading suggestions will be a great tool that I plan on using in the future. When following her advice, I will mostly likely use all of her suggestions to get the best end result for my future papers.

Essay #1 Final Draft

“Our first experience of this life begins here on the first day. This won’t be recorded in language or be retrievable into rational thought. But the limbic brain remembers and our body remembers. Here is when we begin to build our model of what to expect, of who will be there, of how we will be received, of how safe it is out there, of how we can make ourselves known and comforted.”

-Robin Karr-Morse & Meredith S. Wiley, Ghosts from the Nursery p.87

A newborn baby dramatically changes lives. Parents are given advice from everywhere, whether from a close friend or the local bookstore. There are hundreds of how-to baby books, each professing their methods are the best. One of the methods promoted in these instructional baby books is allowing a baby to ‘cry it out.’

Although there are many proponents of the 'cry it out' method, this method is not a safe way to raise a healthy child because it can desensitize a mother to her baby’s only form of communication, reverse the parent-child bond, and even cause brain damage. Many families have passed down this advice from previous generations. This is why so many have been accepting of it, having become cultural for many families today.

Proponents of the ‘cry it out’ method have good intentions. They believe that if a caregiver comes to a baby’s side every time he cries, they are teaching the baby to manipulate them. Their ideals are based on not raising a spoiled child. By putting a baby on a strict schedule and allowing them to self-sooth, they believe that parents will have a healthier, more independent baby who will not keep them up all night.

Some doctors also advocate the ‘cry it out’ method. For example, Dr. Richard Ferber’s original book, 'Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems' was published in 1985. His method includes letting babies gradually learn how to sooth themselves. In order to do this, a baby must be left to cry for a specific amount of time before a parent will come to console them. Dr. Ferber has since updated his original version with a new expanded version released in 2006; 'Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems: New, Revised, and Expanded Edition.'

It is possible for a caregiver to become used to the sound of a baby’s cry. By consistently allowing a baby to cry, over time it's possible to desensitize one’s self to the sound of their cry. In effect, this can create a slower response to a baby’s needs and she will learn that she cannot rely on her caregivers. In addition, this could affect the baby’s food supply and milk intake. If a breastfeeding mother becomes desensitized to her baby’s cry, it will be harder for her body to allow normal let-down reflex which allows her milk to flow.

Allowing a baby to cry can also affect the fragile parent-child bond. If repeatedly ignored, a baby can actually lose trust in the caregivers. A baby that feels safe and secure is more likely to cry less and become more independent. On the contrary, ignoring a baby’s cry will not allow a healthy attachment to develop, which can create problems with dependency and trust later in life.

Brain damage is another side effect of allowing a baby cry for extended periods of time. When a baby needs attention, but is consistently ignored, this can lead a baby’s feeling of helplessness. Ignoring a baby and allowing him to cry is literally causing damage to his brain. According to Psycho-historian Lloyd deMause, author of 'The Psychogenic Theory of History,' feelings of hopelessness can cause severe brain damage by causing a large release of stress hormones which kills brain cells. In addition, the brain region behind the eyes (orbital frontal cortex), which functions to create feelings of guilt and empathy for others, can be undersized by lack of attention.

The world famous psychologist, John Bowlby founded ‘Attachment Parenting’ and has extensively researched to promote the importance of early attachment and bonding between the parent and child. In his book, 'A Secure Base, Parent-Child Attachment and Healthy Human Development,' he writes about the effects of ignoring children and believes children who are ignored or feel rejected are more likely to grow up feeling unhappy and anxious.

While babies can be extremely diversified and versatile, they truly are dependent on their caregivers. Letting a baby ‘cry it out’ is extremely unhealthy because of the potential attachment loss between parent and baby. While there still may be sensible reasons to use this method, the possible brain damage involved proves that it’s an unhealthy way to raise a mentally well-balanced baby and these side effects could be permanent. When parents become more aware of their baby's needs, it will be easier to respond appropriately.

Reading Response 4 - Page 840

After looking at the cartoons from “Making a Visual Argument: Gendering Language: Women and Men Speaking in New Yorker Cartoons,” I am reminded of how different Men and Women are. 4 out of 5 of the cartoonists in this piece are men. The similarities and differences in their cartoon styles are obvious. While both men and women are aware of their communication differences, the way they display it in their art is even different. At the same time, the similarities are there as well, being that all the cartoons are funny exaggerations of how men and women try to communicate.

Roz Chast is the only woman cartoonist in the displayed cartoons and her picture is a bit different. It’s more colorful and has more in depth conversation between the man and woman which makes it funnier and more attractive to me, being a female. It also uncovers possible deeper issues that men and women encounter on a daily basis, which makes hers more interesting than the other plain, one sentenced cartoons.

Although all the cartoons are funny, the male cartoonists’ pictures seem a bit more boring than Roz Chast’s picture. The lack of details and the short worded cartoons are also another obvious typical male trait. Forgive my generalization, but many men don’t want to talk a whole lot about anything and you can see that in these cartoons. That fact in itself is funny.

Yes, I am aware that men and women communicate, think and sometimes speak differently and these cartoons are a perfect example of that. It’s a bit funny when you think about it, even through their art, men and women cartoonists speak differently.

Week 4 Reading Response - Page 1078 - Is that Really American Culture?

In “Making a Visual Argument: Exporting America” I discovered that a lot of the popular American culture has been shipped overseas to other nations. Fast food, beer, cigarettes and the basic bad habits that we swim in on a daily basis are becoming a big part of developing countries. It’s a bit embarrassing to imagine that people think “America” when they see big names such as Marlboro, Coke, Pepsi, or even Budweiser. Our country is a lot more than those names, but the media and advertisers have the power to lead them to feel otherwise.

The picture posted on page 1074, shows a mother and her children at DisneySea at the Disney Theme Park in Japan. This is a good way to represent America, having fun at a Disney Theme Park with Mickey sounds like a good way to spend some quality family time - American style. I am proud to be an American who is promoting family togetherness.

In the last picture on page 1007, I notice three children sipping on Coke bottles and in the background I see Marlboro advertisements. This scene really disgusts me being that I am a Persian-American. These children could be my family members in Iran. I would never want my family or any child exploited in such a way as to advertise cigarettes. What does that make America look like? We are promoting children to smoke Marlboro now? THAT’S DEFINETELY NOT OKAY!

Obviously we could pick at each picture and have our judgment of every one. I know that we can’t put restrictions on these companies when on foreign soil; however, we can make educated choices when purchasing items right here in the great U.S. of A. We have a right to our own opinions and can make a difference, if we feel these companies are compromising our American values - because there is such a thing as values in America.

Week 3 Reading Response

Reading Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts,” was a big eye opener for me. Her essay made the whole writing process seem a lot easier than expected. I can personally relate to all her fears and anxieties before writing something new. It’s actually encouraging to know that professional writers go through the same ordeal that I go through when writing my own essay.

The style in which Anne Lamott wrote this essay seemed very elementary making it easy to read. I especially enjoyed how she broke up the paragraphs perfectly which made it enjoyable to read. More importantly, I didn’t lose interest while reading it. She also made a lot of great points that gave me real hope for the remainder of this English class.

It goes to prove that no matter how long someone has been writing, they’ll always have to get through those first few “shitty” papers in order to have a great final draft. I really liked how she stated that there maybe something great in the mess of the rough draft pages. I do believe that if a writer can take the time to jot down what comes to mind, they’ll be sure to find one thing they can run with regardless of how absurd it may seem first time around.

This piece gave me a great sense of relief and I’m glad I read it. The lesson I took from this essay, is that it’s okay to have a first draft that isn’t perfect. That is the whole point in drafting first, so that one can capture their thoughts and ideas which will eventually lead to the final masterpiece.

Essay #1 Rough Draft

“Our first experience of this life begins here on the first day. This won’t be recorded in language or be retrievable into rational thought. But the limbic brain remembers and our body remembers. Here is when we begin to build our model of what to expect, of who will be there, of how we will be received, of how safe it is out there, of how we can make ourselves known and comforted.”

-Robin Karr-Morse & Meredith S. Wiley, Ghosts from the Nursery p.87

A baby changes peoples’ lives. Parents hear advice from everywhere, whether it's from a close friend or the local bookstore. There are hundreds of ‘how to’ baby books. One of the methods promoted in these instructional baby books, is allowing a baby to ‘cry it out’ and ‘baby training.'

Although there are many proponents of the 'cry it out' method, this method is not a safe way to raise a healthy child because it can desensitize a mother to her baby’s only form of communication, reverse the parent-child bond, and even cause brain damage. Many families have passed down this advice from previous generations; and that is why so many have been accepting of it. It has become cultural for a lot of families today.

The proponents of the ‘cry it out’ method have good intentions. They believe that if a caregiver comes to a baby’s side every time he cries, they are teaching the baby to manipulate them. Their whole ideals are based on not raising a spoiled child. By putting a baby on a strict schedule and allowing them to self-sooth, they believe that parents will have a healthier, more independent baby who will not keep them up all night.

There are also doctors who are advocates of the ‘cry it out’ method. For example, Dr. Richard Ferber’s original book, 'Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems' was published in 1985. His method includes letting babies gradually learn how to sooth themselves. In order to do this, a baby must be left to cry for a specific amount of time before a parent will come to console them. Dr. Richard Ferber has since updated his original version with a new expanded version released in 2006; 'Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems: New, Revised, and Expanded Edition.'

It's possible for a caregiver to become used to the sound of a baby’s cry. By consistently allowing a baby to cry, overtime it's possible to desensitize one’s self to the sound of their cry. In effect, this can create a slower response to a baby’s needs and she will learn that she cannot rely on her caregivers. In addition, this could affect the baby’s food supply and milk intake. If a breastfeeding mother becomes desensitized to her baby’s cry, it will be harder for her body to allow normal let-down reflex which allows her milk to flow.

Letting a baby cry can also affect the parent-child bond. If repeatedly ignored, a baby can actually lose trust in the caregivers. A baby that feels safe and secure is more likely to become more independent and cry less. On the contrary, ignoring a baby’s cry will not allow a healthy attachment to develop, which can create problems with dependency and trust later in life.

Brain damage is another side effect of letting a baby cry for extended periods of time. When a baby needs attention, but is ignored consistently – this can lead a baby to feel helpless. Ignoring a baby and allowing him to cry is literally causing damage to his brain. According to Pyschohistorian Lloyd deMause author of 'The Psychogenic Theory of History,' feelings of hopelessness can cause severe brain damage by causing a large release of chemicals (cortisol, adrenaline, and stress hormones) which kills brain cells. In addition, the brain region behind the eyes (orbital frontal cortex), which functions to create feelings of guilt and empathy for others, can be undersized by lack of attention.

The world famous psychologist John Bowlby founded ‘Attachment Parenting’ and has extensively researched to promote the importance of early attachment and bonding between the parent and child. In his book, 'A Secure Base, Parent-Child Attachment and Healthy Human Development,' he writes about the effects of ignoring children and believes children who are ignored or feel rejected are more likely to grow up feeling unhappy and anxious.

Babies truly are dependent on their caregivers. There may be sensible reasons to use the ‘cry it out’ method, but ultimately it is unsafe, unhealthy and unnecessary for any baby. When babies are better understood, it will be easier to respond to their needs appropriately.

Week 2 Response

William Sea’s argument is based on many commercials that he believes change the way viewers see men and women. Sexism at its best is portrayed in the commercials he describes. He is mainly focused on the male side of the argument but does admit that the females have been unfairly stereotyped in the media as well.

In the first commercial William Sea describes the Milwaukie Beer Company portraying men as being too feminine, men who need to get in touch with their manly side. His causal argument makes the public confused by the beer company’s image of men. He asks very simply, “How should they act?” and it seems that the Milwaukie Beer Company is not answering that question for many or at least William Sea.

In the second evaluative argument, he writes of the Verizon commercial where the male figure is trying to help his annoyed daughter with homework, all the while his wife is ordering him around. He claims that (causal argument) this commercial makes the male look like a wimpy man who is being ordered around by a bossy female.

In addition, he claims that these commercials only hurt the feminist movement by giving the confused men a possible reason to “assert their dominance” over women. He claims that if men are supposed to act like inappropriate men, as suggested in the commercials, this would somehow hurt women.

In the end, with all the different types of commercials that portray men differently, he seems to be claiming that men are getting unfair treatment from the media and it’s leaving too much confusion of how men really are and how they are supposed to act. Sea seems to believe that overtime men will grow tired of seeing themselves portrayed in so many belittling ways. Sea's claims are based on his own interpretations of each commercial, so I don't think they are well supported. Another person may have a different opinion if they saw the same commercials.