Reflections on a Powerful Semester

Wow! I cannot believe the semester is nearly over. I am just happy to have survived. I was so nervous when I walked into your class on the first day. I soon learned, however, that you were very concerned and compassionate about your teaching and your students. I anticipated having to spend a lot of time on your assignments and I was right. I do feel that you did a great job of laying the groundwork for each assignment, and I really liked the way each task built up to the next. This really helped me to prepare for the next project you assigned. At the beginning of the semester, you mentioned that grammar was not part of the curriculum for this particular class, but I am sure glad you did include it in the course. The effort you made to help us with our grammar increased my confidence with my writing skills tremendously. As the semester progressed, I looked forward to each grammar mini-lesson you provided at the beginning of each class. They were very helpful and gave me the opportunity to catch up on some much needed skills that I had lost through the years. When it came time to do the research paper, my anxiety and stress level exploded. I knew it was going to be a very demanding task and hard work, which I am not afraid of doing. Again, you made it a step-by-step process, which really helped me to get started. Even though it consumed a lot of time, this was probably my favorite project. I really enjoyed the research and learning more in depth about my argument. Building this project from the ground up was very satisfying for me when it was finally complete. I can only hope that all my future instructors will be as engaging and helpful as you are. I really can't think of anything you could change. Thanks for a great semester!

Recognizing Plagiarism

Exercise 64.6-Summarize and Paraphrase

Summary: Paragraph 1

The Gemological Institute, determined by testing and grading, gems created in a laboratory by man was just as real as natural ones (Davis 40).

Summary: Paragraph 2

Customer demand for ecological friendly gem production has increased significantly since 2003. As a result, Genesis, a leader in diamond production, has extended their gem production radically to meet the demand for green stones (Davis 40).

Paraphrase: Paragraph 1

An employee of the Gemological Institute was extremely excited when he realized after comparing a laboratory gem with a natural one that they were of equal quality. It was his opinion that the artificial diamond industry was just as significant as natural stones(Davis40).

Paraphrase: Paragraph 2

The man made diamond industry, after an uphill battle to compete against natural gems, was finally accepted as authentic when the demand for green diamonds escalated. This was due in part because of the desire of customers to purchase “environmental friendly (no open-pit mines), socio-politically neutral (no blood diamonds), and monopoly free (not controlled by De Beers)”(Davis 40). Genesis, a leader in diamond production, added a significant number of diamond producing machines that generated as much money as the productivity of a small mine(Davis 40).

Exercise 64.7-Pattern Practice

Over the past five years, there has been a 30% decline in CD sales; confirming the analysis of a leading researcher of the market.Based on a recording company’s analysis of the most frequently visited web sites offering downloads, the most popular were all single songs, confirming the trend of single music downloading.LP albums permitted artists to record more than one song on an album, and created an opportunity to produce longer songs. It gave entertainers a new lack of restrictions when they produced recordings.


Exercise 64.8 – Writing Practice

Topic: School violence and the effects of school violence seriously affect the safety of our students in schools.

Although violence in schools has been a major concern for parents, students, and educators, it continues to be a pressing problem in the United States. There is no one specific reason for this violence but is actually perpetuated by a number of issues. There continues to huge problems with gangs in our schools, and although we have made efforts to curb the rash of gang violence, it has been difficult. Many children bring weapons to school because they are afraid of being beat up, bullied, or intimated. Drugs also add to the effect of school violence and can be a deadly combination when mixed with gangs. School crime disrupts the daily routine of teaching and learning in schools and may have a lasting effect on children. According to Nancy Day, “They may feel guilty that they were not able to prevent the incident, and they may even suffer long term psychological problems”(12). Students need to feel safe and protected in our schools and we need to do everything possible to make this a reality(Day 12).

Yes, Don't Impede Medical Progress

I found this essay to be very interesting and intellectually challenging. This assignment will help me with writing my own research paper by using similar strategies to present my argument. Below, you will find the answers to the discussion questions.

1. The thesis statement that the author is trying to support is the fact that: “Scientists hope to coax embryonic stem cells into becoming specialized tissue such as nerve, muscle, or pancreatic islet cells. Therapeutic cloning, or nucleus transplantation, could make such treatment more effective”. The author placed the thesis statement in paragraph two in order to have a strong introduction of her argument in the first paragraph.

2. The author connects her agreement to the broader issues in paragraph 17 where she states that biomedicine has already “altered the human experience”. For instance, she states that our life expectancy has doubled worldwide, childbirth is no longer a danger to mother and infant, and childhood is no longer a time for early death. Her argument is that biomedicine has already affected human lives in a positive way. She leads you with the feeling of, “Why stop now”? The author’s use of the progress of biomedicine is a very effective argument.

3. The strategy of answering the objections to an argument is important because it negates the critics of the author’s argument. The main arguments are, a fertilized egg is a person, unscrupulous people will take advantage of cloning, and we should not be involved in human genetic engineering. The main strategies that she used to answer her critics are centered on common sense dialog that addressed the potential of biomedicine.

4. The word “fear” was used several times in the essay in order to play on the emotions of her audience. The author realizes that cloning, advanced cell technology of a human egg, and stem cell research conjures up fear and doubt in the minds of certain populations in America, such as, the anti abortion movement.

5. In a very subtle way, the author explains how our culture has evolved very slowly to progress to our current stag. She explains that our lives our very different from our ancestors because of the advancement of science. She ends her argument by stating that we should let the “process continue”. The effect on the reader is that we should not stop the progress of science research. The fact that she did not mention cloning in her closing argument, was a very strong and legitimate tactic because it left the reader feeling as if it would foolish to stop the natural progression of science research and technology.

Analyzing an Argumentative Essay

Alejandra Galindo’s argumentative essay titled "The Use of Landmines"made a very strong argument against the use of this tactic in warfare, and urged the United States to sign the Mine Ban Treaty immediately. She also suggested for the United States to “put pressure on other countries” to do the same. In this compelling and passionate essay, the writer artfully used pathos as she gave many facts and data about the number of casualties and loss of limbs not only in soldiers, but also in civilians, children, and animals. She also included another great example of the use of pathos when she gave a detailed description of how lethal and maiming mines can be, not only in the present but also far into the future. Once these land mines have been set, normal everyday life turns into “fear that a family member may be killed or injured”. The writer creates in the reader such a feeling of sorrow and sadness for the people who have to live in fear and danger every day. Her use of ethos gave her paper a very credible argument as she quoted many authorities on the subject of land mines, such as, Mary Wareham, a senior advocate for human rights and Jody Williams, who won the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for making the Mine Ban Treaty a reality. She also quoted James P. Grant, Executive Director of UNICEF, where he explains in his book how detrimental to society these land mines can be. The accomplishments and positions of the above individuals create a strong sense of ethos as the reader becomes deeply involved in the argument. In order to strengthen her case, she used logos throughout her paper as she quoted multiple facts and statistics to drive her point home to her audience. A strong example of this includes the following statistic used by Galindo, “33% of US casualties during the Vietnam War, and 34% during the Gulf War were caused by land mines”. The outside sources used in the essay were extremely credible because they were experts who were very knowledgeable in their field. I feel this essay was well written and strongly supported the argument.

Creating a Less Wordy Paragraph

Original Paragraph (106 words)

In comparing the settings of the two photographs, there is a huge disparity in the messages conveyed to the reader. The location of Obama’s public world is in a room surrounded by many different people who appear to be loyal, supportive, and enjoying his presence. He is sitting beside an elderly woman with his arm around her shoulder. Both are smiling and the setting is one of happiness, joy, and celebration. The closed surrounding of his private world is one of solitude and seclusion. The president is alone and appears to be working late into the night as he reflects on the many problems he encounters.

Revised Paragraph (75 words)

Comparing the settings of the photographs, there is disparity in the messages conveyed to the reader. Obama’s public world is a room surrounded by many people appearing loyal and supportive. Seated beside an elderly woman, both are smiling and the setting is one of happiness and joy. Obama’s private world is one of solitude and seclusion. The president is alone and working late into the night as he reflects on the many problems he encounters.

I really enjoyed this activity. It was like taking out pieces of a puzzle and still being able to capture the scene. I do have a tendacy to be wordy with my writing and this will be a great activity for me to use in the future.

Mid-Term Celebration!

Getting through the first half of the semester is definitely a celebration for me! Going back to school after 30 years was a big decision. However, I have truly enjoyed every minute of this adventure. I really did not know what to expect from myself as far as my writing skills go, but I was pleasantly surprised on how well I did on my first few essays. It did not come easy for me; I found myself sitting at my kitchen table for many hours struggling on how to get started. Although the class lectures have been very informative, I have had to do some of my own research in order to have a better understanding of what it takes to be a good writer. Since the first day of the semester until now, I have found that the writing is becoming somewhat easier for me. Even though I speak proper English, one of my biggest obstacles continues to be the use of correct grammar when I write. Speaking proper English is one of my pet peeves, and that’s why I can’t understand why it’s so difficult for me to write using correct grammar. I know with practice it will eventually become more natural for me and I will be able to spend more time researching on the topic of my essays. I have always been a firm believer in setting goals, but being out of school for so many years I really was not sure what a realistic one might be for this class. The goals that I set this semester was to be fully engaged during class, work hard, and put my whole heart into every assignment. I am thankful that my hard work and tenacity is paying off. My goal for the remainder of the semester is to continue to work diligently to improve my weaknesses in my writing skills. I look forward to the second half of this course.

Wordle Design

I've never heard of "Wordle" until now. I really enjoyed looking at the other designs. It's amazing with the words scrambled you can still capture the meaning of the story or the feeling of the creator.

© 2009 Jonathan Feinberg Terms of Use subscribe

At Times, I Struggle to Get Up in The Morning

Let us see, where do I start? Generally, I do not have a hard time getting up in the morning; my feet usually hit the floor before the alarm goes off. It is funny, often I have been called “Tigger” because of the energy that I have when I first wake up. Recently, it has been somewhat of a struggle to get my day going for several reasons. Deciding to go back to school after 30 years has been a huge impact on my biological clock. The demands of my courses and re-developing good study habits have kept me up late at night. I often wake up in the middle of the night solving math problems, writing essays, and thinking of what I need to do the next day. For the most part, when I first hit the bed, I can’t seem to turn my brain off. Another reason for struggling to get up in the morning is that my husband travels a lot due to our consulting business. When he returns home, we find ourselves talking until all hours of the night in order to make up for the time we have been away from each other. Furthermore, we sometimes start a conversation in the middle of the night that could last several hours before going back to sleep. Finally, I think the worst is going through menopause! I find myself waking up several times with night sweats and seem to toss and turn all night. In closing, in an effort to get a better night sleep, I have started using meditation and deep breathing exercises, which seems to help.

Reflection on "The Merchants of Cool"

In describing the effects that “The Merchant of Cool” has on culture, as outlined in the video, it is obvious that kids respond to cool, however, the big challenge for the corporate world is actually finding out what cool really means to teenagers. In order for corporations to create advertising that will attract teenagers, they must first find out what they are thinking about regarding food, clothes, movies, and music. Once an industry understands what “cool” means to teenagers, they can then create the culture that will attract consumers. One of the huge obstacles, however, is that once the industry understands what cool Is, then cool changes for the teenagers. It is a continuous cycle as trends in clothes, food, TV programs and music change based on the interest of the consumers. The effect of these phenomena on the teenage culture is dramatic, and it shows by the way girls and boys dress, talk, walk, and spend money. Girls attempt to dress like Britney Spears in order to be accepted, and they feel that showing their midriff is the only way they can show their sexuality. It is almost to the point that these young girls really do not have their own identity, but try to mirror someone else who is popular. Boys, on the other hand, are attracted to professional wrestling and rage rock music in order to be the “macho” man.

Although I have not been a teenager for a long time, I still like to feel as if I am cool and hip to not only my generation, but also the younger generation. I am confident “Cool Hunting” occurs in our country everyday and includes men and women of every age. I have a tendency to listen to younger bands and watch some of those obnoxious comedies that kids like. My favorite video game is the “Wii” and my grandchildren think I am cool when I get excited and crazy when playing the games with them. “Greys Anatomy” and “Desperate Housewives” are still my favorite TV shows although I never seem to have time to watch them. The actors in these programs are in my age group, they dress young and trendy, and they inspire me to go out and buy similar clothes more often in order to keep up with the trends. I also love to watch the most current fashion shows, and usually try to buy clothes that I like based on what I have seen. Actually, I am just a big kid at heart!!

Reflection on Illustation Essay

As I begin to reflect on my first illustration essay after being out of school for over 30 years, there are several points that immediately come to my mind. I am not sure if I even knew what an illustration essay was until we began talking about it in class. I really liked the way our teacher eased us into the assignment using magazine advertisements. Actually, it was a lot of fun for me to choose an advertisement, analyze the content, color and setting, and then develop and organize an essay based on my perceptions. Although I have looked at many advertisements in my lifetime, this is the first time I have ever truly dissected one. Today, each time I look at an advertisement, I find myself thinking about the concepts we have discussed in class relating to color, setting, character and audience. In regards to my specific paper, I was pleased that I was able to define the audience and purpose, and to develop ideas that supported my thesis statement. Initially, I struggled with the thesis statement, and it was difficult for me to get that first sentence down on paper. However, once I was able to capture my original thoughts on paper, more and more ideas began to flow into my mind. My biggest challenge in becoming a proficient writer at this point is being able to organize my thoughts into clear and concise statements. Based on the feedback from my illustration essay, I really need to work on connecting the introduction, the topic sentences and the conclusion back to the thesis statement. It is also evident that I need to improve my word choices and sentence structure. I do feel that I am improving in this area; however, I am not nearly as proficient at this as I want to be. Another deficient area where I need work is on grammar, spelling, and punctuation. After all, we can write a wonderful paper with lots of interesting ideas, but if we have errors in these areas, it is not a quality essay. My goals for the Comparison and Contrast Essay is to insure that I have a strong, well developed thesis statement, and to make sure I connect each paragraph and topic sentence back to this argument. Another major goal for this next paper is to create clear, focused, and concise sentences that have no grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors. Go for it Carrie!!

Comparing and Contrasting the Views of Two Writers

In comparing and contrasting, Daniel James’ essay on “Close the Borders to All Newcomers” and Steven Moore’s essay on “Give us Your Best, Your Brightest”; it is evident that the two writers take separate views on the immigration issue. James is clear that he believes immigrants are overcrowding the United States and costing our citizens millions of dollars. Moore on the other hand, believes that many of these immigrants actually benefit the American public and any drain on the US economy is offset by the contributions to the United States lifestyle especially the technology issue. James appears to be centering more on legal and non legal Mexican immigrants while Moore also takes Asians, Germans, Japanese ,and Koreans into account. While James feels the cost of educating the poor Mexican children is breaking our educational system, Moore’s attitude is that many of our brightest and best students are actually immigrants. He supports this belief by quoting that the highest percentage of valedictorians in public schools today is actually immigrants. Most of James’ argument in his article centers on overcrowding of America, and the cost of welfare, education, and health. He also comments on the jobs lost by Americans to legal and illegal Mexican immigrants. Steven Moore’s main issues are that we benefit by these immigrants both intellectually and physically. Moore feels that instead of being fiscal burdens, immigrants actually increase our revenues by almost 20 billion dollars per one million foreigners migrating to the United States. Moore’s argument appears to negate almost all of the negative comments made by Daniel James.

Rhetorical Modes of Persuasion

In identifying and describing rhetorical modes of persuasion, I selected an advertisement commercial that showed a father, mother and daughter telling a slow motion imitation story about driving without a seat belt.

The commercial began with the father sitting in a chair as if he was driving a car. For a few seconds everything appeared to be happy and serene. The initial scene was obviously one of happiness and contentment with his wife and daughter looking on as the father is taking a drive. This loving family picture depicted by the commercial definitely plays on our emotions of family, love, togetherness and support. In a matter of seconds it was evident that a problem had occurred with the father during his drive. There was fear on the father’s face and this panic transferred to the mother and daughter as they looked on in disbelief that an accident was about to happen. It became evident the father was not wearing a seat belt as his wife and daughter began moving toward him. The mother and daughter symbolized a seat belt as they both began locking their arms around his waist and his shoulders forming a human seat belt. There was a huge sense of relief when the mother and daughter came to his rescue.

By creating this sense of love, family, fear, danger, and relief, it is evident that this commercial played heavily on a strong pathos mode as their primary tool for persuasion. The message that we receive is that if we love our family, we will wear our seat belt. The scene of the mother and daughter playing the role of the seat belt signifies the logos mode by playing on our logic and reason. The underlying meaning is one of logos mode, as we all know statistics show we have a much better chance of surviving an accident if we wear a seat belt. The weakest mode portrayed by this commercial is the ethos mode. There is no famous character or authority figure, however, the love and strength of the family becomes the central characters and authority in this commercial by portraying the seat belt. After viewing this commercial at http://adland.tv/commercials/ssrp-sussex-safer-roads-partnership-embrace-life-2010-90-uk , if this doesn't encourage you to wear a safety belt, I don’t know what would.

My Personal Process For Writing

As I reflect on my own personal composing process for academic papers or creative writing, my first thought is that I like to start in plenty of time. It drives me crazy if I am caught up in a time crunch to get finished. I like to sit down at my kitchen table, spread all my books and notes out around me, and turn my iPod on to some nice relaxing classical music. My next step is to brainstorm the subject matter and maybe even do some research on the web that's pertaining to the topic. It’s also helpful for me to have a paper and pen close by because I seem to do my best thinking when I’m actually scribbling or doodling on a pad. I also like to have a lot of potential ideas about a specific starting point for my paper before I actually begin the writing process. An outline also seems to help me organize my thoughts into what I actually want to say. The most difficult step for me always seems to be getting that first starting sentence on paper. Once I’m happy with my opening sentence, I begin to look for other pertinent information to back up or support this statement. Because, I’m such a perfectionist, it’s very unusual for me to complete a paper at the first sitting. I typically get started and then think about it 24-7 until I finally complete the project. Actually it’s very difficult to get it out of mind until I put the finishing touches on the paper. It’s a great feeling when I finally push my chair back and say: “Yahoo, that’s it, I’m finished!

Who Am I?

In response to the article, "Who Am I",it was interesting for me to learn in the first paragraph that a writer’s craft includes their ability to create the mood, tone and voice of the reading. I have always liked to read certain author’s books, such as Nicolas Sparks, however, for the first time; I think I understand why. I like an author who can create this formal or informal mood the article talks about. With me, if I don’t get engaged within the first few pages, the author will lose me. As I reflect on this author’s ability to describe the setting, I hope I can create this same type of atmosphere with my own writing.

Wow! The comments in the “Dear Diary” entry nailed me to a tee. How did she know what I was thinking? I have all these wonderful thoughts in my mind, however, when I try to capture them on paper, I fear my thoughts will be wrong or make no sense to the reader. I have found that if I walk away from the pen and paper, my thoughts just flow without stopping. The quote from Maureen O’Leary is true, when I start to put my thoughts on paper; I know it is the “least of my individual voice”. I know practice will help build the confidence I need to capture my audience.

It’s evident from the article that communication and clarity is the goal of good writing, however, it’s the voice that gives it the spice. My goal this semester is to improve confidence in my writing skills and find my own personal voice.