41 Pages

"The difficult part of an argument is not to defend one's opinion but to know what it is." -Andre Maurois
This chapter is kind of like a dictionary to me, something to be referenced, not read. I see why we're reading this chapter before we write our next paper, but again a good skim or two is really what you need to do. If you do this, then you're good to write your paper with this chapter by your side. This was easier to read if you jump around a bit insead of reading page after page. I may not have read every possible word, but I was able to understand the "jist" of this chapter.

What to Argue...

Okay a few possible topics: Mental Healthcare, Children's rights (pertaining to custody hearings), Bi-racial people claiming only one of their races, Catholics contrary to popular belief are not "Mary worshippers", Early childhood education. I'm really not sure, hopefully I have time to figure this out.

In Reference to James

I read several of James' blogs, and they are truly addicting. I read "2020" and liked the title because in hind site everything is "2020". I also read a "Green Winter" and "My SUV and Me" which were both intriguing. I have lived in NE and CO where I enjoyed nice "white" Christmases and have a hard time getting into the full Christmas spirit without snow. This made it easy for me to relate to James' article. The elation they felt when it finally snowed is how I feel when we Virginians receive our first "real" snow of the winter. Last year I never felt that elation as we didn't get a "real" dumping of snow in our area. James has started my wheels turning and has inspired me to look for ways that I too can be a little bit "greener". Alright I'd love to write more and probably will later, but class is starting!

Chapter 4 Using Images to Drive Home Your Point

I found this chapter interesting and it made me think about the use of images. I have to say, I find it hard to decide on where to draw the line on what images should be published. I do believe though that the media should respect a families wishes when they have asked for their loved ones photos not to be used. Just because the media can access an image does do give them the right to air it. It's a hard call though and really the use of any image is a judegment call. I think one should think very hard before using an image which may be contreversial and decide if it is really needed to make a point.

Propoganda and How it's Used

I've chosen to write about Tim Kaine's (Gov.of VA) "Start Strong" initiative.
In Kaine's address to the Joint Committees of Va he uses Confidence, Earnestness, and Sincerity to convince them of the importance of early education. Kaine also uses Statisics, some without context, as well as Repetition.

Propaganda

Propaganda is everywhere in our society and even our schools.
Our handout states that propaganda is "merely a form of persuasion, a form that appeals to our emotions rather than to our reason" (Gula pg. 22). Advertisers, politicians and even our friends will use different forms of propaganda to influence our decisions.

One type of propaganda is repetition, which means just that repeating an idea over and over.
Parents will use this on their children to convince them that certain feelings or ideas are right or wrong.

Two other forms of propaganda which are often used by advertisers are Slogans and Testimonials. Coke and McDonald's have some of the catchiest slogans out there as well as using famous athletes or personalities to endorse their products. Using sports personalities works well on children who want to grow up to be just like Lebron or Kobe, because if Kobe likes it then it must be good.

I enjoyed this article and came to realize just how much propaganda is used in our everyday life. If you can master the techniques you can persuade the masses in to following you just about anywhere.

MLA Information for Nonsense
Gula, Robert J. "Chapter 3: Emotional Language: Propaganda." Nonsense: Red Herrings, Straw Men and Sacred Cows: How We Abuse Logic in Our Everyday Language. Mount Jackson: Axios Press, 2007. 21-30.

"Start Strong"

Okay, I'm sure my topic may not seem very interesting, but it's something I am passionate about. I have decide to write about Virginia Gov. Kaine's Start Strong Initiative. This is a topic close to my heart since I am a mother of two, and one of my children is faced with the difficulties of having a Learnning Disability. The Governor's website states that "Around 20% of Virginia’s third graders are failing the SOL reading exam (23% in 04-05; 16% in 05-06)."and that "If a child is unable to read by third grade, his or her chance of success throughout the rest of school is dramatically reduced. " The site also states that "90% of brain development occurs before a child turns five" and that "children who attend high-quality preschool are more likely to finish school, find good jobs, and are less likely to commit a crime." I believe many people, not just parents, are unaware of this problem, as daycares seem to be abundant in this area. One only needs to visit a few centers to realize the low quality of education many of these so called "pre schools" have. Hopefully this essay won't bore you too much, and you never know some of the statistics may surprise you.

MLA Works Cited

Kaine, Tim, comp. "Start Strong." Governor Tim Kaine. 2008. Virginia Governor. 14 Sept.2008
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/initiatives/startstrong/faq.cfm#why.

Chapter 5

This chapter started out a little slow for me, though I did find the information useful. I thoroughly enjoyed the article about hunting and the over population of deer. I also tended to agree with the student essay that this article was not a strong argument for hunting. As a non-hunter I started to see the point the author was making, but it was not driven with a strong enough argument. I did not feel as though all other options had been exhausted, or that the author even gave any serious thought to other possible solutions. Either way I enjoyed the chapter and see that I could definitely use this when writing a paper.

Oppinion

Palin Hits The Motherload
Ruth Marcus
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090902521_2.html

I enjoyed this article immensely. I have listened to people (mostly women) argue over this quite a bit since the announcement of Sarah Palin running for the Vice Presidency with Sen. McCain. I generally as a rule do not discuss my own view on politics with people, but can understand both sides of the argument on whether or not a woman could serve well as a Vice President. I would be lying though if I said that I am not disheartened a bit to hear a Mother’s ability to perform and succeed at such a task being questioned. The quote in the article made by Sally Quinn "Is she prepared for the all-consuming nature of the job?" Quinn wondered. "When the phone rings at three in the morning and one of her children is really sick, what choice will she make?" bothers me, and makes me question the progress woman are really making in society. Did anyone ask this same question of JFK when he ran for the Presidency? Our laws now give fathers equal rights to their children, but yet society still looks to the mother as being the primary caregiver. I’m not saying that I disagree that women aren’t generally the primary caregiver, but why the double standards? Why is it that we as a society will pass laws to give men equal treatment when it comes to their children, but we do not do the same when it comes to a women working? If Palin were a man there would be no issue with the fact that she has five children. Society would simply assume that the woman/wife would take care of the children and that the man would take those calls in the middle of the night without conflict. Are we then suggesting that these men who have come so far with their fight for equal parental rights do not, or cannot possibly care as much for their child simply because they are a man? Are we suggesting that when a father’s child is sick he doesn’t struggle with what to choose, his job or work? If we are then why is it that we have passed such laws granting them equal rights to their children if their heartstrings are not torn when making the choices mother’s do every day? In the article Marcus states “My husband is a terrific dad, but the stark truth is that he does not feel the same homeward tug.” Is she implying this is because of genetics or is it because of a conscious choice that both she and her husband have made? Why is it that a working women is questioned of her capabilities to both work and raise a family, but again men are not?
I am working mother, and do not feel that my job suffers because of this anymore than my male counterpart. I will agree that in my house I am the primary caregiver and it is I that knows all when it comes to my children. This isn’t because I’m a woman though, it is because of a conscious choice I made. I do not think any less of the working mother who chooses to share the burden equally with the father, nor do I think any less of the women who lets the father be the primary caregiver. Maybe this is the choice both Sarah Palin and her husband have made. Marcus states that she is not any less of a feminist for questioning Palin’s choice, “just A realistic one”, but I strongly disagree. How can one claim to be a true “feminist” when you question a woman’s choice, but not her male counterpart? Is that itself not sexist to question a person solely because of their gender?

I believe this article relies heavily on logic and reasoning (Logos). The author appeals to you with her statements geared towards a mother's sense of duty, and asks you to think logically about possible choices.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 is just another chapter of required reading to me. I found it hard to stay focused, though it did provide useful tips and information. After reading the Post's articles I found myself feeling that I could relate reading these chapters to that of reading a classic in high school. Hopefully I retained most of the information, but again after reading something that I could relate to so well it was hard to be interested in this beyond the " I have to read this for class" idea. Though I would agree that alot of these so called" green" people are not always as "green" as they claim, as shown by the "Ben and Jerry's" article.

That's a Classic?

I thoroughly enjoyed these articles published by The Washington Post. I was one of the people in high school who refused to read any of the required reading material. I judged books by their covers, when they were written, the author, language used and even topics. As an adult I have now read many of the "required" books for high school students. "The Catcher in the Rye " is one of my favorite books. After having more life experiences under my belt I was able to relate to the characters in the book better. I feel that when a reader can understand or relate to a book then they will take much more from it than someone who can not.

I would also have to agree with the article in that many English teachers are not promoting the books properly or aiming them at age appropriate audiences. Is the point of reading to learn that particular story or is there a larger purpose. If there is a larger purpose than maybe teachers should offer a list of books to choose from that fit the purpose of their lesson. This may spark an interest in reading and encourage a life long love for books.

Chapter 2

Thank goodness for chapter 2! Much easier for me to read. I like what it says about previewing, this is generally rue and most of us do have some type of thoughts about what we read and what it will be like before we have even read it. I also agree that skimming is useful and has it's time to be used, but that skimming alone is not always best. Overall I liked this chapter and found it useful and tolerable, especially the part on plagiarism and paraphrasing . I wasn't fully aware that one needed to always state that they were paraphrasing. Well maybe I did, but it was pushed pretty far back in my mind, and this was a good refresher.

Chapter 1

Okay, if I'm going to be honest Chapter 1 was painful for me to read all the way through.
I'm easily distracted, and unless something is really captivating I may daydream even while I'm still actually reading. This said I did finally make it through, although some sentences had to be read more than once.

I felt for both sides on the argument of the women being veiled for the DMV photo. I wonder do men who wear turbans also have to "unveil", since their hair is covered as well? Or, was this more of a question of being able to see facial features since those are harder to alter?

As far as the National ID cards go it makes little difference to me, as long as people have different levels of clearance to access the different information help on this card. I do not believe that this will stop terrorists though or eliminate racial profiling because where there's a will there's a way. this may slow down the process though and leave more time for terrorists to be caught while still developing their plan. Racial profiling is going to happen, how is an official going to determine whether to ask for your card or not. Probably the same way they decide to ask for your ID now. It's based on the individual asking for it and their mind set which is not controlled by some computer.