This lecture had a way of making you think differently about writing. One part of the lecture discussed (well actually, much of it discussed) that writing can make you a better person through service. I never have thought of writing as a particular service, but when I listened to this presentation it made me realize how building and destructive rhetoric can be. In one part of the lecture Mrs. Hedengren told us to think of an example of writing that we have done that has been a service to somebody. I thought of a time when I wrote my sister a little "thank you for being such a good sister note;" I found out later that that note had helped my sister in a time when she was feeling kind of down. Truly writing can be a good tool for service.
The name of the presentation itself was an emotional appeal that stirred a sense of belief within me. Hedengren used examples of two people that I believe in as good and evil from my own faith to tie me into the discussion; it worked perfectly. It made me think of how important writing has been to me through my interaction in the LDS church. Surely Nephi's writings were influential and important to me even to this day; how could I deny how important writing was after thinking of it that way. However, I do not believe that Mrs. Hedegren gave this presentation to convince us of the importance of writing, but rather to convince us how important it is to write righteously.
After easily convincing me of the universal influence that writing has on people, Mrs. Hedengren spoke about the importance of writing righteously. Included in her talk were sever "itty virtues" that lead to good and righteous writing. These virtues included humility, charity, clarity, and "stick to it itty." When speaking of humility, Mrs. Hedegren quoted Dick Guidon who said,"Writing is natrue's way of letting you know how sloppy your thinking is." I wrote that quote down when she presented it because writing has always been one way that heavenly father has humbled me; this part of the presentation spoke directly to the audience, me. On a rhetorical note, Hedengren strengthened her ethos constantly while speaking to the mormon-dominated audience by quoting scripture and prophetic council. She quoted more than one talk by President Henry B. Eyring, and quoted several scriputres from the Book of Mormon. She also talked about charity, clarity and stick to it itty, but I will probably be more brief about these because my blog is so long already. She connected me, the audience, into her presentation during charity when she used a direct quote that stimulated an emotional appeal. Her quote was by John Trimble; he said, "serve the reader." Of course this is such a small quote it seems like a strange thing to quote. But Hedengren tied it into her discourse by saying that it was natural to think about ourselves when we start writing, and that we need to be thinking about our readers. She then made an appeal to ethos by relating a personal story about when she was a part time faculty member at BYU in 1983. She supported all her claims and reasons with such appeals in a very affective way
I think my blog is already too long. But I think that I have given a slight overview of the awesome presentation as well as a partial summary of a few of the many rhetorical appeals and claims that Hedengren presented. Overall I think that the presentation was quite insightful and very effective in presenting the writers claims to the audience.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Persuasive Picture
In this picture, the man gives us an example of giving a persuasive way of doing things. He uses humor to get his point across.
Image
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://dekerivers.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/sf2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://dekerivers.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/swine-flu-cartoons/&usg=__nNZEezal4VO7khE1eU26SeUiZFU=&h=346&w=400&sz=69&hl=en&start=19&tbnid=X03wDC0owidBTM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dswine%2Bflu%2Bcartoon%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D18
In this cartoon the cartoonist uses humor and irony to win the audience. The image shows the hypersensitivity in the U.S. government felt by those in the general public.
In this cartoon the cartoonist uses humor and irony to win the audience. The image shows the hypersensitivity in the U.S. government felt by those in the general public.
Image
I think the image is persuasive in the sense that it gains your attention immediately.
http://www.coachingchallenge.com/2009/07/05/coaching-challenge-on-persuasion/
http://www.coachingchallenge.com/2009/07/05/coaching-challenge-on-persuasion/
Good Rhetoric
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28380133/displaymode/1107/s/2/framenumber/1/
This shows why people vote like they do.
This shows why people vote like they do.
Persuasive Image
This is persuasive because it is a threatening twist to a common sign, and it's repetitive.
Save Water
This photo persuades us to turn off and save water!! It does a good job by showing a hundred dollar bill coming out of the faucet!!
Persuasive Picture
http://staff.esuhsd.org/danielle/English%20Department%20LVillage/natural032.jpg
This is an example of being persuasive, the penguins don't realize that if they use ice as a natural resource then they will have nothing to live on.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thoughts on the Lecture
I thought that the lecture by Beth Hedengren was very interesting and it gave me a fresh outlook regarding writing. She talked about how you can tell good writing from bad writing by the motives the author has. She used Nehor and Nephi from the Book of Mormon as examples of this. I liked that because it helped me to see similarities from different aspects of my life. I have never really related the Book of Mormon to writing before.
She also talked about virtues we can develop by writing. The first was humility. She used a quote from Dick Guindon to emphasis her point. "Writing is natures way of letting you know how sloppy your thinking is." Mrs. Hedengren taught us that we should gain humility by accepting correction when we write. The second virtue she talked about was charity. She urged us to think of others when writing, especially our readers. This can help us to establish charity in our lives. John Trimble has said in regard to this, "Serve the reader." Mrs. Hedengren also talked to us about how writing can bless others lives.
Another virtue that can be developed through writing well is clarity. Mrs. Hedengren taught that sometimes you just have to start writing in order to gain clarity. She also said that no matter who you write to, if you write with real intent you will gain clarity. The last virtue that you can gain through writing, that Mrs. Hedengren talked about, is stick-to-it-ivity. She used the word gumption to explain this virtue which means: spunk, courage, and resourcefulness. She also used a quote from Henry B. Eyring, which said, "Hard work is the only reasonable option." Mrs. Hedengren taught that by writing for good purposes we can gain these virtues. It was something that I had never really thought about before and I was thankful for the new perspective that this lecture provided me.
Presentation
i have never really thought of writing as a tool for good and evil. I have always thought of it more as an assignment or a means to an end. But after Mrs. Hedengren's presentation i saw that it can be used for bad or good, and i need to remember to use it for good. Being at BYU, she assumed that we all wanted to be honest and true in our dealings with fellow men. She also assumed that we wanted to become better writers because we were at a writing seminar type thingy. Her claims and reasons were built around these assumptions. She claimed that good writing is writing done for the right reasons. To support her claim she talked about all the positive benefits of good writing. She told personal stories and asked for stories from the audience, which i quite liked. It gave us a chance to reflect on why we write. As i'm reflecting right now i realize that i'm writing this so i can have a better grade in my class, sounds like i need to listen to her lecture again. Well, writing is a process, line upon line, precept upon precept. I'm working on having good intentions when i write. Now i'm getting off that tangent and back to her lecture. The reasons she gave were that through good writing, we can gain humility, charity, clarity, and stick-to-it-ivity, and that writing is a valuable way to serve. She then went through each virtue and told how writing helped her gain them in her life. Overall, it was a good lecture and i gained a valuable perspective on writing and why we write and for what reasons we should write
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Thoughts on Auntie Beth's Presentation
I must admit, I didn't think that I was going to get a whole lot out of a talk on the differences between "Nehor and Nephi's" writing styles (at least that is what I thought I was going to be hearing about). But I ended up coming away with a whole new perspective on writing and I am very glad that I went. I have always seen writing papers as a waste of time and mental energy that could be better spend elsewhere, but after hearing Mrs. Hedengren's (I'm calling her Auntie Beth from now on) speech, I honestly feel like now I have more of a purpose in writing. I liked how she intertwined lots of quotes and stories from General Authorities in her talk, I am really a sucker for quotable quotes so those helped me to stay focused on what she was saying.
As for her claims, reasons, and assumption, I think I did a pretty decent job of picking them out. From what I understood, it sounded like her main argument was that writing is meant to be used for the betterment and benefit of both the reader and the writer. It is not just some useless thing that teachers make us do in college so we have homework, but rather a tool for creating a better society and preserving memories for generations to come. She included a quote to support this argument from the ancient Roman Philosopher Quintillion (I'm almost certain I spelled that wrong). He said "Your not writing well if you're not writing for good reasons." This supports her claim that writing can be used as a means of bringing about good. Another one of her claims was that by writing with the intent of helping others, you can gain virtues for yourself. The four virtues she focused on were humility, charity, clarity, and stick-to-it-ivity (not a real word). She gave lots of examples of how when we strive to write for worthy reasons, we are blessed with more of these virtues. Throughout the whole talk Auntie Beth cited a story from her beginning teaching days here at BYU when she had to write a paper to defend her and her fellow part-time employees. She described to us how this taught her about how to gain the four virtues as she struggled to write the paper that she wanted to. Some of the assumptions she made were that we were all members of the church in the room (which is a pretty safe bet at BYU) and that we all understood certain gospel teachings and lingo. Things like journal writing, and what the Ensign is.
Overall, I thought that her speech was great. I know that at least one person left the room feeling inspired to be a better writer and student. I hope that I can carry over what I learned today from Auntie Beth into the essays that I write in the future. And that as a result, I will be able to make the world a better place through my writing.
"Thoughtful Blog Post"
Well, today I went to Beth Hedengren's lecture on "Nehor vs. Nephi: Virtue and the Art of Writing Well." It was a fairly interesting lecture in which many claims were stated, suppositions were made, and stories were shared.
She began by talking about Nehor, a character in the Book of Mormon who used rhetoric to get gain for himself. Beth stated that Nehor was a bad man because he was not writing for the right reasons. In this she assumed that her audience shared her belief that writing to get personal gain and the glory of the world is wrong. She briefly mentioned a couple other individuals in history (namely Hitler, and Stalin) who used rhetoric well, but they used it for the wrong reasons and therefore they didn’t write “well.”
Later in her lecture she made the claim that writing helps you develop certain traits, namely: humility, charity, clarity, and “stick-to-it-ivity.” She then talked about each of these traits separately and gave reasons to support her claim.
To support her claim that writing helps one develop humility she stated that “in order to write well we must learn to humbly accept correction.” She then gave an example of Moroni’s humility when, in the Book of Mormon, he stated that he knew he was weak in writing.
To support her claim that writing can help one develop charity she stated that when one writes effectively, one needs to think of the need of the reader. By doing this one develops charity, because they are thinking of the needs of others.
She then gave the quote “Writing is nature’s way of letting you know how sloppy your thinking is” in order to support her claim that writing can help one develop clarity. She said that when one writes they are able to see things more clearly. She gave an example of when she wrote a paper addressing some of the concerns of the part time faculty at BYU, where through writing, she was able to see the issue from the side of the part-time faculty as well as from the side of the administrators.
In supporting her claim about “stick-to-it-ivity” she talked about making homemade play dough, and said that even though it may appear to be a stick mess while one is making it (just as one’s paper may appear to be a sticky mess when writing it), if one sticks to it, eventually it will turn out to be great.
In her lecture Beth made many assumptions. Some of these assumptions include that learning to write well, and effectively use rhetoric, actually matters in life. She also made the assumption that we want to develop the traits she talked about. For that matter, she assumed to some degree, that we knew what the traits were.
Overall this was a fairly good lecture and hopefully I will be able to take some of the concepts she taught and apply them in my day to day writing.
She began by talking about Nehor, a character in the Book of Mormon who used rhetoric to get gain for himself. Beth stated that Nehor was a bad man because he was not writing for the right reasons. In this she assumed that her audience shared her belief that writing to get personal gain and the glory of the world is wrong. She briefly mentioned a couple other individuals in history (namely Hitler, and Stalin) who used rhetoric well, but they used it for the wrong reasons and therefore they didn’t write “well.”
Later in her lecture she made the claim that writing helps you develop certain traits, namely: humility, charity, clarity, and “stick-to-it-ivity.” She then talked about each of these traits separately and gave reasons to support her claim.
To support her claim that writing helps one develop humility she stated that “in order to write well we must learn to humbly accept correction.” She then gave an example of Moroni’s humility when, in the Book of Mormon, he stated that he knew he was weak in writing.
To support her claim that writing can help one develop charity she stated that when one writes effectively, one needs to think of the need of the reader. By doing this one develops charity, because they are thinking of the needs of others.
She then gave the quote “Writing is nature’s way of letting you know how sloppy your thinking is” in order to support her claim that writing can help one develop clarity. She said that when one writes they are able to see things more clearly. She gave an example of when she wrote a paper addressing some of the concerns of the part time faculty at BYU, where through writing, she was able to see the issue from the side of the part-time faculty as well as from the side of the administrators.
In supporting her claim about “stick-to-it-ivity” she talked about making homemade play dough, and said that even though it may appear to be a stick mess while one is making it (just as one’s paper may appear to be a sticky mess when writing it), if one sticks to it, eventually it will turn out to be great.
In her lecture Beth made many assumptions. Some of these assumptions include that learning to write well, and effectively use rhetoric, actually matters in life. She also made the assumption that we want to develop the traits she talked about. For that matter, she assumed to some degree, that we knew what the traits were.
Overall this was a fairly good lecture and hopefully I will be able to take some of the concepts she taught and apply them in my day to day writing.
Friday, November 6, 2009
The detrimental effects of humor in advertising.
Humor in advertisements can have an overall detrimental effect. Normally when people see an ad their subconscious mind automatically attempts to block it out due to the sheer volume of advertisements that we are exposed to every day. Humor may be an effective means of cutting through the mental barrier however studies have shown that humor has a negative impact on recall of the product being advertised.
Although humor can be beneficial in some advertisements there are certain limits that should be set on its use. Normally when you or I see an ad our subconscious mind automatically tunes it out due to the sheer amount of advertisements that we are exposed to every day. Humor can be used as a tool to cut through this clutter, but studies have shown that humor can have a detrimental effect on product recall. Usually what happens is you or I get a good laugh out of the commercial, but when it comes down to it we either forget what the product being advertised was, or we forget why THAT particular product was the best product for us. In other cases when humor is used sparingly, and instead the main reasons why a particular product is the BEST product are more dominant, the small amount of humor present in the advertisement may offend the user when the product something “high involvement.” For example if you were in the market for a 30 year loan on your house would you take a company more seriously that presented you with facts, or one that made simply had a funny commercial? I’d go with the company that educated me on the loan, rather than just entertain me.
Although humor can be beneficial in some advertisements there are certain limits that should be set on its use. Normally when you or I see an ad our subconscious mind automatically tunes it out due to the sheer amount of advertisements that we are exposed to every day. Humor can be used as a tool to cut through this clutter, but studies have shown that humor can have a detrimental effect on product recall. Usually what happens is you or I get a good laugh out of the commercial, but when it comes down to it we either forget what the product being advertised was, or we forget why THAT particular product was the best product for us. In other cases when humor is used sparingly, and instead the main reasons why a particular product is the BEST product are more dominant, the small amount of humor present in the advertisement may offend the user when the product something “high involvement.” For example if you were in the market for a 30 year loan on your house would you take a company more seriously that presented you with facts, or one that made simply had a funny commercial? I’d go with the company that educated me on the loan, rather than just entertain me.
Changing the way movies are rated
The MPAA announced on January 19, 2007 that they will be revising the way that they rate movies. These revisions will include such things as allowing the general public to know who the top three raters are as well as know general information about the other raters. The push for revision is fueled by the complaints and criticism of moviemakers and a recent documentary.
I think these changes are necessary and important, but are only a small step in the right direction. The way movies are rated needs to be revised much more. Hopefully more changes will be made in the next few years. It's important to know accurate information about the raters and it's a good step to take.
BCS football has too big of contracts with the media
Vague....
The BCS makes way to much money from the big-named conferences. Thanks to this, many schools in the smaller conferences such as the Mountain West and the WAC are not given an equal chance. This country was formed on equality between all men, but sports are becoming way too much of a media and money gain. These schools are making more money from their sports than the other conferences which gives them a better chance of having more money and sports.
All out well written....
The BCS "big-named" conferences are making way too much money. Each coach is making over $79,000 each game. Every single year the coaches are making more and more money and are not willing to let this playoff system even have a chance because they are making way too much money. Sports officially means money. However, the players playing do not even make a dime off of it. Only a few schools are given a chance of winning all this money, and they make sure of it. By signing contracts with such stations as ESPN, CBS, and FOX these schools are literally just pouring in the money. They make significantly more money than the schools in the smaller conferences. Every single year, there is controversy in which teams should have gotten into the National Championship game.
The BCS makes way to much money from the big-named conferences. Thanks to this, many schools in the smaller conferences such as the Mountain West and the WAC are not given an equal chance. This country was formed on equality between all men, but sports are becoming way too much of a media and money gain. These schools are making more money from their sports than the other conferences which gives them a better chance of having more money and sports.
All out well written....
The BCS "big-named" conferences are making way too much money. Each coach is making over $79,000 each game. Every single year the coaches are making more and more money and are not willing to let this playoff system even have a chance because they are making way too much money. Sports officially means money. However, the players playing do not even make a dime off of it. Only a few schools are given a chance of winning all this money, and they make sure of it. By signing contracts with such stations as ESPN, CBS, and FOX these schools are literally just pouring in the money. They make significantly more money than the schools in the smaller conferences. Every single year, there is controversy in which teams should have gotten into the National Championship game.
Obama and Fox Might Both Win
Both President Obama and Fox News might come away winners from argument because they are both trying to do the exact same thing: make each other look bad. Both sides want to make the other look poorly in front of the nation.
One of the main reasons I love sports is because there are no tie's. Except in soccer (which is why it isn't a REAL sport anyways).But I hate it when people tie, I want to see a decisive winner, and sometimes even more importantly, a clear loser. So it bothers me that in the current quarrel between President Obama and Fox News there is a good chance that both sides will emerge winners. The reason for this is that they both have the same purpose: they want to make the other side look like a good-for-nothing, yellow-bellied, slimeball. In this world of action movies, and TV shows; everyone has to have a villain, and it just so happens that Fox News and President Obama have chosen each other.
One of the main reasons I love sports is because there are no tie's. Except in soccer (which is why it isn't a REAL sport anyways).But I hate it when people tie, I want to see a decisive winner, and sometimes even more importantly, a clear loser. So it bothers me that in the current quarrel between President Obama and Fox News there is a good chance that both sides will emerge winners. The reason for this is that they both have the same purpose: they want to make the other side look like a good-for-nothing, yellow-bellied, slimeball. In this world of action movies, and TV shows; everyone has to have a villain, and it just so happens that Fox News and President Obama have chosen each other.
Alcohol and the Youth: An Advertising Nightmare
Presented in Does Alcohol Advertising Promote Adolescent Drinking? are numerous instances in which alcohol advertising is strategically placed in areas prominent to youth involvement. For example alcohol ads have been seen at concerts, supermarkets, corner stores, and at sporting events. While a child's exposure to alcohol advertising might not make them directly inclined to consume alcoholic beverages, a corelation was found between the children who chose to expose themself to more television with this advertising, and thus consume alcohol.
We are in a crisis with today's youth. Teenage drinking is higher than ever. While we consider drunk driving a terrible tragedy, we tend to blame many outlets such as bad parenting and out of control youth lifestyle. However, we must look at our own culture that promotes and even glorifies teenage drinking, from in the movies and television. Even more scary is that alcohol advertising is now being directed towards the adolescents, being placed in popular locations where teens are likely to be located.
We are in a crisis with today's youth. Teenage drinking is higher than ever. While we consider drunk driving a terrible tragedy, we tend to blame many outlets such as bad parenting and out of control youth lifestyle. However, we must look at our own culture that promotes and even glorifies teenage drinking, from in the movies and television. Even more scary is that alcohol advertising is now being directed towards the adolescents, being placed in popular locations where teens are likely to be located.
Body Image Lies
In the Journal of Social Issues it talks about how how magazines influence teenage girls in a negative way, lying about what an average teenage girl looks like. They make it seem like they have to be tall and skinny. Teenage girls read magazines a lot and these things make them insecure and cause them to stop eating and do things that they shouldn't.
In the Journal of Social Issues it points out the many negative things that the media portrays to teenage girls. Specifically talking about magazines, we read that the 83% of teenage girls read magazines 4.3 hours a week. These magazines that they are reading lie to them, creating unrealistic models, attempting to sell dieting and beauty products to them. The "ideal" teenage girl in the magazines are 5'7", 100 pounds, size 5, with long blond hair and blue eyes. This shape is unrealistic and research shows that a person with this body mass index is very unhealthy and clearly in the anorexic range!!
In the Journal of Social Issues it points out the many negative things that the media portrays to teenage girls. Specifically talking about magazines, we read that the 83% of teenage girls read magazines 4.3 hours a week. These magazines that they are reading lie to them, creating unrealistic models, attempting to sell dieting and beauty products to them. The "ideal" teenage girl in the magazines are 5'7", 100 pounds, size 5, with long blond hair and blue eyes. This shape is unrealistic and research shows that a person with this body mass index is very unhealthy and clearly in the anorexic range!!
Blogging and Free Speech
"Blogging became Amer's outlet - and his downfall. When Al-Azhar officials discovered a blogpost criticizing extremist professors, Amer was expelled and his case referred to the public prosecutor."
Kareem Amer was a 22 year old student who was sent to prison because he blogged about the reputation and president of Egypt. Egypt's standard of censorship is much higher than the United States and Europe. Thousands of bloggers would be sent to prison if the same standards applied here. The basic right of free speech is not respected in Egypt. Before where all printing presses were in control, it is now different because anyone can access free blogging services. Anyone anywhere can now be heard like Kareem Amer whose fame did more punishment than good for him.
I think this is awful. Everyone should have the right to free speech. Everyone has their own opinions and has the right to get them out there. People can either respect or not care for what is written but it shouldn't be cause to send someone to prison. They cut off a man's fingers as a warning sign to online writers. Obviously something is wrong if a government is willing to cut off someones fingers so people won't read negative facts about them. Amer was mocked when he wouldn't retract his blogposts. They laughed at the attorney present who was defending his human rights openly making fun of the concept of standing up for individual rights. This is dumb and people who right their opinions on the web should not be sent to prison.
Kareem Amer was a 22 year old student who was sent to prison because he blogged about the reputation and president of Egypt. Egypt's standard of censorship is much higher than the United States and Europe. Thousands of bloggers would be sent to prison if the same standards applied here. The basic right of free speech is not respected in Egypt. Before where all printing presses were in control, it is now different because anyone can access free blogging services. Anyone anywhere can now be heard like Kareem Amer whose fame did more punishment than good for him.
I think this is awful. Everyone should have the right to free speech. Everyone has their own opinions and has the right to get them out there. People can either respect or not care for what is written but it shouldn't be cause to send someone to prison. They cut off a man's fingers as a warning sign to online writers. Obviously something is wrong if a government is willing to cut off someones fingers so people won't read negative facts about them. Amer was mocked when he wouldn't retract his blogposts. They laughed at the attorney present who was defending his human rights openly making fun of the concept of standing up for individual rights. This is dumb and people who right their opinions on the web should not be sent to prison.
The MPAA Rating System
Because this system will not cut and paste I am only going to paraphrase what is said in one of my articles. One of my articles states that the MPAA rating system delivers higher ratings to movies with more sexual content then to those with more violent content. This is essense means that a movie can be more violent and recieve a PG-13 rating but if it has any sexual promiscuity it will usually be rated R. Many avid movie goers believe that this is detrimental to children because violence in the media has just as negative an effect on children as sex in the media does.
I think it is terrible that the media gets away with so much these days! How dare they fill the minds of little children with scenes of violence and gore? Alright, so they take care of sex scenes by producing higher ratings, but how can they think that they are representing American parents. Do they really think that American parents want their children to be watching someone blow someone elses head off? American parents need to unite and demand a new ratings system from the MPAA!
I think it is terrible that the media gets away with so much these days! How dare they fill the minds of little children with scenes of violence and gore? Alright, so they take care of sex scenes by producing higher ratings, but how can they think that they are representing American parents. Do they really think that American parents want their children to be watching someone blow someone elses head off? American parents need to unite and demand a new ratings system from the MPAA!
Persuasion vs. Information
Over the past 15 years advances in technologies and the internet has made it possible for just about anyone to gain access to emense amounts of information. Information that is accessed includes anything from music and entertainment to politics and pressing issues around the world. The internet has also become an integral part of public health surveillance. The internet has been credited by many to the reduced time in recognizing outbreaks, preventing gov. from suppressing outbreak information, and facilitating the public health response.
Advances in technology have made access to information and breaking news available to the general public. While this access to information is a great tool, information portrayed wrongly can have a negative affect on society. Recently the scare on swine flue has been spread across the world. While a new strain of the flue can be a serious issue, the media in general have been overly dooms-dayish about how they report on health issues that has created hypersensitivity in society. The swine flue scare hit while I was in Japan living in Japan. Although only a few people in the area which I lived at the time got sick, schools and public gatherings in the area were closed for literally millions of people. The coverage of recent health "epidemics" has caused a boy cry wolf effect in society. When an actually epidemic does hit, society may not react like they should.
Advances in technology have made access to information and breaking news available to the general public. While this access to information is a great tool, information portrayed wrongly can have a negative affect on society. Recently the scare on swine flue has been spread across the world. While a new strain of the flue can be a serious issue, the media in general have been overly dooms-dayish about how they report on health issues that has created hypersensitivity in society. The swine flue scare hit while I was in Japan living in Japan. Although only a few people in the area which I lived at the time got sick, schools and public gatherings in the area were closed for literally millions of people. The coverage of recent health "epidemics" has caused a boy cry wolf effect in society. When an actually epidemic does hit, society may not react like they should.
media bias
There was a really interesting fact that about the facial expressions of news anchors. It talked about how even though news anchors might not be biased in the tings that they are saying, they are biased in the way that their faces look, and the tone in their voices. I had never thought of that, and wonder how big of an impact it actually has on the impressions and attitudes of the audience.
Alternative medicine
Advocates of alternative medicine, specifically homeopathy, agree that it has been misrepresented in mass media. They quote The Lancet, which says, "Alternative medicine can be positively deadly." After which they respond with their own facts and figures. "The Lancet ignores conventional medicine’s own highly questionable safety record. In 2006, at least 2.8 million people were harmed by conventional medicine." They do this in order to show the reader that conventional medicine isn't as safe as it claims to be.
Slanders of alternative medicine claim that homeopathy can be deadly. They are hypocrites. In 2008 at least 2.8 million people were harmed by conventional medicine. That is more deadly than alternative medicine has ever been.
Slanders of alternative medicine claim that homeopathy can be deadly. They are hypocrites. In 2008 at least 2.8 million people were harmed by conventional medicine. That is more deadly than alternative medicine has ever been.
Persuasion vs, Information
Almost 11,000 swear words were used during prime time television in 2007. This includes all swear words from mild to very explicit. The amount of swearing that was used in 2007 was almost twice as much as was used in 1998. The f-word was used for the first time on prime time television in 1998. It was only used one time. In 2007, it was used 1,147 times.
It's ridiculous how much cussing is on TV nowadays. In 2007 alone, there were 11,000 swear words during prime time television. That is a ton considering that it is twice as much as they used in 1998. We are getting more lenient with swearing and it's not a good thing. They also used the f-word 1,147 times in 2007 during prime time TV. Kids are watching those programs! They only used that word one time in 1998. What is this world coming to?
It's ridiculous how much cussing is on TV nowadays. In 2007 alone, there were 11,000 swear words during prime time television. That is a ton considering that it is twice as much as they used in 1998. We are getting more lenient with swearing and it's not a good thing. They also used the f-word 1,147 times in 2007 during prime time TV. Kids are watching those programs! They only used that word one time in 1998. What is this world coming to?
Recently children obesity has created a significant research ground for many studies. According to a study published in "Pediatrics", "97.8% and 89.4% of food-product advertisements viewed by children 2 to 11 years old and adolescents 12 to 17 years old, respectively, were high in fat, sugar or sodium." The majority of food-advertisements are exposing children to unhealthy foods which can effect the consumers' eating habits. The study demonstrates that food companies drive to appeal to the younger audience. Thus, these companies are exposing children to unhealthy foods.
Obesity in children is a growing epidemic and one of the factors causing this is the food-product advertisements. With an immense amount of junk food advertisements directed to children the FCC needs to create a healthy environment in the media to balance it. If we want to protect the well-being and the future of the rising generation, we need to demand a change in our public policy now.
Obesity in children is a growing epidemic and one of the factors causing this is the food-product advertisements. With an immense amount of junk food advertisements directed to children the FCC needs to create a healthy environment in the media to balance it. If we want to protect the well-being and the future of the rising generation, we need to demand a change in our public policy now.
Friday, October 30, 2009
literacy
Multiple Literacies in the Composition Classroom
or
“If We Don’t Teach Them to Blog, Who Will?”
English is both rest-home and nursery of the liberal arts. Whether a liberal art is fading from the general education (public speaking, applied civics, ethics and philosophy), or nascent (visual rhetoric, podcasting, webdesign), there is space for it at CCCC’s, in experimental First-Year Composition classes, in writing prompts. Sometimes we justify this broad interpretation of our discipline by adding the word “literacy” to the end of the field: studying music and the spoken word becomes “aural literacy” while a study of art and design is “visual literacy.” While this practice may stretch the literal (no pun intended) interpretation of “literacy,” it becomes the link that gives us the right to dabble in the specializations rightfully belonging to experts of both ebbing and flooding disciplines.
Despite our forays into oration and technology, we still base ourselves in the discipline of writing. Cindy Selfe rightly identifies in her chapter of Writing New Media that writing teachers are highly “invested” in alphabetic literacy (72). Yes, we are. We have invested in literacy through hours and hours of training and specialization and experimentation. We have become invested financially through paying a lot of money for advanced degrees in composition and writing, and joining professional organizations. We are also invested in alphabetic literacy through our academic practice in writing articles, book reviews, marginalia, and peer responses. We have become writing teachers in part because of some personal conviction that the written word matters and in part because our education has honed our capacities to identify methods and patterns of effective written communication. It is natural that we would feel comfortable coming back to teaching written text; this is what our job description and course description asks of us.
So if we are trained practitioners and pedagogues in word-literacy, what are we doing teaching outside of our specializations? Surely no one expects the biology faculty to stray into economics, or the business school to delve into natal development, so why is it “natural” for FYC instructors to wander so far afield of teaching writing?
One explanation may be in how FYC classes are situated: these classes are aimed at first-year students, and often these students are in their first semester at the institution. In this situation, FYC continues on the work started in first-year orientation week. We show them how to use to use the library and online databases; we expose them to research and writing resources across campus; we introduce them to practices of study groups, peer review, and, in many cases, orient them to the higher standards in collegiate work. In this setting, we are general education’s general education the way chauvinists used to refer to a “man’s man.” If our colleagues in Biology 100 and Economics 110 expect their students to know how to navigate the general facilities (library, academic counseling, writing center, etc.) and expectations of our institution, it’s because FYC has provided that general information.
Another reason why FYC picks up so many other disciplines could be that these too-old or too-new fields lack the institutional clout that “composition” enjoys. While no administrator, parent, or member of the board of trustees would object to a GE course on “composition,” requiring students to take a class just on visual rhetoric or civics may seem a wasteful drain on institutional resources as well as families’ meager college funds. These fringe fields are unlikely to receive the funds and support to become a GE. Without the administrative imperative to require a specialized class in these types of literacy, composition teachers (almost eagerly, without objection or call of exploitation) embrace all orphaned liberal arts into our discipline.
I don’t think we are jealous pedagogues. I think that we really do love the written word, in all its forms, more than InDesign, more than the categorical imperative, more, even, than the image. But we think that these types of “literacies” are important for our students. Some of what we teach is going to be applicable in combination with other fields. It’s true: our students are going to have to apply the stases to podcasts; they’re going to have to understand the kairotic moments of brochures; they need to apply principles of introduction and organization to the online communication in which they participate. However, these examples don’t require that we teach technology or design in FYC any more than our (ever great) hope that our students are applying principles of written composition to their other classes requires that we become specialists in nursing, theater, gender studies, or engineering. If we could rest in our cubicles over stacks of persuasive essays with the complete assurance that somewhere on campus there were diligent, well-trained, and well-educated instructors giving our students the background they need in ethics, visual design, civic responsibility, video production and every other new and old field we have sought to incorporate, I think that we would sigh a sigh of contentment and go back to evaluating thesis statements.
But, alas, we can’t. Most institutions can’t spare the money for extensive general education requirements. Most students resent every class peripheral to their declared major. Most parents and donors would like to see students graduating in, at most, four year, with plenty of “real world” skills to recommend them to the institution’s high job/graduate school acceptance rates. So while the title on the business card says “composition” or “English,” we must keep teaching all the fields that are either too grey or too green to be granted their own GE course.
BYU
And what does this mean to BYU in specific? We’re lucky, at least, in two respects: (1) We have an extensive list of GE requirements which successfully (mostly) frees us of teaching religion, civics, and civilization. The large number of GE’s (including classes in fine arts, oral communication, and technology) also takes off some of the pressure of providing “cultural induction” into the academic world. (2) Not only are we blessed with many GE’s in general, but we are lucky to have two required composition courses, while many institutions struggle under the pressure to teach students “everything writing” in only one semester course. We get to check-up on our freshmen writers as they advance in their fields and enroll in our Advanced Writing courses.
Still, with this relative good luck, teaching multi-modal assignments presents a challenge to BYU composition instructors. In deciding what assignments to teach, and how to teach them, instructors must, in a sense, perform triage of other disciplinary knowledge. It may be useful to ask a few questions while designing a multi-modal assignment:
- Is this assignment worthwhile?
It’s not fair to create a multi-modal assignment for the sake of having a multi-modal assignment on the syllabus; make certain the assignment fits into the general objectives of the course.
- Is this assignment useful for the student’s academic/professional/personal goals?
In Advanced Writing, you can have more direction in answering this question than in a general FYC course. For example, since many students in the Writing for Arts and Humanities Majors course may aspire to be independently-employed wedding photographers, theater actors, and documentary filmmakers, learning to design a self-promoting website portfolio may be more useful than it would be for the business and engineering students in a technical writing class.
- Is this assignment likely to be reproduced in GE or major classes?
No need to reinvent the wheel; if you know that the Bio 100 class requires students to participate a poster conference, then you may decide this particular assignment isn’t necessary, or at least that you will be reinforcing, rather than teaching, principles the students may already have. This is especially important for “linked” classes, such as Freshman Academy. If you don’t know what instructors in other fields are requiring in terms of multi-modal assignments, this is important enough that it may warrant sending out a couple of email to other instructors or, if your institution is lucky enough to have one, a Writing Across the Curriculum/Writing In the Disciplines coordinator.
- Does this assignment require students to do significant “prep work” with a specific program? Are they any alternatives that can teach the principle without the technical work?
Do you want to teach students visual design or do you want to teach them Photoshop? If you’re requiring them to educate themselves outside of class to complete an assignment or if you will spend a significant portion of time in class teaching technical navigation of specific program that may or may not change significantly by next year, you may consider finding alternatives that teach the same principles (say, using crayons and paper to design a website, or recording a “podcast” on a cassette tape). If you have to do intensive research and experimentation to manage a certain program, don’t assume that your students will, by benefit of their generation, have it any easier. If you really are intent that you want your students to be familiar a certain program, you might consider scheduling a professional to come into your class or have a “tech night out” to a Photoshop or Quark class. BYU’s Multi-media Lab has classes on specific programs offered at regular intervals, often in the evenings, in both large- and small-group formats. I’m willing to bet that they would be thrilled if you even told them about the specific project that your class seeks to accomplish.
In short, there’s no “multi-modal assignment fits all”; each class must create assignments that fulfill the literacy requirements for those students situated in that class, at that institution. Sometimes trying teaching all types of literacies to a class feels a little like turning on the firehose and having everyone line up for a drink. Be thoughtful and considerate of your students, and remember that even if your students don’t learn everything about every mode you find important, there are many resources available to them. Other GE or major classes, roommates, library classes, personal experimentation, workplace training, and a hundred other sources can aid your students to navigate the accumulating literacies for which they, like you, are increasing responsible.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Final Exam
I think most of the bases are covered already. Maybe you could do something like creating a blog and posting in it least 5 times or something.
Final Exam Legacy
My idea is to have an exam that involves the entire class working together to answer questions that are asked by the teacher. If the class can come up with the right answer than everyone gets it right and if the class comes up with a wrong answer then everyone gets it wrong. So basically it's like the an oral exam that is given to everyone at the same time so everyone can work together and everyone gets the same end score.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Legacy
I don't have any great ideas either... but if i had to chose something i would choose a group presentation of some sort! Presentations are a blast!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Fianl Exam Legacy
Let's see. I think we're supposed to leave some sort of suggestion to be on the final exam election ballot for future semesters. I don't have any awesome suggestions. The only thing I can really come up with is a brochure where the individual doing the brochure gets to pick the product/person/group/business they want to advertise for (not having their choices limited to just some on-campus clubs). Admittedly it's not the best suggestion ever, but hey, its a post fulfilling the assignment.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Hippy Midterm
1. I am feeling pretty comfortable with the class right now. I feel like I have actually learned a lot. I feel like I have improved in my writing skills and the way to analyze papers. I feel like I will be in good shape by the end of the semester.
2. I am working on time management. I feel like I have gotten a lot better at controlling my time and getting assignments done before the very last minute.
3. I want to get a lot better at analyzing papers. I feel like it will help me out a lot throughout my college career. I can see how this is helping me out in my history and geography classes. I want to get better at the MLA format.
4. They can help review my paper and give me some advice which really helps. I have noticed that the more people that read my paper the better that it becomes.
5. She can help me to understand what the assignment is and give me a lot of helpful advice. It has helped a lot to see Ms. Hedengren's point of view and has helped me to understand what the assignment is really asking and how to focus on certain parts in my paper.
6. I am most proud of the increased desire that I have had in learning how to write a better paper. I never really have liked papers mainly because I wasn't that good at writing them. But I am starting to actually enjoy sitting down and writing down my thoughts and organizing them into one paper through many different revisions.
2. I am working on time management. I feel like I have gotten a lot better at controlling my time and getting assignments done before the very last minute.
3. I want to get a lot better at analyzing papers. I feel like it will help me out a lot throughout my college career. I can see how this is helping me out in my history and geography classes. I want to get better at the MLA format.
4. They can help review my paper and give me some advice which really helps. I have noticed that the more people that read my paper the better that it becomes.
5. She can help me to understand what the assignment is and give me a lot of helpful advice. It has helped a lot to see Ms. Hedengren's point of view and has helped me to understand what the assignment is really asking and how to focus on certain parts in my paper.
6. I am most proud of the increased desire that I have had in learning how to write a better paper. I never really have liked papers mainly because I wasn't that good at writing them. But I am starting to actually enjoy sitting down and writing down my thoughts and organizing them into one paper through many different revisions.
Hippy Midterm
Eric Nielson
1. I feel very comfortable with the class right now. I feel like as long as you stay on top of the assignments, it isn’t a problem to get everything done. I enjoy coming to class because I feel like class actually contributes to the homework. I like when a class can combine the things that we do in class and out of class
2. I am working on the goal of organization. To start this goal I originally started using Google calendar which I really like. I entered all of my syllabi into the calendar, and now I have a very comprehensive view of all the things that I have to do. I am continuing to work on this goal.
3. I really don’t feel like I have an opinion about the content of the rest of the class. I am fine with what has been proposed on the syllabus.
4. My study group has been especially helping me when we have peer reviews. This is really the only thing that I have used my stud group for. It really does help, I feel, to have other people look at your paper. I always feel good about my paper, then someone points out something that would really hurt my grade. I feel like that is something in this class that is very helpful.
5. I feel like Ms. Hedengren s really good at providing good feedback to us. I really think that she has the students best interest in mind. I feel like it is very useful to me to go into her to talk about a paper before it is due. I feel like she is available when I need her which is really nice.
6. I am proud of my opinion editorial. I felt like that paper went really well, and that I really enjoyed writing it. It was hard at times, but I feel like I really understand how to write one, and what to look for when I read one.
1. I feel very comfortable with the class right now. I feel like as long as you stay on top of the assignments, it isn’t a problem to get everything done. I enjoy coming to class because I feel like class actually contributes to the homework. I like when a class can combine the things that we do in class and out of class
2. I am working on the goal of organization. To start this goal I originally started using Google calendar which I really like. I entered all of my syllabi into the calendar, and now I have a very comprehensive view of all the things that I have to do. I am continuing to work on this goal.
3. I really don’t feel like I have an opinion about the content of the rest of the class. I am fine with what has been proposed on the syllabus.
4. My study group has been especially helping me when we have peer reviews. This is really the only thing that I have used my stud group for. It really does help, I feel, to have other people look at your paper. I always feel good about my paper, then someone points out something that would really hurt my grade. I feel like that is something in this class that is very helpful.
5. I feel like Ms. Hedengren s really good at providing good feedback to us. I really think that she has the students best interest in mind. I feel like it is very useful to me to go into her to talk about a paper before it is due. I feel like she is available when I need her which is really nice.
6. I am proud of my opinion editorial. I felt like that paper went really well, and that I really enjoyed writing it. It was hard at times, but I feel like I really understand how to write one, and what to look for when I read one.
Hungry Hungry Hippos... err... Hippy Midterms
-How comfortable are you with the class right now?
-What can your study group do to help you?
Other than do my work for me? Well... maybe motivate me? Organize group study times? I dunno...
-What can Ms. Hedengren do to help you?
Show me some love. Focus assignments and class discussions on the most important things - those that will help us most with the major class objectives. I feel like things are spread out sometimes, and I don't really know how some parts relate to the whole. I'm probably just a whiner though, and don't want as many assignments. I know I tend to balk at anything that feels like busywork to me. ('Balk' as in... 'not do it')
-What are you most proud of this semester?
Well, to be completely honest, I feel pretty uncomfortable - awkward even (jokes, jokes) I am, however, feeling a strong lack of motivation. That might just be a symptom of the part of the semester that we're in right now. Nonetheless I do feel that we have a lot of stuff going on, and a lot of assignments that are overlapping, etc. My solution? Just don't do it. (obviously, that one's not going so well for me...)
-Which Richard Light goal are you working on? How is it going?
"Mr. Hilton does not wish to comment on this matter at this time. Next Question please. Yes, you in the back."
-What do you want to work on for the rest of the semester?
Getting stuff done, on time, without feeling ridiculously overwhelmed. (This is a freshman english class for heaven's sake. Why is this more stressful that my major-related classes combined?)
-Which Richard Light goal are you working on? How is it going?
"Mr. Hilton does not wish to comment on this matter at this time. Next Question please. Yes, you in the back."
-What do you want to work on for the rest of the semester?
Getting stuff done, on time, without feeling ridiculously overwhelmed. (This is a freshman english class for heaven's sake. Why is this more stressful that my major-related classes combined?)
-What can your study group do to help you?
Other than do my work for me? Well... maybe motivate me? Organize group study times? I dunno...
-What can Ms. Hedengren do to help you?
Show me some love. Focus assignments and class discussions on the most important things - those that will help us most with the major class objectives. I feel like things are spread out sometimes, and I don't really know how some parts relate to the whole. I'm probably just a whiner though, and don't want as many assignments. I know I tend to balk at anything that feels like busywork to me. ('Balk' as in... 'not do it')
-What are you most proud of this semester?
English-related? weeeelll.... I think I've done a pretty spectacular job of pulling things together at the last minute - not that I think leaving things til the last minute is the greatest of ideas (cuz it's not).... but seeing as how I've shot myself in the foot pretty often, leaving little to no time right at the end to get things done, I think I've managed to make it happen. Is that bad? probably...
(It's that darned mid-semester apathy thing kicking in again)
Hippy Midterms
I have never really been very comfortable with my writing skills, and I feel as if this class has help tremendously thus far. I am still in the process of building my writing confidence so I would say that my comfort level in this class is at a moderate level.
I have been trying to work on the time management Richard Light goal, and that hasn't been working out so well with all the problems I have run into this semester. The goal talks about how extracurriculars should not interfere with academic performance, and is about balancing my life. I definitely need to work more on this goal, and I have the motivation and energy now to do so.
For the rest of the semester I would like to work on sentence structure and just putting style into my writing. These small writing assignments help because I am then able to practice my writing voice in short and sweet paragraphs.
In regards to study groups, I think it is very helpful to have peer review sessions. I am usually embarrassed about my writing, so this forces me to show it to others and accept constructive criticism, so that I can improve.
The conferences we have with Ms.Hedengren are insanely helpful. In past classes I have not been able to have my papers looked over by a teacher and have not been give constructive criticism. It has helped me very much.
I am most proud of my improvement I have accrued this semester in my writing skills. I have not been as confident as I have now about my writing. I still have a long ways to go, but I feel as if this is a great start.
I have been trying to work on the time management Richard Light goal, and that hasn't been working out so well with all the problems I have run into this semester. The goal talks about how extracurriculars should not interfere with academic performance, and is about balancing my life. I definitely need to work more on this goal, and I have the motivation and energy now to do so.
For the rest of the semester I would like to work on sentence structure and just putting style into my writing. These small writing assignments help because I am then able to practice my writing voice in short and sweet paragraphs.
In regards to study groups, I think it is very helpful to have peer review sessions. I am usually embarrassed about my writing, so this forces me to show it to others and accept constructive criticism, so that I can improve.
The conferences we have with Ms.Hedengren are insanely helpful. In past classes I have not been able to have my papers looked over by a teacher and have not been give constructive criticism. It has helped me very much.
I am most proud of my improvement I have accrued this semester in my writing skills. I have not been as confident as I have now about my writing. I still have a long ways to go, but I feel as if this is a great start.
Jared's Midterm Questions
I am uber comfortable with this class. While it brings about due stress for writing and for these major assignments which I've never been fully comfortable, I am very pleased with the laid-back attitude and leniency I receive during the writing process.
The Richard Light Goal I'm working on is the one involving study groups. My initial mindset is that I can only get things done if I am alone in a well-lit room with no distractions. However, this is probably not the case, as I have so far found that bouncing off ideas off my colleagues relieves stress and often opens my eyes to new ideas.
I would like to continue doing papers and improving the flow and comprehensiveness of my writing.
My study group can continue to be awesome and help discuss ideas and style of my writing. Also reading other people's works helps me to understand what good style and flow can look like.
Ms. Hedengren can help by giving out these cool handouts and guidelines. The yellow paper on RA assignment really helped me come to a better understanding of what I needed to do and therefore helped me on my paper.
I am most proud of being able to write papers more comfortably.
The Richard Light Goal I'm working on is the one involving study groups. My initial mindset is that I can only get things done if I am alone in a well-lit room with no distractions. However, this is probably not the case, as I have so far found that bouncing off ideas off my colleagues relieves stress and often opens my eyes to new ideas.
I would like to continue doing papers and improving the flow and comprehensiveness of my writing.
My study group can continue to be awesome and help discuss ideas and style of my writing. Also reading other people's works helps me to understand what good style and flow can look like.
Ms. Hedengren can help by giving out these cool handouts and guidelines. The yellow paper on RA assignment really helped me come to a better understanding of what I needed to do and therefore helped me on my paper.
I am most proud of being able to write papers more comfortably.
Austin Jacobs Hippy Midterm
1. I am becoming much more comfortable in this class. I once thought that English was not my forte. Now I am beginning to think that although I may not be as naturally adept at English, I can still be very proficient in this class by exerting a little extra hard work. By asking the teacher, my mother, my sister, and the writing lab for help, I can write excellent papers (or at least good papers :D)
2. I was working on getting to bed on time and waking up on time. I haven't missed a class yet due to sleeping in. I have been getting at least eight hours of sleep a night and have been fairly consistent in my sleep patterns. I think I have been doing excellent in achieving my goal.
3. I want to work on getting some sort of A in this class, whether I can fufill my dream of getting an A or come close with an A-, I would be very happy with either result. I would only be happy with an A- or lower if I knew I had done my very best on every assignment in this class. So far I have worked harder in this class than I have in any English class up to this point. In fact, I would say i've worked 400% harder in this class than any other English class and 150% harder than I thought was possible.
4. My study group can help me by being there for me. I have already had to contact their emails to ask about a couple of due dates and assignments I wasn't sure about. They were extremely helpful peer drafting my paper. I think it is also helpful having them there as peers. They are going through the same stuff I am and its nice to be able to talk about what is giving them a hard time and what is giving me a hard time in this class. Our group is so diverse in talent that each one of us has something to offer the others.
5. Ms. Hendengren has already helped me on both of my papers. She has been very friendly and courteous as I have talked about the weaknesses of my writing; she has also been very efficient in the critiques she gives my paper. I know that I am learning from what she is teaching. The most helpful times I've probably had in this English class have probably been talking one on one with her about what I can do to make my papers better. It is good to learn how to write better, but sometimes it is hard to see exactly what you are doing wrong. It has been so nice to see specific things that I do over and over again so that I can eliminate them from my writing style. I have learned more in this English class about writing than I ever did in High School. Most of it has been hard hard work, but if I hadn't been able to seek help while I was working, I may have worked hard at implementing previous bad writing habits. Ms. Hendengren can keep doing what she is doing to help me.
6. I am most proud of the fact that I am working so hard on my papers. I had over eight drafts of my Rhetorical Analysis paper. I rewrote that thing like ten times or more! I am way proud that I am not content for a C in any class, even a class that I was initially so uncomfortable in. I am working hard to get the very best grade I can in English.
2. I was working on getting to bed on time and waking up on time. I haven't missed a class yet due to sleeping in. I have been getting at least eight hours of sleep a night and have been fairly consistent in my sleep patterns. I think I have been doing excellent in achieving my goal.
3. I want to work on getting some sort of A in this class, whether I can fufill my dream of getting an A or come close with an A-, I would be very happy with either result. I would only be happy with an A- or lower if I knew I had done my very best on every assignment in this class. So far I have worked harder in this class than I have in any English class up to this point. In fact, I would say i've worked 400% harder in this class than any other English class and 150% harder than I thought was possible.
4. My study group can help me by being there for me. I have already had to contact their emails to ask about a couple of due dates and assignments I wasn't sure about. They were extremely helpful peer drafting my paper. I think it is also helpful having them there as peers. They are going through the same stuff I am and its nice to be able to talk about what is giving them a hard time and what is giving me a hard time in this class. Our group is so diverse in talent that each one of us has something to offer the others.
5. Ms. Hendengren has already helped me on both of my papers. She has been very friendly and courteous as I have talked about the weaknesses of my writing; she has also been very efficient in the critiques she gives my paper. I know that I am learning from what she is teaching. The most helpful times I've probably had in this English class have probably been talking one on one with her about what I can do to make my papers better. It is good to learn how to write better, but sometimes it is hard to see exactly what you are doing wrong. It has been so nice to see specific things that I do over and over again so that I can eliminate them from my writing style. I have learned more in this English class about writing than I ever did in High School. Most of it has been hard hard work, but if I hadn't been able to seek help while I was working, I may have worked hard at implementing previous bad writing habits. Ms. Hendengren can keep doing what she is doing to help me.
6. I am most proud of the fact that I am working so hard on my papers. I had over eight drafts of my Rhetorical Analysis paper. I rewrote that thing like ten times or more! I am way proud that I am not content for a C in any class, even a class that I was initially so uncomfortable in. I am working hard to get the very best grade I can in English.
Isaac Wilson Happy Midterms
1. I feel about as comfortable in this class as I do in any of my others. It is definitely one of my more time consuming classes, but I have learned a lot, so I enjoy it. One thing I really like is the small class atmosphere. It allows me to get to know both my teacher and peers better.
2. My Richard Light goal was to learn how to use my time wisely. I think that I have done a pretty good job of adapting to managing my time as a college freshman. The hardest part though is getting to bed early. A lot of my friends are always staying up way late doing pretty much nothing, so one thing I have learned is that sometimes it is better to get sleep then hang out with your friends.
3. I would like to work on improving my writing, and with the issue paper coming up, learning how to better research in the Library. I'm sure that learning that skill will be very useful as I progress here at BYU. I already feel that many of the writing tools I have learned in this class will be useful in my other classes. but that one should be especially useful.
4. We can get together more often when we are writing papers so that we can peer edit each others work. I think I can utilize that better.
5. Continue to edit my papers when we have them. I thought that having conferences with Ms. Hedengren for our first opinion editorial was very helpful. Nothing is more useful then having the person grading your paper tell you what you can do better.
6. I took 5th place in the BYU Ping-Pong Tourney. Very proud...
2. My Richard Light goal was to learn how to use my time wisely. I think that I have done a pretty good job of adapting to managing my time as a college freshman. The hardest part though is getting to bed early. A lot of my friends are always staying up way late doing pretty much nothing, so one thing I have learned is that sometimes it is better to get sleep then hang out with your friends.
3. I would like to work on improving my writing, and with the issue paper coming up, learning how to better research in the Library. I'm sure that learning that skill will be very useful as I progress here at BYU. I already feel that many of the writing tools I have learned in this class will be useful in my other classes. but that one should be especially useful.
4. We can get together more often when we are writing papers so that we can peer edit each others work. I think I can utilize that better.
5. Continue to edit my papers when we have them. I thought that having conferences with Ms. Hedengren for our first opinion editorial was very helpful. Nothing is more useful then having the person grading your paper tell you what you can do better.
6. I took 5th place in the BYU Ping-Pong Tourney. Very proud...
Hippy Midterms
1) I am not very comfortable with this class right now. It's a feeling that is almost as uncomfortable as meeting parents and family on a first date who are constantly drilling you about your life goals and what you are doing to reach them, along with a thorough question and answer board on what your motives are with their daughter/sister. Well I may be exaggerating, but I feel somewhat this way because I did not do as well as I thought I would have on our last writing assignment.
2) I would like to plan out the process of putting my paper together better. I would like to allow myself more time to write and review multiple rough drafts before the deadline and not just limit it to one or two revisions.
3) I want to become better at putting my thoughts into an organized, clear format. I feel that if i was to explain my argument (for a paper) verbally to a friend or someone else, i would be able to do so convincingly and effectively. I feel that somewhere along the way, the powerfulness and awesomeness of my argument is weakened when transitioning from thought to paper.
4) My study group could help soften the teacher's heart before grading my essays. Jk, but really. Actually, they could continue to provide helpful insights to my papers and attack the weak points like they have done so well at before. I feel this help me re-vamp my paper the way that it should be presented.
5) I feel that Ms. Hedengren is perfect. I am not sure that she could do any better, other than provide me with a greater amount of the amazing feedback that she already gives in my rough drafts. I once saw a peer's rough draft that was completely disassembled and critiqued. I was jealous.
6) I am most proud of being able to broaden my mind in the sense of looking at different arguments through different perspectives. I feel that this has helped me develop a stronger mind.
2) I would like to plan out the process of putting my paper together better. I would like to allow myself more time to write and review multiple rough drafts before the deadline and not just limit it to one or two revisions.
3) I want to become better at putting my thoughts into an organized, clear format. I feel that if i was to explain my argument (for a paper) verbally to a friend or someone else, i would be able to do so convincingly and effectively. I feel that somewhere along the way, the powerfulness and awesomeness of my argument is weakened when transitioning from thought to paper.
4) My study group could help soften the teacher's heart before grading my essays. Jk, but really. Actually, they could continue to provide helpful insights to my papers and attack the weak points like they have done so well at before. I feel this help me re-vamp my paper the way that it should be presented.
5) I feel that Ms. Hedengren is perfect. I am not sure that she could do any better, other than provide me with a greater amount of the amazing feedback that she already gives in my rough drafts. I once saw a peer's rough draft that was completely disassembled and critiqued. I was jealous.
6) I am most proud of being able to broaden my mind in the sense of looking at different arguments through different perspectives. I feel that this has helped me develop a stronger mind.
Colby Clark Hippie Midterms
I am fairly comfortable with this class right now-- my source of discomfort being the Issues Paper that is coming up. I am definitely not looking forward to all of the time I will have to spend researching a topic to write this particular paper, and then actually writing the paper. Sure researching can be interesting, but it most definitely is not the choice form of entertainment for me. For my Richard Light goal, I am working on seeking more advisement from professors when I have questions, or need help with assignments. So far it is going well, I'm pretty sure that thus far in my college career I've talked to more professors outside of class hours than I talked to any of my high school teachers outside of class. Also, in some of my larger classes instead of going to the professors I have gone to the T.A.s to obtain help when I need it, and for the most part they have been able to provide it. Preferably I'd like to 'not work' for the rest of the semester; however as this isn't very likely to happen I suppose working on becoming more acquainted with the library here at BYU would be OK. My study group can help me by being there to look over, edit, and give me feedback on my writing when I need it. So far they've been pretty good at doing just that, which is absolutely great. Ms. Hedengren can help me by being more lenient when grading my papers :) Also, she can continue to help by giving comments and suggestions when individuals come in and meet with her during office hours. My greatest accomplishment this semester is probably staying alive; let's just say that the college work load is a little heavier than my senior-year-in-high-school workload was.
Sara's Hippie Midterm
1. I am very comfortable with class now. At first it was hard to get into the assignments and get going on the papers but now I feel like I can easily start writing the papers that are assigned and I better understand what is expected of me in this class.
2. The Richard Light goal that I chose to focus on was time managment. I feel like I am doing a lot better with my goal. Instead of waiting till the last minute to do things like paper I start them ahead of time and this causes me to be less stressed out. There are still things I could be doing to impove upon this goal but I think overall I am doing a whole lot better.
3. I think I still want to work on my time management skills for the rest of the sememster because I can still do a lot better with that.
4. I think that as a study group we could remind each other to be getting our assignments and paper done sooner rather and helping out in any other way possible
5. I think that Ms. Hedengren could just remind us of due dates and of up coming assignments so we can prepare ourselves in advance for them
6. I think the thing that I am most proud of this semester is all the writing that I have done so far. Also, the amout of time and effort that I have put into the papers that we have had to write.
2. The Richard Light goal that I chose to focus on was time managment. I feel like I am doing a lot better with my goal. Instead of waiting till the last minute to do things like paper I start them ahead of time and this causes me to be less stressed out. There are still things I could be doing to impove upon this goal but I think overall I am doing a whole lot better.
3. I think I still want to work on my time management skills for the rest of the sememster because I can still do a lot better with that.
4. I think that as a study group we could remind each other to be getting our assignments and paper done sooner rather and helping out in any other way possible
5. I think that Ms. Hedengren could just remind us of due dates and of up coming assignments so we can prepare ourselves in advance for them
6. I think the thing that I am most proud of this semester is all the writing that I have done so far. Also, the amout of time and effort that I have put into the papers that we have had to write.
Sean McClellan is a Hippy-Midterms
The earth mother spirit courses through me this day. Today is the middle of the term, a day for reflection and a day for vision. I can see the future. A future filled with perfect grammar and stellar punctuation. In contrast, I look to the past. I remember the days when "The Man" called writer's block was trying to hold me down. But I broke free. My words flow freely and easily like a river cascading down a majestic waterfall. It's all peace. I'm at peace. Sure there will be ups and downs, but i will fight the power. Procrastination is still trying to darken my day. But as long as I remember Richard Light, and how he paved the way, I can overcome. I also need to learn to work with my brothers and sisters in my study group. If we band together with a common goal, nothing can break us apart. My mentor Ms. Hedengren has been much help. Her insights are a total trip into my mind, i'm like "Wow!" I'll keep asking her to help me not get tangled in words, which so often trip me up. Her suggestions will help me stay focused so i may enjoy the writing spirit to it's full extent. I'm proud of the progress I've made. I feel much more in tune with the nature of writing, but I know I can tap into even more power if I just free my writing chakra. As i said earlier, the earth mother spirit courses through me this day. It is my goal by the end of this semester to let it out through writing. Peace be the journey,
Sean McClellan
Sean McClellan
Kendra Williams Hippy Midterms
1. I am very comfortable with this class. I feel like i really understand what is going on most of the time and i enjoy the things that we are doing in class. The thing that i like most is how comfortable i am asking my classmates for help and how easy it is to talk to everyone. We have a very unified class. I really enjoyed the opinion editorial, and the rhetorical analysis was not too bad!
2. I am woring on organization. It is still working very well. I make a to do list everyday and cross things out as i go. This has been very effective and i have yet to forget to do an assignment or other task that i needed to do for that day.
3. For the rest of the semester i just want to focus on learning more and more about writing and rhetoric, and learn to become a good editer. I want to continue to stay organized and i think the hardest thing for me is staying focused. As the semester goes on i need to stay focused and motivated!
4. My study group can simply be there for me. =) It is nice to know that you always have someone there to call and ask questions if you don't understand something. They can be willing to help and answer my questions.
5. Ms. Hedengren can make sure that we know what each assignment is that is on the syllabus. There has been a few times that i look at the syllabus and i don't really know what i am supposed to do. I call my study group and often they do not know what to do either. But for the most part, she is doing a great job! I really like her enthusiam that she shows in class. She is very good at lifting our spirits and making us feel good about our writing as well as helping us make it better.
6. I would say the thing that i am most proud of this semester is my opinion editorial. I was able to use my voice and style to really interact with my audience. I thouroughly enjoyed writing the paper and am proud of the grade that i got on it!!!! =)
2. I am woring on organization. It is still working very well. I make a to do list everyday and cross things out as i go. This has been very effective and i have yet to forget to do an assignment or other task that i needed to do for that day.
3. For the rest of the semester i just want to focus on learning more and more about writing and rhetoric, and learn to become a good editer. I want to continue to stay organized and i think the hardest thing for me is staying focused. As the semester goes on i need to stay focused and motivated!
4. My study group can simply be there for me. =) It is nice to know that you always have someone there to call and ask questions if you don't understand something. They can be willing to help and answer my questions.
5. Ms. Hedengren can make sure that we know what each assignment is that is on the syllabus. There has been a few times that i look at the syllabus and i don't really know what i am supposed to do. I call my study group and often they do not know what to do either. But for the most part, she is doing a great job! I really like her enthusiam that she shows in class. She is very good at lifting our spirits and making us feel good about our writing as well as helping us make it better.
6. I would say the thing that i am most proud of this semester is my opinion editorial. I was able to use my voice and style to really interact with my audience. I thouroughly enjoyed writing the paper and am proud of the grade that i got on it!!!! =)
Hippy Midterms
1. I feel pretty comfortable in class. I am pretty confident that I know what is going on most of the time. Occasionally I feel a little confused and am not quite sure what is expected though. I usually get back on track fairly soon though.
2. I am working on being more organized. I don't write in my planner as much as I used to, but I am still writing in it. I have been more organized this school year, than I ever have before, so that's a good thing I guess. I still have a long way to go though.
3. I want to continue being organized, but also work on not procrastinating. I tend to leave the big assignments for the last minute. Doing it this way just gives me unwanted stress and doesn't help the overall quality of my work at all. So for the next half of the semester, I will work on doing everything early. That way I'll be way less stressed and hopefully my work will improve.
4. My study group can help me whenever I'm feeling like I don't quite understand what is going on in class or when I don't understand how to do an assignment. They are a good resource to turn to for help. They can also help me to complete assignments that might be difficult to do alone or that would just be easier in a group.
5. Ms. Hedengren can help me by making sure we know what is expected of us for the next class time. It is sometimes hard to know what to expect for the next class. So going over what's due at the end of each class would be really helpful.
6. I am proud of my improvements. I think that I've become better at editing and revising and that's a good skill to have.
2. I am working on being more organized. I don't write in my planner as much as I used to, but I am still writing in it. I have been more organized this school year, than I ever have before, so that's a good thing I guess. I still have a long way to go though.
3. I want to continue being organized, but also work on not procrastinating. I tend to leave the big assignments for the last minute. Doing it this way just gives me unwanted stress and doesn't help the overall quality of my work at all. So for the next half of the semester, I will work on doing everything early. That way I'll be way less stressed and hopefully my work will improve.
4. My study group can help me whenever I'm feeling like I don't quite understand what is going on in class or when I don't understand how to do an assignment. They are a good resource to turn to for help. They can also help me to complete assignments that might be difficult to do alone or that would just be easier in a group.
5. Ms. Hedengren can help me by making sure we know what is expected of us for the next class time. It is sometimes hard to know what to expect for the next class. So going over what's due at the end of each class would be really helpful.
6. I am proud of my improvements. I think that I've become better at editing and revising and that's a good skill to have.
Chandler Newby Hippy Midterms
Answer the following questions:
-How comfortable are you with the class right now?
I'm getting to be a bit more comfortable with this class. I've never really liked English, as I'm sure you know by now. I know that it's important though, so I do my best in class.
-Which Richard Light goal are you working on? How is it going?
I'm working on the goal of getting things done on time. I always procrastinate my assignments, and I end up pulling all nighters the day before things are due. I did a little better with the opinion editorial, but then I crashed again on the rhetorical analysis. Hopefully with the issues paper I'll be able to get most of it done before the day it's due.
-What do you want to work on for the rest of the semester?
Getting things done! I want to just get this last big paper done and over with. I'm proud of these last two papers, but this issues paper will be the biggest thing I've ever written. I also want to work on organizing my time a little better.
-What can your study group do to help you?
If my study group started doing peer review more often, even just small little read throughs, I think it would help. If I need to get a draft done so that I can send it off to be reviewed, then I won't be able to procrastinate as much.
-What can Ms. Hedengren do to help you?
I think just continue doing what you're doing.
I'll have questions a lot, especially when we're doing a big paper. Coming to class, they usually get answered. Somehow, I'm not sure how, you just know what I'm struggling with and teach it in class.
-What are you most proud of this semester?
The fact that I've written two papers already! And big ones too. I wouldn't have done anything like this in high school.
I took Business Communications my senior year, and did one paper the entire year. It was 3 pages long, and we had the first 4 months to do it. This class has definitely given me more work than I'm used to.
Word Count: Min 300
Response: (Check, especially, your study group's responses) Min 2
Time: 15 min
Title: (Your Name) Hippy Midterms
-How comfortable are you with the class right now?
I'm getting to be a bit more comfortable with this class. I've never really liked English, as I'm sure you know by now. I know that it's important though, so I do my best in class.
-Which Richard Light goal are you working on? How is it going?
I'm working on the goal of getting things done on time. I always procrastinate my assignments, and I end up pulling all nighters the day before things are due. I did a little better with the opinion editorial, but then I crashed again on the rhetorical analysis. Hopefully with the issues paper I'll be able to get most of it done before the day it's due.
-What do you want to work on for the rest of the semester?
Getting things done! I want to just get this last big paper done and over with. I'm proud of these last two papers, but this issues paper will be the biggest thing I've ever written. I also want to work on organizing my time a little better.
-What can your study group do to help you?
If my study group started doing peer review more often, even just small little read throughs, I think it would help. If I need to get a draft done so that I can send it off to be reviewed, then I won't be able to procrastinate as much.
-What can Ms. Hedengren do to help you?
I think just continue doing what you're doing.
I'll have questions a lot, especially when we're doing a big paper. Coming to class, they usually get answered. Somehow, I'm not sure how, you just know what I'm struggling with and teach it in class.
-What are you most proud of this semester?
The fact that I've written two papers already! And big ones too. I wouldn't have done anything like this in high school.
I took Business Communications my senior year, and did one paper the entire year. It was 3 pages long, and we had the first 4 months to do it. This class has definitely given me more work than I'm used to.
Word Count: Min 300
Response: (Check, especially, your study group's responses) Min 2
Time: 15 min
Title: (Your Name) Hippy Midterms
Bryn Bateman Hippy Midterms
1. I'm pretty comfortable with this class right now. I have a confession I took english 150 last year.... (yeah i'm a sophomore) and pretty much stopped going. I hate english - how can someone hate english? I do, I struggle a lot with it, but I think having it be my second year of college it's just better. If I just keep coming and keep doing the work then it's not too overwhelming.
2. I'm working on time management. It's going, but definitely has room for improvement. There is a lot of managing I need to still do and I think if I actually did it, my stress level would go way down and I wouldn't be physically sick all the time.... haha.
3. For the rest of the semester I want to work on reading! I love to read books. I hate to write, but I love to read and I know we won't read fiction the rest of the semester but I would enjoy that if we did.
4. Just keeping me updated. Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what's going on and what's due and when and they're always good to shoot a text to or phone call so that's nice.
5. Remind remind remind! Just keep repeating what's going on in the class. It helps so much. I know it's my responsibility to look at the syllabus and blackboard, and I do but there are still times when things come up and I had no idea what was going on. Just lay out the schedule everyday and it would be awesome!
6. I'm proud I'm still in the class! I know it sounds lame, but I haven't given up yet and I'm still truckin' and I've written two papers and they're turned in and I couldn't be prouder:)
Midterm
The class does have a fast pace but I am fairly comfortable with it. I like the pace because it forces me to stay focused. It challenges me to create habits that can produce high quality papers in a short period of time.
Currently I am working on not procrastinating in completing revisions and editing my assignments. I find the emphasis on peer reviewing in this class to be very helpful. The next half of semester I am planning on using my study group more by requesting more peer reviews.
My study group can help me by continuing to peer review my assignments. The extra set of eyes greatly helps in revising papers. During a week that a paper is being written, it would be helpful to meet outside of class as peers to discuss the assignment.
Ms. Hedengren can help me by having more clarity when introducing small assignments such as the Rhetorical Reading Analysis Worksheet. This will help me use my time more efficiently. I like the lessons on developing my own writing style in any genre. More lessons like these would be beneficial.
The opinionated editorial. It was the first assignment of this genre that I have written and it was very successful. I was nervous that my topic did not have enough of a serious nature to be considered an editorial. However with many different peer reviews and revisions, I was able to develop the proper tone to create an effective editorial.
Currently I am working on not procrastinating in completing revisions and editing my assignments. I find the emphasis on peer reviewing in this class to be very helpful. The next half of semester I am planning on using my study group more by requesting more peer reviews.
My study group can help me by continuing to peer review my assignments. The extra set of eyes greatly helps in revising papers. During a week that a paper is being written, it would be helpful to meet outside of class as peers to discuss the assignment.
Ms. Hedengren can help me by having more clarity when introducing small assignments such as the Rhetorical Reading Analysis Worksheet. This will help me use my time more efficiently. I like the lessons on developing my own writing style in any genre. More lessons like these would be beneficial.
The opinionated editorial. It was the first assignment of this genre that I have written and it was very successful. I was nervous that my topic did not have enough of a serious nature to be considered an editorial. However with many different peer reviews and revisions, I was able to develop the proper tone to create an effective editorial.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Convincing Provo it is illegal to set a mouse trap without a hunting license
Dear Mr. Mayor,
It has recently come to my attention that in California it is illegal to set a mouse trap without a hunting license. Currently if one lives in Provo they can set a mouse trap without any kind of license. I believe that Provo absolutely must follow the example of California and implement a similar law. Hunting licenses are issued so that the population of animals can be kept under control, without said populations becoming extinct. If Provo does not implement a law prohibiting citizens from setting mouse traps in order to slaughter innocent mice, the mouse population in Provo will diminish, and may very well disappear entirely. This would have a detrimental effect on the ecosystem of Provo, affecting not only the other animals, but eventually people in Provo as well. Mice are an essential part of our ecosystem for many reasons. First of all the mice can provide an essential part of trash management by eating waste products so commonly disposed by the population of Provo. Also mice provide an essential source of food for other animals found in our beloved city. Also, mouse traps can be very dangerous to those who set them, and also to those who may stumble across the traps unawares; therefore, if one wishes to set a mouse trap they should be properly certified, and have a license to prove their certification.
It has recently come to my attention that in California it is illegal to set a mouse trap without a hunting license. Currently if one lives in Provo they can set a mouse trap without any kind of license. I believe that Provo absolutely must follow the example of California and implement a similar law. Hunting licenses are issued so that the population of animals can be kept under control, without said populations becoming extinct. If Provo does not implement a law prohibiting citizens from setting mouse traps in order to slaughter innocent mice, the mouse population in Provo will diminish, and may very well disappear entirely. This would have a detrimental effect on the ecosystem of Provo, affecting not only the other animals, but eventually people in Provo as well. Mice are an essential part of our ecosystem for many reasons. First of all the mice can provide an essential part of trash management by eating waste products so commonly disposed by the population of Provo. Also mice provide an essential source of food for other animals found in our beloved city. Also, mouse traps can be very dangerous to those who set them, and also to those who may stumble across the traps unawares; therefore, if one wishes to set a mouse trap they should be properly certified, and have a license to prove their certification.
Jumpers In Provo
Dear Mayor,
It has come to my attention that there is no law penalizing those who jump off of buildings. This is a serious issue. If we allow individuals to jump off buildings willy nilly then the fabric of our entire society will be unraveled. In New York, the penalty for jumping off a building is death. I propose the implementation of this law in Provo. Please acquiesce to my request. Just imagine strolling through University Mall with your family when all of a sudden you see someone jump off a building! How graphic of an experience do you want your children to witness? And who is going to clean up the mess? I am begging you do not allow people to jump off of buildings.
BR
It has come to my attention that there is no law penalizing those who jump off of buildings. This is a serious issue. If we allow individuals to jump off buildings willy nilly then the fabric of our entire society will be unraveled. In New York, the penalty for jumping off a building is death. I propose the implementation of this law in Provo. Please acquiesce to my request. Just imagine strolling through University Mall with your family when all of a sudden you see someone jump off a building! How graphic of an experience do you want your children to witness? And who is going to clean up the mess? I am begging you do not allow people to jump off of buildings.
BR
Convincing Provo of Mouse Traps
Dear Mayor,
I think it's time that innocent mice stop getting killed by people who don't have a hunting license. Setting mouse traps is dangerous and it would be wise to only have those who have been trained to set mouse traps. As mayor of Provo it is your responsibility to step up and act! You need to make and enforce the law of only those with a hunting license being able to set these traps. The time is now and I'm am looking towards you to make this happen. Provo would be a better place if you did this. I'm counting on you to make a difference!
In Pennsylvania, it’s against the law to tie a dollar bill on a string on the ground and pull it away when someone tries to pick it up.
Dear Provo Mayor,
As you know, deceiving someone is a very serious matter. Perhaps you are lead to believe a product can magically regrow your baldspot. We know that you have had this problem since freshman year of highschool so if you were to use this product with your hopes high, only find out that the product was indeed a fraud, you would be extremely angry. Therefore if you found a dollar on the ground only to find out that it was somebody pulling a practical joke, you might not feel so humorous towards the situation. What if you really needed that dollar to buy a candy bar you have been craving all day. I submit that deceiving someone, and more pulling practical joke with sound conscious mind, can seriously demoralize them into in becoming revengeful and reckless.
We must now ban pulling dollars on strings for the mere cruel enjoyment of others. Please make this law. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jared
Dear Provo Mayor,
As you know, deceiving someone is a very serious matter. Perhaps you are lead to believe a product can magically regrow your baldspot. We know that you have had this problem since freshman year of highschool so if you were to use this product with your hopes high, only find out that the product was indeed a fraud, you would be extremely angry. Therefore if you found a dollar on the ground only to find out that it was somebody pulling a practical joke, you might not feel so humorous towards the situation. What if you really needed that dollar to buy a candy bar you have been craving all day. I submit that deceiving someone, and more pulling practical joke with sound conscious mind, can seriously demoralize them into in becoming revengeful and reckless.
We must now ban pulling dollars on strings for the mere cruel enjoyment of others. Please make this law. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jared
Fire Hydrants Must Be Checked Before Fires
Dear Provo Mayor,
In Danville, Pennsylvania, all fire hydrants must be checked one hour before all fires. This should be enforced in Provo. If we checked the fires one hour before a fire started, we would be able to put out the fire faster. We would be able to save houses and protect the people sleeping, playing, or just watching television. It is outrageous that this already is not a law. We should care more about our city and protect them by checking the fire hydrants before the fire starts. We are losing to many houses and people are dying because we are not doing this.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Wickes
In Danville, Pennsylvania, all fire hydrants must be checked one hour before all fires. This should be enforced in Provo. If we checked the fires one hour before a fire started, we would be able to put out the fire faster. We would be able to save houses and protect the people sleeping, playing, or just watching television. It is outrageous that this already is not a law. We should care more about our city and protect them by checking the fire hydrants before the fire starts. We are losing to many houses and people are dying because we are not doing this.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Wickes
Dollar Bill Trickery
To whom it may concern:
I believe that we should implement the law that it is prohibited to attach a dollar bill to a string and trick a person into trying and pick it up. Not only is it utterly embarrassing and mortifying, it also is an example of the immaturity in today's society. In today's world it is emphasized that being youthful should be a priority in one's life. This is not an excuse to act immature and to use trickery to entertain yourself and other friends. If adults are playing these silly games, they will influence the younger generation. Therefore, affecting generations for years and years to come and teaching them to trick others for entertainment. Some people can't help the fact that they don't have common sense, or that they are simply brainless. It is the height of rudeness to snicker at others for something they can't control, their curiosity. Why is there a dollar bill on the ground? And why is it moving steadily away from me? How is this dollar bill moving itself? Are some of the questions that come to mind of the victim while they mindlessly follow the dollar bill on the ground. Please implement this law to prevent embarrassment of helpless victims in the future.thank you.
Convincing Provo of the Massachusetts Law
We need to implement the law in Massachusetts now! I really think it is just common courtesy to be clean when going to bed, especially if you will be cuddling with someone throughout the night. Most english students work up such a sweat throughout the day by constantly and diligently revising their opinion editorials, that naturally the begin to smell. So, consequently we should push for a law to enforce good hygiene.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)