Blog#13

So far my essay is going well. I have found all my sources that I want to use and finished doing the annotated bibliography. I am glad to at least have that part done with. I have been able to get two body paragraphs done and am currently working on my intro. I still need to re word my thesis to get it finished off the way I want it. I think I’m going to go to the writing center to have them work with me on my thesis.

blog12

I thought the reading was really boring and it made me dread writing this research paper. I feel like eve if its on an interesting topic the paper will still be boring. Anyways even though the reading is boring I do feel like it has helped me have a better understanding of what I need to do in order to have a well written paper. A few things I learned are that it is important to have your research organized. Your research is what will convince your audience. When you Don't have your paper planed out properly with out an outline then you can lose your credibility by sounding scatter brained.

Blog #11

After looking through a lot of the different topics on procon.org I have decided to argue the topic of Illegal Immigration. First of I find the topic interesting because it affects our lives. Living in California, immigration has also affected that state too and I think it is something important to discuss. I was able to find a lot of different viewpoints for both sides of the argument so I think that I will have enough points to be able to write a 8 page paper.  I have decided to write my paper on the negative effects that Illegal Immigration has on the United States.  I think that this topic will be interesting to research and therefore I might not hate researching as much. I am most worried about how long this paper has to be. I have never had to write a paper longer then six pages before. Im hoping that because I have all these good pros and cons that I will be able to write enough and have strong view points that will create a strong argument.

Blog #10

Finally being done with the Rhetorical Analysis is the greatest thing ever! I felt really confused on what we were suppose to do. Although we talked about it in class, writing it was a whole other story. I thought that I had figured out how to write it and thought my paper was not too bad until I went to the writing center. They told me I did it wrong and I had to re do a lot of my stuff. It took me a while to edit it up and fix all my mistakes.

Blog #9

So far I dont like this paper. It took e a while to find a good topic and paper that I wanted to read. I ended up just switching my topic to Martin Luther Kings “I Have a Dream” speech. So far this paper has gotten a little bit easier because his writing is full of ethos, logos, and pathos.

Blog #8

In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, the author uses ethos pathos and logos. He uses a great deal of ethos by preswading the reader of his own credibility.  At the beginning of the letter when he explains that he is not an outsider. He states that he is part of an organization that has rights to protest, this gives him credibility. Also, he states that he is a Christian man to support his claims. He uses his achievements, history of peace and heritage as priest, to show his cause is just. King quotes from Socrates, calling on the credibility of others to support his argument. King also uses the tool pathos to convey emotion when he writes about the oppression of the African Americans.  In the story he writes, “when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim;”  The description and imagery he paints through his powerful words creates and sets the mood for the story. Through out out the letter King uses logos, an appeal to logic. The logic he uses is the difference of a just and unjust law. Stating that it is okay to willingly break an unjust law.  “ I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.” This was one piece of logic that King lived by. He wasn't afraid to challenge the law if it was something that society would benefit from if broken.

Blog #7

What Christians Believe by C.S. Lewis is a persuasive essay that persuaded readers why and how Christianity makes perfect sense despite what others may believe. The authors main idea was that there is a god, and nothing would exist without the simple concept of good and evil. Without evil  we would not know what good is, there is opposition in all things. For instance, the author uses the example that if it is said that the world has no meaning that also means that we do not know the difference between light or dark, or good and evil. That is where we get the idea that there is opposition in all things.  The author conveys that people know about religion and god, it is weather or not they choose to believe it is the problem. However if they choose not to believe in a higher being they still know the general basics of what others believe around them. The world has many different views on religon, but no matter what each denomination may believe the author points out that there is always some truth within each respected religion. The main tool that the author uses is logos, or the appeal to logic. The author uses logic to prove almost every argument presented. The evidence that the author uses is just her past experiences as an atheist, her experiences as a Christian, and her common knowledge. I really enjoyed reading this piece.

Blog #6

Genre: persuasive essay
Purpose: To explain the controversy of veils worn by women in the middle east
Central Message: We need to encourage the separation of traditional Muslim family practices from the political ideology of Islamic fundamentalism.
World View and Assumptions: Family and traditions are important. Women have cretin expectations that they have to live up to.
Use of Tools and Evidence: Gave a background of the history of the culture of the veil. He showed the controversy and explained why some have different views and opinions. Showed arguments for both sides.

Blog #5

For me I found it super easy to think of the topic that changed me. I found it kind of fun to write about my conversion to the church. I think that that paper is something that I will keep. I think that it is cool to have a little bit of that memory written down and preserved for my future genealogy, as a record of how their parents or grandparents got involved in the church. I never have really made my writing very descriptive before and I surprisingly really enjoyed doing that in this paper. I felt like my paper sounded more interesting and like a story, not just a boring paper. From writing this paper I also am a little more relaxed about writing long papers. This 6 page paper was not too difficult to write, but then again that was also probably because it was a personal narrative. It was also fun to just sit and brainstorm and think about all the good experiences that i had with my family learning about the church. I really liked being able to put voice in the paper. I felt like I could really explain the story being myself. I think that I was able to write and recall the story almost exactly how it happened by using quotations.On the flip side I still was confused on when I am suppose to leave the dialogue in the paragraph or when I indent and move it to its own separate line. In books that is how it is written so I was still not sure what the exact rules are when it comes to dialogue.

Blog #4

So far my writing has been going okay. I know what my topic is going to be but for me that was one of the easier parts.  When I was in 9th grade I joined the church along with my family. That was a very big change in all of our lives. The conversations that we all had with the missionaries have changed us significantly. Not only was it the conversations with them but also with our outside family.  It was a big test of faith for all of us. My grandparents and cousins and close friends all kept feeding us false facts about the LDS church and telling us what a horrible choice we were making. Even tho it was hard to always be defending our new faith it was a way that made all of us gain a even stronger testimony. I haven't wrote too much on my paper but I have lots of brain storming ideas. I know once I figure out how im going to organize my paper, that writing it will come easy for me. This was the biggest change in my life, but one of my favorite memories growing up. Not only did it change me but it also made a change in my family life. I am passionate about this topic there fore I think that writing the paper should not be too bad.

Blog 3

When I was reading this story the first thing that I thought of was my trip to Germany. Through out my years in school I found learning about the Holocaust and other aspects of why and how it happened to be so interesting. My favorite part about going to germany was being able to go see some of the concentration camps. I was able to read the whole book from which this exert came from and the emotions brought me back to myself standing in one of the actual camps. There is no was of knowing what the concentration camps are truly like until you are on the very grounds of where a genocide took place.  This book that this story cam from was actually one of my favorite books i ever read. Not only did I get drawn in by the history aspect of it but I loved the way the author wrote the story. He structured it as his own personal narrative. In the small passage that was in the assigned reading really gave you the feel of what emotions were going through his mind, and was able to pick out important conversations that he had with his father. I am so grateful for the survivors of he holocaust because I think that it is extremely important that the nation is aware of what truly was going on through that dark time period. With out books like these, we wouldn't be able to fully comprehend just how bad it was for these people. Most importantly, these documented events help the nation prevent past history from repeating itself.

Blog #2

When reading the story about the returned missionaries love story gone wrong, I found it very interesting to be able to get inside a guys head. For the most part girls are usually the ones known for over analyzing situations and conversations, but in this incident the tables were turned. I think that it is hard enough for missionaries to adjust to life at home after a mission, but when you throw in a girl on top of all the other adjustments it can be a disaster. My sister waited for her boyfriend during his mission for 2 years, and he baptized our whole family before he left. When he came home he was so awkward and didn't know how to act around her, a lot like the RM in the story. In most cases I think that missionaries expect home to be exactly the way they left it when they return, however,  life doesn't get put on hold wail they are gone. That is where the RM in the story went wrong. I agree with the author that when you plan things out in your head, the life events almost never go according to plan, and only leave you disappointed and yearning over what could have been.

“As I stood under the faucet, my eyes closed, and as the hot water saturated my hair, warmth poured over me. But it went far beyond the water. I felt myself being over taken by a feeling of calmness, and i knew that heavenly father  was pleased with me.”

I liked this quote because I was able to relate to this experience. When ever I am having a rough day when I o and clear my head and relax I am usually always able to find little blessing and feel Heavenly fathers love for me. You just have to take a step out of the world and be able to listen for those small whisperings.

Blog #1

My name is Haley Francois and I am 18 years old. I enjoy laughing, tall trees, being outside when it rains, and the mountains. I could not live without the ocean and lakes. The only type of water I hate is chlorine water. My favorite things to do are camp, boat, go tubing, and go to the haunted forest for Halloween. Things I couldn't live without are California burritos, my mom’s cooking, love, hot showers, and music. My biggest pet peeves are when people chew loudly, and when guys think they are too cool for church.