Page 94, Activity #3

As an English major, I have written numerous papers that have required me to draw on outside sources as well as personal experience. One particular paper that stands out in my mind is an essay I wrote for my political science course last fall. For this assignment, I was required to read two essays by different authors about the question, “how democratic is America?”. I was then instructed to decide which of the two authors I agreed with, adopt that writer’s viewpoint, and write a persuasive essay arguing my opinion on American democracy. In composing the essay, I was required to include at least one outside source as well as one incident from my own personal experience that supported my stance on the issue.

I found this assignment somewhat difficult because I did not entirely agree with either writer. I found that my beliefs concurred with some of the points from both essays, yet also differed from other details of the two passages. I decided to pick out the essay whose details I most strongly agreed with and write from that perspective. After researching the role of democracy in American government, I realized that I had a vast number of resources to sort through. It was essential to select the source that best supported my argument in order to form a credible argument.

Once I had decided on which outside source I wanted to incorporate into my paper, I had to contemplate my own personal experiences and decide how they related to American government. This assignment was slightly less difficult because I was better able to organize my own thoughts then the immense amount of resources I encountered through my research.

After selecting my outside and personal sources, I was left with the task of composing my essay. Even though I had already planned how to incorporate my sources into my writing, actually putting the words on paper was still challenging. I decided to begin my essay by introducing the differing views of both writers. Therefore, I also had to integrate these two sources into my writing. I then delineated which perspective I would be adopting and how I intended to support my opinion.

Once my introduction was complete, the rest of my essay came much easier. I found that I built on the opinion of the writer while also including my own thoughts and beliefs. I feel that this was an important aspect of my paper because it added originality to my work. Although I adopted the viewpoint of another writer, I supported this view with unique and personal sources. Therefore, I was able achieve creativity while still maintaining a convincing and compelling argument.

Freewrite on Observing

I collected data based on how I saw the two writers interacting with one another throughout the writing process. The writers broke down and discussed the two questions in the writing prompt before deciding which question to address in their letter. The students then brainstormed about the PWE concentration and took notes. One student began to type the letter while talking with the other student and discussing the letter’s content. Both students read off their notes in order to help compose the letter. The students communicated continuously by asking questions and offering suggestions.

As an outside observer of the students’ writing process, I was not able to ask questions or converse with the two writers. Instead, I watched as they spoke with each other and completed the letter. Had I been able to speak with the writers, I feel that I would have had a clearer understanding of their writing process. As the writing activity evolved, I began to be able to see which students were taking on which roles. While the one student typed the letter, the other student monitored the writing process and tried to contribute to the composition of the letter verbally. Once the students had finished the letter, they both made final revisions.

Freewrite: Research Methods

I now have a clear sense of the methods we are supposed to use in our research projects. Although I undersand these methods, I am still not sure how they will apply to my research subject. If the lawyer that I observe does not use freewrites, rough drafts, or any other documents before composing a final draft, will I still be able to understand his or her writing process?

Rhetorical Activity 3

In her article, “Flex your young muscles: register to vote this election,” Alyson Murphy urges young people to take an active role in the 2008 presidential election. Murphy encourages young people to “[join] a club of one’s political party affiliation, [go] to political rallies or merely [register] to vote.” Appearing in the editorial section of the September 16, 2008 edition of the Daily Athenaeum, the article emphasizes importance of the freedom to vote in America and how young adults must take advantage of this freedom in order to help influence the shaping of the government now and in the future. Murphy believes that young people should make an effort to stay informed about political matters, especially those particularly relevant to the upcoming election.

After describing her own experience in examining the issues and debates surrounding the election, Murphy asserts that the first step in becoming involved is registering to vote. By stating that “voter registration has never been easier,” Murphy highlights the simplicity of becoming involved in politics. Murphy further emphasizes the importance of the 2008 presidential election by stating that it will be “absolutely epic and will go down in history, spanning race and gender, an economic downward spiral and a troubling war.” Murphy ends her article by explaining how the election is one place where young people truly have the opportunity to influence political decisions that will greatly shape the future. According to Murphy, the opportunity to vote “gives a voice to every American – young, old, black, white, male or female.”

The stasis of Alyson Murphy’s argument seems to lie in her belief that young Americans should make an effort to participate in politics by at the least, registering to vote. While opponents to Murphy’s argument may contend that one young person’s vote cannot truly influence an election, or that young people who are not thoroughly informed about candidates should not take an active role in selecting future office holders, the argument seems to rest at quality in that voting is a good thing and that all citizens should have a say in a democratic government. The argument also lies in policy whereas all Americans should fulfill their duty as citizens by voting in elections.

It is not apparent whether Murphy is attacking a particular position against the participation of young people in American politics. However, it is clear that her argument is attempting to refute any beliefs associated with the inability of young people to influence their government. Murphy argues a valid point by supporting her opinion with examples and outside sources. Murphy uses the website rockthevote.com to exemplify the positive influence that technology has had on information communication. This website not only helps young people register to vote, but also “includes information on the candidates and the issues, and also information on how to obtain an absentee ballot.” Additionally, Murphy refers to a quote in Time Magazine to enforce the importance of the racial and age differences among the presidential candidates. Although Murphy’s opponents may not change their opinions after reading her article, Murphy has likely still achieved stasis with these individuals.

Weekend Review #2

I feel that I am starting to understand the ethnographic report assignment more and more as the semester continues. I am excited to visit a professional writer in his or her workplace and to get started on my observations and research. After reviewing the job application packet, I have a better understanding of how we are supposed to analyze the writers work and what details are important to pay attention to. However, I am still confused about the time frame of our project. I am not exactly sure when we are supposed to visit our research subject. I believe that I should first visit the workplace after I have completed and turned in my proposal. Yet, I am not certain.

The Writing Process for my Exploratory Essay

When I started to brainstorm ideas for my exploratory essay, I immediately focused on my future career and what type of work I am interested in doing after graduation. Since I have always been interested in becoming a lawyer, I began to think about how lawyers function as professional writers and how big of a role writing plays in their daily lives. I soon realized that I knew very little about what actually went on in a law firm and what types of procedures lawyers use when researching cases and defending clients. Therefore, I decided to research the occupation and explore lawyers as professional writers. I sorted through many different articles in search of an explanation of lawyers’ writing methods. Although I found several articles about lawyers and their work, I realized that few of these articles were related to professional writing. After discovering that there were few resources available on lawyers and their writing, I became increasingly interested in exploring the writing processes within a law firm first hand.

I then decided to focus my paper on the work of lawyers in order to gain a better understanding of legal writing. Since I only found a few online articles about the writing of lawyers, I decided to review the class reading assignments and decide if any of these exerts were relevant to my essay. When looking through the book Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, I was reminded of Aristotle’s definition of rhetoric. I decided that Aristotle’s view of rhetoric as “the power of finding the available arguments suited to a given situation” was an interesting approach to the type of writing lawyers compose. Therefore, I decided to include this definition in my essay and use it to expand on how lawyers use words to form arguments. I also incorporated other sources from my research into my paper and purposed questions that I am interested in exploring through my observations. I described what I would do while in the law firm to make the most of my time and gain the greatest amount of information for my final project.

Although I suggested various questions about the legal profession and the function of writing within this occupation, I did not attempt to answer these questions. Instead, I described the process I would go through to explore possible answers and eventually form conclusions. I ended my essay by explaining why it is necessary to investigate the writing processes that take place in the legal sector and how lawyers use written documents in their cases. This explanation will help to keep me motivated and remind me of my goals while visiting the law firm and arranging my project. I also feel that this edition helped to clarify my essay by giving my project purpose.

Chapter 2 Rhetorical Activities 1 and 4

1. For years, standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT, have played key roles in determining the admission of high school students into the nation’s colleges and universities. However, certain U.S. institutions are going test-optional, forgoing standardized test scores as admission criteria and instead focusing on students’ high school GPA, achievements, and performance in college-prep courses. The decision to not require applicants to take these standardized tests is based on the belief that SAT and or ACT scores do not accurately predict students’ performance in college. Various writers have published articles on the issue of test-optional admissions at colleges and universities. The writers do not need to include a great deal of explanation in their articles about standardized testing and college admission because the majority of their readers are familiar with the admission process. However, the writers must define test-optional admissions and explain how this process changes college’s selection of future students. Without this explanation, most readers would not likely be able to fully understand the topics of the articles. These writers create kairos in their works by noting the urgency of the current subject, focusing on the interests of the parties involved, and considering recent events.

In her article, “Test-optional colleges won’t require SATs; shift to ‘holistic admissions,’” Amy Fagan states that, “about 739 accredited bachelor-degree-granting colleges have adopted "test-optional" policies - several of them recently.” According to Fagan’s article, which appeared in the July 17, 2007 edition of the Washington Times, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest) director, Bob Schaeffer, “called [test-optional admissions] a ‘rapidly growing trend’ with 30 schools adopting such policies in the past few years and almost the same number mulling the idea.” Fagan is able to create kairos in her article by drawing attention to the immediacy of the issue of test-optional institutions. Fagan succeeds in making the matter appear current and progressive by using words such as “recently,” and quoting Schaeffer’s use of the phrase, “rapidly growing trend.”

In Stacy Teicher Khadaroo’s article, “Does new S.A.T. help with admissions decisions?” Khadaroo identifies the act of “playing down the SAT as part of [the] commitment to a fair playing field for low-income and minority students.” Writing for The Christian Science Monitor, Khadaroo notes that, “Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Smith College in Northampton, Mass., both cited the correlation of high SAT scores with high family income when announcing their recent decisions to no longer require standardized admissions test scores.” Khadaroo draws on kairos by addressing low income families and students, parties which are affected by the issue of test-optional institutions.

In the USA Today article, “Wake Forest joins schools dropping SAT requirement,” the writer explains how “The Winston-Salem school, which admitted just 38% of its 9,000 applicants for this fall, is the latest in a string of colleges that no longer require standardized tests.” The writer goes on to tell how Wake Forest’s decision is especially significant because the school is one of the few selective colleges to follow the test-optional trend. The writer states that, “Most other colleges that have dropped standardized testing have not been highly selective and accept most, if not all, qualified applicants.” The writer of the article creates kairos by describing the recent decision and explaining how it is relevant to the issue of test-optional admissions. By concentrating on recent events surrounding the issue, the writer emphasizes the urgency of the topic.

As an increasing number of colleges and universities are deciding to go test-optional, the writers are taking advantage of the opportunity to write on the issue. Throughout their articles, these writers concentrated on the subject of test-optional admission processes and very rarely strayed from the topic. The writers demonstrate the importance of finding the critical time to express their feelings and offer information on the matter.

2. The start of the fall semester at West Virginia University is an exciting, enjoyable, yet often stressful time for students, especially freshmen. For many WVU freshmen, the beginning of the new school year means leaving friends and family members, meeting new people, adjusting to a new environment, and living away from home for the first time. With many new worries on their minds, incoming freshmen may overlook the health risks that come with living in a dormitory. However, living amongst thousands of other students can increase students’ risk of contracting life threatening diseases. Fortunately, vaccinations are available to help prevent students from contracting these types of diseases, specifically Meningococcal disease. This disease is a bacterial infection that can cause meningitis. The disease can be difficult to diagnose because it begins with symptoms that closely resemble the flu, yet can quickly lead to severe swelling of the brain and spinal cord. According to the American College Health Association, approximately 125 college students contract meningitis each year, with 5 to 15 of these cases resulting in death. The association also states that the risk of dieing from the disease is six times higher for students living in dormitories, and that up to 80 percent of meningitis cases are preventable by vaccine. There are currently 30 states that require freshmen and transfer students to either receive the meningitis vaccine, or to become educated about the disease before they start school. However, despite the obvious severity of this disease, West Virginia is not one of these thirty states. Therefore, it is essential that West Virginia University students are educated about the risks associated with meningitis and the measures that can be taken to prevent it.