Reading Response 5!!

My essay was about changing the drinking law from age twenty-one to eighteen. My main arguments included thoughts of others that if we can fight four our country at age eighteen, we should be able to drink. The same with voting and tobacco; we have all the responsibilities of an adult by age eighteen, yet are treated like children by not being able to be allowed to drink alcohol. Also by having a younger drinking age this would help promote maturity and responsible decisions at a younger age.

For my first pencil draft of this essay, my target audience was adults and young adults to help gain support and spread awareness of what is going on in the United States. But when I was thinking of another target audience, I realized that the Government would probably be the best audience to target when thinking about changing the drinking law. The Government is the power that could legally change this law so why wouldn’t I want them to be part of my target audience for this presentation.

While thinking about what kind of visual aid I will be using for my presentation, I think it would be interesting to make a sort of “billboard” with a US soldier in a foreign country with a gun running around fighting in some kind of combat. But the twist to this image would be the soldier is wearing a bib or some kind of diaper which would represent the argument “we can fight for our country at age eighteen, yet are still treated as children by not being able to consume alcohol.” I am really interested in being creative so I’m sure there is some way I could find to make this visual appealing in sort of a comedic sense while still really getting the point across. Also, at the bottom of the poster I could find some kind of catch phrase that will really make the viewer think, “wow this is not right”. I’m not quite sure what this interesting quip will be yet, but after a couple days of writing some down I think I will be able to come up with a good one.

I think this billboard will be a good visual aid because it will be really easy to get the message by just looking at it with a short glance. Statistics prove that “You learn best when information is presented visually and in a written language format” (MetaMath). I think my visual aid will really accomplish this.

While learning about the rhetorical process, I learned that convincing the Government will be a lot harder than convincing other adults and young adults in the matter. The Government makes decisions based on facts and really doesn’t go on opinions, which is hard for this topic because it is so opinion and moral based. This is just an overview of what I will be presenting in my final project and I really think I can make my argument strong by my billboard without drowning everyone with just a bunch of statistics.

The part of this project that will be the hardest for me is finding facts for the Government about lowering the drinking age and the benefits. I think that by having the support of professors from prestigious universities and others opinions that range from in support and constructive criticism, this will only make my argument stronger. This topic will be very controversial and time consuming so by helping make a point by presenting a strong visual aid, I feel this can help convince a Government official faster than if you just used words. For me, I am a real visual learner so it really helps to see something that is colorful and creative. Certain tactics I will use while constructing my billboard will be making sure the images are realistic and proportional. Also, I will make sure there is a pop of color or a certain emphasis for the strongest part of the poster. I’m actually really excited about making this because creativity is something I find more as a hobby, and not a chore.

Reading Response 4

In these three essays written from the Common Reading booklet, they all have a common theme that is prevelant throughout the essays: the 4th ammendment and privacy. Each of these authors use examples to give the reader a little more insight on how they think it actually is affecting each Americans privacy. For example, in Mangu-Wards essay, he gives the example of never being able to keep your life private. If you go to a gay bar and use your credit card, youre leaving a digital record of where you have been. He is trying to prove that no matter where you go, you leave records by using a credit card or even being seen on a survelliance camera. She leaves us with personal experience by saying that most everyone has done things that people don't want others to know. However, the thing I like about her essay is that she doesn't think that all survelliance of privacy is bad. She says that sometimes homemade videos pay off by presenting it to the police as evidence for brutality.
The essay by Joh is all about leaving behind your DNA. She gives the example of research by saying that the police investigate crime scenes for looking for DNA that is left behind on a scene of a crime. For example, hair, blood, saliva or bodily fluids. The thing I find the most interesting is when she says that even when you lick an envelope for a bill and send it to the government, you are basically sending them a DNA sample. I think her research of talking to the Seattle police about how they investigate crime scenes really helped back up her ideas of left behind DNA and violating the 4th amendment. By interviewing actual scientists and people that have degrees, this makes research really credible. This gives me good insight of how I should intergrate quotes in my personal ethnography essay.
The last essay by Quamby, he uses actual evidence from the constitution and what acts and ammendments have been added to protect individuals privacy. These new policies really back up claims better than anything else because it is the actual constitution. I really responded to the way he wrote the essay because it gave big examples such as September 11th. I agree with some of the claims made that says we should use actual identification cards that use our fingerprints and other DNA information. I believe this will help from others stealing others identity.
The way each of these authors wrote their essays was different, yet effective. Quamby is basically saying that more is needed to protect our privacy while Mangu-Ward thinks that some of our privacy is probably more violated than needed. Joh is explaining how your DNA can be used against you even if you are not present. They all have a common theme of privacy, but the way they are all written and all the ideas are different.

Reading Response Three

Sorry it's a day late! :(

In the two short stories we read, Casassa and Dudley did a lot of the things Ballenger talked about while writing an essay. They both did fieldwork. For example, Casassa explained a day of actually working in the coffee shop while interacting with costumers and really giving us an indepth look on how the coffee shop actually is with details on what certain drinks costumers get and how different costumers interact throughout the day. For Dudleys case, he went in and visited the head shop. He explained every piece of the store in details in which you could visually imagine yourself in there. He used great insight such as the stores tactic of putting hemp lollis and lip balm by the cash register for impulse buys. In both essays, they both did interviews. However, the way in which Casassa interviewed was different from Dudley’s. Casassa actually knew the person she was interviewing and actually served him before so he probably acted differently than if he had never met her before in his life. On the other side, Dudley interviewed the store owner and a costumer which makes his interviews a little more impersonal since he had never met either of them before.
In both essays, they use really good image-like details to describe the atmosphere. In Casassa’s essay, she explained the certain type of people that always came in at a certain time. It almost made you feel like you could connect with these costumers. The early workers and school kids came in first, the people who lounged came in, then the students who had lunch break. I kind of thought to myself “oh yeah I could see myself going in there at noon to eat lunch with my friends and talk about plans for the weekend.” The visual images she gave me were very stimulating and actually made me want to visit. In Dudley’s essay, he gave a little more background on the overall image of all head shops which helped the reader understand what it actually was before he jumped right into saying about the one store in general. I feel by adding these details, it really made the essay a lot more personal to those who probably didn’t know what a head shop was before they read the essay. I also liked the way Dudley described the atmosphere in the store by saying all the employees were really layed back and kind and that they played jazz music. It gave me a sense of ooh so this is how it is there.
The thing I drew away from both of these essays was there genuine interests in their topics. I feel I can relate more to Casassa’s essay because I want to research TCU’s swim and dive team. Casassa had insight because she actually worked there so it made it easier for her to describe and interview people. I feel by having her foot already in the door, it made it easier to write the paper but also hard because she didn’t want to give bias input. For my case, my brother is a senior captain on the team so I feel like I automatically have a shoe in as well. Not in the sense where I’m there practicing every day but I’m so comfortable with my brother that I might as well feel like I am a manager on the team or something. By reading both of these essays, I feel like they both contrasted and complimented each other in great ways and it was nice to see two different perspectives on how to write an ethnographic essay. I just hope I can convey what I’m trying to say as well as they did in their essays! ☺

Essay Topic

Since Elizabeth is no longer in our class she said I could use her topic... she will be dearly missed!

-Tentative Topic: Moral Tensions in the U.S.

-Tentative Research: Find sources that document factual evidence of past and present moral tensions in the U.S. and how/why they have evolved.

-Rationale: I chose this topic because not only does it generate my interest, I think it will generate the interests of others as well. Whether it's trying to uphold morals or deciding whether to have moral at all, the choice between right and wrong is a daily stuggle for everyone. I believe that an essay centered around this topic will reveal new, insightful ideas to people. The room for discovery in this essay is limitless.

Reading Response Two

In Holmquist's research essay about drugs, I find his honesty very refreshing. While he incorporates sources into his paper while mixing in his own experiences I feel this is what gives the essay the sense of a discovery paper rather than just a regular old essay. The overall controlling idea of this essay is that even though he really likes doing drugs and they are not even that unsafe while taken in appropriate doses, that he will never do drugs again because of the effects he has seen drugs have on his friends. I thought it was interesting that he made this connection, and that the controlling thesis did not really come out until the end. Throughout the essay you had a sense of his attitude on drugs, but the first time he actually comes out and says "I admit it. I like my drugs. That's why I don't do them any more. I like them too much." [Holmquist B29] what he feels is in the very end which is pretty much explaining why he won't do them which is presented in a very honest, upfront way. I feel Holmquist shows a good way of providing research while balancing it out with his honest opinion as well. For example, "They are also extremely easy to get. In a recent survey, 51 percent of twelfth graders could easily et MDMA (Ecstasy use up sharply, 2001) And I know LSD and GHB are a lot easier to get." [Holmquist B25] This shows the author relaying information from credible sources while still making it more realistic to the reader by sharing his own opinions and thoughts. Overall, I thought the author did a really good job explaining the different uses of drugs while still not going over the edge and making the essay into some goofy story about why people do the drugs that they do.
Contrasting to the second discovery paper, Garrett-Brown explains why tanning is bad for you. Both essays take a topic that is frequently used to many people which have both positive and negative aspects. For example, a lot of people do drugs. A lot of people really do not think that certain drugs will have a long-term effect on you and sometimes solely do them as a source of recreation. This could be the same for tanning. Getting ready for a spring break trip or even just trying to make the most out of winter, tanning is a relaxing thing that a lot of people do throughout the year. Each cost money, each have relaxing benefits...but in the long run do people really understand the consequences of each? Skin cancer for the tanners, and possible brain deterioration for the drug users? The way Garrett-Brown explains the effects of tanning is pretty similar to Holmquist's essay. She shows genuine interest in the art of tanning, and even a certain fascination for it. However, she focuses a lot on the negative aspects like many people who are worried about their futures would be. However, not only does she focus on the negative aspects but she also focuses on what she calls the "Middle Ground". "[. . .] I'm not expert, so I sought proof of my hunch that the sun is really our friend and found it. Of course, I'm not condoning the 1976 'Savage Tan' or complete ignorance of the dangers of a depleted ozone and proof that severe sunburns lead to cancers, but I think there must be some middle ground." [Garrett-Brown 460] I think Garrett-Brown has a harder time explaining her controlling thesis and stating evidence to support her throughout her "discovery" paper. This might be because this essay is much shorter than Holmquists, but it also might be because her sources seem to be leaning a little more on the "why you should tan" side. I feel like if she had more of what she called "middle ground" sources throughout her essay, her controlling thesis might be made more clearly and everything might be more evident. For example, she makes it sound like tanning is bad by using the source that states "The Rural South These Days Has More Tanning Salons Than John Deeres" then by saying "A nice tan once meant you spent your days on the beach playing volleyball and swimming, hiking in the mountains or riding a horse, riding a horse, riding a bike around town or jogging in the afternoons; it was usually accompanied by fit and trim bodies and healthy smiles." To me, these two sources kind of cancel eachother out and make her look unsure.
These essays and Ballangers opinions on how to write an essay give me great insight on what I should do while looking up topics for my essay number two. A good thought by Ballanger, "Research is something writers naturally do whenever they have questions they can't answer on their own." [Ballanger 430]. I believe this is a good quote I should go by while deciding on what I should research and write on. I think I should pick a topic I know somewhat about, but also a topic I can find credible sources to research about. I can use these two essays we read about this week as prime examples by finding something I have passion on writing about, yet about something that I would like to back up with specific facts and quotes.

About Me

I'm Sara Hauck from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Eden Prairie is a suburb right outside of Minneapolis which is fun because I love to go downtown with my friends. I love the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota and I love to go boating. My brother is a senior at TCU so that helped make my decision about going far away from home a lot easier. I've also really enjoyed coming down to Fort Worth as a child (I have relatives here) so that is also a reason why I chose TCU. I swam varsity all four years in highschool and loved to play intramural beach volleyball. I'm up for anything and meeting new people so say hi!

While I read the first short story, “I’m A Believer” by Charlotte Hogg I thought the story would be about her fulfilling her goal to become a writer and to meet Davy Jones. And in the end, that is exactly what happened. There were a few things that surprised me about the article. She said that when she was fifteen she never wanted to be Davy’s girlfriend, but just to meet him. That is interesting me to me because most girls that age are daydreaming about celebrities and wishing they could become someone far from their league. I was also surprised by her maturity throughout the piece. While still holding on to a childhood dream and fantasy, she continued on with her life, not letting her dream hold her back from anything. The part I found most funny about the story was when she was saying that she was so infatuated with Davy Jones as a teenager that she actually, “[. . .] asked a total stranger to the prom simply because he looked so much like Davy Jones.”
The other story, “The Joy Of Mud” by Catherine Black was about finding the beauty in something you have overlooked throughout your past. While reading this short story, I thought it was interesting how she hated growing up on an island and how she differed from her peers. “I hunted down the few coffee shops Honolulu could offer and buried myself in novels set in faraway times and places.” This also ties into how she left as soon as she could get away and that no one thought she was going to come back. However, the most striking part of this piece is the fact that she found the joy and happiness in her hometown by not even looking for it.
The intriguing thing I found about these two articles is that they both had a realization towards the end. Something that they had been looking for all along, for instance Charlottes wish to meet Davy Jones and Catherine’s wish to acquaint herself with the spirit of Hawaii were found easier than they thought. Charlotte met Davy Jones quite easily, which was something she had not expected in reality. Catherine thought she would never find the true spirit of her homeland until she took a simple trip up a mountain that would change her views on her home forever. The thing these two readings disagree on is their faith. Charlotte’s faith and excitement on meeting Davy Jones was the same high energy throughout the whole story. On the other side, Catherine’s interest in Hawaii was not with excitement until she returned back to the island after going to college in the East and traveling abroad. The reasons why are what makes these stories different yet similar to each other. Charlotte followed her goals of meeting Davy Jones while maintaining a positive, lighthearted attitude throughout the duration of the story. Meanwhile, Catherine kept a negative attitude and always imagined her self somewhere completely different than where she ended up.
The realization that the characters find throughout the stories are what makes the stories into something more powerful than if they were just to write about meeting a favorite movie star or getting dirty in the mountains of Hawaii. I enjoyed the fact that it seemed as each character grew with their feelings and opinions throughout their findings. For example in Catherine’s story, her realization about how Hawaii actually was came in one of the last paragraphs of the story. “I can’t believe I was clueless about it for so long.” It was more of a personal journey for her rather than a sudden realization. For Charlotte, her realization that Davy Jones was rather a stranger than her best friend came quite suddenly and was a realization that took place over that one day. “I accept, finally, that this person I know so well I don’t really know at all, and I, the daydream believer, am just a fan.”