2.29.2012

a thesis

Even though I haven't officially chosen my topic here is a thesis statement for one of the topics...

Although perserving cultural ways of life is very important when developing a country, but when cultural practice diminish someones chances of surviving from a preventable disease, these are the times when cultural practices need to be put on the back burner so that the proper healthcare can be distributed. 

I know it is a little rough but I still have an extremely long to-do to accomplish before I see this city again. Less than 24 hours to go. You could say that I am PUMPED!



2.27.2012

we've all got issues.

1. International Development 

  • What are strategies that would make these societies more susceptible to help?
  • What constitutes that a society needs improvement? 

2. Poverty

  • Do government programs really help the poor? 
  • Will "empowering" the poor be beneficial to them and help them get out of poverty? 

3. Health in underdeveloped countries

  • When should cultural practices be abandoned to make way for medical practices? 
  • How many preventable deaths occur due to the lack of common medical resources? 
I know all my topics are very similar but whatever....

Reggie Watts is one of my heros. Please enjoy his greatness. 

2.25.2012

Loving from a Distance.


When it comes to the point in a relationship where a couple has to “do long distance”, it is either the kiss of death or makes their relationship even stronger. There is no doubt that long distance relationships take hard work, as the couple will have to go through obstacles and will need a great amount of trust in one another. When the couple is reunited, hopefully, the reunion will be sweet and their relationship will still be going strong.  As Thomas Haynes Bayly once said, “Distance makes the heart grow fonder,” and for some people this is very true. Carissa, the author of the article, “Long Distance Relationships” shares her experience and what she thinks makes a long distance relationship work. The author’s writing reaches out to a certain group of women who are the typical dating age and who are going through a similar situation that Carissa did. In the article “LongDistance Relationships,” she uses personal experiences, visuals, and structure to create a sense of certainty to convince her reader that they can make a long distance relationship work.

Nothing connects a reader to the author more than personal experiences, and that is exactly what Carissa, the author of the article, does right from the start. She starts the article off with some background information on her long distance relationship. When the reader reads the article she cannot help but think of her long distance relationship and compare her situation to Carissa’s.  Carissa says, “I’d either drive 3.5 hours when we were both in Texas or get on a 3.5 hour flight when he was in Alaska.” By sharing personal experiences, the author is able to easily connect to her reader by evoking a feeling of friendship that will make the reader want to share about their experience in a long distance relationship. Especially to a female audience, making the connection of friendship will make them more receptive to what the author is trying to say. The result being that the reader wants to make sure that her and her boyfriend make it work by putting into action the advice the author shares.

During the other sections of the article, the author shares a personal experience about each topic she shares on how to make a long distance relationship work/last. In the “Keep Yourself Busy” section, she states, “Luckily for me, I got to plan a wedding so that took up plenty of my time! But if I didn’t go out and be with other people I still would’ve gone crazy.” Giving advice creates a bridge between the reader and the author and connects the two by the author giving the implication that she is talking directly to the reader.  By adding these little personal anecdotes into her article, Carissa is not only able to connect to her reader on a personal level but is able to boost her credibility on her authority to share advice on long distance relationships. When searching for advice people go to someone who has gone through the situation before and has experience. Women like to go to their friends in situations like these and since Carissa has created a bond of friendship, her reader feels confident in the advice she has to share about maintaining a long distance relationship.
           
Along with personal experiences, visuals are another big rhetorical tool an author can use to make that connection with their reader. In Carissa’s article, the first thing the reader sees when they start to read the article is an image of two people standing on opposite sides of the world with sad faces. The caption of the picture is “No Fair.” Since the reader of the article will most likely be in a long distance relationship herself, it is important for the author to provide visuals that allows the reader to relate to the topic at hand.  It can be assumed that this is what people in a long distance relationship say when they have to be away from their significant other. By adding in this picture the author evokes a somber mood as the reader realizes that they feel exactly the same way the two people in the picture feel. After going through her experiences and sharing what it takes and what it important to have in a long distance relationship, the author inserts a picture of herself and her husband that she had a long distance relationship with. Inserting this picture helps prove to her readers that long distance relationship can work and helps strengthens their relationship. The picture of her and her husband also makes the article more personal, which strengthens the bond of friendship the author has created. Overall, the images supported the author’s argument because it helped the reader to visualize what a long distance relationship requires. Through the heartache that may be encountered one’s relationship can grow stronger and learn to conquer hard things. The images help hook the reader into reading the article and it strengthens the effectiveness the structure of the article has on the reader.
           
The structure of the article is another tool the author uses, which is very apparent and makes it easy for the reader to read. The author made bolded headings for each section that she is going to talk about, making it so that the reader knows what exactly helped make the authors relationship work. By breaking her argument down into sections it was strengthened because it was clear on what she was going to say but also kept the reader reading. This is because especially on a blog, if there is a big block of text it is very hard for the reader to keep interest. Within the sections, the author follows a certain structure as well. In each section, Carissa gives advice on how each suggestion will help a long distance relationship and then will share a personal experience about that particular topic. The structure of the article not only makes it easier for the reader to understand but it helps make the article more fluid.  The structure of the article helps the reader logically go through the argument to help them understand her argument from point to point. Organization is a key factor in making sure the reader fully understands and can keep track of what is being said in the article. The author, organizes the article perfectly to showcase each of her points that she brings up to convince her audience that they too can make a long distance relationship work.
           
Carissa develops an effective argument through the use of personal experiences, visuals, and structure. All three of these devices convince and reassure her audience that they too, can survive and make a long distance relationship work. Through these tools, she is able to connect with her audience on a very personal level. By putting these rhetorical devices in use she proves to her audience that it is bearable to be in a long distance relationship. Going through the experience of being a part is worth the reward in the end, which is a strengthened and more loving relationship because they both appreciate each other more.

2.24.2012

RA reflection.

Did I like writing the RA paper you ask?
Negativo.

Writing the RA just wasn't as fun as writing the OpEd. {One}because in the OpEd I got to share my opinion and stance on something that was really important to me. {Two} I just think that RA papers are kind of boring...a little harsh? {Three} I had a hard time writing the RA for two reasons. The first being, even though I thought my article was interesting, it was a little difficult to find good rhetorical devices and analyze them...my bad... and the second being I have always had a hard time with these types of papers.

I did get a lot of help and direction from the peeps at the writing lab, the peer review and the conference with Husberg.

I don't mind writing RA's but they aren't my first choice.

Have a fabulous weekend and....

May the odds be ever in your favor.

Countdown: 27 days

2.22.2012

OpEd v. RA

If we are being honest I thought that both the OpEd and the RA peer review were both really helpful. Peer review is better then no peer review. Plus I really like the aspect of peer reviews because you get someones point of view that is in the same boat as you.

With the the RA peer review I liked getting multiple peoples insights on what I could do to improve my paper. Except with the OpEd peer review I really liked working one on one with a partner and that we were able to go more in depth in what could be improved, rather than general things.
    Comparing the two, I think that my OpEd paper improved a lot more than my RA paper did after the peer review. So for the future, personally, I would rather go with the OpEd style of peer review. 

    and that is it.

    Check it. I know this song has recently became really popular and apparently there is a glee version of it out there somewhere {I would advise not listening to it...} but I cannot get enough. I really want to go to their concert in March. We'll see...

    2.20.2012

    the long weekend.


    I hope everyones weekend was amazing! I know I'm a little late on this post but I was at a cabin up in Idaho playing in multiple feet of snow, cross country skiing, and sitting by a fire the entire weekend. I know, I have such a hard life.

    The drive was about a total of 5 hours one way, so 10 hours total. Road trips can either be really fun or the most miserable thing you experience in your entire life. We all know there are some essentials to keep you sane while making the voyage.

    1. A bomb playlist or mixed CDs, which ever strikes your fancy. On theses playlists/mixed CDs you need to make sure there is a balanced mixed of new and old favorites.
    2. Plenty of snacks to chow down on because what else do you do on road trips? my point exactly...
    3. Drinks, to stay hydrated of course, but it is very important to synchronize your drinking habits with the other passengers in the car so you don't have to make too many pit stops at gross gas station bathrooms.
    4. A camera to document the trip and any mishaps that happen along the way. For example, you happen to get a flat tire and you don't have a jack and you are stuck on the side of the road by some cows in the middle of Idaho but suddenly an angel is sent from above to save the day! {True story}

    There you go, your road trip survival guide.

    2.15.2012

    language of the figurative variety.

    Rhetorical Questions:
    • "A LDR can be successful, but if you don't trust the other person?"
    Tone:
    • Her tone is very causal and conversational, like she is talking to a close friend
    • "If you don't them then you'll go nuts!"
    • "I still would've gone crazy, friends are a great distraction and will keep your spirit up!"
    Imagery:

    • I can picture a girl and the things she described about her relationship as she talks through it with her audience because she is sincere in wanting to help people with their LDR. 
    Ok I just had to share this! My best friend from home, who goes to school in California,  recorded some demos and they are finally finished! I am so proud of her that I just had to share some of them!

    Enjoy!





    2.08.2012

    RA thesis statement.

    In the article "Long Distance Relationships", the author uses personal experiences, visuals, and structure to create a sense of certainty to convince the reader that they can make a long distance relationship work.

    2.04.2012

    Potential Articles.

    So I have been flipping through the many pages of the interweb this morning and have found a few OpEd articles that I think are intreresting. I do warn you, being the indecisive person I am, there is no guarantee that one of these three articles will be the one.

    1. I found my first article on, what I assume is, the NY Times opinion editorial blog.  The author is sharing how kids behavior today are not as bad as when she was growing up back in the 80's or even the 90's and that parents shouldn't worry so much about their kid.


    2. My next article I found on USA TODAY. The author shares their opinion on how not hiring smokers crosses the privacy line. Their audience is people in the work force who smoke but possibly also those who don't. 

    3. My 3rd idea for an article is from this blog, in the article she talks about what she thinks it takes to make a long distance last, as she has been in one before. Her audience is anybody in a long distance relationship or heading into one.

    Have a great weekend!  

    2.01.2012

    a reflection.

    Usually when people ask me what I thought about an experience, I usually just say: "It was good." That's it and I move on. But just for you Prof. Chris Husberg, I will fully reflect on my OpEd experience.

    I had never written an OpEd before and was pleasantly surprised by how much I really enjoyed the whole process of coming up with ideas and then writing the paper. Whenever I hear the words "write a paper", I cringe and want to run the other way, but this time I did neither. I think the fact that we brainstormed and developed our papers here on our blogs is what really made my experience a positive one. I loved that we were able to help each other out on our brainstorms by commenting and putting in our two cents on each other topics.

    I was very pleased with my paper and with how it turned out. It gave me a chance to voice my opinion on a topic I didn't think I had a lot to say about. I really liked publishing my final copy here on the blog, instead of just handing in a hard copy because having to add in different types of rhetoric like video or pictures,  helped strengthen my argument. For me, this really made the difference in how I was able to influence my reader.  The peer review was extremely helpful but I didn't think going to the writing center was as effective as I thought it would. In conclusion, during this whole process I learned that I am still developing and fine tuning my voice as a writer. Also, I like to share my opinion.

    The end.