17 January 2016 - ENTRY 17: RECOGNIZING YOUR OPPOSITION Identify and Define: One may start by acknowledging that some hold an opposing viewpoint – possibly strongly. One can accommodate the opposition, that is, understand the readers’ concerns and use those concerns to help the reader understand, and possibly convert to, the author’s point of view. Finally, the author may choose to refute the opposing viewpoint. This is when the author explains that the opposition’s argument is baseless or not as strong as they may feel. Including opposing viewpoints in an argumentative essay is often useful as it encourages the reader to feel that the writer has thoroughly researched their topic. It his helpful in dispelling the fear that the writer may be biased and has not considered both sides. It also allows the work to be presented in a manner seemingly more fair and complete, making it seem as though the writer knows their subject matter and is not simply ranting their own opinions. Reflect: I feel that acknowledging Pachauri’s argument would have been highly effective had it been handled in a better manner. It seemed that Hamilton used Pachauri’s words only as a jumping off point to start a rant. It would have been much more effective had she compared his views and her own. Had she actually addressed what Pachauri said and expressed her views on the matter, offering evidence to support her case, it would have felt that she had addressed the matter fairly. It would have been a more convincing essay. As it was, it seemed only as though Hamilton had used Pachauri’s words to open a door to the subject, not as though she was addressing an opposing view. 19 January 2016 - ENTRY 18: COURSE REFLECTION Reflect: According to the survey taken at ... ... middle of paper ... ...o work through, partly because of assignments that cannot be graded by computer and therefore take time to return, and partly because instructions for assignments were frequently unclear or missing entirely and I was forced to wait to hear back from the instructors. Because of this I found myself working behind my study planner’s goal dates. In order to complete my semester on time, I felt that I did not have very long to finish several of my projects, in spite of the fact that I worked on the reading and the journal constantly and moved on to the next prewriting or essay assignment as soon as I received the previous assignment or the answer to my questions. In the future I will continue to ask questions if I do not understand the material or if parts of the directions are missing. I will continue to revise and edit more thoroughly than I have in the past, as well.
When I first encountered the word argument in this chapter I thought that I would be informed on what an argument is and how to construct an argument in an essay. After reading the chapter I think arguments much more than creating diversity over a topic. Also, it is much more than making a claim. There are many different styles and ways to present an argument.
Growing up, my parents never expected perfection but expected that I try to accomplish my best. The effort I’ve put forth in learning has been reflected in my grades throughout my high school career. I’ve entered myself in vigorous course work such as AP Government and AP English to become well prepared for my college career, all while maintaining a 4.4 grade point average this year. Not only do I engage in AP classes, but up until this year I had no study halls. I wanted my day to be packed full of interesting classes that I would enjoy learning about. My grades and choice of classes prove the effort that I put forth in my learning. Working hard now can only pay off in the future. Learning now creates a well-rounded human being. Working to learn is why I am so dedicated to my studies now.
Before the start of this school year, I was not clueless as to how to craft an argument, but, to say the least, I was unexperienced. I thought that “argumentative” was simply a fancy name for “persuasive”—needless to say, I was mistaken. Blinded by this fallacy, I avoided acknowledging any opposing views in my essays (such as in my TV argumentative impromptu), which only made it seem as if I did not have sufficient information to defend my arguments. I thought I had to induce my audience to agree with me and that if I mentioned any alternatives, I would lose them.
The expression argument has two meanings in scholarly writing. First, it means a composition that takes a position on one side of a divisive issue. You might write an argument against the death penalty, or for or against censorship of pornography. But argument has another meaning, too. It means an essay that, simply, argues a point. You might assemble an argument about the significance of ancestor myths in a certain aborigine culture, or you might write an argument defending your understanding of any poem or essay that is read in your philosophy class. (Winthrop University) You are not necessarily taking one side of a divisive issue, but you are required to defend your points with credible evidence. You are taking a position. In a sense, then, an argument is another word for a thesis. An argument needs to be narrow enough for you to support in the length of essay assigned. Typically, we think of winners and losers of arguments. Our practice of argument goes back to traditional Greece when speakers tried to influence fellow voters in the early democratic debates over guiding principles. (Kiefer) Building on this ritual of pro and con, our legal system goes even further to put emphasis on the adversarial nature of many arguments. But arguments don't always have to believe that readers make a yes/no, innocent/guilty, on/off decision. Many arguments build toward compromise. An approach most authors don't describe is called Rogerian argument. Rogerian expression was introduced by Young, Becker and Pike in their 1970 textbook, Rhetoric: Discovery and Change. (Brent) Traditional rhetoric, Young, Becker and Pike asserted, assumes an adversarial affiliation in which the speaker uses modes of influence to break down the audience's oppositi...
Although I started off strong determined to finish my assignments and in hopes of obtaining superb grades, my determination grew weak I when I was nearly or halfway done. I would just slack off until the assignment was nearly due, then I would rush to finish it. On the second essay that I was assigned, I started off strong, but halfway through I just didn’t give it my all. I did so because I believed that I would pass even if I didn’t try my hardest. My lack of motivation, as well as many other reasons, caused me to fail that essay. My determination helped me to achieve much in this class, but because I didn’t have enough of it I got lazy and it held me back from my full
So far this year, I felt pretty satisfied with my progress this semester. I feel like I am slowly adapting to the new way papers and assignments are handled. All my college work depends solely on me now. No one is going to baby me anymore and whether I succeed or fail depends on how much effort I put into something. For the first time in my life I wrote a paper. Not just a five paragraph essay but actual pages, which is extremely challenging. It’s also been my first time studying for five hours straight so I can pass an actual test. I didn’t know I possessed this level of dedication, it’s probably because it isn’t free.
...rifying my supporting sentences. Even though my writing still has areas that need improvement, I have fulfilled the objectives to certain degree. Some of the objectives I only met to a minimum, but those objectives will be fully grasped with further development of my writing. My academic writing has also improved by me taking time to fully understand who my audience will be. I use appropriate tone and language to appeal to my audience, so my thoughts will be understood. Creating an essay that flows with organization and transitional phrases also improves my academic writing by showing I understand what I am writing about. Completing the assignments for English Composition 101 were challenging and sometimes were quite difficult. Nonetheless, I would not have learned how to grow in academic writing without pushing myself to complete the objective for this course.
Argument can be defined as claim or thesis statement. The aim of an argument is to convince audience. It is essential to make sound argument so that audience could engage in and align with the author’s view. Therefore, one of the key elements could be identified as the awareness of audience. Another key element is evidence. In order to persuade audience, argument should be consolidated through evidence and authority. The credibility of author and argument could be enhanced by means of using evidence and referring to authorities. The strength of evidence could determine the degree of sound argument. Besides, sound argument should be logical. Firstly, evidence should be consistent with arguments. Secondly, the structure of argument should be clear. It consists of premise and conclusion. The function of premise is to state proposition. The conclusion is based on and supported by accurate premise. In sound argument both premise and conclusion are valid. However, according to Tyler, Kossen and Ryan (2005: 168) sound argument is both valid which means logically consistent and true argument. Hence, the premise of an argument also need to be true. Furthermore, counterargument could be considered as another key element of sound argument. Using counterargument in text can reinforce writer’s argument through discussing and addressing opposed opinion. However, writers need to ensure that your reply to counterargument is consistent with your main argument. The last element is to avoid fallacies. There are two kinds of common fallacies, legitimate and illegitimate methods of argument. Both of them may lead to flaw or fault in the reasoning and logic.
The death penalty is a highly controversial and hotly debated topic. The death penalty is completely obsolete in western English speaking countries; the only exception the United States of America. Capital Punishment is only used in cases of treason and in murder 1. Supporters of the death penalty believe that putting a killer to death gives the family of the murdered knowledge that justice was served. The opposition to the death penalty believes that the punishment is too “final”: it offers no possibility of rehabilitation. Both sides, however, recognize the need for a change in the justice system regarding capital punishment. The common issue is finding a punishment which is harsh enough to deter crime but still offers the chance of rehabilitation. The standard form of execution is use of lethal injection, in which the convicted is bound to a chair and injected with sodium thiopental to cause unconsciousness, pancuronium bromide to induce paralysis, and potassium chloride to stop the heart. Texas is the state most liberal in their use of the death penalty, with 34% of the national total since 1976. The death penalty has been a part of civilization for all of man’s existence, starting in Ancient Greece and Egypt and continuing on through today.
In the second essay I used the writing process and the outcome was way better. So I learned that so things are there to be learned and that will benefit you in college. Also I learned to be responsible when it comes to grades, turn in assignments due in class, and many other things. I learned this lesson because one day I didn’t turned in an assignment on time and the teacher said that it was a 0 for the day. In high school some teacher, like Ms. Perez, give the students the chance to turn in work the next day, but at that time I realized I was not in high school. So I got my schedule of homework on point and I decided to turn in all my college work on time. The outcome was good grades on assignment and not misunderstood with the instructor. “Be on time if you can’t be there early.” Said by Robin Sharma. Being on time is important to any individual, going into a date, to work and to class. You have to be responsible on be on time wherever they cited you, it is a sign of respect. One day my dad took me to get a new phone, knowing that I had college class. I was in Nuevo Laredo and it took a lot to get me my phone, so I arrived to class late. The students where already taking an exam. I asked Mr. Benavides “what
Application: As a manager, I used to work in a team of five people. The colleges that I had was wonderful, but the clients were not that nice. There are situations in which I had to communicate with my clients to explain over and over again about certain terms or definitions on the contract. I do think it is one’s duty to fully understand the contract before he signs it, but most clients don’t actually understand that the contract is what constrains us. Arguing with me will not help to fulfill his demand. But I had to confront these people every once in a while. That is where cognitive dissonance grows. Patient
This past week’s reading contained multiple concepts and ideas that I feel can add to any piece of writing, whether it be argumentative, persuasive, or informative. One of the major ideas we discussed in class was the idea of providing objections to the arguments you are trying to make. Before I read this section I was against the idea of presenting a counter argument in my piece as I thought that I would either take away from my existing argument or that it would make my writing seem unimportant. However, Graff and Birkenstein explain that objections to your argument can in reality help improve your viewpoint on the subject and prevent you from appearing closeminded. After having introduced the objection to your argument you can then address the issues and provide your stance on the subject matter and explain the reasoning why you do not agree with the counterargument.
As explained in class, we may have a student who never completes assignments and from that viewpoint, we determined that the student is a lazy person and more than likely does not care about the class. There exist that single chance of being correct on the inference of the students life; however, it so happened to turn out the student loves the discussions in the classroom but is struggling to find a balance between school, home, and work. The student may have collapsed in the wake of anxiety as soon as they sat down to begin a paper f...
It was the summer before my freshman year of college, and I had decided to get my foreign language requirement out of the way. I took an online Spanish class, figuring that it would make my fall semester much more enjoyable if I didn’t have my least favorite subject to worry about. The first week of class, I realized that doing four months’ worth of Spanish in less than two months was not going to be an easy task. For the record, I am a good student, and I can usually make good grades with a limited schedule. However, I bumped up to working 35 hours a week this summer as well as watching my younger siblings in the evenings, so help myself stay afloat, I searched the internet for help with my homework. I am not proud of this, but I have to tell
My willingness was not as prepared as I wanted to be, I found that out later in the semester. I wasn 't really into studying mainly because I had “better” things to do