Writing Log 9

This paper was a lot different form the last two especially because I feel like I had more knowledge on writing and a lot to think about when revising my paper, such as was it concise and did I have good sentence variation.
When revising my paper I really tried to make it concise but had trouble deciding what to get rid of. I also felt that since my final draft was longer than my first draft that it wasn't as concise, but I think this is because I added more to my paper before editing it for concision. Also I felt my paper was lacking in some detail in the first draft.

I think adding the outside sources that I did will help the audience to be able to relate and understand my paper a little bit better because not everyone has a background on some of the things I mentioned. I thought it was important to sort of fill in the gaps for reader who would not share the same knowledge I had growing up as a child.

I also tried to show more instead of tell. I added some more imagery and tried to appeal to the senses in my final draft. I really struggled with this part and I'm not sure I did too well with it. I think it is also difficult going from reading amazing essays by writers such as Tan, Douglas, and Welty and then read my essay in comparison. In my future writing I think I will have to work on showing the reader instead of just telling them.

Sports Extravaganza: Final Draft

As a child I spent more time outside playing than I did inside. When I was outside I was always playing some kind of sport with my brothers and neighbors. As the youngest of three children, and the only girl, I always felt like I needed to prove myself to my brothers. I’m sure they didn’t really care if I was good at sports or not, but I always felt since they were bigger, stronger, and older if I could beat them it would really be saying something about me. It would also provide me with a lot of bragging rights.

In the household I grew up in, we were always encouraged to get out and play as many sports as we could as often as possible. My father was really into sports because he had been brought up playing them and he invited us to share in his passion as well. If we ever showed any interest in a sport he would buy us whatever we needed or wanted without hesitation. We had equipment for nearly every sport whether we played it leisurely or competitively. I can remember going to out to the garage and seeing nothing but a sea of sports equipment; it looked like we had our own used sporting goods store right in our garage.

Living in a neighborhood filled with kids around my age who also loved to play sports was perfect for me. Early in the summer mornings all the kids in the neighborhood would wake up and come outside. On an ideal day the air would be warm and the sky would be cloudless, but regardless of the weather, we would still be outside playing. The only time we ever stopped to take a break was to eat lunch or when our mothers would call us in for dinner. If the sun didn’t have to go to bed every night, I’m not sure we would have either. As children living in Pittsburgh, we normally played sports like baseball, hockey, and football that were big in the area because there were pro sports teams for them in the city.

Different days meant different sports for us to indulge in. The neighbors who lived behind my family had an enormous backyard that was perfect for baseball. We spent countless summer days in what felt like our own little PNC Park. As the littlest one that played baseball, I was sure to be picked last. The only way I ever got picked sooner was if one of my older brothers was captain and they wanted to make me feel good. Once everyone divided up into two teams it was time to “play ball”. While playing, I often found myself with the taste of dirt in my mouth and my clothes sticking to me from my sweat. My left hand was always pruned after taking it out of my mitt between innings, and it always smelt like leather and sweat. Most people would not think of running in circles around bases for hours upon hours as fun, but it never failed to entertain us.

Some other days we spent playing street hockey. We had our skates strapped tight on our feet and in our hands were smooth wooden sticks with tape at the top for grip. The sticks smelt like a mix of sweat and mildew from us using them so much and from our hand sweat getting on them. We had two red raggedy, plastic goals that were worn down from being shot on so much, and the nets on them were once white but had turned a sort of brown from getting so dirty. We frequently found ourselves having to move the goals every so often so that a car could pass through what we claimed as our hockey arena. It probably wasn’t the safest idea playing in the middle of the road, but it’s the only place that was big enough for all of us to rollerblade on.

Hockey was always my favorite sport to play because it was the one I was best at and the games got quite competitive. We were constantly checking into each other and knocking each other onto the ground. We played every game like it was game seven of the Stanley Cup final where you either win it all or go home with nothing. My brother often found himself pretending to be goaltender Patrick Roy, his favorite player from the Colorado Avalanche; while I always wanted to be like Mario Lemieux, the star forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins. According to The Encyclopedia of World Biography on Patrick Roy, when Roy left the NHL he was the all-time career leader in victories and games played as a goaltender (Gale, par. 1). This would explain why my brother wanted to be just like him.

If we weren’t playing baseball or hockey, it’s likely that we were playing football. Steeler football was very big in Pittsburgh and still is. During the time I was living in Pittsburgh they already had four Super Bowl wins, which, according to the NFL’s official website, was only one shy of the San Francisco 49ers and tied with the Dallas Cowboys at the time (NFL Super Bowl History 1). This shows that the Steelers have a big football franchise and explains why people are such dedicated fans. We always started out playing two hand touch in the backyard, but it always seemed to turn into tackle by the end of the game. Since I was the littlest out of everyone, I frequently found myself being tossed about the backyard like a little rag doll getting grass stains on my clothes and scrapes and bruises all over my body. The only way for me to escape being flung like this was to outrun the competition. The only problem with that was that their legs were much longer and stronger than mine. Once I got the ball I was pretty much doomed to being knocked down, but this still did not keep me from trying my best in the game. No matter how much I got thrown around I would not stop playing because I could not allow myself to be called a quitter.

Although my experience does not seem exactly like Welty’s, it is actually quite similar. Welty talks about her parents not being able to afford books as children. She says “”my father was all the while carefully selecting and ordering away for what he and Mother thought we children should grow up with.” (Kelly 362). Just as Welty’s parents valued books when they were younger, my parents valued playing sports; therefore, they found it important to spend money on providing us with equipment to play whatever sports we chose.

Also, just like Welty uses the skills she learned while reading in her everyday life, I also use what I learned as a child playing sports in my everyday life especially when I started playing sports in high school. Always pushing myself to be my best when I was little formed good habits for when I was older. Once I got to high school, I refused to give up and I always pushed myself to test my limits not only in games but also in practices. It is probably because of the drive I had when I was little that I was able to be captain in two of the sports I played in high school. I also still use this drive when I workout while at school to keep myself healthy.

The work ethic I learned while playing sports also relates to my schoolwork as well because it taught me to never give up and to push myself to do my best. I also has made me competitive and showed me not to settle for mediocre work. When I do an assignment I make sure it is done to the best of my ability. I would be lost in life if I did not have sports because they have played such a big role in helping me become who I am today.


Work Cited

Gale, Thompson. “Encyclopedia of World Biography on Patrick Roy”. Bookrags. Web. 23 July 2009.

“History”. NFL.com. 2009. National Football League. Web. 23 July 2009.

Kelly, Joseph. The Seagull Reader Essays New York: W. W Norton, 2007. Print.

Writing Log 8

The feedback I received was very useful. It gave me a lot of great ideas for how to improve my essay. I agree with them that I did more of telling than showing, but I think their suggestions will help me with how to show instead when I do my final draft.

I also think I need to add more pathos and figure out how to incorporate all of the senses for the reader to experience.

I also have good ideas how to add outside information into my essay. This will allow my audience to better relate to my essay. However, I think I'm going to have to play with it a little bit and see which ideas will work best.

Sports Extravaganza

As a child I spent more time outside playing than I did inside. Living in a neighborhood full of other kids around my age was ideal. As the youngest of three children, and the only girl, I always felt like I needed to prove myself to my brothers. I’m sure they didn’t really care if I was good at sports or not, but I always felt since they were bigger, stronger, and older if I could beat them it would really be saying something about me. It would also provide me with a lot of bragging rights.

In the household I grew up in, we were always encouraged to get out and play as many sports as we could as often as possible. My father was really into sports and invited us to share in that passion as well. If we ever showed any interest in a sport he would buy us whatever we needed or wanted, without hesitation, so that we were able to play that sport. We had equipment for nearly every sport whether we played it leisurely or competitively. I can remember going to out to the garage and seeing nothing but a sea of sports equipment. I’m pretty sure we could have opened our own used sporting goods store with all the equipment in our garage.

Living in a neighborhood filled with kids around my age who also loved to play sports was perfect for me. Early in the summer mornings all the kids in the neighborhood would wake up and come outside. On an ideal day the air would be warm and the sky would be cloudless, but regardless of the weather, we would still be outside playing. The only time we ever stopped to take a break was to eat lunch or when our mothers would call us in for dinner, and most of the time we would bring out big jugs of lemonade or water to quench our thirst so we did not have to go inside. If the sun didn’t have to go to bed every night, I’m not sure we would have either. There was always a game to be played, and everyone was always ready to play. As children living in Pittsburgh, we normally played sports that were big in that area. These included baseball, hockey, and football.

Different days meant different sports for us to indulge in. The neighbors who lived behind my family had a massive backyard that was perfect for baseball. We spent countless summer days in what felt like our own little PNC Park. As the littlest one that played baseball, I was sure to be picked last. The only way I ever got picked sooner was if one of my older brothers was captain and they wanted to make me feel good. If I didn’t get picked last I was feeling like a million bucks because at the time I did not realize they were just doing it to make me feel good about myself. Once everyone divided up into two teams it was time to “play ball”. We had benches set up like our own little dugout and often spent hours upon hours going into extra innings that weren’t even necessary, but were nonetheless enjoyable. Most people would not think of running in circles around bases for hours upon hours as fun, but it never failed to entertain us.

Some other days we spent playing street hockey. This was always my favorite sport to play and the games often got quite competitive. We played every game like it was game seven of the Stanley Cup final where you either win it all or go home with nothing. My brother often found himself pretending to be goaltender Patrick Roy, his favorite player from the Colorado Avalanche; while I always wanted to be like Mario Lemieux, the star forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins. We had two red raggedy, plastic goals that were worn down from being shot on so much. The nets on them were once white but had turned a sort of brown from getting so dirty. We frequently found ourselves having to move the goals every so often so that a car could pass through the road. It probably wasn’t the safest idea playing in the middle of the road, but it’s the only place that was big enough for all of us to rollerblade on. Countless hours were spent skating back and forth on that hot pavement trying to put the ball in the goal. I think this was my favorite sport because it was one where I could help make plays and did not need to be very strong.

If we weren’t playing baseball or hockey, it’s likely that we were playing football. We always started out playing two hand touch in our big, grassy backyard. After we had been playing the game for a while, and emotions got brought into play, it always seemed to get a little bit more aggressive and turn into tackle. Since I was the littlest one out of everyone, I frequently found myself being tossed about the backyard like a little rag doll. The only way for me to escape being flung like this was to outrun the competition. The only problem with that was that their legs were much longer and stronger than mine. Once I got the ball I was pretty much doomed to being knocked down, but this still did not keep me from trying my best in the game. No matter how much I got thrown around I would not stop playing, mostly because my brothers would make fun of me and call me a “baby” or a “chicken”. Even though it sounds like torture, it was still entertaining and fun to me.

Although my experience does not seem exactly like Welty’s, it is actually quite similar. Welty talks about her parents not being able to afford books as children. She says “”my father was all the while carefully selecting and ordering away for what he and Mother thought we children should grow up with.” (362).Just as Welty’s parents valued books when they were younger, my parents valued playing sports so they found it important to spend money on providing us with equipment to play whatever sports we chose.

Also, just like Welty uses the skills she learned while reading in her everyday life, I also use what I learned as a child playing sports in my everyday life. It all came in very handy when I started playing sports in high school. Always pushing myself to be my best when I was little formed good habits for when I was older. Once I got to high school, I refused to give up and I always pushed myself to test my limits not only in games but also in practices. It is probably because of the drive I had when I was little that I was able to be captain in two of the sports I played in high school. I still use this drive when I workout while at school to keep myself healthy.

The work ethic I learned while playing sports also relates to my schoolwork as well because it taught me to never give up and to push myself to do my best. I also has made me competitive and showed me not to settle for mediocre work. When I do an assignment I make sure it is done to the best of my ability.


*I know I still need to add outside sources I was just struggling with how to put those in. I also wasn't quite sure on how to conclude my paper.

Writing Log 7

I thought this paper was the hardest to get started on out of all three. When I was reading the topics none of them really set off a lighbulb in my head as something I would be able to relate to at first. It took quite a lot of brainstorming just to come up with what I wanted to write about, and I would say that was the biggest stage of my prewriting process.

After deciding what I was going to write about, I set up a very basic outiline. It looked similar to this:

~Intro
~Three different sports
>baseball
>hockey
>soccer
~Relate my text to Welty's
~Conclusion

From here I started my writing phase.

Lecture 14 Quiz

The room I hung out in most as a child was my bedroom. The design was similar to an African safari. The bed, lamp, and wallpaper were all animal print, and the curtains were black; there were even fake trees to give it a more realistic feel. However, it always had an ominous ambiance most likely because of the black curtains.Although it was my bedroom, after my grandmother, dying of cancer moved in, I would never call it my room again. I gave my room to her and moved into my brother’s.

In a corner was a small Mickey Mouse play kitchen set which looked very out of place in the African safari. Although this was my favorite toy, it was not often that I played with it after my grandmother moved in. I would only go in and play with it when she was out of the house because I did not want to disturb her.

Once my grandmother passed, I rarely set foot in that room. It had even more of an eerie feeling, because of the memories that lingered. My parents tried to get me to go back to my room, giving me my own space once again, but I would always reply, "That's not my room anymore. It's Grandma's." I was content sleeping on the top bunk of my brother’s bunk beds. It was not until we moved into a different house that I would consider moving into my own bedroom.

(361 to 246, about 32%)

Reading Log 9

In Me Talk Pretty One Day, I thought there was a really good use of dialogue. Sedaris used this to directly show how his teacher spoke to him. It allowed her harshness to be seen in full instead of being sugar coated by paraphrasing. Another thing that I thought was very genius was his use of the French words in his professor’s dialogue. This allowed the reader to feel just as lost as he was in this class. I know while I was reading it I was forced to just skip over those words because I had no chance at all of knowing what they meant, which I think was the author’s intended effect.

Sedaris also did a good job of showing how he was feeling. Toward the end when he said, “I knew my fear was getting the best of me when I started wondering why they don’t sell cuts of meat in vending machines.” (289). I thought this really showed the reader the fear the author was experiencing. It made me reflect on how desperate one would have to be to have a thought like that. This gave more insight than just simply saying he was frightened to talk to anyone.

He also characterized his teacher very well. He made her seem like Hitler’s sister or something along those lines. Again, as the reader, I felt that I would not want to be in a classroom with a teacher like this, and that I would drop that class after the very first day. The first thing that really caught my attention about this teacher being ruthless is when Sedaris said, “She hadn’t yet punched anyone, but it seemed wise to protect ourselves against the inevitable.” (288). That should be enough to invoke fear in any reader.

The author also did a good job of not adding a lot of ineffectual information. All of it seemed to have a purpose and reinforced his image of this evil teacher and the terrible time he had in French class.

Lecture 13 Quiz

There was always that one room that I resided in most days while my mother would clean downstairs, cook, or do other house hold chorus. That room was my bedroom. The design was similar to one that anyone would think of when they think of the African safari. The bed, lamp, and wallpaper were all animal print, and the curtains were black. There were even fake trees to give it a more realistic feel. However, it always had a sort of dark feel to it, I think mostly because of the black curtains.

Although it was my bedroom, after sometime I would never call it my room again. When I was young my grandmother became very ill with cancer. After sometime she moved in with us so that it would be easier for my mother to take care of her, which meant me giving up my room and moving into my brother's.

In a corner, very much out of place, was a small Mickey Mouse play kitchen set. It seems kind of funny looking back on it now; a Mickey Mouse play kitchen set in the middle of the safari. Although this was my favorite toy, it was not often that I played with it after my grandmother moved in. Only on occasion, when she was out of the house would I go into my room and play with it. This was mostly because I did not want to disturb my her while she was not feeling well.

Once my grandmother passed, I rarely set foot in that room. It had even more of an eerie feeling, not just because it was dark, but because of the memories that were still there. I considered it her room, as if her soul still lingered there. My parents tried to get me to go back to my room, giving me my own space once again, but I would always reply, "That's not my room anymore. It's Grandma's." I was content living in my brother's room, sleeping on the top bunk of his bunk beds. It was not until we moved into a different house that I would consider moving into my own bedroom.


*As a sidenote, this paper took a lot of consideration seeing as the first 15 years of my life I lived in nine different houses which gave me a lot of rooms to consider and I did not ever really have one room that I have a lot of memories in. They sort of all blend together for me, and some of the houses I can barely remember.

Reading Log 8

In Didion's essay, I think her idea of keeping a notebook is analogous to someone who keeps a scrap book. Although it may be shown to someone else, the real reason for keeping it is to remind yourself of the fun times you've had in life and to be able to reminisce about the past.

Although it may appear at first that Didion is not writing for a particular purpose, I think it can be argued that she is trying to persuade readers to keep a their own personal notebooks. Almost the entire essay is spent giving reasons why keeping a notebook is a good idea and what it has meant to her. Another reason I say this is persuasive is because she brings in outside opinions and argues against them. For example she says, “We are brought up in the ethic that others, any others, are by definition more interesting than ourselves; taught to be diffident, just this side of self-effacing.”(78). However, Didion does not want to remember to happened to others, she wants to remember what she experienced. She also argues that keeping a notebook is an easy way to keep track of what happened in your life, and also gives you something to do to keep yourself from being bored.

She does have a good point when she talks about people remembering what their experience of life was like. At the present time you might think something is important, but what is really going to matter in the end is that you had a good time and enjoyed whatever it was that you were doing.

In Welty’s essay, I think she does exactly what Didion is trying to encourage her readers to do, write about meaningful things in one’s life. I would say that Welty does not show much concern for her audience. She is mostly talking about memories that would only seem interesting to her or her family. I say this because there is no conflict or problem in her essay, she is simply telling about what she liked to read growing up. If this essay had any purpose at all to a broad audience I would say that it is to encourage them to read and also give suggestions of books the author found entertaining.

I personally have never kept a notebook, but this is probably because I do not see myself as a writer or someone who is gifted in the area of English and writing. It is also hard for me to narrow down and organize my thoughts when I am thinking about such broad topics such as what happened in my day. I would much rather do something like make a scrapbook to keep track of my memories. I think everyone has different ways to reminisce about the past and writing may not be the best way for everyone.

I do not have the same opinion as Welty when it comes to voice. I do not read and write in the same voice. When I read a piece of literature, especially if it is written well, I will hear it in what I imagine the author’s voice to sound like. I know language is important, but I do not feel like everything needs to be written down in words to be valued as important. If someone is not as gifted in composing literature, there are other ways for them to get their thoughts across to others.

Lecture 12 Quiz

In Sarah Palin's video, the entire thing is a timeline of her life. It tells a story of how she grew up and highlights her accomplishments. I think one thing that is very obvious in this video was the use of ethos and evidence. They both go hand in hand as the narrator tries to explain why Palin would make a good vice president while giving support by talking about her achievements as mayor, governor, and managing a household. The narrator also uses a bit of pathos by trying to make Palin seem like the girl next door when he tells of her experiences of moose hunting and being a hockey mom. This builds a relationship with the audience that allows them to connect to her, and I think this really helped McCain in getting votes during the election.

In the Joe Biden video, I think he uses pathos to his advantage the most. Talking about losing members of his family and dealing with that hardship really allowed him to draw the audience in. He also made good use of ethos by talking about past accomplishments. It was also effective that he made references to working with former president Bill Clinton. Another rhetoric device that was very useful for Biden was acknowledgement and response. The fact that he talked in the video himself instead of having someone else narrate it made me feel like he cared more about the situation and was actually involved more in the process instead of just having someone else throw together a segment for him.

Extra Thoughts on Tan's Essay

I thought it was very interesting how Tan pointed out that people would treat her mother badly because she did not speak English very well. At first I thought to myself that seems absurd. However, after contemplating it a little bit longer I thought that she actually had a point.

I don't think people who speak clear English deliberately treat people who speak broken English poorly, but rather the do this unconsciously. I started thinking back to work where people come in sometimes and do not speak English. It is very hard for me to relay information to them and it also becomes quite frustrating not knowing how to explain things to them. As with the doctor in the hospital in Tan's essay, it is easier to speak to someone who can communicate effectively, which would explain why they were able to help her mother out after speaking to Tan.

From my experience I have a very good example of this. Say someone comes into my work by themselves and does not speak a word of English. It is very hard for me to ask them questions or to inform them of a problem. However, it is much easier if they have a child with them that speaks both English and the same language as their parent because they can make sure the information is received properly on both ends with a lot less confusion and frustration.

In conclusion, I feel like people were not trying to be demeaning to Tan's mother, rather there was just a communication error. Also, as this class centers around communicating ideas effectively, I think it is obvious that the more clearly and idea is presented, the better it is understood and received. This essay also demonstrates how important communication really is.

Reading Log 7

In Amy Tan’s essay, My Mother’s Tongue, she takes on a very calm and informative tone. Throughout the essay she is trying to explain her background to the audience. She tells that she was frustrated but through her tone the reader can tell she is accepting of the situation and happy to be who she is.

It seems that for Tan, speaking, writing, and reading are not related to thinking as much as they are to each other. She talks about thinking to herself about speaking, writing, and reading, but mostly how she speaks. She notices the differences in how she speaks to one person, her mother, and other people in her life like her husband and big groups of people. She points out that she speaks differently to her mother than to other people because her mother does not speak as well as the others.

One reason I say that speaking, writing, and reading are fairly closely related in the mind of Tan is due to the end of her essay where she talks about her mother reading her book and says that it is easy to read (314). This shows that when things are written simply and can be read easily, even people who cannot speak too well can still understand it. I think Tan’s purpose in writing is for everyone to be able to enjoy her reading, not just people who are very well informed in the subject of English.

On the other hand, in Frederick Douglas’ essay, I felt like all of these elements are separate from one another. He can speak and think fairly well when he is little, but he still cannot read or write. He faces quite a challenge when learning to read because it is forbidden that anyone teach him. Then, even after he learns how to read, he still cannot write. He must work in the lumber yard to gain some knowledge. Then, he uses it to trick people into teaching him how to write. He has to take everything in steps to be able to do all of them which really illustrates how they do not all come together at one time and must be learned separately.

However, it is critical that Douglas is able to do all of these things perfectly to relate to his audience. If he could not read, write, speak, or think clearly, his audience would view him as ignorant and he would lose a lot of his credibility. However, he does it so well people think he must be an imposture (96).

He also uses a very sincere and optimistic tone in his essay. His sincerity shows that he wants to accomplish his goal of getting the audience to see that he is a well educated African-American who can write just as well as any White. Likewise, his optimism shows that he is determined and can do anything he sets his mind to.

Writing Log 6

For me, this essay was a completely different challenge from the last paper. It involved more creativity and thinking. It wasn't just analyzing something. It was bringing my own experience and emotions into the paper.

I thought this paper was more difficult to get started on because it did involve so much creative thinking. However, I thought I was able to have a lot stronger of a voice and I also incorporated pathos a lot more effectively.

My paper changed so much from my first draft to my final draft. I was really unhappy with my first draft and decided to start over completely, just keeping the research that I had already done and my introduction. I feel that the final draft satisfies the prompt much better than my first draft. I also feel that it is just better all around, especially in the strength of the voice and adding my emotions to it.

One thing I was a little hesitant on was going and changing my paper completely. I just opened a new Word document and rewrote everything. I wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but in the end I felt it was better than what I originally had. The first draft kind of allowed me to just get some basic ideas down, while the final draft had more detail and specificity to it.

I was also unsure about keeping my introduction. I really liked it and even incorporated it back into my paper at the end, but I'm not sure if I would have been better off just starting with my second paragraph.

Next time, I think should really try to find what I want to say and then support it with information instead of finding information and supporting it with my thoughts like I did in my first draft.

Colorblind Love

Like dissolves like is a term commonly used in Chemistry to describe how solutes are dissolved in a solvent. Although this term was not intended to describe society, I think it does a pretty good job; for the most part, people of one race are generally surrounded by people of the same race. This also holds true for dating. Even if interracial couples are becoming more and more common, it is still not as common to see an interracial couple as it is to see a couple of the same race. In fact, until recently, this was unheard of and looked down upon, and it is still viewed as taboo by some people today.

Growing up I was taught to love my family no matter what and to stick with them through anything. Being a family that moved as much as we did, I quickly learned that people in your life will come and go but your family will always be there for you. Since I have such a close relationship with my family it is important for me to choose boyfriends that I think will fit in well with my family and that my parents will approve of. In the past I dated a boy that did not particularly like my family, especially my brothers, so as you can imagine we did not last for much longer after I found this out.

About two years ago, soon after this relationship was over, I met a boy at school. My school was about fifty percent White and fifty percent Black, what most people would consider to be well integrated. Everyone hung out with everyone; race was not something that was even questioned when making friends. With a school so well mixed, it was nothing out of the ordinary to see interracial couples around school, in fact this was something seen as quite normal. Therefore, it was not surprising that the boy I met at school was Black. Somehow our schedules were exactly the same, so after spending all day of every school day with this boy we became pretty good friends, and there was some physical attraction between the two of us. He was the star football player and I was a cheerleader, so even after school we saw each other and hung out before and after practices. One thing led to another and before I knew it we were going out on our first date. After a while I asked him to come over to my house to watch a movie one weekend, but him coming to my house also meant him meeting my parents.

For the most part my parents are very easy to get along with and are rather friendly. When they met this boy they were very fond of him. He was a well kept boy, very respectful and outgoing, and also an honor roll student who was taking the same honors and AP classes as I was, along with being our school’s most talented athlete. To most parents he would sound like a very good match for their daughter; some parents might even think of him as be too good to be true. However, once I told my parents we were thinking about dating, things became a little bit complicated. My mother had no problem with this. She knew he was a good boy and just wanted me to be with someone who would treat me well, especially after the last boy I had been with.
My dad, on the other hand, had a different opinion on things. He felt that I should not be dating a Black guy. His main reason for objecting was because he thought society would view this as taboo. In a study done by the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University, Professor Hongyu Wang said “To make their relationship successful, individuals involved in interracial relationships must learn how to manage public harassment such as evaluative, hostile, and discriminatory actions from strangers in the public” (Joyner, Kao, Wang 440 ). Although some people in society do view interracial couples as something that should not exist, this is becoming less and less common.

I had to argue with my dad that the society I was mostly exposed to, the one at school, had no objections to my dating choice and that there were plenty of other people involved in interracial relationships. In fact, in a journal article called Research on International and Interracial Marriages by Larry D. Barnett, he said, “The intermingling of young adults of different nationalities and races at the high school and college level is widely expected to be reflected over the long run in an increased rate of interracial marriage” (Barnett, par 3). It was ideas like this that were crossing through my mind while I was trying to explain things to my dad.
The hardest part for me throughout this whole thing was thinking to myself, “am I doing something wrong or is my dad in the wrong?” I was also faced with feeling like my dad was unhappy with me. Not only that, but wondering if something that felt so right could be wrong. Then, after telling the boy I liked what was happening at home, he was put in an awkward situation. He did not want to be involved in a family that was not accepting of him and I could not argue with him on that. We still saw each other at school and hung out, but not outside of school and he did not come back to my house for quite some time. It was extremely difficult for me to have to deal with all of these emotions. I wanted to be able to date who I wanted and have my family approve. However, it is difficult to have a healthy relationship with such conflict. “We hypothesize that adolescents in an interracial relationship perceive less support from their families than adolescents in intraracial relationships, therefore, they are more likely to experience relationship dissolution” (Joyner, Kao, Wang 439). Not having my dad’s approval did make it harder for me to continue with the relationship I had started, but I could not help but think about how so many people in history had been persecuted for doing what they felt was right, but society viewed as wrong. A perfect example of this is Martin Luther King Jr. in his essay A Letter from Birmingham Jail. In this letter, he included many cases where people were told they were wrong when they were not.

As time went on I felt it was necessary to really sit down and talk to my dad about the situation. I started out by asking him what he thought of the boy I had grown so fond of. He replied telling me that he really liked him as a person, and thought he had a bright future, just not with his daughter. I asked him why he would not want me to be with someone who is a good person with a bright future that treats me well, and he replied, “I don’t want people to look at you and call you names or think badly of you.” After thinking about it for a while, this response made more sense to me. When he was growing up interracial marriage was looked down upon, and for the first ten years of his life it was actually illegal. It was not until 1967 in the Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia that an interracial couple from Virginia overturned the previous laws that prohibited marriage between Blacks and Whites (Staples, par. 2).To me interracial marriage being illegal seems unfathomable, especially after I have seen so many younger couples all around me that are composed of multiple races.

During this talk I explained to my father that people in society do not look down upon interracial dating like they used to, especially the people of my generation. “Americans born in the 21st century will shake their heads in disbelief on learning that 40 states once had laws prohibiting interracial marriage (Staples p 1).” After getting him to see this and explaining that I felt torn between my family and a relationship with someone I really cared about, he began to understand where I was coming from. He also realized that I should be with someone who makes me happy no matter their skin color. Although both of my parents approve, if I ever decided to marry a Black man I will have to get my extended family to see things from my perspective also. I am hoping that one day society will stop living by the Chemistry rule of like dissolving like and accept everyone for who they are, no matter what race. Then, hopefully, they will not think anything of it for one race to date another.


Work Cited

Barnett, Larry D.. “Research on International and Interracial Marriages.” Marriage and Family Living 25. 01 (1963): pars. 3. Web. 10 July 2009.

Becker, Eddie. “Chronology on the History of Slavery: 1619-1789.” Holt House. Web. 6 July 2009.

Joyner, Kara; Kao, Grace; Wang, Hingyu. “Stability of Interracial and Intraracial Romantic Relationships Among Adolescents.” 7 December 2004. Cornell University and University of Pennsylvania. Web. 6 July 2009.

Staples, Brent. “Loving v. Virginia and the Secret History of Race.” The New York Times.
14 May 2008. Print.

Writing Log 5

Just as I did in my last paper I left a lot of my opinion out. After Dean and Deleney pointed this out I realized that the best way to improve my paper would be to actually have more personal insight. I feel like I sort of rambled about more of what other people thought and facts about the history of interracial dating. I think in my final draft I am going to make a lot of changes and maybe switch up the order how I have things and open with a more personal veiw on the issue rather than factual statements. I also feel like my paper was unorganized but this could be because my thoughts were unorganized. I might try writing things down and sorting them out just to get a better idea of how to lay things out. My first draft will serve as a guide for me to do this. I also need to find a source that will qualify for the scholarly journal or acedemic book.

Lecture 9 Quiz

Although this essay seems to be about an old junky minivan, I think it has a deeper meaning. Patteson not only describes his passion for his minivan but he also talks about how thick headed he is and uses his story to make this point while entertaining to the reader. He also makes the point that he loves cars. If we were looking for a group to identify Patteson we could certainly put him in the old car lover category; therefore, I think this could definitely be considered an identity essay.

Patteson also does do a good job of incorporating his sources. They flow together well with the paper, have a good introduction and follow up, and are also relevant. However, he does not introduce them as well or build ethos well with them. He fails to give any additional information about his sources besides for the author and page number for most sources. He also introduces things inverted when he talks about the Federal Highway Act of 1965. He states the fact, then the title of the article, then the source where it came from. I also noticed that he used Langer a few times but never took the time to properly introduce that source.

Color Blind Love

Like dissolves like is a term commonly used in Chemistry to describe how solutes are dissolved in a solvent. Although this term was not intended to describe society, I think it does a pretty good job; for the most part, people of one race are generally surrounded by people of the same race. This also hold true for dating. Even if interracial couples are becoming more and more common, it is still not as common to see an interracial couple as it is to see a couple of the same race. In fact, until recently, this was unheard of and looked down upon, and it is still viewed as taboo by some people today.

Nowadays people in my generation do not think of interracial marriage as being illegal, especially since the spotlight has switched to gay marriage rights. However, until fairly recently, this issue was highly debatable. In fact, in a piece recently written by Brent Staples, writer for the New York Times and author of Just Walk on By, an essay recently studied in class, he said, “Americans born in the 21st century will shake their heads in disbelief on learning that 40 states once had laws prohibiting interracial marriage (Staples, par 1).” As Staples points out, to some people the idea of interracial marriage being illegal may seem unreal, and to me it seems a little bit unfathomable. Being brought up without these laws and restrictions makes me question why they were even in affect in the first place.

The root of this law goes back to the mid 1600’s shortly after the founding of America and the beginning of the slave trade. According to a historian for the Smithsonian, Eddie Becker, Maryland was the first state to make marriage between a white female and a black male illegal in 1664 (Becker, par 44). This law stayed active for over 300 years until 1967. The court case that overturned this law was Loving v. Virginia (Staples, par. 2). There was a man and a woman by the names of Richard and Mildred Loving who were from a place called Caroline County in Virginia, which is actually the county that neighbors the one I currently live in. This means that it has only been forty years since this law was lifted. It goes to show the amount of progress that has been made by the U.S. since then, and is comparable to Rodriguez’s essay that discusses a mixing of races.

Being involved with interracial dating is not as easy as it may seem. Just because something is legal, does not make it accepted by everyone. The thing that makes interracial dating most challenging is that the view point of it is split so widely especially between two generations. There is the generation of our parents, who grew up learning the idea was considered wrong, illegal, and unacceptable; then, there is our generation where it is more widely accepted but still not accepted by all. There are also many special cases where people have mixed feelings. An example of this I have personally experienced is a lot of White males will not think much of it for a white girl to date an Asian or a Hispanic, yet they will be repulsed to see a White girl with a Black male. Another example of people with mixed feelings on this topic is when a White male will date a Black female, yet look down on a White girl with a Black male.

However, the thing I find most challenging about this dilemma is the issue of family. Sometimes the parents approve of interracial dating with no problem or rejections, while other parents find it unacceptable. In a study done by the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University, Hongyu Wang said, “We hypothesize that adolescents in an interracial relationship perceive less support from their families than adolescents in intraracial relationships, therefore, they are more likely to experience relationship dissolution” (Joyner, Kao, Wang 439). I can definitely relate to this through my own experiences. It does strain a relationship knowing that it is not supported by your family. It can put your significant other in an uncomfortable situation especially when they are around your family and also make you feel uneasy when you are by yourself with your family.

When I went through this problem myself all I wanted was for my family to accept that fact that I was happy with the person I was dating and that there should be no reason why I would not be allowed to date him. Although he was Black, he was still a good person and was also a star athlete and on the Honor Roll. The thing that bothered me most on this issue was the fact that I knew if he were White my parents would think he was a great catch, but instead they chose to fall into the ways of society.

The reason my parents were so hesitant to let me date anyone of another race was because they were brought up in families that would prohibit such behavior. For example, my father was not allowed to have his best friend, a Black male, as his best man because my mother’s parents were not in favor of this type of integration. Instead he was forced to choose another man, and they insisted he was White.

Another reason for their reluctance was that they were afraid of how society would view me. Everyday people in interracial relationships face a society where complete strangers will make comments, talk behind their backs, or simply glare at them because they are with someone else of a different race. Wang also said “To make their relationship successful, individuals involved in interracial relationships must learn how to manage public harassment such as evaluative, hostile, and discriminatory actions from strangers in the public” (Joyner, Kao, Wang 440 ). To me this is shocking how complete strangers will judge a situation where they have no insight at all. This is the type of society my parents grew up in, where this behavior was considered intolerable. Although this still happens a lot today it is usually more by older generations.

One thing that really helped my family to be more accepting of interracial dating can be related to Hurston’s brown bag idea. Once they stopped thinking like society and actually got to know any of the boys I had chosen to date, they realized there is no difference between a White male and a Black male except for the color of their skin and the stereotypes that society gives them. Now they do not acknowledge anyone I date as having a race, rather they are a person just like everyone else.

Something that has made interracial dating more acceptable in society is the fact that there are so many people who are products of interracial marriages. If someone is a mix of two races, it is difficult for them to be against this idea. Mixed race people have become very successful in society today. Some celebrities that are of mixed race include Mariah Carey, Vin Diesel, The Rock, Derek Jeter, and Barack Obama.

With society making such huge advances in becoming more integrated I do not think it will be much longer until interracial relationships are accepted by everyone in the U.S., especially judging by the progress that can be seen by examining Lincon, King, Hurston, and Rodriguez’s essays.







Work Cited

Becker, Eddie. “Chronology on the History of Slavery: 1619-1789.” Holt House. Web. 6 July
2009.

Staples, Brent. “Loving v. Virginia and the Secret History of Race.” The New York Times.
14 May 2008. Print.

Joyner, Kara; Kao, Grace; Wang, Hingyu. “Stability of Interracial and Intraracial Romantic
Relationships Among Adolescents.” 7 December 2004. Cornell University and University of
Pennsylvania. Web. 6 July 2009.

Writing Log 4

This essay I took a little bit of a different approach since the assignment was so different. I did not really go by an outline, rather I did research first and then picked out what I wanted to include. From there I centered my essay around my research. I feel like this may not have been the best approach because it was difficult for me to write my essay around it.

I thought this essay was going to be easier because it was more personal but I found it to be more difficult. The hardest part for me was thinking of something I would identify myself as and that I would be able to find research on at the same time.

One thing I did do while writing this was keeping my audience in mind. I did not have to go into detail about the authors I discussed because the class already knew what I was talking about. This made it easy for me to incorporate that into my essay.

I do not have an outline written down for this essay because I sort of wrote things out on the computer in different Word documents then copied and pasted them in a way that made the essay flow together. This makes it hard for anyone to see my progress but I felt this was the best way for me to write. This made me a little bit disorganized when writing but I think after revising it, it will flow together a little bit better

Reading Log 6

Although these essays are considered “identity” essays, I feel like the authors are fighting for the opposite. They do not want to make themselves stand out in society as one being better than the other, rather they want to be considered no different from anyone else. Baldwin and Staples both want to have people stop pointing out their differences and just blend in with everyone else instead of sticking out like a sore thumb. Likewise, Woolf wants women to be able to compose literary works and not have any bias held against them because they are women. Hurston also wants to be viewed as being the same as everyone else. She views herself as actually not having any race at all. This is what Rodriguez talks about when he says when younger people today are asked what they are, they do not say white or black and they often have too many cultures to name because their blood has been mixed so many times (275).

I think Rodriguez brought up a very unconventional way of thinking about identity. He talks about people being identified as one of five main categories which is something I think we use in America not as something to degrade one another, but as a simple, basic way to identify oneself. However, Rodriguez finds this system to be very erroneous, largely because Americans are from so many different cultures. If we were to go back and look at Lincon’s essay, then King’s, Hurston’s, Baldwin’s, and Rodriguez’s respectively, I think we would see a timeline of America’s progress toward integration. Each one of these people were fighting for America to accept all people equally and Rodriguez’s essay shows the final product of how all races here have been mixed together so much that they cannot even be categorized within five basic categories anymore.

Rodriguez suggests that we identify ourselves as what type of culture we were brought up in rather than what our ancestry is. He states that he is Chinese because he was raised in a Chinese city and has grown accustomed to their culture, so much so that when he sees pictures of China he thinks of it as home (274). Even though this does make sense, I think it would be hard for everyone to identify themselves as one thing or another and it would be best to just not categorize at all. However, this idea also reminds me of Hurston’s essay with the brown bag thought. For anyone to be able to recognize someone as a certain race they really have to get to know them, they cannot just look at the outside. It would be very hard for someone to look at Rodriguez and know that he considers himself Chinese just by the way he looks.

I think that Rodriguez’s essay demonstrates that one must really consider logos and ethos in any identity essay. I feel that most of his essay was logos which forced the audience to connect his ideas and think about how they make sense. His ideas all make logical sense so the audience then must question what makes their ideas on the subject any better than his. Rodriguez’s essay has showed me that I do not need to think conventionally when writing my essay, and that it may actually help to think against the ways of society.

Reading Log 5

I would have to say as a reader, the first thing I noticed about these two essays was their difference in tone. Baldwin’s essay seemed to have a tone of remorse or anger for the way the people treated him while Staples’s essay had a more calm and innocent tone as if her were trying to explain himself.

I think Staples mainly uses ethos and some logos in his essay as a way for the audience to understand him. He points out that he has seen people like his brother, cousin, and friend killed; this shows that he has experienced the things that the people he passes fear and that he would not do them to anyone else because he knows the hurt it has caused him (296). He also points out that he would not even take a knife to a raw chicken (295). This shows that he is a gentle giant and would not hurt anyone. Next Staples uses some logos to provide reasoning to support the opposing side of his argument; he did grow up in a rough area with a lot of violence and know that white women are often the victims of black males (295-296). Staples’s supporting the other side of the argument demonstrates he is not trying to defend every black male but rather pointing out that everyone is not bad either.

On the other hand, Baldwin primarily uses logos. He tries to show that he is equal to these white Swiss people because in America black men are not that different from the white man and that they actually interact on a daily basis. He also points out that these people do not even know much about the outside world and history between blacks and whites in America. One particular example is when he talks about how these people who are so uneducated and “primitive” than him are still considered superior to him just because of their skin color when, in fact, they are actually inferior in a sense (45).

I thought these essays both had very good points. Staples pointed out how black men are stereotyped and I feel like this is completely true. One of my favorite examples of this is a portion of Dave Chapelle’s stand up where he talks about staying in after hearing on the radio that the police are looking for a black male between the height of 4’ 11” and 6’10”. Much like Staples, Chapelle makes a joke out of it to sort of downplay the reality of it. This is an effective way to get people to see not everyone belonging to one stereotype is going to be the same. However, despite their innocence I think that any girl walking alone in a rough area that sees a man who is dressed down is going to be scared whether they are white or black.

While Staples’s essay reinforced the ideas I already knew about stereotyping in America, Baldwin’s essay made me realize that what happens in one part of the world does not just affect that one part. The section I talked about earlier, where Baldwin mentions how he is seen as inferior really got my attention. I think it is terrible how someone can be as educated and productive in American society but at the same time seen as lesser to people who cannot read and write just because of their skin color. It also blows my mind how people around the world do not know that there are blacks in America that are equal to the white men. I read an essay in a religion class at JMU that talked about these islanders who could not seem to wrap their mind around the fact that there were such things as black U.S. soldier. However, I think this does show that America has at least taken sufficient steps toward becoming integrated, and we are way ahead of other parts of the country in this aspect especially since we have a black man as our president now.

I think that both authors did a sufficient job at achieving their desired effect which was essentially to make people aware of the stereotypes and how they affect the people who are subject to them. These essays should have opened the eyes to anyone reading them to make them think twice about how they judge people.

Just Some Thoughts

As I was reading some people's essays and thinking about my own this thought came to my head: if personal essays are an argument that "consists of ones experience" then wouldn't some of the rhetorical essays we read last week also be considered personal essays? Martin Luther King Jr. talks about himself explaining racism to his children. Also the problems the authors are talking about are issues that they, themselves struggle with and personally experience everyday.

I was just wondering what they rest of the class was thinking so I thought I would post my question for everyone to comment on and hopefully I'll be able to understand this better.

Reading Log 4

In Virginia Woolf’s essay In Search of a Room of One’s Own. I think her purpose was to inform people of the impact women have had on society and the arts, and also to persuade them that women are just as competent and intelligent as men. Her audience was female college students at Cambridge, but as this was written down, probably expanded to people all over England and Europe . While Woolf was speaking to these young women she was probably also trying to encourage them to keep doing what they love and not to let anyone tell them they cannot because they are women.

To achieve her purpose and support her idea, Woolf uses mostly logos and ethos. Woolf uses a lot of facts and reasoning. She names off famous women in Shakespeare’s literature works such as Cleopatra, Antigone, Lady Macbeth, and Desdemona and states that these women are full of personality and character (383). She also points out that without these characters the stories would be dull and nonexistent because the stories revolve around them. Woolf adds that women are the prime subject of many of the male writers’ sonnets and songs, and that it is the women that bring about the inspiration for these to be written. Woolf continues by stating that women were not incapable of writing as well as men, rather they were just not given the opportunity. Most of the time they were married at a young age and not allowed to read or write, and those who were able to read and write well were often treated like witches or driven mad by society to the point of suicide (388). Since women were not allowed to publish without being punished, they were often forced to publish anonymously or under the name of a male. Therefore, if there was a female writer who was highly skilled no one would be able to acknowledge that it came from a woman. This was another setback that caused women to be viewed as inferior.

Woolf establishes credibility by using men as examples. Her prime example is Shakespeare. She refers to him throughout the entire text. This is a wise decision because he is considered the best playwright of all time and if she can convince an audience that Shakespeare knew the capabilities of women and inform them of the importance of women in his text, one cannot argue against her because no one would argue that Shakespeare was wrong.

In How it Feels to be Colored Me by Zora Hurston the author addresses an audience much different than Woolf. Her audience includes blacks and whites in the U.S. who are in favor of civil rights for blacks. Since Hurston’s audience already supports her, she does not need to try as hard to establish ethos. She is also writing for a journal which gives her some credibility to start with. I think Hurston is trying to reinforce the mindset that blacks and whites are no different from each other aside from pigmentation.

To help support her ideas, Hurston uses personal experience and pathos. She does this by, first, explaining the differences between her and whites, then, by showing she is no different. She explains that as a young child she never felt any different from anyone else and that she did not even realize she was “black” until she moved out of an area that was all black (139). Next she goes on to say that since she moved out of that community she is constantly being reminded that she is the “granddaughter of slaves (139.)” After this she states that since she is black and considered to be inferior to the whites she gets “twice as much praise or twice as much blame (141.)” This quote really gives the reader something to think about because it is paradoxical.
After this Hurston goes on to explain how she really has no race and she is just who she is. I found the metaphor of the brown bag really intriguing. On the outside it is just a brown bag and one would never know what is on the inside of the bag unless they take the time to open it. Much like a person, if you just look at them and judge them by their color, one would never really know what they are like on the inside. Also a black person could have many of the same qualities as a person of another race, but this will not be known by just looking at them.

The key to understanding Hurston’s argument requires a little bit more thought that Woolf’s argument. However, it also is more effective because it makes the audience really think about what is being said and they have to make sense of it on their own. I also think that Hurston’s essay is more of a personal essay while Woolf’s is not. I say that because Hurston’s essay related more directly to her and her life’s experience while Woolf’s was broad and generalized to all women’s experiences.

I would also say that Woolf’s essay still seems to be a little bit political. She is still trying really hard to get people to see the equality of women whereas Hurston’s ideas in her essay are already being supported by her audience. She is not really fighting to get people to see her point of view, she is merely reinforcing it.

One thing that is off topic from the prompt that I was curious about was the use of proper capitalization in Woolf’s essay. I thinking she could be doing this for one of two reasons, either to be rebellious or to be ironic. The rebellious side is obvious; she is breaking the writing rules to show that rules do not need to be followed. On the other hand, she could have been doing this purposely because women know the rules of writing and by using them improperly shows she is comfortable enough with them to not abide by them.

Writing Log 3

I just want to start off by saying I think this was the most intense writing process I've ever put myself through. Normally I do not put so much time into revising my paper, but after really getting a feel for how it should be done I think it was much easier to spend a lot of time revising this paper. I made quite a few changes and added more material so that my paper made more sense and flowed together well.

The most difficult part about this essay was figuring out wording for my thoughts and trying to keep my thoughts organized. Actually reading Dr. King's essay and analyzing it was my favorite part. He has always been one of my favorite people in history mainly because of what he stood for and how he went about fighting for what he believed it. He served as such a great symbol for world peace, and because of him so much change for the better was able to come about in our country.

My main concern about my essay is that it is could probably be a little bit more interesting. I find it difficult to make my papers interesting when I am writing about an existing piece of work. This is probably because I follow a particular formula and use more logic than emotion when writing these kinds of papers. Maybe in another essay I could try to break away from that formula and make my paper more exciting.

Final Draft: A Look at Martin Luther King Jr.'s Persuasive Abilities in A Letter From Birmingham Jail

When one thinks of world peace, names like Gandhi and Mother Theresa come to mind. Another name that is never forgotten is Martin Luther King Jr.. During the time that A Letter from Birmingham Jail was written, African Americans faced a daily struggle to fit in with society. Dr. King, however, did not feel this was fair or morally right, and he was not afraid to speak his mind. King was effective at getting his opinion across in a peaceful, nonviolent way that people could relate to. The reason King was such a powerful figure, and is still remembered as such today, is because he knew how to use logos, ethos, and pathos to make a true connection with the audience not matter their views on the issue he was arguing.

In King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, he does a good job of addressing his audience, eleven clergymen, while also trying to get the general population of the South to see segregation is wrong. This was a difficult task because the direct audience, the clergymen, had criticized him in a previous letter, which meant they already had a disagreement with him. Also, the indirect audience members were already set in their ways of separation. While writing this letter, King is on the defense and is considered inferior by these white clergymen and the white people of America. Knowing this, King must try to find a common ground. He does so by saying the following, “I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms(154).” This really helps King because he is able to let the audience know that he recognizes them as good men and that he is not trying to be irrational. Another way King makes a connection to his audience is through his tone. He knows the audience is not going to be open-minded right away and this affects his tone and word choice. His tone is not hateful or angry, but instead, it is very respectful and calm. His voice is very strong and he uses word choice that shows he is educated and not ignorant. When people are in disagreement they generally do not take well to someone who is being disrespectful, condescending, or illogical. For this reason it is crucial that King made the connection the way that he did.

After King acknowledges and establishes a common ground with his audience, he eases into his claim. He says, “It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city’s white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative (155).” King is basically saying blacks have no other choice but to make themselves heard through protest because nothing else has worked.

To support this claim, King goes on to list four basic steps to a nonviolent campaign. They include “Collection of the facts to determine whether injustice exists, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action (155).” After this, King goes on to state how he has been through all of these steps and, finally, has had to resort to direct action. King also brings pathos into play here. He provides examples such as bombing of Negro churches and homes, refusal from whites to take down racial signs outside of stores, failure of fair negotiation from city fathers, and repeatedly putting off direct action until it could no longer be ignored(156). King’s use of pathos allows him to really draw the audience in on a level that cannot be achieved through logos and ethos because emotion often gets the best of people.

Another reason King uses to support his claim is that blacks have been forced to wait and wait, but have gotten nothing from this waiting. He said, “This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never’ (158).” He also points out that blacks have waited over 340 years for their “God-given” right (158). He also points out that through all this waiting, small things, such as being able to get a cup of coffee at the same lunch counter as a white man, is not allowed. After this, King uses pathos once again. He goes on about how blacks are constantly being killed by policemen and lynched or drown by mobs of white men. Then he talks about how his children cannot seem to grasp the concept of racism. His six-year-old daughter does not understand why she is not allowed to go to the amusement park like the white kids, and his five-year-old son does not understand why whites are mean to blacks (158-159). This really illustrates that racism is something that must be taught to children for them to learn it and that it does, in fact, go against human nature. It also creates a vivid image for many people because no one can argue the innocence of a child, no matter what their race. Dr. King finishes his point that blacks have had to wait for too long by saying, “I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience (159).” The words “legitimate” and “unavoidable” show that he feels his actions could not wait any longer.

King uses logos to showcase his point that the laws dealing with segregation are unjust. He states that he has no problem abiding by a just law, but a law that is unjust is not legitimate and, therefore, does not need to be obeyed. He categorizes an unjust law as “a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law and that degrades human personality (159-160).” Then he defines a just law as, “Any law that uplifts the human personality (160).” After this he uses deductive reasoning and states that segregation degrades the soul and damages personality; therefore, it is unjust. King not only uses logos to prove this law is unjust, but he also makes good use of ethos to establish credibility. He talks about the early Christians defying the Romans, Socrates practicing civil disobedience, and people rebelling during the Boston Tea Party. Most people would agree that, although these acts were technically wrong or illegal, they were actually for a greater good (161). The reference to the early Christians was King’s most effective example because he is writing to religious leaders. Another credible source he uses is St. Augustine who said, “An unjust law is no law at all (159).” King’s final example talked about Hitler’s genocide on Jews and how it was technically legal, but anyone in their right mind would see this as inhumane. The examples Dr. King uses make it hard for anyone to argue against him.

Finally King uses the idea that being an “extremist” is not always a bad thing as long as you are being an extremist for love. This is another good example of King’s use of logos. He points out that Jesus, Paul, Amos, Abraham Lincon, and John Bunyan were all considered extremists of their time, but they were not wrong in their doings. King goes into greater detail about how Jesus was crucified with two other men who were also considered extremists, but for hate, and that one could not categorize Jesus and these criminals as being the same kind of extremist (165-166). This also would have appealed strongly to the clergymen who cannot argue that Jesus was wrong in anything that he did or that he would have done anything hateful. This allows a parallel to be made between Jesus and King as extremists of love.
At the end of King’s essay, he goes back to reestablish a connection with his audience. He says if the clergymen found him unreasonable and impatient, he would like their forgiveness. He also tries to find common ground and establish credibility by pointing out that they are all clergymen and Christian brothers (172). This shows he is sincere and also leaves them to think about their Christian values over society’s status quo.

A letter from Birmingham Jail is a great example of how an author can use rhetorical appeals to persuade an audience. Through his tone, logos, ethos, and pathos, King was able to connect to the audience and make them see the other side of things no matter their original view. Even if the audience was not completely persuaded, King presented his opinion in a way that got readers to at least give his ideas a second thought which is just as satisfying.

King, Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” The Seagull Reader: Essays. 2nd ed. Ed. Joseph Kelly. New York: Norton, 2008. 153–172.

Writing Log 2

I feel the input my peers gave me was helpful. As Kelsey stated, I did not clearly state my claim; it was more implied. In my final draft I am going to make sure my claim is obvious to the reader along with being arguable, specific, managable, and interesting.

Also as Shawn pointed out I do not have a lot of personal input, it is more just evidence and more or less just reinforcing King's words. In my final draft I will also add more personal opinion.

I think I also need to go back and reread A letter from Birmingham Jail at least one more time to make sure I have not overlooked anything and that I really understand it. After that I plan on going back over my essay and questioning what I have already written.

I would also like to check the organization of my paper and make sure it is ordered and presented in the way that I think is best for the reader to take in.

I think the strengths of my paper are that I address the rhetoric appeals well and that I have sufficient evidence to support them. However, as I said before, my paper needs to have a more obvious claim and more personal opinion. I feel my paper could also use a stronger introduction and conclusion. Overall, I think it was a descent first draft but it could definitely use some improvement.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Success with Rhetroric Appeals in A Letter From Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr. faced some very tough situations in his life. His fight for an end to segregation and, furthermore, racism was not easy. Although segregation and racism are not as prevalent today, they still exist in many places. However, Dr. King made a huge impact on lowering the amount of segregation and racism seen across America. Besides from King’s many nonviolent protests and sit-ins, his letters and speeches also helped in this reduction. Today many of his works are studied and many children across the United States can quote at least a few of King’s memorable words.

In King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, he is writing a letter to elevan clergymen and trying to get the general population of the South to see segregation is wrong. His direct audience is white clergymen who had criticized him in a previous letter, and, more importantly, his indirect audience is the people of America. While writing this letter, King is on the defense and is considered inferior by these white clergymen and the white people of America. Knowing this, King must try to find a common ground. He does so by saying the following, “I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms(154).” Right here King states that he acknowledges these men are good people and tells them he is being as understandable as possible. Another way King makes a connection to his audience is through his tone. He knows the audience is not going to be open-minded right away and this affects his tone and word choice. His tone is not hateful or angry, but instead, he is very respectful and calm. His voice is very strong and he uses word choice that shows he is educated and not ignorant.

King’s claim does not come right in the beginning of his letter. He establishes common ground in his introduction instead and then eases into the claim. He said, “It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city’s white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative (155).” King is basically saying blacks have no other choice but to make themselves heard through protest because nothing else has worked.

To support this claim, King goes on to list four basic steps to a nonviolent campaign. They include “Collection of the facts to determine whether injustice exists, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action (155).” After this, King goes on to state how he has been through all of these steps and, finally, has had to resort to direct action. King also brings pathos into play here. He provides examples such as bombing of Negro churches and homes, refusal from whites to take down racial signs outside of stores, failure of fair negotiation from city fathers, and repeatedly putting off direct action until it could no longer be ignored(156).

Another reason King uses to support his claim is that blacks have been forced to wait and wait, but have gotten nothing from this waiting. He said, “This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never’ (158).” He also points out that they have waited over 340 years for their “God-given” right (158). He also points out that through all this waiting small things, such as being able to get a cup of coffee at the same lunch counter as a white man, is not allowed. After this, King uses pathos once again. He goes on about how blacks are constantly being killed by policemen and lynched or drown by mobs of white men. Then he talks about how his children cannot seem to grasp the concept of racism. His six-year-old daughter does not understand why she is not allowed to do what the white kids are allowed to do, and his five-year-old son does not understand why whites are mean to blacks (158-159). This really illustrates that racism is not something that comes natural and that it does, in fact, go against human nature. It also creates a vivid image for many people because no one can argue the innocence of a child, no matter what their race. Dr. King finishes off this reason by saying, “I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience (159).” The words legitimate and unavoidable show that his cause is worthy and it could not wait anymore. This statement alone supports his claim.

Another key point King makes is that the laws are unjust. He states he has no problem abiding by a just law, but a law that is unjust is not legitimate and, therefore, does not necessarily need to be obeyed. He categorizes an unjust law as a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law and that degrades human personality (159-160). Then he defines a just law as, “Any law that uplifts the human personality (160).” After this he goes on to state that segregation degrades the soul and damages personality and, therefore, is unjust. King uses significant references to establish credibility. He talks about the early Christians defying the Romans, Socrates practicing civil disobedience, and people rebelling during the Boston Tea Party. Most people would agree that, although these acts were technically wrong, they were actually for a greater good (161). The reference to the early Christians was King’s most effective example because he was writing to religious leaders. Another credible source he uses is St. Augustine who said, “An unjust law is no law at all (159).” King’s final example talked about Hitler’s genocide on Jews and how it was technically legal, but anyone in their right mind would see this as inhumane.

Finally King uses the idea that being an “extremist” is not always a bad thing if you are being an extremist for love. This is one good example of King’s use of logos. He points out that Jesus, Paul, Amos, Abraham Lincon, and John Bunyan were all considered extremists of their time, but they were not wrong in their doings. King goes into greater detail about how Jesus was crucified with two other men who were also considered extremists, but for hate (165-166). This also would have appealed strongly to the clergymen who cannot argue that Jesus was wrong in anything that he did or that he would have done anything hateful. The parallel can then be made between Jesus and King, that they were both extremists of love.

At the end of King’s essay, he goes back to reestablish a connection with his audience. He says if the clergymen found him unreasonable and impatient, he would like their forgiveness. He also tries to find common ground once again by pointing out that they are all clergymen and Christian brothers (172). This shows he is sincere and also leaves them to think about their Christian values over society’s status quo.

Work Cited

King, Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” The Seagull Reader: Essays. 2nd ed. Ed. Joseph Kelly. New York: Norton, 2008. 153–172.

Writing Log 1

I cannot say that I popped some Riddalin and then took 3 shots of tequila like Rivers Cuomo before I started this writing process, but I did have a process of steps that I took before sitting down and getting to this point. I find it better to write at night time because my mind is cleared and I am not focused on what else I'm going to do later on in the day or being pressed for time. I can sit down and take my time. I also feel most awake at night time, which is a little odd, but I kinda like being a night owl sometimes. I contemplated writing this paper all day but then decieded it would be best to start it after I had spent the day with my dad, who is amazing, and the rest of my family since today was Father's Day. Then I figured it was time to do school work. Before I can start any school work my mind has to be clear. One thing that really helps is taking a shower because there's no better feeling than being squeeky clean and relaxed. Next I had to grab a small snack and some water for brain food; it's difficult to work on an unfull stomach. Finally, I turned on my fan and closed the door to my room to ensure peace and quiet and set a good environment.

Now that I have done everything possible to avoid writing this paper and have no more excuses, I can finally start the prewriting stage. I would say I spend most of my time prewriting and planning. Then, once I get going, I finish all the way through and come back to make changes as necessary. One step I usually skip over is the revising stage, so hopefully by doing that during this class I can become a better writer.

Reading Log 3

These two essays are extremely different. The tones are particualrly differnt due to topic, occasion, and purpose. Lincon's speech is not so much one that is asking the audience for something, but, more or less, telling them how things are going to be. He sort of lays down his plans for the people of America to let him know what his ideas are. However, in a way he is hoping they will adopt these ideas because it is always easier for a president to deal with things when people agree with them. On the other hand, Thoreau's tone is full of rage and opposition. He is fed up with how the government is running things and wants people to help change this. It is ok for him to take on this tone because his audience shares the same view, but this would not be a successful approach if he were writing to an audience that supported the war.

Another big difference is the authors' use of pathos. Thoreau's tone compliments his pathos. He uses the feeling of rage to draw in and persuade his audience. When he mentions how the soldiers are looked down upon, a feeling of fury can be felt. He says they get no more respect than a lump of dirt, and they are worth no more than a horse, yet they are human beings (324). Anyone who is in the military or has a loved one in the military would read this and feel very angry or upset with this fact. Invoking people's emotions is a good way to get people to act so this was a good decision on Thoreau's part. Unlike Thoreau, Lincon does not use much pathos; instead, he uses more logic. He states facts instead of appealing to people's emotions. He does not really give the people the choice to think on their own, but rather manipulates them by saying slavery is going to stay around instead of opening a debate whether it should be outlawed or not.

One thing theses essays have in common is that there is not much of a need for ethos. Lincon is automatically going to have a lot credibility because he is the president of the United States and the majority of the people like him and his views. If this was not the case, they would not have elected him. Also, Lincon is going to have support from his audience because they also voted for him based on his ideas. He even states, "Those of you who nominated and elected me did so with full knowledge that I had made this, and many similar declarations, and had never recanted them (207)." Likewise, Thoreau is writing to people who already support him. He is just trying to convince them to act on it.

In both Lincon and Obama’s speeches they share a similar audience, the people of America after being newly elected. Both Lincon and Obama use ethos to their advantage. Obama’s speech really makes use of pathos. He wants the audience to feel they have made the right decision and gain support of those who did not vote for him and emotion is the easiest way to gain that support. As I stated earlier, Lincon used more logos. Although these two presidents used different approaches in their speeches, comparing them illustrates that there is more than one possible approach to constructing an essay and each approach can be just as effective as the other.

Reading Log 2

At first when I was reading Swift's piece I thought there was no logic used at all. However, after carefully looking it over I realize he actually uses a lot of logic but in a unique way. It is almost as if he uses illogical ways to make sense of things. He gets the reader to think to extremes to point out the people of Ireland are almost at these extremes by doing what they think is ok. He shows such an extreme view of people eating babies to illustrate that even something this outrageous can be compared to the terrible acts these people are already committing and finding nothing wrong with them. In other words, he is saying that people are already murdering their babies and having abortions so why not get money for doing that and do away with famine at the same time. I think the purpose of him doing this is to open people's eyes and show them that what they are already doing is not any different than his idea which only has a couple things added to it.

Swift also uses ethos in his writing. He does not use the credibility of his own name because this was published anonymously, rather he uses his friends or people he knows that would be recognized as credible. For example, he refers a lot to his friend in London and people in America. These people, at this time, were thought of to be successful and part of a wealthy country. America was still part of England at the time but was fairly new and not suffering from poverty like Ireland was at the time. This would give the idea that listening to what these wealthy people had to say might also help these people become wealthy too, or at least get out of poverty.

Finally Swift’s use of pathos was hard for me to figure out. I would say he appeals to people's disgust and in hope that they would realize they were not truly disgusted by his ways, but instead, in their own ways which were just as bad.

I would say Swift's strongest rhetorical appeal would have been his logos. This presentation of backwards logic should really grab the reader’s attention and make them question their actions. However, the logic could not stand on its own without the reader connecting to that feeling of disgust forcing them to call their own actions into question.

Martin Luther King Jr. connects to his audience by saying, “I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms (154).” Later on when he is talking about America as a whole he says, “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly (155).” Since King’s audience is white people who are at least somewhat prejudice if not extremely prejudice, they are not going to be easily persuaded by him. In fact, they are not even going to want to listen to what he has to say unless it really catches their attention.

Because King has such a tough audience and he knows this he needed to use every rhetoric appeal possible. He uses logic by talking about broken promises such as racial signs not being removed from stores and city leaders refusing to negotiate fairly (156). He also gives other examples that demonstrate how blacks were treated unfairly. This shows that he has a reasonable cause to be upset.

King also uses pathos to draw the audience’s emotions into the picture. He tells the audience that black people go through seeing their family killed, not being able to stay in motels but instead sleeping in their cars, being called names, and having to explain to their children that they can’t do the same things as white children can because of their skin color which causes the little kids to resent white people (158).

King makes sure he also uses ethos. As a black man who is looked down upon by his audience it would be hard for him to use himself as a credible source and King recognizes this. Therefore he uses people that even white people will think of as credible such as early Christians, Socrates, and people who participated in the Boston Tea party. He points out that all of these people were breaking the law but brings into question whether they were really doing anything wrong (161). This is a good analogy that King uses to point out that his situation is no different than any of the ones he mentioned.

I think King was much more thoughtful and organized in his rhetoric than Obama was in his. King was faced with a very tough audience but still managed to argue very good points. On the other hand, Obama was surrounded with both people who supported him and others that did not, so he did not need to establish the same kind of common ground. Obama also did not have the as good of a delivery as King did. King also had to find a way to establish ethos without using himself and had a much stronger use of pathos in his speech.

Obama was able to use that face that he was in the presence of all Democrats in his first two situations which automatically established a common ground for him. This gave him a little boost to be able to persuade those people to vote for him. Alternatively, King being in jail and having people oppose him was not an easy situation, but he was able to use all the bad experiences he had been through to appeal to the emotions of his audience and open their eyes to how poorly blacks really were treated.

Reading Log 1

In Kelly’s book he presents the ideas of essays as a way to explore a topic from new angles to learn more about them (3). Before reading this I would have agreed with Kelly’s very first description of an essay as a way to test knowledge. However, once I thought about it, I realized the true purpose of writing essays previously in school was to test a student’s knowledge on how well they could look at a particular topic from different angles. Therefore, I would say my previous definition of an essay would be a combination of Kelly’s two definitions.

Kelly also talked about how to read an essay which included looking at what the author was trying to accomplish, who the author was targeting, or was the author just presenting it from a new angle (5). None of these things cross my mind when I am reading just for fun or for any class besides English. When I typically read, I read for information and facts or to find out more about something. Even when I am reading fiction I am subconsciously focusing on find out information to put pieces of the story together. I also have not considered some of the things Kelly suggested thinking about even when I was reading for previous English classes. One thing that particularly stood out to me was questioning who the author was writing for. I never thought about that before, but that can actually give a lot of information and help when interpreting writing.

After talking about how to read an essay, Kelly talked about two different kinds of essays, rhetorical and personal. I think the reason these two differ is because they are written from two different points of view. The personal essay is most likely going to contain more pathos because it is much easier to convey one’s feelings when it is their own story. For example, if someone were to write an essay telling people about how they personally experienced their house being blown away by a tornado would have a lot more emotion and detail than a rhetorical essay that is trying to convince people to donate time an money to people who have suffered from natural disaster. That person could include things like how they lost their favorite possession or how difficult it was to find somewhere else to live and start all over. They would be telling it from a first-hand experience and could tell you exactly how they felt through that tragic experience. On the other hand, someone who might just be getting you to try to help out but did not necessarily undergo that experience would not be able to share such details. Their essay would have to be broader. They could include part of the story about someone who lost their house but most likely it will not appeal to the audience the same way. There would still be a use of pathos but they may not be as strong.

Also, a personal essay does not come out and make a point to persuade people. Although someone’s story about losing their house to a natural disaster might give someone the idea to help out others who have also lost a lot due to natural disaster, it was not necessarily the author’s purpose. Meanwhile, rhetorical essays have an argument and whether it is subtle or not, it is still there.

After reading Kelly's introduction on essays, my eyes have been opened to new ways of intrepreting literature and getting more out of it. He pointed out that there is a lot more to essays than just words on a page.

Introduction

My name is Amanda Miller and I'm going to be a sophomore in the fall. This summer I will be attending class from my house in the middle of nowhere in King George, Virginia. Along with GWRIT, I am also taking a Chemistry class at a local community college this summer. On top of that, I am keeping myself busy by working at CVS. I am a Chemistry major and I am also Pre-Pharmacy. After JMU I plan on going to Pharmacy school and then going into pharmacutical engineering or research and development.
Religion is the most important thing in my life. I'm not the person who talks about religion all the time or that will press my beliefs on someone else, but that does not make it any less important. I also love the CCM community at JMU. It is a very good environment for young person with struggles in their life. The priest is especially good with communicating to people our age and always willing to help out or just to be a friend.
Something else about me was that I was born in Pittsburgh, so outside of school and work I am obsessed with following Pittsburgh professional sports teams. As you can imagine, I was very happy this past Friday when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup against Detroit giving Pittsburgh their second championship this year along with the Steelers Superbowl win. One really exciting thing about this year's Stanley Cup final was that I was actually able to attend game three in Pittsburgh, and I have never been in an atmosphere more lively and enthralling than that.
When I'm not busy with school or watching sports I'm usually hanging out with my parents and brothers, who I couldn't live without. I also enjoy hanging out with my friends and having a good time. That pretty much sums me up well and other than that there's not much else to know about me.