SWA #19

The Definition of Sport 

Writer David Andriesen discusses an issue that has questioned people of all ages for years...."What Defines a Sport?" However, Andrieson takes a very different stance than from what the reader would expect. When I first read the title of his piece, I expected a firm set of supported guidelines that would apply to all my further sport versus no sport questions in the future. I was very surprised by the end of the article. Andrieson in a sense fools his audience. He suggests what his particular opinion is on what should be considered a sport. He cites that it a reputable sport should include a ball or ball like object, can include a race as long as it measures human power, competition under unified conditions, and an objective scoring system with recognize-able rules. 

Where Andrieson surprised me as a writer was in his conclusion. Instead of making a firm stance, he explains his personal position. He believes that much like art, the question of the legitimacy of a sport is subjective to the individual. He leaves it up for the readers to decide for themselves.  

BUT, leaving the question of whether or not an activity is a sport can not always be left up to each individual person. In cases of international contests of global or societal importance, the question should be answered. The most famous and relate-able example of this is the event that occupies the global theater every four years: The Olympics. Sports are a source of national pride in many nations. The question of whether or not supposed athletes should be able to showcase their abilities to the world or not is a question that needs to be answered. 

I have my own individual beliefs of what should be a sport, like what Andrieson said. I believe there are three different kinds of activities: a sport, a game, and a contest. My simple guidelines to a sport are if sweat is exerted from the extent of the physical effort and if it is measured by points or place, it is a sport. Therefore, under my own guidelines, I would not consider poker a sport, but a cognitive game. No physical effort or athleticism is being exerted, it is simply a mind game, much like checkers or hang man. I do not believe synchronized swimming is a sport either. Although athleticism is required, it is more of an art. Music plays and swimmers smile and showcase different outfits, giving off a sort of show. Additionally, subjective judges score each act. Therefore, I believe this is a contest, similar in some ways to a beauty pageant, which is certainly not a sport. 

SWA #18

Possible research topics:

1.) Extent of Government Control on America's Obesity Problem

Researching the government's involvement in preventing and fighting obesity turned out to be extremely easy and interesting for me. I found several different sources, much more than four, that will provide plenty of information that I will need for my upcoming assignments. However, there is so much information and so many sources, that I believe after further research and reading, I will have to narrow down my topic. I found several different ideas and viewpoints, including the government being the cause of obesity through its food stamp program, the effect of the economy, and examples of government programs targeting the fight against obesity. Additionally, this topic somewhat connects to what we have been studying in class, with Jamie Oliver's argument displayed in his show. At this point, I am leaning towards working with this issue because it is an issue that has captured my attention and I would like to learn more about. Also, I will be able to do plenty of research since there are so many sources available.

2.)  Keystone XL Pipeline 

Another global issue that I could research for my assigments is the implantation of a crude oil pipeline from Canada to Texas by the United States government. I actually came across the issue while on Facebook. One of my facebook friends was publishing protest information about the issue. This prompted me to research it further, using credible sources, and learn more about it. It is a current environmental issue that has been brought to President Obama's attention. Although it is an important issue, I don't think I will use it for my assignment. It was more difficult to research and find sources for. It is not a well known issue by the American public, therefore it may be difficult to find different viewpoints on. However, I will keep in it mind in my search to find the right topic.

3.) Occupy Columbia Protest

Occupy Columbia falls into the local issue category. It is an event that has been happening currently; protestors against current government corruption have taken to the South Carolina Statehouse grounds. Although it is modern and current, I am unlikely to use this for my issue for the next assignments. After reading through my sources, I could not maintain focus on the articles I was reading. I concluded that it was not an issue that interested me, and that I should put my energy into something that does so I can perform better on the upcoming assignments. Therefore, I am much more likely to write about my first and second issue.

SWA #12

Ethan Huff, of Natural News, warns the public of the increasing danger of today's food market. Citing massive worldwide recalls, he brings to the attention of the public how dangerous and even disgusting our food market has become. The danger, lack of nutrition, and overall immorality originates from the nation's factory farms. His descriptions of such atmospheres and their conditions serve as part of his reasons supporting his claim that factory farms and modern food production has taken a turn for the worst, and is endangering public health. He cites other empirical evidence, such as the massive decrease in the amount the public spends on food currently, to support his claim. The purpose of his claim and reasons is to speak to the public. He is bringing to their attention an issue that many either intentionally or unintentionally currently overlook.

SWA #11

Conservatives Should Care Too

If Scully's argument that conservatives need to care about animal rights too is not an appeal to his audience's pathos, then I am not sure what is. Through out his essay, he continuously appeals to his audience's compassion and emotions. He argues that animal rights do in fact need to concern conservative politicians. It is not a matter of focusing political efforts in the right places, it is a matter of being ethical, moral human beings. He centers his argument not so much on the politics of animal rights, but rather on how it is morally and ethically wrong to treat any subject the way factory farmers treat the animals of their industry. Not only is it harmful to the animals, he argues, but it is also harmful to ourselves. He includes graphic examples to engage sympathy, and also makes several biblical references, which may in fact be a personal stab at conservative politicians, many of whom are religious. He presents animal rights in a different way, as an obligation to treat animals correctly. He explains how this is different then "an entitlement" of animals to proper treatment, which is the belief of several radical groups such as the PETA that conservatives do not look too fondly upon. He also demonstrates how this type of treatment in factory farming brings down ourselves as a race. He presents as cruel and sick if we continue this type of support. Scully's argument for animal rights differs from the past typical angry essays conservatives are so familiar with, which is why this particular one has captured his attention.

SWA #10

My Post $ecret Card 

Everyone who is in touch with modern pop culture knows the glitter-covered, dollar-sign bearing Ke$ha. The blond pop star is publicly proclaimed party girl, and described by her critics as "trashy" and other derogatory terms. However, what the public does not know is that Ke$ha is not the air-brained bimbo everyone believes her to be. Her secret is that she is actually really smart. In high school, she was enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program, and set on going to Columbia University, one of the best schools in the nation. She even used to drive up to observatory and other academic venues on the weekends "for fun". 

On my post secret card, I conveyed my argument implicitly. Ke$ha recently said that she wants to be respected more, and not seen just as a party girl. However, my post does not come out directly and say that. The fact that Ke$ha wants more respect and deserves it because she is in fact intelligent is the implicit argument. This is implied by "I'm not just a party girl" written down the side in big, bold letters.

The visual elements I chose include the color pink, a girly, fun, bold, almost party-ish color. I made my key phrases, "I'm not just a party girl" and "change of plan$" big and bold, catching the audience's eyes. The $ in "plans" is a reference to the money she chose over pursuing her academic career, and also a reference to her name. Additionally, I placed the details about her background over her eyes, concealing her formal wild, raunchy identity. 

I want the viewer of this post secret card to be shocked. I don't believe many people expect Ke$ha to be any sort of person with intellect. Therefore, I wanted my secret to be a surprise, and to transform people's opinions and general stereotypes. 

 

SWA #9

Guidelines for the college student

When it comes to Berry's guidelines for responsible eating, my guess is they are aimed mainly at household leaders of the American family, the mothers who do the grocery shopping and fathers who pay the grocery bills. When Berry wrote of planting a garden to “become acquainted with the beautiful energy cycle that revolves from soil to see to flower...”, he did not have the typical college student in mind. How is a college student able to eat responsibly with a limited budget, time, and resources? Although it is challenging, it is possible, and my roommates and I ourselves have already taken some steps to do so.

Guidelines for the responsibly-eating college student:

1. Growing your own food is most likely not an option. However, you can purchase local foods from the farmer's market and local grocery store! At this particular university, there is a farmer's market that comes to Greene Street every Tuesday. Last week, my roommate returned from the farmer's market with delicious honey crisp apples, plums, peaches, and homemade sour-dough bread. She and I really appreciated how natural and beautiful the fruits were, and the product of human-hands that was the homemade bread. We were able to appreciate the full food cycle, and delicious food, with just walking a couple feet away from our dorm on a Tuesday morning!
2. Compost is very easy to maintain and very helpful for the environment. It reduces trash, and also provides fertilizer for new plants to grow. Students can compost their fruit and vegetable scraps easily. Colin Beavan, author of No Impact Man, our First-Year Reading Experience book, provides instructions on how to compost on his blog: http://noimpactman.typepad.com/
3. Set aside one hour a week to walk to your local grocery store with your roommates. Shop for fresh fruit and vegetables that you are unable to find at the farmers market, and also ingredients to make your own home-cooked meal. Have one night with your roommates and friends to make your own dinner in the community kitchen or other available space. Possibilities include whole wheat pasta, soup, salads, or other healthy, easy-to-make entrees. Not only is this a fun experience and great bonding time with your friends, but you will become more conscious of what you are eating. By making your own meals, you are able to control the quality and ingredients.
4. Do your research on your food. Ask the farmers at the farmers market how the food is grown or prepared and where it comes from. Read the labels of packaged foods at the grocery store, doing the best you can to select natural, local products. Be knowledgeable about what you are eating!
5. Broaden your research. Perhaps use the food industry for your next assigned research project. Research the food industry; the function of industrial production, the food economy itself, and even the consumer. Consider reading books such as Food, Inc. or The Omnivore's Dilemma. Not only will you be more informed about what is really happening behind the wrappers and packaging on our grocery store shelves, but you will be much more likely to eat responsibly in the future. This will be not only beneficial to your health, but to the economy, welfare of domestic animals, and the world as a whole.

SWA #8

The Cooking Ape

The Cooking Ape, by far, is my favorite passage that we have read from the Carolina Reader this semester. After reading the introduction however, I would certainly not have expected this. A man who studies monkeys and cooking?! What does that have to do with anything at all? I was skeptic of the interview's validity and value, it sounded downright ridiculous that there could possibly be any link between the two. This was my reaction before I read Wrangham's responses to Elisabeth Townsend's questions.

Wrangham first captured my interest by listing how much cooked food varies from raw food, which lowered my skepticism immediately. In his first empirical example, he cites the size difference between gorillas and apes, then later on in his answers, relates the same size difference between humans and primates to cooking of food. He explains how the greater caloric intake allows our bodies to expand in size, compared to our primate relatives or early ancestors. He also cites the complexity of our organs and their size expansion to the greater energy intake, thanks to cooked food. Our brains are bigger because of the increased energy intake. On the other hand, our guts are smaller because they do not need to digest raw, tough fiber foods. Our digestive system is mechanically designed for cooked food, instead of having dentures designed for ripping and tearing like other meat-eating mammals, we have smaller, duller teeth, perfect for grinding up tenderized meat. Wrangham explains if we had been meat-eaters, it would take us days to digest meat (like animals) if we did not cook our food.

Another logical connection exists between cooking and the human social structure, that is still existent today. Cooking explains why males depend of their female counterpart to feed them. Because of cooking, the male protects the female's food supply while she cooks it, and in return, she provides him with food. This social pattern can be traced to our early ancestors, and to the modern Mr. and Mrs. Smith household today. The only explanation for such a social pattern is the process of cooking.

Wrangham makes several explanatory evolutionary claims through out Townsend's interview of about his studies and beliefs. At first glance, his theories, and even field of study, may seem ridiculous. However, the further Wrangham explains the scientific, physical, and logical ties of the history of cooking and evolution of the human today, the more he convinces his audience. I am now convinced that cooking our food gave the human population the physical bodies and social interactions that we have today.

SWA #7

Nancy Bauer presents a topic to the general public that is extremely relevant to the sexual-infiltration and materialization that our culture has become dependent on. Her argument is motivated by her observations of the characteristics of women today. She recognizes the power of sex in the media, and understands the influence it has on whoever partakes in it. This constant exposure to something that is telling women that's what their purpose is creates such an effect that she criticizes in her article. She emphasizes why women have created themselves into "objects"; because the media is telling women it is their position of power. The majority of her audience has not been exposed to such a belief, which is why Bauer's kairotics are relevant. She exemplifies she is in touch with the modern culture; opening her argument with an analysis of current pop queen Lady Gaga and cites the various accounts of college students.

SWA #6

Preparing to write my rhetoric draft

As I prepare to write my first rhetoric draft, I expect to select a reading from the fourth chapter, to better capture my interest. I am interested in writing my first rhetoric analysis on the topic of women's gender roles, concerning it is a more modern and global topic. Also, I have a personal connection with the topic, so it will be easier for me to connect with the author's message. I will better be able to understand her ethos and pathos, and will find it more interesting in the process. I am preparing to use the series of rhetorical analysis questions provided in order to begin my rhetoric analysis. 

SWA #5

Undercover Persuasion

Much like the topic she writes on, Ellen Goodman's true feelings about the rise international surrogate motherhood is an enigma. She presents an explanatory account of the recent rise in the modern business practice, that has produced much controversy across the world. What adds to the voice of Goodman's credibility, or ethos, is her presentation of both sides of the issue. She reasons with her audience, citing the positive aspects of growing surrogacy. Goodman explains that women of third world countries will earn a decade's worth salary “for the production and delivery of a child.” Appealing to her readers pathos, she goes on to explain how surrogate motherhood is a far more beneficial alternative to such women than “a job crushing glass in a factory for $25 a month.” The reader is able to visualize poor, tired, malnutrition-ed women slaving away in terrible conditions, and imagine the injuries they could obtain, both physically and emotionally, from wasting their lives away crushing sharp, dangerous glass. 

However, Ellen Goodman's true feelings about her topic are revealed towards the conclusion of her essay, subtlety, but powerfully. She closes her essay with the words “humanity is sacrificed to the economy and the person becomes the product.” Her concern and disagreement with the process of surrogacy pertains to the ethical and moral boundaries that are being crossed. This includes the relationship between the birth mother and the child she gives birth to, the exploitation of poor and illiterate “employees”, possible physical dangers, and overall intrusion of commercialism into what is natural and humane. 

Ellen Goodman's essay is particularly memorable and powerful because of her effective use of ethos and pathos as a writer. She creates her own credibility by presenting both sides of the story, unlike several writers of current controversial topics. She writes as an informer, not as a persuader. She empowers her message by utilizing pathos, arising feelings of sympathy within her readers. Personally, after reading her essay, I can further understand the issues behind the debate of international fertility commercialism, and understand why it is wrong, but also, why it could be beneficial.

SWA #4

Dishes. Freshly baked pies. Lacy aprons.

These are the images that first came to my mind when I heard the term “housekeeper.” Now, after reading Beecher's essay on guidelines for a good housekeeper, it is an occupation that is far more than that. Not only are they responsible for the cleanliness of the kitchen counters, but also for everyone who lives within the house. Their responsibility is to ensure that the home's residents are happy and maintain a well mannered attitude, as they should. They are the nucleus of the house, and Beecher believes everyone in the house fares better when her attitude is well mannered. She provides numerous examples of how to do so; such specific instructions, almost like an instructional manual.

My idea of a housekeeper has now been transformed from a part-time hobby to a full-time job, which the welfare of everyone else is dependent on. I have never thought of a housekeeper in such a way before. The idea that everyone's attitude revolves around the central worker of the house makes sense, as a matter of fact, as I look at it from personal experience. Often, I would look to my mother, our housekeeper, for emotional support. If she was in a bad mood, I would also be.

However, I believe the tone is somewhat patronizing, almost like a lecture. Beecher puts a load of additional responsibilities on housekeepers, declaring how they should and shouldn't act. If I was in the position of housekeeper, I would not appreciate Beecher's advice.

SWA #3

YES, I am my brother's keeper

As I sat down today to eat my large turkey sandwich and fresh fruit that I had purchased from the dining hall about ten short minutes ago with the meal plan my parents pay for, I turned the pages of the conversation between Richard D. Heffner and Elie Wiesel. My fingers were almost heavy with the guilt I was now carrying; the sandwich suddenly did not taste so good. 

Elie Wiesel's recorded opinions carried an enormous amount of ethos and pathos, making me feel like a spoiled, gluttonous, ungrateful brat as I chowed down on the lunch so many in the world do not have. I have not experienced this feeling from other authors who have cried for world-wide attention to suffering people, but I did from Elie Wiesel. His credibility as a human-rights activist is beyond convincing. A Holocaust survivor, having experienced human suffering first-hand, Nobel laureate, and powerful author, his voice is certainly heard by his readers. His word choice and tone all the more add to the power of his ethos; his is heard by the audience as a true peace activist. 

Additionally, Wiesel utilizes pathos in his speech. He appeals to the reader's compassion, making him or her examine their own conscious and feel for their “brothers.” For example, he uses images, citing the apartheid in South America, murderous whites interrupting black funerals, to kill more. He brings to the attention how indifferent the public is to world suffering, which stirs feelings of supreme guilt in the reader and the desire to act. 

The desire to act, to improve, is the effect Elie Wiesel hopes to achieve by his numerous speeches, literary works, and this particular conversation. He wants to create the sense of responsibility in every human being for exhibiting compassion for our fellow man. The feeling of responsibility, he believes, should be inevitable. Technology, despite our recent analysis of its destructive capabilities through past readings, has its uses. Technology allows the spread of information, for example, images and descriptions of the genocide occurring in Darfur. With the hyper -speed of every link, news article, photograph, and YouTube video, the spread of this concrete, observed information is possible to every point of the globe. 

However, this does not mean every person on every point of the globe knows this information. This is where the gap between information and knowledge occurs. Although our sensory abilities may take in the information, with our eyes and ears, that does not mean it has been encoded into our minds our hearts. Because of the widespread indifference, which Wiesel says “now is equal to evil” (49), the information is not knowledge. We are not aware of the suffering innocent people of Darfur, because the majority of us have not encoded it to our consciousness. We are not present in the present world. Our presence lies in our individual everyday lives, independent of our “brothers” because of the way our modern world has been made so convenient for ourselves. 

For once, the information of the suffering world has been encoded into my consciousness as knowledge, as a resulf of the effectiveness of Elie Wiesel's application of ethos and pathos within this conversation. I am now aware of the horrors that occur to people just like me across the world. They could be sitting in an air-conditioned dorm room eating a full lunch, typing away on the market's modern technology. I could be the one suffering from no shelter, water, or extreme hunger. I am aware that it is my responsibility to act as my brother's keeper. But where will my presence be in an hour or two? On the way to buy some new clothes, or to eat dinner in an air-conditioned cafe. Indifference is in fact a modern evil.

SWA #2

Families Paying a Price

Matt Richtel, author of the essay “Hooked on Technology and Paying a Price”, continues the public persisting question of our society's advancement: is technology good or bad? Cascio says good, Carr says bad. Richtel votes differently. He admits the advantages of technological advancement, but warns of the harm of technology in excess. He represents the problems technology poses through an institution every human being can relate to, the American family. Mr. Campbell is addicted to technology, as is his son, young daughter, and even the wife who complains of her husband's addiction. As a result, the family patriarch misses critical business offers, everyday obligations, and most importantly, precious time with his family. We heard Carr's fears about degenerating brain power and changes in the way we process information, and Richtel relays the same facts. However, he brings to his readers' attention two points that captured my interest, and likely the majority of the remainder of his audience. 

The first, more practical reasoning behind Richtel's anti-technology side of his essay, is the effects multiple screens and messages can have on one's productivity levels. Said “multi-taskers”, who claimed to be able to focus their attention at multiple tasks or screens at the same time, were studied by researchers. The study found that the multi-taskers were less efficient at distinguishing tasks and solving problems then the other subjects. Therefore, suggesting they have not been positively impacted by technological abundance. Rather, their cognitive power, as suggested previously by Carr, has taken a turn for the worse. 

Additionally to providing scientific reliability, Richtel appeals to his audience's emotional and personal aspects of reasoning. He demonstrates the structure of the Campbell family, and how it has been negatively affected by every screen and wire that his family is unhealthily attached to. From burnt cookies to ruined family vacations, the negative effects are apparent, and even scary. The oldest Campbell child is even academically impacted. 

However, the scary part is not Connor's C's on his report card or Mr. Campbell sitting in his vacation hotel room to play video games on his Ipod. The scary part is the deterioration of the Campbell family could happen to anyone, the Smith family, Davis family, Brown family. Even my own family. Everytime Apple releases the next must-have gadget or a bigger plasma television comes out at Best Buy, the threat increases. The thought of imagining my own father absent for the majority of a family vacation disturbs me, as I'm sure it does most of the public. The institution of the family is what makes us human and has enabled our survival for all of history, and the way of life of the modern “Information Age” is threatening the family's structure and function. 

Authors Cass and Cascio both expressed their opinions behind the ever-growing technology boom persuasively and effectively. Richtel did the same, but differently. The author used two things any reader can understand, and will be easily swayed by. Richtel uses science from experiments and studies, presented in order to support his beliefs. However, his strongest and most effective influence comes from exemplifying the typical American family.

Short Writing Assignment #1

Fairy tales vs. OTCs

When I reflect on both my best and worst writing experiences, two vivid memories come to mind. The first, I am standing in front of thirty-two pairs of attentive and interested eyes in a 5^th grade English classroom as I read aloud from my paper, mimicking an old wizard's raspy voice. The second, I am staring with bloodshot eyes at the clock above my kitchen table, which reads 1:28 am, as I frantically check the word count in my Microsoft word document after each time I hit the period button. Although one of these academic events occurred eight years ago while the other just last summer, both are as clear and memorable as if they happened just this week. One I remember as the most fun and enjoyment I have ever received from writing, the other as a dreadful, exhausting, and tasteless chore.

My fifth grade Language Arts teacher assigned my class a writing exercise at the beginning of the new school year. To practice our writing skills, we each had to write a short story, inspired by an assigned picture. Then, we would each narrate our story in front of our classmates. My picture depicted a boy asleep in bed, while three lights hovered near his open window. I began to write my own fairy tale of a boy, kidnapped from the comfort of his bed by three spunky fairies, and led to a fantasy world plagued by a enormous violent dragon. When I came home from school, I rushed to my computer to type away the tale of Archie the dragon slayer, harnessing all my pent-up imaginations. The writing exercise provided an outlet for me to use my creative and let my imagination take form, and it was a project I was passionate about. Even better, I had an interested audience. I could not wait to perform my masterpiece for my classmates, using different voices for each character, such as a high-pitched whisper for Trixie the Fairy and an angry dragon's roar. My teacher and classmates applauded not only my literature, but also my performance, making the fantasy story all the more special for me.

On the other hand, the International Baccalaureate Program did not applaud my much more recent Extended Essay on the effects frequent over-the-counter drug use on the human brain's cognition. My relationship with the Extended Essay, assigned for the summer between my junior and senior year of high school, can be summarized in one four letter word: hate. I hated the fact that I was intimidated by the sheer length requirements of the essay, hated the topic I had chosen myself to research, hated the lack of research I could come up with, and hated that it was ruining my summer and my sleep pattern. Although I had nearly seven pages to fill with writing, not once did I apply my creativity or use one bit of passion. I had no significant audience and no interest in what I was writing. I did not utilize any form of planning or time management either, the majority of my paper was written in the very few days left of summer. A combination of irresponsibility on my part, pure lack of interest, and raging frustration with myself and my writing led to the disaster that was my high school Extended Essay.

Although both writing assignments are stored permanently is my long term memory, the one that is more clear and more important to me is not the most recent. Rather, it is sitting at my computer in my 5^th grade school uniform, slaving over Archie and his fairy dragon-fighter friends. How much I enjoyed creating and sharing one of my first pieces of writing will remind me of the power of words and sentences, and how I can utilize my creativity and passion in any writing that I choose to.