Reflection on Open Letter Draft

This is the last official blog post of this semester! Went by really fast! For the last peer review I conducted in this course, I looked over the drafts of Victoria and Alex.
On an unrelated note here's a cute little otter waving hello.

Michel, Christopher "Sea Otters: Monterey Bay Aquarium" January 2nd, 2015
Generic License 

Did you demonstrate an ability to think about your writing and yourself as a writer?

• I tend to have a more difficult time writing about myself than any other topic. I always feel as though it's somewhat disingenuous when I write about myself and my skills, which isn't really a good thing because for papers such as resumes you need to be able to discuss you strengths and weaknesses. I believe I did a pretty good job basically explaining how I have grown and changed as a writer this semester, but it definitely needs expansion.

Did you provide analysis of your experiences, writing assignments, or concepts you have learned?

• I gave a basic analysis. I talked about writing in high school and how I felt I had evolved from those specific styles of writing. I briefly discussed the major projects we had in this class, but they definitely need to be expanded upon and discussed in greater depth. Concepts would include my shift away from being such a Heavy Reviser, but again needs more depth. 

Did you provide concrete examples from your own writing (either quotes from your writing or rich descriptions of your writing process)?

• Like I said above, I need more depth in my examples. I need to flesh out the writing of this letter as it stands right now, including quotes, links to examples, or better descriptions of my writing process.

Did you explain why you made certain choices and whether those choices were effective?

• In some areas, yes. I explained my high school experience and why the choices I made then grew to be different from the choices I needed to make in college. Again, I'll go back and explain a bit more as to why my choices as a freshman in college were different and more effective. 

Did you use specific terms and concepts related to writing and the writing process?

• I touched upon several specific terms and concepts related to the writing process we developed and discussed this semester. I discussed peer reviewing, the concept of a genre, deadlines, and what "type" of writer I began as and ended as. 

Draft of Open Letter

This blog post will have a link to my open letter.

NOTE: This is going to be really really rough. I had my laptop stolen from my car Tuesday night of Thanksgiving and have been unable to access a computer until Saturday (11/24). I'm behind in a lot of classes because of this, and I'll be doing my best to progress in this class. Because I didn't really know the specific conventions of a semi-formal letter, I copied a "rubric" I found online and wrote within those sections so I could feel more clear in how to write. I didn't have much time to quote myself or anything so be honest and specific but also a little sympathetic maybe? :)

Bosner, Richard "Winter Sunset in Tucson" December 29th, 2005
Non Commericial Generic 

Access my draft HERE

Reflecting More on My Writing Experiences

This blog post will review some more reflection about my writing process this semester.

1. What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall?

It's always a little difficult transitioning to a new teacher, especially because they all have different expectations and guidelines for what level they believe their students to be writing at. I feel as though in high school I was writing more to the bare minimum expected for the teachers, but rarely really pushed my writing. I feel as though being challenged with new forms of writing was probably the biggest challenge this semester.

2. What did you learn this semester about your own time managment, writing and editorial skills?

Overall, I feel as though I've actually been fairly successful in time management.  I was concerned that I would continue the habit of awful procrastination from high school, but I've actually done quite well at keeping on top of my work (excepting this week, which was not as relaxing as a break as I had hoped). As I said in this blog post, I've enjoyed getting things done early. However it does seem as though I taper off in motivation as soon as winter rolls around. I also think my writing has improved. I spend a lot more time preparing drafts and researching than I used to, and I think that's really improved my writing. In conferences regarding papers, they've generally been more nit-pit-picky rather than have an overall negative tone.

3. What do you know about the concept of 'genre'? Explain how understanding this concept is central to being a more effective writer.

It's always sort of been difficult for me to identify a "genre". I used to think that a paper is a paper, and that it seemed kind of silly to have to identify a genre rather than just have the conventions placed in front of me. As college has progressed, it's made more sense to me that you're not always going to have a rubric or something that'll be straight forward for writing. Working by looking at genres in depth and picking them apart by convention has helped me learn how to understand and learn about genres.

4. What skills from this course might you use and/or develop further in the next few years of college coursework?

Helping to understand how to write for a genre, learning how to adjust writing for different teachers, learning how to write and research for myself as well as for school, etc.

5. What was your most effective moment from this semester in 109H?

I would say that writing the last paper was an effective moment for me. It was a culmination of all the different skills I have picked up on this year. I had an very well written draft, was very well researched, and spent a long time writing a paper I was quite proud of. I feel like this was just a good moment for me, even if the paper isn't perfect.

6. What was your least effective moment from this semester in 109H?

I would probably say the first paper. It felt like a research paper but it wasn't, I wanted to write in my high school sort of style and it didn't match, I didn't always understand the QRG genre and everything that it entailed. I felt frustrated and while I still feel like the paper came out okay, I still wish I had been more flexible in considering the writing.

Revising my Writing Process

This blog post will look over how my writing process and time management skills have evolved over the course of this first semester.

Alan, "Sleepy Time for the Ein Puppy", December 19, 2009
Attribution no-derivs, generic.

In blog posts 1.10, I wrote that I most considered myself a Heavy Reviser. I'd still say this is true, as a large chunk of my writing gets devoted to reading, re-reading, and editing my papers until I'm satisfied with them. I also said I wanted to be more of a Heavy Planner. I think I actually did become more of a Planner this year as well. As our blog posts typically require quite a bit of structure, I've noticed my rough drafts and outlines becoming more progressively outlined and detailed over time. I'm actually pretty happy with this, because it's made the transition from outline to full paper much easier. The clearest example would be project 3, where my outline was really intensely detailed and writing my paper was fairly smooth.

 In post 1.12, I said I was only going to have a couple free hours a day max. It ended up being more than I realized. Admittedly, I do spend quite a lot of time on homework, but have still managed to earn free time. I don't have as much time as I'd like to meet up with friends but I still manage to go out and get coffee with them from time to time, be a bum watching Netflix, and get some physical activity weekly (though my gym schedule is shall I say...nonexistent?). I've been really pretty good about not procrastinating this semester for the most part. I think the weekly structure of the posts helped a lot with that; I enjoy getting them done early because it's a large chunk of time I dedicate, and I like to enjoy my weekends (after I'm done working, of course). I'm pretty proud of myself actually in the fact that I get things done mostly early or at least on time.

Reflection on Project 3

This blog post will provide answers to a short list of bulleted questions provided in Writing Public Lives, page 520. It will also be a reflection on the final project that was just published and submitted (yay!).

Waits, Chris "Tuckered Out," May 7th, 2011
Generic License 

1) What was specifically revised from one draft to another? 
Between drafts I did general revisions. Fixing irregular quotations, general grammatical errors, smoothing out some of the more choppy writing. I re-wrote the subheading under the title, narrowed my focus more specifically to Rome and Pompeii in my introduction, and added more opinionated commentary to ensure my paper clearly made an argument.

2) How did you reconsider your thesis or organization?
I didn't necessarily change my thesis, but I narrowed down what I would be more specifically discussing as examples. This meant I narrowed down some pieces of my organization and expanded further on other pieces of evidence.

3) What led to these changes?
Partially my own revisions where I realized there were some areas that my ideas were not clear, but mostly from peer reviews and conference meetings. As a writer, you can maybe get attached to a work you've written and miss some flaws within it. Speaking and hearing comments from other writers helped me see the areas that needed work.

4) How do these changes effect your credibility as an author?
 I believe they make me more credible. The more feedback I get on a paper, the more aware of the flaws that may exist. Even when looking over several papers. If the same sort of comments generally re-appear, then I have a consistent flaw in my  writing that needs to be addressed and make me a better writer.

5) How will these changes better address the audience?
Laurence, in his comments on my draft, actually suggested a stronger appeal to my audience. I carefully tried to appeal to the generally upper middle-class and intelligent audience without seeming too preachy. There was one point where it felt as though I was pressuring the audience to donate to the sites, and I was unsure if this was the tone I wanted.

6)How did you consider sentence structure or style?
I tried to make sure my language was generally formal and made it more or less structured in my revisions. I tried to vary the structure of my sentences a little more, but I mostly did general edits for my paper.

7)How will these changes assist your audience in understanding purpose?
The more clear my writing is, the better my audience is going to understand my argument. Revisions are helpful to do that and allows me as the author to help clarify to my audience what exactly I am arguing.

8) Did you have to reconsider the conventions of your genre?
In all of my revisions and edits from other people, my conventions were described as generally in line. It had the right amount of photos, about the right length, and had the appropriate formality in writing. I adjusted the size of the photos a little, but otherwise I did not reconsider my conventions.

9)How does reflection help you consider your identity as a writer? 
Revision is an important part of the writing process, and helps authors learn about who they are as writers as well. Seeing your strengths and weaknesses pointed out can help an author really grow and figure out how they write. Reflecting upon how your revision process works can see where you should be revising more and what you revised successfully. It's an important part of the process.

Publishing Public Argument

The last project is done! I am linking it to right HERE for viewing purposes! Enjoy :)
The rest of this blog post will be a personal analysis of how I did on this paper, and what rhetoric I used to strengthen it.

Before Issue 

                                                                 X

←----------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

After Argument

                   X

←----------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

      

         ____X__ My public argument clarifies the causes for a problem that is being debated.

4. Briefly explain how your public argument doesn’t simply restate information from other sources, but provides original context and insight into the situation:

--My argument was a little tricky, due to my genre's requirement of fact-heavy writing that generally remains fairly neutral. However, I added personal commentary to the information I presented. I argued that Italy had failed to do something specific and then gave X,Y, and Z reasons why my argument should be believed. Rather than just create a time line of things progressing in my issue,  argued reasons why things have gotten the way they are. 

5. Identify the specific rhetorical appeals you believe you've employed in your public argument below:

Ethical or credibility-establishing appeals

                

                    __X__ Referring to credible sources (established journalism, credentialed experts, etc.)

                    __X__ Employing carefully chosen key words or phrases that demonstrate you are credible (proper terminology, strong but clear vocabulary, etc.)

                    __X__ Adopting a tone that is inviting and trustworthy rather than distancing or alienating

                    __X__ Arranging visual elements properly (not employing watermarked images, cropping images carefully, avoiding sloppy presentation)

                    _____ Openly acknowledging counterarguments and refuting them intelligently

                    

                  

Emotional appeals

                   

                    ___X__ Employing the repetition of key words or phrases that create an appropriate emotional impact

                    ___X__ Employing an appropriate level of formality for the subject matter (through appearance, formatting, style of language, etc.)

                    _____ Appropriate use of humor for subject matter, platform/website, audience

                    ___X__ Use of “shocking” statistics in order to underline a specific point

                    __X__ Use of imagery to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    ___X_ Employing an engaging and appropriate tone of voice for the debate

                    

Logical or rational appeals

                    __X___ Using historical records from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    ___X__ Using statistics from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    ___X__ Using interviews from stakeholders that help affirm your stance or position

                    ___X__ Using expert opinions that help affirm your stance or position

                    ___X__ Effective organization of elements, images, text, etc.

                    ___X__ Clear transitions between different sections of the argument (by using title cards, interstitial music, voiceover, etc.)

                    ___X__ Crafted sequencing of images/text/content in order to make linear arguments

                    ___X__ Intentional emphasis on specific images/text/content in order to strengthen argument

6. Examples of the genre

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3 

                 

Reflection of Project 3 Draft

For this blog post I will be reflecting the two peer reviews for my draft I have received, as well as linking my own peer reviews. I have attached the peer review sheet I used for each draft.  One was Isaak's paper on obesity and the other was Chelsea's on geo engineering. 

Petful, "Easter Bunny Puppy", February 25th, 2007
Generic License 

1. Who reviewed your Project 3 rough draft?
Both Laurence and Chelsea reviewed my project three draft. You can find Laurence's review here and Chelsea's here.

2. What did you think and/or feel about the feedback you received? Be explicit and clear. Tell me what helped or what confused you about the feedback you got.
I feel like both of their reviews were very helpful! They generally had the same sort of comments on my draft. Chelsea specifically recommended I re-word my title and to review my paper for general errors (I was sure I had my paper in 'comment' mode but I she said I didn't! oops). She also recommended I revise some quotation because I used too many ellipses, and I agreed and changed it to a paraphrase. Laurence also recommended general revisions for clarity and to maybe more strongly appeal to my audience. I agree a revisions of the draft is probably a good idea.

3. What aspects of Project 3 need to most work going forward [Audience, Purpose, Argumentation, or Genre]? How do you plan on addressing these areas? 
Based on these peer reviews, I would probably say addressing my audience. Laurence said I was perhaps making a jab at the likely wealthier audience I would have to donate to my cause. I'm deciding if this is something I want to come across, since this is more of a "causal" argument than a "call to action" piece of writing. Just adjusting a little of my writing to appeal to my audience would do.

4. How are you feeling overall about the direction of your project after peer review and/or instructor conferences this week?
After conferences and the peer review, I'm feeling pretty strong about my project! The general consensus is to do a general revision to put some polish on the paper. I tend to review a few times before I submit a final project anyway, so I feel confident about how my project is turning out. 

Draft of Public Argument

Here is my first draft of my public argument! Please feel free to compare it to examples I have provided previous to this and make lots of comments. Clarity, sentence structure, presentation of images, etc. I also feel as though my conclusion is weak and was unsure how to tie in the elements I wanted to discuss without making the paper too long. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Stockman, Daniel "Corgi Puppies 36" March 12, 2011
Attribution Share Alike

Access the draft right HERE and here is an article you can compare it to XXX

Considering Visual Elements

This post will help my consider the visual aspects on my project based on the bulleted questions in Writing Public Lives.

Stockman, Daniel. "Corgi Puppies 28" March 2nd, 2013
Attribution Share Alike

What color choice best fits the rhetorical tone?

-I would like say a simple color scheme would be most appropriate. In the magazine I am basing my my article off of (Smithsonian Mag), the basic colors are black and white. Titles are frequently in black and grey.

If my project has a background, what color is most appropriate or visually engaging?

-This alternates between black text on white background or white text on a black background. I'll likely stick with black on white, seeing as it is more traditional and professional. However, I am still considering the white on black, since it is frequently seen in their articles and it is an engaging color choice. Maybe I will do a little bit of both. 

If your project contains large blocks of text, could they be broken up more effectively using text boxes, lines, headings, or images?

-Large sections or chunks of text are found often. Different topics in each section tend to be broken up by lines or images. I'll replicate this in my own project for sure. 

Does the text of headings need to stand out?

-There's generally one major heading and that's it, but it is extremely large compared to the rest of the text. I will likely also just have the one major heading that stands out and the rest will simply be divided by lines or, like how the Smithsonian does, a row of asterisks. ***************

Do too many visual images make your text busy or disorganized?

-Absolutely. There should be about 4 images per online article (though they often have options to click on other images that are less prominently displayed). The actual magazine will tend to have more, likely an upwards on 10 or so images. However, the format for these different forms of publication are fairly different. I will need to determine the format I absolutely want, and then make sure the images aren't a major distraction from the text. 

Does the image inform or emphasize my argument?

-Yes. They should be a direct illustration of what I am discussing. 

Is the theme or association that the images produces relevant to the theme of my argument?

-Yes. Like I said up above, it should be a literal image of what I am discussing in the text. 

If the image is a graph or chart, does it clearly support a major point of my argument?

-Graphs are fairly unlikely to be used in my project. If I do end up using them it needs to be in an exact fashion so that they are directly related and support my argument.

Project 3 Outline

In this post, I will provide a detailed outline in preparation for this next project. Pages 415-421 of Writing Public Lives will guide my outline.

wplynn "Macintosh the Pembroke Welsh Corgi", November 5th, 2006
Attribution no derivs

It ended up being a bit lengthy, so I created a Google doc available HERE

Reflection:

 I read Evan's  post on visual elements. Like my genre, his requires little to no images, and if it does they need to be very persuasive and placed carefully. He wrote more about what his genre was setting out to accomplish than the specific visual elements of the paper, so it was interesting to learn more about what he was trying to accomplish. I also read Chelsea's visual elements post. Chelsea thought more in-depth about the color choices she could utilize to get the best effect from her paper, and her images are already pre-selected to make the best effect. She seems more organized in considering her draft which makes me think I need to work on mine more for sure.

Analyzing My Genre

In this blog post, I will provide 5 examples of my planned genre and then will answer the bulleted questions provided below. 

Hallye Becker, Screenshot from my Computer, November 5th 2015

Social Context

• The genre is typically set in an actual  magazine, or posted through that magazine's website. All of my examples come from smithsonianmag.com specifically. 
• The specific subject is of all my examples are varied, but all pertain to history, archaeology, or art. (Look at examples to see varied ranges of topics)
• People in this genre are generally reporting on new information relating to their subject. They will present their topic usually fairly in-depth, but magazines have limitations on generally how long their articles are. Writers are usually given (xx) amount of pages or words as a requirement that they have to fill. For the Smithsonian, most of them are professional and well respected authors or journalists. 
• This genre is used a source of worldly information for casual and professional readers alike. It informs subscribers to the magazine (aka those who tend to care about these sort of topics) and presents them with news that pertains to the educated world. This includes revelations in science, history, art, travel, and new innovations.  

Rhetorical Patterns

• Most articles tend to stick to the "who, what, when, where, how" sort of questions. Typically, this content is mostly informational. There is little extraneous information, and opinion pieces for magazines such as the Smithsonian are fairly uncommon. Even when opinion pieces do exist, they're very level-headed and fair. 
• It could be argued that all three appeals are used. They need to present information and develop an argument, which means they need to appear credible and professional, but also need to appeal to their audience and create an emotional connection. Sometimes a logical argument serves an piece of news better than an emotional one, and vice versa. By carefully balancing all three appeals, an article can have lasting power with a reader.
• Most articles tend to open with a hook that simultaneously serves to introduce the topic at hand. For example, in Example 2, the article opens with the tale of an exposed CIA intelligence officer. This serves to introduce the article about spy betrayal, while also creating a hook to draw the reader in. The conclusion is not always a perfect wrap up of the information. While it does serve to really accentuate the argument provided, it can also be open-ended, as a lot of the information provided is still open-ended.
• The sentences are usually of varied structure, as good writing is supposed to be. They are professional and have a smooth flow, as magazine articles need to be easily and highly readable. They usually are presenting information, so question marks and exclamation points are typically reserved for extreme emphasis and quotations. 
• Magazine articles have a very wide range of word choice, depending on the magazine. For the more specific genre I have chosen, the word choice is formal because it has a more scientific/academic focus. 

Analyzing Patterns

• The genre is fairly inclusive. Whoever can afford a subscription to the magazine or chooses to read the articles online are part of the genre. For the place I would be writing my article, the audience is typically well educated and well-off financially. They have an interest in the world around them on a scientific level and can filter down to a more specific part of their interests by article. 
• The genre encourages interaction and education between the writers and readers. Writers present the information and ideas, and readers can choose how to react to them in any multitude of ways. Since there isn't a ton of persuasion in fact based articles, it's mostly just presenting facts the audience can choose to interpret. 
• It can be assumed they have an academic or scientific set of interests, and value research and learning new things about the world. 
• Facts, studies, research, and well documented information is likely considered to be the "most valuable" content. Overly opinionated or "tabloid" pieces will be considered less valuable.

*********

Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5


Reflection

 I read Swati's genre post first. Swati chose a more science-based genre than I, and mine will likely read in a more academic manner. Mine is based off of a magazine article while the hers is more based off a science-article website. While our audiences and genres are different, we do have similar approaches though. We both will use logical appeals, and have an assumption that out audiences will have a pre-existing interest in the genre.
I also read Chloe's post. Chloe is using the New York Times as the reference for her genre, which is similar to me choosing the New York Times. Her genre is really similar to mine then, and we had similar approaches to considering our audience and how we're going to write the paper. I would say that her analysis needs a little more depth, but otherwise everything is well organized and matches up with my own sort of genre.

Considering Types

This blog post will look at the different types of argument would be the most effective or least effective for my argumentation project.

Found Animals Foundation, "Cat Argument 4" August 29th, 2011
Attribution Share Alike

I believe either the Position argument or the Causal argument would be the best fit for my paper. Position arguments look at specific policy or ideas in a policy debate. For my own topic, I could discuss future plans with Pompeii (for example, the plan to add a train station) and argue the pros and cons of this plan. I could compare it to other failed or successful ideas and create an argument about Pompeii's handling by using a specific new plan. The Casual argument is an introduction to the causes of a specific problem, and argues for potential solutions as well. This would probably be the strongest fit, as I want to argue that Italy has failed to protect Pompeii, and this would be one of my "direct causes" towards the issue.

Probably the one that would fit this project the worst would be the Refutation. A Refutation argument has the specific purpose of refuting the opposing arguments for your topic. Seeing as I've been struggling to find people who openly speak against conservation or Pompeii, this would be a difficult paper for me to write. I can give good reasons as to why I believe my topic is important, but with little evidence to refute, the paper will be weak and one-sided.

REFLECTION

I read Chloe's Rhetorical Action Plan and her Considering Types post. After I had read her post, I ended up going back and changing one of my possible genres for this controversy. Therefore my rhetorical action plan is likely slightly more different than my initial comment on her post, but we were in agreement for the Considering types post. We both thought the Position argument style would be beneficial for our respective controversies, though I could see us using it in slightly different formats.
I also read Alex's Rhetorical Action Plan and Considering Types. Alex's paper was more concise than my own, and managed to generally cover everything. He chose to consider a more visual option, like a TED talk, which I think would be really interesting to watch. For his types post, we also both picked the causal and position arguments. However, Alex chose different levels of appropriateness for each type of argument. His blog post definitely went more in depth than mine did, and I may want to look over each type of argument again.
The comment I received encouraged me using an article format over an academic style paper, and I probably agree that would be more interesting.

My Rhetorical Action Plan

This blog post will have a somewhat in-depth response to a list of ideas to help me build my paper more strongly. This includes looking at audience, genre, type of arguments made, etc.
P.S. Happy 50th post!

prettyinprint, "Party Animal" October 27th, 2008
Attribution no derivs 

This became a bit too lengthy for a blog post, so I created a Google doc which can be found HERE

Reflection:

Coggle of Analyzing my Purpose

This blog post will have a link to a mind map discussing the purpose of my public argument.

A Health Blog, "Exercise plays A Vital Role in Maintaining Brain Health", April 24th, 2014
Attribution Share-Alike

It can be found right HERE

Analyzing Context

In this blog post, we will be examining the "big picture" of my controversy, and will be looking at the perspectives and context of my school of thought.

Hallye Becker, "Screenshot from my computer" , October 17th 2015

1) For Art History, there are quite a few schools of thought. Almost every period of art has it's own more specific set of conventions, thoughts, processes, and steps of analysis. There is an overruling arch of the focus on the importance of art. Artists are the clearest reflection on how the intellectuals of a culture thought and felt. This debate focuses primarily on how to take care of this art and how important it is.

2) There is actually very little push-back against conserving art, and few openly oppose it. The issue more lies with it's relevancy to the "common" person. They may visit a museum or historical site every once in a while, but since it's not a primarily relevant issue in their daily life they may not place a specific importance on spending the necessary money to conserve art.  

3) Many people who agree that art is important, if only for aesthetic's sake.  It tells a story about the the past that is easily grasped, and art has been used as a way to communicate with the "uneducated masses" for thousands of years. Saving it is a good way to teach and interest people in the past, and it'c connection to historical eras helps historians glean further insight into the past. 

4) Again, it circles back to just how important people feel art is. 

5) There is not much specific actions that either party requests. However, those who are fighting for the conservation of art absolutely encourage readers to go out and visit these museums and sites.They stress the importance of tourism-based funding for areas like Pompeii, and often have an underlying message that warns of the collapse of the site if they cannot help it financially. There is a push to encourage readers to see the art for themselves, but it is not always specifically stated. On the other side of the coin, readers have demanded sites be improved for their visit. In a research paper I read, many tourists complained of poor facilities and inaccurate visual and audio guides. Each side needs the other to "step up".

6) Interestingly, both of the above arguments could support my argument. I argue that Italy has failed Pompeii in it's conservation, and continues to put the site at risk despite all progress that has been made the past few years. Tourism is poorly handled, and the site itself still lacks all the maintenance it needs on a daily level. Arguing that the site itself is important and that it needs to be improved on a tourism-level as well both will serve to show how Italy has mismanaged Pompeii. 

7) The greatest threat to my argument are the "so what?" people. Pompeii is old and Italy is in a financial struggle right now. Why waste the money on a site that's collapsing by itself? Who cares? Finding an argument that emphasizes the importance of the art and this site without looking biased may prove to be difficult.


Reflection:
I read both Victoria's and Chloe's posts about context. Both Chloe and Victoria did a good job balancing the arguments on either side. I feel as though I maybe didn't do a good job balancing my arguments, but I also have a hard time finding opposing arguments. They also had external links, which made me feel like I should maybe go back and add a couple just to strengthen this post.  My argument looks a little weak compared to these other posts, so I'm going to need to dig around more to find the best way to balance out my argument in this controversy. 

Audience and Genre

This blog post will look at the possible audiences of my project and how my paper may be published or accessible.


Group 1) People generally interested in conservation

Buchanon, Phyllis  "Baby nerd 3", June 2006
Attribution sharealike 

Seeing as how my speech act will be based off of the research I do, other people may be looking for papers such as mine for reference or information. These are the sort of people who are not necessarily involved in the field, but still have an interest in the topic. The places of publications should therefore be fairly accessible and not too difficult to find, and a QRG would be a perfect example.

*Places of publication

-A QRG. They tend to be succinct, opinionated, and a good summary of all the "important" information needed to get a grasp on the topic. Not only that, they often have links to outside information that gives the reader a chance to explore the topic more in-depth.
Example 1
Example 2

-A magazine or news article. One of my main sources of research included magazine articles from more scientific associations who wrote about the controversy. One was an in-depth exploration of the current state of Pompeii, while the other was a more opinionated piece about the people involved with the site.
Example 1
Example 2

Group 2) Students in my own field

www.audio-luci-store.it "University Student Group" May 11th, 2014
Generic License 

Who is more likely to be interested in the writing of a student than another student in the same field? These students may be writing their own paper, be looking for a reference, or may just be brushing up on current events in their field. These types of publications are generally in a more specific place than a magazine article that may pop up during a google search.

*Places of publication

-A research journal. These sort of publications are typically reserved for specific papers. For example, the paper I found in this research journal broadly discussed the issues at Pompeii and then narrowed down to a specific one that the author studied. Another discusses the value of private conservation versus public consumption.
Example 1
Example 2

-An academic database. Databases search for information among thousands of scholarly journals, newspapers, reports, working papers, etc. They tend to have an association with being credible and with a strong academic base, so students would likely try to find papers published within the database to find more research information. I have attached some databases specifically tuned to the sort of research students would be looking for in my field
Example 1
Example 2

Extended Annotated Bibliography

This blog post will link will provide a link to my new annotated bibliography in Chicago style. These sites were more specifically for answering some of the questions posed in earlier blog posts.

You can access it right HERE

Narrowing my Focus

This blog post will look at the questions I believe to be the most helpful in my continuing exploration of my first controversy.

Petit, Todd "Magnifying Glass" July 1st, 2006
Generic License 

1)What are the plans/goals currently in place?

For myself personally, I'm curious to know what kind of renovations are still occurring. The last article I read regarding Pompeii, UNESCO's contract was nearly up. I would like to know if they are still involved, and what sort of propositions are on the table to try and continue the upkeep Pompeii needs.

What is the Italian government doing to help? Are the people involved?
This is sort of a combination of two questions, but I want to look at the involvement on both sides. Are the people or the government more involved in this issue? What is the level of involvement on each side? And when people are involved, what kind of people are they? I'm curious to see how the different people in Italy are reacting. 

3)How has the Italian people's feelings about the issue been taken into consideration?

I feel as though this is also something I neglected looking more closely at in my paper. While it was more specifically looking at the people of importance in my field who were talking about the issue, the people's opinion is very important. What people in power say and how they say it is often directly influenced by the general public. Looking at what the public had to say can give greater insight into why the Italian government acted the way it did or why certain people got involved. 

Questions About Controversy

In this blog post I will begin the preparation for the next assignment, in which I will create my own act of public speech based on a controversy I have previously written about.
I have chosen to go with the controversy on Pompeii's collapse. It interested me a great deal, and I'd like to get a chance to learn more about it.

Bellucci, Marco "Question Mark" August 24, 2005
Generic license 

Five WHO questions

1. Who in the general public, aside from Antonio Irlando, has spoken about this issue?
2. Who in the government has made a statement about the controversy?
3. Who is currently in charge? 
4. Who exactly was the person directly in charge of Pompeii at the time of the first collapse?
5. Who else is engaged in this, aside from the government and concerned individuals?

Five WHAT questions

1. What are the best options for conserving Pompeii?
2. What are the plans/goals currently in place?
3. What is UNESCO's involvement still, if there is any?
4. What is the argument for or against private investors in the property?
5. What is the Italian government doing to help? Are the people involved?

Five WHEN questions

1. When did UNESCO first take notice?
2. When was the first formal action taken to preserve Pompeii?
3. When were the first serious degradations in the structures noticed?
4. When did UNESCO's contract end, and when will negotiations for a new one take place?
5. When did the Italian government first take notice?

Five WHERE questions

1. Where was this controversy first introduced?
2. Where were the people in charge when the controversy exploded?
3. Where are the places where this controversy was mainly discussed?
4. Where else in Italy has this been an issue?
5. Where does the need to restore historical sites sit in terms of importance in Italy?

Five HOW questions

1. How was this controversy first presented?
2. How many media platforms has this been discussed on?
3. How many people in the government have been interviewed? 
4. How has the Italian people's feelings about the issue been taken into consideration?
5. How has this issue been painted in the media?

Project Two Final!

This blog post will release the final version of my rhetorical analysis essay of Art Spiegelman's interview.
Take a deep breath- we're finished!

Sid, "Sleepy Mouse" March 1, 2011
Attribution noncommercial license

You can find the essay right HERE

Reflection on Project Two

This blog post will look over my own revision process and how I composed the final draft of my last essay.

Hallye Becker, "Screen shot from my computer aka this was too funny to not put on my blog"
October 21st,2015

1. My first draft lacked a lot of evidence and analysis. The transitions were choppy, my introduction was too long, and there was not enough "directness" in me leading the direction of the essay. Since I tend to revise several times, I worked through each paragraph quite a few times to try to really build up the ideas more and more in each revision.                                           
2. The "revised" thesis I wrote was much stronger than the first one I wrote. It was more specific in terms of what I would be discussing in the essay, though even then it needed to have a more "explicit" standpoint. My organization stayed mostly the same, though the transitions and linkage of ideas between them were made more clear.                                                                        
3. These changes were mostly brought about by peer editing. It was pointed out to me some arguments about my audience were unclear or weak, so I reconsidered who the author was speaking for and tried to be more specific.                                                                                         
4. I would argue that these revisions made me more credible. Having a weak rhetorical analysis in a paper directly specified for such would make me look uncertain about the topic I am writing about, and would likely make me look less credible. Good revisions make the author look more credible.                                                                                                                                                
5. This paper is interesting in that you really have to consider two audiences: who the author is speaking to, and who you are discussing this audience for. By having a greater understanding of who the author was speaking for can help me find the right language to explain the rhetoric used, and make the paper more accessible to my own audience.                                                        
6. Some of my sentences were a bit choppy or had incorrect punctuation. My revisions attempted to improve the overall flow of the writing and keep a consistent style that would appeal to my audience.                                                                                                                                              
7. As mentioned before, a clear and well-written paper is likely to be more accessible to a larger audience. I may be able to look at my own writing and understand the argument I was attempting to make, but the reader may end up confused or lost.                                                         
8. I would occasionally refer to the rubric/conventions of this assignment to assure myself I was writing the paper correctly. I rarely had to reconsider my conventions, as I have written several rhetorical analysis papers before, but writing to a very specific audience was new for me.               
9. Each paper I write helps shape and consider my identity as a writer. I would like to consider myself a good writer, but it is noticeable that when an assignment does not have my full interest or investment that my writing falters. I would consider this one of my weaker papers, as I struggled some with finding enough content to argue everything to the extent I desired. I need to be aware that not every paper will capture my full attention, and work to create a strong paper none the less.

Reflection

I read Michael's blog first. He and I agreed on a lot of topics, such as how revision makes us more credible authors and how we felt the changes we made helped address our audience better. However, Michael seemed more assured of his final paper of than I feel about mine. It made me feel like I may need to go back and finish up revising one or two more quick times so that my essay is stronger. Perhaps I'll read his for comparison.
I also read Evan's reflection.  Again, Evan and I agreed frequently. We both felt as though we have a stronger researching background than an effective analysis background, and felt like we focused too much on summarization at times. This will something I will definitely need to work on, because my field frequently requires in-depth analysis. 

Punctuation, Part 2

In this post, I will continue a reflection on the "Punctuation" section of Rules for Writers." I will be discussing the comma, apostrophe, and quotation marks.


The Comma

 A few notable functions in the "commas" section is the option to use a comma only after an introductory clause, listing a series of adjectives, coordinating conjunctions, and more. The restrictive and nonrestrictive elements of the comma is important. Knowing what needs to be separated by a comma (nonessential information) and what does not can make your writing feel more smooth. Commas are also used to separate years from days to indicate time, set off a quote, and isolate nouns to direct attention to who the sentence is addressing.

The Apostrophe

The main function of the apostrophe is matters of possession. It indicates if a noun is possessive by using and " 's" at the end of the word, unless there is an "s" at the end of the word already. In this case, adding an apostrophe at the end of the word will indicate possession. Apostrophes may also be used for marking an omission with contractions. It should not be used to create the plural forms of words, letters of numbers, and do not use it when the noun isn't possessive.  In formal writing, there are some more specific guidelines. They should be used to cite works, but contractions should be avoided entirely in formal writing.

Quotation Marks

Quotations marks are frequently used in literary analysis essays or other scholarly works. Quotations marks are used mainly for quoting other's works. Using proper citation and essential quotes can seriously strengthen a paper, and quotation marks are key to this. When quoting someone speaking, use a "singular" quotation mark (aka an apostrophe ' ) to enclose the speaker's quotation inside the "outer" quotation.  They have other functions as well: titles of papers, words used as words, punctuation, brackets and ellipses.


REVISING

While revising my own draft, I came across a few punctuation errors that were easily fixable. The sentence
"For example, in Spiegelman’s opening line to the interviewer’s question about Maus’s ban, he claims he worries the decision is..." has some unnecessary commas and improper apostrophe usage. The same line could be changed to read 
"For example, Spiegelman’s opening line to the interviewer’s question about Maus’ ban claims he worries the decision is...".  
Another sentence that needed revision is 
"However, it’s linkage to a dark and brutal history has ruined this peaceful interpretation." There is no noun for "it" to take possession of, nor is it a proper contraction of "it is". The sentence should be changed to 
"However, its linkage to a dark and brutal history has ruined this peaceful interpretation."

Copy for Paragraph Analysis 2

This blog post will have a link to a detailed paragraph analysis on my rhetorical analysis paper.

After reading and analyzing my essay, it seems pretty clear that I definitely need to put more work into the analysis of this. While each paragraph has a fairly clear main point, not all of them are very well developed and could use more evidence. The internal organization is pretty straight forward as a "point by point" sort of essay. However, paragraphs could use smoother transitions and link ideas more strongly between them.

It can be found right HERE.

Revised Conclusion

This blog post does the same thing as my previous one, in which I threw out my old introduction and started from scratch. This time it will be my conclusion.

Again, I added a link HERE to view.

Revised Introduction

This blog post will take my old introduction and thesis and throw it straight into the garbage. Which is probably a good thing.

Here's a mouse in a trash can. Get it? Because the paper is on 'Maus' and I threw my old thesis...nevermind. I think I'm funny.

Mestdagh, Mia and Steve "Mouse in the trash can" June 15, 2006
Attribution sharealike

Since my introductions ran a little long, I added a link HERE to view my new and old introductions.

Reflection on Project 2 Draft

This blog post will look at the drafts I read for the last post ( Swati's draft and Victoria's draft.) and compare them to my own. Admittedly, I have had a very busy few weeks and have not had time to write a very complete draft yet. I will fix this very soon.

Mancini, Anderson. "Reflection" November 19th, 2008
Generic License 

Do you have an identifiable thesis?
Yes. While it is not as strong as Swati's intro and thesis, there is a a direct claim I am making about my paper. It needs more strength and detail added to it and should be more "explicit".

How have you decided to organize your essay?
 My organization is very similar to Victoria's and Swati's. I chose for each paragraph to have a specific discussion of a device my author used. By organizing it by rhetorical device, it keeps a flow to it that avoid confusion.

Did you identify and analyze several important elements of the text's rhetorical situation?
 My elements are identified, but as of right now my draft is still basically in the "outline" phase. To be on par with the other essays I have read, I need to add much more analysis and thought to my text.

Did you explain how these strategies were employed?
Roughly, yes. My outline has "evidence" attached to each of my arguments. Swati did a very good job of just looking at what the author did to reach their audience and how they used their rhetorical devices, and I should look to her paper for some guidance.

Are you thoughtfully using evidence?
 Look above. My paper needs a lot more thought. Both Swati and Victoria did a fairly careful analysis of how the evidence was used to create a point.

Do you leave your reader wanting more?
I would say yes. Right now because my draft is very very rough. Half-jokes aside, Swati's paper definitely wanted to make me read more about her topic and field. Mine is weak, but hopefully can garner the audience's interest.

Punctuation, Part 1

This post will review topics covered in the "Punctuation" section of the 'Rulers for Writers' book.

The Semicolon

I chose this section due to the fact that I occasionally confuse the use of semicolons versus colons. Semicolons are used for closely related clauses that have a clear relation without a conjunction necessarily being required, and require two independent clauses. It essentially takes the place of the omitted conjunction. It can also be used for items in a series that has internal punctuation. Transitional phrases for semicolons are preceded by the semicolon and are usually followed by a comma. While I was aware of most of these things, a review of what semicolons should and should not be used for was a good refresher.

The Colon

Again, I decided a review of this form of punctuation would be helpful for me. Colons are used after an independent clause to draw attention to the next thing that will follow. That could be a list, an appositive, a quote, or a summary/explanation. It also has conventional functions. A greeting in a letter, telling time, proportions, titles and subtitles, bibliographies, etc. It is different from the semicolon, because the colon must be preceded by an independent clause but does not necessarily need one after.

Other Punctuation

This includes dashes, slashes, parenthesis, etc. Dashes are used to set aside/bring attention to information that needs emphasis, introduce a shift or a dramatic change in tone or thought. Parenthesis offer supplemental information, while brackets are used for things like paraphrasing. Slashes were ones I was less familiar with. Slashes can be used to separate up to two or three lines of poetry. More than that should become a quotation, which I did not know. That is their basic proper grammatical use.


REFLECTION

I first read Swati's draft. Not only was her essay very thorough and well-written, she had nearly flawless usage of of the punctuation I reviewed. For example, her use of parenthesis was well used to give extra information. " 'But growing usable tissue in the lab is notoriously difficult; the advent of 3-D printers that can print ink made of cells has offered a ray of hope” (para. 12)' " Her addition of the parenthesis to lead the reader to a specific paragraph was very well done.


I also read Victoria's draft. Victoria had good punctuation, and even used colons in her title like I reviewed in this section. Her title "Stem Cell Controversy: Ethics or Science?" uses the colon perfectly. It gave me ideas of how to use the colon similarly in my own paper. She had some small comma errors, but nothing that was unfixable or clearly wrong.