Fallacies: Red Herring and Ad Hominem

Examples of Ad Hominem:

1. "You can't believe him when he says the proposed policy would help the economy. He doesn't even have a job."
2.  "How can you argue for vegetarianism when you wear leather shoes ?"

Examples of Red Herring:   

1. "You know, I've begun to think that there is some merit in the Republican's tax cut plan. I suggest that you come up with something like it, because If we Democrats are going to survive as a party, we have got to show that we are as tough-minded as the Republicans, since that is what the public wants." 
2. "I think there is great merit in making the requirements stricter for the graduate students. I recommend that you support it, too. After all, we are in a budget crisis and we do not want our salaries affected."
   

Sojourner Truth - Ain't I a Woman

    Sojourner Truth presents a very strong stance and questions the way rights are given to different groups of people. She states that all women should be treated with respect according to what the white men say, but only the women of higher social status were respected correctly. She states that there are virtually no rights for black women and she is mocking the official when presenting herself as a woman. The article is short, but it has a very powerful voice and a very clear purpose.

The Creativity Crisis - Personal Response

    The article talks about creativity tests and how these creativity tests rank the creativity of different people onto a scale. I do not agree with people raking the creativity of an individual because people can be creative in different ways and people may have other natural talents that do not include creativity. The article talks about a worldwide increased awareness in the importance of creativity and how nations are changing their educational programs to emphasize creativity among youth. At the concluding paragraph of the article, the author states that a decrease in creativeness can be dealt with by science and I do not agree with that. Creativity is not something that should be increased by improved technologies in science, it should be an increase in self-expression. Creativity should not be put on scales and the way to increase creativeness is by encouraging self expression.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html

Sir Ken Robinson - Schools Kill Creativity

    In the presentation made by Ken Robinson, many very interesting points are raised about the relationship between education and creativity. The most important point that he brings up is the fact that children are only studying to enter college. He argues that students just do the homework to get good grade and enter college. When students are faced with large amounts of test, homework, and routinely done work, they no longer demonstrate any creativity. Sir Robinson is arguing that creativity should be nurtured and emphasized on in all stages of life. I agree with Sir Robinson on the importance of creativity because I believe creativity is the way to demonstrate personal identity. Be creative in life and enjoy a creative life.

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Sir Ken Robinson - Bring on the learning revolution!

    My first impression was, this guy is awesome. Sir Ken Robinson explains and urges that a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning should be imposed for children to let their natural talents flourish. It may be unfair for me to say this, but I really think that the courses in our school should help us develop more personal talents. The classes we have at PAS are already based heavily on natural talents and personal academic interests, but radical change would lead to even better forms of education. It would really be a revolution if all institutes for education were based on the development of natural talents!

http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html

Definition and Example: Periodic Sentence and Independent Clauses

Definition of a periodic sentence: a sentence that is not grammatically complete until the final clause or phrase.

Example of a periodic sentence:

“Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garment shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent and soft, and slow,
Descends the snow."



Definition of an Independent Clause: a clause that can stand by itself, also known as a simple sentence (contains a subject and a predicate).

Example of an Independent Clause:

"I like to play basketball."

Examples of Syllogisms

A basketball player is a sports player.
I am a basketball player.
Therefore, I am a sports player.

The SAT is an exam that is composed of ten sections.
I am taking the SAT exam.
Therefore, I am taking an exam with ten sections.

Micheal Hogan - The Colonel

    I have to say that I love the story "The Colonel" by Micheal Hogan; I feel as if a was in the story myself. I like the story because I was once in a situation just like Hogan (but I was playing basketball, not tennis). Basketball became a sport that changed my life and just by playing on the basketball court taught me many lessons of life. To me, basketball has transformed from a leisure activity to an event that is worth sacrificing for. Just like how tennis became a common-day sport. Playing basketball with older kids and playing basketball on a team taught me the correct attitudes of life and sportsmanship. I was able to grow as I played basketball and I feel a closeness to the little kid that started learning to play tennis with the colonel. I really like this essay.

Amy Tan - Mother Tongue

    This article gave me different view regarding the unity of the family and how people define the nature of the English language differently. Amy Tan states in her essay that she converts words to images inside her head and she has to make up situations between different words in order to better understand the connection between the words. Amy also demonstrates the unity among a family and how family values can deeply affect the individual in the family. I really like this essay because the essay gives me a feeling of belonging and it lifts the spirit. The stereotype of Asian being better at mathematics and sciences I find really amusing.

Judy Brady - I Want a Wife

    "I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady is a very realistic depiction of the duties a wife hold. The article demonstrates the large amount of work Brady might have had to do as a wife and as a mother. People might consider this article a complaint to the amount of work a wife needed to accomplish, but society in the past isn't like how it is now. Brady is not just speaking for herself, she is probably speaking for all the wives that face large amounts of housework. About the essay itself, I think the essay is very well structured and the points the essay wants to make is very clear. The essay conveys its ideas very clearly and the author most likely fulfilled her purpose in writing the essay. This essay is a very good model and I would like to use this model in future essays i write.

Quickwrite - Who are you and what do you want to be?

    I am a high school student who is working on getting himself into college; an individual just like anyone else on the planet. I am someone that is bound by expectations, duties, and moral reasoning. I am a common individual just like everyone else, but who I would like to be is someone without restrictions and someone without responsibilities that they have to care about. Simply put, I want to be somebody that has complete freedom. I want to be someone who doesn’t have to care about how others look at them and someone who doesn’t have to conform to the general public. I really admire people who can decide what they want to do in their own lives and I also admire people who have the courage to be different from others. I desire to become someone with freedom and self-identity.

"Kill 'Em! Crush 'Em! Eat 'Em Raw!" - Soapstone Analysis

 
The speaker of this personal account is clearly the author himself. John McMurtry is describing his own life and events that he has experienced during his early life. McMurtry is describing his football career and he is also comparing his football career with war in a very personal way.

The occasion of this piece of work is during a personal memory. McMurtry is describing his occupation as a football player throughout high school, college, and the professional league.

The audience is not clearly stated and it can actually be anybody in public. It can be inferred that there is an intended audience, that is football players and political figures that compare war with football games.

There are two main purposes for this article. The first is to describe the types of physical injuries playing football can bring and the second purpose is to question the attitude of political figure that are pro-war as well as coaches teaching football.

There are three main subjects in this personal account. The first subject is injuries that are related to playing football. The second is how the coaches just force you to keep playing for the pride of the team/yourself. The third subject is the comparison of football to war.

The tone of this account is very sarcastic and it is making fun of political leaders, coaches, and people who do not understand how sports is. It seems as if McMurtry is laughing at the people just mentioned.

Quickwrite - Racism

    Racism happens to everybody everywhere around the world. I was in a summer camp at the United States with some of my friends. We were there for a four week camp and it was a academic camp. I didn’t live at the campsite like my friends did; I live in a house that my mother rented. During the second week of camp, my friends told me that their roommates were unfriendly and that they were even bullying them. I felt unjust and went to talk to the roommates of my friends. They said that we were just foreigners and we were Asians, so we were inferior to them. I immediately felt an urge to punch him in the face but kept it down because my mom spent lots of money for me to go to camp. I really don’t understand how people can treat others like that.

Nancy Mairs - On being a Cripple

A positive attitude towards life is what I feel from “On being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs. Even though the condition of her body may not seem optimistic, she thinks in a positive way. Doubts occur in Nancy’s life, but she is able to get pass by thinking about the things she still has, not the things that she lost. I’m really surprised that someone can actually face misfortune with such an optimistic attitude while sharing with other people what she has experienced. She has enough courage to share the misfortune she has been through and I regard her with respect. The one thing I respect of her the most is that she doesn’t blame anyone else for having MS. Instead, she says that she would rather get MS herself than let someone else suffer it. I feel a great deal of respect towards Nancy Mairs and I will look up to her.

James Baldwin - Notes of a Native Son

“Notes of a Native Son” by James Baldwin is a very interesting yet depressing article to read. James Baldwin writes about the accounts of his father’s death and how this is linked with the discrimination towards African Americans in the United States. Throughout the account, clear descriptions of discrimination are demonstrated and the author himself experiences a threat of life. The relationship between the author and his father is what James Baldwin wants to tell the audience. James doesn’t have a good relationship with his father and he doesn’t believe what his father says about dealing with white people. After his father’s death, James then recalls from his memories the bad experiences he went through and connected them with his father’s words. What I believe is most important comes in the last paragraph. I sincerely agree with the author that people only cherish things when they lose them. I have lost many things and many chances, so I will never give up a chance when it comes up.