Lesson 5 Prompt: Teachers Expectations

Dr. Alonzo expects a lot from her students. I have come to learn that she expects both strong ideas, support for our ideas and expects us to know the proper grammatical tools and their uses. In high school our teachers focused more on helping us to develop strong arguments and how to best support them. While this helped me to create strong arguments for this course I feel like I am a little behind in proper grammar usage and will need to work hard at it. It is a good thing that Dr. Alonzo expects so much from me as this is my first university level English course. I feel like after this class I will be properly prepared for university level writing.

Lesson 5 Prompt: What Have You Learned?

I have learned a great deal about myself as a writer and as a student through this course. This course has taught me that while I may be good at generating ideas and exploring topics I need to work on the technical aspects of writing. I have had a lot of problems with run on sentences, proper comma usage and properly incorporating sources into my essay. This has cost me quite a few marks so far but with practice I have been getting better and hopefully by the end of the course I will have mastered it. Another thing I have learned about myself as a student is that I have a hard time staying focused on my work. I will need to buckle down with the course end date fast approaching.

Lesson 5 Prompt: Which technique would you choose not to use again?

I would not say that I would not use any of the techniques explained in Hacker again. They are all valuable in different situations and I am a strong believer in pre-writing. Pre-writing is great it helps you map out strong ideas and lays out what your paper is going to look like. In my opinion it saves a lot of time in the long run as it helps me avoid writers block. After I have done my pre-writing I know exactly what I am going to write about and I just have to worry about how I am going to word the paper. However that being said, if there was one technique I would not rush to use again it would be the journalist’s questions technique. I do not find that this technique is as valuable as other free-writing strategies however if I ever found myself writing a newspaper article or other journalist paper I can see how it would be helpful.

Lesson 5 Prompt: Techniques for Generating Ideas

Personally the idea mapping technique has been the most valuable technique for generating ideas. Idea mapping clearly lays out the main idea and as you add related topics it just seems to grow bigger and bigger. The information is laid out in a visually appealing format and the connections are very clear. As ideas branch off from the main topic I often find myself branching off even more ideas from the original ones. This allows me to explore the main topic in depth and generates a lot of new ideas. When I was writing my Lesson 4 assignment my thesis was “Many individuals, including myself, are guilty of watching life pass them by”. As I branched off the topic I used generated ideas such as famous quotes, personal experience, pop culture examples and real world examples just to name a few. It was easy to make connections between these main ideas and other more specific examples. In the end I used a poem, a popular short story and a personal experience as evidence. Idea mapping led me to these topics and I do not know if I would have thought of them had I not used idea mapping.

Lesson 5 Prompt: Write a question about any writing problem you think other students might also be experiencing.

One major problem that I have been having in this course is documenting sources that I have in my essays. I know that we must use a works cited page any time we use another person’s ideas, but what situation calls for using the page number and/or authors name in parenthesis and which situation calls for mentioning the authors name and then a quote from their work? I have read through Hacker’s MLA section but that doesn’t help make it any clearer. Another problem I have faced is that I am from Canada and there are some differences between the American use of commas and Canadian use of commas. This problem has lost me quite a few marks on my essays but I think I am getting a handle on it. One problem that I am sure other students face is that we do not have face to face time with Dr. Alonzo and while she does a good job giving help it would be much easier taking these courses in person. I could not imagine trying to take a math course over the internet, now that would be even tougher!

Lesson 4 Prompt: Previewing

How did previewing sections of a book (rather than simply reading them) help you to understand the material? (If you are not practicing previewing the written material it will show in your work.)
I find the previewing a section before you read it in its entirety is very helpful. As you preview a section the illustrations and key terms are usually highlighted so they are immediately brought to your attention. This saves you time rather than reading through an entire section looking for something. Previewing before I read something in its entirety helps me to remember key terms, ideas and concepts that I should focus on when I read it later. I use previewing in my history class and that has helped me greatly. I preview the section we are reading on, then look at what the assignment calls for and then read the section in its entirety paying special attention to what I need for the assignment. I believe that it would be a good idea for all students to preview something before reading it in its entirety, it saves time and can lead to better grades.

Lesson 4 Prompt: Peer Recommendations

Did you ask anyone else to make recommendations about your revising process? Why or why not?
I got my roommate Ryan Elliot to help me with my revising process. I have been friends with Elliot for a long time so he knows me very well and his ideas helped me to revise my arguments. I also respect his opinions and value his input. I find that it is always helpful to use others when writing for many reasons. Just talking with someone, as I did for this essay, always helps to generate new ideas and to see the topic from another perspective. When I was in high school I got my mom to help me with a lot of writing assignments. She is very good with English but usually I would get her to help me with most of the technical parts of my work but once and a while when I was stuck I would go to her for ideas. Using other people to help with the writing process is a great idea and I would highly recommend it to others.

Lesson 4 Prompt: Genre of Argument

Which genre of argument would you most likely write on your own? Why?

I think I would most likely use the classical structure for my arguments if I had a choice. The structure of a classical argument allow for a clear look at exactly what my essay will look like and a clear guide of what I must follow for my essay. I like the fact that it has two paragraphs set aside to show my opposition’s view and gives me a chance to refute their position. This gives me more insight into the topic that I am writing on and more material to add to my essay. When we must meet certain criteria on the length of an essay talking about the opposition’s views gives me more to write about.

Lesson 4 Prompt: Favourite pre-writing strategy

Which of the suggested Tasks from Writing Arguments did you find most helpful in pre-writing your revision? Why?

I found that idea mapping was the most helpful pre-writing strategy in writing arguments. My English teachers in high school had us use them for many assignments so I have some experience with it. Idea mapping allows for a flow of topics that I can use for arguments and helps me to make connections that I may not have thought of without putting pen to paper. I also like the free-writing technique. By making myself write for an allotted time period and not have to worry about grammar, spelling etc. ideas flowed more freely and I was able to come up with support that I may not have thought of if I had not let my mind ponder the subject aloud.

Lesson 4 Prompt: Evaluation of Supporting Evidence

Write an evaluation of the supporting evidence you found for your revised claim. Do not forget to evaluate the credibility of the source itself. Look back at Lesson 2 if you need a reminder of what evaluating an essay (or other source) means. Be sure to explain enough about it for the reader who has not read your essay to make sense of it.

In my Lesson 4 essay my thesis statement was “Many individuals, including myself, are guilty of watching life pass them by”. I used a word map to generate ideas of things I could use as support and decided using a famous quote and a poem would be the best support I could use. When I set out to find quotes on the subject of waiting for life to happen, I stumbled upon Dr. Seuss’ short story “Oh! The Places You Will Go”. As I read through his story it had a very similar theme to my essay. For those who haven’t read the story it takes you through a person’s journey through life and one of the places the protagonist finds himself is in a place of waiting. This place of waiting described exactly the situation that I was trying to assert in my thesis. I then set out to find a poem that related to my topic and I found a poem called “A Life in Wait” written by Tim Davis. Through this poem Davis demonstrates his belief that many individuals are sitting back and merely floating through life when excellence, in whatever they desire, is only a step away. Davis is writing from personal experience, he was a high school dropout and had let many opportunities pass him by in his life. I was lucky to find two forms of literature that fit very well with my thesis. Both writings are subject to a reader’s interpretation however I found the connection between both and my thesis very strong.

Lesson 3 Prompt: What is the goal of argument?

Many people see an argument as process by which they convince others that their opinion is the best opinion however that is not completely true. An argument a continual shift between truth seeking and persuasion (8). When arguing you are attempting to provide claims for your assertion while remaining open to the fact that there may be better truth’s than your own argument. I find that many times when I am reading on a subject I will change my own opinions as more information. That is because I am receptive of other argument and open to the fact that there may be a better truth than my original opinion. The goal of argument is find the best solution to a conflict through an open exchange of ideas and asserting your position through informed backup while remaining open to the ideas of others (12).

Lesson 3 Prompt: Why and how is argument both a process and a product?

An argument is a process by which individuals support justifications for conflicting views on something in an effort to resolve a difference of opinion. Support must be provided rationally and clearly so that there is a possibility that the argument may be resolved. These conditions show that an argument is a process by which each party involved demonstrates clearly their opinion and the reasons to support this opinion. This process must be present for an argument to occur. The argument then becomes a product of the competing parties who are championing their cause. Each side brings to the argument their own opinion and support for that cause and the difference of opinion between them allows for an argument. An argument cannot occur without these competing opinions. It is these stipulations that allow for a fight to evolve into an argument.

Lesson 3 Prompt: What does the book Writing Arguments tell us about the concept of truth? Cite page numbers for accuracy.

The book Writing Arguments tells us that there is no one perfect truth, only varying degrees of truth. Every problem involves complex issues in which there is no single answer that is an absolute truth but rather there are varying degrees of truth and so our responsibility when facing a problem is to find the best truth available. In our search for the best truth we must be willing to be flexible with our opinions and if necessary be willing to change our opinions if a better truth is realized. Because a perfect truth is unobtainable we cannot seek to prove that something is an absolute truth but rather we must show that our truth is the best truth available (11-12).

Lesson 3 Prompt: Why is a written argument a good way to defend (support) an opinion?

Written argument is a very effective way to defend an individual’s opinion. It makes information readily available for a great deal of people to see and it can reach a wide audience. The writer has a great deal of time to research and put thought into their argument while considering their opinion from many different angles. It gives the writer a chance to organize their thoughts and consider all possibilities when making their case. Writers are able to explain their opinions in a clear and concise manor and it may help the audience to better understand these opinions. Verbal argument while also effective has a much more narrow audience and there is a greater chance that the person who is arguing may confuse their audience who fail to keep up.

Lesson 3 Prompt: How does one demonstrate his or her belief in an opinion? Give an example

An individual can demonstrate their belief in an opinion through many different actions. If they believe strongly in an opinion they most likely will take a very active role in demonstrating that opinion. Someone who believes strongly in a political cause can organize a political rally, start a petition, write an editorial or speech, or they may even run for office to champion that political cause. They may also take a more passive approach to this and simply vote. Someone who is of the opinion that school is very important can demonstrate this by simply be punctual for class and working hard while another person with this belief may spend hours upon hours trying to obtain the absolute highest grade possible. If you believe that global warming is a serious issue you may choose to drive a hybrid vehicle or you can make ecological friendly decisions when shopping such as buying organic or purchasing products that are more environmentally efficient. There are many ways to demonstrate an opinion and the strength of that opinion will determine the effort that an individual will go to, to demonstrate that opinion.