Weekly Blog

Using the class blog for a little bit of inspiration, I decided to focus this week's blog on the question: "What important decisions do writers make when they approaching a writing task?"

I think one of the most important decisions is simple: deciding what to write about. However, this goes far beyond just selecting a topic. It is about choosing a topic that interests you, a topic that you know something about, and a topic that can be written about clearly. I think a sign of weak writing is straying from the purpose, so the writer needs to have a focused, clear topic/purpose before he starts to write.

I also believe another decision writers make is how they should write (their style). Should it be persuasive? Informative? Informal? Formal? The tone of the writing impacts the way the audience views the work. An essay about the serious health effects of smoking, for example, should be approached informatively, with a serious tone. If the essay was written informally, using lots of informal words and sarcasm, the audience wouldn't walk away from the essay the same way they would have had it been written formally. Writers consistently need to keep in mind who their audience is throughout the whole writing process.

Essays

Before responding to the essays we were assigned to read, I would just like to define what I think an essay is. From past English classes and writing experience, I believe that an essay is a succinct, yet detailed piece of writing which conveys some sort of experience, emotion, or point of view. I feel that an essayist writes an essay not to prove something or force an idea on someone, but to simply elaborate on some sort of issue or event that he/she feels strongly about. For that reason an essay can get quite emotional. Not exactly a Merriam-Webster type definition, but I think it'll do.

"The Stunt Pilot"- I think this is a strong essay for a few reasons. First, it is artfully detailed without being too long. From my experience, essays are never very long yet still use detail to keep the reader's interest. I found Dillard's description of the way Rahm flew a plane: "Rahm did everything his plane could do: tailspins, four-point rolls, flat spins, figure eights, snap rolls, and hammerheads. He did pirouettes on the plane's tail. The other pilots could do these stunts too, skillfully, one at a time. But Rahm used the plane inexhaustibly, like a brush marking thin air" (169). Dillard uses techniques like similes (like a brush marking thin air) to paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind of what the plane looks like soaring through the air.

I also think this is an effective essay because it is emotional. It is difficult to write a strong essay if you do not feel passionate or at least interested in the subject. Dillard seems truly emotionally invested in the subject of her essay. She was inspired and in a way almost mystified at the artistic beauty of Rahm's flying. She was also affected by Rahm's death and made her appreciate the quality of his flying even more.

"Ali in Havana"- I believe this to also be a strong essay. Obviously, the evidence of carefully chosen detail is quite obvious. He is able to create a character's personality and quirks in just a few sentences: "Ed Bradley is a gracious but reserved individualist who has appeared on television for a decade with his left earlobe pierced by a small circular ring -- which, after some unfavorable comment initially expressed by his colleagues Mike Wallace and Andy Rooney, prompted Bradley's explanation: 'It's my ear' (268). From this sentence alone we get a visual picture of Ed, as well as stubborn, "it's-my-life" kind of attitude.

Also, this event must have affected Talese in some way, be it the awkward humor or the tension of this odd situation. Talese is not trying to push a certain idea or way of thinking on his audience. Instead, he is simply sharing this experience with his reader. He does this effectively by using detail and conveying emotion.

Unfortunately I was not able to read "Silent Dancing." For some reason, as stated on the course blog, it would not show up on my computer. I tried it on my roommate's computer as well, but I didn't get anything there either.

Group workshop

I thought the group workshop process last Friday was very helpful. I thought it as interesting to hear what the other group members decided to research. Dentistry, aviation, and show jumping were some of the diverse topics that we talked about.

I think my group moved really effectively out of the "I'm too polite and don't know you well enough to give you constructive criticism" stage that we all know too well. That stage is not only awkward, but makes group work a waste of time because everyone is not concerned enough with the quality of writing. Our group not only gave each other constructive criticism on issues like the audience and effective research methodology, but also praised each other on things we did well.

I think a way to make the next workshop even better would be to maybe create a check sheet of criteria that the piece of writing we are evaluating should have. That way, each group member could work down the list and see if the writing they are evaluating meets the important criteria. But all in all, the feedback I received helped me out quite a lot!

Debate time

As I write this I am watching the presidential debate. I have to say I never closely watched debates from past elections, and if I did watch them it was only for school or at the begging of my parents.

I'm happy to say that this year though, I have been watching the debates enthusiastically. I am surprised at how much I actually enjoy watching them. I suppose this is because I am able to vote this year, and I want to fully understand the views of both candidates.

I'm also proud to mention that I am a HUGE McCain fan! He will be getting my vote (and I would vote for him twice if I could) on the fourth.

The only issue is that my roommate is an Obama supporter. And I have to say the looks she gives me when I criticize Obama's points during this debate are pretty awkward...

Question for you readers: McCain or Obama? feel free to comment =)

PS: My proposal is done! I submitted it to Professor Scott and she received it free of technological issues! (thankfully)

Honestly, I am really happy with how the final copy of my proposal turned out. I think I was clear with what I wanted out of the research, and I also think I was able to create an informative and effective background to my proposed research. I think a helpful exercise was one we did in class last week, when we listed all of the qualities we thought were in an effective research proposal. I definitely had those in mind as I wrote mine!

One struggle I encountered, however, was the research methodology. I found it difficult to decide how much detail to include about how to carry out the proposed research. I ended up detailing what kind of questions were in my research surveys and who I would send each survey to.

Proposals

I'm just about finished on the final copy of my research proposal. I am actually quite happy with it! I was surprised at how easily ideas came to me, I guess it's because I was writing about a topic that really interests me. Today I had my conference, and I think it went well. I cleared up a few issues that I was having trouble with, like writing an effective conclusion for the proposal. I learned that in the conclusion, a question you could answer is "in the future, what could be done with the results of this study?"

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Research proposals and sorbet...

I'm just about done writing the rough draft of my research proposal. I started one on Monday but I wasn't really happy with it so I erased that one and started a new one. Thankfully I haven't had many problems writing the new draft, I was actually surprised at how easy ideas came to me.

Some food news: On a totally irrelevant note, during my Walmart outing this weekend I bought some mango sorbet, and I think it is the best thing ever. Anyone agree?

Literature Review

I'm not sure if I did this entirely correctly but here it is!

Most people, in one way or another, contribute to animal exploitation. Whether it’s by consuming meat, wearing a leather belt, or spending a day at the zoo, millions of animals are used and abused by humans, many times indirectly, every single day. This enormous problem isn’t exclusively caused by pet abusers or factory farmers. Much of the time, the main contributors to the problem are normal people living normal lives. Why else would the meat industry make billions of dollars each other? Why else would circuses and petting zoos stay in business? It’s because they make their money off of people who do not know any better than to give their money to these organizations. Circuses, for example, are publicly viewed as wholesome sources of family fun; the abuse that goes on behind the glittering stage and flashing lights is not widely acknowledged. And few people other than animal rights activists know the gruesome truth of what goes on in slaughterhouses and factory farms. Animal ethicist Bernard E. Rollin notes that “if you showed the average person where their bacon comes from, he or she probably wouldn’t eat it!” The main reason behind the massive problem of animal exploitation is simply the lack of knowledge about the issue throughout the general public. The following two literature reviews demonstrate and further explain this point.

In Catharine Grant’s The No-Nonsense Guide to Animal Rights, she focuses on describing the different forms of animal abuse: animals used for food, entertainment, clothing, and science. She details, sometimes very graphically, the reality of these industries. Her purpose is to inform the reader of how animals are exploited and abused every day by average Americans. She notes that animal abuse is sometimes direct, such as when an animal trainer at the circus beats his elephants in order for them to perform. But more often than not, normal people support these industries by buying meat, going to see animals in zoos, circuses, and aquariums, and wearing animal products like fur and leather. She acknowledges the fact that the general public doesn’t fully understand the scope of animal abuse. Because of this, she includes a “practical guide to reduce animal suffering” at the end of her book. However, her views on reducing animal suffering never reach the radical standpoint. They are, in her own words, “practical”, and include not consuming meat every day, buying free-range products, and wearing fake fur or leather. As a result, her words do not come off as overly pushy or extreme. The book explains the key issues of animal abuse without sounding condescending or chastising the public. Her goal is to inform, not to be pushy and shocking.

Bernard E. Rollin’s Animal Rights & Human Morality also accomplishes similar goals. Rollin stresses ethical, responsible living, which is not cutting animals entirely out of one’s life, but is rather being informed of what goes in the various animal industries. He is not condescending or harsh when he presents the reality of animal abuse. His relaxed but matter-of-fact tone effectively describes the problem without overdoing it. Rollin’s detailed research, especially in the areas of animals used for science and agriculture, is fascinating yet harrowing to read. Like Grant, Rollin wants to present the problem of animal exploitation so the public is more informed. He realizes the fact that many Americans simply do not realize what goes on in the animal industries and continue to support their cruelty. An interesting topic he writes about in detail is the differences between humans and animals and whether those differences justify a moral difference. In other words, just because humans are more “civilized” and intelligent than animals, does that really make it justifiable for us to use them for our benefit? He plays the devil’s advocate role well, and consequently analyzes both sides of the issue, which is informative and interesting.

Even though animal abuse is more prevalent than ever before, many Americans simply do not know enough about it to stop contributing to the industries responsible. Both Grant and Rollin demonstrate, however, that with a little information, it is easy for people to make humane decisions without dramatically changing their lifestyle.

Grant, Catherine. The No-Nonsense Guide to Animal Rights. UK: New Internationalist Publications Ltd

2006.

Rollin, Bernard E. Animal Rights & Human Morality. 3^rd ed. Amherst: Prometheus Books, 2006.