Writing Topic Chapter 44 The hyphen Week 11

Writing Topic: Week 11-Hyphens

This is an interesting chapter for me.  I have always gone by instinct and put in a hyphen when I felt the need.  This chapter gave a very easy answer, look up the word in the dictionary or easier yet, a dictionary on the internet.  New technology is wonderful.  After reading the chapter it seems that hyphens are used less today than some years ago.

 If a writer has a compound word and they want to show a combined meaning or there is a relationship between the words that make up the compound, these words can be hyphenated, example, mother-in-law.  Use compounds in the following instances some of the time:  Compound adjectives, example, accident-prone, compound verbs, example, to ice-skate, or a phrasal verb made into a noun, example, break-in.  Also, hyphens can be used to divide a word at the end of a sentence if the writer runs out of room.  The split should be in a sensible place.  This does not seem to happen much anymore because of the “word programs”.   Hyphens are used with compound numbers.  Last, if the reader has a difficult time distinguishing the meaning of a word, example, re-cover and recover they should be used in the writing.

Instead of going on instinct, I will look up words in a dictionary to see if they need a hyphen.

Smoke Signals, the movie Dialogue

Smoke Signals, the movie Dialogue

Question a. What do I think about the relationship between Thomas and Victor?

I felt that the relationship between Victor and Thomas was both sad and inspiring.  The relationship grew from being civil as young boys, to true enemies, to a very deep special friendship.  They were able to overcome differences in their lives and form a friendship through travels to retrieve Victor’s dad’s personal belongings and ashes that was a true bonding experience for two young souls.

Victor thought Thomas was a dork, treated him poorly,  used him for his money all because he needed a bus ticket to start his journey to find his father.  People can and say things that hurt both internally and externally for no other reason than meanness.  Thomas wanted to be Victor’s friend because he felt he had a spiritual connection to his father and wanted him to know his real dad.  Through their travels they learn who they are and form a tight bond.  As a young boy Thomas would ask Victor why his dad left and never came back, which caused him to get beat up.  At the end of their trip Thomas asked again why his dad left and Victor said, “He didn’t mean to”.  What a difference in the way that Victor responded to this question at the beginning of the movie compared to the end.  The relationship between Thomas and Victor had grown, deepened and became a beautiful thing, what an inspiration to all.

Writing Topic: Rules for Writers Chapter 48

Writing Topic-Rules for Writers, Chapter 48, Evaluating Arguments

Be reasonable about argumentative evaluations.  Don’t be too hasty in reactions or discussion.  Gather facts that are relevant and sufficient before coming to a conclusion. Determine the objectivity of the author and the credibility of the work. There are two parts of a source that need to be analyzed, the text itself and the argument within the text.  If looking at probable and absolute reasoning ask three questions

1.      Do I have enough evidence for a conclusion?

2.      What are the premises the author gives?

3.      Is the evidence linked to my conclusion?

Following the trail from one book or article to another can lead to better understanding of text and evidence.  Look at all evidence before confirming an opinion. When weighing alternatives it is not fair to list only the good or bad, both have to be considered.  Don’t stereotype.   A good way to come to an argumentative conclusion is to compare two things, but make sure the two comparisons are reasonable together.  If possible come up with a cause and effect theory in evaluating arguments.  These are difficult, but could lead to good information for a conclusion.  Jumping to a conclusion without evidence can be scary and end up with a lack of information for your argument.  Deducing conclusions means that a conclusion follows evidence supporting formal proof.  The three steps for this are:

1.       Major premise-A general statement

2.       Minor premise-A specific statement

3.       Conclusion-Based on two premises

An emotional appeal tries to make the reader connect the writer’s message with an important feeling for an emotional response instead of an argument relying on soundness. They are never acceptable in an argument but it can get to a reader.  It is important to summarize an argument fairly.  Some people would do anything to win the war by attacking or whatever it took to get the job done.  The straw man fallacy is wrong because this means only focusing on the weaker arguments when several are given, this misrepresents the different positions.  A way to assure fairness and accuracy in evaluating arguments is to quote others words exactly.  

I will use the above information by not jumping to conclusions without gathering the facts.  I know that I form opinions quite frequently without understanding the good and bad about the argument. 

"Happy Endings, "Obituary," and "Oompah Loompah" Dialogue

Week 10-What’s my Response to Mr. Harvey Dialogue-Question B

My first thought, Mr. Harvey is a cranky old man.  Then I started to think past my first reaction and ask myself, could Mr. Harvey have been treated badly in his youth because he spoke pidgin English and he wanted his students to have a better life?  Maybe he did not want them to feel distress and possibly be ridiculed for the way they spoke. He wanted better for his students, he wanted them to succeed and feel good about themselves.

This is the only reason and excuse I could see a teacher such as Mr. Harvey use for being demeaning and harsh towards his class.  He refers to the students, “as not being perfect Americans because they spoke pidgin, and will only be hurting themselves” if they continue speaking this way. Some students decide they want to be haoles so they are treated with dignity.  Students should be able to turn to their teachers for compassion, understanding and respect.  This was not the case with Mr. Harvey. This is not right people deserve to be proud of who they are.  If people are made to feel less than equal to someone else, this could have a negative effect on their life? I would look at this as a form of bullying.  There has been a lot of talk about bullying in schools and the tragic affect it can have on lives.

Extra Credit-Writing about Fiction Week 9

Extra Credit-Writing about Fiction-Week 9

If a reviewer wants to offer an interpretation of a fictional writing they should develop a complex critical interpretation of the work. This can be quite a process.  Know the story and review it.  The summary should tell about the main characters, conflict, conflict resolution and what kind of a world does the author create?  As the story is being read closely, think about the meaning.  The summary involves creating new and original information about a text.     

In close reading pay attention to the text. Observe facts and details about the writing.  Careful thinking about what the details add up to.  Get a better understanding of the writing.  Read with a pen in hand and make marginal notes.  Do a freewrite and ask questions. Move from reader to writer.  What is your thesis?  What information has been gathered to support your thesis?  Look through the information being collected and pick out the best that supports your thesis.  Use the MLA format when using a quote.

The way I plan to use this information in my writing is to definitely read slower, and review the text. I was recently reading a book and surprised myself by how close I was paying attention, critically thinking about the writing, and understanding what I read more than before.

Rule for Writers Chapter 47

Rules for Writers chapter 47

An important skill that we can learn is how to write an argumentative essay.  Take a stand, evaluate it, decide on how reasonable it is, and make an argument of our own.  Be well informed, look up facts and be able to evaluate things, deciding where people are right about things and making up your mind what is true and what isn’t.  Remember if your essay has sources, document these.  Your outcome is to get your readers to think twice about what they think and maybe consider your opinions. Knowing how to critique someone else’s argument and make a solid one of your own is a vital part of being a successful individual.  This will take a lot of research because you want to be able to challenge your readers. Construct a series of smaller supporting arguments that are important to the thesis which could be the outline of your essay.  Strong arguments rely on examples and evidence.

In your introduction identify and state your main idea, objects of presentation, this is your thesis. Provide background and let your readers know why you are arguing it.  Convince your readers that this is worth reading. In the body of your essay use clear topic sentences in each paragraph, how can dramatic build-up happen and then resolution to the build-up play out?  You may need to be prepared to deal with objections to your thesis and counter them.  If they are countered in a respectful way this could make your arguments stronger.  It is a good idea to discuss the objections to your thesis first and then discuss your argument. Once it is time to arrive at the conclusion, revisit the thesis, summarize where your audience has been, and make an impact with a final detail, illustration, or quotation to keep your readers thinking.

The way that I will use the above writing is to gather a lot of information on my thesis, and come up with an outline using this information.  Remember who my audience is.  Keep my writing interesting and write convincing information for my readers, while respecting the arguments of others.

Extra Credit-Writing About Literature

Extra Credit-Writing about Literature

Passion and a good eye for detail helps make good literature.  A good literature paper requires research on the topic chosen. Is there enough information to support the points?

Ways to start research are through the internet, or the library.  The paper should be mostly the writers own thoughts, the reference material should give ideas. 

The most important role of the introduction is to give a claim, a brief statement about a question to be answered, a problem to be solved or a problem to be resolved about the topic. 

The remainder of the paper should show examples or research on the main topic. The reader should be given enough information, description or background so that they have a complete picture of the thesis.

The conclusion should be the richest, most complex part of the paper.  Restate the point then be sure the question was answered, the puzzle was resolved or the problem was solved by the end of the paper.

Whenever resources are used, references to these are documented on the last page of the essay.  The MLA format is used for literature papers.

I plan to use this information in my writing in the following ways:  Research so I have enough information supporting my thesis.  I have to remember to illustrate my points and also have a central controlling idea in the introduction.

Essay Workshop 2-Rough Draft

Barbara Hough-Sisson

Lauren Servais

English 100

10-7-2010

"Shooting Dads"

I can relate to Sarah Vowell’s, “Shooting Dad”, writing.  As I read,  I felt like Sarah, I was  not entirely a stranger to firearms. I grew up primarily on a ranch with my dad as a rancher and hunter.  He had rifles, shotguns and a love of guns.  I understand when she says, “Her parent’s house was the United States of firearms”.  This is how my family home was. Growing up I was conditioned by my father to have a fear of guns even though he had a passion for them.

As a young child I recognized guns as deadly weapons.  There were many dead, stuffed animals placed on our walls in our family home that were considered trophies too many.  Not to me.  This was a very unsettling vision that I saw every day of my childhood. I, as Sarah, did not understand why people would want to hunt and kill such beautiful creatures even though it put food on our table.  Guns and hunting were a very important source of food for us.

At a young age I felt my dad would sell me before selling a gun.  Guns were his life.   I can remember them being in many corners of our home, loaded.  His eternal freedom depended on how many firearms he had.  He also had a gun room; my sister and I were not allowed to go in there even though my brothers could.  I did not want to enter this scary place, but I did not understand why some genders were allowed and some not.   

Guns and hunting were my dad’s sport, passion and excitement.  I understand this is no different than golf or tennis, but it sure felt different, it was scary.  I did not understand that guns could be collector items.   They were used to kill animals to put meat on the table.  I did not understand how something that can hurt animals or people would be exciting or a hobby.  I now know normal law abiding folks don’t need gun regulations, and the criminals don’t really care or they redefine law to their template when it comes to guns.  

My dad’s hobby was his world. I would day dream about what it would be like to take a family vacation instead of my dad purchasing another gun or hunting trip.  I wish I had a memory of my family on an adventure together.

I understand his hobby provided an oasis like experience in the desert of his life and this was his escape from monotony, but I still felt angry about it.  I realized how excited dad would get about guns; I wanted him to be as excited about me, his daughter.

 In my younger years I considered what my dad had taught me, and I decided that owing a gun was simply not worth it. I did not want to live in fear. I realized that when a gun speaks, what  comes out of its mouth is an expression of anger, sometimes intentional but nonetheless anger. When my dad would come home from hunting trips I would always want my picture with my dad’s dead animals because then I felt like I was part of his team. 

 I was spending my life trying to live up to his expectations, wanting him to accept me, and this was very upsetting, but I finally broke free. 

Don’t get me wrong, I do not think of my dad or a gun collector as a bad person, but I was like Sarah, I did not like guns.  I had no use for them.  I broke free by learning to accept my dad for who he was, and understanding that his love for guns and hunting was part of his heritage.  I will always remember when my dad was out and about on the ranch he carried a small .22 caliber pistol on his belt in case he stumbled upon a coyote bothering his sheep, same as his father.  He had shotguns of various gauges to shoot springing quail or wild duck and rifles to pop off a deer or more so, it just made himself feel good to have a gun with him, more powerful. 

When I was young, (many years ago), there was a big difference between how many men versus how many women had guns as a hobby. For whatever reason, I am not sure, but that has changed.  I hear and know many more females who enjoy owning and shooting guns.   

I felt having guns in the home growing up made it less safe, my dad thought the opposite.  I would fear that if someone broke into our house, guns everywhere, loaded, we would be shot.  I know now that my dad had the guns in place to protect us. 

I, like Sarah shot a gun very few times.  I thought my dad was disappointed in me at times because I did not have the same passion as he did.  I didn’t like the feel of a gun in my hands, the power they held or the sound they made.

As I grew older Sarah and I had the same thought, when suitors came by the house it was cool to say that my dad was enthusiastic about guns. Boys like guns. So, when I was older I started to appreciate guns more.  I did understand they were needed to keep food on the table and they were used for reasons other than tragedy and death. 

In my late teens I passed the hunters safety course because I knew how much it would mean to my dad.  I wanted him to be proud of me. I wanted to be part of his world.  I have never used the hunting license, but I heard him tell friends that his oldest daughter passed the hunter safety course.  That was worth it to me. 

My dad and I, like Sarah and her dad, became friends once we appreciated each other for who we were.   As I think I’ve already established, I really don’t even like the ideas of guns, and would greatly prefer that I never own one, but I have come to appreciate that guns are part of who my dad is. 

Most often than not, every member of the family doesn’t have the same hobby.  Respecting differences in people is part of life. I understand Sarah wishing her dad understood her passion for music, I wanted my dad to understand my hobbies and passions, some of which included, family vacations,  hanging out with friends and in my teen years, boys, not guns.

I guess I am a little conflicted about all of this. Yes, my view on guns has changed to the extent over the years  basically as seeing them irrelevant in my life and not something I really want to deal, with but it seems like the right thing to do to be my dad’s daughter.  I can’t say my dad’s ashes will be blown out of a cannon, like Sarah’s, because he does not own a cannon, but if he did, he would probably like his ashes strewn all over.