Thanksgiving Asignment

Johnny Dinh

Thanksgiving Assignment

Assignment #1- Dumpster Diving and Value

The essay, "On Dumpster Diving", by Lars Eighner explains the travels that Eighner had on the streets, homeless and as the title suggests, diving in dumpsters for food and other necessities. Eighner begins by describing what foods are safe to eat, noting that the telltale signs of “safety” are obvious imperfections on the food, as "he" (the diver) is constantly reminded that most food is discarded for a reason. In addition to food, Eighner tells of how a "scavenger" like himself often unintentionally discovers surprises about those who discarded the trash or predicts where the best disposed items will come from. Simply put, the blunt and candid manner in which he describes what for many may be a less-than-appealing topic strengthens his argument that, "one man's trash is another man's treasure." Overall, the subject of the essay is of value which is defined by the dictionary as, "the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something." However, to me, value is both tangible and intangible. Yes, one can place value on anything object because of its usefulness or sentiment, but one can also place value on a person because she is trustworthy, loyal, or caring. To me, value is as simply a degree of significance that is placed on a person or object for perspective reasons as simple as, "I like it." Much like how the "scavenger" finds value in discarded items, I find value in the people who I call my friends and family. Because, people will have a different perspective on the value of an item one man's trash will always be another man's treasure, therefore it is important to recycle or donate things you don't want anymore, since there will always be someone else who mind need or want it.

Assignment #2

Value Essay

Through Eighners’ essay, "On Dumpster Diving", it was clear that his definition of value is equivalent to the cliche, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Upon further analysis I realized how true of a statement it is when it comes the perspective of value. Over the weekend I kept track of the things people and I thre away at the Best Buy when I was working. The things thrown away consisted of: paper, receipts, empty water bottles, used gift cards, empty chip bags, and candy wrappers, etc. All the while I tried to put myself in Eighners’ shoes, and in an overall more appreciative perspective of the “trash”, and how I could find value in every last scrap.

It was difficult. While Eighner spent a large portion of his essay discussing the kinds of food he finds whilst dumpster diving, I was keeping track of literal scraps of paper. Due to my bias that paper is completely disposable and recyclable (even though it's made from trees which is a limited resource) I found it incredibly hard to find value in them. They were trash in my eyes but as I went to throw away my paperwork, I kept optimistic and thought a person in the future would be able to use this paper again once it's been recycled and processed. My point is, even used paper still has a purpose even after it you are done with it.

I also threw away many miscellaneous items, the plastic bags, broken alarm clock, star bucks cup, old papers, Q-tips, jars, which could all be recycled by some means, processed, and used again. The clock wasn’t even really broken; the face had just cracked, easily ready to be used by someone who maybe can’t afford random amenities such as clocks. The plastic bag could be stuffed into shoes to keep someone’s socks dry. The jars could be used as cups. And even the seemingly useless papers, wrappers, and Q-tips could probably be recycled. All these things in the trash will just be sent to a bigger pile of items like mine.

This was the first time I truly looked at my trash with a perspective of someone like Eighner, and came to the conclusion that nothing is absolutely worthless. I defined value as simply a degree of significance that is placed on a person or object for perspective reasons as simple as, "I like it.". So in that sense, whether it is still consumable, recyclable, or reusable, a dumpster contains hundreds of values. Just because it doesn’t have a price tag, doesn't mean someone else can take it and make it into something more.

Assignment #3- Christmas Ad. OPTIC

O: This image portrays an old man on the man waving towards planet Earth for an unknown reason (the reason is displayed in the commercial, not the picture). In the black expanse of space the words, “Show someone they’re loved this Christmas” are present.

P: The picture is broken down into the foreground of the moon, with a man waving towards Earth. The words “Show someone they’re loved this Christmas.” are in the center of the picture which takes center stage. The  man is the detail that stands out the most, giving an allusion to the fable of “the man on the moon.”

T: There is no title for this picture, only the words in the center that connote a warm feeling of love around the holidays. The phrase promotes good will of all people during the holiday season, and utilizes a lonely “man on the moon” to exercise this point.

I: In the image, the greatest relationship present seems to be the relationship of the man on the moon and what/whoever he is waving to on Earth. Along with the text in the picture, the man and Earth give me clues into the message of being kind to others and spreading love during the holiday season, regardless of who they are or where they come from.

C: I believe that this is intended for all people around the world who are able to see this advertisement. The purpose is to raise awareness on the importance of being kind and loving towards other people, and the intended message is to show that all people deserve love in every corner of the world, and even beyond just as the image portrays.

Lewis, John. Man on the moon Christmas advertisement. Digital image. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 Nov. 2015. <http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1467841/john-lewis-christmas-advert-2015-screencap.jpg>.

On Compassion Questions on Rhetoric and Style

1.        Why does Ascher open her essay with the description of the “grinning man”?

a.        Ascher opens her essay with the description of the "grinning man" in order to illustrate the ambiance of isolationism surrounding him and the ambiguity as what to do with the "grinning man" throughout the rest of the reading. The "grinning man" is a homeless man, a dirty lost soul with no purpose in society, and his description sets the neutral tone for the rest of the reading.

2.        “On Compassion” might be divided into four parts, the first running from paragraphs 1 through 6, the second from paragraphs 7 through 9, the third from paragraphs 10 through 12, and the final part consisting of paragraphs 13 and 14. Explain the differences in the modes of discourse among the sections. What is the effect of Ascher’s organization?

a.        Part 1 details the actions of a mother as she gives a homeless man a dollar.

b.        Part 2 details the observations of a customer as she views a homeless man being given coffee and food by the cafe owner.

c.        Part 3 details the mayor as he wants to move all the homeless people into Bellevue Hospital.

d.        Part 4 details the origins of compassion, the purpose of it, and why it is important to have.

e.        The effect of Asher's organization strengthens the argument of the reading, which is what is compassion and why compassion is important. The constant presence of the homeless man help elevate the acts of "compassion" (a dollar, to coffee and food, to shelter) and perfectly highlight the fact that compassion, "must be learned, and it is learned by having adversity at our windows, coming through the gates of our yards, the walls of our towns, adversity that becomes so familiar that we begin to identify and empathize with it.". As far as modes of discourse goes, Parts 1 has a purpose of decription as it depicts the homeless man and his environment before moving the purpose to narration for Parts 2 and 3 in order to replay the sequence of events she saw in the 1st pserson, and then ending with a purpose of argumenation to prove the validity of her definiton of what compassion is by presenting facts like the Greek origin of compassion.

3.        Note the questions that Ascher poses throughout. Which ones are rhetorical questions? What purpose do they serve?

a.        Rhetorical questions are:

                                                   i.      Was it fear or compassion that motivated the gift? Or does she simply want to rid her shop of his troublesome presence? Could it be that this was the response of the mother who offered the dollar, the French woman who gave the food? Could it be that the homeless, like those ancients, are reminding us of our common humanity?

b.        The purpose of these rhetorical questions are to get the reader to ponder insightful situations and for a lack of a better saying, "get them to think", to question the principle of compassion is why we do it. It brings up the idea that most people perform acts for reasons more selfish than to just help out, and eventually leads the reader to the notion that compassion must come after one obtains empathy.

4.        Cite examples of the speaker’s appeals to ethos,logos, and pathos. Which one is more prevalent in the essay?

a.        Ethos is displayed through the 1^st person as seen in, "Twice when I have stopped here to stave hunger or stay the cold, twice as I have sat and read and felt the warm rush of hot coffee and milk," and " Twice I have witnessed this, and twice I have wondered, what compels this woman to feed this man?"

b.        Pathos is depicted very much throughout the entire reading in the form of vivid imagery and contrasting diction between the fortunate and the homeless. The juxtaposition between the  homeless man with, "His buttonless shirt, with one sleeve missing, hangs outside the waist of his baggy trousers...his gait is the shuffle of the forgotten ones held in place by gravity rather than plans." and " A man with a briefcase lifts and lowers the shiny toes of his right shoe, watching the light reflect, trying to catch and balance it, as if he could hold and make it his, to ease the heavy gray of coming January, February, March." establish a clear divide between the two in which you should feel sorry for the homeless man.

c.        Logos is demonstrated through reasonable claims such as, " If expulsion were her motivation she would not reward his arrival with gifts of food. Most proprietors do not. They chase the homeless from their midst with expletives and threats." where it's evident the narrator had put in thought as to why the cafe owner would repeatedly give food the homeless man.

d.        Obviously pathos is more prevalent in the essay and it should be since compassion stems from emotional connections.

5.        It is not until paragraph 7 that the reader knows for sure that the piece is delivered in the first person. What might be the purpose of withholding this perspective?

a.        The reason for withholding this perspective is to allow the reader to develop his own perspective on what the situation/setting entails. Had she brought in the 1^st person immediately the reading would lose the initial ambiance and ambiguity since instead of coming up with thoughts on his own, the reader would simply just read and accept what the narrator thought.

6.        How effectively does Ascher use personal experience to prepare the reader for her conclusion? How effectively does she make her individual perspective universal?

a.         Ascher use personal experience to expertly prepares the reader for her conclusion because by bringing in such anecdotes, the reader can understand exactly what Ascher was probably feeling during that time (the curiosity, the uncertainly, the,  "Why would she do that?") and in doing so sets the reader up for her definition of compassion. On top of that, the limited usage of the first person allows the reader to place himself in her shoes to view the various situations, effectively making her stories universal. We were allowed to see everyhting through our own perspective and even when Ascher brought in the 1st person, it didn't feel like it interrurpted the flow of the narrative, but simply vocalized the thoughts in our own brains. 

Position Paper #1 reflection

My first position paper ever went as pretty well as I expected: good but not great.

Strengths: 

I did a good job establishing ethos/pathos. My sources were valid and I organized my essay fairly well.

Weaknesses: 

I failed to full analyze my quotes in depth with a "because" statement which would have further supported my argument. My outside of class sources were also pretty weak. I also did not site my sources correctly.

Areas of Improvement:

I got a 5 which means I, "utilized 3 r more sources to convey a central argument, but their analysis is limited" That's ok but lack of explanation prevented me from getting a 7. In order to reach my goal of a 7 which is, " utilized 3 r more sources to convey a central argument, and provides a more complete analysis or demonstrates a more mature prose style. " I will sit down with Mrs. Neel to discuss my writing and figure out how I can develop that more mature style of writing.

"Games" by Steven Johnson Questions on rhetoric and style:

"Games" by Steven Johnson Questions on rhetoric and style:

1.        What is the thesis of Johnson’s argument? Is there one sentence (or several) that states it or is it implicitly stated?

a.        In the essay "Games" by Steven Johnson (2005), Johnson's thesis is that playing video games is not better or worse than reading, but instead games exercise different skills. This thesis is implicit and is not outright stated in the text.

2.        How does opening with the counterargument (in pars. 1 and 2) lay the foundation for Johnson’s argument?

a.        The counterargument in paragraphs 1 and 2 lays the foundation for his argument because it addresses the common assumptions that today’s society has about video games. He then later goes on to address these assumptions or conventional wisdom head on. This is an underscored aspect of common Rogerian style arguments.

3.        Discuss the effect of citing Dr. Spock and Andrew Solomon in the opening paragraphs. What purpose does Johnson achieve?

a.        In the opening paragraphs of "Games," Johnson was able to strengthen his argument and provide an appropriate layout for the thesis throughout the rest of his paper. It was effective for the reasons that he was able to bring in ethos for his readers from both sides. By quoting Dr. Spock and Andrew Solomon he raised his chances of grasping the attention of the opposing side, hence raising his chances of persuading those who did not agree with his argument in the beginning.

4.        What rhetorical strategies does Johnson use in his imagined response to the book as a challenge to the accepted practice of gaming (par.3)? Use your notes from EaA and/or your Glossary of Terms to help you with this.

a.        In paragraph 3, Johnson uses rhetorical strategies such as diction, syntax, and visual language in his imagined response to the book as a challenge to the accepted practice of gaming to effectively create a hypothetical argument to switch places of the arguments adversaries. Through these strategies, Johnson creates an overall negative feeling towards books and a positive feeling towards video games

5.        What does Johnson mean by “a kind of amplified selectivity” in paragraph 4?

a.        When he says, "a kind of amplified selectivity" in paragraph 4, Johnson means people only focus on certain isolated properties of books, and they projects worst-case scenarios based on these properties and their potential effects on the 'younger generation'" (pg 198).

6.        Discuss how Johnson uses analogy to develop his argument. Consider examples in paragraphs 5 and 11.

a.        Johnson utilizes analogy to develop his argument because by doing so he highlight the faults of the other side. He says, “When I read these ostensibly positive accounts of video games, the strike me as the equivalent of writing a story about eh merits of the great novels and focusing on how reading them can improve your spelling,” (Johnson 200). By using an analogy such as this, he illustrates how the benefits video games are, in fact, not being displayed in full color. These facts being said about them might be true, but are not showing the full picture.

7.        What specific beliefs and assumptions does Johnson challenge as he develops his argument?

a.        As Johnson develops his argument, he challenges the belief that reading books beats video games when it comes to your mind and intelligence, and that because they each have their own advantages and disadvantages, it is wrong to put them in the same category to show which is better. He used social media as a similar example, to make the assumption that both can be good if looked at individually.

8.        What effect does the shift between second and third person have on the essay? How does this shift help Johnson achieve his purpose?

a.        In "Games," the shift between second and third person helps separate the two medias, books and games. He achieves his purpose because he refuses to put them in the same category to one another, thereby bringing out  each of their importance. This separation allows people to appreciate their own advantages and capabilities, and even mark down on their disadvantages.

9.        Discuss at least three ways that Johnson establishes ethos in this essay. Cite specific passages that illustrate the relationship he tries to develop between himself and his audience.

a.        Johnson establishes ethos by displaying relevance to his audience by quoting Dr. Spock and using societal figures such as Michael Jordan. He also establishes ethos by using a Rogerian argument and exemplifying how the counterargument could also be right in addition to his own. Another way Johnson establishes his ethos is by not only stating a claim, but also exemplifying the claim. For example, he states, “in the presence of the recent past inevitably colors your vision of the emerging form, highlighting the flaws and imperfections,” (Johnson 197). He then goes on, “In this parallel universe, kids have been playing games for centuries—and then these page-bound texts come along and they’re all the rage. What would teachers, and the parents and the cultural authorities have to say about this frenzy of reading?” (Johnson 197). This helps him develop ethos because he exemplifies his points clearly.

Sources: Johnson, Steven. "Games." 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. By Samuel S. Cohen. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. N. pag. Print.

For "I Just Wanna Be Average,":

1. What purpose does the opening paragraph serve? (consider this entire essay as a metaphorical journey.)
          The opening paragraph serves as an indicator to what Mike Rose became despite his struggles in the vocational school program. The juxtaposition between young Mike Rose and present day Mike Rose highlights the fact that one can be more than what the school system deems one should be.

2. When Rose describes the actions of Brother Dill, how does he convey the immediacy (and insensitivity) of this experience without making acerbic or critical comments about Brother Dill? Would a negative tone have lessened the impact of the incident on you are a reader? Explain.
          He conveys the immediacy by understating the whole ordeal. Through a casual tone Rose establishes that for him and many other students in that system, physical abuse was common and thus more shocking to the audience. A negative would have lessened the impact because of the audience feeling shocked and uncomfortable we would more likely be feeling sympathy which is less powerful because it takes away from the situation.

3. What kind of detail does Rose use in his characterization of the other vocational education students? Consider his descriptions of Bill Cobb, Ted Richard, and Ken Harvey.
           Rose characterizes Bill, Ted, and Ken all as normal high school students using causal diction in phrases, "good-looking in a puffy way", "chunky and had a baby face", "grease pencil artist extraordinaire". This sets up the idea that these kids don't possess any handicaps that would suggest that they be in a vocational program.

4. How does Rose characterize his own response to vocational education? Does he try to evoke sympathy from his readers? What is he trying to evoke?
          Rose characterizes his own response to vocational education as a failure because he didn't have the best grades and even then, he relied on a cheating system to get by. This evokes no sympathy from his readers because he clearly didn't try in school however it does evoke a feeling of disappointment on the vocational school program in that it did not do nearly enough to aid the "struggling" students.

5. In paragraphs 21, 22, and 23, why does Rose go into such detail about problem-solving? What is his purpose?
           Rose's purpose in paragraphs 21-23 is to highlight the issue with how they teach problem solving in the system (word problems) is not how to solve problems in real life.

6. Is Rose’s description of his father’s deterioration appropriate for this essay? Why? What impact would deleting it have had on the story Rose is telling or the argument he is making?
           I believe that the description of his father was a completely necessary addition in the essay because it reveals the abandonment and "daddy issues" Rose had growing up. Without these paragraphs it could create the essay less relatable for the audience, and less emotional for Rose himself.

7. In the description of Jack MacFarland’s influence on Rose, which passages represent the young man’s view of this teacher and which ones the adult looking back? How does Rose intertwine them so the overall descriptions have coherence?
          Jack MacFarland had a very positive influence on Rose becuase he convinced Rose to start reading again even after his father died. He also taught him how to think critically which allowed him to become a better student and person in life.

8. Rarely does Rose step out from the narration and state his point explicitly. Why not? Would you classify this essay as more of a memoir or an argument? Why?
          Rose does not step out from the narration and state his point explicitly because he wants his stories to illustrate the point for him. For that reason, this essay can be classified as more of a memoir because of the persistence of continuing the anecdotes.

9. How would you characterize the style of this essay? Rather than using a single word, describe it with a phrase that captures the different levels of diction.
         I would characterize the style of this essay as narrative in that he uses anecdotes and commentary to display his argument that the vocational school program is failing students.

Rose, Mike. ""I Just Wanna Be Average"" 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. N. pag. Print.

The Triumph of the Yell

The Triumph of the Yell: Summary

                Tannen, in her article, "The Triumph of the Yell" discusses how today's society prefers to fight and yell rather than seek out the truth in civil disagreement in order to inform the audience. He explains how the world today is all about defeating the other person and because of such a, "Winnowing process." (9), places like schools where many expect to be, "A community of intellectual inquiry turned out to be a ritual game of attack and counterattack." (9). He then continues to display how ineffective yelling is at finding out the truth through an anecdote in which a man during a talks show, "Nearly jumped out of his chair, threw his arms before him in gestures of anger and began shrieking -- first attacking me, but soon moving on to rail against women." (13) which resulted in a riot. Tannen's comments about how people are prone to yelling than agreeing in this culture of critique. This is because "Fights have winners and losers. If you're fighting to win, the temptation is great to deny facts that support your opponent's views and present only those facts that support your own." (4). In conclusion, people are failing to seek out the truth because they are too occupied with yelling the loudest to become the "winner" of the fight.

The Triumph of the Yell: Rhetorical Precis

                Tannen, in her article, "The Triumph of the Yell" (New York Times, 1994) asserts that journalists, politicians, and academics are prone to resort to yelling, which in turn weakens their argument. She uses examples for how poor civil disagreement can become and proves her thesis that people fail to seek out the truth and choose to fight instead as stated in anecdotes such as when a feminist researcher screams, "It's an argument!" (1), when a college graduate says she felt she had fallen into a "Den of wolves." (10) and during a talk show when a man, "Nearly jumped out of his chair, threw his arms before him in gestures of anger and began shrieking (13). The purpose in Tannen's article is to suggest the audience to seek out the truth instead of converging into a battle to see who can yell louder yelling in order to strengthen their argument. The author writes in formal tone for an audience looking to better their arguments because, "In a society where people express their anger by shooting, the result of demonizing those with whom we disagree can be truly demonic." (14).

Tannen, Deborah. "The Triumph of the Yell." The New York Times 14 Jan. 1994: n. pag. Print.

Reflection

                When I began writing my precis I closely followed the one I made in class with Blake, Brendan, and Ryan because that one was great (appraisal from Neel validated its proficiency). It turned out good, at least what I thought was competent. Upon further review Ms. Neel pointed out how my second sentence lacked more convincing evidence because it focused on only one anecdote. I adjusted it by adding in more anecdotes with short quotes. Overall I think I did a great job with my first rhetorical precis.