The Craft of Research

1. I am studying/trying to learn about ____the benefits of cigarettes being made illegal__.
2. I am studying/trying to learn about __cigarettes___, because I want to find out who/what/why/when/where/whether or not __it has a direct effect on there being less illnesses, people checked into hospitals, deaths, etc___.
3. I am doing this in order to ___see if the world would be a better place as a result__.

Revision

If the supreme court were to order a ban on cigarettes, it would probably pass in the court of law. To say the government has power to ban marijuana, but not cigarettes is inconsistent; if they have enough control to ban one, they can ban both. Cigarettes pose a grave public health hazard. If the government cannot restrict or ban dangerous and addictive substances that pose a personal and public health risk, then how can the enforcement of anti-drug laws be justified? It can be argued that although the government can ban public smoking, there is no legitimate basis for laws restricting private smoking; the individual right to privacy should allow people to harm their own bodies with dangerous drugs, should they chose to do so.

There is little dispute that if the Supreme Court were to order a ban on cigarettes, the law would probably pass.  It would be inconsistent to say the government has power to ban marijuana and not cigarettes; with control to ban one, they have control to ban both.  Cigarettes pose a great hazard to the health of the public.  If the government cannot restrict or ban dangerous addictive substances that pose both personal and public health risks, then how can the enforcement of anti-drug laws be justified? A common opposing argument for the illegality of cigarettes is that there is no legitimate basis for laws restricting private smoking; the individual right to privacy should allow people to harm their own bodies with dangerous substances if they chose to.

Blog Eleven

As i am writing on the issue of whether cigarettes should be made illegal, i feel the best place for my essay would be in an anti-smoking campaign or a political issues magazine such as The American Spectator.

Although there is not a article directly linked to the topic i am covering in The American Spectator, there are many issues which take a stance towards one opinion and form a rebuttal. For example, there is an article in The American Spectator stating that cell phone use in cars should be banned. The writer has a strong conviction that we should not be able to drive and use a cell phone at the same time. He first relates it to being like gun control- as a cell phone, like a gun, is a tool people do not know how to use properly. He then  talks about the facts saying that talking and driving is akin to drinking and driving, which is illegal. He then talks about Mothers Against Drunk Driving which is a campaign. From this, he talks about how a drink over dinner plus an inadequate driver and a cell phone is an accident waiting to happen. I agree with the writer, i know that a lot of accidents are due to drivers being on cell phones and he made many valid points. I liked the examples the writer used to convey the negative message of driving recklessly.

http://spectator.org/archives/2009/01/14/sail-fawns-and-one-for-the-roa/1

Another example from The American Spectator,  is an article on antisemitism. This article is about the extremity of antisemitism. He believes that the scale and extremism of the anti-Semitic literature and commentary available in Arab or Muslim newspapers, magazines and TV shows, etc is "comparable only to that of Nazi Germany at its worst."He organizes this by first explaining to the reader that its a huge issue. He then goes on to give the reader some background information on antisemitism in the middle east. After that, he mentions how it has been attempted to make peace within these middle eastern countries however, antisemitism is basically fed to them so it is difficult. He talks about how Obama, the president of America got involved and the results were still 'meager', although he mentions how we should not give up. I do agree with the writer, the wounds are not too deep to heal within these countries however, it is not up to us, it is up to them. One technique he used which i liked was bringing in both sides of the argument. Putting in other points of view made his opinion seem stronger.

http://spectator.org/archives/2009/11/05/the-reality-of-middle-east-ant

Racial Diversity in Public Schools
This article is about racial discrimination within schools. Just six weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that Jefferson County Public Schools were violating the Constitution by assigning students to schools on the basis of their race, Hannah MacNeal was denied admission into a school due to the fact that she was white. Her mother found out that if she had been of a different skin color, such as black, she would have been allowed to go to that school. The definition of racism is "prejudice or discrimination directed against someone of a different race based on such a belief." A general misconception is that racism is derogatory towards only blacks. However, here we see racism go the other way, which does not mean its any less severe.  The case was fought out and served in its proper justice as she was soon allowed admittance. 

Jost, Kenneth. "Racial Diversity in Public Schools." CQ Researcher 14 Sept. 2007: 745-68. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.


Hazing
This articles summarizes the extreme consequences of hazing whether its for a sports team, a fraternity or even just a high school group.  One example given as a chronic case was Walter Dean Jennings, 18, who died of hyponatremia, a rare disorder marked by low sodium levels in the blood. “He was ordered to [drink] very large quantities of water until he vomited,” said Police Chief Desmond Racicot. “He died from brain swelling due to water intoxication.”  One thing that many hazers seem to forget is that they are breaking the law; hazing is illegal, not to diminish your 'fun', but to keep people safe. People are enforcing other people to do ridiculous things when they do not even realize what the severe outcome could lead to. Hazing is a serious matter that is taken lightly too often and until the reality of someones death, or hospitalization, people remain unaware and naive to it.

Hansen, Brian. "Hazing." CQ Researcher 9 Jan. 2004: 1-24. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.

Teenage Pregnancy
 This articles summarizes the dreadful epidemic of pregnancy amongst teenagers today. For teenagers, pregnancy can usher a dismal future- with little to few choices and a set path for what her life is going to look like. With birth rates declining for women over 20, teenagers now account for nearly one in every five births in the country.  According to one expert on the problem of child abuse, Dr. Vincent J.Fontana, medical director of the New York Foundling Hospital, “Troubled parents, particularly single adolescent mothers, become saturated with a sense of desperation, alienation and anger that during stressful situations leads them to lose control and strike out at what is closest to them — their child.” This means that a teenager is not capable of bearing a child as they themselves, have a lot of growing up to do.  How can someone raise a child when they can barely take on responsibilities themselves. The disadvantages far outweigh the advantages of being a teen mom.

Stencel, Sandra. "Teenage Pregnancy." Editorial Research Reports 1979. Vol. I. Washington: CQ Press, 1979. 205-24. CQ Researcher. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.

Do illegal immigrants now have equal rights?

Immigration has been a relatively dead issue for a good while until recently when OP field’s most controversial candidates, Texas Gov. Rick Perry brought it back into the headlines. perry has a extremely good background knowledge on immigration because he runs a state with a 1,200-mile border with Mexico. Perrys main concern, and the issue that i am going to be evaluating, is the fact that he feels immigrants should pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities in Texas. The reason i find merit in writing this evaluation is because it has brought forth a lot of controversy amongst civilians.
The issue here is,   he supports education for illegal immigrants because 'he has a heart' and the children have been brought to this country "by no fault of their own". However, there has been heated back-and-forth between him and his rivals. Republican front-runner Mitt Romney continued to fan the flames of the issue, arguing that it made no sense to give illegal immigrants a discount of nearly $100,000 to attend Texas state schools.  As i am currently paying out of state tuition to attend Penn State University, its hard to side with perry as I have been a loyal citizen to America my whole life and now I am going to pay more for an education then someone who is in America legally. However, I see where he is coming from- being brought over as a youth, is really not their fault but as Romney stated, it doesn't mean you don't have a heart, but you still need to use your brain too.  There is not much to be done about illegal immigration, the idea of building a fence along the border is too extreme but giving them in state tuition is almost completely accepting and almost rewarding the fact they came here illegally.  The dabate continues, some people agree with Perry: "Daniel Griswold, an immigration expert at Cato Institute, writes, "In l997, the National Research Council published a major study on immigration. It found that an immigrant with a college education is a huge net plus for the United States."- So therefore, giving the immigrants a chance to educate themselves would be beneficial in the long run for America- "Immigrants and their descendants represent a net fiscal gain for the United States. The typical immigrant and all of his or her descendants represent a positive $80,000 fiscal gain to the government. An immigrant with more than a high school education (plus descendants) represents a $198,000 fiscal gain, one with a high school diploma a $51,000 gain, and one with less than a high school education a $13,000 loss." As the fence could not be built logically, another often heard suggestion is to have ICE find and deport all illegal immigrants- would this be beneficial to America? Is that even a possible solution as there are 12 million such immigrants in America.
The immigration problem is withstanding and causing many issues amongst citizens of America.

Simple vs Complex

In my blog, i always use a title that relates to the topic i am trying to discuss. It is always visible to the reader and I make the title short, concise and to the point.  I like to use a conversational tone when writing my blogs as they are normally my point of view on things, therefore i write as i would say and also because its easy for the reader to read.  I feel writing this way helps me express who I am as a writer because all my thoughts are just getting put down in the blog; i don't feel like i have to edit things to make it sound  appropriate for another audience. Originally, i was new to the blog and therefore i just chose a set layout already made by the website.  I chose the one I did as it related to the first book we read in class, Bird by Bird.  It had neutral tones and colors as, i felt that was the vibe of my blog. 

There are also other elements in the NFG that I use when writing my blogs. One of these elements is changing the tone to cooperate with the context of what I am saying.  This persuades people to trust my writing more then if i were to write in a tone not relating to the context.  Also mentioned in NFG, i don't stray off from the topic originally discussing, i stay in focus and on point which keeps my reader attentive and knowing what the point of my writing is. 

Personally, after reading what is 'correct' for a blog, I feel that my original layout and design was on par and that i do not need to really edit anything. My headings are clear, related and foreshadow what is to come in the rest of my blog. I chose the color red to make it stand out. The background colors (brown, white, black and red) are neutral and easy to look at; they all mesh well nicely.  I didn't chose to have any pictures as i felt that would crowd my blog and I also just want people to concentrate on what i had to say, rather then other things. Everything on my blog is relatable, as the birds in the corner represent Bird by Bird.  The simple layout emphasizes what i write, rather then the background.  For example, movies that are all based around special effects and visuals, normally have a bleak plot line.  Whereas, i have a concrete layout to try and make readers focus on the importance of what is being written. 

#1 party school

The main issue of the broadcast entitled #1 party school is the destructiveness of drinking alcohol and how it not only effects the students of Penn State but also the civilians that live in State College.  The first reason this issue is being investigated is due to getting ranked the number one party school as well as the rising rates of violations and the increase in arrests of Penn State students. The rising rate inclined at such a vast pace that the President of the college, is planning on getting involved to stop this climb. I feel the intended audience of this piece is primarily for the students at Penn State; as we are the ones making these violations and committing these crimes described in the broadcast.  However, this broadcast could also be used as as warning to civilians around, making them aware of what goes on and what they can do to help. Specific details were given in the story to emphasize the main point. Such details include an interview with a Penn State senior. He spoke of how he had to leave his fraternity at the end of his sophmore year due to his failing grades. They would party 4 days out of the week and would even casually drink on Mondays and Tuesdays resulting in bad grades. The senior said it was not what he came here for; he came to learn and get a good education- being in frat life was preventing this. Another detail used was they spoke to a local resident who's house is in between 2 frats. He said that because of the immoral actions that have been going on his property he had to put up motion sensors. Motion sensors helped him keep his property in order.  Another example they used was through an interview with a canyon pizza delivery boy. He said that on many accounts he has altercations with drunk people either outside of canyon pizza or making an actual delivery. On one specific occasion, he actually got in a fight at a apartment door and got his jaw broken. The conclusion of the broadcast ended with an interview with Penn State president Graham Spanier. He spoke about the issue of drinking on and off campus; if people continue in this manner, he is going to take action and up the penalties. In this broadcast, they did a series of interviews; with freshman girls on the blue loop, police officers, an ex frat guy, actual frat guys, liquor store owners and civilians.  The main narrative technique used was dialogue as they were talking the entire time but also interviews.  They also used ethos by conducting interviews with people whom expressed themselves either positively or negatively. 

Personally I did not like the broadcast. From personal experience and my own general knowledge of being at Penn State, i know that it was all an exaggerated series of events that occurred that normally do not happen all in one night. I felt it was unfair and bias; due to the bad decisions of some does not mean you can entitle the entire school. With having 40,000 people at a school, there are bound to be a small (and yes, looking at the entire school it is small) percentage of kids making bad decisions but that should not effect the kids who do not make these decisions. 

Bird by Bird

Bird by bird begins with Anne Lamott explaining her love for books which is primarily due to her fathers massive influence. She always used to wish her father had a normal working job but realized that writing was a perfect fitting job for him and soon followed in his footsteps. She learned a lot from her father, in which she passes down her knowledge to us as the reader. As a child, Lamott’s brother was once overwhelmed by a huge school project on birds. His father’s simple yet profound advice was to take it “bird by bird,” or one small step at a time. This really stuck in my head; not only because it addresses the title of the book but also because it explains a great way to break down things and really get going on where you want to start. Lamott firmly believes that writers should start small, like an experience you had when you were a child.This shows me that if you were to take something complicated, and break it down, you will be less intimidated by the complexity of your task.  It also showed me the importance of faith- if you are patient and discipline your writing style, you can achieve great things.  The fact that Lamott chooses the phrase “Bird by bird” as the title of her book is a tribute to her father, and his influence on her.  The memory of her father was the inspiration for her first book after falling ill with brain cancer; leading me onto the next point in the story which really helped me as a writer.
A repeated motif in Bird by Bird is the importance of memories. Memories become a primary source of writing, and the underlying motivation for writing. Lamott refers to memories early in the book, when she describes encouraging her students to write specifically about their childhoods. She herself writes about her own memories throughout Bird by Bird; the book is partly a memoir of her writing life. She goes on to explain in detail that memories are simply the starting point for writing, the means of discovering what experiences arouse passion and need to be shared.  This was noteworthy for me because there are a lot of times where, as i writer, i feel stumped about what to write; this bit of advice reminds you to reflect on memories and the truth will just come out on paper.
Another part in Bird by Bird that really influenced me was when she was explaining that to be a good writer, you not only have to write a great deal, but you have to care. I find this to be very true, if you are not passionate about what you are wanting to say, it wont get across to the reader as well as it could. Lamott constantly reiterates that though writers might feel outside of society, their job is to call attention to things others might miss.  This makes me think that if you have a lot to give to the world- a lot to say-  you need to be dedicated and really care enough to want to get inside the readers head and that is when they will care what you have to say. 

Memoir Analysis: My Addicted Son

My Addicted Son is a touching story about a father who is absolutely helpless in destroying his sons drug abuse. His son Nick, the one who is self destructing himself with drugs, struggles through his life starting at the age of 4, where his parents underwent a terrible divorce, which is known to mentally disturb a child. However, the events that occur after, as explained, start at a later age.
The story begins with Nick returning from college. Everything seems okay at this point as he plays with his younger siblings and read them goodnight.  His first morning of being home, he is "vibrating like an idling car" and that's how his mother first comes to realize that he is abusing again. His taste in music that he is listening to in the memoir only implies that his role models may not be the best to have influence you as they all are or previously were drug users. The story unfolds to explain that actually, Nick has been searching for methamphetamine his entire life. It begins by telling you that he has always been a unique character, dressing differently to the other children through most of his elementary school days, even though he was made fun of.  To me, that part of the memoir didn't fit right, most people who from a young age and are wanting to stand out shows characteristics of a natural born leader; however, not in this case.  Similarly, the topic of drugs was not untouched in his family, his dad had warned him about the addictiveness and destructiveness of drugs; advice that should have been taken in strongly due to his father knowing from experience.  However, Nicks drug use started from a young age, 12 when he was first caught with marijuana.  After similar problems occured, Nick was given a second chance to become clean and set his life path in the right direction. His teacher, walked with him through this, dedicating a lot of time towards Nick, doing activities such as surfing.  At the age of 16, he was skipping school and tardy when he did want to show up so his parents thought to seek a therapist who told them it was just an adolescent stage.  Just a few weeks later Nick was arrested for missing a court meeting which he informed no one of. The memoir continues in such a manner; Nick in and out of rehab primarily his entire life. Drugs had taken over and he was a slave to them. No matter how many times he tried to detox the demons out, he would always wind up in living hell over and over again. Unfortunately, Nick at the time did not realize the damage being done, not only to himself, but to all his family around him. Throughout the memoir, Nicks father, the author continues to blame himself; persistently allowing the thought of his son abusing drugs eat at him, wondering what more he could of done to stop this. Maybe taken the signs at an early stage more seriously rather then thinking it was just a phase. Luckily for Nick though, he had a family who loved him despite his addictions and a family that would always be there for him, spending their time and money devoted to his well being and health; bailing him from jail, sending him to rehab multiple times. He didn't realize how fortunate he was to have this as so many lives are lost to overdosing and he could of been next. His parents really did play a vital role in his surviving and currently, Nick is sober and doing well.
I feel the intended audience of this story is for teenagers and parents. I say this because, it teaches teenagers just how easily it is to become addicted to drugs and just how difficult it is to get off them. And for the parents, because it shows them to not give up hope if your child is addicted.  The author uses ages to tell where we are in time, which is extremely effective. It walked us through the life story of his addicted son.

The Longest Lunch of Your Life

Its the first day of sixth grade. Not only is it completely intimidating that you are back to being the youngest, which places you at bottom of the pool but it completely contrasts to being the big turf that you were in 5th grade where you felt that you ruled the school. To make things worse, you're back to not knowing anyone; which is why lunch was one of the most terrifying and daunting places to be.  Lunch defined who you were and who you were going to be for the next 3 years of your life; and you had one chance, thats it. Once chance to determine- are you going to be in the popular crowd? You walk in and its as if all the sudden, 200 eyeballs are looking in your direction.  Your mind starts racing, "is my hair alright.. i hope i don't trip..is there a booger coming out of my nose?"  You have to stop and remind yourself that you can do this, everyone is in the same boat as you. There are kids who are already sitting and you think to yourself, their moms must love them more since they got a packed lunch.  Then your eyes drift back to look over at the lunch line, its horrifyingly long, it looks like its never-ending. But  eventually, you get to the back of the line. It feels like hours, days, weeks passing before you finally get to the front. "We only have sloppy Joes left" comes out the mouth a big, hairy woman. You didn't even hear what she said because all you can stare at is that mole on her chin; it has one long, lanky strand of hair and you think to yourself, ew.  Finally you've gotten your food, it felt like forever but its not over yet. No, not even close, the hard part is still to come.  You scan the room, concentrating more then you did just 20 minutes earlier in your math class.  Fear overcomes all emotions, as it is time to choose where you're going to be sitting. The pressure is enough to make your head explode and you feel like curling up in a ball and just dying. You know better then to sit on your own, i mean, everyone can make friends. You have to be a super freak if there is not one person who will sit by you. But you know thats not you, so you continue to graze over all the faces. Spotted across the room you see a group of kids laughing...well, everyone likes to laugh, right? So you head over that direction. You place your tray on the table, "Can i sit here?" Your heart stops as they all look up to see the face to match the voice. "Yea of course," one girl says and suddenly i can breath again, "whats your name?" Wow, what a relief; that was way easier then you had imagined.

When I’m asked to look at myself as a writer and rhetor, I feel it’s hard to define myself in just one or two sentences.  See, I went to high school in Scotland, where my English class was extremely intense and taken very seriously. However, we spent most of our time studying English literature, most of which the writers were British. We touched slightly on other forms of writing but mostly concentrated on British poems and novels. It taught me a lot; you can place a poem in front of me and I can almost guarantee I can find the hidden meaning or agenda the writer was trying to portray.  But that also, you can say, can be accounted for as one of my weaknesses. I’ve focused all my learning in one general area that I’ve not really been able to dive into other natures of writing, which has always been an interest to me. I recall back in middle school, when we got to do creative writing, it was always one of my favorites.  Using the imagination to create a story allows freedom in speech which I find much more enjoyable then simply writing about other writers’ works which is what I did mostly. Studying other remarkable British writers, however, really benefited me in the long run; on the SATs, my writing score was exceptional in comparison to other parts on the SAT due to the fact that I have a British writing technique which is looked up upon to the American readers.  I really want to be able to do more though, expand on what I am capable of now; I want to branch off into new writing styles because I really do enjoy learning it (especially now that I’ve switched my major to English!) That just reminds me of another one of my writing weaknesses…my writing is occasionally just a little stiff.  I’m so used to writing, I want to say serious, types of essays that they don’t always outcome with a lighthearted, fun feel; just full of facts and annotations. I want to learn to have more flow in my writing because although my writing will get me the good grades in English Literature, I’m not entirely sure yet I can say the  same for freestyle creative writing or persuasive writing  (although I do hope so).  I guess the only way to improve this is to just practice. Write, write, and write, until it becomes just that little bit easier every time.  That’s why I feel this class will be good for me, even just these blog posts is teaching me to ease up and have more leeway in my writing then I would have had back in high school.  It’s going to help me take what I already know and develop more techniques in addition.  I would say one of the most influential writers to me, although it may seem a little “college” for me to say this, is Eminem. For example, his song Space Bound  ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JByDbPn6A1o&ob=av2e )is so lyrically beautiful. It is literally so enticing; a fictional song with the most heart-wrenching lyrics it could give you shivers.  The lyrics grab your attention with emotion and it’s so inspirational to the point where you want to be able to affect people that way.  Another inspirational writer to me was one that I studied in high school, his name William Wordsworth. The reason he has inspired me to want to become a better writer was because I felt that I really understood what he was saying and I felt I could really connect to his poetry. For example his poem Expostulation and Reply (http://www.blackcatpoems.com/w/expostulation_and_reply.html ) I really enjoyed studying this because he and I enjoy a common pleasure, nature. As much as I hate to admit it, I am a ‘nature freak’. The outdoors makes me happy and here, he is saying that it is not just books and people you learn from, but you can really be inspired by just taking in what goes on around you and learn to appreciate life to its fullest.