1. I definitely faced a lot of challenges this semester, not only in this class but in multiple. These challenges, as they apply to my writing process, made it difficult for me to give 100%. In my self-assessment for Project 1, I mentioned how it is hard for me to revise and edit my own work. I used to feel like something I created, be it writing, videos, art, etc. was as good as it would get right after I finished. I felt like I would say what I mean and that never needed to change, I would just read through for grammatical errors and that was it. But
2. Project 1 felt really long for me, but I definitely did the most thorough planning for it, but a lot of the planning I did seemed useless when creating my final project. Project 2, however, taught me how to make my planning more efficient and useful, and it allowed me to create the detailed outline that I needed to write my essay. By the time I got to Project 3 I could really see how my editing skills had evolved. My video for Project 3 was cut down by 4 minutes from my initial film, and that equates to a healthy amount of writing. It made me realize the importance of purging things and ordering things in a way that would make my work as effective and influential as possible.
3. Before this class I hadn't really considered anything besides physical writing to be a "genre" of writing. Learning the conventions of all the different genres helped me realize how the smallest things could subtly add so much to a statement or argument, and it also showed me how choosing a certain genre can be very important depending on what your topic is.
4. My editing skills that I have acquired from this course will definitely play a major roll in my future writing. In the past, with scientific writing, I would seriously just try to put as much information as possible into a lab report to make it look like I worked really hard, but I've realized that putting unnecessary information into it is pointless. Sure it might make my report a page longer, but a page of BS isn't going to help much.
5. My most effective moment was definitely writing my script for Project 3. In all honesty, the first two projects kind of felt like all the other writing assignments I've had in the past, only because I went into the processes with that expectation. I wasn't excited about it, I cared about my topics at first but that wore off in a week or so, and I wasn't even writing for myself I was writing because I had to. But Project 3 was so fun for me, and even though I hadn't realized the skills I was acquiring during 1 and 2, I really got to see how I could put them to use in Project 3 and I am so proud of my final product.
6. I wouldn't really say that any moment was ineffective, because even when I felt like something was pointless it just taught me what I didn't need to do, or I would realize later that it wasn't pointless after all. Maybe peer review was the least effective, because I didn't participate in all of them. Every time I have peer reviewed, or been peer reviewed, in the past I never felt like I got any useful information, and I never really felt like I was helping anyone all that much. The best critiques I got were from my friends and roommates, people that I know would actually care about my writing and be honest. Every time I get peer reviewed by a stranger I can't help but think "what if they're an idiot and I'm just going to listen to them" and I'm afraid that they're going to convince me to change something and that will make my writing worse. Maybe it is because I'm a junior and I know most of the people peer reviewing me are freshmen, or maybe it stems from a deeper issue haha, but really just never expect peer review to benefit me at all.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Revising My Writing Process
Oh man, my calendar and writing process posts from the beginning of the semester made me laugh a little bit. In that post I expressed how I was a "Heavy Planner/ Procrastinator" mix. If I were completely honest I'm more on the procrastination side.
Over the course of this semester I've realized that writing is only enjoyable for me when I truly care about my content. And my interest can definitely fluctuate throughout the process. Sometimes I find myself making an incredibly detailed outline, or planning my writing to the very last detail because I'm so interested in it, but then I feel like that's it. I don't want to actually create the final product because I've learned what I needed to learn and said what I've needed to say in outline form, and it is out of my system and I want to just move on to the next thing.
If anything I think my time management was worse than usual this semester, but the fact that I realize that will help me to manage it better in the future. Before this course, I could write a standard essay easily and make it technically perfect, meet requirements of a rubric, etc. But it would all be bullshit and I wouldn't really care about the content at all.
Moving forward, I think this class has shown me how I can mold any writing situation to fit my interests. That is when I do my best work and manage my time efficiently because I'll enjoy the process instead of speeding through it just wishing it were over.
In the future I definitely think that my personality and values will show in my writing much more than they have in the past. As I move towards graduation and enter into the professional world I can use the skills that I learned in this class to show potential employers the type of person and worker that I am, and it will be easier for me to express the value that I will bring to the workplace.
Over the course of this semester I've realized that writing is only enjoyable for me when I truly care about my content. And my interest can definitely fluctuate throughout the process. Sometimes I find myself making an incredibly detailed outline, or planning my writing to the very last detail because I'm so interested in it, but then I feel like that's it. I don't want to actually create the final product because I've learned what I needed to learn and said what I've needed to say in outline form, and it is out of my system and I want to just move on to the next thing.
If anything I think my time management was worse than usual this semester, but the fact that I realize that will help me to manage it better in the future. Before this course, I could write a standard essay easily and make it technically perfect, meet requirements of a rubric, etc. But it would all be bullshit and I wouldn't really care about the content at all.
Moving forward, I think this class has shown me how I can mold any writing situation to fit my interests. That is when I do my best work and manage my time efficiently because I'll enjoy the process instead of speeding through it just wishing it were over.
In the future I definitely think that my personality and values will show in my writing much more than they have in the past. As I move towards graduation and enter into the professional world I can use the skills that I learned in this class to show potential employers the type of person and worker that I am, and it will be easier for me to express the value that I will bring to the workplace.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Monday, April 4, 2016
Analyzing Purpose
1. The purpose of my public argument is to educate individuals on the animal agriculture industry and illustrate how detrimental it is to the earth and ultimately to our bodies. I hope that my video essay makes people feel uncomfortable. I mean, I guess I know it will, but I hope that people realize that IF something makes them uncomfortable, or uneasy, that there is probably something wrong with it and it shouldn't be happening.
2.
2.
3. One possible reaction to my video essay is that a person might decide to cut certain animal products from their diet. For a lot of people, going vegan is a HUGE lifestyle change, but some change is better than no change at all. If a person decided to cut back on their animal product intake, it could have a lot of environmental and health benefits. For example, if someone were to give up red meat, they would be saving 2,500 gallons of water for every pound they previously ate.
4. It is really hard to tell who is most likely swayed by a vegan argument. One might say that vegetarians are the most likely to switch, but its really up in the air. I wasn't a vegetarian before I became a vegan, if anything I was someone that no one expected to ever be vegan. I think that compassionate and emotional people are likely to be heavily influenced by my argument, as well as environmentalists and people that are concerned with their personal health.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
My Rhetorical Action Plan
1. Audience:
My audience most likely has a general knowledge of livestock farming, they know that the animals are treated poorly and that the conditions are unsanitary and horrible. Most have seen or heard of documentaries such as Food Inc. that outline the horrors of the industry, but they have only seen what they CHOOSE to see, and who wants to look up pictures of tortured animals in their spare time? Not many. They don't want to because it makes them sad or uncomfortable, but what my audience needs to realize is that this reality doesn't stop being reality just because they aren't looking at it. I'm not going to put TOO many graphic images or footage in my video essay, but there will be some. There will be enough to make people uncomfortable and hopefully uncomfortable enough to realize that it shouldn't be happening.
2. Genre:
The video essay is the best option for my argument because it will really aid the emotional impact that I hope to have on my audience. My video will most likely have a "vlog" style to it, as I do plan on talking in front of the camera for part of it. Not only can I use footage of real animal farms, but I can also insert images and graphics to help explain the factual aspect of my argument. It will help explain the direct and indirect effects of animal agriculture.
3. Responses:
I think people will respond in a number of ways. Hopefully responses will be respectful, I aim to make my video as unthreatening as possible, because people will tend to get angry and defensive if I make them feel like their lifestyle is wrong. Some people might have more questions, since I can't fit EVERYTHING about veganism into one video, I can recommend other informative videos, websites, documentaries for the curious responses. Some people might think I'm crazy, if they have the typical human mindset that we are the most powerful beings in the universe and animals were put here solely for our use, enjoyment, and palette pleasures. Honestly there are so many ways someone can react, but I think all of the reactions will come from discomfort or fear.
My audience most likely has a general knowledge of livestock farming, they know that the animals are treated poorly and that the conditions are unsanitary and horrible. Most have seen or heard of documentaries such as Food Inc. that outline the horrors of the industry, but they have only seen what they CHOOSE to see, and who wants to look up pictures of tortured animals in their spare time? Not many. They don't want to because it makes them sad or uncomfortable, but what my audience needs to realize is that this reality doesn't stop being reality just because they aren't looking at it. I'm not going to put TOO many graphic images or footage in my video essay, but there will be some. There will be enough to make people uncomfortable and hopefully uncomfortable enough to realize that it shouldn't be happening.
2. Genre:
The video essay is the best option for my argument because it will really aid the emotional impact that I hope to have on my audience. My video will most likely have a "vlog" style to it, as I do plan on talking in front of the camera for part of it. Not only can I use footage of real animal farms, but I can also insert images and graphics to help explain the factual aspect of my argument. It will help explain the direct and indirect effects of animal agriculture.
3. Responses:
I think people will respond in a number of ways. Hopefully responses will be respectful, I aim to make my video as unthreatening as possible, because people will tend to get angry and defensive if I make them feel like their lifestyle is wrong. Some people might have more questions, since I can't fit EVERYTHING about veganism into one video, I can recommend other informative videos, websites, documentaries for the curious responses. Some people might think I'm crazy, if they have the typical human mindset that we are the most powerful beings in the universe and animals were put here solely for our use, enjoyment, and palette pleasures. Honestly there are so many ways someone can react, but I think all of the reactions will come from discomfort or fear.
Analyzing Context
Topic: Veganism
1. What are the key perspectives or schools of thought on the debate that you are studying?
When it comes to veganism, the two perspectives are pretty cut-and-dry: you're vegan or you're not. People are either for or against being vegan, and there are a select few that say that they "wish they could" or that they support veganism and what it stands for, but won't do it themselves (because that makes sense).
2. What are the major points of contention or major disagreements among the perspectives?
Mainly, non vegans who are against veganism use a few arguments such as getting proper nutrients (protein), saying that animals will overpopulate if we don't kill them, saying vegans drink too much water, and other contentions that are refutable. Vegans can have manny different reasons for their lifestyle, some use animal rights as their reason, others do it for environmental sustainability, others for personal health and vanity.
3. What are the possible points of agreement between these perspectives?
Well most people don't want to kill animals, so they remove themselves from the process by buying the meat at stores. But generally people are against animal cruelty when they aren't ignorant to it. Most people are respectful of different lifestyles, and even if they don't agree in practice they'll agree in principle.
4. What are the ideological differences between the perspectives?
I don't want it to seem like a person is horrible if they aren't vegan, someone could be the most wonderful person in the world but still be ignorant to the horrible side effects of the animal agriculture industry, but the main differences lie in compassion and empathy for other earthlings, humans, and the earth itself. Then actually educating ones self and doing something to change it.
5. What specific actions do these perspectives ask their audience to take?
People who are vegan don't necessarily have the same goal. Some people want everyone else to be vegan and are aggressive about it, just like some non-vegans are aggressively against it and try to change people who are vegan. I think one common goal is that each side wants the other to be 100% educated on their lifestyle. Meat-eaters want vegans to understand why they think they're right and vegans want meat-eaters to understand why they're right. It isn't always about changing someone's lifestyle but more about making sure they know what they're doing.
6. What perspectives are useful in supporting your own arguments? Why?
Pretty much every pro-vegan website or article or book will support my argument, but also the anti-vegan ones because they will allow me to develop a bulletproof response to their arguments. The only thing I can't argue with is that someone doesn't care about the consequences.
7. What perspective will be the greatest threat to your argument?
If someone genuinely does not care at all about respecting the autonomy of another life, saving our ecosystem, trying to end world hunger, and having their body function as efficiently as possible then I really can't argue with them.
1. What are the key perspectives or schools of thought on the debate that you are studying?
When it comes to veganism, the two perspectives are pretty cut-and-dry: you're vegan or you're not. People are either for or against being vegan, and there are a select few that say that they "wish they could" or that they support veganism and what it stands for, but won't do it themselves (because that makes sense).
2. What are the major points of contention or major disagreements among the perspectives?
Mainly, non vegans who are against veganism use a few arguments such as getting proper nutrients (protein), saying that animals will overpopulate if we don't kill them, saying vegans drink too much water, and other contentions that are refutable. Vegans can have manny different reasons for their lifestyle, some use animal rights as their reason, others do it for environmental sustainability, others for personal health and vanity.
3. What are the possible points of agreement between these perspectives?
Well most people don't want to kill animals, so they remove themselves from the process by buying the meat at stores. But generally people are against animal cruelty when they aren't ignorant to it. Most people are respectful of different lifestyles, and even if they don't agree in practice they'll agree in principle.
4. What are the ideological differences between the perspectives?
I don't want it to seem like a person is horrible if they aren't vegan, someone could be the most wonderful person in the world but still be ignorant to the horrible side effects of the animal agriculture industry, but the main differences lie in compassion and empathy for other earthlings, humans, and the earth itself. Then actually educating ones self and doing something to change it.
5. What specific actions do these perspectives ask their audience to take?
People who are vegan don't necessarily have the same goal. Some people want everyone else to be vegan and are aggressive about it, just like some non-vegans are aggressively against it and try to change people who are vegan. I think one common goal is that each side wants the other to be 100% educated on their lifestyle. Meat-eaters want vegans to understand why they think they're right and vegans want meat-eaters to understand why they're right. It isn't always about changing someone's lifestyle but more about making sure they know what they're doing.
6. What perspectives are useful in supporting your own arguments? Why?
Pretty much every pro-vegan website or article or book will support my argument, but also the anti-vegan ones because they will allow me to develop a bulletproof response to their arguments. The only thing I can't argue with is that someone doesn't care about the consequences.
7. What perspective will be the greatest threat to your argument?
If someone genuinely does not care at all about respecting the autonomy of another life, saving our ecosystem, trying to end world hunger, and having their body function as efficiently as possible then I really can't argue with them.
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