Considering Type

For this post, I used page 414 of Writing Public Lives to evaluate what type of argument I want to make for Project 3. (The headings that are bolded are strategies that could work for my project.)


Position Argument

• A position argument could work well for my topic. If I state my side and then mention and counter the other side, it would make my argument stronger. 
• Telling my story without any mention to why people disagree or oppose me would make my argument seem more like a sob story rather than a way to argue a point. 

Casual  (Supposed to be Causal?) Argument 

• I am not sure if the book means casual or causal because it says both, but if it means causal argument, that would be an ineffective strategy for my project. 
• This controversy is incredibly difficult to track, and determining where it started would be impossible. It becomes more hotly debated at certain times, like after the Adrian Peterson case, but it has been controversial for a long time. 

Evaluative Argument

• There really haven't been any solutions proposed, so without any, I can't really do an evaluative argument. 

Image by Miller, Anna T. "Argument?" Uploaded 9/28/13 via Flickr.
Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license

Proposal Argument

• I do want to have somewhere in my project a possible solution to this controversy, starting with alternative methods of punishment, but the step-by-step format wouldn't really work for my project. 
• If I could adapt this argument format and just propose a solution without each step, that could work for my article. 

Refutation Argument

• I could also do a refutation argument and directly address the views expressed by those who are in favor of spanking. Rather than do a position argument and discuss both sides, I could write my article to directly refute the other side without giving any sort of credibility to their opinions. Format my project to shoot holes in their argument. 

Reflection

Action Plan: Savannah and Isabel both wrote very comprehensive action plans that will help them greatly when they are planning how to write their projects. Savannah and I are both arguing the less popular opinions on our topics, so it will be interesting to see how our final products are similar and how they are different. Isabel has a topic that she could use images or graphs effectively for and it will be cool to see how that affects her argument and her project as a whole. Both of them have topics that require more logical and scientific arguments than mine, and our audiences are different as well. 

Considering Types: Savannah's argument is best suited for a refutation argument, but she could also use an evaluative argument. Isabel is considering either a position or evaluative argument for her topic, but I think that it would make her article seem more credible to list the pros and cons of her position on the controversy. It's interesting that we all considered the evaluative argument. Savannah commented that an evaluative argument might be the best type for my topic, so I will have to consider that when I'm making my final decision on how to format my argument. 

My Rhetorical Action Plan

This post is my planning for Project 3 using the questions on pages 412-413 of Writing Public Lives.

[The pictures are supposed to be funny. I'm sure this post will be helpful in writing Project 3, but it took me forever to write.]

Audience

1. What does the audience know about the topic, text or idea? Where do they get their knowledge from? Do they have certain predispositions or opinions about the topic that you will need to address? 

• Because this topic isn't difficult to understand or technical, most people are at least aware that spanking is a controversial method of punishment. 
• Whether or not a household uses spanking, most kids grow up with an awareness that some kids are spanked when they do something wrong. 
• The majority of parents feel strongly on one side or the other of this controversy. I will need to acknowledge the opinions of both sides to increase the credibility and reach of my argument. 

2. What do you know about the values, ideas, principles, or norms that members of the audience might hold?

• All parents want what is best for their children, so that is a piece of common ground that I can use to build my argument off of. 
• Whether or not a parent chooses to spank has little to do with social norms and more to do with personal beliefs about its effectiveness and the ethics surrounding it. 

3. What type of research or evidence do you think will be persuasive for your audience? How might you have to translate this research for them?

• The evidence/research on this topic isn't clear cut, so I will need to rely on another method to appeal my readers' sense of logic. 

4. What visual images or elements might your audience respond to? Why?

• While images generally help evoke emotion, it would be difficult to find an image to portray spanking being too offensive or graphic. 
• The best way to use "visuals" will be to tell my story in a way that will make readers able to picture the scenarios and emotions without using a physical image. 

5. Why is your audience reading or listening to your argument? Are you trying to expand their understanding of an idea, encourage them to take action on an issue, challenge a long-held tradition or viewpoint? How likely is your argument to motivate your audience? 

• My intended audience would read my article if they were reading a parenting magazine. If they are intrigued by the topic, they will read the whole piece. 
• My intention is to encourage parents not to spank their children, so in a way, I'm encouraging them to change their view which will make them want to change their actions. 
• I hope that if I properly use emotional, and potentially logical, appeals that I will be able to reach my audience and change their minds on the idea of spanking. 

Image by MacEntee, Sean. "work sick." Uploaded 4/7/11 via Flickr.
Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

[A.K.A. how I feel after writing this blog post]

Genre

Genre Idea 1- Personal Narrative Published as an Op-Ed in a Parenting Magazine

1. Here is an article that is not exactly a personal story, but it pleads with parents to stop spanking their children. It evokes emotion, and makes readers reconsider whether spanking is ethical and effective or not. 
2. This is the exact genre that I will be writing in, but this doctor draws on his medical experience instead of something that happened to him personally. Still, it is a great model for how I want to approach Project 3. 

What is the function of this genre? What is it designed to do to your readers? Why did you choose it? 

• This genre uses appeals that usually are directed at readers senses of compassion. These articles are usually written to plead with parents to stop spanking their children. 
• I chose this genre because I can draw from my personal experiences to write a compelling and emotional story that could convince parents not to spank. 

What is the setting of your genre? Where could you see it being used?

• My intention would be to have my article published in a parenting magazine, which is where my second example was published. 

How might you use the rhetorical appeals we have studied in this genre? 

• Given the personal nature of parenting, I think that emotional appeals are most effective in this genre. Telling a personal story in some ways is an appeal to credibility, and logic is always useful to support the emotional side of the argument. 

What type of visual elements, if any, will you use in this genre?

• As I said under "audience," I don't think that images would be effective in this genre. The most important visual element would likely be the paragraph structure, use of white space, and titles/subtitles to break up the blocks of text. 

What type of style will you use in this genre?

• I think that the more personal/emotional parts of my piece could be informal without damaging my argument, but if I mention any studies or research, I should adjust my tone to be a little more formal. I, however, shouldn't be too impersonal because that would run the risk of negatively impacting my credibility. 

Genre 2- Article written for any news source, doesn't include my personal story

1. This article is fairly comprehensive; it discusses the controversy, possible alternatives to spanking, and how other countries discipline their children. While it doesn't appeal much to emotion, it still makes readers reconsider spanking their kids. 
2. This example uses someone else's story, and it does a good job of evoking emotion. Because using your own personal story could make you seem too emotional and not credible enough, it could be helpful to use someone else's story to make it seem less of a complaint and more of an objective look at the affects of spanking. 

What is the function of this genre? What is it designed to do to your readers? Why did you choose it? 

• This genre can also be used to persuade readers, but doesn't have to be as emotionally based as a personal story does. 
• I am still undecided if I should use my story or not, so this would be a great alternative. 

What is the setting of your genre? Where could you see it being used?

• This genre is a little more versatile because it could be published in a larger variety of locations. It could easily appear on any news source or magazine that thinks its readership could benefit from its message. 

How might you use the rhetorical appeals we have studied in this genre? 

• I can still use emotional appeals, but with this genre, I will need to use more logic than I would have to with genre #1. 

What type of visual elements, if any, will you use in this genre?

• Again, visual aids will not be very effective or necessary in this genre. 

What type of style will you use in this genre?

• This genre would be more formal than the first option, because it is presenting facts and logic rather than emotions and stories. I would want to seem credible and intelligent, especially if I am citing other sources, I don't want to come off as unprofessional or like I am lacking knowledge of the topic. 

Image by Brady. "give up." Uploaded 6/7/09 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

[Also how I feel after writing this blog post]

Responses/Actions

Positive Reactions

• Someone is moved by my piece, and decides to stop spanking their child(ren). 
• A reader has a strong reaction one way or the other, and writes a response. This would be a great way to gauge how effective my argument is.  If they agree with me, I will know that my argument was somewhat effective. If they disagree with me, I will know where I need to strengthen my argument. 
• Someone who reads my piece decides that they want to find out more about the topic. Whatever they end up deciding after reading more articles doesn't matter as long as someone is inspired by my writing to look further into the topic. 

Negative Reactions

• "This is one story. That isn't how most people feel about having been spanked as a child."
• While this may be my personal story, I'm sure there are people who can relate strongly to my experiences. I am not trying to make any sweeping generalizations, I'm just trying to influence at least one person to see the ill effects of spanking.
• "I was spanked, and I turned out okay."
• It is fairly common for people who were spanked to be perfectly fine in their relationships with their parents, but there are some who are not. I am speaking for those who were damaged or had their relationship damaged because of being spanked by one or both parents. 
• "You're not an expert. Why should I listen to you?"
• It's true that I am not an expert in any way. I am speaking both from personal experience and from having done research and read other people's stories. I am not claiming to be an expert, I am just trying to show how spanking can have an ill effect on children.

Analyzing Purpose

I created a Coggle to brainstorm using the prompts on page 326 of Writing Public Lives.

Screenshot taken by Boone-Roberts, Morgan. "Project 3 Brainstorm." 10/28/15. 

For those of you that don't have incredible vision, here is the link to the Coggle that is easier to read.

Analyzing Context

I analyzed the context of my project using the questions from page 340 of Writing Public Lives.

1. What are the key perspectives or schools of thought on the debate?

The two clear-cut perspectives in this controversy are those who are in favor of spanking and those who are opposed to it.  Most people that feel strongly about this topic are parents, but there are also scientists and psychologists who are interested in the effect that spanking has on children.

People who oppose spanking cite studies that have found a correlation between being spanked as a child and having behavioral problems.

People in favor of spanking have tried to find fault with the studies by citing their own experiences with how effective spanking is to teach children important lessons and correct misbehavior.

Both sides use personal stories to back up their beliefs or views on the controversy.


2. What are the major points of contention or disagreements among these perspectives?

The argument focuses mostly on the effectiveness as well as the long term effects of spanking.

While some studies say so, there is no definitive proof that spanking causes violent behavior and/or mental problems later in life. The research does point towards that conclusion, but even if there were to be an unquestionable amount of data, there would still be people who would refuse to believe it.

People are also arguing over how effective it is. Truly, what form of punishment gets the message across probably differs a lot from one child to the next, and also from one parenting style to the next.


3. What are the possible points of agreement or common ground between these perspectives?

Both groups are mostly concerned with the well being of their children. They all want their kids to turn out well, they just disagree on how to help them become well-behaved, well-rounded individuals. Almost no parent would want to do something to negatively affect their child's mental health and later success.

All parents have experienced similar misbehavior amongst their kids. They know how hard it can be to figure out how to teach a child that what they are doing is unsafe or not okay. This is perhaps the biggest and most important piece of common ground between the two sides.

Image by Rouzet, Philippe. "perspective de Cathédrale." Uploaded 12/1/13 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.  

4. What are the ideological differences between the perspectives?

It is difficult to find clear ideological differences between the two groups. Religion doesn't seem to play much of a role in which side of the controversy a person is on.

There have been studies and polls done to determine if race, education, or income level play into this controversy. There is no explicitly clear findings, but there could be connection between the family's race and the likelihood that they use spanking to correct behavior in their children.


5. What specific actions do their perspectives or texts ask their audience to take?

Most of the article I've found have been opposed to spanking. They use emotion to implore parents not to spank their children and to find alternate forms of discipline.

The texts that I have found that support spanking have been on message boards. People who write on discussion forums on this topic are less trying to start any sort of action rather than just opposing and questioning the uproar of people who oppose spanking.


6. What perspectives are useful in supporting your own argument? Why did you choose these?

In this controversy, it seems like personal stories and perspectives are the most effective. Reading through some of the posts on open forums, I felt myself moved by posts that support spanking even though I strongly oppose it. Personal stories easily evoke emotion in their readers, and any parent can understand where parents on the opposite side are coming from.


7. What perspectives do you think will be the greatest threat to your argument? 

With what science there is supporting my side of the controversy, I think the biggest opposition to my argument would be other personal stories.

However, I think the best part of using personal stories is that no one can refute an individual's own experiences. They could only counter with their own experiences, but it is up to the readers to decide which story is more effective, truthful, or typical of the majority of cases.


Reflection:

Kelly and Savannah both have topics that are based more in science whereas mine is based a lot more in personal opinion. But we all are dealing with controversies that have either conflicting or not enough scientific evidence to draw a conclusion. We are also all investigating controversies that affect personal health. Kelly and Savannah are both are dealing more with physical health where I am working more with mental health and wellbeing.

Audience and Genre

My controversy for Project 3 is the debate over spanking. Below is my brainstorming about potential formats that I could use for Project 3.

Regardless of the genre, I am thinking I might do my project in the form of a personal narrative or personal opinion piece. While there are other personal stories on this topic, I think that each person who writes one provides a different perspective on the issue.

Audience 1: American Parents

Genre 1:  (This is probably the least user-friendly choice both for me and for my audience) Youtube Video where I interview my family. Because we don't all live in the same town anymore, it would have to either be recorded via Skype, or I would transcribe what was said and put it in moviemaker as slides of text.

• Example 1: If I interviewed my grandma, my dad, and my sister, I could get a comprehensive idea of both how spanking was viewed in different generations and the effect that it had on each person (I am not sure if my grandma was spanked as a child, but my dad and sister were).
• Here is an example of the interview style that I would do. Obviously this isn't perfect, but it shows one person interviewing multiple people at once, and that's probably how I would do it. Mine would be different because it wouldn't be in person. 

• Example 2: I could do the same idea as I have outlined above, but have the transcribed text on the screen with some sort of instrumental in the background so it wasn't just silence. 
• Here is an example of an interview where what is being said is shown in text on the screen, but my video wouldn't have the audio and visual from the actual interview. 

Genre 2: Personal narrative article written for Parenting Magazine.

• Example 1: Here is an example of how a person's story could inform an audience of parents who are figuring out the best ways to parent their children. This would also be a good guide to follow to figure out how much emotion to use without being either too depressing or looking unprofessional. 
• Example 2: This example is also about a controversial topic: divorce. It is a personal story that also includes citing experts to form a "how to" type article. If I did something similar, I could do a "how to find alternative ways to punish children". 

Image by Barbara. "week 16- Brainstorm." Uploaded 4/17/12 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license. 

Audience 2: StoryCorps listeners

Genre 1: Interview. Similar to genre 1 under the "American parents" audience, I could interview my family members. But here, the audience is different and the interview would just be recorded as audio. It could also be transcribed, as are the two examples that I found.

• Example 1:   This story was recorded when the mom was diagnosed with a disorder that would eventually make her unable to speak. It is a interview/personal narrative that doesn't try to persuade anything, but it is a good example of the format that I could use if I choose this genre. 
• Example 2:  These examples are personal stories, but their topics are on the once controversial issues of race relations and inter-racial marriages. 

Genre 2: Personal story/narrative. StoryCorps doesn't really do written pieces, but let's pretend that they do just for the purpose of figuring out what my audience and genre will be. To find examples, I had to go to other sites that publish op-ed pieces.

• Example 1: Here is an example of a personal story that was published as an op-ed to an online state newspaper. This, however, may have a different audience that I would need to figure out if I chose this option. 
• Example 2: This example is interesting because it provides a personal opinion as well as referencing statistics and experts. This mix could work, because I could give background information before I launch into my personal opinion based on my family and my story.

Extended Annotated Bibliography

Because I am doing Project 3 on my Project 2 topic, I had to start my search for sources all over.

Image by papertrix. "bibliography." Uploaded 8/28/05 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license. 

Here is the link to my annotated bibliography.

Narrowing My Focus

After writing questions for blog post 9.7, I picked the questions that I think are most important to finding out more about the spanking controversy.

What is the logic/science behind why some people who were spanked are strongly opposed to it and others see it as a perfectly fine method of punishment?Is it a cycle of abuse type situation? Or were they really left unscathed by how they were punished?

• This question is central to the controversy. The studies that have been done show that, even though spanking often has negative effects on children, many people who were spanked go on to use spanking with their own children. This, in some ways, seems to refute the science. Finding out why would be a great place to start my research.

Image by Hunter, Mark. "Focus." Uploaded 4/22/10 via Flickr.
Attribution 2.0 Generic license. 

How has the legality of spanking changed over time? In a day and age where there is immense social change happening, has this controversy become any more hotly debated than it was previously? How was spanking viewed by the majority of people when my generation's parents or even our grandparents were growing up?

• Okay, this is actually like four questions rolled into one, but they all connect in a way that is essential to this issue. Finding out how this debate started and how it has changed over time might help me find more insightful information and come at this project with more knowledge than I would if I didn't investigate the background.

What kind of discussions have been happening in comment feeds and on discussion boards?

• Oftentimes, especially with contemporary controversies, how the general public views the issue is essential to discovering exactly why it's important. Maybe someone tells a personal story that changes some people's views. That is something that I, as a writer, would like to know about. Obviously I can't read every post on every discussion board, but hopefully I can find at least one that has or could have a significant effect on the debate.

Questions About Controversy

For project 3, I will be writing about the debate over the ethics of spanking children. Below is a list of questions that I will use to find out more information about my topic.


Who is involved in the controversy?

1. Are there surveys that have been done of how many parents actually use spanking as a form of punishment?
2. Does this controversy apply in other countries/cultures? How is it looked at/viewed in those places?
3. What prominent psychologists have spoken on this issue? Which side of the controversy were they on?
4. What organizations have done surveys or studies on this topic? What were the findings?
5. Can I find any other personal stories that I can reference in my project?

What is being debated?

1. Who is speaking the loudest; those opposed or those in favor of spanking?
2. How much is this a debate of ethics and how much is it legality?
3. Has this issue become political (liberals vs. conservatives) or is it sill mostly a debate of personal opinion/beliefs?
4. What is the logic/science behind why some people who were spanked are strongly opposed to it and others see it as a perfectly fine method of punishment?
5. Why has physical punishment been eliminated in school systems but not in personal households? Is it an issue of enforcement? 

Image by Reynolds, Leo. "question mark." Uploaded 4/22/13 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license. 

What is the time period of the controversy.

1. Was spanking more common in past times or is it used more commonly now?
2. How has the legality of spanking changed over time?
3. In a day and age where there is immense social change happening, has this controversy become any more hotly debated than it was, say, 20 years ago? 50 years ago? 
4. How was spanking viewed by the majority of people when my generation's parents or even our grandparents were growing up?
5. What evidence is out there that shows how long spanking has been used to punish children?

Where has this controversy unfolded (physical and cultural locations)?

1. Have there been public debates between experts over this controversy (like there have been with evolution vs creationism)?
2. Have any politicians spoken about this issue? Any prominent celebrities? If so, did this help draw more attention to the debate?
3. Are other countries more/less in favor of spanking than the United States? (Especially Northern Europe: Denmark, Netherlands, etc)
4. Is there any race division when it comes to how this issue is viewed? (This could become too sensitive of an issue very quickly)
5. Why should people care about this issue? How does it affect the average person?

How has this controversy unfolded in the media?

1. What kinds of websites have published articles that focus on this issue? 
2. What side of the controversy is the writer on in the majority of cases?
3. How have average people reacted to this issue on social media? Are the majority of people that speak out (especially on Twitter) for or against spanking?
4. Are the more scholarly pieces written on this debate written from a purely scientific standpoint or are some more broad in their focus?
5. Has this issue been spoken about on any popular TV shows or Youtube channels? Especially with Youtube, how do the commenters feel about the issue? 
6. What kind of discussions have been happening in comment feeds and on discussion boards?

Reflection on Project 2

Below is my reflection on my project 2 essay using the questions from Writing Public Lives.

1. What was specifically revised from one draft to another?

I made a lot more global edits for this project than I usually do in my writing. I  completely redid both my introduction and conclusion (I know that was required for blog posts, but they both really needed to be reworked). I also rearranged a lot of sentences within the body paragraphs.

2. Point to global changes: how did you reconsider your thesis or organization?

After suggestions from my peer editors, I reworked my thesis to include the specific strategies that my author used in her article. This made it more precise and effective. I also made sure to say whether or not the author was successful with the rhetorical strategies that she employed. 

3. What led you to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A shift in purpose?

Most of the global changes, especially with my intro and conclusion, were to make sure I was directly addressing the prompt and my audience. My first draft was too much like an analysis of the controversy rather than an analysis of her rhetoric. 

4. How do these shifts affect your credibility as an author?

Addressing the needs of the audience helps a lot when establishing credibility. If the readers can understand the argument, they are more likely to believe it than if it is targeted towards an audience that they are not part of. 

5. How will these changes better address the audience or venue?

Connecting my audience (students) to a skill that they will need (analyzing rhetoric) is essential. Without this knowledge, they will be more susceptible to being manipulated by rhetoric. Also, because they are the target audience, they will be more inclined to read the article and understand it. 

Because the audience is such an important part of this project, addressing their needs directly will also help improve my grade. 

6. Point to local changes: how did you reconsider sentence structure and style?

Most of my local revisions were based on organization. I moved a lot of sentences around to help my paragraphs flow and transition more effectively. There were also some sentences that needed to be combined to make it clear to my audience that they were part of a singular thought rather than two separate ideas. 

Due to the conventions of an essay, most of my sentences are more complex, and my tone and word choice are more formal. Changing from the QRG and blog styles to the essay style took some conscious thought. I had to reword a couple of sentences because they ended up sounding too informal or casual for this project. 

Image by Calamelli, Massimiliano. "Review mirror." Uploaded 9/11/10 via Flickr.
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license. 

7. How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?

Sticking to convention will help me inform my audience. Because the purpose of this project is to teach/inform, I needed to be somewhat formal so that I don't insult my audience's intelligence. However, if I had any terms or ideas that were complex (which I really didn't), I would have had to define those so that I didn't confuse my audience of new psychology students. 

8. Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing?

I've written enough essays to be fully aware of the conventions, but at times, I had to remind myself to stick to the essay format. Switching between formats takes some thought, but it isn't terribly difficult. 

I sometimes think that my blog posts sound too formal, so writing an essay wasn't a problem. The QRG on the other hand gave me some trouble, because I have a hard time writing informally and using short sentences. 

9. Finally, how does the purpose of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?

This reflection helped me realize what I need to be aware of as I continue my career as a student. Sticking to convention is essential, as is writing directly to the target audience. Having switched from QRG writing to essay writing helped show me how important convention is. Even though the basic ideas behind project 1 and project 2 were similar (address a controversy in your field), the style, audience, and purpose of each one made the final products radically different.


Reflection

I read Kelly and Alyssa's reflections. We all mentioned that, in editing, we had to make sure that we were writing for the right audience and purpose. Knowing the rhetorical situation of the assignment is probably the part that I had the hardest time with, and they both might agree with me about that.

Project 2 Rhetorical Analysis Final Copy

Image by Ludwig. "A plus." Uploaded 9/3/07 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license. 

Here is the link to my Project 2 Rhetorical Analysis Essay.

Punctuation, Part 2

For this post, I read more of the "punctuation" sections in Rules for Writers.


The Comma

Although I know how to use restrictive and nonrestrictive elements in a sentence, I've never knew that they had specific names. It was also interesting that "which" is used for nonessential clauses, and "that" for restrictive. Otherwise, this section didn't surprise me.

• "However, an argument based solely off of emotion is rarely effective, because readers are able to see how they are being manipulated into feeling a certain way."
• This quote from my draft correctly uses commas. The comma after the transitional expression "however" is necessary, and the comma after "effective" separates the two independent clauses.

The Apostrophe

I never learned anything from the "plural of letters" section, but I'm not sure when I would really need to know any of that. The rest of the sections were relatively common sense, but I still see people mess up "its" vs "it's" and "whose" vs "who's".

• "Regardless of her article's future impact, Samakow's use of rhetoric forms a coherent argument . . ."
• Both "article" and "Samakow" are possessive. The article possesses the future impact, and Samakow possesses her usage of rhetoric. 

Image by Graham, Sean. "Employee Must 'Wash Hands.'" Uploaded 9/5/06 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license. 

Quotation Marks

The section about using punctuation with quotation marks was helpful. Even though I am usually good at punctuating my quotes, I have found mistakes like these in my writing (luckily usually before anyone else sees the paper).

• "She cites, 'eighty-eight percent of those whose parents used corporal punishment, but only 69 percent of those whose parents did not, said spanking with the hand should be legal.'"
• Because I am citing my source directly, I need to use quotation marks. There is a comma before the quote to introduce it, and the period at the end of the sentence is inside the quotation marks.

Other Punctuation Marks 

The only one of the punctuation marks mentioned that I use in my writing is the ellipsis, and that is usually only when I am quoting an outside source.

• "The use of quotes like '. . .children who are hit are more likely to use the action to solve problems with their peers and siblings. Later on, they’re at a higher risk for delinquency and criminal behavior' are used to show how spanking can impair children’s development."
• I removed part of the quote, and to reflect that, I used an ellipsis. The book says not to use them before or after a quote that is part of a larger passage because readers can infer that, but I think that rule doesn't apply when part of the quote has been removed.

Paragraph Analysis 2

Image by Wiertz, Sebastian. "Drafting." Uploaded 3/4/12 via Flickr.
Attribution 2.0 Generic license. 

After reviewing my draft using the tips in Chapter 4 of Rules for Writers, I was actually impressed by how smoothly my draft flowed. When I was writing my essay draft, I paid special attention to my use of transitions to help increase the cohesiveness of my paper.

There were a couple of sentences that might either need to be moved or reworded, but I am overall pretty happy with my draft.

Here is the link to my "Copy for Paragraph Analysis 2."

Revised Conclusion

I am still unsure about which conclusion is more usable. While the revised conclusion caters more to the audience and the purpose of our essay, I am still fond of the original. As I revise, maybe I can find an effective way to blend the two into one super amazing conclusion. 

Original Conclusion

Jessica Samakow, in having a knowledgeable and strongly opinionated audience, uses statistics and experts’ opinions to support her argument against the use of physical punishment. Given her career writing for HuffPost Parents and her more liberal audience, she is able to cater her article to appeal directly to her readers. Although her article is, for the most part, well articulated, it is unlikely that it will achieve much in the way of resolving the controversy. Parents are resistant to having their methods questioned, and they believe they know what is best for their children. Even though there is ample evidence that proves that spanking is harmful to kids’ mental health and wellbeing, there will continue to be parents who believe in its effectiveness. Regardless of her article’s future impact, Samakow’s use of rhetoric forms a coherent argument that may, on a small scale, convince parents to find an alternate way to punish their children for their wrongdoings.

Revised/Reworked Conclusion

As evidenced by Adrian Peterson being freed from the child abuse charges, it is unlikely that any one event will have a huge impact on this controversy. However, strong examples of rhetoric can have a great influence on society, more so than a scandal involving a football player. In using powerful rhetorical strategies, Samakow creates an article that, especially due to the emotion it evokes, could have a real impact on the debate over spanking. As a student, being able to analyze both the effectiveness of an example of rhetoric and its implications on the future is incredibly important to success in college and the world beyond.

Revised Introduction

I was really happy with my original introduction until we discussed it in class. While it's never fun having people tear apart your work, I did find the feedback that I got helpful. My rewritten introduction addresses the prompt better than the first, even if I am sad to see parts of it go. The reworked conclusion is still somewhat rough, and will need some more work before it is ready for the final draft.

Original Introduction: 

Spanking has always been used as a way for parents to punish their children for misbehaving. Recently, however, the morality and effectiveness of this form of discipline has come into question amongst parents, teachers, and psychologists. In a recent case, Adrian Peterson, a football player for the Minnesota Vikings, was arrested for hitting his four year old son with a tree branch. Jessica Samakow, a writer for the parenting section of the Huffington Post, was inspired by this case to write an article voicing her opposition to spanking.  Most of the people reading Samakow’s article are parents who likely feel strongly about the issue on one side or the other. In having an audience that is aware of her topic, Samakow, in her article titled “What Science Says About Using Physical Force to Punish A Child,” is able to go right into her reasoning and analysis without having to provide a substantial amount of background. As a result, she is able to more freely explore all of the intricacies of the controversy while providing her audience with proper evidence to support her stance and beliefs.

Revised/Reworked Introduction:

Being able to analyze rhetoric is essential to being an exemplary student as well as an informed reader, consumer, and voter.  Writers use any number of strategies to form their arguments; some are more effective than others. In response the case in which Adrian Peterson, a Minnesota Vikings football player, hit his four year old son with a tree branch, Jessica Samakow wrote an article that is an excellent example of rhetoric. In "What Science Says About Using Physical Force to Punish A Child," Samakow employs strategies such as the use of statistics and expert opinions to solicit concern and empathy from her readers. The use of these specific strategies allows her to explore all of the intricacies of the spanking controversy while providing her audience with proper evidence to support her stance and beliefs.

Reflection on Project 2 Draft

I reviewed Isabel and Kelly's drafts.

For this post, I answered questions on page 197 of the Student's Guide about my Project 2 draft.

1. Do you have an identifiable thesis? Does it point to the specific rhetorical strategies you analyze in your essay?

• While my thesis is clear and identifiable, I need to rework it to be more specific. I did avoid using the word "ethos, pathos, and logos",  but I didn't reference exactly what strategies I'm going to analyze. Alyssa, one of my editors, mentioned in a comment that my introduction would be more effective if I named all of the applicable strategies that I am discussing and evaluating. 

2. How have you decided to organize your essay? Does each paragraph have a central point that is supported with evidence and and analysis?

• I organized my essay with each paragraph analyzing and discussing either one rhetorical strategy or one aspect of the rhetorical situation. 
• Alyssa went through my draft and identified the main point of each paragraph, which basically answered this question for me. It was clear to her, as a reader, what each paragraph was focused on, so I don't think I have any problems here. 

3. Did you clearly identify and analyze several important elements of the text's rhetorical situation and/or structure?

• In my essay, I discussed the audience, the author/her credibility, the use of statistics, and the use of expert opinions. I then used evidence and analysis to prove why each strategy was either helpful or destructive to the argument. 

Image by CatDancing. "Puddle Reflection." Uploaded 3/3/10 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license. 

4. Did you explain how and why certain rhetorical strategies were employed? Did you discuss what effects these strategies have on the intended audience and the overall effectiveness of the text?

• I analyzed the effectiveness of each strategy that I mentioned, and wrote about why the author used each. In doing this, I related the use of each particular strategy to the audience and what effect its use had on the author's argument. 
• For example, Samakow used expert opinions to strengthen her argument. This strategy is essential to her rhetoric because it augments both her argument and her credibility, which in turn makes her audience more receptive and believing of what she is saying. 

5. Are you thoughtfully using evidence in each paragraph? Do you mention specific examples from the text and explain why they are relevant? 

• I used quotes and/or direct evidence from the text in each of my body paragraphs. 
• In my paragraph about the author, I pointed out where readers could find more information on the author instead of providing a direct quote (mostly because there weren't any as Samakow doesn't use a strongly ethos-based argument). 
• Whenever I used a quote, I provided commentary about how that quote was used or how it effected the argument.

6. Do you leave your reader wanting more? Do you answer the "so what" question in your conclusion?

• I think that my paper covered the most important strategies and usages of the rhetorical situation that Samakow employed in her article. I used my conclusion to discuss the impact that this article could have on the controversy as a whole, which in a way does answer the "so what" question.

Punctuation, Part 1

For this post, I read the punctuation sections in Rules for Writers. I then used what I learned to reflect on my own writing style.

P.S. I really hope there isn't a punctuation mistake in this post.


Unnecessary Commas (308)

While I generally know when to use commas, there are some times where I consciously have to think about whether or not a comma is necessary in a sentence. This mostly happens when I'm writing compound sentences. If the part after the comma could not be a sentence on its own, there should not be a comma. The first example on page 308 illustrates this, because, "and later applied her work on radioactive medicine" is not an independent clause.

It's also interesting how a comma is necessary after "however" but not after "although" even though they mean essentially the same thing.

Whytock, Ken. "T-shirt Slogan: 'Punctuation saved grandma's life'." Uploaded 3/2/14 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Colon (319)

To tell the truth, I usually avoid using colons in my writing. It's a combination of the fact that they are not necessary very often, and I am afraid of using them incorrectly. I think I must have missed the day of English class when we first learned how to use colons, because they have always given me trouble.

Anyway, I found it interesting how important colons are to certain conventions. I have never used a colon while quoting outside of using block quotes, but maybe I will try to start using them more frequently.


End Punctuation (333)

While I use way too many exclamation points when I'm texting, I don't know if I've ever used one in an essay. The only time I use question marks in my writing is if I'm asking my audience a rhetorical question to make them think.

I am a little confused by the tip under section 38b about ending a polite request with a period instead of a question mark. It's still a question, isn't it?



Reflection:

I read Kelly and Isabel's drafts, and overall, they had very few punctuation issues. I think that, as honors students, we are fairly good at using proper punctuation in our writing. I had a hard time finding any punctuation errors in either of their drafts.

In her essay, Isabel wrote, "However, 'the recent ruling of the Health Care Financing Administration favors reimbursement for treating slow-to-heal wounds and incontinence.'"

• She properly includes a comma after "however" which is also necessary to introduce the quote.

Kelly wrote, " Including the qualifications of the researcher increases the value of his opinion, and therefore increases the credibility of the paper.

• This sentence is well written, so I feel bad critiquing it at all. The only issue is that, "and therefore increases the credibility of the paper" isn't an independent clause, so there shouldn't be a comma after the first clause.

Draft of Rhetorical Analysis

In my draft, my biggest concern is whether or not I did a thorough enough analysis. I would love to get some feedback about whether or not I included enough rhetorical strategies. If I did, is my analysis in-depth enough? Also, if any words are used too much or my sentences are too similarly formatted, please let me know.

Collins, Jane. "thank you." Uploaded 10/27/09 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Don't hesitate to be critical or nit-picky. I would rather that than get feedback that doesn't help me improve my draft.

Here is my Project 2 essay draft!