Lesson 4.2e: The Goal of Argument

The goal of argument is both to seek truth and to be persuasive both parts are needed to be effective. An argument that only seeks to find the truth will fail to persuade readers to the argument's cause. Why is this? Shouldn't truth be persuasion enough?

The truth is that humans are emotional creatures. An essay on the evils of xyz corporation, as true as it may be, will do nothing but offer information to the reader. Any action suggested by this essay, if there is any, will fall short of its goals.

An entirely persuasive essay can lie, and while it can elicit action, action based on false pretenses is never a good thing. Action on false pretenses can prove quite disasterous.

So, an essay, to be effective, must do a little bit of both. An essay founded on truth and uses effective persuasion techniques will elicit action based on (supposedly, truth is always changing) true pretenses, and the world will be a better place.

Lesson 4.2d: Previewing vs. Reading

Previewing material can help you understand it by giving you a rough idea of what to expect to learn from the material and what is being presented by the material. While it helps you a little bit, there is no substitute for reading the material.

Previewing shows you the pieces to the puzzle. Reading shows you how the little pieces to the puzzle all fit together. Without knowing all the pieces, you might miss something. Without knowing how these pieces fit together, they will be less useful and you might not solve the puzzle completely.

Lesson 4.2c: Pre-writing

The exercise I found most useful for pre-writing for this essay was brainstorming pro and con clauses. I had found three pro clauses and three con clauses, and I ended up combining all pro clauses into one for my thesis statement. I then supported each case individually.

I did not use any other techniques, because given the constraints of the essay being five paragraphs, I already had three paragraphs and needed a summary essay. The part about firefighting being a dangerous activity took up two paragraphs. So I had what I needed from this exercise.

Lesson 4.2b: Genres of Argument

The genre of argument I would most likely choose would be a blog, and it's because I already maintain two other blogs, so if I wanted to make an argument, the blog would be a natural outlet for me.

While blogs are more informal, they are also a lot more personal. The blog, as a form of argument, allows a person's biases to show, and it also is a break from established conventions which can stifle creativity. A newspaper article must follow a certain format and either take a stance or provide information, or both. Newspapers are powerful, but they ultimately serve the interests of politicians.

A blog, however, serves the interests of the people, for it is the people who make blogs. Since there is usually no money involved in blogs, the viewpoint can be a lot less skewed because people writing blogs are looking for the truth, as opposed to supporting or destroying any one particular political party.

Lesson 4.2a: The revising process

The question asked of me is "Did I ask anyone else to make recommendations about the revising process? Why or why not?" and the truth is that I did not. The reason for this is because I had a clear goal in mind of what I wanted to accomplish with my essay once I figured out what was being asked.

I also have a good idea on how to revise works, as well. Playing with words, how they fit in, and where they fit in, is just a big puzzle to be solved.

It is not that I don't have my choice of people to help. I have my teacher, and I have a good friend who has a bachelor's in English with a focus on creative writing. I have other people that I could ask if they like the work or what should be changed. I just chose not to utilize these options.

Lesson 4.1: evaluation of sources

"Want to be a Firefighter? Enter the worm tube." Web. 21 Sep 2010. .

Kittle, Cameron. "Camp Teaches girls firefighting." (2010): n. pag. Web. 21 Sep 2010. .

USFA, . "Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2005." FA-306 (2006): pgs 7, 13. Web. 21 Sep 2010. .


These are the three sources I used for my essay in lesson 4, which was about how firefighting can make someone more confident.

The first source I will evaluate for my essay is Youtube. Anyone can put anything on youtube, and the stuff that is on youtube does not necessarily have to be real. This right here might say it's a bad source, however, the thing with youtube is that you can get some people putting a lot of good stuff up, as well.

Do any kind of search for "working fires" and you will come across a plethora of first responders who have put up videos of incidents for review. There is also a lot of information on fire training, which is the video (one of several on youtube) I had used. Specifically to show how firefighters must train for claustrophobic situations that may arise.

The second source comes from the United States Fire Association, backed by the dept. Homeland Security itself. This is a solid, very legitimate source. The material was very well written and cleanly organized and there was no issue finding what I needed, which was, in this case, statistics for firefighter deaths for a given year (I was looking for something more recent. But I know the number hasn't changed a whole lot from 2005 to 2009, although the composition might have... either way I can't cite a verbal source, I mean, but I know when I was doing basic fire training the fire chief had showed us statistics on how around one-hundred firefighters die each year and their causes of death).

My third source comes from a news article about how a firefighting camp teaches girls between the ages of 14-18 about fire training. The director of the camp is also a lieutenant in the fire service. Her experience running the camp and her experience in the fire service should lend some credibility to herself.

Lesson 3e: How is argument both a process and a product?

Argument is a process. An argument requires that its claims be justified (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 7), and during an argument involving more than one person (e.g., a debate), there is a process of one party opening the argument, the other party submits a refutation, and finally, one or both parties get a closing statement. In the case of a courtroom, this process can be a lot more complex, with witnesses, evidence, and procedures that must be adhered to.

At the same time, argument is also a product. Court cases set precedents that can be referenced for future cases. whenever the supreme court settles a case, it brings with it a lengthy disposition and a product that changes the course of our society. Brown v. Board of Education desegregated schools, for example, and Miranda v. Arizona gave us our Miranda rights.

This is only one example. Another example, which the book states, is that formal arguments tend to produce powerpoint presentations (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 8), and with the rise of the internet, forums tend to produce a lot of argument over the course of days, weeks, or months (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 8).

So, argument is both a process because it is something that starts and ends in a certain manner, and it is both a product because in the course of creating an argument, the process can be paused and examined.

Ramage, John, John Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments : A rhetoric with Readingsit'. 4th. Pearson Education, Inc, 2007. 7. Print.

Lesson 3d: What is truth?

Truth in argument is about finding the best solution to a problem (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 12). It is not about seeking the right answer (Ramage, Bean and Johnson, 12), As Socrates believed (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 11), nor is it a completely valueless relativism where every answer is equally as good (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 12), as the Sophists in Ancient Greece believed (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 11). It is about achieving a balance.

In fact, the central definition of truth, as defined by Ramage in Writing Arguments, is to select the best or most just solution, keeping an open mind and ultimately taking responsibility for your argument (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 12). Being able to argue in this way allows one to solve arguments rationally, instead of through force (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 12).

It is very hard to argue in this way, given the current world view. The world is very competitive, and many people carry agendas. The notion of truth, that is, in this case, the best solution after examing all outcomes, is thus often subverted by the notion of persuasion, which is the solution that a particular party wants implemented because it benefits them.

Works cited:

Ramage, John, John Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments : A rhetoric with Readingsit'. 4th. Pearson Education, Inc, 2007. 11-12. Print.

Lesson 3c: What is Worth Arguing About?

Writing Arguments shows several examples for arguments, from Kathleen, who argued that her school accept her American Sign Language credits as foreign language credits (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 9-10), or an argument about Mosh Pits being dangerous (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 12), to a native American trying to become a lawyer for his tribe who was requesting that the university waive the math requirements for his degree (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson, 14). These are all things worth arguing about, or, I don't think the book would have selected them as examples.

Honestly, I think the real question is not "What is worth arguing about?" But what are you passionate about, and why? What are your beliefs? How do you justify them? We are such a diverse people that you can find anyone who will believe anything. There are, for example, people who believe the holocaust of the Jews did not happen (Lim).

I believe that, given this criteria, that anything is worth arguing about. I have always believed that a view is not valid because I believe in it as well, but that a view is valid because it can be defended intelligently through sound logic and good references. I can argue that everyone should take a year of Computer Science classes in order to learn how to think, but unless I can defend this view, and unless I can defend it with sound reasoning, this view is useless. It is useless because either no one would be persuaded by it or because there is no logic behind it to back it up.

Having a sound argument doesn't mean necessarily that I will have to agree with it, because I, as well as all of us, have our biases. However, having a sound argument makes something worth arguing about because it will at least be entertaining.

Ramage, John, John Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments : A rhetoric with Readingsit'. 4th. Pearson Education, Inc, 2007. 9-10, 12, 14. Print.

Lim, Joy. "Did the Holocaust Happen." N.p., 1998. Web. 17 Sep 2010. .

Lesson 3b: Why is a written argument a good way to defend an opinion?

There are many reasons why a written argument is a good way to defend an opinion. The first reason is that writing gives you time to collect your thoughts. It gives one time to find sources, research your position, and develop a coherent argument that could not be done in an oral, impromptu debate.

Another reason is that in an oral debate, a written argument can be referenced. It can also be used as notes by people who are researching the topic, and can be cited for verification. Spoken evidence is anecdotal evidence at best and hearsay at worst. And when an orator dies, anything not shared through an oratory tradition went with him, as well. With the written argument, this is not the case. Someone who has written a paper can die, but the paper will still live on.

Lastly, a written argument can be reviewed, and it can reach an audience much farther away, without requiring a live presentation. A man can speak to his congressman, or he can simply write him a letter. If they need to go back to the argument, they can simply refer to the letter rather than calling up the person who wrote them.

Lesson 3a: How to Demonstrate Belief In An Opinion

To demonstrate means to show, as if by action. So the best and most obvious way to demonstrate belief in an opinion is to live by that belief. For example, it is my opinion that medicine (unless it's actually needed, like for schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder) is bad for you. It's a trap. It's how the pharmaceutical corporations like to reel people in. Start them out thinking from a young age (say early to mid twenties, if not younger, considering how we have children's tylenol), that when you have a headache, you take a painkiller. When they're older, they'll have no problems buying prescription medicines for the ailing bodies they never took care of.

I demonstrate this belief in my opinion by avoiding, to the extent that is possible, any and all medications. If I get sick, I get sick. I wait for it to pass through my system. Note however that sometimes I break my rule. This is not hypocritical, it is simply that there are exceptions to my rule (Again, refer back to medication being necessary for those diagnosed with schizophrenia). One exception would be when undergoing surgery. I do not want to be awake for that procedure, at all. The pain experienced after a surgery is bad enough that I can only imagine what the pain would be like during surgery. I also do not begrudge anyone who takes pain medication after a surgery. Afterall, I did too. It was the only way to get around for a week or two.

So sometimes, medicine is necessary. For the most part, however, it should be avoided. There is simply no substitute for taking care of your body.

My journal for English 111

So I started my college studies in the Fall of 2008 and took a year off because of grades. I'm pretty anathematic to rote work, which is what most of the core classes are all about. It wasn't until realizing that a life time of work for levels at pay that should be deemed illegal that I decided to come back (and because I could. This is important. I'm not rich. I need a 2.0 GPA or better for loans).

I have a lot of dreams and aspirations. I think getting a master's degree would be fun. Honestly, we get one life on this world and only a finite amount of time. Until scientists develop immortality, that is...

So I came back. I quit my job because it was kind of hard to bring it up here since I was only employed for a very short period of time. And now I find I still have a lot of work I have to do that I don't want to do, regardless. So I guess there's nowhere to run or hide from it. Which leaves just one option...

So, uh, yeah. Um, I'm a Computer Science major currently in the upper-division of CS classes, but basically behind on everything else, including math. I could be out of here in four years, as I still need to get a lot of my general education courses out of the way. I'm taking this semester to repair my GPA, and this class is an extension of said goal.

:/

I've already said too much...