I chose to analyze "Is Google Making us Stupid?" The author's intent was to get people to think about the affect's of too much internet. It was to warn people of the possible problem's that can arise from changing from normal books to internet reading.
Carr (the author) used a lot of logos in his arguments, citing many different sources to help and illustrate his points. These sources helped to make the ethos of the argument stronger, like when he cited Plato and Socrates, using such universal names made his ideas seem extra credible. He began the article with a reference to the movie 2001:A Space Odyssey and the memorable robot death scene at the end (I've heard of it and I've never even seen the movie!). This was a rhetorical strategy that evoked pathos because everybody at one time or another has seen a movie about evil robots taking over the world and the possibility that it might actually happen scares us (or at least, it definitely scares me! That scene in I-robot when Will Smith is surrounded by hundreds of robots always pops into my head. *shudder*). Words like artificial intelligence automatically send a flicker of anxiety through my head (which may have been the reason that Carr mentioned Google's efforts at A.I.). Carr also uses metaphors about the depth of the reading he does now like, "Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski." It helps to clearly illustrate his point, that people are getting less out of their reading now. A Jet Skier doesn't get the same experience of being totally immersed in water that the scuba diver gets, the same goes for reading.
The only way I know to gauge the audience's reaction is to look at my own reaction, so that's what I'm going to do. The whole time I was reading this article, I was thinking about ways I could start reading non-internet materials for fun again. I was thinking about the books I've started that I've been too busy to finish, and how I should make time for them, etc. Thus, at least on me, Carr had the desired affect. He got me thinking again about how much I read online and made me not want to lose my deep-reading abilities. So, he had an effective argument.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Grammar Errors and Peer Edits
Grammar Errors:
I just finished writing a new paragraph for my paper so I had a lot of good, new material to look at for problems.
1) The idea of changing from the convenient two-turns-and-your-there route that I have right now is a bit frightening.
-In this I used "your" wrong. It should be you're because it is a contraction for you are. There should also be a comma after "convenient" because the list of adjectives here needs to be in that specific order. So it should be:
The idea of changing from the convenient, two-turns-and-you're-there route that I have right now is a bit frightening.
2) They would increase the variety, and, in my personal opinion, the fun, that can come from mandatory activities, like getting from the dorm to campus.
-This sentence has too many commas. It should be more like this:
They would increase the variety and, in my personal opinion, the fun that can come from mandatory activities like getting from the dorm to campus.
3) There would be more time for tennis or ultimate Frisbee or volleyball; activities which I like and which are good for me.
-The second part of the sentence is not an independent clause, it could not stand by itself, that means that a semicolon is unnecessary. A comma is good enough to join this sentence together.
There would be more time for tennis or ultimate Frisbee or volleyball, activities which I like and which are good for me.
4) Another irony is that, on the less packed days, when we have just one class, we laugh that we will spend more time walking down to campus that day than actually in class learning.
-This sentence also has too many commas (I'm not sure if there is a technical term for that or not :)). It is hard to tell if they are being used correctly when so many are present. It should be more like this:
Another irony is that, on the less packed days when we have just one class, we laugh that we will spend more time walking down to campus that day than actually in class learning.
My Peer Editing Opinions:
Peer editing is definitely not my favorite thing in the world. This time around it was especially hard because we had to comment so many times on each page. It took me hours just to find okay comments (and even then, half of them were probably not useful at all). I was not looking forward to the in-class peer discussions either (I admit, thick-skinned is probably not a trait of mine:) ), but I actually thought those were very helpful. It was nice to hear both the bad and the good about my paper. The good was nice to hear because it is hard to tell for your own paper if something came out the way you meant it to come out. Hearing that I had said what I meant to say was very encouraging. And, after hearing all of the good stuff, the bad didn't seem nearly as bad. It was good to hear the things about my paper that needed help. I enjoyed reading other people's comments on my paper too. It was nice to know specific parts that they liked and didn't like. This peer editing experience was, by far, the most constructive I have ever been part of.
I just finished writing a new paragraph for my paper so I had a lot of good, new material to look at for problems.
1) The idea of changing from the convenient two-turns-and-your-there route that I have right now is a bit frightening.
-In this I used "your" wrong. It should be you're because it is a contraction for you are. There should also be a comma after "convenient" because the list of adjectives here needs to be in that specific order. So it should be:
The idea of changing from the convenient, two-turns-and-you're-there route that I have right now is a bit frightening.
2) They would increase the variety, and, in my personal opinion, the fun, that can come from mandatory activities, like getting from the dorm to campus.
-This sentence has too many commas. It should be more like this:
They would increase the variety and, in my personal opinion, the fun that can come from mandatory activities like getting from the dorm to campus.
3) There would be more time for tennis or ultimate Frisbee or volleyball; activities which I like and which are good for me.
-The second part of the sentence is not an independent clause, it could not stand by itself, that means that a semicolon is unnecessary. A comma is good enough to join this sentence together.
There would be more time for tennis or ultimate Frisbee or volleyball, activities which I like and which are good for me.
4) Another irony is that, on the less packed days, when we have just one class, we laugh that we will spend more time walking down to campus that day than actually in class learning.
-This sentence also has too many commas (I'm not sure if there is a technical term for that or not :)). It is hard to tell if they are being used correctly when so many are present. It should be more like this:
Another irony is that, on the less packed days when we have just one class, we laugh that we will spend more time walking down to campus that day than actually in class learning.
5) These items can, indeed, be dangerous. However, bikes can be dangerous as well, as can cars.
-However is a conjunctive adverb. They are used to relate one independent clause to another so these two sentences should be one.These items can, indeed, be dangerous: however, bikes can be dangerous as well, as can cars.
Those are all my grammar errors. Now it's time for:
My Peer Editing Opinions:
Peer editing is definitely not my favorite thing in the world. This time around it was especially hard because we had to comment so many times on each page. It took me hours just to find okay comments (and even then, half of them were probably not useful at all). I was not looking forward to the in-class peer discussions either (I admit, thick-skinned is probably not a trait of mine:) ), but I actually thought those were very helpful. It was nice to hear both the bad and the good about my paper. The good was nice to hear because it is hard to tell for your own paper if something came out the way you meant it to come out. Hearing that I had said what I meant to say was very encouraging. And, after hearing all of the good stuff, the bad didn't seem nearly as bad. It was good to hear the things about my paper that needed help. I enjoyed reading other people's comments on my paper too. It was nice to know specific parts that they liked and didn't like. This peer editing experience was, by far, the most constructive I have ever been part of.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Fallacies and Ethos and Pathos and Logos
FALLACY
Ralphie: "No! No! I want an Official Red Ryder, Carbine-Action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!"
Santa Claus: "You'll shoot your eye out, kid."
This is an example of a slippery slope fallacy from A Christmas Story. A slippery slope is an argument that states that one certain action will always have the same disastrous outcome. Every adult that Ralphie meets in A Christmas Story tells him that if he gets an air rifle for Christmas he'll shoot out his eye. This is a slippery slope because shooting his eye out is really only one possible outcome of getting an air rifle (for instance, he could shoot out someone else's eye, or shoot his toe instead). Thus, it is a logical fallacy.
ETHOS, PATHOS, LOGOS
Ethos:
1) "My dear Miss Elizabeth, my situation in life, my connection with the noble family of de Bourgh, are circumstances highly in my favour."
2) "My dear cousin, being, as I am, to inherit all this estate after the death of your father, I could not satisfy myself without resolving to choose a wife from among his daughters."
Pathos:
1) " And now nothing remains, but to assure you, in the most animated language, of the violence of my affections!"
2) "Believe me, my dear Miss Elizabeth, that your modesty adds to your other perfections."
Logos:
1) "First, I think it a right thing for every clergyman to set the example of matrimony in his parish."
2) "Consider that it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may be made to you."
Ralphie: "No! No! I want an Official Red Ryder, Carbine-Action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!"
Santa Claus: "You'll shoot your eye out, kid."
This is an example of a slippery slope fallacy from A Christmas Story. A slippery slope is an argument that states that one certain action will always have the same disastrous outcome. Every adult that Ralphie meets in A Christmas Story tells him that if he gets an air rifle for Christmas he'll shoot out his eye. This is a slippery slope because shooting his eye out is really only one possible outcome of getting an air rifle (for instance, he could shoot out someone else's eye, or shoot his toe instead). Thus, it is a logical fallacy.
ETHOS, PATHOS, LOGOS
Ethos:
1) "My dear Miss Elizabeth, my situation in life, my connection with the noble family of de Bourgh, are circumstances highly in my favour."
2) "My dear cousin, being, as I am, to inherit all this estate after the death of your father, I could not satisfy myself without resolving to choose a wife from among his daughters."
Pathos:
1) " And now nothing remains, but to assure you, in the most animated language, of the violence of my affections!"
2) "Believe me, my dear Miss Elizabeth, that your modesty adds to your other perfections."
Logos:
1) "First, I think it a right thing for every clergyman to set the example of matrimony in his parish."
2) "Consider that it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may be made to you."
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Introducing Me
Hey Everybody!
I'm Megan Nielson from Pleasant Grove, Utah...sort of. Honestly, I still feel like I'm from Oregon. My family only moved here to Utah a year or so ago, but it's been great having them so close! My family consists of two parents, four brothers, a cat (named Fatty. She's been named so many different times that we finally just gave up), a dog (named Spoof, yes, that was the name I submitted into the voting when we first got her and I am pretty proud of it. It even beat out Max!), and forty-five cousins.
Now, I read a few of your introductions and my list of hobbies may seem wanting in comparison. It's just that I really like to relax. Wallowing on a couch = wallowing in heaven, especially the soft, spacious couches at Wyview. Mmmm. So, as you probably already guessed, one of my favorite hobbies involves watching the T.V.. I enjoy certain video games (how couldn't I with four brothers? :) ). My favorite is SuperSmashBros.. I like to read as well, but I do much less recreational reading nowadays. It's hard to read something fun when your eyes are tired from hours of class-induced reading. The only sport that I play is tennis. My little brother and I just picked that up last summer. We've been trying to beat my dad at it for weeks now....trying and failing miserably. The plan right now is to just wait a couple more years. When he's seventy he won't stand a chance! Haha.
I'm looking forward to getting to know you all better and I'll see you in class!
I'm Megan Nielson from Pleasant Grove, Utah...sort of. Honestly, I still feel like I'm from Oregon. My family only moved here to Utah a year or so ago, but it's been great having them so close! My family consists of two parents, four brothers, a cat (named Fatty. She's been named so many different times that we finally just gave up), a dog (named Spoof, yes, that was the name I submitted into the voting when we first got her and I am pretty proud of it. It even beat out Max!), and forty-five cousins.
Now, I read a few of your introductions and my list of hobbies may seem wanting in comparison. It's just that I really like to relax. Wallowing on a couch = wallowing in heaven, especially the soft, spacious couches at Wyview. Mmmm. So, as you probably already guessed, one of my favorite hobbies involves watching the T.V.. I enjoy certain video games (how couldn't I with four brothers? :) ). My favorite is SuperSmashBros.. I like to read as well, but I do much less recreational reading nowadays. It's hard to read something fun when your eyes are tired from hours of class-induced reading. The only sport that I play is tennis. My little brother and I just picked that up last summer. We've been trying to beat my dad at it for weeks now....trying and failing miserably. The plan right now is to just wait a couple more years. When he's seventy he won't stand a chance! Haha.
I'm looking forward to getting to know you all better and I'll see you in class!
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