Journal 1
If I could invite David Foster Wallace in for our classroom discussion, I would ask a few questions. On a more general note I would ask about his inspiration for writing this piece. Was Wallace looking for a reaction from the readers, or for an answer to his personal curiosity about if it is morally right to boil a lobster alive for our pleasure? Aside from these general questions I do have a specific question regarding his prose about our human morals of eating lobsters. Wallace mentions that the experience is added to by the fact that one boils the lobster themselves. However, I would ask Wallace if he considered the actions of eating the lobster. For example, after a lobster is boiled, it is sometimes served whole on a platter. With the lobster looking one in the face, does this top off the experience of cooking the lobster being an unbearable process? When eating chicken or even a turkey on Thanksgiving, yes, the whole bird is on the table. However, the chicken or turkey are not sitting on the platter head, eyes, feathers and all, unlike the lobster. The lobster sits on the plate exactly how it is in the natural world, shell, eyes, except for the difference in the color. Does eating the whole lobster as it is from the sea affect one’s thoughts?
Nowadays, there are few limits of a written discussion. In the classroom, we are limited to what our peers of the group contribute. However, with access to the internet, we are capable of research to bring more to the classroom with whatever we derive from the article. May it be more key background details on the Maine Lobster Festival, or more research into the topic of how our food gets from the farm, or the sea, to ours tables. Beyond the classroom, we are able to communicate with others perhaps on online forums, or by going to book clubs at local libraries and sharing our ideas there. Yet on the other hand, considering the author has deceased, a response from the brain behind it all cannot be acquired. To anticipate questions from the audience when writing, I think it is important to think about the basic questions; who, what, when, where, why, and how. Footnotes can also be used to clarify details and give insight to background information.
Journal 2
My drafting process usually consists of multiple steps and is done in more than one sitting. First, I start out by brainstorming. I look at the prompt and generate a thesis with typically three supporting claims, or I find the layout to be the best fitting. Sometimes I either come up with a couple different variations, with minor directional changes, or I come up with varying ideas. I still present these ideas with a thesis and the supporting claims. After consideration of what I feel will bring forth my best work, I select my best option and continue. Typically, before nailing down my idea, I usually include into my consideration the quotes that I will use in the piece.
I start by creating an outline, laying out the structure of my work and labeling all paragraphs. For the introduction and conclusion, I bullet point a few simple key ideas that I plan to elaborate on. For the body paragraphs I include ideas on how to introduce the topic, include the quote, and list some simple ideas to explain. Once I have my outline finished, I go back and write the piece, adding in all the details, fulfilling the bare bones of my explanations and including all transitions.
After this first draft, I go back and begin the revision process. To start I read over the piece and fix any conceptual ideas that don’t make sense. After I’m satisfied with my second draft, I reread the piece and look out for any choppy parts where one sentence does not flow to the next. After being satisfied with the content of the piece, I go back and fix the minute details, including grammatical errors, and other technicalities. Once I’m finished, I like to step away from my work for a little bit, hopefully at least overnight. I do one last read for anything else that catches my eye. Then I will usually have a parent or friend read over the piece to make sure that it makes sense to a complete stranger compared to myself being completely invested. Then I feel ready to turn in my work.
Journal 3
What I found interesting about this chapter in “They Say/ I Say” was the useful analogies that help to understand quotations from a new perspective. For example, as quotations were described as orphans, I now understand more of the importance of integrating the quote. Another example was when the quotation was described as a sandwich. This connection helps me better understand the structure; how a quotation needs a proper introduction, and then the quotation needs to be followed by an explanation.
While reading the section on finding the right quotes I was curious to know the best way to find a quote. Should one find a quote first and then work it into the essay. Or, should one have an idea of what they want the paragraph to be about and then to find a quote that supports it? Or is it a combination of both and ultimately what works best for the writer?
As regards to what was potentially useful, many aspects were. The organization will become helpful for reference. The templates on how to introduce a quote and how to transition into an explanation will be useful to spark ideas or to use to lean back on. The section that explains the importance on connecting the quote to your explanation, I also anticipate being useful. What I thought was especially importance from this section was the mention of using language that reflects the same tone and spirit as the quotation. Although it may take practice, I believe once used correctly, it will become an important asset to properly using a quotation with a relevant explanation. Lastly, what I thought to be useful was the tip to go for it when questioning whether you have over explained a quote. Especially when finding a quote full of different interpretations, it may be crucial to over explain. However, what I think is important is to properly adjust your paragraphs. Would it be easier for the quote to be split up and reflect two paragraphs, or is it extremely critical for the quote to be together in a large paragraph? Those questions probably don’t have a set-in stone answer as it will come down to personal preference, and which makes more sense regarding the structure.
Journal 4
After reading “The End of Food”, three scenes appealed my interests in topics for the essay. The first scene was when Widdicombe describes the downside of Soylent. She also touches upon the value of food in our lives. With this scene, I would explore the idea of our lives revolving around food and what different people’s belief on food is. I would take a personal stance on my beliefs about the choice. I would also explore the hypothetical ideas of a life with Soylent, and how that would compare to the current lifestyle many people live.
The second scene was when Widdicombe visits the college campus and interacts with the students living on Soylent. With this scene I would explore food’s role in the college student’s life. I would explore what that would look like throughout the semester. I would also include my own personal take and experience with food and college so far. I would also relate people’s potential skepticism about Soylent to the skepticism about college. I would also explore ideas beyond the scope of college and discover a personal opinion on food during different points in people’s lives.
The final scene was when Widdicombe describes the idea of giving the Soylent to a malnourished village. With this scene I would explore the ideas of Soylent’s impact on the global scale. Could it solve world hunger, could it help with climate change? I would look into the logistics of these and other questions that arise and take a stance on how Soylent could fit into the global community. Some of these impacts may be positive, or negative. I would also like to explore the hypothetical idea of the food market crash, and how it would affect people’s lives, if the whole world lived off of Soylent. I would also look into our daily lives and explore the idea of taking food for granted.
Journal 5
After reading the first chapter of “They Say/ I Say”, there are some points that I either found interesting or relatable, while others I assume will become very useful for college writing and beyond. What I found interesting was the concept of not only including what “they say” but also including what they might say. This inquiry reveals our critical thinking and includes another perspective in the story. Another interesting detail was the concept of “they say” being a sounding board to bounce ideas off of. Something I found relatable about this section was the constant question of “so what?”. My sophomore year English teacher was notorious for writing “so what?” on our papers. It drove me and my classmates insane, trying to think of what possibly more she could ask for. Yet, we were still new to writing in a sense and were just beginning to connect our work back to the thesis. Now, regarding the “so what?”, as long as we explain out ideas in the sense of why they matter, I think it will answer this question.
Many other concepts I anticipate being very helpful. These ideas include the need to criticize, other’s ideas in relation to our own. Bearing in mind that as long as we disagree respectfully, that we are engaging in discussion with others around us. The basic templates I also anticipate to becoming extremely helpful. Especially in the beginning, the templates will help to guide our ideas regarding what others say and what we say. In time, I do believe that we will get used to the templates and be able to expand upon them more creatively and less structurally. However, the creativity lies with what you complete the template with, which is your own idea. Lastly, the concept of being a critical thinker. As long as we can think about what others say, and relate it to what we believe, I think we are sure to find success in writing.
Journal 6
(link to page of peer editing)
Journal 7
I found the peer review session to be very helpful. The best global comments I’ve received from my peers included more explanation, whether it was to give the readers further context or to just back up my perspective a little bit more. This was helpful because from an outside perspective that doesn’t know my life experiences, these suggestions helped me to understand where I needed to clarify the ideas I was trying to convey. I think the best global comments that I offered my peers was along the same lines. This time, I was the outside perspective that would need a few more details for my peers’ ideas to fully make sense. The discussions that weren’t captured on the page stemmed from questions that I commented on the page. A few times I was confused about certain details and wanted to understand what my peers’ thoughts were to give an appropriate suggestion. For example, with one of my peers I questioned about two paragraphs, whether or not the second body paragraph was meant to stand alone or back up the first body paragraph. Upon the response that the paragraphs were conveying the same ideas, I suggested to work on a transition sentence to keep the ideas connected.
It is hard to tell what I wish had come up looking back over the comments I received considering that this is our first paper. However, I guess I would’ve like to know, or I should’ve asked if my ideas always connected back to my thesis. This peer review in college was much more involved compared to peer review in high school. In high school the peer review was mainly looking for grammatical mistakes, pretty much another person to proofread. Sometimes, we offered a few ideas to better our papers. Peer review in high school was infrequent, I do not remember it being a regular thing we did. Compared to college, here when peer editing, we actually have guidelines of what to look out for and how to construct our comments, which makes the process easier and more beneficial.
Journal 8
I thought the anecdote about Dr. X was interesting and helped me make connections about writing in the past. Sophomore year, my English teacher was notoriously known for writing “so what?” on her students’ papers, including mine. It was very frustrating as I explained the quote and connected it to my thesis, I couldn’t imagine what possibly more the teacher wanted from me. Reading about Dr. X and how he could not keep an audience engaged as he did not inform them what he was responding to, helped me make sense of my sophomore year English class. Now I see the importance of incorporating what others are saying so that one’s explanations matter and have value.
Like in all the previous chapters, the templates appear to become helpful in the future. What I liked was the different varieties of templates they offered in this section. The section included templates to introduce others’ idea. Other templates outlined a way to introduce others’ ideas in contrast to one’s own. I believe these templates will be helpful as they allow a way to integrate the opinions of others into one’s work and allow one to respond to these ideas with their own opinions. The different templates will help to find a way to fit one’s ideas into the work in the most appropriate manner or prevent the writing from becoming too repetitive. Likewise, following suit of the templates, I expect the examples to be helpful. These examples can be used as a reference if one is looking back on the templates and is confused of the template’s framework.
Lastly, I think the final idea about keeping what “they say” in view is important. This concept will be helpful as it will remind the readers what you are addressing, and why your opinions matter. Reminding the readers of the motivating ideas will keep them engaged into the writing and minimize the confusion that may come up along while reading. The return sentence template also appears to be of future use as it will allow one to reintroduce what is the “they say” one is responding to.
Journal 9
Done in class.
Journal 10
These readings were something different, as they awakened many memories that I have about food, some very similar to the authors’ experiences. What amazed me is how something so simple and genuine as a story, can slips one’s mind, end up in the back of one’s memory and be recalled without even imagining it. Going into this assignment, I was expecting to read the article, write my journal and be done. I didn’t expect to be done with this assignment, reminded of numerous little and simple moments in my life that have brought me joy.
I personally related to the author who wrote about the fluffernutter sandwiches. Everything they wrote I was thinking that it couldn’t be describing me more. I too adored fluffernutter sandwiches, and had them on crackers, and also put fluff in my hot chocolate. I haven’t had peanut butter on my smores, but I have had a peanut butter cup with the roasted marshmallow. I even related to this piece down to the picture. I can recall numerous pictures of myself getting into the peanut butter jar or the jar of fluff. Like the author, it truly does make me want to have a sandwich right now.
The picture of Italy got me excited as I have been to Italy and taken a picture of the same building. The author describes how they tasted lasagna and it never tasted so good. I related to this story as I think about when I went on my trip. In Italy, I tried gnocchi for the first time, and it was amazing. Maybe it was tasting gnocchi for the first time, or the fact that I was in Italy, the country known for its pasta, or perhaps it was a combination of both. Ever since I have tried it, I’ve had gnocchi at numerous restaurants back home but none of them have come close, and I anticipate in the future, none of them ever will.
There was one piece, the pumpkin pudding piece, that I would like to know more about. I was curious as the author refused to try the pudding and tried it when her mother left. Not only did they love it, but they pretended to hate it when their mother returned. It makes me curious to know why they would lie about something so simple as whether they like the pudding or not? Is there a deeper meaning to why this person feels this way? More so, did this person feel guilty as their mother never made this meal again? This piece saddened me.
Journal 11
One passage that I found interesting was the first two full paragraphs on page four. This passage describes the habits of Americans’ cooking today. I agree with the concept that Americans spend less time preparing meals today. I agree because from what it seems, the pace of life has elevated. Two parents are working jobs instead of one. Cooking can no longer be a leisure activity with the ability for one to take their time. Today, Americans keep themselves so busy that we do not have the time, and the energy more importantly, to prepare huge meals. Due to the fact that Americans lack both the time and energy, it is easier to relax on the coach and watch the cooking instead of doing it. After a long day of work, we lack the energy to put into cooking, which is why it seems as a nation we much rather prefer to watch it.
Another passage I found interesting was the middle paragraph on page seven. This paragraph discusses how the definition of cooking has transformed into a loosened concept. I can understand how the definition of cooking has changed although I myself feel that I do not use it in the current terms. Personally, I wouldn’t consider myself to be cooking when I make a sandwich, I just think of myself as making a sandwich. Along similar lines, I don’t consider myself to be cooking when I put a frozen premade meal in the oven to just heat up. I believe that I usually use the terms of making dinner when I prepare food along these lines. I personally don’t consider this cooking, and I cannot really see the idea of people believing that this is cooking. I guess that I would define cooking as something that is more than just assembling the food, but rather requires maybe either some measuring and mixing, or cutting and some stovetop work. Cooking to me is something that requires more time than just quickly assembling, or simply putting the food in the oven and going back to doing whatever while you wait for the timer to go off to take the food out.
One final paragraph that I found interesting was the last one on page 16. Pieces of this paragraph connects cooking to the early homo sapiens and how cooking advanced civilization. I agree with this perspective. Technology is something that makes a task easier. The early homo sapiens used technology to make eating easier. Whether it was using sharp rocks to cut into food, or finding new ways to cook over a fire, early homo sapiens used technology to advance cooking. Over the years, technology has progressed to the point where humans, specifically Americans, have advanced past the need to cook. With preprocessed foods and a life full of no time to cook, Americans have stemmed away from the true means of cooking. Instead, heating up meals in a microwave, going out to eat, and/or eating prepackaged snacks, have become more common and pull away from the need to cook a meal.
Journal 12
I thought that the chapter “What’s Motivating the Writer?” was full of interesting concepts regarding the writer’s opinion and reason for writing. What I found both interesting and helpful was the concept of how writing is about deciding what you have to say about what the author says. I think this idea clarifies the goal for the academic style of writing, which is to respond to what the author says by forming your own opinion. I thought the concept of looking for the argument as a response was also interesting. In high school, typically the goal of reading was to decipher the author’s purpose or opinion. However, it seems that in college, it will be helpful to look for the main argument as a response to another argument. This will make it easier to enter a conversation and form an opinion of your own based on the text, compared to just identifying the main argument like we did in high school.
I also thought that the concept of reading for the conversation was interesting. By doing this, we make writing familiar to us, and I believe that by making writing familiar, it will be easier to create your own opinion. What I found most helpful was the examples about “deciphering the conversation”. Transitions will be helpful for our writing, as shown through the examples of both Zinczenko and Draut. I believe that transitional words will be most helpful as it easily separates the ideas you are responding to from your own ideas. I also found helpful to consider what was not discussed, as this could also be another way to enter the conversation. Lastly, what I found interesting was the concept about how writing is a two-way street. I think this is important as it will challenge what one believes or knows and will elicit a response.
Journal 13
Two significant moves I used while revising were along the lines of splitting up one paragraph and revisions involving my thesis statement. For my first draft, I wrote one long paragraph that contained three quotes, all under the same umbrella of concepts. After peer reviews, everyone suggested breaking up this paragraph as it was just too big. As I saw this coming, I decided that beginning to handle this paragraph would be how I started the in-class revision. I started with breaking up the paragraph after two quotes. I reread over this paragraph and added some analysis, as these quotes would have just stood alone. With the new second paragraph, I added a new topic sentence that would bridge my ideas together. I reread this new paragraph and also added a few more details to cover the holes of the once single paragraph. These two paragraphs that were in rough shape, could now somewhat stand on their own, enough for the time being as I intended to come back to them. For my future revisions involving these paragraphs, I will most likely hone in on the analysis of the first paragraph, making sure that it has details and isn’t completely absent. I also plan to come back to the second paragraph to make sure that both the transition and analysis connect the ideas of the first paragraph.
Before I continued to get carried away with perfecting (or coming close to perfecting) these newly divided paragraphs, I decided to work on revisions of my paper as a whole, specifically connecting back to my thesis statement. My two paragraphs prior to the newly divided paragraph didn’t really connect back to my thesis, as much as they set up the discussion for the newly divided paragraphs. Therefore, I went back to add to the analysis, a few sentences that connect to my thesis. At this point, we broke for discussion in class. Therefore, I intend to revisit my paper as a whole and continue to revise my analysis to support my thesis. This may and most likely will involve emitting some of the analysis, (or rewording ideas) but also could include rewording my thesis.
Journal 14
I thought the podcast contained many details that one typically overlooks. For example, I never really thought about the working environment and what that is like for the cremator, such as getting the ashes of the dead body on their own body. Mortuary school was another concept that I never really thought about, yet it makes practical sense. I thought that the concept of practicing on the dead bodies of the homeless is disheartening, despite it making sense. I think it is interesting to learn more about these details.
For the cremation, it makes sense how she would feel uncomfortable, “sending off” a complete stranger. Personally, I didn’t know that there was the option to have a witness cremation. I think witness cremations should be a choice for the family; I understand for some it might be unbearable, but for others it is a sense of closure. Considering the potential to modernize the crematories and be more mindful of the family such as having music and candles I believe would help make the process an overall better experience.
The details around the ability to care for the body of your loved one yourself was also quite interesting. I think it may be hard to see the process of death occur, such as seeing the life leave their body and the body getting colder. Again, I think this is another sense of closure for the family, but I could see how it could be unbearable. I also found it interesting that people rarely have harsh memories when they take their time with the body, and don’t just see them briefly. This whole process of self-preparing the body seems emotionally overbearing, but I guess I wouldn’t know the power and impact behind the experienced unless I lived it.
The different options- either cremation or burial- and the extent of involvement of the family, I believe is all about personal comfort and a sense of what is needed for closure. However, I think the concept of accepting your own death in fascinating, but can be fearful, which is another reason why I think people opt not to be involved with these processes.
Journal 15
Personally, I believe that I handled Paper 2 similar to that of Paper 1 regarding my ways for writing the paper, however, I believe for Paper 2 I did a better job at spacing out my work. At first, I brainstormed a few ideas and just threw down my first glance thoughts on the page. I also browsed the Food for Thought Archive to get ideas about what my peers were thinking and pulled quotes that really spoke to and shaped my perspective. At some point before the first draft, I created a rough outline with where my thoughts currently were at. Also, I was struggling for ideas, but at some point, it just hit me. Then I believe I left it for a few days, then proceeded to continue with the paper based on the scaffoldings. For the 500-word mark, I wrote my first draft of an introduction and my third body paragraph, just because the ideas I outlined in my third body paragraph stood out to me. For the 800-word mark I added the second body paragraph. Then peer reviews happened. For the 1000-word mark, I added my first body paragraph, and then for the 1250-word mark I wrote my conclusion. At one point, in the in-class revision day, I looked into the ideas of my peer reviews and made adjustments if I felt that the criticism still applied. I also took the time to ask questions, mainly about the possibilities of splitting up my third body paragraph, as mentioned by my peers, it was too long. Then I worked at a fourth paragraph to split my point. At this point I had a full paper draft.
With this full draft, we were a week out from the paper being due. I let it sit for a few days, just to distance myself from my work. Then, after a few days, I took to rereading and working at my big revision. I made sure that I had a topic sentence for each paragraph and that the analysis connected to both my topic sentence and my thesis statement. Upon working on this stage, I realized that my thesis needed a little bit of fine tuning. After working my main revisions, I created my works cited page and again distanced myself from my paper. At some point, I also had a friend outside the class read over my paper to bring up any concerns from an outside perspective, and made sure my paper flowed, that my ideas weren’t fragmented. Returning to my paper, both two days before, and a day before it was due, I again reread my paper and made any fine tune adjustments that I found necessary. Ultimately, in class before submission, I read my paper over one last time as a proofread and had a last chance to fix anything that didn’t make sense.
I really enjoyed the scaffolded markings for writing the paper, I believe that this worked for me. For Paper 3, I intend to follow the same process, as I believed this process allowed me to cultivate my ideas overtime and allowed appropriate times to progressively work at my paper.
Journal 16
I very much enjoyed this article, “What the Crow Knows”. I think it leaves the reader with a lot to think about, and several topics to consider.
What struck me early on was the Jain lifestyle, how they walk and avoid travel by cars as they know how it harms animals. I perceive that it is the majority of the community that does this, which is extremely uplifting and motivating in our time today considering our issues regarding climate change. I just thought that this was eye opening as it may be our future if we decide to be serious about combating climate change and have the utmost minimum impact on the planet.
All of the discussion about consciousness I thought was very engaging, as I have never quite considered it. Some ideas did feel beyond comprehension, much like thinking about the complexity of the universe. Yet what I took away from these ideas is that in a way, we will never truly know if animals are conscious, because we can only know about our own consciousness, from the body we live in and not the bodies around us.
I think that this article is also extremely captivating in the sense that there is a variety of lenses to look at it from. I feel that most people can find a way to connect personally with the piece as it touches upon many different lenses. I personally was intrigued by all of the scientific information and how I could make connections to what I am learning here about my major as well as my experiences with animals back home. However, the article also contained ideas that appealed to history-not just scientific but also some about civilizations-and religion- especially one that I feel is not known, it certainly is my first-time hearing about Jainism.
Lastly, I thought the conclusion was captivating. It just left me awestruck, contemplating, and not really knowing what to say.
Journal 17
Herzog’s argument is that our human relationship with animals is complicated based on our logic sense and our emotional feelings.
One passage that supports this argument is the paragraph about keeping a predator as a pet on the bottom of page three. This paragraph brings about many questions pertaining morals about keeping a predator as a pet. As most people prefer cats or dogs as pets, a snake doesn’t destroy furniture like a cat would, and similarly, a snake doesn’t need exercise such as walking a dog would. From this logic, a snake makes a great pet, yet most people are not as emotionally invested in a snake as they are in a cat or dog. Due to this, the emotional attachment to pets and the logistics of keeping them complicate our relationships to pets.
Another passage that supports this argument is the fourth full paragraph on page four, which describes the diets of pets. The logic highlights that snakes consume less meat compared to cats. Yet, the emotional aspect is implied about the concept of live food compared to processed food. Yet the processed food consists of meat which was once a live animal. Yet again, people find cats more appealing to be around. These details again are an example of how logic and emotions complicate humans’ morals regarding animals.
One final passage that supports Herzog’s argument is the last paragraph on page four that continues onto page five. This paragraph describes how cats are euthanized in shelters but proposes these cats to be fed to snakes. Logistically, the idea of feeding cats that would be cremated to snakes makes sense, however, many humans would not agree with this practice because of the emotional attachment they have. The conflictions between logic and emotions are why humans have complicated relationships with animals.
Journal 18
After rereading “Consider the Lobster” many ideas have come to my mind. On first note in general, I can see many ways to enter the discussion with this piece, more so than I did in September I believe. Perhaps it is just because I reread it and already had prior knowledge of what the piece was about, but I would like to think that it is the product of thinking critically about these first two essays we’ve written. After reading this piece the first time, I responded with the ideas of how a lobster on a plate affects our thoughts about eating the lobster. I still see this to be true.
Despite the general and old ideas, more details have become more obvious to me after reading the piece again. The hypotheticals and incorporation of opposing views was much more prominent this time around. Many of these ideas were found in the footnotes, but included regardless, much like the opposing ideas in Herzog’s “Animals Like Us”. What is clear to me is the idea of one’s perspective; no matter what perspective one has on an issue, there will always be the wrong of it, and not everyone will agree. It’s a matter of figuring out your perspective and deciding why you feel this way. I think this piece, along with the more recent ones we’ve read is about understanding that we have our values, and our own contradictions. Yet some of these values in out ways of life are difficult to justify.
What still seems unreachable to me, I guess, is why we humans do certain things. Personally, when I think deeply about certain issues, as this piece leaves you thinking for example, I think it’s hard to understand why we have become accustomed to these issues. Yet, what I think is more difficult to wrap my brain around is that many times there is no right answer, or the right answer may be difficult to achieve, or that doing the right thing may have various impacts on our own lives. For example, if we humans decided that it was morally wrong to eat lobsters, how would this then impact the numerous industries and the people connected to these industries around the world? What may seem like a reasonable answer becomes more complicated and may even loop back to questioning what was wrong with our habits in the first place.
Journal 19
There were quite a few things that I found interesting while reading this chapter in “They Say I Say”. I found the idea of incorporating the criticism or the other opinion to make your work stronger to be true. This seems reasonable to me especially after reading the section from Herzog’s “Animals Like Us”. Throughout this section, Herzog presents information and opinions and immediately counters them with the criticism or other opinions. For me, this was clear to see his argument and after reading this chapter in “They Say I Say”, it makes sense how criticism can make one’s work stronger.
What I also found interesting was the idea of having a counter argument within the text, as it is an example of “what got us here won’t keep us here”. In high school, if we used a counter argument, it was always a paragraph on the other opinion that opposes your point. This paragraph was typically right after the introduction and then ignored throughout the rest of the piece. However, it was thrown in there to show that we have considered other views, but it never added much value to our work. This chapter suggests using a counter argument in conjunction with your own argument within the same paragraph, and not standing alone. This makes sense as now the counter argument can be used to create tensions in your work, make your point stronger, and actually add value to your overall argument. Finally, there were a few other smaller points that were interesting. The idea of not countering your argument makes the writer seem uncritical. This spoke out to me as I connected it to being biased in the media. Including multiple points or views strengthens and makes ones work more credible compared, to a piece with one view. One last thing I found interesting was the idea of giving the naysayer enough credit with the ability to overcome them seems very much like a fine line. However, it does make sense as you then just have to expand your thinking.
Journal 20
This project so far has been the most challenging to unify my thoughts, yet my process has continued to push progress. On firsthand, I’ve reached out to ask questions to get more clarity after at first brainstorming. After getting a few ideas, I’ve reread “Consider the Lobster”, paying attention to new details that jumped out at me. Then I started by writing my introduction paragraphs with a thesis and constructing a rough outline, which took perhaps under an hour. After not fully liking my introduction, I decided to write a new one the next day and also wrote a body paragraph, which most likely took one to two hours. I left the revising for another day. After still being unsure and not quite confident, I reached out for further questions which now I have a better sense of direction. I went back and made comments on my first 500 words for later revision. I continued by writing till the next benchmark of 1000 words. Now, a few days away from the paper, I plan to revise my 1000-word draft. This will include rewording some confusing areas, as well as making sure my texts in conversation fit properly. I will also concentrate on further constructing of my thesis.
This process is drastically different compared to paper 1 and is somewhat similar to my process for paper 2. For paper 1 I wrote out my whole paper as a first draft, most likely in two, maybe three sittings. The subsequent drafts were where I “revised” and minor changes were made. The final product most likely looked very similar to the start one. For paper 2 the process was similar to my process for paper 3 in that it is scaffolded, and I wrote practically a paragraph at a time, while hitting the word count. However, most of my revisions were made again towards the end. Now, I find myself doing my best to revise as a go, or at least make notes of what I want to revise. In this sense, my process for paper 2 was definitely a transition from the first and final paper, as elements of the process of paper 2 were shared with the individual processes of the first and final paper. Otherwise for all three, I still liked to brainstorm and outline. Another thing that I found interesting was how my ideas came to me differed for each process. For the first, I had my ideas pretty solid right away. For the second, I found my ideas a little way into working on the piece. For this third, I still feel like I found my ideas later, and still finding them along the way.
Journal 21
