New Precis for Paper #3

This article, "Exploring game experiences and game leadership in massively multiplayer online role-playing games" written by YeiBeech Jang and SeoungHo Ryu discusses the leadership opportunities and exploration that MMORPGs provide to gamers through rich social experiences with the game community, team play, and others. Jang and Ryu explore this through nearly 800 only gamers with results showing that joining a game community and playing in teams may help players build their leadership experience, in game suggesting that there is a positive relationship between in-game and offline leadership. The importance of this article is to prove how MMORPGs offer a useful place where people can grow their leadership skills for both in-game and offline. This article was written with the intent for professionals to read, as suggested by the high comprehension level and well structured sentences that include citations and the like.

Precis on Scholarly Article Regarding Sea Slugs

This article, "Slugs' last meals: molecular identification of sequestered chloroplasts from different algal origins in Sacoglossa (Opisthobranchia, Gastropoda)" by Handeler, Katharina (2010) explores how "Some sacoglossan sea slugs have become famous for their unique capability to extract and incorporate functional chloroplasts from algal food organisms (mainly Ulvophyceae) into their gut cells." Handeler discusses how "The functional incorporation of the so-called kleptoplasts allows the slugs to rely on photosynthetic products for weeks to months, enabling them to survive long periods of food shortage over most of their life-span." The purpose of this article is to emphasize the importance of slugs and their ability to last a long time. When examining the way this article was constructed, you can see that it is designed for professionals to read.

TED Video Summary

This video, given by a the speaker Brian Simmons, was about "The Power of Identity." This man, a lawyer, does a thorough job of explaining how feelings shape people's lives. He delves into the emotions of his listeners, saying that living poor and innocent is harder than living rich and guilty. He tells us how we, as Americans, have a hard time talking about our problems. His argument  mainly seeming to be about race, he logistically appeals to us, stating that a black man is 22 times more likely to get the death sentence  His argument was to move people to agree with his three, seemingly, main points: Wants to end death penalty, Wants to decrease prison population, and wants to have justice in the court system. He tells us that in order to be fully human, we must care about identity. To close the speech, he tells a story and to keep our eyes on the price.

Alternative Assignment

This video was very interesting to me. I am not much for Comedy Central, so this was my first time having ever seen anything like this. The simple idea of changing the word "nigger" to "slave" in Mark Twain books is just outstanding and unbelievable. Having never read any Mark Twain novels, I would not be able to say that I know exactly how much he uses the word but I do know it should be left alone. Many people in the past have been known to try and change history in their benefit. People like Hitler! I personally do not think this is right, ever. Even though the word nigger may be frowned upon, it does not mean that it should be erased from history. Many things that are frowned upon haven't been erased. For this reason, I dislike that idea. Beside that, I laughed at the video and found that the writers were very talented at picking words.

Column Work: Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies

The ethos that Collins uses within the article is very prominent throughout. During the entirety of the column, she continually quotes well known sources as well as referencing some as well. For example, she makes the point to quote Obama as to raise her ethos and make her seem more knowledgeable  Despite the fact she leaves the experts unnamed, she even uses them to back up one of her points. This all works very well for the average reader, who most often does not care to check into their sources and enjoys reading surface details such as that included.

The pathos that Collins includes is scattered throughout the article well. She poses rhetorical questions such as "was there ever before a presidential candidate who could sound that enthusiastic while vowing to defund Big Bird?" in order to trigger emotional appeals to those who support PBS. Equally, she enhances her writing with hints of opinion to propagate feelings from the reader. As a very well thought-out writer, she knows the effectiveness of her opinion in small doses. She comes off as unbiased at first, but then starts to stir feelings with little pieces of her opinion.

The logos used was not so much in the form of numbers as it is in other documents, but more in the form of sources and facts presented. "Witness the large proportion of Ohio Republicans who told a pollster that they thought Mitt Romney was the person most responsible for killing Osama bin Laden" she says in reference to the overwhelming amount of very committed people.

Column Work- Summary

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/opinion/collins-the-season-of-debates.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0

"The Seasons of Debate," an opinion article by the well known opinion columnist and former editor of the Editorials part of NYTimes Gail Collins. It discusses the beginning of the "debate era", introducing Romney's character while presenting himself at the debate. It goes into detail about Obama's mannerisms and some of the ideals that the candidates referenced. She then poses the question: "Do debates really matter?" Answering her own question, she introduces some ethos into the argument, stating that the experts say no. Delving further into the topic, she states that "the committed are already committed" and that it's about the "voters with failure to commit." Addressing the reader as "you", she touches upon important rhetorical points such as the pathos of calling "you" an interested citizen, and that "you" have been through a lot, then stating some facts that "you" may have been through. She closes the article with a reference to John Noble Wilford's article in the past NYTimes, proving some ethos.

Column Work- Ethos Pathos Logos

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/opinion/collins-the-season-of-debates.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0

Ethos: 

Quoting Obama: 
“At some point, I think the American people have to ask themselves: Is the reason that Governor Romney is keeping all these plans-to-replace secret because they’re too good? Is it because that somehow middle-class families are going to benefit too much from them?” Obama retorted. 

Mentioning CNN: 
"CNN managed to corral some of them to register their responses to the debate’s every jab and parry."

Mentioning known sources:
"Did you read John Noble Wilford’s article in The Times about the discovery of the remains of a dinosaur the size of a house cat?"

Pathos:

"...was there ever before a presidential candidate who could sound that enthusiastic while vowing to defund Big Bird?"

"The president thinks these debates are ridiculous, and he may well be right. But, truly, it would have been a better idea to keep the thought to himself."

Logos:

"Witness the large proportion of Ohio Republicans who told a pollster that they thought Mitt Romney was the person most responsible for killing Osama bin Laden."

"No candidate wants to repeat the saga of Rick Lazio, who ran against Hillary Clinton for the United States Senate in New York in 2000."

Debate (10/10/2012)

Why Men Fail (10/9/2012)

In the article "Why Men Fail" by David Brooks, featured in the New York Times on September 11th, 2012, the author discusses the trend in men who do not work for academic excellence. Appealing to all three of the major areas of persuasion, those being Ethos, pathos, and logos, Brooks does a fantastic job providing a solid argument with facts to back up what he believes as well as adding credibility and feeling to his article. A key logical appeal in this article is the amount of statistics utilized right from the beginning. First off, Brooks begins with the fact that men are behind in college. He supports this claim with the appeal to logos: "Only 40 percent of bachelor’s degrees go to men, along with 40 percent of master’s degrees." Going further to prove his point, he includes this fact: "In 1954, 96 percent of the American men between the ages of 25 and 54 worked. Today, that number is down to 80 percent" along with a short, but influential bit, "Thanks to their lower skills, men are dropping out of the labor force." To any man, this would be a kick to the stomach, an intriguing and punctual "WOW" inducing statement. If I were a man, I would be offended, which is why this appeals so much to pathos. Again, he uses these tactics, including "Women in their 20s outearn men in their 20s." He follows this pattern throughout the article, mentioning many things, from sexuality to gender roles to income. He references National Federation of Independent Business, appealing to ethos, and concluding strongly. "If she’s right, then men will have to be less like Achilles, imposing their will on the world, and more like Odysseus, the crafty, many-sided sojourner. They’ll have to acknowledge that they are strangers in a strange land."

Debate Response (10/3/2012)

The debate held on October 3rd, 2012 between the two main presidential candidates at the University of Denver emphasized the important differences between Romney and Obama. Despite my personal tiffs with either of the candidates' beliefs, basing my thoughts solely on the discussion at hand, it is obvious to me that Romney won the debate for a few vital reasons. One reason I found him to be more persuasive than Obama was that he would address every charge put against him, explaining, in full, his plans for America. For example, even though it causes him to have to interrupt Lehrer, he makes sure to emphasize how important it is to him that people know that he is "not in favor of a $5 trillion tax cut" and that it was never part of his plan. Many people may have found this rude, but on its own, I think it's a very convincing strategy to get American citizens to know his true motives, as well as lets them know that he is willing to do what he has to in order to assert himself in a situation. (I know, personally, I would want an assertive president, rather than a passive one who wants to please everyone.) I also think that Obama also fell hard during this debate. He seemed very unattached throughout the debate. I also noted both of their use of facts and evidence supporting their beliefs and view points, strengthening either of their arguments. Although President Obama was more respectful, Romney came to the floor with confidence rather than arrogance, and left with a bang, leaving Americans with a great source of emotional appeal: "I will not cut our commitment to our military. I will keep America strong and get America's middle class working again."

Friedman Article Analysis

Write a blog entry (at least 250 words) that summarizes the charts you've created in class about the Friedman article.
 

The Friedman article that we've read, titled "New Rules" was published in 2012 in the NYTimes. It was written regarding the change of learning standards throughout the world and how, no longer can people follow the old Bill Clinton saying from 1992, that if you just "work hard and play by the rules" that one can attain a good American life through the system set up in America. This no longer is the case, as discussed by Friedman. Friedman goes to persuade his audience to believe him using a well thought out rhetoric that both appeals to the logical and factual parts of the human mind. He also brings a great amount of ethos to the table with the quotes of famous and well known people in society. An intriguing statement Friedmen brings is, "You have to work harder and smarter and develope new skills faster" in respect to the new, changing, technology-based world that we live in. He says that unemployment by those who only have a highschool degree is 8.8%, while 4 year college goers have half that as their unemployment rate. People in the world know that learning is important which is why Estonian children are now being taught how to program at the age of 7-16, knowing this skill could aid them in being ahead in the software industry (which they already are, according to Friedman who says Estonia developed Skype back in 2008.) Friedman points out that futurist Avin Toffler supports this argument as well, saying, "illiteracy will to be defined by those who cannot read and write, but by those who can not learn and relearn." The point is made also that lifelong learning is the key to getting into, and staying in, the middle class. This is very rhetorically intriguing the both the ethos and pathos. Ethos due to Alvin Toffler, and pathos because many people strive to be part of the middle class. It is the American dream, more or less, to be in the middle class.

Three Questions Regarding The Paper

1.) I forget, do we use MLA format for citing our sources?
2.) We must remain unbiased, true or false?
3.) Is meeting a word requirement important?

Messy Outline (online version)

Ever increasingly, politicians are known for being influential and important within society. The older population knows to vote as what’s right for the future of the country, and the youth are persuaded daily to vote for their first time in order to see a difference in their world. Knowing this, politicians of importance capitalize on these people, knowing that the average citizen will make their vote.  Presidential candidates distribute advertisements that are seen nationally. With the ever changing world, as quickly as it does, election days approach with a velocity unrealized by the average citizen. Before the world has a chance to catch up, the day is already here and many people have not yet gotten the chance to analyze their options. This is precisely why it is important to do so. For example, one cannot merely look at an ad and know everything about the politician. They must look deeper. Such as the case with the Romney advert aired all over Ohio, one may assume it’s great and factual, but when looking closer, you see it’s not just that. It’s important to recognize the rhetorical importance within the video, such as the facts he presents, the graphical interpretation within the video, and the background music to aid.

Facts presented

Graphical interpretation within the video

Background music and more subtle effects

Conclusion.  Plato once said, “Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men.” After analyzing this video, it is evident that this candidate comes close to doing just that. The people running the advertising of Romney’s campaign are experts in this art. Not only can they create a stunning compilation of videos and photographs to reinforce Romney’s campaign ideals, they also bring an impressive advert to the table. Along with the credibility of Romney, and the visual greatness of the video, the subtle affects adds tremendously to the persuading argument presented.

#MuslimRage

This Newsweek cover depicts anger, or frustration within a group. The group, which nearly looks to be a riot due to the distinct hands grabbing and distressed faces, has a man in the foreground of the picture. While his face could be anger, it also shows a mild amount of sadness. This man is wearing a regular Muslim headdress which would regularly be very provocative to many American readers and Muslim readers alike because of the nearly rude moment in which the photo was taken. American journalists know their readers many times are drawn in by the covers and headlines on their magazines. This journalist, this photographer has done a fantastic job emphasizing the things many Americans find interesting, and even provoking their feelings. Readers of magazines are often older as StateOfTheMedia.org reveals. In 2011, the median age of news magazine readers was 49. [1] The older populous, generally more conservative, emotionally responds to the visual rhetoric on this cover. Because of this response, people become interested, often driving them to buy an issue, causing higher sales, which is, in part, what the company is interested in. Another important thing to note about the cover is the title, "Muslim Rage" and the effect that title has had on Muslims internationally. On the popular social networking site, Twitter.com, many people have taken to using the hashtag #MuslimRage (defined as "The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet")[2] to a comedic level, in response to this Newsweek cover. In part, this reply to this title, these people will tweet average parts of their lives that would normally be considered to be not worth noting and then follow their sentences with that hashtag to be ironic.

[1] http://stateofthemedia.org/2012/magazines-are-hopes-for-tablets-overdone/magazines-by-the-numbers/
[2] https://support.twitter.com/articles/49309-what-are-hashtags-symbols

Visual Rhetoric (9/18/2012)

The advertisement displayed by the Romney campaign to the citizens of Ohio was both very well done, concise, and rhetorically influential. Visual elements that grab the viewer's attention first are Romney's powerful speaking in front of a large audience, as well as his black and white images of Obama. Then he goes to show the labor of Ohio. Along with this, other details that reinforce this impression were things like Obama's facial expressions differing in each of his black and white snapshots. They showed him frustrated at one point, and happy in another while a fact is being presented. The fact is deprecating of Obama's presidency, yet the facial expression (smiling) portrays that Obama may not care, despite the irrelevance of the picture to the text. More importantly is Romney's colour video shots of people working and his explanation of what he is going to do for the country as a president. This video directs the viewer's eyes to Romney initially, then to facts over solemn pictures of Obama with multiple expressions. This reinforces the importance of how Obama is failing to create jobs (according to Romney,) and how Romney will be able to do better. The text included are facts about Romney's plans for the jobs issue versus Obama's current plan and how it's failing. The images are grey and bleak while sporting white large text made to draw the eye to the text, and second to Obama's figure. The video argues why to support Romney in the presidential election of 2012 by using facts and appealing to the working class of Ohio.

Visual Rhetoric (9/16/2012)

• What visual elements grab your attention first?
  >Visual elements that grab my attention first are Romney's powerful speaking in front of a large audience, as well as his black and white images of Obama. Then he goes to show the labor of Ohio.
• What other details reinforce that impression? How?
  >Obama's facial expressions differ in each of his black and white snapshots, showing him frustrated at one point, and happy in another while a fact is being presented. The fact is deprecating of Obama's presidency, yet the facial expression (smiling) portrays that Obama may not care, despite the irrelevance of the picture to the text. 
• What is more important? Less important?
  >More importantly is Romney's colour video shots of people working and his explanation of what he is going to do for the country as a president.
• What about color and style? What impact do they have on your impressions?
  >As previously discerned, the black and white, somber tone of Obama's snapshots portrays what Romney makes his presidency out to be: poorly run. They have very little impact on my impressions because I do not favor either of the candidates for many reasons, although, to an average citizen, this advert would do well with persuading one to believe Romney has the better idea for jobs.
• How does the image direct the viewer’s eyes and reinforce what is important?
  >The image directs the viewer's eyes to Romney initially, then to facts over solemn pictures of Obama with multiple expressions. This reinforces the importance of how Obama is failing to create jobs (according to Romney,) and how Romney will be able to do better.
• What text is included? How does the text relate to the image?
  >The text included are facts about Romney's plans for the jobs issue versus Obama's current plan and how it's failing. The images are grey and bleak while sporting white large text made to draw the eye to the text, and second to Obama's figure.
• What argument is being made? Consider: when this was made (kairos), who is the audience, what is the purpose (exigency).
  >The argument being made is to support Romney by putting Obama's current plan on jobs down.
  >This has been made recently, August 2012.
  >The audience for this was ordinary citizens who watch television.
  >This has been made recently to support Romney in the 2012 presidential election
• List details that provide ethos, pathos, logos.
  >Ethos: Romney speaking to very large audience
  >Pathos: Appealing to those in the work force by talking about the jobs to be created
  >Logos: Facts about Obama's failed trade policies with China causing thousands of jobs to be lost, 450,000 new jobs to be created,

Rhetorical Precis (9/13/2012)

Chapter Six of Choices 2.0 (2010) by Joseph Hardin discusses the choices one makes when they must approach culture and media from a writing perspective, and the possibilities that can be explored when writing a critique. Hardin exemplifies the importance of how rhetoric surrounds us in our daily lives within the media that so heavily influences our culture and that 'writing about the media takes form of a media critique.' The chapter's purpose is to highlight the choices made when writing media critiques, and the methods and styles used when doing so, as well as the audiences and topics to be chosen. The chapter is constructed so to be informational as well as interesting so that students and teachers alike can use this as a tool to gain skill in writing media critiques

Rhetorical Precis (9/12/2012)

This article, "Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age", written by Trip Gabriel (2010) explores how students are unfamiliar with how the rules of plagiarism work on with Internet resources and that how nothing is ever original anymore. Gabriel discusses how students have little idea of what belongs to who online, as well as how students are not prepared well enough for college writing and therefore are more tempted to plagiarize in this digital age. This article's purpose is to emphasize the importance of respecting original authors so that their work gets due credit, and also to highlight the lack of education about plagiarism in college students of America. When examining the way this article was constructed, the article seems to appease audiences who want to read quickly and learn as much as they can; using short paragraphs this author gets his point across effectively so that students, teachers, and daily readers alike can understand the plagiarism problems arising within the universities of the United States

Visual Rhetoric (9/9/2012)

In class, we viewed the videos preceding both of the presidential candidate's speeches. The first thing that I noticed about either of the videos was the use of pathos within each of the videos. Each of the videos used an incredible amount of attention-grabbing phrases to draw in the viewer. For example, Mitt Romney's video  began by appealing to families, and they he goes to say, "If we give everyone a fair chance, we are going to see this country come roaring back." Similarly, Barack Obama's video begins by appealing to families by mentioning his grandparents coming out of the great depression and knowing what it is like to be poor. He goes to motivate people by saying, "[Americans] don't quit, they don't give up; patriotism and pride in this country." These videos both do a great job of catching the attention of the audience, but both have less important details such as the over-emphasis of their families. Despite this, they both did a great job of being very uplifting, due to the style and color in the videos. The music in either of the videos was very good, in my opinion. Romney's music was much more noticeable, but not in a bad way. It was uplifting and happy, changing subtly with the scene. Obama's was quick and hurried, but motivating at the same time. The images presented in Obama's video were great, snapshots of him working, his family, etc. Romney did not have these snapshots, but the videos of his family with him, speaking, interacting; they did fine as well. The argument being made was that of proving themselves to the audience as a candidate to become the next president of the United States. There were many aspects with in each video proving very much pathos. Ethos was harder to come by. An example of that would have been Obama's time spent in office, his credibility in establishing a new health care system. Romney had his state of Massachusetts in three billion dollars in debt, and he gave them a fantastic foot hold to get them out. That fact both stood as to prove Romney's credibility as well as logos. Pathos was prevalent throughout the videos: the stress put on Obama's marriage ring, Romney's children speaking highly of him, Romney's "cheap" attitude about spending, Obama's mentioning that he sits around the table with his children at dinner nearly every night-- all of this appealing to the emotions of the audience.

Exploring the Rhetorical Effectiveness of Ann Romney and Michelle Obama's speeches (9/6/2012)

Ann Romney and Michelle Obama are both the wives of the two political candidates running for office in November 2012. After watching the two women's speeches, I can see the difference in beliefs between the two women, as well as their husbands. For example, the liberal nature of Michelle Obama appealed to the democrats in which she aimed to please, and the conservative nature of Ann Romney's speaking did the same for her, and her following party. Though the speeches had their differences, in beliefs, and the women's speaking styles especially, the two speeches had many similarities. For example, the rhetoric used in either of the speeches was very similar. Both of them lacked ethos and logos, but excelled in pathos with things being said like "God bless!" on both of the women's speeches.  Both Ann and Michelle tried to appeal to the audience's religion, as well as their common place level in society by retelling their life stories in a way that any person could relate to. Ann had her story about dating and falling in love with Mitt, both being poor and such. Michelle had, essentially, the same story to tell but with different little details here and there, regarding her and Barack. Both speeches were very rhetorically effective, even with their lack of logos and ethos. The heart-string tugging stories and phrases caused feelings toward each candidate's wife to occur. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to remain unbiased when watching these women speak. My own political learnings definitely swayed my thoughts on both of the women. For example, I disliked Ann's speech, and I felt the same way about Michelle's. I was not very impressed by both, largely in part due to the fact I don't care about the future president's personal life. Although I had my own personal beliefs, it was very evident in the way the crowd reacted to what had been said that they felt for both the candidates. The uproars of applause at Michelle's mentioning of equal rights for homosexuals was something to be amazed at, and the joy that people seemingly had found when listening to Ann was incredible. Their modest pasts and their elegance was spectacular, and both of these women had well thought out speeches. 

Rhetorical Precis (9/4/2012)

The third chapter of Choices 2.0, written by Joe Marshall Hardin in 2010 examines the structures of writing, descriptions, citing one's sources and opinions. It is discussed further by explaining the different ways to support the thesis of any writing project, such as the importance of analytical structures as well as narrative and argumentative structures, but also going into detail about the necessity of citing sources and matters of opinion and arguments. The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the different structures used in writing that can enhance one's work, as well as the do's and dont's of opinion so that students may present their pieces with eloquence and credibility. When looking at the text within chapter three, it is evident that Hardin wrote this in order to persuade students to want to be better writers.

The article, "The Web Means the End of Forgetting" by Jeffrey Rosen was featured in the NYTimes in 2010. It's about how, on the the Internet, nothing is forgotten, due to the fact all things posted are never truly gone. The author discusses internet privacy at a length to prove his point. For example, he brings up a women who was legally drinking at a party, but, because of her teaching position of underage teens, she was fired from her position. This issue brings up many concerns within the work-internet relationship. Microsoft did a survey of job recruiters in the United States and it was found that 75% do online research about job candidates before bringing them in for an interview. That being said, they author went on to include a fact about a 60 year old Canadian man who was turned away at the border because of an LSD experiment that happened thirty years ago. The author also uses many things to trigger the emotions of the reader about internet privacy, saying that, "Without forgetting, forgiving becomes a difficult undertaking." This is regarding how nothing on the internet truly goes away, and without it going away, it never can be forgiven.

To further prove his point, I have delved into his credibility. He brings up different people who have credibility, such as Paul Ohm, a law professor at the University of Colorado, and Daniel Solove of George Washington University. Beside his great points he makes with the different people he includes, Rosen himself has two bachelor's degrees (one from Harvard, the other from Oxford) and a law degree from Yale Law School. He is known for being a great American academic and commentator. All of this, his emotional appeal, his logical appeal, as well as his outstanding credibility go to show that this article is well written, and in my opinion, very persuasive about the topic of internet privacy. Not only does one risk a job opportunity when something foolish is posted on the internet, that person's act of foolery will never be forgotten, because... the web means the end of forgetting.

Jane McGonigal- A Gamer's World

Based on the facts presented in the video lecture with Dr. Jane McGonigal, she constructed a well-thought out and intriguing argument. Dr. McGonigal on her own was very convincing, with her PhD in Performance Studies and being an experienced game designer. But when adding her anecdotes that she provided such as the quotes from well-known people like the famous economist Edward Castronova and the story of Herodotus, a Greek historian noted for creating dice games, she becomes even more credible. She brings forward things that relate to everyday gamers such as "epic wins" and how gaming has caused humans to become collaborative and optimistic. She depicts how these people are "super empowered hopeful individuals" and illustrates this point with four ideas: their "urgent optimist", their knowledge of "social fabric", the "blissful productivity" among the gamers, and how they feel that what they do (in-game) has "epic meaning". Not only does McGonigal appeal to the gaming community, but she also appeals to the average society of non-gamers by retelling a story of Herodotus, a man who saves his people by inventing dice games. She then brings her entire argument together by saying that gamers are a human resource. To further illustrate this point, she uses some statistics that show validate what she has to say. McGonigal mentions that gamers, in total, play 8 billion hours of games per week, and to solve worldly issues, that it takes nearly 21 billion hours per week. Proving that gamers are a reliable human resource, she says that 5.93 million years of playing time has been put onto the game World of Warcraft, a notable MMORPG developed by Blizzard, known for its addictive qualities. She concludes well when she says that with the amount of gamers and time they spend in game, along with their fantastic work ethic, saving the world could be one step closer, if they felt that they had this “epic meaning” in real life, as well as in game. When all brought together, the points that McGonigal makes construct a fantastic and interesting argument.

---

I personally loved what McGonigal had to say, but I can not say that agree with it. I am a gamer at heart, I have nearly 3,000 hours on my Guild Wars (a game just like World of Warcraft) and I have played a huge array of games, so this really hit close to home with a lot of what she had to say. I know personally the feeling of an achievement, the necessity of "social fabric" and the "blissful productivity", I know what it all is like on a personal level. Although she has a point with all of her gaming references and things, I feel that she is also wrong. Gaming helps people escape real life. They aren't doing it to save the world, they are doing it for themselves to have fun. It is a hobby. It's like drawing for me; it's not really necessary, but it's fun; but I know when I am told to draw something, I don't like that. I no longer want to draw it, because, once something I wanted to do for fun has become something I have to do, it takes away the fun in it. If I were told to play games, that wouldn't be fun. I wouldn't be escaping the impacts of real life anymore, if the game was like real life. 

Rhetorical precis (8/28/2012)

The article, "WRITERS ON WRITING; To See Your Story Clearly, Start by Pulling the Wool Over Your Own Eyes" (2000) featured in The New York Times, written by Kent Haruf discusses Haruf's personal way of writing, and what works best with him. Haruf illustrates the process he takes when writing, along with his environment in which he writes best in and why it works for him so well. The purpose of this article was to allow insight as to how a professional author produces such great works, as to possibly motivate the readers to develop something similar, yet different, to aid their writing as well. When the writing style and content of this article are examined, it's plain to see that the article was intended for a general audience, any one who wants to improve their writing, and students.

Rhetorical precis (8/24/2012)

Introduction:

The introductory chapter of Choices 2.0, written by Joe Marshall Hardin (2010) discusses the choices many students face in writing and the difficulties that writing presents to many students. Hardin goes to explain this by elaborating upon how lack of dedication and hard work cause students to believe that they are unskilled at writing; whereas Hardin highlights the theme of being able to write from any level with a certain amount of hard work. The purpose of this introduction is to accent the advantages in writing, so to show that writing is the ultimate form of communication, across the board; whether it be posting to a friend's Facebook feed or writing a paper. Given the well structured sentances and the explanatory nature of the text, along with the content itself, it is evident that the author wrote this with the intention for students to read and learn from his text.

Chapter One:

Written by Joe Marshall Hardin, the first chapter of Choices 2.0 (2010) underlines the importance of rhetoric and the writing process of which one utilizes as they compose a written work. Hardin exemplifies the necessity of the writing process by elaborating on the stages of it, prewriting, drafting, revising, and proofing; as well as going into detail upon the definition and use of rhetoric in the writing environment. The purpose of this chapter is to depict why rhetoric and the writing process is crucial to students in order to created effective writers, as well as effective speakers. The writing quality and the content within this chapter are evidence that the author wrote this with the intention that students will read and learn from this text.

First post!!

Hey those from English 101! Who ever's looking at this, I hope you have a fantastic day and good luck with whatever your day brings to you.