20 Topics

1. negative impact of social media on academic performance

2. effects of a dirty apartment

3. sports vs. academics in society

4. running/exercise

5. dating (or lack of it:)

6. impact of how much sleep we get

7. diet/eating

8. negative impact of video games

9. age that people get married

10. pop music vs. classical music

11. whether money brings happiness or not

12. required religion classes at BYU

13. people trying to be "perfect" 

14. does America have an obligation to help other countries?

15. obesity in America

16. violence in movies/media 

17. going "green"

18. negative news in newspapers

19. family and society's view of it

20. crazy things people do

3 Things from Peer Review and Favorite Movies

1. Remember to be clear on how the author's rhetorical tools affect the specific audience
2. Don't switch awkwardly between 1st and 3rd person in some parts
3. Include audience reaction in concluding paragraph

Favorite Movies

• The Court Jester
• Sherlock Holmes (Both of them)
• Mulan
• What's Up Doc
• Emperor's New Groove 
• Princess Bride
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Aladdin

Tarzan Loves Jane (J.R.R. Tolkien style)

My Dearest Jane,
I felt when I first met you some that though our lives are hopelessly separated by distance, language, custom, and habits of personal hygiene, I instantly felt a sort of connection to you, as though we could be the same species.  Then a feeling of love came over me of such extraordinary energy and passion that I knew I must attempt to convey these feelings in a letter to you.  There was much excitement in my village when I told my hominoidean friends of this task and everyone has urged me to continue in my quest. Unfortunately, I have not yet acquired a sufficient English vocabulary--beyond gruntingly repeating everything I hear--that would facilitate the writing of such a letter.  Luckily I have recently met a kind, elderly gentleman who possesses an extraordinary facility with the English language who has agreed to translate my feelings to you in such a way as would impress and delight you.  Please read the following poem I have written for you and know that the words are not adequate to express the feelings of love that I have for you.

Yours Forever,
Tarzan

No happiness I fear is found
Among these trees of green
Twixt flowing brook and twink'ling stars
I can't but shudder at the scene

I find no joy in climbing trees
The sun, it brings no light
I walk upon the mossy ground
And start to cry out at the sight

The world is gray, no birds sing out
And happiness is vain
For I have found I miss you so,
My love, my joy, my Jane

Some sweet similes

1. When she looked at him she got a funny feeling in her stomach, like when you eat the leftover beef stroganoff that's been in the fridge for a month.

2.  Trying to talk to her, he was as speechless as if he had just been asked how to spell "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis".  

3.  Their love for each other was as strong as a the odor from a garbage truck carrying 500 pounds of rotting Epoisses stuffed with curry and 10 years' worth of old gym shorts.

4.  When they held hands for the first time, it was as exciting as being thrown into a giant pit of hungry scorpions.

5.  When he asked her to marry him, she was as excited as she had been when she found a parking space at BYU.

3 Speeding Ticket Letters

Hey--
Guess what stinks??  I got my liscence revoked yesterday because I got pulled over.  Again!  I was only going 5 over but I still got the ticket.  Hey, even the police go 5 over all the time!   I think the officer was bored or something.  I was even on my way to my little sister's recital!  But anyway, because it was my fourth one I can't drive anymore until I go to court.  (Hopefully the judge will let me off.)  So, sorry but I won't be able to drive the carpool anymore until I get this fixed.  Let me know if you have any ideas of what I can do!
Thanks,
Caryn

Dear Mom,
How are things for you?  How's teaching going?  Guess what?  I got an A on my history test!  I was really happy about that because I failed the last one.  So school and work have been going pretty good overall this semester.  The only bad thing is I got pulled over for speeding yesterday. But I really don't think it's anything to worry about since I was only going 5 over the limit.  I'm pretty sure I'll be able to talk to the judge and get it off.  Well, I'll talk to you later and I'll see you for dinner on Sunday!
Love,
Caryn

Dear Judge Grant Mercy,
Yesterday I was pulled over for speeding on the road by Lone Peak High School.  I was on my way to volunteer at an elementary school and I guess I didn't realize in time that I was going 5 mph over the speed limit.  I know this is no excuse for speeding and that in every way I deserve a ticket, but I really would appreciate it if you would consider writing it off.  Because this is my fourth speeding ticket, my driver's license will be revoked, which will not allow me to keep my job or to continue my weekly volunteer hours.    I would love to be able to continue to do these things and serve as a law-abiding citizen of this town, so if you could possibly excuse my ticket, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely yours,
Caryn Jackson

Found Poem

Fisher of Men

There is a Legend of a Man

Who lives beneath the Sea

He is a Fisher of Men

The Last Hope

Of all those

Who have been

Left behind

Many Survivors

Claim to have felt

His gripping hands

Beneath them

Pushing them

Up to the Surface

Whispering Strength until

Hope could arrive

But this

Of course

Is only a Legend

From “The Guardian” (2006)

Rhetorical Analysis (4-A)

I chose to do an analysis of 4-A, Is Google Making Us Stupid?  It was written by Nicholas Carr, who is a writer that has written several successful books about technology.  One of his books, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, was a Pulitzer Prize nominee.  The many newspapers he has written for include the New York Times, the Atlantic, and the Wall Street Journal.  He graduated from Harvard.


Purpose: To convince his readers that the Internet is changing the way people think, read, and process information.  I also think he wrote it to shock his audience a little about the consequences the Internet can have on them so that they will be more cautious about the amount of time they spend online. 


Techniques: At the very beginning Carr uses pathos to make us feel like we are more connected to his argument and not just at an arbitrary level.  He also uses the unsettling scene of the computer to make us unsettled and/or uncomfortable.  This is so we will realize that what he is saying is important and that it needs to be changed.  I think the scene is also a form of foreshadowing into the seriousness of what he is going to talk about.


Carr uses imagery and metaphors at the end of the second paragraph on page 112 by comparing our mind to either a scuba diver or a jet skier.  This makes his argument more applicable and easier to understand for his readers.  


Another technique that Carr uses throughout the whole article is appeal ethos.  He frequently quotes professional writers or professors and prominent universities to show that he really knows what he's talking about.


Carr also uses personification frequently when talking about the Internet.  He simply calls it "the Net" and describes the things it can do, like "reprogramming us" and influencing our minds.  This makes the Internet seem like a bigger threat to his readers.  Something that could actually do them physical harm.


Result:  I think this article was very affective to Carr's audience.  I know it was for me.  But I do know at least that it was influential, because I read in Carr's biography that it has been collected in several famous anthologies regarding technology (nicholasgcarr.com).