Food Pictures

The pictures shown on the slideshow at menzelphoto.com show different families and a weeks worth of food that they normally live off of.  Compared to the other families, the USA family had a lot more food.  I think the slideshow was trying to show us that we eat and waste too much.  If we just shared some of the food it would make life easier for the other cultures that do not have nearly as much to last a week.  There was also a picture of a boy who was trying to decide what he wanted to eat for breakfast.  Most people do not have the luxury of being able to choose something for breakfast like the European  child.  The slideshow is intended to create a pathos that has the audience feeling bad about how they eat or waste the food that they have.

Prompt 1

Elizabeth Townsend conducted an interview with Richard Wrangham about his book "The Cooking Ape."  Wrangham believes that when humans began cooking food, they were able to digest food much easier; giving them more energy throughout the day.  This energy helped to develop their brain.  Before the food is cooked, it does not have enough calories for people to get through the day without needing to scavenge for more food.  Once cooked, the calories are released and less food is needed throughout the day.  The cooking of food also helped to create the social structure that humans have today.  The female cooked the food while the male attempted to find more food.  As long as the female has food ready for the male, then he protects her and the food supply from the other males.  We as humans are just now beginning to leave this style of social structure behind.  Fire and cooking food are huge stepping stones to how humans got to where they are now, according to Wrangham.

Questions for Concern with Draft 1

Is my draft long enough?
I am not sure if the body paragraphs have enough in them.
Does the conclusion meet expectations?
Were quotes used well?
Did sentence structure flow?
Did I use good words?

Essay 1 Outline

Title:  Rhetorical Analysis of “Is Pure Altruism Possible?,” by Judith Lichtenburg

Thesis:  Judith Lichtenburg gives examples of altruism and egoism to help argue that while pure altruism may not exist; there is a point that altruism stands out more than a person’s egoism, in her essay “Is Pure Altruism Possible?.”

       I.            Lichtenburg gives examples of altruism in with real world examples.

A.    People perform altruism daily.

    II.            Egoism is shown through people that want a personal reward for helping someone else, to look better to others, or to get the good feeling of helping someone.

A.    Lichtenburg discusses people helping others because they hope to receive an award.

B.     Some people do not expect a reward, but simply want to look good in front of others when they decide to help other people.

C.     There are people who help others for the good feeling that they receive.

 III.            The point that altruism shines more than egoism is shown by Lichtenburg through examples.

A.    Lichtenburg describes the people that help others for the feeling that comes with it as having altruism and not egoism.

 IV.            Conclusion:  There is a very thin line between altruism and egoism, as discussed in Judith Lichtenburg’s essay “Is Pure Altruism Possible,?” however Lichtenburg argues that it is possible to tell the difference.  

Thesis

"Get Smarter" makes a great argument about how we will adapt to technology.  A thesis for a rhetorical essay for this work could be The author uses evidence and past references to help support his argument in the essay "Get Smarter."

Chosen Essays

For my essay I have chosen two works from chapter one.  I decided to go with "Is Google Making Us Stupid" and "Get Smarter."  In "Is Google Making Us Stupid," the author's argument is that he believes the constant use of Google and the Internet is making people think slower and lose attention more quickly.  To build the argument, the author tells the reader that he has begun experiencing a lack of concentration when reading long articles.  Then he uses tests and research to solidify the evidence for his point.  I believe that the author targeted an older audience too much.  In the essay "Get Smarter," the author argues that Google and the Internet is not bad for us because we as people will adapt.  I like that the author used past events that show how people adapt to open up the argument.  Then he goes on to explain that Google is a great way to access information quickly.  It is easy now to obtain this information.  The author targets the people who use technology more than the average person.  They will react because they do not want to hear that they should use less Internet.

Response to "Womb for Rent- For a Price"

Ellen Goodman believes that paying women to carry other peoples' babies is wrong because it is dangerously close to a mother selling her children and someone selling themselves into slavery.  Goodman tries to almost pressure the audience into being against the "free market of baby-making."  I found it problematic that Goodman tried to force her opinion on the reader.  If the mothers want to make other peoples' babies then I think that it is their choice and it is okay.

Catherine Beecher

Catherine Beecher wrote about women being housekeepers and mistresses because that is what she thought women excelled at.  I thought that she was being sarcastic when she was telling women to be the stay at home mom or to be a teacher.  She actually did believe that women would be better off doing these jobs that have been classified as "women's work."  I believe that she had these views because she grew up having to teach herself a lot of what she learned.  During the time that she grew up, women did not branch out from the stay at home housekeeper or teacher.

Response to “On the Preservation of a Good Temper in a Housekeeper”

Ryan Jones

September 4, 2011

Response to “On the Preservation of a Good Temper in a Housekeeper”

            In the essay “On the Preservation of a Good Temper in a Housekeeper,” by Catharine E. Beecher, a housekeeper is described as the woman in the house who cleans and keeps everything in order.  The housekeeper should not have a mean demeanor and should keep everything under control within the house.  The author describes the housekeeper as being responsible for having a good feeling about her that makes everyone happy that comes in contact with her.  A good mood is so important for the housekeeper because it will help keep everyone in a good mood.  This will help the people living in the house to do their part to keep the house looking nice.

The housekeeper also must plan events or dinners and expect the plans to get messed up at some point.  The housekeeper must then change the plans accordingly without raising her tone.  Getting upset will just cause the morale of the house to go down.  The housekeeper must keep a calm tone and move on.  Later, she can explain to whoever messed up that they need to do a better job next time.  The housekeeper can even offer a reward if the person that messed up shows improvement.

Beecher assumes that every woman does not have a job.  She assumes that every mother or wife can just stay home all day and clean and tend to the needs of the family.  Most women in today’s households have jobs that make as much money as the men in the house.  When Beecher uses the word “housekeeper” she is describing a mother or wife that stays home all day.  Today, a “housekeeper” could be a man or a woman.  Beecher also assumes that a woman should always worry about her feelings last.  Others come first and she must make sure that they are happy.         

SWA #3

Ryan Jones

September 1, 2011

SWA #3

            In the essay, “Am I My Brother’s Keeper,” Elie Wiesel discusses the importance to help the needy people of the world.  If someone is requesting our help then it is important to extend a hand of friendship to this person.  Wiesel tells of there being too many people in the world for us to know all of them and befriend all of them.  However, if someone were to ask us to be there brother or to help them, then we should most definitely extend a helping hand. 

            Wiesel described kids as always listening to their music instead of listening to the world around them.  We try to ignore everything but our own lives.  This causes us to not try to help others that may need it.  We do not let any new ideas in.  We just plug in our music and listen to the same songs every day. 

            I can relate to how hard it is to give money to someone in need.  I was approached by a man in a car who asked for ten dollars to pay for a motel room for his family.  He said he just needed ten dollars.  I immediately said that I had no cash on me, even though I did.  I felt bad, but I just could not trust that he actually needed the money.  When I went to Europe, there were a lot of beggars.  I had never experienced this before and I felt bad every time I passed them by.  I just did not feel comfortable giving them money when I did not truly know whether or not they would use it the way I wanted them to.  Wiesel believes that we should give some money to these people, even if they do not use it for good.