Portfolio Update

For my portfolio I have chosen my research essay, argumentative essay, and of course the reflective essay.

75% complete my portfolio. revised all graded drafts into final final drafts and put them neatly in a binder.

-ABigAiL

Video Lesson Assignment

Here is the link to our video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up1RLChYVU4&rel=0&noredirect=1

Research Paper: Favorite Paragraph

According to the US Legal Definition, rape is defined as a criminal offense in most states as forcible sexual relations with a person against that person's will. The definition varies from state to state, but the general concept is all the same. The lack of consent must be present but in the case of a minor, the definition of consent changes. If a man rapes and woman and she becomes pregnant, the crime he committed was rape. The woman, who is the victim, committed no crime. Now there is a product of that rape and it happens to be human being. Why is that child being sentenced to the death penalty (abortion)? Why is someone else’s life an exception because a man committed a crime? The woman who was raped didn’t ask to be raped, just like that child didn’t ask to be a product of a rape. Our American society does not permit directly punishing the victim of a rape and a child that may be conceived during a rape is also a victim, punish the rapist, not the victims.

My Favorite Paragraph From My Research Paper

An alternative route universities can take is to take into consideration is each of the students’ academic history. They could weigh things such as what classes they took and how difficult they were, or what extra-curricular activities the students were involved in. Without these tests colleges could focus more on the student as an individual. These tests don’t necessarily predict how the student will do in college, but if the admissions offices would pay more attention to four years of hard work each student has put in instead of the three hours of filling in bubbles, they might get more successful and well-rounded students in their universities ("Do Colleges Put Too Much Stock in Standardized Test Scores?").

Chapter 15: Locating, Evaluating, and Drawing on Sources

Personal: I always sucked at citations, so I never even tried to find other sources for supporting information. It  always seemed really difficult to locate a source and use it in your paper, while using the correct citations. I have been referring to this chapter the entire semester. It is so helpful and so informative. It's really easy to navigate and easy to comprehend. Chapter 15 really cleared things up for me and made it easier to understand how to cite sources.

Professional: In Chapter 15, they discussed how to locate reputable sources for a paper. Then, they go on to explain how to easily document or cite the source correctly in the paper. It also addressed paraphrasing and how to do that correctly as well. Overall, it is a great chapter to refer back to when needing to know how to give proper credit where credit is due.

 Image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvSPttiN6phCUT1r3lhhet9sOl-YBEK-KxsFhLaD9k9sXHE34neUvix2Q_Zgv9Kvu6jq9qq4L-o9jYW6dyr1x_OVkolNdf9DFHV63NulVLjYCxyjB_TvscGeOJauOSkb1olcGlFEEARno/s1600/MLAformat.JPG

Prospecti Review

We voted that Kevin's thesis as the most effective and highest quality for a paper.

Thesis:

Study over a period of days is more effective than cramming a night before a test.


image1: http://www.morethanatestscore.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/female-girl-student-sleeping-on-laptop.jpg

Image2: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYaMUX7vZk5b714ALMQ2M78SSAa-Ckymk-ZD28ldny0YL7vEwCxRyHDPAufvWOQJB9vcpA3C6To35ZLrSuWl0gtGpax-YmSQtYEvHy6pPcoNkbK_BCjLNmpeikJ4FUvW8u3tv-nCBoN46/s1600/Student_Exam1.jpg

 VS


     We chose these pictures to portray the difference between cramming and studying successfully.
 

Blog Review #2: Engcougar.blogspot.com

Engcougar.blogspot.com


       The key components to a good blog consist of reliable information, attractive design features, and a website that is easily navigated. Appearance alone does not make a blog great, but it can bring a good blog over the top. Each writer must bring equal value to the blog post, and this is exactly what the Cougar Team on Engcougar.blogspot.com does.The Cougar Team's blog exceeds the bar set by all the other blogs and is by far the best blog presented by our English class.
     All of the twenty-one blogs on this site are what makes this blog great. All five bloggers are clear and concise in their writing. They keep their blogs short but to the point. This makes their blog easy to read because it's quick and informative. The images of their blogs are what draws attention as well as concludes the post.
     In conclusion, these writers are doing a great job of putting a blog together. The mere appearance of this blog is enough to attract readers, and the writing is what makes them come back. It was no contest when it came to deciding which blog was the best. Although all of the blogs in this class are well thought out and put together, this team's blog really stands out from the rest.


Image(cougar): http://sr.photos2.fotosearch.com/bthumb/TBZ/TBZ241/Cougar010.jpg
Image2: http://www.submitedgeseo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/best-blog-ever.jpg

THIS IS THE




     These graphics were chosen because they portray this blog in the best way possible. The goal is to attract readers to the graphics so they will read the article and in turn go read the Cougar Team's blog. We chose these bold colors to draw attention. We chose the cougar to represent their team and we chose the ribbon as if we were awarding their blog as the best blog ever.

Quality Criteria

Quality Criteria

CAAR121.blogspot.com: 7
This blog is well put together but it is not appealing to the eye.

Wordexplosions.blogspot.com: 8
The dynamic of this blog is very unique and easy to navigate. It is appealing to the eye and makes the reader want to follow their blog.

Engcougar.blog.com: 10
This blog is very straight forward and easy to navigate because you don't have to search for their posts because they are all lined up.

Aka121.blogspot.com: 7.5
This blog is well put together, but it lacks design and creativity.

Bloggin4eng121.blogspot.com: 8
This blog is very simply yet effective and informative.

AIRR234.blogspot.com: 6
This blog is too busy and draws your attention to too many things to where you can't really focus on the information.

Chapter 15: Locating, Evaluating, and Drawing on Sources

There are many strategies used to locate sources. Some of these include: campus library, catalogs, internet, newspapers, magazines, and many more. When the correct source needed is located, the next important step to take is evaluating it. It is important to ask questions like: is the author reliable? What is the author's point of view? If it is from the internet, who is sponsoring the site? Is it a credible website? Is the information recent enough? Asking these questions is an easy way to see if the correct type of information has been found.

 The next step is to paraphrase the information found into text. It is important to not plagiarize. If the text is used word for word it is necessary to put quotations around it and then give the original author credit. These are called quotes. After quoting an author an in-text citation is necessary. This shows that the writer is giving full credit to the author. There are many different way to cite in-text quotes depending on whether the information has come form a book, website, or magazine. After the paper is written, it is imperative that there is a Works Cited page is created to go after the paper. This is a list of sources used in the paper alphabetized by author. It includes all the bibliographic information on each source used throughout the paper.

It is very easy to start writing and to just begin typing exactly what is being read. This is actually illegal. It is easy to avoid doing this by paraphrasing and citing sources.












https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=picture+about+citing&id=BC7D3546FA33F416544FA3B434D7B4749200DF0A&FORM=IQFRBA&fromSsl=0#view=detail&id=BC7D3546FA33F416544FA3B434D7B4749200DF0A&selectedIndex=0

Online Source Exercise: Part 1&2

 The author of this article is clearly named as Dr. Ben Kim. We can assume that the author is experienced on the topic of the danger of cell phones because he is a doctor and has studied in this field. The information  on this site is clearly state, and stays on the topic of the dangers of cell phones. The purpose of this site is to inform the readers of the potential danger they could be facing because of over exposure to cell phones. The site is backed by previous studies the doctor has done and shows his experience by the fact that he has a radio show. Yes, this site provides academic research by also posting a documentary done by other researchers. Yes, he does a good job in giving full credit to the other researchers that created the video that he is promoting. There are many sources that also support Dr. Ben's claims that cell phones are dangerous. This website is frequently updated with new posts about new discussions in the medical field. The links on this page directly relate to this topic. The material that is presented is covered in depth by the amount of information and studies he references throughout his work. This material is appropriate to be printed for publication because it is written by a certified doctor.
   "As the number of cell phones, cell phone towers, and other wireless antennas increase rapidly in industrialized nations, should you be concerned about the effects that regular exposure to radio frequency radiation can have on your health?" (Kim). Being regularly exposed to radio frequency radiation caused by cell phones can interfere with the electrical fields of our cells. It can also cause difficulty sleeping, leukemia, attention span deficit, and infertility. Children are at a much higher risk than adults because they have thinner and smaller skulls which causes the absorption to be much greater. The doctor informs the readers that they are able to use radio and microwave detector to measure the amount of harmful radiation that is in their living spaces. He strongly suggests that everyone becomes educated on the subject and knows the long term effects this may cause.



Works Cited

Public Exposure: DNA, Democracy and the Wireless Revolution - A Must-See Documentary on      the Dangers of Cell Phone Use. Dr. Ben Kim. Date. Web. 8 Oct. 2014
<http://drbenkim.com/cell-phone-dangers>



PART 2

The quality of this article is good because it appears to be well researched before it was written. The author, Ken Roy, is a science teacher and has completed many studies on the dangers of cell phones. In comparison, the author of the first article was more credible because he's a doctor, but both opinions agree about the dangers of cell phones. Even though the doctor's article was more credible, this one appears to be put together better and it is more presentable. The writing styles are similar in the way that they are both warning the readers about the dangers they could be facing. Ken Roy's was presented better in the way that he clearly explains the topic while Dr. Ben simply bullet pointed his points to get his information across clearly and quickly.


Works Cited

Roy, Ken. "Safer Science: EMFs: Pulling the Plug." Best Practices for Safety Issues in the Science Classroom and Laboratory. (2009): 12-13. EBSCO Database. Boulder County Campus Library. 13 Oct. 2014. Web.
<http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=33b84168-6754-49d2-9688-eddc8c251f8e%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4214

Reference List

International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection
     (ICNIRP). 1998. Guidelines for limiting exposure to time varying
      electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields (up to 300 GHz).
      Health Physics 74 (4): 494–522.

Chapter 5: Description

Personal- I always thought I was pretty good at using descriptive words when I write. But I liked the tips this chapter gave on how to create a vivid mental image so that the reader can actually feel like they are apart of it. It was good to know that good essays take time and a lot of good details.

Professional-  This chapter covered everything from how to be descriptive to how to successfully use descriptions while writing a paper. It talked a lot about all the details needed to support a good description and also how to create a paper that the readers actually want to continue reading.

Image- http://www.improvwins.com/admin/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/support.jpg

Chapter 3: Writing and Rewriting

 Personal- I always was taught to write a rough draft as organized as possible and then just try to fix it up a bit for my final draft. My past teachers never explained that writing is actually really simple if you just write what comes to mind and see where it goes before worrying about the technical parts. I was surprised to see that the writing process I had been using since 5th grade wasn't the correct way.

Professional- The tips for drafting before writing were and are really helpful in many ways. It says to move on if you get stuck, use the outline, use your voice, and always write from start to finish in one sitting. All of these things are key to writing a successful paper and chapter three really pointed that out.

Image- http://howikis.com/images/b/b5/Doug_Collins_meme_%2836%29.png

Argument Beyond Pro&Con

  

    Arguments that are portrayed academically are nearly equal to every day conversations we have when we interact. It's just someone trying their hardest to convince someone else to see where he/she is coming from or to even get on the same page and maybe to agree with that person. This entire process works a little more smoothly if the topic up for discussion is a known and available topic to argue. It works better if you know the facts and the truth, it's easy to convince someone that way. There are a few ways to make this more successful. You can use the cause and effect method to make your point more clear. Also, providing evidence is a really important and helpful tool.

   Four basic questions to ask when you are going to try to make an argument: what happened, how did it happen, why is it a problem, and even who is affected by this. The best thing to use to support all of these questions is strong evidence.  Claims and evidence are extremely critical when making arguments. The claim has to be able to be proven and to prove it, evidence must be present. It also has to be a claim that is actually related to the argument, that way the reader knows the evidence and claims are factual.

   Arguments are made up of paragraphs, this is a given. All of the paragraphs have to include implications, evidence, and analysis of the argument. It is super important to make sure all of these paragraphs coincide and all focus on the same point. That way the end product or conclusion of your argument is drawn organizationally.

   Overall, just make sure you always state the pros and cons, and state them clearly. Show and exemplify that the pros are greater weighed than the cons. It is also really strategic to give both sides of the argument, so the reader doesn't believe you are being bias. Covering all the basics, stating the facts, and dotting your eyes are key to a good strong argument. In the end, putting that extra twist to give your side that extra pull to convince the reader will hopefully be beneficial in getting the reader to feel what you feel or even better, agree.

Arguement Beyond Pro and Con

Academic arguments are similar to day to day conversations. It is like someone trying to convince someone else to take into consideration his ideas or viewpoint. These are most effective when the topic is well-known by the person trying to persuade the other. Even in these there are strategies that can help argue a point. One strategy is cause and effect. This is where the reason for something happening is pointed out along with the effect that it tends to have on the people or things involved. Another strategy is one that includes having evidence to prove your point. Such as circumstances changing, and the effect that these changes may have. In such cases, it is good to present both sides of the argument and show the changes in both sides. It is good to keep in mind that everyone's opinion is different, and that it doesn't necessarily mean that one is more right than another.

Four good questions to ask when presenting an argument are what happened, how did it happen, who was affected, and why it's a problem. Evidence is important in backing these four questions up. Evidence can come from almost anywhere, but it is important to make sure it is credible evidence. It is also important to choose the right kind of evidence necessary to help in the context of your argument.

Claims and evidence are critical in arguments. If a claim is made in an argument and there is also evidence to go with it, it is important to realize that this isn't always enough. To make sure that it is, it is good to make sure that you claim is directly related to your evidence and to state why it is directly related. Arguments are always made up of paragraphs. The paragraphs need to include evidence, analysis, and implications. It is essential to make all these paragraphs coherent, and also that they draw the same conclusion. The more organized the argument, the better.

One last thing to keep in mind when presenting an argument is stating the pros and cons. Also state how the pros out weigh the cons. In addition, state the things that both sides of the argument have in common. This gives the reader both sides to the argument, and if it is presented well enough, the reader can choose for themselves, and hopefully choose the side that the author is promoting.

Chapter 13: The Law and Society

To start off, there are many differences between argumentation and persuasion. Argumentation is based of sound reasoning. It has obvious evidence along with logical explanations as to why the readers should agree with the author. Persuasion is a little different. It appeals to the readers emotions and ethical beliefs. There are certain situations where either argumentation or persuasion would be best used. In situations concerning things such as politics it would be best to use argumentation. Persuasion is best used in situations such as trying to get people to see why your idea is better and more fair for a workplace. Sometimes it is even acceptable to use persuasion and argumentation together.

There are specific strategies for the use of argumentation and persuasion. Obviously, the overall purpose for both is to convince the readers to agree or change their opinion in agreement with the writers. In the case that it is nearly impossible to change the readers' opinions, it is better to simply do the best possible to try to soften their harsh opinion or to at least make them see that there are two sides to the argument. The way to best know how to go about persuading the audience is by doing some audience assessment. This way, it is possible to find an overall goal in persuading the readers, and it is nearly impossible to do this without first knowing who you're trying to win over.

According to the Greeks, there are three necessary elements of a successful argument. These include: logos, pathos, and ethos. Logos is the sound reasoning for the argument. Included in logos are evidence, facts, statistics, examples, and authoritative statements. Pathos is the emotional side of the argument. This is the part that hits home with the readers' feelings, values, attitudes, and beliefs. Ethos is the part where the author establishes his or her honestly, integrity, and reliability. This basically gives the reader a reason to trust that the author is a credible source. If used correctly, these three things can be used to make any argument credible and successful.

There are two types of reasoning that can be very helpful in an argumentative or persuasive essay. These are inductive and deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning is a type of reasoning that uses facts and evidence to draw a conclusion. Deductive reasoning is a type of reasoning that uses a generalization and then a specific instance to help persuade people. Both are useful depending on what type of argument the writer is bringing to the table.

Chapter 13: The Law and Society

Personal: I always knew that there were one or two differences between argumentation and persuasion. While reading this chapter I was shocked to see that there are a lot more than just one or two differences. They said that they are similar when it comes to trying to convince readers to think or act in a specific way. I didn't know that even though they are different, they can coincide to create a pattern of assertion while writing. After reading chapter 13, I have a better understanding of how and why to write these kinds of essays.

Professional: Argumentation relies on reasoning, evidence, facts and logic. While persuasion appeals to emotions, beliefs, and values. It stated that both, argumentation and persuasion have persuasive tendencies. The argument built in the paper should be strong and factual while still trying to make your view or standing on the topic very clear. Persuasion is used in many ways, it a lot of papers written today. It's a helpful tool.

Image: http://memecrunch.com/meme/TF53/persuasion-aliens/image.png

Blog Review

The first striking thing about the blog attackoftheenglishteacher is its simplicity. It is a good example of a clear and concise blog. The writers of this blog do a good job of keep it clean and easy to navigate. The setup is basic, and the colors are a little boring. This makes it not as appealing to the eye, but even considering that, the blog is still very interesting and would do well in keeping followers because it doesn't appear that they are trying too hard to interest people.

As for the actual writing in the blog itself, it is well-written with few grammatical errors. Individually the writers do a good job of getting their point across, and together they do an even better job of combining their ideas into a great blog post. Each of them does a good job of knowing a good spot to place their pictures, and don't just throw them in at the end. Overall, it is a good example of what a successful blog should look like.

The format of attackoftheenglishteacher is done well. Each picture is put in and cited, giving credit to the person who originally took or made the picture. They do a good job of separating paragraphs and thoughts. All in all, I would say that attackoftheenglish teacher is doing a great job of demonstrating what a good blog should look like. I myself have taking plenty of notes on what they are doing that can help better my posts. Such as where to put pictures and how to separate paragraphs.

Blog Review

       The blog that caught my eye when i was looking through the list of blogs was drunkwritertalk's blog. The blog drunkwritertalk121 initially caught my eye with it's background design.  The blog has a unique writing style and a great way of writing content that just made the blog more interesting.  They could improve on the font by upping the size of it or changing to a more readable font, as the font is very thin and people could find it hard to read.  The blogs organization was good and with its mix of images and writing it kept the reader entertained.
       The drunkwritertalk121 blog design i thought was great.  It's background colors were easy on the eyes and really enhanced the blog.  Their use of images was well balanced as they do not have too many images or too little and the images together with the postings they have seem to really captivate the reader.  The design also seemed to make the blog more user friendly as it was clear where everything was and what each posting was about.
       The only thing i felt was wrong with the blog was the use of its font.  The font they used i felt was to thin and while i did not have trouble reading it, others may.  Aside from that though they did a great job in everything. Below is my ranking of the blog on the quality criteria.

Quality Criteria
continunity of focus - 8
content clarity - 8
organization - 8
design - 9
amount of relevant info - 10




Image: http://www.contentamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/content-its-kind-of-a-big-deal.jpg
Blog: http://drunkwritertalk121.blogspot.com/

Blog Review

       I chose to review and examine eng1blogger's blog. After reviewing and examining their blog, I noticed that the people writing that blog have a better understanding of what a blog should be and what it consists of. Their blog is somewhat humorous and it makes things more interesting. It has a couple of grammatical errors here and there, but that's what makes things interesting...but then again it is a blog for English class.
      I found that their blog was easy to navigate and very user friendly. I can hear the voice of the people who wrote it, it's very clear and personable. The focus for each separate post seemed to be pretty on point. They made things exciting, even when things seem boring. The information was always relevant to the topic and the assignment. They used the basic theme of grey and white, but it helps the blue lettering stick out. It was organized in a very basic fashion and the material was very concise.
     After looking over their blog posts, I would say my group and I could change a couple of things on our blog to make it more intriguing in general. We also used the basic theme and I think if we changed our theme and our design a bit, we might have a blog that is more appealing to the eye. Our information could also contain a little more detail, but our grammar is usually spot on. I mean I guess we can critic one another's blog posts and blogging pages, but it's all personal preferences and unique to that group regardless of what we may say about the others blog.


Image: http://www.siliconrepublic.com/fs/img/internet-memes-you-say-my-blog-is-bad_2736763.jpg





 

Chapter 7: Exemplefication

Personal- I didn't know there had to be a certain amount of examples, much less that an example has to have enough detail to support it. I also didn't know that examples can be used as support. Most examples may come across as true or real, but actually they are just made up or over generalized by the writer. Sometimes, it can get really confusing when someone uses an example that isn't true, or an example that is more of a generalization. I was also unaware that you can combine exemplification with other patterns to help enhance or prove your example.

Professional- Chapter 7 covered exemplifications. It talked about how an example is a pattern used when writing. It then said that you can combine things like entertainment or descriptions within an example while you are writing. This chapter was really helpful and it covered a lot of material.

Image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8WBcJtIxKo-L3co2ziK9-ZCg3FwJPhv4qvRTbSopxifGhpVGf9EPgxMWxK5RaNYLfR0yHR6BvDvB4UCogmAPm5y0nszmet0YZIJWzjeXs-R5aKzN_wU4G5GXct-yUFfKJQSIwHack4LV/s400/fallacy2.gif

Artwork Analysis

     The purpose of this coke ad is to show how refreshing and enjoyable Coca-Cola is. This is a persuasive ad that gives the appearance that every one enjoys Coca-Cola, and is trying to get people to stop and buy it. Its demonstrating fact by showing people buying and being excited about the product, and by also saying it is the same Coca-Cola everyone enjoyed when they were younger. This ad is inferring that Coca-Cola is "Pure Refreshment". This means consuming the product is not only going to quench your thirst and refresh you, it is also going to make the buyer happy.
     In this ad there are not definite lines. The edges of the people, store, and product are blurred at the edges. This gives it an older look as if it is trying to remind people of when Coca-Cola was first invented. The color of this ad also adds to the old feel of the picture. The colors show kind of a worn look, but also one that is remembered and cherished. The color red is subtly added in both pictures to catch the eyes of the consumers, and to associate the color red with Coca-Cola. The outline of the ad is white which is also a color of Coca-Cola. This also adds emphasis to the label itself.
     The texture of the picture is fuzzy. This brings more attention to the bold Coca-Cola label. The shapes are basic and simple. Making the time of drinking Coca-Cola look simple, happy, and blissful. This demonstrates that Coca-Cola draws people wherever it is. The picture is very light and bright giving it a happy feel, and portraying the happiness of the people in the pictures. The layout goes along with all the other aspects, its simple. It is showing a man serving a woman and her child their refreshments. Giving the simple message that Coca-Cola makes people happy. The style of this ad is vintage. It is reminiscing the time when Coca-Cola was still sold in glass bottle, and people would go out just to get a Coca-Cola. This ad appears to derived from an older oil painting. Reemphasizing the simple fact that this ad is trying to get across: Coca-Cola is delicious, refreshing, and brings joy to everyone.

Chapter 7: Exemplification

     The best way known to clarify something is by giving an example. Just stating a fact doesn't explain why or how that is the truth. In writing, it is important to clarify the statements we give or else our reader can be left confused and asking more questions than when they started reading. What's worse than leaving your reader confused, is leaving your reader bored. It is important to keep your writing excited and interested in what they're reading. A good way to keep away from both of these is by using exemplification. Exemplification is a way you can use examples to make your points and facts clear to your reader as well as keeping them interested.
     The way you use exemplification matters. It is important to use it to your benefit. To use it for a certain purpose. Use it to explain what you're talking about and to get your point across clearly. Exemplification is useful in many ways. It helps writers write essays in any type of class or situation by giving them the ability to explain themselves. It can even be taken farther than school. It can be used to write resumes, writing thank you letters, or even trying to persuade someone of something.
     Equally important, is supporting your details. Give facts to support your examples or descriptions, and if there are no facts to support them, you can use hypothetical examples. There are examples made up by the writer that is very sensible, plausible, and easy to relate to. This is why it is important to ask yourself if your examples are made up or real, and if you have enough examples with ample details. The more detail and explanation you have the more proof the reader has to take your side, understand your point, or just simply agree with you.
 http://seanwes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/exemplify1.jpg

Logical Fallacy

Either-or Reasoning

    Either- or reasoning is defined as a sentence or statement that is structured in a way where there is only one alternative to the problem. We all know that there is always more than one solution to the issue at hand. They used the example: "If the state does not raise taxes, we will have a fiscal crisis on our hands." and the book also countered that statement with, "What about other alternatives, such as cutting expenditures." This is true because there are many other ways you can solve this problem or prevent this problem other than raising taxes.

    You can avoid this logical fallacy by giving plenty of other solutions to the problem at hand. You can also make it sound like there is hope in the situation, and ways to prevent the problem.  Another way to avoid this logical fallacy is to refrain from using the words either, or.  Using the words either, or, can lock you into using this fallacy.  An example of the sentence you want to avoid using is "either we do (blank) or (blank) will happen".




https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2fA89PG4woXKFFXM3zy3f_ZsvbM5FpOs7fZgIADryLaAZ121j2u1e-OPCHrW_AxUypi3-WzfPOz9JoRfcMsjbCeMtVpqSnugTj_cRm1TdKcmSPb6s7PtbmKv1RwfVrkiwLim4joTME0/s1600/logical+fallacy.jpg

Blog Review: Life Hacker

As a group, we chose the blog Life Hacker on the website http://lifehacker.com/. The general idea of these blog postings is to simply inform the reader of good ways to life hack. Life hacking is defined as "a strategy or technique adopted in order to manage one's time and daily activities in a more efficient way". This blog does this by posting one or more blogs a day in thousands of different categories. 

There are many things that make this blog more interesting. It posts a variety of things that most people don't know and is applicable to every day life. It has a wide scale of topics that reach out to many different types of readers. The language and writing style used varies depending on the topic of the blog. Most posts are casual but informative. They relay information in a clear concise way. This post is popular because everyone looks for short cuts in their every day life. This post does just that, it gives us information and shows a different perspective. The set up of this blog is simple yet effective. It is usually just a picture accompanied with an article of what the life hack is. The page is easy to navigate.  

Rating
Interest: 10
Language: 8
Popularity: 10
Visuals: 6
Writing Style: 8

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Reading Response Ch.5 : Description

           After reading chapter 5, which mainly focused on description and using dominant impression.  One of the parts that stuck out to me when I read chapter 5 was the part about avoiding clichés, because as a writer avoiding clichés can be a little hard.  When the chapter talked about organizing details, I found pretty surprising as I had never heard of spatial order and progressive order when it comes to writing.  By ordering your details you can change the focus of your sentence and have it imply something else.  Using description correctly can have someone visualizing your story which is something great to do as a writer.

            As a student I find that dominant impression is one of the most important points in the chapter.  By focusing your description on one characteristic, your description can stand on its own and help the reader visualize what you are writing.  The part I wish was elaborated a bit more was the small part about avoiding clichés,  I feel that this could have been elaborated a bit more as falling into clichés in your writing is easy and learning to avoid them will only help your writing.