English writing and rhetoric   

 

Day 4 9/5/2023 

  • Weekly assignment 
  •  Opening writing 
  •  Syllabus  
  • Assignments  

Questions  

  1. How does rhetoric influence the world we see?  Rhetoric affects the world because it allows one to persuade or manipulate someone’s perspective. This can be used to convince somebody to do or not do something. 
  1. What is rhetoric?  Rhetoric is persuasive writing or speaking. Rhetoric has a message or purpose that you are trying to convey.  

 

 Reading Old Man and his horse    

Journal 1: 250-300 word response. What does ‘rhetoric’ mean to you? How
Would you define rhetoric? What are some examples or instances where you have observed rhetorical influence? Examples may derive from text, media, or
direct interaction. 

 

 Rhetoric is the way we discuss and promote our beliefs about the world. I would define Rhetoric as the manipulation or persuasion of thoughts to further one’s goals. This can be trying to convince a friend to buy you coffee or even as complex and exciting as a political debate on what environmental action we need to take to slow climate change. Fantastic examples of when I have seen people apply Rhetoric are the arguments for developing the hydrogen bomb. This was shown in the movie Oppenheimer. In this scene, Lewis Strauss, Robert Oppenheimer, and other noteworthy scientists debate whether the hydrogen bomb is essential for the USA to win the Cold War. Oppenheimer is firmly against the idea. This angers and confuses some of the scientists. Why would a man who was the head of science for the Manhattan Project be opposed to the creation of the hydrogen bomb? Did he not make one of the most significant contributions to the arms race? Did one of the most intelligent men alive not realize what a terrifying weapon of mass destruction he was creating? Throughout the movie, you can see Oppenheimer defending his actions and even arguing and trying to justify it himself.  This shows that Rhetoric is not only about convincing others but also about convincing yourself. The back and forth of whether the atomic bomb was the best solution to the problem is a significant plot point of the movie and an excellent example of Rhetoric. We see and hear examples of Rhetoric in our everyday lives. This is why it‘s such a powerful and valuable tool. It helps us convince others and ourselves! It also helps us understand each other’s feelings and thoughts about the world around us for others to know in the hope we can one day find a better understanding. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5    9/6/2023 

 

Opening writing Exercise 

What is your opinion, constitutes element of an introduction of yourself, consider a few different aspects of yourself and others that could characterize your personality, presence and essence for the class. Can be in list form or complete. 

  • Introduction, BREAF. Greetings, First and last name, little about yourself and what you do. Contex, EX school setting or work setting. Background or place of origin and heritage. Any considerations (something the person should, if I had ticks, I would want the person to know that) 
  • I’m love doing any physical activity, reading and learning,  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9/7/2023 

Journal 2: 250–300-word response to comparative versions of “The Old Man and
His Horse”. Which version of the story seems most memorable, clear, or
moving, and why? Explain. How would you describe the major differences
between the versions? Pay special attention to story endings; is there a subtle
difference in the message of the alternate versions? Explain. 

 

The Old Man and his Horse have been rewritten into many different versions, but the basic premise of all the stories they share is that a man has something tragic happen to him, but it turns out to be a blessing in disguise. But it’s a continuous feedback loop from good to bad luck. My favorite version of the story is the original or version one. I love seeing the original storing works, where the ideas were born. If it weren’t for this version, none of the other ones would exist. It resonated most with me; I didn’t care about version two. The reading of version one engaged me the most. Version two had the same premise, so it felt like I was reading the same story but simplified, making it a less engaging retelling. The retelling was my second favorite. It was different enough to the point where its rewriting makes sense but still gets the point and themes across nicely. However, this one was more complicated and less pleasant to read than the Original Versions. The chances of pumpkins and squash seeds surviving in flood are minimal, so this feels more like a chance than a natural occurrence. I have no problems or complaints about the 3rd version. I think Version One was better, more down-to-earth still than this one. The significant difference between the stories was that version one was about how good and bad luck are just perspectives, and at the end of the day, things always tend to work out. The Second version was very close to this moral as well. The retelling focused more on how lucky they got with money, differentiating itself from versions one and two. Version three took a more spiritual tone to it, as the grandfather seemed almost like the pope as he was getting messages from God. Even with all the significant changes, the messages throughout the stories are still the same (good and bad luck is simply a matter of perspective and doesn’t exist. It’s simply how people see the situation).  

 

 

9/12/2023 Day 7 

 

Free Write: 1 and 2  

Narrative essay outline: in my narrative essay I want to talk about my relationship with swimming. I’ll start with all the sports I used to plat as a kid like soccer and tennis and mentions how I would cry after every tennis game, because I would lose, I didn’t really care about winning or losing, I just didn’t want to disappoint my parents, they did so much for me and treated me so well. And I wanted to prove to them that all their hard work was not in vain. You would see this throughout my story. I didn’t really like soccer or tennis, but I did like to run, so my parents made me try swimming. At first, I really liked it. The kids on the team where a lot of fun. Then I had mt first competition and I did amazingly and from that point on I became a swimmer. I can’t really remember anything about swimming when I was still in elementary school except for most of my old swim teammates leaving, but new people started to join, and I wasn’t alone for very long. In 6 grade was when I stated to dislike the sport many of the kids in middle school bullied me for is. They didn’t consider it a sport, I’m not sure why but something  themironic is that most of the kids that did make fun of me un of me didn’t play a sport. But at the time it still bothered me a lot I became a much quieter kid unless I was around my friends. I still won’t consider myself a victim of bullying because I fought back, and I would say some nasty mean thing I’m not happy with. I should have iiignoredd,them,tithem, but I made the situation worse by engaging in was itce I joined the varsity team, I became a little more confident, but I would still sneak into the pool so no one would see me. The people on my varsity team were wonderful. I hung out with the older kids like the juniors and seniors. I loved these kids ,and I’ll be swimming with one of them this year on the new Paltz. The sport of swimming was still very mondain and boring to me I had no passion for it, if it wasn’t for my family and friends I would have stopped. Then my wish came true, a covid struck and everyone was locked down. I would be out of the water for months and all I would do was play video games. I hated it, but covid thought me something about myself. I loved doing physical activities activite, including was even beginning to miss the sport. When lock  to missto the sport. When , I realized this was when I would have to decide whether o miss zed this was when I would have to decide whether o miss the sport. When lock down was finally over I stated to swim again but with only an hour of practice because of Covid, I was not training optimally, so I had to make the tuff decision of switching team and leaving my old friend and coach behind, My new team was great I quickly made friend and the practices where very intense and lasted mush longer, this took much of my time because it was a hour and thirty minutes’ drive there and back. But it was worth it. When varsity season came around, I was ready I placed 15th in the states my junior year. This was so exciting for me I started to truly appreciate the sport. In the beginning of my senior year, I realized this was when I would have to make my decsion of weather I would be swiming in college or not. It was a hard decs beginning of my senior year, I realize this was when I would have to decide whether ion bd,ecisione best chose this woulcho beginning of my  beginning of my f my senior year, I o beginning of my senior year, and realizedI real and realizedI realized this was when I would have to decide whether chose this woulchose this would alow me to still enjoy the sport but also have time for other things. But my year wasn’t over yet  

 

Narrative essay due 19th 

Journal 2:2 

A small village of 200 people meets in the middle of a town and draws papers from an old withering box. The original box went missing. One individual is unfortunate enough to draw a slip with a black dot. She will be the sacrifice. She is led to an open field and stoned to death as she screams,” It’s not fair.” This is the general summary of the short story “The Lottery.”  I enjoyed this short story. In such little time, Auther can develop the world and the characters and keep you engaged in the novel the whole time, always wondering what the lottery is. I especially love the discussion that takes place as the village members gather. They talk about the other towns and how some are abolishing this ancient tradition. Some villagers can’t bear the idea of this cruel ritual disappearing. Another way they keep you engaged in the story is the talk of the lottery box from which the papers are drawn. It’s mentioned that the original box disappeared before the village elder was even born! Why did the package go missing? Who took it, and how long has this been going on for? These are all questions we ask ourselves as our eyes run down the paper, looking for answers. “The Lottery” is my favorite short story, and I have little to nothing terrible to say! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexander Gorzula 

Instructor Peter Camilleri 

Eng 170-28 

September 8, 2023 

 

Narrative essay, A Feel for the Water 

 

I have been swimming for almost a decade and have qualified for many high-level meets, and for most of that time, I hated the sport of swimming. Before I swam, I played many other sports, which included tennis and soccer. Tennis was frustrating. I would be on the brink of tears after each match I lost. I did not care about winning or losing; It was about not disappointing my parents. They did so much for me.  I wanted to prove to them that all their hard work was not in vain. Even with this mentality, I still found it hard to enjoy and play the sports I was signed up for. When I played soccer, I sat in the goal, picking flour. For tennis, I purposefully ignored my coach so he would make me run around the court. I was not fond of soccer or tennis, but I did like the cardio, so my parents made me try swimming.  

At first, it was great, the kids on the team were a lot of fun to be around. I still had problems with paying attention because I talked a lot. Then we had our first competition, and it was terrific. My parents were so proud of me. From that point on, I became a swimmer. I can’t remember anything about swimming in elementary school, except that most of my old swim teammates were leaving, but new people started to join, and I wasn’t alone for very long. In 6th grade, I began to dislike the sport. The practices became tedious, and compensations didn’t have the same spark as they did from the start. Many of the kids in middle school also bullied me for swimming. They did not consider it a sport. Ironically, most kids who criticized me didn’t play a sport. But at the time, it still bothered me a lot. I became an aloof child unless I was around my friends. I still will not consider myself a victim of bullying because I fought back. I said some nasty, mean thing. I’m not happy with. Ignoring them would have been better, but the situation got worse by engaging in it. My confidence improved once I joined the varsity team, but I would still sneak into the Pool, hoping no one would see me. The people on my varsity team were terrific. I hung out with the older kids, the juniors, and the seniors. I loved these kids and will swim with one of them this year on the new Paltz. The sport of swimming was still very frustrating and tiresome. I had no passion for it and would have stopped if it were not for my family and friends. Then, my wish came true: COVID struck, and everyone was locked down. I would be out of the water for months, and all I would do was play video games. I hated it, but COVID taught me something about myself. I loved doing physical activities and was even beginning to miss the sport. When lockdown was finally over, I started to swim again. This revived my passion for sports training, and competing seemed new and exciting. But with only an hour of practice because of COVID, I was not training optimally, so I had to make the tough decision of switching teams and leaving my old friend and coach behind. My new team was excellent. I quickly made friends, and the intense practices lasted much longer. Swimming took much of my time because it was an hour and thirty minutes drive there and back, but this was the sacrifice I wanted to make to further improve my skills in the pool. It was worth it; I was ready when varsity season came around. I placed 15th in the states in my junior year. States was beautiful; I started to truly appreciate the sport. At the beginning of my senior year, I realized this was when I had to decide whether I would be swimming in college. It was a hard decision; how the season would play out would decide whether or not I would swim in college. However, senior year was not over yet. We trained for several hours a day for states. This would be our classes last year and mine as well. It was a disaster. One of my events and relay was disqualified from the race for undeliverable reasons. 

 First, the relay was DQ because I was wearing a cap with two American flags, which was illegal. I supposedly left early for the second DQ, but they mistook me for the kid on my right. Something about swimming is once an official makes a call. They can no longer redact their decisions. This was devastating, and This was the last meet together on Varsity. It would have been the make-or-break decision of whether swimming in college was a good idea. Even with such a dreadful outcome, This only motivated me to try harder. This was no longer about proving something to my parents but trying to prove something to myself. I decided that I would continue swimming at Suny New Paltz. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

journal 3: 250-300 word response. What is the rhetorical purpose of omission? Why does an author choose to include or omit certain information? What compositional elements do authors rely on to amplify an agenda by omission? Consider application of these questions to either your narrative draft or a reading of Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants;” what does he omit, and why? What do you omit, and why? Consider the effect or message the author/you are seeking to emit or create by the words left out of the story. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

journal 3: 250-300 word response. What is the rhetorical purpose of omission? Why does an author choose to include or omit certain information? What compositional elements do authors rely on to amplify an agenda by omission? Consider application of these questions to either your narrative draft or a reading of Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants;” what does he omit, and why? What do you omit, and why? Consider the effect or message the author/you are seeking to emit or create by the words left out of the story.  

  

 

Rhetoric is manipulating or persuading one’s thoughts to further one’s goals. Rhetoric and omission go hand in hand. If you are fighting to alter someone’s thinking, you might want to leave out information that could damage or hinder the point you are trying to prove. For example, if I am trying to prove the USA is the best country in the world, I’ll leave out the history of slavery and racial inequality because this has no purpose in helping my cause. This information only serves to damage my beliefs. This can also keep a reader engaged, giving them a sense of mystery, perpetually leaving out details so the one reading the story can put pieces of the puzzle together and find the deeper meaning. This is done in the short story “Hills like White Elephants.” The reader is given the location and is thought to believe this couple is about to be separated. They love each other very much, but the reason for the women’s departure is never explicitly given. We are left to ponder their separation even as the story finishes. This tends to help us keep the story in our minds longer than the one that gives us answers. Sometimes, the best stories are the ones where the reader is left to fill in some details, allowing us to theorize or even write a completely different story from what the authors intended. I enjoy stories like these. They leave much to the imagination. I think the moral of “Hills Like White Elephants.” is about never genuinely knowing what someone is thinking. The two characters go back and forth on whether things will return to normal after their trip. It is unclear whether they still love each other, but something has changed, so they separated.  

9/26/2023 

Free Write  

Engineering as a major is a love-hate relationship ship. I don’t mind the workload. What gets to me is my grades. So far, I have had two exams and one quiz. The first quiz was abysmal. I overestimated my mathematical skills. The math exams were better, but still, I was disappointed with the grade that I received. I try to take this as a learning course or a lesson on what not to do, but I fear I won’t adapt quickly enough or possibly never learn. The best thing I can do for myself is to find more present studying methods and use the resources I was provided, eliminate distractions, and stop procrastinating. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good advice  

Page 170-171 “An Appeal to Readers Values”   

“Implicitly or explicitly, authors need to appeal to the reader’s values, especially when taking a strong position. (170)” This may seem obvious, but I struggle. This ties into finding a cure, and in my right, I tend to try and appeal to both sides. But as the saying goes. If you try to make everyone happy, no one is happy. Finding a core absence to appeal to is how to get your writing out there. 

-Relation to rhetoric helps us connect with the reader and almost guarantees an instant audience that sympathizes with our statement. 

Weak advice   

Page 466-467 “Humor, Sarcasm, and Exaggeration” 

 “Humor can often support an argument if the spirit fits the context and audience. (466)”- I think this is mediocre evidence because humor does nothing to help your point. What it could do is damage it. It may make you seem serious about a topic; some may not get the joke and only confuse the reader. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10/2/2023 

Journal 4: 250-300 word response. What is an argument to you? How do statements appear? What is the purpose of an idea, and what conditions are necessary for an argument to take place? What are some of the essential elements of a fight? Feel free to cite or refer to statements from media, text, or direct interaction. If you have trouble with this journal prompt, please refer to media, current events, history, text, course readings, or experience, or consult me for ideas about identifying arguments worth exploring. (Due Tuesday, 10/3) 

An Argument is a debate between two opposing sides trying to convince the other they are right and the other is wrong. Arguments can spawn when diverging opposite views clash together. Political debates are the most well-known examples. The definition I used earlier may make the conversation sound aggressive or one-sided, but the argument shouldn’t have to be about winning or losing. They should be about finding solutions to a problem most efficiently and finding a more profound comprehension of each other. The Art of arguing sounds foolish, but it doesn’t have to be about bickering and yelling (as we see today on Fox News or CNN) at one another with no hope of changing the other’s mind or coming to a common understanding. There are four main points that you need to consider when debating with a person. First, is it Real? Or is it simply just a misunderstanding? Second, is it important enough to justify the disagreement? Third, is the topic specific enough for you to make some progress? And finally, are the two opposing parties aligned in the objects to partake in that conversation? Even with all the 4 points accounted for, you still can’t guarantee that your conversion will be worth the time and effort because humans hate being wrong, especially something they are passionate about. It makes people question their thoughts and beliefs. People are put into a highly uncomfortable mental state, and this is where the problems arise. If we are at a point where we ignore the opposing side’s view in the fear they may prove us wrong rather than deal with the discomfort and grow from it, will we ever truly understand one another? 

Free write #6 

I want to talk about population collapse in my argument essay and how it’s a much bigger problem than everyone makes it out to be. I don’t see anyone talking about this issue. The problem is that massive, moderated countries like Japan have a much higher population of older than younger people. As humans retire, they leave an enormous gap in the job market. The economy had adapted to an abundance of working-class citizens, but when they all went, no one would replace them.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10/4/23 

Journal 4.1: Brainstorm topics for argument essay. Free write, explore, list, word web, conceive of potential ideas/ topics for the argument essay. Refer to the research essay assignment for a comprehensive list of past topics. Also consider referring to the documents “Argument Topic Ideas” and “Argument Topic Prompts.” See what strikes you, spend some time in solitude with the idea that this is an opportunity to develop an investigation into your own interests, guided and informed by an emergent sense of academic standards. Concise, specific, poignant questions, deliberate claims, pro/con/or neutral, the argument essay wants to demonstrate your capacity to reason, see more than one side of an issue, develop an author/reader relation, address a problem, contextualize an issue, and provide a new or fresh reading/interpretation of a topic. 

 

Many people fear overpopulation, but I think underpopulation is worse for some countries. A topic I want to discuss is population collapse. Some sources I will use are podcasts, YouTube, and articles. Population collapse begins when birth rates fall under 2.1. This happens in countries like Japan, Korea, and China for different reasons. I would answer questions: 1. Where is it happening? 2. Why is it happening? 3. Why is this an issue now and in these countries? 4. What is causing it? 5. How can we fix it. 6. Why I think it is a much more complicated issue than overpopulation. I also want to talk about overpopulation. Do you want to examine the problem and explain why population collapse is more brutal to solve?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journal 5: What is a citation? What is the purpose of citation? What are some reasons an author chooses to cite a specific text? What can a citation imply or show about an author, and how can a source serve an author’s agenda? 

 

A citation mentions specific information used to help prove one’s claim in a book article or video. This is done to give recognition or praise or for the ones absorbing the information to fact-check the paper. Citation makes a piece of work more professional and informative and provides the reader with a sense of trust, knowing they can check if the information they provided is valid or credible. Sources, especially credible ones, can serve the author by giving undeniable evidence and organizing the author’s work. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10/11/2023 

Free write  

My semester is going okay, but my grades are poor. I think that is due to the learning curve. This is my first year in college, and well I am challenging myself with mechanical engineering. I am on the varsity swim team, so it is a lot to handle. I had a working system, but now with morning practices, I must go to bed much earlier than I would like to. I also have trouble falling and staying asleep so it’s very difficult to stay focused in my classes when I really need to  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10/13/2023 

 

Free write- in my essays, I want to talk about Switzerland and Australia, but I won’t be including Portugal. The reason is that Switzerland and Portugal went through similar reforms, and I’m more knowledgeable about Switzerland than I am about Portugal. If I were to also go to Portugal, my essay would be much longer than I would like it to be. This would also allow me to talk about future hopes or possibilities of regulation and possible legalization.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free write 10/31/2023 

I have been creating a schedule for the next semester, and I have fallen into a problem with calc 2. It is the most challenging class, and it’s at the end of the day, so my energy will be at its lowest, but I have no classes on Thursday or Friday, so it will give me time to study and relax. But my most challenging days are Monday and Thursday. I also want to experiment with my schedule to see what I like the best     

George Carlin said humans aren’t affecting the world, but we only affect each other. The world will recital us like it has done thousands of times before. Current events like global warming are like the ice age, slowly declining. He makes the The Environment seem stupid, and we are all doomed. But then, in the end, it makes us seem that everything is ok. 

11/1/23 

 

Free writing- over the world, the population is collapsing. People are no longer interested in starting families. I believe this would be a good thesis statement. It pulls the reader in and has truth to it. Also, it brings lots of questions like where in the world? Why does no one want to start a family? Is this even true? Aren’t we facing the opposite problem right now? 

 

11/10/2023 

In my essay, I discuss the problem of population collapse or population decline. Population decline is when a country’s fertility rate falls under 2.1, This is the fertility rate of a country increasing or stabilizing its population. 

Thesis rewrite- overpopulation is no longer the issue. Now we must worry about the declining population. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11/29/23  

 

Something interesting I learned when researching my topic is that overpopulation is not an issue we face. This is talking about the world as a whole, over. It’s simply the need for more resources in an area. But this can and will be solved with technology. Humankind has always solved the most significant problems with technology. Also, many claim that underpopulation is good and will lessen the environmental strain. It’s foolish to solve our problems by waiting for humans to die out. It is cynical. The natural way we can save the environment is through technological advancement. If the population starts to collapse, then growth will also slow down, only prolonging are issues. 

 

12/5/2023 

 

Free writing- something valuable I learned in this class is that I enjoy writing. I wasn’t good at it, but it became much more manageable once I could pick what to write about. Even in my EG classes, I enjoy writing because it’s something that I am very interested in.