09 Class TUE OCT 04
Riddle
- Is the snake consciously baiting the bird?
- Did the snake consciously evolve this amazing adaptive development?
- Leave your thoughtful replies (or jokes) in the Reply field along with the rest of your daily class Notes.
Wake Up
Housekeeping
- Feedback
- Open any of your posts (Citations, Summaries, Claims, Stone Money)
- Add the post to the Feedback Please Category
- Leave a Reply on the post to help your professor provide the sort of feedback you would prefer.
- Grades
- Just a note to let you know I will be grading your early posts in Canvas
- Grades can be improved after they’re posted, but . . .
- . . . it’s easier to improve your grade by responding to feedback BEFORE your first grade is posted.
Writing Mechanics
- Paragraph Size
- One Main Idea per Paragraph
- Live Demo
- One Main Idea per Paragraph
- “By the Authors Explain”
- Tweaking your Citation Technique
- Specific Details
- Beware of IT and THIS
- Rhetorical Surrender
- Why you should never use Rhetorical Questions.
Today’s New Material
- A Demonstration of Claims Analysis
- Finding and Analyzing Claims In a video
- “Let’s Harvest the Organs of Death Row Inmates”
- A Model of Claims Analysis (of the Death Row Inmates video
alwaystired247
AnonymousStudent
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Caravan
cinderella1013
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gobirds17
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Gir
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Kenneth Alex Krug
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McCormick Karner
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xephos1
Counterintuitive Fall 2022 
Riddle: That is very mind boggling that the snake was capable of that. Throughout the video It just had different twists. The end, specifically, to learn that the bug wasn’t even a bug, it was just the end of the snake’s tail. Crazy.
Housekeeping: I do have some of the things in the feedback please, I also have revisions to work on so I will definitely be doing those in the very near future. Leave comment after revisions.
Writing Mechanics; Overuse of it, this and that. How to exchange those words for a better few words or sentences. I thought it was helpful to show how we can properly change “it” and “this” words to create a more informative sentence. Rhetorical questions are not a good mechanic to use at all. It allows the reader to answer and expect agreement, while you as the author try to make your claim.
I’m glad you noticed that asking a rhetorical question sets us up for failure, RH. Inviting our readers to answer with their own preconceptions merely reinforces what they believe already. Most of the time, our essays hope to change minds, not solidify old opinions.
3/3
Thank you. I also thought to how back in previous middle/high school language arts classes they would always include rhetorical question as way to open. So now that you pointed that out it is weird to look back on how they taught this tactic.
-The snake consciously baited the bird
-When we meet her face-to-face Cindy Crawford looks like this
-When Cindy Crawford looks at herself in a photograph, she looks like this, but if she looks at herself in the mirror, her mole is on the other side of her mouth.
-We put our assignments into “Feedback Please” so we can get some feedback on our assignments
-There will be grades posted to canvas, but if you don’t like the grade, you can ask for feedback and it can help improve your grade.
– We went over some writing mechanics, rhetorical and specific details.
-If your Summary has a purpose, be clear from the start.
-Your opening claim is twofold where one-fold would suffice
-We watched a video of Harvests the Organs of Death Row Inmates.
-The first part of the video is a claim, because it says let’s harvest the organs
-Death row inmates have asked to donate organs and every time they get denied
-An unfortunate side effect of hanging or poisoning the man is that his organs go sour before they can be transplanted.
You record what happened, Bubba, but I rarely see that you’ve derived an important lesson from what you’ve heard or what we discussed.
2/3
– IT and THIS makes it hard for the reader fully understand what you mean when you are writing. Using details and explaining what you are saying is much more effective in explains what you are trying to say. In Wazoo’s revised summary with IT and THIS replaced with specific details, the writing was much more clear and easy to understand, whereas in his original there were a few confusions. Wazoo should also explain what “bugs” are because “bugs” can be defined as creatures, cameras, or technical issues in a device. When he is talking about phones, a reader can easily be confused with the “technical issue” definition of bug.
– When you ask rhetorical questions, you give your reader a chance of forming their own opinion which may challenge your own. If this happens then it becomes harder to argue your own point because the author might not believe you even with all your reasoning. It’s better to guide your reader in your opinion so it flows better without any of the reader’s contradictions.
– Something I personally noticed was that the animation in the video distracts you into thinking you are watching some sort of cartoon which makes you lose your guard. With ridiculous animations such as the inmate opening his stomach and organs appearing, you feel like you don’t have to be critical/serious of the video because you get a childlike infatuation with the animation. While your are distracted, you fail to consider proper counterarguments with some of his claims such as the mayan example because it claims that these methods were used in the past for executions meaning it wouldn’t be a crazy idea. However, the mayans practiced these methods during human sacrifice so it may not be the best idea to follow their methods.
Excellent insight into the rhetorical value of the animation, NF. You’re exactly right that we’re put off our guard by the distractions of the video and less likely to critically dispute the actual content.
3/3
-If mirrors flip things , why left to right and why not top to bottom?
-mirrors don’t flip things at all
-We learned that we can request feedback on our work that we upload onto the blog. This is an important tool because receiving feedback on your work helps you improve your work.
-Overusing this,that, and it is not recommended in writing.
-a pronoun refers back to the noun first mentioned in the sentence. In the example the pronoun was his and the noun was David.
-Rhetorical questions in your essay are not recommended anymore. Growing up and throughout elementary as well as middle school, it was taught that starting essays off with rhetorical questions were the way to go.
-It invites your reader to argue with you , and they can change their minds before you can even get your point across. You want to persuade them and not argue with them
-It seems as if everything I’ve been taught when it comes to writing is not used anymore which just seems like a waste of time.
-In the video about death row inmates , the first few seconds of the video is a recommendation claim because “ Let’s harvest the organs of death row inmates” was stated.
– I am not an organ donor for the simple fact that I have heard so many negative things about what is done to the organs that belong to people of color.
-I found it hard to believe that death row inmates ask to donate their organs, simply because they are about to be killed so I just don’t think that they care to donate their own organs when they have bigger problems to worry about.
-I need to familiarize myself with the White Paper Assignment and get it done before Saturday.
-White paper is my first opportunity to gather and summarize sources for my argument
-It seems as if everything I’ve been taught when it comes to writing is not used anymore which just seems like a waste of time.
– I am not an organ donor for the simple fact that I have heard so many negative things about what is done to the organs that belong to people of color.
3/3
With the video of the snake I believe that the snake is consciously beating a bird. I believe that they have evolved to have this adaptive ability and have that advantage to catching prey easier. We then discussed the mirror paradox and how mirrors are not flipping left to right, its front to back. We switched gears into the mechanics of writing, and how to improve our mechanics. I myself when I text, write, or even talk I use the words “it” and “this” and “that” all the time. I tend to be very vague within my writing. I need to focus on using specifics to make it easier for readers to follow along with what I am saying. When you do not elaborate or use specific nouns instead of saying “it” and “this” completely changes the quality and understanding of your piece of writing. Also it is just as important to provide your reader with the right amount of background information, for what you’re about to talk about. You must pretend as if it is the first time they will be hearing about your topic. Another topic we discussed regarding mechanics of writing was about rhetorical questions. It is a very common opening for writers. It is to get the reader to start thinking about the topic, and their opinions. But this is a very bad thing to do. Because before you get to give your point of view, they may already have other opinions against yours after asking that rhetorical question. Instead of your writing a persuasive essay it has become argumentative. We then continue our discussion of analyzing claims. We started with a video titled “Let’s Harvest the Organs of Death Row Inmates.” The first word in the video was a claim “Let’s”. This is a recommendation, because it is offering the idea we are going to do something. When discussing the possibility of harvesting organs of the death row inmates they said that it was not allowed, though the inmates requested to have their organs donated. I don’t know if I need an organ transplant, I wouldn’t want a death row’s organ in my body it would freak me out.
I like your descriptions of the mechanical strategies for better writing, Reeses. Of course, I hope you never need an organ transplant, but if you do, I hope you’ll reach out to me first before accepting other offers. 🙂 I call myself your Professor-for-Life, so it only stands to reason.
3/3
The snake is baiting the bird, but did not consciously evolve the perfect color of the rock or the insect tail. Evolution works so that there are many different types of a species, colors, tails, et cetera. However, only the one that has the specific color of rock will blend in and the right tail that looks like an insect will be able to eat, but the others will fail. The ones that fail die, and the ones that succeed reproduce and pass along their good traits.
Notes
-Why do mirrors flip things? Why don’t they flip upside down or some other direction?
-They work on the Z axis. It is as if you are looking through the back of us to see the front of us.
-Reminder to put something in Feedback Please
-Pronouns refer to a previous noun
-Antecedent
-Go into specifics when there are It and This. If you fail to do this, it makes your topic unclear. Weakens your argument significantly and ruins the flow of the paper.
– In chess, black is the responder. White gets to move first.
-People will ANSWER your rhetorical question. If your answer to the question does not match the reader’s, it will cause the reader to disagree with you.
-You want to be the readers guide through an argument, not playing defense against their opinions.
-Bold claims work so much more smooth compared to rhetorical questions.
-Claim – Let’s harvest death row inmate’s organs.
-“Let’s” is asking for the reader’s cooperation. Proposal claim.
-Choice of “Harvest” in the claim makes a major difference in morality rather than the word “stealing”
-Brings about the possibility of wrongful convictions
-Execution ruins organs
-Should we save 12 people from the body of a killer?
-What about the millions of people who opt out of organ donation?
-Nobody was waiting for the “killer’s” heart specifically.
-The setup of the video makes you feel like we are wasting opportunities by ignoring death row inmate’s organs.
-White Paper Draft
Very strong Notes, Blue. I sense the value of almost every detail you’ve elected to record, not merely the content.
3/3
I feel that the snake is consciously bating the bird considering it moves its tail to look like a bug so that the bird comes
The mirror paradox
Cindy Crawford sees herself the way we do in a photograph
In the mirror her mole shifts to the other side
Why does the mirror flip us that way instead of other ways?
Mirrors don’t flip us at all
A pronoun has to refer back to a noun
Replace IT and THIS with meaningful information
Assuming the reader knows what your talking about when you use IT and THAT is a problem
Rhetorical questions
Terrible strategy because it invites the reader to argue before they’ve even understood your claim
Always on your defense
Like the black pieces in chess b/c white always starts first in chess
“Let’s harvest the organs of death row inmates”
Lets is the first claim
Then let’s harvest
Good Notes, GB.
Word order is crucial.
You confused me with: Cindy Crawford sees herself the way we do in a photograph.
I think you mean: Cindy Crawford sees herself in a photograph the way we do.
3/3
It is interesting how the snake is that intelligent to blend into the environment and this makes it hard for the birds. This is crazy because even the human eye has a hard time seeing these snakes. It is scary that the birds can’t see the snakes.
The fact that Cindy Crawford has a mole on her left side but when she looks at the mirror it appears on the right side. This makes people think that the mirror flips but this isn’t true it’s just our minds and eyes playing with us.
To improve your grade that is posted and you are not happy about you should ask for feedback before submitting it for a regrade. This is where we learn what we may be doing wrong like our interpretation of the topic of just poor writing skills.
Rhetorical questions are not good for when you are starting your essay because you want the readers to answer before they read the rest of the essay. This will cause an argument because you are then trying to persuade them.
Let’s Harvest the Organs of Death Row Inmates is an example of a persuasive claim. This is good practice from the claims assignment.
The white paper is a working process that allows you to organize your claims and arguments that goes along with your research.
Good Notes, Devils.
I’m confused by this: Rhetorical questions are not good for when you are starting your essay because you want the readers to answer before they read the rest of the essay.
I think you mean: Rhetorical questions are not good for when you are starting your essay because THEY ENCOURAGE YOUR READERS TO ANSWER WITH THEIR OWN BELIEFS, which is THE LAST THING YOU WANT THEM THINKING ABOUT.
3/3
The snake is definitely baiting the bird into landing near it, so it can pounce on it.
I don’t really know how evolution works, but I assume it adapted this ability over time.
Putting a post into “feedback please,” with a comment will help better revise writing with suggestions from professor.
Grades can be improved by being placed in “feedback please,” and in the reply field leave “re grade.”
Professor doesn’t care about grades, but is willing to help improve as often as you ask.
Beware of IT and THIS in writing. Use specific details to replace it and this.
Specific details provide the reader with the background information they need.
Rhetorical questions give power and momentum to the reader before the writer.
Almost invites the reader to argue with you.
Also almost as a white flag as surrendering to your reader.
Instead start with a straightforward claim.
If your summary has a surprise, be clear from the start what it is.
“Let’s,” starts a recommendation asking for permission to do something.
The Death Row video emphasized the technique of manipulation and persuasion.
White Paper due Sunday at 11:59.
About this part: Putting a post into “feedback please,” with a comment will help better revise writing with suggestions from professor. Grades can be improved by being placed in “feedback please,” and in the reply field leave “re grade.” Professor doesn’t care about grades, but is willing to help improve as often as you ask.
It’s completely true that I don’t care about your grades. But I will certainly help you write better if you ask me for feedback, and that should help you improve your grade. Grades can only be improved if you first revise your work before putting it into Feedback Please, of course. The best sequence would be 1) Write your best draft, 2) Request Feedback and instruct your professor what sort of help you seek, 3) Revise for improvement, 4) Return work to the Feedback Please category with a Reply requesting a regrade, 5) Receive better grade.
3/3
– the bird was baited clearly since that snake was that way due to evolution
– mirrors aren’t flipped, we flip them
– not the x or y axis but the z axis
– looking through not across or up/down
– pronouns has to refer back to a noun
– a pronouns needs a regular noun for context
– keep them closer to feel less removed
– “it” and “this” require context, so especially when the reader or audience is missing context DON’T lean on it as a crutch
– don’t treat the reader like a moron but don’t think they’re living in your head
– a rhetorical question just invites a distrust/ disagreement in your argument
– if you really believe your argument, why would you need to question someone? Tell them
– an argument isn’t as argumentative as it sounds
– be more persuasive
– asking questions invites conflict
– soften the reader up with your argument
– if you use a strong claim you sound more sure
– asking a question makes your argument flawed and makes it sound like your argument requires affirmation from someone
– evidence should be your affirmation
– asking a question is smugness and turns off an audience by making them feel intellectually inferior
– turn your question marks into periods
– “let’s” is the vocabulary of a call to action and therefore a call to action
– claim quality can influence your arguments based off of a flawed premise
– just because you’re so sure of your argument, doesn’t mean it’s bulletproof
– persuasion doesn’t always have to be morally right
-immoral persuasion could be propaganda
Very thoughtful, Bully.
I love “Rhetorical Questions are smugness.” I don’t remember what I said similar to that, but I didn’t say it as well as you did. They’re bait, an attempt to lead readers to make a mistake we can correct for them. Granted, we DO know better, but as good guides, we want to help them climb the ladder not push them off the ledge.
3/3
-The snake is definitely baiting the bird and has likely adapted this skill over time.
-When you look in the mirror, you see yourself the way it is projected. When someone looks at you, you actually see things in the flipped way so everything is opposite
-It is as if you are looking through the back of someone and that is the reflection that they see
-Grades will be put into canvas, but you need to ask for feedback because you want to improve your writing skills, not your grade in the class.
-Precede (before), antecede(ant), you must include the pronoun in the sentence or previous sentences to ensure that it is clear who he/she/his/hers/them/they/theirs
-Starting with a rhetorical question, you need to answer it immediately.
-However, it is not a good idea to use that because you are basically giving your audience the chance to argue with you before you even start your argument
-By asking a question, your audience becomes locked into that question and their answer. Any additional comments that contradicts the answer the audience has to your question will create an immediate argument
-Misusing a word can completely disrupt your argument and you can lose all credibility
-If people had to go out of their way to not donate their organs, like checking the box against it, many fewer people would say no
-Death row organ donations should be mandatory
When I’m king all organ donations will be mandatory.
I’m confused about: misusing a word can sink your whole argument. Wondering where that came from. Oh, wait. Harvest? It is decidedly inappropriate as used, but very effective for casual observers of the video. It sort of “makes” the whole argument, but deceptively, to my way of thinking.
3/3
2/16/22 44Elk In-Class Notes:
Unfortunately, today I got to class 10 minutes late. I walked in during a conversation about why mirrors “flip” (they don’t) the images that are presented to them.
Next, we talked about feedback. We also talked about how Mr. Hodges will be putting in grades soon, so I will definitely need to get more than one assignment in before he does that. :^ ) Hey, listen, this has happened before. I’m not perfect. I’m trying to be better this time.
Next, we talked about writing mechanics. We talked about pronouns that are overused (this, that, etc…) It’s best to use “his” in the same sentence as “David” for example. It is possible to use it in adjacent sentences while still talking about David, but it can get muddied up if used too much or too far away. We took a look at a previous student’s example of said improper usage; referring to “this” and “it” when nothing was established!
Next, we talked about rhetorical strategies and how they can relate to chess. Sometimes if we get the black pieces, we must move second and always be on the defensive. Mr. Hodges suggests that we start papers like a blank-chess board as the white pieces; we should take initiative. We must seize the day! (carpe diem) Establishing an argument is a battle. Every question we ask is a risk to lose the reader and we must press the attack in order to convince the reader to agree with us.
Next, we practiced identifying claims in a video about harvesting organs from death row inmates. I admire how Mr. Hodges takes so much time and can digest so much about this argument already after 2 sentences. C’mon. He spent 10 minutes talking about the first 2 sentences! And it was all insightful to the argument too! Despite its shaky frame, the argument was easy to agree with. However, it did leave out a lot of holes. Why worry about the easy-to-pick-on Death Row inmates when millions of people aren’t willing organ donors.
We finished class by talking about our White Paper assignment due Sunday night.
Being late didn’t prevent you from writing excellent Notes, Elk.
True, writing is a battle between offense and defense, but, like chess, it’s more a game than a war. We don’t want to vanquish our opponents; we want to guide our readers to new revelations.
You phrase things well. I really like “muddied up” and “shaky frame.”
3/3
Riddle
The snake is consciously baiting the bird by wiggling its tail, which looks like a bug.
Yes, the snake probably did develop this quality as time went on.
The Mirror Paradox
Mirrors do not flip the images from left to right. Instead, they just show the image being reflected backward not flipped.
Writing Mechanics
Beware of using words like “It” or “This” without any context.
Instead, replace these words with important background information and details that will allow the reader to understand the context.
Rhetorical questions invite the reader to argue with you, which is why they are not a good device to include.
When using a rhetorical question make sure that it is answered quickly.
Demonstration of Claims Analysis
To start the video, the word “Let’s” serves as a proposal claim since it is suggesting something.
The claims in the video sound opinionated and use a play on words to persuade the viewer.
Nice work, Spy.
Why do I resist believing the snake is being clever but accept that a chimp using a peeled twig to “fish” for ants in an anthill is making and using a tool? Am I prejudiced against reptiles? Surely that snake knows what it’s doing, right? It didn’t invent its “tail bug,” but it must be deliberately deploying it.
3/3
Todays notes:
Mirror Paradox:
This is totally irrelevant but I can’t stop thinking about an episode on murderville with Marshawn Lynch where the two way mirror in the interrogation room is broken and Marshawn and the main character mirror the two people in the interrogation room to make them think it’s not broken (it’s super funny, if you’ve never seen it, it’s definitely worth a watch.)
Writing mechanics:
Be careful with it and this
-can be overused
-Only use when it’s abundantly clear what the word is referring back to.
Rhetorical questions:
Bad strategy because it invites your reader to answer before you even give them evidence or your answer
puts you on the defensive
Let’s harvest the organs of death row inmates:
I think this is a weird concept
– Even if I needed a kidney, I don’t know if I would want a kidney of someone that was on death row…
-Also do they mean people that actually get killed on death row? Or people that are on death row? There are a lot of people who sit on death row for years without actually being killed. (I’m specifically thinking of cases like Darlie Routier)
-Also would it make the court more likely to deny appeals on death row because their organs could go to “better use”?
-Also nowadays death row is sort of a highly debated topic and it’s really hard to get on death row, and even harder to actually get executed.
-Their claims do make sense, however I’m also pretty sure there’s only like 27 states where capital punishment is legal
-Is it still a factual claim if the “fact” presented isn’t true?
-Also I think the method of execution is dependent on the state? I don’t think hangings are even legal at all in the US but not entirely sure? I think now it’s just lethal injection (except I believe four/five states have the electric chair and some it’s only allowed to be used in cases where lethal injection is unconstitutional) but now it’s being debated because they believe lethal injection to potentially be painful.
Found it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN9b35D06D8
I particularly like the line, “We don’t have time to discuss the implausibility of this scenario!”
You certainly had a active mind today. 🙂
Oh, and yeah, it’s still a factual claim even if the fact isn’t factual, just like we still call an essay a persuasive essay on intention alone even when it isn’t.
3/3
I believe that the snake saw the bug, and decided to use that bug to bait the bird and use it to its advantage.
The mirror paradox- we see things differently than others see themselves. if mirrors flip things, why left to right instead of top to bottom.
– all about perspective
avoid “it” and “this”
Be more specific in purposeful summaries
Rhetorical questions are a terrible strategy because it puts the reader at an uncomfortable place. You don’t want them to argue with you before you even present your opinion.
you want to be straightforward with your reader and not confuse them.
First claim “let’s harvest” – “lets steal” – taking organs that do not belong to you, they are death row inmates and no one has any sympathy for them
“Maybe we should turn scheduled death into renewed life”
Certain claims that are made tend to be biased or completely untrue
You’re right, of course, Swim. No matter that I will persuade you for 15 weeks to make the boldest, most persuasive claims possible, I recognize that if you master the skill you can just as easily misuse it as deploy it for good. 🙂 Be careful who you convince.
3/3
Riddle
I’d imagine the snake is in fact consciously baiting this bird. It seems the snake adapted to target certain prey and imitate animals of its particular environment.
Mirror Paradox
If mirrors flip things horizontally, why left to right? Not up and down? Mirrors don’t flip things. We simply don’t see things flipped horizontally in real life which is why it seems as though the mirror has flipped your image. In reality your right shoulder would line up with itself when looking in a mirror.
Discussion
IT and THIS
Pronouns must have a clear antecedent
Using it and this makes it difficult to understand what subject matter is being discussed. Specific details must be included to clearly convey “it” and “this”.
Rhetorical Questions
Rhetorical questions are a terrible strategy. You don’t want your reader to start arguing your points and making their own conclusions before you have proven your argument. Rhetorical questions invite the argument. Once your reader has answered your rhetorical questions wrong it is extremely unlikely that they can be converted back to agreeing with your viewpoint
Claims
Let’s (recommendation) harvest (not steal) the organs of death row inmates (why? no sympathy for death row inmates).
“…we should turn scheduled death into renewed life.”
One of your classmates called Rhetorical Questions “smug,” which I admire. You say it differently but as well: “Once your reader has answered your rhetorical questions wrong it is extremely unlikely that they can be converted back to agreeing with your viewpoint.”
It’s very presumptuous of us (but it’s our job as essayists) to believe so much in our own position that other peoples’ appear “wrong,” and it’s the height of rudeness to con them into answering “wrong” so we can correct them on it. Readers want to be guided to revelation, not shamed out of their preconceptions.
3/3
Notes
A snake pretends to be a bug to lure in prey (the bird) and then kills them.
Add feedback please on one of our works so that you can give us purposeful feedback with our work.
You don’t care about grades, you only care about what our writing looks like. But if we do care about our grades, you care too so you will look at them.
A pronoun has to refer back to a noun, otherwise readers have no clue who “his” is.
The problem using pronouns so frequently is that it is hard for the reader to follow because they have no specific name to go back to.
The player playing black pieces in chess has to be innovative to play against white pieces.
This is to gather and summarize to talk about what you are planning to argue.
You can have a couple of hypothesis, you are suggesting that we have at least two
I’m going to poke a little gentle fun at you, f0restrun. Forgive me. Your “This” has no antecedent:
“This is to gather and summarize to talk about what you are planning to argue.”
Otherwise, your Notes are fine. 🙂
3/3
COMP II Notes – 2.16.22
Riddle:
I do think the snake was baiting the bird
From my view it seemed like the snake was flaunting his tail
The mirror paradox was interesting but a little confusing at times
Mirrors don’t flip things*
Note: Put claims task in feedback please; Still working on revisions for other posts
Chess –> white has advantage, black always plays defense
Talked about grades –> I am interested in knowing our grades; to see how I’m doing in class.
Rhetorical Questions:
Don’t use them
It allows too much time for the reader to form their own opinions, persuasion will be harder
Won’t draw the reader in anymore or change their opinion
Reminder: White paper draft due Sunday
Apologies for the lateness; forgot to hit submit/post
For my money, “confusing at times” is a good place to be when regarding paradoxes early in the morning. 🙂
3/3
Notes 09/16/2022
Is the snake consciously baiting the bird?
The snake is most likely baiting the bird since they are able to trick them with their tails to think of an insect crawling around. This is a perfect method used to get their prey at the perfect angle making the attack quick.
Did the snake consciously evolve this amazing adaptive development?
Yes, the snake adapted to its environment making it easy to blend into the environment around him making it a perfect way of getting food supply and protecting itself from other predators.
The Mirror Paradox is how we see each other from a photograph compared to seeing ourselves in the mirror. When we look in the mirror beauty marks change sides as well as our perspective. While looking in the mirror our appearance flips things from left to right not up and down. Our brain thinks differently making us think that we are flipped but instead we look at ourselves from a perspective of how others see us. Mirrors show us from front to back.
Put assignments into Feedback please for revision work before getting a grade to have time to look over the work and make corrections.
The words IT and THIS are overused in some writing which can make it and instead we should use more details to explain the things we are talking about in a sentence. Give background information for the reader to understand and connect the sentences with informative details. It can be easy to use simple words to prevent ourselves from going into too much detail but it can also prevent us from giving any important information. For example, Precede, and Antecedent (ant)
Rhetorical questions can be difficult to work with since readers want to know the answer to the question given. They invite the reader to argue with you which is not an effective strategy. Instead, stating your opinion and leaning towards convincing the reader to agree with you or to start an argument from your statement after reading is a lot more effective and to the point.
Let’s Harvest the Organs Of Death Row Inmates:
Recommendation claim: We are going to work together if we are allowed to work on creating something with the materials and resources we own but can not do this without asking someone. We can only steal organs from death row inmates since there is no sympathy for them based on their horrific flaws.
Hanging and poisoning
Causal claim: Hanging and poisoning are examples of a cause and the effect of this wrongdoing is the death of this individual.
A simple reason is that execution generally ruins organs before they can be harvested.
Ethical and Moral Claim: Ruined organs are the reason to deny transplants after they are executed by electricity, hanging, or poison so we should not be blaming this on the judges.
White paper: Summarize sources for the topic
2 hypothesis
5 sources (google scholar) purposeful summary for each
Perforablt topics that can be used for the smaller papers
A paragraph stating how the paper is going, what you need, and what you have accomplished.
Very thorough notes, Cookie.
One thing about the Mirror Paradox. You said: ” Our brain thinks differently making us think that we are flipped but instead we look at ourselves from a perspective of how others see us. Mirrors show us from front to back.”
What’s most surprising about the way mirrors reflect us is that NOBODY sees us the way we see ourselves in a mirror, except us. To see ourselves the way OUR TWIN sees us, we would walk forward away from ourselves and TURN AROUND to face ourselves, lining up our right shoulder with our twin’s left shoulder. But our mirror images DON’T TURN AROUND. They line up our right shoulder with our right shoulder, creating an image nobody else ever sees unless they “flip” our photos left to right.
3/3
10/4 comp notes
-the snake likely did evolve to adapt to its surroundings.
-mirror makes it look like she is looking from the back to the front
-break paragraphs down into one main idea
-post on feedback please
-don’t rely on “it” or “this”. provide material and information. readers don’t know what you know
-“we” over “you”
-try going back to Purposeful Summary to check for “it” or “this”
-stay away from rhetorical questions if you have not provided your side of the view already
The snake consciously baited the bird by using camouflage to disguise himself, then pretending his tail was a bug in order to attract it. When the bird came over to eat the bug, the snake caught it and ate it instead. I am not sure if that snake was born with that tail or not, but if it was, I’m sure its ancestors developed it over time in order to easier catch prey.
We have to make sure to properly word your sentences, as well as be grammatically correct, to ensure readers understand our points clearly. Some phrases have multiple meanings depending on how we read them. For example, the sentence “Rinse well with water and dry hands,” could confuse people. We could fix this mix-up by adding “with paper towel” to the end. We could also add a comma after the word “and,” even though it is not grammatically required. We want to make sure we are saying exactly what we mean.
If we were to meet Cindy Crawford, we would see her the same as we do in photos. When she sees pictures of herself, she sees herself this way as well. Though, when she looks in the mirror, she sees a horizontally flipped version of herself. It makes us wonder why mirrors flip things horizontally instead of vertically. The answer is that a mirror does not flip things left-to-right, but rather flips things front-to-back. It causes Cindy Crawford to view herself as though we are viewing her from behind.
Long paragraphs are not always the way to go. They take away from allowing us to make multiple points about one source. We should start a new paragraph every time our focus shifts. It could be the difference between a good and bad essay.
We have to make sure not to include too many points in one sentence. We should break up our thoughts in a way that flows clearly. Make sure that when we write a purposeful summary, it summarizes and does not include too much filler information without at least stating our point. We have to avoid “it” and “this,” as well as replace every “you’ with “we.” Instead of using “it,” we should describe what it is that that word is referring to. We should not assume our reader has the same knowledge as we do. We should describe every important aspect of the article as if we are explaining it to someone who is reading it for the first time, because many times, we are.
You should not use rhetorical questions because, if not used correctly, you are inviting readers to answer and already disagree with your point before you even argued for or against it. You do not want to ask something like, “In what circumstances do you think a woman should pay for the date?” then allow them to say “no” and make up their mind before you could even answer your own question. We should also not word things in a biased or negative way. We do not want to offend readers because that will immediately cause them to become defensive and disagree with you.
For homework, we have to complete the “Finding and Analyzing Claims” assignment. The link and instructions are on the Daily Agenda for October 4th. Claims can be anything from one word to an entire sentence. They are courses of action, or proposals of plans.
10/4 Class Notes
– In the riddle, the snake is consciously baiting the bird to catch its prey and ultimately have a meal. The snake did not consciously evolve this adaptive development. Throughout time, snakes have developed these adaptive skills from the failures of the snakes before them.
– In the video, I did not see the snake hiding in the rock. The snake has adopted excellent camouflaged skin and a tail that looks like a bug to catch its prey. Although the snake did not consciously develop these adaptive characteristics, it adapted and consciously baited the bird for prey.
– The sign in the bathroom “rinse well with water and dry hands” should be written as “rinse well with water, and dry your hands with a paper towel.” This clarifies the order of the steps and tells readers exactly what it means. This can be used in our writing to help clarify to readers what we mean to reduce confusion and how we want our writing to be perceived.
– The mirror paradox can be seen when we look at Cindy Crawford, we see her mole on the right side. When she sees herself in a photograph the mole would also be on the right side. But, when she looks at herself in the mirror, the mole is flipped to the left side. A mirror flips things horizontally and not vertically because a mirror perceives an image as if you were looking at yourself from behind in the mirror and not face to face.
– To receive feedback on certain elements of my paper, I must put my post in feedback please, and leave a reply telling my professor what kind of feedback I would like to receive. After receiving feedback, I can then revise my paper based on the suggestions of my professor to improve my grade.
-Regarding paragraph size and organization, it is important we only include one main idea per paragraph. This helps keep the focus on your individual topics and creates more clarity for readers. This was hard for me to grasp at first because I was taught in high school to write 5 paragraph essays. In these 5 paragraph essays, each paragraph would cover all different aspects of a topic. I now see that formatting an essay like this does not touch on each main point thoroughly and convey it clearly to readers.
– When we use “this” and “it” in writing we are assuming that our readers know what we are referring to. Instead, we should state exactly what we are referring to such as “the theory I have touched on.” This helps clarify to readers and prevents them from searching for what we are referring to. Instead of readers guessing what we are talking about it is important to exactly tell readers how we want our work to be perceived.
– In high school, I was taught that a rhetorical question is what makes an essay intriguing and well-written. After learning about rhetorical questions in class, I have learned that asking such questions leaves room for readers to draw a conclusion that was not intended. This invites our readers to counteract our argument before we even start. Our writing should be forcing readers to find counterarguments if there are any. If we start with a rhetorical question we instantly give readers counterarguments and must write the rest of the paper playing defense trying to prove those arguments wrong.
Riddle
I do think that the snake is purposefully trying to bait the bird
It was pretty cool to see the snake trick the bird into getting eaten
Wake Up (The Mirror Paradox)
When you look at Cindy Crawford her mole in on her left side
The same way she faces towards a camera is the same way we see her
If Cindy Crawford was to face a mirror, her mole would be on the right
A mirror flips things horizontally instead of vertically
A mirror doesn’t flip left-to-right it flips front to back
Don’t think two-dimensionally, think three-dimensionally
Housekeeping
Make sure to put your work into the feedback category
You can improve your grades, but it is easier to improve your work with feedback before your first grade is posted
Writing Mechanics
Stick to one main idea per paragraph
Every time your paper shifts focus to something else start a new paragraph
If you break up your ideas, it may make you see how underdeveloped your ideas really are
Having multiple paragraphs is like having stepping stones
We convince you every step you take through our papers
Make sure to link the source to the title of the article in your paper
In Wazoo’s purposeful summary, we still don’t even know what the ‘bug’ is that he is talking about
You need to provide the reader with enough information in order to use ‘this’ or ‘it’
Don’t use rhetorical questions because it gives the reader an opportunity to come up with their own position on the matter before you can even stake a claim
– I think the snake is consciously baiting the bird. I also think it was consciously evolving to learn this skill. There would be no reason for it to have that tail if it didn’t know how and when to use it.
– Paragraphs should contain only one main idea. Following the rule of one main idea per paragraph, when your focus shifts, immediately start a new paragraph.
– It is better to expand on your small ideas, making them more complex, than leaving them underdeveloped. Having a few complete complex ideas leads to a better paper.
– Think of it as providing stepping stones. We want the reader to acknowledge the value of each step, convince the reader that each step there is evidence for whatever I am trying to convey.
– Starting the sentence with IT or THIS can leave the reader confused with what you are trying to talk about. The writer mistakenly thinks that the reader knows any background information or can follow along clearly. Be specific so everything is clear because it can make all the difference in the quality of one’s work.
– Be careful with rhetorical questions, as they can corner the reader into thinking just about that idea. The reader should be able to give a counterargument and rebuttal instead of being forced to hone in on a fixed idea. You immediately lose control of the argument.
– Let’s- This in itself is a proposal claim.
Class Notes:
-The snake consciously baited the bird. The snake was born with those features so the snake will use what he was born with to help himself.
-Rinse well with water and dry (your) hands with paper towel.
-With any of our writings so far list them in the feedback if you want to know professors opinion, but leave a reply on what you want him to look at so he helps you where and how you need it
-You can tell if an essay is good or not based on the paragraphs. If you write a 5 paragraph essay, then you only have room for 5 ideas. Whenever you focus shifts then you should start a new paragraph so you aren’t writing and jamming a bunch of things inside of one paragraph. It just gets confusing at that point because the reader thinks that those things in that paragraph are related when they aren’t.
-While writing, “it” and “this” should be ignored. Many students use those fluently and sometimes don’t even realize that they have used “it” or “this”. It will be hard at first, but once the writer adapts it will make their writing way better and more clear.
-Writers should stay away from opening up with a rhetorical question because they will make a claim to that question before you get to explain it. What the writer should do is lead the reader into asking that question.
-Let’s is a proposal claim. In the video with the claim about harvesting the organs of death row inmates it is an example of an analogy claim.
– The snake is consciously baiting the bird. The snake used its tail to act like a worm or other inset to attract the bird in order to make it easier for it to attack. The tail was most likely an adaptation as a way to make hunting easier for the species.
– The mirror paradox: Cindy Crawford is the only one who can see herself in a mirror. No one else sees her beauty mark on the same side of her face as she does. A mirror flips things front to back, not left to right. Things would be completely flipped if a mirror was left to right.
– When asking for feedback in the Feedback Please category, it helps to leave a message asking for a specific type of feedback and advise.
– We have to start a new paragraph when you switch topics. This helps keep things clear and organized. One topic per paragraph.
– A paragraph should also only be big enough to explain our topic. If a paragraph is too big, we have just wasted words on something that can be simplified.
– “By the authors explain”, makes no sense when reading it. There is no need to put the “by” in the paper. We can just say, “In the article, the authors explain…”
– When we say “it” and “this” in our paper, we have to provide the background information needed to explain what is trying to be said. By leaving out the essential information, the paper is so vague and doesn’t really convey any claims.
– Rhetorical questions allow the reader to name their position on the matter before we even begin to say our point of view. It become harder to show the reader a different side of the argument, as they already made their mind up.
* The snake is baiting the bird. I don’t think the snake immediately tries to bite the bird because it wants to get it where it wants it. Looking at the video, the snake has a part of his tail that looks like a bug and uses it to trick birds.
* The sentence “Rinse well with water and dry hands” creates a grammar puzzle that can seem a little confusing. If “with paper towel” was added, then the sentence would be a lot better.
* Punctuation wise: you could “your” to make the sentence “rinse well with water, and dry your hands with paper towel.” And add a comma before and.
* A mirror doesn’t flip things from left to right, it flips things front to back. The difference is that is appears that the mirror flips things one day, when in actuality, it doesn’t at all do that.
* Answer to Mirror Paradox Question: I remember always being taught that mirror flipped what we saw because everything that we see is upside down and a mirror flips that image right-side-up. I think that its so hard to to talk to ourselves about the illusion of mirrors because we know that they flip things, but we never paid attention to which way they flipped things.
* Some paragraphs that we write are too big. In high school, we’re taught that a paragraph has a main idea which leads to big paragraphs. It doesn’t work like that in college and you can change it up, especially in college.
* If you break your paragraphs into different ideas, and they looks too small and underdeveloped, you can look back at them and add more to them.
* IF YOU’RE WRITING A PAPER OR ESSAY, AND YOU HAVE 10 DIFFERENT IDEAS, THEN EACH IDEA SHOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT PARAGRAPHS
* Be more specific when using “this” or “it”
* If they don’t clear up the things that were said, then the paragraph will be unclear to the audience. With that being said the problem needs to eye fixed.
* Rhetorical questions can invite the audience to answer and put you on the defense in your own paper.
* Making bold claims is a way for the audience to see your point without making you look like a butthole
* Taking something that I didn’t put time ad energy into isn’t harvesting, its poaching
Did the snake consciously bait the bird? It seems that the snake is very experienced in doing so. Wiggling the tail looking exactly like a spider. It fooled even my human eye, but then again they aren’t as advanced as a predator such as a bird. It apparently also fooled the bird since it got captured by the snake. Did they just evolve this adaptive development? This appears to be an adaptive development most due to the fact that they need to eat food in some way. This would be the best way to bait your prey, but not always successful on the first attempt. You’ll be experienced through failure and that’ll eventually lead to success.
Why does a mirror flip things horizontally and not vertically? A mirror doesn’t flip left to right but rather front to back in other words 3 dimensionally.
Instead of having ridiculously long paragraphs with ideas cluttered up together, splitting them up would be most beneficial. When the ideas shift is when they should be broken up into different paragraphs. You can easily catch the lack of evidence or claims from the ideas when the ideas are split.
“It and This” makes it harder for the reader to understand. I tend to use “it and this” a lot in my writing which is a horrible habit to form. I guess the reason would be because I get stuck on what word exactly I want to use to start the sentence. Replacing “It and This” with specific details would clarify what exactly you want to explain.
You should never use rhetorical questions. As the writer it surrenders all the power and momentum to the reader. Readers have the opportunity to answer the questions and make up their own minds, but the writer should make up their minds for them. It allows the reader to argue with you and they could change their minds before you even get your point across.
Everything I was taught throughout my elementary school days seem to be quite useless and wrong to an extent. They taught me to thoroughly explain my ideas throughout my paragraph. In most cases causes me to over write and over explain my ideas which create more ideas. It ends up just being very chaotic.
Make sure you are taking advantage of the feedback (and specify the type of feedback!)
The only person that really cares about grades is the student. The real objective is to become a better overall writer
Your paragraph should only include one main topic
Every time your focus changes, you should create a new paragraph
Writing about many things that multiple ideas can muddle your writing.
A lot of times you can expand on the little ideas you throw out absentmindedly
Ambiguity in your writing can create confusion and may mislead your readers
Make sure you actually summarize the purposeful summary
It and this can allow the writer to refer to material that the reader hasn’t been introduced to
Without its and this, a lot more information gets unearthed that creates a much more detailed article
Rhetorical questions pass the ball to the reader, and takes the power away from the writers’ hands.
The snake does in fact consciously bait the bird. I believe that the snake has evolved into keeping this sort of strategy since it most likely has helped a lot in the past for the snake.
Don’t try to fit as much information that you can into one paragraph. Try to keep it simple and always make it so that there is only one main idea per paragraph. You’re just going to end up with giant paragraphs for no reason.
When you are writing, everytime you start or want to say “this”, you have to explain what you are talking about. If it is a theory, then explain that it is a theory. We don’t want our readers scrambling to find out what something is supposed to mean. Make it clear.
There will be no purposeful summary if you aren’t actually writing a summary and just guessing that they know what you are talking about without explaining.
Stop using these rhetorical questions. It causes you to play defense the entire time when writing your essays. It would’ve helped if this essay was about playing defense, but it is quite the opposite.
– I believe the snake is consciously baiting the bird, although the snake did not consciously decide to evolve that way.
– Be careful with grammar to clarify what you mean in your writing. For example, the sentence, “Rinse well with water and dry hands,” could be said as, “Rinse well with water, and dry your hands with paper towel.”
– Paragraphs should have one main idea per paragraph, split ideas surrounding one topic into multiple paragraphs. Breaking up paragraphs into subjects can help you see what you can expand on or spent too much time on.
– Replace broad terms like “this” and “it” with specific phrases that can properly express what you mean.
– Rhetorical questions open the opposing side to fight back. Argumentative writing should be in the “offense” to have the upper hand. To use a rhetorical question, you have to be able to answer it immediately.
Riddle-
I think the tail that looks like a bug was evolved over millions of years through small mutations. Over time the population with the mutation grew and they were more successful in hunting therefore they were able to pass on more genes. I do not think the hunting style is a conscious effort. I think instincts are different than a conscious thought and animals hunt off of instincts. That snake could move its tail like that all day even when prey is not around but the video does not show us if that’s the case or not.
Mirror Paradox-
Why do mirrors flip things horizontally? They don’t they flip things front to back. It seems like they flip horizontally because when we view them a mole or a freckle on your face is on the opposite side when looking in a mirror. Looking through a mirror is like seeing through the back of yourself and looking at yourself.
Housekeeping-
When putting things in feedback please make sure you specify what you actually need feedback on. You can also ask for a grade on there.
Writing Mechanics-
Make sure to use somewhat similar size paragraphs. Each paragraph contains one main idea. When writing if you make a paragraph break when you switch ideas you can clearly see which ideas are under developed or what is too wordy. This can help you write more clearly and more concise. You can think of it as stepping stones. Each paragraph leads you to the final conclusion.
Make sure you hide the links behind the title.
When inputting titles make sure you don’t use language like “by the authors” this creates the idea there is a second point other than their writing. Usually its not the case. In the example simply deleting “by” solved the issue.
Purposeful Summary exercise-
Be careful when using this to start a sentence. It is better to specify what “this” is and then explaining. Helpful technique would be to reread your essay and try to replace each use of “this” and “that” with more illustrative details.
Avoid using YOU in writing. One way to change this is by using “us”
Rhetorical Surrender-
The problem of asking a rhetorical question is you can receive an answer you did not expect. Then you are on the defensive for the rest of your argument. For our research paper we want to be on the offensive.
We can start with a counterintuitive claim.
Claims Analysis-
First claim is the word “let’s” and “let’s harvest”. This video is making an ethical argument.
You can use language like repeatedly to almost exaggerate. It could really be twice but the phrasing makes it seem like more.
-I think the snake baited the bird. For the snake is bringing it in with its deceiving tail. -I’m sure that snake consciously practiced with that maneuver.
-Crab grass also keeps its life from the lawnmower by staying low to the ground. I think crab grass was always low and thats why it continuously grows as lawnmowers -can’t cut low enough.
-The mirror paradox is interesting. The trick is that the perspective of a person flips the left and rights of a person. A mirror reflects the image back. Its not as though its from the perspective of a person. Nothing flips when looking in a mirror. Words look like they flipped backwards but they are spelled right to left on your clothes so thats how it is in the mirror.
-Teacher does not care about grades. Wants us to be better writer.
-Paragraphs should maintain one idea.
-If there is a shift in an idea then create a new paragraph.
-Make paragraphs the stepping stones for readers.
-Be careful about using words like “this” and “it.” For the reader might not comprehend the same way you do. Using these words leave the door open to ambiguity.
-Use specific details to replace “it’ and ‘this”
-Essay is not about defense. You got to present your argument and back it up to beat the opponent trying to rebuttal.
-One word answers that come from rhetorical questions are a no-no.
-Asking open ended rhetorical questions is like digging a trench.
10/04/22
College Composition 2
Riddle
The snake is just using camouflage as an adaptation. The snake has grown to hide from bird predators as well as it helps in catching for this instance.
Housekeeping
Add your white paper as well as stone money into the feedback category so he can give advice on your writings.
Paragraphs should contain one main idea per paragraph.
If you use a paragraph break after you use an idea, this can help you become a better writer by being able to conclude ideas instead of just putting ideas into your readers brain’s.
Make sure you provide evidence for ideas, writing is a process that takes steps to master.
Hide your link behind the title of the source you used; you can do this by copying the link then highlighting the title of the source and you can just drop your link right in there.
Be warned against the use of it or this; this is because you must be as clear as possible to the readers.
I appreciate the, it or this lecture because I know I definitely do use it or this in little detail in my writings sometimes.
Rhetorical questions must get answered as soon as you finish asking them.
Start with a straightforward claim instead of rhetorical questions that can be very helpful in guiding your reader.
Identifying claims together: “Let’s harvest the organs of death row inmates”
This claim “Let’s harvest the organs of death row inmates” is an analogy.
Notes Oct 4
Notes –
Riddle – I definitely don’t think the snake consciously did that because given the eye arrangement of a snake ( on the sides ) I don’t believe he would see his tail the same we would. I feel he leaves it in front of him on purpose to protect the rest of his body and that’s why it is the way it is because it is the first thing to be attacked when a predator comes. Based on the reaction time of the snake you can tell that he is very used to being attached and very easily startled therefore further proving my conclusion. Although I would love to believe that this is on purpose I am much more logical at heart and don’t see it possible for the snake to have this ability.
Rinse well with water and dry hands
Meant to be a simple direction shows us that imperative sentences like this among other sentences can be misleading without the correct amount of words and proper punctuation.
Mirror Paradox
Her mole is something unique on one side of her face which gives us more indication than we would with another person of the side of her face we are looking at. When she sees the mole in the mirror she sees it on the other side of her face, something that nobody else can see that way. She can see it the way other people see it in pictures but it isn’t normal for her that way. A mirror flips front to back instead of left to right. It is
Feedback on stone money
We had bad highschool teachers. In highschool I amongst others were trained very well to meet a certain minimum paragraph requirement and were encouraged to even go beyond that and jam more into a paragraph. DON’T. State one idea in one paragraph, it is cohesive and easier to read and make sure you get a fully developed idea out before you begin to talk about something else. Break your ideas a lot more and don’t fall into the trap of trying to make paragraphs longer.
Working through revisions
Going through a multitude of examples of revisions made I was able to see first hand how easily minor mistakes can fall through our grasps. I also was able to see that little changes can enhance the argument and that writing more doesn’t always means you have more claims
Claims Video – Harvesting organs – ( disturbing video )
Claims don’t need much thinking to them.You don’t need to think too much to find a claim although it might seem that they have to be found. For example “ lets “ is a claim. Lets is a proposal, a suggestion. Using the word harvest is making a claim that what is being harvested is ours when it isn’t, its analogy.
( finished outside of class some more claims I was able to find)
“A simple reason” this can be a claim of evaluation because the author is evaluating one potential reason of many
“ consider “ is yet another proposal or suggestion claim.
“Could have saved two babies” ethical claim because he feels that two babies are more important than one, can also be a analogy claim because he is comparing the importance of one baby’s life to two babies lives
“ we should encourage death through organ donation” ethical claim because he is professing how something should be in society
“Should consider turning scheduled death into renewed life” yet another ethical claim
Class Notes 08- The snake in the clip has unconsciously & non deliberately adapted to the challenges that arose in its environment
Mirrors don’t reflect left to right/up & down; they reflect front to back
– Structure paragraphs; Break ideas down into multiple paragraphs, rather than mashing ideas together to create paragraphs
Replace “It”& “This” with necessary background information as to not confuse the reader
You should direct the flow of your argument; you can do this by not using rhetorical questions and use straightforward claims
The use of rhetorical questions now seem a little redundant. Bolder claims make for a much more assertive & argument; I won’t be using as many rhetorical questions in my premise, & instead I’ll be using claims
Yes I believe that the snake adapted to develop a tail that looks like a bug to attract its meals
When we look into a mirror, we believe that the image of ourselves or the item being reflected is being flipped. But after discussing it in class, the image is brought from front to back. For example, in the picture of Cindy Crawford, the letters on her shirt would still be in the same spot if you looked at a different version of yourself.
Its easier to improve your grade by repsojding to feedback, before the initial grade is posted
A paragraph contains one idea. If you look at the stone money for example, do not structure it with Introduction, Yap, Bitcoin, and conclusion
Focus on an idea that contains quotes from multiple sources
Every sentence is a small essay, every paragraph is a small essay
The first sentence from the previous paragraph typically is transition sentence that effectively convinces the reader
Its easier for a writer to convince us if the steps are clearly identified
In other words, make paragraphs smaller
Make sure to use links in your essays, do not drop the whole URl into a paragraph
Professor breaks down a stone money essay explaining how to break up paragraphs and not follow “what we were taught” in years past
You must identify what this and it is talking about. You have to keep in the mind that your readers are most likely not in your class and dont know what you are talking about
We are technically stealing organs of death Row inmates since harvesting by defintion is putting time and money into something
Class Notes (10/04/2022 9:30 am COMP II)
Writing Mechanics
-an individual paragraph organizes ONE idea
-a singular paragraph builds evidence around a single idea
-every paragraph is a small essay
-each paragraph introduces one new idea, provides evidence supporting the same new idea, and concludes the same new idea
-longer paragraphs are less effective
-paragraphs need to be depended on the claims you are making
-the live demo gave a great explanation of how to fix your paragraphs and strengthen your essay
-be alert to what your sentence really says, don’t add unnecessary context
-writing about something you are familiar with can cause you to forget to thoroughly introduce your claim
-just because you understand your topic, doesn’t mean your audience does
-make sure you properly explain your claim
-“You’re the author. The chessboard is yours. Play white. Start first.”
-Love this analogy, start your paper as the offense
-don’t ask rhetorical questions, it shows weakness in your claims, and shows you are not confident in your statements
-there are a lot of refelections and corrections to be taken from today’s lesson and apply it to my work
10/4
Housekeeping
– For feedback, leave a reply to the post in the feedback section with what you want to be reviewed
Writing Mechanics
– Paragraphs develop only one idea, so main paragraphs should not be incredibly long.
– Any breaks in ideas in a paragraph should just be a new paragraph rather than adding new info to the existing one.
– Don’t make assumptions from sources you’ve read. Only elaborate on what is being said in the article
– Paragraphs should be 150 words or so
– Be cautious using “it” and “this” in your writing, make sure you give ample clues beforehand so your audience knows who or what “it” and “this” are.
– Use terms like “this theory”, “this person”, or “this argument” to further specify your writing
Rhetorical Surrender
– Play on offense, like the white pieces in chess, always make your move first, and make your audience respond to you
– Stay away from asking questions that entice a one word, black and white answer like “always” or “never”
– You shouldn’t ask rhetorical questions because you are leaving it wide open to interpretation by the reader
– Create stepping stones for your reader to lead them to where you want them.
Claims analysis
– “Let’s” is a recommendation claim
10/4
I think the snake was doing everything purposefully in the riddle. Animals are known to naturally adapt to their environment, and watching the snake it seemed like it was something it’s done before.
Mirror Paradox- mirrors flip front to back not left to right.
Each paragraph should build evidence on one idea. Breaks in ideas can split up paragraphs. Instead of moving on, give enough opportunity to persuade. The size of the paragraph should relate to the size of the idea.
“By the authors explain”- using these words can create an unnatural sentence. Add or take out words to make citations less confusing.
If you are going to reference ideas, you need to give the necessary background to the reader. “This needs to be better.” – make sure to explain what “this” is.
Don’t use rhetorical questions. Using it in the intro of an argument is like playing defense at the start of a chess game. You should be trying to persaude, not giving the reader questions that will lead them off the essay’s main idea or going against it.
Claim examples from video – “let’s”- recommendation, “let’s harvest the organs of death row inmates”- ehical claim
Yes, the snake consciously bites the bird. It has a tail that looks like a bug and the rest of itself blends in with the surroundings. It is using these tactics consciously because it was born with these characteristics. I was born with legs and use them to walk because it seems to be the best way to move myself as a bipedal animal.
Make breaks in your paragraphs, dingus. Expand upon a single idea, goober. Link your stuff correctly, bonehead. Come on, get on the ball. (I am talking to myself) Don’t use “this” and “that” and “it” and when using pronouns, remind the reader who by name.
Isn’t that whole rhetorical claim about living and suffering the whole “To Be or Not To Be” speech? I forget exactly how the character words it but I recall it being similar to the paragraph on that post. Maybe it’s my monkey brain recognizing patterns.
Recommendation Claim: claims something should be done.
Blueberry cobbler is worth an arm and a leg.
I think through evolution, the snakes tail has evolved to blend into its surroundings, and the snake knows in its nature to hide well and wave its tail. The snake has animalistic instincts, and this is one of them. The snake knows that by doing this a bird will eventually come and take the bait. I don’t think any of the snakes behavior is an accident, it’s just second nature for the snake.
Mirrors actually don’t flip left-to-right, it flips front-to-back. If it really did flip things, our reflections wouldn’t follow us in the mirror, they’d move the opposite with us.
Paragraphs need to be formatted correctly and sectioned. Too long of paragraphs run on and lead the reader bored or confused. They need to be broken up into separate ideas.
Be careful when citied sources to remain grammatically correct when tying in the title with your own work. (by/explain are problematic)
Beware of It and this: whatever “it” is needs to be fully established immediately. If the use of “it” is not clear what it’s referring back to, things need to be rewritten.
Rhetorical Surrender: Why you should never use rhetorical questions.
– They shoot your argument in the leg
– Stay on offense.
– The first move dictates where the rest of the argument is going
– You don’t have to play defense, stay on the lead.
– Readers often see them as an opportunity to make up their own minds. We want to make up their minds for them.
Everything is a claim.
“Lets harvest the organs of death row immates”
Did the snake decide to develop a tail that looks like a bug, or did it just so happen to realize that birds would come to it?
Does a virus adapt to the ways we come up with to extinguish it? Can viruses actually be smart? Or do they just mutate a million times a day and just so happen to become immune to our vaccines and medicines?
Why do mirrors flip things on the horizontal and not the vertical?
It doesn’t flip left-to-right, it flips front-to-back.
Mirrors don’t flip vertically or horizontally, they flip from front-to-back. Thinking about mirrors can be really confusing, but visualizing them makes it a lot easier. We know that mirrors do flip things in some way, but we never really paid any attention to how they flip things.
When writing a paragraph, make sure the steps are clearly identified and expand on them from there, without making the paragraph too long.
One main idea per paragraph.
Avoid using words like “it” and “that” because they do not explain to the reader what you are actually talking about.
In chess, white always has the advantage because they are always on offense. Why give up the advantage, you don’t have to play defense.
-Mirror paradox, mirrored so to us it is opposite looking
-A mirror doesn’t flip horizontally, it flips front to back
-You will get better results if you ask for specific feedback on White paper, Stone money, etc.
-A paragraph explains one single idea, “you can’t devote 250 words to one idea”
-Make breaks in your paragraphs, each idea should get a paragraph
-Every sentence or every paragraph is a small essay!
-Your paragraphs shouldn’t be bleeding off the top and bottom of the page
-When something you are writing about is very familiar to you and the reader, you still need to present the background information and the details needed to grasp the topic
-Replace the “it” with the summarization of the idea being talked about
-Do not use “it” and “this” in your writing!
-A claim can be as short and simple as “Lets” it is a recommendation claim because you are recommending something, suggesting an idea
The riddle shows the sneakiness of the snake and how it can deceive the perception of animals by acting like a bug to its prey.
The mirror paradox explains the misconception on mirrors and how exactly they reflect images.
Ask for feedback to help get a better understanding and get a grade
Structure of an essay should not be broken up in a traditionally taught way, try to build arguments about a single idea rather than breaking things up into sections
Ideas need to be to be well thought out and complete before they can be separated by paragraphs
Context has to be given, the reader must know the who, what, when, and why before you can start giving answers
Using words like this, or that must be reffered to something from previous paragraphs, proving a positive flow of informtion
Don’t force questions with yes or no answers, be broad and create the opportunity for opinion and creativity. “Play chess, not checkers”
Sections will be given out to read and respond on, collect as many claims as possible and analyze them on what they mean and how they are effective.
A claim can be many different things which all aim to get the reader to believe or do something
10/4/22 In-Class Notes
The snake’s actions aren’t likely to be random, but they also aren’t likely to be specific to just this one individual animal. It’s far more likely that the snake is one of many of its species in this location that shows this behavior off as simply a result of natural selection. The more debatable side is whether or not the action is instinctual or not, but it is unlikely to be by chance.
Mirrors, from our perspective, look like they’re flipping right to left, but in reality it is not so simple. They appear this way because of the nature of reflections. It would almost be accurate to say that it flips twice: once from front to back and then one from left to right to realign the image.
We often should be requesting feedback in order to actually receive grades for our assignments.
We should not live or die by the 5-paragraph essay. Far more important to organize a paragraph’s information in such a way as to provide evidence for a singular, unique idea. In some ways paragraphs are like smaller essays within the larger essay. A decent metric for telling whether or not a paragraph is too long is if it fits on the screen from top to bottom or not. This is also important so that paragraphs actually cover the same idea throughout as opposed to introducing multiple ideas linked together by nothing but the overarching subject matter.
Being very clear about what words like “it” or “this” or other pronouns are referring to. It can be easy to write with the assumption that others understand the subject of our writing as well as we do. Specificity is critical to avoiding the ramifications of this.
Rhetorical questions are often rhetorical surrenders. When we propose them, we prompt the reader to make up their own minds rather than follow along with what we want to convince them of. We put ourselves on the backfoot and are forced to play defense in order to refute the preemptive conclusion we just encouraged them to make.
When we try to kill a virus, it will take over and transform to a new type and become stronger.
The bug was not even a bug, it’s a fake bug of the snake’s tail. So it’s like don’t believe what you see with your eyes, but believe in what it does, cause it could be something else we didn’t know.
Rinse well with water and dry hand, what does it mean when it means rinse and dry, and how to fix this sentence to become a complete meaningful sentence. RInse well with water, and dry your hands with a paper towel.
Writing mechanics
Only one main idea for a paragraph, sometimes people put too much idea for a paragraph and it could be a lot information for readers to understand what is going on
Be aware of It and This. Need to provide enough informations not to rely on this and it so reader can’t understand which problems are you talking about
Why we should never use Rhetorical Question, because the readers is already know what are you gonna say
Paragraphs need to be formatted correctly and sectioned. They need to be broken up into separate ideas.
Thinking about mirrors can be really confusing, but visualizing them makes it a lot easier.
“Rinse well with Water and dry hands”
with paper towel
Riddle: Did the snake consciously evolve to have a tail to attract the bird, was it unintentional?, did the snake not know what to do with its tail and it was just sheer luck. What part is on purpose or on accident.
Mirror Paradox: a mirror doesn’t flip left to right it flips front to back. It would look far different if the mirror did flip left to right
House Keeping: Learn to organize your paragraphs, dont have one idea be the central focus.
for stone money and essays in general you want to convince the reader of more then just the one central idea. One Mai idea per Paragraph
It seems counterintuitive that we buy iphones and use them knowing there are bugs or possible spies out there. How would you be aware of being spied on. privacy is a big part of our lives that we need and enjoy.
jeez my notes suck today
New Material
claims: Let’s : Proposal claim off the bat, “Let’s Harvest” New claim new proposal to harvest is to gather things you’ve put time and effort into otherwise your stealing, “the organs of death row inmates” is it harvesting? or is it stealing?
Hanging or injecting an inmate ruins the organs. One inmates body could have let nearly a thousand people live. Ancient Mayan traditions used sacrifice and removing organs execution. One could do that very thing now with an inmate under anesthesia and a surgeon removing the heart and following organs, as it would be painless.
Talked about the riddle, the part of snack it is tail then action is when the bird thinks its is food and go for it then gets eaten.
what is about a mirror that makes it reflect that why doesn’t it make it upside
one main idea for a paragraph not a bunch of whole lot of ideas in one
provide the reader with information before using its and is
writer should not state there rhetorical question fast because when they do they state there claim before explain it
you lead the reader on before stating your rhetorical question
Class Notes:
– The snake simply adapted to it’s living conditions and it’s finding ways to survive which makes me believe that the baiting was purposeful.
– Writing mechanics: A way to organize a paragraph is to prove ideas in different sections ( one main idea per paragraph.)
– Big paragraphs are not as productive as shorter ones because readers get discouraged to continue reading.
– Beware of “This and It’s”when describing meanings or references, it adds confusion on what you’re talking about.
– Provide context on your research for your readers.
– Do not ask Rhetorical questions, you don’t want to give all of the power to the readers (Questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no). Instead of asking questions, claim it.