In Class: My Ethical Appeal Object

Well, let me just say that this object will cause an ethical appeal or just a plain annoyance to some. I brought the Bible. I really think that this causes an ethical problem in some because one time in sixth grade, I brought my Bible to school to read in English class. The teacher said we could bring anything we wanted to so I decided to bring the Bible since I was studying it at the time. Well, I accidentaly left it at school one day and when I went back to my English class, the teacher humiliated me in front of the whole class for bringing a "silly" book. Being only 12 at the time, that really hurt my feelings so I never even talked about my religious views until my second eyar of high school when I joined the Christian group at my high school where we would go and pray out in the front lawn one day out of the week. I never really WANT to make a statement about my religion, but I feel like I should be able to express it without others judging me.

I have never judged or made fun of someone else's religion and I always thought I should be treated the same in return. Unfortunately though, that's not always the case but I have gotten over being insecure about it and just don't care what others think anymore.

I think the Bible might make others feel uncomfortable and might make others be disgusted in me but either way, that's their choice.

The whole reason why I brought the Bible in as my ethical appeal object is because everyone is really touch about this subject and everyone is usually hush hush about it. The Bible does hit others in a certain way and sometimes even causes controversy. It's really hard to explain why I chose to bring the Bible as my ethical appeal object because the Bible means something to me. I don't see as something that might cause an uproar between me and others but I know that in other people's eyes, the Bible is seen as fake and they don't care to hear anything about the Bible or anything about God for that matter. Liek I said though, it's fine to me what others think about it now because some choose to believe in other Gods or choose to see Christianity in a different way.

I may not be answering your question fully on why I brought the Bible as my ethical appeal object. I know that the Bible will cause disagreements upon others and I think that's the main reason why I chose to bring the Bible to class.

Unit 1: Public Analysis

Castle Park

What makes this space appealing?-This space that I picked out to analyze is very appealing ( to me ) because i've come to this place ever since I was a child and it is a very calm and relaxing place to be. This space is very opan and inviting with trees everywhere. There is also a little duck pond if you feel like getting rid of some old bread too : ). This park is very appealing to the eye because there's just so many activities you could be involved in when you're there. Who doesn't like being outside feeling like a kid again?

Why did you choose it?- I chose it because ( due to my ADHD ), it's a place that I can observe for many hours if needed and I will never tire of it. There's always something new happening. New people, new ages of people playing, different activities going on ( there's a volleyball court, a track , a soccer field, and a baseball field here too ), different sights and sounds each second, and it is very peaceful. I love being outside and so I thought that this would be the perfect place for me to sit back and observe what all is going on because there's just so much to see! You won't ever get bored!

What do you expect to find upon observation? Why?- I expect to find that when i'm observing the park that I will see alot of people doing different things and just enjoying themselves. I expect to see benches and trees, the more obvious things. I hope to see many people engaging in different activities and i'm also hoping to see many children running around crazy and releasing all their energy. I guess I expect to see all these things because i've been to the park before and it's always so busy (especially with the little kids running around the playground part of the park ). If things were to have changed, it wouldn't be the same place.

Are you part of the target audience?- No I am not. I am simply there to observe and have no intentions of being analyzed while sitting on a bench with a notebook and pencil in hand. I am not going anywhere where there are people trying to sell you an object or device of some sort nor do I want to analyze in that type of environment. Wouldn't be very comfortable to me.

What pre-conceived ideas may influence your objective observation?- Well, I don't have pre-conceived ideas, I have past experiences with this park. I know this park, I know what it looks like and I already know what's there. I'm simply going because I need to focus in on my surroundings and take in everything that i'm seeing instead of jsut focusing in on the things i'm doing. The only idea that I have right now is that since it's cold outside, there might not be as many people playing as there would be in the summer time. I might not even get enough notes to hand in.

How can you overcome these obstacles?- The best I can do is sit and wait to see how many people show up. I am really looking forward to this assignment and am hoping that I get enough notes so I have more to talk about in my paper so it won't be dull and boring in any way.

In Class: Free Write on Public Analysis Location

I have not chosen a place to spend a few hours at and paying the msot attention that no one has ever payed to that place. I will be watching the people come and go, what they are wearing, what they might be talking about and what the decorations are in the place. Of course as i'm sitting there, i'll find mroe things to wrte about and more and more objects will jump out at me, kind of like a seek and find game, if you look hard and long enough, you jsut might find it! I was honeslty thinking about sitting on a bench at a playground and watching to see the ages of children, teens, or even adults that might come and play on lets say the swingset or the slide. How they would be dressed and if they brought along a picnic to eat there. Another place I was thinking about doing my Public Analysis on is the mall. We have all seen some scary things at the mall. Girls who wear skirts that go up to their butt pretty much, guys wearing those skinny jeans with the huge skateboard shoes, and so on. That might sound mean how i'm picking out all these different things about people, but that's just what I see. I will also be paying attention to the way the mall might be layed out and where the food court is located and so on. Are the floors clean? Are the people in a good mood? Who's working at the foodcourt? Is it primarily one race or another? I might even go to my old high school and sit in the courtyard and watch how the students behave, what they're wearing, if I notice a trend in clothing or slang, and all the different things that I will be looking for in every palce I go to.

I might even be very critical about the environment. I tend to be a bit of a germophobe and if I see, for example, a piece of gum on the ground, I am absolutely disgusted. I tend to pay attnetion more to the details of a public space more than the overall feel that the place might want you to notice. If a place is dirty on the inside but niceand clean on the outside, not worth going in there...We'll see where I end up going!

In Class: Free Write

Writing about anything you want to is pretty tough...especially when you have what feels like moer than a million things going through your head! Let's see, I have reserved seats at the Rodeo for next tuesday and i'm really excited because I am going with the love of my life, Matt. Another reason i'm excited is because I have never been to a rodeo due to my parents allergies. Lets see....there's also all this reading I have to do for Film Music, which i'm somewhat excited about, but not really because everytime I read I tend to fall asleep so keeping up on class reading is pretty difficult for me...especially since I have ADHD. Oh yeah, and what's going on with the weather? It's in Janruary and we are almost to the 80's already! I kind of miss the cold because it gives me a reason to stay in bed longer in the morning under my heated blanket covered with my poodle sprawled out across the sheets. Oh Dixie, I got her when I was in sixth grade, she follows me around everywhere!!!! She's also VERY picky about what she eats too...and for some reason she's scared of bowls and plates. She'll walk up to them and tuck her tail and kinda slink on over to her food making sure her chin doesn't touch any part of the plate or bowl...we don't know why she does this because we got her when she was just a month old ( or possibly younger...I can't remember) so we know that nothing has caused her to be scared of these objects. I don't know...anyways, Matt is in class right now. All I can think about right now is class, food, and church. I have found this new and amazing church that I think everyone should check out! It's called Keystone Church. I go there with Matt, his sister and her husband but not with his parents because his parents live in california but they are coming down soon to stay in their Southlake home for a little bit. It's really shocking that his parents own three houses but only stay in one of them for a long period of time. Southlake house, over a million. Crazy. Who has that kind of money?

I really can't decide on what else to write about because it's like keyboard chaos in here right now and my ADHD is getting the best of me...wanting me to look around. But I will resist and keep on dumping all of my thoughts onto this page so anyone who happens to stumble upon this might get a good laugh out of it. I had rice chex this morning with a granola bar...but I am by no means a health freak. I had pizza last night. It was really good! Matt got hawaiin pizza, yuck. I don't know why I don't like pineapple. But I had a little weird streak because I wanted both green olives and black olives put on it. Who else does that? Anyone?

Well, i'm going to go now!

Obama's Inauguration Speech

You know, I just have to say this right now but I have NEVER seen an inauguration speech...I even missed watching Obama's! Alas, my Film Music class did not care about the new president who might pull this nation out of the economic pit that we have somehow managed to get ourselves into. Although, after watching the video on C-SPAN and reading his whole speech online, I have come to conclude that I personally think that he is what the United States needs right now. One of the first lines that really stands out to me is,"Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred". Why? Well because Obama is bring attention to a touchy subject while argumenting about the present and appeals to the audience in an emotional way. There are sons, daughters, mothers and fathers serving in the Forces. Some have died, some have come home wounded. Who wants to hear about something that depressing on a day that is supposed to be remembered forever? To me, the answer is because we should never put the biggest problem aside, hoping that it will eventually resolve. As much as we would like that to happen, we all know that's not the case. I would also like to point out that to me, this statement is also an example of Argument to explore. This situation needs attention and is a serios problem in society. My only question is, why does Obama bring this topic up when we can't do much to change it? We can't change our opponents minds and make them listen to us, but what we can do, is show kindness and respect towards them, in hopes that it will make a difference in this event that we are struggling to overcome. This other line that stood out to me was, "Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet". This statment appeals to the logics because it is, as the book puts it, just the facts. We all know that this is happening, but what can we do to fix it? Well, for one thing, we need a leader who is aware of these problems and situations so they will make an effort to hopefully eradicate what might be causing these things to happen. This is also a good example for the Argument of Fact. This statement can, unfortunately, be proven true with examples and statistics. I really thought this Argument was effective because it's always nice to point out the facts so others will pay more attention to what is happening to others instead of focusing on themselves in their own little world. Arugment number three comes from the statement, "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met." I don't know if anyone else sees this, but when I read that line, the first thing that popped into my head was how this is an ethical appeal and an Argument of Convince. He is explaining the values that we both have in common. We know of all the challenges we must face and, even though he doesn't have to explain on this, we know exactly what these challenges are. I also believe he is convincing us by saying"...they will be met". Almost like this is a match. U.S.A. downfalls against Barack Obama! Who will win?? I only applaud him when he explains that they will not be easy, quick to fix, or a waste of time. Although those are the things we WANT to hear, I on the other hand believe he will make it happen. The fourth Argument is a little bit more tricky to understand. "What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works...". Here Obama is measuring his ideas against those of ideas that we have all at least thought about once in our minds. Obama is more worried about the people of the United States instead of the people that represent the United States. This argument that I am trying to point out is the Argument of Evaluation. Obama shows an interest in being concerned about ideas that go against the bigger ideas of all the politicians out there. All they think about is themselves, but what about us? What about the common people who work so hard yet recieve so little? Above all of these arguments, is the Argument to Make Decisions. There are MANY examples of this argument in his speech but to give you an idea of what an argument to make decisions is, I picked out this line,"What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task". Even though Obama is including the word WE and US in his speech, we all feel like we're a part of it because he does not set categories or stages that some people might not be in in their lives. He chooses to make a decision with responsibility. Oh boy, who wants to take on that job? I know that not everyone cares to be responsible for their actions, but here Obama is helping us make that choice in deciding if what we do from now on is our responsibility.

Obamas speech left us with many things to ponder on. Did his speech mean anything to you?

In Class: Free write on Argument

My view rreally didn't change on the topic of what I thought an argument was or what it might mean because I learned about in high school, but we never really went intot oo much detail as we are right now so I am really starting to understand that an argument can be amde out of pretty much anything just because we all have different views on different subjects. We do not all think the same ( thank goodness ) and I think it's really gerat that we had this reading assignment about learning all what an arugment is. My definition though DID change because at first I always thought that an argument was primarily used to pretty much convert the way someone else thought into the way you think. Like I said, I learned about this stuff veru vaguely in high school....high school teachers usually don't go into too much depth about things like this because it was never on the TAKS ( an exam that I had to take in high school in order to graduate ). I did learn though about all the different ways you can question an idea or a tpoic or even a picture up in the library. ANYTHING can be viewed in many multiple ways and I think that's why the terma rgument is so hard to udnerstand for some. Many of us jsut want one simple and concrete definition to go by so that then we don't have to overwork our brains and try to fit in any more than we have too...because some of us are just, well, lazy! I also never really knew all the different types of arguments either. What I mean by that is that I didn't know there was a name for questioning events in the past ( Forensic Argument pg. 16 ), in the present ( Epideitic Arguments pg. 19 ), or about events that will happen in the future ( Deliberative Arguments pg. 18 ).

What I like about Arguments is that it can be about anything! Anything that you or someone else doesn't agree with.

In Class: Argument

Suicide. Kind of a touchy subject but unfortuantely we all know about it. Why must people be so depressed into thinking that they have no way out except to kill themselves? Anyways, I chose the story asking, "Do suicide rates go up because of the fall of the economy?". Why did I choose this? Well, I wanted to know and hear from others if this really is the only reason why suicide rates go up. Well, is it really? To me, I don't think this is the only reason for suicide rates to go up. Maybe suicide rates are going up because of the rising prices of tuition or it might be because of a job loss. Who knows. I honestly think that the economy has an effect on people and all this news about how much money the DOW and NASDAQ is losing, all these companies that are going bankrupt, car companies struggling and the problems with mortgage does tend to put people in a negative and gloomy attitude on top of what else they might be having problems with in their life.

Truth comes out.

Where do I begin. My name is Rachel Richey, but I go by Amanda which is my middle name. I am from Benbrook, Texas and have stayed in Texas my whole life. I am a Sophomore at TCU and am a Nursing major.

I am in this course because my it is required in my major. I do hope though that what I will get out of this course is a new and better way of writing and thinking of new ways to express my thoughts and feelings into words.

Me being a young adult, I am very fond of texting as my boyfriend also goes to TCU so we both never really have time to talk on the phone. Since my mother works at TCU, we usually communicate through e-mail when she is at work in case I need to tell her or something and vice versa. My writing definitely has room for improvement and i'm not very creative and clear in my writing so i'm hoping that this course will help push me to the next level in my writing skills.

The type of argument I believe my blog is creating is that myabe some of the things I say or some of the videos and pictures I put up later on will not make everyone happy There are going to be some classmates that completely disagree with the things I will say and do. The colors on my blog really represents how I feel about myself. I'm a fun and very down to earth person, but on the outside, i'm very very shy. I'm not loud and outspoken but more quiet. When I meet someone new, I tend not to say very much or talk loud enough just because of my self-esteem. Online though, I feel prefectly fine typing out exactly what i'm feeling though. All of my choices with my font size, colors, images, songs, and videos shows you as the person I really am on the inside. My participation is very limited in class discussions. I always feel like no one cares really about what I have to say except for the professor, so I usually keep to myself.

Since i'm more of myself on the internet instead of in person around people I don't know, I am more honest and will write down my own opinion on a topic. I can be a bit blunt and harsh with the things I write and I just want to say that I do not mean to offend anyone's ideas, it's jsut that if you ask me for my opinion, I will tell you the truth.

Even though I am not registered in this class, I will say though that I do understand and agree with the terms of the course syllabus since I saw it in the classroom this morning. I understand how I get the grades I will receive from each assignment and how my grade is weighted.

Have a good day!