The Role of Argument pgs 269-284 Summary

We are totally immersed in argument, for even writing a lab report or posting a status on facebook about something you did the previous day, is an argument. The amount of arguments we encounter in a day would be surprising to most. Simply stated, "you are the author of many arguments and the target of so much more."

Pictures and other images also can make strong arguments, like ads for example. In some cases these "arguments" can be seen as manipulative, because advertisers are trying to trick you into buying that product by featuring a celebrity, or a popular claim. Even if this is the case, advertisers always do have a purpose. Some of these include:

-To understand

-To explore

-To inform

As an author, it is important to think where you are coming from in the arguments you make. Questions to ask are “What is your stance, and why? How would you like your audience to perceive you? And how do you convey your stance?” These questions help determine what is at the base of an argument.

"Think About Your Writing"

In the most recent essay I have written, a position paper, it is very obvious what my position on my topic is. I chose to write about homelessness and poverty in America, and described why/how people are homeless, as well as why it needs to be stopped. I took a stand against it in my writing, and it was very understandable that I felt it was an important topic to discuss.

It is also clear that my motivation for writing is that I don’t find it fair people can live homeless or even in poverty. It’s not right how some can have so much, and some so little. I made sure I included this piece in my essay, and repeated similar statements throughout it.

Yes We Can video Response

The power of this argument is embraced through the choice of  music, voice overs, and written words, as well as the featured guests and our president delivering the speech. All of these contribute to the overall tone and message of the video, which is very empowering and uplifting. Music can always make you feel some kind of way, and with the addition of the voice overs of Obama's speech and musical artists reciting "Yes we can," it definitely brings emotion to the video.

Likewise, it was a strategical move to include musical artists in the video. For, people of all ages look up to singers, and viewing them in that video may empower them more, with their singing and recitation of “hope” and “yes we can.”

 

To conclude, all the attributes of this video contribute to the power of the argument immensely because of the emotional appeal they convey to viewers.

Paper #2 vs. Paper #3 Reflection

Composing paper number 3 was especially different than composing paper number 2 for the reasons that, the topics, type of essays, and structures are completely different. My second essay had to do with beauty ads and how they manipulated women to reap in the profits, whereas my third paper was argument again homelessness and poverty, and how more funding and support needs to be implemented to it. The types of essays were also completely opposite. Paper #2 was about a particular genre of advertisements and how they affect consumers, while paper #3 was a position paper. Finally, the structures of both, as well as the overall voice and tone of the two essays had to be uniquely different in order to fit each of their specific requirements.

Final Paper #3

Molly O’Brien

December 3, 2015

 

Suffrage in Our Home Country-Homelessness and Living in Poverty

 

Approximately 3.5 million Americans, 1.35 million of them being children, are expected to experience homelessness in a given year. (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2003). Homelessness and poverty are two diverse situations, but both entail suffrage. No one deserves to be deprived of a home, but people are losing them daily. With the escalating costs of basic needs, it is becoming exceptionally challenging to earn a living in today’s economy. It just solely doesn’t seem fair that even with a job; living in poverty and/or being homeless is still a concern. But, in the United States this is a factual statement for many Americans. Children shouldn’t be deprived of a meal merely because their parent(s) cannot afford to feed them dinner that night. There are numerous amounts of reasons as to why people plummet into poverty; but there are also plenty of things America can do to help.

The most basic reasoning as to why people end up homeless or in extreme poverty is drug and alcohol abuse. In fact, two thirds of homeless people do have a problem with substance/drug abuse. (Leal, 2009). But, instead of shaming those who make these choices and suffer the consequences, there must be support provided to those in these circumstances. Mental illness, loss of a job, and/or highered cost of rent are also common causes for homelessness and poverty, which aren’t always that exact persons fault. We as a country need to tend to the needs of these people, instead of watching our brothers and sisters fall deeper and deeper into suffrage. In some cases, being homeless may be a choice. In these circumstances, no help can be given. The other 1/3 of people that end up homeless, need to be cared for, because in these situations the person is really not to blame, unless they chose this path. Drug and alcohol addictions are ultimately a choice, being laid off (or some other financial struggle) is not.

A major reason as to why this country has even gotten itself into this mess is that funding has majorly dwindled for low income homes. In 1970, there was a surplus of 300,000 affordable housing units in the U.S. But then, in the 1980s, affordable housing began to evaporate. The Reagan administration slashed funding. Federal spending on housing assistance fell by 50 percent between 1976 and 2002. In the midst of it all, gentrification sped up, and cities be rid of affordable housing like single room occupancy units and swapped them for more expensive stock. Units being assembled more often befitted co-ops and condos for ownership as a substitute for rent. (Covert, 2013) This elucidates the upsurge of people on the streets. It simply is not acceptable that low income housing options are not easily attained. The people in this country range from poor to rich, and everywhere in between. In order to care for our people we must give them options. If one cannot afford rent even with a job, why does it seem suitable for their only choice to be to live on the streets?

After discussing why it is crucial to put an end to homelessness and poverty as well as the trials and tribulations along the way, it is appropriate to confer how to take a stand on homelessness, as well as how to decrease poverty. The simple reasoning is that in order to aid to each other, we must first make sure we are secure. To elaborate, one cannot help another if that individual still needs to help oneself. Why is it that Selena Gomez can rack in 3 million a year, yet many Americans find it problematic to earn over 10 dollars an hour? The response is simple; our priorities are downright messed up. The millions of dollars shelled out every year to simply deliver entertainment must stop, and a surplus of money must be implemented to help the bulk of our people. There are more people homeless/living in poverty than there are celebrities, so why not direct our money towards assisting them?

The topic of homelessness and poverty will be never ending. It will always exist in America; because that’s the tone that was set many years ago. Americans are too consumed with themselves and their blingy cars and gigantic homes to even open their eyes to those in need. Some of these people may argue that it is a waste of time and money to attempt to help those homeless/in poverty. The truth of the matter is that it takes one small act to significantly help someone. It begins in our neighborhoods, our towns, our cities. If all of Poulsbo were to contribute any small thing they could to the homeless population, change would be noticed. If even half of the population of this town brought one can of food to Fishline, we would have roughly 5000 more cans of food. There’s no excuse to not help your neighbors, your coworkers, your friends and family. If we focused on taking care of ourselves first, then people closest to us, our arms could reach to so many desperate for comfort and assistance. No one desires to live in poverty. No one deserves to be homeless. It starts in your own home, if every person contributed to some degree, America truly would be changed. “Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the action of human beings.”-Nelson Mandela

 

Works Cited

 

"National Poverty Center | University of Michigan." RSS. Ed. Robert Michael and Contance Citro.      National Academy Press, 2003. Web. 24 Nov. 2015. <http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/#TOP>.

Covert, Bryce. "It Would Actually Be Very Simple To End Homelessness Forever." It Would Actually Be Very Simple To End Homelessness Forever Comments. Think Progress, 09 Oct. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2015. <http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/10/09/3577980/end-homelessness/>.

Leal, Daniel, Marc Galanter, Helen Dermatis, and Laurence Westreich. "Correlates of Protracted Homelessness in a Sample of Dually Diagnosed Psychiatric Inpatients." Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 16.2 (1999): 143-47. Substance Abuse and Homelessness. National Coalition for the Homeless, July 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2015. <http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/addiction.pdf>.

"What Are the Major Contributing Factors to Homelessness?" Coalition for the Homeless. Coalition for the Homeless Leading Houston Home, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2015. <http://www.homelesshouston.org/coalition-faq/what-are-the-major-contributing-factors-to-homelessness-in-the-u-s/>.

Paper #3 Peer Edit- Jacob

1a. The main point the author is trying to make is that the ban against the donating of blood by gay men is completely outdated and largely discriminates against gay men.

 

1b. The thesis is restated above, which is clearly stated in the first paragraph, last sentence.

2a. The reasons to support this are 1) “This ban is a huge form of discrimination to these individuals because it prohibits them from participating in an activity that helps people and saves lives. 2) “This ban also promotes discriminatory stereotypes against MSM.” 3) “Women who have had sex with a MSM are able to donate blood.”

2b. There are ample sources that back up these reasons, including facts and statistics.

2c. The reasons are sufficient, because the author elaborates on each of them and explains why/how major discrimination is occurring.

3a. The author does mention counterarguments, and refutes them in a simple manor.

3b. The author refutes them but in a mature manor, it is done so simply though because the argument is so unnecessary to make, because it can so easily be clarified.

3c. The author treats the arguments with respect.

3d. The author’s arguments are appropriately qualified, because there is support included through quotes and facts, as well as details about the major issue at hand.

 

4a. The quotes are obviously being used to generate more reasoning and arguments to the paper, as well as provide more evidence to why this is a necessary issue to bring up as well as why it needs to be stopped and shouldn’t even be an issue any longer.

4b. Each source is credible, because they’re statistics which are facts. They are in no way biased, because they are all facts about the discrimination against gay men.

4c. All sources are from 2015.

 

5a. The author addressed the issue as though no reader knew much about it before, which is especially important so as not to confuse the reader.

5b. The language doesn’t include me, but may speak more to gay men.

5c. I share the belief that everyone should be able to give blood, if it is free of disease and infection. It doesn’t matter if you are a gay man, if your blood is safe, it could be used to save a life.

Paper #3 peer edit- Matt

1a. The claim that the author is trying to make is that gun control laws should be enacted because when handled improperly, tragedies occur.

1b. There is a clear thesis in the first paragraph which states, “there should be more gun control in certain aspects, such as safety courses and general firearm education.

 

2a. The reasons that are given to support the claim are that liabilities occur if a firearm is handled improperly due to ignorance, accidental shootings could be more prevented, and finally education is the key to preventing fatal gun incidents.

2b. The evidence is that in WA state there are almost no restrictions on gun purchasing. Also, there was a story about a young boy who died after unintentionally shooting himself. There were also other stats about accidental shootings.

2c. The reasons are very sufficient because these are real examples of people getting access to guns, who should have never been able to reach/and or touch them in the first place. Also, the fact that there are little restrictions of the purchasing of guns in our state, is a major example to support the authors claim.

 

3a. The only counterargument was that implementing gun control will not stop homicide, and/or other crimes. The author deals with them by stating that “In the end, the bad guys are going to be the ones who continue to carry and abuse, and the good guys…have the intention to use their guns in a safe and responsible manner.”

3b. See above^

3c. The author does treat the argument respectively, and responds by saying that “educating the public will inform the majority of good gun owners to use their guns in the most responsible way.”

3d. The arguments are appropriately qualified.

 

4a. There are 9 sources the author has used, each used either as a statistic, news incidents, or studies on gun laws.

4b. All the sources are credible because they are all facts. There’s no way to change statistics, and in terms of studies and stories on the news, they are only as reliable as the source, which all are factual in this case.

4c. All the sources are dated from 2014 and 2015.

5a. It seems that the author assumes everyone has heard what has been going on with gun control laws in the past few years, there’s no definition as to what it really means, because it’s well assumed everyone knows at least a bit about the current uproar of gun control.

5b. The word we isn’t exactly mentioned, but the tone and other words included do help to tie the reader in and make them feel like this is an issue they should be concerned about.

5c. I definitely share the beliefs of this author. People are entitled to purchase what they please, no one can really stop them from that. If a gun is an important purchase for you, for protection or animal hunting purposes, I don’t have the right to deny you of that. But ample education and safety courses should always be implemented, as well as background checks whenever purchasing a gun.