research exercise #1

• Topics you will be researching: protesting "Made in China" products
• Database used: Wilson Select Plus
• Terms Entered: China and Human Rights
• Article Title: China: From Democracy Wall to the Shopping Mall & Back
• Journal Title: New Perspectives Quarterly
• Author: Nathan Gardels
• Volume, date, page #: Vol. 24, 12/5/2007

• Additional Information: This article will be very useful for my paper because it focuses on why big stores in America like Wal-mart and Target use China as the people who make their products which is what I need. Also, it talks about how China got to this point and why all the media concern about them using rat poison in some products will decrease the popularity of their cheap products.
  

further discussion about possible topics for argument essay

• I just recently got into the buying "Made in China" debate because my mom started to make an effort to not buy made in china merchandise. When I asked her why, she said it was because of the way these products are made. China uses inhumane treatment and labor of people to make products and it also kills animals (i.e. rat poisoning). I'd like to try and persuade my audience that while it would be hard to protest "made in china" stuff because a lot of merchandise sold in stores is from China, it is possible and necesary to make the effort because of the cruel way China makes these products.
• I've always been interested in the crisis in Darfur with more than 2 million being killed due to this (essentially) civil war. I think that America needs to be more involved with giving food to the survivors, refugees, and other things such as allocating those who have fled with their family or with their hometown.
  

"Cheating" Sample Essay

Thesis: "Individuals have chosen to ignore their responsibility for cheating in the academic environment but through time, the number of individuals who cheat have increased due to various reasons therefore the responsibility of individuals with cheating can no longer be ignored and a major solution needs to be developed to further the punishment of cheaters in schools."

1st Topic Sentence: "In order to evaluate the proper solution for individual cheaters, the question of "who is cheating" must be answered and "why" they are cheating; in simple terms, anyone could be cheating and the reasons for these vary from convenience and lack of time to study, the ease of cheating through technology, and the misconception of cheating versus collaboration."

2nd Topic Sentence w/Transition: "However, one of the arguably bigger reasons as to why individual students cheat is that they see other individuals who influence them do it. Letter grades and high academic standards in individual families or communities have become so high (i.e. SAT scores) that the way a student gets the grade doesn't matter as much as getting the good result in the end just like it doesn't matter as much how you climb the corporate ladder as long as you are along the top."

3rd Topic Sentence w/Transition: "Society and individuals in that society have accepted that cheating is there but there should be more of a knowledge for the reprimands that come with breaking academic integrity."

4th Topic Sentence w/Transition: "There are a variety of consequences that could be placed upon those individuals who cheat. However, a consistent rule upon what is considered cheating and the type of punishment they should get is needed. It can't be different for each situation, otherwise someone might think their individual form of cheating will not get punished."

Conclusion: Cheating cannot be placed upon society as whole but individuals need to be responsible for their actions. It has become much easier for anyone to cheat with the help of technology, collaboration, and convenience. However, the lack of respect for academic integrity can be decreased with solutions that the school can place on students like monetary penalties, written reprimands, suspensions, etc. Whatever solution a school needs to place on an individual, it needs to be consistent from student to student.

3 possible argumentative topics

1. Bilingual Education as a Requirement in U.S. High Schools
2. Increase in American aid for Sudan/Darfur Crisis
   
3. Protesting/banning the purchases of "Made in China" products
   

'fake news' genre

"It takes the words of a jester to cut through all the bullshit and strike a chord with the general populace". --Joi Ito. This quote emphasizes the purpose and therefore the style of the fake news genre. 'Fake news' can be categorized as its own genre by its distinct features like satire, appeal to 'average' man, and comedy/humor. 'Fake news' is so misinterpreted by people that don't watch it or judge it because it's a new type of journalism. It's not literally 'fake news'. The news that the Colbert Report and the The Today Show deliver is real. It's the same news that CNN broke out with that day but the delivery is different. It's delivered in a satirical manner and isn't dry like CNN does. It takes the news and what was said or done by these politicians or people in power and puts it in lay-man terms for the general public like college kids who may want to get politically active but can't take the dry delivery of main-stream news. The satire that's used in fake news catches the attention of the audience and although it's entertaining, it's also delivering the news and making an opinion about them. Also, some mainstream news coverages are factual, yes, but they are also biased by what party the news station affiliates with. Fake news is biased too but it doesn't try to hide the fact that it takes a side. It delivers the news and then uses the words of the person to put it in 'honest' terms and not try to sugar coat it like, we as a generation, feel most politicians do. The satire and the sarcastic tone of fake news is just an act; it grabs the audience and the general public but it delivers the news and offers an (debatable) opinion about it either by mocking it or supporting it.
The appeal that fake news has a genre is that it uses the style of speech that people who are just getting into voting or politics in general want to hear or can understand. Everyone can understand blunt and obvious sarcasm and the terms that fake news uses are average and not meant to confuse those who listen. It's honest news in a style that people like us can understand. Some argue that this is bad but I don't see the reason why it's bad. It's getting those who would not be involved into today's politics to listen to what's going on and most importantly, understand it. I can understand CNN but their tone makes them sound superior to us at times and makes me want to zone out of them. Having the comedy, sarcasm, and somewhat simple speech in 'fake news' helps the audience understand the events and situations going on which ultimately helps them form an opinion about politics and politicians.

Thesis Statement re-dos

1. "Road rage can cause numerous negative effects on our highways."

--Thesis Statement: "Road rage has numerous negative effects on the highways such as lack of attention on the road, bumper-to-bumper accidents, and speeding."

2. "Violence in Disney films"

--Thesis Statement: "Disney films, although mostly G-rated, display some violence in their films through superhero battles, villains, and animal cruelty."

3. "In this paper, I will discuss the different types of ants."

--Thesis Statement: "Like most animals, ants can be divided into different categories such as red ants and bull ants."

4. "Human kindness can be seen in the eyes of rescued animals."

--Thesis Statement: "Animals are rescued every day by human kindness through adoption, veterinarians, and animal rescue."

5. "I want to look at the reasons for droughts."

--Thesis Statement: "Droughts can be prevented by reducing their causes such as deforestation and global warming."

6. "Stephen King is the author of The Shining."

--Thesis Statement: "Stephen King deserves literary success for his works like The Shining, Carrie, and Pet Cemetery."

7. "The Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean"

--Thesis Statement: "The disaster of the Titanic sinking in the Atlantic Ocean can be contributed through the excessive speed of the ship, lack of lifeboats, and lack of preparation for the disaster."

8. Drug addiction in America

--Thesis Statement: "Many wonder why the drug addiction in America has increased through the years but experts say it's due to increase in poverty and a decrease in the graduation rates in the country."

9. "Saving Private Ryan is a very good movie."

--Thesis Statement: "Saving Private Ryan was one of the most critically acclaimed films in history because of the money it made at its release, the realistic look of the film, and the actors."

10. "I will show why rabbits make poor pets"

--Thesis Statement: "Rabbits do not make good domestic pets because of their fast reproduction rate, their eating habits, and distract small children."

12. "The drop-dead gorgeous realm of beauty pageants"

--Thesis Statement: "Beauty pageants are not always glamorous and have been caught in some scandals involving drugs, cheating, and foul play."

13. "School uniforms are necessary"

--Thesis Statement: "School uniforms will increase good behavior in school districts around the area because focus is on school and not clothes, gang colors are disaffiliated, and peer pressure about brands of clothes is taken away."

14. "William Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, Hamlet, and The Tempest."

--Thesis Statement: "Shakespeare has inspired many modern writers through key works like Macbeth, Hamlet, and The Tempest."

the significance of audience in my writing

Audience, purpose, and design are all key to successful writing for, among other things, structure and style. From the reading, I have learned that audience, purpose, and design can be varied to make your writing more sophisticated. Nevertheless, audience and purpose are the most significant building block for my writing.
For an audience, I have targeted my 'real' type of audience in the past mainly because I have had to get a grade. However, with the real audience in mind I have been able to build an introduction. Without an audience to target, it's hard for me to write a thesis so I need to at least think: "What's the teacher's point of view on this topic? Am I taking the opposing view of it?". I see now though that I can add another aspect to my audience by thinking of the 'intended' audience.
The audience helps me with my introduction but the purpose is what drives the rest of the pieces I write. The evidence I have to pick has to be liked by the audience (for example: if the teacher wanted 3 main points then I need that) but I also need to have the evidence relate directly to the purpose of the paper. If the pieces of the evidence don't link to the purpose then the paper won't have a clear point. Lastly, I like to think of the purpose when I'm writing up a conclusion because it helps me answer: "Why did I write about this?" and that in turn helps me with structuring the conclusion.
Overall, I feel that audience and purpose have had a significant influence on my writing but I need to think of other aspects of the audience and purpose to write about and consider.