English Symposium

I attended the Non-Fiction readings on Friday at 10:15-11:45. The first essay was about a family whose father became very sick and they could not do anything about the situation and so they made the most out of what they had and the story ended with them dancing in the kitchen. The second essay was about a girl struggling from Chrome's disease. It also addressed other issues in her life like finding a boyfriend, and being successful in her extracurricular activities. Both of these essays were very personal and talked about serious trials in ones life, but they found their "happy endings" in the end. Not everything was resolved, but what they found was solace. 

The final essay was the one I came to hear because the title was very intriguing, "On Virtue: What Bathsheba Taught Me About My Maligned Sisters". It was written and read by Mel Henderson.She provided historical background on the story of Bathsheba and explained that Bathsheba was not even on a roof, but she was where she was supposed to be, preparing to clean herself for a ritual. It is a common misconception that she was an evil temptress, but she was about her own business, doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing. Henderson then changed the subject to a friend who had been sexually abused for many years, and who felt shamed even though it was not her own doing. She discussed how virtue is often only associated with women, and that men are often not held accountable. She also talked about how Bathsheba became a great vessel of wisdom, and a good mother to King Solomon. She believes that Bathsheba is an excellent example of virtue. 

Issues Paper Introduction

According to Segal’s law, "a man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure." When we are given too many options, it makes it difficult for us to decide which one is the right one. When options differ, it does not necessarily mean that there is one good option and one bad option. It does not denote sides, or black and white, or north or south, but it is a part of our nature to believe that there is only one way and that it is the correct way. In the LDS church we use the King James Version of the Bible, and that is partially because it was the Bible prominently used at the time the church was restored. Another reason would be that the KJV has been found to be one of the more accurate translations, and from what we have from Joseph Smith’s inspired version, the KJV compliments it well. There are some disputes regarding whether or not it is acceptable to use other versions of the Bible aside from the KJV. It is not wrong, but it may bring about some confusion. I experienced this for the first time when I was about nine years old visiting a youth group from my friend’s church. I brought my scriptures and was ready to volunteer to read when it was the time to do so. I knew how to turn to the correct scripture, but for some reason, what I was reading was different from what everyone else was reading. I was young and it was more confusing than bothersome, but when they gave me their scriptures to read it just felt wrong. Religion is something people everywhere are passionate about, and that does not always end as nicely as nine-year olds visiting a friend’s church. The KJV is important for us to use not only because of its historical roots in the Church and its accuracy, but because the language helps us understand the Book of Mormon better, and having multiple versions could lead to division within the members. 

Google Search Experience

Google search was semi-helpful, in that it did get me thinking about more ways to approach my topic. I have chosen to write about the Bible prompt for my issues paper, and the focus should be the LDS church because we are supposed to pretend that our piece is being written for an LDS audience. But when I googled, "why the KJV" I also found an interesting scholarly article written for a baptist website. I thought it could add a cool perspective to my paper if I could learn more about how the KJV is received by other Christian faiths that use it. There was another very helpful article that I found from Google that was actually published in the Ensign many years ago that spoke about why the Church uses the KJV. I thought that was very fortunate. I found that Google could be helpful, but that it also came up with a bunch of results that were not quite what I was looking for. The other results were kind of distracting, because they were a bit interesting but if I used them, I would stray too far off from the main subject of my paper.

Rhetorical Analysis - Thesis Proposal

Whenever I think of rhetorical analysis, I always think of the scene in "My Fair Lady" where Alfred Doolittle goes to meet Professor Higgins. Professor Higgins has taken in Alfred's daughter, Eliza, to teach her better English and transform her character. Alfred doesn't come to rescue his daughter, he comes to get some money, because he is extremely poor. Higgins is not quite sure why Alfred has come, and when he inquires, Alfred replies, "I'm willing to tell ya. I'm wanting to tell ya. I'm waiting to tell ya!." Impressed by this, the professor says to his colleague, "You know, Pickering, this chap's got a certain natural gift of rhetoric. Observe the rhythm of his native woodnotes wild. 'I'm willing to tell you. I'm wanting to tell you. I'm waiting to tell you.'"

Higgins is so amused by Alfred's rhetoric during the course of their conversation, that he obliges his request and gives him the money. It's really a great scene. I wish I could have found a video clip to share.

Now, I was not so persuaded by any of the articles we were asked to read, but I was more amused by some than by others. My favorite was, "A Government in Thrall to Religion", but looking at Blogger, it looks like that was  popular among most of the people in the class. So instead, I am going to dissect the rhetoric used in, "Ashcroft and Friends Versus Washington and the Framers".

Thesis Proposal:

In "Ashcroft and Friends" Robin Morgan has a clear purpose to her argument, and relies on strong diction and quotes from some of America's best-remembered ancestors to bring others to agree with her point of view. That view being, that religion is too prominent in American culture and that everyone should rid the idea that America was a nation built on religious ideals. She uses some good figurative language to engage her audience, sentiments from the Founding Fathers to strike a chord of patriotism, and even modern examples of how powerful religion has made itself in America.

I am not going to constantly praise Morgan for her rhetorical accomplishments, because there are also instances in which she tried, but failed. For example, being a feminist writing for a feminist magazine, she probably felt some need to give a shout-out to the women. But her reference to Abigail Adams, and saying that "female citizens were invisible to them [the founders]", could lessen the credibility of her sources. "The founding fathers were wrong about what the role of women should be, why should I agree with their ideas of what the role of religion should be?"--a feminist reader might wonder. Also, Abigail Adams was religious. Morgan relied heavily on the quotes from the Founding Fathers, and perhaps too much. She could have increased the pathos and the logos of the argument if she had used more contrast in her references.

"Faith in America" Mini-Analysis

            The point of the speech by Mitt Romney is to convince people that being a Mormon would not affect his presidency, and that religious diversity is very important to America and he wants to embrace that. His audience is the people of faith in America. For Ethos, he says that he is simply an American, to make him seem neutral to all beliefs and prove that being a Mormon will not affect how he handles affairs. However, he also goes on to say how he will never back down from his beliefs, which may enhance his credibility for some, but for others with no faith, it may worry them that if something came up that aligned with God’s will and not the will of man, he would choose God’s will. He sneaks in how he was a former governor of Massachusetts, and he makes references to major historical figures in America, such as the Founders and Martin Luther King Jr. to back up the credibility of his subject. He tries to use the fact that he is religious, to prove that making an oath on the Bible will have more meaning to him, and to increase his credibility as a possible presidential candidate.

            For Pathos, he uses examples of how hard early Americans worked to find religious freedom to appeal to American pride. He also shares how a founding father welcomed anyone of any faith, as long as they were a patriot. He shares examples of religious extremists (violent Jihad), to show how important it is to band together and embrace religious freedom. His main point is to appeal to the unifying feeling of being an American.

            For Logos, much of what appealed to emotion and was used to increase his credibility, were also points of logic. Such as his reference to the founders and how they cherished religious freedom, and “in God [they] trust[ed]”, but still being an American was the most important part. His purpose is to convince others of how important the role of God was in the creation of this country, and that it should still be today.

Mormon Housewife Blogs

Ethos

• She shares that she is not a Mormon or a mother, so to make her argument seem unbiased
• She also shares that she is married to a former Mormon, to prove that she does have somewhat of an understanding of the community
• The words of other sources of authority are used, such as the president of the Utah Psychiatric Association, so when she considers that many of these women blogging possibly suffer from depression, it doesn't sound like she is trying to destroy their character, she is only stating facts

Pathos

• She appeals a lot to humor in her introduction, and she achieves this by her descriptive language. I could imagine the exact people she was describing, and it was very engaging.
• A feeling of pity is even met, by sharing the statistic about how in Utah the most antidepressants are prescribed than anywhere else.
• She appeals to humor also in the way that she presents her paper in the way of a confessional. She has this addiction, and she is not sure quite why, and is not willing to give it up. But what makes it comical is that it's not a bad addiction, she calls these blogs, "uplifting".

Logos

• She attempts to offer many logical explanations about why these blogs are so entertaining to read. One explanation is that Mormons are expert journal-keepers, which is essentially what blogging is, because it is sou encouraged in the LDS church to keep a journal.
• In her analysis she explains what is so appealing, and she believes that it is the way they "make marriage and motherhood seem, well fun. Easy. Joyful"
• She explains another reason that they may appear happy, is because optimism is so stressed within the LDS community.

Opinion Editorial Reflection - Reboot

What worked for me was making an outline. I usually just dive into a paper, but I found that making an outline, where I put in order what I want to say and get an idea of how I want to say it, helps me avoid writer's block. It felt like a much more fluid process, and less stressful. I also liked getting feedback from peers, as it was an opinion editorial, and they were my audience, it gave me a better perspective of what engages certain audiences. I used meme quotes to show that I’m not that out-of-the-loop as far as social media goes, and to enhance my credibility. I tried to throw in some humor to appeal to my audience, but I also shared more serious information, like a local girl getting raped, and a quote from Elder Cook to appeal to more emotion. For Logos, I used analogies to show how harmful the website (YikYak) can be, actual quotes from the site, and the Elder Cook quote could also fall under the category of logical appeal.

 What didn’t work for me was the 20 minute free-write. I don't think well under pressure, the best ideas come at random moments. I ended up not using any of the possible topics that I came up with in the portion of the writing process. After analyzing my paper, what didn’t work for me in terms of the rhetorical triangle was that I could have been more consistent with quoting memes to make the paper funnier. Also, I had hoped to have the exact number of how many sexual harassment reports are made weekly in the Provo area caused from online dating, but the officer never got back to me. I think it would have strengthened the logos in the paragraph regarding that subject.

As far as expectations go, I had never written an opinion editorial before, and I liked the amount of freedom that it allowed. I expected to learn more about how to persuade an audience with my words, and I think being able to receive a lot of feedback, helped achieve that.

Style Academy

     Style Academy seems like a pretty cool site so far. I like they way they break down the concepts into their simplest elements is really helpful. My favorite exercise so far has been the sentence combining. I always get comments on my writings that my sentences don't make sense, and it's because I try to pack a lot of information into one sentence, so it just comes out like gibberish, kind of like how this sentence is becoming.
   
     What I liked about it was how they took real examples from literature, and tore apart each thought that the writer had, and then helped you see how many ways you could put the thoughts together to change the tone or voice.
   
     I think this website is going to help me with my writing, by helping me sound more clear and to put more thought into what I am saying.
   
     There are so many different tricks that can be used in forming just a single sentence, to help convey an idea. I'm excited to learn these tricks.

Sentence Combining Exercise:

1. People who become highly productive learn to acknowledge and embrace their failures, and to explore and to learn from them.

2. In the late 1990's when I could no longer see my feet, I made an appointment with a Paris eye doctor who ran some tests, and sent me off to buy some glasses. I'd like to blame my choice on the frames on the fact that I couldn't see them clearly. I'd even like to say that they were forced upon me, though neither excuse is true. I chose them freely, and this I did because I thought they made me look smart and international. The frames had rectangular lenses, that weren't much larger than my eyes, surrounded by dark plastic. There was something vaguely familiar about them, but I could not put my finger on what it was. After I picked them up, I spent a great deal of time staring at my reflection in the mirror, and pretended to make some intelligent comments regarding the state Europe.


Imitation:

Sometimes, according to Edwin Teale, a gall gnat larva, which does not resemble the adult in the least, and which has certainly not mated, nevertheless produces within its body eggs, live eggs, which then hatch within its soft tissue.
     Sometimes [STUFF] gall gnat larva [STUFF] produces [STUFF] eggs [STUFF]

   My imitation:

     Sometimes, according to my best friend, Mormon boys, who have just returned home from their mission, and have certainly have not dated in years, find spouses, in a few short weeks, and then marry them in a few short months.

Why the Oscars’ Omission of ‘Selma’ Matters

David Carr makes some good points about the politics of the Oscars, and why the film "Selma" may have been robbed of an Oscar in his article here.



Generality: He assumes that the academy did not recognize the film as much as they should have, because of the demographic of the academy (mostly older white males), and last year "12 Years a Slave" won an Oscar to take care of "the black thing".

Analogy: Carr points out similarities between the representation of women, and of African-Americans at the Oscars. After the first woman to win best director won in 2010, she has not been recognized since, because (perhaps) the academy felt they had taken care of that situation.

Sign: If the Academy Awards were not corrupt, then "Selma" would have been given more attention.

Causality: The academy's decision to not award "Selma", has caused them to appear more superficial than before.

Authority: "As someone who once spent a great deal of time reporting on the ins and outs of the Oscars," Carr shares that he has experience, and has learned a lot about the Oscars.

Principal: Carr believes that minorities are underrepresented at the Academy Awards, despite having quality work.

Mean Girls in the Retirement Home

Jennifer Weiner shares an anecdote of her grandmother's experiences in a retirement home in this opinion article, here.



Generality: Weiner assumes that her audience has already heard some stereotypes of retirement homes, and that they view those stereotypes in a comedic way. She also assumes that, because here own Grandma is having this bad experience at the retirement home, that there are other elderly people who can relate, and that it is a serious issue.

Analogy: The author draws similarities between the attitudes of these women, and the attitudes of the "mean girls" in high school. The study she shared from Karl Pillemer, did not explicitly say, but showed that there are some similarities between the social living of those in retirement homes and those in prisons.

Sign: If Weiner's grandmother is suffering socially in her retirement home, then other seniors are experiencing the same discomfort.

Causality: Because of the way she is being treated, her grandmother can't call her retirement home a "home".

Authority: Weiner has experience, because she has witnessed what her own grandmother goes through. She references another source of authority when she shares the statistics of "conflicts and violence" in retirement homes found from a study done at Cornell University.

Principle: People should be kind to one another, no matter what their age. It should be handled seriously when seniors are taken advantage of or bullied, because they are just like the rest of us.

Quit Your Yakking - Thesis Proposal

There is a popular social media site for college students. It is called YikYak. The site is essentially Twitter, but all the posts you make are anonymous. The app finds your location, and you can view everything everyone with the app is saying in your area. This could be a fun app, but due to our carnal and sensual nature as human beings, this app is the scum of the earth. People tend to say extremely inappropriate things on the app, even at BYU. BYU's wifi restricts the use certain sites, I think that YikYak should be added to that list. 

To break it down, a rough draft of my thesis statement would be, “YikYak is an awful

social media site, and BYU should ban it from its wifi.” I want to talk about certain websites that are already banned from BYU wifi, nothing too racy, but Victoria’s Secret for instance. Some girls may not have cars and still want to buy high-quality underwear, but Victoria’s Secret does not advertise their product in the most appropriate manner, and so it is banned, and that is perfectly understandable. I also want to talk about what makes YikYak such a dangerous website, and make some reference to the story of The Ring of Gyges, which is about how people tend to act worse when they think that no one can see them. People use the site for dating, there are so many things wrong with that! I may share some of the recent, more PG-rated, posts that show how people misuse the site. Another claim I want to make is how the site is addictive, and how that negatively affects the students at BYU. Also, the wifi is always so slow! Let’s not let it be because everyone is YikYak-ing!

            I want to persuade people to agree with me that YikYak is one of the worst social media sites out there, and that it should be banned from BYU wifi, but I also hope to persuade those who use the site to quit. I want to be careful with my tone, because I don’t mean to offend anyone who uses the site. I know what it is, because I have opened it before and I have friends who use it. I speak from experience, and out of concern.

The Example Opinion Editorials

I thought that Ludlow made some good, persuasive points in, "A Miniskirt, Even With Leggings, Is Still A  Miniskirt". The title was intriguing, but turned out not to be the main topic of discussion. She focused more on the larger problem, which is the general disregard for the honor code.

She made herself a credible source in her introduction by sharing all of her experience she has had at BYU. I also liked the point she made about how many different fashion choices there are to make these days. Without really saying it, but implying it, she is saying that there are a lot of trendy ways to dress that would not go against the honor code.

Near the end she also brings up the First Presidency of the Church, which is a good way to appeal to her audience, since many of them believe that their words are inspired.

By that point in the essay, I really reconsidered my own fashion choices, and thought about just wearing a burka from now on.

No? Maybe too extreme. But nonetheless, I thought it was a persuasive paper.

Holt's "A Kiss-less Campus" did not persuade me as much. I think, because I went in reading the paper with another view already.

In her introduction she admits to not being a credible source. She is only a freshman.

In my statistics class last semester, one of the BYU studies we looked at were how the different years in college viewed kissing on the first date. Almost all of the freshman opposed it, less sophomores opposed it than freshman, less juniors than sophomores, and almost all of the seniors surveyed agreed that it was acceptable.

Amelia Holt may believe the amount of PDA at BYU is not okay, but as time goes on, I'm sure she will find a love of her own, and maybe even one-day be herself, those lip-smacking noises in the library.

Also, her evidence/facts were not strong enough for me. I would have liked a real study on "Why PDA is Destroying College Campuses" or something of the sort.

As for the wrestling editorial, I enjoyed that as well. Wrestling isn't something I know much about, but it opened my eyes up to how dangerous it is. If they want change, it makes sense to bring up the NCAA, who is in charge and makes the rules.

Potential Paper Topics

I wish I was really passionate about something current and meaningful to society, like gun control or animal testing. However, I don't know much about either of the topics. I do know that Graham Canyon seems to be a popular ice cream flavor at BYU. To me, it tastes like coffee flavored candy.

Right now, there's a lot of heavy debates going on across the country about who is to blame in certain civilian shootings by cops.Such as in Ferguson, Missouri. People were rioting everywhere, and they think it is a race issue. I think people have wronged, and been wronged, on both sides of the argument. I don't think that violence is the answer, and I don't think giving cops 24/7 cameras will change the real problem which is people's attitudes.

Speaking of attitudes, one thing I suppose I am passionate about is the messages sent through pop music. I'm from not the nicest neighborhood, in not the nicest city in America. Children growing up need role models. When they don't come from good living situations, they usually choose these rappers, and singers to look up to. They idolize them, yet the majority of their music is about drugs, sex, and money. These youth then believe that, that is what life is about. They get the mindset that "you only live once" and these are the things that matter most. Taking my LDS perspective out of the view, these are the future leaders of America. Is this what our nation is coming to? I propose that the government set stricter rules on what is allowed on daytime radio and tv. Once you're an adult, do whatever you want, but kids are being exposed to worse things than ever before, and it's warping their perspective of the world.

Or, I could write about the honor code, but there's not much to say about it except that it's awesome and Elder Ballard said in stake conference, "You can't murmur about the honor code if you believe in Christ."

Introduction

Hi! I'm Taylor Holiday, and I'm from Stockton, California.



It is my second semester at BYU. I'm not sure what I want to study yet, but I applied under Athletic Training, and if you ask what my major is, that is what I will tell you.

In high school, I played a lot of sports, and a lot of music.

I played basketball, volleyball, and my main sport was swim. My favorite sport to play is volleyball, and my favorite to watch is basketball.

I hate swimming. Swimming is awful.

I am the youngest of five.




We are all pretty spread apart in age, but it has never felt like that.

No, we don't all look alike, but I promise we are related.

FAQ's:

1. How tall are you?

I am taller than average, but really not that tall. You're probably just really short. (5'11"-6'0")

2. What are you?
     
How rude! I am child of God, duh. But I know what you mean, and I am half black and half white. Not much else.

3. Is that a weave?
   
I haven't gotten this question much at BYU, but no, it is not a weave. It's just genetics and usually hair gel.


For this class, I dunno grammer to good, so I do hope to improve on that even if the Weird Al video was a joke.

Also, I'm excited to learn more about rhetoric. I enjoyed my high school English class that emphasized on using different rhetorical devices.

Hopefully, by the end of this course I will become like one of the great debaters. Someone like Cher, from "Clueless".



That's all you need to know about me!