Chapter 3: Arrangement

Reading Response

By Sarah Moore

Personal Response: 

While my English textbook doesn't necessary scream, "thought-provoking and intriguing" or, "a must read", it is, in fact, a book necessary for a class such as English 121, or any English class for that matter. After completing chapter 3, I immediately thought it was a needed and hopefully highly recommended chapter to read for those wanting help organizing and even composing their essays. Though it was technical (and could be a bit dry), I liked the detail it gave to its readers. What I was first drawn to were the examples of different introductions to start an essay, such as the suggestion of using an anecdote or story. I was pleasantly surprised at this, since I love to use the creative side of writing, but didn't know how to accomplish that in something as structured as an essay. It was very useful, I particularly appreciated the lengthy list of possible transitions, and I hope to use the tips and checklists when I begin my own essays. 

Professional Response:

It had many relevant examples and recommendations on how to be meticulous in essay writing. To keep the reader engaged and practicing, the chapter provided paragraphs to be edited, such as identifying the thesis statements, or underlining well-written paragraphs, that proved very helpful. Overall it encouraged the reader to be specific, use formal outlines if being clear and concise is often difficult, and support what it is that's being written about as thoroughly as possible. A wonderful chapter to revert back to when in need of essay advice. 

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Photo by Sarah Moore, 2015

WORKS CITED
Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell. Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide. Boston: Bedford St. Martin's, 2001. Print.

Chapter 3 reading response.

 By Sarah Holzmeister
August 30/2015


Personal Response:
    As I read this chapter it was very comforting that this material seems somewhat familiar. It has been quiet some time since i have taken an English class. As i read this chapter it was nice to see that not much has changed. I found it helpful the format they presented the examples and samples.


Professional Reaction:
    In this chapter it explains the format in which an essay needs to be written. It gives the overall layout of an essay as well as specific points and formats for each piece of the essay. The writers provide examples of several different ways of starting and finishing paragraphs to best get your point across. They were very through on explaining how the different parts of the whole fit together.

Image from crimestoppersqld.au

Chapter 3 Reading Response

Reading Response: Chapter 3

Nora Hixson

Personal Reaction: While reading this chapter, something that angered me was the fifth sentence of the first paragraph, which began with “If you are perceptive…” implying that they believe the reader is most likely not perceptive.

Also while reading this chapter, I learned about several types of essays that I didn’t know existed, as well as ways of writing conclusions that I had never considered. I also learned that they suggest that you write the body paragraphs of your rough draft before the introduction so you can establish what tone your overall essay will have.

Professional Reaction: The most important points in the reading were that you should be able to tell what format your essay will have based on the questions you answered for it, your body paragraphs need to be unified, coherent, and well developed, and that the conclusion needs to reinforce your thesis and main points without repeating them exactly.  

Photo found: Jack Bauman College Essays

Let Steroids into the Hall of Fame

Written by Zev Chafets

Q. What is the writer’s general subject?

A. The general subject in this essay is the epidemic of steroid use in the baseball hall of fame and how, whether the public likes it or not, “chemical enhancement is here to stay.” (22 Chafets)

Q. What is the writer’s main point?

A.That ultimately steroids are inevitably going to be used by athletes, especially in baseball, and even substances like steroids are already being used by the youth.

Q. What are the writer’s key supporting points?

A. “Purists say that steroids alter the game. But since the Hall opened its doors, baseball has never stopped changing”. (22, Kirszner ~ Mandell)

One of the key points Chafets makes in his essay (above) is that the game of baseball was always bound to change; it was never supposed to stay constant, but be altered by things such as more protective uniforms, its demography, the time of day the game is played at, and now, the use of steroids.

“On any given day, the stands are packed with youngsters on Adderall and Ritalin (stimulants used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and college students who use Provigil (an anti-narcolepsy drug) as a study aid”. (22, Kirszner ~ Mandell)

The point given here by Chafets is that the adult baseball players are not the only ones using drugs to enhance their performance.

Q. Does the writer seem to have a particular purpose in mind?

A. The purpose is to brace the public that enhancements like these are going to be used regardless of their acceptance. It’s better to just get used to them.

Q. What kind of audience is the writer addressing?

A. He seems to be addressing the general public, but probably more in particular, the people who are skeptical or outraged by steroids use in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Q. What are the writer’s assumptions about the audience? About subject?

A. The writer is assuming that the reader is against steroids, and therefore is writing to them on how it is unavoidable and they should just accept it. About his subject, Chafets seems to be somewhat ignorant to the harmful effects steroids can have on a person, (examples such as depression, liver damage, and cancer,) but is writing in a way that assumes steroids are harmless.

Q. Are the writer’s ideas consistent to your own?

A. Not really, the author has a very narrow approach to steroids.

Q. Does the writer reveal any biases?

A. The author is partial to steroids, and doesn’t agree with the public who are against them.

Q. Do you have any knowledge that challenges the writer’s ideas?

A. The author is not taking into account the serious and destructive effects steroids can have. Though Chafets says, “But baseball players aren’t children; they are adults in a very stressful and competitive profession. If they want to use anabolic steroids, or human growth hormone or bull’s testosterone, it should be up to them”, (22, Kirszner ~ Mandell) simply because they’re adults doesn’t mean they should make stupid decisions, such as taking steroids.

Q. Is there any information missing?

A. There isn’t much of a counter argument, or a more realistic view of what steroids can do.

Q. Sequential or logical links missing?

A. None that could be found.

Q. Can you identify themes or ideas that also appear in other works your have read?

Not many that could be compared to the essay.

Q. Can you identify parallels with your own experience?

A. There are several situations from our experiences that can be compared. For example, the use of other drugs (like marijuana) will be used whether it’s legal or not, similar to Chafets argument on steroids.

WORKS CITED

Kirszner, Laurie G, and Stephen R. Mandell. Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide. Boston: Bedford St. Martin's, 2001. Print.

The Perfectionist Writer

By Sarah Moore

            The moment my college professor instructed us to grab partners for a short interviews, my first instinct was to turn to the girl behind me whose syllabus I’d been sharing. Evidently, she was my best friend, in the same Front Range Community College class as me. I was confident I could predict her answers in the interview, but looking over the questions, I found that I was curious as to what her thoughts on English would be, a question I never thought to ask on my own.

I started with the usual, asking Nora Hixson whether she preferred technical or creative writing.

            “I definitely prefer creative writing, because I journal and write poetry a bit.  Actually,” Nora chuckled, “when I was younger I tried writing about six different novels. I had so many plot ideas that I could never just do one.”

            This being new information, I continued excitedly, asking who her favorite instructors were that might’ve encouraged her writing.

            “Well, the worst was Mr. Opal, my tenth grade English teacher. He was so disorganized, and only assigned group projects!” She laughed. “However, by far the best was Ms. Kaufman, a teacher I had in seventh and eighth grade. She was excellent at feedback and critiques. I learned a lot from her,” Nora explained.

I wanted to continue with this train of thought, but I remembered there were questions to follow: “Do you know how to use Word, social networking, or the campus library? And do you own a computer?” I asked.

“I own a chromebook, but I’m not very good. I tend to break things or make it freeze,” she looked down at the desk embarrassingly, laughing. “I know Microsoft Word, email is good, and of course social networking too. As far as Front Range goes, I am completely new.”

I nodded in agreement. Finally, as class neared its end, I combined the last important questions, eager to know their answers.

“What writing goals have you set for yourself in this class, and do you foresee possible problems? What often gives you trouble with writing?”

Photo credit: Sarah Moore, 2015

“My goal is to master how to narrow in on one topic, because I tend to choose ideas that are too broad and get points off for clarity. As far as problems go, I worry a little bit on how to balance my time, what with being an intensive dancer and a perfectionist when it comes to writing,” Nora laughed.

I laughed with her, having seen this perfectionist side at school as well. Suddenly, I remembered her comment about when she’d attempted to write books, so I asked: “Would you ever pursue English?”

“Not particularly, I think I’m more likely to take the dance route. I did consider being an author once, but I’m not sure I’m good enough.” 

Interview

       I had the privilege of sitting down and interviewing Amin about some of his writing habits and his experiences here at Front Range Community College. When asked what forms of writing Amin uses most he explained that he texts and emails the most. He also writes reports for work and will occasionally write letters and friends and girlfriends. 

      He has already taken this class but due to other conflicts he decided to drop the class. He has had both poor and positive experiences with the teachers he has had, but feels like he has learned a lot of skills from both. Amin has participated in many peer workshops throughout his years in school and feels comfortable with the process.

       Amin feels very comfortable with using computers. He uses computers at work with several different programs to help with the every day tasks for his company. Although he regularly looks at social media websites he rarely posts to them. Amin has been at Front Range Community College for a year and a half. He is familiar with Front Range Community College library although he usually will go to the public library.  

       Amin’s goal for this class is to pass. Some of the foreseen problems that could be in the way of achieving his goal would be his dislike of writing and reading. He said it is hard to get his thoughts down on paper and managing his time. Amin decided to pursue a degree in business management. After working as a production supervisor for Polar Bottles he feels like it is the right place for him. He likes leading a crew and making sure his team can succeed.

Written by Sarah Holzmeister

  

Setting Goals

By Amin Halimovic

I interviewed Sarah Holzmeister to get her perspective about learning English. Many students cringe when assigned an essay, but writing should not be a subject to stress over. Sarah feels comfortable about her writing skills because of the forms of writing she uses daily, her past experiences with writing, and her goals for this English class. While English can be a difficult subject to understand, by studying and having useful tools anyone can excel at English. Writing is a part of our everyday lives.

            Sarah like most of us writes throughout the day, she writes text and emails to friends and clients. As a treatment councilor Sarah writes lists and summarizes at work. She writes lists for jobs to do around her house. People might not think about writing, but like Sarah it is around us all the time. The types of writing Sarah does is not the only thing that makes her comfortable about writing.

            In past experiences Sarah has been in many English classes throughout her schooling life. It is Sarah’s first time taking English 121 here at Front Range. In many of her English classes Sarah has participated peer editing, and Sarah has used libraries for assistance in writing. Sarah has yet to use the campus library, but it is her goal to use it this year.


            Sarah’s goals for this class have a big role in her becoming successful in this course. While Sarah is comfortable with her writing, formatting and citations are two areas of writing where she believes she struggles. One of the hardest parts of writing is starting for her, but when the writing begins it is easy for her to finish. Her ultimate goal for this class is to pass, putting in hard work and having goals Sarah should have no problem passing the class.



Link for Picture

            Seeing Sarah’s point of view on English helped me learn more about writing. I’ve learned there are many students like myself that struggle with writing. Sarah and I have many goals for this fall semester, and most of these goals we have are based on our problems we foresee related to English. These problems that we perceive should not be a concern, because with the help of our English instructor and peers we will pass this class. Sarah wants to get a degree in social work to help others, and I know English will only help her get this degree.

English in the Life of Sarah Moore

An Interview Conducted by Nora Hixson

I sat down with Sarah Moore on August 25th, 2015, in the computer lab at Front Range Community College. To start our conversation, I asked her what forms of writing she used the most in her everyday life.

“I much prefer the creative aspect of writing, versus the analytical and technical side,” she told me with a smile. “I definitely journal a lot, as well as the occasional poem that I like to write. I would write a short story or poem over an essay any day.”

Now curious as to what had made her prefer creative writing over technical writing, I asked her about her various experiences with English teachers, the good and the bad.

“My absolute favorite teacher was Ms. Kaufman. We called her Ms. K, and I had her in her Creative Writing class in ninth grade. She was really good about giving helpful feedback and having tons of group discussions about whatever topic we were on. We did lots of peer work-shopping in that class, having our individual pieces read and critiqued by the whole class before we read them aloud,” she laughed. “It was the most terrifying moment of my life, reading my work out loud.”

We both discussed our great dislike of speaking in front of groups of people until the computer next to me made a noise, which reminded me of my next question.

“How much experience do you have with computers, the Internet, Microsoft Word, social media, etc.?” I asked her.

“Well,” she began, “all of my sisters are very good with technology, so I’ve learned a lot from them about computers and things like that. I have tons of experience with the Internet and social media and Microsoft Word and use them all quite often. Honestly, if I were to rate my experience with computers and the things that go along with them on a scale from one to ten, I would give myself a ten,” she laughed.

Then, because we were in the computer lab together for the first day of English 121, I asked her, “So on a different topic, what sorts of writing goals have you set for yourself for this class?”

“I definitely hope to improve my ability to get my point across,” she explained, “I believe I have a lot of trouble making my argument super concise and clear. I also hope to be able to get to a point where I can consistently write well without a lot of feedback.”

To continue with the way the conversation was going, I asked her what problems she foresaw that related to English 121.

“I think the only problems that I would have in this class would be the combination of the amount of technical and analytical writing that we do and my dislike of writing in this way,” she told me.

To finish up our conversation as we were running out of time, I asked her, “To finish, how far do you intend to go with English in your life?”

“I really love English,” she said honestly, “so if a future career of mine ever fails, I would definitely take on English, most likely as a teacher. It’s my number one choice for a fallback.”