Major Premise: After a show, musicians often don't stick around. When fans hang around the venue or ask about the artist, they are told that the star has left the building. This lets them know that they can go home, or wait around for the next show to begin.
Minor Premise: Elvis was a very popular performer.
Conclusion: After Elvis was done performing and had swarms of fans waiting for him or asking about him, the audience was informed that Elvis had left the building.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Ch 4. Progymnasmata Cheating
Prologue: Because college is a higher level of education paid for by the student, it is supposed to be challenging and even stressful. College is supposed to prepare the student for the real world. Because it is challenging, sometimes students are tempted to cheat in order to do well. Although there are policies against this, some students still feel that cheating is the best way to handle the stress and rigors of college.
Contrary: Because university administrators understand that the work load for students can be challenging and because university administrators have been students and observed students, they are well aware that the temptation to cheat is present, and they know that students often give into that temptation. This is why the academic dishonesty policy exists. This policy clearly outlines that any student caught cheating will be punished. Punishment can be a failing grade in the course or having the dean of student life contacted which is severe. The policy is required to be included in every syllabus to ensure that students are made aware of the policy. Any student who cheats will be punished.
Exposition: This being said, any student who cheats has no regard for the rules set in place, their fellow classmates, professors or their own character. Such students only care about earning a better grade off of someone else's work. They are not concerned about how their fellow classmates work to do well and that they are undermining their efforts. They have no respect toward their professor who teaches them the information they need to be successful in the class. Most importantly, they are not concerned with their own character and integrity. Even if they don't get caught, they know what they did. If they can live with themselves receiving a better grade than they deserve because they deceived others to earn it, obviously their morals are very questionable.
Comparison: Accepting that you didn't study the material like you should have and taking the lower grade that you deserve is far better than stealing a higher grade and ignoring your lack of preparation. The student who accepts the lower grade shows accountability for his or her own actions or lack thereof. The student who cheats his or her way to a higher grade shows laziness, deception, and poor character.
Intention: When a student cheats in school, they intend to deceive their professors. They want to appear responsible, prepared and smart. They believe that they will succeed by cheating. In reality, they are setting themselves up for failure in their future.
Digression: If a student was not made aware of the policy against cheating, or if the student never learned right from wrong, then maybe the act of cheating could be excused. Since all students are made aware of the policy, and since most human beings know right from wrong, cheating is not acceptable under any circumstances.
Rejection of Pity: It may be tempting to have pity for students who cheat because they are struggling with the material or fell behind. However, there are free services available to help struggling students. There are even free services to teach students to manage their time better. Excusing cheating only reinforces it. Not only will students not learn the information being taught to them, but also students will never learn to be responsible if they are not made accountable for their actions. The purpose of college is to educate students and teach them skills to help them in the real world. Responsibility is one of those skills.
Legality: Because students who work hard to earn good grades are rewarded by being included on the Dean’s List, being eligible for more financial aid, and granted other privileges, students who lie to steal a good grade need to be punished.
Justice: This punishment can be determined by the professor, the department chair, or the dean of student life.
Advantage: Punishment for cheating will affect all students. Responsible students will be recognized for their hard work. Cheating students will not be rewarded for stealing a good grade which will teach them to be more responsible if they want to pass their classes.
Possibility: It will be easy to punish students who cheat. The policy for handling academic dishonesty can be easily enforced via the professor, department chairperson, and even the dean of student life.
Contrary: Because university administrators understand that the work load for students can be challenging and because university administrators have been students and observed students, they are well aware that the temptation to cheat is present, and they know that students often give into that temptation. This is why the academic dishonesty policy exists. This policy clearly outlines that any student caught cheating will be punished. Punishment can be a failing grade in the course or having the dean of student life contacted which is severe. The policy is required to be included in every syllabus to ensure that students are made aware of the policy. Any student who cheats will be punished.
Exposition: This being said, any student who cheats has no regard for the rules set in place, their fellow classmates, professors or their own character. Such students only care about earning a better grade off of someone else's work. They are not concerned about how their fellow classmates work to do well and that they are undermining their efforts. They have no respect toward their professor who teaches them the information they need to be successful in the class. Most importantly, they are not concerned with their own character and integrity. Even if they don't get caught, they know what they did. If they can live with themselves receiving a better grade than they deserve because they deceived others to earn it, obviously their morals are very questionable.
Comparison: Accepting that you didn't study the material like you should have and taking the lower grade that you deserve is far better than stealing a higher grade and ignoring your lack of preparation. The student who accepts the lower grade shows accountability for his or her own actions or lack thereof. The student who cheats his or her way to a higher grade shows laziness, deception, and poor character.
Intention: When a student cheats in school, they intend to deceive their professors. They want to appear responsible, prepared and smart. They believe that they will succeed by cheating. In reality, they are setting themselves up for failure in their future.
Digression: If a student was not made aware of the policy against cheating, or if the student never learned right from wrong, then maybe the act of cheating could be excused. Since all students are made aware of the policy, and since most human beings know right from wrong, cheating is not acceptable under any circumstances.
Rejection of Pity: It may be tempting to have pity for students who cheat because they are struggling with the material or fell behind. However, there are free services available to help struggling students. There are even free services to teach students to manage their time better. Excusing cheating only reinforces it. Not only will students not learn the information being taught to them, but also students will never learn to be responsible if they are not made accountable for their actions. The purpose of college is to educate students and teach them skills to help them in the real world. Responsibility is one of those skills.
Legality: Because students who work hard to earn good grades are rewarded by being included on the Dean’s List, being eligible for more financial aid, and granted other privileges, students who lie to steal a good grade need to be punished.
Justice: This punishment can be determined by the professor, the department chair, or the dean of student life.
Advantage: Punishment for cheating will affect all students. Responsible students will be recognized for their hard work. Cheating students will not be rewarded for stealing a good grade which will teach them to be more responsible if they want to pass their classes.
Possibility: It will be easy to punish students who cheat. The policy for handling academic dishonesty can be easily enforced via the professor, department chairperson, and even the dean of student life.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
"Cop Copters Are No Loss"
The following letter was retrieved from http://www.gazette.com/opinion/memorial-91899-page-editorial.html on 28 Jan. 2010
Cop copters are no loss
It is so great to see police helicopters finally grounded and we taxpayers begin to enjoy some savings from this needless waste. As a city with a robbery and murder rate one half the national average, we need to scale back the size of our police force sharply. Taxpayers should demand the police force be reduced by 50 percent from its current level so the police force size is in line with the crime rate in our city. The reality is that with Colorado’s concealed handgun law, bad guys are afraid to commit violent crimes in Colorado Springs because they know there is a good chance they will be killed by an armed citizen.
Armed citizens, and not police, make our city a safe place. We taxpayers should take advantage of this and reduce our police force now and we might see there are opportunities to also reduce tax rates that would lead to economic growth and more jobs for all.
Rick Supplee
Colorado Springs
The issue under debate in this letter is that the police force in Colorado Springs needs to be reduced to fit the crime rate and save taxpayers money. I believe that the stasis of the argument is one of policy. I say this because Supplee suggests reducing the police force because we really don't need such a large force in when "armed citizens, and not police, make our city a safe place." The position that is being argued against is anyone in favor of the current size of the police force or making the police force larger. Supplee really has no support to achieve stasis with his opponents on this issue because of his lack support. He states that Colorado Springs's crime rate is half that of the national average, but he does not give specific information on the ratio of the police force to the crime rate. Simply stating that our crime rate is lower than the national average is not enough evidence to support his argument for a smaller police force. Supplee really loses all hope of achieving stasis when he writes that armed citizens keep the peace in the city. Why don't we just do away with the police force altogether and rely on armed citizens to maintain a safe city. We will save boatloads of money!
Cop copters are no loss
It is so great to see police helicopters finally grounded and we taxpayers begin to enjoy some savings from this needless waste. As a city with a robbery and murder rate one half the national average, we need to scale back the size of our police force sharply. Taxpayers should demand the police force be reduced by 50 percent from its current level so the police force size is in line with the crime rate in our city. The reality is that with Colorado’s concealed handgun law, bad guys are afraid to commit violent crimes in Colorado Springs because they know there is a good chance they will be killed by an armed citizen.
Armed citizens, and not police, make our city a safe place. We taxpayers should take advantage of this and reduce our police force now and we might see there are opportunities to also reduce tax rates that would lead to economic growth and more jobs for all.
Rick Supplee
Colorado Springs
The issue under debate in this letter is that the police force in Colorado Springs needs to be reduced to fit the crime rate and save taxpayers money. I believe that the stasis of the argument is one of policy. I say this because Supplee suggests reducing the police force because we really don't need such a large force in when "armed citizens, and not police, make our city a safe place." The position that is being argued against is anyone in favor of the current size of the police force or making the police force larger. Supplee really has no support to achieve stasis with his opponents on this issue because of his lack support. He states that Colorado Springs's crime rate is half that of the national average, but he does not give specific information on the ratio of the police force to the crime rate. Simply stating that our crime rate is lower than the national average is not enough evidence to support his argument for a smaller police force. Supplee really loses all hope of achieving stasis when he writes that armed citizens keep the peace in the city. Why don't we just do away with the police force altogether and rely on armed citizens to maintain a safe city. We will save boatloads of money!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Progymnasmata #1
"The root of education is bitter, but sweet are its fruits."
Praise for the Author: Isocrates was very wise in saying this. It seems like common sense, but sometimes it just needs to be said. He most likely came up with this from his own experiences. I bet his educational experiences were very bitter considering the amount of information that he learned and the style in which it was taught to him.
Paraphrase: Earning a degree is challenging. It involves long hours and stressful assignments. It demands your full attention and requires you to balance all of your activities. However, once you graduate and are able to secure a high paying job in a field that you love, it will be worth it all. That’s the hope anyway. You have to struggle through the rigors of being a student in order to enjoy the benefits of a career you love.
Cause or Reasoning for Saying: Every student will struggle with the demands of school sometime during their career as a student. It is best to come to terms with it early on.
A Contrast: Some students decide that the stress and hard work are not worth it. Some give up and drop out. My sister did this, and now she is working a job that she really isn’t too fond of. There are many stories just like this. If you turn on the TV, you can watch numerous commercials of people trying to go back to school because they did drop out or not even go to begin with, and now they wish they had.
A Comparison: It’s like when I completed the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in 2008. I had to raise $1800.00 and walk 40 miles. At times it was really hard and stressful. Some days I wanted to give up and just forget about it. However, I stuck through it, raised the money, and completed all forty miles. At the end of the walk, survivors of breast cancer greeted all of the walkers. Having them tell me how much they appreciated my efforts to raise awareness and help find a cure made all the hard work worth it.
An Example: I'm dealing with this right now. It's rough learning all you have to in order to get where you want to. Right now, I'm struggling with balancing all my school work, work-work, and other commitments-work. It's a lot of freaking work!
Testimony: I continue my education because I know that when it's all over, I'll come out stronger, educated, well-rounded, and ready for a good paying job—hopefully!
Epilogue: At the end of the day, no matter how much I want to give up, I realize that I am blessed to be able to attend college. I know a lot of people who are not able to earn an education. (Or so they think). I acknowledge that I have a brain, financial aid, a flexible job to work around my schedule, and a supportive family. I will not waste it!
Praise for the Author: Isocrates was very wise in saying this. It seems like common sense, but sometimes it just needs to be said. He most likely came up with this from his own experiences. I bet his educational experiences were very bitter considering the amount of information that he learned and the style in which it was taught to him.
Paraphrase: Earning a degree is challenging. It involves long hours and stressful assignments. It demands your full attention and requires you to balance all of your activities. However, once you graduate and are able to secure a high paying job in a field that you love, it will be worth it all. That’s the hope anyway. You have to struggle through the rigors of being a student in order to enjoy the benefits of a career you love.
Cause or Reasoning for Saying: Every student will struggle with the demands of school sometime during their career as a student. It is best to come to terms with it early on.
A Contrast: Some students decide that the stress and hard work are not worth it. Some give up and drop out. My sister did this, and now she is working a job that she really isn’t too fond of. There are many stories just like this. If you turn on the TV, you can watch numerous commercials of people trying to go back to school because they did drop out or not even go to begin with, and now they wish they had.
A Comparison: It’s like when I completed the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in 2008. I had to raise $1800.00 and walk 40 miles. At times it was really hard and stressful. Some days I wanted to give up and just forget about it. However, I stuck through it, raised the money, and completed all forty miles. At the end of the walk, survivors of breast cancer greeted all of the walkers. Having them tell me how much they appreciated my efforts to raise awareness and help find a cure made all the hard work worth it.
An Example: I'm dealing with this right now. It's rough learning all you have to in order to get where you want to. Right now, I'm struggling with balancing all my school work, work-work, and other commitments-work. It's a lot of freaking work!
Testimony: I continue my education because I know that when it's all over, I'll come out stronger, educated, well-rounded, and ready for a good paying job—hopefully!
Epilogue: At the end of the day, no matter how much I want to give up, I realize that I am blessed to be able to attend college. I know a lot of people who are not able to earn an education. (Or so they think). I acknowledge that I have a brain, financial aid, a flexible job to work around my schedule, and a supportive family. I will not waste it!
Rhetorical Activity #4
Imagine that you have just finished proof reading your very important paper that was due in fifteen minutes. You have worked hard on this paper, but you notice a few errors that you would like to fix before turning it in. You head to the nearest computer lab knowing that it will only take a few minutes to correct your paper.
Upon arrival to the lab, you try to log on. You become impatient as the computer stays frozen on the dialog box that reads that the computer is logging on. Your heart starts beating a little faster as you feel the adrenaline kick in. You begin to stress a little bit about making it to class on time.
Finally, the computer is up, and you are able to make the revisions. You save your paper, then proceed to print it. Uh oh! The gray dialog box pops up that says there is an error and your paper can not be printed. What do you do now? You don't have a printer at home. Even if you did, class will be starting in five minutes. Then you think to yourself, "Aren't I paying money for access to these printers? What good are they if they don't work when I need them most?" By now, you're really stressing. You feel almost defeated as you walk to class empty handed. Too bad this paper is worth twenty percent of your grade. Too bad your professor will take away some points for it being late if they even accept it at all.
Aren't you tired of dealing with slow computers and broken printers? Don't you deserve better quality for the money you pay? Wouldn't you feel less stressed if the technology at the school actually benefited you when you needed it most?
Upon arrival to the lab, you try to log on. You become impatient as the computer stays frozen on the dialog box that reads that the computer is logging on. Your heart starts beating a little faster as you feel the adrenaline kick in. You begin to stress a little bit about making it to class on time.
Finally, the computer is up, and you are able to make the revisions. You save your paper, then proceed to print it. Uh oh! The gray dialog box pops up that says there is an error and your paper can not be printed. What do you do now? You don't have a printer at home. Even if you did, class will be starting in five minutes. Then you think to yourself, "Aren't I paying money for access to these printers? What good are they if they don't work when I need them most?" By now, you're really stressing. You feel almost defeated as you walk to class empty handed. Too bad this paper is worth twenty percent of your grade. Too bad your professor will take away some points for it being late if they even accept it at all.
Aren't you tired of dealing with slow computers and broken printers? Don't you deserve better quality for the money you pay? Wouldn't you feel less stressed if the technology at the school actually benefited you when you needed it most?
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Introducing the One and Only Mrs. Amanda Starr!
Hello World!
I have no idea where to begin telling you about myself, so I will start with my edumacation. I am double majoring in English and Psychology and minoring in Professional Writing. I want to be a clinical psychologist and specialize in abnormal psych. This is my third year at CSU-Pueblo. I am active in the sorority on campus--Alpha Sigma Alpha. I love my girls!
I have no idea where to begin telling you about myself, so I will start with my edumacation. I am double majoring in English and Psychology and minoring in Professional Writing. I want to be a clinical psychologist and specialize in abnormal psych. This is my third year at CSU-Pueblo. I am active in the sorority on campus--Alpha Sigma Alpha. I love my girls!
After this semester in English 304, I would like to be a better writer and a better arguer. Yep. That's my new word :)
Also after this semester, I am looking forward to welcoming my husband back home from Afghanistan. He is due back by mid-may. My engagement ring was a car, love love love my Chrysler 300!, but I am excited for an actual ring when he gets home lol.
Also after this semester, I am looking forward to welcoming my husband back home from Afghanistan. He is due back by mid-may. My engagement ring was a car, love love love my Chrysler 300!, but I am excited for an actual ring when he gets home lol.
Right after that, me and my best friend will head to Vegas to celebrate her bachelorette party. I'm really looking forward to that! Then, I will visit Germany on a literary tour with Dr. Souder. I am so excited to see another country! As soon as I return from Germany, I will head to Keystone and walk forty miles to raise awareness for breast cancer. This will be my second year participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I must raise $1800.00 to walk, so if you would like to support me you can visit my personal page at www.tinyurl.com/ybactyq. I would really love to tell you more about this, so shoot me an email if you would like more information.
I enjoy helping others, working on campus in the Writing Room as a tutor, being a mother to a beautiful Husky and a very hyper German Shepherd mix (Yes, I treat them like I would my own children), going to school, and living this wonderful life of mine!
I enjoy helping others, working on campus in the Writing Room as a tutor, being a mother to a beautiful Husky and a very hyper German Shepherd mix (Yes, I treat them like I would my own children), going to school, and living this wonderful life of mine!
I love pink (As if you hadn't noticed), my friends and family, music, reading, and writing. I hate spiders, peanut butter, math, bad drivers (although this is a bit hypocritical of me because I'm not too great myself), waiting, and heavy metal.
I look forward to having a great semester and getting to know some new people! :)
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