Draft of Open Letter

In this post, I will attach the draft for open letter to Mr. Bottai and my peers. But first, some things you should know before reading it. 

Unknown. "Cute Puppy." 08/22/2015. Share Alike 3.0.  

I am still working on the flow of my letter. I have all my major points down, I just need to work on the flow a little more. If you would give feedback on the balance of professionalism and friendliness. 

Also, if you could keep an eye out for grammar mistakes.

HERE is my draft. 

Thanks! 

B.A. Jordan

Reflecting MORE on my Writing Process

This post is to help reflect on my writing process throughout this course. I will do this by answering 6 questions provided to me. This will help me build a foundation for my final reflective open letter.

Harmes, Ross. Devastatingly Cute. 09/22/2009. Attribution 2.0 Generic. 

1. What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall?

My biggest challenge was definitely during project 2. I had so much other homework and I was falling behind in the deadlines. I started to become a constant cycle of missing deadlines.

2. What did you learn this semester about your own time management, writing and editorial skills?

I learned that in order to get things done, I needed to switch up the places I was working or else I would fall asleep. Time management is hard when you have a roommate that gets work done really fast and then wants to talk and hang out.

I have learned that my writing is better when I am not as rushed. I get things done quicker when I am rushed, but it is better quality when I can take my time. I like this course because I would have to rush to get deadlines done, but then on the next deadline, I could go back over and edit my work. this helped my writing much more than only turning in a final draft.

I also learned that I am really good at editing grammar and sentence structure, but not at organization. This showed me that I need more people to edit my paper than just one. Also, that I can do a thorough job with grammar, but they need another person do the theoretical part.

3. What do you know about the concept of 'genre'? Explain how understanding this concept is central to being a more effective writer.

I did not realize how many types of genres there are in writing or used to make public speech acts. A genre is a way to categorize speech acts that contain similar conventions to effectively reach a certain audience. For example, the first genre that we learned to write were blog posts. I then wrote a Quick Reference Guide, Rhetorical Analysis, and then a talk radio segment.

Understanding a genre is important because it helps to know the goal of the speech act and the audience. A quick reference guide has a different purpose than a talk radio segment.

4. What skills from this course might you use and/or develop further in the next few years of college coursework?

The process of "prework" I will most definitely use. The prework that went into all the projects taught me the value of preparing for a writing assignment. I intend to use the techniques I have learned, such as Coggle, in the future to prepare for writing assignments, presentations, group work, etc.

5. What was your most effective moment from this semester in 109H?

I don't know if I can pin down my most effective moment. But, one of my favorite moments was when I conducted my interview with my econ professor, Reff. I didn't think that he would actually have time to do an interview with me, but I asked him anyway. He happily agreed and said we could do it after the next class! Well I'm so glad that I had this idea and got the courage to ask because we ended up talking for an hour after the interview. I would classify us as friends now and he has encouraged me so much. He is even helping me with my steps of applying into the Eller college.

6. What was your least effective moment from this semester in 109H?

The nights that the clock was ticking down to 10pm...then 11...then 11:30, and I was typing like a crazy lady. Those were my least effective moments. When I was cramming all my work into the last minutes and even up to the last seconds. Yes, I may have worked faster and got more done in those moments than in the entire week, but it was not quality, nor was it good for my blood pressure.

Revisiting My Writing Process

This post is intended to help me revisit my writing process that I started this semester out with. I will go back and look at the two first blog posts I wrote, My writing Process and Calendar Reflection.



"Peepee time for little puppy" by stephzerofour - Flickr: peepee time for little puppy. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peepee_time_for_little_puppy.jpg#/media/File: Peepee_time_for_little_puppy.jpg

I have defiantly always been a "heavy reviser" and procrastinator. Through this semester and this course, I have found that I am a little less of a procrastinator, though I am still a heavy reviser. I still think best when physically writing things down on paper, but I have discovered new ways that are effective for me to get my thoughts typed. I have been introduced to Coggle. This will be my new best friend for all of my writing projects in the years to come.

This course tells me that I still have room for improvement. I have seen that the less I procrastinate, the more I can get done. I have improved my procrastination habits slightly which shows me that I can get even better in the future.

As far as time management, I think I have gotten better at setting time aside when I said I would. As the semester went on, my roommate got more comfortable with asking me to taker places or work out with her and I had to learn to say no to her in order to get my homework done. I have learned not to do homework on the couch for too long or I will fall asleep. I also learned that it helps me to move where I am working. The business center at my apartment complex is a great place to focus as is my parents' house.

Reflection on Project 3

This post is too reflect on the process of creating project 3. I will do this by answering 9 questions from Writing Public Lives.

1. What was specifically revised one draft to another?

Well. my rough draft was simply the raw recordings of what I planned to turn into my talk radio segment. So all the spoofs and mistakes were cut out and everything was stitched together.

2. Point to global changes: how did you reconsider your thesis or organization?

I knew what my thesis was all along, but I did change my organization up quite a bit. Before I started, I didn't even think about having an intro and conclusion to the actual interview the way it is. Because my voice sounded different because I was recording in a different spot, I decided to make the interview a past recording that I am just now putting on air.

3. What led you to these changes?

I figured that it would make more sense, but also, it allowed me to talk about the interview and explain things I wouldn't if Reff was still sitting right in front of me.

4. How do these changes affect my credibility?

I think it made me seem more knowledgeable because I could explain more in depth what is going on and what certain things mean. It increases my credibility by showing my understanding.

5. How do these changes better address the audience or venue?

Like I said, it helped me to explain points and my opinion better.

6. Point to the local changes: how did I reconsider sentence structure and style?

This was not a main concern because my speech act was audio, but I did work on my tone.

7. How will these changes assist my audience in understanding my purpose?

My tone helps people know that I am passionate about what I believe is right.

8. Did I have to reconsider the conventinos of the particular genre?

Yes. I still don't know if I got them right, but I just kept gong back and listening to other examples.

9. How does the process of reflection help my reconsider my identity as a writer?

It helps me think about what I need improvement on and where I have strengths. This was new for me so it showed me how fun new genres can be,

Publishing Public Argument

This is my final project 3! Enjoy.

 

 https://drive.google.com/a/email.arizona.edu/file/d/0B3K0hYDE4LNZNThaTzZ3ZFBVZ2s/view



(Music credit: Royalty Free Music- SOUNDOTCOM.COM. Pop Intro.)

 

1. Mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience currently stands on the issue (before reading/watcing/hearing your argument) below:

←----------------------------------------------------|--------------------------X------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

2. Now mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience should be (after they've read/watched/heard your argument) below:

←-----------------------X-----------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

3. Check one (and only one) of the argument types below for your public argument:

         _______ My public argument etablishes an original pro position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument establishes an original con position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument clarifies the causes for a problem that is being debated.

         _______ My public argument prooposes a solution for a problem that is being debated.

         _______ My public argument positively evaluate a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm supporting).

         ___X____ My public argument openly refutes a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm refuting).

4. Briefly explain how your public argument doesn’t simply restate information from other sources, but provides original context and insight into the situation:

     First, I am able to provide personal stories of application to the controversy. I apply the controversy to my life and explain what would happen. This is different than what others have used.

 

5. Identify the specific rhetorical appeals you believe you've employed in your public argument below:

Ethical or credibility-establishing appeals

       ___X__ Telling personal stories that establish a credible point-of-view

        __X___ Referring to credible sources (established journalism, credentialed experts, etc.)

        __X___ Employing carefully chosen key words or phrases that demonstrate you are credible (proper terminology, strong but clear vocabulary, etc.)

        __X___ Adopting a tone that is inviting and trustworthy rather than distancing or alienating

        _____ Arranging visual elements properly (not employing watermarked images, cropping images carefully, avoiding sloppy presentation)

         __X___ Establishing your own public image in an inviting way (using an appropriate images of yourself, if you appear on camera dressing in a warm or friendly or professional manner, appearing against a background that’s welcoming or credibility-establishing)

       ___X__ Sharing any personal expertise you may possess about the subject (your identity as a student in your discipline affords you some authority here)

        __X___ Openly acknowledging counterarguments and refuting them intelligently

        __X___ Appealing openly to the values and beliefs shared by the audience (remember that the website/platform/YouTube channel your argument is designed for helps determine the kind of audience who will encounter your piece)

        _____ Other: 

Emotional appeals

   __X___ Telling personal stories that create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

    __X___ Telling emotionally compelling narratives drawn from history and/or the current culture

   ___X__ Employing the repetition of key words or phrases that create an appropriate emotional impact

   __X___ Employing an appropriate level of formality for the subject matter (through appearance, formatting, style of language, etc.)

    __X___ Appropriate use of humor for subject matter, platform/website, audience

    _____ Use of “shocking” statistics in order to underline a specific point

    ___X__ Use of imagery to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

      _____ Employing an attractive color palette that sets an appropriate emotional tone (no clashing or ‘ugly’ colors, no overuse of too many variant colors, etc.)

      __X___ Use of music to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

      __X___ Use of sound effects to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

      __X__ Employing an engaging and appropriate tone of voice for the debate

       _____ Other: 

Logical or rational appeals

     _____ Using historical records from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

    _____ Using statistics from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

     __X___ Using interviews from stakeholders that help affirm your stance or position

     __X___ Using expert opinions that help affirm your stance or position

     _____ Effective organization of elements, images, text, etc.

     __X___ Clear transitions between different sections of the argument (by using title cards, interstitial music, voiceover, etc.)

     __X___ Crafted sequencing of images/text/content in order to make linear arguments

    __X___ Intentional emphasis on specific images/text/content in order to strengthen argument

    _____ Careful design of size/color relationships between objects to effectively direct the viewer’s attention/gaze (for visual arguments)

     _____ Other: 

6. Below, provide us with working hyperlinks to THREE good examples of the genre you've chosen to write in. These examples can come from Blog Post 11.3 or they can be new examples. But they should all come from the same specific website/platform and should demonstrate the conventions for your piece:

 

ONE

TWO

THREE

Reflection on Project 3 Draft

Here I will talk about the drafts I reviewed and about my own draft.

I reviewed Alex and Isaak's drafts:

Alex

Isaak

My draft:

My draft has not been peer reviewed because I am working with Sean. Currently, my draft is an raw, unedited version of my interview. I will use this for my talk radio segment. I still need to record my intro and conclusion to the interview, and edit it all together. I had a good conference and I feel confident in the direction I am moving. I don't know how long the editing process will take though.

Until then, that's all on Bricon. Thanks for stopping by.

Created by Bri Jordan. Icons. 11/18/2015.

Draft of Public Argument

This is my draft for project 3. I chose to do a talk radio segment, so this draft is a script. I'm kind of jumping out on a limb here, so let me know what you think! I'm not quite done either... But I would love feed back of maybe what doesn't make sense or any other thoughts. Thank you!

You can find that script here.

Fam, Alexis. CAD u37 Condensed Microphone. April 17, 2011. 2.0 Generic. 

Considering Visual Elements

This post is meant to brainstorm the visual elements of my project. The hard part, is that I am doing a talk radio segment... But, what I think I am going to do is create some kind of logo for the radio station, Econ with Bri aka Bricon.

So since I have one image, the logo/ name of the radio station, I suppose I will just talk about that. It's going to be really important that it is visually appealing, because that is what the audience will look at while they listen to the segment. I picture this segment was originally on air, but it was recorded and is now on the website or YouTube, so there needs to be some kind of image while it plays.

I will come up with a logo soon as a draft.

O'Sullivan, Ulick. Freakonomics. December 10, 2013. 

Project 3 Outline

This post is about laying out my project and the skeleton of what that will look like. To do this, I will be answering questions from the book, Writing Public Lives.

For my introduction, my goal is going to be to make the audience think about the situation. The picture above mentions introducing current events or news reports. My topic, the raising of the minimum wage, has lots of articles and news on it that I can bring up in my introduction.

Bottai, Sean. Developing Strong Supporting Paragraphs.

Supporting Paragraphs:
1. Inflation
Companies not being able to afford it
Job loss

2. People not able to live off of current minimum wage
There is no job loss
Other countries trying the same thing and it worked

3. Companies not being able to afford it is very important
People not being able to live off of minimum wage is an important point to address

4.
 Raising the minimum wage may sound good at the moment, but what happens when the companies have to lay people off because they now can't afford as many workers?

Big companies will outsource jobs. Small companies will have to lay off workers, and likely to go out of business.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/opinion/sunday/the-minimum-wage-how-much-is-too-much.html?_r=0

Although people right now can't take live off of the minimum wage, it won't help anymore if the company lays them off because it can't afford to hire as many workers.

6. You can access a Coggle here.

Bottai, Sean. Concluding Strategies. 

Conclusion:

My talk radio segment will probably wrap up by making a call to action. The entire segment will be about why raising the minimum wage is bad so I think that concluding with a call to action would be good.

Analyzing My Genre

As the title suggests, this post is intended to analyze my genre in which I have decided to use for project 3. The genre I have chosen is different than the ones I have been previously posting about. I have chosen to make a talk radio segment. I will link example segments. 

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5 

Bottai, Sean. Questions for Genre Analysis from Chapter 6.

The answers below corespond to the questions on the picture above.

Social Context: 

The genre of talk radio is set on the radio which can be listened to anywhere. This genre is used by people who feel that they have a view that is correct and want to share it widely. This genre is unique because it doesn't have any visual aid. Talk radio is to inform people about a certain topic, but it also has a mild tone of humor and entertainment. 

Rhetorical Patterns:

From the talk radio that I have listened to, it usually gives some background to an issue that is happening, but is really there to make commentary about it. I think there are patterns of all the rhetorical strategies. The host has to use credibility to show why people should listen to, because any one can just talk over a radio- it doesn't mean they know what they are talking about. I think that because it is audible, that it has the ability to have a strong appeal to emotion. Because the listener can hear the fluctuation in the voice to hear that passion, the hurt, or the excitement in the voice. The host can also use his voice as a voice of logic. 

The tone can of a talk radio host should be more relaxed like they are having a conversation, and less like they are reading a book. The voice is also where humor can be added. The last thing that can be used is sound and music. These help set tone, mood, and attitude. 

What do the Patterns Reveal about the Social Context of the Genre:

The genre includes guests that the host may ask questions to. Sometimes, the segments can even include the audience when they call in to ask questions or give opinions. It often encourages a take action kind of feel. The host can usually presume that the audience that is listening to him agrees or has the same core beliefs. 

Considering Types

This post is to help my brainstorm which type of paper I want to write.

I was thinking about writing a argument because there are a lot of pros and cons. The only hesitation is that there is a half way point that is hard to throw in. I also started thinking about a refutation argument. I have more opinions about why raising the minimum wage is bad than I do about why keeping it the same is good. I think it would be easier to write a text in this form given the controversy that I have.

Animals, Found. Argument 3. 08/11/2015. 2.0 Generic. 

Reflection: 

I read Elliot's post on Considering Types and Rhetorical Action Plan. He is talking about the controversy of quantum consciousness. This isn't something that is talked about much outside the science field. It sounds like he has a great foundation and idea of where he needs to go. He is planning on writing a causal argument because there is not yet a solution for this, but what the public needs is to know the reasons behind this controversy. 

I also read Evan's Rhetorical Action Plan and Considering Types posts. Evan is talking about the controversy of outsourcing American jobs. He is choosing to write a position argument. I think this is very suitable for the topic he arguing. I think because Evan has a certain perspective, that he should argue as a position, which is what he is doing. 

My Rhetorical Action Plan

In this post, I will make future plans for my next project. To do this, I will explor who my audience is, what genre I will write in, and what positive and negative reactions I will receive. 

Bottai, Sean. Developing a Rhetorical Action Plan.

Audience: 

I am going to try to persuade the low- wage workers who are wanting the minimum wage raised.

• Knowledge:

            The audience knows that they are getting paid an amount that they cannot live off of and therefore need more money somehow. They are clearly in favor of getting paid more, but probably don't know as much about the other effects it will have. 

• Values: 

             I know that a lot of low-wage workers are impoverish, young, just starting to work, or under educated. Not all, but a lot. My guess is that a lot of them don't fully know a lot of economics. 

• Standards of Argument:

             My guess is that appeal to emotion would be the best way to persuade this kind of audience. 

• Visual Elements:

            I think simple graphs that are easy to understand would be helpful for the audience to get a visuals. 

• Purpose:

             This purpose is to challenge to widely spread idea of raising the minimum wage, help them understand the consequences, and take action against it. 

Bottai, Sean. Developing a Rhetorical Action Plan.

Genre:

Persuasive Essay: 

• This genre is designed more towards the persuasive side of the argument. Something like this would be posted on the Washington Post or New York Times. The pathos would be very important here. Because the audience is generally uneducated, pictures would be an important part of appealing to the emotion. This would help the paper be slightly less formal. The writing should professional to gain credibility, but conversational enough that anyone could understand it. 
• Example #1
• Example #2 

Blog Post: 

• This genre is can be for any direction. What is helpful about a blog post is that it is easier for people to scan and understand. This is good for the readers that need something simple in order to understand. A blog post can be broken up into sections of rhetorical strategies. It would be easier to insert pictures into a blog post rather than an essay.
• Example #1
• Example #2

Analyzing Purpose

The purpose of this post is to find a purpose. What am I going to add to the public debate? Then, where and how am  I going to enter this debate? 

Bottai, Sean. Thinking through the Purpose of Your Argument. 

1. I want my readers to understand the weight of a decision like increasing the minimum wage. I think that because it is something that effects so many people directly, and even indirectly, that it is important to know the consequences. Raising the minimum wage to as high as $15 will cause a lot of harm. The goal is to persuade people that raising the minimum wage that high has too many risks and will cause the opposite effect that we want. We want for people to make enough money to live comfortable lives, but in some places the minimum wage is not enough to do that. So what is the best way to fix this?

2. Plausible action/ reactions:
Readers will agree that raising the minimum wage to $15 is not a good idea
Readers will be more informed

Not Plausible:
Readers will be upset
Readers will not have an opinion


3. Readers will be more informed>>> reader will be motivated to act>>> vote against raising the minimum wage>>> wages will not be raised too high

4. The audiences are likely to be the low-wage workers. There are more low-wage workers than any other wage. Therefore if the low-wage workers are convinced that raising the minimum wage is not the proper plan of action and vote against it, there will be more votes towards that decision.

Analyzing Context

This post is to take a step back and analyze the context of the controversy and look at the big picture. I will do this by answering 7 questions from the book Writing Public Lives.

Bottai, Sean. Reading the Context of Your Public Debate.  

1. What are the key perspectives in the controversy?

The main perspectives mainly come from the low-wage workers and the companies that hire a large amount of low-wage workers. The low-wage workers feel that they cannot make enough money to live on while being paid minimum wage, therefore want to raise the minimum wage. The other school of thought thinks that if the minimum wage is raised, companies won't be able to afford to hire as many people and have to lay people off, resulting in less jobs and the opposite of what was intended. There is an in between view that thinks that if the minimum wage is raised in increments so that the companies can adjust, there wouldn't be as many layoffs.

2. What are the major disagreements in the controversy?

People disagree with raising the minimum wage because they think that it will result in less employment because businesses won't be able to pay as many people as they did before. Also, the people who are against increasing the minimum wage believe that as the wage increases, so will prices through inflation, so it would be as if they were being paid just as much as before.

3. What are possible points of agreement?

Both sides recognize that something needs to be done to help those who are not making enough money to live on. But that is the extent of agreement.

4. What are the ideology differences?

This is an economical issue. There are several economic ideologies that are behind the beliefs. While neither of the opinions are extreme economic ideologies, they do lean to one or the other. The two main ones are capitalism and socialism. Not raising the minimum wage leans towards the capitalism- wanting government to step back and let the economy work itself out. Hiking up the minimum wage leans towards socialism- the government should control all parts of the economy.

5. What specific actions does each perspective ask their audience to take?

The capitalism asks people to disagree with the minimum wage increase. The socialism asks their audience to agree with increasing the minimum wage.

6. What perspectives are helpful for my own opinion?

I think it is helpful to know what it's like to work for minimum wage and also running a company. I have both of these perspectives to help me in making my opinion.

7. What perspective will be the biggest threat to my argument?

The biggest threat is probably other countries that have raised their minimum wage higher but haven't seen the negative effects that I'm claiming.


Reflection:

I read Casey and Mira's posts on Analyzing Context. Mira did a great job of identifying the key schools of thought. She was very thorough in her answers. Casey did a pretty thorough job as well. I was slightly confused by the arguments though. I didn't understand why there was no middle ground. Comparing our answers, I did a thorough job on some questions and others are shorter and to the point.  Neither of their topics were even close to economics.

Audience and Genre

This post is designed to help me identify my possible audiences for project 3. To do this, I will think of 2 specific audiences that might be interested in my topic, 2 places where I would post this text, and 2 examples for each.

1. The first audience I am thinking about writing for is towards the low wage workers. If I wrote for the minimum wage workers, I would talk about why raising the wage too high wouldn't be beneficial, even though they want to be paid more.

If I wrote for this audience, I would probably post it somewhere like New York Times or Washington Post. These are both general information sites that has a broad audience. This genre could be written in a blog type format, similar to the examples posted below.

New York Times:

Example #1

Example #2

Washington Post

Example #1

Example #2


2. The next audience could be the employers of a high number of low-wage workers. For this audience, the text would move towards an idea that minimum wage should be entry level wages, but there should motivation to move up because there is a higher pay. This would encourage employees to work harder and refine their skills.

If I wrote to this audience, I would post on a website like Forbes, Or the Wall Street Journal. This genre would be written in a blog type format, similar to the examples posted.

Forbes:

Example #1

Example #2

Wall Street Journal:

Example #1

Example #2

Extended Annotated Bibliography

This post is for the annotated bibliography I will create for possible sources for project 3.
You can find that document here.

Moleskin notebook. 02/23/2009. 2.0 Generic. 

Narrowing my Focus

As the title suggests, this post is meant to narrow my focus and what  I want to write project 3 on.  To do this, I will take 3 of the questions from my last post and use them to help me narrow my topic.

Narrow Street. 7/18/2006. Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License. 

What are the biggest industries involved in this controversy?

I like this question because I could see this project being written towards the employers and this is an important question to ask. Who is hiring the most minimum wage workers? Why? What should be different about it, if any thing?

How high should the minimum wage be raised, if at all?

This is a combination of two questions but I think it is really important because it is the heart of the controversy and therefore should be looked into thoroughly.

What city wants the highest minimum wage?

This is an interesting question because it brings a specificity to the argument. Where is this going on? Why this city? How long have they wanted this?

Questions About Controversy

This post is about project 3 and what kinds of questions I will be addressing. In the previous projects I talked about the controversy with Uber in New York City and the minimum wage controversy. For project 3, I have chosen to write about the minimum wage controversy.

Altmann, Gerd. banner-939245_1920. 10/3/2015. CC0 Public Domain.

This next part is to ask myself questions about the controversy I am researching.

Who is involved in the controversy...

Which are the biggest types of companies that hire low wage workers?
Who are the biggest politicians involved in this controversy?
What are the biggest industries involved?


What s up for debate in this controversy...

Should the minimum wage be raised at all?
How high should minimum wage be raised?
What level of government should enforce it? (state, federal, etc.)


When has this controversy unfolded...

How long has it been since the last increase in minimum wage?
When was the $15 wage proposed?
Over how long of a time period should a minimum wage be increased?


Where has this controversy unfolded...

What city is wanting the highest minimum wage?
What industries are for/ against the minimum wage increase?
How is the US' minimum wage different than other countries'?


How has this controversy unfolded...

Who first proposed the increase of the $7.25 minimum wage?
How have the workers made their voices heard?
How have the employers reacted?

Reflection on Project 2

This post is to reflect on the process of writing a rhetorical analysis as whole. To do this, I will be answering questions from the book Writing Public Lives.

Silva, Samuel. Drops of Water. 08/25/2011. CC 2.0 Generic. 

1. What was specifically revised from one draft to another?

My intro really needed some help from the first draft to the next one. A lot of the substance was changed because it wasn't written to the correct audience.

2. How did I reconsider my thesis or organization.

Like I said before, My intro really needed to be revise and the included my thesis. My first one didn't have any kind of direction of rhetoric, which is what the whole paper is supposed to be about. After I went back and changed it, it helped the direction of the whole paper improve.

3. What led to these changes?

Part of the reason was the audience, but it was more that I realized the direction that the paper is supposed to go in.

4. How do these changes affect my credibility as an author?

I think this helps gain the trust of my audience. They should be able to trust that when they read my thesis, they know what I'm going to write about.

5. How will these changes better address they audience?

If the audience feels like the thesis was written for them, they should feel more interested in reading it because it applies to them.

6. How did I reconsider sentence structure and style?

I tried to diversify the sentence structure to make it interesting and not boring to read. They style was professional.

7. How will these changes help the audience understand the purpose?

The purpose is to perform analysis and an example of it. The style should be professional so that they can see they credibility behind the analysis.

8. Did I have to reconsider the conventions of this genre?

Yes. I constantly had to remind myself of who the audience was, what kind of conventions are being used, and what the purpose was.

9. What does the process of reflection help you reconsider as your identity as a writer?

As a writer, it helps me realize where I need to improve, and where I have some strengths. It encourages me to grow where I have room and to improve the strengths I have,

Final Copy of Rhetorical Analysis

Here it is. My final copy of my rhetorical analysis. Enjoy!

You can access it here

Newroz Istanbul(4). 03/19/2006. CC by 2.5 

Punctuation Part 2

This post is about more ways to improve my writing through grammar. I will talk about the 3 sections I read in Rules for Writers, the unnecessary comma, the apostrophe. and quotation marks.

MacIntosh, Scott. I want YOU to use grammar. 07/14/2011. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution. 

The Unnecessary Comma:

I am someone who loves commas. I hate run-on sentences or even really longs ones that don't have commas. But I realize that sometimes I probably overuse them. One of the subsection that stood out to me was, not using a comma after a phrase that begins and inverted sentence. I tend to do this a lot because that is where I would naturally take a breath, but apparently its grammatically wrong.

:The Apostrophe

I remember that it took me a really long time to learn the right times to use "its" and "it's." But once I got it, I'm pretty good at it now. I saw that this section had one sentence about it, but I'm surprised that there wasn't more because this seems to be a thing that people have a really hard time catching on to.

Quotation Marks:

I"m always mixing up when to use quotation marks. For example, I use single quotes around the "its" and "it's" and went back to change them to regular quotes. I also have a hard time remembering which works of production to use quotes around verses italicize it. I know can remember that shorts works use quotes.


While revising my draft with this new knowledge, I found exactly what I talked about above. I used too many commas, my "its" were correct, and for the most part used quotes correctly when using a direct quote from the article. I'm glad I am now able to spot these because it will make future revising easier.

Paragraph Analysis 2

This post is meant to be a reflection on my own analysis of my rhetorical analysis.

The link to my Copy For Paragraph Analysis 2 is here.

This process actually really helped me. It forced me to look at my paragraphs and paper in a different light. I knew this before, but I realized how much I need to edit; I talked mostly about the controversy rather than the rhetorical analysis. I followed good flow and organization, but I need shift the topic of my paper back the rhetorical analysis.

Reflection on Project 2 Draft

This post is to reflect on the drafting process of the rhetorical analysis.

I peer edited Michael and Alex's drafts.

1. Do I have an identifiable thesis? 

Yes. My thesis is identifiable, but it definitely needs to be more specific. Michael and Alex had a thesis that was also slightly broad. They have since made theirs more specific and mention the specific ways they will talk about rhetorical analysis

2. How have I decided to organize my essay? 

I talk a lot about the credibility of the author and the appeal to logic because those are the main strategies the author uses. Some of the feedback I got was I followed the PIE format to strictly and need to flesh my paragraphs out more.

3. Did I clearly identify and analyze several important elements of the text's rhetorical situation and/or structure?

Yes. Like I said in the last point, I talks the most about credibility and appeal to logic because those were the main strategies used. Through the editing process, I realized that even though the author did not use much appeal to emotion, that I need to mention that. I plan on going back and talking about how the author could make a stronger argument if he used just a little bit of pathos. 

4. Did I explain how and why certain strategies were employed? 

no. I don't think I adequately did this. I was still stuck on the idea of writing about the controversy rather than writing about the rhetorical strategies. 

5. Am I thoughtful using evidence in each paragraph?

I do use some evidence and direct quotes but I think I can use more to improve my argument. 

6. Do I leave my reader wanting more? 

I answer the "so what" question pretty well in my conclusion. I think I can add more of the "so what" throughout my paper to make the reader aware of why it's important from the beginning. 

Revised Conclusion

This post is to examine my original conclusion and to create a more effective conclusion to wrap up my rhetorical analysis.

I think my new conclusion is more effective because it talks about the rhetorical strategies used in the article rather than the actual controversy. This conclusion is aiming to end with a "so what" wrap up. It gives one new fact about minimum wage workers because it helps show why this topic is so important.

My original conclusion: 

Minimum wage will always be something that will need to be discussed, but it is it’s not always easy to find someone who has support to back up their argument. Krueger is a great person to look to for answers in this area because of his education and career in economics. This article employs has many rhetorical strategies that it uses. The strongest method Krueger uses is his logical aspect and credibility. Through both of these rhetorical strategies, Kruger effectively conveys that an appropriate minimum wage is $12 an hour and $15 an hour is just too much.

My revised conclusion:

Krueger effectively conveys his argument of raising the minimum wage past $12/ hour would bring unnecessary risk for the American economy. His strong use of credibility and appeal to logic offer legitimate reasons for the audience to agree. Because there are around 20.6 million near minimum wage workers, this controversy is important and growing. The author addresses this wide audience as he writes with a knowledgeable yet common tone to reach his broad audience of The New York Times. The rhetorical choices made by Krueger in his article provide and effective argument on the rise of the minimum wage.

Revised Introduction

This post has the goal of coming up with a new introduction. I am throwing the old one out and coming up with a completely new one to better introduce my rhetorical analysis.

My revised introduction is more successful because it follows the points laid out in Student's Guide, and it also avoids the traps. My original intro fell into the trap of opening with a sweeping generalization. I talked too much about the controversy and not enough about the rhetorical strategies. My new intro starts with a rhetorical question to hook the reader. It gives a little bit of context about the author, forecasts what the paper will talk about, and has a strong thesis. 

My original introduction:

Because of the constant shifting of the American economy, there is always a need to examine the federal minimum wage. In the article, The Minimum Wage: How Much is too Much, Alan B. Krueger addresses the controversy of how high the minimum wage should be set. There are people in New York who are working just as much as someone in Texas, yet in New York, the minimum wage is not a livable wage because of the high living cost. Increasing the minimum wage will result in consequences. The question that needs to be addressed is, how do we fix the problem without causing more harm than good in the American economy? Looking at the positive and negative consequences of raising the federal minimum wage, Krueger uses strong rhetoric to argue that raising it to $12/ hour would be beneficial but much higher than that would cause more harm than good. This paper will address the rhetorical strategies and situations that Krueger uses to support and persuade his audience. 
My revised introduction:

How much is too much? When people in the media address the minimum wage controversy, cultural context typically fuels the emotion behind the belief. Alan B. Kreuger, an economics professor at Princeton University, writes the article, The Minimum Wage: How Much is too Much, on the New York Times to explain the controversy from the viewpoint of an economist. He argues that raising the minimum wage to $12/ hour over the course of several years will not have a negative effect on the American economy. Through the use of his credibility and logical appeals, Krueger effectively persuades his audience through rhetorical strategies and situations that raising the minimum wage higher than $12/ hour would cause more harm than good.

Punctuation, Part 1

In this post I will reflect on the reading I did in Rules for Writers about punctuation. The three sections I chose to write on are the semicolon, the colon, and other punctuation marks.

Semicolon: 

I'm someone who loves using commas, so I thought that reading about using semicolons would be good. I learned that it's good to use a semicolon in a series containing internal punctuation. I use these types of sentences a lot in my writing, so I think I will start to mix up my sentence formatting bby using semicolons.

Colon: 

I tend to avoid using colons because I ever know the proper time to use them. In the past, I have been tempted to use a colon after the words "for example," but I just learned that this is a common misuse of the colon. I don't typically see them used when quoting, but this is something that I will now to try to incorporate to switch up my formatting. 

Other Punctuation: 

The dash can also be used to introduce a list. I find it interesting how many ways there are to introduce lists but often times I notice that people tend to stick with one format that they are comfortable with.


Reflection:

Revising others' drafts really help me see how even others have a hard time with these things as well. I was able to see these punctuation marks put in use, in ways I would not normally use them. This helped me think about how I can improve my work by broadening my scope of punctuation. As silly as that sounds, repetitive sentence structure is boring to read, so it's important to diversify.

I revised Alex's draft. Below is an example of a great use of a colon.

The authors explain this more in depth when they say: “We should permit drugs that are safe, and continue to ban and monitor drugs that are unsafe.

I also revised Michael's draft. Below is an example where is was alright to use a semicolon, but it would have better to use a period.

Those who manage hedge-funds are frowned upon by the general population due to negative exposure in the media; consequently, Barro is capitalizing on this by saying that Trump denounced them and is now letting them benefit.

Rhetorical Analysis Rough Draft

This is the post for my rough draft of my rhetorical analysis.

You can access it here. 

Mind you, this is a very rough draft. Part of my process work is to just write and get my thoughts down and then go back and revise (heavy reviser). I think it finally clicked near the end of my draft, what the real goal was. I was having a hard time picturing it until I started writing.

Practicing Summary and Paraphrase

This blog post is going to identify and show examples of the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing.

This quote's original source is from the New York Times article, The Minimum Wage: How Much is too Much.

Original Source: 

I am confident that a federal minimum wage that rises to around $12 an hour over the next five years or so would not have a meaningful negative effect on United States employment. One reason for this judgment is that around 140 research projects commissioned by Britain’s independent Low Pay Commission have found that the minimum wage “has led to higher than average wage increases for the lowest paid, with little evidence of adverse effects on employment or the economy.” A $12­per­hour minimum wage in the United States phased in over several years would be in the same ballpark as Britain’s minimum wage today.

My Paraphrase of the Original Source:

Krueger states that the United States phasing in a $12/ hour federal minimum wage over the course of several years would be similar to studies done by Britain researchers. Britain's independent Low Pay Commission did many studies to show that raising the minimum wage has given lower paying jobs and increase in a wage, but does not have a negative effect in the employment or the economy. This is why Krueger is confident that raising the minimum wage in the US would not effect the employment significantly.

My Summary of the Original Source:

Comparing the US' minimum wage increase to the studies done in Britain, Krueger is confident that raising the minimum wage to $12/ hour will not have significant effects to the employment or economy.

Project 2 Outline

The following post, I will give an outline for my rhetorical analysis of the article, "The Minimum Wage: How Much is too Much?"


In my public speech act, the author uses many rhetorical strategies to persuade his audience. The goal of the text was to persuade the audience that $15/ hour minimum wage is too high and that $12/ hour would be a much more beneficial increase. The author uses lots of personal pronouns and makes the argument personal by explaining his own research. He gives two specific examples of other times or places that have raised the minimum wage where it has been successful. The purpose of this speech act is important because the economy will be highly effected by any change, and the government needs to take the course of action that will cause more good than harm.

Outline:

Intro:

The intro would talk about the value of weighing options especially when it comes to such a large group of people, all with different cultural differences.

Thesis:

Looking at the positive and negative consequences of raising the federal minimum wage, Alan B. Krueger argues that raising the minimum wage to $12/ hour would be beneficial but raising it much higher would cause more harm than good.

Body:

1.Author
    Econ Professor at Princeton
    Posts on Economix column in The New York Times
    Use of hyperlinks
    Personal story of expectations of research

2.Context/ Background
    low-wage workers story
    Risks not worth taking

3.Logistics
   Britain's minimum wage
   Past increases of minimum wage

Claim:

Krueger effectively conveys how high is too high for a minimum wage in the current day in the American economy.

Conclusion:

The conclusion would restate the thesis as well as remind the audience that there are always trade-offs in these kinds of situations. There needs to be logical thinking in order to decide the best course of action. From the research that has been done, $15/ hour would hurt the low-wage workers more than help them.


 
Reflection:

I read Swati and Samantha's posts on their outlines. Samantha's was really long and detailed. It is good that she had a lot of detail because it will help her writing process go a whole lot faster. Swati's wasn't as long and Samantha's, but hers was really well organized and still thorough. Mine didn't cover as much as theirs did. I used this outline more as a skeleton and didn't ass much flesh to it at all. This is going to make my draft slightly harder.   

Draft Thesis Statements

This post is aimed to create a working thesis statement for my rhetorical analysis of the article, The Minimum Wage: How Much is too Much?

NYC Rally to Raise Minimum Wage. 10/24/2015 via flickr. 2.0 Attribution. 

Thesis #1

Although there is viable support for raising the minimum wage and not, Alan B. Krueger, an economics professor at Princeton University, explores why raising the minimum wage to $15/ hour has more negative effects than positive and why $12/ hour would reap more positive effects than negative.

The above thesis gives a good idea of what the paper will be about. I don't think that the credibility for the author needs to be in the thesis because it will be addressed in a different part of the text.

Thesis #2

Alan B. Krueger argues that $12/ hour minimum wage would do more good than harm for low-wage workers.

This thesis is short and to the point, although I don't think it foreshadows enough of what the rest of the text will say.

Thesis #3

Looking at the positive and negative consequences of raising the federal minimum wage, Alan B. Krueger argues that raising it to $12/ hour would be beneficial but much higher than that would cause more harm than good.

This thesis is a good balance of having substance and being concise. It brings in the author, as well as addresses both sides of the argument.


Reflection:

Reading Micheal and Lawrence's posts on drafting thesis statements, they both seem to be missing the same things mine are- the addressing the rhetorical part of the paper. Reading their theses showed me that I need to bring in how my paper will talk about the rhetorical strategies the author uses and not just the controversy the author addresses. I need to work on mine to get them there.

Analyzing My Audience

This post is where I will identify the audience I am writing my project for. I will be doing this by answering the 6 bulleted questions found in A Student's Guide to First Year Writing.

Who am I writing this for?

The audience for this project is preassigned. According to the rubric, this project is written for incoming freshman in my field. The purpose is to explain to them a controversy that is going on in our field and show them how to do a rhetorical analysis.

What position might they take on the issue?

This freshman could take any position. I would guess that coming in, the freshman wouldn't know enough about the subject to take a stance on one side or the other. But most college students are working minimum wage jobs, so they might take the position of raising the federal minimum wage, even though they don't know the consequences of both sides.

What will they want to know?

They will probably want to know both sides of the argument to be able to make a decision on their belief. Because I am analyzing the rhetorical strategies and not the actual subject the article writes about, I will be giving them less about my opinion and more about how the author explains theirs. To understand this, the freshman would want to know the context and background of the article.

How might they react to my argument?

I would hope they would react in agreement with what I have to say. They also might be encouraged to ask more logical questions and do deeper research to further understand the topic.

How am I trying to relate or connect to my audience?

I'm trying to connect my audience with my point of view. I want to help them understand where I come from and why it would be the right belief.

Are there specific words, ideas, or modes of presentation that will help me relate to them in this way?

Because we are in the business field, the text should sound professional and knowledgeable. But, it also needs to be at a level that incoming freshman can understand and connect to.


Reflection:

I read Hallye and Chelsea's posts on analyzing our audience. I think a lot of people are still a little confused about who the audience is because it sounds like they are writing to explain the topic of the article rather than the rhetorical strategies. I'm still trying to keep my mind focused on the rhetorical strategies rather than the actual controversy, even though the controversy is important.

Cluster of "The Minimum Wage: How Much is too Much?"

This post is about the cluster I did on the article, "The Minimum Wage: How Much is too Much?"

The above picture is a photo of the cluster is did on the article, The Minimum Wage: How Much is too Much?. I originally started my project with a different article, so starting over was a little difficult. This cluster was a great place to start. This Coggle has 3 main branches, the rhetorical strategies, rhetorical situations, and cultural views. They are then broken down from there.

Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies in "NY Gov's $15 Minimum Wage Proposal Would Affect Millions"

In this post, I will analyze the article "NY Gov's $15 Minimum Wage Proposal Would Affect Millions" for appeal to credibility, appeal to emotion, and appeal to logic.

Appeal to Credibility and Character:

Acknowledges the counter arguments: This is one of the biggest things gives this article credibility. The article talks about different view points from all the perspectives rather than trying to convince the audience of just one view.

Tone: The tone of this article is very professional and knowledgeable. This increases the credibility because we know the way they think by the way they portray themselves as the author of the article.

Visual Arrangements: The author chose to use the white space to make the article easily skimmable. But he also used it to break it up into sections to help readers understand.

The layout of this article, the tone and overall writing is mainly what gives this article credibility. Because the author is not specifically listed, they chose not to give personal stories which in turn took away some character. But, the Associated Press is a credibly news company that is committed to honest new stories, which gives the article more credibility.

Jordan, Bri. Screenshot of WSJ on my computer. 10/2/2015

Appeal to Emotion:

Shocking Statistics: There are some stats that the author uses to emphasize the relevance of the story, like "A full-time worker in New York making minimum wage now can gross $18,000 a year. That's not enough to support a family, Cuomo argues, sketching out "typical" costs of $11,000 for housing, $9,000 for food and $6,000 for clothing.."

Repetition of relevant words: The word workers is a really key word in this article because it represents a side of the argument. The author chooses to use this word all throughout the text.

Again because there is no specific author listed, it was hard for them to tell personal stories. But, the statistics that the author chose to use really helps the audience understand the side of the worker and sympathize with them. I think it is effective to stir up emotion within someone because they are able to relate. 

Appeal to Logic:

Statistics: Once again, these stats really help appeal to the logic side as well. An example of another stat that appeals to logic is, "A $15 minimum wage equates to roughly $31,000 a year — or a raise of roughly $13,000 a year." 

Effective organization of text: The organization of this article really helps the appeal to logic. The clear sections help the audience to follow easily. The sections also help the text to flow easier. 

I think that the appeal to logic is done tactfully. I think that it is done better than any of the other sections even. It properly implies what the author is trying to say and relays it well. 


Reflection:

I read through Casey and Alex's posts on rhetorical strategies. They both laid their posts out completely different than mine. They way theirs was laid out was a lot more in depth and thorough. I feel like mine was hard to do because my author wasn't actually named. It also made it hard because the author wasn't taking an actual definite position but rather explaining the different perspectivese of the discussion of minimum wage.