Reflection Tag: This was the final essay that we wrote in ERH101. It reflected on what we had wrote about, learned, and what we still needed to improve on. I said one of the biggest things I eed to work on is not rushing when picking  me  evidence for my papers. I think this is so important  because surface level evidence can only provide surface level analysis and I think this is a problem I often had. The text I picked did not allow for me to go deeper  into analysis.

Download Link: ERH101Essay4

Olivia-Aman Cotton

ERH101-07

Essay 4

December 4, 2015

Help Received: None Olivia-Aman Cotton

Analysis of my Analysis

            As a student in the academic writing setting I know that I am writing for a grade and the confirmation that I am learning. I know I am learning, when I receive my grade and it is higher then my grade I received on my previous writing. In ERH101 this year we have been exploring within the genres of writing, while trying to explore more about our majors and understanding the VMI system better. I often write my essay’s to get it done and to receive what I hope is a good grade. The problem with this is, I know that I don’t take the time to truly read my source to understand what the writer’s message is for his audience and I don’t take the time to properly pick evidence that allows for deeper analysis in my essay. Pretty ironic that while writing an essay about not taking the time to pick proper evidence that allows for analysis in my raft draft I do exactly that, not take the time to organize and pick evidence in a way that will support my essay best. Essentially, in my first two essays, my analysis was just paraphrasing what the author was already telling its audience, and I did not provide much insight; it was surface just level analysis. ERH101 with MAJ Heard has taught me that in order to meet the college level writing standards I must organize my essay in a manner that allows me to pick evidence that I can create an original argument in my analysis. In order to find this evidence it requires that I read my sources with a careful analytical eye versus a factual one.

Often, half the battle for writing my essays is finding evidence that supports my thesis. Usually, I know what I want my evidence to say, but have trouble finding it within the source and so I pick something similar that is somewhat on target with the thesis, but in doing this I believe the quality of my essay decreases. In my paper two, titled “Social Norms” I used a quote that was a paragraph long in itself, it basically acted as word filler instead of enhancing my essay. The evidence that I wanted was said somewhere within the paragraph, however, I didn’t know which part I wanted to use, because I didn’t know which part best fit what I was trying to prove, I used the whole thing. Then, because I did not understand my own quote, my analysis was not related to my topic, but almost created a topic for a whole new essay on its own. Knowing now that it is as much about the analysis as it is the quote I would have shortened the quote to, “Our ‘normal’ is based on assumptions that we have made through observations, but what is acceptable in one culture might not be acceptable in another culture. Considering social norms is very important, because when we write we are not writing for ourselves, but our audience’” (Lunsford). Then my analysis of this quote would have been… If a writer is able to understand a cultures rules and restrictions, or social norms, they can write for almost any culture. A writer does not have to be apart of a community to necessarily understand it and be a credible writer within the discourse community. For example, a scientist who is doing a cultural study after understanding the culture in its full will write a book, or some form of writing on their findings. They are not someone that is apart of a culture, but an observer on the outside looking in trying to understand and allow an audience who is not apart of the culture to also understand. If they conduct their study in a manner to truly understand the culture, they are able to relay information to their audience that is reliable, which makes them a credible source. I believe that this would be a better analysis of the modified quote because I create an original argument with my analysis, but it is not to far off from the thesis of my essay and it does a better job matching the quote, while allowing the audience to think and form an opinion agreeing or disagreeing.

Diving into deeper detail of analysis I think it is important to look at my analysis of the paragraph long quote in essay two. I reflected on the quote by saying, “In this example, Lunsford allows us students to clearly see the difference between different writing structures among cultures. Although he does not compare the American versus the Japanese systems in a manner of comparing a good versus a bad system, I believe the American system allows for more freedom.” This is my analysis that I previously stated should be another essay in itself. First off it lacks any insight to the actual quote. Then it brings up a topic unrelated to my thesis and an argument that the audience cannot clearly understand nor follow. Lastly, it fails to enhance my essay in any way. It is important as writers when analyzing to remember the purpose and audience that you are writing for. Using Penrose and Geislers’ ideas about claims, within the context that I maid my claim they would have counted my analysis as an opinion, because I did not use my evidence to support what I was saying, and what I was saying did not support any evidence stated. Although it is not bad for an essay to contain an opinion it is bad if your essay contains an opinion with nothing to support it and no background. Analysis is opinions, but they are paired with evidence from a source that is supposed to make readers understand your point of view or argument. When your analysis is written with proper support your audience is more likely to accept your information. When an audience accepts your information or agrees with you it means that your audience essentially accepts your claim as a fact. Your analysis might not be correct, and might not actually be a fact however, if your audience is willing to accept it as true, so you are seen as a credible writer to your audience.

I think that I currently still struggle to find quotes that allow for a deeper level of analysis and I think this is something I need to work on in my future writing. Because I am able to recognize the problem now, I think it is something that I can work on to improve at. I look at Kantz’s writing when I think of how I am going to accomplish my goal of finding better quotes, because Kantz suggests to “find a technique for reading texts in ways that give me something more to say, which leaves room for more sophisticated writing goals and allows me to build an original argument ” (Kantz). The reason I find this advice to be so essential to my writing is, because I think that I currently read my sources like I would read a news article. I read the article with goal of finding the facts to evaluate the situation, or the news piece being read. This is a very naïve way of evaluating a source for writing an essay, because you read with a very objective lens. When reading with an objective lens in this discourse community you close the door to many options for original arguments. In order to read with sophistication, I need to be creating arguments in my head as I read, that way my thesis almost writes itself based off of evidence that I have read. I believe that reading with this more advanced method would help to sophisticate my writing as well, because I am not searching for what to say in my thesis and I am not searching to find evidence to fit the thesis but will already have it written essentially.

I believe that within the genre of educational writing it is really important to focus on the analysis portion of the essay, because you are not writing an original source, such as a book and its not personal things such as am E-mail which are your original thoughts. This means that the content of the paper is based on your analysis of someone else’s writing. So, set aside grammar and organization, essentially the quality of your paper is based on how well you can analyze your supporting evidence of your thesis. However, in order to have good analysis it is important that you pick evidence that can be analyzed with not only detail, but has the potential for an original argument. These are things that I have learned this year in my writing and I believe have improved on, however, I think that I need to continue to work on them in the future to be an even more effective writer within the educational writing discourse community.

Bibliography

Kantz, Margaret. “Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively.” College English 52.1 (1990): 74-91 Print.

Lunsford, Andrea A. “Language: Writing to the World.” The Everyday Writer: Includes 2009 MLA & 2010 APA Updates. 5th ed. Xxx: Bedford, 2010. 231-36. Print.

Penrose, Ann M., and Cheryl Geisler. “Reading and Writing Without Authority.” College Composition and Communication. Vol. 45. N.p.: National Counsel of Teachers of English, 1994. 505-20. Ser. 5. JSTOR [JSTOR]. Web.

Reflection Tag: This essay we focuses on writing on different discourse communities. I picked to write within the law  discourse community and  picked an appellate brief to analyze. I picked the law discourse community, because becoming a lawyer interests me and is something I want to do in the future.

Downloadlink: ERH101Essay3.2

Olivia-Aman Cotton

ERH-101-07

Essay Prompt 3

Help Received: The Writing Center

Appellate Brief

            Many people when they think of law and lawyers think of shows such as, Law and Order and Criminal Intent. They solve every case in these television shows; take the criminals to court, and reach the verdict all in a forty-five minute episode, but they fail to show all the paper work and writing involved. Within the discourse community of law, there are many different genres of writing the one I want to focus on is appellate briefs. An appellate brief is the official write up of the appeal. An appellate brief is the written document that goes strait to the judges when the defense believes the trial court made an error. These briefs are written with very clear guidelines on the content of the appellate brief, lawyers write briefs for the intent of the judicial system to read and review, the goal of the appeal is for a lawyer to have a decision reversed, or have a lessor punishment.

Most important when writing an appellate brief it is important to consider the audience, or judge that you are writing for. You want to use language about your topic that the judge will easily understand, because the judges wont spend a lot of time on reading the case. “Many appellate judges were practitioners once, but many were not; and even those who were are unlikely to have been experts in the particular area of law in which a case arises, unlike (in all likelihood) the appellate brief writer” (Posner). This means that although it is important to use the language appropriate to lawyers it is also important to use simple language that a judge will understand. So referencing a law book and citing directly from this source might not be the best for an appeal, because the judge might not be able to relate, or understand your point on a deeper level.

Besides for just the language you want to make sure that you are following a proper format. First, you will have a title page that states the name of the case with the case number, who is working on the case, and contact information, or law firm. Then there is a title page listing the following contents: the preface, issue being presented, statements of the case and facts, summary of the argument, argument, conclusion, certificate of service, certificate of compliance with requirements of the brief, and there will be a table of citation more then likely after the table of contents. The format of the appeal can vary slightly, some appellate briefs might have less contents, but the concept and this format is fairly basic and can be used to understand the basics of an appellate brief.

Now to go into greater detail of these sections: the table of the citation will list other cases used as references, statues, and other legal documents. This is equivalent to a bibliography, which I believe we all understand the importance of siting our sources. Aside for the purpose of t he bibliography it is important to use other cases and such as references, because if it is a similar case and it received a favorable result, the judges might look at that and agree that it is not just that the law is not being upheld equivalently. The preface states what the case is and might have any acronyms used in the brief. Although, it is nice to use acronyms to shorten the brief it is also important to explain what the acronyms are for clarity throughout the writing. Then, in the issue presented for review it states the reason why this case needs to be reviewed. The next section is pretty self-explanatory a statement of the case and facts, it uses and sites the actual case as evidence. The summary of the argument is a general over view of the offense is and the main points for appeal. In this section the author will generally bring to attention both sides of the argument. Generally, if you do not address both sides judges will not take your case seriously, so it is crucial to address the concerns of the judge. Also, the judges will not spend a lot of time on a appellate, so a persuasive summary will make the judge want to continue to finish the brief versus, just put it down and now decide in your favor. Then, there is a very detailed synopsis of the argument with both sides of the argument recognized and generally very clearly broken up sections on the main points of the argument. The conclusion will be very short and then the document will be signed, the document is also signed twice more for the certification by the author or writer.

This document is going to be very formal in terms of it should follow guidelines very similar to these, maybe with a different order. The language is going to be a very serious tone. This being said, “Avoid jargon: business jargon, industry jargon, computerese and other technical jargon” (Posner). When writing, just remember that the judge is not an expert on your topic and is not going to take the time to become an expert to understand what you are trying to say. If your report is too long, or your appellate is not easy to follow the judge is not going to want to review your case, or look to reverse any decisions made. Some might say “first impressions aren’t everything”, but in this situation it is, as a lawyer it is your job to get others out of trouble, which put others lives in your hands, this means you are going to want to do your best work to make the judge on your side. Essentially, by following the guidelines and writing the appellate report as it should be written you are establishing your credibility. Credibility when it comes to law is very important, it is important for your audience to not just listen to what you are saying, but believe it. If someone writes a report wrong, they are going to appear amateur, which not only looks bad on their part, but also gives their clients less of a fighting chance.

The main goal of an appellate brief is to persuade the audience a mistake was made. “Briefs also referred to as legal memoranda’s are persuasive documents” (Briefs). Although, you want to address both sides and make sure no white elephants are left in the argument, you also want to pull your strongest evidence and present information in a way that persuades the audience you are more then likely right and the case is worth reviewing. This involves understanding your audience to use the proper language, using the proper format, and presenting the content in a persuasive manner that also has the right information. A very effective lawyer will not only know how to argue their case in a courtroom, but also know to use the proper facts and write in a manner that will also get the point across to the audience.

Works Cited

“Briefs, Legal Memoranda and Legal Writing.” National Paralegal. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

Posner, Hon. Richard A. “Effective Appellate Brief Writing.” American Bar Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

“Study in Appellate Advocacy: Guide To Appellate Briefs.” Duke Law. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

Walbolt, Sylvia H., and Mathew D. Allen. “The Ten Commandments of Writing.” An Effective Appellate Brief (n.d.): 1-9. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

Reflection Tag: In this essay we were evaluating pieces we had read in the handbook and  textbook and coming to a conclusion based on what we had picked to write about. I picked to write about meeting the social “Norms” of an audience in order for them to agree with the tone of your paper best, organization of the paper, and determining facts from opinion when evaluation sources.

Download Link: ERH101Prompt2FinalDraft

Olivia-Aman Cotton

ERH101-07

Analysis 2:Handbook/Textbook

October 12, 2015

Social “Norms”

            Our world is highly dependent on our ability to communicate. Our methods of communication vary from things such as: e-mails, blogs, lab reports, or essays. Within every genre of writing there are rules to follow. For example, the casual language you might use in an e-mail would not be the same as the language used in an essay. Even when writing an e-mail there are unwritten rules to follow and an e-mail to a teacher would appear very different then one to a friend. Your awareness, or lack of awareness of these rules you follow are based on social norms. Social norms are based on the values taught within a culture, or a smaller setting, such as a community. Lunsford teaches us that in order to meet your audiences expectations you must address the relationship in a tone that provides credibility for the culture, organize your writing according to standards established by the culture, and provide persuasive evidence by determining the difference between facts and opinions.

In order to establish credibility with your audience, you must determine your relationship and choose the right tone. Determining your relationship and the right tone is based on your social norms. “Our ‘normal’ is based on assumptions that we have made through observations, but what is acceptable in one culture might not be acceptable in another culture. Considering social norms is very important, because when we write we are not writing for ourselves, but our audience…In the United States students are often asked to establish authority in their writing – by drawing on certain kinds of personal experience, by reporting on research they or others have conducted, or by taking a position for which they can offer strong evidence and support…some cultures view student writers as novices whose job is to reflect what they learn from their teachers. One Japanese student, for example, said he was taught that it is rude to challenge a teacher ‘Are you ever so smart that you should challenge the wisdom of ages’” (Lunsford). In this example Lunsford allows us students to clearly see the difference between different writing structures among cultures. Although he does not compare the American versus the Japanese systems in a manner of comparing a good versus a bad system, I believe the American system allows for more freedom. In our culture we are taught that we have freedom of speech and that our opinions are valuable. So challenging a teacher is not looked at disrespectful, or questioning your teachers wisdom as it would be in Japan. When assessing your audience, you must take into account the culture and audience, but also what genre you are writing for. Within every genre there is typification, which is defined as “the process of moving standardized forms of utterances that are recognized as carrying out certain actions in certain circumstances and to standard understanding of situations” (Bazerman). If this were to be true it would mean that if my genre was biology and I was writing a lab report, I should have an established format with rules and restrictions that should apply no matter the culture. Applying both these writer’s evaluations of how to write for an audience, we must write within the standards for a given genre and use the appropriate voice according to the values of the culture. By doing this we should establish a relationship with the audience that establishes credibility. Our audience is willing to listen because it sounds like we are knowledgeable of our topic and we are using the appropriate tones that are not considered disrespectful to a culture.

The organization of an essay is key to effectively get your point across to your audience. Not every culture has the same organization, “in the United States, many audiences (especially those in academic and business worlds) expect a writer to get to the point as directly as possible and to take on the major responsibility of articulating that point efficiently and unambiguously…[whereas] teachers in China prize…indirectness, expecting audiences to read between the lines” (Lunsford). Americans’ style of writing is similar to its fast food system, for example, McDonalds. When we go to McDonalds we know the quality of food we are going to receive, what is going to be on the menu, the set-up of the restaurant will similar, their colors will be red and yellow, and that it will be quick. McDonalds has a system of standards that provides comfort to its customers that they will know exactly what to expect. This is similar to our writing because we have a nationwide expectation that a paper should have some sort of introduction with a thesis, body paragraphs, evidence, or support of some sort, and then a conclusion. With these components we know we are looking at paper with some sort of organization and in the eyes of American this would establish a credibility that would make the audience more willing to read our work and see our message. However, if a Chinese teacher graded the paper they might not see the same organization, but a lack of creativity. They might feel as if though we are giving all the answers to the audience and not allowing them have any thought for themselves. The audience would ultimately decide if our writing is organized, or not, so it is important to always pay attention the writing structures within a community.

Evidence supporting the essay should be dependent on the audience and what they would find credible information to support the ideas. Lunsford states that it might require many different types of evidence, however once one is picked then you must evaluate your audience and their culture and determine if they too would find it credible. A general rule of thumb when deciding if an audience would find the information credible or not is determining if the evidence is fact or opinion. “…Students often do not use evidence properly, they assume everything they read as facts. We don’t evaluate the source, or what perspective it was written from, but just assume it to be true. She said that both facts and opinions are claims the only difference is how your audience perceives it. If your audience accepts it as true without any question it is a fact, but if your audience questions it as true, then it is an opinion”(Kantz). Although this concept is generally right in regards to how we perceive claims, it seems as though every piece of writing is written for a certain group of people who are going to agree that the content is true, therefore they are facts. Regardless it is very important to evaluate the evidence in relation to the culture/ community to truly decide if the claims will be taken as facts, or opinions.

Across the world, many countries have different standards and styles for their writing. However, as writers we are always writing for the audience and so when writing it is important to always think how would my audience take this information, format, or tone. Insure that you are not offending your audience, because you will lose all credibility as a writer if you are and they will not accept your ideas or claims as facts, but unimportant opinions.

Work Cited

Bazerman, Charles. “Speech Acts, Genres, and Activity Systems: How Texts Organize Activity and People.” What Writing Does and How it Does It: An Introduction to Analyzing Texts and Textual Practices. Ed. Charles Bazerman and Paul Prior. London: Routledge, 2004. 309-39. Print.

Kantz, Margaret. “Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively.”College English 52.1 (1990): 74-91 Print.

Lunsford, Andrea A. “Language: Writing to the World.” The Everyday Writer: Includes 2009 MLA & 2010 APA Updates. 5th ed. Xxx: Bedford, 2010. 231-36. Print.

Reflection Tag: This second essay that we wrote is an argumentative essay. You had to pick a side on the digital era is a positive or negative thing and then back it up with some research, or evidence. I wrote about how technology benefits us and can be  used as learning aids, improve people’s  ability to communicate, and it can help to urbanize society.

Download Link: ERH102UrbanTrechnologEra

Olivia-Aman Cotton

ERH 102-06

February 5, 2016

Mrs. Smith

The Urban Technology Era

To ignore that we are living in a new technological era and that the current and future generations are growing up in a digital age would just be ignorant. There are people that try and run from technology, for example elders believing that they are too old to own a cell phone, or teachers thinking that they cannot use a projector because it is too complicated. There are many speculations about whether our technological advancements are a positive or negative impact to today’s society. Although there might be some downsides to the new digital age it has its benefits; benefits such as technology can be a tool that can aid in learning for all ages, can help build peoples communication skills and there ability to communicate, and can help to urbanize society.

Many people argue that technology is only used for games, texting, and essentially fooling around; however, technology can also be used to aid in learning. Many students have already witnessed the affects of the digital era. Math classes are now doing there homework online, science teachers are using interactive labs to help teach their students, and English teachers are able to get more sources and reading material to their students by having online resources. These are just examples within the classroom, but there are examples that extend beyond that. “ Allstate Insurance Company studied 85,000 drivers older then 50 and found that they could reduce the risk factors of elders driving with a computer based program” (Herther 423). Just as scientists are always looking for cures to diseases, we could think of computer programs that improve driving as a cure as well. Car crashes, which is grouped in accidents according to the centers for disease control and prevention is the number four leading cause for death. These statistics are significantly high enough that it would be beneficial to society that they start creating programs that could improve driving for all ages and the government should make these programs mandatory to in turn save lives. “It has even been found that increasing your involvement in activities such as, computer software aimed towards cognitive skills can help with memory, concentration, processing speed, organizing, reasoning, impulse control and executive function skills” (424). Working your brain in these areas can help with diseases like dementia and Alzheimer. Alzheimer’s is also on the list for leading deaths in the United States, so encouraging people to use these software’s could help to decrease the rate of Alzheimer or at least delay the affects so people can live longer, while still being elf-sufficient. Parents can now buy computerized, baby toys allowing infants to start learning at a very young age. These toys are interactive and fun so the babies are increasing their intelligence without even knowing that they are learning. If a child starts to develop cognitive skills at a young age they have a higher potential for their level of intelligence in the future.

Cell phones, computers, tablets, watches and etc. are devices that have made it a very efficient and accessible to get into contact with other people. “Technology has given us ’just in time’ learning and information, [that] has made communication truly mobile…we can now share information, stimulate options, and have real-time, web-based interactions across the globe” (424). Instant connections have become as simple as, if your mom is at the store and you forgot you wanted applesauce you can just shoot her a text as a reminder. Watches have become so advanced that people can now send texts, emotions, or make calls. Some, especially lazy people, might argue this is even more convenient then having to pullout a cell phone because that is a waste of time and energy. Internet has allowed for the across the globe connection that makes following the news across the world easy. Not only do online news sources allow for people to easily follow the news, but social media, like Facebook can also allow for people from other countries, or across the country to communicate. Now days Facebook is often just used as a connection tool for family and friends to view photos and be aware of what is going on with other people. If you are having trouble meeting someone in person there are sights such as eHarmony or Tinder that can help you try and meet your significant other using on-line resources. Some people that struggle with making friends or communicating in person have video games, or online games that they can use to play and communicate with other people that share the same hobby. In the business world “technology has helped to urbanize society in more ways then we can even imagine…[technology has mad it so that] physical location [has become] less important and businesses can now operate on a global playing field” (Dearing). What this means is you can work for a company in New York, but you could live in California. This allows the job market to expand and might help to decrease unemployment rates, or people struggling to find work. Or, the technological advances can apply to items such as cars. They have been enhancing cars new technology like: satellite radios, Bluetooth calling, push-to-start cars, rear-view cameras, HD televisions, and many more.. Many of these things just seem like fun little additions to increase the luxury of your car, however, they also have technology that have increased the safety of vehicles and the crash safety awareness. For example, the new sensor technology on cars that activates the breaks before you crash into someone or something. Restaurants, such as Red Robins you no longer need a waiter to order your food or pay for it. There are tablet like devices on the table that allow you to order your food and then at the end you can pay with your card on the device. In large dinner parties that are all paying separately this is extremely helpful ad efficient because it can be difficult having to split a check between many people individually. It has carried over to the food industry as well, we have ovens with technology that rapidly cooks food, or machines that are touch screen and allow you to pick whatever drinks you want essentially. This has allowed for more convenience and more efficient fast foods.

Many people don’t believe that the digital era is positive because it breeds a lot of negativity. Technology such as video games, people argue breed’s negativity and children to act more violent. However, as previously stated there arte many programs that are beneficial to learning; as a parent you could make sure your child is not playing violent video games, but ones that are going to increase their intelligence or cognitive skills. Other people believe that technology does not increase communication but inhibits it because it is creating a new language that is not proper in school and work environments. But you could also argue that writing of any type creative, personal, formal, or informal enhances a person’s ability to write, think, and be creative. In other words it is writing that allows someone to express him or herself freely. While some people think that texting and communicating on-line has reduced kids social skills in person. Truth be told there will always be people that are better at communicating then others, communication is also a skill that can be learned so learning to communicate through technology can act as a starting point for those that are not good at communicating in person.

The digital age is unavoidable and technology is only continuing to advance. Those that are trying to avoid technology and pretend as is if it is only harmful are going to get left behind in society. It is extremely inconvenient to not be able to get in touch with someone because they don’t have a phone, or there is no Internet connection in an area. Although we might deal with these things now in the future you will not be accepted if you are not updated. Someone not having a phone of any sort would be like going to someone’s house without a toilet you probably would never go there again, and they would be considered a social outcast. An argument can be had whether the new technology and internet is positive, or negative, however technology has been found to be used as beneficial learning tools, a means of efficient communication, and helped to urbanize society.

Work Cited

Dearing, Charles. “Technology Will Lead to De-Urbanization | Big Think.” Big Think. N.p., 26 May 2012. Web. 08 Feb. 2016.

Herther, Nancy. Digital Natives and Immigrants: What Brain Researchers Tells US. 2012. Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings. By John D. Ramage, John C. Bean, and June Johnson. 9th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001. 419-26. Print.

“Leading Causes of Death.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, 30 Sept. 2015. Web. 08 Feb. 2016.