Reflection of Multi Modal Assignment

I liked this assignment because it helped me see the importance not only of content in the paper, but in the presentation. If something is not presented professionally, the look of it destroys any progress the content of the paper has made. There is a judgment made before the reader even looks at the text. It can add a lot to the text in terms of being credible, or it can take a lot away. This was a valuable lesson learned by this assignment. It was also one of the easier assignments we have done, more because our team worked really well together. We all had our roles to fill and they were relatively small. But with everyone doing their part, the assignment was done fairly quickly. It was good to learn more about working in a group. I hadn't done too many group projects before. It will be good to see what the presentations are like. I think the most helpful portion of this project was looking at other, example assignments and seeing what was effective. It was good to see patterns of how colors and pictures were used, to learn from both the good ones and from the ones that were not as effective. The more simple, with good pictures, with simple colors, all aligned, seemed to draw attention to the topic but didn't distract the reader by how ridiculous it looked. The presentation, even in the smallest details, plays such a big role in the persuasive ability of the text.

Reflection of the Class

I thought that this class was a really valuable one for the skills learned. I wish I would have taken this class in the beginning of my time at BYU for many reasons. The most important was that because of this class I learned a lot about the research resources we have as BYU students, as well as people who can help us do research. This would be very valuable information and a necessary tool for any student in any class. I also learned about the resources we have to help us succeed on assignments. The writing center is an awesome resource and they really helped me feel good about my final products that I turned in. That was a very good discovery that I made because of this class. I also learned about the writing process and how to write papers the right way, so I'm not stressed out the whole time. It felt good to learn a bit more about writing papers. Before I would just write them and not really have a feel of the process. I would just pound them out. This will definitely help me to be a better writer in the future. I also learned the value of letting other people read your paper. Not just the writing center, but peers. It is also great to read them out loud and get a feel for the tone and sentence structure. I really enjoyed the rhetorical analysis portion of this course and have used is already in other papers.

Reflection of my Issues Paper

I really enjoyed writing my issues paper and putting all the evidence together. I had a hard time in the beginning knowing where I wanted to go. I had all this research and had begun to form an opinion, but I wanted to bring something new. I decided that my opinion was strong enough and unique enough about climate change that I would write about that. I just noticed that the statistics on both sides of the argument didn't directly contradict each other so basically people were arguing over two separate issues that both supported climate change. My first draft of this paper was really rough, but I saw it improve a lot as I saw where I wanted to go with it. I thought it was really important that the arguments be really well outlined in my paper so the reader could get a feel for what is being said and form their own opinions, especially providing a basis for the connection of both arguments to climate change. I was happy with the overall paper even though it was very different from what I had imagined. I think I got my point across in a clear way and presented both sides of the argument fairly. My main point seemed unique and new, which was something I really wanted. I was able to make a new conclusion out of the same research that has been done. It was also a powerful conclusion, as if people truly believe in what I have said, it will change the way we treat climate change. Overall I thought I met all my goals for this paper.

The Climate War- My Reaction

This article was really well written and I got a good idea of the book he was analyzing. It seemed to be a bit without a definite purpose. I guess it could be just to inform, but I would have loved to hear more about ideas from the author on what sort of legislation could be passed. He acknowledges many things that have gone wrong and tactics of those who are against global warming, but he fails to offer any of his ideas. The article kind of leaves the reader hanging and wanting more in that sense. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. It is bad because it doesn't answer all the questions and it makes the reader view the author as a bit of a whiner and not much of a leader. But, leaving the readers wanting more may also inspire the reader to further their knowledge and involvement regarding the issue.

The author clearly was trying to persuade the reader towards believing in global warming and does so in a very obvious way. He doesn't try to hide the fact that he is comparing both sides of the issue to good and evil. He says that those people who have tried to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are heroes and those who are global warming denialists are villains.

I did appreciate the author's acknowledging the book's shortcomings.

The article left me thinking more about legislation and what is being done to reduce emissions. I like the ideas presented about accepting that the economy must function in order for us to develope any sort of technology toward changing energy and to fund the transition. We cannot hurt our economy right now especially by forcing major companies to comply to some emission law. It would cost everyone a lot of money that may not be readily available at the moment. That was a very interesting point.

Overall I thought the article was good. I enjoyed reading it and really learned a lot.

The Climate War -Summary

Martin Lewis analyzes Eric Pooley's book, The Climate War, in the article "Contesting climate: The Climate War: True Believers, Power Brokers, and the Fight to Save the Earth." The main points analyzed are the contents and importance of the ideas in the book, as well as the criticism of the author's tone and characterization of people. He starts by explaining how the issue of global warming has taken a backseat to the economic issues occurring. There is a definite need to safeguard the planet, but the economy and industry must be maintained in order to have revenue to fund any sort of transition and discovery of new energy sources. He says that some sort of legislature must be passed, and the pro-environment, pro- business Americans have the potential to rally enough support to pass some sort of legislation. There have been attempts to pass laws. The key organization was the Environmental Defense Fund, own by Fred Krupp. James rogers of Duke Energy was one of the leaders in cleaner energy technologies. The author compares these men to heroes, and then states that there must be villains. The villains are those who deny global warming. They seek to derail the efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. They have proposed useless, manipulative legislations that would make money. After one proposal to auction off licenses to electricity companies to have a certain emission level, it was decided that this would in turn increase the money spent by those companies, and electricity rates would increase. A resolution was then agreed upon that any legislation passed could not increase gas or energy prices. The author of the article then criticized Pooley, the author of the book, for the way he introduces people. Those how disagree with him are shown in a negative light and he disrespects many people. He also doesn't acknowledge counterarguments. The article concludes with the authors opinion that the book is very important to informing people about what is being done to pass legislation, while being a bit biased and unfair towards global warming denialists.

Source Citation:

Lewis, Martin W. "Contesting climate: The Climate War: True Believers, Power Brokers, and the Fight to Save the Earth." Issues in Science and Technology 27.2 (2011): 91+. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 9 Mar. 2011.

Document URL
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/AcademicJournalsDetailsPage/AcademicJournalsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Journals&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CA246949288&mode=view&userGroupName=byuprovo&jsid=dc6bc7a27fc7c20a1b9a32f1558262ef

Global Warming is a Myth by Ed Hiserodt

I read this article about how global warming is a scam. It was very well written and had a very confident, rebellious tone. He almost already assumes the audience believes him and proceeds to make a mockery of the issue. He gives the example of making someone stand trial for murder when the person he is accused of murdering is still alive, and even in the court room. It makes the accusers and judge seem foolish. He applies this to climate change, not only discounting global warming and extreme climate change and the people who think it is true, and the government, but implying that they are downright foolish. I include the government in that because they are the ones who have to judge if it is real or not so they can act accordingly.

I thought that, for his purpose, is writing style was perfect. He basically used all of the most popular arguments for climate change and talked about them, citing other examples to show how he was right. He cited authorities and used examples as well. His arguments were good, but the tone made the reader feel like the author was just destroying the argument.

As for my opinion, I felt like the facts he presented didn't relate as well to the facts that we normally hear about global warming. He talked about record lows, but didn't say that the average temperature has changed. In fact, he supported my personal opinion that climate change has more to do with extreme weather than just global warming. The record lows show the extremes that are occurring. I am sure there are statistics that can be shown to emphasize the record highs as well that took place. Statistics on this issue are hard to trust, as they are contradictory and I feel like the author's manipulate their audience by saying something that may mean something different than what the reader thinks.

I did think his use of quotes by scientists and even a Nobel Peace price winning physicist was good. That did play a role in convincing me. I still stand true to my position that climate change is real, but this article did open my mind a bit more towards the other side of the argument. It re-enforced my opinion about climate extremes.

My 10 Topoi

1. Contradiction- Global Warming is either true or it is a myth.

2. Definition by class or category- Global warming is something that could threaten the health of our planet and the quality of life of those who live here in the near future.

3. Division of Whole into parts- Climate change will affect the population of the earth in many ways, with the overall temperatures affecting the quality of life of humans, the way and location that different species live, and the spread of diseases in places they would not normally be able to spread to.

4. Division into essence and accidents- Climate change is due to the greenhouse affect; all the other extremes are due to the this.

5. Antecedent and Consequence- Climate change will cause more extremes in weather around the planet, which will cause change for all those who live on it. The reason it is frightening is because we can't predict exactly what those changes will be.

6. Authority- According to an awarding winning, Ph. D environmental physical chemist, Warming fears are the "worst scientific scandal in...history...When people come to know what the truth is, they will feel deceived by science and scientists."

7. Authority- The winner of a Nobel peace prize for physics, Ivar Giavar said, "I am a skeptic... Global warming has become a new religion."

8. Testimonial- In 1970, a group of New Orleans schoolchildren took a 185-mile trip to Jackson, Mississippi to experience something they had never seen before: snow. In 2009, they didn't have to bother as Southern Louisiana was blanketed with four inches of snow, the first major snow in 45 years and only 2 inches shy of the all-time record of 6 inches set in 1895. It was also the earliest snow ever recorded.

9. Statistics- Record low temperatures have been recorded across the globe, and during the last decade, summers have gotten cooler and winters more harsh.

10. Statistics- Average temperature in the Arctic increased at nearly twice the global rate during the past 10o years.

Rhetorical Analysis Reflection

I wrote my rhetorical analysis about an article release by Issues in Science and Technology regarding the assessment of global climate change on a regional and local level rather than globally. My rhetorical analysis really evolved with each of my drafts. I thought in the beginning, I had some good ideas but they weren't pieced together very well. My sentence structures were questionable and my wording didn't convey what I was trying to say, especially regarding the tone of the paper. My conferences with Mr. Holland and with the writing center tutor helped me see the weakest areas of my paper and were extremely helpful in giving me direction. I felt that as I edited, I could better recognize where my analysis was not as strong and where I included too much summary. That was the biggest difference between my third draft and my final product. As I read over my paper, I felt like the sentences made a bit more sense and my paragraphs flowed better. I was just excited to see my paper come together as I tried to address all of the things that I learned from my conferences. My finished product finally conveyed what I really wanted to say about the article, and I even had to cut out some of my paper because it was too long. I thought this was good though, as I could get rid of some less important information to make it all more concise. I learned a lot through this process, mostly about quantity of editing and conferencing. The more the better. Overall, I think my finished product is what I wanted to produce. I put a lot of work into it.

Audience Profile

In researching about the audience for "Transforming Conservation" and who Issues in Science and Technology is directed towards, I found this article to be directed towards the general public and even to congress and others who can make changes in the standards and policies in environmentalism. Issues in Science and Technology is a forum that experts, not just opinionated journalists, can voice their opinions to a very broad audience. On their website, it describes the purpose of Issues is "admittedly idealistic but vital: to improve the effectiveness of public and private policy in making a better world and to raise the level of debate and mutual respect among all those who appreciate the critical contributions of science and technology." This shows the intended readers really are those who can make change and the public, to create opinions to spark debates and really become informed. It is an informative purpose to help make people come up with their own opinions and solutions and to act, not just read. Issues provides a place where "researchers, government officials, business leaders, and others with a stake in public policy can share ideas and offer specific suggestions." Issues tries to focus on pressing issues in science, technology, health, academics, and even government, as I mentioned with their desire to create action, seems to focus on those people who can act in these arenas. As the subject matter is rather broad, many audiences can be addressed. In "Transforming Conservation," obviously those environmentalists are being addressed in attempt to get these already opinionated people on board.

Transforming Conservation Analysis

In "Transforming Conservation" released by Issues in Science and Technology in the Fall 2010, the author acknowledges the possible counter arguments to create an effective argument for changing the conservation biology used in the United States. It is explained very effectively in a way that persuades the reader in a non-biased way .

The author explains that with global warming and global climate change, the conversational biology standards must be changed. Expectations and policies need to be adapted to the new conditions. In conclusion, this article calls for some sort of action to be taken. Many possible counter arguments are presented to show that the author has done research and is being as reasonable as possible while still getting the point across. It is acknowledged that the "challenge of restructuring conservation biology is daunting," and then he offers a practical plan of where to begin. He subtly addresses a possible counter argument by explaining how changing the conservation biology in the US can help the whole world, giving more importance to the the issue and answering anyone who might say that this will do little to help the world and we should focus on a larger perspective. He suggests as part of his ideas for conservation biology changes that relocating endangered species could be "risky business" and then presents what could help prevent the risk. As the article is concluded, the author states humbly and boldly that some sort of action must be taken, while acknowledging that others may have better ideas. The important part is action.

The author addresses the counter arguments to make his own opinion less biased and helps the reader respect his ideas.

Reverse Outline- Transforming Conservation

How to continue to save species, ecosystem services, and "wild" ecosystems under current and anticipated global warming.

-Restructuring conservational biology- next challenge.

-unify conservation strategies, targets

-jumps start a new era or conservation

-US changing conservation strategies helps global issues as well because:

-US can serve as a model

-different land management agencies have different goals

-US is a leader in global conservation

-data shows ecological variability on our continent

-cannot hold ourselves to the same standard of conservation

-species change with climate, we have to change expectations

-help species adapt

-standards for land managers about ecosystem properties

-more about genus than species

-deviations from expectations would indicate need for action

-relocation may be necessary

-difficult because may create big, human managed gardens and zoos, no more wild.

-create two sorts of nature reserves

-species reserves

-goal is saving species, bring in endangered for relocation to help them.

-wildlife reserves

- mimic ecological processes; put them in situations where they will succeed

-initiate action now, given the rapid rate our globe is changing.

Climate Change Overview states the Facts about Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases

In "Climate Change Overview" released by the International Databases in 2009, the author addresses those with little knowledge about climate change and global warming and tries to inform and influence them using facts and logic. He sites the era and difference in temperature to show the affects of greenhouse gases and create a sense of urgency among his readers.

The author starts off by giving a strong background and a base knowledge of greenhouse gases and how they work. He explains exactly what happens in a very basic way so the reader can understand the process. He provides much factual evidence and largely appeals to logos. First he says that because of natural greenhouse effects, the average temperature of the earth is fifty seven degrees Fahrenheit, and that if the "natural greenhouse effect did not exist, the average temperature would be around minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit." The author continues by explaining the additional greenhouse gases emitted because of industrialization and how the concentration of greenhouse gases has increased. It is stated that now, "the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is 385 parts per million" and "before industrialization it was about 280 parts per million. It would have been helpful if he would have explained these units a bit. This evidence, the author claims, correlates directly with the warming of the earth when it is stated that the " greenhouse effect is becoming stronger, and therefore the earth is becoming warmer." The evidence that the average temperature of the earth has risen in the same time period by .74 degrees Fahrenheit supports this. The language used in this article is very fair, and there is almost no appeal to emotion, leaving these facts and logic to provide the major force of influence.

This article does leave out, however, many possible counter arguments. There is no acknowledgment or explanation of what people are saying to argue against these facts. Certainly there are many who present facts contrary to those presented in this article, and the argument could have been strengthened by recognizing explaining those facts.

In this article, the author uses basic, logical reason, or an appeal to logos, to persuade the audience concerning global warming and greenhouse gases.

My Opinion Editorial Analysis

So, I wrote my opinion editorial about how driving less can improve the lives of students at BYU. My audience, clearly, was the BYU student body, but more specifically those who drive to campus everyday. I felt it was worth taking about at this point in time because of the recent complaints in the opinion editorials in the Daily Universe. People have always had issues and complaints with parking, so this topic is always one of interest to drivers at BYU. Another popular complaint is the high food prices in the Cougar Eat, especially right now as some prices have just risen. The last was regarding a complaint regarding the crazy pedestrians. With all of these being talked about fairly recently, I felt it pressing to address them with the solution I presented.

I did my best to appeal to the audience by recognizing the difficulties they would face and possible counter arguments and then emphasizing the benefits of not driving. Even though I know that this solution will be overlooked by many, I wanted to show all of the ways that not driving can help. I tried to be complete in recognizing counter arguments.

Another area I tried to focus on was my language and tone of the paper. In writing to college students, I knew I needed to have an intelligent tone, but still one they could identify with. I wanted to create a feeling in my voice of humility yet boldness. I wanted to avoid seeming overly preachy or that I knew more than the audience, but still presenting my opinion in a presentable way. This audience would only be convinced if they felt their opinions were respected and that I, as the writer, was merely trying to communicate an idea. I feel as though, especially with this audience, tone is the key to getting them to apply and even read my opinion.

Here is just a little body paragraph in my opinion editorial, and this part is addressing people who have been complaining about pedestrians who don't pay attention when walking to school and how if driver's don't like it, they should not drive:

Complaining about crazy pedestrians who don’t pay attention is a futile attempt to better the situation. I’m sure there are many drivers, who, like the students, could pay more attention and be more courteous and cautious. The complaining goes both ways. Basically, when walking and driving onto this crowded campus, there will always be congestion. This is a truth of life at BYU. If you don’t want to deal with the stress of letting a student cross the street or being extra alert for all the those students who are walking near you, then don’t drive. It is the only logical solution.

Intro

This is my introduction to the world of blogging, so bear with me. Last semester in my biology class, I had a particularly good teacher who helped inspire me and made me think about how I live and the consequences of my actions pertaining to the state of our planet in 50 years when it will be inhabited by our grandkids. I understand that my opinion may be a bit biased and one sided as it is largely based on one source, but I really think that we humans need to reflect and perhaps change some of the ways we treat the earth. My biology teacher was so passionate about this subject that I think it necessary for me to learn more about my responsibilities and stewardship as a member of the human race. Our actions need to show how grateful we are for our planet. I am not expert on the subject, but I figured this would be a good way for me to find out more and get some information on something I am interested in, all while fulfilling an assignment. I want to explore the facts about greenhouse gases, deforestation, global warming and its real risks (or lack thereof), and any other interesting things I may find in my research about how we are currently taking care of our planet. My title and URL may seem a bit too environmental, but really the title came from a Jack Johnson song that I find particularly catchy, and it fits my topic. The two were a perfect match. Hopefully I can convey my true feelings and gain a non-biased opinion on this subject and help other people form their own opinions, which may lead to actions and changes in the way people live their lives.