I think I would’ve dreaded only one more calling than the one I received this week: Primary. But, thankfully, I was called one above on my list to the activities committee. Now, I will try my best, and invest all that I’m worth to helping the ward have fun activities—sigh. Remember all those announcements at church, and yet it never really entered your mind? Yep, that will be me. Planning all those “fun” activities that few people attend.
If there is one thing I learned on my mission, it would be that people don’t go to activities, despite how much effort has gone into making them. I wish I could change that, and I will try—but somebody bolster my faith about this. In fact, I went to an activity last week for the stake, and we had maybe 30 people at it. 30 people! For a stake? Sigh, now I have to pay my dues as the ward activities committee.
Though I’m slightly pessimistic about the idea, we do get the opportunity to work with a bunch of fun individuals. I hope that maybe our efforts will lend a hand to those looking for the gospel or provide them a chance to interact with members and eventually join the church.
Ah, Provo wards—watch out, for me and my spouse. Here we come to rock your world with more thrillingly entertaining activities. Its in the name okay? Activities Committee.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
TA: Revising the introduction again
For this weeks TA, I thought I could show how I changed my first paragraph to provide a more fitting introduction for my research paper A. The blog has a 400 word maximum limit, so in order to meet that, I have omitted portions of the introduction. The first draft is pasted:
On August 28, 2007, it was reported that Utah—out of all the fifty-one competitors including Washington D.C.—had taken first place; Utah is apparently not home to the highest percentage of overweight youth, but rather the breeding ground for the lowest percentage of heavy teens ... Rather, if Utah wishes to continue its nation-low statistics, or even prevent any further cases of student obesity, limiting competitive foods is a misled step toward its battle against obesity
The italicized parts are primarily where I think the problems lie. The first sentence is put into a passive voice, forcing the reader to question, “Who reported Utah?” Although I explain this later in the paper, it might be unsettling to the reader at only the introduction. For my revision, I decided to remove the passive voice and present in the beginning who is reporting—TFAH.
The next revision comes at the end of the paragraph. During the Peer Review, the reviewer noted that the last sentence might be too strong for the introduction. She meant that I was revealing too much about my argument before moving onto my paper. Now as we learned in class, this can be bad for some audiences. I'd like to oppose the idea claiming that my audience would keep reading despite the strong statement (the Utah State Board of Education) because they haven’t made an opinion on this item yet—and thus read my research. To please both parties, I left the sentence preceding the last underlined sentence in order to still show that I’m opposed to limiting competitive foods, but also removed the last sentence in my original introduction entirely and pasted it later on in the paper. Here is the new introduction:
On August 28, 2007, the Trust of America's Health organization (TFAH) reported that Utah—out of all the fifty-one competitors including Washington D.C.—had taken first place… With new information brought to the public ear, education reform policymakers need to be aware that this uninformed argument to regulate and limit competitive foods has been heading in the wrong direction.
And there it is, the new introduction.
On August 28, 2007, it was reported that Utah—out of all the fifty-one competitors including Washington D.C.—had taken first place; Utah is apparently not home to the highest percentage of overweight youth, but rather the breeding ground for the lowest percentage of heavy teens ... Rather, if Utah wishes to continue its nation-low statistics, or even prevent any further cases of student obesity, limiting competitive foods is a misled step toward its battle against obesity
The italicized parts are primarily where I think the problems lie. The first sentence is put into a passive voice, forcing the reader to question, “Who reported Utah?” Although I explain this later in the paper, it might be unsettling to the reader at only the introduction. For my revision, I decided to remove the passive voice and present in the beginning who is reporting—TFAH.
The next revision comes at the end of the paragraph. During the Peer Review, the reviewer noted that the last sentence might be too strong for the introduction. She meant that I was revealing too much about my argument before moving onto my paper. Now as we learned in class, this can be bad for some audiences. I'd like to oppose the idea claiming that my audience would keep reading despite the strong statement (the Utah State Board of Education) because they haven’t made an opinion on this item yet—and thus read my research. To please both parties, I left the sentence preceding the last underlined sentence in order to still show that I’m opposed to limiting competitive foods, but also removed the last sentence in my original introduction entirely and pasted it later on in the paper. Here is the new introduction:
On August 28, 2007, the Trust of America's Health organization (TFAH) reported that Utah—out of all the fifty-one competitors including Washington D.C.—had taken first place… With new information brought to the public ear, education reform policymakers need to be aware that this uninformed argument to regulate and limit competitive foods has been heading in the wrong direction.
And there it is, the new introduction.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
FW: LDS AS A REPUBLICAN, DOESN'T WORK
I was once republican--now I dread the name. I guess I am fairly liberal as a conservative, still sitting on the right hand side of the scale. It all came about when I argued with one of my friends over homeless people. The natural, republican side would say, "oh, they are homeless. They did something to get themselves there and will never try to get back into society." How can you be a follower of Christ and have that attitude? Do these people edit Mosiah 4 out of their Book of Mormons, or was King Benjamin's speech on imparting our substance and not judging the homeless nor persuasive enough?
The same thing follows with immigration. Send people back and ruin their families? Then the republican says, "Well, we BELIEVE IN THE LAWS OF THE LAND. If they want to immigrate, then they can do it legally." In response to that I ask, "do you speed on the freeway? How about in those neighborhood 25 MPH zones? If you have, we reserve the right to revoke your license forever." Stating that one is trying to obey the "Laws of the land" is just a petty "christian" excuse to hide behind in politics. Where did the Christlike love ever go when thinking about our fellow men? Why can't we extend a hand to help those in need?
It was then that I decided I couldn't be a republican ever again. How could I? I also can't be a Democrat, for heaven help us if marijuana, abortion, and every other carnal thing is legalized. Liberalism is okay. Democratic party is not. So why can't a third party start? Is there nobody in the country that lies perfectly in the middle on the conservative scale?
I can't stand certain people's opinions for these reasons. When they open their mouths, the words that come out are so full of hypocritical church membership that makes me want to vomit. It is ill-thought, and unprepared. I just can't imagine Christ putting up a fence and holding a gun to enforce immigration--but whatever, anger I will to no avail. Down with republican christianity!
The same thing follows with immigration. Send people back and ruin their families? Then the republican says, "Well, we BELIEVE IN THE LAWS OF THE LAND. If they want to immigrate, then they can do it legally." In response to that I ask, "do you speed on the freeway? How about in those neighborhood 25 MPH zones? If you have, we reserve the right to revoke your license forever." Stating that one is trying to obey the "Laws of the land" is just a petty "christian" excuse to hide behind in politics. Where did the Christlike love ever go when thinking about our fellow men? Why can't we extend a hand to help those in need?
It was then that I decided I couldn't be a republican ever again. How could I? I also can't be a Democrat, for heaven help us if marijuana, abortion, and every other carnal thing is legalized. Liberalism is okay. Democratic party is not. So why can't a third party start? Is there nobody in the country that lies perfectly in the middle on the conservative scale?
I can't stand certain people's opinions for these reasons. When they open their mouths, the words that come out are so full of hypocritical church membership that makes me want to vomit. It is ill-thought, and unprepared. I just can't imagine Christ putting up a fence and holding a gun to enforce immigration--but whatever, anger I will to no avail. Down with republican christianity!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
RA: Samuel Clemens’ Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses
Don't we love critiques? In this RA, I am going to analyze the tone and stance of Mark Twain's critique about some of James Fenimore Cooper's works.
Clemens' tone from the opening paragraph reveals a great deal about the mood he sets for the rest of the passage. After a few quotes from literature professors around the Ivy League schools—who promote and advocate Cooper's work—he states, “It seems to me that it was far from right for the professors . . . to deliver opinions on Cooper's literature without having read some of it. It would have been much more decorous to keep silent and let persons talk who have read Cooper.” Almost immediately he lets the audience know that he has read it, and he obviously plans on disagreeing with the opinions.
This stylistic slander continues, “If Cooper had been an observer, his inventive faculty would have worked better, not more interestingly, but more rationally, more plausibly . . . Cooper's eye was splendidly inaccurate. Cooper seldom saw anything correctly. He saw nearly all things as through a glass eye, darkly.”
It is interesting to note that his tone stays fairly similar—being blatantly sarcastic—while his stance changes slightly. He comments lightly in the begging about how “Cooper's art has some defects” while one paragraph later he writes, “Cooper has scored 114 offences against literary art out of a possible 115. It breaks the record.” For a moment he lightly comments about how Cooper didn't meet literary standards, and then pulls out the 1/115 statistic to shift his stance to an avidly opposing point of view. He then continues his tone to bash the other author, listing all the mistakes: “12. Say what he is proposing to say, not merely come near it. 13. Use the right word, not its second cousin.”
His stance stands strong throughout the rest of the passage. His tone does as well: condescending and sarcastic towards Cooper.
Clemens' tone from the opening paragraph reveals a great deal about the mood he sets for the rest of the passage. After a few quotes from literature professors around the Ivy League schools—who promote and advocate Cooper's work—he states, “It seems to me that it was far from right for the professors . . . to deliver opinions on Cooper's literature without having read some of it. It would have been much more decorous to keep silent and let persons talk who have read Cooper.” Almost immediately he lets the audience know that he has read it, and he obviously plans on disagreeing with the opinions.
This stylistic slander continues, “If Cooper had been an observer, his inventive faculty would have worked better, not more interestingly, but more rationally, more plausibly . . . Cooper's eye was splendidly inaccurate. Cooper seldom saw anything correctly. He saw nearly all things as through a glass eye, darkly.”
It is interesting to note that his tone stays fairly similar—being blatantly sarcastic—while his stance changes slightly. He comments lightly in the begging about how “Cooper's art has some defects” while one paragraph later he writes, “Cooper has scored 114 offences against literary art out of a possible 115. It breaks the record.” For a moment he lightly comments about how Cooper didn't meet literary standards, and then pulls out the 1/115 statistic to shift his stance to an avidly opposing point of view. He then continues his tone to bash the other author, listing all the mistakes: “12. Say what he is proposing to say, not merely come near it. 13. Use the right word, not its second cousin.”
His stance stands strong throughout the rest of the passage. His tone does as well: condescending and sarcastic towards Cooper.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
RA: The Brother of Nephi: Jacob’s Sermon
On Friday, we discussed a little in class about style. For my rhetorical analysis this week (also, because it is Sunday), I thought analyzing the style of one of the Book of Mormon writers would be interesting.
Jacob, to probably every reader, stands out in the Book of Mormon for his blunt, logical attitude towards the gospel.
He opens by proclaiming his diligent efforts to the lord and states in Jacob 2:3, “I have hitherto been diligent in the office of my calling; but I this day am weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls.” Immediately he lets the listeners—in this case, presumably the priesthood—know of his desire to help them but definitely sends darts of guilt towards the audience. For example, in verse 6, “Yea, it grieveth my soul and causeth me to shrink with shame . . . concerning the wickedness of your hearts.” This line is particularly amusing, because it contrasts his brother Nephi, who in kindness always positively persuaded his audience.
Jacob’s sarcastic, guilt-tripping language is seen again in stating that he had to “enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds” (9). Ouch! Can you imagine a prophet saying that to you? His voice is also seen in the punctuation he uses. He often asks rhetorical questions to make the priesthood think of their guilt: “Do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing” (10)? He even uses the exclamation point here and again to show his pleading throughout the sermon like in verse 15-16: “let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!”
Even in the end of the Book of Jacob, he retains his rhetorical questioning, with a sense of sarcasm, stating, “O be wise what can I say more” (6:12)? His last statement in the sermon says, “Finally, I bid you farewell, until I shall meet you before the pleasing bar of God, which bar striketh the wicked with awful dread and fear. Amen” (6:13). He didn’t say, “I will see you happily at the judgment bar” or “keep up your righteous acts my beloved brethren,” but rather threatens once again the condemnation of the wicked.
This analysis is fairly brief, but hopefully the statements I included reveal a little about Jacob’s style compared to others in the Book of Mormon.
Jacob, to probably every reader, stands out in the Book of Mormon for his blunt, logical attitude towards the gospel.
He opens by proclaiming his diligent efforts to the lord and states in Jacob 2:3, “I have hitherto been diligent in the office of my calling; but I this day am weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls.” Immediately he lets the listeners—in this case, presumably the priesthood—know of his desire to help them but definitely sends darts of guilt towards the audience. For example, in verse 6, “Yea, it grieveth my soul and causeth me to shrink with shame . . . concerning the wickedness of your hearts.” This line is particularly amusing, because it contrasts his brother Nephi, who in kindness always positively persuaded his audience.
Jacob’s sarcastic, guilt-tripping language is seen again in stating that he had to “enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds” (9). Ouch! Can you imagine a prophet saying that to you? His voice is also seen in the punctuation he uses. He often asks rhetorical questions to make the priesthood think of their guilt: “Do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing” (10)? He even uses the exclamation point here and again to show his pleading throughout the sermon like in verse 15-16: “let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!”
Even in the end of the Book of Jacob, he retains his rhetorical questioning, with a sense of sarcasm, stating, “O be wise what can I say more” (6:12)? His last statement in the sermon says, “Finally, I bid you farewell, until I shall meet you before the pleasing bar of God, which bar striketh the wicked with awful dread and fear. Amen” (6:13). He didn’t say, “I will see you happily at the judgment bar” or “keep up your righteous acts my beloved brethren,” but rather threatens once again the condemnation of the wicked.
This analysis is fairly brief, but hopefully the statements I included reveal a little about Jacob’s style compared to others in the Book of Mormon.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
FW: I demand a change: effects of pregnancy
Dealing with a pregnant spouse isn’t easy. The cravings are just starting to begin. My mother said the cravings would kick in sooner or later, but I never expected my wife’s cravings to be for luxurious dinners! Nope. Not the typical chocolate, candy, or even in special circumstances, CHALK, my wife craves expensive dinners!
Now, as I sit back and try to think about this, it just doesn’t make sense. Why would the change in hormones make one consistently want to eat out? If she happens to be abusing her “pregnant” privileges and forcing me to take her out from sheer selfishness—then I’ll hand her two points for credit. On the other hand, if this hormone fluctuation truly be the cause to this money-draining expense (well, at least I the dinners are quite nice at a restaurant every night), then I wish it to reverse itself. Yes, you heard me. I want a change the current state of this ludicrous. Rather, I would change it so that she consistently craves, cheap, home-made goods that can be produced with a microwave or an oven. Is that too much too ask for a hard-working, yet very poor, college student like myself? Bread in milk. Ham and cheese sandwich. Why does it have to be Café Rio? Or even Olive Garden. All I know is, this better change in the next week or two—or I’m moving to where the bank can’t find me…EVER.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
TA: The first part of my essay
Hey look! I'm using all that stuff I've learned and am throwing it down for my TA for this week. Is that okay? I'll do two next week if not. This is the intro to my paper, I thought it would be a nice practice to start my "intro" and actually see how I began a research paper.
The Fat of the Problem
On August 28, 2007, it was reported that Utah—out of all the fifty-one competitors including Washington D.C.—took first place; Utah is apparently not home to the highest percentage of overweight youth, but rather the breeding ground for the lowest percentage of heavy teens in the United States. Despite these facts, Utah parents have begun to rally support against the Utah State Board of Education’s current standing on allowing “competitive foods”—edible items sold through vending services such as donuts and other sugary substances—to be sold in public educational facilities. With this new information brought to the public ear, education reform policy-makers need to be aware that this uninformed argument has been heading in the wrong direction. Rather, if Utah wishes to continue its nation-low statistics, or even prevent any further cases of student obesity, limiting competitive foods is a misled step toward its battle against obesity.
According to Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), a non-profit and non-partisan organization led to prevent epidemics and disease, Utah scored an astoundingly low 8.5% for obese students. Even with these low numbers, “Utah is not one of the 17 states that have set nutritional standards for foods sold in vending machines” (TFAH 1). This means that despite unlimited access to competitive foods, Utah still ranks lower than any other state which has set nutritional bars on vendors, including the overweight-youth second and third place leaders: West Virginia and Kentucky (TFAH 3).
The Fat of the Problem
On August 28, 2007, it was reported that Utah—out of all the fifty-one competitors including Washington D.C.—took first place; Utah is apparently not home to the highest percentage of overweight youth, but rather the breeding ground for the lowest percentage of heavy teens in the United States. Despite these facts, Utah parents have begun to rally support against the Utah State Board of Education’s current standing on allowing “competitive foods”—edible items sold through vending services such as donuts and other sugary substances—to be sold in public educational facilities. With this new information brought to the public ear, education reform policy-makers need to be aware that this uninformed argument has been heading in the wrong direction. Rather, if Utah wishes to continue its nation-low statistics, or even prevent any further cases of student obesity, limiting competitive foods is a misled step toward its battle against obesity.
According to Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), a non-profit and non-partisan organization led to prevent epidemics and disease, Utah scored an astoundingly low 8.5% for obese students. Even with these low numbers, “Utah is not one of the 17 states that have set nutritional standards for foods sold in vending machines” (TFAH 1). This means that despite unlimited access to competitive foods, Utah still ranks lower than any other state which has set nutritional bars on vendors, including the overweight-youth second and third place leaders: West Virginia and Kentucky (TFAH 3).
Sunday, October 14, 2007
TA: Possible WATCOs for the first paper
I don’t have the wording down to “perfection,” but there are a few different ways I could take theWATCO for my paper directed at a few different audiences. The main question I have left to do is decide on who I want to write to. Each of the following WATCOs could possibly have a different audience. It seems kind of repetitive—but each one is its own WATCO, aimed towards a particular audience. Another thought could be to combine some of these into an enthymeme and allow one to be my A1 argument.
WATCO limiting competitive foods in public schools on student obesity?
WATCO prohibiting competitive foods in public schools on student obesity?
WATCO continued funding towards programs that educated children on obesity?
WATCO allowing competitive foods in schools on student obesity?
WATCO regional stewardship over obesity education on student obesity?
WATCO principal backed programs that educated parents on student obesity?
The possible audiences for the listed WATCOs could be: U.S. Department of Education, Congress, State Legislatures, Parents, Students, Principals, Regional Boards, and even to the general public.
An interesting piece of information I found was that Utah actually scored lowest on “overweight teens” despite the fact that we don’t have ANY standards that limit competitive foods. This pushes me towards the second WATCO—or maybe even the fourth. I wouldn’t necessarily be fighting against the status quo, but parents are starting to push for obesity education reform in public schools (just this month, brought before the Board of Education). Despite popular belief, this is an immediate issue.
WATCO limiting competitive foods in public schools on student obesity?
WATCO prohibiting competitive foods in public schools on student obesity?
WATCO continued funding towards programs that educated children on obesity?
WATCO allowing competitive foods in schools on student obesity?
WATCO regional stewardship over obesity education on student obesity?
WATCO principal backed programs that educated parents on student obesity?
The possible audiences for the listed WATCOs could be: U.S. Department of Education, Congress, State Legislatures, Parents, Students, Principals, Regional Boards, and even to the general public.
An interesting piece of information I found was that Utah actually scored lowest on “overweight teens” despite the fact that we don’t have ANY standards that limit competitive foods. This pushes me towards the second WATCO—or maybe even the fourth. I wouldn’t necessarily be fighting against the status quo, but parents are starting to push for obesity education reform in public schools (just this month, brought before the Board of Education). Despite popular belief, this is an immediate issue.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
RA: I'm Pregnant
Ha. Here is some exciting news…my wife is pregnant! Yes, and here I am rhetorically analyzing the way she told me! One must understand that I openly opposed a baby for at least the next year. So, step by step, as the story unravels, I will also break down her attempt to reveal to me the news.
I walked into the house, and there my wife stood doing the dishes. “We need to talk about something a little later tonight.”
I laughed and proclaimed, “As long as it isn’t a child!”
She went dead quiet and left the room. Ignorant as I was, my heart trembled:
WATCO having a baby in our relationship?
I continued doing what I was doing, until another 30 minutes passed and I asked my wife, who had reentered the room, “So what did you want to talk about?” She quickly left the room to the bathroom and threw me a pregnancy test. It read positive. I could read it in her eyes (through all the tears of course):
Enthymeme: Becoming pregnant and having a baby will fortify the relationship with my spouse because having a baby will foster love and development as we both try to prepare to start a family. Can’t you see that Kiel?...Implied Assumption: Anything we do to foster love and development to start a family will fortify our relationship.—Yep.
“Why are you crying?” I asked.
She replied, “Because you’ll be mad at me!” Ouch. She had already started her argument slamming at my emotions. How could I be the least bit mad/disappointed after hearing that? Pathos: It worked. Ethos: she is my wife. LOGOS: it was half my fault anyway! A triple whammy for me. Audience: Me. STAR…Yep.
I know it was a round about way of a typical rhetorical analysis, but I hope you enjoyed the story!
I walked into the house, and there my wife stood doing the dishes. “We need to talk about something a little later tonight.”
I laughed and proclaimed, “As long as it isn’t a child!”
She went dead quiet and left the room. Ignorant as I was, my heart trembled:
WATCO having a baby in our relationship?
I continued doing what I was doing, until another 30 minutes passed and I asked my wife, who had reentered the room, “So what did you want to talk about?” She quickly left the room to the bathroom and threw me a pregnancy test. It read positive. I could read it in her eyes (through all the tears of course):
Enthymeme: Becoming pregnant and having a baby will fortify the relationship with my spouse because having a baby will foster love and development as we both try to prepare to start a family. Can’t you see that Kiel?...Implied Assumption: Anything we do to foster love and development to start a family will fortify our relationship.—Yep.
“Why are you crying?” I asked.
She replied, “Because you’ll be mad at me!” Ouch. She had already started her argument slamming at my emotions. How could I be the least bit mad/disappointed after hearing that? Pathos: It worked. Ethos: she is my wife. LOGOS: it was half my fault anyway! A triple whammy for me. Audience: Me. STAR…Yep.
I know it was a round about way of a typical rhetorical analysis, but I hope you enjoyed the story!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
FW: A Quality Education Educates
I think a quality education, educates. The statement alone sounds absurd, but think about what it is saying. As far as the undergraduate program goes at BYU, professors have it in their heads that impossibly hard tests qualify their classes as a “quality education.” I don’t think that Harvard produces its Ivy League quality by making their tests extremely hard. So why do some of our professors? A test is a DIRECT REFLECTION of how one educates a class. A quality education produces a quality result. If the class average is at a 67%, then maybe you should take a step back and think, “maybe I’m not providing a quality education because I see absolutely NO quality result.”
Yes, Economics, American History, and Biology, are the classes that immediately come to mind. Ah, then the well-thought, sarcastic reply of our “best” professors who say, “percentages are all in your head. If I added ten percent would you feel better?” To that I reply, “Yes! Of course I would. Harvard, Stanford, Yale—they don’t care about your psycho-driven exams! They see a final grade of a C and think, ‘This candidate can’t even pass a general education class. Send his application to the garbage.” Why do you ruin your best students? Why do you prevent them from fulfilling their dreams? Professors, take note, if your class average on an exam is a D, maybe you should resign your teaching positions and start your own university—in the middle of the ocean and on the bottom of the sea floor! Now that outburst was a little frank, but how is our faculty allowed to escape without any kind of response from the student body? Well, finally, here it is (obviously, a bitter reply at that).
Yes, Economics, American History, and Biology, are the classes that immediately come to mind. Ah, then the well-thought, sarcastic reply of our “best” professors who say, “percentages are all in your head. If I added ten percent would you feel better?” To that I reply, “Yes! Of course I would. Harvard, Stanford, Yale—they don’t care about your psycho-driven exams! They see a final grade of a C and think, ‘This candidate can’t even pass a general education class. Send his application to the garbage.” Why do you ruin your best students? Why do you prevent them from fulfilling their dreams? Professors, take note, if your class average on an exam is a D, maybe you should resign your teaching positions and start your own university—in the middle of the ocean and on the bottom of the sea floor! Now that outburst was a little frank, but how is our faculty allowed to escape without any kind of response from the student body? Well, finally, here it is (obviously, a bitter reply at that).
Sunday, October 7, 2007
RA: Elder Oaks' Talk
For this week’s rhetorical analysis, I decided to analyze Elder Oaks’ talk on the Sunday Afternoon Session of conference. It was actually kind of interesting. Despite the fact that he has an audience who is willing to listen, it was interesting to see how he had to rhetorically persuade people to ACT on his words, not just LISTEN. He also spoke generally on a few different topics about time-management, but I thought I could break down one of his sub-points and write up the enthymeme.
Audience: Members of the church
WATCO making wise time-management choices in our lives?
Enthymeme: Making wise time-management choices builds lasting relationships in our families because providing needed time for our families will foster opportunities to create memorable experiences.
Implied Assumption: Anything that fosters opportunities to create [good] memorable experiences will build lasting relationships in our families.
Ethos: The white captioning that tells us he is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. His life also is evidence of his enthymeme.
Pathos: He stated that he couldn’t think of a man that could look back on his life, having worked away precious hours that could’ve been spent with family, and say he was happy. Ouch! That hit home to we workaholics.
Logos: As far as statistics or things of that sort, not a whole lot. I think his logical approach was more to the implied common sense that we all have.
Sufficient: Due to his bluntness, I think it was sufficient. Nothing was drilled in more than it needed to be, and everything was down to the point.
Typical: He appealed to things members were very familiar with, making his talk understandable and applicable to our lives.
Accurate: The Lord is his source…does it get better?
Relevant: Well, his talk was based on sweeping up some of the slop members are starting to do in the church—so for the portion of his talk I focused on, it was relevant. For the most part though, other parts were on completely different subjects.
The talk was great. Now to the application part in my own life. What we do each day will have a lasting effect on our families. On the other hand, nothing we do in our school work or careers, will have a standing impact on the eternities.
Audience: Members of the church
WATCO making wise time-management choices in our lives?
Enthymeme: Making wise time-management choices builds lasting relationships in our families because providing needed time for our families will foster opportunities to create memorable experiences.
Implied Assumption: Anything that fosters opportunities to create [good] memorable experiences will build lasting relationships in our families.
Ethos: The white captioning that tells us he is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. His life also is evidence of his enthymeme.
Pathos: He stated that he couldn’t think of a man that could look back on his life, having worked away precious hours that could’ve been spent with family, and say he was happy. Ouch! That hit home to we workaholics.
Logos: As far as statistics or things of that sort, not a whole lot. I think his logical approach was more to the implied common sense that we all have.
Sufficient: Due to his bluntness, I think it was sufficient. Nothing was drilled in more than it needed to be, and everything was down to the point.
Typical: He appealed to things members were very familiar with, making his talk understandable and applicable to our lives.
Accurate: The Lord is his source…does it get better?
Relevant: Well, his talk was based on sweeping up some of the slop members are starting to do in the church—so for the portion of his talk I focused on, it was relevant. For the most part though, other parts were on completely different subjects.
The talk was great. Now to the application part in my own life. What we do each day will have a lasting effect on our families. On the other hand, nothing we do in our school work or careers, will have a standing impact on the eternities.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
TA: Research and ideas
For this week’s TA, I thought it would be convenient to write up some of the research I have found so far. Although I have found these facts out, my mind has been introduced to a few new areas in education reform (primarily college reform, as demonstrated in class). For Utah at least, reform is taking its hard toll on public schools.
To meet national standards of “progress” 95% of the enrollment must participate in the standardized tests. As discussed in class, this number could be affected by faculty discouraging students who might not meet educational standards from taking the test—thus, providing a better image for schools despite the fact that they are paying students off.
High school graduation rates cannot fall below 85.7%, with a yearly attendance rate of 93%.
Not only is attendance a huge role, but a whopping 71% of students must pass the math test. Now think about it, how many students enroll in basic algebra at BYU, and actually pass? How about UVSC? The numbers aren’t that impressive—and the No Child Left Behind rule requires 71% for elementary schools? Ouch.
The high school rate is at 59% for state math. Only six out of ten children have to pass the state exam. If the standard is so low, why should there even be a program that pushes this area. But then again, how can you force students in a school to only focus on these subjects? Does this, in turn, take away from their rights to a fair education?
Just based on this information, I thought a good idea for research might be to check out high-school math reform. Why does it drop 12% for high-school students? It seems like it should increase, rather than decrease. Maybe the level is considered far more difficult and thus they drop it. Or maybe elementary math is fundamental and thus the higher requirement? All might be possible answers.
According to the SLC Tribune, information released from the government reveals that 27 percent of the Utah schools are not meeting Progress standards—the percentage is predicted to increase next year. Also, the report contained many errors that slipped through the government’s check—thus, misreported information could also lead to a mis-distribution of money. This could also be a topic I could further research.
To meet national standards of “progress” 95% of the enrollment must participate in the standardized tests. As discussed in class, this number could be affected by faculty discouraging students who might not meet educational standards from taking the test—thus, providing a better image for schools despite the fact that they are paying students off.
High school graduation rates cannot fall below 85.7%, with a yearly attendance rate of 93%.
Not only is attendance a huge role, but a whopping 71% of students must pass the math test. Now think about it, how many students enroll in basic algebra at BYU, and actually pass? How about UVSC? The numbers aren’t that impressive—and the No Child Left Behind rule requires 71% for elementary schools? Ouch.
The high school rate is at 59% for state math. Only six out of ten children have to pass the state exam. If the standard is so low, why should there even be a program that pushes this area. But then again, how can you force students in a school to only focus on these subjects? Does this, in turn, take away from their rights to a fair education?
Just based on this information, I thought a good idea for research might be to check out high-school math reform. Why does it drop 12% for high-school students? It seems like it should increase, rather than decrease. Maybe the level is considered far more difficult and thus they drop it. Or maybe elementary math is fundamental and thus the higher requirement? All might be possible answers.
According to the SLC Tribune, information released from the government reveals that 27 percent of the Utah schools are not meeting Progress standards—the percentage is predicted to increase next year. Also, the report contained many errors that slipped through the government’s check—thus, misreported information could also lead to a mis-distribution of money. This could also be a topic I could further research.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
FW: The Next Apostle
Sadly, only a month and a half ago, President Faust departed from here and is on the other side. That leaves one question in the minds of many: “Who is the next apostle?” There are over 300 men to pick from (well, at least from the General Authority pool).
Since this week is general conference, I thought it would be convenient to guess! If I’m right, I will be comforted by that small feeling of satisfaction that I live close to the Spirit of Revelation (just kidding, all in the name of fun). IF NOT, well then, I will find some other way to justify myself!
But really, I think it will be Elder Kikuchi. This little Japanese man has led the nation since the day he was converted nearly 50 years ago despite his mother’s opposition. He lived to support his mother in the soy factory making tofu—then he met the missionaries. His plane has been hijacked and saved only miles above the ground before it crashed in a nose dive. He toured every mission frequently to booster the faith of missionaries. He was a pioneer in trying to respect the female—a cultural downside to even many in the church.
If that were the case, the first two foreign apostles will be from the two nations that led World War II over 60 years ago! Yes, Elder Uchtdorf the German, and Elder Kikuchi the Japanese. Wouldn’t that be crazy to think about? Two countries, who forced death to millions, would now produce two of the world’s greatest men—actual witnesses to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have my money on Elder Kikichi and am thrilled to watch conference this Saturday.
Since this week is general conference, I thought it would be convenient to guess! If I’m right, I will be comforted by that small feeling of satisfaction that I live close to the Spirit of Revelation (just kidding, all in the name of fun). IF NOT, well then, I will find some other way to justify myself!
But really, I think it will be Elder Kikuchi. This little Japanese man has led the nation since the day he was converted nearly 50 years ago despite his mother’s opposition. He lived to support his mother in the soy factory making tofu—then he met the missionaries. His plane has been hijacked and saved only miles above the ground before it crashed in a nose dive. He toured every mission frequently to booster the faith of missionaries. He was a pioneer in trying to respect the female—a cultural downside to even many in the church.
If that were the case, the first two foreign apostles will be from the two nations that led World War II over 60 years ago! Yes, Elder Uchtdorf the German, and Elder Kikuchi the Japanese. Wouldn’t that be crazy to think about? Two countries, who forced death to millions, would now produce two of the world’s greatest men—actual witnesses to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have my money on Elder Kikichi and am thrilled to watch conference this Saturday.
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