final blog post

I have always personally felt like everyone was a little too hard on the upper class. I think it’s easy for people in the lower and middle class to sit and say “They have so much money; they should give some away or pay higher taxes”. Honestly though, if you were in their shoes, you would probably act the exact same way. We mostly judge because we are jealous. We think they should pay higher taxes because it is less of a dent in their income than it is in ours, but losing that money still matters to them. Most of them work hard, or at least harder than most middle class workers do. The stress at work many of them take on is a huge burden that warrants a high income. Managing a large company is a lot of long hours and a lot of stress, even when they are not working. Someone working at a gas station does not go home and stress about their business. When you manage or own a company, you are constantly thinking about work. This is one reason why I do not think that the rich should have to pay a higher percentage of their income to taxes. They should not be punished for making more. Yes, it is less than a burden to them, but it makes no sense to make them pay more just because they make more. That is extra money in their pocket that could be spend to help move more money into the economy. People need to stop being so critical of the rich.

Blogging Finale

This class has helped me in many ways, especially in increasing my understanding of international diversity. The diverseness of OSU was one key reason for my attendance, and our class was as diverse as they come. Our class is a culmination of nationalities and that has opened my eyes tremendously. Through reading our blog posts weekly and class discuss, I’ve have been introduced to the views of people from diverse backgrounds. I know have knowledge of Asian; German, even Ethiopian views on American issues and just life in general. My classmates have shared facts about their homelands with me and showed me that the American way is not the only way. Max shared how he feels Germany has a stronger social system, and with his explanation behind that theory, I am intrigued to further research Germany’s social system. Shiyun has expressed how he pursuing his education in America will enable him to go back to China and help his community and its people grow. I am richer because of the exposure to these nationalities.
Another way this class has helped me grow is by introducing me to technology. As I have openly admitted, I am not the most technically inclined person in the world. I have found myself better able to navigate websites especially Google and blogger, which I had no experience. Instead of rebelling against technology and getting frustrated when using it, I am now able to slow down and think my way through when using it. Technology still isn’t my best friend, but it is not my worst enemy either.

Blog #9

This class helped me become a better writer, mostly because I wrote about topics that I could actually relate to and that didn’t seem to just be writing in response to a text and a theme that I was forced to fit my research into. Which gave me a wider spectrum to start with for thought process, because usually my biggest problem use to be starting a paper and now I can write papers that are plenty long enough.

The 3-step process helped and hurt me, but in the end made me a better writer because I can classify myself as a writer better. I’ve always known that I have a bad tendency of taking a good idea and then by the end, end up on a different idea. This was magnified by our 3 submission process where the PSA was really focused and then when I went to the SSI the entire purpose that I wrote for had changed. From my thesis to my claims, it was a lot more formal than the PSA, but the change in argument was a much weaker argument. After I finally realized it, even though I knew that it changed, for some reason I didn’t truly grasp it. But when I got that Ah-Ha moment I feel like I’ve finally passed the wall that held me back as a writer throughout all of high school. I always hated English and it was always my worst subject and this quarter, ironically it’s one of my best subjects.

Blog #8

For my common place essay I think I am going to analyze one of my secondary sources from my ARP. As of now, I am going to write about the homeless man with the sign reading “will code HTML for food.” The picture possesses such a powerful message that immediately captures its viewer. I think that this picture is also a good one because it is relevant to everyone. You may not know anyone that is or has been homeless, but this picture is taken in America and is of an American citizen, so it is relevant to every American. This picture may be particularly appealing to middle class America, because obviously this man has some type of skill or certification to be able to code HTML, however, he is unemployed. This is an issue affecting many people in the middle class. I think that this picture alone can captivate anyone who views it, whether upper, middle, or lower class because of its emotional appeal. It makes the viewer feel a sense of sympathy for the man, yet it makes you feel enthralled to research further whether people of skill or certification becoming homeless is a new trend. Also being that our class is o diverse, it will shed light to some on living conditions that they are not used to and it will relate to things people have seen in their home nation. Times are hard everywhere, not just in the U.S. and that will be a connecting factor of my argument.

Blog #8

For my Commonplace essay, I think I am going to stick with my idea of how country music relates to class, but twist it a little bit to make it more appealing to my peers. I realize that not everyone is a big country music fan and some would not have even heard of the artists I would talk about. Because of this, I think that I need to expand my writing to talk about other artists, not just country artists. I will discuss how different songs that we listen to make us feel a certain way about where we are from or where our peers are from. Many different songs on the radio appeal to a certain class. For example, some rap music tries to appeal to members of the lower class by talking about coming from bad neighborhoods.

This essay will be relevant to my audience because everyone, no matter their nationality or age, listens to music every once in a while. Music is a universal concept that everyone will relate to. I think that many people will find it interesting that there is class warfare going on in the songs that we listen to. I think that most people are oblivious to this concept and would find it interesting that the music they listen to may appeal to them because of the class that they are in. I think that my peers would be interested to hear about class because it is something that everyone can relate to.

Blog #8

My ARP topic fits perfectly, I mean it involves beer. I can play that in a variety of ways to develop it into a Commonplace Essay. The problem that I’m going to have with the commonplace essay is going to be like the ARP where I couldn’t decide exactly which direction to go. I could take the topic of beer in writing for a public audience of couple of different ways. To support the drinking age, to use colleges around the nation as an example as to why the drinking age should be lowered or to just talk about the same topic and talk about how beer and other forms of alcohol have affected our society.

After I finish reading more of the commonplace essays I feel like I will have a better understanding of the best direction to go with my topic. Because right now, I have a lot of possible ideas, but not all of them may end up lining up with the key points of most commonplace essays.

I’m going to go against something against the ‘social norm’. Because that seems to be the more timely kind of subject. The ‘Real Men of Genius’ campaign will definitely help make it unique. As long as commonplace doesn’t ban certain topics related to age appropriate themes (namely sex, drugs and violence) then I should be fine. Beer isn’t as hardcore as these other substitutes. After I pick my essay I want to read through commonplace of manual to ensure that it fits well.

Blog Post #7

I feel as if my writing has improved this quarter because I have learned how to incorporate sources to support my claims. In writing that I did in high school I simply stated things that I believed, without any evidence to back it up. I now see how adding sources seems to make your writing more credible.

The first thing I need to change for my ARP is to find a way to move my thesis statement to the beginning of my paper, something I am having difficulty with. Another issue that I have is that I have sentences within my paragraphs that could work as topic sentences, but are just thrown into the paragraph in the wrong spots. I also need to combine sentences to make good topic sentences.

I also would like to use more sources to support my claims. I have a fair amount already, but would like to find different ones to better compliment the primary source.

I am not thrilled with the organization of my paper right now. I think I got comfortable with just sticking my secondary sources in at the end, when I should have combined it with my original draft to make it flow better. I also changed my thesis between the PSA and the SSI and need to change my analysis of the source to better reflect that.

I need to go back to my primary source and take a look at it with my new thesis statement in mind, because I originally did not look at it from that perspective. Looking at it again will help to bring my paper back to supporting my new claim.