Brandon Healy
Professor Miller
ENG-110 Composition
11/4/19
Brandon Healy
Professor Miller
ENG-110 Composition
11/04/19
Journal #16
Ross Anderson describes consciousness as, “state of awareness that animates our every waking moment, the sense of being located in a body that exists within a larger world of color, sound, and touch, all of it filtered through our thoughts and imbued by emotion.”.The way Anderson describes consciousness leaves room to include animals into the topic. I have never thought of animals having consciousness, the thought has never really crossed my mind until now. As I think on it now it consciousness should be considered animals because the way they react in front of humans and other animals. Yes they have the animal instincts of fight or flight and to protect their young but also at times act like human beings. If you look at an emotional support animal the whole reason they are their is comfort you when you are sad. The only way the emotional support animal could sense when you need to be comforted, is by making a conscious decision that you are sad and that you need their help. Animal and human conscious are not that different and the only thing separating us is technically higher brain function of humans. That does not mean that animals should be treated any different than human. I also found it interesting that Religions around the world believe in animals having consciousness as well. Even with this, why is it that if somebody were to shoot a bird for sport, people don’t spend another thought on it, but if that same person was shooting people their a murder. Why is it okay to think this way and why is it okay to treat animals worse then how we have it. The reason why consciousness is a loosey thrown around word and and can be interpreted very differently is because scientists cannot form a complete and satisfactory explanation of consciousness. That is why one can say that animals do have consciousness.
Journal #15
When reviewing this essay I noticed that I used my peers a lot more in this essay than in the first essay. I feel like with all the different eyes on my essay improved my paper tremendously. I have learned over the years that when I write, I plug in all my ideas into the paper. This causes me to make many grammatical errors and that is the majority of the criticism that I received from my reviewers. When rereading my essay I feel like I have a good base and a good argument. I made connections to the real meaning of food throughout all the papers and Pollan’s article. The only thing I saw wrong with my essay was that I not quite making my sentences flow perfectly. The criticism definitely helped my paper flow but I feel that if I spent a little more time reviewing it and rereading I could of created the best decision how to transition my ideas throughout my paper. I believe that it is a good essay because I spent a lot of time on it, but I feel like I could still make it better. Even now I’m articulating new ideas that I could include in my paper and it just frustrates me that can’t. For project #3 I believe that I have a solid work ethic and approach that will help me write a great essay. I plan to spend even more time working on project # 3 and spread out the time working on it, so my ideas can grow and frester to form the perfect response. I a lot really appreciate the time and effort given to peer review in class because it has helped me tremendously. Peer review also driven me to read other people’s essays, in order to better my writing skills and also gain ideas from those essays to incorporate into my paper.
Brandon Healy
Journal #12
One of the things that I found most helpful was the “what is the author’s argument”. When you are writing any piece of information there should be an author’s argument or thesis. This should be the driving point behind any writing assignment. It is used to explain the reasoning of writing the piece in the first place. Within the author’s thesis you have to, as a writer, explain your motivation behind writing the information you provided. Maybe it would be because of some new information that you learned about a certain topic or somebody has provided false information about a subject and you wanted to correct it. The way you would go about doing that is using the They Say/I Say formula, were you use your opponents words against them. The only thing that most people do not understand about this method is that you will have to find a way to agree with your opponent at some point. That is the difference between between a good argument and slandering. The perfect way to use this is to restate the statement you are responding to and flip it to explain why it is wrong. The next thing I found interesting is deciphering the conversation. It explains that when you are assigned a reading, imagine the author is sitting in a busy coffee shop and taking all the ideas he or she is hearing and including them into her arguments. Using other people’s ideas to better her argument. That is the whole basis behind the They Say/I Say formula and the best way to write an argument. The one thing that I found odd was that the “They Say” can be an unstated statement. That can make it extremely hard to respond against them because you can not use your most useful weapon against them. That it why it is important to learn how to find it even when it’s unstated.
Journal #11
Brandon Healy
I really enjoyed reading this article because it talked on the laziness of America when it comes to cooking. People spend more time watching images of cooking on a television than actually cooking the meal. Back in the time of Julia Child she would cook in front of the camera and it would be broadcast to the people of America. At the time it was most mothers trying to cook a new elaborate meal for their families.
1) On page 4, When Michael Pollan asked his mother why Julia Child was so endeared to her heart, she responded with “for so many of us she took the fear out of cooking”. This just goes to show the importance that Julia Child has on cooking in America. She paved the way for cooking in America and the reason why cooking has spread beyond public or cable television to broadcast networks. But somehow it has gone from spending the entire cooking session with Julia Child, a step by step tutorial to reality television with Gordan Ramse. Don’t get me wrong I find Gordon Ramse hilarious when he uses his utterly vulgar language to demean the upcoming chiefs. I just find it interesting how the way food television has changed.
2) She said to the people watching her, “When you flip anything, you have to have the courage of your convictions.”, page 5 paragraph one. Julia taught people the importance of having the courage to to cook, if you weren’t confident in your ability to cook it would affect the dish. I again find it interesting the way Gordan Ramse the exact opposite, he tries to make people crack under the pressure. This is just another way the food television has changed. 3)Julia Child empowered women and showed them a way to value themselves. She showed them that the real importance of making the meal was not the meal itself but the gratification of completely the task at hand. “Child was less interested in making it fast and easy than making it right, because cooking for her was so much more than a means to a meal.”, page 6 botton of first paragraph. Processed food has taken over in America, it is all in the name of convenience. This relates back to the laziness of America, we are no longer making things from scratch and now rely on ingredients that are premade for us. The natural process of consuming food has been changed. A hundred years ago if you wanted a chicken dinner, you had to go out, hunt down a chicken, kill it, defeather it, guck it, and then finally cook it. Now Americans on average spend less than a half hour cooking a day. How is it that we have come to this point and how can fix the way we treat food in America?
Brandon Healy
Journal #10
The thing that interested me the most in this article was the fact that the food all revolved around people. My favorite portion was about the fluffernutter, where she described her and her sister’s favorite meal. The story she told most revolved around her and her sister’s experiences with the fluffernutter, not so much the food aspect behind it. The real importance of food is not the food itself, but rather the people you spend time with, making memories and enjoying their company. The photos also intrigued me because they are all mostly from the 80s, and in really bad quality. I found the one when they used a Bunsen burner to make crepes hilarious. Who wouldn’t? A Bunsen burner to make food, who thinks of that? Somehow, they made the creps taste good, how is that possible? But in the end it all gets brought back to the idea of community. The person who made the crepes created them to feed 15 to 20 people and it looks like they made memories together. I would like to know more about each one of these articles because there is very little context given in these articles. Food is a great way to celebrate and live life with others. The pictures in this article are used as a way to display the emotion and can display how excited people get at the thought of their favorite food. The memories that they will forever keep and incite emotions later on. The piece about Rome fascinated me because the girl who had just moved was initially against all things that were not from America. However, when she tried lasagna for the first time she fell in love. It just goes to show that trying new things is important in life. Food is more than just sustenance, it is a way to connect with people and create memories that will last a lifetime.
Brandon Healy
Journal #8
For me the most helpful part about the pages 19-29 in the book They Say/I Say are the temple plates they really help me because I really have trouble summarizing my work. In my junior year of high school, my english teacher had to have a weekly session with me just to work on summarizing my point in the paragraph. Even with the constant help from my teacher I could never really grasp to point of my paragraph in the final sentences. But when I was reading what Dr. X ways of writing a sophisticated moves to summarize the point helps. I intend to use this form of writing in my future writing assignments. I aslo from it helpful when the book showed temples on how to introduce somebody else’s views and present them as your own. This is a very helpful section of the book, especially to this class because in a lot of our writing pieces we our going to use argumentative writing. The best way to write a good argument is to use the They Say/I Say method of using the other person’s view against them. You have to find a way to agree with some of the viewpoints in order to truly find the flaws. The reason behind this is that nobody wants to read a smear campaign, people want to learn why what application and flaws a subject has. Reader won’t be able to follow your response to a topic if you do not summarize the view to them. You need to keep your reader engaged throughout your writing piece , so you are going to have to remind what the claims you are responding to. I believe you have simply have to do this in order to write an efficient argument against a viewpoint or an idea. If you can’t use your opponents words against them, they you will not be able to grab the reader away from their belief.
Journal #7
Brandon Healy
Professor Miller
ENG 110
Sep 16, 2019
Journal #5
“They Say”/”I Say”
After finishing reading the introduction of the book They Say/I Say, I learned a new important factor when writing, They Say/ I Say writing formula. They Say/I Say formula is the combination of your ideas (I Say) and presenting those ideas as a response to a person or group of people (They Say). This formula teaches you an effective way to structure your writing in such a way that you summarized the audience’s ideas and give your own ideas, so it makes sense to the reader or audience. A way to write the words of others into your own text, which I struggle with when drafting my writing assignments. I could never capture the audience’s attention and my teachers would explain to me explained why my idea was relevant to the topic. I never proved my statement and even realized when your writing to an audience that argumentative writing has to be used. Using others not as people to throw objections back and forth at one another but as the motivating source of the arguments.
I found it interesting that you can disagree person on a statement or idea but still remain agreeable in the end. This form of critiquing, a person’s idea of thought must be listened to carefully and understood. You need to understand where this person is coming from because your point will not get across to them if you completely up end their belief. I also learned an interesting fact, when the book pointed out the fact no one’s belief is completely unagreeable. You must come after an idea with both agreement and disagreement, or you will never understand where the idea came from in the first place. These points on writing are very helpful for college students because they need to understand in this day and age that other people have opinions too. Instead of just brushing these ideas off as false without truly examining them, it teaches people not to be closed minded. When we are open to others beliefs, they are more inclined to listen to what we have to say.
Brandon Healy
Professor Miller
ENG 110
Sep 16, 2019
Journal #4
The first passage on page four was interesting because Rhinehart described that ninety percent of his diet is Soylent. The fact that someone can choose not to chew ninety percent of their meals is unbelievable. The way he is described also pushes the boundaries of my belief because he is healthy looking, has sharp features and has good posture. I do not think that this one drink will turn you into a super human with highly attractive features and perfect bone structure. I believe that you could survive mostly powder and pill mixed liquid, but without nutrients that you obtain from super greens and fruits, you will not feel energized throughout the day. I feel like I could use this passage to make remarks on just the Soylent based diet and how I believe it is not a viable option food day meal consumption.
The passage on the bottom of page six I found interesting because he said that Soylent should be a utility. The reason this is interesting is because Rhinehart is not trying to showcase his food for comfort, he is trying to show people a more efficient way of getting nutrients into your body. He uses the way to fuel your body like a machine so you can get through the day more energized and productive. The other thing that interested me in this passage was the fact that Rhinehart provided the whole formula to Widdicombe knowing that she would post the information to the public. That just shows that he actually wants to help people and the environment, taking the outside public criticism to the formula to make it the best it can be.
The last passage I found interesting was when Rhinehart responded to the statement that Soylent was meal replacement. He described Soylent as an overall food substitute. He told a construction worker Perry Gillotti that a person could live entirely off of Soylent and be pretty healthy. This is a false statement, scientist proved that you could subsist off of Soylent but not live well. This false statement could end up ruining the life of a person you are self conscience about their weight and decides to take dire measures to fix it. The potential risks of making a statement like outweigh Rhinehart mission to make the world a better place.
Journal #3
When reading They Say / I Say all the small details about how to not insert and support quotes is how I previously wrote papers in high school. Which comes as a shock because in school I never received a bad score on a paper, it was how we were told to write. When putting the quote in your own words, it shows the relevance of the quote and how it supports the argument being presented. The idea of framing a quote can also thought of as framing a paper. When framing a quote, you must present then explain much like a claim of a paper you must introduce then support. In the past, I knew that I had to introduce the quote and summarize it at the end, but framing it makes me feel differently about it. The templates are will be very useful to me for my future writing. For me personally, I tend to get repetitive when introducing quotes into a text. The section that explains the importance of connecting the quote to your explanation, I also anticipate being useful. What I thought was especially importance from this section was the mention of using language that reflects the same tone and spirit as the quotation. Also when introducing quotes make sure you’re introducing who it came from and giving an explanation as to why you choose to use it, blending authors’ words with your own words is also very helpful. Quotations in the proper context and format will undoubtedly strengthen any piece of writing while simultaneously giving the authors words credibility. Making a point to ask a question that would be inevitably answered by the quote may also assist with convincing the reading of your point. I am hoping to use these resources in the near future in order to help strengthen my writing.
Brandon Healy
Professor Miller
English 110
Sep 9, 2019
Journal #2
In detail, describe your experiences drafting writing projects. And what about revision? What did that look like? What was your process? How did it work for you?
In my experience drafting writing projects, the first thing I think to do is read and dissect the prompt. I ask myself what is the said statement asking me to write about? Then, I figure out what type of information I need to research, in order to complete the writing assignment. Next, I look for the purpose of the writing assignment, do I need to answer a certain question or do I need to hit marks on the information provided? Finally, I reread the prompt a few more times to ensure in did not miss any valuable information.
Revision is an enormous part in drafting my writing projects. I have to have at least three other people beside myself reading my assignment. The reason it is so important to me is because the more people you have read it, the more likely a mistake will be caught. I make a lot of mistakes when I write because I just jot down whatever information pops into my head. I then go back and revise my work after every page I finish, then written about topic is still fresh in my mind. I also do a final writing assignment revision a day after finishing my first rough draft. Doing this ensures that my eyes are going to be fresh and I will not miss one of the writing requirements.
I would say this method worked out really well for me because I was never really stressed about getting the assignment done the night before or getting a bad grade. I did it early and took my time, so I could present my best work for the writing assignment. This carried over into my grades because the work was thoroughly checked over and revised. When you take the time to do the work it is going to work out for you.
Brandon Healy
Professor Miller
English 110
3 Sep 2019
Journal #1
Imagine you could invite Daivd Foster Wallace into the discussion of our classroom. What questions would you ask him about this essay?
The first I would ask Daivd Foster Wallace is what was his goal in writing this piece on the Maine Lobster Festival and the lobster industry within Maine. David was the goal to defame, shame, and destroy a person’s mind set on eating lobster? Or shine to light that animals do not deserve to be harmed by humans? Throughout reading this essay, it was gathered that David had a very biased view on eating lobster and the way the industry works in Maine. David Foster Wallace describes the Maine Lobster Festival as a “deliberate collision, joyful and lucrative and loud” (502), why does he describe it this way?
Then, I would like to know what lead David to hold his staunch view that the way lobsters and other animals were being treated in the process of being eaten, is wrong? Is it because the way you were raised or because your own beliefs that enamored you to come to the defence of the lobsters? Though I agree that lobster should be treated with more dignity before they die, how do you expect people to change the way they live, off of your words? Are you doing more than just writing words on paper like the “People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal”? Or are you just the observant third party?
Use that experience to think about larger issues, specifically, what are the limits of a written discussion? How might you anticipate your audience’s questions when you write?
When dealing with a written discussion there are no limits. The discussion will continue until the point of the issue across is given. In David Foster Wallace’s piece “Consider the Lobsters”, he talks on the larger issue of how lobsters and other animals are being tortured to death, just to obtain the optimal taste when eaten. He slangers, debunks false statements, and criticizes people who participate, support, and work in the Maine lobster industry. He calls in the question people’s morality all to put his point across in his discussion. David makes you feel personally responsible for the lobster suffering an excruciating and violent death, just by participating in the Maine lobster industry. Under his example a discussion on larger issued there are no bounds on which course is taken to get your point across to your reader.
How far the limits go will determine the questions that the audience will ask. One way way to gage the audience is to make an accusation against the opposing side of an issue to peak their interest. For example, calling into question the health and sanitation of a profitable business. David Foster Wallace did this when he described “the Maine Lobster Festival really is a medieval country fair with a culinary hook” (500). The reason for making a comparison was as small as they did not have a place to wash your hands. It is all a ploy to grab the audience’s attention to the larger issue and ask the question, is it really that unsanitary?
Once the audience curiosity is peaked, they can be lead into the more serious information. David Foster Wallace does by asking the question “Is it all right to boil a sentient creature alive just for our gustatory pleasure?” (503), leading the audience into the larger issue at hand and his main point of his article. After you put that thought into the audience’s mind, you introduce them to an organization that is trying to help the undermined party on the issue. David does this by bringing to light a group called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who is a group that fights for the rights of animals and sea creatures. Introducing a group like this taps into the audience’s soul and morality, to get them to care for the mistreated party just enough to ask, is this wrong?
An audience may still believe that the unfairly treated party cannot feel the abuse and you must debunk these false statements made by the opposing party. Debunking the claims is done by introducing facts and scientific evidence that disprove the statements by the opposing party. Debunking statements only adds to the suspicion of the audience and at this point they know that boiling lobsters alive is wrong and that it hurts them. The only thing they do not know is how much it hurts them. David Foster Wallace did this by providing evidence on how a lobster body system works. Lobsters are blind and use their sense of touch to navigate, which means their pain sensation is going to be amplified beyond human comprehension. The evidence given will make the audience wonder why boiling lobster is a normal thing? Once you have got to this point your job is done, your point is across to the reader and they now ask why do we do this?
