Branching out

So since its the end of the semester I thought I would post a poem that I wrote and put myself out on a limb. I would love to get comments from whoever reads this. Feedback is always good. So here it goes... I apologize it's a bit sappy for man poetry but...

While in this night as I think of her

She may come to realize

That I am praying for her in my heart

Amongst the trials of life

May her eyes stay bright forever

Her testimony strong and sure

May she laugh and share her smile

And for some become the cure

May she learn patience and longsuffering

For the trials that lay ahead

May she remember to pray in the mornings

And before she heads to bed

But father, most of all

I have one last request.

May I become the one she wants

Help me to be the best

I understand this goes two ways

And I will work hard to become

The man that she’s looking for

When all is said and done

The search has not yet begun

Her face is hidden from me

But when the season of our meeting comes

We’ll unite for eternity

But until then I’ll continue to pray

That her faith may never falter

So that patience, long suffering, and the wait

Will unite us at the alter

She may not be perfect in all things

But I know that she’s meant for me

Father help me prepare for the day

When this lonely Adam meets his Eve

Last Official Blog Post

Kind of sad this is our last post… I think this class was pretty fun and beneficial to my learning. If I had to choose a paper I enjoyed most and got the most out of it was probably the Rhetorical Analysis Paper. I really enjoyed looking at someone else’s work that I love and not having someone else tell me why it’s so great. It helped me the most though because I saw things I really liked in that particular authors writing and I was able to study and identify his voice, and I found ways to  incorporate the tools he used into my own writing. It was kind of a neat experience.

What I wish we had more of though is more creative writing. I don’t care much for writing except when it comes to storytelling. So the personal narrative was a great paper for me as well. What would be fun is to learn more about and experiment with metaphors, similes, and other literary tools to make a story more interesting. I have always wanted to write a book just for fun. I hate admitting to it cause I’m still a lousy writer, but maybe one day I will go for it. I loved reading Sister Elliot’s writing on her post.

I think what I came out of this class with most of all though is that I actually don’t mind writing. I mean it’s not my favorite, but I didn’t hate it… except maybe the research paper… that was a bit tedious… especially when I found out I had the rough draft a whole week early…

Blog 14

So this blog is on anything of our choice...
Can i just rant about how excited I am to go home and spend time with my family??? I just got a text from my brother the other day and it was a picture of my little 8 month year old sister who is stinking adorable. She has gotten SO chubby and it is the cutest thing. I am so so so so so so excited to see her. According to my Mom she has already started laughing and is on the verge of learning how to crawl. I cant  believe it. She was so small when I left and she couldn't even sit up. It's killing me.
My family are the craziest people you have ever met. My mom won a 2011 Black Mustang while I was gone and it looks like the coolest car. So yet another reason to go home. I really dont know how I'm going to make it through Monday and Tuesday this week!!!
I hope I get there alive though cause I'm leaving at like 8 at night and its an 8 hour drive. Me and my sister and switching off driving so this is going to be interesting. Hope we don't die.

Blog 13 ReSeArCH ESsAy

So far im doing pretty good I guess as far as the essay goes… I mean I had a sloppy rough draft done last Monday so hopefully I can edit it more and get it more finalized. I am still having a hard time incorporating quotes and sources into the text though. None of the statistics prove my point haha. XP

Blog 12 Reading Response

I thought the reading assigned for this blog was pretty good. I admit it’s nothing I would really read in my spare time, but it was educational. The first article “Essential Elements of Arguments” was really good and used a great analogy to get its point across. The analogy used was about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich being like an essay and it really got the point across (probably cause I was so hungry and it was lunchtime). :P  Seriously though, not only did it accomplish the goal but it worked well. Having opposing viewpoints being like peanut butter and jelly. Completely necessary to make the sandwich the real deal.

The second article I enjoyed was, “You Call That Logic”. I loved learning about the different fallacies and it was enjoyable to read about the Monty Python situation. I practically laughed out loud in the JKB and got a few weird looks. I’m definitely going to have to watch that clip again. The other reason I found it so enjoyable though is because I use all those fallacies in everyday arguments and only half the time do people call me out. Haha flawed logic is a terrible thing, but humorous nonetheless.

Research paper subject (blog11)

I am doing my research paper on concealed and carry gun control. The issue seems to be whether or not to allow conceal and carry permits to pass state boundaries. The pro side argues that it’s a gun owners right according to the second amendment to “bear arms”, and that it increases of the safety of our nation when more responsible gun owners have a conceal and carry permit. They use examples like Virginia Tech and Columbine shootings as examples. The con side argues that letting more people have conceal and carry would increase crime and would be even more dangerous if they were allowed to cross state boundaries. The issue is pretty heated and both sides are fairly divided. Each side has statistics against the other that contradict, so the trick will be finding sources that aren’t biased or based off of political party stances, but rather focus on the issue. I think I am going to side with the pro side because I agree that it is useful to a society for people to know how to defend themselves and that laws cant always protect us. People who commit crimes will do so with or without weapons. The aspect of weapons makes it easier for them, but it also makes it easier for trained citizens to defend themselves as well. For instance, if there were armed students at columbine or Virginia tech the shooters could have been easily stopped. (one of the first things that happened in Germany before the Holocaust was increased gun control among the citizens.)

Rhetorical Analysis (10)

I feel really relieved to have my rhetorical analysis finally done. I feel like it was good, but like the personal narrative, I feel like if I had more time it could have been better. I thought the most frustrating part of it all was not getting the help I was expecting from the writing lab. 

Blog Post #10 (Rhetorical Analysis Paper)

I am doing my Rhetorical Analysis Paper on C.S. Lewis's work entitled "What Christians Believe", and I'm really excited about my choice actually. I love C.S. Lewis's works because he almost always uses such a strong appeal to Logos. And the reason I enjoy that so much is because he allows me to think as a reader and follow him in his thought process, and he always does an excellent job of leading the reader through the steps of his reasoning. So far, with the paper, I still need to write that rough draft. The meeting with Sister Elliot cleared a lot of things up though and I feel my paper is already focused better on the goal I had for it.

Blog # 8 Letter From B. (Ethos, Pathos, Logos)

In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” there are many examples of the use of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Almost the entire letter is filled with examples. King uses frequently the use of Ethos by comparing himself with Biblical figures. This is entirely appropriate considering he is writing to eight white clergymen. He first compares himself with Paul who traveled in effort to spread the gospel and then he compares himself with Christ, both being an “extremist in love” as King would put it. He also establishes Ethos by demonstrating that he is not unreasonable in his efforts. He explains that he and his followers waited for after a community election so they would not interfere with election business. He also explains he is one of the few forces standing between violent actions and “do-nothing-ness” Negroes.

He has a great sense of pathos in this essay as well. Probably the best example is his long paragraph explaining the frustrations of the Negro community such as having to explain to his young children why they are treated differently and why they are often victims of hate. He also expresses the pain he feels when he sees other Negroes treated unjustly, even to the extreme of hanging and murder.

Last but definitely not least is Kings ability to use Logos. The paper is filled with it. He explains the usefulness of Direct Action, and why he feels obligated to strive for his cause. He explains that it doesn’t make sense to punish someone because they were the reason for a crime rather than the criminal. For instance if a man is robbed it doesn’t make sense to arrest him because his ownership of money caused someone to steal…

King uses great Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in this essay to capture his audience and compel, almost insisting, his audience to take action.

Blog # 7 Analytical Response to What Christians Believe

Cs Lewis’s work entitled “What Christians Believe” is a persuasive essay written in attempt to explain Christianity in terms of how it differs from other religions and perhaps is trying to persuade his audience into logical reasoning about the truthfulness of his beliefs.  His main points of argument include that there is such thing as right/wrong, there must be a God, and that religion is not meant to be “simple” but is understandable.

While writing this, it is clear, that CS Lewis assumed his audience was generically familiar with Christianity because of all the basic doctrinal details that he leaves out, and the questions he strives to answer. He also assumes that religion is an important subject to his audience and that everyone understands the basic concepts of right and wrong, and it is upon these assumptions that he builds his argument. It is clear also that he personally believes in a God and is religious himself, this also is an underlying influence in his writing.

In order to reach his audience he uses powerful analogies and examples to prove his points. For example: he explains that the idea of duel idealism is wrong. Meaning something can’t be good/bad at the same time. The example he uses for this is: we all consider cancer bad because it kills people, but we don’t consider a surgeon bad because he kills cancer.

He uses these examples and step by step processes to convince his audience. Also, in the beginning of the essay he creates an ethos for himself by saying he was once an Atheist himself but he found the logic in religion. In this he shows he has seen both sides and has chosen. In this he builds his audiences confidence in him.

Analytical Snapshot Blog #6

The reading assigned for this post ("Veils of Fear"-Stanley Kurtz) was a (Genre) persuasive essay formatted (purpose) to persuade or argue against the remarks made about the veil used in Muslim culture being a “jail cell”. In fact, Kurtz argues that it is “key” to the Muslim’s way of life. His Central Message was that the veil is not the nightmare American Feminists make it out to be. His paper was well written and provided plenty of background information on the use of the burka and the historical consequences of abolishing/requiring use of it.

Several of his own more personal views come out on paper. (Assumptions/world views) He assumes (and to clarify, I agree with him) that woman rights are important in a society. And that the war in the Middle East goes deeper than fighting terrorism. He also displays a slight opposition to the traditional feminist views, or at least to the extremes that are displayed in today’s popular literature.

He used the fact (tools of Evidence) that in most areas the burka (or veil) is never actually enforced upon anyone, and women use it and wear it willingly, almost proudly. Its purpose is to protect the ones they love, not to segregate themselves.

Post-Personal Narrative

I think my personal narrative went well. I definitely could have used more time though. I totally agree with the quote on how “good writing is never done its just due”. I was looking at my paper before I handed it in and there were some spots that I wish I had more time to sand down a little bit better. I’m glad we had this assignment though (and I never say that about assignments… ever). And the reason is that I really feel like I started to enjoy writing for once. I like telling stories orally but this was the first time that I have done it on paper and have edited to the extent that I did.

It was such a neat experience to see my voice come through on paper and watch the rough edges of the story get rubbed away. I feel like it could have been polished a lot more. I think this will be one of those papers I’m glad I did, but I will look back on it in a few years and be surprised how far I have come (meaning the paper really wasn’t that great but I felt like it was at the time).

The hardest part I had with this paper were a few paragraphs that no matter how I changed them they just sounded awkward. The coolest part of this paper though, was to have people peer edit my writing and see it become ten times better every time. I almost wanted everyone to edit my paper because it helped it so much.

Maybe one day I will try to write a short novel like Sister Elliot. But I definitely have a lot more learning to do before then.

Personal Narrative? What Personal Narrative?

Well not going to lie, the personal narrative has me a little bit freaked out. Im one of those people who tell stories all the time but when it comes to writing a paper about one im lost… not good. So yea this is going to be interesting. But I definitely can handle a rough draft especially cause class was cancelled tomorrow. Don’t get me wrong. Class is great and everything but I could really use that hour to get ahead in my classes. So yea, I think Im going to write about an experience that I had as a little kid, so the dialogue is going to be difficult cause I can’t remember a whole lot about it. But in case anyone was wondering my title for the personal narrative is “Earning my Crescent Moon”.

It’s basically a short story about one of the worst babysitting experiences I have ever had. (I being the one babysat, so go figure). Hopefully I can add enough details to make it interesting, maybe a little humorous. But overall I hope people get the same thing out of my experience through writing as I did living it.

I think Im going to start just with an outline, somehow that seems to work the best. This whole vomiting on paper doesn’t work with me. There aren’t a whole lot of “creative juices” that flow through my veins. (I mean, if you look at my family we are all engineers, not English majors…) And as far as letting the madman out…. I guess I can do that… but it’s practically impossible to get him back into his cage so the janitor can clean up. So we’ll see how this goes…

Apathetic Unambitious Slobs

The narrative I think I would like to comment on is “Mother’s Choice” by Anna Quindlen. I thought it was really well written. One of the things I enjoyed most about this piece is the way she is able to contrast being a mom with being a business woman so well. The way she describes being a mom as being messy unorganized and chaotic was impressive and then putting that into contrast with a business woman who spends her nights alone eating take out Chinese from a cardboard box.

However, I feel like there a few points I disagree on with her perspective about being a mom and her feminist ideals as well. Maybe it’s because I’m a man but I didn’t particularly enjoy her statement of “lots of women realize work is great and work is money and work is ego enhancing. But, at a certain point, it’s simply work – no more, no less. They realize that when men are still developing strategies for their careers, along with clogged arteries.” I felt that was a little uncalled for… I get that she is a feminist and there is a big push for women to get out of the house and be more involved in business, but I think she fails to see two major points: first, women’s MAIN role is to be a mom. Guys can’t do it, and so if the women won’t, there’s a problem. Second, guys work plenty hard to provide for their families. I feel like this statement is just straight up derogatory. The image that she creates with statements like these are of fat, unambitious, apathetic slobs… not fair to guys at all. Definitely not a fan of these feminist types.

Blog Post #1 Personal Narrative Response

I thought the readings (personal narratives) for this last assignment where really well written and organized. I particularly enjoyed the narrative “Love Story Fades to Black”, by Michael Potter.  I love how his writing almost makes it seem like time is slowing down in those awkward moments. However, I found it quite disturbing that he was so eager to be in a relationship, especially with a girl he knew previously, right after his mission. It seems like the norm for missionaries to come home and be eager to get married and at first be awkward, but this situation seems a little too forward. It makes me wonder where his thoughts were directed on his mission. Did he constantly have her in mind while he was gone? It almost seems like he was expecting to swoop her off her feet and carry her into the sunset. Even I, a “pre-mi”, understand that that’s not how life works out. Only when you’re a general authority, or something, do you marry your high school sweetheart. I don’t know, maybe I’m so critical cause as a guy I know what it’s like to get shut down and forgotten by a girl, and so when I see another guy making that mistake it’s frustrating.

                Either way, I have to give the guy props. His writing sucked me right in. Maybe it was the whole archetype of girl drama that appealed to me, but I would like to think not. I really think that he did a great job, in slowing the story down enough to understand his thoughts and to really become attached to his character.

Me in 100 Words

I dislike stress, headaches, bad food, empty refrigerators, awkward moments on dates, bad referees, long meetings, and pointless class time. I love sunsets in the mountains, stars, summer, the temple, and my family. I appreciate hard work, early Saturday mornings, good books, wholesome movies, and obedient residents. I enjoy calm Sunday afternoons, quiet conversations, dessert, longboarding, dancing. I can’t live without peanut butter, tuna fish, and sushi.  I have blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. My name is Isaac Bunker, I am the second oldest of fourteen kids, I am eighteen years old and this is me in 100 words.