Finn-public space#1

I plan to analyze Alice-Carlson elementary school because I think it is often overlooked within the TCU campus and community. I have had the chance to visit Alice Carlson for many of my education classes and also as a TCU student who is just as annoyed with the traffic at 3:00 in the afternoon as everyone else.
I plan to observe this space in one of my education classes on Thursday January 29 around noon and then again as I drive to work on Friday January 30 around 3:00. I hope these two different perspectives will create a well-rounded analysis if this school on TCU's north campus.

I have a few ideas already about this space because I have been able to be apart of the community and actually talk to students at this school. At the a same time, I have been one to have to slam on the breaks when children run out in the middle of the street. I hope to discover more about how Alice Carlson sees TCU. I already know how we students, for the most part, view this school. I am curious to find out how teachers and students over there view us.

Local Communities-Finn

Most of my favorite local places are ones that few people from outside the community know about. One in particular is the mountain hiking trail of Fremont Older in Saratoga, California. I live in Silicon Valley surrounded by computers companies and business gurus; so oftentimes, people forget about the beautiful nature that makes up this valley. There cannot be a valley without a mountain range nearby and my favorite set of mountains is located on Fremont Older. This trail leads you to the top of the valley to a beautiful view of the entire South Bay. It is a trail with no real direction because everytime someone embarks on this trail, there are different things to notice. This trail is a place for many to escape from the hectic world because it removes technology and focuses on nature. This place is difficult to find and only locals know where it is because it is understood that it is reserved for people living within the South Bay. People may have heard of this place, but one has to be a true local to appreciate it for it is.

Another local place that I am apart of is that of Aptos Beach, California. Here, not only is my home but also a local music hangout called Fins Coffee. Here, in a place surrounded by tourists, is the place for locals to hangout and share their music. This place is inviting to all, but seems to be somewhere for those who appreciate the same things flock to.

Pathos appeal-Finn

I cannot think of anything more heart wrenching then the picture of the fireman holding the dead baby girl after the tragic Oklahoma City bombing. You see his despair and try to imagine that of the people surrounding, especially this girl's family. There are no words and yet, there is an immediate feeling of sickness and empathy. The first time I saw this picture I naturally gasped and felt sick. It is very difficult to see something like this and not react negatively. Naturally, I think humans want to relate to others and be able to sympathize and empathize with others. Our emotions do not have reason, they simply are the way we feel. Like the book said, pathos is the emotional appeal that can call people to action. Also, the connection with readers that is formed is difficult to break because it feels natural.
Emotional appeals can also make logical appeals stronger because the audience can relate. This picture is obviously disturbing but it also appeals to the logic side because it advocates for the rescue and memory of all those who were brutally killed by Timothy McVeigh.

Chapter 1

While I was reading I was surprised to hear that everything can be an argument. I thought it was interesting how there are different types of arguing that can produce different effects and how pictures can lead one to conclusions as well. I began to understand the different types of arguments that vary from each other including: arguments to make decisions, arguments to pray(which seemed the most unusual to me), arguments to explore and arguments to persuade or convince. There are also appropriate times for all of these various arguments and situations that make one argument a better choice than another. Aristotle's three forms of rhetoric pathos, egos, logos were also discussed in chapter one.

Disagree:
Prayer as an argument seemed odd to me because I do not see how an individual thought can be an argument. Prayer is usually a reflective process that tries to calm and relax the one participating. Making an argument during prayer seemed contradictory because the vary nature of this process. Not everything has to be an argument simply for argument's sake, especially prayer and meditation. I can maybe understand how someone could advocate for prayer but I cannot see the action itself as an argument. It is something that happens in the mind of someone, not an action for others to argue.

Intro: 1/12/09

I am a sophomore from San Jose, California and a Secondary Education-Social Studies Major. This is a required course but I would like to come out of with a better idea of how to compose my own argument and how to respond to others' arguments better. Usually, most of the writing that I do is school related. However, I compose several e-mails a day along with of text messages. I also have been practicing writing lesson plans for my classes, which is something I am not comfortable with. I never realized how much effort goes into making a single class period run smoothly. I think my writing is solid. It is not my favorite subject, nor my best, but I think that I write well enough that my ideas are expressed and the assignment requirements are met.I know I need to work on the context of my writing and how I transition from idea to idea.

I am a member of Ft. Worth, Texas and San Jose, California. I was born in California and now go to school in Texas so it has been an experience for me adjusting to the different environment and people. There are a lot of stereotypes that come with being from California and vice verse when I tell people in California that I go to school in Texas. People in Texas think that Californians lay on the sunny beach all day while Californians think that Texans are rednecks and that everyone has a cow. Obviously, both these ideas are stereotypes but I think people would be surprised about how many people actually think this way. I think that fact that I can use where I grew up as stepping stone to where I am now is great. Each state,even each city, offers its own unique environment that have helped me to from my identity.

While I was writing this blog I did not realize that I was making an argument until I began to think about. I would say that I argue that both California and Texas offer different opportunities and that a person is shaped by where they are raised. I am simply informing people about certain differences between the states. As I was reading, I related my argument to the Rogerian argument, in which common ground is established. The choices I made including the stereotypes I mentioned demonstrate that I have heard both sides of the story. I do not think that one state is better than the other, simply different. I would say I bring a unique view of this subject, having lived in both states. In this course, I think that my political views might be argued because of the stark contrast between the red state and the blue state.

I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.