Prewrite in class

Tara Finn
Pre-Writing
April 6, 2009
Op-ed Piece


The general tone of many gun-control op-ed pieces is that of the second amendment right to possess a firearm. Many relate it back to the massacres at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University. There are many technicalities about who is allowed to own guns in various states and how a national law, like that from the Supreme Court, would not be able to be enforced. The New York Times is a national liberal paper that is known for putting spin on many of their articles. However, even with one of the most conservative issues, they seemed to simply argue the legality, not the potential threat, of guns.
For my specific topic, I want to focus on not allowing guns on school campuses, not simply who is allowed to own guns. I want to make the point that I support the Second Amendment and as a gun-owner myself, how I see why it would cause such a stir. I think that as U.S. citizens, that those are licensed and trained should be able to carry weapons for their protection, just not on school grounds. Most people are focusing on guns on university campuses, but high schools and middle schools and even preschools would be affected. It is not simply about the second amendment right to possess a firearm, it is the lack of judgment that people have about it safe.
I plan to approach this issue through the eyes of a current student and future teacher who is and will spend much of my time in the classroom on school campus. I want to take the perspective that I think people, including teachers, should be able to have a gun if they wish, but that they should not be allowed to carry it to school so they can feel safe. Most assume that the only real problem with this is the threat of a massacre, but there is so much more. It is the student who is too intimated to ask questions because the teacher has a 44 in his or her coat. It is the drunken frat boy who gets mad at someone and decides to shoot someone. Theses situations are not protected by the second amendment, and yet, Texas is pushing to include them in state law. I want to motivate people to protest these new laws and to really think about why they are passing them. Is it to demonstrate our second amendment right to posses a firearm, or is to prove a point that school boundaries do not really prevent violence?
I think that pathos appeals will be most effective because even the word “gun” puts people’s nerves on edge. It is a part of society that people are naturally afraid of what can harm them. By using pathos to give specific accounts of those who have been affected by gun violence, I think the reader will be able to relate more and perhaps agree more. Also, with cases like Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois, there is a mass amount of sympathy for those people because it was displayed so frequently and really brought the possibility to life.
I think that a combination of facts and personal experience will help to best better my argument. The laws that are pending will also help the reader see that is it is a real possibility, not some random issue. I also think that using direct quotes from those who survived the school shootings with strengthen the sympathy and understanding.
I might to do a little research on the passage of the second amendment and the current status of the laws.

Gun Control- Op-ed topic

This op-ed piece was able to not only pull in a current situation that happened in California because of gun control, but also how nationally, gun control is a hot issue that needs to be dealt with appropriately. He picks a specific incident and relates it back to the bigger issue. I think his remarks about citizens owning guns and how that does not necessarily make the entire community safe were brilliant. "If arming citizens reduces crime, then why isn't Baghdad the safest city in the world?"Stephen Maffin asks. He argues that is not simply about making laws about gun control; it is about enforcing them. The death penalty and the three-strikes rule do not seem to a deal breaker for murderers.

I think was an effective op-ed piece because the reader can clearly see where the author is coming from, their evidence for their claims, and where they are headed creating more trust in their opinions. Guns are a scary topic for many, but this op-ed had a great way of bringing it to a level where almost anyone could see the validity in his arguments. He was able to take a national concern and make it feel like a community problem and vice versa. He is direct and sincere.

Letter to the Editor draft

Dear Editor,

In Jim Vertuno’s March 29, 2009 article “Guns on Campus: Bills would allow guns at college”, he argues that college campuses would be safer if licensed people carried concealed weapons. Many advocators seem to think the college boundaries do not really prevent anything to begin with. To most people, there seems to be an obvious clash between guns and students, but not for the Texas State Legislature which is one of the seven states considering passing a law in favor of guns at schools.
Texas already has the reputation for being gun-friendly and while perhaps, having those responsible enough to have a gun on campus could protect the innocent, if an outraged shooter did attack, God forbid like at Virginia Tech; the costs still out way the benefits. While I understand that we all have the Constitutional right, according the Second Amendment, to posses a firearm, this should not apply to schools. The law does not protect those outraged killers who pick a campus and target innocent people to murder. Nor does it protect those who target an office or a hospital. I think that guns should be left with law enforcement, secured at home, or lodged in between a person’s hands while hunting.
I have fired a gun many times and each time, I am amazed at the amount of damage a push of a trigger can really do so someone or something. I personally own a gun and have never felt like my rights were being infringed upon because I could not bring it to school. If I walked around campus and saw a person with a gun in their coat, concealed or not, I would immediately think it is a gunman, not someone who is licensed to carry a weapon. If students are allowed to carry guns, what is stopping teachers, janitors, even potential students from bringing a gun to school? Perhaps a future student is taking a campus tour and they decide that they do not want to attend this particular school because of their gun policy? This would be a huge deterrent for universities and their income.
Though I do not agree with Vertuno’s article, I do think he was able to make some valid points with his quotes from advocates. My only concern, being a current college student, would be that I would not be able to adjust to where guns are allowed and where they are not. Sure police would be expected to have a gun and maybe even campus security at large events like football games. But how would students react to seeing their teacher walk in with a gun around his or her waist? How intimidating would that be and how would that affect the classroom environment? It is not simply about our second amendment right to own a gun; it is about the safety of school and students.
There has to be a distinction between what is appropriate for safety and what makes those who own guns feel like they can make other safe. A gun is a scary object, not something to be handled lightly by anyone and this includes law enforcement. When it comes down to it, every gun loaded or not, has the potential to if not kill, seriously hurt someone. Even cops make mistakes, but a mistake at school can cost students their lives, and for what? So that those who are licensed to carry gun, many of whom are no longer in school, can demonstrated their second amendment right?
Tara Finn
Texas Christian University

Author’s note

This is my first draft and I am not sure if I approached this the correct way. I think I was trying to say that I am not anti-guns, but anti- guns at school. I am unsure of how personal to be and how to balance that with facts from the article. I do not know if this is the correct format and would love the help! Thanks!

Article Choice

I am from California, and decided to chose and article that focused on the current economic debacle within the University of California system. Doyle, the author, is a staff writer from the "San Francisco Chronicle". The UC system plans to increase tuition rates 10 percent at 10 of the campuses for the summer session, which will eventually lead into the fall and spring sessions as well. The undergraduate increase from $ 7, 126 to $ 7,789 though not seemingly alarming, is covered with scandal. The fear comes from the possibility that continued tuition rates are not affordable for lower-income families. Also, that is not proportionate to the cost living increase.

The controversy also steams from the refusal of the chancellor of Cal, Birgeneau, to take any sort of a pay cut. The economic crisis is not only effecting businesses and Wall Street, it is severely hurting students and schools. The idea behind a public schooling system is to educate students, not to turn them away because of their lack of funds.

Topic Choice

I am going to write about higher education tuition rates in California, specifically the UC system. They are taking tax payers' dollars and using them to boost the salaries of chancellors, who do not deserve it. I pay taxes in California. Also, my brother is possibly going to Cal and my parents' money would be going into someone else's already large, undeserving wallet. Lower income families are also at a loss because of the soaring tuition rates.

Finn-author's not Final unit 2

As a whole, I think this portfolio has developed well from when I first started. Even though I completely changed 3 of my sources,I think it was worth the extra time to pull better sources on my topic. From the two source pre-write, to the drafts is where is where I saw the most dramatic change because it forced me to really put the paper together. I had to not only summarize the source, but analyze which I found to be the most difficult task.
This final draft I think has a nice flow with coherent sources that all take slightly different opinions on study abroad. I think I was able to transition well from each source and keep the paper flowing nicely so the reader can follow along. I think my chosen sources balance each other well and strengthen the analysis. My only real concern at this point, is that I did not walk the reader through enough analysis while summarizing. But I made a decision to do all the summarizing first so the reader knew the source's background and viewpoint, and then analyze their rhetorical strategies. Though this might seem out of order, I felt it made the paper flow better overall. Enjoy reading!

author's note #2

I feel like this draft is a lot more solid than my first draft. I think I still need to help on transitioning between the sources, but other than that, I think I was able to fix what I needed to. I still don't know if my conclusion ties the whole paper together, so I would like some suggestions for that as well.