Online Article: For many kids, lead threat is right in their own homes
By Greg Troppo, USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-28-lead-cover_N.htm
The article "For many kids, lead threat is right in their own homes" has been created to inform readers of the risk of lead poisoning in their own homes. It also wants to persuade readers to replace the lead-painted windows in their house, especially if it was built before 1960. Using different methods of the rhetorical situation, Troppo is able to persuade readers to check their own homes.
The opening sentence, "The house is not the biggest on the block, but Blanca de la Cruz's brick
bungalow, on a quiet street south of downtown, is swept and tidy, with
twin pots of vivid pink petunias hanging from the front porch", creates the picture of a house that is relatable to readers. By using imagery effectively, Troppo is able to push people to think of a house that everyone has seen before. By making the house very quiet, "not the biggest on the block", and tidy, it makes the house familiar. It grabs the reader's attention, and emphasizes the fact that it could happen to many houses close by.
Troppo also uses details to effectively persuade the reader to check his or her house. An example is a comparison between the hundreds of thousands of recalled Mattel Dream Houses and number of lead poisoned children due to their own houses stresses the fact that most children are still poisoned from their own houses than the hundreds of thousands of recalled toys. Or the example of using Wisconsin shows that even the best states are having trouble. "Even in Wisconsin, a model for lead-poisoning prevention, state
officials said earlier this month that only half of 97,000
Medicaid-enrolled children got required blood tests." By saying that even a model state cannot get as many test, people are more likely to assume that all states are doing very poorly in testing Medicaid-enrolled children tested, making this statistic even more shocking.
The diction throughout the article it uses slang diction, which helps it appeal to a wider range of people. It appeals to the average person or a middle class parent. By avoiding colloquial language, more people can understand it and the facts are highlighted because they aren't covered by confusing language.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Prompt 9/16/12
1984. Select a
line or so of poetry, or a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that
you find especially memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or
the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found, and
analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.
Although there are many memorable and monumental scenes in the novel A Picture of Dorian Gray, none are as revealing as the scene with Sibyl and Dorian in the greenroom. Dorian is disappointed with Sibyl's poor acting in Shakespeare's plays. Sibyl is unable to convey the same passionate emotions that she once was able to portray. Her skill and love for acting dies as she begins to realize what true love is. Falling for Dorian, she realizes that the words she wanted to say did not match the lines of Shakespeare's lovers, effectively dissolving her acting skills. Dorian confronts her in the greenroom, disgusted, only to be met with a passionate speech from Sibyl announcing that she is finished with acting. Dorian is unmoved, enraged, and pushes her away from him. He tells her he never wants to see her again. This scene serves as the turn of events from Dorian being an innocent man who ignores Lord Henry to a man who takes Lord Henry's teachings to become a corrupt man.
The transition from Dorian being gentle and in love to a man absorbed in lust and looks makes the scene important to the rest of the novel. The reader sees a sweet young boy who resists Lord Henry's teachings of corruption change into someone who hates himself for following Lord Henry's words so diligently. Dorian, who had previously told Lord Henry that his love for Sibyl made him forget all of Lord Henry's teachings, throws away Sibyl and her pleas without a second thought. Him pushing her away as she approaches him shows that he is not only upset with her bad acting, but thoroughly disgusted with her. Her pleas are meaningless to Dorian. Dorian looks down on her as if she is worthless to him. This is shown as she gets down on her knees to plead, "She crouched on the floor like a wounded thing, and Dorian Gray, with his
beautiful eyes, looked down at her, and his chiselled lips curled
in exquisite disdain" (Wilde 90). This huge leap in emotions shows the reader how he does not care for her any longer. His regard for her is so drastically lowered that it further highlights this transition from innocence to corruption.
As a result of the scene with Sibyl and Dorian, Dorian's portrait shows change from a smile to a slight grimace. Not only does Dorian experience the first change in the picture from this moment, he also realizes that he cannot be aged or changed from his actions. This new discovery influences the rest of his actions in the novel, making the scene with Sibyl even more influential. It truly makes the scene more effective as it effects the rest of the novel.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Response to Course Material 9/9/2012
Throughout this first week of AP Literature, our class has learned literary terms, the rhetorical situation, how to write arguments, and gone over how to approach the AP Literature test. All of the words seemed familiar. As we were learning the literary terms, I began to realize how many times I had seen them in literature and in writing, but had never thought to look up what they were by definition. For example, when reading Macbeth last year in British literature, I never thought to look up the definition of the famous line "Fair is foul and foul is fair". This famous line is a paradox, meaning it at first glace seems to be self-contradictory, but contains some validity to it.
Watching the AP Literature essay prezi, I learned a lot how to begin approaching the AP Lit essays. They named an lot of things that were very obvious and basic, yet I had forgot to think of. I thought the examples of what not to do (like the tour guide and magpie) were very obvious, yet probably very common in the AP test essays. Even in my AP US History class, Mr. Wood could not stress enough that we could not simply state facts or evidence without elaborating on why it relates to our thesis. The tour guide example reminded me a lot about that. This shows that these examples can carry on into other classes.
I hadn't even known what a rhetorical situation was until I watched the presentation on it. I really enjoyed watching the presentation on it because it is something that I can use frequently in literature. Often times, when writing papers, people forget to consider who they are writing for. This is really important because who we are writing to can change how we write what we do. Reading about considering who we are supposed to write for made me think of how different a letter to a friend can sound vastly different from writing to your boss.
When learning about the Argument, I thought of all the times that I had written persuasive essays for classes. Never had I even thought of appealing to logos, pathos, or ethos. I had only thought of a clear and concise, logical argument that would hopefully swoon the reader with my intelligence. This also made me think of AP World, where getting straight to the point was the most desired essay, not how you presented your facts.
I was surprised by how much the things we had learned this first week of school tied in to almost every other writing that I have to do in all my classes. I had noticed these terms a lot, but had never even thought to look at what they meant. I'm excited to see what new things I learn the upcoming weeks in AP Literature, and how else I will be able to tie it in with other things in my life.
Watching the AP Literature essay prezi, I learned a lot how to begin approaching the AP Lit essays. They named an lot of things that were very obvious and basic, yet I had forgot to think of. I thought the examples of what not to do (like the tour guide and magpie) were very obvious, yet probably very common in the AP test essays. Even in my AP US History class, Mr. Wood could not stress enough that we could not simply state facts or evidence without elaborating on why it relates to our thesis. The tour guide example reminded me a lot about that. This shows that these examples can carry on into other classes.
I hadn't even known what a rhetorical situation was until I watched the presentation on it. I really enjoyed watching the presentation on it because it is something that I can use frequently in literature. Often times, when writing papers, people forget to consider who they are writing for. This is really important because who we are writing to can change how we write what we do. Reading about considering who we are supposed to write for made me think of how different a letter to a friend can sound vastly different from writing to your boss.
When learning about the Argument, I thought of all the times that I had written persuasive essays for classes. Never had I even thought of appealing to logos, pathos, or ethos. I had only thought of a clear and concise, logical argument that would hopefully swoon the reader with my intelligence. This also made me think of AP World, where getting straight to the point was the most desired essay, not how you presented your facts.
I was surprised by how much the things we had learned this first week of school tied in to almost every other writing that I have to do in all my classes. I had noticed these terms a lot, but had never even thought to look at what they meant. I'm excited to see what new things I learn the upcoming weeks in AP Literature, and how else I will be able to tie it in with other things in my life.
Monday, September 3, 2012
"Me Talk Pretty One Day" Analysis
In The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing, Harvey makes excellent points in how to improve writing. Many of these are exemplified in David Sedaris' short story "Me Talk Pretty One Day". I found the beginning of the story engaging. It was not too lengthy or too short, which matched Harvey's advice. Sedaris opens his story telling the reader a bit about himself. It appears that he desires to be more cultured and is willing to return to school, despite being a little older than the typical college student. However, I found that his introduction and ending failed to come full circle. Harvey states, "Return to the story, example, quotation, or the like that you used in your introduction" (Harvey 83). Although Sedaris introduces us with knowledge about his return to school, or being regarded a "debutant", he finishes the story with himself realizing that he does understand the French language-- something unrelated to his intro.
Throughout the story, I found his grammar and punctuation to be accurate. For the most part, his story has clarity because he does not fill it with fluff or the "arrogance" of beginning writers that Harvey speaks of. He refrains from using only linking verbs, which helps the story become more clear and active.
His story also flows because he uses consistent characters. An example of this could be "She crouched low for her attack, placed her hands on the young woman’s desk, and leaned close, saying, “Oh yeah? And do you love your little war?” (Sedaris 12). His consistent past tense shows an example of how he keeps the story flowing.
Overall, I found the story very enjoyable. It did not have things that distracted it too much from the main story, such as grammar and punctuation mistakes, linking verbs, or excessive words. I found that the story was almost a clear cut example clarity and flow wise because it followed Harvey's rules almost exactly. However, it was not a great example of how to come full circle when writing a story. I found it to start and end in two very different spots.
Throughout the story, I found his grammar and punctuation to be accurate. For the most part, his story has clarity because he does not fill it with fluff or the "arrogance" of beginning writers that Harvey speaks of. He refrains from using only linking verbs, which helps the story become more clear and active.
His story also flows because he uses consistent characters. An example of this could be "She crouched low for her attack, placed her hands on the young woman’s desk, and leaned close, saying, “Oh yeah? And do you love your little war?” (Sedaris 12). His consistent past tense shows an example of how he keeps the story flowing.
Overall, I found the story very enjoyable. It did not have things that distracted it too much from the main story, such as grammar and punctuation mistakes, linking verbs, or excessive words. I found that the story was almost a clear cut example clarity and flow wise because it followed Harvey's rules almost exactly. However, it was not a great example of how to come full circle when writing a story. I found it to start and end in two very different spots.
My 5 Poetry "Study" Goals
1. Improve on quickly and accurately identifying the speaker and point of view of the poem.
2. Be able to take note of poetic devices, such as alliteration and imagery.
3. Become more familiar with several different types of poems.
4. Be able to quickly identify what the poet is trying to convey
5. Improve on recognizing the tone of the poem.
As I read through the Peterson's AP Literature book, I realized that I am aware of poetic devices, but often times don't look for them unless asked to do so. In order to fully enjoy poetry, I think it would be essential to make a habit out of identifying them. I also realized from looking over the Diagnostics test that I haven't read many different types of poems. I feel a bit close minded because I haven't even read certain types of poems.
2. Be able to take note of poetic devices, such as alliteration and imagery.
3. Become more familiar with several different types of poems.
4. Be able to quickly identify what the poet is trying to convey
5. Improve on recognizing the tone of the poem.
As I read through the Peterson's AP Literature book, I realized that I am aware of poetic devices, but often times don't look for them unless asked to do so. In order to fully enjoy poetry, I think it would be essential to make a habit out of identifying them. I also realized from looking over the Diagnostics test that I haven't read many different types of poems. I feel a bit close minded because I haven't even read certain types of poems.
Peterson's AP English Diagnostic Test
Through taking the Peterson's AP English Diagnostic Test, I realized that I have a lot to learn before taking the AP Test. I'm grateful for the upcoming eight or nine months because I'll really have to use that time to study. I didn't find the test too challenging because there were many terms that I recognized. It reminded me of an ACT or SAT reading test. Maybe it was my summer brain, but I couldn't remember words like sanguine, which is disappointing. I hope I can get more focused and prepared for tests like these during the school year.
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