College Writing 2 ePortfolio Project

Reflection:

From the beginning of the semester, this course has not been an average writing class for me. At first, when hearing about the assignments we were going to have throughout the semester, I was not too comfortable taking this class. I came in thinking this class was going to strictly be hearing lectures and writing papers throughout the semester, however it was much more than that. One of the key things I learned in this course was that there are multiple different ways you can express your mind and it is not just by writing a paper. From making multimodals to using blogging and social media, I learned there is a lot more to writing than just writing. Making a multimodal was perhaps my favorite assignment from this course as I learned to express my mind without using a single word. It all began with this link that I used to help me create a project that I will always appreciate. Although I was uncomfortable with this class at first, I learned to really appreciate it. I will continue to use the things I learned throughout the semester to voice my mind because I feel this was a great deal of what the class was about.

What have I learned?

I feel one of the most important thing I learned this semester was noticing how writers get to their readers. Of course it is done in more ways than one, but they all truly revolve around logos, pathos, and ethos. Using these appeals in my paper, I learned to argue my point at a higher level while backing up my points with evidence, rather than just saying what is on my mind. This taught me that if I could tap into my reader's emotions it becomes much more simple to get my argument across. This link also really helped me learn how to summarize without being bias in my writing. I will take many things away from this course but the simple things are what I believe really improved my writing and will help me going forward.

Breakthrough Moment!

My breakthrough moment in this course was when we were assigned to write a summary on "An Art Museum Designed for Taking Selfies". Although this was later on in the semester, I believe this was when I really got the hang of things. I was able to identify when the writer used logos, pathos, and ethos and use them to construct a well written summary. It was also in this assignment where I learned how to correctly use MLA Format and much of that was thanks to this link. 

To my future self,

As you have learned, just as there are many forms of writing, there are multiple ways to voice your mind. If you took one thing away from this course, whether it be through writing, social media, pictures, or even multimodals, I hope it's that you never stop voicing your opinion. #CollegeWriting2

Rational Argument on Colin Kaeprnick's Protest

Below is my rational argument on Colin Kaepernick's protest. Throughout writing this paper I have realized people have been so caught up in Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem that they have not noticed all the good that has come out of his protest. His pledge of a million dollars to aid communities in need is just the beginning of it. With all the research I have done over this topic I came to the conclusion that Colin Kaepernick deserves our respect for risking his career to bring awareness to an issue that still exists today. #istandwithKaepernick

Colin Kaepernick Protests The National Anthem

          I am a huge football fan, but somethings in life are bigger than football and sports in general. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers quarterback, seems to understand this as he shook the football nation when he decided not to stand for the national anthem. At first I was confused as to why he would do this because of the disrespect such an act could generate especially to the veterans who have served our wonderful country. After the game Colin Kaepernick was surrounded by the media and he stated, he did not want to show pride in a country that opposes “people of color” (Wyche). This resulted in mixed reactions from football fans around the world. He received boos and death threats from many football fans around the country but it has not stopped him from continuing on with his protest. I believe many people did not initially receive the message he was trying to send out. Kaepernick received death threats all over social media, however we should be not be hung up over what he is doing, but rather why he is doing it. Colin Kaepernick started this protest to bring awareness to a problem that unfortunately still exists in our country today, racism.

            While some people admit that racism does in fact still exist, for many others, well the truth hurts. I could see why it could be difficult to support a man who does not stand for the national anthem which represents freedom and the lives of so many who fought for it. Many people around the country thought the same thing as they sent him death threats for his protest. Macguire points this out in his article, when Kaepernick is asked about the possibility of someone acting upon their threats Kaepernick replies by saying, “To me, if something like that were to happen, you’ve proved my point, and it will be it will be loud and clear for everyone why it happened, and that would move this movement forward at a greater speed than what it is even now. There's a lot of racism disguised as patriotism in this country. And people don't like to address that. And they don't like to address what the root of this protest is." Many people have not realized the backlash Colin Kaepernick has received from his protest defends his argument (Macguire). Pathos is used here because this is directed at the emotion of the audience. People start to understand that Kaepernick is willing to sacrifice his life to bring awareness to this issue. Ethos is used is McCam’s article when he shows Kapernick stating, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder” (McCarn). At first I questioned why Kaepernick sat for the anthem, but then I started to read into it and what he was protesting for. It is clear that police brutality, inequality, and racism do in fact still exist and Kaepernick is doing the right thing by bringing awareness to these issues. I also believe you are being controversial if you are saying he does not have the right or should be killed for not standing up for something that symbolizes free rights. Logos is used in Park’s article when she points out Kaepernick saying that veterans fight for his right to stand or take a knee for the national anthem. Many people were surprised because of the support he received from veterans as #istandwithKaepernick and #veteransforKaepernick was trending all over social media. One veteran tweeted, “stop deliberating trying to miss the message by crucifying the messenger” (Park).

          As Colin Kaepernick continued to receive support from the political world, players and fans started to support his stance as well. From week to week more players around the league as well as from other sports started to join his protest (Sandritter). Michael Bennet, an NFL player on the Seattle Seahawks stated, “You need a white guy to join the fight. The white guy is super important to the fight,” Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said. “For people to really see social injustices, there must be someone from the other side of the race who recognizes the problem, because a lot of times if just one race says there’s a problem, nobody is realistic about it. At the same time, I see why they probably wouldn’t, because they don’t know what we’re going through” (Scott). I thought logos and ethos were used in this article because people would indeed pay more attention to the protest if it had people who are not minorities defending the minorities and showing they too notice that inequality is still an issue today. I also believe people are ethically responsible to stand up for what is going on as opposed to staying away from the situation but just as Bennet said, they really do not know what “people of color” are going through. Although I do not see how some people do not notice that this is an issue, whether you do or do not everyone should at least be open minded about the situation and think maybe there is really a problem going on and what they could do to help.

            What I have mostly respected about Colin Kaepernick’s protest is the fact that he has not just brought attention to the matter but he has also put his money where his mouth is. Colin Kaeprnick made a million dollar pledge to help communities in need, he stated, “I've been very blessed to be in this position and to be able to make the kind of money I do," Kaepernick said. "And I have to help these people. I have to help these communities. It's not right that they're not put in a position to succeed or given those opportunities to succeed” (Wagner McGough). As Colin Kaeprnick’s protest expanded, his jersey sales skyrocketed and his jersey became the top seller in the league. He responded by saying, "It was something that the jersey sales jumped because of people's belief that there can be change and we can make this country better and that they believe I was someone who can help that change," For me, that support is something I have to give back to the communities for that cause because that's what their belief is, that's what my belief is and we can work towards a common goal” (Rovell). Ethos is used here because the article shows Kaepernick’s good character with him making these donations and it causes people to see that maybe Kaepernick does have the right intentions by doing this.

            By trying to bring positive change to the world, Colin Kaepernick is just one of many professional athletes that try to use their platform to bring attention to problems in communities. A report states that athletes “make the case that sports can and should be a vehicle for progressive social change.” People often say leave politics outside of sports, but for these athletes to get their messages out there, using their platforms is the best possible scenario (Kaufman). Many people did not appreciate the fact that Kaepernick decided to take a knee for the national anthem but his protest was executed peacefully and with respect. Kaepernick initially sat during the national anthem, then decided to take a knee because it showed more respect. People say he could have done something else to protest, but what is a bigger stage to make his protest then during a song that is played and televised before every game nationwide. Kaepernick chose to make his stance during the national anthem because of the amount of attention it would receive so he could use that attention to bring awareness to his cause and start a conversation on how this issue could be worked out and it has been working tremendously. People need to pay less attention to him taking a knee and concentrate on what it stands for (Kaufman).

            All in all, Colin Kaepernick will have supporters and he will have critics. However everyone needs to look at the many positives that have come out of Kaepernick’s protest. It is clear that “people of color” have been mistreated and we should respect that Colin Kaepernick is sacrificing his football career and his life for a greater cause, because by him taking a knee he is standing up for an issue that unfortunately still exists in the world today (Wyche).    

Work Cited

Hill, Tim. “Colin Kaepernick on Death Threats: If I’M Killed ’You‘ve proved my point.’” The Guardian. The Guardian, 21 Sept. 2016. Web. 5 Dec. 2016.

Kaufman, Peter, and Eli A. Wolff. “Playing and Protesting: Sport as a Vehicle for Social Change.” Journal of Sport and Social Issues (2010): Web. 7 Dec. 2016.

Macguire, Eoghan. “Colin Kaepernick: Quarterback Says He Has Received Death Threats.” CNN. CNN, 22 Sept. 2016. Web. 5 Dec. 2016.

Park, Madison. “#VeteransForKaepernick Trends as Vets Defend NFL Player.” CNN. CNN, 31 Aug. 2016. Web. 5 Dec. 2016

Sandritter, Mark. All the athletes who joined Kaepernick’s national anthem protest. SBNation.com, 11 Sept. 2016. Web. 5 Dec. 2016.

Scott, Nate, Alysha Tsuji, and Andrew Joseph. “Seahawks’ Michael Bennett: ‘You need a white guy’ to Join Anthem Protests.” USA TODAY, 23 Sept. 2016.

Web. 5 Dec. 2016.

Wagner-McGough, Sean. Sean Wagner-McGough. CBS Sports, 2 Sept. 2016. Web. 5 Dec. 2016.

Wagner-McGough, Sean. Sean Wagner-McGough. ESPN, 7 Sept. 2016. Web. 5

Dec. 2016.

Wyche, Steve. Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem. NFL.com, Web. 5 Dec. 2016.

                

Colin Kaepernick Praises Fidel Castro?

Colin Kaepernick turned around many heads again when discussing politics. This time he was defending Fidel Castro who had just passed away. Many people questioned how he could support the dictator that had been compared to Stalin and Mussolini during his time dictating Cuba. Snoop Dogg who respected his protest against the national anthem came out and said, "He's sort of kind of hypocritical in so many words because he's pushing this, but at the same time he’s giving credit for this and this is the same abuse that [Cubans] been taking" Snoop Dogg was referring to how Kaepernick was standing up for African Americans who were being unjustly treated in America but supporting how Castro treated many of his people in Cuba. Kaepernick came out and said, “Yes it was completely out of context. Once again, what I said was I support the investment in education. I’ve never said that I support the oppressive things that he did,” This was important for Kaepernick to say because with him defending abuse on  African American's it would be hypocritical of him not to value everyone's lives equally as he tries to make positive change in the world. 

Cubs World Series Champions

It has been little over a month but I have yet to blog about the Cubs first World Series Championship in 108 years. The Chicago Cubs over came all odds by coming back down from 3-1 against the Cleveland Indians in the World Series to force a Game 7 that turned out to be the game of a lifetime. After winning in extra innings the Cubs made history and the city of Chicago celebrated like never before. The atmosphere in Wrigleyville was beyond electric and absolutely insane. Even though it has already been a month the Chicago Cubs winning the 2016 World Series will never get old.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just a few days away and families will get together to have their best meals of the year. What started off as a holiday to celebrate the Pilgrims in 1621 has evolved into a national tradition where families get together and enjoy some turkey with other great sides. This holiday really symbolizes the definition of being thankful because it reminds us how blessed we are to be able to put these meals on the table while others around the world do not have it so easy. As Thursday gets closer we should all enjoy the holiday but also remember to be thankful for what we have. #HappyThanksgiving

Presidential Election

The result of the presidential election surprised millions of people around the country. Although Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, Donald Trump received more electoral votes and will be America's next president. Many people were left heart broken and questioning how this could happen as Donald Trump pulled off perhaps the biggest upset in presidential election history. All the polls had Hillary winning and many had her dominating this race, but Trump came out as the winner in this election. The reason people felt so distraught and went out to protest following the election is because Trump as Bernie Sanders said, "ran his campaign on bigotry". Trump has said many racial things during his campaign and people do not believe he can be the face of our country. However, the presidential election has come and gone and whether we like it or not Donald Trump won and will be our next president. We owe him a chance to lead the country and must support him because we need him to do good for our country to do good.

Semester Review

Throughout the semester I have benefited in this course in numerous ways. This has not been your ordinary English class. Although we have done writing assignments that I believe have improved my writing skills, I also appreciate the class discussions that we have that allow us to voice our opinions on things going on in the world. I also enjoyed doing the multi-model project because I learned how to explain a my ideas on a problem in other ways than just writing about it. When I came into this course I thought it was going to improve my writing ability but I am pleased to say it has done much more than just that.

Colin Kaepernick Stands Up By Taking A Knee

Colin Kaepernick, an NFL Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers decided to take a knee during the national anthem because he does not want to show pride for a country that oppresses people of color. Kaepernick immediately received backlash from people around the country. He responded by saying, "I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. ... If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right." After all the backlash Kaepernick received, many people got a better understanding on why he decided to protest, and some players from around the league even joined him. Through social media while many people made death threats towards Kaepernick, ironically #istandwithkaepernick was the number one trend on Twitter started by many veterans and people who serve our country. They continued to echo Kaepernick's statements that they serve our country so we can have free rights and if he wants to take a knee that is his right to do so. Personally I respect Colin Kaepernick's protest for many different reasons. First of all he has the right to do so, and I would be contradicting my statement if I said he does not have the right to take a knee for a song that symbolizes "the land of the free". People also need to pay attention to the good that has come out of his protest. Kaepernick's protest has started conversation between police and communities, and he has put his money where his mouth is by donating $1 million dollars as well as 100% of his jersey sales, which became the top selling jersey in the NFL, to charities that aid communities. Whether people agree or disagree with Colin Kaepernick's protest there is no argument that it has caused a lot of good to come out of it and we should appreciate he is doing it peacefully.

Reflection On Microtheme

My micro-theme summed up the dangerous outcomes texting and driving could cause. The reason I chose to do my micro-theme on texting and driving is because it is so dangerous yet so common in our society as well. I used my Micro model to show how texting and driving could result in a tragedy and not just for you, but the people around you as well. I also touched up on how getting away with texting and driving does not mean we are immune to the possibility of something horrible happening the next time we are behind the wheel. A survey showed that about 75% of people text and drive or have texted while driving before. The survey also shows that 98% of these people are aware of the risks texting and driving contains. Why this is a common habit among us has no explanation, people need to realize that our lives are more important than sending out a simple text.

Micro Model: Texting And Driving

Photo Credits:

http://villaparkiliad.com/uncategorized/texting-and-driving-1-way-2-die/
http://www.icebike.org/texting-and-driving/
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2011/08/wear-sunglasses-to-see-better-when-driving-in-the-rain/
https://pixabay.com/en/open-road-road-cloudy-clouds-757949/
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/portrait-of-woman-student-getting-out-of-high-res-stock-photography/83735993

Texting And Driving

Car accidents is a top 5 reason for cause of death and the main reason for car accidents is distracted driving or as we all know it, texting and driving. Texting and driving is a major cause of death, yet over 75% of people in a survey claimed they text and drive. Nearly all of them agree it is dangerous, however they still don't shy away from doing it. Many reasons could lead to this explanation, however people text and drive because they don't feel threatened doing so, unfortunately more times than not the only thing that will stop people from texting and driving is when they experience an accident. It makes you question if this truly is an accident when we all know what is truly at risk when doing so,

Chicago Cubs NLDS

As October is well underway, so is October baseball and the Chicago Cubs find themselves in the playoffs for the second time in as many years. After failing to win the NLCS last year the Cubs made a few changes in the off season and with the growth and more experience of their young players they hope it is enough to finally make it back to and win the World Series. However, they can't afford to look too much ahead as they still have to finish off the San Francisco Giants, than win the NLCS, just to make it back to the World Series. But, after winning 103 games in the regular season, best in the MLB, and up 2-0 in a best of 5 series against a team that has won it all 3 times in the past 6 years, the Cubs have to feel pretty good about where they're at. Is this a season 108 years in the making, that question might be a little too early to ask, but the Cubs could get one step closer by knocking out the Giants tonight. #FlyTheW

Film Review on After Innocence

Here is my film review on the documentary, After Innocence.

Film Review On After Innocence

“It’s finally over it’s been 19 years.” That is more than just a number, it’s nearly a third of a man’s life that has been absolutely traumatized. It symbolizes an unfortunate truth that resides amongst us today. The documentary I watched for the DOC Project was After Innocence. This film consisted of several men who served in jail for many years over crimes they did not commit. However, that is just part of the issue as these men try to transition back to society.

To start off there were a couple things that surprised me in the film. Although sentencing innocent people to jail was not much a surprise as mistakes will happen, taking twenty years to figure out they were innocent is just beyond belief. Weather the DNA test be done earlier, hearing from more witnesses, whatever the cause may be, but to realize someone was innocent after they were in jail for over two decades is unacceptable. Another thing that surprised me in the film was the government ignoring the situation and not helping the people get their lives back on track. The very least they could do is offer some money to help them get themselves situated but ignoring the problem is a major problem in itself that needs to be fixed.

Moreover, questions remain unanswered after watching this film. The men in the film have already gone through the difficult phase of jail and trying to get back to their normal lives, but what about the rest of the men and women innocent in jail? The question that demands an answer, and quite frankly the right answer is, what will the government do going forward to solve this issue? There should be a law where the government owes innocent people a certain amount of money for the time they served in jail so they could get their loves back on track. Whatever conclusion they come to, one needs to transpire quickly.

To add on, some problematic concepts I see in this film that I would research more about is in fact how the government plans to address this issue. I also want to understand from the people that served in jail, their perspective on the situation and their lives five, ten, fifteen, years later and how they have adapted back to society. I would be intrigued to see how time in jail has changed them, even though they were innocent, but the people they have become after 20 years locked in a cell. However, the most important problem issue is how the government plans to fix this glaring issue that is ruining the lives of hundreds of people each and every year.

In conclusion, the men in this film are just a few out of hundreds around the country that served over decades in jail for a crime they did not commit. There has to be a better way to treat these people that have been proven innocent and more importantly to assure the people serving time in jail are all guilty of a crime, rather than innocent. It’s saddening a normal person like you and I could experience such a tragedy, but it is a main problem in this world that needs to be solved.

Presidential Candidate Debate

As the election of our next president nears, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton begin to have debates to persuade us on whom to cast our vote for. Personally, I'm not too thrilled about our candidates but I do look to vote for this upcoming election. I felt Donald as well as Hillary touched on some key points our country needs to address moving forward. Something I realized was many of their goals were similar such as making the economy better, defeating Isis, as well as solving the racial issues that remain in our country today, however their approach to get there differed from one another. It will be interesting to see what they believe is necessary to make America a better country for all going forward and which candidate will win my vote along with the millions of other Americans around the country.

Campus Parking

Many students across the campus of Lewis University will admit that parking is a problem. With the limited parking spots available, many students are wondering why we are required to pay for a parking pass if it does not even ensure a parking spot on a daily basis. Students will say they wouldn't mind paying for a parking pass if the money was going into creating more parking spots for students, but that doesn't seem to be the case as it's an ongoing problem semester after semester. Students as well as professors seem to have an issue with this and it's causing problems such as being late to class. I wouldn't mind paying for a parking pass if it meant finding a parking spot was a sure thing every day, but the last thing a college student wants is to pay for something that has no use.

Blogging

Blogging is something new to me, however it's just another form of social media. When I learned we were required to create a blogging account for this class I didn't like the idea because I felt I already spend enough time on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. However, I now view this as another learning experience and something that could be more interesting than a typical day of lecture and notes in a classroom. Although it did take some time to create and set up my blog, it didn't take long for me to learn how it worked. To sum it up, I'm excited to see how this form of social media will collaborate with out College Writing Class as the semester goes on.