Reading Response #5

For my argumentative essay I chose to research the practice of affirmative action and show the flaws of the system and how unjust it is. I chose this topic because as current college students it is important to understand the potential repercussions that affirmative action may have on our admission, as well as future students’ admissions. I outlined the background of affirmative action first, mentioning that it began as a program to employ minorities into middle and upper class jobs in a time when segregation was still a huge part of the culture. I mentioned that affirmative action entered the college setting in the seventies and the way that it has since been practiced among various universities. My main argument against affirmative action is that it is a racist practice, both against Caucasian students as well as minority students. Another argument I pointed out in my paper was that while the system is meant to increase diversity on college campuses it may do just the opposite and lead to isolation and misunderstanding. At this point in my paper I gave reasons that some people still support affirmative action, including that excellence is present in all ethnicities and so should be reflected in colleges around the country today. I brought up a solution for affirmative action in the top x percent program that has been implemented in Texas and in Florida, and that if this program is to work we need to begin to reform education in the high school setting. I firmly believe in the abolishment of affirmative action in any shape or form, but most specifically in college settings, perhaps mostly because that is the stage that I am at in my life.

            In thinking about a way to appeal my argument to a non-academic audience, I was stumped. My issue is, after all, one that deals with academics and my interest for this topic came from an academic place. In considering an advertisement in an academic setting I picture a white background with large, plain black font in the upper section of the page which states something like, “Accountability is a priority.” Underneath that I may place in a smaller, italicized, but in red a quote about the Top 10 program used in Texas schools. This would present the problem as well as a solution on the same page. However, for teens- especially those who are young and have not even considered college yet- this advertisement would make absolutely no sense and would get passed by. Also, could you see this advertisement in a magazine like Seventeen or Teen People? Absolutely not.

            I also had another thought that may appeal more to a younger audience, as well as to make them inquire about the procedures of affirmative action. I would have a yellow (more of a pastel canary yellow rather than golden) background with cartoon adolescents lined up in a row of every race and ethnicity. Underneath each student would be their SAT/ACT score, and under that it would say either “University: Accepted,” or “University: Unaccepted.” There would be a various assortment of these underneath each student, with most of the minorities being accepted into a university regardless of the score listed above. On top of that row of students I would have in bold black font, “Who are you really competing against?” and then underneath the row I would have a profound statement such as, “Affirmative Action: How does it affect you?” While this idea sounds racist, the argument in my paper as stated before is that affirmative action is unfair and racist against all ethnicities in the long run. This idea also needs a lot of work so that I can effectively appeal to different feelings within a nonacademic audience, but this will be my starting point.

            I feel like this exercise of designing an advertisement based on an argument that I have researched thoroughly has really made me understand the importance of the presentation of rhetoric in different mediums of advertising. Also on a more shallow note I learned that simply the shape and pattern of an advertisement has just as much effect on an audience as the message that the advertisement is working to convey.

Reading Response #3

Upon reading about writing ethnography I was admittedly a little nervous about being thrown into writing my own so quickly. While the idea of subcultures and different groups of people makes a lot of sense to me it was hard for me to grasp how to study them and what exactly to observe. Luckily, these two writers, Casassa and Dudley, wrote two excellent examples for me to follow so that I can confidently begin my own ethnography journey. While the two essays were drastically different, they both contained some of the same aspects that make them ethnographies.

            One example that makes each of Casassa’s and Dudley’s essays true ethnographies is that these pieces, “… focus on groups of people who identify themselves as group members” (Ballenger, 373). In Casassa’s essay about the local coffee shop, her “regulars,” as obviously stated, were loyal customers at the Hopkinton Gourmet. Dennis was especially aware of his belonging to the group of regular coffee drinkers by setting up his own space in the shop to observe other customers and converse with them habitually. Likewise, the shop from Dudley’s essay, The Hempest, declares that it has its own range of customers- diverse but still interested in the merchandise that is being sold. Some examples of these customers were described as high school students, as well as people of all ages who yearn to politically encourage hemp and marijuana products. Some customers in Dudley’s essay even gave evidence to validate these stereotypes. Another factor that both Canassa and Dudley used when researching and gathering material for their ethnographies is spending time in the place where their subculture gathers. In fact it clearly states that Andrea Canassa worked in the Hopkinton Gourmet long before she began her research for her ethnography. This gave her the perfect opportunity to set up relationships with her stated “regulars” as well as become accustomed to the atmosphere in her coffeehouse. By having this sense of comfort in her surroundings, I can guess that it made interviews with her customers much easier and more seamless. It was a different situation with Mathew Dudley’s essay about The Hempest in Boston, where he was not employed. Instead, he had to spend time in and around the store to observe and interview customers coming and going. It was clear to the reader that Dudley spent quite a bit of time inside of The Hempest for research purposes, seeing as though he could describe in detail some specific items from the store. Among other techniques, I feel that the focus on people in a subculture who are aware of this association as well as spending time for research purposes in the vicinity of where the subculture meets are two outstanding ways for establishing an essay as an ethnography. But deeper than just laying out research for their audience to follow, these writers took the next step to evaluate their own selected subcultures and conveying their interpretation for us in writing.

            I feel that right from the start, Andrea Canassa makes her opinion about local coffeehouses known. She establishes her close relationships with her “regulars” such as Dennis and Paul, and displays her understanding of each group of customers that she serves throughout the day. She writes that, “These ‘regulars’ define this small coffee shop and create a sense of family not often found in the commercialized chains” meaning that bigger chains such as Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts often do not have the same family atmosphere as she has perhaps experienced while working at the Hopkinton Gourmet (Canassa, B35). This is of course her own opinion and interpretation, and she leaves her position open enough so that the reader can disagree if he or she prefers. I feel that the line in her essay that best illustrates her attachment to her coffee shop is when she writes, “Hectic, exhausting, comfortable, familiar… just right” (Canassa, B35). Dudley also has a way of establishing his interpretation of the people which belong to the subculture of The Hempest. When speaking of the high school students who spend money at the head shop, Dudley writes of the interesting “glassware” that, “These kids predominantly buy glassware… Young adults are less likely to be frugal with their money, and will throw away a ‘C-note’… ‘to have a little fun’” (Dudley, B41). Mathew Dudley also repeats several times that, “… head shops have continually changed to fit new social standards and laws” which perhaps means that he interprets these people as a group who is frequently on the edge of the law (Dudley, B43). In both assigned essays, the interpretations that are provided by the authors are effective in helping the reader to better understand the piece and where the writer is coming from.

            If I learned anything from these essays, it is that when doing my research for my ethnography, I need to be comfortable in my surroundings as well as inquisitive about even the minutest detail. I also learned that I must be very gung-ho about whatever subculture I decide to focus on- enough to have the desire to dig to find these details as I previously mentioned. Using these two essays as examples, I need to put myself into the subculture that I decide to work with and develop my ‘so what?’ early. I foresee this essay being a challenge, but I feel that I can rise to it with enough focus to succeed.

Topic Ideas for Discovery Essay

I'm not sure what I'm gung-ho interested in writing about for this essay, but I have come up with a few topics that seem moderately interesting. I wanted to stick with my theme of ballet, since it's something I love to do and is a beyond huge part of my life, but I'm not sure where to go with it to make it vibrant and unpredictable. As far as the Trends and Controversies categories from Ballenger's text, I am considering writing about the "go green" movement that is sweeping our society currently by asking, "Why go green? Are there really benefits for the environment? Humankind? How far must we take the movement to be successful?" I thought this would be a fascinating topic because the movement is something I've become a part of and would like to take farther. I even switched to the reusable grocery bags versus the paper/plastic options! I'd love to hear thoughts on this... I'm not sure my questions are open ended enough for this paper.

Any suggestions or feedback would be wonderful! Thank you so much!

Reading Response #2

Immediately upon reading the title of Chapter 11, my brain ached and I suddenly tasted something nasty in my mouth. Since elementary school I’ve been required to write research papers, and since elementary school it has been like pulling teeth to make me write them. But when diving into Ballenger’s text I discovered that perhaps I could be successful, for once, at writing and studying about research pieces. What’s more is that the two essays we read were actually painless to read. I found that both Holmquist’s “An Experience in Acronyms” and Garrett-Brown’s “Why do People Tan” were insightful and inquisitive and presented ideas in a very different way than the typical boring research essay. Usually when reading a research paper it is similar to reading a textbook- an activity that I certainly do not enjoy. But with these essays, which presented factual evidence about a specific topic, I found that I really became part of the essay while reading.

To start, Ballenger explains that there is a huge difference between writing a research paper and writing a research essay. He offers that a research paper is intended to make a contention concerning a certain topic using extended research to back it up. Writing a research essay, however, is meant to uncover rather than to persuade and audience or prove a claim (Ballenger, 430). I feel that this concept was present in both of the required reading essays. The idea of simple curiosity was present in both compositions- Holmquist’s paper was clearly written because he was just curious about what the big deal was about illegal drugs, while Garrett-Brown’s essay was also not a long and drawn out contemplation but just something that happened to be in the author’s head one moment. Ballenger makes an interesting point when he says, “Not just any question will do. It has to be one that will drive the process for the few weeks it takes for you to learn about your topic and know enough to discover your own ideas about it” (Ballenger, 431). When thinking about this idea it absolutely made sense to me, because without the right motivation the writing becomes flat and more like a chore to do than interesting. I believe that as human beings every one of us has had a question or two in our lives that has really just stuck with us, like “What is really in mayonnaise?” or “Why can’t I put metal in the microwave?” You know the questions I’m talking about- the ones that sit with you and just make your brain ache until you know the answer. It seems that now is the right time to pull up those questions, because I wouldn’t doubt that the most bizarre of questions might turn out to be the best essays.

Another defining characteristic that Ballenger mentions in his text is that the research material utilized when writing the essay is presented in the benefit of what writers are attempting to convey about the topic they are dealing with (Ballenger, 433). This concept is consistent with both Holmquist’s and Garrett-Brown’s essays, because while some pieces of writing read like a page out of the encyclopedia, both of these papers read almost like a personal essay, but with tidbits of fact thrown in to show the discovery that the authors made. For example, in Garrett-Brown’s piece she writes, “In an article by Alexandra Greeley… she presents her case against spending time in the sun and especially tanning… but I couldn’t help but wonder if she ever has any fun after reading the closing lines to her article” (460). She then goes on to list the disputed lines for her audience, but I thought that Ballenger’s idea was well illustrated in this case. It proved that as a writer, you do not always have to agree with your source. In fact you are entitled to your own opinion. Garrett-Brown casually threw in her information without necessarily leading her audience into assuming there would be a cited section of evidence coming up. Also consistent of this idea, Holmquist, while writing paragraphs pertaining to why people do drugs, inserts his information only where it is needed, rather than boring his readers with citation after citation (B25). While it was a much more structured essay than Garrett-Brown’s, it maintained a casual flow throughout the piece that made it more inviting for the reader.

I think when approaching Essay 2, I will take Ballenger’s advice and really just choose a topic that not only is something that interests me, but something that I can both research and write about for the next few weeks. I will not necessarily dig deep into my brain to find a topic, but skim the service to find the most random of ideas to use. I will also approach this essay with a casual tone, rather than going into formal research mode. Since the paper will be about something that I like or am fascinated by, the quality should be informative and personal to me. While I cannot say that I am essentially eager or thrilled to write this next essay, my mind is more at ease after reading more about discovery essays.

Reading Response #1

I found both of these essays to be extremely easy to relate to. Not only was I comfortable and interested in each story that was presented, I had fun reading both memories almost as if they were my own. I felt I could relate more with Hogg’s “I’m a Believer” simply because I’ve had my own celebrity crush or two. After reading both essays as well as Ballenger’s lesson on the form of the personal essay, I concluded that both recollections were so effortless to relate to because they were written in the form he specified.
First of all, the essays were both written in first person which was understandable considering that these memories came straight from the minds of their writers (94). Not only were the essays written from a first person stand point, but they were both also commonplace (94). It is not unlikely for a teenage girl’s heart to beat wildly over a celebrity, especially one who sings. Near the beginning of Hogg’s essay she writes, “I believed this was some kind of privileged access I had, this private and offhand exchange between Davy and someone… that this brief moment before the music was cued was put on my album deliberately,” is something that you might catch any star struck teenager saying about their favorite superstar (B1). Nor is it improbable for an individual to find beauty in a place that had always been so familiar to them that it was monotonous. Both of these writers stuck with subjects that they could really give detail about, and it made the reader feel as if they were a part of each. This narrative style of writing was another point that Ballenger made about personal essays (94). By using their own thoughts, Hogg and Black were able to trigger the reader’s mind to paint a perfect picture of that memory. Even the simple thought that Black has, “I went home and I fell in love with a place I couldn’t claim for myself. This did what nothing else could until then: it humbled me,” really conveys how hard the scenery hit her and how deeply she could feel it (B14). Perhaps the most interesting tip from Ballenger that I picked up on while reading these passages was that in both the thesis came very late in the story (94). For Hogg, the thesis occurs only two lines before the story is over. It is her realization of her crush being only a crush. She writes, “As I watch him write ‘David’ not ‘Davy’, I accept, finally, that this person I know so well I don’t really know at all, and I, the daydream believer, am just a fan” (B10). While Black’s thesis did not occur as late, it too was not near the commencement of her narrative, and it also dealt with a point of realization. Black states, “I had always prided myself on being rootless, yet here I was experiencing rootedness in the most literal sense of the word, and loving it in spite of myself” (B13). I agree with Ballenger’s statement that, “…insight is usually earned later rather than at the beginning of the telling” (94). If Black’s or Hogg’s thesis’s were near the start of their recollections, the feelings I had while reading both stories would have been completely different, and neither would have been as exciting for me to read. Not to mention, if they listed their thesis’s early on there would have been absolutely no purpose in reading the rest of their narrative. By that point I would have already known the use of their essay. The last point that Ballenger makes is that the personal essay often transfers back and forth between the past and the present, showing the author coming to terms with whatever situation is being dealt with (94). In both Hogg’s essay and Black’s essay I felt that this strategy was utilized, but in a different way. Hogg’s remembrance began when she was only six years old and then jumped straight to when she was fifteen and anxious to attend Davy Jones’ concert. The last jump she makes is to when she is twenty seven and that is when her realization about Davy Jones sets in. To me, she made shifts in time, but chronologically. Black, however, stays in that memory and only pauses to make points about how she felt connecting with that setting. I think that this too was very effective in helping the reader to understand how she feels now.
Both Black and Hogg used strategies that Ballenger discussed to write powerful, thought provoking personal essays.

Hi, I'm Caitlin!

My name is Caitlin Mayes and I'm a sophomore here at TCU. I grew up in Flower Mound, Texas (yes, it's just as intimidating as it sounds) which is about forty five minutes to an hour away from here. I'm a ballet major so dancing takes up most of my time on campus, but I also love to have a good time with friends, cook, listen to music, and be outside as much as I can. As far as what I'm going to do with a degree in ballet, I'm keeping my options open. I would love to dance with a ballet company when I graduate, but teaching is another path I'm interested in taking. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone as best as I can. Have a great day!