Chapter 16 in Lunsford et. al 2009

After reading Chapter 16 in Lunsford et. al 2009, the whole chapter talks about evidence. The different versions of evidence that is used to support arguments or to help us reach a decision. Arguments like the ones you have with your classmates about their opinion on something discussed in class or a decision that could change your life forever like a person accepting a heart transplant for their child's malfunctioned heart. There are many ways we can look at evidence, in the way that it is presented or in the manner that it is formed. The chapter itself showed many different ways to gather evidence. Some evidence can be found in interviews, surveys, questionnaires or personal experiences.

In the chapter, there was a section talking about an evidence based on an argument discussing about a general in the war using the same tactics George Washington used when he ran the country. The argument was the fact that the tactics were used against a small number of enemies, meanwhile now it can't be used in war because of the increasing number of enemies they're fighting against. I used this example to apply to my blog because I think that example was a great way to show how some evidence tends to work well and others don't. Theories and personal experiences can change overtime so how do we know that the evidence we use today still applies? Meanwhile, the world itself is constantly evolving, technology is improving. Everything in the world is advanced now, so how do we know whether the evidence we seek is outdated or not?

I have one of my own personal experience that applies to Chapter 16. One evening, I was working at the Crystal Bay Special Education Center for Developmentally Delayed Children. A student that I worked with required a therapeutic riding program at the Nepean Equestrian Park, but after reading reviews on the website, I was not interested in placing the student in one of Ottawa's most-hated riding program. So I began to look around, determined to find the right one for this unique, special student until I ran into a parent of a former student, and she explained how her daughter was in the Nepean Equestrian Park Riding Program and loved it! I asked her about the reviews displayed on the website I looked into, and she said that too often people judge a book by its cover, and I felt ashamed because I know that I was one of those people. After that discussion, she managed to convince me with strong evidence that this program was best for my student. The week after we met up, she brought me and my student to her daughter's riding program and almost instantly, I knew that this was the right decision for my student.  Not even a week later, her and I were both attending regular therapeutic riding sessions twice a week and she was responding well. After seeing the evidence, I changed my views on how I see things and learning from the experience firsthand showed me that if the evidence itself has credibility, then it really can be solidified as strong evidence.

This is a recent picture of my student Keigan, a former student from Crystal Bay Special Education Center who was not able to walk before he started his therapeutic riding program. I am proud to say that after six months, he is now walking on his own two legs without support! He often says to me, "Twyla... I am more faster than Terry Fox on wheels!" Hilarious guy... I say...

In conclusion to that, I often see evidence that is presented through research because as we know, research itself cannot be false. If people like myself believe certain evidence, then the evidence we should be seeing is what we research. These information comes from finding the right tpe of information and in the way that we choose to research it, we will have a strong evidence to use.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

"Pan's Labyrinth" is an adult fairy-tale in which was directed by Guillermo Del Toro. The story is about a young girl named Ofelia who has lost touch with reality, she set her mind somewhere in a fantasy world. This movie is one of Del Toro's best directed movies,  aside from his latest movie, "The Hobbit," he has also filmed "Hellboy I and II", "Blade" and "The Devil's Backbone." Del Toro put his heart and soul into "Pan's Labyrinth" which took two years to make, he was willingly giving up his salary just to make sure that the finished product fit his vision of the movie. His efforts definitely paid off, it won critics over, and became one of the highest Spanish film ever in the U.S Box Office. The movie won three academy awards, each for Makeup, Art Direction and Cinematography.

Del Toro added a prologue in the beginning of the film which captivated the audience's attention, it explained how the movie was made. It also showed how it affected Del Toro both mentally and physically, the movie slowly killed him. It was emotionally disturbing for the audience who watched it, for it showed how he dedicated his time turning his visions into reality. It was a huge accomplishment to Del Toro, after two years of making the film and watching it go on to winning three academy awards.

"Pan's Labyrinth" is a film that you are guaranteed to have your eyes glued to the screen. Although you may want to look away at times because of the disturbing scenes, it is still a movie that you are automatically drawn to. The cast of the movies each uniquely fit the attitude and personality of the characters they play in the movie,  and each character makes the movie itself more realistic than the vivid colors, wonderful artistic background in the film.

In result of Del Toro's hard work, the movie "Pan's Labyrinth" was nominated several times, it won numerous of awards including the Academy Awards whereas Del Toro won two individual awards. Some of the cast were nominated as well for their acting skills. Iv"Pan's Labyrinth" is an adult fairy-tale in which was directed by Guillermo Del Toro. The story is about a young girl named Ofelia who has lost touch with reality, she set her mind somewhere in a fantasy world. This movie is one of Del Toro's best directed movies,  aside from his latest movie, "The Hobbit," he has also filmed "Hellboy I and II", "Blade" and "The Devil's Backbone." Del Toro put his heart and soul into "Pan's Labyrinth" which took two years to make, he was willingly giving up his salary just to make sure that the finished product fit his vision of the movie. His efforts definitely paid off, it won critics over, and became one of the highest Spanish film ever in the U.S Box Office. The movie won three academy awards, each for Makeup, Art Direction and Cinematography. Del Toro added a prologue in the beginning of the film which captivated the audience's attention, it explained how the movie was made. It also showed how it affected Del Toro both mentally and physically, the movie slowly killed him. It was emotionally disturbing for the audience who watched it, for it showed how he dedicated his time turning his visions into reality. It was a huge accomplishment to Del Toro, after two years of making the film and watching it go on to winning three academy awards. "Pan's Labyrinth" is a film that you are guaranteed to have your eyes glued to the screen. Although you may want to look away at times because of the disturbing scenes, it is still a movie that you are automatically drawn to. The cast of the movies each uniquely fit the attitude and personality of the characters they play in the movie,  and each character makes the movie itself more realistic than the vivid colors, wonderful artistic background in the film.

In result of Del Toro's hard work, the movie "Pan's Labyrinth" was nominated several times, it won numerous of awards including the Academy Awards whereas Del Toro won two individual awards. Some of the cast were nominated as well for their acting skills. Ivana Baguero who played the little girl, Ofelia in the movie won an award for being best young actress. That's quite an accomplishment coming from someone her age! I stated earlier that the movie won three academy awards- one for Best Makeup. Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. Del Toro used vivid colors, graphic scenes and a eye-catching fantasy world filled with creatures that are so out of this world, as well as the descriptive Spanish violence portrayed with sadistic Captain Vidal. This film is highly recommended by those who have seen it, and for those who haven't. I know it seems scary looking at it but don't you judge a book by its cover, it is definetly worth seeing! Pan's Lanbryith took a lot of Del Toro's energy and time, and has now won approval that this is one of the most influential videos that have appeared in our society. Although some people crictized about his work, I believe that Del Toro has some wild imagination which can help us paint a picture in our minds about what it taking place. Del Toro's dedication to this movie really paid off, he's one of a kind. So what are you waiting for?! Trust us! Go watch it!

Purdue Owl

Purdue Owl

As I was looking through the Purdue OWL website that was designed for students like myself, who like to write. I noticed that the website is beneficial for anyone who wants to improve their writing skills. In some sections, I was able to point out some topics that we've already discussed in class with Dr. Wood. Although we have other reading materials such as the Lunsford et. al (2008) to help us, this is a great tool because it has a lot of necessary tools that we use on a daily basis. For example, one section explained about rhetorical analysis, thesis statements, and supporting evidence. Also they had an article for students who use English as a second-language, as for reading it, I felt that it would provide some assistance to some struggling students. The website itself was written in a clear manner, it provided a lot of instructions and examples which helped me see the message that was being sent out more easily. There was an article written specifically for professional writers, teachers fall under this category. The purpose of this article was to help these writers write persuasive, creative resumes, letters, memos, reports, etc. It outlined the concept of rhetorical awareness and self design, by supporting examples of individual ideas.

I really enjoyed checking out the OWL website especially when it comes to the examples. In this website, it showed how other people wrote their mistakes so that way we are able to look at it, and see for ourselves what is to be done and also prevent it from happening to us. It was very visual and helped me see what I could be doing wrong in terms of my writing. For example, I don't excel in writing essays that aren't personal. If I ever need help for the next essay I write, I wouldn't be surprised if I came back to the Purdue OWL website for some references. Even though I can't complain about Lunsford et. al 2008, it does a wonderful job at explanations but I feel that OWL is clear when it comes to explaining what to do, how to avoid making mistakes, etc.

Purdue OWL Website used various sources of evidence which was helpful to me because then it showed that they had enough research to have these accurate, helpful information in terms of writing. Evidence is always important to writers because we all need a reliable source, right? Well the OWL accomplished that very well. It also allows other viewers to compare their work with the OWL website. This section provides excellent readers' comments which could also be a wonderful way for the audience to use tips and apply it to their knowledge of writing.

As a student who loves to write, I have to say the OWL website would help many other students like myself to gain more skills in terms of writing, espescially Gallaudet University students. The rubric we use for our writing applies to this website, because both fall under the same categories- grammar, critical thinking, rhetorical analysis, organized thoughts and citations. Both sources share these important key points, I recommend this website to all writers out there in the world who could use a tip or two to improve their writing skills espescially my GSR-101 bloggers, this applies to you guys as well!

Guillermo Del Toro: Pan's Labyrinth (2007)

In the movie, "Pan's Labyrinth" (2007) directed by Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes an "adult" fairytale where a little girl named Ofelia tries to "escape" from Spain, her hometown that has a lot of facism issues occuring at the time. She creates this fantasy world, where she is the princess of an immortal kingdom.  As the movie starts, it shows Del Toro's prologue about the making of the movie followed by a scene where the little girl's lifeless body hangs by a well, nose with a single trail of blood dripping into the well. I believe that this was Del Toro's way of grabbing the audience's attention at the beginning of the movie, leaving us full of curiousity.

In the movie, the topic "Facism" was often present in the scenes. It also showed evidence of the Spanish Civil War that was taking place in the movie. The suffering of people whether they were poor or rich was shown to create a realistic view on the issue at hand. The movie itself portrays a lot of different emotions throughout the scenes, especially at the endng when Ofelia  is sad about losing her mom who she was very close to,  but she was also overjoyed because she has a new brother.  The excitement she felt as she was to become princess in the immortal kingdom, the confusion she felt as she was to go through obstacles that she felt unsure about. The nervous feeling as the faun tells her that she failed an obstacle and can no longer complete her task to become a princess. The movie is definitely not recommended for young children as some of the scenes contains \a lot of violence, inappropriate character features that might scare the young viewers.  Although Del Toro did a wonderful job setting up the scenes, using his vivid imagination and applying his creative ideas to his work,  the way the props seemed realistic because of the added detail to his film.

I believe that this movie was Del Toro's best pieces of work. It was a very interesting movie that managed to captivate the audience's attention well, the way he managed to draw the audience into the immortal world and allow us to get an insight inside the kingdom, as well as a spectacular view at the characters that he invented. The topic that he used, "the Spanish Civil War" was a good topic because it's a strong subject that almost everyone can understand and relate to.  Del Toro's purpose of this movie was to let us think beyond ourselves and look at others, and see how poorly they were treated and it should make us feel thankful for what we have because WE are very fortunate. In order to understand others, we have to understand ourselves. Although I believe that Del Toro did a good job, I have to agree with others that he could have improved in some ways. I feel that he could have done better when it came to explaining the audience about the Civil War. Perhaps he could have added a few more descriptions to make our understandings more clear.

Overall this was a good movie and I enjoyed watching it with the class. It was very interesting and I was too drawn into the movie to even glance away from the screen. A job well-done for Del Toro!

Milena Ateya in Lunsford et al. 2009: SPEAK up?

I believe that Milena Ateya (in Lunsford et. al 2007) is arguing in her piece, “A Curse And A Blessing.” She mainly argues about Derek Bok’s article about the freedom of speech. In the article, Ateya refers to the situation that took place at Harvard University between two students who hung confederate flags, which offended many students who went to Harvard because of what it symbolizes. Ateya showed her audience where she stood in terms with the passage by displaying short pieces of Bok's work. Although Ateya showed some of Bok's flaws, I feel that she wrote her piece in a way that she was able to make the readers aware of what was taking place. Ateya also showed that there is room for improvement in Bok's piece. In her piece, she shared her personal experiences as an escapee from a Communist Regime in Bulgaria and related it to Bok's passage. It demonstrated how strongly Milena feels about this particular topic.

                                                           Map of Bulgaria where Ateya escaped from.

    Ateya wrote this piece for one reason and one reason only: to recieve credibility from her readers. She analyzed Bok's story, in his views of a  former Harvard president and as a lawyer.  Although the readers were more engrossed about Bok's piece, and how the way Ateya criticized his work, would that give her a huge break as an author? Ateya targeted her piece to people who are learning how to be more persuasive in their speeches, by creating a message through the way Bok wrote his piece using the Supreme Court rulings. Bok was a respected member of Harvard University so therefore he had every intention of supporting his position, even as a lawyer who wanted to mention his opinion lightly. By doing so, Bok was able to show how he felt about this particular subject and Ateya is no different from Bok because they both share the same value and beliefs through their experience in their cultural background. Both authors used Pathos's proposition to encourage students to speak up and raise their voices, let it be heard.

                              Harvard University Students holding Confederate Flags which sparked the rivarly between cultures.

 
In the way that the piece is written, you can tell that Ateya put a lot of her time into criticizing Bok's passage. She came up with good key points about how Bok could improve his piece, having actual evidence to support his piece, or sharing his opinion about the issue at hand. In result of that, she was able to lure the audience with supporting evidence. I believe that although Bok could have done a better job on explaining descriptively about the topic at hand, Ateya points out that Bok didn't support his ideas well enough to persuade his audience-- he didn't seem too comfortable with the fact that one of the two sides of the situation that took place at Harvard.

As I read that statement, it brought me back to a time last September when I was to write a speech addressed to two hundred teachers educating them about "deafness." Throughout the presentation, I used my freedom of speech rights to explain what it is like in the deaf culture. Also to explain to them that the quote" deaf and dumb," needs to go! After my presentation, I knew that the teachers finally had a clear insight on their future perspetive students and how they are capable of succeeding like every other child out there. From that moment on, I am sure those teachers no longer discriminated against deaf children. Although I can't put myself in Ateya's shoes espescially after she went through, I understand the message that is being sent across using Bok's feedback. The situation that took place at Harvard was a mere twist of fate, if students didn't take the flag so offensively then Bok and Ateya would have to be writing about something else. In conclusion, I believe that the majority of us can relate to this story on a personal level, because too often we do forget to use our voices. We forget to speak up when we aren't being treated fairly, and we let people take advantage f us because we have a good heart. Deaf, Blind, Jewish, African-American, we are still one. So keep on mind Bloggers, that if you don't feel like your being treated fairly then speak up- use your freedom of speech rights. Think about it, why wouldn't you raise your voice, wouldn't you raise it for people out there in the world who aren't able to speak up?

Wouldn't you speak up for them? 

  Don't you think they deserve it more than any of us?

"List of I believe's."

I believe- the term: "You can bring a thirsty horse to the water but you cannot make it drink." In result of that quote, I believe that in the end, it's only possible to help people who help themselves. There is only one person who is responsible for you and that is yourself.

I believe-> there is always more than one way of seeing and doing things.

I believe- in love. Although it's incredibly messy, it's inconvenient and painful and wrong. We just can't live without it, even if it's the love for our family and friends. It's better than having no love at all.

I believe- there is no rights and wrongs. Everyone has their own opinion and everyone is RIGHT but in some situations, people are WRONG.

I believe- in second chances. We all make mistakes in our lives, no one is perfect so therefore we shouldn't correct other people's mistakes when we are no better at that too.

I believe- that if life gives you lemons, make lemonade. In other words, take life as it comes with curve balls and make the most of it.

I believe- in angels. After losing my best friend two years ago, I do believe in spiritual creatures only because I have someone special watching over me each and every day.

I believe- that some people need to practice what they preach- what use is it if you are scolding someone over something you've already done?

I believe- that RESPECT and HONESTY is important in every aspect of a relationship, friendship too. Without these two important things, nothing can last.

I believe- that in order to be successful, you have to choose a path that works for you and brings you closer to what you want.

"Mysterious Connection That Link Us Together." (Lunsford 2008)

The author, Azar Nafisi speculates that "empathy" is created through fantasy. According to the source: (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Empathy) Empathy is defined as "the intellectual idenfication with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts or attitude of others." The author argues with strong emotions supported by her value and beliefs which shows the audience how strongly she feels about this particular subject. Also by the way she writes with a realistic approach, she is able to gain more attention to her work. For example: As she explains the story about Huckleberry Finn and his empathy towards Jim, a friend who suffers from slavery, she uses an example from her past as a reference to that story. She was able to relate to that story on a personal level. By doing so, she allowed the audience to have an insight on her imagination, in terms of the story (Mysterious Connections That Link Us Together p. 909). In result of that, Nafisi was able to connect her imagination to the story through her emotions. Although the story is written on a personal level, to teach us as a human some important lessons regarding our feelings and how we make choices. The author empathizes with other people in the story, by sharing the emotions in the story. In real-life, there's people who empathize with the world's issues, people such as: Lubna Hussein. A human activist now also an international media sensation in Darfur is trying to pass women's rights to prohibit women from wearing pants.

Although the issue itself shouldn't be a conflict, it is in Darfur because of how women view their rights. Hussein continues to use her influence on the media to expose the violation of human rights in Darfur, including the violation of the peace treaty. The purpose of that treaty was to guide the country through democratic transformations. She empathized with the women in Darfur and took advantage of her media influence to create awareness about the conflict that is taking place in Darfur. She is one of the most influential women out there who is trying to change the world by empathizing with people in need. From what i've learned through this, is empathizing with other people doesn't stop us from missing out from the important things in our world. When you understand something, you know where you stand in terms of your beliefs.However if there comes a time when you aren't sure of what you believe in anymore, then you have to open your mind up a little and accept the change you seek in the world.