Reflection on the Issues Paper

For my issues paper I actually went through with writing about localization and how it would benefit humanity's chances of survival during a zombie apocalypse. I found my topic really easy to write about because of my love of zombies and interest in predicting how a zombie attack would play out in our world. I My paper focused on the negatives of a globalized economy, transportation, and communication, and how those industries have weakened our world to a zombie invasion. Although mythical, I was able to find legitimate sounding facts about zombies from two books on the living dead. I then proved my point in my paper by using real statistics from legitimate sources, such as the US Census Bureau and the US Energy Information Administration.

I don't think I learned that much by writing this paper, but I got a lot of good practice on citing sources in my paper. It was beneficial to practice paraphrasing as well. I was glad that we had an extended period of time to work on this essay as well, because I felt really burnt out after I wrote my first draft and needed a long break before I could rewrite.

I was so proud to turn the paper in today, it was such a relief. I was stressed at the beginning of the semester just thinking about the issues paper, and now that it is done it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. My final thoughts, I enjoyed my topic, but I hated the amount work I needed to put into this essay.

Article Outline Post

I am going to outline the article I wrote my rhetorical analysis paper on, The Environmental Benefits of Globalization by John A. Charles.

Charles begins by stating what topic he will address in his paper and his thesis, which is that American economic policies and the consumer lifestyle is sustainable on a global scale. In his next paragraph he explains the issue and the oppositions viewpoint, showing the "narration/explanation" step. Then Charles states facts and uses them to prove his argument in several body paragraphs, completing the "statement of fact" and "proof" sections of his article. After making his point, Charles proceeds to refuting the opposition's counter-arguments and concludes his article strongly.

Sources

Here are some of my sources for my issues paper:

Books: The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z by Max Brooks

pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/foodimports/

http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/2009/08/us_food_imports.html 

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/depend.htm

The following two correspond with each other:

http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/steel_index.html#2010
http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/2010pr/12/steel/

But Zombies Ate My Issues Paper!

For my issues paper topic, I think I am going to argue that globalization is bad because it increases the worlds vulnerability to complete collapse in the face of a large scale zombie outbreak. I think I am going to focus on the extensive network of transportation all parts of the world share today, and how that network will help spread the zombie infection throughout the world in a very short amount of time. I will also talk about the vast amount of dependence countries have on one another, and how if one country were to fall to zombies, other countries might not be able to produce the resources necessary for survival in the case of a zombie apocalypse. I know this is a different topic and it is going to be hard to find sources and facts, but I think I can successfully blend fact and fiction to create a compelling and influential argument.

My Thoughts on the Rhetorical Analysis

Coming into the rhetorical analysis essay, I had no idea what to expect. I had never ever heard of a rhetorical analysis before, and had never written one. I hoped that in class we would have a workshop to learn how to write these essays, but I was disappointed when it never happened. I realize that many people wrote rhetorical analysis essays in high school, but for someone like me who had no experience with this style of writing, it was confusing to find a place to start. I ended up teaching myself how to write a rhetorical analysis be reading several examples and reading the book, but I was still unsure whether I was doing the paper correctly. That is why I think one of the things that could be improved upon for the rhetorical analysis project is to teach how a proper rhetorical analysis should be written and what it should include.

Other than the rocky start I had, I eventually found what I needed to do and I think I wrote a fairly good paper. It may have been different, but I enjoyed learning a new style of writing.

Diction in "The Environmental Benefits of Globalization"

One tool used by John A. Charles in his article, "The Environmental Benefits of Globalization," is diction that cunningly influences the way the reader thinks. In the introduction of the article he addresses the opposing side’s arguments as “legitimate concerns” with little evidence to support those concerns. By using the word “concerns” instead of a bigger word such as “issues” or “problems” he subtly makes the reader view the oppositions arguments as petty, and not based in fact. Just by using the synonym of a word, he is already beginning to win over his audience.

Another example of Charles’s clever word choice is in the second paragraph when he uses economic terms such as “open, dynamic economy,” “producers and consumers,” and “self-interest.” Using these basic economic terms leads a reader inexperienced in the use of these words to believe that Charles is an experienced and intelligent economist. By using these terms, the author establishes his credibility on the subject of the economy, which makes his argument more influential to the American people.

Sorry about the short blog post fellow students, I am really sick right now though. I hope you all have a better day than I am having. :)

Rhetorical Analysis Thesis

"The Environmental Benefits of Globalization" is an effective argument to convince the American people that the globalization of the American way of life is sustainable, and that our environmental performance is getting much better because it uses logical statements, flowing organization, and shocking statistics.

Quotations

I love funny and cynical quotes. Here are some of my favorites! Enjoy.

"I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself." -Marlene Dietrich

"From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put." -Sir Winston Churchill

"Eighty percent of married men cheat in America. The rest cheat in Europe." -Jackie Mason

"In a country as big as the United States, you can find fifty examples of anything." -Jeffery F. Chamberlain

"Humor is everywhere, in that there's irony in just about anything a human does." -Bill Nye

"If at first you don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything." -Bill Lyon

"There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it." -Mary Wilson Little

"Reality continues to ruin my life." -Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes

"There are no secrets better kept than the secrets that everybody guesses." -George Bernard Shaw

"Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it." -Jane Wagner

"If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything." -Mark Twain

"Mediocrity is forgiven more easily than talent." -Emil Krotky

"Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles." -Frank Lloyd Wright

"A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking." -Jerry Seinfeld

"Traditions are group efforts to keep the unexpected from happening." -Barbara Tober

"I don't like composers who think. It gets in the way of their plagiarism." -Howard Dietz

"I know who I am. No one else knows who I am. If I was a giraffe, and someone said I was a snake, I'd think, no, actually I'm a giraffe." -Richard Gere

"Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made." -Otto von Bismarck

"You can never underestimate the stupidity of the general public." -Scott Adams

"Conscience is what makes a boy tell his mother before his sister does." -Evan Esar

"The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them away." -Ronald Reagan

"If Pac-Man had affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in dark rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." -Marcus Bridgstocke

"Sure there are dishonest men in local government. But there are dishonest men in national government too." -Richard M. Nixon

"A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them." -P. J. O'Rourke

"Do you realize if it weren't for Edison we'd be watching TV by candlelight?" -Al Boliska

"No matter how rich you become, how famous or powerful, when you die the size of your funeral will still pretty much depend on the weather." -Michael Pritchard

"Money can't buy happiness, but neither can poverty." -Leo Rosten

"When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion." -Abraham Lincoln

"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die." -Mel Brooks

"If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?" -Abraham Lincoln

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -Benjamin Franklin

"The secret of life is to appreciate the pleasure of being terribly, terribly deceived." -Oscar Wilde

"Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be." -William Hazlitt

"A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled." -Sir Barnett Cocks

"The public will believe anything, so long as it is not founded on truth." -Edith Sitwell

"I do not have a psychiatrist and I do not want one, for the simple reason that if he listened to me long enough, he might become disturbed." -James Thurber

"Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done." -Andy Rooney

"There's an old saying about those who forget history. I don't remember it, but it's good." -Stephen Colbert

"Oppression is the legitimate mother of liberation. There's no hiding from alimony." -Mikhail Turovsky

"The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet." -William Gibson

"The Constitution gives every American the inalienable right to make a damn fool of himself." -John Ciardi

"We may not imagine how our lives could be more frustrating and complex"--but Congress can." -Cullen Hightower

"I used to wake up at 4 A.M. and start sneezing, sometimes for five hours. I tried to find out what sort of allergy I had but finally came to the conclusion that it must be an allergy to consciousness." -James Thurber

"Computer dating is fine, if you’re a computer." -Rita Mae Brown

"We forfeit three-fourths of ourselves in order to be like other people." -Arthur Schopenhauer

"I have a rock garden. Last week three of them died." -Richard Diran

The Environmental Benefits of Globalization

My article is called "The Environmental Benefits of Globalization." The audience of my article is Americans, specifically Americans who believe the American way of life is unsustainable on the global scale. The current events of importance that influenced this article are the movement to capitalism and development throughout many less developed countries. The writer of this article believes that the government should not limit the market to keep the environment safe, because the corporations take care of the environment on their own to maintain a good image. He also believes that other countries adopting our way of life and capitalism is not a bad thing, because he believes the American consumer lifestyle is sustainable. This article is written to show people through statistics and logic that the American way of life is sustainable and even beneficial to the environment, and attempts by government to limit trade for the sake of the environment will not work. Opponents to this article are people who argue that the U.S. needs to change it's economy to be healthier for the environment as well as not encourage other countries to use our economic policies. Major fears and worries of the author are that the government will restrict trade for the environments sake without fully understanding that the environment in the U.S. is in good shape, and that these restrictions will stop growth in our country.

My opinions on the OpEd

I thought that the OpEd assignment was a good way to start the year in Writing 150. I enjoy writing my opinions and trying to construct logical arguments to convince people to agree with me, and I felt like this assignment allowed me to do so with enough freedom so as not to stifle my voice.

The voice in my paper was overwhelmingly pessimistic, but as a fairly pessimistic person, it is hard for me to keep that out of my writing, especially when you are complaining about a system that you think needs to be changed. To counter that pessimism in my paper, I came up with what I thought was an optimistic, ideal compromise to the issue I was addressing (general education requirements should be removed).

I am very passionate about my topic, and that made it much easier to write my OpEd and come up with arguments to support my side. I also enjoyed thinking of counter arguments and refuting them in my paper. The assignments where I write about topics I am passionate about are always more fun for me to work on than topics that are forced on you by teachers (which I had a lot of in high school)

The hardest part of this assignment for me was writing a rough draft. This always seems to be the most difficult aspect of writing a paper for me, especially when I am first starting on the paper and have to come up with a introduction. I spent at least an hour just staring at my computer screen trying to come up with a good introduction. It is frustrating sometimes, and makes me feel kind of stupid. But after I get past the introduction the paper almost seems to write itself!

Overall, the OpEd was a challenging but fun assignment, and in my opinion, a great beginning of the semester assignment.

And just because I thought this was a funny picture...

Peer Reviews

I thought the peer review process went great! I got a lot of good advice and feedback from my partner, despite us having very opposite viewpoints. In high school peer reviews were always such a pain and a waste of class time, because no one really wanted to actually review each others papers. The comments from high school were always along the lines of, "Yeah, your paper is good," and didn't provide any criticism or advice for you to use to form a stronger paper. I came out of the peer review process with a few more good ideas and things to change.

Halo Night

Thursday is a day I look forward to throughout the entire week. Thursday night is freedom. Thursday is soothing, relaxing. Thursday night is the one night a week I can forget all about the stresses of school, and do one of the things I love most.

Thursday night is Halo night.

Geeky, I know, but I love video games, and the king of all video games is Halo. Every week I wait and wait for Thursday. Each day that brings me closer I get more excited and jittery. Thursday night is the highlight of my week. You may be thinking, "wow, Connor, get a life, or at least a girlfriend," but let me explain. Everyone has that thing, something that they are good at, something they are proud of, something that they can do that a majority of people can't. For some people, their thing is writing, for others it is music. My thing is Halo.

I knew coming to college my parents would never allow me to bring an Xbox. They are paying for me to focus on studying, and it would be far too distracting to have an Xbox in my dorm. I accepted this as a necessary sacrifice, but I knew that needed to be able to just chill, relax, and play Halo once a week. Playing video games is how I relieve stress, it is my guilty pleasure (everyone has one, don't blame me). But imagine, musicians, writers, and runners, suddenly not being able to do the thing that you love, that you pride yourself in. Imagine having your guitar stripped from your hands, your computer seized from you, your basketball popping in midair as it soars to the basket. Thats how it felt not being able to pwn noobs in Halo when I got to BYU. When my roommate told me his brother organized a Halo night every Thursday, I almost cried with happiness.

We play in the spacious attic of a garage in someone's house 20 minutes from campus. It sounds dark and uncomfortable, but it is a Halo fan's paradise. Halo posters and memorabilia line the walls. A full size cardboard cutout of Master Chief (Halo's main character) looks over you as you play. A refrigerator full of Mountain Dew sits in the corner. Four televisions with four sofas and four original Xboxs face four different ways (to ensure no screen-looking). One side of the room is painted blue for the blue team, the other side is painted red for the red team. The ceiling bears the massive green Xbox symbol. We play from 7 to 11 most Thursday nights, and the whole time we listen to the band Depeche Mode at full volume (that is a story for another blog post). We can have up to 16 people playing in one game, but we normally have a turnout of 8.

I have completely alienated my audience by now, so I'm just going to finish by saying that I love Thursdays and I love Halo. Tonight is the highlight of my week. Thanks for listening. So in the comments below, what your guilty pleasure/thing is that helps you stay sane at college?

My OpEd: General Education Requirements

My thesis for my opinion editorial is that there should be fewer or no general education requirements at BYU. What I mean is that we shouldn't be forced to take classes such as Physical Science, American Heritage, and yes, Writing 150. I don't think general education classes should be required because they force freshman to fill our schedule with classes that most of us will never use, during a time when we should be exploring classes that interest us and trying to figure out what we what to do with the rest of our lives. Let me know what you think about my thesis please. If you have counter arguments or disagree with me, please include them in your comments. Thanks for reading!

Zombie Invasion Preparedness Analysis

We all know it will come, we somewhat know what to expect, we just don't know when to expect it.

I am speaking of course, of the impending zombie apocalypse.

For a while now, I have been analyzing the preparedness of the Utah Valley for the coming infection that will ravage our landscapes, raze our cities, turn us against one another, and bring humanity to the brink of extinction. And I am pleased to say, that I believe our chances of survival in the Valley are high.

When you look at the evidence, you will see what I mean. The mountains of the valley that surround us create a natural barrier from any army of the undead that may seek to consume our flesh. All we would have to do in the valley to remain relatively safely protected from the hoards of infected in the outside world is to seal off a few highways leading into the valley, building walls on them that the zombies couldn't penetrate.

Another thing absolutely necessary for the survival of a community during a zombie apocalypse is a fresh water supply. Here in the Utah Valley, we have a basically unlimited supply of water from Utah Lake and snow runoff, further increasing our chances of survival.

Non-perishable food is also in abundance in the valley due to the food storage of thousands of individuals. There is enough food storage in the Utah Valley to allow us to survive for years, and thats without taking into account the food that we can produce from the land or forage.

Firearms are also quite abundant in the valley as well when compared to other cities and communities. Utah has much more lax gun control laws than states such as New York, Illinois, and California, and as such, we have a much better chance at fighting off zombies within and outside our defensive perimeter.

Another thing the Utah Valley has going for it is something that people complain quite a bit about around here. The cold. Because zombies have no blood flowing through their body, the only way they can keep their decaying bodies warm enough to function is from the heat of the sun, and by consuming the flesh of the living. At 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the liquid in the bodies of the undead begin to freeze, and the zombie freezes with it. Since temperatures during winter in the Utah Valley drop far below 32 degrees, and the sun isn't out long enough for zombies to maintain their core body temperature through natural means, all that the inhabitants of the Valley would have to do to freeze the zombies is cut them off from their food source, humans. Once the zombies have dropped and are covered under a thick sheet of snow and ice for the winter, the survivors will be free to leave the valley and search for new resources and materials until spring, when the zombies will thaw and reanimate to once again hunt for food.

As you can see, the Utah Valley has all the resources and protection necessary for survival of a very large community, however, it remains to be seen how the inhabitants will react to the apocalypse when it occurs. The most important period of a undead invasion occurs within the first 24 hours of it starting. We living in the Utah Valley may have the ability to survive independently for years during an apocalypse, but if poor decisions are made during the first 24 hours of the infection becoming known to us, we stand no chance against the armies of the undead. For example, if our leaders hear rumors of strange occurrences around the globe and just write them off as hoaxes and refuse to take preparatory action, we can pretty much kiss our survival goodbye. But if at the moment we hear of this epidemic of epic proportions, we immediately take action, sealing all roads in and out of the valley, quarantining Salt Lake International Airport, and only allowing refugees into the valley after a thorough screening for wounds and bite marks, we have a high chance of surviving this catastrophe. Once our defenses are erected, we will only have to contain the outbreak within our own walls, which should be simple enough with the weapons at our disposal.

After the necessary steps have been taken, the largest threat that the survivors will have to face is not from the undead, but from themselves. With the American government in tatters, there will be no one left to govern the Utah Valley. The fate of the survivors will largely depend on their ability to work together and govern themselves. No one can predict how this will play out, whether we will be able to establish our own government to fit our new needs, or if competing factions will take advantage of the chaos to gain power and we will be plunged into civil war within our own defenses. We will have to see how it plays out in the near future when the dead rise to walk through the deserted streets of what used to be great cities.

In the meantime, take the necessary precautions for the zombie apocalypse right now. Stockpile food, weapons, and ammunition, and learn the necessary survival skills to make sure that a zombie will not be sinking it's teeth into your tender flesh when the invasion comes. Your survival is entirely up to you.

Brainstorm

Topics I am thinking about writing my OpEd on are:

The primarily test-based academic environment at BYU
The strict rules on having members of the opposite sex in dorms at Helaman Halls
Required/General Education classes
The dating environment at BYU
The pressures placed on men at BYU (and in other environments) to serve a mission

This are a few topics that I think are interesting and that I could write a good OpEd on. If you like a certain topic above the others, let me know, I would appreciate your feedback.

Who am I?

My name is Connor Matthews. I live in Chicago, Illinois. I have two younger brothers and a younger sister, and two dogs. My first dog, Chili, is a chihuahua, and my second, Ringo, is a bulldog/shitzu mix. You can see Ringo as my profile picture to the right.

I love college and BYU. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to go here for college, maybe because both my parents are alumni and they talked about BYU quite a bit. I love the atmosphere at BYU, and that I can get a great education for fairly cheap compared to other universities. I really enjoy learning about politics and current issues, so I figured I would major in political science. I also want to become a lawyer, so I figure a political science major will help prepare me for law school.

Other than going to law school, I don't really have a plan for the future. I don't know where I will end up. When I was in high school, this was a big stressor for me, and caused me a lot of anxiety. But I have learned to just try to take things a day at a time, and eventually everything will work out. Right now, I just need to finish this blog and get a good grade in Writing 150. Fingers crossed...