Michael+Rose

Journal 3, 2/5/08

To be honest i did not really use many argument strategies this may be because i am having trouble with the whole concept of the paper. I do understand the fact that we have to choose a word that is meaningful to use and why. However i am struggling to figure out how we make the paper have pathos logos and ethos, and also the argumentative strategies to make it flow as a one. Picking my side and my argument of why i chose the word is what i feel i did accomplish so far with my rough draft, i made many examples of the different levels of the word brotherhood to me. That is one of the main things i guess i am trying to push for people to understand or get out of my paper. I used alot of personal stories, but i think that the problem is i do not have a lot of direction with them. I did not really have a strategy because i have not really grasped the concept of the paper quite yet, however i think once i have an idea my strategy will be something like discussing how some feel the word brother only represents family, but in reality there are many more meanings. As of right now my argument is their, but not really organized but i think it will be once i sit down and do a little trial and error on what i want in regrades to my paper. Again i feel that i am lacking a lot of the structure to my paper, like i know what i need to do but its the matter of fitting the pieces together and making it flow.

One word rough draft.... The word brotherhood hits on so many different levels in a persons life and also makes people really appreciate some of the people they have in their life. The best example I can give about brotherhood as an actual brotherhood would be that of my roommate and his brother, corey has 3 oher brothers and one is his twin; they have grown up together and have been their for the good and the bad. When we were young my roommate corey and hs twin craig would always fight, like not bicker but full out swings at eachother, they both were kinda poor sports when it came to losing, but what I always remembered is that no matter what the one did to the other they would shrug it off shortly after and be friends again. This is the brotherhood aspect they had in their lives, they knew that they were family and that they had to look out for each other because at the end of the day when they went home they had eachtoher and that’s it. The same went for their two older brothers kyle and Jeremy now im not saying that brotherhood only hits home like blood related because that is certainly not the side I am trying to pick. When I was younger before I had my own brother me and my cousin Shane were really close, kind of sounds corny but it’s like the dukes of hazard saying, “Bo and Luke Duke, two cousins closer then brothers” that was what me and my cousin Shane were. Unfortunately as we got older we both changed the things we were into and we moved and weren’t as close so we couldn’t hang out as much. Now we hardly talk, and when we do its small talk at a family function or on myspace. I feel bad for him cause the family looks down at him a little because he has had a few hard years just trying to find him, but he knows that I would have his back in a second. That’s what the word brotherhood means regardless of the situation if you truly cared and loved someone no matter what happened you still have their back and love them when they need it the most. My cousin isn’t the only one I have this with, my friend Jake stark and I used to be really close. I basically lived at his house from 6th grade until the day we graduated, but this year I screwed up and let a girl get in between us and now we hardly talk. The worst part is that I sold him out just because I was jealous of him and I prey everyday that things can go back to the way they were. He said he hated me and allthe typical stuff someone would say and he had every right the only thing I could do is tell him that I loved him and I would still have his back ten years from now even if we didn’t talk like the night at donnies when I saved his ass from some drunk whigger. We were at our friend donnies for his grad party and it was towards the end of the night where their were only a few people left, their was like 5 guys and a few girls I didn’t know. Anyway jake was trying to take care of Donnie who was extremely drunk and that’s what brothers due you take care of your own when they need it. So Donnie tripped and fell over and jake helped him up, but donnies emienem want-to-be cousin thought Jake pushed him and pushed jake and told him not to mess with his cousin. Jake tried to justify his side of it be the cousin didn’t care, so a few minutes went by and Donnie fell and jake helped him up again, just like before the cousin pushed jake but this time jake said screw it and turned around and started walking towards the house. I was watching everything by the girls and then I saw donnies cousin just staring at jake as he was walking away and then I saw him walk through the back of the tent thing set up and I started walking that way, all of asudden his cousin made a sprint at jake and was about to jump him from behind, without second guessing it I ran at him and cut him off from reaching jake. I hit the kid and he went flying about 8 feet back and slammed into a bunch of the chairs we had folded up. That is another thing that defines a brotherhood, willing to fight a complete stranger in order to make sure your friends are safe. Another time I was willing to fight for my friend really wasn’t totally even about him it was about what the guy said in regardes to him. My friend carnes who might be one of my closest friends is joining a fraternity over at Central and on Halloween weekend I went their to hang out with him, so I went outside for a second and when I went to go back in one of the frat boys was like I don’t know you you cant come in and I was like your kidding me right my best friend is pledging here so im going to go in and see him, then he asked me who and started quizzing me on stuff about carnes, I was getting a little irritated but I kept my cool I lost it though when he was like well that’s my brother now and I say who sees him and who doesn’t. I blew up I started cussing this guy out saying you guys might be “brothers” because you’re a frat faggot but don’t ever tell me off about someone who is my brother. While I was telling him off he was poking me with this pimp cane, and then I took it and broke it over my leg and got in his face, then a guy from our hometown who is also pledging their got in the middle of me and like three of the frat guys and told them not to mess with me when it comes to poppe or carnes.

2/1/08 Paper on the word Brute... To me the word brute means acting in a way un-natural to ones normal state of mind. However, word brute cannot be defined by one simple term. The dictionary comes with five variations to the words meaning, “ of or relating to beasts,” “characteristic of an animal in quality, action, or instinct” “not working by reason ,” “purely physical,” and “unrelievedly harsh.” The stunning thing about the word in the context to the story “Brute” by Richard Selzer is that his st ory touches on each of the variations of the word. The problem with the two main characters in the story is that tough both show characteristics of being a brute, the doctor in essence is the bigger brute of the two. Though many would argue this is not the case because he is a doctor and because of this people assume he is the one in the right. The reason he wins the title of being the brute is that he used force upon a man who was not in a proper state of mind. People for the doctor would argue that the man who came in was drunk and acting belligerent towards the doctor and others. However, many places such as right here on campus, alcohol cannot be used as a defense. In other words one cannot justify things done to someone because they had been drinking. The result of that is he did not have justification in sewing the mans ear to the table, this falls into being both unrelievedly harsh and not working by reason. Although the doctor was in the wrong, by using force on the patient, the patient is also guilty. The problem with his state of brute is that it falls under relating to beasts, characteristics of an animal in quality, action, or instinct, and finally purely physical. The man came in with a state of mind of that as a wounded animal. The man lashed out towards the doctor because he may have felt he was in danger and also was very defensive for not being in a recognizable place. Though many seem un-easy in a hospital, the man under the influence of alcohol put him in an already agitated state. It is a safe bet that the man may not have been so violent if he had not been drunk, however he put himself in the situation and like anything foreign you put in your body, there is always a risk involved. In conclusion, you cannot really pin some escalated situation on only one side of the battle lines. This is safe to say in almost any form of conflict. Though one side is the first initiator of the conflict the people who retaliate lose their normal state of mind, falling into that “not working by reason” category and let adrenalin take over. This what happened to the doctor towards the patient, he let his adrenalin take over resulting in him sewing the mans ear down, however had he not let his adrenalin take over he would have been able to avoid the “brute” mentality that he let in Guelph his body.

My word is Brotherhood

Mike's page

Journal 1. Wed 16th

I used to not care about grabbing a readers attention or trying to appeal to their emotions or logic before i entered my sophmore year in high school. However i had a english teacher who tought use to do just that, reach out and make a connection with the person or persons your trying to have read your paper. The irony behind that is that he graduated from Alma college and the things that your teaching us to do, he did the same. I feel now i can confidently appeal to whom ever may be reading my work. The number one way i think i can reach out to a reader, is through their emotions. I have a tendency to use good personal situations or stories that really help me reach out to a persons emotions. Logically speaking i could use some more practice, i mean i can make a pretty logical argument but for some reason some people have a hard to taking me seriously. I do not know if thats because i have laid back personification or because i look like a dumb jock who somehow landed here in Alma.

English 101 12/21/08 Summery and analysis

The article "In Plain English: Let's Make It Official," talks about how we as a nation need to make it clear that English is the language we want to speak. The writer Charles Krauthammer seems to feel very strongly that if we do not take charge in the house and senate we will lose our "national" language to forigen immigrants. He asks the question of why in the past when we have had a great influx of immigrants that this was not as big of a problem as today. He then answers that very question by stating that the past had so many diverse cultures roaring through its gates that little areas would spring up of that dominant language and english the second language. Now however, the rush of immigrants is that of one nation and those people of that one nation hardly speak our english language if any. Though the writer makes a good effort in pursuading his audience, which is anyone willing to open the time magazine he ultimately misses a few key things he could have spoken about to really sell his cause. The number one thing he could have dont was to really push the problem with examples. He did give one very compelling example,however that was it.The rest of the article is his point of veiw what is going on right now or what may come. I agree his stand point, but i think he tries to hard to make people agree with him and does not give them a real option to take their own side. Also i think he exaggerates the consiquences of not making English the official language of the U.S. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200741-2,00.html