Persuasive Paper Outline

Gun Control Outline

1. Intro

B. Why people think Gun control will help

1. Police brutality will subside
2. Less guns less shootings

C.  Converse of why gun control will not help

1. Our defence force without weapons??
2. Do criminals ever follow laws? Compare drugs

D. States/cities with strictest gun laws compared to cities with lax gun laws

1. Top 10 vs bottom 10
2. Average state gun deaths tied to strictness of gun laws

E. Hitler and Gun Laws

1. Hitler’s beginnings of gun control
2. The ultimate goal of his gun control

F. Second amendment right and why it is our right

1. America built on checks and balances. Judicial, Executive, Legislative
2. 2nd amendment rights is another check and balance

G. Gun control or gun fear

1. Switzerland ‘s gun laws
2. Switzerland’s gun violence vs america
3. Taught to respect not fear

H. Conclusion

I commented on Atokena and Emma's blogs.

Compare and Contrast Diagram

Makayla Harvey

M Schroeder

English Comp 101

Nov 9, 2016

Compare and Contrast Diagram

     I chose the topic of texting verses face to face communication. I chose this subject because I think it is something we all have to deal with in modern days and should be thought about. The purpose of my paper will to be to contrast the differences of texting verses face to face conversations. Untimely I want to show that face to face conversations are much more effective and less complicated then texting conversations. 

I commented on Shelby and Atokena's blogs.

Blog Post #3 Division and Analysis

Makayla Harvey

M. Schroeder

English Comp 101

October 21, 2016

     "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan is a short story that holds great weight. The story is a young Chinese girl, who has an uncanny crush on blond-haired, very white American. As the story proceeds, her family invites this boy's family over for a Christmas Eve dinner. Much to the girl's horror her family's traditions were appalling to this young man. After the course of dinner ended, the young girl is presented with an early gift from her mother. Her mother says, "You want to be the same as the American girls on the outside. But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame." (quoted in Bedford Reader pg 111) During this dialogue, the mother hands the girl a miniskirt, same as the Americans. The author, Amy Tan, masterfully designed an all too common issue in the perfect way. All too often people are readily embarrassed of who they are, because they want to be accepted by others. This short story makes the point that no matter how much we change our outside for acceptance, we can never change who we are on the inside. As the young girls mother put it, "Your only shame is to have shame." You should never be ashamed of who you are, and it's to your shame if you are ashamed.

     "Superman and Me" by Sherman Alexie is also a beautifully written piece that shows the importance of reading. The short story begins with a young Indian boy, who's father loves books. Because of this boy's love for his father he is determined to read. As the boy grows older, he begins to read everything he can, unlike his other Indian friends. Because he is a reading Indian boy, he is ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike, but he doesn't stop. As the boy grows up he becomes a writer, and teaches others the power of reading. Why? As he so powerfully states at the end of the story, "'Books,' I say. I throw my weight against their locked doors. The door holds. I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky. I am trying to save our lives." (quoted in the Bedford Reader pg 585) The purpose of this text is showing the freedom that reading brings. Reading brings new ideas. Reading is the ability to express yourself. Reading is the ability to learn many things. Reading is freedom. The author pushes the importance of reading by telling the story of how it saved a boy's life.

     Choosing between these two essays for my analysis essay is difficult because both messages have such a strong message. Personally, I can relate to one over the other, which is why I am choosing the "Fish Cheeks". I can personally relate to the message that this story tells, because I've lived it. As a writer, I cannot write about something that I do not feel passionate about. Being yourself and not changing who you are for other people is something that I feel very strongly about, and I believe is a topic that needs to be discussed. It's a downfall for so many people to live their lives this way. We bow our lives to someone else when we need to be who we are. Therefore, I am choosing "Fish Cheeks" as my article for my Division and Analysis Essay. 

I commented on Jordan and Starlena's blogs.

Blog Post #2 Narrative Favorite Place

Makayla Harvey

Melinda Schroeder

English 101

10/07/2016

My Heaven On Earth

     The trees whip past on both sides as their leaves of rainbow color crunch beneath me. The variants, gold to red, paint an unmatched master piece that surrounds me. Endless blue, speckled with fanciful clouds backdrops this already masterful scene. The sound of tires on pavement quickly switches to the gentle crunch of gravel under tire. Then as the assent is begun the lowering of gears and the strain of the motor grind against the forest's silence. The chorus of the engine was echoed by a birds refrain and fills my heart. The higher we climb the smells around begin to change. As gasoline and smog being to clear the perfume of nature, the clear and natural scent, wafts around me.

     Finally, to the end we make it. The endless ocean stretches out in its full expanse, just boasting of its grandeur. To my right and to my left I am surrounded by the frame of fall colors, all painted in front of a vastly endless clear sky. Hill after rolling hill stretches out before me. As the sun sinks down lower the sky lights up in a burst of beauty, taking my breath away. And as I watch, the crisp air nips at my face as the wind tossles with my hair. The picture perfect moment of my heaven on earth lays out before me.

I commented on Eve and Justine's blogs.

Why We Lie Blog Post #1

Makayla Harvey

Melinda Schroeder

English 101

09/22/2016

Summarize “Why We Lie” Article

     The Matrix test was a developed by Dan Ariely to find out exactly how much people are willing to cheat. The Matrix is a simple test of several numbers on a sheet of paper. The goal is to match the numbers together in as many pairs as you can to equal the number 10 in five minutes. Then, for however many pairs you found, the test coordinator would pay you. At first, this experiment was done, and it was found that most people averaged four pairs. Then variations were added such as: the participant shredding their paper and just reporting how many pairs they got, having another participant in the same room who was blatantly cheating, and doing the test in groups. Through the other variations of the test, it was found that the number of pairs found miraculously jumped and sometimes even doubled. This supported Dan Ariely's theory that people are willing to lie a 'little' most of the time.

     Ariely's experiment sadly proved his point that there are few cheaters or liars that will fully and blatantly lie, but most people will lie or cheat a little when given the opportunity. “...we had lost only a few hundred dollars to these big cheaters. At the same time, we had thousands and thousands of participants who cheated by 'just' a few matrices, but because there were so many of them, we lost thousands and thousand of dollars to them.” (Bedford Reader pg. 445) These 'small' dishonest tricks by so many caused a much greater impact than the few 'big cheats'. The Matrix test showed the disheartening revelation that the sum of our 'little fibs' has a much greater effect on our culture than we realize.

Paraphrase Paragraph #10

     The facts show that most people cheat by a small measure; therefore, the next step is to ask what causes people to cheat more or less. (Bedford Reader pg 442)

Important Quote Point

     “But once in a while, a participant claimed to have solved all 20. Fortunately, we did not encounter many of these people, and because they seemed to be the exception and not the rule, we lost only a few hundred dollars to these big cheaters. At the same time, we had thousands and thousands of participants who cheated by “just” a few matrices, but because there were so many of them, we lost thousands and thousands of dollars to them.” (Bedford Reader pg 445)

     Dan Ariely's quotation, showing the impact of the majority's 'small' decisions, impacted me the most in this article. This point is so impactful, and I believe a necessity for society to see. The truth posed in the article “Why We Lie” is quite disturbing to any average citizen. It makes the reader question the 100% honesty, or lack there of, in one's self and others. The traumatizing truth is that because of citizens moral compromises society pays the toll of sliding down the slippery slope of cheating. This goes to show that even our 'small' moral compromises affect more then just the direct parties involved, but on the large scale can cause issues much larger then ourselves. This article was an immense reminder on the importance of always being one hundred percent honest.

   I posted on  Andrea and Kaylin's blogs. 

Works Cited

Ariely, Dan. "Why We Lie." The Bedford Reader (2014): 440-46. Print.