Last Q of the Week

I have learned a lot from this class. One new thing that I learned was what rhetoric really meant. I kind of had an idea before, but now I really know what it is. It can be anything from the way one presents one’s self through attire or through an argumentitive speech. I realized the importance of rhetorical situations from this class and how to navidgate them well. I already new about the rhetorical appeals, but it was interesting to see them put into action through writing. I am very glad that I now have a deeper knowledge of rhetoric and how to use it- getting my words to do what I want them to. This is a very important skill and is very helpful in the real world. When my view clashes with someone else’s, I want to be able to confidently defend my position with good rhetoric. I feel this will be very useful in everything that I do, because there are many other people out there with many different views. If I cannot defend my own, I will simply fall for theirs. I understand how important it is to have a good ethos when arguing, which means that I need to present myself as a credible source and show that I have a real basis for my view/argument. Thank you for helping me learn this skill.

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The Problem- Q of the Week

I think one of the worlds most prominent problems is people’s obsession with spending money far beyond their means. This has been visable in both government and private spending policies all over the world, especially in America. This contributed greatly to the huge stock market crash a few years ago. People cannot seem to be content with what they have and therefore go on expensive spending sprees spending money they don’t have. When people couldn’t pay all the credit card bills at the end of the month, they went bankrupt. Bankruptcy in great amount caused the stock market to plummet and thus cause many other to lose great amounts of money. This is also a problem in the federal government. Congress has spent so much money that we are in almost unpayable debt. This is a serious problem. In order to fix this problem we must stop spending money for unnessecary things. Just because we don’t have the most expensive car or the biggest house does not mean we need them. This obsession for more “stuff” has driven the economy into the ground. We cannot keep spending limitlessly without consequences as we have previously seen. A brand new BMW is not worth an economical disaster. If that is what you can afford then that is fine, but if you cannot afford it, don’t get yourself caught up in endless loans and payments to have what you want. The economy is not just in the hands of the government but also the hands of the civilians.

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Q of the Week #8: Need to Know

I think everyone should know how to travel by the time they are middle aged. They should know how to get where they want to go and how to redirect themselves if they get lost. This skill is important to know because at some point in someone’s life he/she will have to go somewhere they have never gone before. If one cannot travel, one will be stuck in the same place for a long time. This generally inhibits the oppurtunities available in life. If one can learn how to travel, one can experience a whole other world of people, places, and oppurtunites. The best way to aquire this skill is through experience. One must just plan a trip and execute it. Of course there will be mistakes, but that is a part of the learning experience. One must learn how to fix mistakes made in life. The ability to stay calm and think straight while lost is a very practical skill to learn and can be used in many other areas of life. So just go somewhere you have never been before, it might be quite the experience. It will certainly be fun and exciting.

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Spring

Spring break is awesome. If I had the choice to go anywhere, I would probably go to French Polynesia in the southern Pacific ocean, specifically the island of Tahiti. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth in my opinion. It has great weather, great beaches, and great views. It seems like the perfect paradise to me. I like the idea of being on an island far away from my work problems. However, it is not completely isolated, so it is enjoyable as a tourist location and there is a lot to do. I would probably never get bored. The water is crystal blue and one can stay right on the water if desired. For me, the greatest pro to this location is the beaches. I love beaches anywhere I go, but Tahiti beaches are especially beautiful with forest life behind you, white sand under you, and blue ocean in front of you. It may be expensive to get there, but it is definitely worth it. I feel like the best place to relax is a place where the weather is warm, the water is warm, and the view is awesome. This is what Tahiti provides. That is why I want to spend my spring break there. See you all there!

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I’m the Boss

Parents,

I think it is time that I took a little more power in the house. To be specific perhaps an emperor. The important things here, I believe, are that I am responsible, successful, and respectful. First, I would lead responsibly. I have been watching my little brothers for a long time now and know how to keep them from danger. Also, I have been successful in academics and other assignments have been given. I will be more than capable to run a household. Finally, I am respectful. I will respect everyone in the house, thus creating a good atmosphere for the family.

I am clearly qualified for this job shown by my past achievements. I will do a good job. I am the best candidate.

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Research

Before I learned about databases or anything like that, my research online mostly consisted of google searches and wikipedia. I would just type a question into google and hope I got a good response. I really didn’t know how to discern between a credible website and a hoax site. now that I have learned a little more about web searching I am a little more careful in my web research. I check the author of the site, if known. A sponsor or something can often help determine the credibility of the site. I also look at the type of site it is, such as the .com, . gov, etc. This can often tell me whether I can find good information there or not. It can be really difficult to discern between sites, because there is no official publishing process and also no standards for quality of information being put on the internet. I usually have to go to other websites or sources to verify a website’s information that I am not familiar with. If I find that many other sources give conflicting information to that of the website in question, I do not use that website in any research I do in the future. I do not want to risk using a false or questionable source when trying to present my argument. The web can be a very powerful research tool, but it can also be a very deceptive source of information.

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Question of the Week #4

I can not think of a specific time that I have really lost an argument. I try not to get into to many arguments, but when I do, I end them quickly with straight forward, clear points. I build a strong foundation for my points to rest on and it generally works. I enjoy holding debate discussions with people as long as things are kept respectful. Again, I cannot think of a time I have lost an argument, though I’m sure it has happened before.

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School

When I was in elementary school, I started homeschooling. Most of my friends accepted me just how they had before I began homeschooling. I didn’t change. However, there were a few that began to stereotype me as some anti-social geek with no friends. This was not something I enjoyed at all. They began to treat me differently and some even ignored me. This hurt my self-esteem and damaged our relationships. There was nothing for me to change, so I just tried to work it out with them. Some of them were fine once they understood that just because I wasn’t in “normal” school anymore, I was still just the same person. Some of them just wouldn’t accept this. And rather than trying to impossibly please them, I simply stopped trying to be their friend. Like I said, most of my friends accepted me when I began homeschooling and we have been friends ever since. It showed me the real friends and the fake ones. I could have spent a long time trying to please the same friends that just were not going to be pleased, but instead I decided to move on. I have since made many good friends, which could have been impeded by my never ending attempt to please my other friends. This taught me a very important lesson, not every friend is a real friend unfortunately.

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Oops….

As far as words being used in the wrong situtations, I do indeed have a story. When I was young, I was still learning all these different words and had a lot of fun using them. One word I came a cross however, had the wrong impact. Somewhere along the way I learned the word “damn” out of context, and therefore mistook it to just be another word of description. I didn’t understand the gravity or real meaning of the word and didn’t figure out it was bad until too late. Well, one day my friend and I were trying to find the perfrect place to build a fort, but we couldn’t find it. So finally we decided to build it in the garage using anything we could find. This was quickly stopped by my father and we went inside to complain to my mom about the situation. She simply said, “Why don’t you go find another place to build your fort?”. To this I academically responded with my new word. I said, “Well there is no other damn place!”. This was a mistake quickly corrected by my mom. Unfortunately the damage had already been done with my friend learning a new word he probably shouldn’t have learned. I have since been a little more cautious with my learning and usage of new words. This was probably not the best way to learn the meaning of the word, but at least it got the point across.

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