Sequences #4 Prospectus

Sequence #4
Proposal for Analytical Paper

I am going to look at some of the political policies of Barack Obama. Since he is now the president elect of the United States, it is very likely that we will see many of these ideas come to be much more than ideas, possibly a new reality during some time over the course of his four year term. I think that it will be interesting to see what his plans are for the future of our country. I will also be comparing some of these to the actions of previous presidents and what the results of those actions were. This may give us an idea of where some of Obama’s policies will be taking us in the future.
I will be writing mainly an analytical paper over the political policies of Barack Obama. I may also be including some opinion or personal insight on some of the topics. That would be over the reasons why some of these policies may be good or bad, or may or may not work. Generally, I will be presenting some of Obama’s main political ideas and how they might affect America and the American people. Also, I may include a little bit about how some of his foreign policies will change the way America does things overseas. This may also have an impact on the way America is perceived by other countries.
My target audience is the American people. Although it could be just the American people in general, it is mainly directed to those who are of at least voting age, or anyone else who may be interested in this topic. This may include a wide selection of people, because I am sure that almost everyone is concerned with what will be going on in their future. It will matter to many people because it could deal with tax rates, health care, and the availability of employment opportunities. Also, America is a major player in world politics, so even people who do not live in America may be interested in America’s foreign policies because they will be affected by them as well.
I think many of the American people vote without knowing where the candidates stand on certain issues. Although it is a little bit too late for this election, this will inform them of what the plans are for the next four years in America. It will also compare some of these plans to similar or opposite actions and policies that have been taken in the past and the consequences, both good and bad, of these actions and policies. Knowing some of these things may be helpful so that people know what to expect in the near future. Knowing what to expect in the future may prove to be useful when trying to prepare for it. It could help people to plan ahead with things such as major purchases and investments.
There is a lot of information out there, so I will have to be careful where I get my information from. I’m sure not all of it will be true due to the recent election. I may have some trouble figuring out which sources on the internet are reliable enough to be able to use information from and cite in my paper. One source that will be really good for me to get reliable information about where Barack Obama stands on certain issues is his own official website that was created for the election. There may also be other good sources such as the Democratic National Committee’s website. I may be able to get information about past presidents’ actions and policies from online encyclopedias. There might also be some useful information in history books about the actions of past presidents’ policies and actions. I might also be able to find statements from a political expert about how they predict Obama’s plans will affect America’s future.

Staples Reading

I find it interesting to learn that some people are so afraid of others, and it is based on just the way they look. I never knew all of the things people do in order to avoid others. I learned that they do things such as speed up their pace, turn a corner, lock their car doors, and turn around a corner. Some people would also hunch down when they came near the author. And the author was chased in his own workplace because others thought he might be a burgular? I find that to be ridiculous. I have never really thought about any of this because I am not from a big city. I am from a small town. I know a lot of the people and I have never felt any reason to be afraid of anyone. There is not a certain part of town that people are afraid to go to or that they avoid if they can. I have never even thought about doing that kind of thing, or what fear might cause some people to do. I guess I take for granted that the place where I live is safe. I don’t have to worry about where I go or who is around me. I just know that nothing is going to happen. I can’t imagine living in a city where you have to watch behind you as you walk and keep a close eye on anyone around you.

I also noticed another angle to this story. There are also the things that the author did because other people were afraid of him. The fear changed not only the behavior of those that were afraid, but also the behavior of the one who was feared. He didn’t want people to be afraid of him. It bothered him when he saw this and people avoided him. That caused him to change some things he did so that he wouldn’t appear to be as threatening. That made him do things like stay farther away from people, wait so that it doesn’t seem to others like he is following them, and starting to whistle while he walks. It is hard to believe that someone has to change the way they do things in an attempt to make people less afraid of them.

Rhetorical Analysis Topic

I have chosen to write my rhetorical analysis on Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream Speech." Not only is it an important part of our nation's history, but it also contains a good deal of rhetoric. It refers to the U.S. Constitution as a means of authority. It also appeals to emotion with such words as "persecution", "suffering", and "languished."

Example of Rhetoric

A Bud Light contains more than one logical fallacy. It has a false analogy. It shows a guy flying after drinking it, but it really won't make you fly. It also has hasty generalization. The guy in the commercial is having a good time, so you will too if you drink Bud Light. It tells you that it is everything you want in a beer and shows that it will make you have a great time.

Rhetorical- McCormick

I think McCormick makes a very valid argument. I also agree with her to some extent. As she mentioned that the brochure shows the picture of some students jumping with joy. While some of the students may be happy with their dorm rooms, location, and meal plans, I haven’t seen anyone on campus running around jumping with joy.

I have not experienced living in the doors at Miami myself. I commute, so I don’t know exactly what the dorms are like. I don’t have to wait on the showers or to wash my laundry. McCormick may be having a bad experience in her dorm and with her food. Her roommate may keep her up late sometimes, and she may not like the food, but who is to say that this isn’t an extreme case. I think the food at Miami is good, but this is just one more opinion or point of view. Most other kids may be happy with their roommates and their meal plans, or maybe not. It is hard to base a collective opinion of Miami, with over 3600 in the freshman class, off of what just one person says.

While she makes fun of all of the police around, I think it is good that they are around. I have never felt threatened or seen any reason for them to be around. Safety precautions are a good thing though, and their presence certainly can not hurt.

She did a good job explaining her argument though. She stated what it was that she didn’t like. She also backed it up with several reasons she was not enjoying her dorm and her meal plan. The way she wrote, she left the door open for many others to join in or her argument. There may be many other students who aren’t happy with their dorms or don’t always get along with their roommates. There also may be many other students who don’t like the food at Miami. I think she does make a valid argument though.

Thick Description

It is quiet and peaceful. There are no sounds of humans. No automobiles, no voices, no machinery, no music, and no television. There are no disturbances. It is very calm and relaxing. All you can hear is the cool breeze blowing gently through the leaves of the trees as they patiently soak up the warm sunlight. It will sometimes pick up and drown out all of the other sounds by rattling the leaves. Some of them even flutter down to the ground as fall is fast approaching. There are also many bugs making plenty of noise. There are the crickets with their chirping. It starts growing louder and louder. Then they become quiet, but then it comes back again. You can hear birds chirping. There is also the occasional bark of a dog and the hum of an airplane passing overhead.

It is warm in the sun but cool in the shade. You can smell the sweet clover and the hay in the gentle breeze. There is no pollution, no exhaust in the cool summer breeze. Hay fields and woods stretch as far as I can see. The sunlight is dancing beautifully on the ground as the leaves rustle in the breeze. Hundreds of moths fly around playfully in the hay field. They land momentarily, and then take off again, chasing each other playfully. There is a squirrel making his chattering noise in the distance. A bee will come buzzing by every once in a while. A bird is moving gracefully from branch to branch. Jumping, then effortlessly flapping its wings time and time again. The sun is very bright, lighting up the sky to be a beautiful bright blue. There is not a cloud in sight.

There is so much freedom. There are no clocks ticking, no telephones ringing, no schedules to try to keep, no place to be. There is just nature, peacefully and calmly carrying out its everyday life. The animals dart to and fro, living without a care in the world. They bother no one else, just taking care of their own business.

First Journal

I think that I am a little uncertain in my writing. I would say it is because I didn’t have a lot of success with my writing my freshman year in high school. My papers would be all marked up when I got them back, and I never got a good grade on them. I never learned how to fix what was wrong with them, which just made things worse. That made me dread writing the next one, so I probably didn’t do as well as I could have. I felt that way because I just knew that my writing wasn’t good enough, and I didn’t have a clue how to fix it for the next paper I had to write. I just knew it was going to be wrong again.

Things got better as I went on through high school. I would say what helped me the most was senior year. We wrote several papers last year. They were all different kinds. I found it helpful to work on things that I needed at the time, such as learning how to write college essays and research papers. We were allowed to keep revising our papers as many times as we wanted. My first paper had several revisions. I think I learned a lot more by being allowed to correct my mistakes and learn from them. That way, as the year went on, I had fewer and fewer revisions to do on the papers I was writing. I think my senior year was the most valuable to me in terms of learning how to write more effectively.

I used to hate writing, but now it doesn’t seem so bad although I may still hesitate at some points. I think that is the hardest part for me. I usually find it difficult to get started. I think that English class will be helpful because it helps teach you how to communicate your ideas more effectively to other people. I see this as being very important, especially in the business world. My favorite two things to write are probably short stories and letters. I like them because they seem to be logical and have a practical use for me. I have a harder time writing things that I see as being pointless to me in my future.