Theses! (but actually just one)

Although the atom bomb in WWII has had lasting negative consequences, the bomb saved more lives than it took because the alternative to ending the war was a massive invasion.




I'm not sure what this is, but for some reason a thesis search under creative commons finds it relative... so here you go!!

Issues For Days!

Effects of the Atomic Bomb in WWII: 


How much damage did the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki cause immediately?

Did the atom bomb end up saving more American and Japanese lives than an invasion would of?





Stem Cell Research:

What aspects of it caused President Bush to not fund it during his presidency?

Are there less controversial methods?




Sweatshops- (of course they are deplorable): 


Is boycotting sweatshops or buying from them the best way to stop their use?

 How many now thriving and civil nations and cities grew from sweatshops?

Why It Got Hot for LeBron in Miami

Michael Jordan is undoubtedly “The Man” in basketball. He earned this title because he has had 25 game-winning shots, 6 championships, and has been dubbed the best player to ever step foot on a NBA court. This is why his opinions on all matters associated with the NBA have nearly become law. LeBron James seems to have much of the talent of Jordan with exactly zero sixths of the championships. When LeBron chose to switch teams from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the stacked Miami Heat, it began a wave of controversy and dislike towards LeBron. The Miami Heat had several superstars already, and when Lebron left for Miami it looked like a desertion of the Cavaliers. Basketball fans had just begun to view LeBron as one of the greats before he switched; he had almost become “the man”. "The Michael Jordan view of LeBron James" is an effective argument that convinces basketball fans who dislike Lebron to stop and view LeBron as wise rather than short-sighted by using logic, appeals to authoritative NBA sources, and evolving, repetitious diction in order to break down what being “the man” in basketball means.

The author of “The Michael Jordan View of Lebron James”, Henry Abbott, begins with logical arguments of what made Jordan “the man”. Abbott defines being “the man” in a way everyone would agree with by using words like “indomitable”, “fearless”, and “victorious”. The order in which he presents the rest of his arguments is very logical and easy for a basketball fan to agree with. He first goes on to define why LeBron has not received the same level of applause as Jordan from basketball enthusiasts. He claims LeBron has not been living up to the current definition of “the man”: “When people heard that James was teaming up with Wade and Bosh [in Miami], though ... wow. You know how men have this reputation as not being willing to pull over and ask for directions?” Lebron switching teams for help was seen as a loss of man points.  However, Abbott goes on to logically break down the current definition of being “the man”. His arguments leave those with dislike for LeBron wondering why they have those feelings. He begins to logically lead them on a path that says perhaps being “the man” is more than attempting to win alone. Perhaps it is being able to build a better team in order to win championships, as LeBron has done. Abbott begins to cite Jordan’s own unhappiness at his team mates in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech in order to show the Jordan way of winning is unsatisfactory, “ ‘Jerry’s not here,’ Jordan explained. ‘I don’t know who’d invite him. I didn’t. ... ‘All this bitterness, even though they won championships together!’“ Abbott is logically driving home the point that LeBron has not been living up to what most people expected of him, but maybe people have been expecting the wrong thing. This is very effective because Abbott has made it clear that Michael Jordan was undoubtedly the hero of the NBA. Yet, Jordan has his own conflicts with his team mates that sports fans never saw. Abbott has efficiently declared that although Jordan won 6 championships, he was bitter. Maybe LeBron has discovered a way to win 6 championships without the hard feelings. Abbott has put his arguments in an order that leads readers to believe they have currently had the wrong definition of being “the man”.

With Michael Jordan being the premier ex- star of the NBA much of his opinion is agreed with and constantly supported. Abbott effectively appeals to the ultimate authority in basketball by using Michael Jordan quotes. He also makes a reference to Charles Barkley’s opinion, another basketball star, on LeBron, “Jordan, Charles Barkley and others are making fun of James -- perhaps the most biting of all of Jordan's words was "kid" -- for getting help.” Pulling in quotes from the past stars of the NBA is very effective, because most basketball fans find it hard to disagree with their favorite past NBA stars. Nearly all basketball fans love Michael Jordan, thus when Abbott quotes him to further his own point it is truly difficult to disagree. He sets up an untouchable, shining pillar to support his argument. He uses Jordan’s own opinion of success in the NBA to support LeBron’s decisions. One quote Abbott uses shows that maybe Jordan has more respect for LeBron than he has been showing. Jordan states, "There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry [Bird], called up Magic [Johnson] and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team,' " Jordan said, “But ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.” Abbott supports his own cause with Jordan’s quote which admits the game has changed and he cannot even blame LeBron. Michael Jordan, the legend of all basketball, just admitted that while he may not agree with LeBron’s choice, he doesn’t condemn him for making the decision. Abbott has shown that Jordan, the king of basketball, may agree that Lebron is making a good choice, which gives a big boost for Abbott’s argument.

In order to further break down the definition of being “the man” in basketball, Abbott employs repetitious diction; which is in fact one line repeated 3 times throughout the blog: “Hell no I don't need help.”  At first, the line is used to further strengthen the idea that Michael Jordan was the superstar of the NBA because he didn’t need help to play the game effectively. Part of being “the man” was not asking for help and getting it done all by yourself. The second time Abbott uses this line it is to show that LeBron did indeed fail as being “the man” by the current standard. However, when Abbott uses the line the third time he completely breaks down the old definition of being “the man” in sports, and ultimately ridicules the idea of not seeking help in order to win championship. He draws basketball fans in with the repetitious diction in a very clever way. He gets basketball fans to agree with his argument of what “the man” in basketball is. The line is used twice to ridicule LeBron’s choices: which Abbott’s target audience, basketball fans who dislike LeBron, will find favorable. However, the third time he employs the repetitious line he strikes down what being “the man” entails, and shocks his readers. He states how Jordan could have been more useful to his team. He takes the repetitious diction the basketball fans have come to trust, and throws it in their faces, “By the metrics of being the man, Jordan would have been a failure. Talk about pulling over to ask for directions. But Jordan would have been a better winner. He'd be more valuable to his team and his fans in every way if somehow he had pulled that off. Hell no I don't need help.” The final use of the repeated line is used very sarcastically as if to say only a fool would not seek help. The repetitious diction was cleverly used over time in order to finally break down the essence of the hate against LeBron. At first the line is condemning and points an ugly finger at LeBron; however, the final time it is used it puts LeBron on a pedestal by breaking down arguments against him.

Henry Abbott builds his case for LeBron by using diction that repeats and evolves, appealing to authoritative NBA sources, and the use of logical arguments. The repetitious diction evolves in order to become a powerful line to support Abbott’s view. When Abbott pulls in quotes by Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley it is hard to disagree with such stars of basketball and thus creates a compelling argument. Abbott also has the ability to logically construct an argument that breaks down the definition of being “the man” within basketball. His argument very convincingly turns the heads of basketball fans that dislike LeBron. These three uses of rhetoric combine to create a compelling argument and issue a call for all basketball fans to think a little more clearly before throwing out another insult against LeBron James.

Reflection Time!

Well, I actually kind of liked the RA despite not having to be creative. I guess I'm just not that creative in general. Actually, I know that's true but that's ok. When it comes down to it I just thought this paper came together a lot easier for me than the Opinion Editorial. It's probably because I had a better subject this time so I was actually able to really write the paper and be satisfied with the result.

Plus! I had this nice lady at the writing center who wasn't scary and kind of mean like the girl I got for the opinion editorial. She had a lot of really helpful suggestions that I still need to add into my paper.

And it's National Flag Day in Mexico... in case anyone was wondering.

Comparison de Peer Editing Styles ("of" is the only Spanish word I knew from that last line)

Well, both the OpEd and the RA styles of peer editing were good and bad for different  reasons. When it came down to it though, I liked the RA style more. It was good to get more opinions because my paper needs all the help it can get. They tore my paper down better as a team than would one person alone. Which is good because if the tearing down doesn't kill my paper it makes it stronger right? Unless it lost a leg or arm or something... Anyways my favorite part of the RA style of peer editing was that the essays were read before class. I felt like that gave more time for the editors to analyze the papers closer and get the general picture better than usual. SO cheers to the RA style!

I wish I was as cute as this kid when I was little...

Power of the Word

Analogy: Abbott takes LeBron looking to team up with other superstars and compares it to a man stopping to ask for directions. It's not suppose to happen.  "When people heard that James was teaming up with Wade and Bosh, though ... wow. You know how men have this reputation as not being willing to pull over and ask for directions?"

Tone: Abbott begins to ridicule, with a biting tone, the current definition of being "the man" in basketball. "In your personal life, do you find it true that real men don't pass the ball, or share, or have friends, or smile or all that? The Jordan/Bryant way was one way to do it, but it's hardly the only way to get the job done." 

Rhetorical Question: "But more importantly, how do we know James' end goal is to be the man?"




Is this what being "the man" means? Maybe...

THE Thesis!

"The Michael Jordan view of LeBron James" is an effective argument that convinces haters of Lebron to calm down and see LeBron as wise rather than short-sighted  because it uses logic, appeals to NBA authority, and repetitious diction in order to change the current unpopular perspective on Lebron.

Wow that thesis is a doozy...

From One Blog to Another

Who's the Next Michael Jordan?
Topic: What happened to Lebron's fanbase? It disappeared as quickly as he changed teams.
Author: Henry Abbott
Audience: Basketball fans, present and past. Especially Michael Jordan and Lebron/ Kobe fans.

Should News Come With a Warning Label?
Topic: How news and the media may be detrimental to our emotional well-being.
Author: Dick Cavett
Audience: Anyone who views news regularly.

Is Drumming Good For You? (Of Course!!)
Topic: Does laying down rhythmic beats improve mental and physical health?
Author: Joe Besso
Audience: Drummers (so they have a reason to play for extended periods of time no matter how loud it may be) Anyone who wants to become healthier.



                                           The Man- The Myth- The Legend- Travis Barker.
                                             

Opinion Editorial: What Was My Opinion Again?

Well, to be completely honest, this assignment worked me forwards and backwards. To put it in sports terms, I was Kendrick Perkins, and Blake Griffin dunked on my face.

I think I was confused about how in-depth the Opinion Editorial was going to become. My topic started out as me ranting on bad hand shakes, lo and behold, I would soon have to support it with logic and authority; I was dumb-founded. My editorial became a 750 word "how to" instead of "here's why".

The lady at the Writing Center shot my paper down so hard that maybe she, and not the editorial, was the Blake Griffin in this assignment: all 5 ' 2 of her. Either way I got roughed up, and my polished draft hardly resembles my final draft I turned in. I had to seriously revamp it after the Writing Center. I lost a lot of my somewhat sarcastic tone and became very... factual (ehhh).

I still thought it was a great assignment and I would pick a different topic next time. My problem was my lack of understanding on what exactly I would have to do with my ravings (not THESE kind of raves) and rantings.

My Rhetorical Analysis will be the best!