Proposal

My proposal is to write about changing of the marijuana laws currently in effect. My audience is going to be adults over 30 because they seem to be the most hostile audience towards this controversial topic. The recent vote down of proposition 19 in California that called to regulate and tax marijuana reinforced the idea that while many people think it is logical there is still a strong opposition mostly from older adults as was indicated by the vote. Leglaizing and regulating marijuana would bring a black market drug with medical benefits and recreational appeal to the public with the possibility of bringing in staggering amounts of tax revenue.

Essay Topics Journal

-Gun laws
-Marijuana Legalization
-Drinking Age
-Death Penalty
-CEO Pay (oppose)
-National Language (USA)
-Pharmacist Refusal

Demographics and Anaphora

The demographics at penn state are primarily students aged within 17-24. Otherwise it is very diverse, besides being mostly white, the campus is very spread in terms of religion and ethnicity. The campus seems mostly male, but not by a large margin.

An anaphora is a repetition of words that, when used properly, stress a certain point. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. repeated the phrase "I have a dream" in his famous speech. They are often used in literature especially in poems with serious tones and speeches as well.

Proposal-Investigative Report

For my investigation I am going to research the reasoning behind why video games are so addictive, but also are great learning tools. I believe that playing video games brings an aspect of imagination and problem solving that are difficult concepts to learn. Playing video games has always been associated with nerds, but more recently has swept the country and the world. Why is it that playing virtual reality games that require simply coordinating the buttons on a controller with characters on a tv screen are so helpful to the development and maturation of our minds?

Transition HS-College

My experience coming from high school to college was a little different than most freshman at Penn State. Two weeks after graduating, I came to Penn State for summer session. It was one of the best summers I have ever had. We had very light schedules, and lots of free time. The classes, however, were very helpful in transitioning to college life. We often had projects and 2-3 papers a week to write for different classes. It helped me adjust to living on my own and managing my time. The fall has been much more hectic, but not very difficult to adjust to because I already knew my way around campus and had made friends in the summer. All in all, it was a very smooth transition for me coming from high school to college.

Proposal

1.     Sports, and the experiences and affects they have had on my life. I will focus on golf, basketball and lacrosse all of which I played in high school.

2.     a. I want to convey my experiences and lessons learned through organized sports leagues at the high school level.

b. I can contribute stories of seasons that I participated in sports and the

highs and lows of playing sports.

3.     Audience: a. My peers and athletes of any sport, as well as the student body. They can all learn lessons that cannot be learned without working with others in a team form or individual sports.

b. They know the ideas behind the sports, but not all of the behind the scenes action and work that goes into a full sporting season.

c. I will address the audience in a straight forward manner, and channel my most memorable and forgettable moments and the lessons they taught me off the field.
4.  I want to teach the audience about the work ethic and values that playing different sports can help people learn almost subconsciously.

5. My narrative will be in an informative fashion, but captivating the audience with moments of struggle and moments of excellence, from the practice field to in-game situations, this experience is relatable but unique to those who have not played serious sports.

6.  a. My constraints are that it is hard to show the character and stature of my coaches and include the emotion that makes sports so intense. I plan to appeal to the basic knowledge many non athletes have about sports and expand it.

b. I will use factual evidence, detail struggles and successes, and speak to the morals and character that can be built through playing sports.

7. Tentative thesis- Participating in sports on organized teams is a great way to learn difficult life lessons and strengthen character.

Journal Prompt #1

Everyday life provides a variety of rhetorical scenarios. While many are straight forward and to the point, others contain underlying messages, some intentional, some unintentional. Simply the tone of speaking or writing can convey a side to the original message that reveals a whole different meaning. For example, if I told someone about how I, "Obviously have been to outer space", my intended meaning would be seen as saying that I have never been to outer space. When speaking with others, it is very common to subconsciously use persuasive or suggestive language. By changing the pitch or rhythm we speak with, it is very easy to unknowingly influence another person's decision making process or opinion about something. It also may depend on how we address others when speaking to them. If I am speaking to a group of people I will be much more objective subconsciously knowing that everyone must gain the same meaning of my message, but may not all understand a more complex version. In terms of the conscious persuasive language used in everyday life, things such as personal bias, or preferences tend to be part of our speech. Using buzz words like "best", "amazing", "terrible", all will influence the message because of the forced opinions and exaggeration that have been used. The things we control during speaking, our tone, dynamism, and word choice all intentionally influence the messages we send to others, even if they are not the intended receiver. It is very crucial to be aware of your audience and speak to them appropriately because these skills are very important to learn and utilize throughout life.