Reflection on Project 3

In this post I will be reflecting on the public argument I created for Project 3. I will conduct my reflection by answering the questions posed in Writing Public Lives.

Simon. "Laos Tree Water Reflection Mirroring Southeast" 11/19/2011 via Pixabay.
CCO Public Domain/ FAQ License. 

1. What was specifically revised from one draft to another?
From my first draft to my second draft I made significant changes as I switched the type of argumentative paper I was writing. After writing my first draft I saw that my attempt at a causal argument was not effective, and after my conference I decided that an evaluative argument would be more effective.

2. Point to global changes: how did you reconsider your thesis or organization?
Because I changed what type of paper I would be writing, my thesis changed from trying to identify the causes of fracking to establishing that fracking could be improved by changing how fracking is done.

3. What led you to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A shift in purpose?
All of the changes that I made resulted from a shift in the purpose I wanted my paper to have. I shifted purpose because I decided that this new purpose would allow my argument to be more effective.

4. How do these changes affect your credibility as an author?
I think all of these changes, especially my change in purpose makes me more credible as an author because now I have an argument where I can give my own view/perspective on instead of just repeating someone else's view.

5. How will these changes better address the audience or venue?
I think these changes help me better reach my audience. Because I wrote for an environmental blog, all of the readers are already environmentalists to some degree, so they most likely have opinions on fracking before reading my post. So, I am presenting hopefully some new information that will interest them.

6. Point to local changes: how did you reconsider sentence structure and style?
I think between my drafts I did not change the sentence style or structure very much. Even though I made some dramatic changes to the type and purpose of my writing, I did not change my audience or where I wanted to publish.

7. How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?
I think my purpose is much clearer to my audience because now I am trying to present new information to my audience that will hopefully change their opinion on fracking instead of giving them information they most likely already know.

8. Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing?
No, the genre and publishing area did not change, so the conventions stayed the same.

9. Finally, how does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?
I think this project has made me realize that I prefer to analyze an existing concept, similar to the evaluation we did in project 3. I feel like this is an area where I am able to make a convincing argument.

Publishing Public Argument

In the post below I will provide a link to access the final draft of my Project 3: Public Argument and a reflection about my project 3.

Logan. "The End Book." 8/23/2010 via Wikipedia. Public Domain. 

HERE is a link to the final copy of Project 3: My Public Argument.

1. Mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience currently stands on the issue (before reading/watching/hearing your argument) below:

                                                           

←---------------------------------------------------X--|--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

2. Now mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience should be (after they've read/watched/heard your argument) below:

←-------------------------X---------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

3. Check one (and only one) of the argument types below for your public argument:

         _______ My public argument establishes an original pro position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument establishes an original con position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument clarifies the causes for a problem that is being debated.

         _______ My public argument proposes a solution for a problem that is being debated.

         ___X___ My public argument positively evaluate a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm supporting).

         _______ My public argument openly refutes a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm refuting).

4. Briefly explain how your public argument doesn’t simply restate information from other sources, but provides original context and insight into the situation:

-I think I was able to make my argument different from what has already been written because I was able to include information from many different places as evidence in my argument. Also, because I researched the demographic of treehugger.com's viewers I learned that I am in the same generation as majority of their viewers. Therefore, I was able to appeal to them as I relate to them. 

5. Identify the specific rhetorical appeals you believe you've employed in your public argument below:
I tried to keep my argument logical by providing lots of evidence and information from studies. I also hyperlinked to all the different sources I used the links to show my audience that the information I included was credible. In addition to my logical appeals, I tried to appeal to the emotional side of my audience. I tried to make my reader's feel hopeful in the future of water-free fracking. 

Ethical or credibility-establishing appeals

                    _____ Telling personal stories that establish a credible point-of-view

                    __X__ Referring to credible sources (established journalism, credentialed experts, etc.)

                    _____ Employing carefully chosen key words or phrases that demonstrate you are credible (proper terminology, strong but clear vocabulary, etc.)

                    __X__ Adopting a tone that is inviting and trustworthy rather than distancing or alienating

                    __X___ Arranging visual elements properly (not employing watermarked images, cropping images carefully, avoiding sloppy presentation)

                    __X__ Establishing your own public image in an inviting way (using an appropriate images of yourself, if you appear on camera dressing in a warm or friendly or professional manner, appearing against a background that’s welcoming or credibility-establishing)

                    _____ Sharing any personal expertise you may possess about the subject (your identity as a student in your discipline affords you some authority here)

                    _____ Openly acknowledging counterarguments and refuting them intelligently

                    __X__ Appealing openly to the values and beliefs shared by the audience (remember that the website/platform/YouTube channel your argument is designed for helps determine the kind of audience who will encounter your piece)

                    _____ Other: 

Emotional appeals

                    _____ Telling personal stories that create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Telling emotionally compelling narratives drawn from history and/or the current culture

                    _____ Employing the repetition of key words or phrases that create an appropriate emotional impact

                    __X__ Employing an appropriate level of formality for the subject matter (through appearance, formatting, style of language, etc.)

                    _____ Appropriate use of humor for subject matter, platform/website, audience

                    _____ Use of “shocking” statistics in order to underline a specific point

                    _____ Use of imagery to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Employing an attractive color palette that sets an appropriate emotional tone (no clashing or ‘ugly’ colors, no overuse of too many variant colors, etc.)

                    _____ Use of music to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Use of sound effects to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    __X_ Employing an engaging and appropriate tone of voice for the debate

                    _____ Other: 

Logical or rational appeals

                    _____ Using historical records from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    _____ Using statistics from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    _____ Using interviews from stakeholders that help affirm your stance or position

                    _____ Using expert opinions that help affirm your stance or position

                    _____ Effective organization of elements, images, text, etc.

                    _____ Clear transitions between different sections of the argument (by using title cards, interstitial music, voice over, etc.)

                    _____ Crafted sequencing of images/text/content in order to make linear arguments

                    _____ Intentional emphasis on specific images/text/content in order to strengthen argument

                    _____ Careful design of size/color relationships between objects to effectively direct the viewer’s attention/gaze (for visual arguments)

                    __X__ Other: Using recent and relevant studies as evidence.

Examples of my genre:
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3

Reflection on Project 3 Draft

Here I will reflect on the peer editing I received on my draft of project 3.

OpenClipartVectors. "Write Pencil Paper Blank Draft Writing Office" 11/15/2013 via Pixabay.
CCO Public Domain/ FAQ License.  

I peer reviewed Morgan and Kelly's Project 3 drafts.

1. Who reviewed your Project 3 Draft?
Savannah reviewed my draft.

2. What did you think and/or feel about the feedback you received?
I thought Savannah gave a lot of feedback and I was really grateful for that. She gave me a lot of examples of where I could improve my argument and that was really helpful for me to see. I think she was very objective in her comments, and it was really nice to see a peer edit that was more here this is what needs to be fixed, than just saying it was okay.

3. What aspects of your Project 3 need the most work going forward?
I think like Savannah pointed out the biggest things I need to work on for my draft going forward is providing more commentary, and making the commentary and examples I include more effective but targeting my audience more. I also think the conventions of my argument could be more emphasized, especially comparing my draft to the drafts I peer edited, I can add a lot more and make my draft look like it belongs on a blog.

4. How are you feeling overall about the direction of your project after peer review and/or instructor conferences this week?
I think the instructor conference helped a lot. A lot of the feedback I got on my draft mentioned the issues that I was having with my draft, like what kind of commentary I should include. After the conference I have a different angle to take with my argument, and I think with this new angle I have a lot more I can include in the commentary.

Project 3 Draft

In this post I will include a link to my Project 3 Draft. This is a very ROUGH draft of my final project.

o5com. "Men Arguing" 8/25/2010 via Flickr. CC BY 2.0 License. 

What I want my peer editors to look for.

• Because I am writing my argument as a blog post, I know I have to keep my paragraphs brief, and concise. However, I feel like I am not providing enough information. Any suggestion would be appreciated. 
• I am also worried that the small paragraphs I'm writing are making the essay too choppy. 

Here is a link to my Project 3 Draft: My Public Argument.

Considering Visual Elements

In the following post I will reflect on questions from the Writing Public Lives regarding the visual elements that I will include in my text.

Erb, Conrad. "Periodic Table Elements Cupcakes" 10/2/2011 via Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0 License. 

How might I vary the fonts used in my project for emphasis, such as in the title and body of my project?
I might try to use different fonts to present the examples and in my commentary on the evidence. I think this would make it distinct what I added and what is evidence.

If my project uses text boxes to break up the text of my argument, do the text boxes effectively draw my audience's attention to the most important points of my argument?
Because I am writing a blog, I might use a text box to include a quote, I think it was called a "pull quote" (but I could be wrong). I think this would help emphasize what I consider to be an important piece of text.

Is the feeling or tone that the image invokes appropriate to the visual rhetorical tone of my argument?
I think I will include pictures in my argument. One example of a picture I for sure want to include is a picture of the "flammable water" I think this will help me in my ethos appeal. So, for me using ethos to appeal to my audience is appropriate because I am trying to get them to care so they are motivated to do something.

Does the image inform or emphasize my argument in an important way, or does it seem superficial or unrelated to my argument?
I think the images I want to include will help my emphasis in an important way because they are showing the audience how serious the issue is.

If you are using design elements such as lines and section headings, do they create clear transitions from each major point in your argument?
Because a blog is made up of many, typically, shorter chunks of text I think the lines between the text will help make clear transitions
.
Scan your public argument or your outline. Do your eyes move easily from section to section in the order that you intended?
I think because I am writing in a blog post with small chunks of text separated with spaces, it will help make it easy for the reader's eyes to navigate.

Reflection: 
After reading Trey and Kyle's posts about the visual elements I realized how important the visual elements can be to the specific genre. Especially because Kyle's style is so different from mine, it was interesting to see how varied the conventions are. He is writing an academic styled paper, and if he used conventions like mine, I think it would hurt his credibility and his argument.

Trey on the other hand has a genre very similar to mine, where short paragraphs and very little visuals are used. I think these conventions are the most effective because anything more ruins the scan-ability of the text.

Project 3 Outline

In the following post I will be providing a rough outline for my Project 3 paper.

Italian-Pitbull. "Canaan Dog Female Lineart" 3/18/2015 via Deviantart.com. CC BY 3.0 License. 

Introduction:

1. Background on why the demand for natural gas has increased recently. 
2. Define what fracking is. 
3. State opinion: fracking is harmful to the environment. 
4. Explain why fracking is important to them--the state of the environment is our problem (college students) and the problems of our children and their children and so on. 

Main Body 

1. Major Supporting Arguments. 
1. Fracking causes large methane emissions.
2. Fracking leads to water contamination.
3. Fracking causes things like Earthquakes.
2. Major Criticisms. 
1. Natural gas is a cleaner burn product than gas/oil. 
3. Key Support and Rebuttal Points.
1. The three points under "Major Supporting Arguments." 
4. Tentative Topic Sentence.
1. While fracking produces natural gas, a cleaner-burn alternative to oil, it also produces high levels of methane emissions, a very efficient greenhouse gas. 
2. Not only does fracking leach toxins into the atmosphere, but fracking contributes to contaminated ground water. 
3. Forcing highly pressurized water underground is bound to have consequences, and fracking has been linked to earthquakes in fracking sites. 
5. Gather Evidence.
1. Methane Emissions 
1. Methane Emissions in Texas are 50% higher than estimated. 
2. Ingraffea and Howarth talk about methane emissions 
2. Contaminated Ground Water
1. GreenPeace
2. Flammable water 
3. Earthquakes 
1. Man-made earthquakes 
2. Earthquakes caused by the water disposal not fracking process 
6. Map Out the Argument. 
1. Fracking causes large amounts of methane to be released into the atmosphere. 
1. evidence 1- elevated levels of methane in Texas
1. commentary- why methane emissions are so harmful
1. very strong greenhouse gas, and the increased levels of methane may cancel out the "clean-burn" properties of natural gas 
2. evidence 2- Ingraffea and Howarth talk about methane  
1. commentary on the speakers credentials
1. Ingraffea has experience in the field.  
2. Fracking and its related processes can lead to groundwater contamination. 
1. evidence 1- contamination of water Pennsylvania 
1. commentary-what types of chemicals are leaching into the water
2. how the water is being contaminated 
2. evidence 2- flammable water
1. commentary- water is being tainted with methane 
2. how is the water being contaminated
3. health effects if people were to drink the tainted water
3. Earthquakes 
1. evidence 1- man-made earthquakes
2. evidence 2- earthquakes caused by water disposal not fracking process
1. how fracking causes these earthquakes
1. connection to fault lines
2. frequency of the earthquakes
3. where the earthquakes are occurring

Conclusion 

Call to action--in the introduction I pointed out to my audience how this issue affects them, and after I have explained the issue to them I can tell them what they can do to act on it. 

Analyzing My Genre

In this post I will be providing links to example texts from my genre. I have decided to write my argument as a blog post, and below are examples of blog posts from the platform I wish to use, treehugger.com. Because I am not sure which type of public argument I will be writing in, I used my examples to show that the blog genre will support multiple types of arguments.

Hashimoto, Jayni. "Treehugger.com" 11/7/15 via Screenshot. 

Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5

Social Context

• Where is your genre typically set?
• My genre is blog posts. As a result the genre is set online. 
• What is the subject of the genre?
• I think because anyone can write a blog, the subjects can be about anything. But I think the people who write blogs do so to share an opinion or educate people so blogs tend to be more informative and biased. 
• Who uses the genre?
• Because this is an online genre, I think the audience tends to be younger people who are more technologically savvy. I also think because there are so many blogs out there the people who read the blogs tend to be more interested in the topic, because they had to find it. 
• When and why is the genre used? What purposes does the genre serve for the people who use it?
• I think this genre is used to share opinions about things, in particular specific events that occur. So this genre is used by writers to share their thoughts and feelings about things like when GM announced that the Chevy Bolt would be sold in all 50 states.  

Rhetorical Patterns of the Genre

• What type of context is usually included and excluded?
• Content that is typically found in blogs posts includes: background information, relevant facts to back up the author's claim, and an opinion on the topic. However, blogs tend to exclude very technical words and vocab. 
• What rhetorical appeals are used most often? Do you notice any patterns in the appeals to logos, pathos, or ethos?
• I think blogs tend to utilize ethos and logos the most. Blogs are usually on the shorter side, so they have to make an impact in a shorter amount of time. I feel like these are the easiest ways to get the reader to interact with the text. 
• How are the texts organized? Do they generally open in similar ways? What common parts do the samples share?
• Blogs are typically opened with a "lead," or a short summary of the rest of the text. They are typically organized with subheadings or shorter chunks of text. 
• Do sentences in the genre share a certain style? Are they mostly active, passive, simple, or complex? Is there an abundance or lack of questions, exclamation points, or semi-colons?
• I think sentences in the blog genre are often written as simple and active sentences. They do not include a lot of questions, as they are usually used to provide information to the audience, not question them. 
• What type of word choice is used? Do many of the words fit in a particular category of jargon or slang? Is the overall effect of the word choice formal, informal, humorous, or academic?
• I think blogs are definitely informal. The word choice may include some slang, depending on the subject of the particular blog, but overall blogs exclude a lot of technical jargon. 

Analyze What those Patterns Reveal about the Social Context of the Genre

• Who does the genre include and who does it exclude?
• I think one of the great things about blogs is they are so accessible, and as a result while they may have specific targets, they don't necessarily exclude readers. I think the biggest deterrent to readers is that blogs are online, so the reader has to be able to access them. 
• What roles for writers and readers does the genre encourage?
• Blogs typically encourage a relationship between the reader and the writer. Because they are typically equipped with the ability to comment, the writer is encouraging the readers to contribute to the discussion. 
• What values and beliefs are assumed about or encouraged from users of the genre?
• I think blogs assume that the reader has some interest in the subject matter being discussed because the reader had to do something to find the blog. Like, above I think the genre encourages the users to get involved in the discussion. 
• What context does the genre treat as most valuable? Least valuable? 
• I think the genre treats its accessibility as one of the most important things. Because it is such an easy way for people to get information about a topic, they make sure to not bog down the information with formalities or technical jargon. 

Reflection:

After reading Dylan and Alyssa's posts I realize that even though we are all writing in slightly different genres, they share a lot of similarities. For example, they all of the genres appeal to a very large group of people, and they aren't very exclusive in who views/reads them. Also, it seems like all of our genres tend to be very informal, which explains why our genres are so easy to read.