Momoussa's Blog

Reflection on pleasure and pain & reflective statement

momoussa — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:32:46 +0000

Throughout this semester I have enjoyed this English course as it has allowed me to express my thoughts on certain topics that are controversial and do it in an effective and persuasive manner. with regards to my first essay (argument analysis) ‘the joy of less’ by Pico Lyer, I enjoyed analyzing this article as it allowed me to understand how to make an argument more persuasive and effective by looking at another authors techniques and analyzing their effectiveness. This I believe was very important for me as it has allowed me to improve on my own writing, as in the past I would usually stray off the topic and that would have and adverse affect on the effectiveness of my argument.

With regards to the second essay, I found it to be extremely useful as here I was free to decide on a topic that is directly related to happiness. Similarly to essay one, instead of analyzing an article this time I would write it. My article was about ‘how sports is beneficial to a person’s overall wellbeing and happiness’ writing this essay was extremely enjoyable as I was able to include my personal experience with the topic and it allowed me to use effective persuasive tools (similarly to those I analyzed in essay 1). Overall I believe this assignment was essential as it allowed me to develop my writing skills more.

With the final essay, I believe it required all the skills we have been learning since the beginning of the semester as this time we had to, ‘make a “proposal” argument in which you argue for a particular plan of action which may increase happiness or reduce suffering (for yourself, for a particular group, for a whole society.)’ After I saw this I was quite excited as I had seen a documentary about the death penalty and the controversy of it, therefore my argument was ‘that the death penalty should be banned as it is inhumane and promotes the idea that execution is a valid method of resolving a problem.’ Throughout the process of this essay I had done a lot of research to support my argument (statistics, case studies) which proved to be extremely useful at allowing me to keep the argument focused on the topic and more importantly making the argument richer and more persuasive as it is a proposal.

Prep for Essay 3

momoussa — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:33:44 +0000

The death penalty should be banned as it is inhumane and promotes the idea that execution is a valid method of resolving a problem.

Here are my sources:

“Arguments against capital punishment .” BBC news. 12 March 2002. Web. 15 Dec 2009. .

“Autopsy Reports Expose Cruelty of Lethal Injection.” Death Row Speaks. February 13, 2006. Death Row Speaks, Web. 6 Dec 2009. .

Dark, Richard. “The electric chair 1889 – ?.” Capital Punishment U.K.. Capital Punishment U.K., Web. 6 Dec 2009. .

“Deterrence: States Without the Death Penalty Have Had Consistently Lower Murder Rates.” Death Penalty Information Center . 2007. Death Penalty Information Center, Web. 6 Dec 2009. .

“Innocence Cases: 2004 – Present.” Death Penalty Information Center. 2004. Death Penalty Information Center, Web. 6 Dec 2009. .

“Quotation Details.” The Quotations Page . 2007. QuotationsPage.com , Web. 6 Dec 2009. .

“Saddam aides hanged, but not as planned.” MSNBC. Jan. 15, 2007. Reuters, Web. 6 Dec 2009. .

Thompson, Estes. “N.C. man acquitted of murder.”Charlotte News-Observer. February 18, 2004. Charolette Observer, Web. 6 Dec 2009. .

Prep for Essay 2

momoussa — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:57:10 +0000

Sports are directly related to ones happiness and are more effective then medication and other alternatives.

here are the sources i will use:

http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/john-yeager/2007011033

http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/the-art-of-defying-death/

http://www.biopsychiatry.com/serotonin.htm

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2248/is_140_35/ai_70777840/?tag=content;col1

http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/endorphins-101-your-guide-natural-euphoria.html

http://www.everydayhealth.com/depression/specialists/endorphin-power-fight-depression-with-exercise.aspx

When the heart plays the price of anger

momoussa — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:47:11 +0000

In the article ‘when the heart pays the price of anger’ the author uses a variety of effective persuasive techniques to deliver his message. Firstly this is an article from the New York Times and the author is a doctor (Robert Allan) who we learn is leading a cardiac support group. “ The experience of a 35 year practice as a clinical psychologist” this accentuates his credibility to the readers and emphasizes his experience with this issue, essentially making him trustworthy. He continues the first paragraph by vividly describing a situation one of his patients had with regards to the issue. This is extremely effective as his ethos or credibility is strengthened therefore making his argument more convincing. The author then continues in a non-formal tone to explain the link between the average Americans psychology towards negative situations. He emphasizes this by relating movie star Clint Eastwood’s famous quote “make my day”. This method of addressing the issue is very powerful at delivering the authors message and convincing the readers of his view as it is written in a way that captivates and interests the target audience of the Times, which is the average New Yorker.

Another aspect of the article that persuades the reader is the author’s use of statistics and knowledge of the history of this issue. “Challenging times certainly increase the tendency for negative moods and aggressive behavior (this dynamic was described in the ‘frustration-aggression hypothesis’ first put forth in the 1940s)” this emphasizes the writer’s knowledge of the history of the issue and his experience with it. He then goes on to provide more statistics, “a recent meta-analysis of 44 prospective studies in the journal of the American College of Cardiology confirms a strong relationship between anger and both the onset and outcome from coronary heart disease; moreover, approximately 1.5 percent of heart attacks are ‘triggered’ by intense anger.” This is effective as it provides the reader with information and statistics with regards to the issue therefore making the reader understand the importance and danger of anger.

Another aspect o the article that persuades the reader is the author’s description of his patient’s life. “The aforementioned patient’s life… was one of mere survival in a cramped studio apartment…selling some of his few remaining valuables to make the next months rent”. This is an extremely effective persuasive method as by mentioning these aspects of the patient’s life he gains the readers sympathy therefore persuading them to understand the authors point of view with regards to the issue.

A Baby Died

momoussa — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:24:09 +0000

The first thing that captures the viewer’s eyes is the image of the baby covered in this black liquid. This is extremely effective as the main purpose of this is to have an effect on the viewer’s emotions. As the writer goes on to explain that this solution actually ‘burned’ the baby; this adjective further adds to the effectiveness of the image as it makes the viewer believe that the baby is actually feeling pain, therefore sympathizing with the baby.

The writer uses statistics here to further enhance the credibility of her argument she states that, ‘4000 babies aborted each day…(one every 20 seconds)’ this is effective as it allows the viewer or reader to understand the impact of this and gives them a sense of urgency with regards to a solution.

Another aspect that is very effective is how the information is presented. ‘LOOK AT THIS LITTLE GIRL’ is in capitals to emphasize the immorality of abortion she then ends her argument with, ‘IS THIS SUCH A GOOD CHOICE’ (also in capitals) essentially asking the audience their honest and moral opinion with regards to this issue. This is also effective as it emphasizes the first words or title of the image, ‘A BABY DIED’. This is effective as emphasizes the truth or the actuality of this issue, which is that a baby died allowing the audience to understand the injustice of this impact.

Pains & Pleasures of Writing

momoussa — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:54:30 +0000

My greatest pain in writing is:

Generally speaking I enjoy writing but tend to get bored if I have to write about something I’m not interested in. My spelling and punctuation are my two greatest weaknesses when it comes to writing. Another aspect is having to organize myself with regards to time when writing an essay.

My greatest pleasure in writing is:

I love being able to express a situation vividly when writing, the use of metaphors is one of my favorite tools of writing as it allows one to evoke an emotion from the writer. Essentially I enjoy being able to make someone understand how I feel by expressing myself in a manner that allows the reader to think the way I think. Another aspect of writing a good essay is the appreciation one receives from the reader towards that piece of writing as that gives one a feeling of satisfaction.

Hello world!

momoussa — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:29:23 +0000

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