Reading response CR, pgs. 229-240

Sheila Olson
English 102, Section 13
Christy Vance
11/17/09
Reading Response - CR pgs. 229-240
Bruce Ballenger's helpful hints and tips for re-writing (and possibly re-researching) our research papers offers several interesting things to consider. Some of the exercises that he suggests, such as using two different colored highlighters to show areas of your own voice and areas of facts and quotes from sources, sounds like a useful exercise to do. i think I will probably (or maybe not) be surprised by what I find. It seems like it has been a very long time since I wrote my ethnography, so it will be interesting to go back and visit areas that need improvement, or areas that no longer seem relevant.
Although we did have classmates read our rough dratfs, I think it will also be very useful to have someone else read the final draft again.
Another exercise that sounds like it will be useful is reorganizingt the draft using the cut and paste method. Organizing the steps and progression of my paper was one of the biggest challenges I faced when originally writing my ethnography, and I think this exercise of physically moving the pieces around sounds very promising.
Finally, although it sounds awkward at first, I think I will try reading my paper out loud as Ballenger suggests, to see if it really sounds like me, or as he puts it, "does it sound flat or wooden" (237).
Overall, the assigned reading was very helpful, and the point is to re- everything, from thesis to research to voice.

Revising for Purpose - Bruce Ballenger

In this weeks reading Ballenger talks about how writing a draft is like a relationship. You put so much time and effort into it you see past the mistakes. Ballenger states, "revision doesn't necessarily mean you have to sever you relationship with your draft (Ballenger 221)." Revising your paper will help you see rough transitions or sections of your draft that may need help. Revising will help you see from the reader's perspective, other than your own.
In this chapter Ballenger comes up with an excercise to help you see if your ideas are more prominent than ideas that you have cited. This excercise helps to show if your blending your ideas nicely with your sources or if one of the other is overpowering the other.
Ballenger also describes the close knit relationship between purpose and your thesis. Having a purpose in your writing tells the reader what you want to do. For your thesis you don't want it to be too overpowering.
Another interesting suggestion Ballenger proposes is to attack your draft. "Too often writers respect the paper too much", says Ballenger (Ballenger 230). Breaking the draft will help you see the points more clearly.

Reading Response

Iara Fernal
English 102
Christy Vance
11-17-09
This week’s reading was a chapter of Bruce Ballenger’s book, ‘The Curious Researcher’. In this chapter the main point the author was trying to make was to explain that even though revising a paper can sound like a big challenge, it actually is just a good opportunity to improve something which you have already worked on. I believe that when writing this chapter Bruce was trying to get his readers to understand how to do a good review on a previous draft, and he certainly was able to reach his goal.
In this chapter Ballenger uses several examples of how to approach a review. I really liked how he stated that revising a paper is like a wrestling match, and that the writer is the little guy while the draft is the though contender. That is exactly how I feel at this moment while we prepare to start revising our drafts for the portfolio. I feel like I have worked so hard on my draft that it is hard to let go of it, revise and make changes. However, after this week’s reading reviewing no longer sounds so scary and difficult. Prior to reading this chapter I was really skeptical about changing anything on my paper, but now I have realized and learned how to well on reviewing a paper and I feel a lot more comfortable.
This reading was perfect because it relates 100% to what we are working on in class at this time, which is starting to review our papers for our final project – the portfolio, which includes all our previous papers and the revised version of it. I am really glad I read this chapter before I started working on my reviews!

Hearing Is Overrated

The Cochlear Implant, a tiny computer at the center of a very large controversy. According to the Cochlear Implant Controversy website, those who advocate for the implant feel that it would “medically "repair" deafness in children with a sensorineural hearing loss.” In fact, the implant does not repair deafness, instead it just causes the equivalent of hearing. The implant bypasses the majority of the ear, sending electrical impulses straight to the cochlea (the inner ear). Some things that most people do not think about when they are considering the cochlear implant is that it does not always work for all people, and implantation requires surgery, which, like any surgery, carries some possibly serious risks. These risks include infections (possibly meningitis) and facial nerve damage.
There are other damages that the implant could cause, not related to surgery. One thing that the implant is damaging is the Deaf culture. The Deaf community does not feel that deafness is a disability, or that it hinders their ability to do most everything. In the book The Parent’s Guide to Cochlear Implants, they say “Naïve members of the hearing community expect that implants would be welcomed by all persons who are deaf.” Deafness is seen as a cultural difference, the Deaf community, a single cohesive unit. Once you start changing deaf people into hearing people, you have lost the culture. Sign language becomes obsolete, and there is no reason for Deaf children with implants to interact with Deaf children who do not have the implant.
One man that I spoke with, Kevin Majors, says “If my parents told me that I should get an implant, I would tell them no. God made me this way for a reason, who am I to change that? Besides, I don’t think I could concentrate with all the noise, I like being deaf, it’s quiet!” This is a fairly general consensus the Deaf community; there is no reason to “fix” something that isn’t broken. Being deaf is simply part of who a person is, and if they feel that it is not their place to change that difference, that is their choice.
Further reasoning against the implants is the cost for those getting them. One article, The Pros and Cons of Cochlear Implants, cited the cost of implantation being upwards of $40,000 for the implant and surgery alone. Other medical bills such as MRIs and CT scans plus speech therapy cost extra. Some insurance companies do not cover implantation, meaning the family must find some way to pay for the cost out of pocket. I have heard of insurance companies denying payment on contacts because they are “cosmetic,” but if this tiny computer is so necessary as some would put it, why won’t the insurance company pay for it? It’s not a cosmetic procedure, that’s for sure.
Deaf children get a normal life, it’s just differently structured than that of the life of hearing children. Implant or no, there will be expenses but if you take the anti-implant side, at least the expense isn’t leaving your life on the operating table. The Deaf community deserves to make their own decisions, not have the implant shoved down their throats.

Op-Ed

Sheila Olson
English 102, Section 13
Christy Vance
11/11/09
Op-Ed: Rules
When a young man in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon) reaches the age of nineteen, he is eligible to serve a Mormon proselytizing mission. The expectation for a young man to serve a mission is taught by the church and is reinforced at home. One mother interviewed in a documentary about Mormon missionaries went as far as to say “if you are a good mother, all of your children would grow up to be missionaries”. This statement goes to show the pressure that young men (and their families) of the LDS church feel to serve a mission. In an email interview I had with a recently returned missionary he revealed “the real reason why I went on my mission was to bring people to Christ”. So, regardless of the reason a missionary chooses to serve a mission, whether out of pressure or a true wish to do so, the time has finally come for him to leave home, venture out in the world and serve his mission. The LDS church is entrusting the expansion and advancement of their religion to missionaries and based on the preparation and expectation the church places on the need for young men to serve a mission, one would assume that the church feels that a missionary is old enough and responsible enough to follow the teachings of the church, and represent the church in a positive way. So why then are missionaries subjected to so many rules? If so many rules are needed to keep the missionary focused, perhaps the missionary is not really mature enough to be on a mission. These so called young men are trying to get people they are talking with to change their lives and beliefs, but at the same time the church feels it necessary to control almost every moment of a missionaries life.
One of the very first rules a missionary faces is the fact that once they enter the Missionary Training Center they are immediately cut off from their previous life. Contact with their family and friends is now only allowed via email or handwritten letter once a week. Research done by Schultheiss and Blustein on beginning college students that are in similar situations, such as being away from home for the first time shows that parental support is integral to their success. Therefore it could be assumed that missionaries would also be more likely to succeed with a supportive network.
Missionaries are warned that if they do not become “immediately obedient” to the rules they could “lose their place in the kingdom, or lose their life”. However, some rules blatantly contradict each other, forcing the missionary to break some rules in order to follow others.
Because of the number and extent of the rules many missionaries become disillusioned with their mission, and often begin to question the church. In a study done by Adams and Clopton, surveying current or former missionaries, research found that: 1) Women as a whole had less satisfying missions. 2) Missionaries that were not predisposed to being neat and orderly were more inclined to question the rules. 3) Missionaries that were unable to ignore stress factors in their lives also tended to question the rules more frequently. Once again this shows a parallel between the number of rules imposed on missionaries and the missionaries negative response to those rules.
The morale to my story is that if the LDS church does not trust their own missionaries to be able to focus and get their job done, how can you, a potential convert to the religion, trust these same missionaries?

Op Ed

Iara Fernal
English 102
Christy Vance
The Benefits of Religion
It is a fact that our modern society has drowned in the problem of drug abuse. For the past 25 years illicit substance use has been a major issue in the United States (Office of National Drug Control Policy), and a large portion of society – 30%, agrees that this is the biggest current problem which for some reason we cannot find the solution to (Cornwall et all, 118).
In my opinion the solution for such a major problem is right in front of our eyes, and it is increasing faith and Church membership. With the rapid rise of science secularization of countries began to happen and religion started to lose its importance in people’s lives (Human Religions).
Religion can decrease the amount of drug use in several ways. It helps individuals to deal with peer pressure – which is the idea that a group influences a person’s decisions and encourages he/she to engage in behaviors which he/she would not normally engage on (Buzzle) – by creating a social network which consists of other church members who share the same values and morals and who will not lay pressure on a specific individual into doing something that he/she does not want to do, such as drugs.
Religion can also help individuals by giving them a lot of different activities to do and keeping them busy. Many people claim having an unexciting life and being bored and use that as an excuse to try drugs for the first time (National Education Association).
Those individuals who are members of a specific church are way less likely to use such a terrible excuse since they have the chance to engage in many activities provided by the institution which he/she is a member of. Churches can offer a wide variety of activities, such as bible study groups, women’s and men’s focus groups, discussion groups, social activities, bicycle outings and gardening clubs (Essortment).
Finally, religion creates an attachment between individual and society by teaching against drug use and by encouraging its members to be productive and committed citizens of the world. As a consequence the chances of an individual who often goes to church and who participates in their activities getting involved in illegal substance use is a lot lower than those who have no faith (Doris Chu, 665).
Religion can have a very positive impact in people’s lives; however it is very important to state that for such an impact to be possible there must be a commitment between religion and individual. The reasons why a person decides to go to church must be genuine and must come from the inside. If someone just goes to church to impress society or to not be judged against then such benefits will not apply (Doris Chu, 669).
As a conclusion, after analyzing all the data I have decided that Religion is a very powerful weapon in combating drug use. It can help individuals in many ways that nothing else can. It gives people motivation, it creates attachment and it keeps people busy. Religion needs to be brought back into our lives if one day we hope to live in a drug-free world.

They Say, I Say

I found this particular reading interesting, but not particularly helpful for my paper. This is not because I don't think it will help others write their arguments, more it is because I have already outlined my argument in the fashion described in the reading. "They Say, I Say" is an invaluable resource for those who have trouble writing or have never written an argument or persuasive speech. The reading starts out with the importance of letting readers and/or listeners know what you are arguing for or against. Personally, that seems like a silly thing to have to point out, but reading through, I realized that I have seen papers that are arguing something... but I'm not sure just what. After explaining the importance of showing the argument, the reading gives some base templates, showing how to explain the "they say" portion of your paper.
In the "I say" portion of this reading, there are also templates that show how to explain your stand on whatever you are arguing, and they also explain the importance of telling your audience why you are taking this stand, instead of simply saying "this is my stand." Again, I found myself thinking, "well why wouldn't you explain? That only seems the logical progression of things." Alas, I have also found myself the audience of those that feel that all the explanation they need lies in the simple statement of whether or not they agree.
As I said, I found this a little redundant for myself, but I can also see where it would be helpful for some of my classmates, and I hope that I might even take something away, even if it is just a reminder to explain myself a little more when making an argument.

They Say, I Say

Iara Fernal
English 102
Christy Vance
This week’s reading was the text “They Say I Say”. This text was interesting to read and analyze because it explained what one needs to do in order to write a good lead for his/her argument paper and what not to do in an essay.
The author of this composition makes two main points throughout his work. The first main point that the author is trying to make is to show his readers how important it is to make it clear to the readers where you are coming from with your argument. It is necessary to explain what other people have said about the topic or state studies that have been conducted which are related to your argument. If one just starts making his/her point without giving the reader enough background information his/her audience might even agree or disagree with the point but will be left hanging on where you are coming from.
The second main point the author is trying to make is to prove to his audience that a good essay can come from agreeing/disagreeing – or even both at the same time – with what a previous speaker has said. One can have any kind of opinion and write a good essay out of it as long as the writer has enough information and facts to support his point of view.
This text was really helpful because it shows to us, students, that our views – whatever they might be – can be valid as long as we can do a good job on backing up our ideas and statements. After reading this text I feel a little more prepared to start writing my argument paper and trying to persuade my readers into agreeing with what I am saying.

They Say I Say Reading Response

Kevin Mak
Christy Vance
English 102
10/29/09

The point of the reading that stood out to me the most was to give writing a point, not only must the writer make his or her thesis clear but make the thesis comparable to what it is responding to. The essay starts with an anecdote and throughout most of the beginning it is referred back to a lot. The essay stated, "our speaker failed to mention what others had said about Dr. X's work, he left his audience unsure about why he felt the need to say what he was saying (Unknown 18)." Making sure you tie in a topic is very important especially in the beginning when stating your facts you must relate them. The essay made a very important fact. It says, "remember that you are entering a conversation and therefore need to start with "what others are saying," and than introduce your own ideas as a response (Unknown 18,19)." The essay suggests summarizing what "they say" as soon as you can in your text.
The next chapter focuses on the "I say" part of writing. The essay describes this part as the part where you focus your own argument. There are three ways to respond. Agreeing, disagreeing and sometimes both. Disagreeing involves proving your case and letting the writer know why you disagree. You must provide persuasive reasons on why you disagree. Agreeing involves making yourself a part of the conversation. Contributing to someones topic will better help something be understood.
From this reading I have learned that engaging yourself farther than just yes or no is very important. Invloving yourself in the conversation between writer and reader is important when you are writing or reading a paper. Knowing both sides of the conversation will help you better understand the topic in a way you would not see it from just one side. I will use much of this info in my argument paper that we are currently working on in class.

Reading Response - "They Say, I Say"

Sheila Olson
English 102
Christy Vance
10/29/09
Reading Response – “They Say, I Say”

The authors of “They Say, I Say” make several useful suggestions on how to introduce an argument. They suggest that you make your stance on the topic known fairly early so the reader doesn’t get confused and wonder what you are arguing about or why. Their statement “but why did the speaker need to make it in the first place?”(17), is a question you don’t want your reader to ask. Inform the reader of what your opposition is saying.
You shouldn’t avoid taking a stance or disputing someone else’s view for fear of offending them, they didn’t avoid stating their view. The author’s put it this way “no reason why disagreements need to take the form of personal put-downs”(56). Explain why you disagree with someone, and support your stance with reasons or evidence of your feelings.
Also, don’t argue just for the sake of arguing. As stated by the authors, “you need to demonstrate that you yourself have something to contribute”(54). Try to persuade the reader to your point of view by showing the research that lead you to your opinion on the subject. Convince the reader why your stance is the correct one.
Overall, the reading will be helpful in organizing the layout of my argument paper. The templates on how to frame agreements, disagreements, or both will also be useful ways to transition opposing views.

Politics and the English Language

In this piece by George Orwell, he talks about the decline of the English language. He explains that we find ourselves in a circle of bad behavior, and, "If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly." I realized that I am guilty of many of the behaviors that Orwell describes in this essay, and I am attempting to rail against them as I write this. (I feel that I am failing). Dodging constructive prose, not making an effort to choose active verbs, and padding sentences are a few of the things that Orwell expands upon as things that have caused the decline of the English language. I agreed with Orwell's opinions on "bad" structure. When I read, being able to visualize what I am supposed to makes the reading easier and more enjoyable. Sentences that have too many large words that have not been well thought out and sentences that are rife with insincerity lose their power to make people think. I find that when I come across these sentences, my eyes glaze over and my brain ceases to take in any knowledge of what the writer is attempting to tell me.
I found this piece helpful in the fact that it does not just apply to political writing, it applies to writing in general and especially to the arguments we will be forming. Orwell's rules will be written on post-it notes and stuck to anything that is near my writing area. I feel that this essay was immensely beneficial personally and I am hoping that it will help everyone else.

George Orwell "Polititcs and the English Language"

Kevin Mak
Christy Vance
English 102
10/27/09

Orwell explains that "language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes (Orwell)." For each own individual we speak in our own way and everyone's own "language" is different from others. Orwell describes how writing is full of bad habits and how we can reverse the process by thinking more clearly.
He then continues to talk about how metaphors are incorrectly used because some people do not know the correct meaning of the metaphors they use and therefore use them or fail to make up their own without the correct understanding of them. Another point by Orwell is that by picking out the right metaphors it saves time from picking out tricky verbs and nouns to match the metaphor symetrically. Another important topic Orwell talked about in his essay was using Latin or Greek rooted words. Using them made your paper untidy or "slovenliness," as he put it.
An interesting point was made by Orwell when he talked about meaningless words and how every regime uses different jargon to try and trick the audience into thinking something that is totally different.
Orwell's essay was very informative and helpful. I will use much of his information he has written and use it to my advantage in my own style of writing in the future. Orwell's writing was very sophisticated but very smooth and flowing. His articulation of wording and ways of describing in-depth topics was very interesting. I would like to look further into his other pieces of works.

Reading response - Politics and the English Language

Sheila Olson
English 102
Christy Vance
10/27/09
Reading Response – “Politics and the English Language”

George Orwell is trying to make the point that a writer should say what they mean in the simplest terms possible. When writing a paper using similes or metaphors is a great way to explain your meaning to a reader, but only if it makes sense and really paints a picture of what you are trying to say. Using similes or metaphors that just happen to be the current catch phrase does not add value to your writing if it doesn’t directly pertain to what you are saying.
While reading Orwell’s sample passages, I was not able to understand much of what the author was saying, so I really liked his following statement, “The writer either has a meaning and cannot express it, or he inadvertently says something else, or he is almost indifferent as to whether his words mean anything or not”(2). His sample passages may have had more meaning if we had read them in their entirety, but his samples were very good examples of how wordy some writings can be.While writing my own upcoming argument paper I will be sure to keep in mind to say what I mean in a way that my readers will be able to understand what I am talking about. Oftentimes writers do tend to think that adding words or phrases that are unnecessary make a writer seem more intelligent, but isn’t the point of writing a paper being able to express your ideas in a way that your reader can understand and visualize exactly what you are trying to say?

Politics and the Englisj Language - Response

Iara Fernal
Christy Vance
English 102

This week's reading was the text 'Politics and the English Language' by George Orwell. This essay focuses mainly on the issue of the English language being modernized, and accordingly to the author this modernization process is giving people bad habits towards our language - specially the written language.
In the essay Orwell gives the readers examples of phrases written by professors which contain perfect examples of pre-made sentences that have lost their original meaning throughout time; and also how writers need to watch out for what type of words they use. Several people, when writing a passage, do not even think about what a specific word means - just because such a word might sound nice or look cool they will add it to their paper without even bothering to look the word up in the dictionary.
The main point the author is trying to make is to show his readers how the English language is changing - to worse - and to teach how to prevent such a thing from happening. One can conclude from this text that Orwell is hoping that his essay will help readers realize that using a long and fancy word is not at all better than using a short, straight forward one. Using difficult words does not make the writer seem smarter, it just makes the reader more confused.
This text really relates to what we are doing in class at this point in time - which is writing an argument paper. After reading essay I feel like I am a lot more prepared to work on my project, I feel like I can relax a little and not try to use fancy words throughout my paper and it will still ad good as or even better than an argument paper full of long and difficult words.

"Writing an Argument"

In Ballenger's "Writing an Argument," he discusses how to create a decent, logical argument, and the difference between good and bad arguments. Part of what Ballenger talks about is how there are not just two sides, black and white, to an argument. There can be many different "sides" to any argument, and in order to find this out you need to ask questions and refrain from judging from the start. Ballenger cites, "To argue well is an act of imagination, not a picking of sides" (207). He continues on to say that when creating an argument, one needs to look at all sides from different perspectives, keeping an open mind the whole time. I feel this is highly valuable information for anyone making a point for an argument. If you don't have all of the information, you are ill equipped for making any kind of well-formed point, claim, etc. Ballenger also tells us in this work that being able to make a good argument is something that everyone should know how to do, regardless of what they are planning for a career. I agree with this because, as Ballenger says, you never know when you'll need to haggle the price on that car you want.
Ballenger goes on, saying,"The argument essay is also and invitation to consider how you feel about local issues...that might have some effect on how you live" (209). I cannot agree more with this statement. My particular argument is the issue with the cochlear implants, and it may, someday, have an effect on me, simply because no one knows whether or not they will go deaf, or have a family member who loses their hearing, or maybe even one of their children will be born deaf. Interesting thing to think about, personally.
A few of the other things that Ballenger touches on are things to avoid- information that anyone wanting to make a good argument should think about. One thing that you need to avoid is too little information- never a good thing for any research project, argument or no. Ballenger also cautions against the following: generalizing, attacking the other person/people involved, citing "experts", ignoring the information given by the opponent, false analogies, false cause, popularity polls, "slippery slope", either/or arguments, and circular arguments. These are good things to keep in mind while arguing in any form, simply so that you don't sound like a complete dolt. They are also good things to keep in mind because when it comes down to it, at the end of the day, you want your argument to stand up for itself without you needing to be there to explain your way out of that hole.

Argument Reading - Curious Writer

Kevin MakEnglish
102
Christy Vance

In the reading for this week Ballenger describes arguments and how it is an important way of communication. He describes how different cultures view arguments. For example Tannen uses the phrase, "cultures of harmony,"(203), which describes how some cultures, "view open conflict and disagreement as a threat to the group. That does not mean that people always agree, but arguing is indirect, and sometimes undetectable to Western ears," (203). His point is that in many cultures, arguments may be a large or small part of communication, therefore it is important to know the aspects of arguments.

In Ballenger's work he describes how everyone has their own set of beliefs and opinions that reflect how strongly or faintly a person may be in an argument. Feelings for an argument may show how much someone may be open to expressing these arguments and such. Ballenger also describes how arguments are helpful in investigations. In the beginning you start with a belief or hypothesis and use the process of argument to to reinforce the the belief. From this you can build your subject around whether it supports your information or denies it. Another important piece of information that Ballenger describes is backing up your claims. Using the word "because" after a claim helps to back up your statement(s). Going through Ballenger's work I learned that argument is important in writing because it is usually used to establish the truth. Many argumental subjects are learned from experience. Arguments are a part of everyday life and occur on a regular basis. From Ballenger's text I've read how to successfully show a strong argument and I will do my best to show it in my own argument paper.

Sheila Olson

Sheila Olson
English 102, Section 13
Christy Vance
10/18/09
Reading Response: Curious Writer
In this reading, Bruce Ballenger is making the point that there are several ways to go about writing an argument paper. While the term argument tends to lead people to assume that there are only two sides to a subject, there can actually be many sides, and overlapping areas in between. While some people tend to be loud and aggressive when arguing, others are more quiet and subtle. In his following statement Ballenger conveys that our argument style may be a reflection of our backgrounds, “argument… is bound by our feelings about argument –how comfortable we are with conflict, how confident we are in our ability to say what we think, and how strongly we feel about our opinions”(203). The question is, regardless of how you argue, are you getting your point of view across, and are you backing up your point of view with facts? Ballenger suggests there are many ways to write an argument paper including asking and answering questions, or making and supporting claims.
Another assumption is that arguing has a negative connotation to it. Ballenger however suggests just the opposite in his statement “The primary tool for shaping and even changing what we know is argument”(208). By this he means that if we all had the same opinions and no one ever argued about anything, we would never have change. We all have to respect that others may have differing opinions than our own in order for anything new to ever happen.Ballenger gives many good examples and ideas on how to begin to construct our outline and rough draft for our argument papers and offers additional places such as discussion groups to obtain additional information.

Reading Response - The Curious Writer

Iara Fernal
English 102
Christy Vance

This week’s reading from the book ‘The Curious Writer’, by Bruce Ballenger is all about Argument papers. The author works his way through all the different aspects of the process of writing an argument paper, giving examples of good/bad arguments, claims and analyzing them. In this chapter of his book Ballenger is mainly trying to make 2 different points.
The very first major point the author is trying to make is that arguments are not bad things; to argue does not mean to disagree to the point of getting into a fight. Ballenger is trying to explain to his readers that writing an argument is all about the process of gathering information, analyzing it and coming to an informed opinion on the subject.
The second main point he is trying to make is that writing an argument paper is always about looking for the truth about the statement/claim the writer is talking about. The claim should always be backed up by facts and liable information. The author should always present both sides of the story; however focus mainly on his/her own opinion.
This text was really helpful and it could not have come in a better time. It relates 100% to what we are working on in class, which is writing our argument paper. After reading this text I feel like I am almost ready to start writing and organizing my thoughts and opinions on the topic I chose. Ballenger’s text gave me ideas of how to start my paper and how to place and formulate my ideas and opinions.