Chapter Thirteen

            Organizing was the focus of chapter thirteen. It started off by looking at what organizing patterns should be used, first of which was chronology. The chronology pattern examines a sequence of events in relation to time. Such a system would be commonly used in a document examining a historical event. Many other patterns exist, including description, which is a concise orderly point by point explanation, cause and effect, which looks at various factors and then leads them to their outcome, pros and cons, which organizes a list of good and bad about certain issues in order to support a side, and other patterns. Once a pattern on determined, the arrangement of arguments becomes necessary. Labelling evidence encourages quick understanding of its topic, and therefore, allows evidence to be easily organized according to an outline. Grouping evidence, or organizing evidence according to similarity, is also an option. This can be done by storing evidence in separate files. Clustering can be used by listing out visually a thesis statement and moving out from that to other related reasons and evidence. This way, the relationship between those separate facets can be discovered. Another is mapping. Through this, the reasons and evidence are laid out in a sequence of building. This form works well with patterns such as chronology, cause and effect, comparison contrast, cost benefit, and problem solution. The creation of an outline allows a general view of the sequence of arguments and reasons throughout the document. An informal outline can vary, but in general would show the key points of a document. A formal outline is more strict, and uses numerals and letters to order points, sub points, and any further points. This helps show the hierarchy of the points. To depict the contents of the points, short phrases can be used, but entire sentences also. Sentences can start the process towards a draft of a paper, and also help depict the structure of the paper.

Chapter Nineteen

            Chapter nineteen looked at designing documents and presentations. It reviewed many of the possibilities. The first it examined were academic essays. Academic essays normally have wide margins, a standard easily readable font such as 12-point Times New Roman, and double spacing. The second that was examined were multimodal essays, which are essays that contain various types of illustrations and media in a linear fashion to support the author’s points. These are expected to be viewed on some kind of digital devise. The third focus of this chapter was the designing of articles. The uses of articles can vary widely, and can include charts and photographs. The specific aim of the article and its publication can vary its design. The forth aim of this chapter is how to design a web site. Web sites should be well organized with menus, lists and titles. Information should be presented in small easy to understand portions. A good font for screens should be selected. Evidence supporting the point can be shown as illustrations and videos. How to design oral presentations was fifth in this chapter. This form of communication involves having a clear outline, along with a strong opener and some key points, wrapped up with a strong conclusion. Notes can be made to keep the speaker on track and from forgetting important information. When giving such a presentation, some of the important actions to take are speaking clearly, speaking slowly and understandably, speaking loudly, and maintaining some eye contact with the audience. The sixth examination of the chapter was designing multimedia presentations. These are generally supplementary to an oral presentation. They can contain videos and illustrations, and main points of the presentation. Whatever the case, they should not be so complex that they distract from the point trying to be made. Sticking with just a few points per slide, and minimal text within them, is a good way to go. The seventh and last focus of the chapter is on poster presentations. Similar to a multimedia presentation, a poster presentation can have illustrations and limited text. It should be created so that it can be observed from about four feet away and, also similar to the multimedia and oral presentations, talking with the audience will likely be a key facet of its presentation.

Chapter Eighteen

            Chapter eighteen focused on understanding design principles. Design principles include balance, emphasis, placement, repetition, and consistency. These different principles can be implemented to best allow a writer to accomplish their goals; however they must be restricted and not allowed to be exceedingly complex. Keeping a level of simplicity allows better understanding of the document. Readers’ understanding is the main goal of good design. A well-organized design that allows the reader to move smoothly, understanding the location of different ideas and information. It also helps the reader better understand the goals of the document. What genre the document is also helps dictate the design. Readers expect adherence to basic styles already set in a genre, and by using those designs, the reader will better understand the content. In choosing design elements, the main ones consist of fonts, line spacing, and alignment. The layout of the document dictates the positions of the different elements, like page numbers, columns, and headers. Using colors, shading, borders and rules can allow a document to look better and also make them have easier to understand organization. In addition, illustrations, such as graphs, tables, and photographs, can allow a more appealing and better understood document. But when using illustrations, they should be positioned near the text they are referencing. 

Chapter Twelve

            The subject of chapter twelve was developing an argument. The first step in the development of arguments is to choose reasons in support of the thesis statement. For an argumentative document, the writer tries to convince the reader to except the argument with reasons. The reasons should be constructed with thought towards how much the reader already knows. The reasons need to be chosen with the arguments and counterarguments in mind. The second step in the development of arguments is to find evidence that backs up the reasons. For an academic essay, this would mainly include sources from libraries and databases. The third step is choosing how to appeal to the readers. There are various appeals, such as ones to emotion, character and authority. Logical appeals can work from facts and principles to come up with a conclusion. In evaluating the integrity of an argument, checking for logical fallacies is a good idea. Fallacies that distract the reader from the argument are based on the focus of something on the side. This could include attacking a person and not their argument, or bringing up something completely irrelevant. Fallacies based on questionable assumptions include oversimplifying arguments in order to more easily refute them, or hastily generalizing. Fallacies based on misrepresentation can often include incomplete information, such as only representing evidence for one side of an argument or using bad analogies. Examples of fallacies that have careless reasoning are circular reasoning, which uses a statement to support itself, or fallacies that state if a couple things happened around the same time, they must be related.

Chapter Eleven

            Chapter eleven examined the development of thesis statements. In the process of creating a thesis statement, reviewing the position statement allows the writer to recognize and evaluate their opinion of the issue of any changes that opinion. With acknowledgement of the position statement, reviewing notes and observing the ideas, arguments, information, and interests, allow the writer to revise the position statement if any changes are needed. If the main roles and purposes have changed, the research statement will need modification. Another reason for revising the position statement may be that the goals are no longer beneficial to the reader. To create the thesis statement, it is good look at the information, ideas, and arguments, plus observing key words and phrases. The key words and phrases are helpful in beginning to draft alternate thesis statements. Organizing the thesis statement so that the reader is somehow changed allows it to be more impactful and it shows how it is to affect the readers’ interests and beliefs. The type of document will help determine how the attitude of the thesis. An academic essay will be more calm, while something like an opinion column would be more bold and possible not as formal. Taking a look at the thesis statement and making sure it is focused and not to broad is necessary for making the reader interested and ready to learn. A good focused thesis statement should make the reader want to change, learn, or take some kind of action.

Annotated Bibliography

Engels, Frederick. “The Principles of Communism.” marxists.org. N.p. 1847. Web. 27       Jan. 2015.
            This document is written by one of the philosophers popularizing the idea of communism. In it, Engels explains some of the main principles of communism. This includes communism’s goal, which is the liberation of the proletariat, and also who supposedly oppresses the proletariat, known as the bourgeoisie. He explains how the industrial revolution was the beginning of the proletariat, and that the proletariat is only able to create wealth from labor, and cannot create wealth from capitol like the bourgeoisie. Eventually, he advocates the end of private property. My use for this source is to see the beliefs behind communism and how communist want to achieve their goals.

Franqui, Carlos. “Strengths and Weaknesses of Communism.” World Affairs 150.3                                           (Winter87/88): 75-77. EBSCO HOST. Web. 20 Jan. 2015.
            In this article, the author states that communism’s strength is in its ability to destroy itself. He points out how communism paralyzes nations. It paralyses the ability for nations to create and renew. It also removes existing institutions and culture. He also points out how it results in many deaths. My interest in this article is to focus on problems of communism and what it leads to.

Muravchik, Jashua. “Marxism.” Foreign Policy 133 (Nov.-Dec., 2002): 36-38. JSTOR. Web. 27                     Jan. 2015.
            In this article, the author argues that Marxism is a complete failure. He compares it to capitalism. He points out how it has flawed reasoning. Also, that the conversion to Marxism causes great human suffering. I intend to use this source to get a better understanding of Marxism in the sense of how consistent and good or bad its principles are.

Rummel, R. J. “Megamurders.” Society. 29.6. (Sep./Oct., 1992): 47-52. EBSCO HOST. Web. 3                       February 2015.

            In this article, Rummel focused on murders by governments. This includes the governments of some communist nations. Including an estimate for China from 1949 to 1987 in which 35,236,000 people were murdered. The purpose of this article is to bring more clarity on mass killing, especially since such acts are quit prominent with communist regimes.

Zelenin, Il’ia E. “N.S. Khrushchev’s Agrarian Policy and Agriculture in the USSR.”Russian                            Studies in History 50.3 (Winter 2011-2012): 44-70. EBSCO HOST. Web. 20 Jan. 2015.

            This article looks at policy towards agriculture. It notes Khrushchev’s policy was based on the ideas of Marxism and failed, which lead to the import of grain rather than their own production. I have this source so I can examine the problems with Marxism and the production.

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

            The subject of chapter sixteen was writing with style. One of the first steps is to know the writing situation. The style of writing for a scholar would be different from the style of a news corporation. Writing concisely allows the readers to understand the content more easily. This can be achieved by removing unnecessary modifiers, removing unnecessary introductory phrases, and also eliminate stock phrases, which are phrases which can be condensed into a smaller number of words. Using active and passive voices effectively means to determine which is the most appropriate and use it. Active voices specify the actor; however that is not always important and sometimes is a hindrance. If this is the case, a passive voice may be more appropriate. If a consistent point of view is not obtained, reading can be quite difficult. Always maintaining the point of view will make a work easier to understand. Another important factor is to carefully choose words. Choosing the proper formality, specialized language, and the variety within the document allows the readers it is focused towards to understand the content more clearly. For polishing the writer’s style, varying the sentence structure allows the work to have a rhythm, and not be just a long boring paper. Effective transitions allow the reader to clearly move through the work. More variety in the words introducing an author and their work will cause them to stand out more in the eyes of the reader. To avoid sexist language, using words like “they,” allow the gender not to be specific, and therefore sexist language is avoided. In order to continue polishing writing style, consulting a handbook can help, as also can reading widely and observing the styles of other authors.

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

            Chapter fifteen focused on using sources effectively. When presenting an idea or argument, how the evidence is presented will determine what the reader notices, or focuses on concerning the issue. Contrasting and disagreeing ideas and arguments can be shown through the use of evidence, and can help lay out the different approaches around the issue. One of the most important uses for evidence is to back up arguments. When a reader realizes that the argument is backed up by someone qualified in that area, they are a lot more likely to consider the argument. Evidence can also be useful for defining and clarifying concepts or complex subjects. Not so much for backing up information and arguments, but for giving an affect, quotations can be used for setting a mood. Sources can also be used for giving an example. Amplifying or qualifying a point is another purpose. Amplify means to expand the point, while qualify means to narrow it down. When integrating sources into a draft, identifying the source is an essential part. Identifying the source allows provides the information on who backs up statements, distinguishes between the writer’s ideas and the sourced, and also provides credibility to the work. Choosing how to quote will impact the reader’s opinion of the document. When paraphrasing, it is important to make sure that the information is accurately transferred into the writer’s own words. Similar caution should be used with summarizing. Numerical information can also be used if relevant. This can be in graphs and charts, but also sentence form. Images can also be used to push forward the point more effectively; however the sources need to be carefully cited in order to avoid plagiarism. The first step on how to document sources is to choose a system. This means choosing systems like MLA of APA. What system is used will vary upon what field is being studied. According to whatever system is chosen, in text citations relating to a works cited page are necessary. It is important to make sure that all sources are cited, and also when working with sources, to distinguish between the ideas of the sources and the idea of the writer.

Incorporating Sources Effectively Lab

1.        

Carlos Franqui once said “[He] believe[d] that the communist system’s strength and power [laid] in its unlimited capacity for total destruction” (175). He stated in his journal article Strengths and Weaknesses of Communism that this was because communism destroys the riches, culture, and other things a society has acquired, destroys opposition, and then puts the society in a state of non-renewal (175).

2.       

Frederick Engels, one of the founders of communism, had the belief that there is something called the proletariat. He defined a proletariat as “that class in society which lives entirely from the sale of its labor and does not draw profit from any kind of capital.” According to Engels in his 1947 writing The Principles of Communism, originally published in the Vorwärts, a German socialist newspaper, proletariats hadn’t always existed, but in fact “originated in the industrial revolution, which took place in England in the last half of the last (18th) century, and which has since then been repeated in all the civilized countries of the world.”

Communism identifies an enemy called the Bourgeoisie.  Engels defines the Bourgeoisie in the Principles of Communism as the “big capitalists, who, in all civilized countries, are already in almost exclusive possession of all the means of subsistence [sic] and of the instruments (machines, factories) and materials necessary for the production of the means of subsistence.” According to the German Philosopher Karl Marx in his work the Communist Manifesto, “[laborers] are daily and hourly enslaved by the machine, by the overlooker [sic], and, above all, by the individual bourgeois manufacturer himself.” Engels and Marx regarded the bourgeoisie as the class that owned capital and had the ability to use it for profit. The laborer or proletarian could only gain profit from the bourgeoisie through labor.

4.

Hoare, Marko Attila. “Genocide in the Former Yugoslavia Before and After Communism.”                          Europe-Asia Studies 62.7 ( September 2010): 1,193-214. EBSCO HOST. Web. 3 February                  2015.

Rummel, R. J. “Megamurders.” Society. 29.6 (Sep./Oct., 1992): 47-52. EBSCO HOST. Web. 3                     February 2015.

Tarifa, Fatos. “The Poverty of the ‘New Philosophy.’” Modern Age 50.3 (Summer 2008): 226-      37.           EBSCO HOST. Web. 3 February 2015.

Peet, Richard. “Inequality and Poverty: A Marxist-Geographical Theory.” Annals of the    Association           of American Geographers 65.4 (December 1975): 564-71. EBSCO HOST.          Web. 3                      February 2015.

Boshier, Roger, Huang Yan. “Hey there Edger Snow, what happened to The Red Star over                              Yan’an?” Convergence 41.4 (2008): 79-101. EBSCO HOST. Web. 3 February 2015.

5.

 “Year by year death toll of the century’s atrosities [sic] .” Chart. White Matthew, 2010. Web. 3                     February 2015.

Cambell, Neal. Photo of North Korea at Night from Space. Dec. 19, 2011. Nealcambell,com.

             February 2015

Karl Marx. N.d. Library of Congress. Web. 3 February 2015.

Vladumir Ilyich Lenin. N.d. kowb1290.com.Web. 3 February 2015

“Global GDP Leaders.” Chart. Dorfman, John. Time, n.d. Web. 3 February 2015.

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

            Chapter nine focuses on searching for information from print sources. Locating sources can be done by searching library stacks. Browsing the shelves in areas that contain the subject that is the focus of the researcher can be good for gathering sources in the intended area. If certain sources aren’t at the library at that time, a researcher can ask for the document to be held when it is back at the library. Documents not at the local library can also be loaned from another. That way, research is not just limited to the local books. Library periodicals can also be used to gather information, however rarely can they be checked out. Works cited lists can be used in order to find such documents. A Library reference room can also be useful for locating sources. Bibliographies provide a list of source citations, but also can contain abstracts and brief descriptions. Indexes can also be used. They contain citation information, but they do it by a set of publications. For example, some could be just for a specific set of magazines. Consulting biographies can provide good knowledge on certain people in a field. Encyclopedias can give enough information to start a more detailed research technique. Similarly, handbooks can also provide good information, but they are generally already narrowed down a little more. Almanacs provide a variety of information, and can be used to find information about the events in a certain year. If needing maps and information about different parts of the world, atlases can be used. They can provide history or just a topical look.