Week 13 Prompt 1

Before the peer review in class I knew what my strengths and weaknesses were. I had gone over my paper earlier so I knew what I needed to work on. My weaknesses include the fact that the length of my paper does not reach the requirement. Another weakness that I had was not using all the resources I had. I only used one source for part of my essay which isn’t good. Because I have other great resources but haven’t even touched them yet. Another weakness that I have but can fix is my introduction. I don’t think it is an introduction that will capture the audience’s attention.
One strength that I have in my paper is the fact that I have many resources. Because I haven’t even touched on all the sources I have meaning I can write a lot more with them. When I revise my paper I will have to use all of my resources and that would mean a better paper. One other strength that I have is the points that I’m using in proving my thesis are in great number. I had a hard time choosing which ones to write about in fact.

Week 13 Response Post

This article is about Joseph Fritzl who held his daughter Elisabeth a prisoner for twenty four years. While held captive Elisabeth was raped and abused by her father resulting in having seven children. Three of the kids were raised by the Elisabeth’s mother who had no idea where her daughter was. She believed Elisabeth had joined a sect and was unable to take care of her kids. Three children were also kept in the cellar with Elisabeth, never seeing sunlight. The last child died shortly after birth because Joseph Fritzl did call for help. Austrian prosecutors are charging him with slavery, rape, and possibly murder. Joseph Fritzl was caught when the eldest of his children with Elisabeth got sick. Nineteen year old Kerstin fell ill and when they took a blood sample they realized who her parents are.
As soon as I read this article I got sick to my stomach because this is an insane story. How could a father do this to his own child? How could he repeatedly rape her and abuse her? Let alone enslave her with three of her children for so many years. I don’t want to pity Elisabeth but that’s all I can feel for her. I pity that she had to go through all of that and that her children have to live with the fact that their grandfather is also their father. I would expect them to all be mentally unstable and would have to go through years of counseling. I hope Joseph stays in jail for a really long time.
The article is written with a bias that leans toward Elisabeth because they want the readers to show compassion to her. The author doesn’t want any compassion shown to Joseph because what he did is unforgivable. One question I have about this article is what happened during Joseph’s childhood?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7727332.stm

Week 11 Prompt 1

Shinto religion has been a constant in lives of many Japanese living in Japan. Where they live, where they work, extra- curricular activities have all been influeced by this religion. Without Shinto religion we would not have traditions such as Obon, Matsuri, and great movies such as "Spirited Away."

Week 10 Response Post

This article is about the confirmation of millionaire Steven Fossett’s death. Fossett went missing back in September 2007 while traveling a flight alone. A hiker had found Fossett’s belongings last month and so another search began for Fossett. Bones were found about half a mile away from the crash site. These were later confirmed to be part of Fossett and this then confirmed his death. Fossett often broke records and was even the first person to circle the world solo in a balloon. His widow, Peggy, believes finding his bones is just "another step in the process of completing the investigation into the tragic accident that took Steve's life". The initial search was from Yosemite National Park in California to Nevada’s Walker Lake. Another search that took place in July 2008 was in the area of California’s Bodie Hill. The last search was during October 2008 where he was found near California’s Mammoth Lake.
My reaction to this article is that it was a tragic accident but at least now they can confirm he’s dead. His widow doesn’t have to wonder day and night where her husband is. She can finally get the closure that everyone deserves with a death. Fossett can now get a proper funeral to celebrate his life and accomplishments.
The author’s stance on this article is unbiased because this article is to just inform the public about the confirmation of death. The author provides only true, relevant information on the death of Steven Fossett. He doesn’t side with anyone because there is no side to this article. It is just an article to inform the public with the correct information. Other authors would have to write the article the same way because there is no side to take. One question I have about the article is why did the plane crash?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7707397.stm

Week 10 Prompt 2

Here I was again in a rush to complete what I thought I could get done within the hour. The minutes were counting down and I was starting to panic. Why did I wait last minute to do my paper!
I always managed to get papers done on time even when I procrastinated during high school. But college was so different it was harder to get things done. I wanted to hang out with friends and have fun all the time. So I put off my homework figuring I could get it done before it was due. That’s when I slammed into the wall when I wasn’t looking. The homework load hit me hard and I didn’t even see it coming. I had to compromise the quality of my work to get everything done on time. It was affecting my grade and then that’s when I realized. Michelle, you can always hang out with friends later but homework needs to be done now! So as I told myself that I decided to try and get all homework done early. I wanted to present quality homework to get the grades I needed. Just recently I got my paper back that I started early on and I got an A! It was a happy day and I enjoyed the rest of it with a smile.

Week 10 Prompt 1

My news article is about Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter Bristol, who is only seventeen. I’m not surprised that her daughter is pregnant because any daughter can become pregnant. It is just a big deal because Sarah Palin is John McCain’s running mate for 2008. Anything having to do with someone of “celebrity” status is turned into a huge commotion. There are other teenage mothers all over the world, but it’s not a big deal because they aren’t “famous.” For instance, the huge commotion over Jamie Lynn Spears was because she was young and famous. Honestly, why would the press make a big thing about it? Because its politics and they want to make Sarah Palin look like a bad mother and senator. I don’t think that politics should smear the family members in public. It’s not fair to the candidates and to their families. The press thinks it is all fair and game to slur family name but how would they feel about their family being scrutinized by the public? Imagine how Bristol feels about being seventeen, unwed, and pregnant. I’m sure she is already embarrassed by the whole thing and the press just makes it worse.
The author’s stance in the article is one that is unbiased because it provides both sides of the story. One side of the story is that Sarah Palin will be a bad candidate because she can’t even keep her daughter from getting pregnant. Others say that it’s just something that happens and that it shouldn’t be a big deal. But it is a good thing that the author shows both side of the story so the reader can decide how they want to view the story in their minds.
One question that I have about the topic is: How does Sarah Palin feel about her daughter’s pregnancy?

http://usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-09-01-palin-daughter_N.htm?imw=Y

Week 9 Repsonse Post

This article is about a body that was found in a 1994 white Chevrolet on Monday. When the body was first found they believed it to be the missing nephew of Jennifer Hudson. Just recently they have confirmed it is indeed Julian King. The police have not released any information on how or when Julian died. His father had been arrested before the body had been found.
This is a very sad story because Julian was only seven years old. Not to mention Jennifer and Julia have to suffer the lost of their family. Both Jennifer and Julia have lost their mother and their brother. Julia has lost her son while in the case of Jennifer she lost her nephew. I’m sure they are going through a very difficult time right now. It’s really sad that someone would kill three people especially when one is only a child still. What more is the fact that they really wanted to find Julian, they really wanted him back alive. Jennifer Hudson had offered a $100,000 for Julian’s safe return. It is especially sad because many volunteers were looking for him. Imagine how upset they are right now. I’m upset and scared for this world because of things like this. The world is going to fall apart one day because of the cruel actions of people. I think murder is unforgiveable and only based on animalistic instincts.
The author’s stance on this is for the Hudson/King family because he tells of their sad story. The author doesn’t put up the fathers side of the story because this article is all for Julian. The father has been arrested but has not been charged, is the only thing the author wrote about in this article. One question I have about this article is why was Julian found in a car and not in the home?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7694020.stm