Blog Assignment #7 - Radical but Right

The essay I chose to write about (Radical but Right) addresses the issue of animal rights. It provides arguments against the slaughtering of animals for clothing and food. In my opinion, this essay is highly persuasive. I am not a vegetarian, yet the writer’s essay clearly illustrated the reasons for vegetarianism, giving me insight into the incentive vegetarians have not to eat meat.

The writer’s claim is that we do not need to kill animals for food because today’s technology and cultures can provide us with the same nourishment without consuming meat. The writer supports her claim using statistics and research results. She provides evidence as to how we would get our nourishment and how vegetarianism might eradicate world hunger. It would benefit humanity as a whole. For example, she states that we would “enjoy better health, as many sources agree that a vegetarian diet will ‘provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.’”

The writer also provides counterarguments to her claim. She addresses the fact that it is unreasonable to assume that vegetarianism could be employed worldwide. She realizes that in impoverished nations nourishment is hard enough to obtain without worrying about ethics. She then goes on to explain that many worry about the disruption of the food chain.

I found this paper to be very well written and persuasive as it clearly states the reasons for vegetarianism.

Paraphrasing and Quotations [A Way With Words, or Away With Words: Effect of Texting and IMing on Language]

Quotations and paraphrasing help improve an essay in many ways. It gives the author a way to support certain key points and to be objective. The essay I chose to comment on is Timothy Barranco’s “A Way With Words, or Away With Words: Effect of Texting and IMing on Language”. Throughout the essay, Barranco uses a few quotations to defend his arguments.

Barranco integrated his quotations into the essay well. The way he integrated the quotations makes the reader know not only Barranco’s perspective, but the perspective of a few other well accredited professors from various universities in the United States. In most cases, the quotes were brief. However, one of the quotations that were, in my opinion, well integrated into the text was lengthy but it served a certain purpose. He put two researchers’ (Tagliamonte and Dennis) work into the context, saying that they concluded that “Individuals pick and choose from…resources in their speech community (Tagliamonte and Dennis 27).” This quotation shows how these two researchers found that for a person to actually use “txt”, they would have to know its constituents.

Barranco also paraphrased a few scholars’ texts. Although I cannot look at the original text to judge whether or not his paraphrase is similar to the original text, I think that his paraphrases are well integrated into the essay and serve the right purpose: to provide evidence for the points he states. The paraphrase “such literary greats as E.E. Cummings…altered language to evoke its full potential (Shortis)” makes the reader know where Barranco got his information from and helps validate the writer’s points.

Quotations and paraphrases improve the validity of an essay in many ways. Above, I listed a few ways they might do that. In most cases, quotations and paraphrases increase the credibility of an essay. However, there might not be a direct correlation between the amount of paraphrases and quotations and the credibility of an essay. A reader should learn to judge whether or not an essay is objective or bias.

Blog Assignment #5 - If the Losers Wrote the History

Each story has two sides to it. It is not necessarily the “loser’s” or the “winner’s” side, the bias may be because of sexism, racism, or any other issue. In Columbus’s case, winners wrote the history. Most people around the world praise Columbus for being the founder of America and an inspirational man, a man who took a risk to attest his belief – that the world is round. Conversely, many people believe that Columbus is not the founder of America, and that natives were living in America before the Europeans invade it.

History is not a given fact; it consists of a lot of biases and a lot of false statements. History can be told from many different perspectives. However, the winners are generally the ones that get their perspective of the issue passed on to the next generations and taught in school. If the losers wrote history, history would change completely. From a winner’s perspective, less graphic images are usually used. The winners would tell the story using simple words instead of graphic images to describe killings. The losers, on the other hand, would use descriptive words to convey their meaning and to exhibit how the winners tortured them. After reading history that is written by a winner, the reader might praise the winner for having such courage. Yet, when the reader reads history that is written by a loser, the reader would pity those heartless winners.

Blog Assignment 3

Non-verbal communication is perhaps one of the most important types of communication. It expresses one's inner feelings and deepest emotions. Non-verbal communication consists of all our facial expressions, hand gestures, and other forms of body language. Trying to live a day without using non-verbal communication whilst talking to someone face-to-face would be a challenge. However, non-verbal communication differs from one country to another.

Back in Bahrain, the body language used is somewhat similar to the body language used in the USA. However, they are somewhat peculiar. One of the main differences is the type of body language used between persons of the opposite sex. The physical distance between women and men while having a conversation tends to be greater in Bahrain. In the USA, there is less physical distance between women and men. This is probably due to the different values and traditions.

Moreover, the physical contact between women and men in the USA is different. In the USA, it is acceptable for a man to have body contact with a woman while having a normal conversation. In Bahrain, that would be looked down upon. This is also due to the different values in the two countries. If a man were to keep a small distance between himself and a woman, the woman would feel very uncomfortable.

Lastly, the body language used tends to be different. In Bahrain, people tend to express a lot of their emotions through body language. This involves using their hands to express themselves. I am used to doing that, so I found myself trying to get accustomed to American tradition by not being so explicit about my emotions using my hands.

All in all, body language is essential while trying to express one's true emotions. It makes the people around you better understand your thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.

Blog Assignment 2 - Option 1

First impressions play a big part in an individual’s social life, academic life, and career path. A few factors shape a person’s public image such as clothing, posture, attitude, and body language. All these factors come together to give the public an idea of one’s identity. Different individuals portray different images of themselves, and the first impression they give off is not necessarily their true selves.

The type of image I like to portray when I meet someone varies. For example, the type of image I would like to portray at a job interview is a professional image. However, the type of impression I would like to render to my floor mates is a social, well-rounded, and outgoing image.

The first impression people get of me is not necessarily my true self. At first, I may appear to be quiet although I am actually very talkative. Once I get to know the people around me better and feel more comfortable around them, I start showing them my true self. I find it hard to reveal my true self around strangers or people I just met. Although the image I project is not necessarily my true self, a fraction of it is. I portray a certain kind of image with a few factors that give the people around me an idea of who I truly am.

Generally speaking, first impressions usually hint at a person’s overall personality. A person who comes off as rude is usually not a polite person even after you get to know them better. Individuals should work to create an image that reflects their personality in order to improve their social, academic, and career life.

Blog Entry #1

About Me:
My name is Hadeel Al Dallal. I am from Bahrain, a small island in the Middle East. I am eighteen years old, and my birthdate is March 22, 1991. My first language is Arabic and my second language is English. I have two sisters and a brother, two of which are younger than me. I am currently attending the University of Delaware and I plan to major in Business. My favorite hobby is reading, and my favorite genre is Romance, yet I still read some non-fiction books. Another two of my interests are music and art.

Response to Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue":
Language is an essential component in everyday communication. It gives people the ability to understand others and interact with the people around them. Whilst reading Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue”, I found that I could identify with the writer's thoughts and feelings.
The language individuals use in front of their peers might differ greatly from the language they use in front of their parents or teachers. In front of their peers, the language used tends to be informal, straight forward, and more explicit. Whereas the language used to communicate with elders tends to be formal, complex, and virtuous. This is due to various reasons, one of which is the laid-back atmosphere between them and their peers, and the other of which is the respect entities have for the elder.
I am bilingual, hence I have grown up speaking both Arabic and English. I would usually talk Arabic with my parents, yet I find myself talking a mix of English and Arabic with my brother and sisters. This is because of the different generations and the distinctive environments associated with each generation. While talking to my siblings, I use informal language and might even use impertinent language at times. However, I completely avoid using impertinent language around my parents and teachers. Things that my peers would overlook and perceive as normal might be perceived as rude by grown-ups. Hence, I find myself using two different kinds of languages.
Since my English teachings have all been done at school or through my readings, my English tends to be formal, whereas my Arabic tends to be more casual. My roommate and floor mates have also noticed and commented on the formality of my language. This is because of the my upbringing and the atmosphere I was surrounded by for the past eighteen years.
All in all, language reveals a lot about a person’s personality. It hints at their general moral and ethical values as well as their consideration for those around them.