Victory Lap

Here's Looking At You, Kid!

Reflection on Open Letter Draft

When You Feel Like a Badass

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I reviewed Ann Emilie's Draft, and she reviewed mine. Her comments were very helpful and constructive, and I will make good use of them. I will also answer some questions that will help in my revision process. Overall, I received a lot of support and seem to be heading in the right direction!

Did you demonstrate an ability to think about your writing and yourself as a writer?
Yes, I did, but I needed more examples to really give my audience some context.

Did you provide analysis of your experiences, writing assignments, or concepts you have learned?
Sort of, I had left out a lot of actual experiences and assignments as references, but I had a good description  of the concepts I have learned.

Did you provide concrete examples from your own writing (either quotes from your writing or rich descriptions of your writing process)?
Nope, I need to go back and do that.

Did you explain why you made certain choices and whether those choices were effective?
Yes, and no. I need to include more evidence to make it clear.

Did you use specific terms and concepts related to writing and the writing process?
Yes, I used quite a few writing terms, but I may need to include more concepts.

Draft of Open Letter

The Terrifying Draft

Hamburg, Monica "Black Magic Curse Letter" (5/4/2011) via Flickr. Atribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic License

Hello  peer reviewers! Please feel free to tear this thing apart grammatically, structurally, and thematically. I would love feedback about organization, specific sentence structure, flow, and the overall status of my draft. Thank you!

Here is my draft.

Reflecting More on My Writing Experience

Thinking More about My Writing

Uguen, Gwendal "People who don't use their heads... don't need them..." (2/28/2011)
via Flickr. Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License

In this post, I will be thinking more about my writing experience by answering the following questions.


1. What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall?
I mainly had issues managing my time this semester, which negatively impacted my writing process. I would end up not doing anything until the day of the deadline, and cramming every step into one 12 hour stretch where I was fueled by sleepless delirium and caffeine. One other huge challenge was family illness. Over the course of the semester, my boyfriend, father, and grandmother were all in the hospital or needed multiple surgeries. I definitely threw schoolwork by the wayside a lot so that I could be there for my family.

2. What did you learn this semester about your own time managment, writing and editorial skills?
This semester has really made me suck it up and organize how I use my time instead of procrastination. It's not easy, but it pays off in the long run. In a similar vein, I realized that writing is made easier if I spread out the steps of creating a final product. I now have a pretty set order of processes that I go through when I write, and that system has given me more control over my writing. Previously, I would barely edit between rough and final drafts, and even then global revisions never came across my mind. Now I realize that rough drafts are meant to be torn apart in order to make them the best they can be.

3. What do you know about the concept of 'genre'? Explain how understanding this concept is central to being a more effective writer.
Exploring different groups of writing styles has been extremely beneficial to my writing. Looking at different styles and formats of writing has opened up my perception of how I can convey information. Analyzing genres has shown me a world of potential platforms and audiences to access and appeal to. For each genre that we've explored, I have had to take into consideration its specific rhetorical context and conventions. I have had to learn conventions on my own. This has prepared me to be a flexible and diverse writer. I have become comfortable with conveying ideas in many formats, and this will serve me well in the future.

4. What skills from this course might you use and/or develop further in the next few years of college coursework?
I have honed and discovered many skills throughout this course, but there are some skills that will really benefit me for years to come.

• Learning genre conventions
• Thinking about writing process
• Time management
• Analyzing ideology
• Thinking about how a text is rhetorically situated
• Responding to peer work
• Understanding rhetorical strategies
• Planning / outlining a project
• Analyzing audience
• Research strategies
• Using technology

5. What was your most effective moment from this semester in 109H?
My most effective moment was when I was working on Project 3. For these deadlines, everything this class has taught me really came together beautifully. I got most of my blog posts done early because I scheduled them. I went to office hours and made multiple revisions to my project. I was done with my project early, and was able to give extra peer review to someone. Getting all of this done really made me realize that what I've learned has really helped me, and will continue to do so. I also had a huge feeling of accomplishment. I have succeeded in fighting of my procrastinating ways!

6. What was your least effective moment from this semester in 109H?
For my first project, I got just about everything done late. For the final deadline, I stayed up late into the night the day before, and the day of. I barely got everything done in time. I was physically, and ideologically confused. I had no clue what I was doing even while I was doing it, and I really just pulled it out of my ass. As soon as I submitted it, I collapsed onto my bed and passed out. That feeling of helplessness, confusion, and exhaustion was definitely my lowest point this semester.

Revisiting My Writing Process

What the Hell was That?

Goehring, David "Shock-ed" (1/19/2008) via Flickr. Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License

After reading my first two blog posts, I realized that I've grown a lot throughout this course. Looking back at my almost childish approach and style of writing, I was quite shocked, and a little embarrassed... Here's how I have become better!

Writing Process

• Then vs. Now
• This course, and college in general have slowly molded me into a different kind of writer over the semester. While I may still approach my writing in an easygoing manner, I have definitely cultivated a more rigid and outlined process for my writing. 
• While I certainly still procrastinate, it's a planned procrastination - this simply means that I construct my essay bit by bit. I will outline one day, create a rough draft the next, edit the day after that, and then polish my work on the last possible day.
• I still consider myself to be a heavy reviser, but I have increasingly gained the traits of a sequential composer. I tend to plan out my projects much more than I used to, which makes the revision process much more bearable than it used to be.
• One very helpful development is that outlining really makes me decide just what I want to write about and how. It also allows me to organize my thoughts based on how much evidence I actually have for my argument, which has definitely saved my grade and my purpose on multiple occasions.
• Looking to the Future
• I think that over time my writing process will become more structured and easily replicated. I seem to be moving towards staggered steps of writing to ease the mental burden of writing an essay.
• This system will be crucial in approaching my Honors Thesis. Without a clear approach, my thesis would be worthless, and by breaking it into more manageable pieces I will -hopefully - be able to maintain my sanity.

Time Management Habits

• Then vs. Now
• This semester has been a compilation of tough love learning experiences for me, and under pressure I have been able to tackle time management. I got a planner, and although it took me a while to perfect this concept, I wrote in it and looked at it almost every day, which really helped my organize my priorities and tasks for both school, work, and myself.
• My old 'system' was to try to keep everything in my head, and guess-timate my schedule. Now I actually use my planner, and write almost everything I need to accomplish in a day down.
• Looking to the Future
• Hopefully, I will be able to look at and write in my planner daily. Ideally, I'd look every morning to get ready, and keep it with me throughout the day. Right now I'm moving towards that ideal, but for now I will do my best to keep myself on the right page.
• These planning skills will really help me prioritize tasks not just for my library career, but will allow me to navigate my years of schooling ahead to achieve that goal.

Reflection on Project 3

A Look Back at My Revision Process

Crossett Library "ThINK: Books and Tattoos - Katie" (9/19/2011) via Flickr
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After publishing Project 3, I'm going back and taking a look at my revisions from draft to draft and how my revisions process affected my final product. I'll be answering some questions about revision and how this process changed my drafts and my writing identity.

What was specifically revised from one draft to another?

• Each revision of my draft contained both local and global changes. I would change sentence structure, sources, and even add more context.

Point to global changes: how did you reconsider your thesis or organization?

• I ended up changing and refining my organization each time I revised, partly to fit the genre, and partly for just plain clarity. I ended up giving a lot more context to convince readers than I had initially planned on, but I do think it will end up working better for me than less.

What led you to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A shift in purpose?

• Throughout, my purpose has remained the same, but I have had to put a bit more emphasis into convincing my readers that Book Banning is still a problem than I had anticipated. To make an effective argument, my purpose - my solutions - needed to have something to actually solve, or my text would be pointless. This created the need for more context.
• Somehow I had begun to create fairly large paragraphs, when my genre tends to keep them smaller and organizes them differently. This led me to re-organize and cut some material to be more in-line with an op-ed and keep my argument coherent.

How do these changes affect your credibility as an author?

• By giving more context and concrete examples of book banning today, I appear to be more knowledgeable and correct. Without that evidence, my argument and credibility would be much weaker.
• By fitting into my genre and having a well-organized article, I will come across as logical and my readers will appreciate the easy to read layout.

How will these changes better address the audience or venue?

• More context and better organization will make the audience's experience of reading my text more enjoyable and effortless. These will also help my article fit in on its venue, and make my audience think more critically about what they need to do and why.

Point to local changes: how did you reconsider sentence structure and style?

• I had much fewer issues with complex sentences getting away from me in this project. I only had to make a couple sentence structure changes for clarity. I mainly tweaked my word choice and hyperlinks.

How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?

• Sentence clarity will make it easier for my audience to understand why I even have my purpose. Word choice will convey the right tone to convince my audience that something must be done. Hyperlinking can help to give examples of why we must do something, and examples of what we can do.

Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing?

• I definitely had some trouble with the conventions for hyperlinking, but I realized that pushing my genre a teensy bit for the sake of style is perfectly okay.

Finally, how does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?

• This exercise has made me come to realize that my writing and revision process has changed drastically since I bean the semester. I have become less of a procrastinator, and have been spreading out my writing and revising in time. I revise more than I did before, and I actually think I am getting better at revision because of reflections and peer review.

Publishing Public Argument

My Proposals Eat Yours for Breakfast

SS&SS "(YES SORRY FOR USING THIS ONE AGAIN) BUT IT WORKS WITH WHATS POSTED BELOW"
(1/31/2011) via Flickr. Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License

Here is my Public Argument! Below you will find a measure of how well I think I did.

1. Mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience currently stands on the issue (before reading/watcing/hearing your argument) below:

←----------------------------------------------------|------X-------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

2. Now mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience should be (after they've read/watched/heard your argument) below:

←X---------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

3. Check one (and only one) of the argument types below for your public argument:

         _______ My public argument establishes an original pro position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument establishes an original con position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument clarifies the causes for a problem that is being debated.

         ___X___ My public argument proposes a solution for a problem that is being debated.

         _______ My public argument positively evaluate a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm supporting).

         _______ My public argument openly refutes a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm refuting).

4. Briefly explain how your public argument doesn’t simply restate information from other sources, but provides original context and insight into the situation:

5. Identify the specific rhetorical appeals you believe you've employedi n your public argument below:

Ethical or credibility-establishing appeals

                    _____ Telling personal stories that establish a credible point-of-view

                    __X__ Referring to credible sources (established journalism, credentialed experts, etc.)

                    __X__ Employing carefully chosen key words or phrases that demonstrate you are credible (proper terminology, strong but clear vocabulary, etc.)

                    _____ Adopting a tone that is inviting and trustworthy rather than distancing or alienating

                    _____ Arranging visual elements properly (not employing watermarked images, cropping images carefully, avoiding sloppy presentation)

                    __X__ Establishing your own public image in an inviting way (using an appropriate images of yourself, if you appear on camera dressing in a warm or friendly or professional manner, appearing against a background that’s welcoming or credibility-establishing)

                    __X__ Sharing any personal expertise you may possess about the subject (your identity as a student in your discipline affords you some authority here)

                    __X__ Openly acknowledging counterarguments and refuting them intelligently

                    __X__ Appealing openly to the values and beliefs shared by the audience (remember that the website/platform/YouTube channel your argument is designed for helps determine the kind of audience who will encounter your piece)

                    _____ Other: 

Emotional appeals

                    _____ Telling personal stories that create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    __X__ Telling emotionally compelling narratives drawn from history and/or the current culture

                    _____ Employing the repetition of key words or phrases that create an appropriate emotional impact

                    __X__ Employing an appropriate level of formality for the subject matter (through appearance, formatting, style of language, etc.)

                    _____ Appropriate use of humor for subject matter, platform/website, audience

                    __X__ Use of “shocking” statistics in order to underline a specific point

                    __X__ Use of imagery to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    __X__ Employing an attractive color palette that sets an appropriate emotional tone (no clashing or ‘ugly’ colors, no overuse of too many variant colors, etc.)

                    _____ Use of music to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Use of sound effects to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    __X__ Employing an engaging and appropriate tone of voice for the debate

                    _____ Other: 

Logical or rational appeals

                    __X__ Using historical records from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    _____ Using statistics from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    _____ Using interviews from stakeholders that help affirm your stance or position

                    __X__ Using expert opinions that help affirm your stance or position

                    __X__ Effective organization of elements, images, text, etc.

                    __X__ Clear transitions between different sections of the argument (by using title cards, interstitial music, voiceover, etc.)

                    __X__ Crafted sequencing of images/text/content in order to make linear arguments

                    __X__ Intentional emphasis on specific images/text/content in order to strengthen argument

                    _____ Careful design of size/color relationships between objects to effectively direct the viewer’s attention/gaze (for visual arguments)

                    _____ Other: 

6. Below, provide us with working hyperlinks to THREE good examples of the genre you've chosen to write in. These examples can come from Blog Post 11.3 or they can be new examples. But they should all come from the same specific website/platform and should demonstrate the conventions for your piece:

Just a warning: I changed from an editorial to an op-ed piece (they share the same conventions, but the NY times just happens to only write editorials through a board).

Stopping WhatsApp Won't Stop Terrorists
Michel Houellebecq: How France's Leaders Failed Its People
Saudi Arabia, an ISIS That Has Made It

Reflection on Project 3 Draft

Onward to Perfection! ('Cause I'm Not There Yet)

Hull, Duncan "This is what you look like right now by Abstruse Goose (Tell me I'm wrong)" (4/14/2011) via Flickr
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I peer reviewed Rachel and Chloe's drafts, and was also peer reviewed by others. What did I take away from this?

Ann Emilie reviewed my Project 3 rough draft. I am very grateful for the feedback that she gave me, and I can definitely see the things I need to change. I still need to include an author bio, image, date and time published, and do a better job of reaching out to my audience. Everything she had to say about my draft was spot on, and I definitely need to go back and refine my writing.

I plan to give more concrete details to really convince my audience, and support my propositions with the right word choice to sway my audience to agree with me. I will finish my art piece so that I can take a picture and upload it to my doc, and I will take a picture of myself for the author bio as well.

I feel like I'm headed in the right direction with my draft, I just need to cross over into final draft status by revising and adding to what I already have.

Draft of Public Argument

Well, At Least It's Finally Here...

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Here is my ROUGH draft!

Hello  peer reviewers! Please feel free to tear this thing apart grammatically, structurally, and thematically. I would love feedback about organization, specific sentence structure, flow, and overall status of my draft. CAUTION: until November 11th, this draft will most likely still be incomplete. Please do not comment until that time, as I may still be in the process of copy-editing. Thanks for all you do, and criticize away!

You will find my rough draft here.

Considering Visual Elements

What Should It Look Like?

Kringen, Shannon "more pentax fish kring" (9/30/2010) via Flickr. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License

In this post, I will be evaluating the importance of images and appearance in my editorial.

Creating Visual Coherence

• Color Choices
• The colors red, grey, and blue would best reflect the visual tone of my project: Red for book banning, grey for our stagnation, and blue for future programs / activism.
• The background will be white, as that is the background for all editorials on the New York Times, and it will be straightforward for the reader to approach and read.
• The font will be black, again because of the New York Times formatting, and it would provide the best readability and contrast from a white background.
• The background and font colors will function as a neutral 'canvas' so to speak, that will not interfere with or take away from image impact.
• Any boxes or lines that function in my text will either be black and grey due to New York Times formatting. This will keep these lines neutral so that the images can speak for themselves.
• Font Choices
• The font I will use throughout is Times New Roman, due to New York Times formatting. For the title, I will enlarge my font to draw attention. I will most likely use italics or hyperlinking in the body of my text to create any kind of visual emphasis.
• Using the same font throughout will be complementary to my piece, and provide readers with easy reading and consistency.
• Times New Roman is an 'official' font that is mainly used in scholarly works and important documents. Readers will most likely identify the text as an important source of information.
• This font is completely appropriate to the visual-rhetorical tone of my project. It doesn't distract from my message, and fits the formatting of my platform.
• The fonts will be large enough to be read from a projector screen if needed.
• My  font will be black to create readability on a white background.
• Shapes, Text Boxes, Headings, and Lines
• My project may include graphics such as charts or graphs that will match the color scheme and content.
• I may choose to set aside a statement by enlarging it and placing it in some form of text box.
• My  text boxes will be the same color as the background.

Creating Visual Salience

• Image Selection
• I hope to include an image of books in jail, or something along those lines which I may end up creating myself.
• This will lend to my portrayal of book banning, library program stagnation, and the need for an 'escape.'
• This will hopefully engender feelings of outrage and restriction in my audience, which may invoke the desire to do something.
• This image adds to my argument, and gives the cause of my article in an image.
• Image Framing or Anchoring
• The image will be located by the introduction of my article, which will contain background on my argument - the image is a representation of that background.

Creating Visual Organization

• My organization may need a little work to flow better both visually and textually.
• I will most likely only use one image, to introduce my topic and create interest, as any more would be confusing within my genre and my purpose.

Creating Visual Impact

• My visual so far seems connected to my text.
• The rhetorical tone is pretty consistent and fits well.
• I need to develop my call to action more, and specifically outline what librarians and patrons can do.
• My image and textual information outline what will happen if action isn't taken.
• I think that the image is best located before or next to the introduction of my editorial, as it will draw my audience in.

Reflection: After reading Tom and Cynthia's blog posts, I realized that we can do so much with visuals, and that each genre really determines how much personal creative control we have over appearance. Like Cynthia, I am writing on a platform that doesn't allow for interesting fonts or colored text. Even being able to have a different font for the title like Tom makes me want to be more creative! But, I need to conform to my platform and genre, and express myself through words more so than images.

Project 3 Outline

What To Do, What To Do...

Post Memes "The Perfect Cat Lady Plan" (11/7/2015) via Flickr. Attribution 2.0 General License

Introduction

• Define or narrow the problem
• Censorship / book banning
• Develop a realistic plan of action for my audience by focusing on an aspect of the larger problem
• Access to banned / challenged materials

Body

• Libraries are meant to preserve access to all information, which means that their role is to prevent / ward off censorship.
• Libraries must also discern what information is appropriate for what audience.
• This isn't as relevant to my purpose, but may be used to back up / create incentive
• Cite NPR podcast
• Cite New York Times article
• Cite Library Literacy article
• Library programs / initiatives against book banning have become stagnant.
• Banned Books Week should be enough, so it doesn't matter if there is no progress, because there's no more progress to be made.
• This is key, and will be addressed
• Though many believe that Banned Books Week has been a complete success, it hasn't been able to halt book banning.
• Cite Pima County Public Library blog post
• Cite Banned Books Week
• There are a multitude of programs that could be created to expand upon the ideas of Banned Book Week.
• Then why don't we hear about any such initiatives?
• This is key, and will be addressed
• Despite overwhelming silence and stagnation, there are a variety of possibilities available to strengthen the library initiative against book banning.
• Cite Banned Books Week
• Cite Main Street Public Library article

Conclusion

• Call to action
• Libraries and patrons need to step up to the plate and create more anti-censorship programs.

Analyzing My Genre

The Editorial

Alan Light "Winsor McCay editorial cartoon" (2/7/2014) via Flickr. Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License.

I have decided to write an editorial article that would be specifically featured in the New York Times. In this post, I will provide examples of this genre, and analyze it in detail.

Here are some examples of an editorial article you would find in the New York Times:

1. Transgender Students in High School Locker Rooms
2. A Wrong Turn for Guatemalan Democracy
3. In Houston, Hate Trumped Fairness
4. Myanmar Goes to the Polls
5. Denying the Will of Okinawans

Social Context

• This genre is typically set in a newspaper / newspaper website.
• The subject of the genre can be practically anything, as long as it's an issue that the author feels strongly about.
• Readers of the paper use this genre.
• This genre provides people with an update on current views concerning a large / controversial debate.

Rhetorical Patterns

• There is always an image, a title, and a byline. These articles tend to include statistics and opinions, but rarely use direct quotes. The information included tends to cater to those who would share their opinions.
• There are usually direct appeals to pathos, with less appeals directed to logos. Some main rhetorical tools used in this genre seem to be shocking statistics, loaded language, and opinionated statements / narratives. There are hardly any written appeals to ethos, because the platform of the article (The New York Times) really speaks for itself, as does the author bio that always accompanies it.
• The titles of editorials usually include emotionally loaded language, immediately conveying the gist of the author's opinion. These articles begin with an overview of the issue that exists, and may include the author's opinion. Most editorials tend to conclude with a short to mid-sized paragraph that wraps up their overall opinion of their topic and their entire editorial. In the main body, they address the context of the issue, and do so by including statistics and facts, as well as coloring that context with their own views. 
• A variety of sentences are used in this genre, Rarely are exclamatory or interrogative sentences used - word choice is used to convey confusion and outrage rather than sentence structure.
• Word choice is usually somewhat elevated, elaborate, and emotional. Most words are formal, even and especially if they are loaded.

Analysis

• This genre includes readers who share the opinion of the author, and bashes anyone who doesn't. It will always include opinionated readers who are usually regular readers of the paper.
• The genre encourages readers to see writers as correct, and writers to see readers as confused about what to think. So, writers are given the role to think for those who are confused (or need affirmation) about their opinions on a certain issue, and guide them through the issue to its reality.
• Most users are assumed to have questions about issues and what they should think about it.
• The genre treats content which complements their views as essential, and will hardly ever use content that would support an opposing view. They also hold statistics in high esteem.

Reflection: After reading Thomas and Lauren's Analyses of Genre, I realized that quite a few of us are writing in a genre that fit in the broader genre of the online article. Why not a video? We seem to be sticking to what we know: writing. I feel like it would be really interesting if we had a greater variety in genres! Sadly, I won't be following my own advice for the class, as I think the editorial will fit my purpose perfectly. Hopefully we'll have at least a couple people try something new!

Considering Types

How Should I Argue?

Klotz, Mark "Logical Fallacies 2" (4/26/2010) via Flickr
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In this post, I will be looking at which types of arguments I can make. I will look what types of arguments I'm considering using in my Project 3.

I've already decided on which type of argument I'd like to carry out in my text, and since I want to propose a better solution to libraries dealing with book banning, it seemed like the Proposal Argument was perfect. I hope to incorporate evaluation, causes, refutation, and position into my text to support my solutions, but my main purpose is to use those to support my proposal for adding programs to libraries to revamp the tired Banned Book Week model of dealing with book banning and censorship.

Reflection: After reading Addie and Breanna's posts, I realized that my genre will really define how I propose solutions and who I reach. I think this process has helped me settle on my Genre, and I also have a more refined idea of what I'm going to say in my public speech act. This has also helped me recognize that I need to tailor my text to not just my audience but my context as well. Now that I have a strategy, I can go ahead!
Addie's Posts: Rhetorical Action Plan    Considering Types
Breanna's Posts: Rhetorical Action Plan    Considering Types

My Rhetorical Action Plan

Lights! Camera! Rhetoric!

zebedee.zebedee "funny-pictures-evil-plan-almost-complete" (10/24/2008) via Flickr. Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

In this post, I will outline my audience, genre, and potential responses for Project 3. This is my detailed 'Action Plan.'

Audience

• Librarians, patrons
• Librarians will know quite a lot about book banning and censorship through their schooling and training in Information Sciences, while patrons might not know as much due to their focus on usually centering on entertainment media (which may or may not be banned).
• As members of the library system, my audience will view the freedom and diversity of information as important, if not essential; they will also see book banning as a negative process
• Research of or concerning library systems and their relationship with censorship and how they address banned books will be essential to persuading my audience. This evidence might need to be more thoroughly explained or put in context of my argument for the audience to understand their relevance.
• My audience may respond to book covers of banned material and images of Banned Books Week may inspire the audience to view libraries as essential to respond to this issue, and can see what is on the table: community and information.
• My audience needs to understand that Banned Books Week isn't enough, and that we need to delve back into battling the book banning movement, because the job's not done.

Genre

• I will be writing a blog post or article that might be found on a popular new site such as the New York Times, or a quick reference guide to "Book Banning: How Libraries Have Fallen, and How They can Rise Again" that would be found in a similar place. 
• Blog Post Example 1
• Blog Post Example 2
• Article Example 1
• Article Example 2
• Quick Reference Guide Example 1
• Quick Reference Guide Example 2
• This genre is meant to present an issue or event in a certain light. I chose this genre because my audience will most likely be interested in news pertaining to the library system, and may access news sites more than blogs because they are more constantly checked and updated so that we can know what's going on in the world.
• I may use my field of study, my employment at a library, and the amount of research I've done to gain credibility (ethos). I will most likely use banned book descriptions, personal narratives, and shocking statistics to incite emotion (pathos). I will cite the pillars of the library system, the activity levels of book banning, and juxtapose the content of banned books with the reasons why they were banned to create a logical (logos) argument.
• I may include a few images, and potentially a visual of the statistics I plan to use.
• I think it will be informal / conversational so that I can make it more comfortable for librarians and patrons alike to read.

Positive Reactions

• The library needs to do more!
• We should get involved!
• Why is book banning still a thing?
• I didn't realize this was still an important issue!
• Let's go do something about this!
• We need to add more programs to our library system to make a stronger stand against book banning.

Negative Rebuttals

• Why does this still matter?
• Response: This issue will matter until it is eradicated - if any book or information is barred from someone, it will matter - and even then it should be remembered so that we don't make the same mistakes again. 
• We already have Banned Book Week, isn't that enough?
• Response: While Banned Book Week is certainly great, it's becoming a tired program that usually is the sole representing body of this issue; we need to support it with smaller initiatives that are year-round and / or more spread out through the year - if book banning is still being carried out, the library should be doing something about it. 
• Book banning isn't that bad, so we shouldn't care anymore.
• Response: Book Banning may seem reasonable at times, but in reality bars potentially formative and crucial information from people; while it may seem well-intended, it is used to suppress individuals and their growth in knowledge.

Analyzing Purpose

Reigniting a Stagnant Debate

My argument should bring something new to the table of the Banned Books debate. After looking at the context of my debate, I got a few ideas of how I could do this. I also mapped out my purpose alongside potential audience reactions.

My controversy seems stagnant or outdated, mostly because everyone seems to be under the delusion that Banned Books Week has solved everything. I plan to prove that book banning is still an issue that needs to be more effectively addressed, to potentially introduce additional library programs to push back, and to challenge libraries and patrons to do more to combat this problem.

My audience will mainly consist of those who participate in the library system: librarians, and patrons. These two groups will be most likely to advance my cause because they participate in the system I hope to reform, and they will most likely have the same core values of information freedom as I do because it's an integral moral pillar of the library system. Librarians could work to raise patron and peer awareness of the relevance of the issue, and patrons can gain interest in participating in library programs, thus supporting the programs and the librarians, creating a cycle of support and growth in battling Banned Books in library systems.

Analyzing Context

Who, What, When, Where, Why, How?

Dumas, Robert "The Adventure of Captain Underpants - Banned Books Week 2010 Flyer" (9/21/2010) via Flickr
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License

In this post, I will be reading the context of my public debate / controversy. To do so, I will answer questions important to understanding the context of this issue.

What are the key perspectives or schools of thought on the debate that you are studying?

• Banning books is wrong and / or should be combated by libraries
• Banning books is fine and / or should be left alone by libraries

What are the major points of contention or major disagreements among these perspectives?

• Is it the library's place to get involved in this process?
• Should libraries supply banned books / censored material?
• Are books banned or challenged for good, concrete reasons?

What are the possible points of agreement, or the possible common ground between these perspectives?

• Book banning and censorship limits information access for individuals

What are the ideological differences, if any, between the perspectives?

• Those who see banning as something that needs to be combated tend to emphasize the importance of information diversity and public access
• Those who see banning as something the library shouldn't deal with tend to emphasize separation of church and state, books are banned for reasons of merit, and proper context of information / materials

What specific actions do their perspectives or texts ask their audience to take?

• Those who favor library intervention tend to ask readers to read banned books to see what they're missing, imagine what important or formative information may be concealed from people if libraries weren't involved, and spread the word about library initiatives to combat censorship.
• Those who oppose library intervention ten to ask readers to read banned books to understand why they may have been banned in certain contexts, imagine what could happen if a risque or potentially inappropriate material was used in the wrong context, and spread the word about the reason and context of book banning.

What perspectives are useful in supporting your own arguments about the issue? Why did you choose these?

• I agree with the perspective that libraries should intervene in book banning
• Freedom of information is crucial to democracy, equality, and awareness of the world

What perspectives do you think will be the greatest threat to your argument? Why so?

• The perception of importance of context is also a very important value to librarians as well as patrons and is a very strong argument against open access.
• I may have to judge which is more important or turn the library's role into a way of re-defining context...

Reflection: After reading Addie and Ann's analyses of context, I was happy to notice that they had awesome, timely controversies. Mine may be a bit out-dated and in the background, but it's still going on and there's still debate, so I think my paper might play the role of bringing this controversy back into the spotlight.... hopefully. Their posts made me realize that the issue / perspective I can take on this controversy should include commentary about how we've been turning a blind eye to it for years, assuming it's solved by programs already in place while it still occurs. Perhaps I could go as far as introducing potential library programs to combat the issue?

Audience and Genre

Who Will Care... and Where?

Kleis, Karen "The Reader" (11/17/2013) via Flickr. Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License

There are many venues for my text, as well as many genres which I could write in, both of which have certain audiences attached to them. Below, I have listed specific audiences that may be interested in the answers to the questions I posed, and have expanded upon where and how I might reach them. I have provided examples of each publication location and genres which I may use to target each audience.

Librarians

Librarians will want to know what other libraries are doing in order to better their own libraries and fight censorship.

• Publication locations
• Academic journal
• The Journal of Academic Librarianship
• Information Standards Quarterly
• MLS: Marketing Library Services
• News website
• The New York Times
• The Wall Street Journal
• NPR: National Public Radio
• Genres
• Quick Reference Guide
• A Beginner's Guide to the Synth
• Gun Control Explained
• Scholarly Article
• Libraries
• Society
• Article
• Pope Francis Article
• Star Wars Article

Library Patrons

Library Patrons will want to know how their libraries help to fight censorship, and will also want to know more about banned books and places to access them.

• Publication Locations
• Library website
• Pima County Public Library
• Library of Congress
• Library blog
• Pima County Blog
• New York Public Library
• Genres
• Blog post
• Pima County Public Library Post
• Pima County Public Library Post
• Quick Reference Guide
• A Beginner's Guide to the Synth
• Gun Control Explained

Scholars in Information and Library Science

Scholars in the field will want to attain more knowledge about the relationship between libraries and censorship, and just how the two oppose each other.

• Publication Locations
• Academic journal
• Library & Information Science Research
• International Journal of Library Science
• Newspaper website
• The New York Times
• The Wall Street Journal
• Genres
• Scholarly Article
• Libraries
• Society
• Quick Reference Guide
• A Beginner's Guide to the Synth
• Gun Control Explained

Extended Annotated Bibligraphy

Organizing Research

Musgo Dumio_Momio "Zen librarian" (12/20/2011) via Flickr. Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License

To answer my questions regarding the role of libraries in book banning, I have gathered six new sources for Project 3, and have created an Annotated Bibliography to contain them.

Narrowing My Focus

The Role of Libraries in Book Banning

Madison Library "Banned Books Week 2014" (9/22/2014) via Flickr. Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License

After listing questions I had regarding the banned books controversy I hope to address, I have looked back at my list and chosen my favorite three questions. I will explain why each are important to answer in creating my argument.

Who protects freedom of information?

• Libraries at their core are meant to protect public access to information and knowledge.
• I hope to conduct research that leads me to discover other groups that are connected to libraries or that operate in a similar way / with a similar purpose to compare them.

How do libraries fight against censorship?

• Banned Books Week is an enormous movement that has taken libraries across the world by storm.
• I hope to conduct research that leads me to other processes by which libraries reject censorship.

Where does the concept of banning and censoring information come from?

• I hope to conduct research that leads me to the sources of book banning so that I may compare them with libraries and analyze the relationship between libraries and these groups.

Questions About Controversy

Censorship: Banned Books

Muskingum University Library "Banned Books Display" (9/7/2006) via Flickr. Attributin-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License

I've decided to focus on the controversy surrounding censorship and banned books in libraries for Project 3. However, I'm still unsure of how I want to discuss the controversy, and what specific parts of the controversy I will address. In this post, I will figure out what I may still need to understand about this debate to achieve a position from which I can argue. I will postulate questions regarding key factors of my controversy in order to understand what things I may want to investigate and argue about.

Who

• Who exactly challenges / bans books?
• Who protects freedom of information?
• Who decides how to deal with / respond to book banning and censorship?

What

• What is the process of banning a book?
• What makes a book a contender for being banned?
• What are some key events in the history of censorship and book banning?

When

• When did book banning and censorship actions peak?
• When did libraries begin to fight back?
• When was censorship at its lowest levels?

Where

• Where do these books actually get banned from?
• Where can you find exclusive sites for banned materials?
• Where does the concept of banning and censoring information come from?

How

• How do libraries fight against censorship?
• How does book banning survive in this advanced day and age?
• How can we put a stop to censorship?

Reflection on Project 2

The Potential Within Revision

English, Angi "Back Flip" (6/9/2010) via Flickr. Attribution0NonCommercial 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License

After completing my Rhetorical Analysis for Project 2, I'm feeling pretty good about my writing process and changes I made to get to my Final Draft. In this blog post, I will be reflecting on my revision process.

What was specifically revised from one draft to another?

• I mainly fixed punctuation mistakes and inserted sentences that created a larger idea for my analysis.

Point to global changes: how did you reconsider your thesis or organization?

• I re-arranged my thesis to flow better with my introduction, but otherwise my thesis fit my organization perfectly.

What led you to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A shift in purpose?

• After talking with my professor, I realized the importance of including some larger purpose for my audience to pursue. While my purpose remains the same, I decided to connect with my audience on a greater level and create a better conclusion by giving them a compelling and specific call to action.

How do these changes affect you credibility as an author?

• I think these changes will enhance my credibility, because there is no way for them to dissuade my audience as far as I can tell; they will only enhance the reading experience of my audience.

How will these changed better address the audience or venue?

• These changes will allow the audience to maintain a much more energetic focus on the issues within my example source, and see how those issues can be manipulated rhetorically.

Point to local changes: how did you reconsider sentence structure and style?

• I re-read my analysis and looked at the flow it had. I manipulated sentence ordering and structure to allow for an easier transition from idea to idea and make the paper seem like a logical flow of thought.

How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?

• These changes will make ideas and their relationships with each other clearer to my readers. If they see rhetorical analysis as a logical flow of thought about a text as opposed to shifting ideas and analysis, they may be able to get a better grasp of how to practice it.

Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing?

• Not really. The great thing about this genre is that large paragraphs and sentences are the norm, and I had a lot to analyze in my text, so it was a perfect combination!

Finally, how does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?

• This has helped me to better understand my role and what I am capable of. I can change my audience's perception of analysis in so many ways just by how I write and how I alter my writing for them. I have a lot of power both in my initial writing process, and especially in my revision.

Reflection: After looking over Mark and Katherine's Reflections, I saw that we all struggled a bit with this Project, but that we eventually figured it out in our revision processes. While Katherine seemed to struggle with her credibility as a writer, Mark appeared to have more issues with the context of the analysis. They both went through what I did, and it just goes to show that we're all encountering new ways of writing and understanding texts. Looking back at Project 1, I realize that I should have gone to office hours for more help understanding the situation of that project and get advice on how to place my issue in context. Now, I plan to alter my writing process so that it includes at least one meeting with my professor to clarify my position as an author in the context of a project.