IP Thesis

Although illegal aliens do the work most Americans are unwilling to do, they impact the United States economy by taking away certain wanted jobs, not paying taxes and receiving government benefits.

Some links I had found just the other day relating to my topic of illegal aliens coming into America:

Number 1
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Number 5

My Issue

For my issue paper I am thinking about writing about illegal aliens and their impact on this country.  I was thinking about how these aliens take over most of the jobs in the South and how it destroys our economy. This is a very serious issue in our country and it needs to be talked about and acted on.  Id love to see what you guys think! Thanks!

Rhetorical Analysis Review

This was a great paper to be able to write. I really enjoyed analyzing something that I actually enjoyed, football.  The process we used also was very effective. I appreciated how we were able to write a simple rough draft, then a first draft and then finally a final draft.  This way I was able to really focus in on my paper and really write a good paper.  It was effective to go to the writing lab.  The lab was really helpful on organizing my data and my ideas.  This rhetorical analysis was a very good paper to write because analyzing things applies to almost every paper I will ever write.

Rhetorical Analysis: Quarterback Dilemma?

At the beginning of the 2011 BYU football season Jake Heaps was predicted to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football.  Jake Heaps barley pulled off the win against Ole Miss, however he preformed very poorly against Texas.  Heaps threw 2 interceptions in that game.  He went downhill from there.  Throwing bad pass after bad pass and interception after interception.  BYU fans thought all hope was lost until Riley Nelson was put in late in the Utah State University game.  Nelson rallied the troops and brought back the win for BYU.  Since this game Nelson has been tearing up the defenses he plays against with his crisp passing and his speedy running.  Jeremy Kidd has been writing on his blog for every pre-game, game and post-game that BYU has had for years.  Jeremy uses his knowledge of BYU football knowledge, use of words to persuade his audience and his use of metaphors to effectively convince BYU fans that Riley Nelson should start over Jake Heaps.

One major rhetorical tool that Jeremy Kidd uses in his blog is his vast knowledge of BYU football.  He really shows the reader that he knows and understands what he is actually talking about by using facts and numbers.  He uses this tool in this example where he describes why Riley should start over Jake Heaps “Which leads me to my idea. Do you remember what Texas did to BYU? The BYU defense was so effective against the starter, Garrett Gilbert (2/8 for 8 yards and two INTs), that Texas brought in their backup(s), who we had not planned for, and they were able to come back and win the game.”  In this example it is talking about Nelson completing 2 out of his 8 passes and his 2 interceptions (INTs).  This example describes how he uses his knowledge of football to really draw the reader in and establish some credibility to himself.  The more football facts he states the more the reader actually believes in what he is saying and the more it establishes authority for him and his blog.   Kidd also uses another example of his knowledge of football when he says “Heaps took over in that game, and was able to score on consecutive drives, and bring the Cougars within 3. In the second half, the Seminoles would up their tally of sacks to a total of 8. Heaps ended the game 15/31 for 114 yards and 1 TD.”  Using his knowledge he can persuade his audience to believe him through his use of football terms to make himself look reliable on what he is talking about.  He wants his audience to feel comforted by the numbers and facts he is actually using.  Personally, Kidd’s use of facts really impacted me.  I believed that because he included very specific facts it really made me interested in what he was saying.

           

In his blog post he uses his word choice to arise certain emotions in the reader.  One example of this is when Kidd says “ I think Heaps may have been better served with a redshirt season and a mission than jumping in as a freshman and getting married, but he is what he is now. I don’t think Heaps is a closer. I have not seen him fight back and rise up this year – though there were glimpses of it last year.”  In this specific example Kidd uses his words to bring about feelings of annoyance for how terrible Heaps has been playing.  He tries to persuade the audience, with his words, to have them agree that Heaps is not a closer and not a great quarterback.  Personally when I first read this I instantly felt a little angry that Heaps did not go on a mission.  I believe this is what Kidd wanted to express to his readers.  Another example that he uses is “So I propose this: start Heaps every game. Let him build his confidence. If he finds success, let him have it. But if drive after drive are stalling out, and it’s after halftime, with no sign of change – follow the Utah State model and bring in Riley Nelson. Think of him as a relief pitcher. He’s a game changer. He’s a game winner.”  This specific example is supposed to rally his audience and to make them feel like they need to agree with him that Nelson should start over Heaps.  He uses his words to make it look like Nelson is the only solution to BYU’s quarterback dilemma.

Kidd’s final rhetorical tool that he uses in his blog are metaphors.  In his blog he uses a metaphor when he talks about Heaps arm.  He says, “Each quarterback has plenty of upside, and plenty of down. Heaps has a rocket arm, but often uses it to overthrow his receivers.”  He uses this metaphor to really describe how Heaps has a very strong arm and how powerful he can throw the football.  This is a very useful tool because it plays to the audiences imagination and they instantly think of a “rocket arm” and they believe that Heaps has the strongest arm in college football.  Later in his blog he writes, “So the Cougars brought in Nelson. A different type of quarterback, to say the least. They were completely unprepared, and were on their heels until the game ended and they had lost.”  This is another example of a metaphor.  When Kidd says “on their heels until the game ended and they had lost” he really meant that Utah State had no idea how to compete with BYU.  Kidd’s use of metaphors really made his writing come alive.  He was able to portray very well about how Utah State was feeling rather than just writing a very simple sentence.  This imagery really helps his readers to better follow and understand his thinking about BYU football.

In conclusion, Jeremy Kidd uses very specific rhetorical tools to help him write an effective blog post.   He uses his knowledge of BYU football, his word choice to bring about emotions and he uses metaphors to paint pictures with words for his audience.  These tools matter to the audience because without them this blog post would be ineffective at convincing people to take the side of Kidd and having Nelson start over Heaps.

Group Revisions

In my opinion, I believe that the group study this time was a lot more effective than last time.  I really enjoyed being able to look over and revise three other papers.  It helped me by seeing what they did wrong and applying it to my own paper.  I also liked how my paper was read and revised by three different people rather than just one person like the other pair revision.  These three people were able to find tiny flaws that I would not have gotten by myself.  This in turn ensures me a better grade because my paper is better by all the revisions made.  The pair study was ok, it gave me one persons opinion but my paper needs more than just one set of eyes to be read over.  This Group Revision was very helpful, in my opinion,  than the one previous.

Rhetorical Analysis: BYU Quarterbacks

One major rhetorical tool that Jeremy Kidd uses in his blog, BYUfootblog, is his vast knowledge of BYU football.  He really shows the reader that he knows and understands what he is actually talking about by using facts and numbers.  He uses this tool in this example where he describes why Riley should start over Jake Heaps “Which leads me to my idea. Do you remember what Texas did to BYU? The BYU defense was so effective against the starter, Garrett Gilbert (2/8 for 8 yards and two INTs), that Texas brought in their backup(s), who we had not planned for, and they were able to come back and win the game.”  This example describes how he uses his knowledge of football to really draw the reader in and establish some credibility to himself.  The more football facts he states the more the reader actually believes in what he is saying and the more it establishes credibility for him and his blog.   Kidd also uses another example of is knowledge of football when he says “Heaps took over in that game, and was able to score on consecutive drives, and bring the Cougars within 3. In the second half, the Seminoles would up their tally of sacks to a total of 8. Heaps ended the game 15/31 for 114 yards and 1 TD.”  Using his knowledge he can persuade his audience to believe him through his use of football terms to make himself look reliable on what he is talking about.  He wants his audience to feel comforted by the numbers and facts he is actually using.

Rhetorical Analysis Imagery

In Jeremy Kidds blog post of Jake Heaps, he describes Heaps as "having a rocket arm."  This quote is a metaphor because it does not use like or as when it describes Heaps arm.  Because obviously he does not have a rocket for an arm.  Kidd uses this imagery to paint a picture for his audience.  He wants his audience to really understand how powerful of an arm that Heaps has so that they can connect with him and how good of a quarterback, strength wise, that he actually is.

Rhetorical Thesis

"Solving the BYU quarterback dilemma" is an effective argument for the students and the coaches of BYU to persuade them to start Riley over Jake as quarterback because of his use of his immaculate knowledge of BYU football, knowledge of football in general and his use of his words to persuade the audience to take his side. 

Killer School

School is tough.  It takes everything I have just to get out of bed.  Here at college you actually have to study for tests and quizzes rather than in high school where all you had to do was show up, take the test and persuaded the teacher to give you a good grade.  School is a hard toll on the body too.  It always seems that i cant wake up at the right time for my classes even though i get over 10 hours of sleep a night. Probably I just need a vacation to get my mind right and on track with my school work.  So if you have any ideas on how to make my college experience better, body wise, I would love to hear them.

Rhetorical Analyses

I really enjoy reading funny blogs and blogs about working in offices.  I found a blog that actually has both!  http://www.officehumorblog.com/  Is a blog all about funny pranks that occur in the office workplace.  We had to make a rhetorical analyses about this blog so I will be answering the four questions.  The author is trying to make people laugh and maybe even persuade his audience to do office pranks.  The author produces humor through tools such as satire and the use of puns.  These tools make the audience feel happy.  The author needs the audience to feel this way because if the reader does not enjoy the humor that he is presenting they will just go to a different website.

Thoughts about the OpEd

I actually really enjoyed writing my OpEd.  I really enjoyed being able to choose my own topic and writing about things that were actually important to me.  I really liked how we actually wrote the papers.  First, we all wrote a very simple rough draft that we were able to just put our thoughts on.  Then we wrote a first draft that included more of our thoughts and better grammer.  Finally we wrote our final draft of our amazing OpEd.  I really think that we should write all of our papers like this from now on.  Just slow and steady wins the great paper race!

Honor Code Change?

            Brigham Young University is possibly one of the best universities in the country.  Throughout the country few can rival the research and athletics that BYU can produce.  BYU is very modern in its ideas in both athletics and research.  However, looking around campus you can acquire the sense of how old BYU actually is.  The buildings look as if they were built a hundred years ago.  When in fact the Maeser building was built in 1909. The buildings reflect the rules at BYU, old and outdated.  These rules are part of the honor code of the school.  One major part of the honor code that is very outdated deals with dress and appearance for both men and women.  This rule has to change in order to conform to 2011.

            The honor code dates back to the early days of the University.  President Karl G. Maeser created the Domestic Organization in which teachers would travel to the students houses to make sure they were doing what they were supposed to, refraining from sex, alcohol, drugs and other harmful substances.  However, President Maeser relied mostly on the students “honor” that they would do the right thing and not participate in activities such as those. 

            In dealing with dress and appearance the honor code of BYU states about men “A clean and well-cared-for appearance should be maintained. Clothing is inappropriate when it is sleeveless, revealing, or form fitting. Shorts must be knee-length or longer. Hairstyles should be clean and neat, avoiding extreme styles or colors, and trimmed above the collar, leaving the ear uncovered. Sideburns should not extend below the earlobe or onto the cheek. If worn, moustaches should be neatly trimmed and may not extend beyond or below the corners of the mouth. Men are expected to be clean-shaven; beards are not acceptable.”  Many of these rules are very outdated.  However, I can see why the University would want to have such strict rules.  The administration wants the students to look overall better with no crazy hair or piercings.  Nevertheless, these are the only two rules that should be enforced. https://honorcode.byu.edu/

            In the honor code it says no sleeveless shirts even while working out.  At the beginning of summer school here at BYU, I went to work out at the Smith Fieldhouse.  I instinctively put on a sleeveless shirt and started the half an hour walk from Wyview Park apartments to the Fieldhouse.  I was used to working out with shirts that didn’t have sleeves on them from lifting at my high school weight room.  I was excited to start my BYU experience by working out in a place I have never been before.  I noticed people checking in with their BYU student cards so I followed suit and gave the man my BYU card.  He looked at me, then the card, then to my sleeveless shirt.  After looking at me, he forcefully told me that I was not honoring the honor code by wearing a shirt without sleeves and told me to leave.  I walked the half an hour back to Wyview Park thinking to myself how BYU could have such an outdated rule.  As college students we need to make the choice of what we wear, especially as such simple and basic clothing like sleeveless t-shirts.

            If this rule does have to be enforced, then it should be enforced to both sexes.  Part of the honor code states that girls cannot wear immodest or short shorts.  These shorts come to about the middle of a girl’s thigh.  I believe that this type of dress is much more immodest and detracts from the spirit more so than sleeveless t-shirts do with men.  If guys are getting kicked out of the weight room because of their “immodest” dress then the same standard should apply to girls with their short shorts.  Also, if these rules have to be enforced everywhere then they should be enforced with the sports teams.  Girls on the volleyball team wear very tight and immodest shorts.  These rules should apply to everyone, not just the men.

            Another key element of the honor code that needs to change is the length of someone’s hair.  In the honor code it states that the hair cannot touch the ears at all.  Last year a very good friend of mine that went to BYU signed up for an intermural basketball team.  He cut his hair prior to the first game of the season and didn’t cut it after that.  He was able to play every game before the big championship game, which his team was able to get into.  As he was lining up to do the jump ball, the ref stopped him and told him that he was not following the guidelines of the honor code by having his hair touch his ear.  He was then ejected from the game and his team lost because they didn’t have him.  This rule has no relevance to anyone.  It shouldn’t matter if the hair touches your ears or not.  My roommate tried taking a test in the testing center during the summer.  He waited for 20 minutes in the line and tried to get his test.  However the test giver saw that his hair grew just past the top of his ear and turned him away until he cut his hair.  He had to go get his hair cut before he could take the test.  There should not be such a trivial rule that interferes with someone’s education.

            There are instances in the church where they had to change the rules to conform to the times.  The “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet has been changed over nine different times.  This shows us that rules can and have to change with the certain times.  This includes long hair that touches the ears and wearing sleeveless t-shirts.

            BYU has a very old and rich history.  However, it has some rules that are a little outdated.  We as BYU students have the responsibility to go to the administration of this university and demand and petition rules that are meaningless and that sometimes interfere with our education.

Over The Top!

Recently I have watched the greatest movie of all time. Over The Top.  It was made in the 80s and it stars Sylvester Stallone who played in the Rocky boxing movies.  Sylvester plays a trucker that is also a professional arm wrestler.  I know it might sound like an odd movie but it is a really amazing movie and it is very inspirational.  He finds and befriends his son and teaches him the way of arm wrestling and never giving up.  The title refers to Sylvesters signature move of going "over the top" of the other guys hand with his own.  I believe that this is a great movie to watch because it is so inspirational and teaches many important lessons of never giving up on anything

Who are the top 5 linebackers in the NFL? Personally I think they rank like this:
1. Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers
2. DeMarcus Ware, Dallas Cowboys
3. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers
4. Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens
5. Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears
Brian Urlacher for the Chicago Bears has experience on his side.  He has been playing the game for a lot of years.  He is good in the pass coverage, but because of his age he has considerably slowed down his game.  He cannot run or read plays as good as he could have back in his day, but he still is one of the best linebackers in the league.
Ray Lewis from the Baltimore Ravens is my favorite athlete ever.  He is a lot like Urlacher in the fact that he is good in pass covering but Ray Lewis can still run and hit like he did when he was a rookie.
Clay Matthews from the Green Bay Packers is a great linebacker.  He is very aggressive and has good hands for a linebacker.  He can stop the run by himself and his large frame.
DeMarcus Ware from the Dallas Cowboys is a very good run defender.  He had over 16 sacks in the 2010 season.  He is very aggressive and knows and understands the different offenses so that he can react to that specific offense.
Patrick Willis from the San Francisco 49ers is the best in the league.  He is very aggressive and knows how to control lineman.  He understands the concept of leverage and getting underneath the pads to move offensive lineman.  He is the best at it.  He knows how to go hard when he blitzes and only few can stop this monster from getting to their quarterback.

Who do you think is the best in the NFL?

OpEd topic brainstorm

For my OpEd I want to be able to talk about something sport related.  Maybe the benefits of BYU going independent, or the big controversy of Ohio State, or the big controversy of the Miami football team, NBA lockout, best defense in the NFL, best running back in the NFL, and things along that line.