In Defense of Wikipedia

The persuasive essay on Wikipedia found in Fresh Ink is meant address the debate that has been raging over whether or not Wikipedia is a credible source due to its open edit nature. The author starts by introducing the topic and then diving into the main criticism. While many people believe that since Wikipedia can be editted by anyone, the author argues that the arguement is not as strong as most teachers and professors would have us believe. The author refers to the reason that wikipedia is an open edit encyclopedia and then addresses the main complaints against it. He highlights a severe instance of fictional information on Wikipedia in one paragraph in order to illustrate the arguement of one side, but then switches and presents the counter arguement by the end of the paragraph.

This essay had me from the word go. Wikipedia is a site I go on once a day, if not more. Whenever I have to do preliminary research for a paper, that is where I go first. However, I could not clearly determine the side the author favored. While he focused on the flaws of the website, he also gave evidence throughout the essay which undermined the flaws. By the end of the essay it became clear that the student was pro-wikipedia, but that initial confusion lingered throughout much of the essay. It could have benefited from a stronger introductory paragraph and changing of sentence structure in several parts. However, the jumbling all came together at the conclusion which satisfied me as the reader and was very clear cut.

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The Decline of Language...

According to George Orwell the English language is on the decline. Orwell claims that our "foolish" thoughts are making the English language "sloven and innaccurate". However, Orwell also points out in his intro that the process is reversible if steps are taken to prevent the spreading of damage. He presents 5 examples of poor English and then points out what is wrong with them in the rest of his essay. He focuses on the their flaws. He points out that by using pointless words we construct meaningless statements which have no clear objective and which only serve to confuse the hell out of everyone. He targets metaphors, cliches and ambiguity in writing and decimates them as rubbish which tarnishes English language for future generations. Connotation and Denotation are heavily referenced in regards to political works. Orwell makes it clear that mainly the delivery of catchphrases to snare the public's attention in order to further the cause. Without using originality we become weaker and so we need to find new, proper methods to bring this to the forefront of English writing. Slowly but surely attention to the work we produce will lead to wide spread changes to the English language and writing. Simply creating a message and putting it out helps make things simple for everyone. Overall I agreed with Orwell message bout found that his guidelines were rather restricting for a writer such as myself . When I write I try to use cliches to an extent in order to give off the sense of being witty but never to further my arguements. However, as a reader I feel that his words could not be truer since convoluted writing is a hassle to try and disect. 

Letter from Birmingham Jail: Persuasive Analysis

Dr. King's essay "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a direct response to criticism he recieved for leading a civil rights protest against segregation. The letter addresses the criticism directly and in a careful manner. He does not disregard the criticism - he uses it to his advantage. King boldly points out that the criticism he was recieving was for leading a protest, not for protesting injustice. He declares that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" so as to justify the protest. He criticizes that his fellow clergymen believe that his protest is both "unwise and untimely." He notes that his people have taken the back of the hand in their struggle for equality for years and that they have always been told to wait to no avail. He notes that "privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily." He then goes on to address the key points in the criticisms directly. He then launches into his counter arguements so as to dismantle any arguement that might be used against him. The best example is when he asks the rhetorical question "How can you advocating breaking some laws and obeying others?" Once he presents this question he systematically answers it by pointing out that there are two types of laws: just and unjust laws. He points out that just laws should be observed and cites St. Augustine by declaring that "an unjust law is no law at all." He does not seek to use ad hominem attacks to further his own arguement and instead uses historical examples and logic to reason with his readers. His most compelling part of the argument is his earnestness however. At the end of the "letter" he states that he hopes to meet with each of the clergymen who critized him, as a "fellow Christian" and not a civil rights leader. It serves to show that his only motivation is equality. The right to stand next to others and be acknowledged as an equal. He uses emotion and reason effectively in an arguement in order to convince others that his cause is just and that his imprisonment is not. He asserted that nonviolent civil disobedience was the only way to achieve true civil rights and that the fight for equality could not remain solely in the hands of the courts but also needed to be taken to the streets in a peaceful and respectful manner.

Place Based.

This research paper is the first time I've had to think about placed based research. Most of my past high school research papers were focused on events or people from history or literary themes in novels. This is the first time I've had to research a place. Choosing an online community has been kind of rough since its not a physical place and is more intangible than an actual location. However, I believe that gives me more control over the topic since I can bend the information in a manner that can work out well for me. Facebook has served as a way to represent the new generation of people all around the world. It has allowed my topic to be more than a town and at the same time still be limited in certain respects. To make a successful essay which deals with place based writing, the author needs to find a way to seemlessly integrate research and quotes into the essay without taking away from the flow and making it unnatural. The paper should focus on the intricate aspects of the place while showing how to relates to the entire place as a whole, focusing on how each piece works in harmony to create the atmosphere. In this way you emphasize the importance of every aspect that makes the community special. The problem is, when dealing with an idea like social networking, there is so much information available on the topic it is hard to remain on just the community aspect of a site like Facebook. One of my concerns is that the paper will not focus enough on the community aspect and will focus more on the profiles. Another concern is that my personal biases in my opinion will be too strong. As long as the essay is on topic, structured so as to flow, and focused, it can produce a good place based essay. By emphasizing the place's importance and why its important, the essay will leave a powerful impression on the reader.

Facebook

Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites on the planet, having successfully upsurped myspace as the lead networking site on the net. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, the site took off and became emensely popular with teenagers across the country. Initial open to students with school email addresses, it is now open for everyone. Almost everyone has a facebook where they can post pictures of themselves, share stories and let everyone know what they are doing with their "status updates." As a networking tool, it allows people to connect with one another even after one meeting, while allowing users to limit just how much others can see. With the inclusion of photos, applications, and instant messaging, the site has become an addiction for many people, since they spend more time on the site than they do at their jobs. Users post all their information online in order to show people their interests and small tidbits of information such as age, hometown, birthday, occupation and school info. While not entirely intentional, this information is then used to potentially outreach to people with similar interests in your area. Facebook is one of the key reasons the internet has made the world smaller. While people are constantly meeting and parting, facebook allows us to stay in contact and get a better sense about who people are. That doesn't mean that facebook is the perfect tool. It has recieved its fair share of criticism over policies and controversies over its founding. Despite the intentions of the founder, facebook can be used as a stalking method, since it amasses the interests of many people in a dossier. This can then be used by a company or a person in order to learn more about others, whether the user likes that or not. Unfortunately, the addictive nature of the site has made it harder for people to focus and get their work done. As a result, many companies have banned its use on company time. Since so many people use it, and it is such an integral part of the new method of socializing, it is seen as blasphemous that people do not not have a profile. So in that respect Facebook is one of the most interesting "places" in our contemporary lives, and I look forward to doing more research on it for my paper.

Place Based Topics and Sources.

For my paper I considered two different topics for my paper. My first topic was inspired by the article we read in class about the music scene in Boston. I decided that it would be a very cool experience to focus on the music scene around London, England. Specifically Liverpool, birthplace of the Beatles. Since I'm originally from England it would give me a good chance to learn more about my origins and the area that I come from. Also there is alot of information available about the London Music scene on websites like Questia.com and Wikipedia (just for overview not as a legitimate source).
My second potential topic was facebook.com. Facebook has revolutionized the way we communicate with our friends. Instead of calling to check up on them, all we need to do is check facebook to see what's new in their lives via Status Updates (whether we want to or not.) Even as a social networking site, Facebook is unique in several aspects and yet also very confirmatory to the standards of the most basic social network sites. Because of the numerous uses and how integral it has become to our society. In such a respect it is a virtual community which has become more of a place than any place that is physically available. Since I spend alot of time on facebook, this is a very appealing topic for me to research in depth for the paper. Using Questia and the databases available at BC I will be able to construct a very interesting paper about places for Freshman Writing Seminar and I can't wait to start.

There's No Place Like Home...Kinda

Being in college is a new experience, since we all have to leave home and thrust ourselves into an entirely new environment with people we don't know. However, as time passes, we establish ourselves and tend to find places where we are most comfortable. For me, this is the common room on the third floor of the Keyes building. Normally, one would expect me to be a visitor of the first floor common room, but their are vending machines there which is a key feature that the third floor common room lacks. The room is shaped like a trapezoid. Two doors at each end, a large set of glass windows serving as a wall on East side of the building. Near the windows are two tables which each have 4 chairs. On the opposite end of the room are two big chairs. In between these chairs and the tables are two sofas and another pair of chairs. Each are symmetrically aranged so that the are facing each other. While the walls were initial bare, our resident artist, Lindsay, drew a bunch posters for us which are really awesome (including a poster of Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride. Looks Like Sirius Black though.)
The people who are always in the room are members of all floors and not just the 3rd floor. We have at least one or two students from the 1st, 2nd, and 4th floors. While it is understood that we are all doing work (for the most part), the common room serves as the central hub of residency life in some respect. Whenever anyone wants some company for food, they just come to the common room and ask around the common room. Since it is between both the stairwells, we have numerous visitors. As a result the conversations can vary severely, but we get a better feel for one another the more we interact. In that sense, we've developed into a community with a shared place to talk and share our days. It's nice knowing that there's somewhere to go when you're done with your work and can have an enjoyable time. On weedays, the room offers solace when work has to be done and you just don't want to do it. But you'll get it done. On the weekends, its the place to be, with some party or scandal errupting that can be just as entertaining, if not more so, than reality television. In this way, the common room is more than just a place to go. It's the place to be.