April 27, 2019

Reflect on what you’ve learned this semester. Did you achieve the objectives you wanted to? What did you do well this semester? Where is there room to improve as a student?

This week in Professor Waits English 1302 1st Period class, on Monday there was online class due to Easter Break and we worked on the Macbeth Campaign. On Wednesday and Friday, we worked on the Macbeth Campaign in class. There were no chapter pages to read this week. This semester I learned about rhetoric and arguementive language, William Shakespeare and his medieval play Macbeth, using Grammarly to check my spelling and grammar, writing persuasively, discussions, and working in groups on proposals. I did achieve the objectives I wanted to this semester through my writing. In my opinion, I did do well on writing papers, blogs, and proposal presentations. There is room to improve as a student by using my resources at Collin College such as the Writing Center more often along with taking more time to revise and edit my writing to make my papers more efficient.

This week I noticed rhetoric and argument through my reflection on what I’ve learned this semester.

Constructing my own Rhetorical Piece: Question/Problem: Why is it important to reflect on our past writing experiences? Solutions/Answers: It is important to reflect on our past writing experiences because our experiences help us become better writers.

Work Cited

“Writers Digest.” Writers Digest, Thought Industries, 2019, tutorials.writersdigest.com/.

April 19, 2019

Free write, reflect on what you’ve learned this semester

This week in Professor Waits English 1302 1st Period class, on Monday and Wednesday, we presented our group’s Macbeth proposals. There was no class on Friday due to Easter Break/Good Friday. There were no chapter pages to read this week. This semester I learned about the importance of using Grammarly to check my spelling and grammar. I also learned about rhetoric and arguementive language, William Shakespeare and his famous play Macbeth, and how to be persuasive in writing and work with other people.

This week I noticed rhetoric and argument while reflecting on what I learned this semester because I’ve learned about rhetoric while in this class.

Constructing my own Rhetorical Piece: Question/Problem: Why do we learn about rhetoric in English class? Solutions/Answers: We learn about rhetoric because it is important to better understand universal writing patterns.

Work Cited

Lee, Jennifer. “20 Appealing Advertising and Media Argumentative Essay Prompts.” Automotive Digital Marketing, 22 Mar. 2018, http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blogs/20-appealing-advertising-and-media-argumentative-essay-prompts.

April 12, 2019

How is rhetoric in a proposal different or similar to that in a paper?

This week in Professor Waits English 1302 1st Period class, on Monday we worked on our Macbeth Arguementative papers. On Wedenesday, we began to work on our group Macbeth proposals. There was no class on Friday due to Easter Break/Good Friday. The chapter pages we had to read this week were pages 272-293. Rhetoric is different in a proposal and a paper because of the differing situations. Rhetoric in a paper is more formal, focuses on a single researched topic, and is directly referring to the reader. Rhetoric in a proposal can be less formal, broad, and tries to persuase someone to engage in the proposal. They differ through their connectivity with the audience.

This week I noticed rhetoric and argument through our Macbeth Arguementative papers and Macbeth proposals through working on them and seeing the presentations.

Constructing my own Rhetorical Piece: Question/Problem: What is the main purpose of rhetoric? Solutions/Answers: The purpose of rhetoric is to communicate through visuals and writing with a certain audience. 

Work Cited

Chrisman, Jenifer. “Rhetoric.” Fort Gordon Family and MWR, Fort Gordon Family and MWR, 29 Dec. 2014, http://www.fortgordon.com/rhetoric/.

April 5, 2019

Why do we still read Shakespeare? What have you learned?

This week in Professor Waits English 1302 1st Period class, on Monday and Wednesday, we discussed Act 5 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and on Friday we wrapped up Shakespeare’s Macbeth. There were no chapter pages to read. William Shakespeare is one of the most well known playwrights in human history. We still read Shakespeare because he made a huge impact on English literature and culture during the Renaissance in Europe that continued to the present with his outstanding work, as well as setting the standard for all other plays to come such as Hamilton. I have learned about William Shakepeare’s play Macbeth, the time period Macbeth was set in, Shakespeare’s writing style, and rhetorical language.

This week I noticed rhetoric and argument in Act 5 and throughout the entirety of William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. Also I noticed rhetoric and argument within advertisements, movies, and television shows.

Constructing my own Rhetorical Piece: Question/Problem: How did William Shakespeare change the present with his plays? Answers/Solutions: William Shakespeare chaanged the present by setting the standard for all modern plays.

Work Cited

The Unredacted. “Shakespeare Conspiracy: The Fraud of Avon.” Theunredacted.com, The Unredacted, 21 Feb. 2018, theunredacted.com/shakespeare-conspiracy-the-fraud-of-avon/.

April 6, 2019

Rhetoric in Act 5 and the play as a whole

This week in Professor Waits English 1302 1st Period class, we discussed Act 5 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth throughout the week, and finished reading Macbeth in class. There were no chapter pages to read. Rhetoric in Act 5 and the play as a whole is shown through the lines, “So foul and fair a day I have not seen,” as Macbeth compares the day as foul and fair at the same time (Shakespeare 0130). Another example of rhetoric is found in the line, “The Wood began to move,” as trees cannot move (Shakespeare 2298). The lines “Our castle’s strength/Will laugh a siege to scorn. Here let them lie/Till famine and the ague eat them up./Were they not forced with those that should be/ours,/We might have met them dareful, beard to beard,/And beat them backward home” in which Macbeth believes the castle is strong enough to protect him from Macduff’s attack, although he was wrong (Shakespeare 2261-2267). When Macbeth states “I have almost forgot the taste of fears” he knows he could be defeated (Shakespeare 2270).

This week I noticed rhetoric and argument in Act 5 and throughout the entirety of William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.

Constructing my own Rhetorical Piece: Question/Problem: In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Why does Macbeth not shows grief when Seyton announces “The Queen, my lord, is dead”? (Shakespeare 2278). Answers/Solutions: In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth was too concerned with possibly being defeated to focus on the death of his wife.

Work Cited:

Macbeth from Folger Digital Texts, ed. Barbara Mowat, Paul Werstine, Michael Poston, and Rebecca Niles. Folger Shakespeare Library. https://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/download/pdf/Mac.pdf. Accessed 06 Apr. 2019.

Lodge, Guy. “Cannes Film Review: ‘Macbeth’.” Variety, 23 May 2015, variety.com/2015/film/festivals/macbeth-review-michael-fassbender-marion-cotillard-1201500514/.

March 31, 2018

Rhetoric in Acts 3-4 of Macbeth

This week in Professor Waits English 1302 1st Period class, we discussed Act 3 and 4 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth on Monday and Friday, Although, on Wednesday, all juniors had to take the SAT; therefore, we had class online on that day where we read Act 4. In class, we spent time practicing acting exercises and reading lines for Act 1 of Macbeth. Additionally, there were no chapter pages to read this week. Rhetoric is used in Macbeth Act 3 and 4 with many lines. For example, when Macbeth states “We have scorched the snake, not killed it” (Shakespeare 1129), he uses figurative language: a metaphor. When Banquo says “Ay, my good lord. Our time does call upon ’s” (Shakespeare 0992), he is using personification, a type of figurative language. Macbeth uses an allusion when stating “My genius is rebuked, as it is said/Mark Antony’s was by Caesar. He chid the sisters/When first they put the name of king upon me/And bade them speak to him” (Shakespeare 1013 -1016) knowing Banquo may defeat him, such as Caesar defeated Mark Antony. Macbeth foreshadows Banquo’s murder to the audience with the lines “It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul’s flight,/If it find heaven, must find it out tonight” (Shakespeare 1113-1114).

This week I noticed rhetoric and argument in Act 3 and Act 4 of William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.

Constructing my own Rhetorical Piece: Question/Problem: In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Why did Macbeth kill Banquo? Answers/Solutions: In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth killed Banquo because Banquo was suspicious of Macbeth for murdering King Duncan.

Work Cited:

Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” Folger Digital Texts, Edited by Barbara A. Mowat & Paul Werstine, Folger Shakespeare Library, http://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/html/Mac.html. 

Warne, Russell. “Toil and Trouble for the Echo’s MACBETH.” Utah Theatre Bloggers, 4 Oct. 2014, utahtheaterbloggers.com/19601/toil-and-trouble-for-the-echos-macbeth.

“Macbeth Act 3 Literary Devices.” Quizlet, quizlet.com/210772694/macbeth-act-3-literary-devices-flash-cards/.

Rhetoric in Acts 1-2 of Macbeth

March 17, 2019

This week in Professor Waits English 1302 1st Period class, we discussed Act 1 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth on Monday and Wednesday. On Friday, we worked on our rough draft for our argumentative essay. In class, we spent time practicing acting exercises and reading lines for Act 1 of Macbeth. The readings for this week were Chapter 20: Using Sources pages 436-454. Rhetoric in Macbeth includes “Logos, Ethos, and Pathos, in his drive towards the throne of Scotland. In Act 1 Scene 4, Macbeth remains loyal to the king because his prophecy has yet to be fulfilled and humbly tells the king that it is them that owe the king and that their duty is to protect him. However, his conscience diminishes as one prophecy turns out to be true. In Act 1 Scene 7, in his soliloquy, Macbeth persuades himself out of the act of killing King Duncan through ethos and pathos. Wisely he uses the analogy, “drinking from the poisoned cup that we serve to others” (“Macbeth’s Rhetoric”).

This week I noticed rhetoric and argument in Act 1 and Act 2 of William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.

Constructing my own Rhetorical Piece: Question/Problem: In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, how did Macbeth and Lady Macbeth not get convicted for the murder of King Duncan? Answers/Solutions: In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth got away with the murder or King Duncan by placing the blame on the guards, because they were direct access to the King making them easy targets.

Work Cited:

Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” Folger Digital Texts, Edited by Barbara A. Mowat & Paul Werstine, Folger Shakespeare Library, http://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/html/Mac.html. 

“Macbeth.” Enter Stage Right, Enter Stage Right, http://www.enterstageright.org/macbeth.html.

Saubhayana, Tim. “Macbeth’s Rhetoric.” Macbeth’s Rhetoric, 1 Jan. 1970, timapenglish.blogspot.com/2016/02/macbeths-rhetoric.html.

Why should we study Shakespeare?

March 3, 2019

This week in Professor Waits English 1302 1st Period class, we were introduced to the works of William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare was “an English playwright, actor and poet and is often called England’s national poet. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, he was an important member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men company of theatrical players from roughly 1594 onward” (“William Shakespeare”).  Playwright and poet William Shakespeare wrote many plays and poems in the sixteenth and seventeenth century such as All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, Cymbeline, Love’s Labours Lost, Measure for Measure, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Pericles, Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Troilus and Cressida, Twelfth Night, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winter’s Tale, Henry V, Henry IV part 1-2, Henry VI part 1-3, Henry VIII, King John, Richard II, Richard III, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Timon of Athens, Titus Andronicus, The Sonnets, A Lover’s Complaint, The R*pe of Lucrece, Venus and Adonis, Phoenix and The Turtle, and Passionate Pilgrim (“Shakespeare’s Plays”). In class, we spent a day practicing acting exercises for Macbeth and began to discuss the plot line of the play Macbeth. We should continue to study Shakespeare because he has made a huge impact to English literature and culture during the Renaissance and the present with his outstanding work. He also set the standard for all other plays such as Hamilton.

This week I noticed rhetoric and argument in ads persuading people to go to restaurants, movies, stores, and other related social settings. I have also noticed rhetoric and argument through conversations with other people as they can convince you to do certain actions, which is persuasion.

Constructing my own Rhetorical Piece: Question/Problem: How did William Shakespeare influence the present with his work? Answers/Solutions: William Shakespeare influenced the present by setting the standard for modern plays.

Work Cited:

“William Shakespeare.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 14 Feb. 2019, www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323. 

“Shakespeare’s Plays, Listed by Genre.” Complete List of Shakespeare’s Plays, by Genre :|: Open Source Shakespeare, George Mason University, 2003,  www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/plays.php.

Plagiarism and Academic Honesty

February 24, 2019

This week in Professor Waits English 1302 1st Period class, we did not have class on Monday, therefore, we worked on our rough draft of the Visual Rhetoric Paper at home. On Wednesday, we began to work on the Paper Mill Rhetorical Analysis Presentation as a group of two – four people. Lastly, on Friday we watched several groups present their Paper Mill Rhetorical Analysis Presentation. With our Paper Mill Rhetorical Analysis Presentation, we learned more in depth about Plagiarism and Academic Honesty. Paper mill sites allow students to pay someone else online to write their papers for them. However, not only do they provide underwhelming work, this is considered to be plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is defined as “an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author’s work as one’s own, as by not crediting the original author” (“Plagiarism”), which is exactly what people who use paper mill sites are actively doing.

This week I noticed rhetoric and argument in these paper mill sites, as they are trying to persuade people to purchase their work, with each separate site arguing that their work is the best and most affordable.

Constructing my own Rhetorical Piece: Question/Problem: Does Technology Make Us More Alone? Solutions/Answers: Yes, because we are more focused on our phones than we are of other people in our surroundings. No, because we are more connected through calling, texting, and social media sites/apps (“Does Technology Make Us More Alone?”).

Work Cited:

“Plagiarism.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, http://www.dictionary.com/browse/plagiarism.

Gonchar, Michael. “Does Technology Make Us More Alone?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Oct. 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/14/learning/does-technology-make-us-more-alone.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Flearning-student-opinion&module=inline%5C.

“Business Concept Image of a Hand Holding Marker and Write Plagiarism with Cross Sign Isolated on White.” City Of Forks City Limit Sign – FORKS / WASHINGTON. APRIL 13, 2017 Stock Footage Video 28374238 | Shutterstock, The Shutterstock Blog, 10 May 2015, http://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/business-concept-image-hand-holding-marker-276487529?src=5DO1-kIeXM3aE3bw8NDONQ-1-28.

Visual Rhetoric

This week in Professor Waits English 1302 1st period class, we discussed visual rhetoric on Wednesday and Friday (I was not here on Monday). Visual rhetoric is “the use of images as argument, to the arrangement of elements on a page for rhetorical effect, to the use of typography (fonts)” (“Visual Rhetoric: Overview”). In visual rhetoric, fonts, colors, designs, and layout matters.

I have noticed rhetorical language and argumentative language in my life this week when viewing advertisements with examples of visual rhetoric.

Constructing my own Rhetorical Piece: Question/Problem: What is the overall effect of visual rhetoric? Solutions/Answers: The overall effect of visual rhetoric is to communicate visually with an audience.

Work Cited:

Purdue Writing Lab. “Visual Rhetoric: Overview // Purdue Writing Lab.” Purdue Writing Lab, owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/visual_rhetoric/visual_rhetoric/index.html.

“Visual Rhetoric – Rhetoric and Advertising.” Google Sites, sites.google.com/site/rhetoricandadvertising/visual-rhetoric.