Ch. 47 Rules for Writers dialogue

Chapter 47 in Rules for Writers explains how to create a constructive argument-based essay. By stating your opinion on a subject and creating a debate style atmosphere, it is very possible to convince your readers that your opinions and ideas make the most sense for your thesis. One important step is be aware of what kind of style your culture prefers their arguments in, and to follow that.

Make sure you have a solid understanding of the facts concerning your thesis, backed by evidence. Evidence can include stats, examples and illustrations (363). Remember to give credit to any resources that have been previously claimed in a writing by using citations, quotations, titles of papers, author names, and page numbers.

In your writings, try not be too aggressive in stating your opinion. You're trying to sway or convince your readers of your argument, not chase them away. Presenting both sides of the argument can hold a readers attention, and engage them in the dialogue. Ultimately, it should be like a gentle, persistent persuasion that leaves the reader agreeing with your thesis.

Argument based essays are a weak point for me, and I will need to create an itemized list of the pro's and con's of my argument as a rough draft. I believe if I have that in front of me, it will be easier for me to create a convincing argument. I will also make sure to do research on my thesis, so I can be sure of the facts I state.

The Insufficiency of Honesty dialogue

This weeks dialogue will be from Stephen L Carters "The Insufficiency of Honesty". I will attempt to answer the question What is Carters definition of Integrity? What does it mean?

Stephen L Carter explains to me that there is a difference between honesty and integrity. You can have honesty, but not integrity. Integrity, according to him, is not just about stating the truth. Integrity is about knowing what is morally right and wrong and constantly acting upon the right morals. One person's idea of honesty could be completely different from another person's idea of honesty, depending on what each individual was raised to believe. So one could not say who is being dishonest, because we are all partial to our own opinions. However, integrity means you are aware of the general populations ideas of what is right and wrong, (ex. murder is wrong) and you agree, and you act upon that agreement (ex. you do not commit murder).

Carter uses an excellent example in the essay, concerning a man confessing to his wife on his deathbed of an affair he had while married. The man had cheated years before, and decided that before he died, he needed to be honest to his wife and tell her. How convenient that he might have thought once he told her the truth, all would be well and forgiven. If this man had any integrity, he would have understood, and agreed that cheating on a spouse is considered morally wrong, and he never would have cheated in the first place. Instead, as Carter says, the cheating husband "shifted to his wife the burden of confusion and pain..."

After reading this essay, I can clearly define to myself the meaning of integrity. I understand it really has nothing to do with honesty, and I can see how the two terms can be mistaken for each other. A person has to really stop and think about each action they perform, whether its their opinion of something, or something they say or do, and decide what is best for the moral beliefs of all in the community.

Shooting Dad dialogue

For this weeks writing topic summary, I will be answering the question "What is the significance of the title?"

Sarah Vowell's essay titled Shooting Dad is a short story about the author and her father's relationship while she was growing up. From the way she described him, they seemed to be polar opposites in almost every aspect of a relation, but I think the biggest difference was he was a Republican gun lover, and she was a Democratic musician and poet. She seemed to think that she had almost nothing in common with her dad, and seemed to be embarrassed by the kind of person he was. They didn't agree on too many things, and frequently got into arguments. Their differences even caused them to create separate "countries" within the household, where one or the other was the ruler. Her differences with her dad also caused a strained relationship with her twin sister, who found their dad's lifestyle agreeable.

As she got older, she found that she wanted to be a "better daughter" to her dad, and figured the way to realize that was to try and understand her dad's relationship with guns.

Her dad had built a cannon, which to him, might have represented his cultural beliefs and family history. He spent a lot of time on it, and seemed to have poured a lot of his soul into building it. Sarah surprised him one day by telling him she wanted to watch him fire the cannon. The very first time she had fired a gun, as a child, she knew then that she wanted nothing to do with it. But after witnessing the firing of the cannon, she wasn't scared, nor repulsed. She actually thought it was "really, really cool." Here is where she realized that she does have respect for her dad's passion, and notices that her father and her are very similar people. She starts to understand that her dad is artist in his own right, just as anyone who creates music or performs.

Her fathers wishes for his ashes to be blown out of the cannon are respected by her so much that she ties the booming, deafening sound of the cannon to the noise of music that she loves so much. "Shooting Dad" is a literal, and emotional response to her accepting her dad for who he is, and showing him that she is the same.

Rules for Writers Ch. 4 summary dialogue

Chapter 4 in Rules for Writers explains to us how to form paragraphs that will be easy for the reader to understand, how to articulate sentence structure, and how to create a flow of sentences that will keep the reader interested.

A good paragraph will have a topic sentence with supporting sentences following it. Topic sentences do not necessarily have to be the first line, but it should read like a small summary of the paragraph. The sentences following should "emphasize a point" and provide proof or facts to keep the reader intrigued. For instance, in my personal blog, I write about my motorcycle adventures around the world. But I don't just state that 'I rode through a country', and then leave the reader hanging. I describe INSIDE the country, what I physically and emotionally experienced. If I didn't give juicy details, it would be quite boring!

Paragraphs themselves should be structured in one of many different types of "patterns". Wikipedia describes a pattern as "a type of theme of recurring events or objects". The themes for each paragraph should relate to each other, and should also give the reader details and facts (51) and maintain consistency (53).

Honestly, trying to incorporate all of the above mentioned into my future writings will be a challenge for me. If I try to stop and think about whether I'm following all of the rules or not, I will get what I like to call, a brain fart, and will just end up staring for hours, my mind as blank as the paper. Maybe I can start with baby steps, and at the very least, try to remember to keep my paragraphs on the same subject.