Reflection: Declaration of Independence

There are many examples of Propaganda techniques and faulty logic in the Declaration of Independence. The declaration of Independence was written on July 4th in the year of 1976. On June eleventh, about a month before, a five member committee was appointed to draft a statement declaring independence from Britain (Jefferson 121). These techniques are used to change the reader's or listener's views or opinion on a subject. They help you persuade someone with techniques. They are popularly used in speeches, religion, on political aspects.

As I started to read, I noticed an example. Thomas Jefferson used the King of Great Britain in his writing (Jefferson 122).
This is a propaganda technique. It fails under the testimonial category. He uses a "big name" person to make his point. When someone mentions a famous person being for or against something, it makes a person think it must be bogus. They then may drown that person speaking out because they took it too far and insulted someone they were considering agreeing with. On the other hand, name calling may be helpful. If someone is already siding with the speaker and the speaker calls their opponent a name, that may rally up the listener and get him/her excited. It may get him/her to start something like get their friends to side with them, too. It could unleash some strong emotions, but you never know how the emotions would turn out(Recognizing Propaganda).

Another use of a propaganda technique is name calling. Name calling can be very different for certain people. If someone is debating which side they want to be on and the speaker calls one side a name, the person may stop listening because name calling is inappropriate in his/her opinion.

Another example of a propaganda technique is using glittery generalities. The Declaration of Independence includes this. For example, "good" was used. Good is considered a "glad word." A glad word has little to no meaning and the statement can not be approved or disapproved(Recognizing Propaganda). In the Declaration of Independence, a sentence using a glad word is "...by the authority of the good people..." (Jefferson 122). Using glad words are a propaganda technique used in many speeches.

Thomas Jefferson also uses an either/or fallacy. An either/or fallacy is when their are only two choices that you can side with. There is no in between. You cannot be mutual. You either have to be for it or against it. It is very popular in speeches because you can not just sit their and be idle. You have to say what you think and it can only be one way or the other. Thomas Jefferson's idea is that we are either going to be with Britain, or by ourselves (Recognizing propaganda).

Another popular technique used is the bandwagon effect. A lot of speeches or persuasive writing includes the bandwagon effect. It basically says that since everyone else agrees with me, you should too. It is like peer pressure. It basically puts everyone back in high school and makes them think a certain way. No one wants to be left out. This writing does not specifically state anything like that, but it is the general philosophy of the speech (recognizing Propaganda).

Jefferson, Thomas."Declaration of Independence." American Literature. Columbus: Mc-Graw Hill, 2009. 120-124. Print.
"Recognizing Propaganda--Guide to Critical Thinking--Academic Support." 6 Mar. 2011. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. .

Journal #10

Our vocabulary assignment should be due on Wednesday, not today!

One really important reason to post pone our vocabulary quiz is because students need time to study. If we took the quiz today, a lot of the students would not be prepared. If the students are not prepared, they might not do as good on the assignment. If they do not do as well on their assignment, their grades will suffer. If their grades suffer, it looks like Mr. Langley is a bad teacher. Since he is a great teacher, that would be tragic.

Another reason that this vocabulary assignment should be postponed is because some of our students are already really behind. If this is assigned today, it will just add up to the pile of homework. For example, Morgan was absent. She was already behind in this class, but being absent just put her even more behind. If this was started on Wednesday, she would have some more time to catch up and not drown in homework.

A lot of people need to catch up. My blogs are all finished, but I have to use proper citations in my text. This will take me awhile by itself. I cannot imagine how the students who are behind on blogs feel. I am only behind on citations, and I feel like I am lost. There is just so much time consuming things. We really need this day to relax and catch up. This is why the vocabulary should be started on Wednesday instead of today.

Reflection: Patrick Henry's speech exemplifies the Rationalism

Patrick Henry's speech does a good job of displaying the Rationalism writing style. It is very different from the Puritan writing style. Thomas Marshall thought that his speech was very bold and was one of the most animated speeches ever delivered (Wilhelm 114). It must have taken a lot of guts and feelings to give a speech as good as the speech he gave.

According to Boucquey, rationalism was born from Enlightenment. Enlightenment originated in the 18th century. Rationalism was the idea that formed the basis of Enlightenment (Boucquey). Rationalism led to a lot of great works because it showed creativity and it was skeptical of the things people believed in at that time.

By standing up to the people, Patrick Henry showed that he fit in with the rationalism period. He was very skeptical and unwilling to compromise his high ethical standards (Wilhem 114). He seemed like a smart, stubborn man with very high standards for himself and for his country.

After the parliament passed a lot of new taxes on the people. Thousands of British people went to protest. Patrick Henry led the growing opposition of this (Wilhem 115). The speech gave Patrick Henry a new reputation. After he gave that forceful speech, he became a forceful proponent of liberty.

Patrick Henry wants to go to war. He feels very strong about the subject. He does not think they should raise the taxes. Giving this speech was hopefully going to be his moment of glory and the start of the war. He already had everyone's attention with the interesting subject. Everyone wanted to hear his opinion and get all the facts together. With a great introduction, he kept their attention and even attracted some other's who were not interested I am sure. He gave a very rational speech. Even though it was a rational speech, he occasionally used an emotional appeal. He also gave a lot of information and ideas. After he gave an idea, he backed it up. This is very different from Puritan writing. In Puritan writing, they just said God had everything in control. God does this, God made that a certain way. During the rationalism period, the people tended to find a logical reason for something. That is what Patrick Henry did. He gave a reason why they should go to war, and then he backed it up with facts. He rationalized his speech, and I think that worked out for the best. The phrase which is known today, "Give me liberty or give me death!" Was a great way to end his speech. It was very powerful. Even though it was a bit of a hyperbole, it still got the point across. Hyperboles are very popular and an awesome tool to use to persuade someone. His speech had a lot of nice techniques that were used to help get his point across in a great manner.

He did do something that was some what dangerous, though. He called the government "tyrants" (Wilhem 117). Calling the government a bad name can knock people off board. If they were just considering it, they would have probably stopped listening after he insulted something that they still believed in. It was a poor move on that part.

Wilhelm, Jeffrey D., and Douglas Fisher. Glencoe Literature. New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.

Boucquey, Thierry, gen. ed. "rationalism." Encyclopedia of World Writers, 14th through 18th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= GEWWII0240&SingleRecord=True (accessed September 22, 2011).

Journal #9

A rational approach is responsible way to react to an emotional situation. According to dictionary.com, rational is defined as agreeable to reason, or having good sense. Being rational is very crucial to getting through hard, emotional times.

When something horrible happens, such as when a fire breaks loose in a house, people panic. They tend to act irrational. Instead of thinking of where everyone in the house is and if they are going to be able to get out okay, they just stand there and panic. It is normal human nature to panic, but reacting in a rational manner is something everyone in a panic situation should try to do.

Being rational is a very positive way to react to something. It means you use your brain and your good sense to think about the situation you are in instead of being irrational and just doing whatever comes to your mind first without even really thinking.

Being rational also works for smaller situations. For example, my little cousin had a history test coming up and she had no idea what was going on. I like history, so I decided to help her. She wanted to just grab her book and read, thinking she would learn what she needed fast. I directed her into a more rational approach. Together we made note cards and organized all of the information from the chapter. It took longer, but she learned more information than she would have from just skimming the chapter. By taking a rational approach, she got an "A" on the test! Being rational in a situation is very helpful in the long run, even if it takes more time and effort in the beginning.

Another example that I have went through would be when a girl fainted at a cross country meet. People were panicking and did not know what to do. Luckily someone was thinking and took a rational approach. He started taking charge because someone needed to. He got someone to go get help, another person to call 9-1-1, and started looking for someone with some medical experience for immediate help. Being rational, he got her the help she needed and the situation ended with her safe and sound with her family.

Bibliography

"Rational | Define Rational at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. .

Autumn

I love Autumn! It is my favorite season. This should be an easy blog thing.

Autumn is so pretty. I love everything, from the leaves to the Pumpkin Spice Starbucks drink. Speaking of that, I could really use one of those right about now. I also quite enjoy the Pumpkin Pie Shake at Sonic. I am so hungry right now.

Autumn weather is also really nice. I love when jeans and a sweater is perfectly comfortable to wear. Not too cold, not too hot. A nice flannel is also fun to wear, like I am wearing today. Autumn makes school a little bit better. October is also a nice month because of Halloween. Halloween is a fun holiday, especially when it is a nice, autumn night. October is also a nice month because we never really have a full week of school. We get out on some Friday's early, and others we just have them completely off. My birthday is in November, so October is good because it is almost my birthday. I am so hungry. Autumn must make me hungry. That is another good thing about autumn! There is so much good food going on in autumn. There is pumpkin pie, the Pumpkin Spice Starbucks thing, the Pumpkin Pie Shake at Sonic, cookies, a lot of cinnamon stuff, pumpkin pie, caramel pie, apple cider, and a whole lot of other stuff that I can not even think of right now. Autumn is such a fun time of the year! Well, I have less words than I thought I had. So continuing my journal will be mandatory.

Autumn is also known as fall. Fall is a favorite season of hipsters a lot. Hipsters love fall. I love hipsters, so I love fall, too. Hipsters hate other hipsters, but hipsters still all love fall. Hipsters like fall because they get to wear their flannels and skinny jeans. Hipsters love fall because of the food, too. Hipsters just love fall so much. All my hipster friends love fall, which is ironic because hipsters hate other hipsters. But being ironic is also part of being a hipster, so it all fits in. Autumn is so much fun!

The Crucible Act IV

Finally finishing the Crucible, I feel accomplished. We will be ending the book with this blog. It will contain comparisons to "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."

The two novels are both examples of Puritan writing. They are pretty much revolved around God in a way. Both of the writings seem to be a little mad at God. He is very powerful. These two writings are also like the other Puritan writings we have read in this class.

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is shorter than The Crucible. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is basically criticizing people throughout the whole thing. The author wrote about how people are doing the wrong thing and are being bad. Criticizing the characters, the speaker seems to basically tell the characters how they are going to Hell and are horrible people. He tells the people how God is mad at them and will punish them all. He also lectured about how people are good and holy in church, but are bad outside of the church as they are on their own. This is a problem in the current day as well. I see a lot of people at church acting holy and such, but when I see them outside of church, they are cursing and not being holy at all. They are only faking themselves because God can see the people everywhere. They are just putting on an act for themselves and the church goers.

The Crucible is like this in a way. When life was difficult and confusing, they praised God and asked for help. When life got simple again, they kind of just forgot about him. When things get easy, God seems to just fall out of a person's priorities. In both novels, when they needed help they asked for it. Also in both novels, when life was going good, they forgot about God (Edwards 97). They no longer prayed as much and they no longer kept their Christian life. They started to get lazy with it. In The Crucible, people started to want to take over and they wanted power. As they tried to succeed in life, they did not care about succeeding in the after life. Their priorities were different than they were when they were struggling. When things got hard again, they started to pray again (Edwards 98).

Both of these writings did not resemble being a good Christian during the full story. Both the writings seemed to show falling away from God and falling away from being a good, respectable Christian. There is a lot of emotions in both of these writings, but none of it is really positive. All of the emotion is negative. I think these books could have been more enjoyable if they were a bit more positive. It was weird that people did not really have a happy ending in these writings. Also, when I saw novel (referring to "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God") I actually mean writing or story. It is not a a novel, but I have noticed I accidentally have said novel instead.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY: Penguin, 1996. Print.

Bloom, Harold. Arthur Miller's The Crucible. New York: Bloom's Literary Criticism, 2008. Print.

Edwards, Jonathan. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Pub., 1992. Print.

bullying and its effects on both the victims and the bully

Bullying has been going on since the beginning of time when a dinosaur would rule the land. It goes on with little things, like bugs, and bigger things, like people. Bullying is human nature for some, and to be bullied has a bunch of different possible outcomes.

There are many different effects on bullying. We will discuss about the bully's feelings first. When a bully bullies someone, they may have a bunch of different motives. One motive would be jealousy. When someone is jelly of someone, they may pick on them to take our their jealousy. Another reason that someone may bully someone is because they are self conscious of themselves. They may try and take out their anger on someone else.

The bullies can have a big effect on their victims. When someone points out a flaw to them, they may take it very hard. If they have a bad home life, they may take it even harder. Some victims act like the bully's comment did not affect them, but it still may have hurt them bad. I know that when someone makes fun of me, I act like it's no big deal and I just shrug it off, but in reality, it could have hurt me pretty bad. That is how it is for a lot of people. Cyber bullies are even worse because they do not have to say anything face to face. They can just send anonymous hate mail to a person. That could hurt the victim even worse. With all the social networking sites these days, it is easier and easier to bully someone without even being known for the bullying. It takes guts to bully someone in person, but being behind a computer screen, it is easier and easier to send hate.

People can be very cruel. Bullying is a problem in school a lot of times. The problem of bullying will never disappear, but it could get a little better. Hopefully people will realize what they are doing to others and try to be nicer to people. A lot of bullies do not even realize how bad that they are hurting their victim.