3/23/2011

Today in class, we learned that every essay should be similar but different. Similar, in the sense that an essay should be sculpted by a template, and different because of the prompt given. All that is needed to be done is plug information into a template,  just like you would plug in numbers into a formula.

Sarcasm & Giggles,

E-Roc & Sandeezy

3/14/11

In todays class discussion, we revised an essay that opposed Bilger's argument that our love affair for pets is out of control. The essay held up its argument by stating their opinion and facts clearly. Compared to our essays, it is very different, because Sandra and I, we agreed with Bilger's arguement.  Perhaps the essay was more well structured than our essays. 

Serenades and lullabies,

E-Roc & Sandeezy

PS we should be acknowledged for our time and wonderful effort we apply to this blog.

March 10, 2011

Today in our class discussion we went over a sample student essay with a score of six.

It was a response to Bilger's argument, she  addressed the topic, considered the opposing viewpoint and had great transitions for the reader to flow through it easily. Her essay is a great example for us to learn from and immensely  provided us with a new template.

I have to go potty,

E-Roc & Sandeezy

3-7-11

1. What are the main points the author is making in his piece(at least two)?

In his piece one of the main points that he wants to get across is that all pets don't have a say in the extremes their owners go for them. Second, the article suggests that a pet is worth almost any effort, any cost for most people.

2. How effective is his use of pathos?

The authors use of pathos (emotion) is very strong. He uses imagery to illustrate animals in pain that would trigger the readers emotional core. The author also asks rhetorical questions in order to reinforce the article's major points.

3. How effective is his use of logos?

The authors use of logos (logic) he goes into detail about surgical procedures take. Also chronologically plots the history of veterinarians starting the year 1910.

4.Which is stronger? Why?

Both his pathos and logos are strong as one another, his use of pathos supports his logos and vice versa. For example, the author describes a time when pets and owners had no emotional attachment, and kittens were once put in bags and thrown into a river. When read out loud in our class discussion, one could tell it hit everyones emotional buttons.

5. On what points do you agree with the author? On what points do you disagree with the author?

We agree with the authors point that pets do not have a say in what their owners do for them, because suffering pets don't have a say in whether they want to keep suffering or just be put down. The last sentence in the article was very strong because it reinforces the idea, that since the beginning, the pets never had a say.

"The cats as always, didn't say a word."

 Sugars and spices,

E-Roc & Sandeezy

2/22

 Burkhard Bilger is a legitimate source and author, because he has been a contributor  for the New Yorker since 2000 and staff writer since 2001. He has also had work published in the New York Times and has earned two National Magazine Awards and six nominations. Bilger's interviews are also reliable.  For example, Guy Pidgeon was found in the article, "The Last Meow". Pidgeon is found to actually work at the AMC. 

Paws & Whiskers,

E-Roc & Sandeezy

THE AMC.

Fun Fact: Veterinarians are in the hospital 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide immediate care.

Today in our class reading of "The Last Meow", we discussed the foundation of a paragraph lays on the topic sentence. As a class, we learned that for future college references, it's a good idea to highlight the topic sentence of each paragraph. Doing so, will make it easier to understand what you read in the article. Also, we briefly hit the topic of parallelism, and we were taught identify the structure. Lastly, we learned to identify the irony in a paragraph.

Eggs & Bacon,

E-Roc & Sandeezy

The Last Meow PART 1 reaction

In a world of destruction and hate, I find it enlightening to see Shawn Levering care for his deathly ill cat, Lady. A blue collared man from a small city in Delaware found himself in the throes of Upper East Side New York, willing to spend over $15,000 for a kidney transplant, in hopes of curing his sick cat.  To see such a love expressed is nice to read about. Although the article expresses that this procedure is only to be done to please Shawn's wife, the owner would still risk all that money out of love for his wife. It almost seems like a dream to read about this, to read about an owner going out of his way for a small helpless creature. I'm trying to compare Lady to my last cat Mini. If I had all the money in the world, I would have personally went out of my way to cure Mini of her allergies and bad liver. We did our part though, as a family we all took our turns giving Mini her monthly shot for allergies in a span of 7 years. Months leading to her death, she lost a drastic amount of weight, stopped eating normally, and she would vomit the food she did eat. My step father spent thousands of money on her shots, vet visits and special diet. It was heartbreaking to see my cat in pain and slowly die, and now reading this article I'm learning that there could have been something more done. Perhaps we could have taken her to a big city where Mini's suffering could have been cured, but due to financial circumstances it was impossible for us to do so,

I find it sad reading this article because it reminds me of something that could have been. 

Cherries & Smiles,

Sandeezy