English 1103: Section 090…Next steps…
What’s due next week you ask??
1. Read chapter 12 of Elements of Argument. Take notes that will help you be a part of the discussion that I have planned. Also, complete one activity at the end of the chapter on page 512.
2. Please post comments and/or questions related to the chapter and the activity you wrote about in your Daybook onto the blog.
3. Remember to bring something (a draft you’re working on) to workshop next week as well. As I mentioned in class…you don’t have to turn it in next week…just bring something that you can get some feedback on. If you do want to turn the draft in…that’s great!! I’ll read it and give you feedback on it.
4. Finally, here’s the updated calendar of the next 4 classes. If you have any questions about any of these points…post them here or email me.
October 27th, 2006 at 10:54 pm
I thought some of the essays in Chapter 12 were really interesting. I was surprised
a lot about “How Men Really Feel about their Bodies” and “All to be Tall”. I had
never really thought about insecurities men have about their bodies. From tv, school,
magazines, and books it always seems like women think more about how they look than
men do. At least, it alway seemed like women actually did more about it. While reading
the essays it all made sense. I couldnt believe the amount of pain men go through just
to get 3 inches added to their height. Although I understand why some do since women
tend to date taller men, they have a higer rate of employment, and they make better
first impressions. I never thought about how many things there are that make shorter
men more insecure.
October 28th, 2006 at 10:35 am
I was really surprised by the content in Chapter 12 of Elements of Argument. I’ll have to admit I double-checked to make sure I was reading the right chapter you assigned. I thought the essays were very interesting, I actually read the whole chapter sitting, which is rather unusual for me. Also, like Ashley, I was a little shocked by the insecurities that men face about their bodies. i t’s realy sad that there is such a focus on women, men get neglected, and insecurties they are having get more severe as they are not attended to. I guess I also never really thought about the insecurity men have concerning their height- basically all you hear about theese days is women body image issues. I think it is so great to look back and see how far plastic surgery has come, unfortunately people are abusing these privileges and instead of using them for corrective or medical purposes, they want to add 3 inches to their height or have a larger chest…
October 29th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
hey you guys. this is the website i told you guys about
http://easybib.com/
also i just started reading ch 12 it’s interesting to know
men’s perspective. i’m not done reading and taking notes
just yet so i’ll post again.
October 29th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
I just finished chapter 12 myself…all I can say is…WOW!! I can’t wait to get everyone back together in a few days…there is so much to talk about in this chapter and I’m sure you all will bring several perspectives to the discussion…I CAN’T WAIT!!!
October 30th, 2006 at 9:09 am
This chapter was a good one. It was really interesting. I enjoyed the chapter on how men are insecure about their bodies and how it gave eight truths about men. Most of that was true. Yes, we know girls get insecure all the time, but guys have to see those commercials all the time too, and we’l never talk about it, we will just joke about it, like the reading said exactly. It’s probobly not too bad though. I dont think that I think about it as much as a girl would, that would be a little much.
October 30th, 2006 at 12:22 pm
So ladies…any response to Brandon??
October 30th, 2006 at 12:36 pm
I just finished reading the chapter. I thought it was very interesting and very true. I think Brandon is right, when guys feel insecure they don’t talk a/b their feelings, but instead crack a joke or do something to take the attention off their insecurity. I did activity 3 at the end of the chapter. I find it interesting and almost amusing the lengths people will go to impress their peers, especially at an event such as a class reunion. This is one event that people want to ‘wow’ their classmates and will go to extreme lengths to do this. I don’t think there is anything wrong with aging..In the movie “The Guardian” (great movie by the way…) an older woman is talking about aging and she put it in a way I had never really thought of before, she said that her muscles hurt, but that just means she used them, her skin may be wrinkled from being in the sun, but she lived many beautiful days. I think even if you don’t have your youthful beauty, you still are beautiful and its more the life you live then what you look.
October 30th, 2006 at 4:27 pm
This was a change from what we have been reading. It was nice. Usually we have to take pages
and pages of notes, but reading this it was nice just to relax and read. I agree with what Brandon
said…this was interesting. I don’t think guys vocalize as much about how they feel about
themselves. I never knew that my brother wasn’t happy with his body until he started doing
200 crunches (or maybe more) to get a six pack. I was shocked. I didn’t see anything wrong.
I guess it is weird the way boys’ and girls’ minds work.
October 31st, 2006 at 12:21 pm
We are our biggest critics, and we often feel like we are being watched and judged. And while we probably are being judged everyday, I really do not believe that people care as much about our appearance as we think they do.
We spend most of our time worrying that WE are being scrutinized. We are so concerned with our own appearance that most of us don’t have the time, energy, or desire to criticize others.
Our insecurities are foolish, and knowing that we are all in the same boat and victims of our own minds is quite empowering.
November 1st, 2006 at 11:09 am
hey everyone–i really enjoyed this chapter..i was kind of leaning towards this topic (yea i know, last minute!)but now i really want to research this and like susie said about knowing mens point of view was kind of neat too!
November 1st, 2006 at 12:05 pm
I have a different edition of the book than everyone else … and I don’t think I have the same chapter 12 … can someone please tell me the title of Chapter 12? Thanks.
November 1st, 2006 at 12:24 pm
The chapter you were supposed to read had essays in it related to teh topic of body image and
how men and women view the topic…
November 1st, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Ok thanks Tony .. I’ll read that right now … My book is different than everyone else’s
November 1st, 2006 at 2:23 pm
I was reading the chapter the night my boyfriend was planning on spending the night with me. So when I started reading it I started asking him questions about what the chapter was saying. We has a mini-discussion. It was fun because he had a lot to say as we went over it together. I think he may have been more into it than I was…
November 1st, 2006 at 3:17 pm
I’ve been around guys my whole life. I already knew that guys hide their
feelings about themselves by joking around. i believe there are healthy ways
to change your body rather than the extremes like anorexia. plastic surgery can
be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you use it. i can understand how
guys feel insecure when they are short especially. this reminded me of a friend in
high school. he was every girls friend, but when it comes to dating he is only a cute
friend. Not a romantic person. just a friend. That’s sad to me. so if he wanted
to be taller and do it through surgeory i totally understand.
November 1st, 2006 at 3:24 pm
Wow. I can agree with everyone else on saying that this chapter was very interesting. Alot of this stuff I didn’t know before about men and the way they see themselves. I also agree with Jordan in saying that this chapter was definitely a nice change of pace from just reading a lot of notes about how to write a paper, etc… This chapter kept me interested the whole time, and brought a lot of new thoughts into perspective for me. I did activity 3 at the end of the chapter and it made me realize how much ads really do influence people. I never really think about it when I’m just looking through a magazine or newspaper, but this brought it to my attention.
November 1st, 2006 at 3:53 pm
You know I really enjoyed reading the essays in this chapter… Image is a critical point in our society today. One quote that I really appreciated was “four hours a day spent watching television means four hours a day of unconscious reinforcement that genuine human worth dwells in the phenomenon of being watched.” I think that it is so true that the television has really been the determining factor of what beauty is in society’s opinion…Especially considering the fact that TV (in most cases) is just a fantasy of what we dream and want. So, naturally, the characters that are acting in your fantasy world are the very definition of perfection. The essays were so personal and unfortunately true. So, I asked myself (because I think that we are all a little guilty of judging appearence at one point in our life) what gives us the right to determine what is and is not beautiful? I can even relate to the “All to be Tall” essay since I’m so short:) But, I just think that it’s amazing that ‘everyone else’ makes us so self-conscious to the point of drastic and life-threatening changes…
November 1st, 2006 at 4:09 pm
Alright….well this chapter was certainly different than those in the past! In the one reading, “All to be Tall”, I thought it was CRAZY to see the lenghts that people will go to just to be tall! Why in the world would you want to put yourself through so much pain just so you can look more satisfying to others?? It was also weird to hear the guys talk about their body image problems. Most people just think that the obsession only hits home with women, but this is obviously not the case. I can’t wait to discuss this in class!
November 1st, 2006 at 4:38 pm
So…. Chapter 12 seriously came out of no where to me… from “MLA blah blah blah” to “How Far Will We Go to Change Our Body Image” i mean does this not boggle you guys, no transition??? Lol… anyways seriously though, Chapter 12 was really interesting, and generated many thoughts and concersna as well. The very first sentence says it all “We live in a society where appearance matters”, duh we leave in a society where people actually pay 100 dollars for a pair of jeans and I’m not even talking the rich and famous any more I’m talking people you walk by on campus everyday. I’ll be honest though Im obsessed with those plastic surgery shows, especially Dr. 90210 on E!, and if we are being truly honest I’ve seriously contemplated plastic surgery for in the future. All these articles really hit home, I’m only 5 foot tall, I’ve thought about plastic surgery (not obsessed though) and I have a close male who is very self concious with his body and appearance. It’s everywhere… SERIOUSLY… Im with Rachel… I am stoked to do seminar in class about this Chapter… damn it’s getting good… so contoversial… i like it :)
November 1st, 2006 at 5:10 pm
Wow…lots of people saying lots of very interesting things…I can’t wait to discuss the
chapter in class!!!
November 1st, 2006 at 5:21 pm
I really liked this chapter, it was very interesting and it’s kinda of sad. Like in “All to Be Tall”, why would you put yourself through all that pain just for 3 inches of height? Our society is so wrapped in making themselves “perfect” that the important things are pushed to the back. I had surgery once and that was to prevent further damage, but I hated having it done and their were complications and I regret ever doing that surgery. Surgery isn’t something that it fun and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Plastic Surgery should be for reconstruction surgery and for medical diseases, not vanity. But that is just my opinion.
November 1st, 2006 at 5:44 pm
I too was, for lack of a better word, shocked at chapter 12. to be honest with you i did a double take and looked to see which book i was reading. It kinda took me off guard that argumentative essayscould be written on somthing that seems so prevelant in our socity. to be honest with you, it kinda game me some ideas for my paper
November 1st, 2006 at 5:50 pm
Hey everyone! This chapter was really interesting! I had never once given a thought to men and their insecurities about their bodies. I thought that was just a female thing. I agree with what Laura said to Brandon earlier. When guys feel insecure about something, they make it into a joke and play it off as though its no big deal. It’s different with women. This chapter really made you opne your eyes.
November 1st, 2006 at 5:54 pm
This was a good chapter. It’s interesting because my jr year I did my research paper on how girls develope eating disorders because of the constant media pressure to be thin. It mentioned how guys get self concious sometimes but like Brandon said, they never really talk about it. I guess it’s more of a girl thing to talk about their body issues. I never really thought that guys cared that much that they just did it cause girls liked when they looked like that. Not that guys really do get self concious about themselves.
November 1st, 2006 at 5:54 pm
I enjoyed reading chapter 12. I found the stories very interesting; but at the same time, reading the stories were very upsetting. Being a female, I had never really thought about a man’s insecurities. I guess I had always thought that men were secure and did not worry about petty things such as their height. I find it very depressing that all members of society, men and women, worry about being “perfect.” We all try to reach this perfect image that the media produces. When in reality, we all feel like we fall short of their standards because it is impossible to be “perfect.”
November 1st, 2006 at 6:12 pm
This chapter was interesting. It had all diffrent kinds of essays. It was nice ot get a perspective on other ways of writting the piece.