In response to Melissa Zilinki:

After reading Mel’s response to Becoming a Writer by Russell Baker and In Praise of the F Word by Mary Sherry, I was blown away by how she responds with her own thoughts while simultaneously providing context and evidence from the text. Her response to the texts is rather strong, especially towards author Mary Sherry. She connects her own real world experiences with that of the authors’ while specifically relating to her experience as a writer. I did not integrate such specific personal examples into my response, but after reading Mel’s, I wish that I had; they really create impact and generate interest towards her response. I especially enjoyed the story in her second paragraph, when she disagrees with Sherry. I found this interesting since, none of my responses so far have directly disagreed with a reading so far. Her personal explanation of her circumstances was really moving, and is a direct example of something I mentioned in my own response. Her personal connections helped me connect to her response as well, as her unique perspective in this situation really “fit” with the text and helped make reader connections to her writing. Overall, I found her response really interesting and thorough. Her writing was very well organized, and her personal thoughts were seamlessly integrated into her response as well as her evidence.

After watching the Adobe Spark video, I can visualize more clearly how I can execute the ideas I thought of for my project from yesterday.  I am a generally creative person, who has some experience with apps such as photoshop and procreate, so I’m excited to see how I can personally customize my visuals and connect them to my audio. However, I’m a little nervous about the audio part, specifically balancing my narration with the background music, because I don’t want one to overpower the other. But I think with some experience and playing around with the app, I should be fine :))

https://express.adobe.com/sp/design/video/urn:aaid:sc:US:8e3f48a2-d2f4-4363-8b10-340f8d8b8a55

Growing up in an immigrant household, my first language was not english, but rather my parents native language of vietnamese. And as i grew up, and went to school, i needed to learn english.  Growing up in a vietnamese house in the middle of a very caucasian neighboorhood made me constantly feel like th e”odd one out” in my community. I was one of 3 vietnamese people in my grade all throughout elementary school (with the other two being my cousins). Everyone around me presuming i was chinese, or making fun of the shape of my eyes made me desire to assimilate, to become more like them.  I was put in ESL classes from 1st to 4th grade, even though my english was fluent by the time i reached 2nd grade. Even my teacher for ESL was confused by why i was in the class after the first year, but it took them 3 to fully accept that I was fluent in english despite my papers saying that my primary language was vietnamese. As i spent more time at school and less time at home, I eventually lost my vietnamese. When I got into high school, it felt as if i had finally detached myself from my home, despite it being the place i’d go back to every night. Nobody viewed how i looked to be a factor of my attitude, because i made sure my impression would overpower any preconceived notions they might have about me.

In the article “Vaccine Literacy—helping Everyone Decide to Accept Vaccination,” by Scott C. Ratzan and Ruth M. Parker. The authors aim to persuade readers to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Since there are many who are skeptical about the newly administered vaccine, this article is trying to help the readers to accept and trust the science behind it. The argument is directed towards people who are hesitant or against vaccination (anti vaxxers). Considering that vaccination rates have been consistently on the rise, it can be claimed that such articles as this, are working to help persuade people to trust science and our government. The article also provides information on previous history and directly refutes many of the claims that skeptics have against vaccines. It argues for vaccination on the basis of providing concrete evidence and information to persuade readers that vaccination is ultimately safe, and that health should hold higher priority over freedom.

By: Briana Do and Xena Neira

After reading Abhiraj’s reading response, I saw that his was an assessment of how the essay is structured, and a summary of the essay that specifically focuses on Pengfei’s increased quality of schooling as his family moved up the social ladder while he grew up. I also wrote about Pengfei’s growing up during Chinas increasing access to technology and western ideas, but I like how Abhiraj integrated his examples and evidence more than I did. Something I learned from his response I didn’t realize the importance or significance of the visual imagery in the essay until Abiraj pointed it out. I think that Abhiraj could give a little more context to his background information and summary; like stating the title of the essay and its authors, but besides that, I think that his response follows the guidelines pretty well.

1) The chickens on campus play a famous role for our school, they make us unique.      

Type: CS

The chickens on campus play a famous role for our school; they make us unique.

2) What if the chickens laid eggs and hid them somewhere they would get left behind.     

Type: R

What if chickens laid eggs and hid them somewhere; they would get left behind.

 3) The chickens bring laughter to our students, without them we’d be an ordinary school.               

Type: CS

The chickens bring laughter to our students; without them we’d be an ordinary school.

 4) I remember, after my first class I was leading out to the bookstore unfortunately, I stepped on the chickens’ dump.    

Type: CS

 I remember, after my first class, I was leading out to the bookstore; unfortunately, I stepped on the chickens’ dump.

5) Right now, there are many chickens living freely on campus but many professors don’t want chickens.  

Type: R

 Right now, there are many chickens living freely on campus, but many professors don’t want chickens.

6) Chickens should not be allowed to live freely on the campus because they cause stinky odors make noise and no one wants to clean after.          

Type: R

 Chickens should not be allowed to live freely on campus because they cause stinky odors, make noise, and no one wants to clean after.

7) Anytime students want to lie down on the lawn they need a place that looks clean and has fresh air therefore they can not take a nap or study.      

Type: R

 Anytime students want to lie down on the lawn, they need a place with fresh air that looks clean, or they can not take a nap or study.

8)  But I strongly disagree with that opinion, chickens should not be allowed on campus at all.    

  Type: CS 

But I strongly disagree with that opinion; chickens should not be allowed on campus at all.

 9) During the time students are in the lab if the chickens make a lot of noise the students won’t focus on doing their job.  

Type: R

During the time the students are in the lab, if the chickens make a lot of noise, the students won’t focus on doing their job. 

10) In conclusion, if the chickens live freely on campus because students let them live free then these students should clean the chickens’ mess.   

Type: R

 In conclusion, if the chickens live freely on campus because students let them live free, then these students should clean the chickens’ mess.

By: Briana Do, Chinaza Hughes, and Xena Neira

My full name is Briana Duyen Do, and it actually doesn’t really hold much meaning. I know that my mom named me, because she found the name in a name book and she liked the way it sounded. English also isn’t her first language, so it’s my middle name that holds meaning.  Duyen is the Vietnamese word for grace and beauty. It’s poetic language and not used in everyday conversation; it was a part of one of my moms favorite poems when she was growing up. And my last name follows American tradition and comes from my father. I’ve never really been embarrassed by my name, it’s just often misspelled as Brianna or misheard as Rhianna. In these cases I just find correcting them to be awkward. I’ve never changed my name, as I’ve been pretty satisfied with it my entire life. At home, I speak English and Vietnamese, often mixing the two in regular conversation with my parents. I don’t have any memories of being mocked or degraded for how I speak or write, but I did grow up with occasional negative comments regarding my appearance as a person of color.

Response to Parker’s Discussion Post

What I see as the key idea from this response: Parker focused on the argument of facts, giving its definition and a specific example (tiktok) that lines up with the context. She gives a lot of background information, which provides helpful context to her response.

How this idea is similar or different from my own writing: We spoke about different types of arguments, hers being argument of fact and mine being about proposal arguments. Our understanding of kairos is pretty similar, and I liked that she asked questions at the end, they actually helped my own understanding of the word as well.

What you learned (or not) by reading this post: I think that this post was written really well, I really like the context that she provided with light explanations of background information; I also think that her response followed the guidelines really well.

Can an argument really be any text that expresses a point of view?

Yes, an argument can be any text that expresses a point of view. The following items can make certain arguments about the items themselves and/or the people in possession of them:

• Someone wearing a Golden State Warriors cap expresses their interest and preference for the team. Outgoing fans wearing the Golden State Warriors’ attire may even argue that they’re one of, or the best team in the NBA. 
• Someone wearing a pair of Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34’s can indicate that they are athletic, or a fan of the Nike brand. It also argues that the wearer may have an interest in investing in a “quality” shoe.
• The explicit content warning on a rap CD can argue that it is intended for mature audiences, especially according to the distributor.  It can also argue that there is content in the CD that will not be acceptable to some. 
• The health warnings on a cigarette packet argue that cigarettes are not good for you and that that is necessary to advertise to the consumer. Ironically enough, companies in the tobacco industry, like Marlboro, make billions of dollars in profit every year, despite the notorious risks associated with their product. 
• The popularity of the Tesla Model 3, especially in the Silicon Valley, argues for the support of alternative energy sources; specifically through the electric car industry.  It can also be seen as a status symbol due to the high price and luxury branding.
• A pair of Ray Bans may argue that your eyes need to be protected from the sun. It may also argue that style and more “luxurious” options should be taken into account when choosing protective accessories. 

By: Briana Do, Chinaza Hughes, and Mel Zilinki