Animals can be self-aware, and Jeremy Rifkin explains why

• Main Claim #1: Rifkin believes that the study of animals and animal behavior is being dwarfed by other scientific "breakthroughs in biotechnology, nanotechnology and more esoteric questions like the age of our universe" [Paragraph 1].
• Paragraphs 1 and 2 imply that the study of animals does not receive the tons of media attention it deserves, and that said media attention is shifted towards other fields of science.

• Main Claim #2: There are some rather stunning discoveries made by animal researchers regarding animal behavior.
• Paragraphs 3 thru 8 in particular are evidence this claim. They highlight particular scientific discoveries such as Koko the signing gorilla, the German pig-rubbing-slash-loving pig farmers, and the sudden increase in funding to researchers studying animal behavioral states by fast food industries.

• Main Claim #3: Scientists are discovering that animals can display traits that only humans were thought to possess.
• Yay, more scientific evidence. Paragraphs 10 thru 14 highlight that animals can be self-aware. "Some philosophers and animal behaviorists have long argued that other animals are not capabhbe of self-awareness because they lack a sense of individualism. Not so, according to new studies." [Paragraph 10] Rifkin highlights some of these new studies. Some include, elephants standing by towards their dead kin, which is thought to be a sign of grief; and rats releasing dopamine in the brain, which is thought to be a sign of joy and pleasure.
• Strategies: Rifkin provides a large amount of evidence throughout his piece; making him and his claims believable. In a way, the use of this evidence also generates some ethos.

     Rifkin primarily used findings in other people's research as evidence, but I can argue that he used reasoning, illustrations and analogies as further evidence; particularly shown in paragraphs 15 thru 17, Rifkin makes readers depict "thousands of animals subjected each year to painful laboratory experiments," [Paragraph 15] and opens the reader's mind to "expanding and deepening our empathy to to include the broader community of creatures with whom we share the Earth." [Paragraph 17]

     I believe that Rifkin was effective in proving that animal studies are interesting and deserve much more media attention, if that was his whole point in writing A Change of Heart about Animals. But his opening and closing paragraphs seem to allude to that.

[RWS 100] "Do We Have the Courage to Stop This"

            Kristof wants new laws and regulations on firearms. Who [besides the avid pro-gun activists] wouldn’t? Particularly in points 18 thru 20, it is implied that Kristof wants new laws, akin to the existing automobile laws, to be applied towards firearms. He believes that “some of you are alive today because of those auto safety regulations.” He’s also identified other countries with stricter gun laws and wants the United States to apply those laws here. In points 15 thru 17, he refers to Australia’s gun buyback and Canada’s 28-day waiting period as ideas for what the United States can do about gun control. In short, Kristof suggests we look to other countries and current laws [on potentially fatal possessions such as automobiles] for inspiration towards new gun control laws.

            I would suggest that Kristof uses the writing strategy of appeals to ethos, pathos and logos. He tries to get the reader to trust him, question the authority (in this case, the U.S. government), and tries to throw in a quick line to make us shed a tear or two. The title alone questions the reader’s level of courage. In point 18, he quotes the common saying, “Cars don’t kill people, drunks do,” which can both appeal to emotion and get readers to like Kristof as both a person and writer. In point 14, he questions the president’s decision to mourn victims instead of signing off to new gun laws.

            While I’m still trying to understand the appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos, I believe that this was an effective writing strategy for Kristof to use to: hook readers into reading the rest of his piece, get said readers to like him, and get people to follow him on his [shameless] social media plugs.

I Never Thought I'd Have to Use One of These Again...

What is your prospective major?

I plan on majoring in Chemistry – Biochemistry at San Diego State University. After graduating, I plan on going to medical school in the Philippines.

Have you ever used the terms “claims” and “evidence” in a class?  If so, what was the class and how did you use them?

There was heavy use of the terms “claims” and “evidence” in my 12^th grade English class. The class was taught by a former SDSU professor, Tim McNamara. He taught RWS 100 and 200, as well as a few other English courses. I got along with him quite well during my four years at my former high school.

That’s beside the point. Mr. McNamara would give us readings with a certain amount of difficulty and cynical humor. He would ask us to identify claims made by the writer and the evidence used to prove his claim.

These kinds of assignments were given to us at least twice a week.

What writing activities do you enjoy outside of school (blogging, tweeting, journaling, etc.)?  What do you write about and how often do you do it? How do you feel about yourself as a writer? 

I don’t write often outside of school. There may have been a small journal (or two) that I would write in for a day or two and completely forget about. I don’t feel confident in my writing, but I’m not ashamed of it either. My high school writing was shoddy at best; but I feel like that improved once 12^th grade rolled around. I’ve been able to produce rather “interesting” pieces of work; akin to the works of David Foster Wallace.

Should my [written] opinions offend anyone, it wouldn’t be an issue for me if I were to not write in my current style; though it would be hard for me to do so. Of course, in the case of lab reports and other “non-expressive pieces of writing”, I wouldn’t use my particular writing style; I would just go by the book on how to write such pieces