Chapters One and Two

Last week we were to read chapter one in our textbook, From Critical Thinking to Argument, and this week we were assigned to read chapter two. I enjoyed reading the text; I found it much more interesting and readable than the typical college textbook.

Chapter one was dealing with critical thinking and writing. My favorite essay within this chapter was the op-ed piece by Alan Dershowitz in favor of having a national ID card. I found this essay very interesting because I know Mr. Dershowitz is a Libertarian politically, and usually Libertarians are against national ID cards because they fear they are too broad and will infringe on our civil liberties. I, personally, am torn about national ID cards. I believe it's true that there are too many holes in the state ID system, or else the 9/11 terrorists wouldn't have been able to get driver's licenses here in Virginia so easily. However, I fear that having a national ID card has the potential to infringe on our liberties (even though I am not a Libertarian), and I fear it will make life more difficult for immigrants, even those here legally.

Chapter two dealt with critical reading, and discussed ways in which the reader can skim, summarize and paraphrase the text to better understand it. It explicitly went over the difference between summarizing, paraphrasing and accidentally plagarizing works, which I found helpful. I can see how it would be very easy to be intending to paraphrase in an essay and instead plagarize by accident, so I will be dilligent to avoid that.

One of the most interesting passages in chapter two was an essay by Susan Jacoby dealing with pornography, feminism and the First Amendment. As a feminist, I personally believe that while porn can be degrading and demoralizing, it's still protected by the First Amendment. If we try to censor porn magazines, they will also try to censor great works such as paintings by Georgia O'Keefe, which would be tragic.

Introduction Post

My name is Marie, and I am a 29 year old college student attending school at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Virginia. I am a General Studies major who plans to transfer to George Mason University, where I will be a Social Work major. I eventually want to become a social worker or a counselor to teenagers with problems such as drug use or depression.

Some things about me are that I am passionate about music and going to concerts - I am seeing Panic at the Disco for the second time this year in October - and hanging out with friends, watching movies or just getting coffee. I enjoy spending a lot of my time on the computer - including blogging actually. I have several blogs where I talk about music, politics, popular culture and my personal life. I have many friends online who I enjoy talking with through email, instant messaging, and text message, as well as through social networks such as Facebook and LiveJournal.

I am taking English 112 because it is required in order to take the 2 literature classes I need for my degree. English 112 actually does not count towards my major, but it is a prerequisite for taking the literature classes - English Literature and American Literature - that I need.

I am hoping to get several things out of this class. As with taking English 111, I hope this class will help improve my writing and communication skills. I hope to become a more critical thinker and improve my ability to argue and make my points come across succesfully. I believe I improved my writing, argumentative and rhetorical skills after completing English 111, and that I will improve even more by taking English 112.