Katly+Chitwood

Katlyn Chitwood---summary on Women in the Draft

Anna Quilden author of Uncle Sam and Aunt Samantha, states strong feelings about women being drafted into the military. She states that in the past the draft consisted of only men between the ages of 18 and 25. The last draft that women were actually considered was twenty years ago and Congress and the Supreme Court ruled against it because they said women did not have the physical strength, could be sexually assaulted if captured and distract the male soldiers. After using the past she moves to the present and explains that this is a new time and women are capable of handling the brutality of war. She states that in a poll taken almost ten years ago said that women should be included in the draft as well as men. It is the fairness and equity that are her main points. Anna Quilden uses perfect logos similar to the ones that I have stated above, using poll numbers and specific examples of Afghanistan and United States examples. She also uses pathos which are essential because she appeals to the males and females in this article. She makes males feel insulted that women will not be used in combat in a case of national security, but they can be used any other time. Plus she relates to females using the “empowering women” emotion that most women love to feel. Quilden gives no information about her background in the article which can be bad for ethos, but she does use multiple pieces of information such as statistics to show readers that she can be trusted. She does a very nice job in her final lines showing the readers the point she wishes to make, she states clearly: “This is a responsibility that should fall equally upon all, male and female alike.” She persuades the reader all throughout the article that males and females are equally able to handle combat and situations of war.

The internet seems to be taking over for books in terms of literacy for all Americans. According to Dennis Baron of The Web of Language Blog, there is an ongoing battle about whether or not people will keep reading books or will the internet become our permanent book? __Baron states that__ 27% of American adults had not read a book in the last year according to a poll in 2007. Which is surprising yet if one ponders this topic, how many times does the average American spend on the computer? Also on the other hand how much time do they spend in a chair reading a book? The answer is obvious that most average people spend their free time on the computer. Some, such as, Caleb Crain believe that going on the internet will help literacy. He did a study at Michigan State University and it showed that by going on the internet at least a half hour a day children could improve their reading skills. On the other hand, fans of reading argue that reading isolates the reader and allows them to think critically on topics old and new. The opposers believe that reading books teach changes in thought patterns about culture, history, science, and even modernism. Even though there is much controversy on this topic both sides have only theorized, but it is safe to say that literacy is moving from dusty old books to the new shiny computers and internet.

**// Be sure when you summarize to consistently include language that indicates that these ideas belong to the author and not you. You started to at the beginning (I underlined it). This needs to be done throughout a summary. //**  This argument worked for me, with mostly pathos, also logic, and credibility to back up the facts. I am a very emotionally triggered reader and writer. I find it intriguing how a writer can make me feel surprised and interest me in the topic at hand. Others reading this blog probably are adults bored at work, students made to read it, and maybe even a few who actually care about the issues they are talking about. For me this article was eyeopening, but I am not so sure that others reading this would be as interested. The arguments are firm filled with facts such as studies, statistics, and information, but how do we as readers know they are true. Yes there is some credibility from the people who have written books and similar examples, but how do we know they are true. The arguments are filled with facts and any reader could find logic in them. The pictures in the article however, did not seem to fit. They were simple and it did not seem to have any impact on me as a reader because I simply overlooked them. Arguments are meant to persuade a reader one way or another and for me it did not persuade me only open my eyes to a changing world. I was a little disappointed, but it was still a good read.

//**Overall a good analysis. A bit thin, but a good stab for your first try. CHECK ~Prof. Wendt **//