Francisco Rubio De Santiago

Francisco Rubio De Santiago

English 2010

Professor Courtney

ENGLISH 2010 PORTFOLIO

The summer semester has finally come to the end. By far it has been the most challenging and rewarding semester I have had. First of all the English 2010 class I decided to sign up for was a term class which means the class is relatively short, eight weeks, compared to a regular summer course which is sixteen weeks. I found myself having to research, draft, and finalize a paper about every week. I have never been much of a writer and I found this challenge of creating a rhetorical piece of work weekly to be a great learning experience. First of all my writing experience before this class was minimal; basic research and turn in assignments in high school. What I found insightful in this eight week course was the idea of not only creating a paper on a subject to research on but also thinking about whom and where might this paper be presented to. This is what rhetoric is all about.

I learned throughout the course to think about the rhetorical make up of each individual paper. This was enacted by applying ethos, logos, and pathos. The Greek word ethos is related to our word ethics or ethical, I like to think of this part as the image of the speaker or writer. When we present ourselves throughout the paper as someone with authority we can convince readers to believe what we write. In these research papers I found it hard to present myself as an authoritative person on the topics I decided to write about. The way I found to create the “image” of authority was to include sources in my works. I wanted to make sure that readers would be able to look up the sources I included so they would not think I came up with certain ideas out of thin air.

Logos, or logic and rationality involve convincing people with our assumptions we have written to be probable truths. This I believe is what makes someone decide to change their lifestyle or beliefs when they read a piece of writing. This part of rhetorical thinking I implemented by the arguments I added in my work and making them credible by attaining information from credible sources. This was somewhat of a challenge for me because of all the information that is easily accessible on the internet. I found it hard to sift through all the information out there. The way I was able to sort through information that is completely absurd and what might be truthful was to personally apply ethos and logos. Did the source I used sound as an authoritative figure? Did the arguments and evidence they used sound logical?

To continue we will discuss pathos this is the appeal to the reader’s emotions and feelings. In two of my following works that I present in this portfolio I use pathos to affect my reader’s emotions. I find that pathos if used correctly can be a strong convincing factor to change ones opinions and beliefs. I at times found it difficult to add emotion in my works without directly writing my own emotion. I overcame this difficulty be the way of using questions directed to the reader, this I believe helped in allowing the reader to evaluate what they know on the subject that is being written about.

Now finally that the underlying appeals have been discussed it is time to show you the works I have made. My papers will flow in the following order: Meme, position paper, report, and finally evaluation. I hope you take the time to read the introductions to each work as they present the specifics of each work.

In this first work I present to you is the genre of a meme. Before this course I knew what a meme was; it is commonly comprised of a picture with some sort of catchy phrase. The phrase can be a reference to pop-culture or a catchy phrase. In this course I had the opportunity to create my own meme. This assignment mandated the collaboration of a few students. Sadly in my case I was unable to get in contact with my fellow groups members and found myself creating a meme of my own choice. I could have found the opportunity of collaborating to be a learning experience yet technology can sometimes be a deterrent. At first I wanted to create my own picture with using a large oversized truck with a bicycle rider on the side but I decided on the use of a different picture, which is the picture shown below. The meme had to present an event that may affect the community around me. I focused on the addition of a bicycle avenue in the surrounding area of Salt Lake City. In this assignment I focused mainly on logos.

I used a vivid and colorful picture to represent each individual piece I wanted to identify. First was the use of a bright red car which of course was to represent a car. The second portion of the picture that is a key element is the bike sign that can be found on any bike lane. The final component which is one of the main characteristics of a meme is the “phrase.” I used a phrase that car drivers use when bicycle riders do not follow the rules. The phrase was used for the opposite purpose and with the addition of the picture showing a car not following the rules. The specific audience this meme is directed to car and bike riders, I wanted to create attention to the fact that we should all share the road. I am convinced this meme could be found on popular social networks and as a search result on Google images.

The second work I present is the position paper. The main appeals I decided to focus on were ethos and pathos. How I used ethos in this paper was in the form of direct quotes and the use of various sources. By doing so I created a credible and authoritative paper. The writing style I used in this paper has two distinct characteristics. In the title and introduction I used a comedic and casual way of introducing the topic of choice. I followed this and continued throughout the paper to use a scientific approach to the paper. I wanted the arguments and the statistics to speak for itself to create credibility and make a logical argument as to the possible negative sides of water fluoridation.

The research I wanted to use was scholarly journals and articles, again to appeal to ethos. I found most of my research the use of the Salt Lake Community College library database. This was my first time using such a database and found it to be a great source when doing research. In this work I was able to collaborate with two peers from my classroom, they collaborated by the means of peer editing. Two main ideas that my peers suggested was the use of images and statistics. The difference between my draft and final production is evident with the use of images and charts. I found that with the addition of these suggestions it allowed for my paper to become a more interesting read. In this paper I also used bullet points to present my statistical findings. This addition allowed for a variation in reading. I did not want this position paper to become “boring,” with all the science and statistics. The specific audience I intended for was college students. In the third paragraph I used the information on the periodic table. Which any college student should have a familiarity of from taking a Chemistry class. I would hope to see this work on a blog or even in a professional scientific journal.

Water Fluoridation:

A Tall Glass of Toxins Please

There is nothing like a cool, clear water to quench one’s thirst after a long day, but the next time you reach for your glass of water you should consider if it is too toxic to drink. “Brush with fluoride toothpaste, make sure there is fluoride in your drinking water, fluoride keeps your teeth strong and will reduce the instances of cavities.” This mantra is repeated over and over again in dental offices everywhere but with all the sources of fluoride one receives is there a possibility that we are poisoning ourselves slowly? Water fluoridation has been a controversial intervention since its introduction in the USA in the early post-war period. It involves adding a fluoride compound (usually hexafluorosilicic acid – a by-product of the phosphate industry.) (Bryson, 2004) Problems associated with fluoride is that it is a toxic chemical waste, its associations with the nuclear and aluminum smelting industries, problems of fluoride poisoning and a wide range of health concerns including cancer, fluorosis and neurotoxicological problems. They also highlight the fact that water fluoridation is an enforced medication. (Connett et al. 2010)

The first vision that comes to mind when talking about fluoride is the image of strong teeth, strong bones and a government that cares about your dental health. What you may not know is that the fluoride added to drinking water and toothpaste is a crude industrial waste product of the aluminum and fertilizer industries, and a substance toxic enough to be used as rat poison. As Dr. John Yiamouyiannis stated in his book Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products. 5th Ed"We would not purposely add arsenic to the water supply. And we would not purposely add lead. But we do add fluoride. The fact is that fluoride is more toxic than lead and just slightly less toxic than arsenic."

So what is fluoride? Many of us in college would immediately think of the periodic table element fluorine. While fluorine is an elemental gas, also known as halogen, fluoride is usually bonded to a mineral forming a solid substance. Fluorine is a highly reactive gas that must be isolated to prevent chemical reactions. Fluoride, on the other hand, is a stable mineral usually formed as a chemical byproduct. (Connett et al. 2010) The big hope for fluoride was its ability to immunize children's developing teeth against cavities. Rates of dental caries were supposed to plummet in areas where water was treated. Yet decades of experience and worldwide research have contradicted this expectation numerous times. Here are just a few examples:

• In British Columbia, only 11% of the population drinks fluoridated water, as opposed to 40%-70% in other Canadian regions. Yet British Columbia has the lowest rate of tooth decay in Canada. In addition, the lowest rates of dental caries within the province are found in areas that do not have their water supplies fluoridated.
• According to a Sierra Club study, people in unfluoridated developing nations have fewer dental caries than those living in industrialized nations. As a result, researchers concluded that "fluoride is not essential to dental health.”
• A 1992 University of Arizona study yielded surprising results when it found that "the more fluoride a child drinks, the more cavities appear in the teeth.”(Center for Health Action,
• A 1999 study of water fluoridation in Italy shows that socioeconomic status, area of residence, and sugar consumption are more significant predictors of dental caries than fluoride consumption. The authors conclude that universal fluoridation is an inadequate approach and the decision to fluoridate or defluoridate water requires careful epidemiological consideration
• A 2001 article in the Journal of the American Dental Association admits that the fluoride swallowed and incorporated into teeth is "insufficient to have a measurable effect on reducing cavities.” This is a stunning admission from the ADA, historically one of the principal supporters and defenders of water fluoridation. (Null, Gary. 2010)

As the above examples show is that water fluoridation is not the answer. Even the American Dental Association which is the big proponent for water fluoridation in the last example stated that fluoride is “insufficient…in reducing cavities.”

Proponents of fluoride would argue that the amount of fluoride used in our water is so minuscule that it would not have a poisonous effect on our body. The current standard that The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has standardized since 1962 is .7 to 1.2 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water. (AP 2011) People on the side of fluoridated water would argue that too much of anything is poisonous for our body but as long as it is moderated it is okay. They also argue that the use of fluoride in our water has decreased the amount of cavities in the general population.

As the above graphs shows, fluoride is more toxic than lead and almost as toxic as arsenic. On the right side of the graph the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, has created a maximum level of allowed contaminants to be present. Why is it that the EPA has allowed for such a high amount of fluoride to be present in our drinking water when clearly it is a very toxic chemical? Lead and Arsenic are poisonous chemicals that can affect brain function and development. According to this chart, fluoride should be found to also affect the brain. Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health and a medical university in Shenyang, Chinadid multiple studies and found indications that fluoride may be affecting brain development. Based on their findings, they found that the average IQ difference between high and low fluoride areas was seven points. “The effect of each toxicant may seem small, but the combined damage on a population scale can be serious, especially because the brain power of the next generation is crucial to all of us.”(Washingtonsblog, 2014)

Works Cited

Associated Press, 2011 Jan 7. Federal government recommends less fluoride in drinking water. Salt Lake City Tribune.Retrieved July 21, 2014

Bryson, C., 2004. The fluoride deception. New York, NY: Seven Stories Press.

Connett, P., Beck, J., and Micklem, H.S., 2010. The case against fluoride: how hazardous waste ended up in our drinking water and the bad science and powerful politics that keep it there. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Null, Gary Fluoride: Medicating our Water. Townsend Letter. November 2010 Issue 328, Pg. 67

Washingtonsblog.2014 Feb. 10.Harvard Study: Fluoride Lowers Children’s Intelligence By 7 IQ Points. Washingtonsblog.Retrieved July 22, 2014

Yiamouyiannis J. Interview. 1995 Mar 10. His statement is referenced in the Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products. 5th ed. Williams and Wilkins.

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The next work presented uses the report genre. This genre discusses an issue in which several groups may be affected. This genre is reported in an unbiased manner. In this specific report I discuss the currently debated topic of a specific type of hemp oil in the use of medicinal purposes, mainly epilepsy. In this paper I made a clear emphasis to pathos with the use of local families fight to try out the oil for their affected family members. The writing style implemented in this work was a very neutral voice. It was almost as if I was writing a report on an event for a major newspaper. Like many newspaper articles which can be updated and revised in the future as events develop. This paper can also be used in this same manner.

In this work I collaborated with a fellow student in the form of a peer review. The reviewer suggested I update my paper with current events. I applied this in my final paragraph, which discusses the current situation on the topic. The intended audience is residents of Utah. During the writing of this work the topic of hemp oil use for epileptics was a much debated subject in several different communities of Utah. As stated previously I would plan on seeing this work used as a newspaper article. In this paper I learned how to make sure I added a source for the images used. For many this may be logical knowledge to give credit for images but for me it was not second nature.

I found my paper to look very professional with the addition of a reference underneath the image. I focused mainly on ethos and pathos for this work. I found that by adding the source of the debated congress bill to be very authoritative. The main appeal I used was pathos; this was implemented with the use of the story of the family awaiting for congress to pass the bill into law. I wanted to create action in the reader for them to initiate a call or a written letter to congress.

Give Hemp Oil a Chance

Figure 1. Hemp Products, Whole Foods Market

At first glance at an image of Hemp products (Fig. 1) the first thing the eyes are drawn to this that “green leaf,” which lately has been receiving a lot of media attention. What is the big deal? Utah passed into law house bill HB105, in which families who have a family member who suffers from epilepsy will be able to receive a registration card that will allow them to possess and use Hemp oil extracted from a cannabis plant. (HB105, 22-24) According to HB105: Plant Extract Amendment, to be eligible for the registration card to use Hemp oil the individual who would be using the Hemp oil would have to receive a signed statement from a Neurologist that the individual could benefit from the oil treatment. The individual who would be using the Hemp oil would have to be diagnosed with “Intractable epilepsy" which means epilepsy that, determined by a neurologist, does not respond to three or more traditional treatment options overseen by the neurologist. (HB105, Section 5 91-92)

Intractable Epilepsy as defined by Ghofrani and Akhondian in there study, Intractable Epilepsy in Children, define this disorder as continued seizures in children despite adequate therapy with three or more Anti-Epileptic Drugs, used alone or in combinations. Intractable Epilepsy can be a serious condition in children, leading to significant behavioral and psychiatric problems. It can lead to sleep disorders, mood disorders and poor school performance. The uncontrolled seizures can also lead to cardiac arrhythmias, electrolyte imbalances, brain edema, renal failure, unexplained sudden. This also can lead the children to be susceptible to drug intoxication and drug intolerances due to the medications. (Ghofrani, Akhondian 7)