Class so far--

Class this far has been really surprising. I took this class last semester and had to drop it after a week because there was a time conflict with work...but it's a good thing b/c it was super lame (compared to now). I am glad that I am in it this semester because we have taken very different approaches to language and composition. This class has helped me to view language and rhetoric in a more positive light. I know that it's getting me somewhere because after class I am always thinking about cannibals or feral children or I'm analyzing how language is persuasion. It is kind of ridiculous, but I feel like that is the approach that needs to be taken with students b/c so much stuff is thrown in their face that whenever they leave school they don't really process that information. If topics were discussed that related more to their lives and caught their attention then it would be beneficial--I think the feralchildren.com would be a good site for students to check out, because it would show the importance that language has, but I don't know the rules about teaching cannibalism....
I am skeptical about having students relate to the material I am teaching BIG time, it's not really anything about composition, just in general. I really think that the approaches that we have been taking in class will help in the classroom setting, but I think that as soon as students are forced to work on things like the TAKS test, etc. then they will again view composition with a negative attitude.

Rhetoric

The discussion in class on Tuesday that all language is inherently about persuasion through rhetoric is another interesting topic. I agree with the idea that through the majority of language we are trying to persuade someone or we have been persuaded to act in a certain way or say a certain thing. Since language is how our thoughts originate then it is easy to see how this theory can hold strong. The only problem that I see with this is that there has to be some time where we use language and it is not persuasion; possibly when we are talking to ourselves or writing in a diary.
I think that there are multiple benefits to realizing that language is persuasion. One of these benefits would be that the sooner you grasp this idea then you hold a lot of power in your hands. Now, instead of using language just to communicate, you can master the art of rhetoric and therefore will be able to learn to convince people using only language. Politicians are a very good example of this: Barack Obama is a wonderful public speaker who uses his speeches to convince and prepare America for the times that lie ahead. I think that while teaching a composition class, rhetoric would be a very good place to start because it proves to the student that this is not some boring class where you write some sappy story; instead, it shows that composition class is important because it can give a student the tools to persuade and convince the public, which can be useful to any person going into any job field. If language is used correctly it can save your butt when you are in trouble or get you a promotion. In a composition class, I feel that it is important to get this idea across to young students and encourage them to view language and rhetoric in a whole different light.

Cannibalism...sick

I never thought that in an English class I would be discussing cannibalism, but it is surprisingly refreshing to apply language to something other than books, etc. Many people in class brought up interesting points about humans being innately cannabilistic, but I think that this idea is a little far-fetched, but I have been raised to view cannibals in a negative light. I agree that we are above animals because of the use of language; it is how we create and shape our society and what is acceptable. If humans did not have this language capacity, I think it is possible that a human could/would consume another human, but I don't think that it would be the food of choice. I don't believe that humans are, by nature, evil beings. I think that humans are selfish, but for every bad thing done we can find some good as well.
Another thing, humans are not the only animals that have acquired language. Birds, dolphins, bees, and other animals have developed some form of communication. While it is NO WHERE near advanced as what humans have, it is still a form of communication. I think that language combined with logic and reasoning are what places us above animals and I believe that this logic and reasoning are what guide us to make decisions that may go against what our instinct is telling us to do (like eat another human).