Author: k.malik

04/1/16

Research-Based Argument

I would like to base my research argument on the current situation and how Muslims and Muslim immigrants are treated not only in the United States but in the world. Ever since the 9/11 attacks, all Muslims in the United States have been attacked due to the actions of a few extremists and more recently prejudice against Muslims has increased due to terrorist groups such as ISIS and the remarks made by Donald Trump. Donald Trump has said he wants to ban all Muslims from entering the country and as a son of a Muslim immigrant, I find this extremely disturbing. My thesis statement would revolve around the recent immigration policies established by the United States as well as the immigration policies discussed by Presidential candidates.

03/24/16

The Importance of Education

In my opinion, education is one of the most important things an individual can invest into because not only does it help them find a job but it makes them a well-rounded individual who is open-minded to different cultures around the world. I think my parents have played and are playing an important role in my education. Both of my parents were born into poverty in their native Pakistan. My father was struck with polio as an infant. He was robbed of a life with movement in his right leg. My mother’s father passed away when she was a little girl.  My mother had to drop out of school to help support the family, rather unconventional in patriarchal Pakistan. She worked in crop fields and herded sheep, giving all of her earnings to her mother. Realizing the difficulties of providing for a child in Pakistan, my parents decided to leave for a better life in America, something that many Pakistanis desire, yet are not able to do. Despite my father’s health condition and our family’s socio-economic status, my parents somehow managed to get to the United States. My father has worked practically every day since he arrived in the United States, providing not only for us at home, but his family in Pakistan as well. In spite of his polio, my father is a cab driver. He uses his left leg to shift between the pedals. It is a tough life for him, I have no doubt. I see it in his eyes when he comes home from work and I happen to be up studying late at night. I want to live a respectable life earning a decent salary so that my parents can enjoy the rest of their lives without being concerned about having enough food on the table, good quality health care, or living in a better community. The way I see it, my parents have taken me this far, now it is my turn to catapult us into a lifestyle that provides us with comfort and a quality standard of living.

03/15/16

Revising Attitudes

I found “Acts of Revision: A Guide For Writers” and more specifically the chapter that Brock Deither writes to be extremely helpful and insightful because it provides an excellent perspective on the importance of your own attitude towards writing. She starts off by saying “In writing and revision, attitude is everything.” I agree with this statement because often times I believe that if an individual wants to write about a certain topic they would do it with more passion since they have some type of personal connection towards the topic. For example, I loved to write my rhetorical analysis on the 1971 Coca Cola Commercial due to many reasons. (Spoiler Alert Mad Men) Initially, I found out about the commercial from the series finale of Mad Men and I thought it was an excellent end to one of the greatest shows ever created and I started to research on my own about the commercial and the historical significance. Thats when I began to analyze the commercial and when I had the opportunity to write about it, I was excited because now I had the opportunity to fully go into depth about how I viewed the commercial and this created a positive attitude towards me writing my paper. The author also makes great points on why writers wouldn’t like to revise their work and I agree with a lot time, and to be honest I hate revising my work but I do it anyways. Its a great opportunity for me to improve my skills as a writer because the other people in my group provided excellent feedback on my paper and I was able to improve my writing so it becomes stronger. I don’t believe that this piece will influence my final draft as much as I initially thought because the key point that was being made was that attitude is important, and I believe that I have excellent attitude towards my topic. 

03/3/16

Responding to Others

After reading a chapter from “Responding- Really Responding- To Other Students’ Writing” by Richard Straub provides excellent insight into a plethora of helpful comments and tips an individual can use while reading a colleague’s work. I agree with many of the points that Straub makes because excellent feedback from a peer is how I can become a better writer, and how I can help my fellow classmates improve their papers. I am grateful that we were required to read this because I am more confident in my abilities to judge my fellow classmates work and they are able to successfully judge my work. Straub stresses that both the reader and the writer must focus on the bigger issues of the paper rather than the minor details such as grammar or spelling. I agree with the aforementioned statement because in my experience I have noticed that many professors care more about the context of your paper and your ability to successfully defend your thesis. Often times, I believe that I focus more on grammar rather than the context of the paper which I will definitely improve on because Straub made it very clear that providing comments on the context is more important to the overall concept of the paper. Another point that Straub presents which I liked was that you should always praise your colleagues work as well as criticizing it, because this is what makes them better writers. Often times, I believe I am too soft on my classmates work because I do not have the heart to criticize them but I am able to criticize the work of a friend because I am closer to them. However, this is what I would really like to work on this semester because as I previously mentioned I like to receive all kinds of feedback and I am sure my classmates would also like to receive the same kind.

03/1/16

Shitty First Drafts

Anne Lamott writes an article called “Shitty First Drafts” in which she discusses that every good writer or any writer should submit a first draft of whatever they write because it helps to improve their second and third drafts, which in turns helps them become writers. She argues that the first draft is known as the child’s draft because at the time you write it, you are still playing around with different ideas and it would later take shape into more concrete ideas.   Anne Lamott compares her writing experiences to her personal experiences as a food critic.

She argued that it would take quite a bit of effort in order to start to write her first draft as a food critic, which involved a lot of note taking and hours of thinking and writing a first draft, and after writing the first draft she would write a second draft which would by perfected by a third draft.

 

I agree with many of the points that Lamott makes throughout her article. First, I agree with her opinion that if one wishes to become a better writer they must ALWAYS submit a first draft of something which would help them perfect their final drafts. In my experience as a writer, I found that papers in which I submit a formal first draft I usually do much better on, because I am able to learn from the mistakes on my first draft and I can put more effort and analysis on certain topics. This article made my opinion even more concrete about submitting first drafts. Prior to reading this article I was indifferent towards writing first drafts but Lamott provided excellent arguments about the benefits of submitting a first draft which I will into consideration in the future.

02/23/16

Letter to My Nephew Analysis

James Baldwin’s “Letter to My Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of Emancipation” is clearly written for his nephew, however one can argue that this letter was a statement written by Baldwin in order to shed light on the issue of race not only to his nephew but to the entire world. The 1960s were a significant time period for civil rights movements as many prominent African American figures were leading the fight for equal rights. Baldwin, a gay African-American, happened to be one of those prominent African-American figures who fought for the equality and by writing this letter Baldwin was trying to convey the message that all individuals, no matter what race they are, deserve equal treatment. Baldwin’s argument comes from the one hundredth anniversary of emancipation which resulted in the abolishment of slavery and the aftermath of the Civil War which intensified the racism and segregation towards African-Americans. While writing this letter, Baldwin could have been influenced by the audience of this letter (his nephew and the rest of America), if he had been more aggressive about his opinions on the way African-Americans were treated.

 

As previously mentioned the letter written by Baldwin is profound as he discusses the struggles that African-Americans had to go through in order to win freedom. Although Baldwin focuses on the treatment that African-Americans suffered through by the hands of white Americans, the message he is trying to convey is that we must learn from history and make sure that this does not happen. This letter, was written by Baldwin for his nephew and the American people to ensure that history does not repeat itself and this does not happen to any other group of people in the future. This lesson is becoming more and more prevalent in our modern day as more and more race issues are becoming a big issue in America.

02/18/16

Response to Letter to My Nephew

I found James Baldwin’s My Dungeon Shook exceptionally intriguing because it showcased and emphasized the racism that was prevalent during that time period. Baldwin begins his letter by explaining to his nephew about who he is and what it means to himself and his father. He goes on to discuss the effect of white culture on African-American culture and how racism has effected his own life, and what he should expect growing up as an African-American in America. Baldwin tells his nephew that he shouldn’t settle with the expectations that America has set up for him due to his color and race. He points out that his grandfather believed he was inferior to white people and says that he should not think like this because it would destroy any dreams or goals that he wants to achieve in his life. Towards the end of the letter, Baldwin tells his nephew to be proud of his background and should not be afraid of his race, because many other people have died in order to further the lives of future African-Americans. 

I agree with all of the points that Baldwin makes throughout the letter to his nephew. Growing up as a Muslim, I suffered from derogatory remarks, especially post 9/11. Many of these remarks were because of ethnic background as well as my religious background. During this time, my parents gave the same advice that Baldwin gave his nephew. They told me to not think I was inferior to those who insulted me and encouraged me to aspire to become better than those people. This inspired me to treat others the way I would want to be treated and not discriminate against any one. I believe this one of the key elements that James Baldwin is trying to convey in his letter to his nephew which is basically not to take shit from anyone, and aspire to become the best person you can be. 

02/16/16

The Brilliance of the Apple Ad

Everything about the Apple Super Bowl Ad is fascinating and provides insightful details about the claim Apple was trying to make through their ad. One of the biggest claims that Apple was trying to make in their ad was that their new personal computer is different from the typical personal computer because it provides more individual freedom. The exigence in the Apple ad was that the problem that needs to be addressed is that the current personal computer manufacturers are not allowing people to use their computers freely because they are possessed by corporate greed. The audience in this ad are all those who use a personal computer. The subject here is the new release of the Apple computer. The purpose is to showcase the new Apple computer. The argument that Apple is trying to make is that their personal computer will be a catalyst in personal computing as they would be able to provide more individualized computers. The ethos is the advanced technology that Apple is creating and bringing into the world. The pathos is that Apple is appealing to people so that they become more individualized. The logos here is that the ad is using the 1984 novel to further their goals and use that as a logical reference. I think the person who watches the ad SHOULD act upon it because it is brilliant put together from an analytical point of view. Apple is claiming that they are going to revolutionize the personal computer industry and bring change to it, and the amount of effort and analytical thought they put into it shows their statement. 

02/11/16

What is Rhetoric?

I enjoyed reading “What is Rhetoric?” because it relates to a lot of information previously provided by my English professors as well as my speech professors. They all emphasized the importance ethos, pathos and logos because without any of these key elements in any of your speeches or papers then whatever you are delivering loses its purpose and value which results in the audience or the reader to drift off and lose attention. The author for “What is Rhetoric?” clearly emphasized the importance of these key elements which I really liked because it can help strengthen key ideas and enforce main points in our writing which will extremely useful with writing our papers.

02/11/16

Backpacks vs Briefcases

Laura Bolin Carroll discusses in her essay, “Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis”, about the significance of understanding rhetoric and how rhetoric is used in everyday life in advertisement or even in different types of social settings. I found Carroll’s essay very intriguing as it provided many in depth analyses about how rhetorics are used not only in social settings but also in social media through advertisements. She argues that there are certain types of rules of context and argument which include pathos, ethos, and logos for argument and exigence, audience and constraints for context. 

I agree with many of the points made by Carroll regarding the importance of pathos, ethos and logos. When I took a speech communications course one of the most important aspects we had to focus on was the pathos, ethos and logos of the speeches we had to present. She dictated to us that all three of these rhetorics are extremely important when you are giving a speech because it shows the audience that you have legitimacy and that you can successfully build a relationship with your audience that can enhance your speech. She argued that your pathos must be adjusted depending on the type of speech you are giving and the audience. I believe that many of the points that Carroll describes in her essay have a lot to do with learning the fundamentals of speech, which is an excellent skill set to acquire.  

02/10/16

Everybody is Critic

A.O. Scott discusses in his article, “Everybody’s a Critic. And That’s How It Should Be” about modern day way criticism on different aspects of life such as movies, art, etc. After reading this article, Scott describes to me why he is a critic and why most people in modern society are critics. Scott starts off the article by criticizing how the recent Academy Award nominations are criticized by others as being racist. He later goes on and even says that he himself is a critic and compare criticism with democracy. He says “Like every other form of democracy, criticism is a messy, contentious business, in which the rules are as much in dispute as the outcomes and the philosophical foundations are fragile if not vaporous”. Scott later goes on to argue that we should not be afraid of critics and we should not let them cloud our judgement or that we should not let the fear of criticism dictate what we do in our lives. Scott also goes on to clash out against the recent controversy concerning the Academy Award nominations. 

I agree with many of the points that A.O. Scott made throughout this article. I believe that the main point that Scott was trying to convey was that criticism is a natural idea that comes across in many modern day societies and it is almost always inevitable. In the article Scott is trying to convey that message an individual should not be afraid of being criticized because at the end of the day we are free to think in whichever way we choose. Scott stands firm behind this belief when he criticizes the Academy Awards and asks what qualifies them to critique a movie. I completely agree with Scott because often times many people are fixated upon the approval of others, they become lost and obsessed by seeking their approval. I believe that, especially in our modern day society many people use social media in order to convey their message, another point brought up by Scott.

02/10/16

Now it is Tesla’s turn to confront the bears

This article accurately emphasizes how Tesla Motor Company will have to showcase and convince investors that even with the declining stock market since the start of the new year, it will still be able to compete with many other traditional automobile companies. As many people know, the Tesla Model S was the first full-sized fully electric car released, which is an extremely significant technological accomplishment. Tesla shares have gone down by 33% since August and now Tesla must convince the “bears” of the stock market that their company is still profitable and changes are being made. This metaphor is used exceptionally well because it compares with the war like metaphor discussed by Lakoff and Johnson, as Tesla Motor Company is ready to go to war with investors. 

02/10/16

The Egg and the Sperm

After reading the article, “The Egg and the Sperm” written by Emily Martin provides an excellent view on a lot of the stereotypical female and males roles dictated by society. She discusses about how often times the sperm is valued higher than the female egg. Martin argues that although both men and women go through biological processes for reproduction and these processes should be seen as homologous they often are not, as one is usually portrayed as the stronger. Another excellent point that Martin makes in the article is that the egg is described as being passive while the sperm is described as being aggressive, which leads to certain stereotypes that a man is rescuing a female. Throughout the article, Martin describes many situations in which the egg is seen as inferior to the sperm not only in society but through many science textbooks. 

As I have previously mentioned, I agree with many of the points that Martin made throughout the article, and I have found this an excellent opportunity to discuss about inequalities women face in the United States and throughout the world. Growing up, I had huge amounts of respect for my mother and the lessons my parents taught me have carried on to treat women fairly and equally. I also happen to be a Muslim, and in Islam there is an extreme amount of respect for women. Prophet Muhammad says “Paradise lies at the feet of your mother”(Musnad Ahmad, Sunan An-Nasâ’i, Sunan Ibn Mâjah). As one can clearly see, Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam encouraged treating women fairly and equally, the same way you would treat another man and many of the portrayals of Islam today are often depicted in mainstream media as extremists.  This is what I found so intriguing about this article, it depicted the unjust treatment of women in this country, even down to the gametes.  

02/4/16

Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Kamran Malik and I am a new student here at Baruch College. I transferred here this semester from Hunter College and I am planning on majoring in CIS. One of my biggest interests is sports, I am a huge soccer fan with my favorite teams being Barcelona and Arsenal. I am looking forward to working with everyone this semester! 🙂

02/4/16

Metaphors To Live By

I enjoyed reading Metaphors We Live By because it provided insightful details about new perspectives on metaphors. Before reading the first few chapters written by George Layoff and Mark Johnson I had not given much thought about the importance of metaphors in language and how often I use them. Layoff and Johnson claim that metaphors “govern our everyday functioning, down to the most mundane details. Our concepts structure what we perceive, how we get around in the world, and how we relate to people”. Just from this excerpt we can see the importance of metaphors in the opinions of Layoff and Johnson. Further on in the chapter, Layoff and Johnson begin to discuss the concept of argument and how argument is perceived as war in our culture. This often has to do a lot with the metaphors we use when arguing with someone which often results in a variety of expressions that could dictate whether we win or lose the argument. In chapter 2, they discuss the value of time in our culture and how metaphorical expressions in our language can give us insight into the nature of our concepts. For example, the metaphor “time is money” implies that time is extremely limited and valuable a lot could be accomplished.

I agreed with many of the points Lakoff and Johnson made throughout the first few chapters. Because I can speak a variety of languages (Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi) I see the use of metaphors in more than just one language. This ties into what Dr. Alvarez was discussing in class were he said “no language is more complex than another, all languages are equally as complex”. The use of metaphors is extremely important in all of these languages and I use metaphors not only in English but all of those languages in a lot of my discussions with another individual. That is why I was able to agree with a lot of the points Lakoff and Johnson made through the first three chapters.