working hypothesis

 

1. Please describe the inquiry question you began this research project with and the inquiry question that is now guiding your research and your thinking.  Why has your inquiry questions changed or not changed?

 I began my inquiry question based on my doubt whether it is a right or wrong to withdraw US military from Iraq. As I progress in my research, I realize this is not merely a pro or con decision that I can manage to solve in this essay. Instead, I began to look at other information around this issue, which leads me to Presidential election where the debate over withdrawal has emerged as one of the biggest concerns that many voters felt. Although I almost got sidetrack and went too deep into research on psychological effect of withdrawal plan that plays in this election, but ultimately I went back to the withdrawal and with more emphasis on the role that US should take. I realize pull-out troop is only military improvement. What’s more important right now is the political situation and the future relationship between US and Iraq, which are in need for advancement. My inquiry has changed from emphasis on military engagement to political role, so I guess I could say I change my inquiry question although I can also argue they are directly related tegoether.

2. What you now know about your topic that you did not know before?  How has this new knowledge shaped your understanding of your topic of inquiry?  What research has provided you with this new knowledge?

I know very little about my topic because I did not know how much Iraq has advance in the past two years. While I think I was still shocked by the ambiguous reason why we went to war in 2003, in reality the media has already set itself in the midst of timetable issue for withdrawal. I did not know especially about the “awakening” movement and the recent security agreement that is under negotiation between Iraqi government and the White House. The understanding of awakening movement and the success in counter insurgence lead me to understand the new role that US military have taken, which consequently explain why Iraqi government is willing to sign an agreement with American government. These new information I found came from a wide range of sources, most notably, Foreign Affairs, New York Times, Aljazeera.com, Times magazine, etc

3. What do I want to know more about?  Be specific here.  Why is this information that you want to find out important?  What kind of research do you plan to conduct to locate this new information?  What sources will you consult?

At this point, I think I still want to know more about the exact content of the agreement negotiated between US and Iraqi government. I want to know more about what kind of role that US intended to take under this agreement. I plan to conduct some more research on the American government’s website and see what they have to say about their intention. I will also pay some more attention on both candidates’ policy in Iraq. To obtain this information, I will probably visit those websites that I have mentioned above.

4. What specific gaps are you noticing in your research, which could potentially create space for an original idea to emerge?   For instance, are there incongruities in what secondary sources are saying about your topic?  Are there connections missing in other sources analyses of your topic?  Is there a disconnect between what you believe to be true or what your primary research subjects believe to be true and what the media or other sources are saying about your topic?  Is there a gap in certainty about the answers to your question of inquiry that you could fill in with a plausible explanation?  Etc.

First I have become aware of the popularity in Obama and I wasn’t so sure about his promised withdrawal timetable which seems to be lacking careful consideration and reasoning. This is not so much of a gap or disconnects between my researches, but it ultimately lead me to my research on US role. This is where I found my gap. Through the observation of my researches, although most American officials are claiming that the agreement is set for the benefits of Iraq, its persistence on not including exact dateline of withdrawal showed how US still wish to maintain its current role in Iraq. Other medias also report how US is setting this agreement because they wish to provide American Oil companies with more accessibility. Whichever sides are true, I think it is unquestionable that as long as US still have such a large military presence in Iraq, Iraq will not able to exercise their sovereignty legitimately. It is time that US should show their determination that they are there to act as a supporting role, not the big brother behind Iraqi government.

5. What original ideas are brewing in your head at this point?  If you had to make an argument about your topic of inquiry today, what would it be????  What are your justifications for this working hypothesis?  Please, explain…… 

I would like to argue that the agreement that US is currently trying to finish with Iraqi government although is renewable and seems to provide the necessary security back up for Iraq, nevertheless, it still maintain United State’s current role, which is fiercely opposed by Iraqi people. In order to let Iraq become a complete independent, sovereign country, US must set up an withdrawal timetable and get ready to leave Iraq as soon as possible. This is both for the good of Iraq as well as for the all American and especially those who had fought in Iraq.  

Annotated biblography

When I finish my unit one essay, this was my final inquiry question:

Should US immediate withdraw their troops from Iraq, or would that even lead to a more severe situation that causes more violence against civilian in Iraq?

So when I began my research for this unit two assignment, I focus all my attention on the issue of withdrawal that seems to emerge as a popular alternative for both American and Iraqi.

Iraqis have long expressed their desire to see military out of their country since US invasion in 2003. Instead of seeing US military as liberators as President Bush often refers, they seem them as occupiers, as enemies. Some activists even argue they will attack US-led forces if they continue to stay and this is indeed reflecting in the survey. http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/brmiddleeastnafricara/165.php?nid=&id=&pnt=165&lb=brme

So despite the success of the counter insurgence with Iraqi forces recently, US military presence is Iraq does not guarantee security or stability. While Iraqis are calling out for withdrawal dateline, simultaneously, American publics are also embracing with withdrawal plans. And this is where I found problematic. Unlike other wars that were previously conducted by US., ever since the invasion in 2003 , it has always been encountered with lot of adversaries within America itself.

  

No one like seeing their people dying all these photographs from press certainly trigger great pathos effect among readers.

 

 

These two images are both publish in New York Times daily newspaper and New York Times online multimedia slideshows. Despite their great difference and message, they have both reflect the most tragic issues that many American families are now facing and their depiction of American soldiers as vulnerable units have certainly echoes with many reader’s mind that we should immediate withdraw from Iraq. The growing sentiments over the loss of American soldiers as well as political uncertainty continue to grow over the years. Some people regard this phenomenon as the Iraq syndrome, where publics are more likely to support anything that will lead to withdrawal. In 2006, New York Times predicted that Iraq war will be voter’s main concern during 2006 election and it is not without reason to presume such situation is happening again in the upcoming presidential election. In fact, already we are seeing a lot more coverage on Barack Obama over McCain on media information.

 

 

The political cartoon that published in both Washington Post and New York Times showed how Barack Obama has become the new beloved “celebrity” that even media would “take a bullet for him”. This is where I felt problematic about the whole issue of withdrawal. Just looking from the news lately, it is as if the withdrawal plan has become part of a tool where candidates are now using to gain their support. While I don’t doubt pulling troops out of Iraq as the right decision, but I think while we as American citizens so blindly following withdrawal, we should carefully consider our future policy with Iraq with agreement from both countries.

Recently Iraqi government and the White house are making an agreement in order to replace the UN’s mandate for multinational force before it gets expired in December. There have been many controversies on this agreement. Some argues this agreement will lead to US permanent military bases in Iraq, other argues that because US’s refusal to specify an exact date of withdrawal, it may nevertheless lead to a long extension. The US officials claim that they are so insisted on staying there because of Iraqi government’s request and their belief that Iraqi forces are not yet strong enough to provide the security on their own. But I think after so many things we have learned that not to solely believe in government’s word. In fact, some media are suspecting that this agreement is acting as the jumping board so that American oil companies will have privilege over others. Others are doubting if US still have the capacity to withhold military presence in Iraq both economically and strategically since situation in Afghanistan has worse. I think it is great that are finally getting some good results back from Iraq and it is certain that we have observe some great political advance and improvement between US and Iraq’s relationship. I think perhaps the vision of complete sovereign Iraq and democracy is not so far away. But before that day to come, we shall continue to be watchful about how we take on the next steps.

primary research method

Question 1

Before Iraq war, do you know much about Iraq as a country?

Question 2

Can you recall some of your impression about Iraq before the war?

Question 3

What about the situation in Iraq now? How much do you know about it?

Question 4

What is your opinion about US military presence in Iraq? Can you identify any particular reasons that you may feel this way?

Question 5

Have your opinion about war shift since President Bush announces the attack in 2003? If so, why do you think so?

Question 6

Where do you usually get your information about the situation in Iraq? Can you identify these sources and explain how credible you think they are.

Question 7

Do you consider yourself a Democrat or Republican or neither?

Question 8

Do you have a favorable candidate for the upcoming Presidential election?

Question 9

Pulling the troops out of Iraq or not has become one of the biggest debates. What is your stand on this issue? Please be more specific and include any specific source or reason why you take on this view.

Question 10

Which of the candidate do you support when considering about this issue?

Question 11

If you are given the power to control and lead US troops in Iraq, what is your possible plan for them?

Question 12

In your opinion, has media influence your opinion on the issue of withdrawal? If so, how?

Question 13

From your understanding, what is US current role in Iraq?

Question 14

What kind of role should US take in the future? How should it change if US withdraw from Iraq?

Question 15

This is the last question of this interview. Is there anything you would like to mention in the end of this interview?

 

 

What do I want to discover?

For this primary research, I would like to know if media has any influence on public’s opinion toward withdrawal. I would like to know if the increase of press coverage for Barack Obama has to do with Iraq syndrome and how it might have impact public’s opinion. I want to how the public think what the US’s future role should be in Iraq.

 

How do I plan on discovering it? (This is called your research methods or methodology)

I am not so sure what kind of research methods I should use. It seems like I should probably use survey since I am attempting to find out public’s opinion. But because I am not currently in United States and the only people I can get to answer my questions are my fellow classmates, I felt I should try to avoid this method. Another method is interview. I know if I interview the right person, I can probably get more out of survey since I am allowed to ask more complicated questions. But who should I interview and how can I get in touch with them post another problem again since I am not in US. In the end, I came down to the decision that I will do both because that’s the best I can do under such limited circumstance. I have decided to interview my old teacher. He is an American citizen, a legal voter, currently a graduate student and most importantly, he follows current news. I would interview him to gain his perspective and if possible, to use his opinion to represent the opinions of American public (I should realize this is very subjective, but honestly I think I have no choice.) On the other hand, I will also send out my survey questions to my classmates. Since I have been through the same class material with them, I know unlike most publics, they are well aware of the reality in Iraq and this may produce a different result than what I assume to be American public’s. Well, I think I will see how things all turn out when I get my result back.

 

Who am I going to talk to/observe/survey? (These people are called your subjects or participants)

As I mentioned, my subject for the interview is my previous teacher and the participants for my survey are my classmates.

 

How am I going to be able gain access to these groups or individuals?

I will able to contact them through emails. This seems to be my only option since I am not so close to US right now

 

What are my biases about this topic? How can I make sure my biases are not reflected in my research methods?

Well, I think I already have presumed that most American publics are affected by Iraq Syndrome. I am trying to find out if that’s so during my researches but these questions I created may already subconsciously lead the readers to answer in the way that I hope. I try to rephrase them and be as neutral as possible when I sense such bias. I hope they do not influence the readers.

 

What do I expect to discover?

I expect to find more people supporting withdrawal and Obama’s pullout timeline. I expect to find the public lacking interest in US future policy in Iraq. I expect to find out that Iraq Syndrome has been rooted in most American public which subconsciously cause them to lean toward the withdrawal option and go against other alternatives.

bLOG assignment #6_part 2

Odom, William E.. “What’s Wrong With Cutting and Running?.” ANTIWAR.COM 03 Oct 2005 1 Aug 2008 <http://www.antiwar.com/orig/odom.php?articleid=7487>.

 

This is another article written by General William Odom in October 2005 published in Antiwar.com. Compared with my previous article, we can see Odom has always been an advocate of the withdrawal. In this article, he pointed out 9 reasons that against withdrawal and provide his argument and reasoning against every one of them. Although it was written in 2005, its identification of these adversaries against pullout was very correct now looking at them three years after. But I am not so sure about some of the claims and arguments it has made. In fact, I think most of them were extremely pessimistic to the point that I think it fails to recognize the hardworking efforts of many American military and lead us to think the war as a complete failure. I understand back in 2005 before the “awakening” was apparent and the causalities were in all time high, it was very understandable to be so one-sided. But we should certainly not underestimate the efforts and contribution American soldiers have. Another thing that I also disturb me was the fact that Odom already presume the ongoing of civil war and believe it is best to stay away from it. Shouldn’t America be responsible with the security of Iraq and do everything to stop civil war since we have indirectly cause it. Will withdrawal actually lead to more violence?

 

Alaa, [Weblog THE MESOPOTAMIAN] 10 Apr 2008. 1 Aug 2008 <http://messopotamian.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html>.

 

In The Mesopotamian, author Alaa argues that Iraq would still need US involvement because unlike in Vietnam war where Vietnamese all had a clear objective after the war, which is to unify their country. Iraq does not and their enemy like Al-Qaeda still believes Iraq as an interesting place to conquer. (The Mesopotamian is an Iraqi weblog that I went visit for my first blog assignment.)

 

“The solution of the Iraqi situation cannot be helped by trying to find scapegoats and excuses to run away and escape. The formulae expounded by the Democrats amount to nothing but defeat and escapism. The problem is that this is a situation where defeat is fatal. If anybody thinks that the U.S. can run away this time, and sits safely and happily in tranquil isolation between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, is in grave error. Solutions can be found to reduce casualties and expenses, but the strategic involvement of the U.S. in Iraq is a necessary and sufficient condition to avert a disaster the scale of which boggles the mind”

 

I don’t exactly know if US disengagement will lead to invasion of Al-Qaeda and violence as described by Alaa. But speaking from a local Iraqi, I think his works certainly carried out some reality that we don’t necessarily get from American news. I think not only to me but for most people, it is hard to read another article that talk about staying in Iraq for any longer. Even McCain’s election campaign has realized that “No one can win the White House in 2008 by campaigning to continue an unending war in Iraq”

(http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1824890,00.html).

 

It led me to think about another article I read in Foreign Affairs called “The Iraq Syndrome”. In this article, it discusses the psychological effect that has affected the public’s mind about Iraq war.

 

Mueller, John . “The Iraq Syndrome.” Foreign Affairs 84 6Dec 2005 1 Aug 2008 <http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20051101faessay84605/john-mueller/the-iraq-syndrome.html>.

 

“More important, the impact of deteriorating support will not end when the war does. In the wake of the wars in Korea and Vietnam, the American public developed a strong aversion to embarking on such ventures again. A similar sentiment — an “Iraq syndrome” — seems to be developing now, and it will have important consequences for U.S. foreign policy for years after the last American battalion leaves Iraqi soil.”

 

Honestly, I don’t have any proof and evidence to back up on how this syndrome has impact on public’s opinion about US involvement. But I think it is reasonable to question if the public are moving too quickly away from Iraq’s engagement toward a withdrawal. I personally it is not only risky but an irresponsible way of dealing it. More importantly, I think US need to spend some time and establish a new supporting role in Iraq, rather than just leaving a mess behind. But what is this role entail and how much more should US devote to this responsibility that has already cost over two thousands of death and over trillion of funding?

bLOG assignment #6_part 1

Kahl, Colin H. and William E. Odom. ” When to Leave Iraq- Today, Tomorrow, or Yesterday?” Foreign Affairs 87 5July 2008 1 Aug 2008 <http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20080701faresponse87413/colin-h-kahl-william-e-odom/when-to-leave-iraq.html>.

(Kahl and Odom )

This is an article that just recently published in Foreign Affairs, one of the most important journals of America published by a private organization that is said to have the most influential role in America’s foreign policy making. The authors who composed this article are Colin Kahl, a journalist and a Professor specializing in International politics and foreign policy from University of Minnesota and William Odom, a retired general and a Professor from Yale University who has been known for his outspoken critics on Iraq War. As the title suggests, they wrote this article in response to the increasing polarized debate over military engagement with Iraq. It argues that both policies proposed by the Republicans and Democrats lacks the fundamental incentive to push Iraqi government to become an independent government and ensure the regional stability.

           “As the United States moves forward in Iraq, more leverage is required, but the positions now being advanced by many Republicans and Democrats fail to offer the right mix of incentives to get the Iraqis to act. President George W. Bush has signaled his intent to “pause” the planned troop withdrawals when the surge ends, and Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) speaks of staying in Iraq for a hundred years, no strings attached. This policy of unconditional engagement will not work, because there are no consequences for Iraq’s leaders if they fail to accommodate one another. Some Democrats, on the other hand, side with Simon and are calling for a unilateral timetable for the complete withdrawal of all U.S. forces, regardless of the conditions on the ground. This policy of unconditional disengagement also gives up too much leverage, because it provides no ability to the Iraqi government to affect the pace of redeployment or the nature of U.S. support in exchange for making tough choices. Unconditional engagement is all carrots, no sticks; unconditional disengagement, all sticks, no carrots.”

“The presidential candidates from both parties should reinforce this strategy by publicly endorsing the conditions the Iraqi government must meet in order to influence the pace of future U.S. withdrawals and gain their future administrations’ support for the Iraqi security forces in the years ahead.”

           They believe that only through conditional engagement will it lead to the best solution for both America and Iraq. To support their argument, Kahl provides analysis and comparison from the Sunnis’ awakening movement. Edom also brought on the article written by Steven Simon and argues how its interpretation was not correct. I very much agree with most of the things they talked about and find it very convincing since unlike other news journals that only quote from politicians who don’t necessarily understand the situation, they provide their analysis and a logical explanation with evidences that makes much more sense to me. And most importantly, they consider from both American and Iraqi’s point of views when they discuss this matter. It led me to think that many other press coverage that I have read so far merely focus on the matter when should withdrawal take place, but failed to emphasize its impact toward Iraq. Another thing I notice was the role of US that was remarked in this article. The author strongly believes that a complete withdrawal must be taken place in order to achieve stability, especially the regional stability that has be broken since invasion. But the dismissal of American military in Iraq also suggests that US will no longer hold the kind of “guardian role”. Will this lead to more corruption within the Iraqi government? Should US still monitor Iraq and be responsible with their reconstruction after the withdrawal? I think fundamentally, US would need a new role after the pullout and this new role will not only ensure both countries remain a healthy, cooperative relationship, it will help to maintain the stability and prevent Al Qaeda from strengthening.

to be continued…

bLOG assignment_5

In my research essay, I would like to discuss about the issues of US role in Iraq, whether US should immediately withdraw from Iraq after 5 years of occupation or should they continue to stay there in support of Iraq’s reconstruction.

Looking at the list of questions that I need to cover in this freewrite, honestly, at this point I don’t know most of the answers, nor am I clear where this freewrite will lead me to in the end. I thought rather to be completely sure with what I want to write, I will think and research as go on and hope that at some point I will figure it all out. So, excuse me if I keep going back on an idea randomly or jumping away from the topic.

First I would like to start off by answering why I am intended to research this topic. Well, besides the obvious fact that this is where my previous essay has led me to, I am interested in it because this is the most urgent decision that we need to make right now as a country. I remember well when we watch the documentary why we fight and I was so inspired by it but also extremely bothered by the reason that we are fighting in Iraq because not enough of us are standing up against this outrageous act. From this experience, I learnt that we cannot tolerate again and again with the mistakes that our government is making and somewhere, somehow we need to do something right away. But what though? Pulling US military out of Iraq like most Iraqi people want? Or sending more troops so we can completely end the existence of terrorists in Iraq? As familiar as it may sounds like, in deed, this has become the biggest topic of debate for the coming Presidential election. Partly I chose to write about it because from what I have observed from the news lately, withdrawal will likely to happen very soon, at least during the Presidency of next President. But rather than waiting for another four months till the next President of the United States to make a decision that I probably won’t even be sure about, I want to dig into the reality of the situation and judge from my research what would be the “best” solution that our US government should take right now.

… Alright, I am aware this is probably too ambitious for a writing class student like me. And before I even start, I already began to doubt the completeness of my research and validity of my own judgment. I would need to consider what is the right timing or even the right choice of action. The word “withdrawal” that has been used extensively hardly explains how this massive military action should be executed? Should all US soldiers leave Iraq immediately or should they leave in groups following a timeline or should specific types of soldiers stay while others take off or should there be some kind of a goal to accomplish before they can depart. Trying to figure the right plan of action would require analysis and expertise of many people together. Perhaps, finding the “very solution” isn’t where I should be heading.

Let’s brainstorm one more time… on all the issues that are related to withdrawal…

1.       Withdrawal is an action, a response toward a need, a belief or an ideal. So what are these factors that lead to such popular demand. How do press, media, history, and many other elements contribute to this choice? 

2.       The act of withdrawal will likely trigger a series of effect that will be taken place in Iraq. What are they? How will they impact Iraq’s society positively or negatively?  Are women likely to gain their freedom after US withdrawal?

3.       What about the role of US government after the withdrawal? How will US’ relationship with Iraq change after? What kind of responsibility or support do US entail for Middle East?

4.       Withdrawal also means the return of thousands of soldiers. How will this affect US, from the aspects of economy, society, etc. What are soldiers’ responses to withdrawal?

Each of these questions I created considered one aspect of the whole issue of withdrawal, though they can be interconnected depended on how I go on in this essay. But first, let me try to narrow down the circumstance first. This event is likely to take place in Iraq in the future. If we intended to frame a specific time period, I think we can refer to the sixteen weeks time table that’s has been offered by Candidate Obama, which will roughly be around the beginning of year 2009. Geographically, such event will directly affect both Iraq and America, between which I will be emphasizing more on the Iraqi side. Beside the circumstance of withdrawal and Iraq’s reconstruction, other issues such Iraq’s future relationship with US and the world, social problems and human right issues, etc should also be discuss in my essay (maybe I will get rid of some but this is what I hope). The historical context can refer all the way back to the infamous Vietnam War and the same demand of withdrawal from the public. It can also trace back to the Gulf war in 1990 and certainly the ongoing occupation in Iraq since the invasion in 2003. And not to forget, the coming Presidential election that I have been referring to several times will be the most recent critical context.

I hope by the end of my research, I will able to find out how Iraq will likely to change after US departure. I will able to see how America, Iraq, the media and the world see about this. Oh! On another note that I just came up, maybe withdrawal has become a tool or political strategy that the candidates use to win the election. Shall I go back to evaluate the act of withdrawal based on my research and prediction of how it might affect Iraq? I know at this point this freewrite seems to lead me to more paths rather than narrowing down but somehow none of them seems right to me. I am getting pretty stressed out by how unspecific and inconsistent that I seem to be working in this freewrite. And more importantly, I am afraid that the research I did will only be prediction and lack credibility since the event has not taken place…I will give another pause here and maybe come back to this point later.

So far, the researches I have done came mostly from blogs, news article that I came across and Wikipedia when I don’t know what I am reading about. I did research a variety of source for my previous essay in which I focus mainly on women and social aspects of Iraqi’s life after invasion. For this essay, I would like to conduct my research the same way I did before, which consists of three steps. During the first step, I would do an extensive but general research on all the possible issues and events that are related withdrawal. This will give me a better understanding of the context. Then for the second step, I would refine my search by gathering different points of views on the same issue and compare them to see what I discover. It is usually during this step that I began to discover an argument that I want to write about. Then finally during the third step, I will aim specific on this argument and research possible information that can proof or provide support. In this essay, I will specifically look into sources from US soldiers and Iraqi civilians. I will also look closely on interaction between US and Iraq’s government. I realize most of the information I mentioned above are very up-to-date. Using more news article, magazines and blogs might become an inevitable choice.

I thought my work can be contributional to most American public who are concerns about the America’s foreign policy. These people certainly include those who are legible of voting for the coming election, although, I don’t intend to target them as my primary audiences.

 

bLOG assignment 4

The following is my blog assignment 4 where I will be freewriting about an essay by Laurie Gries, aka, my writing class instructor. Hey! Hello~ am I the only one that’s find it kind of strange!? We are going to freewrite/ write-whatever-the-heck-we-think about an essay that’s written by our own teacher. It’s not the freewrite that shocks me but the fact that an instructor would let out her paper to a group of amateur writer that surprise me. It takes some gut to do it. But it takes more gut for a student to comment on it (*Kiddin kiddin~ ) Luckily, we do have a set of questions that we need to consider when writing this freewrite. So let’s get it started…

           In essay “War Porn, Violence, and the Public Screen:  Revisiting Abu Ghraib in the Name of Democracy”, Gries attempts to argue that the images of torture in Abu Ghraib, rather being passive in its effect, they took on the role of a mediator that interact and influence our social world. In order to present the argument, she uses variety of resources to support her many original ideas. She started of first by introducing the cultural phenomenon of war porn and its dissemination around the globe through internet using example/illustration synthesis to proof the validity of such event. She then uses more specific sources to identify how other scholars think about war porn. But in reverse, she offers three reasons that she thinks to be problematic and argue against this acknowledgment. This is where Gires first attempts (at least more evidently) to insert her original ideas into other’s research and claims that the images are not merely a “shameless reflection of military culture” but are parts of social actors that shape our society. To further construct her original idea, she clarifies the new role of these horrified images and again insert her opinion on how having public screen as the medium further enforce this new interpretation. Lastly, she began to draw on many different sources and demonstrate its impact on political policy, public’s ethical response, scholarly research and artists’ works and which all show that her claim for war porn’s social role is more appropriate than other scholarly sources.

According to Envision, primary research is identified as the original sources one analyze in his/her research paper and secondary research is the source that provide commentarys on the primary material or topic in general. With an essay so complicated as this, it is almost unfair to exclude some other sources as secondary research. I identify three primary resources that I thought to be serving a more important role in this essay. The first one is Haim Bresheeth’s description of Abu Ghraib’s image where he left an important question that basically is used as the inquiry question in this essay. The other two primary resources, perhaps more important, are the analysis of war porn offered by Jean Baudrillard and Susan Sontage. They were presented as a pair in order to compare to each other, but they were synthesized into the argument as a catalyst to argue against. In contrast, most other secondary resources were used to argue against their interpretation of war porn but synthesized mostly as examples/illustration or to demonstrate cause and effect. Although they are not necessarily related both Baudrillard and Sontage’ research, Laurie cleverly construct her points based on the rhetorical situation of them. For instance, the passing of Army Field Manual Provision of the Intelligence Authorization Bill was argued to be possible partly because of the displaying of images from Abu Ghraib. It was inserted into argument using cause and effect synthesis, having cause be the displaying of Abu Ghraib’s images and effect being the passing of bill. The other examples of this kind of synthesis includes increase of Google searched data, the showing of artist work that resonance the imagesof Abu Ghraib, the introduction of the book The Lucifer Effect and finally the release of several movies, which all demonstrate and exemplify the influence and social roles that these images have created (I could also argue they are example synthesis although I think they were all intended to explain a cause, which is the displaying of Abu Ghraib’s images). There are also many other researches being used, mostly in the beginning of the essay as example and illustration to develop reader’s understanding of the war porn.

Throughout the essay, the most obvious and powerful rhetorical strategy was its use of logical appeals. Since the beginning, Laurie has begun to bring out facts and information and critically examine them in order to quickly provide the reader with enough of information on the context. The way how she provides 3 reasons why Baudrillard and Sontage’s interpretation of these image’s social roles was the most evident example of Logos. Her main argument was basically a logical reasoning as well where she actively interact her sources (like how she define and redefine the role of mediator) and her own interpretation to complete her points. And not to forgot, she even challenges her inquiry question in the end by providing what she thinks is the proper question to ask. These examples of challenges, comparison, contrast, interaction between sources clearly show the presence of ethos as the main rhetorical strategy here. Besides Ethos, use of Pathos is also crucial in this essay as they were used by extensively by showing of those horrified images. These images were carefully arranged to work with the logical reasoning structure of the essay. Though I wonder if they do connect with the audiences due to the content of the images, they were certainly motivating the readers to keep reading about it.

excuse my sentiment

Today is one of those days you can really feel the up and down. So many things seem to have happened but somehow I am having a hard time to remembering any of them. They all seem so trivial but why did they trigger my emotion so much that I felt so tired emotionally right now.

 

I have no clue…

 

Since when did the subway ride have become my most anticipated event of the day? And since when did the 2 mins walk across the street to get a coffee become so tempting?

I have no clue…

 

Or do I?

 

Perhaps, I will choose to stop on the next station when I get on the train next time; or wandering to that narrow ally that looks so far away. I think I know…  I just want to escape from my daily routine.

 

… I am a coward

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bLOG assignment 3-part2

The way how Edward Said approach his theory “Orientalism” certainly acts as a great model of the kind of research-based writing that Kantz discuss in her essay. According to the video “Edward Said on Orientalism”, Said began his research from historical texts and images and found them to be “too similar and unrealistic” the way how they describe Islamic cultures, despite the great diversity within. He then moved on to his other discoveries in which shows how the western world generalize the Islamic countries through simple categorization and thus leads to the fundaments of Orientalism. The important thing here that we need to notice is that none of the artifacts or historic events Said has mentioned seem to be directly about Orientalism. So how did he utilize them to construct his argument? Said was able to use them as a powerful evidence because he looked at the rhetorical situation of each research, whether a text, image or an event and discovered a disturbing phenomenon, the demonization of Islam, that was not realized by most publics. This is how he created his genuine idea that Kantz so eagerly discussed in her essay.

I don’t know if this video is said’ most preferred method of presenting his argument, but it certainly done a great job on persuading the audienceà me. The strategy in which Said employs to create Ethos is especially effective in this video. I noticed the video first introduce Said and the topic indirectly through another professor. It is perhaps to establish a documentary style of presentation. Said would be shown as if he was telling a vivid story during an interview and his points are often accompanied with visual artifacts that serve to provide immediate proofs. These visual artifacts are extremely effective for creating strong ethos since they trigger viewer’s own account of the evidence (for example, the vivid images from Aladdin and Hollywood movies recall one’s memory of these biased artifacts that we as a viewers have been watching on the TV for the last decades). In addition, Said also successfully establish his sincere character through his use of tone, body language and his unique speaking style. If I want to mimic’s Said’s ethos, I think I will corporate more images into my paper. Like I mention before, I will write with the first-person narrative in order to strengthen my character trait on this paper. I will also use resources that include Iraqi’s points of views because I learn that’s what makes Said’s argument more credible is because he himself is from Palestine and understand the reality there. Already I can see myself facing many obstacles such as the problem of keeping up with the latest, growing information on US withdrawal or reflecting my character in my writing. I only hope that viewer will know what to act upon after reading my essay.

bLOG assignment 3-part 1

Many factors contribute to the making of a strong reader and writer. Beside the basic, necessary abilities to read and write, according to Kantz’s essay, a strong reader/writer need to be critical about their work. A reader with critical mind looks at text and images from the source as ARGUMENT that still need justification and analysis, rather than just facts and stats. It leads the reader to identify the rhetorical situation of the text (aka who is the writer, what is the context (topic) and who are the intended audience). Questioning the rhetorical situation when reading a source helps to generate original ideas and the ability to do that is what a strong reader need. On the other hand, a strong writer must be critical about what they want to present to their audience. They need the ability to think rhetorically and write in order to present a genuine argument. The paper from the strong writer like this does not simply retell the story but rather provides an answer to a question.

If I want to create a strong argument, according to Kantz, I would need to first establish a right attitude toward an assignment as well as the correct understanding about rhetorical writing. Kantz argue that the same assignment often was done in many different methods because each student interprets it differently. Those who fail to produce strong argument usually choose to do the writing with the easiest method and lack the knowledge about rhetoric. To come up with a strong argument, I will need to continue to rhetorically analyze my sources like I did in Unit One and apply the rhetorical strategies in my writing. To be more specific, my argument would probably include three points of views (just off my mind, probably the Iraqi civilian, American soldiers and general public) and how each of them thinks about the issue of withdrawal. I would also take on the account of all the events that have happen so far and evaluate their impact to Iraq and rest of the world in order to justify the effect of withdrawal. I can see this essay become very complicated and would really take a long time to achieve an argument that covers all aspects, which is perhaps too much for me right now. So I think I will emphasize more on the aspect of Iraq’s reconstruction and its relationship to America and the rest of the world.

Kantz in her essay repeatedly discuss about the difference between fact and opinion. She explains that a fact is a “claim that an audience will accept as being true without requiring proof” and “an opinion is a “claim that an audience will not accept as truth without proof, and which, after the proof is given, the audience may well decide has only a limited truth”. This is important not only because it challenges our normal perception of a source, in which we often fell for, but also causes me to think differently about my argument and the way I want to present it. I was taught to write an essay without using words like “I” or “in my opinion” because they make an essay more like a statement or fact without carrying personal bias. But since this an essay where I want to present an “argument that I discovered myself”, there is going to a certain bias based on what I choose to show and what I don’t. So, I really think I should write it as if I am composing a speech in front of a group of audience and use first-person narrative since that’s the most sincere way of presenting my own opinion. Although I am certainly not sure if that’s what Kantz wishes to convey through her essay (convincing people to write in first-person or as a speech), but I am sure that she does what her readers to begin to write as if they have a “purpose”. Not a purpose to retell the story but a purpose of persuasion. In this case, my purpose is to find out the truth about US withdrawal and to convince my audiences to act in the most right and moral direction.

-to be continued..