Posted: April 28th, 2015

Overview

Overview
OVERVIEW
The info about the midterm is below. Your midterm will be a cause/effect essay. I will offer you a choice of methods, and you will choose one to write a five paragraph essay. Should be at least 1,000 words. I am also including the reading for next week’s assignment in this week that you can start on as soon as your midterm is complete.

The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I should be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Learning Object Info: Overview   Type: HTML   Submitted By: Meri Rogoff
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Presentation
Reading Assignment

Read information about Cause and Effect essays on this page of lecture notes and in your text. In addition, begin reading the two short stories that will be used in next week’s assignment.

Learning Object Info: Reading Assignment   Type: HTML   Submitted By: Meri Rogoff
This Week’s Assignment

CAUSAL ESSAY EXPLANATION (MIDTERM):
This week is your midterm, which is in the cause and effect style. Please notice the difference between a narrative and a causal paper in the text. This paper is not a story of your life before or after a decision.  The Causal essay in my English 100 class may be done in one of two ways. Should be at least 1,000 words.

Option 1 is to explain the causes that led to a decision you made or some event. For example, you may have made the decision to move out of your parent’s home into a place of your own. In the Intro, you “set the stage” by telling in general terms the outline of your situation. You would then discuss the reasons for this in the body of the essay. The conclusion might bring the reader up to date on the current situation. It might also include your insight on this decision now that time has passed. Was it a good decision? What did you learn about yourself and/or others as a result of this decision? Would you recommend this course of action to others? What are your predictions for the future based on this choice?

Outline: Thesis is the decision you made and some comment about it
Body Paragraph 1 Topic Sentence: Give one reason you made this choice
Body Paragraph 2 Topic Sentence: Give another reason you made this choice
Body Paragraph 3 Topic Sentence: Give another reason you made this choice
Conclusion paragraph

Option 2 is to discuss a decision you made and its consequences, the effects rather than the causes of a decision. The Intro might give the background before making the decision, but the body would only contain results of the decision. The conclusion might, as in the first option, bring the reader up to date if the body had not done so in the effects part of the essay. Again, the conclusion might contain some insight into this decision. Answer the questions listed for option 1, such as what did you learn from this decision or occurrence? Would you do it again if you had the chance?

Outline:  Thesis:  the decision you made and some comment about it
Body Paragraph 1 Topic Sentence: Describe one outcome of this decision
Body Paragraph 2 Topic Sentence: Describe another outcome of this decision
Body Paragraph 3 Topic Sentence: Describe a third outcome of this decision
Conclusion Paragraph
Choose whichever method suits your topic. Consider the poem above by Robert Frost. Sometimes when we “go against the crowd,” it makes all the difference in our lives. Those who succeed to the highest levels often are those who are told they are going “the wrong way.” You can use the poem as a basis for your essay. In fact, I’d like that. We can discuss the meaning through e-mail if you’d like.

NOTE: The thesis MUST contain wording pertaining to your decision or the event you are discussing! It must contain topic and comment, no facts! No announcements of what is to come.

EXAMPLES of Causal Thesis Statements:
Taking a job as a night clerk in a convenience store was the worst decision of my life.
Deciding to have a child was the most important choice I ever made.
Because of my horrible working conditions, I made the choice to quit my job.
Giving up drugs and alcohol was the hardest thing I ever had to do.
The most agonizing decision I ever made was to….

Learning Object Info: This Week’s Assignment   Type: HTML   Submitted By: Meri Rogoff
DropBox: Midterm
Your papers are due on the dates given on the calendar. If your military service has caused you to miss submitting the essay by the date the dropbox closes, please email me about it, along with your essay as an attachment, and submit it to Turnitin.
Dropbox:

Open Date: April 26,2015 12:00 AM
Close Date: May 3,2015 11:59 PM

Readings for Next Week’s Assignment
In this class, you get the beginnings of learning how to criticize literature. To start this process, you will read two short stories. Please let me know immediately if these links are no longer active! More information needed for the final is on next week’s page.
http://olsen-classpage.wikispaces.com/file/view/TwoKindsfulltext.pdf
http://www.thomasaquinas.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/readings/2011-fall-ACS-reading.pdf

Learning Object Info: Readings for Next Week’s Assignment   Type: HTML   Submitted By: Meri Rogoff
Two Kinds text (in case link above doesn’t open)
Two Kinds

Learning Object Info: Two Kinds   Type: Document   Submitted By: Meri Rogoff
The Second Short Story to Read
Everything That Rises Must Converge.doc

Learning Object Info: Everything That Rises Must Converge.doc   Type: Document   Submitted By: Meri Rogoff
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Practice
Causal Example #1
I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. I never cared much for the town, and I cared even less for the people that I called my neighbors. Everyone seemed the same to me. People were very close-minded and short with each other. They were always in a hurry, and during the typical gray, rainy days, people’s attitudes seemed to intensify. I used to think that winter was when everything and everyone was dead, not waking up until the groundhog determined whether or not Spring was going to arrive early. Throughout the years, I realized that I was becoming just like the people that depressed me. Tired of my surroundings, I made my decision to leave my home town in search of change. The change would be to start a new life in California.

There are many reasons that caused me to move three thousand miles away from home, but the most preeminent reason was the death of my father. About four years ago, my father passed away after having a heart attack during a short nap before dinner. My father was a wonderful parent. He had many dreams and hopes of the things that he wanted to do and places he would have liked to visit. Our family was not rich; therefore, it was difficult to afford vacations to Dad’s favorite spot: the Jersey shore. My Dad loved the beach, and he dreamed of retiring there one day. In a strange sort of way, I felt that my moving to the coast would make him happy. I moved to Newport Beach with the intention of bringing my father along with me and making his dream come true.

Another reason for my move to California was due to my strenuous family life. There are seven people in my family including my mother. The children’s ages ranged from nine to twenty-four years old. We are all very different people and dealt with my father’s death in different ways. I chose to take on the role of the parent when I realized that my mother was having a difficult time doing it all by herself. After a couple of years, assuming the parental role became too much for me. My mother and I were constantly arguing over the children, and I realized that I was becoming too involved. I, too, was just a child, and I still had much growing to do myself. Realizing that the only way I could fully let go of my family was to move away, I made my decision to leave.

My final reason for moving to California is the reason that most people move to California–sunny skies and sandy beaches! Pennsylvania is a very beautiful state, but the skies are gray most of the time, and the winters are very cold and dismal. I found it extremely hard to get motivated on the gray days. When the sun was shining, however, my spirits were always high, and I felt great. I wanted to feel the sun shine on me as much as I could, so what better place to move than sunny southern California!

Moving away from my hometown has helped me in numerous ways. The people in my town all seemed to have the same thought patterns. Being around so many different people in California has allowed me to become more open-minded. I have also been able to let go of assuming the responsibility for my younger siblings. We all have a very strong relationship; however, I have stopped being a parent and instead have become their friend.  As for dealing with the death of my father, I have fully come to terms with his passing away since my move to California. When I visit the beach now, I imagine that he is there on the sand, enjoying the sunshine with me.
Causal Example #2
Joining the Army by Douglas Duckson

The year 1973 was a tumultuous time in America.  Our nation was involved in an unpopular armed conflict in Southeast Asia that included Viet Nam and the secret incursions of US troops into Cambodia and Laos.  Our ally, Israel, was on the verge of another war with its neighbors, and it seemed that it would need our help.  The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Richard M. Nixon, was being enveloped by a political scandal that would cause his resignation.  Times were difficult for the military, and it appeared to be a rotten time for a young man to join the US Army, but I had my reasons and have never regretted my decision.

I was living in Troy, Montana, a town of twelve hundred people, with my recently retired father, having moved there from California.  I hated living there with him and needed desperately to leave his house and be on my own.  I had provided myself some spending money by bucking bales of hay at ten cents apiece, splitting cedar posts at twenty cents a rail, and had done some piecemeal motorcycle repair work at the Kootenai Valley Garage.   I needed a real job before I could get away from home, but jobs were scarce in this area of logging and mining, and I really wanted to enter into police work.   The Troy City police would hire me, when there was an opening, at $425 a month.  At that wage, I would not be able to afford to live on my own.  Though Lincoln County and Montana State were hiring at $600 and $800, respectively, they required a candidate to be twenty-one years of age.

A friend of mine had joined the service and was stationed near Seattle, Washington.  He had recently purchased a new AMC Gremlin, lived on the base, and always seemed to have money in his pocket.  If I followed his lead, I thought, I would be out of the house, but what of the war, and what of my future career desire?  I took it on myself to investigate my military options.   Ninety miles was a long drive on a little Honda motorcycle, but I rode to Sandpoint, Idaho to query the military recruiters.

The Marine Corps and the Navy did not interest me, as I become deathly seasick on board a ship. This left the Air Force and the Army recruiters for me to talk to.  The Air Force said that for a commitment of four years, I could pick a station or pick a job, but could not have a choice of both, so it was not an option.  The Army, however, said that for but a three-year commitment, I could be assured of an assignment to the Military Police School and then law enforcement duties anywhere I wanted to go.  What a perfect answer to my dilemma!  I could leave home, have the job of my choice, and pick anywhere in the world to work and live for three years.  When I got out of the Army at age twenty-one and with three years experience under my belt, I could go to any police department anywhere I wanted to go.

I knew what job I wanted in the Army, so that just left where I wanted to go.  I knew I didn’t want to go anywhere within two thousand miles of Viet Nam, but did want to stay Stateside.  Fort Carson, Colorado, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, looked like just the right place for me to start my new career.  Good hunting, good fishing, and great countryside to tear up with a motorcycle were in store for me with my signature and oath.  And so, that summer, I became Private Douglas R. Duckson, United States Army Military Policeman.

The Army of 1973 was a good place for me to be.  I didn’t get sent to far away places with hard-to-pronounce names to meet exotic people and kill them.  I was insulated from the upheaval which was Watergate and the resignation of the President.  I gained practical experience in a vocation which has provided security for myself and my family for over twenty-six years. I will never regret my decision to join the Army.
Causal Example #3
Enlisting in the Navy by Kenneth Olson

In November of 1979, Iranian militants overran the United States Embassy in Teheran.  Over fifty United States personnel were taken hostage.  Tensions were high with talk of military intervention being a possibility.  Debates were going on about reinstating the selective service, also known as the draft.  Afraid that I might get drafted into the United States Army, I decided to check into the career opportunities that the United States Navy and the United States Air Force were offering.  On January 3, 1980, I decided to enlist for six years of active duty in the United States Navy.

One of the reasons that I enlisted in the United States Navy was the job training.  I had been working as an emergency medical technician for about a year.  One co-worker had been in the Navy as a hospital corpsman.  He attributed his knowledge and expertise to the training that he received while in the Navy.  When I went to the recruiter, I was told that I could sign a contract that guaranteed me going to hospital corpsman school upon completion of basic training.  Because of my prior medical training, if I enlisted for six years of active duty, I would be qualified for advanced promotion to the pay grade of E-4 when I completed the Hospital Corpsman basic school.  I would then have a choice of specialty schools that I could attend.  Some of the choices included Aviation Medicine, Pharmacy Technician, Operating Room Technician, Medical Laboratory Technician, and X-ray Technician.

Another reason that I enlisted in the United States Navy was the opportunity for travel. Having spent most of my life in southern California, life in the Navy would offer me the opportunity to go to places that I had never been before.  With the navy being a seagoing service, most of the job opportunities would be onboard a ship.  The ships would go on cruises in areas of the world and allow stopovers in foreign “ports of call.” This would allow me to experience different cultures while not getting stuck in one particular spot for a long period of time. Whether it would be a cruise onboard a ship or stationed in a foreign country, the lure of being paid while getting to “see the world” was a big incentive to me.

The final reason I enlisted in the United States Navy was the benefits.  Wanting to move out of my parent’s house, the cost involved in having a place of my own was high. Joining the navy would include room and board.  Sharing a room with several different people would also allow me to meet new people.  I did not need to worry about fixing my own meals because the navy cooks prepared the meals, and this was included free of charge.  With thirty days paid leave (vacation time) a year, I could visit home or get a low priced space available flight to just about any place in the world that I would like to go.  The medical and dental benefits ensured that if there were any medical or dental problems, they would all be taken care of without co-pays or deductibles. Finally, the educational benefits under the Montgomery G I bill would help pay for my education.  With the Montgomery GI bill, with every dollar that I contributed, the Navy matched with two dollars towards my education.

I stayed in the Navy for a total of eight years.  The experience and training that I received has been a real help to me in my nursing career.  I also got to spend time in countries like Japan, Australia, Singapore, Kenya, and the Philippines while on a western pacific cruse.  I gained supervisory skills that I use continually in my job. My Navy experience was a good one, and as I look back now, the choice to join the Navy was an excellent choice for me.
Causal Example #4
The Best Decision I Could Ever Make by Mary Avalos

I started smoking at the age of fifteen.  Growing up, my father always smoked around me.  My best friend gave my first hit of a cigarette as we ditched our third period class at Century High School.  I thought it was cool because I wasn’t supposed to be smoking.  It made me feel like an adult.  I made my own decision to have a cigarette if I wanted one.  I never gave it more thought than that.  It didn’t seem wrong or right.  After years of smoking, I was no longer smoking to rebel or to be cool; I was now smoking because I was hooked on cigarettes. I started smoking for fun, and it had now shifted into a necessary habit.  I couldn’t stop smoking.  My family pointed out many legitimate reasons why I should stop smoking, which made me stop and look at myself to realize what I was doing to my body.  I decided to give up smoking, which was the smartest decision I could ever make.

Smoking was negatively affecting my health.  I was on my high school’s track team and my coach told me it would hurt my performance.  I didn’t believe it affected me at the time, but as I grew older and continued to exercise routinely, I noticed myself gasping for air.  My voice also changed.  I didn’t think it was normal for my once young, high-pitched voice to mature into a dull and raspy voice.  This made me feel unattractive and embarrassed, especially when my dull, raspy voice was followed by a mucous-filled cough.  I not only coughed throughout the day, but all night in my sleep which seriously worried my parents.  I looked at myself in the mirror only to see my pearly, white teeth turning a horrid yellow shade.  My smile always got me attention.  I couldn’t go anywhere without receiving a compliment on my smile.  Besides, my smile had cost me over $3,000.00 due to the braces I wore for three and half years.  Now, instead of showing off my smile, I concentrated on trying not to smile.  I brushed my teeth as often as I could trying to reverse the effects of smoking on my teeth.  I even carried a portable toothbrush in my purse along with my pack of cigarettes.  Unfortunately, I could not brush my teeth as often as I had a cigarette, and my technique was not working.  I realized that my smoking habit was affecting my health and appearance, and that I had to stop.

Increased cigarette prices were drastically affecting my budget.  I smoked an average of three packs per week.  I paid roughly $5.00 per pack totaling to $15.00 per week on cigarettes.  There was no question as to whether I would take my breaks at work.  I had to take my breaks because I was already going three hours without a cigarette.  I had to have enough money to support my smoking habit, so it made sense to skip snacks in order to have enough money to purchase my next pack of smokes.  I always had other things to cut back on to stretch my money and of course, I never considered cutting back on what was damaging my health, smoking.

As a smoker, I wasn’t always socially accepted.  Most non-smokers do not like to be around second hand smoke.  I found myself in an uncomfortable situation when around my non-smoking friends.  I wasn’t allowed to smoke in their cars or in their homes.  One winter, I went to visit a friend in Northern California.  Throughout my stay, I had to smoke outside in the intolerably freezing weather.  Born and raised in Southern California, I am not fond of cold weather; but it was something I had to tolerate because of my smoking habit.  Standing outside in freezing temperatures, I did not give it a second thought.   I had to take the last puff of my cigarette before I returned into that cozy home.  Often, when smoking around others, I noticed them backing away, as if disgusted with the smoke.  Smoking has become less accepted that even restaurants and bars have legally banned indoor smoking to protect their employees from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke.  The truth about nicotine and second-hand smoke has been exposed and more and more people are unwilling to be around it.

I quit smoking five years ago, and I am feeling very healthy.  My voice is back to normal and that lingering cough is only a bad memory.  My money is no longer wasted on a bad habit that forced me to manage my budget around this damaging addiction.  The most important result in quitting smoking is that I will not give my daughter the bad example my father gave me.  It took me some to realize that I needed to stop smoking.  The only downfall of quitting smoking is if my teeth turn yellow, I can no longer blame it on cigarettes.