Class on November 11th

I thought it was very interesting how the man discussed the history of the camera. It is so strange to think about when we were never able to take pictures and record the times in our lives. It made me take a lot of the stuff I have for granted. It was surprising that a man who was using one of the first cameras got asthma. Now all people have to do is press a button and a picture is taken. Many people enjoy a "candid" picture which means it is taken when one is unaware. People look a lot different opposed to a "posing" picture. This essay is argumentative because it talks about the history of the camera. Digital cameras today depend on batteries. The author uses lots of logos to get us to be interested. The "unchanging spouse" suggests that there is certain stubbornness. When having a camera, the purpose of it is to capture pictures that will be remembered forever, such as the concentration camps. Another reason why people have cameras is to have factual evidence that something occurred. Today in class, we also identified what our topics were going to be for our argumentative essays that are due Monday after Thanksgiving and need to be three to five pages. I am going to start writing it before we go on break so that I will not need to cram. It needs to be based on pathos, ethos, or logos and needs to be directed at adults from our age to anyone who is older. Some of the topics we could write about were parking, the war in Afghanistan, and Healthcare. I think I am going to write about abortion because the topic has so many ways one could look at it. The essay needs to have two sources and will hopefully be an easier paper to write.

Class on November 9th

Today in class, we discussed the passage "Run Like Fire Once More". Many people complete this run every year because it is like a pilgrimage and it is very spiritual. If I was capable of running this much, I would definitely do so. In a way this race is unhealthy but people still do it. I could not imagine running around the same block from six in the morning until twelve at midnight. This relates to the metaphor that people climb Mount Everest because not everyone can afford to and they encounter problems on the way. I think that running this type of race is illogical. This type of extraneous activity is hard on one's body. Some people are not prepared and do more harm than good to them. People are not meant to put themselves through that much mechanical labor. Clearly this is accurate because people have died running during marathons or shortly after they have finished completing it. This race also causes emotional distress. Our bodies rely on energy to help us function in daily life and during this type of race; our body exerts more energy than it normally should. Everybody has limits and sometimes when one pushes their limits they do not know the outcome. I found it interesting that a woman has had enough endurance to run this marathon ten times. Not a whole lot of women would even think to do something that requires so much focus and practice. Winning the race does not matter because people accomplish their goal. There was a man who had many miles left to run the marathon but he had ingrown toenails. He had to stop the race and came to accept that his body but limits on himself despite his drive to finish the race. People pay to run in the race because they either love running, but more likely for the experience.