Draft 2

Saul Huerta JR

English 1A

March 5, 2014

Can We Design the Future?

Genetic engineering has gained a substantial amount of attention in the past years because of its applicability and ethics. Consequently the masses have created many canvases of communication to express their opinions, debates and facts that have been presented through current knowledge of the science.  In this paper I am going to compare and contrast three different forms of text; furthermore, I also will personally analyze each of the text presented.

In the academic perspective of genetic engineering, I will use the research Genetic Modification and Genetic Determinism (Resnik & Vorhaus, 2006) published by the Journal of Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine.  The research is laid out to “examine four arguments used to support the view that there is something inherently wrong with genetic modification.” The arguments are then explained by a divided analysis: defining the terms genetic modification and genetic determinism, “explaining the difference between the stronger and weaker forms of genetic determinism,” and the ethics of genetic engineering. The example given in the research is the “Designers Babies,” the idea is that parents will be able to tell the genetic engineers what they want their child to look like from the gene pool of their parents and also be able modify the DNA of the unborn baby to max out their intelligence.  The research uses this example to explain difference between genetic modification and genetic determinism.  The intention of the research paper is to inform people on a more valid argument rather than refer to an argument based on “false or misleading biological assumptions.” Since the direction of the paper is to inform the general public, the syntax of the paper is more general than it would be if it was going to be used as a thesis for a PhD. The people who wrote the research paper are Daniel B. Vorhaus, a graduate from Harvard whose field focuses are in Medicine and Genetics Genealogy, and Dr. David Resnik, an individual who has a PhD in philosophy and JD in law and works for the National Institute of Environmental health Sciences. Because of the background of the authors I do believe research is credible, that and because the research is published in a journal.

My 2^nd form of communication is a YouTube video titled Genetic Engineering and Glowing Kitties of DOOM! By YouTuber Myles Power (MYLES, 2013). Myles is a man who has been on YouTube for a short amount of period, considering how many videos he has made and how many subscribers he has, but the accreditation comes from the sources where he got the facts, not necessary in the field of genetic engineering.  The video’s layout is as follows: he introduces the internet and how it has revolutionized the world, and then goes and says that the internet can extrapolate research, then talks about genetic engineering and how it is being showcased as a bad thing when in reality the people are going out of proportion. What I am referring to is how a blog he mentions in the video demonizes genetic engineering by talking about the “glow in the dark kittens” and how that’s a sign that our world is going to represent a sci-fi flick. Myles then explains the situation and talks about the actual research that was done, and how the cats do not glow in the dark but they fluoresce under black light. The research intention with fluorescent cats is that they wouldn’t have to cut open cats to see if the intended gene was successful in its implementation. The approach to this form of text is the complete opposite of the research paper.  For example, the tone for the YouTube video is more comedic than research paper; such as time 1:05 thru 1:50 and 3:19 to 3:53. The video also shares the informative trait that the research paper has by telling and explaining how that research went forward. The message that was conveyed in this in video is to not be fooled with the research and to go on and read it your self before you believe it. The purpose of the video can be found when Myles introduces a blog that makes genetic engineering seem like an evil thing, when in fact the research is for the good of the people, that is another trait that the “Genetic Engineering and Glowing Kitties of DOOM!” shares with the research paper are that it is meant to inform the general public about false or misleading biological assumptions.

My last piece is a comic that has an old couple holding a turkeypiede, a genetically altered turkey that has 10 legs instead of one; in the text box it reads “isn’t genetic engineering amazing? Furthermore, the old woman holding the turkeypide had an excited look on her face and the old man had a blank expression. Both of the elder’s look like they were born in the 50’s and that can be attributed to their old fashioned sense of style. The caption on the comic read, “Two years ago who would have even imagined such a thing as a turkeipde?” The comic was drown by comic artist John McPherson, who posted the comic in his website named Close to Home, which runs nearly 700 newspaper worldwide. He draws mostly on topics that are relevant in conversation at the time, with mostly unbiased other the goal to make someone laugh. The tone of the comic is joyful and persuasive, in the manner that it has the old people talking about modern day conversations. Since old people don’t, for the most part, don’t talk about such matter and the turkeipde itself is pretty. Try to imagine how a turkeipde, pretty bazar like something that has probably centipede looking eyes and then you see the turkey part of it.  The persuasive section of the comic kicks in when the comic reads “we would have never had this 2 years ago” which shows that by having such foods we are moving in a positive direction, and by having a more comforting figure such as old people explaining genetic engineering makes it more accepting for people who look up to old people, such as grandparents, parents or even just old friends.  I believe that the directed audience for the comic is aimed at older people mainly working class and up. Since older people are the ones who make up the majority of people who still read newspapers that is the intended audience. The main message that is being conveyed through the text is how genetic engineering can have a positive influence in our life and is meant to change the attitude of people who have negative opinions about the subject.

What I think makes the text clear is the way of stating what needs to be argued, defined, and told. For example the Genetic Modification and Genetic Determinism research effective is the break down of the genetic engineering and the way it delivers it. The authors make clear the difference between genetic modification-“ the process of intentionally altering human genes for the purpose of producing offspring with those genetic changes” and genetic determinism- “loosely defined as the view that genes (genotypes) cause traits (phenotypes).” After it defines these two points it details each argument presented and explains in what category it belongs [GM or GD]. The most effective message from the three text can be attributed to the comic, it tells you what it needs to tell you in a fast a funny way. Not a lot of people have to time to watch a YouTube video about genetic engineering let alone an entire research paper. In a way you can say that the comic generalizes the research paper and the YouTube video. The relationship between Genetic Engineering and the message that all of the three texts is trying a convey a positive outlook towards genetic engineering; each of them having their own limitations; for example, the comic tells you’re about genetic engineering fast and painless but it does not give you more information or research. It just informs you that it’s going to be a thing in the future and that it’s going to be a good change in society that's it. Meanwhile, the research document is a good read and very detailed, the research gives you examples, and it also gives you the counter arguments, even how to properly support your stance on genetic engineering but at the cost of time.  I think that what we read can defiantly impact people, (*not trying to offend any religion) people who are Christian and read the bible daily believe in it and try their best to live as Jesus set the example. But then again there are text like Mien Kampf that influenced an entire country to become anti-Semitic and spark the Second World War, it just depends on what context we are speaking bout.

In conclusion, I have gone over the 3 types of text that all try and convince people to support genetic engineering since it will be beneficial to all who endorse it. Furthermore, I give my personal opinion on which strategy is most effective to deliver what the authors of all three texts are tying to convey.

Works Cited

McPherson, J. (n.d.). genetic engineering. Retrieved from http://www.inspirationgreen.com/monsanto-cartoons-and-posters.html

MYLES, P. (2013, JUNE 21). Genetic engineering and glowing kitties of doom!. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x1TvYgy8tc

Resnik, D. B., & Vorhaus, D. B. ((2006, June 26 )2006, June 26 ). Genetic modification and genetic determinism. Retrieved from http://www.peh-med.com/content/1/1/9Works

3 ways to see Genetic Engineering

http://www.peh-med.com/content/1/1/9 (hyperlink to journal; genetic modification and genitic determinism)

Response Paper #1

The most recent thing I have wathched is this TED talks video that features Michel Stevens from Vsauce. I follow a lot of this educational videos and youtube such Veretasium and videos by C.P.G Grey becasue they open my mind to new ideas and allow me to raise some new questions, I try and go out of my way an watch these type of videos on the everyday basis. In this speciefic video is Michel focuses this video on "why do we ask questions." Michael explains that he enjoys seeing peoples ways of expressing learinging new eye opining facts and that why he likes to propose these type of questions to his audience (in a manner that a teacher should enagage theirt students.) The counter argument was introdced by reacalling  a girl he oneced talked to behind stage, he asked if she knew why the sky blue and she replied " I think I once knew but I doesn't really matter."Michael presents this as one of his main concerns and address it by brining "Raellies Scattering"(the explanation of why the skey is blue) and brining in other topics that can possibly relate. So, why are your eyes blue? becasue of Raellies Scattering, and that is how Michael gets a bigger audience to pay attenition in his videos. I can persoanlly relate to these type of videos becasue most of the people that I know come to me for many sorts of explanation, specially my youger siblings. And it feels kinda awesome to know the explanation that people throw at you. Since I am going to be an electrical engineer, it would be an essaintail skill to know how to get  complicated subjects and turn it into somethings a 2nd grader would understand. Hence the power of communication. For the most part, I likesomething I watched when I learn things that can help me explain the world a little bit more, that or something that just made me laugh. It just depends in what context I am watching the video for; for example, If I am watching a video that is suppose to make laugh and it succeds then I will like the video, even if it has nothing on it but other people lauging. 

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"How to tame a wild tounge" and "Mother Tounge" annototaions

           
              The reading Tan “Mother Tongue”, is about a Chinese author and her mother. It opens by saying that there are many variations of the English language and that even her self a fluent English speaker speaks at least two variations of it. The professional variation where she would use phrases such as “the intersection of memory upon imagination.” It then continues by adding that her mother’s English would be classified under a learner category of English and that most people would probably wouldn’t understand her, but because she is the author’s mother she can understand. I can defiantly relate to this reading, my Dad began to learn the English language due to the fact that it was required for his new job after working as a field laborer for a number of years. His English is not perfect, (as in you would probably understand him about 65% of the time) but I can always understand what he is saying.

            “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” is a story from a Hispanic point of view of the how many different variations of language a Chicano speaks. Which made me laugh because I wasn’t self-aware of how many there actually were, the different types of English and Spanish are imbedded in my brain and have become mostly sub-conscious. But when I need them they automatically switch gears from one to anther. I can relate to the readers experience in work, school, and well practically life such as when his teacher would punish him for speaking Spanish in recess. Its all kind of sad but I think it's a necessary evil, and because of the strict use of English in elementary I became fluent in the language at grade 3. The reading also ads how other Chicanos would “terrorize” you for not speaking Chicano Spanish, I didn’t really see much of this growing up, mainly because at the schools I attended there were few of us. But when I went to work in the fields as a field laborer is where I was exposed of much my Chicano culture that I had been much deprived of. The reading pretty much depicts how Chicanos communicate in different situations, which is very much real.

Personal Goals

1.     Like most people that are undergrads, my way of writing can improve. Being more specific I would like to have flowing essays and ways of writing and have better strategies to hook readers, in other words, to have interesting writing.

2.     My other goal is to have longer responses to whatever I need to write. I don’t mean that when I get a text and replying a chapter worth of writing. I mean to learn the appropriate way to fill an essay.

3.     My 3^rd goal is to attain “fancier” way to write. To make my writing sound eloquent.

Saul Huerta JR

English 1A

Personal Literacy Blog

Prof. Jen

            I grew up in Salinas California, or other wise known as the Salad Bowl, USA. It's a city where is surrounded by fields that grow pretty much anything and everything that a vegetarian eats. Consequently many people emigrate from Latin America to come and labor the land for a wage that is just enough to live off and send money to people they left behind. There is mainly, Latinos working out there and not other type of race working those fields and has led to every Latino from Salinas being classified as poor and living with 5 other families in house made for one. Furthermore, if you have the brown skin that defines a Latino, you are also immediately classified as non-speaker of the English language and are treated like an “alien” leading to unfair placement of classes, and therefore leading to all sorts of problems that will have a greater consequence as the years go by.

            I learned English when I was 3 years old, the reason for this is because I was put in a nursery where there were a lot of kids that spoke the language and picked up on it. It wasn’t perfect, but could clearly communicate it. When it was time to begin school, I was placed in a class that is for kids that just emigrated from Mexico and had the title as “ELS,” even though I had proven my linguistic skills, they kept me there and lacked a reason to contain in a class where I didn’t belong. In ELS, the curriculum was generally about 2 years behind in the English departments to ensure that the students that just arrived from Mexico learned the language properly, it didn’t help nor a couple of other students that also spoke English already, and the program ended up putting us behind in our language skills. I was kept in ELS till I got to 4^th grade because that's the grade where they integrate most ELS students with the regular students. I could have had a developed a higher level of English if I was placed with the other kids, and struggled to read and write because of the bad placement. While all my friends and peers were able to read and write without a major struggle, I had to put 3x more effort to catch up to there level of the language. After about 3 years of putting the extra work, I finally had English above my classmate’s level of English. Even thought this experience taught me at a young age that life will be hard and that, I learned to be hard worker and became an okay writer.

           

Being able to read and write well doesn’t mean you have to like it. The point when I got to high school I had despised reading and writing. It was freshmen year and they had placed me in a GATE English class, which I switched out of as soon as I could because my cousins told me that it would a tedious course to take, and that the teachers were not fair towards Latinos. I took regular English for the rest of High School till I got till my Senior Year. Even though I was supposed to take regular English Composition, and instead I was placed in AP English. That class was probably the hardest class I had ever taken; I even thought calculus was easier than AP English. But I do not regret one bit not having switching out of it. AP English with Mr. Hedgepeth, taught me how to appreciate literature way more than I did at the time and severely improved on my writing style. Before that class I would follow a robot set of “rules” to write an essay, which got completely got destroyed because Mr. Hedgepeth taught me that those rules are only for beginner and enhanced my writing by showing the usage of different techniques of the art of writing while doing it fast, enough to complete 3 essays in 2 hours. Like the use of tone, sound, syntax, everything and anything that came with writing. Additionally, he took the initiative to show us the best reading of each era in literature and opened my eyes to a hidden treasure I had neglected my entire life. Conclusively, my AP English class made the greatest impact in who I am as a writer and a reader.   

            Even though I didn’t have many events that changed my writing voice, the events that happened completely defined who I am as an English scholar. While I am in school , knowing how to write and cite proper papers will be a crucial part of getting my degree. The use would probably be for writing lab reports, responses for my professor on how a specific system work and even the explanation of how a set system works. The applications of what I have and will continue to learn are limitless, but I will most likely put to practice it when I am in need of formally writing and speaking. Furthermore, since we are constantly communicating in one way or another, these practices are more likely going to be used when I am replying to conversation through text message, (to make my self sound more eloquent to the suitable people, and regular) and of course through social media. Furthermore, what I have learned I will use in my future job probably when I am sending instructions on what specific job the people need to do. Since I am going to become an Electrical Engineer, I will need to be able to communicate professionally and efficiently to everyone in project.