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My last argument

My sister and I argue all the time about what height I am. I always say that I'm 5 and a half feet tall, because I am. However, she swears that I'm only 4'11, which I'm not. That was the last argument I had.

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Paper 4

Writing the draft for this paper has been more intense for me than any other paper I’ve written. This is definitely the longest paper I have written ever. The longest paper that I’ve written before this one was only three pages long. However, once I got started writing coming up with about seven pages wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. In the final draft of my paper, hopefully I will be able to squeeze another paper or two in to make it 8 or 9 pages long.

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Outline

Introduction: State thesis, main point, and argument. Give an indication about how it relates to The Walking Dead.

Section 1: Discuss more in depth about The Walking Dead in relation to thesis

Section 2: Discuss the case of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. Explain what happened and the negative effects resulting from what happened.

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Counterarguments

My thesis: Killing is justified when a person is in imminent danger and their life is at stake. However, killing someone out of paranoia and stereotyping should never be justified.

A counterargument for my thesis could be that killing someone out of paranoia could ultimately save someone's life. Or, paranoia or stereotypical killing isn't really a person being paranoid; they are, instead, following their instincts and intuition.

I would address the counterargument by bringing up the many issues of police brutality and the hundreds of thousands of times that they've killed minorities, particularly African- Americans, because of their own racist mentality. Sometimes police do have to kill people who are pointing a gun at them and refuse to put it down. But, what about the many times that policemen have killed black men and women who were surrendering at the time they got killed. How is it ever right to kill an innocent person? You don't know if a person is dangerous just by looking at them. It is impossible to read a person's mind and know what their intentions are because that is not the way human minds are programmed. I would also bring up the history of slavery and how masters killed and tortured slaves for their own pleasure or entertainment. The recent killings of people in the LGBT community are also relevant to this argument. A person should not be discriminated against in such a way that results in violence or even death.

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Evidence for Thesis

Thesis: Killing is justified when a person is in imminent danger and their life is at stake, but killing someone out of paranoia and stereotyping should never be justified.

1. The controversial case of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin

2. The many instances where police officers have killed young African- Americans because of the racial stereotypes we tend to hold. (For example: Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, etc.)

3. When Carol killed those people at the prison who were sick to prevent others from getting sick.

4. The random killings of people from the LGBT community.

5. In the 19th century when slaves were killed and tortured by their masters. Also, during the 1900s, when there were no longer slaves, people of color who stood up for themselves and protested for the rights of African- Americans were often hosed by police officers, taunted, and killed while trying to make a change.

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Potential thesis statements

1. Killing is justified when a person is in imminent danger and their life is at stake, but killing someone out of paranoia and stereotyping is never justified.

2. People who are mentally ill sometimes commit crimes because they fear what is not actually there.

3. Defense mechanisms are sometimes essential if a person wants to stay alive; however, he or she must make sure they are in a life or death situation, otherwise their humanity will come into question. 

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Last night's episode

Last night's episode was okay from what I remember. I watched it while I was lying in bed so I kept dozing off. For some reason, I woke up on the part where the doctor of this season was shot in the head with an arrow! I was really confused on this part so I rewound to the last five minutes before she died. It's incredible how she kept talking normally right after she was shot through the head with that arrow. It took a few seconds before she passed out after realizing she had been hit. I'm still confused on the last part where Carol was talking. Why did she leave? It seemed like Carol started to become "soft" when the group went to kill Negan and his group. She looked sad as if she had begun to feel guilty about what the group has become.

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Paraphrasing Exercises

3. Approximately three- fourths of all bicycle deaths are caused by head injuries.  Students represent at least 50% of those killed in bicycling accidents. If students wear helmets, their chances of receiving a head injury is automatically reduced by 85%. Helmets protect the skull by cushioning the head and absorbing shock. ("Bike Helmets" 348).

4. Matisse does a great job at grabbing the viewers' attention. His paintings really capture the essence of a painting. If you look at his work closely enough, it'll feel like you're in the actual painting. In other words, his paintings figuratively come alive! A well-known gateway,Bab el Aassa, called "The Casbah Gate" pierces the wall of the city near the sultan's palace. Matisse strategically uses bright and attractive colors to really bring out the essence in his artwork. (Plagens 50).

5.The Sears Tower is an impressive skyscraper. However, the plan to build a taller building have yet to be abandoned. How tall could the world's tallest building even be? Structural engineer, William LeMessurier, built a half- mile high skyscraper. This skyscraper is two times as high as The Sears Tower. Robert Sobel, architect, claims that a 500 story building is possible due in part to modern technology. (Bachman 15).

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Maggie's decision S6 E12

Maggie is really brave for going with the group to Negan's sanctuary. Maggie has proven herself to be a selfless warrior and it is her choice of whether she wants to put her own life at risk. However, I think that she is also a little selfish for going. She's not only putting her life at risk, she is also putting an innocent child's life at risk. I'm actually surprised that Glenn didn't say more about her going considering the fact that this is his baby, too. 

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Recap S6 E12

Last night's episode was nothing short of dramatic, but what else would you expect with The Walking Dead? The part where Rick and the group were trying to find the perfect 'head' was hilarious. When they finally chose the right head, Rick began punching it numerous times and quoted "He put up a fight, and he broke your hand, right?" The guy from hilltop even mentioned that Negan is scary, but he has nothing on Rick. Rick has always had a leadership quality. However, he has grown more inhumane since the beginning of the show. The way that he stabbed those guys in head while they were sleeping was really scary. Rick has really grown into the role of utilitarianism. He knows what he has to do, even if it involves killing someone. He does this for good of the entire group, especially because he has two kids, one of which is an adorable baby girl. The episode from last night did not end the way the group had hoped for. Carol and Maggie are being held hostage by a couple of members who are a part of Negan's group. We still don't know who Negan is; but, I have a feeling that Negan is the girl whose voice we heard over the walkie talkie. If Negan does turn out to be a girl, it would be a great plot twist!

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6 step Paraphrasing of TWD

"I Want You to Survive" is an article written by Seth M. Walker. This article was found in a book filled with short essays related to The Walking Dead. All of these essays are written by people such as philosophers or philosophy professors. A lot of information is translated from The Walking Dead. Every part of this essay written by Walker either goes into the topic of survival or opting out. This literary essay does a great job at turning his work into a conversation with the readers.

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Legitimate vs. bad paraphrasing

Legitimate paraphrasing:

Cracked.com features a brilliant text jointly conducted by four different authors. The authors of this article make a good point about what really goes on in the background of The Walking Dead. They want viewers to pay closer attention to the minor details of the show. The authors realize that the writers of The Walking Dead often drop hints about what is 'later to come' with minor details that often go unnoticed.

Bad paraphrasing:

This article, from cracked.com, was written by four different authors. This particular article tells us how directors behind our favorite television shows, The Walking Dead included, hints to future plots of the show. With the intention of opening the eyes of the viewers, the authors of this article shows viewers how to watch for "background clues" so that they can have a general idea of what to expect later in the season.

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My Position Statement

My current research question is: How far will you go to survive before your humanity comes into question? Waking up everyday in fear is no way for a human being to live. Can you imagine what it's like having to look over your shoulder every second of the day, wondering "is this the day that I get eaten alive and torn to shreds?" Every decision that you make is based upon survival. And, if you're like most people, who actually have something to live for, then you will do whatever it takes to keep yourself and the people you love alive. As compassionate human being (or non- compassionate depending on the person), we are wired to take care of ourselves and defend our loved ones without sacrificing the lives of others, whether you know them or not. But, what about when someone breaks those instilled rules and attempts to harm another person? Defense is the first thing that comes to mind. Sometimes we have to kill in order to protect ourselves and others out of self defense. However, we have to be careful. In The Walking Dead, members of the group murder people based off of fear and paranoia. For example, at the prison when Carol murdered those two sick people because she was afraid that they would infect others, even though it was too late. And, then, there's that time when Carl killed that poor teenager who was surrendering to the group. This is when your humanity comes into question. Self defense is okay. However, killing when you're just really paranoid can really make you look crazy and monstrous.

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Richonne

Last night's episode satisfied millions of walking dead fans. Richonne finally became a thing! Honestly, I think it was long overdue. The writers kind of gave viewers a hint of what was coming with Rick and Michonne in the very beginning of the episode, which in my opinion kind of spoiled the surprise. Rick, Carl, Judith, and Michonne were in one house acting as a normal family. For a second, I actually forgot they were living in an apocalyptic world because they seemed so happy and normal together. I'm glad that Rick and Michonne finally got intimate and I think that they will grow closer and closer as the season goes on. They might even become a couple. However, my excitement wasn't very high when it happened because they took so long to make Richonne happen.

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Omelas vs. Woodbury

The essay by Ursula Le Guin called "Omelas" is very similar to Woodbury from The Walking Dead. Both places are introduced as this beautiful place with children running around playing, women sharing recipes with each other, and everyone else walking around enjoying the sunshine and flowers. Things seem peaceful inside the sanctuary. Because the residents from both Omelas and Woodbury never really had to fight or deal with what is going on outside of their community, they don't know how to survive out there on their own. When the residents of both places leave their communities, it is likely that they will not make it back because they never learned how to survive. They never had to before.

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What would I do for sanction?

The governor of Woodbury from season 3 of The Walking Dead is extremely evil, heartless, and downright creepy. Something was seriously wrong with that guy! However, if I were living in a zombie- apocalyptic world, I would do almost anything for a hot shower, food, and a safe place to sleep at night. Although I don't trust the governor, staying at Woodbury for a while wouldn't kill me, I hope!. I would definitely have a bad feeling in my gut the entire I'm living there. But, if I were alone struggling to survive everyday with no sanction and just so happened to stumble across Woodbury, I think that I would stay there until things went bad and just put up with the governor's B.S. It's about survival and I would do what I have to do in order to live to see another day.

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Paper goals: Narrowing Down

I plan to narrow the topic of my paper down by looking through my list of possibilities and choosing which specific question relates to my overall topic of The Walking Dead. My overall topic right now is survival. How survival relates to the decisions that are made by the characters on TWD and how far they might go to survive before their humanity comes into question. Doing a little research and watching important re- runs of TWD will really aid me while searching for things to write about in my papers. The annotated bibliography that I will do for my second paper will be just the beginning of the types of sources I will use to successfully conduct my papers in this class.