Different Practices of Praise

Nathaniel Caldwell Zack D ePiero ENG 101-108 11.19.16 Different Practices of Praise When I was growing up, I never paid too much attention to religion. It was always around. My family was heavily involved in the church scene and I attended just about every religious based school as my family's way of seeking "better" education. As I reflected more on my childhood, I realized I experienced different religions in single religion areas such as school. Then it wouldn't only be school but in every day life. I'd experience different religious practices or opinions while I was borderline uninterested. With all of the controversy on religion, I'd like to gain a better understanding as to how people who interact with those of different religious practices perceive each other. My family, as a whole, believes in Jesus. There isn't one person in my family who has swayed away from religion or doubted the events of their life happening through anything but Jesus. As for me, I chose to take a different path that some of my family doesn't agree on. This isn't saying I'm choosing a different religious practice. It's saying that my beliefs and their beliefs just may not be neck and neck with each other. I believe in a higher power and that life couldn't be what it is without there being a higher power beyond my understanding. But with understanding, there must be knowledge. For those who weren't exposed to religion as much, they may not have the same beliefs that I do and there is nothing wrong with that. America is becoming one of the fastest multi-religious countries in the world due to diversity. There are the well known religions: Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Protestant, Jewish, etc. For the breakdown of American homes, you are likely to experience either one religion to a household or a multi-religious household. In this country, adults polled acknowledging what kind of religious homes they were raised in. In a recent study on Pew Research Center, http://pewrsr.ch/2eLkx8P, one-in-five adults were raised in interfaith homes. The chart above shows the breakdown of mixed religion homes. As you can see, religion can go any way an individual chooses for their belief in a household. The parents can share the same religion as the child in a storybook world. In reality, every person in a household can have a different belief. Even the parents can be conflicted for their religious belief. The child could choose to pursue a different belief system than the parents. The list of variables goes on and on because there really isn't a way to document all multi-religious practices. According to this study, the breakdown for how multi-religious background homes are set up is that either one or both parents could be or are not religiously affiliated. The father may not be religious but the mother is. How could this cause a conflict? What if the tables were turned? What if the father is religious but the mother isn't? How could the child, if one, be affected by this rift in the household? For these households, it's difficult to begin to think of how every one is affected at different points of life, good or bad, due to the lack of understanding of one's religion. The child is the base of what the household religion will be so some families may attempt to force religion on the child. In some cases like this, the child may adhere to the requests to choose a religion. In other cases, the child can either take a different religious practice or not take one at all. For those who can relate to this study, how do you believe they feel when approached about religion? How may a Catholic nurse approach an Atheist professor? How might a Muslim doctor approach a Jewish store supply owner? There isn't a way of identifying an individual's religion unless there is a visual that gives away their religious preference. Most people may wear a cross or crucifix if they're Christian, Catholic, Baptist, etc. Others, like Islam, Hindus, Buddhists, may have a different way to express their religion visually with accessories or style of dress. As religion has grown in America, so has the different opinions and views on each of them. A group of young adult writers from NPR have talked to individuals who have opinions on how religion has been shaped and is currently shaping America. David Greene, a writer at NPR, writes that one-fifth of Americans are religiously unaffiliated. He also writes that those under the age of 30 are drifting away from organized religion more than ever. His way of seeking understanding was to gather six adults --three woman and three man-- who were all struggling with religion. He didn't take them to a meeting room for this or even a church. Greene chose a location that was a venue to many events to lighten the thick religion atmosphere; a synagogue. All of these individuals had different religious backgrounds and upbringings. One of the woman he questioned was raised Jewish. Mariam Nissly stated "I realize maybe there's a disconnect there — why are you doing it if you don't necessarily have a belief in God? But I think there's a cultural aspect, there's a spiritual aspect, I suppose. I find the practice of sitting and being quiet and being alone with your thoughts to be helpful, but I don't think I need to answer that question [about God] in order to participate in the traditions I was brought up with." This woman was raised Jewish, as I said before, but describes herself as having an "agnostic bent." She believes but chooses to pursue the spiritual aspect of religion. Yusuf Ahmad, raised Muslim but turned Atheist, says he couldn't believe some of the stories told."Like the story of Abraham — his God tells him to sacrifice his son. Then he takes his son to sacrifice him, and he turns into a goat. I remember growing up, in like fifth [or] sixth grade I'd hear these stories and be like, 'That's crazy! Why would this guy do this? Just because he heard a voice in his head, he went to sacrifice his son and it turned into a goat?' There's no way that this happened. I wasn't buying it." In most cases, that's a deciding factor. Stories that aren't easily explainable can cause a person to stray away due to the unbelievable aspects. For two different writers from two different perspectives and as readers, how could these two authors approach each other? Would it be numbers versus opinions? Digits versus experience? Every writer has their own style and way of approaching different aspects? The PRC wants to have hard facts for their pieces. This type of writing isn't about personal experiences unless they pertain to the numerical breakdown of what's being studied. There were many different topics documents but not many had any personal experiences or stories for readers to connect to. Greene, on the other hand, gave individual's personal words as a way to connect to his readers. His method of seeking clarity was by hearing out from different religions that may have stuck to their religion or struggled to understand it. Religion is never easy to understand and may always conflict with a person. He searched for those stories for people to understand that sticking a religion isn't like having it taped to your body. It's an everlasting struggle in every day life.

Identifying Different Moves

When I read a piece of writing, I try to predetermine what side the writer is taking. Sometimes I may decide too soon and be incorrect. Other times, I had luck on my side in choosing what side they would take. The reason I'm writing this is because it's not always simple to figure out which side they're taking, approach they're using, etc. When it comes to really digging deeper into the moves of a writer, I struggled to identify how to see what moves were being made. The writing piece from class, 'They Say, I Say, helped me break down what phrases to look for in order to decide which move a writer was making. I was only using first order thinking in deterring a standpoint but that piece of writing offered clarity to what I wasn't seeing. Near the end of the reading, the breakdown for the commonly used transitions is what I realized I used without them having labels. I often use the cause and effect, conclusion, and comparison words or phrases for most often because the opinion base my writings may hold. "They Say, I Say" has helped me see what I was missing in my writing and I hope to build more of it into my writings as the semester progresses.

WP2 Brainstorm: Religious Perspectives and Opinions

When I chose religion as my focus for my WP2, I knew there would be many different opinions about it but nothing can be truly set in stone because these are merely opinions. I ask if anyone has another view they'd feel comfortable sharing, please comment below. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated and mentioned as a view of whichever perspective you'd like to take or opinion you'd like to add. I basically broke down society's views on religion into three different perspectives: teens(young adults), adults(parents, teachers, church officials, etc), and non believers are another perspective I'd like to use but I would rather have Zack let me know if it's able to be used or not. There a few things these perspectives all have in common that greatly impact their view on it. Those are knowledge of the religion and their emotions as they relate to their view. I've heard that when an individual is upset over a loss or traumatic event in general, religion may be blamed for the cause of it happening. This is not everyone's opinion nor is it factual. As for knowledge, teens and young adults have said that "they've noticed people around their age changing their religion only for single or few factors without completely understanding the religion itself. Please let me know your opinion on these two "universal similarities". Teens: -Open-minded, usually born and grow into a religion -Multiple religion households, teens may live in a Christian home but convert to Islam -A sense of entitlement is felt when choosing their religion, the new age is more "rebellious" some may say -Some say that this perspective may come off as/can be ignorant but it's their opinion -It's most relatable to teens that there is confusion when choosing a religion due to lack of knowledge of wanting more clarity -Teens may react the most emotion when dealing with religion, may choose to convert or cease their belief Adults: -This is a more traditional approach, depending on the religion decides the type of method for praise -Some households may be forceful when attempting to involve their children in their belief -Someone told me their family "credited" all of their life to the higher power they praise -In some places, you'll find extremists who take their religious praise to "next levels" I.e. Backwoods Churches usually found in the South may practice this type of praise using rituals, something not commonly seen in the city -I've also heard of the "by the book" approach, described as living your life by everybody of the Bible, Quran, or any other book of writing for each religion Non-Believers: -This group some say shouldn't be mentioned but couldn't fully explain why when deeper questioning was introduced -This group of people is one of two things in opinion; uninterested or undecided -Some say they may come off as ignorant or can be ignorant, this depends on your interaction and how you approached them I.e. I went to school with an atheist and have hadreligious conversations with this individual. These conversations were never tense nor aggressive. We walked away from each conversation having learned something from each other. -Looking back at the knowledge aspect, these individuals may only ask for more clarity that may not be able to be provided -Emotion, also mentioned earlier, may be the cause of non-belief

PB2A

Whenever there are argumuents--no matter the subject--there are always three sides to them: the person who agrees, the person who disagrees, and the unbiased side who doesn't necessarily have a side so their opinion is valued since there isn't any slander but honest opinion. So when it comes to these types of arguments--which we've all seen or been involved in--it's typically easy to identify the moves that'll be made. For those in favor of those being argued over, their approach is the easiest to identify. These individuals are always on the defensive and generally only bring up the positives of the person their defending, something that can be compared to a court room perhaps. As for the individuals on the attack, they also are knowledgeable of the the topic's history but only reference the negative for the sake of their argument. As for the unbiased side, they don't have any favorites in the situation so they'll acknowledge, equally, the pros and cons of the individual and won't look for confirmation or acceptance on their opinion on the subject. The most common place for debates on a daily basis is one of the largest forms of entertainment created. It's a part of everyday life for some but a complete mystery to others. Then the platforms that this is seen or heard on is just about everywhere now for easy access to the viewers. Yes, this is all referencing sportscasters, analysts, and even athletes. Sports are the events that are commonly linked to debates over different views of opinions that have to be respected. We all know an opinion can't be graded but in this profession, opinions hold a lot of weight and could determine the next step in one's career. All of these positions and different perspectives that tend to clash become habitual after viewing enough and identifying which path will be taken. Those on the defensive end of the argument can typically be identified as more aggressive in some situations. The moves they make can be spotted and rebuttalled by either of the opposing arguments. The headstrong approach of this position means everything that follows is more than likely praise of the individual. Sometimes, this argument may present a negative point as a way of strengthening their follow up argument of praise. Some may say,"Yes, they did/were involved in this situation or made this decision. But in light of that,...." because they accept it as an inevitable point that'll be made. Sometimes the "defensive debater" may bring up a comparison as a way of brightening the cloud overhead the argument. "I can admit they're guilty of this but "such and such" performed the same action/made the same decision with a worse outcome as the result", may be another infamous move made by those on defense. The list of techniques used to sway blame for the sake of defense are endless, especially when found in writing. For those on the attack, the approaches are different and usually hold more opinion than fact in some cases. The moves these individuals make are somewhat but not necessarily similar to those of the unbiased opinion. Even though they both seek the honest and understanding answer through respectful opinions, the unbiased person will remain unbiased while the other two perspectives--offense versus defense-- will still hold tight to their opinions. Each of the moves made by the "offensive" party have mainly one objective: prove the opposing party wrong or persuade them to understand your perspective on the issue.

RLW

I didn't realize it before but I would usually attempt to read pieces as if I had written them--this is when I was younger though. I used to hear people say that reading was so boring and I agreed with them at first. As kids though, there wassn't a lot that interested us or kept our attention for very long. So whenever I used to hear other students in my class complaining, I always wondered if there was a solution to solve this problem of literary boredom. As I thought about what did keep my attention, I realized it was our imaginations that were supposed to fuel us for reading. Then it dawned on me, putting myself in the writer's shoes is how I would keep my interests. It wasn't quite the same as RLW now but it seems pretty relevant when being compared. When RLW now, we're being asked to identify exactly what the writer was going for. What audience were they targeting? Why did they write the story? If identifiable, what was the message? What was the tone? Can you see yourself in the setting? All of these questions are key to using this technique. It's pretty much the same for children when using their imagination. For me, reading became a fantasy reality for the sake of remaining interested in the story. I just never knew there was a name for engulfing yourself in a writing piece.

Understanding

When I first started this class, I was skeptical about what we would be learning and how we'd be learning it. After all this time spent in the class, I have a better understanding of what and how we're learning this information. I struggled to grasp the concepts at first but after relating them to every day life, I began to understand exactly what you're aim was for. You're challenging us to read and write deeper than just surface level like we may have been previously taught. It became clear with the "nesting dolls" concept you presented. After I began to break down the genres and even formatting a paper from this idea, it was more clear where you were guiding us.

PB1B

Whenever we receive a piece of writing, we tend to try to determine what it will be about or how much of it really needs to be. Sometimes we’ll read just the introduction. Other times, the whole point of what's written could be in the conclusion. Basically, reading, could be done in many different ways. When we read the first or last paragraphs of a piece writing, that's a skimming technique. There are many other techniques to writing that are very useful depending on which style best suits you. When choosing a reading technique, not only does it depend on what works best for you but what's the best technique for that particular article. For some, scanning or skimming will suffice. For others, it may require a more detailed outline or elaborate thought process. But it's not only the technique that makes a difference. When using these techniques, they have to be used correctly and efficiently for the best possible outcome of understanding what was read or will be read. When a person wants to have read every detail, how would they go about it? Scan or skim? That's an easy one right. When you want to take it every detail, you'll scan every word on every page and double read just to be sure sometimes. Yes, scanning is a long process but it comes in handy for certain readings. Depending on the position you take, you'll scan an entire piece down to the last period. But it's unnecessary for some readings. When scanning is unnecessary, it isn't a waste of time but that time could be used more productively. Now when it's coming to skimming, let's be honest, we've all used this move 10 minutes class. It's not the worst technique to use to get quick information that's valuable as long as you choose the right information to point out. Skimming can save you time short-term, yes. There is nothing wrong with getting quick information. Honestly, most the quick read texts like twitter, captions, text messages, etc can all be skimmed and there will be nothing that you will miss from it. When it comes to lengthy texts with useful information though, skimming can be a little tricky and sometimes bear consequences. Don't be afraid to skim but don't use it as your go-to move when reading something lengthy that requires attention. This method is a little challenging depending on the topic and how you approach it when you read. The “Three Positions” technique that requires you to involve yourself in the reading. Even more than that, you're challenged to think as three different personalities and to determine how they would approach the reading and what the outcome would be. When having to approach something from three different views, it can be quite difficult to determine how things would be seen. The other aspect to this is that they have to disagree with each other in every view. How would each person rebuttal the other? This challenges you to engulf yourself in the reading for a deeper understanding. All of these steps are done pre-reading. When you get to the post reading point, you'll take one view that agrees with the author. The other two will be opposing each other. You have to identify each identity and how they would debate with each other. The last technique I'm going to discuss is one we do on a day to day basis and practice everywhere we go, whether it's written, spoken, or seen. We question everything in everyday life and have probably thought of it as a technique to deepen our thinking process. So if imagine reading a piece that holds a lot of information that you would like to know more about. After reading your article, think of three aspects of the article that stood out. Then think of one question to each topic that would give you more insight on that topic. After that, you can continue on to find out those answers in reading later on whenever you choose. Now that you have read about these different techniques, how would you apply one of them to a piece of reading you may come across? If you were to read a request written to a judge, which technique do you believe would be most effective? There has to be many things written to a judge on a daily basis and in many different jargon. From dealing with district attorneys to city hall council members, the range of vocabulary must be extensive. I would say that the “Three Person” technique may be a better technique to expand knowledge in this topic. Being able to identify different terms throughout different pieces is an amazing gift that should be built on. As readers and writers, we strive to get deeper understandings of what we read and write each day. These kinds of pieces are doing exactly that.