6. Research Paper Reflection

The beast is slain. The largest writing project of my freshman year in college is done. Hallelujah! This research paper has been weighing on my mind for almost a month as I have gone through the process of finding a personal narrative to tie into my research, researched my topic, wrote a thesis, composed a rough draft, and edited a final. At least that was what the process was meant to be. What actually happened was a lot less pretty. I started researching my topic, only to find that there were few sources accessible to me that related well with my topic. I had already done research, found sources, and even written a thesis by this time. But when it came to writing a rough draft, I didn't have the knowledge or resources that fill the pages. So I had the opportunity to revisit my topic and expand my research. I think that by doing the annotated bibliography so soon, I was just looking for related articles to fill space. The real research fro my paper was done as I wrote my rough draft. I think that the way we went about writing this paper works extremely well if one is motivated in the beginning of the process. If one procrastinates, like I did, the process is a bit harmful. That being said, I still think I came out of it all with a very good essay.

5. General Conference, Elder Cook on Rationalizing Our Dreams Away

This past weekend, we were blessed with the chance to hear from many apostles and prophets  of God in the October Conference of 2014. While many people love to listen to the messages given in conference, few take the time to analyze why these talks are so effective. But when one looks a little deeper into the General Conference addresses, they can see many tools of persuasion. In Elder Quentin L. Cook's talk 'Choose Wisely', Elder Cook uses analogies and reasoning to show the dangers of rationalization, especially in regards to our church responsibilities.

Elder Cook shared one of his favorite comic strips to introduce his topic of rationalization, and share why this mindset is such a problem. In the comic strip, Lucy misses a fly ball in baseball, and while her team is mad about her missing it, she says "How do you expect me to catch the ball when I am worried about our country's foreign policy?" Elder Cook uses this analogy to show how sometimes in life, we link together excuses to avoid criticism or responsibility. He uses the comic strip to show how silly our rationalizations really seem. These rationalizations are dangerous because they try to take away our accountability. Elder Cook then goes on to explain how some people try to rationalize their decisions to not serve a mission, get married in the temple, or fulfill their church callings.

One of the big things that Elder Cook warned against was setting goals, but not putting the effort into our daily life to accomplish those goals. He explained how these people are rationalizing their day to day routines as to see no issues with their habits. These people get to the point where its time to accomplish their goal, but are not ready to do so because of their lack of real preparation. Elder Cook uses this example after the silly comic strip in order to show that our rationalizations are just as silly as Lucy's, but can have far more severe consequences. 

4. Possible Research Topics

Having grown up in a very Rational World Paradigm family, there are few family traditions and stories that I know. The ones that come to mind are a family reunion in McCall Idaho every year and the tradition of receiving a Christmas Ornament on Christmas Eve each year that symbolizes our accomplishments throughout the year. I could do research on the location of the reunion, the history of lake recreation, etc. Or I could talk about the history of Christmas trees, decorations at Christmas, etc. Something I just thought of that might be interesting is that all my life I have grown up practicing. My parents had my brother and I share a room to practice living with another person, like what one does at college or a mission or a marriage. There are a variety of things that we did in our family to prepare us for our future. I could look into seeing if there is a correlation to college success or success in the world with sharing a room and learning to live with others.

Maybe look at the history of Christmas, how it came about, the symbolism, how presents came to be. You could also look into Christmas Eve and how your family tradition branched off that. 

*I agree with the comment above, you could research the history of Christmas (Father Christmas in Germany). 

I like your second idea. You could do your own experience versus your roommate to see if because of your practice you are having an easier time living here etc 

Two great ideas. I particularly like the first one- it creates a kind of memory time-table. I can well imagine how you would, on occasion, look at each ornament and think through the memories that are associated with it.

I do the Christmas ornament tradition as well. I think it would be interesting to research where that started and why, if there is any symbolism involved with the tradition, etc.

Thesis- Research indicates that a father's perception of his father plays a strong role on the parenting style that that father uses. Furthermore, a son is extremely likely to develop the same criteria of what the characteristics of good fatherhood are as his father.

3. Retorical Analysis Review

The first essay of College is officially turned in! Though essays are never very fun, this experience has eased my anxieties. I was able to be successful in getting the essay done in a timely fashion, as well as produce quality work. 

The success of my essay was founded on the analysis of the speech. As I started off, I chose a speech that I was passionate about, and found interesting. I then broke it down, scanning for literary devices, and the reason that those devices were there. By analyzing the ways the author presented his arguments, I was able to develop a format to base my essay on.
Another important aspect to an essay's success is to properly time things out. I wrote my essay on Friday, so I had a whole week to edit any flaws out. By giving myself plenty of time, I felt much less stressed than in past essays. That lack of stress helped me focus and preform better on the essay.
The final tool I used for success was the writing center. I went in on Monday to the writing center to review my work with a writing major. He was able to give me formating tips, as well as share with me where my reasoning made less sense. By going into the center, I was able to get feedback from a reliable source.
Overall, the first essay of my college career was a good learning experience. By starting off right, I am able to set a standard for the rest of my essays.

2. Success Lies in Your Past

Research has came out that leads to some startling statistics. Many people have speculated the factors that lead to a child's success, but few have thought to look into what the New York Times is calling, "The single most important thing you can do for your family..." (The Stories that Bind Us, Feiler). New research has came out that suggests that understanding your family history, the ups and the downs, leads children to have all kinds of advantages in dealing with the struggles that come during development. According to the article, more groups than just families can take advantage of this new research. Military groups such as the Marines are finding success in educating their recruits about the history of the Marines. Recruits with more knowledge about their organizations history were more likely to bond more closely with those in their unit, and were better able to cope with the stresses of their job. By understanding that your family or organization has had its ups and downs, people are able to feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves, and are more able to overcome the challenges of their lives. In the Times article, it states in order to build a stronger family, share stories with your children, some light and funny, others more serious, that lead to a sense of family accomplishment. Develop a family theme, that challenges your posterity to succeed. Though there are many other beliefs as to how to make a family succeed, sometimes the simplest solutions are best at solving the largest of issues. 

1. Socialy Responsible Social Media

Over the course of a few years, the Church of Jesus Christ has evolved its council on social media. Elder David A. Bednar has given council to members of the church in two addresses, Things As They Really Are, and To Sweep the Earth as With a Flood. Through the warnings given in Things As They Really Are, Elder Bednar stresses the importance of remembering the distinctions between the real and the virtual worlds. With this in mind, Elder Bednar then describes some of the unprecedented opportunities members of the church have due to the popularity of social media outlets, in To Sweep the Earth as With a Flood. By finding a balance between using our new opportunities of the internet era and staying in contact with what is real, the gospel is able to be spread to more eyes than ever before.