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English 1 Course Blog
Welcome to the English 1 Course Blog. This blog will serve as a forum where we can discuss the course readings and other topics related to our class discussions.
You will be expected to post on this blog at least ten times during the semester. To receive credit for your post, you must write at least one paragraph (5-7 sentences). You do not have to worry about spelling, grammar, or punctuation.
You will be expected to post on this blog at least ten times during the semester. To receive credit for your post, you must write at least one paragraph (5-7 sentences). You do not have to worry about spelling, grammar, or punctuation.
Blog Archive
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2008
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October
(17)
- Martin Luther King, Jr. & Malcolm X
- Righteous Hate?
- Money vs. Passion
- Superman & Alexie
- Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass
- Against School
- For Tuesday
- Obama and McCain on Education
- College Panel Calls For Less Focus On SATs
- Baylor Rewards Freshman Who Retake SAT
- Reflecting on your Education
- For Thursday
- Class Canceled on Tuesday
- Neighborhood
- Writing for an Audience
- Counterargument
- VP Debate
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October
(17)
5 comments:
I thought that the debate was very fair. The moderator gave both speakers an equal amount of time to respond and enough time to defend themselves. (After the debate, ABCNews mentioned that Palin got around 30 seconds more, but that's close enough for me to be fair.) She also asked very fair questions that addressed both candidates weaknesses and strengths, rather than cherry-picking certain topics that one candidate might be stronger in. She didn't cut anyone off or show any favoritism in who answered first or last.
As for who I thought came out on top, I'd have to say Joe Biden. Both candidates spoke well, but Palin was too flirty, and that might have hurt her. She kept winking at the camera and saying things like, "Doggone it!". I personally prefer a VP to be a powerful, level individual who speaks assertively; winking isn't something you can do to the leader of a foreign country. Biden defended himself well when Palin tried to play the 'mother' card by mentioning that he was a single parent for 5 years to two boys who almost died in a car accident. Their tones were very different as well. Biden was more persuasive and charismatic, using his record to defend him, while Palin was a little more cutting and at times mocking (like chuckling at some of Biden's answers in the beginning), choosing more to attack on issues like the surge which no one really cares about right now. The economy is a much bigger issue, which I felt both candidates tackled well. Both methods they used were effective, but to me personally, taking the offensive stance is less effective than being able to defend yourself. Although, to be fair, Palin did a much better job than she did in that Couric interview, which was disastrous. Biden also didn't say anything stupid, which he sometimes has a tendency of doing. Biden just has more experience and was able to better connect, especially by mentioning that he commutes everyday as well as having his family move around due to a lack of money. Palin kept mentioning being a soccer mom, but didn't bring up any strife she might have gone through in her life.
I could go on about this for days so I'll just stop now. All in all, I thought it was a close debate, and both candidates did a respectable job.
Wow, Rosa, that's a very astute & perceptive response to the debate. I can see that you have been following this race very closely. Do you think that the Couric interviews inadvertently helped Palin by lowering the public's expectations of her?
I must admit, I'm very passionate about this election. I think the Couric interviews helped Palin in the same way that Biden's big mouth helped him. People were expecting them to mess up and they didn't. So initially, everyone was shocked that these candidates did such a good job. But after the very critical analysis most news channels had, I think that people heard the responses and made their own opinions.
I think that both candidates proved themselves in this debate and both did a very good job overall. As far as a winner though, I don't think either one showed a real advantage over the other. Pretty much, they're both in a very similar position. Biden has a record of saying some very stupid things in the past so he wanted to come out and sound intelligent and worthy,and he did a pretty good job. Palin, after the two interviews where she also sounded really dumb and not at all up to the job, also had to prove herself to the American people. She did speak relatively well and she asserted herself, but she chose a different tone than Biden. Biden spoke very professionally and politically correct, whereas Palin specifically used a more everyday, not so professional sounding language because her whole stand is that she's not one of these smooth-talking politicians, she's a real person. I think they both accomplished what they wanted to do. So, even though I don't think either of them was better than the other and neither of them really won, it still did a lot for both of them as far as how people view them.
i actually watched the debate the following night and couldnt believe it. i had heard that sarah palin winked, used cute little words like youbetcha and looked very head of the pta'ish. i couldnt believe how silly she sounded and couldnt help but think of how much lower other countries would think of us if she was v.p. or if God forbid, something happened to mccain and she became president taking the stage in primetime sounding like a country bumkin calling everyone joe sixpack. she answered questions when she felt like it, sometimes barely. i think biden was much more direct, to the point, and answered the questions that were asked. reading peoples responses online it seemed that whoever people liked beforehand they thought that person won, but i don't want someone representing my country who doesn't speak proper english and winking at me to try to distract. we are supposed to be this great, dignified country and i dont see palin as putting our best foot forward or making a great first impression.
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