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NAME: Corbin Novell

DATE: December 18, 2017
INSTRUCTOR: Megan Waggy
SEMESTER/YEAR: 1st semester 2017 COURSE:English 105 SECTION#:

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Dear Beth,

My freshman year of college I was very nervous about nearly everything. For

example I did not know if I was going to be able to make new friends, do well in school

and how I was going to be able to handle the large workload. If it was not for you helping

through high school I do not know how I would have been ready for college. Everything

you had told me came true. Especially in my English class but, I luckily had you as my

neighbor to help me prepare for the college life. I only benefited from you being my
neighbor and everything you told me and taught me about English and writing papers I

took with me to college. Now whenever I write my papers they flow much better and I

am better at putting in quotations ever since you taught me how to do better lead ins.

Since you have been such a major impact on my college career I feel I should fill

you in on how it is going more specifically how my English 105 class is going since you

helped me the most with writing papers. This year we have written multiple papers all

displaying different types of writing. I learned rhetorical concepts through analyzing a

variety of different sources and writing a paper on them and, when writing my grammar

and punctuation has also improved immensely. I also got better at locating and evaluating

articles for their credibility through what evidence they use in their articles and what kind

of bias the article has. The last paper we have to write for this semester is a final

portfolio. For this paper we have to revise to articles we have previously written this year

now that we have somewhat mastered these skills. I wanted to write you a letter to show

you how I have mastered some of these skills in my writing and how I have grown as a

writer in general. The two papers I have chosen to revise are my rhetorical analysis and

my I-Search. My Rhetorical analysis involves reviewing several articles that have

different biases about NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem. The I-

Search paper I wrote is about Alzheimer’s disease which I did extensive research on. For

my revisions on these papers I plan to use the skills I have learned over this semester to

make changes to make these two papers better than they were before.

The first paper I will revise will be the Rhetorical analysis. We were told to

choose three different sources all in which with a different bias. I choose CNN, Fox news

and The Atlantic. I feel the need to revise this paper because I think I can do better with
my transition sentences and my lead ins with the quotations I used. I chose to do it on a

topic I am interested in which is the NFL and if the players should be allowed to take a

knee during the National Anthem. The Rhetorical Analysis really makes you look at the

different news sources and how they portray the players taking a knee based on their bias.

For example CNN glorifies the players for doing the right thing and doing what they

believe in, where as Fox would say how they are disrespecting or nation and the troops

who fight for them to have the right to take a knee. What I did when writing this paper

was look for the best quotes in their articles that demonstrate best their different types of

biases. I also tried my best to not put in my own personal opinion on the matter and just

write about how the articles are bias. For example when they talk about Collin Kapernick

being the Pioneer of taking a knee because of there being a racial injustice; I said “This

bias serves the common interests of the left since they depict Colin as a leader and a hero

for taking a knee during the national anthem as well as encouraging several other

professional athletes to follow in his foot steps.” By saying this I kept out my own views

on this statement and only commented on the article and how they are portraying Collin.

This helps because the Point of the Rhetorical Analysis is to show the different biases of

different news sources.

The second paper I chose to revise was the I-Search. The topic I chose for this

paper was Alzheimer’s disease, the treatments for it and the way it can affect the families

of the individuals who have the disease. In order to show my audience more about

Alzheimer’s I used scholarly sources, which have done research on the topic. For

example I used Medline plus who has a team of editors for their articles who all have an

MD and are experts in the field of Alzheimer’s. In my conclusion of the I-Search I used
poor word choice in order to properly conclude the paper. For example, “What there is

though are new studies that will help with treating the disease but not curing it.” This

sentence does not flow very well and needs to be re worded and there are other examples

of poor word choice such as this, which need to be revised. I also need to do a better job

in my conclusion with connecting everything back together with my original search. I did

do well at researching Alzheimer’s and different types of cures they are working on. One

example of this would be “26-week test on 38 patients – some given a 1.8mg daily dose

of the drug and others a placebo – provided “proof in principle” that liraglutide halts the

progression of Alzheimer’s All of the patients in this study had already been showing the

first signs of Alzheimer's or dementia”(Giles Sheldrick, 2017). I did not have many other

examples of this since it was hard to find newer experimental studies.

In Conclusion I have learned the four learning outcomes from English 105. I

achieved my Rhetorical Knowledge by describing to my audience how the articles all

have a different bias in my rhetorical analysis. My critical thinking, Reading, and

composing has improved also in the Rhetorical Analysis by looking at a wide range of

articles and analyzing them to determine what kind of bias they have. I mastered

processes because when writing my I-Search it took me many drafts before I could get

one I was happy with and had minimal errors. My knowledge of conventions also

increased while writing my Rhetorical Analysis. The reason being is I had to site several

different sources which was difficult since I was not used to the APA formatting. As I am

concluding this letter I would just like to thank you for all the advice you have given me

throughout high school and I use it everyday now in my college career.

I-Search
 I first learned about Alzheimer's first hand when I was in elementary school and

middle school. They way I experienced this was with my great grandmother (Nana). She

lived to 102 and up until she turned 100 she was still very active. For example she loved

going fishing and spending most of her time outdoors. When she turned 100 is when she

first got Alzheimer's and it changed everything. She went from someone who was very

active and independent to someone who could not really do anything on her own. Now

she was unable to fishing or even go for a walk on her own for that matter. What we

ended up having to do was put her into a nursing home which was hard for my mom and

grandma to do since they knew that she would hate to be in there. The reason we knew

she would hate is she already did not enjoy being inside too much when she was health

and that is where she would be most of the time. They ended up not really have any other

choice since someone had to take care of her and they did not have the time nor the

experience with the disease to do it. What we also started to notice as the years went on

was how here memory started to fade. For example she could not remember my mom or

my grandmother bt she could remember me and my little brother. This was extremely

tough on my mom and grandma since they both loved her deeply and most of the time

she did not recognize them. When it was getting towards the end of her life it hard for us

to go and visit her since we could see she was miserable living the way she was and we

knew her time was soon to come. Watching a loved one deteriorate before your eyes is

very tough to do which is why I am interested in Alzheimer's as my topic to what you

could do to help someone with Alzheimer's whether that be a cure, therapy or medicine to

help cope with it.

 What I do know already is there is not a cure for Alzheimer's and all they have are

drugs to help cope with it. I know this since that's all they could do for my great grandma.

I also know that they are continuing to search for a cure by doing studies on experimental

drugs on patients that have Alzheimer's. They also tried a new experimental drug on my

Nana at the time. One more thing I know is when someone gets Alzheimer's it usually

results in death. Alzheimer's also usually only affects elderly people and does not affect

younger people. Other than that I do not know much more about the disease since all I

know is what I was able to experience first hand and what I can remember from those

experiences since it was a long time ago.

PART TWO: 615 words

When I first started looking for my sources I was not quite sure where I should

begin. So I decided to go on wikipedia and look at their sources so I could get a look at

some potential sources I might want to use. All I typed in was Alzheimer's disease

wikipedia from there I saw they had (Medlineplus, 2016) as one of their sources. When I

went to the website I found it was a good source since it is a government website. What I

found out was Alzheimer's is a form of dementia. When it starts it begins slowly it starts

with the parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. It is common for

people with Alzheimer's to forget things that happened recently or the names of people

they know in the beginning stages. As it progresses the symptoms only get worse they

may forget who family members are and have trouble with speaking, reading and writing.

Then in the final stages of alzheimers they may forget how to do simple everyday tasks

such as brushing their teeth or combing their hair. At this stage they may even start to
become anxious and aggressive people suffering from the disease may also wander from

home and not know how to get back.

I knew this was a useful source since I have used it in the past for previous

writing assignments I have done. They have a team of editors that write their articles for

this article in particular it was written by Jonathan Graff-Radford, M.D. in 2017. Dr.

Graff-Radford is a practicing neurologist in Minnesota. One of the most important things

I learned from this article is when you start getting the the first signs of Alzheimer's it is

important to work very closely with your doctor. The reason being is your doctor can try

to figure out a treatment plan in order to prolong your independence. I also learned from

this website is there are two drugs that help treat Alzheimer's that the FDA has approved.

One is Cholinesterase inhibitors and the other is Memantine. These drugs are approved

only for specific Alzheimer's stages which are mild, moderate, and severe. An alternative

method of treatment other than drugs that I learned about is listening to music. It can

relieve stress, reduce anxiety and depression, and reduce agitation. How this can help

with Alzheimer's is since music is often times related to memories. So when playing

music for a loved one play music they like in order to calm them down and hopefully

help them remember times when the music was playing.

After I then searched online for a cure for Alzheimer's. Where I then found a

news article written by the Express which is a newspaper in the UK, the article was

written by Giles Sheldrick in 2016. She is a journalist for the the Express who often times

writes about medical diseases. This news article tells about how in a “26-week test on 38

patients – some given a 1.8mg daily dose of the drug and others a placebo – provided

“proof in principle” that liraglutide halts the progression of Alzheimer’s All of the
patients in this study had already been showing the first signs of Alzheimer's or

dementia”(Giles Sheldrick, 2017). What the drug does is it keeps the brain's metabolism

going and it decreases inflammation. whereas the patients who did not receive the drug

their brain’s metabolism decreased and the inflammation of their brain increased. Now

they are doing a larger study with 208 patients in the UK and if the results come out

positive within the next five years there may be a new safe and better treatment for

Alzheimer's than ever before. After searching for another article I found one by Medline

Plus which is a government website.

PART THREE: 446 words

The conclusions I have come to are there is no cure, and there are no breaking

through studies that are close to a cure. What there are new studies that will help with

treating the disease but not curing it. This means there has to be new studies in order to

find a cure one day. What else I concluded are the treatments with just the drugs are not

enough since all they can do is prolong the inevitable. Which is Alzheimer's taking over

and growing until it has fully taken over. But when you do physical therapy at times it

can help teach the patient with Alzheimer's how to cope with it and help them start to

remember things where otherwise they would have never been able to. One example of

this is listening to music which can help jog their memory into remembering something

that they had forgotten about.

My findings are important because they are doing more to hopefully find a cure

one day. Also Alzheimer's is also a slow and devastating disease that destroys families

and several relationships. Likewise we should also be raising awareness and support to

those affected by the disease both families and the people who tragically do have the
disease This is important to others in case one of their loved ones gets the disease.

Unfortunately there is no cure yet, but they would need to know about it and be

somewhat knowledgeable about it in order to help their loved ones. To take them to a

hospital in order to receive a treatment so hopefully they will be able to be functional for

a longer period of time. If they already know someone who has had it in their family it is

hereditary so this information could be useful so they would know what to do once they

started to get the first signs of it. Such as go to the hospital to get treatment or take the

proper precautions so hopefully they will never have to suffer with the disease. This is

very important to me since my great grandmother had it and it ended up affecting all of

our lives greatly. And now that I know it is hereditary I need to know about it incase I get

it or anyone else in my family gets it so I can try to help them somehow. Whether that be

taking them to the doctors since they can not drive anymore or just playing some of their

favorite music.

Some of the Information I learned was very surprising to me such as there is a

breakthrough study in UK where they may one day find the cure once they are done with

their study. What I was able to learn is that music can help people with Alzheimer's since

it can help jog their memory and calm them down if they are starting to get anxiety or

aggressive. I also learned it is a disease that slowly eats away at your brain as it

progresses and it may take years before it has reached the final stages of it. I also learned

there is not a whole lot you can do for someone who has Alzheimer's since there is no

cure for it so basically all you are able to do is help them try to cope with it.
 Works Cited

“Alzheimer's Disease | AD | MedlinePlus.” MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for

You, medlineplus.gov/alzheimersdisease.html.

“Alzheimer's: Drugs Help Manage Symptoms.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for

Medical Education and Research, 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-

conditions/alzheimers-disease/in-depth/alzheimers/art-20048103.

Sheldrick, Giles. “Alzheimer's Cure at Last: First Drug to Stop Disease in Its Tracks.”

Express.co.uk, Express.co.uk, 2016, www.express.co.uk/life-

style/health/665115/Alzheimer-dementia-cure-drug-stop-disease .

Rhetorical Analysis

Fake news gets published consistently in the world we live in today. It is hard to

distinguish real news from fake news since most major credible news sources are bias

concerning their stand on the political spectrum. Not to mention, nowadays most credible

news sources maximize value by being the first to report on a situation while lacking in

providing true and factual information since it requires additional time and resources.
Likewise, the topic I will be discussing is taking a knee during the national anthem. The

news sources I will be examining are CNN, Fox News, and the Atlantic.

Oftentimes, CNN employs bias-leftist ideologies while retaining their reputation

as a credible source. An instance of CNN exemplifying political bias includes an article

about players taking a knee during the national anthem. “Still, plenty opted to kneel

during "The Star-Spangled Banner," with the Baltimore Ravens' Terrell Suggs and

Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Evans among the stars following the lead of former pro

quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who pioneered the anthem protests last year over what he

was said was social and racial injustice” (Eliott C. McLaughlin, Mon September 25,

2017). This bias serves the common interests of the left since they depict Colin as a

leader and a hero for taking a knee during the national anthem as well as encouraging

several other professional athletes to follow in his footsteps. “He also referenced the

shootings of black men by police as one of reasons for his stance. "To me, this is bigger

than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way," he told NFL

Media. "There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away

with murder"” (Eliott C. McLaughlin, Mon September 25, 2017). This quotation presents

the reasoning behind Colin’s motive to take a knee regarding police brutality. However, it

does not show the police officer’s point of view and why they had to take such drastic

actions in the first place. “In Sunday morning tweets, Trump renewed his criticism of the

protests, slamming the league's ratings and saying players should be fired or suspended

for such protests. On Saturday, he called for NFL owners to fire any "son of a bitch" who

"disrespects our flag"”(Eliott C. McLaughlin, Mon September 25, 2017). What they are

trying to do here is scrutinize Trump for calling the people who are not standing for the
flag a “son of a bitch” and saying they disrespect our nations flag. This is bias since is

clearly a republican and CNN does not like him and often times try to make him look bad

any chance they get. These are a few examples of how CNN are bias and most of their

viewers are liberals so when they read this article they are only seeing one side of the

story.

Furthermore, an additional bias news source includes Fox News that appeals to

the ideologies of those committed on the right side of the political spectrum. ““Comments

like we heard last night from the president are inappropriate, offensive and divisive,”

Giants owners John Mara and Steve Tisch said in a joint statement Saturday, the New

York Post reported. “We are proud of our players, the vast majority of whom use their

NFL platform to make a positive difference in our society”” (Fox News, September 24

2017). In articles like these they make it seem like it is a bad thing to be proud of players

who sit or kneel during the national anthem. They also make it seem like they are

creating a divide in our country rather than creating unity like Steve Tisch says it is

creating. Trump said, “We’re proud of our country. We respect our flag. Wouldn’t you

love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say get that

son of a bitch off the field, right now, out? He’s fired” (Fox News, September 24 2017).

They also often times in Fox News articles they glorify Trump in his statements

regardless if they are correct or incorrect. Which demonstrates how they have more of a

conservative bias. “Kaepernick and the 49ers parted ways after last season, and the

quarterback has remained unsigned by any NFL team ever since – prompting many

commentators and fans to charge that Kaepernick is being blackballed by the league”

(Fox News, September 24 2017). The reason they say this is because they want to show
what the consequences are when you do not stand up and honor the American flag

regardless of your cause. They also put this to try and show that it was a dumb decision

of Colin to take a knee during the national anthem since he is now currently unemployed.

All of these quotations show how Fox News is a credible news source but the way they

display their news could have it considered as fake news since it is all leaning towards a

conservative bias.

When it comes to looking for a neutrally bias news source it is often times hard to

find one but The Atlantic is one of the few who are neutrally bias. “They were replicating

the gesture of Colin Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback who, starting in 2016, had

been kneeling during the pre-game singing of the national anthem” (MEGAN

GARBER, SEPTEMBER 24 2017). THIS DEMONSTRATES HOW THE

ATLANTIC IS A NEUTRAL SOURCE SINCE THEY ONLY STATE THE

FACTS. THEY DO NOT TALK ABOUT HOW COLIN WAS IN THE RIGHT

OR THE WRONG FOR TAKING A KNEE OR IF THE PLAYERS DID THE

RIGHT THING BY FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOSTEPS THEY ONLY TALK

ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. TRUMP SPOKE “On Friday night, at a rally in

Alabama, as one U.S. territory reeled from a humanitarian crisis and another lay under

threat of a nuclear attack, Trump spoke of NFL franchise owners, encouraging them to

fire players who kneeled in protest during the singing of the national anthem” (MEGAN

GARBER, SEPTEMBER 24 2017). THIS JUST SHOWS HOW THE NATION

IS TAKING A KNEE AS A PRESSING ISSUE ALSMOST AS EQUVILENT

WITH THE NORTH KOREA CRISIS. THE ATLANTIC ALSO DOES NOT

SAY IF TRUMP DID THE RIGHT THING BY NOT TALKING ABOUT

NORTH KOREA IT JUST SAYS THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED. “Trump doubled

down on his Friday-night slights. “If a player wants the privilege of making millions of

dollars in the NFL, or other leagues,” he wrote, “he or she should not be allowed to

disrespect … our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National

Anthem. If not, YOU’RE FIRED. Find something else to do!”” (MEGAN GARBER,

SEPTEMBER 24 2017). THEY DO NOT SAY IF THEY DISAGREE OR

AGREE WITH TRUMP ON THIS PRESSING ISSUE OF NFL PLAYERS

TAKING A KNEE. These are a few of the many examples of how The Atlantic is a

neutrally bias news source.

To compare new sources such as these are not a hard thing to do in order to figure

out what is fake news and what is real. For example when Fox has a conservative bias

most of their viewers are all also conservatives. The reason is since people who are

conservatives only want to see things from their point of view or how they feel about the

topic. With CNN it is the same thing except for they have more of a liberal bias. Whereas

news sources such as The Atlantic are a neutrally bias news source where all they do is

say the facts and not state their opinions on the matter. Personally I think this is the best

way to get your news from since it is one of the only ways you can get the facts without

the reporters putting their opinions into the mix.

In this day in age it is often times to a challenge to figure out what the news is

without getting it from a bias stand point. The reason being is it is hard to tell what is real

news and what is fake, since most major credible news sources are bias to weather they

are left or the right. In most cases if you want to figure out what is real and what is fake

you would need to go and look at several different news sources. In my opinion the only
type of news that should be out there should be non-bias news sources since you can get

the strait facts without the political agendas of others being put into it.
 Work Cited

McLaughlin, E. C. (2017, September 25). These are the NFL players protesting today

amid Trump criticism. Retrieved October 16, 2017, from

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/24/us/nfl-trump-take-knee-protests/index.html

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/09/24/after-trump-remarks-will-more-nfl-players-

take-knee.html

Garber, M. (2017, September 24). They Took a Knee. Retrieved October 16, 2017, from

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/09/why-the-nfl-is-

protesting/540927/