The Benefits of Fight Club
Friday, October 30th, 2015
As we have learned over the past two months, Fight Club really teaches us more than we realize. Fight Club is more than a class activity, it strengthens our opinions as writers and people. The beauty of it is that it allows us to put our perspective on different topics. It reveals our character. Every week when I analyze the articles given to us, I automatically start coming up with arguments, even if they don’t fit my beliefs.. For example, it teaches us how to develop arguments from any given situation, and to stand by them even if it is difficult to do so. It also teaches us to accept counterarguments, comprehend them, and make a rebuttal, which reflects in our paper. Before coming to this class I refrained from doing this as I feared it would weaken my argument, but in reality it does the exact opposite. Recognizing the counter argument strengthens the paper as long as you write a rebuttal. This is similar to what we did when we wrote our in-class paper regarding the banning of automobiles. The purpose of that assignment was for us to practice developing arguments on any given topic. Fortunately, we were able to choose the topics for our research paper, since it is easier to develop arguments on topics that you are passionate about. As a result my claims are much stronger and credible than ever before.
On the other hand, there are some things that I still find difficult when writing my paper. For example, I am having issues with the structure and organization with my paper. While I am very passionate about what I am writing and have several strong arguments, I am unsure about how to organize and present them. Clarity is an essential factor to a good research paper as if the reader’s can’t follow what I am saying they won’t be able to take away from it. The other thing that I am still having trouble with is using my quotations effectively. As you know, ethos is an important part of a persuasive argument as it will reel in the audience. Other than that, my paper is coming along well and I am excited to refine it.
Although Fight Club does benefit my writing in several ways, there are certain things that are easier to accomplish in a verbal argument than in a written one. For example, tone and body language is incredibly effective as it strengthens your argument. Also, it is easier to rebuttal a counterargument when you are sitting with the person you are arguing with, as you can identify their tone and facial expressions. In the end, Fight Club truly reflects our character and has developed our papers immensely.
***
After looking at my old post about the purpose of Fight Club, which was just a few weeks ago, I realized that I was missing one key aspect in my argument -the comparison. While all of us discussed how influential Fight Club is and how it benefits our research papers, how do we truly know? There is no doubt that Fight Club impacts our papers, as we have practiced developing arguments within minutes of receiving the topic and began to recognize that there are valid counter-arguments, which are important aspects of a strong research paper. However, what is the difference between us practicing these skills and listening to our professor tell us what is important. With this thought, I decided to compare two research papers of mine and identify the differences.
The first research paper that I analyzed came from a class I took in the first semester of my senior year in high school called Advanced Composition. This class, similar to the on we are taking now, was a research class. In my high school class, however, each student was required to read a scholastic book with diverse topics. My research paper was on the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and what caused them, dating back to the upbringing of Al-Qaeda. The requirements for the paper were near identical to the one we are currently working on as they were both rhetorical based and needed contentious arguments. The main difference, however, was that we never practiced any rhetorical skills. I clearly remember my teacher lecturing us on the tools for a strong paper, but never making us practice them. While his tips were slightly helpful, it was increasingly difficult for me to incorporate them in my paper since I never practiced them.
As I looked through the research paper, I noticed several flaws. For starters, my claim was not very contentious, in that not many people would disagree with what I was arguing. This made me question how relevant my paper actually was. Another thing that I noticed was that I never recognized the counter-argument. This made me paper rather one sided and practically irrelevant. These are just two of the many flaws I saw. In the end, I never really had closure with my research paper in high school, and it suffered because of it.
After comparing my two research papers, I have now come to appreciate Fight Club more than ever. In a classroom, it is important to practice the skills that are essential in larger projects or tests. For example, in math class students practice problems that will be on the test, and in sports athletes practice skills that will be used in games. As a result, it only makes sense to do the same for any class. This is why Fight Club is so essential. It refines our argumentative skills and our ability to create counter-arguments, which are the foundation to a strong research paper. As I continue to write my research paper, I will insure that my points are contentious, concise, and powerful, as if I were in an actual argument. I will also continue to utilize the skills that I have learned in Fight Club because I truly understand how influential it can be.
Friday, October 30th, 2015
As we have learned over the past two months, Fight Club really teaches us more than we realize. Fight Club is more than a class activity, it strengthens our opinions as writers and people. The beauty of it is that it allows us to put our perspective on different topics. It reveals our character. Every week when I analyze the articles given to us, I automatically start coming up with arguments, even if they don’t fit my beliefs.. For example, it teaches us how to develop arguments from any given situation, and to stand by them even if it is difficult to do so. It also teaches us to accept counterarguments, comprehend them, and make a rebuttal, which reflects in our paper. Before coming to this class I refrained from doing this as I feared it would weaken my argument, but in reality it does the exact opposite. Recognizing the counter argument strengthens the paper as long as you write a rebuttal. This is similar to what we did when we wrote our in-class paper regarding the banning of automobiles. The purpose of that assignment was for us to practice developing arguments on any given topic. Fortunately, we were able to choose the topics for our research paper, since it is easier to develop arguments on topics that you are passionate about. As a result my claims are much stronger and credible than ever before.
On the other hand, there are some things that I still find difficult when writing my paper. For example, I am having issues with the structure and organization with my paper. While I am very passionate about what I am writing and have several strong arguments, I am unsure about how to organize and present them. Clarity is an essential factor to a good research paper as if the reader’s can’t follow what I am saying they won’t be able to take away from it. The other thing that I am still having trouble with is using my quotations effectively. As you know, ethos is an important part of a persuasive argument as it will reel in the audience. Other than that, my paper is coming along well and I am excited to refine it.
Although Fight Club does benefit my writing in several ways, there are certain things that are easier to accomplish in a verbal argument than in a written one. For example, tone and body language is incredibly effective as it strengthens your argument. Also, it is easier to rebuttal a counterargument when you are sitting with the person you are arguing with, as you can identify their tone and facial expressions. In the end, Fight Club truly reflects our character and has developed our papers immensely.
***
After looking at my old post about the purpose of Fight Club, which was just a few weeks ago, I realized that I was missing one key aspect in my argument -the comparison. While all of us discussed how influential Fight Club is and how it benefits our research papers, how do we truly know? There is no doubt that Fight Club impacts our papers, as we have practiced developing arguments within minutes of receiving the topic and began to recognize that there are valid counter-arguments, which are important aspects of a strong research paper. However, what is the difference between us practicing these skills and listening to our professor tell us what is important. With this thought, I decided to compare two research papers of mine and identify the differences.
The first research paper that I analyzed came from a class I took in the first semester of my senior year in high school called Advanced Composition. This class, similar to the on we are taking now, was a research class. In my high school class, however, each student was required to read a scholastic book with diverse topics. My research paper was on the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and what caused them, dating back to the upbringing of Al-Qaeda. The requirements for the paper were near identical to the one we are currently working on as they were both rhetorical based and needed contentious arguments. The main difference, however, was that we never practiced any rhetorical skills. I clearly remember my teacher lecturing us on the tools for a strong paper, but never making us practice them. While his tips were slightly helpful, it was increasingly difficult for me to incorporate them in my paper since I never practiced them.
As I looked through the research paper, I noticed several flaws. For starters, my claim was not very contentious, in that not many people would disagree with what I was arguing. This made me question how relevant my paper actually was. Another thing that I noticed was that I never recognized the counter-argument. This made me paper rather one sided and practically irrelevant. These are just two of the many flaws I saw. In the end, I never really had closure with my research paper in high school, and it suffered because of it.
After comparing my two research papers, I have now come to appreciate Fight Club more than ever. In a classroom, it is important to practice the skills that are essential in larger projects or tests. For example, in math class students practice problems that will be on the test, and in sports athletes practice skills that will be used in games. As a result, it only makes sense to do the same for any class. This is why Fight Club is so essential. It refines our argumentative skills and our ability to create counter-arguments, which are the foundation to a strong research paper. As I continue to write my research paper, I will insure that my points are contentious, concise, and powerful, as if I were in an actual argument. I will also continue to utilize the skills that I have learned in Fight Club because I truly understand how influential it can be.
I really enjoyed reading about your growth in writing through this class. We've all worked really hard to get where we are now, but we have a long way to go. Do you think your final paper will truly encompass what you want to argue? Will you be able to clearly express your argument?
ReplyDeleteGood points. I can agree with many of them. I like how you decided to revise this specific blog post considering how important fight club is.
ReplyDeleteIn great reflection, you enhanced your old blog post instead of only continuating it. You brought up great points and captured the essence of Fight Club. Great job.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point that you made about neglecting to include counter arguments in your writing. I had never done that until this class and I think that doing so strengthens my credibility as a writer. Also, I like the analogy that you made to practicing rhetorical skills to practicing a sport.
ReplyDelete