Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively

1. "...you could have thought about why a book entitled A History of France might present a different view of the battle than a book subtitled A History of British Progress. You could have asked if the English and French writers wanted to make a point about the history of their countries and looked to see if the factual differences suggested anything" (39). I think this is very true. Different countries present the same information very differently. I think this would be an awesome paper topic, such as how the U.S. and Britian view the Revolutionary War. Or how the U.S. and Japan view the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.
2. "...1) Many students like Shirley misunderstand sources because they read them as stories. 2) Many students expect their sources to tell the truth; hence, they equate persuasive writing in this context with making things up." I think this is true. Sometimes, sources are stories. But most of the time, they're not. It's easier to think of sources as stories, instead of persausive writing. And not all sources tell the truth. It's easier for someone writing a paper to believe that it's true, but it might not always be the case.
3. "Even when students understand that the assignment asks for more than the fill-in-the-blanks, show-me-you've-read-the-material approach described by Schwegler and Shamoon, they cling to narrative structuring devices." This is so true. It's harder to analyze a topic than to just state all the facts in an essay. I think most professors look for the analysis essay rather than the state all the facts essay. My HST 112 professor this semester, Professor Ebner, is such a professor. I had to write an essay that incorporated no information outside of lecture and discussion sections.

"The Curious Researcher" pgs 165-192

5 points that I find user friendly:

1. Exercise 4.2

2. Writing Multiple Leads/Exercise 4.3

3. "Your opening is your first chance to capture your reader's attention. But how you begin your research paper will also have a subtle yet significant impact on the rest of it."

4. "The first part-the lead, the beginning-is the hardest part of all to write."

5. "Leads must be sound. They should never promise what does not follow. Leads, like titles, are flashlights that shine down into the story."

Notes on "Evidence Given Before the Sadler Committe"

“Evidence Given Before the Sadler Committee.” http://www.victorianweb.org/history/workers1.html

· “At what age did you first go to work in one [a factory]?
--Eight”
This is scary. I couldn’t imagine working in a factory when I was 8. When you’re a kid you shouldn’t have to worry about finding a job. You should worry about what game you’re going to play next and what color you’re going to color your picture.

· “When trade was brisk what were your hours?
--From 5 in the morning to 9 in the evening.”
16 hours of work a day is terrible. Noone, adult or child, should have to work 16 hours a day. Especially in a factory. Just like slavery, no one thought this was wrong.

· “What was the consequence if you had been too late?
--I was most commonly beaten.
Severely?
--Very severely, I thought.”
Being beaten for showing up late is quite an interesting leadership technique. I can't imagine being 8 years old in a factory and then being beaten if I show up late. Children shouldn't have had to worry about being late for work because they didn't want to get beaten.

· “What time did you begin to work at a factory?
--When I was six years old.”
This quite came from a little girl. I don't understand how noone thought this was wrong. 6 year olds shouldn't be anywhere near a factory. I can't imagine how these kids dealt with their work.

· “What time was allowed for your meals?
--Forty minutes at noon.”
To be honest, this could be a lot worse. It's barely enough time to eat all of your meals for a day, but I'm sure the bosses could have given even less time than this.

How I can use "Bury the Chains" in my essay

I can use Hochschild's book Bury the Chains, among other sources, to describe the working conditions on the sugar plantations in the Caribbean. The book goes into great detail about the practices of slave owners and will be a great source to use.

"Bury the Chains" Pgs 324-354 and 365-366 summary

Pages 324-354 and 365-366 of Adam Hochschild's book, Bury the Chains, is about how the slave trade came to an end in Britain and its colonies. Many people helped the abolition movement, such as Elizabeth Heyrick and Lucy Townsend. The rebellion in Demerara moved the movement along. The slaves, with the help of John Smith, burned many houses down, and killed some white people. In late 1831, in Jamaica, another rebellion, led by Samuel Sharpe, also paved the way for the abolishment of slavery. Sharpe was hung and many others were killed, but the British soon realized they could not keep suppressing these revolts. So, after 3 months of debating in the summer of 1833, the emancipation bill passed in both houses of Parliament. But the real victory came on August 1, 1838, when over 800,00 slaves were officially free.

"Bury the Chains" Ch 21 summary

Chapter 21 of Adam Hochschild's book, Bury the Chains, is mainly about the British Parliament. In 1806, Britain had been at war with France for a decade, so there was no chance to debate the abolition movement in Parliament. Finally, Clarkson and some of his colleagues were trying to get the movement back up and running, so Clarkson took a month long trip in Britain and Scotland, to revitalize people's feelings about slavery. This trip proved that people were still opposed to slavery, but the war with France had made the movement diminish in importance. Early in 1806, Wilberforce was contacted by James Stephen, who had thought of a bill that should be proposed to Parliament. The bill was to make it illegal for British subjects, shipyards, outfitters and insurers to take part in the slave trade to France's colonies and its allies colonies. Later that year, the bill passed. The next year, in 1807, abolitionists proposed to bill abolishing the slave trade in Britain; but the slaves were not set free. The bill was passed in both houses of Parliament and not soon after, King George III made the bill a law. And so, on May 1, 1807, the slave trade in Britian was now abolished.

"Bury the Chains" Ch 18 summary

Chapter 18 of Bury the Chains by Adam Hochschild begins by describing the biggest slave revolt that has ever been, but is often left out. In 1791, on the island of St. Domingue, a French colony, slaves revolted and brutally murdered thousands of white people. Soon after, the French Army tried to repress the revolt, but were unsuccessful. The revolt in St. Domingue was different from any other slave revolt. On August 23, 1793, slavery was informally abolished in St. Domingue and soon after, France issued a formal law, abolishing slavery in everyplace under French rule. Not long after, Britain decided it would take over St. Domingue. This started a war between the British, the mulattos of St. Domingue and the blacks of St. Domingue, led by Toussaint L'Overture, as he called himself. Eventually, Britain had to withdrawl its troops.