Analyzing Purpose

In this blog post, I will be sharing my brainstorming about the purpose of my controversy.

I created a coggle to try to organize my thoughts. Something that became clear to me is that the purpose of sperm donation is to help people have children, and that many things stand in the way of this apparent right.

Untitled, BioEdge

In the coggle, I answered 1-3 from the posted questions. I touched on the topic of 4, but I thought I would address it further.

Draft out a paragraph that describes the groups of people likely to read your work.

The people likely to read my work will take one of two positions: sperm donation is ethical, or sperm donation is unethical. The people who agree with my perspective (that sperm donation is ethical) will likely be educated, young, secular, and of childbearing age. They may have struggled with reproductive health in the past. Members of the audience that will disagree with my perspective are more likely to be older and possibly more religious.

Analyzing Context

In this blog post, I will be answering Student's Guide questions about analyzing the context of sperm donation.


1. What are the key perspectives or schools of thought on the debate you are studying?

The short answer is two: those for sperm donation, and those against. However, realistically, the answer is much more complex. I like to think of this issue in terms of a spectrum rather than a clear black or white answer. In a lot of cases, sperm donation only affects a person's life tangentially rather than directly, so it usually does not become a huge issue. Religion, culture, location, and age all have large affects on a person's feelings about sperm donation.


2. What are the major points of contention or major disagreements among these perspectives?

One major point of contention is cost. Some people have issues with compensation of sperm donors, while others believe that creating a child should not have a cost. Another larger scale issue is ethics. Some common ethical questions include: parentage questions, anonymity, what to do with excess embryos, "designer babies," and more.


3. What are possible points of agreement, or common ground, between the sides?

One possible point of common ground is that human material should be handled with respect. Another possible agreement is that the reproductive technology that allows for sperm donation has resulted in human lives that have equal value as the lives of naturally conceived offspring. A third area of common ground could be that the ethical dilemmas of sperm donation deserve attention.

"Sperm Donor" from Conceive Easy

4. What are the ideological differences, if any, between the sides?

The most significant ideological difference is culture. Religion specifically plays a huge role in a person's acceptance or rejection of sperm donation. Age is also important, as people of a childrearing age are more likely to be sympathetic to the cause of sperm donation.


5. What specific actions do their texts or perspectives ask the audience to make?

The texts ask the audience to agree with their perspective. Every article I've read about sperm donation has an underlying agenda. Even the most academic research articles still take a bias either for or against sperm donation. In that way, nearly all of the work published about the subject is persuasive.


6. What perspectives are useful in supporting your own arguments about the issue? Why did you choose these?

To be honest, I have not entirely decided on my own perspective of the issue. For that reason, both sides are equally useful to me. Using both sides will help me make an informed decision and write a balanced piece.


7. What perspectives do you think will be the greatest threat to your argument? Why or why not?

I believe that extreme perspectives will be the greatest threat. These arguments are almost always rooted in emotional rhetoric, and can be very persuasive.

Audience and Genre

In this blog post, I will be discussing the possible audience and genre of the piece I will be writing. In my opinion, the most relevant audiences would be medical professionals, prospective donors, and prospective parents.


Medical Professionals
Medical professionals will be interested in my research because it pertains to new knowledge within their realm of expertise. Sperm donation is also a controversial aspect of medicine, and is somewhat isolated within practices. Common places I could publish my research would be in one of various medical journals. Some examples include The American Journal of Medicine and The New England Journal of Medicine. Another publication could be through medical textbooks, such as Gray's Anatomy or The Atlas of Human Anatomy


Prospective donors
Possible donors would be interested in reading my work because they would want to know more about any rewards and consequences that accompany sperm donation. I believe that this audience would also be interested in anonymity and any personal vignettes that may be relevant. A possible genre for this audience could be a blog or a video. Two examples of medical blogs include Docbastard and Skeptical Scalpel, two popular cynical takes on the medical field. Examples of videos include educational videos such as John and Hank Green's Vlogbrothers.

"John and Hank Green," Vlogbrothers

Prospective recipients
Prospective recipients might read my piece in order to either educate themselves about the process of sperm donation or to make an informed decision about whether or not sperm donation is the right choice for them. It is likely that this audience would be interested in similar genres as the prospective donors, although the prospective recipients may look for a more personal touch. For that reason, I think that recipients are likely to respond to interviews or magazine articles about the subject. Examples of famous interviewers could be a talk show host (Oprah) interviewing a person about the process of sperm donation. Magazine articles could be found in popular magazines such as People Magazine.

Narrowing My Focus

In this blog post, I will be reposting and revising the questions I found most interesting about my topic.


1. How do finances play a role in sperm donation? Specifically, what contributes to compensation for sperm donation?

This interests me because I think it provokes some questions of ethics. Is it ethical for people to be coerced into donating sperm? Is it ethical to prevent someone from having a child if they can't afford to buy a sperm sample or the treatment?

"Embryo Transfer" Unknown Author

2. How do religion and culture affect sperm donation?

I'm specifically interested in which cultures allow for sperm donation and which don't. I'd also like to consider how this plays into different governmental structures throughout the world.


3. What are the rights of unborn embryos?

Again, I'm interested in the ethical questions. I want to know different perspectives of how we as a society treat embryos, what defines life, etc.

Questions about Controversy

In this blog post, I will be creating questions for my chosen controversy, sperm donation.

Who is involved in the controversy?
1. How did the controversy affect each person involved?
2. Who is talking about the controversy?
3. Why do people care about the controversy?

What is up for debate in the controversy?
1. What are the rights of unborn embryos?
2. What role does finances play in sperm donation?
3. How much regulation is too much regulation?

"Sperm" Unknown Author

When did this controversy unfold?
1. How does the political environment affect the controversy?
2. How does the religious and cultural environment affect the controversy?
3. How has the technology changed over time?

Where has this controversy been unfolding?
1. Where are the places with the highest amount of sperm donations?
2. Where are the places where sperm is being used the most frequently?
3. How can sperm be sent to other places?

How has this controversy unfolded in the media?
1. How has social media impacted the image of this controversy?
2. How has bias impacted the image of this controversy?
3. How has journalism impacted the image of this controversy?

Reflection on Project 2

In this blog post, I will be answering the Student's Guide questions in order to reflect on my revision process.

1. Word choice was revised the most.

2. My thesis didn't change very much from one draft to another, but the overall organization of my essay did. I added a new paragraph and considered breaking one paragraphs into two.

3. Flow mostly contributed to the changes, but audience and readability was definitely considered.

4. I think the changes lend to my credibility, because I attempted to make my work as understandable as possible. I was truly writing for my readers.

5. One of the changes I made was to address the audience more explicitly. I think this will allow for greater audience comprehension.

"Reflection" The Whispering Pen

6. I revised a lot for sentence structure, because I tend to either write very long, wordy sentence or very short ones.

7. The audience will be able to understand my writing better because it will be more concise.

8. I reconsidered the convention of not addressing the audience explicitly. I also reconsidered not using italics and avoiding the second person, although I ultimately didn't use second person in my essay.

9. Reflection is a way for me to address myself when I'm writing, which I rarely do outside of personal journaling. It allows me to address my own creativity, which I am working on building.

Project 2 Outline

In this blog post, I will be posting my rough outline for my Project 2 paper. Please note that I eventually added an entire body paragraph to my essay after creating this outline.

My outlines are a way for me to write down what I'm thinking out loud. Because of this, I write little notes to myself throughout the outline. My essay was comprised of mostly paraphrasing with a few short quotations that did not make it into this outline because they were added after I finished this. For that reason, I was lacking in evidentiary support when I wrote my outline. In my outline, I clearly indicated which areas of rhetoric I would be using to make my claims, as per Student's Guide suggestions.

Intro:

Hook: Kirk Maxey fathered over 400 children -- and even he doesn’t think that’s ethical

Bridge: calls into play several important questions (I like having three)

1. Is it ethical to father so many children?
2. What are the biological and social implications of sperm donation for the offspring?
3. What is the motivation for sperm donation? (Is there compensation?)

TAG: Rene Almeling; The Unregulated Sperm Industry; article

Context: Yale professor of sociology who has written numerous books

Make my claim: Almeling is pushing an agenda throughout the piece; this is established through rhetorical analysis of ethos, pathos, and logos within the context of the piece.

Thesis: Through the effective use of anecdotes, tone, and statistical records, Almeling subtly makes use of rhetoric to argue against modern sperm donation.

Body 1:

Vignette about best-looking member of the class (Pathos)

physical traits

ethical questionability of conflict of interest with student

forced insemination

Historical records of doctors taking good-looking sperm samples (Logos/Pathos)

moral conflict

Analysis

Makes the reader uncomfortable with physicality

sympathy employed for woman

rage and distrust towards doctors

Body 2:

Vignette about healthy man who gave 8/22 babies a heart defect (Logos with some Pathos)

statistical analysis

makes it seem common

babies garner sympathy

Toddler died (Definitely Pathos)

Creates the question of who should really be allowed to donate sperm?

Places doubt in the reader’s mind, subtly encouraging them to reconsider the morality of sperm donation if children are being hurt

Conclusion:

Intro sentence: Something about Almeling being courageous for being so blunt

Transition: She embraces technological advances, but ultimately adopts an attitude of sperm donation immorality

Transition: Takes a stance as a protector of those who have suffered from sperm donation

Restate Thesis

Final Draft of Project 2

Here is the link for the final draft of my rhetorical analysis! Please enjoy reading my take on rhetoric in the field of sperm donation.

Copy For Paragraph Analysis 2

In this blog post, I will be discussing my experience analyzing my own work.


I learned a lot from reading my own work with an outsider's perspective. My analysis and support seem to be strong, while my structure could use some work. Of course this is not always the case for every bit of analysis, and in some cases my structure is strong. This is just an overall trend I've seen in my writing.

Something I realized is that a lot of things that flow in my head do not flow in the paper. This is something I've always struggled with, and is the reason for my tendency to use transitional phrases. I also realized that explicitly addressing the reader can be awkward in my writing, although I think it is necessary.

"Peer Editing" Unknown Author

I think that the internal structure of my body paragraphs is usually pretty strong, as I outline things ahead of time and address the structure at that point. However, the internal structure of my introductions and conclusions could use some work.

Revised Conclusion

In this blog post, I will be posting my old and new conclusions. For my conclusion, I attempted to use the "paint a picture" technique by looking at the topic in a broader sense. However, I find it necessary to tailor the conclusion to my essay by including specific details. I attempted to create more of a bridge between my conclusion and restating my thesis. I also addressed the reader explicitly.



Old Conclusion

Almeling adeptly discusses a rather brazen topic in an open manner that puts readers to ease while simultaneously decreasing their comfort level. She embraces technology that moves the world forward, yet, adopts an attitude that appears to be anti-sperm donation. Throughout her argument for stronger regulation of sperm industries, she characterizes herself as a defender for those who have suffered due to sperm donation. However, this same position results in the subtle crafting of an overall argument against the sperm industry. Therefore, through her inclusion of emotional vignettes, a contrast between personable tone and cool subject topics, and statistical analysis, Almeling presents a rhetorical argument against sperm donation within her work.

New Conclusion

Almeling is able to simultaneously put her readers at ease and push their comfort level while discussing a tabooed topic. However, Almeling focuses on the social dilemmas of sperm donation and does not place emphasis on the acute physiological ramifications of reproductive technology. In this way, it is important for the reader to understand that the author effectively makes use of rhetorical arguments that are based in sociology and not physiology, although the work masquerades as a scientific document. The author acts as a protector for those who have suffered from the consequences of sperm donation, which lends to ethos. Yet, the author presents all of her information with an air of ethical strain. While Almeling outwardly supports regulation of the sperm industry, a closer analysis of her writing clarifies the nature of her arguments against sperm donation. Therefore, through the inclusion of emotional vignettes, the contrast between personable tone and cool subject topics, and statistical analysis, Almeling presents a rhetorical argument against sperm donation within her work.

Punctuation Part 2

In this blog post, I will be exploring new punctuation.

Apostrophes:

I learned that apostrophes must primarily be used to show possession or ownership. What surprised me most was that apostrophes are not used to denote years. For example, I usually write 1990s as 1990's, which is grammatically incorrect.


End Punctuation

I did not really learn anything new from this section. It did, however, encourage me to revisit my draft. I did not use any exclamation points. The large majority of my sentences end in periods, with a few rhetorical questions for variety.

"Comma" Anonymous

Commas

My comma usage can probably use some work. I have learned all of the rules before; I just usually choose not to pay attention to them, which is probably not the best strategy. Because of this, I tend to have run-on sentences. My flow could use some work.


Examples

What are the consequences of sperm donation? This is an example of a rhetorical question in my essay. It is not common in the body of my essay, but is used several times in the introduction and possibly will be added in the conclusion.

Through the effective use of anecdotes, tone, and statistical records, Almeling subtly makes use of rhetoric to argue against modern sperm donation. My thesis statement is an example of proper comma usage. In it, I use commas to separate items in a list.

Practicing Summary & Paraphrase

In this blog post, I be practicing writing summaries and paraphrases of text from Rene Almeling's "The Unregulated Sperm Industry."

The text below has been directly copied from my original source. 

Several aspects of this vignette foreshadow the trajectory of sperm donation (but not the practice of inseminating women without their knowledge). The medical profession continued to play a central role. Doctors selected donors on the basis of their “superior” qualities, secrecy marked the enterprise, and sperm was produced for a particular recipient. According to one midcentury study of several hundred men, the majority of donors produced less than 10 samples.


My Paraphrase of the Original Source

Almeling acknowledges that the medical profession is integral to the continuing trajectory of sperm donation. The author argues that doctors (not recipients) secretly chose donors based on "superior" attributes. In addition, Almeling emphasizes the questionably ethical historical aspects of donation by including statistics from a midcentury survey of donors. Of these hundreds of participants, only a few contributed more than 10 samples (Almeling).

"Summary" Anonymous

My Summary of the Original Source

Almeling indicates that historical sperm donation was unethical due to immoral medical practices exhibited in various midcentury studies.

Cluster of "The Unregulated Sperm Industry"

In this blog post, you can find my coggle of the rhetorical context of my work. In my coggle, I simply began by plotting out my own thoughts, feelings, and impressions of the article as a reader. After that, I went back and planned out the rhetorical context and other details.

Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies in "The Unregulated Sperm Industry"

In this blog post, I will be analyzing the rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos found within Rene Almeling's "The Unregulated Sperm Industry."

Ethos:

• Credible references:
• The Journal of the American Medical Association
• The American Society for Reproductive Medicine
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• offers critique and suggestions
• The Food and Drug Administration
• offers critique and suggestions 
• Background about the author
• educated in the field
• Yale education
• Tone and word choice
• comfortably uses jargon without coming across as "doublespeak" 
• a little sneaky about how she delivers information though 
• 'midcentury' does not specify the year

These strategies affect the bias presented in the text, which can sway a reader's opinion for or against the author's stance about the subject. The ethos present lends credibility to the author, but is subtle enough that the reader does not necessarily recognize it. 

Pathos:

• personal vignettes are used frequently to portray the idea that sperm donation is not all happy-go-lucky
• uncomfortable forced insemination 
• reference to Hollywood makes everything relatable 
• AIDS
• Shocking stuff
• doctors chose sperm donors based on appearance
• Repetition of key words

The author appears to be intending to make the audience uncomfortable. As a reader, I personally became uncomfortable with the text. For that reason, I would argue that Almeling was successful. The emotions enhance the author's subtle messages against reproductive technology without overtly stating them. In this way, the author appears more credible because she is less aggressive about her stance.

"Political and Rhetorical Analysis" Anonymous

Logos:

• Statistical analysis
• mentions specific numbers of donations
• statistics appear likely and credible, nothing appears to be an anomaly
• Historical records
• Take the form of personal vignettes, but are still present

The author is clearly making an attempt to gain the audience's trust when she brings up statistics. The statistics make her appear more credible. The audience is more likely to respect her stance if the statistics hold and are valid, which they are. For this reason, they were very effective. 

Revised Introduction

In this blog post, I will be presenting my old introduction along with the new introduction. I will be discussing my thought process for the introductions.

My new introduction is more powerful because it is more related to the topic of my essay. For example, I excluded all mentions of Octomom and focused instead on male sperm donation and offspring. I also included the terms "ethos, pathos, and logos" by name.

"Keep Calm," Anonymous

Old

The media phenomena Nadya Suleman, better known as “Octomom,” has raised numerous controversies about childbirth, pregnancy, and reproductive technology. On the flip side, Kirk Maxey is making waves for fathering over 400 children through sperm donation. The questions remain: is it ethical to father so many children? What are the consequences of sperm donation? Are people compensated for donations? Rene Almeling attempts to shed some light on the subject of reproductive technological advances by publishing articles such as The Unregulated Sperm Industry. However, Almeling, a thoroughly published Yale sociologist, may have an ulterior motive that must be considered when addressing her work. Through the effective use of anecdotes, tone, and statistical records, Almeling subtly makes use of rhetoric to argue against modern sperm donation.

New

Kirk Maxey lives a normal life in Northville, Michigan with his wife and twelve year old son -- but Maxey also has fathered over 400 other children. During the 1980s, Maxey became involved with sperm donation. Interestingly enough, Maxey’s case is not unique: there are a number of men who have fathered hundreds of offspring. This calls several important questions to mind: is it ethical to father so many children? What are the biological and social implications of sperm donation? What is the motivation for sperm donation? In her New York Times article, “The Unregulated Sperm Industry,” Rene Almeling attempts to answer these questions. However, the Yale professor may have an ulterior agenda that must be considered when addressing her work; this is established through analysis of ethos, pathos, and logos within the context of the piece. Through the effective use of anecdotes, tone, and statistical records, Almeling subtly makes use of rhetoric to argue against modern sperm donation.

Punctuation, Part 1

In this blog post, I will be discussing punctuation methods and marks found in the front of the Students' Guide.

The Semi-Colon: I tend to overuse semi-colons in my writing. I think this is because in high school, I was strongly encouraged to use creative grammar in order to display my knowledge as opposed to using my writing to do so. I do enjoy a good semi-colon, but I believe I might have been misusing them before. For instance, I now know that semi-colons should never accompany subordinate clauses.

"Air Quotes" from Austin Powers

Quotation Marks: The reason I find quotation marks interesting is the accompanying nuances that go with intonation. Obviously, quotation marks are widely used to directly quote text. However, the whole concept of quotation marks often goes along with sarcasm, irony, or sass.

Colon: I found the colon most interesting because the Students' Guide instructions directly contradicted what I had been told my whole academic life about colons. For some reason, I have been told never to use a colon with a direct quotation. However, I have now seen the light. Usually I use colons to emphasize a point. This might work stylistically, but grammatically, can be problematic.

Draft of Rhetorical Analysis

Here's my draft! Please take a look. Thank you for taking the time to read my work. I was wondering if you could pay special attention to the organization of my essay? I’m considering adding another paragraph, but I’m not sure if it would further add to my argument or if it might become redundant. I also would appreciate some feedback about my conclusion, because I would like to know if it is effective enough.

Analyzing My Own Assumptions

In this blog post, I will be analyzing my own cultural assumptions and discussing how they related to the text of The Unregulated Sperm Industry by Rene Almeling.

1. What cultural or social values, beliefs, etc., do we share with the society or culture in which the text was written? Why have they endured?

Personally, I share the belief that as a society, we need to take care in how we proceed in the scientific world. I think this is especially applicable for ethically handling human matter. These beliefs have endured because they are present in major religions, scientific procedures, and the psychological aspects of our culture.


2. What cultural or social values, beliefs, etc., do we not share? Why?

I do not share the belief that we should stray from progress. I do think that sperm donation is a great option for people who struggle with biological reproduction. For that reason, I think that regulation is necessary to maintain health, but not the point where it becomes impossible for people to have children.

"Multiple Births." Sperm donation often results in multiple births. Anonymous, for Public Domain

3. If the text is written in a culture distant or different from our own, what social values, beliefs, etc., connect to or reflect our own culture? What social values, beliefs, etc., can we not see in our own culture?

The text was written in a culture similar to my own, although the author is more educated than me. The social values that connect are mostly ethical dilemmas about unregulated human reproduction. One value that I cannot see in my own culture would be the slight tendency to discontinue progress.


4. If the text is written in our culture but in a different historical time, how have the social values, beliefs, etc., developed or changed over time?

The text was written relatively recently. In the two years that have passed since this text was published, laws have changed about reproductive health. However, most of the laws have affected reproductive technology indirectly. For example, laws that limit reproductive health clinics that offer abortion also limit fertility-aiding clinics with the same procedures offered.

Analyzing My Text's Cultural Setting

In this post, I will be analyzing the cultural aspects that may have influenced the publication or writing process of the New York Times article "The Unregulated Sperm Industry" by Rene Almeling.

1. What values, ideas, norms, beliefs, even laws of the culture play an important role the text?

The values that play an important role in the text are cultural values of the United States. Family oriented values are huge in this article, with the author pushing the lines of what a "traditional American family" looks like. However, the laws of the United States also play a large role in the article, as the article is about regulating the laws about sperm donation.

"Sperm" Anonymous, for public domain

2. Does the text address these cultural values, beliefs, etc., directly or indirectly?

The text addresses the cultural views pretty directly. Legal jargon is comfortably used, and the author addresses legal complexities and how they affect the audience. The author presents real-life examples of issues that have come up based on the lack of regulation in the sperm industry. In addition to the direct approach, the author indirectly addresses the cultural values through theorizing about the impact of HIV on donation.


3. What is the relationship of the text to the values, beliefs, etc.? Is is critical of these aspects of the culture? Is it supportive? Does it seek to modify these aspects of the culture in a certain way?

The text attempts to adhere to to laws of the United States. However, the author doesn't take a strong position on ethical or moral laws. Almeling recognizes that with such a controversial topic, in order to remain unbiased, there must be more than one perspective on the cultural beliefs. However, the article does sometimes appear to attempt to modify positive and negative cultural perceptions of sperm donation.

Cultural Analysis of "The Unregulated Sperm Industry"

In this blog post, I will be analyzing the cultural aspects of the New York Times article "The Unregulated Sperm Industry" by Rene Almeling.

1. My Key Words: The culture of this article is very cold and scientific, although there is emotion attached to fertility and donation.

• Sperm: A little obvious, but very central to the issue of conception and regulation.
• Donor: A person who donates human material to allow for the creation of new life.
• Fertility: The ability to conceive a child, which necessitates sperm donation.

2. I printed a copy of the article and circled the words. Sperm appeared 23 times, Donor or donors  13 times, and fertility 3 times. 

3. Thesis: The sperm and egg industry must be regulated to prevent medical, ethical, and other catastrophes. 

"Sperm and Egg" Anonymous, for Public Domain

4. Done on paper!

5. The keywords allow the author to make cultural connections between the audience and the subject of the document. For example, when the author mentions donors, she allows for an emotional connection between the audience and a donor. 

Evaluation of Rhetorical Sources

For this blog post, I made a table in google docs that listed each of the sources and the various evaluations for each.