I need this to be summarized and I need bullet points, for strength and weakness if that is applicable Memo Firstly, it is imperative that I mention that writing has never been my passion despite the fact that I enjoy reading sometimes. Notably, reading allows me to delve into various research topics thus expanding my knowledge domain. However, it is for the need to express articulate and share my ideas, opinions that I Put more emphasis on mastering writing techniques. The period all through the writing process has nurtured my skills and tremendously improved my writing abilities making my papers, factual, and understandable. I am guided by the understanding the writing process is circular. I.e., it does not end with paper/ assignment submission but continues through the analysis of feedback, a reflection of mistakes and identification of the strengths of the story. I can confidently state that principle as mentioned above has provided me with the room for evaluation and improvement in my writing. While I find the writing process to have been challenging since there was a lot of techniques and writing principles to learn about, I also found it inspiring and fulfilling. I can now confidently organize ideas in to make a meaningful, grammatically correct story. Notably, there are several areas, which I performed well • Introduction; I believe that my presentation was well crafted with a strong thesis statement, which enabled readers to understand the objective of the story. • Use of description, in my entire previous story I have endeavored to ensure that my audience is actively involved in my story. I have achieved the aforementioned. • Orderliness and sequential flow of ideas, all my stories had a sequential flow of ideas to ensure that the audience understood its theme. Similarly, orderliness and the interconnectivity made the story exciting and captivating to the reader. • Conclusion; my conclusions reflected the thesis statement of the account. For instance, my narratives conclusion summed up my character including character, perceptions, weaknesses, and a blueprint for future improvements. Way forward and areas in that I will focus to make improvements. • Description; while I included a vivid description in my narrative, my story still lacked visual description that inspires depth. I will try to add more memories to ensure the story is captivating and allow the reader to garner as many facts about me as possible. • Use of transitions; I can work on incorporating more transitional words in the story to ensure that there is a smooth flow of words. • My Narrative conclusion while it summed up the story appeared shallow and introduced new ideas not present in the story. I will work towards building on findings based solely on the thesis statement and the ideas developed in the story. I experienced various challenges in the course of writing my story. • Firstly, the creation of a topic that would provide room for the development and building ideas and one that would provide for a coherent story. • Secondly is information overload, the realization that my audience does not have all the information I know, and thus I had to ensure that my assignment accommodated all the critical aspect of the story including its setting/ context, my personal history including family, my education life and career objectives. Incorporating all facts summary into the story was challenging, as I also had to ensure the points were conclusive. • Maintaining attractiveness, a story has to be captivating and compelling to create interest from the leader. In this semester, I have improved tremendously in my writing, become more organized and professional. My assignments are now characterized by proper grammar, use of transitions to maintain coherency. Use of explanations and descriptions to expound, my priorities, history and motivations and fears has made my stories factual and realistic. Ensuring fluency, clarity, and professionalism in writing inspires confidence and trust from the reader. Similarly, the aforementioned is essential especially when drafting emails requesting interviews from potential interviewees. Notably, I have also employed these features when writing my assignment, for instance, my narrative I believe that it was characterized by fluency and clarity which sought to ensure that the readers connected with the story. I need this to be summarized and I need bullet points, for strength and weakness if that is applicable Reflection on the revision of the rhetorical essay The rhetorical analysis essay gave me an opportunity to assess, among others, my ability to argue effectively backed by evidence. One of the major changes I made, guided by the feedback, was to go in-depth with my analysis instead of making claims and failing to validate them. This process allowed me to be clear in my claims instead of merely introducing them and letting the reader conclude their thoughts. This systematic change allowed me to organize my work better. The basic structure I adopted in the changes includes one of making a claim, providing evidence from the primary resource, and then arguing out how the evidence supports my claim. Secondly, the revision process has also allowed me to furnish my essay structure. The essay structure is the arrangement of ideas and paragraphs. In the first draft, I did not follow a coherent structure and thus I realized that my essay lacked the flow that keeps the reader interested. There was also a repetition of ideas in the first draft. However, with this revision, I have understood how to effectively arrange my ideas to make up a coherent essay. Furthermore, the sentence structure was also improved by the changes. Finally, the changes to the essay allowed me to introduce and conclude my essay better. One thing that lacked in my draft is a hook which keeps the audience interested. On revision, I learned how to capture the audience’s attention better. Also, the conclusion has to be engaging as well. The engagement is from wrapping up the essay and then engaging the reader in a critical thinking process. In the changes I made, I included a short reflection of what the advertisement meant from a wider view rather than its effectiveness alone. By so doing, I feel the revision has allowed me to get better at analysis and argument. I need this to be summarized and I need bullet points, for strength and weakness if that is applicable Comment on Changes Making of the critical changes in the castle research creates an appealing, presentable document to the reader. Attractive research gives information to the relevant audiences. Additionally, changes will ensure the information is precise by addressing the main issues. To begin with, changes in the title enhances the reader’s attention by creating suspense of the subsequence topics in the research. The current title “Medieval Castle’s Defensive Techniques” make sense as it shows some bits of the complex narrative behind it. the title sets the tone of the reader with expectations of rare history events of the past. Rephrasing the introductory sentence to thesis statement precisely give a gist of what to find later in the context. Additionally, in some changes in the introduction part is to deliberately mean to glue the reader to the content without distracting audience or potential historian. For example some keyword like Castle, the technique makes the reading lively. The concluding sentence of the introduction part echoes the thesis statement by supporting with some evidence of the ancient tool and techniques which gives the fighting side more advantage over their rival. The MLA citation takes the right format thus avoid unnecessary errors like missing page numbers in text citations. Progressing towards other paragraphs use of appealing synonym enhances the coherence of the narrative. For example deleterious which implies harm. Since latter is more common to people, opting to use deleterious put more emphasis on the effect of the weapon. Some addition and sentence rephrasing enhance clear understanding of the points. Some words like firstly, secondly, thirdly creates the flow of the narrative on how points appear with the message to the reader. The conclusion part could not make without the inclusion of all summaries in the research. The essence of having clear summary is to derive the key issues in the context of emphasis. Fi FINAL PORTFOLIO Name instructor ENGL 101-0025 4/26/2018 1 Surname Contents Memo…………………………………………………………………………….2-3 Narrative..………………………………………………………………………4Profile……..………………………………………………………………….... Rhetorical…..…………..…………………………………………………….. Research…….…………………………………………………………………. 2 Surname My name Teacher Course Date As English being my second language, I struggle a lot with my writing, I always try my best and try to show what I got. I only have two major courses this semester, which helped me with the assignment giving me some extra time to work on them without being worried about being late. The thing is with some international students is how did they learn English and who are the teachers? I had a lot of English teachers and each of them from a different background. I had Egyptian, Syrian, American, Canadian, Malaysian, British and Scottish teachers. These teachers made me who I am now in English, sometimes when I write something I add some words that maybe are not used here in the US but are used in the UK or some other country. I lean towards to make my assignments formal and more academic. Last time when I had the peer review with my peers, one of them said to me that some words I used were strong, to me I felt very happy and complimented. The thing is that some of the words are not usually used in the US and more often used in the UK. My speaking skills are not that good, even when I took the IELTS test I got a bad score at the speaking part, at the same time I got a good score at the reading and writing, I also got an excellent grade at the listening part as good as a native. If my speaking was good as my listening and if I had a native friend, it will make it easier for me to know what words are used here and what is not. In this course I feel like a became a better writer, not the best writer definitely but a good writer. The sequence of the assignments, beginning from the narrative, profile interview, rhetorical analysis and finally the research. These all helped me in a way and showed my some of my weaknesses. The narrative gave me the space to talk about myself and tell my story in my own way, this opened to me a broad way to shape my story as I want. And then the profile comes up, this is my first time writing a profile it was somewhat hard, but what made it easier is my interviewee he was a cousin of mine, so already I have a solid background of him. With the interview I discovered a lot of things about him that I didn’t know about before. When the it was the time for rhetorical analysis assignment, I felt enthusiast about it because it was my first time to analyze something that is not connected to science nor chemistry. In chemistry, we analyze the experiments, what happened, why, and when, what was the cause and what is the effect. The rhetorical analysis it is somewhat the same, but in this form, ethos, pathos and logos, what happened and what are the effects. The last task was the research, this assignment is what I loved the most, I can search about something I like without wasting my time it is an assignment to look for something I like and write about it, I faced couple of obstacles with the research, especially with the resources it was little hard to find what I am looking for 3 Surname 4 Surname My Ticket to the US [Edited] Life is about being humble and ready to take control over personal issues affecting oneself. Before I sat for my College Preparatory Program final exams, everything seemed to be very difficult and complicated. I was quickly carried away by defeat and lack of self-trust in my ability to excel in my studies. I was quite nervous about what it would be like to study and excel in a foreign country characterized by alien culture that I would have to adopt. However, the desire to study Petroleum Engineering in the US motivated me a lot and made me prepare myself for the possible challenges that I perceived. At first, I was very nervous about the basic qualifications, especially passing college interviews and any qualification tests to the degree course. One of my greatest fears was to pass the CPP test, which I considered demanding based on what I had heard from former colleagues. Nevertheless, I know I had to pass, and I had no other option of transcending in the CPP test other than studying for it very well. My family and friends also encouraged me by advising that the test and any other tests are just like other requirements I have faced in the past. When I was able to overcome my fears and anxieties with the help of my family, I gained confidence that I would pass, and I surely passed the test. I thank the Saudi Aramco Oil Company for the great opportunity accorded to all of us to come and study the degree in Petroleum Engineering in the U.S. I was certain that most of other students given the same opportunity went through a similar situation, but the basic motivation was that there is no any other country that I have ever dreamt of studying in other than America. Everything in the U.S. seems to be better that things are in my home country, especially in education and technology. The country has more and better qualified professional Petroleum Engineers compared to other nations, and this motivates me a lot. Just like my case, many students around the world would hardly desire to further their studies in a country with low 5 Surname academic and professional reputations. Typically, any study about the choice of country to study in when given sponsorships to the U.S or other countries, would show that most of the participants prefer to study in the U.S. to any other country around the world. As for me, I had no choice to make, but The Saudi Aramco Oil Company has given me a bright future despite that am still working on the dream, which I believe will be fruitful soon. The United States has invested many resources in technology-related disciplines, and this puts the country ahead among other developed countries. Many nations such as China and Russia are doing very well in technological developments, but the United States remain their leader due to the high human relationships and universal democracy across the country. The language barrier is a problem, especially if one wants to study in Russia or China. This barrier adds to my key reasons for preferring to study in or to get a United States sponsorship to the two countries mentioned above. The degree of Civilization and Professionalism in the United States is highly significant. Many petroleum engineering scholars in the U.S. are from China, Russia, and other developed countries. As such, the Saudi Aramco Oil Company made a professional decision in coming up with the best option on where to take us for the engineering course. Nearly every scholar would appreciate a scholarship to further his or her studies in the U.S, and this is what I think motivated the well-established company to sponsor the country’s best-performing students to advance their petroleum engineering interest in the U.S. Like I had mentioned before, my family and friends motivated me when I was about to lose hope in the sponsorship program. At first, I was overexcited, but then I became nervous due to the fear of missing the chance of being part of the elite team to study in the United States. I 6 Surname knew that I was all about being among the top, but I was not the best. Besides, my anxiety brought about further challenges. I tried my best, but other students seemed to become better than me in academics, so I got more scared. In addition, my ability to understand new concepts began to deteriorate. At this instance, I knew that everything was out of control, and I needed to fix them, but I had no idea on how I was going to do that. My family and friends are among the first people to understand my situation. I had schooled with one of my cousin who was a very close childhood friend. My cousin and his friends approached me one evening and asked me why I looked nervous over the past few days. I had no option but to open my heart and tell them the truth. My opening up to them was the first step that made me to be where I am today. They talked to me and gave me more encouraging words all directed towards my future academic success. They emphasized on building my courage and believing in myself. I started to gain some strength. They also joined me in my studies, to cultivate the power of group discussions. Group discussions and readings contribute to success in studies. My cousin and our friends were part of the reading groups that helped me score very high marks. Before the CPP test, I was always one of leading students, and when things went wrong in a given term, I would be among the top ten students. I later learned that the fear of missing the sponsorship program made me very weak at first, but the same concern motivated me to do better mainly after involving my friends in my studies. I had to allow them into my life and see if they could have any impact to my success efforts before my anxiety turned to scary levels. They started to accompany me in my studies and this motivated me besides my parents’ contributions. 7 Surname I always wanted to let my parents know about the situation, but I was uneasy about their reaction. I knew they would be supportive, but the possibility of making them worried made me hold the problem to myself. Nevertheless, they came to know it through my wonderful cousin who went ahead to give them a call about my condition. The fear of worrying them was based on my understanding of how the scholarship meant a lot to my family and me. They approached me over the weekend and had a long conversation with me. They told me that life is about making rightful choices, being courageous to overcome challenges and believing in oneself. They also reminded me of how good my grades were and that they expected me to perform similarly on the CPP test, which they came to know was my greatest setback. My dad added that I was competing with normal students just like those in my schools and that the only difference is that my new competitors are from other regions in the country. As such, I knew I had to set higher standards like studying for extra hours, including evenings and mornings to book myself a sure ticket amongst the few to be selected. My mother had nothing much to add, but she told me that her God would always shine upon me and I will be chosen for the United States' sponsorship by the company. I am a believer in what God can do, so I believed my mother’s prayer and wishes but I had to work very hard to be selected to study the course of my life, which is among the best courses in the world. Petroleum Engineering is one of the most marketable courses in my home country since the country is rich in oil and other related products. Studying this course will not only be helpful to me or the Saudi Aramco Oil Company but also to the entire world. The reason for my opinion is that Saudi Aramco Oil Company and other companies in the oil and gas industry in Saudi Arabia are multinational corporations, which imply that international markets consume their products and producing quality products in the oil and gas industry is directly related to the 8 Surname proper educational background in the field of Petroleum industry. Studying this course to completion for the sponsored 300 students from Saudi Arabia will be an added advantage to the country’s economy as the quality of merchandises and services in the oil and gas industry will rise to greater heights. Besides being a young hardworking and curious individual who is also indecisive and out-going, I am a curious person. I always strive to gain more understanding about specific problems and always after the most challenging tasks. I believe my curiosity traits help me in dealing with challenges. As such, I believe that I will overcome all my weaknesses and emerge courageous and very educated person towards the end of the final year exams despite my new school regulations and new students. I want to utilize my time in studying something new and relevant to the Petroleum Industry and do my assignments and revisions on time. Making new professional friends will also be part of my free time activities as friends are necessary in one’s life. I will do all of the things I have mentioned among other things to form a good relationship with my colleagues and achieve excellent results in my exams. 9 Surname My Ticket to the US [original] Life is about being humble and ready to take control over personal issues affecting oneself. Before I sat for my College Preparatory Program final exams, everything seemed to be very difficult and complicated. I was quickly carried away by defeat and lack of self-trust in my ability to excel in my studies. The desire to study Petroleum Engineering in the US motivated me a lot. I had no other secret of transcending in the CPP test other than studying for it very well. The moment I was able to overcome my weaknesses with the help of my family and friends is the very same occasion that led to my success in the test. I thank the Saudi Aramco Oil Company for the great opportunity accorded to all of us to come and study the degree in Petroleum Engineering in the U.S.A. There is no any other country that I have ever dreamt of studying at beside America. Everything in the U.S.A seems to be great. Many people in this country are professional Petroleum Engineers compared to other nations, and this motivates me a lot. No single student on this planet would like to further his or her studies in a country that has low academic reputations and professionals. If you conduct a survey this particular instance studying how people would react if given sponsorship to the U.S.A and any other country, you will realize that many of the participants will prefer to study in the U.S.A than any other country across the world. The Saudi Aramco Oil Company gave me a bright future even if am still working on it; I believe that one day it be very great. The United States of America has invested a lot of resources in technology-related disciplines, and this puts them ahead of almost every developed country across the world. There are many nations such as China and Russia which are doing very well when it comes to technological developments, but the United States of America remain their leader due to the high 10 Surname human relationships and universal democracy in the country. The language barrier is a problem especially if you want to study in Russia or China and this is the same reason I still prefer studying or getting a United States of America sponsorship rather than the two countries mentioned above. The degree of civilization and professionalism in the United States is very significant. There are many petroleum engineering scholars in the U.S coming from China, Russia, and other developed countries. Aforementioned is a clear indication that the Saudi Aramco Oil Company made a professional decision in coming up with the best option on where to take us. Nearly every scholar would appreciate a scholarship to further his or her studies in the U.S, and this is what I think motivated the well-established company to sponsor the country’s best-performing students to advance their petroleum engineering interest in the U.S. Like I had mentioned before, my family and friends motivated me when I was about to lose hope in the sponsorship program. I became overexcited, and then I feared to miss the opportunity of being part of the great team to study in the United States. After trying all I could and seeing others become better than me in academics, I got more scared, and my rate of understanding new concepts began to deteriorate. At this instance, I knew that everything was out of control, and I needed to fix them, but I had no idea on how I was going to do that. My family friends were the first persons to understand my situation. I schooled with my one of my cousin who was a very close friend of mine since our childhood. My cousin and his friend approached me one evening and asked me why I was looking terrified for the past few days. I had no option but to open my heart and tell them the truth. Aforementioned is the first step that made me be where I am today. They talked to me and gave me more encouraging words 11 Surname all directed towards my future academic success. They emphasized on building my courage and believing in myself. The little life in me began to get some strength. Group discussions and readings are the reason why many people excel in their studies. My cousin and our friends were part of the reading groups that helped me score very high marks. Before the CPP test, I was always the leading student, and if things went wrong that term, I would be just there within the top ten students. The fear of missing the sponsorship program made me very weak at first, but the same concern motivated me after involving my friends in my studies. Before the tension inside me grew to scary levels, I decided to allow them into my life and see if they could have any impact. They started to accompany me to every place I went to just to be near me when studying and this motivated me. I wanted to let my parents know of the situation in me, but I feared to disclose my state before them. My fabulous cousin went ahead and gave my parents a call and informed them about my condition. I was afraid of talking to my parents about the fear inside me because I didn’t want to let them down. I knew the scholarship meant a lot to my family and myself. My mother and father approached me over the weekend and had a long conversation with me. They told me that life is about making rightful choices, being courageous to overcome challenges and believing in oneself. They also reminded me of how good my grades were and that they expected me to perform similarly on the CPP test. My dad added that I was competing with the same students like those in my schools but from other regions in the country. Aforementioned meant that I was to study extra add both in the evenings and morning to book myself an early ticket amongst the few to be selected. My mother had nothing much to add, but she told me that her God would always shine upon me and I will be chosen for the United States' sponsorship by the company. I worked very hard and got selected to study the course of my life. 12 Surname Petroleum Engineering is a more marketable course in our native country. The country is rich in oil and its related products. Studying this course will not only be helpful to me or the Saudi Aramco Oil Company but to the entire world. The reason why I am saying this is because Saudi Aramco Oil Company and other companies in the oil and gas industry in Saudi Arabia are multinational corporations meaning international markets consume their products. Producing quality products in the oil and gas industry is directly related to the proper educational background in the field of Petroleum industry. Studying this course to completion for the sponsored 300 students from Saudi Arabia will be an added advantage to the country’s economy as the quality of merchandises and services in the oil and gas industry will rise to greater heights. Apart from being hardworking, curious, young, indecisive, and out-going, I am also an anxious person. Under my new school regulations and new students, I believe that I will overcome all my weaknesses and emerge and courageous and very educated person towards the end of the final year exams. I want to utilize my every single hour in studying something new and relevant in the Petroleum Industry and do my assignments and revisions on time. Making new professional friends will also be part of my free time activities. I will do all of the things as mentioned above and others that are not listed for the sake of establishing a good relationship with my colleagues and achieving excellent results in my finals. 13 Surname An International Student’s Dream [Edited] My interview takes place at the Panera café, a popular joint among the students, staff, and the community living around the University. As I wait for my interviewee to arrive, I place an order, a latte, green tea, a scone, and a croissant and a waiter sets them on the table at my booth. As I wait, I observe the activity around the cafe quietly smiling to myself as I listen to the different coffee flavors ordered by the customers. The majority of the customers in the joint are often students though occasionally, passersby on their way from work also visit the café. My interviewee arrives, and based on and the files in his hand bearing the university’s logo with the blue and yellow colors and his fast speed walking I can tell he is coming from a school-related activity by the flyer. He waves at me once he spots me setting in my booth, and finds his way through the crowd, finally putting down the papers in his hands on the table and sitting down opposite me in the booth. To start our interview, I enquire about the purpose of his fliers that are advertising for an Indian Students Organization while he is obviously an Arab. As an answer, Mohammed gives me a broad smile and tells me that there is a need for integration among students that goes beyond, race religion and country borders. He says that it is vital for all students to understand their origin is not relevant but working together with the common objective of giving back to the community. Notably, it is due to Mohammed’s hard work at school and the desire to give back his work to his community that I choose him as my interviewee. When I ask Mohammed about his childhood, life when he was growing up, he tells me that he was raised in a high-class family. His father graduated with a bachelor in computer science from KFUPM (King Fahad University of Petroleum &Minerals) and got employment from the Health Ministry. Later due to his hard work, and formulation of successful policies his 14 Surname father rose to a higher rank in the Ministry of Health. Mohammed draws his inspiration from his father who is also his role model due to his passion and determination to improve the well-being of the society. Notably, since we were in middle school, Mohammed adopted the culture of taking me with him to do community service. He says all he has ever wanted since childhood is to serve his community with all he had and when I ask him why he specifically chose community service and humanitarianism his response mesmerizes me. He says that the duty of building the community is a personal responsibility for everyone and it is imperative that every individual does their part. I am interested to know which program Mohammed enrolled at the university, and coincidentally he tells me he is a CPP (College Preparatory Program) student the same program I am registered to. He worked his way to pass the College Preparatory Program through the AP subjects including Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, and Calculus with distinctions. Mohammed observes that success is not handed to anyone on a silver platter, but one has to work for it. Such work for Mohammed included stresses and exhaustion due to long hours in the library and late nights studying where at some point he discloses he could even sleep on his studying desk. He says that to succeed in life and more so academics one has to have a clear picture of whom and where he or she wishes to be in future. Once a clear picture is defined, it then becomes more comfortable to work towards that goal. During his first days at West Virginia University, He tells me, he could not help feeling a foreigner. Due to his accent and religion that is different from that of the locals as well as his Muslim name Mohammed feared facing discrimination being profiled as a terrorist. He was amazed that all the people are friendly to him and there was no racism here as he used to watch 15 Surname on the TV or some YouTube videos that were against the Muslims. He, however, admits that he felt threatened after one of his friends was attacked in a hate crime in Austin, Texas. Mohammed narrates that his friend was on the way to the university as it was his routine when a man who talked to him in a racist attitude that seemed to imply he was a criminal and a terrorist accosted him. Mohammed says that his friends experience on that fateful day was part of the reason he decided to become more involved with different associations for international students and other clubs at the university. Mohammed wanted to show the world that there is a different side to what the media portrays Muslims and Arabs. He reiterates that in the world, there exists a different kind of people both good and bad and as such, a small group of criminals cannot be profiled to postulates that a whole country and religion is for criminals. All events Mohammed discloses that they left him distressed and in the blink of losing hope in education. However, he sought strength in his primary goal, which is to receive education and go back after home after successful completion of his studies to use his acquired skills to help with his future job at Saudi Aramco. For someone whose cause is noble, Mohamed is surprisingly humble. When I question him if he considers himself a role model to other students in the university and what he thinks other students in the school could learn from him, he says he still has plenty to discover and learn from them as well. On what motivates him, Mohammed says he considers the struggles and obstacles he has faced as his greatest sources of strength and motivation. Through his association with other international students, he shares his ideas and learns new things which he believes is the best way to grow and develop one’s mind and expose them to new ideas and ways of thinking. 16 Surname Mohammed bears a message of hope as we conclude our interview he says that the future belongs only to those who work for it and not only dream of it. He also maintains his earlier position that everyone should attempt to make the world a better place than they found it in any position they hold. At the end of the interview, my coffee is cold, and I get up to get a refill. I look at Mohammed, the man I have known as my cousin since we were children, in a new light and wish him all the best in his plans to contribute in his country and give back to his community. I offer to get him another cup of tea as well, but he declines. He is apparently running late for a meeting with his future Engineers friends. 17 Surname An International Student’s Dream [Original] “Nawaf!” the short, dark-haired college student who works part-time at the cafe calls me to go pick up my order. I am sitting at Panera near the university waiting for my interviewee to arrive. I get up to pick up my order, a latte, green tea, a scone, and a croissant and set them on the table at my booth. I laughed quietly at the name “Nuaph” on the Styrofoam cup, they never get my name right. As I wait, I observe the activity around the cafe quietly smiling to myself as I listen to the different coffee flavors ordered by the customers. The majority of the customers here seem to be students though occasionally, I can see a few older people who seem to be passing by the cafe on their way home from work. My interviewee has arrived, I can tell he is coming from a school-related activity by the flyer and the files in his hand which shows the university’s logo with the blue and yellow colors and that he is late by his fast speed walking. He waved at me once he spotted me setting in my booth, he found his way through the crowed, finally putting down the papers in his hands on the table and sitting down opposite me in the booth. I ask him about his day as I pick up and read the flyer he has; the flyer was advertising an event for the Indians Student’s Association. “you are not Indian,” I comment with raised eyebrow as I pass him the cup of green tea and scone that I ordered for him. His answer is the same one he always gives whenever we talk about participating in different student associations for international students from Germany, China, and now India regardless of him being from Saudi Arabia. “It's not about where we come from, it's about working together in unity and realizing that our goals are similar and that together, we can do something to give back to our communities.” Mohammed Almatroodi. His hard work at school and the desire to give back his work to his community is the reason why I choose him as my interviewee. 18 Surname Mohammed is also a CPP (College Preparatory Program) student just like me, actually he is the one who influenced me to apply for it. He worked his way to pass the CPP through the AP subjects such as Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science and Calculus which helped him a lot through University. He was among the three hundred who got accepted during the year he was and then his journey at West Virginia University. He got aced most of the courses he took “you have to give yourself to your future, you have to hard work it is only a matter of time” He said. During his first days at West Virginia University, He tells me, he couldn’t help feeling like the foreigners back at Saudi Arabia, his home country, whose percentage was estimated to be slightly more than 20% a couple of years ago, most of who moved there to find employment and support their families. Like them, he came to the United States to receive education and his dream is to go back after successful completion of his studies and use his acquired skills to help with his future job at Saudi Aramco. For someone whose cause is noble, Mohamed is surprisingly humble. When I ask him if he considers himself a role model to other students in the university and what he thinks other students in the school could learn from him, he says he still has a lot to learn from them as well. When he was growing up, Mohammed’s he raised in a high-class family. His father was a hard worker he graduated with a bachelor in computer science. He worked in the ministry of health, he then completed his higher education in KFUPM (King Fahad University of Petroleum &Minerals) he got a raise afterwards he found his way to get high rank in the ministry. His father started a family business with his brother, they worked hard to be what they are now. Mohammed’s father was a model to him, he loved his father and wanted to be like him. Since I was in middle school I remember Mohammed taking me with him to do community service. He always wanted to serve his community with all he got. “Serving my community is my job and 19 Surname everyone job, we build our community by ourselves” Mohammed says. He is hard working man his ambitious to help everyone is what made him strong and made the people around him to like him. Mohammed did always have the vision to work hard and give back to his community as he tells me whenever I ask him why he decided to go back home when he completed his studies, but his answer was not strong as it is now. The various obstacles he passed through to get to where he is now even after he left his country and moved to the United States for further education led him to his cause. As a senior at WVU this year, he came to United States a couple of years ago. During his first year of school, he was amazed that all the people are friendly to him and there was no racism here as he used to watch on the TV or some YouTube videos that was against the Muslims. He loved the place even more. After one of his friends was attacked in a hate crime in Auston, Texas, when he was at the way to his university as he does everyday a guy came to him and started to talk to him in a racist way. Mohammed says that what happened to his friend that day was the reason he decided to become more involved with different associations for international students and other clubs at the university. He wanted to show the people that we are not what is shown in the media as criminals. “everywhere in the world there is the good and the bad,” Mohammed. On what motivates him, Mohammed says he considers the struggles and obstacles he has faced as his greatest sources of strength and motivation. Through his association with other international students, he shares his ideas and learns new things which he believes is the best way to grow and develop one’s mind and expose them to new ideas and ways of thinking. At the end of the interview, my coffee is cold, and I get up to get a refill. I look at Mohammed, the man I have known as my cousin since we were children, in a new light and wish him all the best in his 20 Surname plans to contribute in his country and give back to his community. I offer to get him another cup of tea as well, but he declines. He is apparently running late for a meeting with his future Engineers friends. 21 Surname Work Cited Mohammed, A. (2018, February 4). Personal Interview. (N. Albassam, Interviewer) 22 Surname Let’s go Places [Edited] According to Statista 2017, in the fourth quarter, Xfinity Mobile advertisement alone appeared on television 45,545 times, making it the most advertised commodity on television. Advertisements are used by companies and corporations to create consumer awareness of their products and services. Other than the number of appearances, an emphasis is placed on the quality of adverts and has, in turn, created an industry that organizations budget for in their operations. Customers face thousands of adverts daily, ever since they were first introduced in the mass media. The media provides a platform for reaching a broad audience of consumers. Advertisements have over the years been customized to target different consumers. The ad by Toyota company is a perfect example of a well- laid emphasis on creating an ad. The ad is titled “Let’s go Places." The ad wants the audience to familiarize themselves with the features of the car and displays the car’s qualities by using ethos, colors, humor and pathos. Toyota is a company that specializes in producing vehicles. The company has designed over 30 million cars in 50 years. Besides, the company has fourteen manufacturing plants (Liker & Franz). The agency that helped create the ad is Saatchi & Saatchi. Saatchi & Saatchi has been Toyota's agency for designing adverts. The agency's sole purpose was to introduce the new car to the consumers in a humorous way not limited to entertainment only but one that evokes more discussion. The ad showcased four actors who were from robbing a bank and had to choose the Prius model after their takeaway vehicle is seen towed away. The individuals were entertaining throughout the 90- second long video about their behaviors and statements they uttered. The ad displays a video like Hollywood adventure films. It captured the Prius vehicle’s movement through police blocks in action-packed adventure pursuit by the police and finally escaping 23 Surname possibly the last roadblock that had police officers deep asleep to notice the villains' vehicle pass through them. The ad created in 2016, was first aired during the first half of Super Bowl 50. The Super Bowl is America's cultural event that attracts thousands of people with varied and diverse backgrounds. People of different ages gather during this period, and this created a perfect time to introduce the ad to the audience. The in-game ad also involved the audience in the social media campaign by developing a hashtag and encouraging them to send their tweets. The age group that mostly engages in social media is the youth and therefore most of the target audience included the youth. Besides, the game also attracts basketball enthusiasts who are not necessarily the youth. Tentatively, all ages were targeted in the ad (Toyota). The first notable aspect of the ad is that it explicitly focuses on and even exaggerates the specifications and unique qualities of the car. The first quality of the car noticeable is when one villain admires how the car is spacious. This statement already sends a message to the audience about its features. Furthermore, the escaping criminals move at a speed that even alerts the police. An officer operating a radio is astonished at the car's speed. The swift nature of the vehicle is the second quality that the automobile has. The car halts at a police officers’ stop near the farmer's market before reversing and maneuvering its way back the way it came from before joining the Freeway. It is notable that at some point, the car warns the driver to use brakes as it nears another police stop. This warning is another feature the ad intended for the audience to know about the model. The vehicle slowly weaves past the police vehicles without the officers noticing thus showing that the model is quiet. Therefore, before even indulging into how effective the ad was, it is seen as displaying different functional advantages of using the Prius model. 24 Surname The first rhetorical device used in the ad was ethos. Ethos is meant to convince an audience of the credible nature of a character. The ad used ethos in many fashions to prove the credibility of the car model. The radio message by an officer stated that the car is fast. The statement further enforces the narrative the ad purposed on showing the speed of the Prius model. Admission of the cops on the Prius' swift feature enhances credibility. The second incident that showed credibility is when a journalist describes the police pursuit as ‘the chase of the century.' Broadcasting the pursuit as it beat the high-speed police chase vehicles further reinstates the credibility of Prius being fast. Essentially, the ability of the escape to attract legal authority attention and to be broadcast on television shows the viewer how serious the incident is. Furthermore, although the capabilities of the car and probably the driver are exaggerated, the realistic features such as braking notification and the car’s space allow it to be realistic and credible. The ad also used colors to enhance the image of the car model. The red color of the car stood out in the video. It was the first character that is visible when first viewing the ad. The warm and bright color red evokes eye-catching nature of the car. The first instance where this is brought out is the first scene after the robbery incident. The Toyota Prius model has been parked a short distance from the bank with the surrounding vehicles having neutral and dark colors. The neutral and dark colors help reveal the bright colors presence and form part of the classics. The other parked vehicles are dark, and it's only the advertised model that exudes freshness that makes it conspicuous. After that scene, the other subsequent scenes contain variability of colors. The chase vehicles, other characters, the banners, lightings along the freeway are all lit up. The ad used the bright red color of the Prius and chose to use dark colors on the other vehicles to 25 Surname make the audience focus only on the car model by creating contrast. This choice of colors could also be used to show that the car stands out from the rest even regarding its performance. Moreover, the ad uses humor to create a relaxed mood from the otherwise tense situation of bank robbery. From the first scene to the final one, humor is depicted in numerous instances to bring out the message to the audience. The villains dropped a bag of full of cash intentionally with a thank you card to the owner of the stolen vehicle. This gesture is funny considering the character of robbers who usually display rough and harsh behaviors. The second funny incident is the officer requesting for verification of the model and then describing it as a thing that is hard to catch, and the feedback he receives on the other end acknowledges how funny the whole incident is. Humor attracts the audience’s attention. The use of humor, therefore, not only keeps the audience interested in the ad but makes a light note out of a situation which is morally wrong and illegal. This interesting take on the issue allows the audience to adopt a positive attitude towards the ad. Finally, the ad also applies pathos. Pathos is used to evoke feelings and emotions. The ad shows instances which it applied pathos to make the audience react in a specific way that will drive them to the product. For instance, a lady is seen expressing her attraction to the driver after she answers a question from the interviewer in a talk show. This instance appeals to the sense that the capabilities of the car could lead to sexual attraction. Since it is assumed that everyone wants to feel loved, the audience would feel that the car would attract love from the opposite sex. This is an emotional process that could lead the audience to acquire the car. The “Let’s go Places” Prius advertisement is effective mainly because other than showcasing the capabilities of the car, it also incorporates ethos, contrast in colors, humor, and pathos to appeal to the audience. It is thus logical to hypothesize that the advertisement’s appeal 26 Surname to consumers to familiarize themselves with the new models' features will woo them to purchase the vehicle. The model's movement throughout the video concisely shows its perfect handling and environmentally friendly features that can be useful to everyone. Use of colors, humor, and emotions may finally increase future sales of the Prius model. This ad opens up a wider discussion regarding the use of humor in socially compromising situations to effectively advertise products. Other than the ad’s seeming justification of the bank robbery, other ads have brought out villains as heroes in the society for them to capture the attention of the viewers. Although the ad by Toyota is evidently effective, it is also necessary to think about such advertisements’ moral appeal since they are abundant in popular media such as television. 27 Surname Let’s go Places [Original] Advertisements are used by companies and corporations to create consumer awareness of their products and services. Emphasis is placed on the quality of adverts and has, in turn, created an industry that organizations budget for in their operations. Customers face thousands of adverts daily, ever since they were first introduced in the mass media. The media provides a platform for reaching a broad audience of consumers. Advertisements have over the years been customized to target different consumers. The ad by Toyota company is a perfect example of a well- laid emphasis on creating an ad. The ad is titled “Let’s go Places." The ad wants the audience to familiarize themselves with the features of the car and displays the car’s qualities by using ethos, colors, humor and pathos. Toyota- is a company that specializes in producing vehicles. The company has designed over 30 million cars in 50 years. Besides, the company has fourteen manufacturing plants (Liker & Franz). The agency that helped create the ad is Saatchi & Saatchi. Saatchi & Saatchi has been Toyota's agency for designing adverts. The agency's sole purpose was to introduce the new car to the consumers in a humorous way not limited to entertainment only but one that evokes more discussion. The ad showcased four actors who were from robbing a bank and had to choose the Prius model after their takeaway vehicle is seen towed away. The individuals were entertaining throughout the 90- second long video about their behaviors and statements they uttered. The ad displays a video like Hollywood adventure films. It captured the Prius vehicles movement through police blocks in action-packed adventure pursuit by the police and finally escaping possibly the last roadblock that had police officers deep asleep to notice the villains' vehicle pass through them. 28 Surname The ad created in 2016, was first aired during the first half of Super Bowl 50. The Super Bowl is America's cultural event that attracts thousands of people with varied and diverse backgrounds. People of different ages gather during this period, and this created a perfect time to introduce the ad to the audience. The in-game ad also involved the audience in the social media campaign by developing a hashtag and encouraging them to send their tweets. The age group that mostly engages in social media is the youth and therefore most of the target audience included the youth. Besides, the game also attracts basketball enthusiasts who are not necessarily the youth. Tentatively, all ages were targeted in the ad (Toyota). The Toyota Prius model and starts with four individuals coming out of a bank they have just robbed and then dashes to the Toyota Prius car conspicuously parked just ahead of them. The first quality of the car noticeable is when one villain admires how the car is spacious. This statement already sends a message to the audience about its features. The escaping criminals move at a speed that even alerts the police. An officer operating a radio is astonished at the car's speed. The swift nature of the vehicle is the second quality that the automobile has. The ad has proven effective in displaying the intended purpose. The car halts at a police officers’ stop near the farmer's market before reversing and maneuvering its way back the way it came from before joining the Freeway. It is not clear how the mention of the farmer's market had an impact but the elegance at which the car reversed sent a clear message to the audience of its swiftness. The chase is broadcasted and even attracts the attention of talk shows. The ad explicitly shows how the pursuit has gone viral. Reactions from different areas of the globe are shown to signify the awareness it has created. The responses are meant to elicit emotional reactions from the audience and enable them to develop an interest in the model. A lady is seen expressing her desire in the driver after she answers a question from the interviewer in a talk show. It is not clear why this 29 Surname segment was necessary, but it might perhaps explain the message the author tried to reveal- the drivers of these Prius models are likely to get female attention. Darkness sets in as the villains continue with their escape. It is noticeable that the car warns the driver to use brakes as it nears another police stop. This warning is a feature the ad intended for the audience to know about the model. The vehicle slowly weaves past the police vehicles without the officers noticing. The ad was effective in displaying all these characteristics of the vehicle. The ad entails various rhetorical appeals used to entice the customers. The first rhetorical device used was the ethos. Ethos is meant to convince an audience of the credible nature of a character. The ad used ethos in many fashions to prove the credibility of the car model. The radio message by an officer stated that the car is fast. The statement further enforces the narrative the ad purposed on showing the speed of the Prius model. Admission of the cops on the Prius' swift feature enhances credibility. The second incident that showed credibility is when a journalist describes the police pursuit as ‘the chase of the century.' Broadcasting the pursuit as it beat the high-speed police chase vehicles further reinstates the credibility of Prius being fast. The ad also used colors to enhance the image of the car model. The red color of the car stood out in the video. It was the first character that is visible when first viewing the ad. The warm and bright color red evokes eye-catching nature of the car. The first instance where this is brought out is the first scene after the robbery incident. The Toyota Prius model has been parked a short distance from the bank with the surrounding vehicles having neutral and dark colors. The neutral and dark colors help reveal the bright colors presence and form part of the classics. The other parked vehicles are dark, and it's only the advertised model that exudes freshness that makes it conspicuous. After that scene, the other subsequent scenes contain variability of colors. The chase vehicles, other characters, the banners, lightings along the freeway are all lit up. The 30 Surname ad used the bright red color of the Prius and chose to use dark colors on the other vehicles to make the audience focus only on the car model. Another notable rhetorical issue is the use of humor in the ad. From the first scene to the final one, humor is depicted in numerous instances to bring out the message to the audience. The villains dropped a bag of full of cash intentionally with a thank you card to the owner of the stolen vehicle. This gesture is funny considering the character of robbers who usually display rough and harsh behaviors. The second funny incident is the officer requesting for verification of the model and then describing it as a thing that is hard to catch, and the feedback he receives on the other end acknowledges how funny the whole incident is. The last scene also uses humor when one of the robbers realize the driver was getting asleep. The driver wakes up and replies that he was meditating. Humor attracts the audience attention, and the opposite is true for boring ads. It appeals to the viewers who can relate to the ad. The ad applied the use of pathos. Pathos is used to evoke feelings and emotions. The ad shows instances which it applied pathos to make the audience react in a specific way that will drive them to the product. The thrilling adventure the car is engaged in the whole video evokes excitement. The chase receives attention from the media outlets as observed in the ad with fast moving pictures and the support from people viewing the pursuit from their sets to the child receiving a gift of a Prius model all bring out ecstasy. Besides, a television station describes the chase as a two- day event which further fuels the excitement. The excitement makes people want to see all through to the end. In conclusion, the advertisement appeal to consumers to familiarize themselves with the new models' features will finally enable them to purchase the vehicle. The model's movement throughout the video concisely shows its perfect handling and environmentally friendly features 31 Surname that can be useful to everyone. Use of colors, humor, and emotions may finally increase future sales of the Prius model. 32 Surname Works Cited Liker, Jeffrey K., and James K. Franz. The Toyota way to continuous improvement: Linking strategy and operational excellence to achieve superior performance. McGraw Hill Professional, 2011. Statista. “Leading products and services advertised on TV in the United States in the 4th quarter 2017, by number of ad occurrences.” Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/728470/most-advertised-products-on-tv-ad-count/ Toyota. Toyota chases the Spotlight with Big Game Ad Starring all New 2016 Prius. Retrieved from http://toyotanews.pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota+chases+big+game+ad+2016+pri us.htm “Toyota 'The Longest Chase' Super Bowl 2016 TV Commercial” YouTube, Uploaded by TrendAds, Dec 29, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H-mnq2Buqo. 33 Surname 34 Surname Medieval Castle’s Defensive Techniques [Edited] Introduction The defense strategy was considered crucial during the middle age period where grand examples of human ingenuity techniques were used to protect medieval castle in the European history. The forts were homes for the nobles in the medieval times. They were also used strategically to defend territory and provide supplies during the war. While castles are beautiful and impressive structures, they were mainly created for defense and guarded by well-trained armies. Therefore, castles served the purpose of most of the medieval leaders who would do everything to safeguard their legacy and territorial claim during their reign (Liddiard). Additionally, ironically castles were frequently targeted during attacks by different barons and kings, defenders had to devise ingenious techniques of keeping attackers outside the castle walls. They were constructed differently depending on the location. Some castles were built on hills while others on islands which was perceived as a strategic location enabled to see approaching enemies from a distance. Some of the features which made the castles unique included; the curtain walls, towers, turrets, gatehouse, lookout points, Barbican and the drawbridge. Although the castle walls and structures were loud and defensive, castle defenders used tools such as ballista, crossbows, long arrows, gunpowder, biological weapons and boiling water to keep invader from reaching the castle walls. Despite the fact, medieval castles encountered challenges serial attacks, their attractiveness reminds the intrigues of warfare, power, and politics during the ancient times. The defensive strategy was considered crucial during the middle age period where to protect the castle from invasion using techniques. 35 Surname Cross Bows and Long longbows Archers were prized in castle defenses since they could hit enemies from running instances. In the earlier medieval periods, longbows with lighter arrows were used to defend castles from invaders. However, as technology advanced, crossbows became a choice weapon for castle defenders. They were accurate and robust, having the capability to shoot bolts up to 400 meters away with high precision. They were often shot through small slits on the castle walls. Arrows varied with some having flames to burn siege towers. Ballista The ballista was the most common tool used by many soldiers in defending the castle. This tool was also referred to as the catapult. They used burning stones that put in position on square or cylindrical towers that would push the rocks with force towards the invading group. The stones were large enough to destroy large groups of people before they were able to reach an attacking range. However, this tool had its shortcomings. For instance, it could take a more extended period to prepare and position the stones on the towers before firing. According to (Levin 523), this was dangerous because it gave the enemy the time shield themselves and came up with other strategies for invading the castle. Biological weapons The defending army used anything at their disposal to protect the castle. They invented multiple techniques which were very deleterious to their enemies. The formation of the biological weapons required the invention of experts who were well trained to deal with specific biological concepts. It was mainly to avoid causing infections in their army. The natural techniques ranged from simple methods to more complex ways which caused extensive damage to the invaders. For example, they could plant poisonous plant at strategic locations which could not be easily 36 Surname identified by their nemeses. Additionally, they could spread or instead catapult diseased animals to the direction of the invading group to help spread the disease to them. They placed traps strategically to give them a clue on the direction in which the invaders were coming from for them to be able to catapult the dead animals towards the correct direction. Finally, the biological weapon used in the currently in the warfare have been advanced through technology but has the same impact similar the medieval venomous bio-weapon. Boiling water The warriors could use boiling water to burn and scare the invaders away. This tactic was more operational when the trespassers were unaware of the ambush than when they are ready for such as the attack on them. However, this was not the best method due to various dynamics. Firstly, it was challenging to get the boiling water in time thus seems to be ineffective as the enemies could raid without warning. The procedure of getting the water was long, and it was only useful in the case where the defenders were prepared for an attack which was expected to occur (Wagner et al. 32). Also, it was a risky method because of the accidents connected to it. It is worth noting that in some cases the defending crew could burn themselves accidentally as they rush to attack the raiders. Long arrows The long arrows and swords were also used by the front line guards to fight the invaders at a closer range on the battlefield. In many cases, they used poisonous arrows to limit the chances of survival. These tools become useful when the invaders were very close to the castle and proving to be a significant threat to the protected occupants of the villas. The battlefields were perilous because any person could die in these battles. According to Joaquin, the fact that the chances of survival were limited in wars depicts the vulnerability of using these types of weapons. They were 37 Surname not the best because the survival of the fighting crew largely depended on their fighting skills (Cairns 12). Evidently, the groups of soldiers who were not appropriately trained to fight on the battlefields could be defeated. Furthermore, the success in these types of wars relied on the number of the warring armies. The defending was expected to have enough army of men who were capable of squeezing the threat, irrespective of the milestones that they encountered. Gun Powder The invention of the gun powered gave these groups of soldiers the much-desired advantage in the fighting force during the medieval epoch. This weapon was detrimental, and it enabled many army forces to conquer their enemies with ease. They used heavy machinery to fire the powder towards their enemies, causing destruction that could not be easily measured. These tools were preferred by many, and those who used them during the war were successful in many occasions in their missions, especially in cases where their enemies possess the gunpowder. The gun powered was arguably the best weapon in defending the castles. This notion openly depicts the reason why many leaders strived to acquire the associated tools which were used with the gunpowder. Countermeasures against the Tools used for Castle Defense A siege on a castle takes careful planning, lots of resources, and diversion techniques for weakening the defense systems. Firstly, one of the countermeasures used by attacking forces during medieval periods to prevent the impact of the extended arrows, gunpowder, and ballista on their advancement is the siege towers of belfries. Secondly, according to Spencer, siege towers compensate for the weaknesses of the ladder during the offensive despite the labor cost and time required to build the platform. Also, it is a useful platform for launching counterattacks against the defenders of the castle regardless of the weapons or tools used by them. As the attack from the 38 Surname siege towers results in the death of the defenders, so is the weakening of the strengths of the castle against sustained attacks from the siege tower. The siege tower is one of the tools that contributed to the victories of opposing forces on several battlefronts during the period. Meanwhile, the cost labor and time required for constructing a siege tower that would allow the opposing forces to get over the wall might make it inappropriate for some armies and battles. Therefore, the understanding through the wall approach becomes the next opposition to attack the castle. The preferred weapons for this type of attack include missile throwing machines, battering rams, old cannon, which are all targeted at the weakest point of the castle. In this context, the objective of the attackers is to force their way through the wall by creating a large hole in the defense system, primarily through the strength of the straightened tree trunk used for making the battering rams. While the typical method for launching the battering ram at the gateway of the castle is the use of the momentum formed by large groups of men to charge at the defense mechanism, the attack tool can be placed in a portable building that protects it from the fire that could be caused by the gunpowder and ballista. Also, fresh hides are placed on the roof to protect the group of men that would apply the rhythmical swing to the gateway. Conclusion In summary, protecting castles was of strategic economic and political importance of the cities that constitute the kingdoms during the medieval era. All the planning and meeting of the leader of the armies are designed to identify the weakest point of the structure that is useful for launching platforms for attack because the invaders would gain an advantage when they overrun defense systems of the castle. Therefore, the defending armies were expected to be active and prepared for war at all times throughout the regime to defend the interests of their nobles, lords, and kings. Despite the fact, medieval castles encountered challenges serial attacks, their 39 Surname attractiveness reminds the intrigues of warfare, power, and politics during the ancient times. Finally, they are architectural masterpieces that served as the centers for the formulation of military strategies and creation of weapons and tools that highlighted the strengths and tactics of the armies. 40 Surname Tools Used to Defend Castles [Original] Introduction The medieval castles are grand examples of human ingenuity. The castles were homes for the nobles in the medieval times. They were also used strategically to defend territory and provide supplies during the war. While castles are beautiful and impressive structures, they were mainly created for defense and guarded by well-trained armies. Therefore, castles served the purpose of most of the medieval leaders who would do everything to safeguard their legacy and territorial claim during their reign (Liddiard). Given that castles were frequently targeted during attacks by different barons and kings, defenders had to devise ingenious ways of keeping attackers outside the castle walls. They were constructed differently depending on the location. Some were built on hills while others on islands. Some of the features which made the castles unique included; the curtain walls, towers, turrets, gatehouse, look out points, Barbican and the drawbridge. Although the castle walls and structures were strong and defensive in nature, castle defenders used tools such as ballista, crossbows, long arrows, gunpowder, biological weapons and boiling water to keep invaders from breaching the castle walls. Cross Bows and Long longbows Archers were prized in castle defenses since they could hit enemies from long instances. In the earlier medieval periods, longbows with lighter arrows were used to defend castles from invaders. However, as technology advanced, crossbows became a choice weapon for castle defenders. They were accurate and powerful, having the capability to shoot bolts up to 400 meters away with great precision. They were often shot through small slits on the castle walls. Arrows varied with some having flames to burn siege towers. Ballista 41 Surname The ballista was the most common tool used by many soldiers in defending the castle. This tool was also referred to as the catapult. They used burning stones that were positioned on square or cylindrical towers that would push the stones with force towards the invading group. The stones were large enough to destroy large groups of people before they were able to reach an attacking range. However, this tool had its shortcomings. For instance, it could take a longer period to prepare and position the stones on the towers before they were fired. According to Levin (523), this was dangerous because it gave the enemy the time shield themselves and come up with other strategies of invading the castle. Biological weapons The defending army could do anything to protect the castle. They invented multiple techniques which were very harmful to their enemies. The formation of the biological weapons required the invention of experts who were well trained to deal with specific biological concepts. It was mainly to avoid causing infections in their own army. The biological techniques ranged from simple methods to more complex methods which caused extensive damage to the invaders. For example, they could plant poisonous plant at strategic locations which could not be easily identified by their nemeses. Additionally, they could spread or rather catapult diseased animals to the direction of the invading group to help spread the disease to them. They placed traps strategically to give them a clue on the direction in which the invaders were coming from for them to be able to catapult the dead animals towards the correct direction. Boiling water The warriors could use the hot boiling water to burn and scare the invaders away. This tactic was more operational when the trespassers were unaware of the ambush than when they are fully prepared for such as attack on them. However, this was not the best method due to 42 Surname various dynamics. Firstly, it was very difficult to get the boiling water in time. The procedure of getting the water was long and it was only effective in the case where the defenders were prepared for an attack which was expected to occur (Wagner et al. 32). Also, it was a risky method because of the accidents connected to it. It is worth noting that in some cases the defending crew could burn themselves accidentally as they rush to attack the raiders. Long arrows The long arrows and swords were also used by the front line guards to fight the invaders at a closer range on the battlefield. In many cases, they used poisonous arrows to limit the chances of survival. These tools were used when the invaders were very close to the castle and proving to be a major threat to the protected occupants of the castles. The battlefields were very dangerous because any person could die in these battles. According to Joaquin, the fact that the chances of survival were limited in wars depicts the vulnerability of using these types of weapons. They were not the best because survival of the fighting crew largely depended on their individual fighting skills (Cairns 12). Evidently, the groups of soldiers who were not trained properly to fight on the battlefields could be defeated. Furthermore, the success in these types of wars relied on the number of the fighting armies. The defending lot was expected to have enough army of men who were capable of squeezing the threat, irrespective of the milestones that they encountered. Gun Powder The invention of the gun powered gave these groups of soldiers the much-desired fighting force during the medieval epoch. This weapon was detrimental and it enabled many army forces to conquer their enemies with ease. They used heavy machinery to fire the powder 43 Surname towards their enemies, causing destruction that could not be easily measured. These tools were preferred by many and those who used them during the war were successful in many occasions in their missions, especially in cases where their enemies were not equipped with the gunpowder. The gun powered was arguably the best weapon in defending the castles. This notion openly depicts the reason why many leaders strived to acquire the associated tools which were used with the gunpowder. Countermeasures against the Tools used for Castle Defense A siege on a castle takes careful planning, lots of resources, and diversion techniques for weakening the defense systems. One of the countermeasures used by attacking forces during medieval periods to prevent the impact of the long arrows, gunpowder, and ballista on their advancement is the siege towers of belfries. According to Spencer siege towers compensate for the weaknesses of the ladder during the offensive despite the labor cost and time required to build the platform. Also, it is a useful platform for launching counterattacks against the defenders of the castle regardless of the weapons or tools used by them. As the attack from the siege towers results in the death of the defenders, so is the weakening of the strengths of the castle against sustained attacks from the siege tower. The siege tower is one of the tools that contributed to the victories of opposing forces on several battlefronts during the period. Meanwhile, the cost labor and time required for constructing a siege tower that would allow the opposing forces to get over the wall might make it inappropriate for some armies and battles. Therefore, the getting through the wall approach becomes the next opposition to attack the castle. The preferred weapons for this type of attack include missile throwing machines, battering rams, early cannon, which are all targeted at the weakest point of the castle. In this context, the objective of the attackers is to force their way through the wall by creating a large 44 Surname hole in the defense system, especially through the strength of the straightened tree trunk used for making the battering rams. While the common method for launching the battering ram at the gateway of the castle is the use of the momentum formed by large groups of men to charge at the defense mechanism, the attack tool can be placed in a portable building that protects it from the fire that could be caused by the gunpowder and ballista. Also, fresh hides are placed on the roof to protect the group of men that would apply the rhythmical swing to the gateway. Conclusion In summary, protecting castles was of strategic economic and political importance of the cities that constitute the kingdoms during the medieval era. All the planning and meeting of the leader of the armies are designed to identify the weakest point of the structure that can be used as launching platforms for attack because the invaders would gain an advantage when they overrun defense systems of the castle. Therefore, the defending armies were expected to be effective and prepared for war at all times throughout the regime to defend the interests of their nobles, lords, and kings. Although castles have endured through time, their beauty is a reminder of the intrigues of war, power, and politics of the medieval period. Finally, they are architectural masterpieces that served as the centers for the formulation of military strategies and creation of weapons and tools that highlighted the strengths and tactics of the armies. 45 Surname Works cited Bennett, Matthew. The Hutchinson Dictionary of Ancient & Medieval Warfare. Taylor & Francis, 1998. Cairns, Conrad. Medieval Castles. Lerner Publications, 1989. James, and McDonald. “Medieval Warfare.” Castles and Manor Houses, 1 Oct. 2010, www.medievalwarfare.info/. Joaquin, David. "Castle Defenses." everything about the dark ages. (2014). Available at: http://medieval-castles.org/index.php/castle_defenses Kellaway, S. (2012), ‘The Ballista.' Retrieved from http://medievallifestyle.com/siegeengines/ballista.html Levin, Benjamin. "A Defensible Defense: Reexamining Castle Doctrine Statutes." Harv. J. on Legis. 47 (2010): 523. Liddiard, Robert. Late Medieval Castles. New York: Boydell Press, 2016Macaulay, David. Castle. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981. Print. Macaulay, David, et al. Castle. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977. Ramsey, Syed. Tools of War: History of Weapons in Ancient Times. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2016. Sisteen. (2017), ‘Defending a Castle in the Middle Ages.' Retrieved from http://www.lordsandladies.org/defending-a-castle-in-the-middle-ages.htm Spencer, Dan. “‘The Scourge of the Stones’: English Gunpowder Artillery at the Siege of Harfleur.” Journal of Medieval History, vol. 43, no. 1, 2017, pp. 59–7 46 Surname Trueman, C. (2015), ‘The longbow.' Retrieved from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval-england/the-longbow/ Wagner, Eduard, Zoroslava Drobná, and Jan Durdík. Medieval Costume, Armour, and Weapons. Boston: Courier Corporation, 2014. at the end of the term. This also gives your instructor an opportunity to provide you with an inprogress grade so that you have a realistic sense of where you stand in the course at the midpoint of the semester. At the end of the semester, you will compile your final portfolio (see Chapter 7). The final portfolio is your chance to reflect on your work as a writer, reader, and thinker in English 101. FOUR MAJOR PROJECTS AND PORTFOLIOS Each English 101 class will ask you to complete four major projects that address four different purposes for writing. You will have the chance to develop each of your major projects through a process of getting started, shaping and drafting, reviewing and revising, and polishing and editing. You'll compose papers in and out of class, alone and in groups. These major projects will be the main content of your course portfolio. In total, you can expect to write 20 or more pages for your four major projects. This writing will comprise the biggest chunk of your portfolio, which counts for 70% of your final grade in the course. For some of your writing, your instructor may ask you to bring enough draft copies to share with your group or will ask you to e-mail your papers to group members for an online workshop. Portfolio Grades (70%). To be eligibleforfull credit, each writer must meet all major deadlines throughout the semester. Thefinal portfolio must show evidence of the writer's process by including the required reflective writing and at least one draft version of each and every major assignment in addition to the final portfolio versions. Your final portfolio grade will be based on the following criteria: A B C D Superior portfolios will demonstrate originality, initiative, and rhetorical sophistication that go beyond the requirements. A portfolio at this level is composed of well-edited texts of different genres that consistently show a clear, connected sense of audience, purpose, and development. The writer is able to analyze his or her own writing, reflect on it, and revise/ rewrite accordingly. The portfolio takes risks that work. In strong portfolios, the writing succeeds in meeting its rhetorical goals in terms of audience, purpose, and genre conventions without need for further major revisions of purpose, development, audience, or writing style/ mechanics. The writer is able to reflect on his or her own writing and make some choices about revision. The writer takes risks, although they may not all be successful. Satisfactory portfolios meet the basic requirements, yet the writing would benefit from further revisions of purpose, development, audience, or writing style/ mechanics (or some combination) and a stronger understanding of rhetorical decision making. The writer composes across tasks at varying levels of success with some superficial revision. The writer has taken some risks in writing and exhibits some style. Weak portfolios do not fully meet the basic evaluative standards. Most texts are brief and underdeveloped. These texts show a composing process that is not yet elaborated or reflective of rhetorical understanding. Texts generally require extensive revisions to address problems with purpose, development, audience, and/or writing style and mechanics. F 2 Unacceptable portfolios exhibit pervasive problems with purpose, development, audience, or writing style/mechanics that interfere with meaning and readers' understanding. Unacceptable portfolios are often incomplete. A portfolio will also earn an F if it does not represent the writer's own original work. The Final Portfolio PURPOSE The final portfolio gives you an opportunity to reflect on everything you’ve learned so far this term AND demonstrate what you’ve learned. How well you do at this task will determine the biggest portion (70%) of your grade for this course. It’s time to focus, work, and show what you know. AUDIENCE Your audience for this project is me. It’s often helpful to think of your whole portfolio as a persuasive text. Your thesis is that you are a better writer than you were when you began this class. You’ll need to use all you’ve learned about rhetoric, writing, description, finding information, and analyzing to show me how much you’ve mastered. CONVENTIONS Your project should be double-spaced and typed in 12 point, Times New Roman (or an equivalent) font. The exception is the reflective memo, which should be single-spaced. Please include your last name and the page number in the top righthand corner of each page. A cover page should also have this heading (no bold, italics, bigger fonts, etc.) in the center: Your name Jessica Walker Course and section (ENGL 101-025 or 101-018) Final Portfolio 27 April 2018 You may have your work in any order, as long as this order is explained in the reflective memo. (Chronological? Strongest piece to weakest piece? Creative to nonfiction? Another concept?) You must also have a table of contents that details (1) the piece, and (2) the corresponding page number. The final portfolio must include, in any order: 1. A cover page 2. A table of contents 3. The final memo (2-3 single-spaced pages) 4. Narrative: Final for Now draft 5. Narrative: Revised, final paper 6. Profile: Final for Now draft 7. Profile: Revised, final paper 8. Rhetorical Analysis: Final for Now draft 9. Rhetorical Analysis: Revised, final paper 10. Research Paper: Final for Now draft 11. Research Paper: Revised, final paper 12. At least 3 freewrites (at least one from after midterms) 13. Any supplementary materials. The profile, rhetorical analysis, and research paper must have a Works Cited page each. So, in total, there will be 3 separate Works Cited pages. Also include at least 3 freewrites--at least 1 from after the midterm point--and any extra materials like writing exercises, outlines, and brainstorms. ASSESSMENT The portfolio is worth 70% of your overall grade. I will be using rubrics on page 2 and on the back cover of your Work in Progress book for evaluation. Be sure to consult these rubrics as you work on The Final Portfolio your reflection memos and revisions. Failure to turn in the portfolio ON TIME will result in an F. There will be a zero-tolerance policy for issues like incorrect/inaccessible file formats, uploading the wrong file, and things of that nature. Plan ahead; if you are concerned about something after you have uploaded, check with me. Failure to turn in all four of the major assignments or the reflection memo in the portfolio will also result in an F. If you have a question or problem with your grade after it has been posted to Google Classroom (as a private comment), I encourage you to review the rubrics and your work and come to a conclusion about why you received that grade or what you think your grade should be. After doing so, you may email me to schedule an in-person meeting at my office Colson 242. TURNING This assignment is due BY 11:59 p.m. on FRIDAY, APRIL 27th . You should submit your portfolio in ONE DOCUMENT to Google Classroom. Please be sure to upload your file in an accessible format (.doc or .docx; preferably a Google Doc). Final Portfolio Timeline Week 1 (Computer lab, Clark 408) Wednesday: Reviewing Narrative & Profile Friday: Further Review Week 2 (Classroom, Clark 206) Monday: Reviewing Rhetorical Analysis & Research Paper Wednesday: How’d We Do?: Finishing Up the Course Friday: NO MANDATORY CLASS. However, I will be in Clark 206 during our normal class times (from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.) for open office hours. Stop by if you have any questions or concerns before turning in your final portfolio. DUE DATE: FRIDAY, APRIL 27th by 11:59 p.m. No exceptions! **Have a great summer.**
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