Final Exam Essays: Amanda DeBuse

Essay 1: Religion and Rhetoric

Throughout history, Christianity was seen as a universal religion that was growing rapidly, and still is, even today. Rhetoric was seen as a component to religion, particularly in Christianity, through scriptures in the Bible, and speeches given by priests and other church leaderes. It was because of a speech given by Embros, a church father, that Augustine, a rhetorician and philosopher in the 4th century, first became interested in religion. At first, he thought that religion was not intelligent or eloquent, so he was turned off by it. Embros's eloquent speak made him change his mind, and ultimately made him think more about religion, that it was something special, and indeed something that can be seen as eloquent and intelligent. Augustine eventually converted to the Christian faith after being prompted to read a scripture in the Bible that told him move forward and pursue the faith.

A tension between rhetoric and religion that can be seen through Augustine's story is the idea that religion is not eloquent. This is a falsehood because the scripture that Augustine read that ultimately lead to his conversion was powerful enough to convince him to quit his job and be baptized into the Christian faith. In the LDS faith, we see rhetoric and religion play the same role it did in Augustine's time. We have church meetings in a ward, stake, and general level that is solely church leaders speaking to us, convincing us to practice or continue a certain gospel principle. Speeches that may have been similar to Embros's speech. It is through our leaders' speaking that convinces us. But, there is a divide between their words and what we feel. The Spirit definitely is the teacher, and he speaks to us through the words of the speakers.

The first LDS prophet Joseph Smith read a scripture (James 1:5) that convinced him to go and ask God which church was right. That is the power of scripture! A spiritual impression and reading a scripture convinced Augustine, and it did for Joseph as well. Joseph said, “Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine” (JSH 1:12). Scripture and religion in general have power, both because of their language (or rhetoric) and what we feel from the Spirit, or the feelings we recieve.

Essay 2: Rhetorical Analysis of Jacob 2-3

In Jacob 2 is full of rhetorical elements. Jacob right away establishes his ethos, or his office before the people and God. He also establishes God's ethos, in addition to his as well, as a way to convince the people that what they are going is wrong in his and God's sight. He tells them that what they are doing is abominable before God and before their fellow men, particularly their wives and children. Jacob is very aware of his audience, and uses very dramatic wording such as “instead of feasting upon the word of God have daggers placed in their souls and wound their delicate minds” (Jacob 2:9). This strong, powerful language is also an appeal to the emotions of the people, or a pathos appeal, because their wives and children are mentioned.

In verse 18 of chapter 2, the famous verse that has instilled in many LDS minds is said: “But before you seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.” Jacob places this phrase after he told the people of how they were pleasing themselves with riches, and were not looking unto God. This is the “boom” of the chapter, summing up what he was last saying (decorum). The scripture itself is an example of anaphora, repeating the same two words “seek for” at the beginning of each clause. He may have used this pattern to make the saying memorable and easy to understand.

Later on in chapter 2, Jacob quotes God, add a strong persuasive appeal to his speech, and adding more to his words because God is a supreme being. Here, Jacob is adding the topic of invention authorities, which adds to his ethos.

Jacob uses the Progymnasmata exercise comparison in both chapters, but mainly in chapter 3 where he compares the people with the Lamanites, saying that they are more righteous than they are. Another emotional appeal.

One last thing to point out is the arrangement of the speech in the two chapters. In chapter 2, Jacob speaks to the people who are working iniquity, and in chapter 3, he starts out by talking to the people who are pure in heart, then goes back to the iniquitous people after a few verses. This is arrangement would make a large impact on the people who were sinning, seeing that the righteous had far less to worry about than they do. This also added to the pathos and audience of the speech.

Jacob knew what he was talking about, and who he was talking to. He used powerful language to add emotional appeal, and arranged his speech in such a way that would make it memorable for the people listening, and to us.

ESL Teaching - Fighting the Curriculum

English is beginning to be a universal language. People all around the world are learning English as their second language, and speak it along with their native tongue. People learn English because they need to for work, school, family, or for other reasons, but how do they learn it? In some countries, like in South Korea and Japan for example, English teaching is part of the school curriculum, and is taught in after-school programs called academies. For adults learning English, there are English classes offered through the community. These schools, academies, and community classes need English-as-a-second-language (ESL) English teachers, preferably native English speakers. These teachers would follow a set curriculum given them by the government, one that has evolved over hundreds of years. An ongoing problem concerning this is that teachers are given this set way to teach, while they also want to teach what they want and in their own way that will help the students the best. Even though this curriculum is beneficial for the students and adds to their knowledge, ESL teachers should be able to adjust this curriculum in their teaching based on the needs of the students. It is also beneficial for teachers to build that personal relationship with their students so that the they will be able teach more effectively.

Annotated Working Draft of Final Project and Hot Spots in ESL Teaching

Component Assignments

1. Communication and Persuasion in ESLTeaching

This post explains how ESL teachers use communication in their teaching to student who usually want to learn English, as opposed to those who do not. Teachers have to adjust their teaching based on the students' speaking, comprehension, and interests.

2. Storytelling in ESL Teaching

In this post, I gave the example of a teacher telling a story of person learning and using the phrase “the apple does no fall far from the tree” to lower and higher-level English speakers. This story also illustrates the correct use of the term, giving an example of how ESL teachers teach certain phrases.

3. ESL Education in the History ofCivilization

This post outlines how ESL teaching first began back in Great Britain in the 15^th century, and how that has developed to teaching English all over the world. The British wanted to communicate with the countries with whom they were trading, so teachers were sent to teach English. Eventually, this spread to other countries, and soon the whole world.

4. Institutional Authority andCommunication in ESL Teaching

This post tells a story about a woman who is teaching in Korea, and is told about the Tesol International Association, an institution whose aim it is to ensure excellence in English language teaching to people who want to learn English. Through this story, the reader finds out what this institution is, what it does to solve problems, and what they do to present ideas that will help ESL teachers.

Hot Spots

Hotspot #1 (in the field): Teachers have to adjust their teaching based on the needs of the students. They cannot have just one set lesson for a broad range of students. Everyone is at a different level, and should therefore be taught at that level so that they can understand.

Hotspot #2 (personal): A lot of the times, ESL teaching is just seen as simply teaching English to a group of foreigners who want to learn English. You have to really connect and understand you students, their background, and even be their friend. There is a personal aspect as well as an academic one.

Hotspot #3 (authority/historical context): There has been a set curriculum in teaching English since it first started five-hundred or so years ago. This curriculum has changed over time, and now, teachers have to conform to this curriculum that their boss or another institution has created to meet the needs of the students and teachers.

International Authority and Communication in ESL Teaching

Amy could not believe it as she stepped off of the plane into the hot, humid Korean air. She actually was accepted as an English teacher at an English academy for adults! This was her dream career, and only needed a Bachelor's Degree in English and a hefty background check to become an English teacher. The government would even pay for half of her expenses.

On her first day of teaching, Amy arrived at the academy, which was a building connected to the City Hall. Her heart thudded as she walked into her classroom where her students were already sitting, ready for class.

Eventually, the class started, and Amy began her lesson. The focus for the class was preparing the students for the TESOL Test [2. Regulated Standard], a test that international English language learners have to take in order to get jobs where English speaking is a needed skill.

After class, and after all of her students have left, Amy noticed that a visitor came to her class. It was Lee Suk Ja, the ESL professor who hired her.

“Well done,” Professor Lee complimented her in English. “Your teaching skills are up to par with the actual professionals. Where did you learn your teaching abilities?”

“I took courses on teaching skills in college, and I came up with some of my own,” Amy told her.

“Well,” Professor Lee started with a satisfied smile, “I would love to hear some of them, and present them at the TESOL International Association Regional Conference [3. Influential Event] that I will be attending in a few weeks in Singapore. The conference is run by the TESOL International Association [1. Authoritative Organization], whose aim it is to ensure excellence in English language teaching to people who want to learn English.”

A flash of memory whizzed by in Amy's head. “Oh, yes, I read about that conference on a blog that is run by the TESOL International Association [4. Authoritative Publication]. I would be happy to present you with some of my teaching techniques.”

“Great!” Professor Lee chimed. “Let's sit down and talk about it. The President of the association will take those ideas and will discuss them with his committee, and see how they can incorporate them into the teaching curriculum” [5. Challenging Authority/Changing Standards].

Amy found herself really thankful that she took those extra teaching courses.

Biblical Eloquence in Proverbs 10:27-32

The Psalms and the Proverbs have always been some of my favorite passages of scripture to read because they are full of great sayings and wisdom, and they also have great rhetorical value. The following verses are often quoted, mainly because the language is so powerful.

Proverbs 10:27-32

 27 The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

 28 The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

 29 The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

 30 The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.

 31 The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.

 32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.

When first reading this passage, one would notice that there is a lot of repetition used. The succession of the word and at the beginning of each verse—a anaphora—creates this precedence for each word that will come after it. Notice that in each first, after the word the, a noun follows, adding further importance to that noun or idea. The word the also tells the reader that something new will be discussed right after, or later in the clause. The word but is also repeated in each verse—also an anaphora. But proceeds the positive clause in each verse, hinting that a contrast to the previous thought will occur, and then goes on to repeat the word the again, presenting a new idea that contrasts with the previous clause. The repetition of the word of is also used: "The fear of the Lord," "The hope of the righteous," etc. This pattern, "The ... of ... but ... the... of" continues in each verse of the passage, giving positives and negatives, and also creating a rhythm that makes the verses easier to read and memorize. 

Most of the time, there is repetition in the verses, creating those positives and negatives. This is something that I have seen in many of the Proverbs and Psalms, and that is one of the main reasons why I enjoy reading these verses. I can see the consequences of righteous and wicked behavior. The author of the Proverbs in particular did a great job in creating these contrasts that helps the reader see the positive of, for example, having Godly fear prolonging days, verses being wicked, and having your days shortened. This also creates a scare factor because the author presents a positive consequence to a certain action, and then presents the consequence of not doing that action. For example, in verse 28, it tells us that the happiness is hope of, and the outcome, of being righteous, while the wicked will have no hope, but an expectation to parish. This is powerful language, and causes the reader to remember it.

ESL Education in the History of Civilization

ESL Education is uniting our world

The history of Teaching English as a second language began in Great Britain in the 15^th century. At this point, Great Britain was trading with various colonies throughout the world, and wanted to expand their empire. The British thought that in order to expand their trade routs to farther places, they needed to speak the language with the nations with whom they were trading. This is how English began to be taught in foreign countries. Over the next two hundred years, the British began to send teachers overseas to teach the upper-class colonists and local government officials British ideas and culture, and that included the English language. This would cause these British ideas and language to enter the minds of the lower classes in these countries, therefore giving rise to British civilization in those countries.

This influence of the British and English language in other countries caused a new idea to come about, the idea of being bilingual. Since a lot of these countries did not want to give up their native tongues, they started a bilingual educational system where the people could still respect their language as well as the British language (English). Later on, these educational systems expanded out of Europe and eventually came into the United States. Around the time of World War II, the United States saw the importance of foreign language teaching, and therefore there came a greater interest in ESL education. Now, there are a myriad of ESL teaching programs all around the world, all thanks to the British who wanted to expand their ideas and languages to other parts of the world solely for the sake of trade and expanding their ideas throughout the world. (source)

I was able to talk a little with a member in my last area of my mission in Korea, who is an English teacher there. She is actually from the Philippines, and has been teaching English in an English academy (those are just smaller after-school programs in Korea) for the past eleven years. She teaches mainly teenagers, and loves doing it. She said that sometimes these kids are forced into these after-school programs because their parents want them to learn English, so they could go out and make something of themselves, or possibly go abroad to America. It is because English is becoming a language that is spoken literally everywhere around the world (thanks to the British, but she did not say that). As long as there are non-English speakers in the world, there is an opportunity for ESL education.

Test After-effect

First Version

Kairos / Audience – I mainly tell this story to myself when I am feeling down or depressed because of school, work, or just life in general. It helps me see that things will soon lighten up, and that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

I walked out of my Child Development test in the testing center and saw may grade up on the screen. I instantly felt my heart sink when I viewed my grade: 48%. Remembering that I have studied for days and hours on end for this test, I couldn’t see why I received the grade that I did. I thought that I knew the terms and concepts that we needed to know for the test, but I guess I didn’t know them as well as I thought. Either that, or I put the wrong information on the study guide.

I went home and called my mom, not crying into the phone, but venting.

“Mom, I failed this test!” I wailed. “I studied for hours each day before it, and I still failed!”

“It’s just one test,” she replied in her usual comforting tone.

“Yeah, but there’ll be another one, and I’ll fail that test, too. I’m horrible at taking tests.”

“Amanda, just put it behind you, and just move on with life.”

That was one of her favorite phrases: “Just move on with life.” I didn’t tell her that her words were not all that reassuring, but I later thought about them, and realized that she was right. Mom has always had the gift of seeing the good in things, and I should do the same. The week went on normally, with my normal classes and church activities. Life was good. Failing a test is not the end of the world, and life surely does go on.

[256 words]

Second Version

Comforting My Roommate

Walking home from the day after taking my Child Development test, my heart felt heavy. I studied so hard for that test, a few hours each day, but I still failed with a 48% [cause and effect]. I guess it wasn’t the end of the world, and I still had the opportunity to raise my grade. I remember the statement made by my seminary teacher Brother Heath when he quoted an apostle, whose name I don’t remember: “I can do hard things” [authorities].

While walking down the long staircase on the west part of campus, I spotted my roommate walking up towards me, her head down.

“Hey, Karin,” I said, and she looked up, startled. I noticed that her eyes were as red as her sports jacket [simile]. Something was wrong.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, concerned.

“Yeah…” she stated wearily, and then became silent.

I waited for her to explain further. She wasn’t saying that anything was wrong, but something most definitely was [ellipsis].

“I failed my chemistry test horribly,” she confessed, and her eyes started to water. “I’ll be lucky if I pass that cursed chemistry class [alliteration] now.”

The wind started to blow as we both stood there. I thought of what I could say. “I just failed one of my tests as well, and I thought about how that really isn’t the end. As long as we put our trust in God, He will definitely help us through any trial [supernatural], especially the distress of failing a test.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I needed that. And thanks for talking. While walking to campus, the silence was getting pretty noisy” [oxymoron].

“No problem. See you at home!” I smiled and waved, and we went our separate ways.

[279 words]

The Safety of the Sea

Group 8

Possible/Impossible, Antimetabole/Chiasmus, Litotes

“I am so foolish!” cried the doe, blind in one eye, who was near the edge of a cliff for the sake of safety. “How could I take such precaution against the land, only to discover that this seashore, to which I had come for safety, was more perilous.” The one-eyed doe had previously only seen hunters on land, so she did not find encountering hunters from the sea possible, but she is disappointed when the sailors capitalize on her disadvantage. The sailors who took careful aim to the doe, and fatally wounded her are not considered hunters, but these hunters are considered sailors.

Personal Stories - Amanda DeBuse

The story of stealing my older sister’s things, and having her get incredibly mad at me [sibling relations story]. I tell this story when I want to express how sibling quarrel with one another, but in time, they become best friends.

The story of receiving my mission call to Korean after taking two semesters of Korean at BYU [God’s plan story, divine intervention story]. I always tell this story when I want people to know how much the Lord is in every aspect of our lives, and has a plan for us.

The story of learning how to ride a bike, and having my dad watch me one morning as I ride it by myself [development story, appreciation story, making parents proud story]. I tell this story when I want to express how much my parents were there for me when I was younger.

The story of teaching Relief Society for the first time, and being very nervous about it [God helps story, story of preparation and participation]. I tell this story when people are not sure of how their church lesson will go, and are not confident in teaching.

Story of transferring to BYU from BYU-Idaho [inspiration story, life journey story]. I tell this story as a way of saying that I was inspired to go where I needed to go in that part of my life.

The story of being at work during a busy day, having to deal with angry customers, and a boss that has no respect for you [self-control story, story of doing the right thing]. When I tell this story, I want those listening to realize that getting angry or losing your top is not always the best option.

Story of going to the hospital and seeing my niece for the first time [family story, baby story]. I tell this story when I feel very proud of the fact that I was there when my niece was born, and how close to God one can feel when so close to a pure spirit.

Story of talking with my sister every night over Skype, and saying family prayer, and reading scriptures together, when she is in Singapore [family tradition story, family story, story of strengthening family relationships.

Story of how I failed a test, and felt depressed, but realized that that was not the end of the world [everything will turn out story, seeing the good in the bad story]. I tell this story mainly to myself when times get hard, and I need to see how much better things with get in the future.

Story of finishing my first novel [accomplishment story, novel story]. I tell this story mainly when I have to say things that I have accomplished in my life that I am proud of.

Storytelling in ESL Teaching

Foreword

Telling stories while teaching English as a second language is crucial because it helps the students understand situations in which they need to use English, and what will happen if they use the word, grammar form, phrase, etc. correctly or incorrectly. In a way, storytelling is an example of real life that will help the students understand how to use English in a given setting or situation. Storytelling happens in the classroom while teaching, or the students themselves perform stories of their own that will help them understand words/grammar/phrases/situations better so that when a real life situation comes, they will be prepared.

I made up this example based on the fact that the person teaching needs to teach the correct meaning to a certain phrase.

Example Story

A teacher teaches an intermediate-level English class the phrase “the apple does not fall far from the tree,” by telling a story about a real-life situation.

Soo Hyun, a student of an English class situated in his hometown, Seoul, just came out of class. His American English teacher just taught the class the phrase “the apple does not fall far from a tree,” and he was ready to practice it with his American buddy Dave. He talks with Dave on the phone, and Dave tells him, “I am studying economics, just like my dad did when he was in college.” Soo Hyun says, “Wow, the apple does not fall far from the tree!” Dave then says, “Yes, my dad and I have very similar interests.”

Analysis

This is an example of how a student learns a phrase, and then applies it to real life, showing that they learned from the teacher. When given in a class setting, it shows the students what the phrase means based on the dialogue, and shows the proper way to use it when speaking with another person.

Retelling the story

A teacher teaches the phrase “the apple does not fall far from a tree” to students in their first English class.

There was this man named Soo Hyun. He calls his American friend Dave, and asks him, “How is college?” Dave says to him, “Great! I am studying economics, and it is really hard.” Soo Hyun asks him, “Why are you studying it when you think it is hard?” Dave says, “Because I love it! My father studied it when he was in college, actually.” Soo Hyun says, “Wow, the apple does not fall far from the tree!” Dave says, "Yes, I like the same things as my dad."

I simplified this story and took out a lot of the detail because this it is being told at a beginning level, using words and phrases that an audience with little English experience would understand. Also, I added more dialogue to the audience could see a broader example of how the phrase is used. When given in an actual teaching setting, the teacher would give further explanation of the story, asking the students for understanding.

Communication and Persuasion in ESL Teaching

Teaching in and of itself is communication and persuasion because you are trying to communicate a certain subject to those who you are teaching, and persuade them to learn and apply the subject to their life, and/or pursue it as an actual vocation. ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching is no different. While teaching English as a second language, you are in a classroom setting like any other subject being taught, but these classrooms are usually set inside an academy or community building. It creates a good environment, as opposed to an actual school, because the people there are there because they want to be. For example, in Korea, a lot of children are put in English academies (after-school programs that are usually held in community buildings). English is also taught in public schools, but in those settings, many people there would be learning it because they have to, not because they want to.

The teachers are doing a lot of the communicating in the classroom because they are teaching their students, and the students are communicated to most of the time. But, the students communicate back to the teacher in the form of their progress in class, showing the teacher how much they were learning. Their progress reflects how well the teacher persuaded them to learn English. So in a way, both teacher and student do the communicating and are communicated to. Teachers can be the ones who are persuaded as well, because their students are people who are learning English, so they may not speak English all that well. This would compel the teacher to speak in simpler terms, and speak slower, so that their students can understand.

I want to teach in a foreign country (Korea, preferably), so having these people learn English in their own country from a native English speaker would create a desire for them to learn because the teacher is, in a sense, a symbol of America. For example, Korean people who I have talked to in the past said that when they see an American, they have that desire to learn English and go to America.

The English class in my first area, Seocho in Seoul, South Korea

I would say that there is a lot of the deliberative form of communication evident in teaching ESL. This is because the teachers are ever conscious about their students’ progress and there they will go in the future, and play a role in the decision these students will make to pursue a career where they need to speak English, go to live in America, or make a decision on some future action that requires them to speak English.

I am personal interested in this field because serving in Korea, I was teaching English as a second language as a free service. I loved it, and I found that I wanted to pursue it as a career. So, I would say that what I know about this career came from experience, and how that experience persuaded me to choose it as a potential vacation.