Today in the writing process, we have started taking apart our rough draft and revising it. We had a copy of our paper and we tore it up into paragraphs. We analyzed each paragraph individually to see if it was really necessary to the thesis of our paper. The teacher then told us to use the different paragraphs and organize them at least two different ways. She asked to answer the following questions explaining our experience.
How are the set ups of your essay different?
In the set ups of my essay, I changed around the ideas. I tended to bunch together the ideas in the first draft. Instead of doing that I switched them around.
What did I learn?
I learned that there is not only one way of doing things. There are multiple ways to write a paper, but you have make sure that the order still makes sense.
How did the process re-see my essay?
I made me see that some things that I wrote that didn't need to go with the
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Curious Researcher - Blog #9
The writing process is almost over. We have completed our rough drafts and are not beginning to revise them. The first step we have to take is seeing whether or not our voice is heard but not to loud in the essay. We had to go over our highlighter with two highlighters and highlight our voice with one, and the sources voice with another. This let us clearly see where we needed to work. When we were finished, we were asked to answer the following questions about who's voice dominated more.
What voice dominates?
They were both about even. The author’s voice was a little bit stronger in places than my own but for the most part, they were about evenly split.
Are you turning over too much of the text to your sources?
I think that personally I could have used my voice a little bit more than what I did. Even though they were fairly evenly matched, in some places, it did sound like I was just repeating the sources.
Are you ignoring them and rattling on too much about what you think?
I don’t think I am rattling on too much.
Or does you source use seem appropriate to support your purpose?
I feel that the amount of factual information and personal opinion meshed together well.
What do you notice about the pattern of your color?
The colors seemed to go back and forth a lot during the course of the paper.
Are you taking turns paragraph by paragraph with your sources or is your own analysis and commentary nicely blended within paragraphs?
From the looks of it, my own voice is blended within the paragraph.
Do you surround quoted passages with your own voice and analysis?
For the most part, inserted quotes are surrounded by my own thoughts. There are some that I either start a quote with my voice but don’t end with it.
Who wins the wrestling match?
It was a long hard struggle, but in the end, the sources won.
What voice dominates?
They were both about even. The author’s voice was a little bit stronger in places than my own but for the most part, they were about evenly split.
Are you turning over too much of the text to your sources?
I think that personally I could have used my voice a little bit more than what I did. Even though they were fairly evenly matched, in some places, it did sound like I was just repeating the sources.
Are you ignoring them and rattling on too much about what you think?
I don’t think I am rattling on too much.
Or does you source use seem appropriate to support your purpose?
I feel that the amount of factual information and personal opinion meshed together well.
What do you notice about the pattern of your color?
The colors seemed to go back and forth a lot during the course of the paper.
Are you taking turns paragraph by paragraph with your sources or is your own analysis and commentary nicely blended within paragraphs?
From the looks of it, my own voice is blended within the paragraph.
Do you surround quoted passages with your own voice and analysis?
For the most part, inserted quotes are surrounded by my own thoughts. There are some that I either start a quote with my voice but don’t end with it.
Who wins the wrestling match?
It was a long hard struggle, but in the end, the sources won.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Curious Researcher - Blog #8
Last time in class we were asked to come up with a thesis. Now that we have done that, we are going to start writing the paper. But instead of just jumping in and getting started, the book gives nine different ways to write a "lead" to your paper: anecdote, scene, profile, background, quotation, dialogue, question, contrast, or announcement. Our job was to take three of these options and make three different leads to the paper. It gives different perspectives on how the paper can begin. The three I chose were scene, background and question.
1) Scene
Henry was walking home after a long
days work at the plantation. He was tired and sore. The master had beaten him
again. Henry didn’t know why. All he did was take three seconds to take a sip
of water. Why did they have to be so mean to him? After all, he was only nine.
Henry sighed and kept walking through the dark and quiet streets of
Bois-Caiman. Then he perked his head up. That was what was wrong. Why was it so
quiet and dark? Where were the people walking home from work? Why was there no
noise in the mud huts? What was going on? That’s when Henry heard it: the distant,
rhythmic beating of drums. All the sudden he stopped thinking about his aching
bones and tried to find out where the noise was coming from. Henry remembered talk quietly going through
the town of a possible slave revolt. It
didn’t sound good. The masters would be angry and probably beat him again.
Henry didn’t want that to happen; he got beat at least once or twice on a good
day at the plantation. Henry kept walking towards the steady beat of drums and
soon began to see the smoke from a fire.
Then he heard the chanting. This was not good. Henry remembered his
sister coming back from a meeting like this and talking about how terrible and
scary it was. She said the spirits were there and everything around felt like
it had an evil presence. But Henry wanted to find out what was going on. As he got closer he started seeing people
dressed in scary masks and dancing around the fire to the beat of drums: boom,
boom, BOOM, boom, boom, BOOM. All of the
sudden, it all stopped: the dancing, the drums, the chanting. The Boukman, the vodou
priest of the town, came forward and clapped his hand twice above his hands.
Two men smeared with paint and something that resembled grease brought out a
pig kicking and squealing. The Boukman started chanting something intelligible to
Henry and held up a knife. The pig was brought before him. With a swift but steady
slice of the blade, the pig was silenced. Henry didn’t want to watch the rest.
His sister was right. Something had just happened before his eyes, something
big. How big, now that Henry didn’t know.
Though Henry is a fictional
character, what Henry witnessed was the beginning of the Haitian Revolution.
Henry had stumbled upon a sacred meeting where the vodou priest promised the
island to the spirits, or Satan, if they were successful in winning the Haitian
Revolution. On August 14, 1791 something
that may have resembled a scene like the above paragraph took place. In a place
called Bois-Caiman, the Haitians, tired of being treated inhumanly, banded
together and resolved to kill all of the French who were on the island. This began
one of the first successful slave revolts, which was the beginning of the country
of Haiti. Before Haiti revolted, it was the richest country in the Western Hemisphere,
but the economy of Haiti swiftly declined into the poorest country in the world
over the next 200 years.
2) Question
Can you imagine growing up on an
island that Satan, the devil, owned? What about being a slave as a child, living
through war as a teen, and living your adult years free? If you lived in Haiti during
the end of the 18th century, this may have been your life. With Haiti, so heavily involved in the vodou
culture that came from Africa, when the slaves wanted freedom from the
plantation owners, looked to the spirits for help. Haitian’s were making the
French rich by working their plantations, and their reward was being beaten in
the hot sun working from sun up to sun down. When the decision was made to
revolt against the French plantation owners, life as they knew it was over.
Haitian’s turned their back on God and gave themselves to the devil.
3) Background
In the late 18th
century, Haiti was the richest country in the Western Hemisphere. There were
several plantations owned both by Haitian’s and the French. Things like sugar,
coffee, oils, cocoa and salt were exported to foreign countries making them
very rich. A nickname given to Haiti was the Pearl of Antilles. The problem
with this was that the plantation owners were very mean to the slaves. The
slaves soon became intolerant of the French plantation owners. After a vodou ceremony
in the woods, the island sought help from Satan and revolted against the
French. They had promised Satan control of the island if he helped them win the
revolt. When they won thirteen years later in 1804, Satan was given power over
the island. While they were known as the richest country in the 18th
century, this ceased as the next two centuries proved to be Haiti’s decline. They
went from being the “Pearl of Antilles,” to the poorest country in the world.
Much can be said about the direction Haiti has been heading, but it can be
linked very directly to this particular event in history.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Curious Researcher - Blog #7
For this research paper we are writing for my English class, we have been asking questions about our topic. The questions have helped narrow our focus to a specific point. Now we have moved past the basic and are moving on towards forming a thesis. The book "Curious Researcher," gives five different templates with five specific categories of writing a thesis: policy, interpretation, hypothesis, value, or relationship. When asked to chose one of them, I chose to go with the question of hypothesis. My topic asks the question, "is this really true?" In trying to respond "yes, this is true," the best question and category this fits into is the hypothesis. After filling in the template, here is the thesis I came up with: Based on my research, the assumption that the island of Haiti was dedicated to Satan after the Haitian Revolution appears to be true. The argument saying this is false, bases its information on the fact that vodou ceremony dedicated the island to the spirits, not Satan even though the spirits are directly related to Satan.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Curious Researcher - Blog #6
This week for our research report, we are going to begin writing our rough draft. Again, it makes the process easier when you aren't just diving into the writing process. The book gives several questions to answer and its like a you are having a conversation with the person asking.
Why? Where? Who? When? What?
In 1791, the Haitian people revolted against their French masters. The period of 791-1804 was called the Haitian Revolution. It happened all over Haiti. The masters of the plantations were cruel to the slaves and the slaves were tired of being treated inhumanly, so being inspired by the French Revolution, they revolted against their masters. When the Haitians won, Haiti was dedicated to Satan.
What do you mean by "Haiti was dedicated to Satan"?
In Haiti, the religion of Voodoo is very dominate. It is very much a part of their culture. When the people were fighting, the witch doctors promised that if the revolt was successful, they would dedicate the island to Satan. After sacrificing a pig, the people gave over the island to Haiti for 200 years.
How do most people see this? How do you see it differently?
A lot of people don't believe this; they think that it is just a myth made up and passed on through the generations. Personally I believe that it is true. I believe that the island of Haiti was given over to Satan.
Are you kidding? I didn't know that. What else did you find out?
The reasoning behind peoples unbelief in this is their spiritual state. Some people don't believe in demonic activity. Others believe it was just there to put a scare in people. Some believe that the voodoo is only involved spirits and not Satan himself.
Can you give me an example?
There are several different spirits in the voodoo culture. Depending on the country you are in, it could also vary. Some examples of Haitian spirits are Legba, Marassa, Damballah, Loko, and Agassou. Even though they are spirits, which I completely believe are real, I believe these spirits to be associated with the devil. They are evil spirits and their source of power comes from the devil.
Did that surprise you?
In a way, the unbelief did surprise me. I wasn't expecting people to not think of it as a dedication to Satan. I knew there would be some people who didn't believe it at all, but the ones that surprise me are the people who say it was dedicated, but not to Satan.
What other questions does this raise?
This raised the question of "What is the difference between dedication to spirits and Satan if there is one?"
Who does this affect, mostly?
Depending on the way you look at it, it could affect no one. The island was dedicated to Satan or the spirits or whoever, so who cares? That was in years past. Looking at it from the viewpoint, it wasn't dedicated, that is a myth, gives it no affect at all. Nothing at all happen. But from the viewpoint that I share, it was dedicated to Satan, gives the idea that the Haitian people were and have been affected for generations. If Satan truly does own something, nothing good can come from it. Satan is evil and it is all bad. The people of Haiti are affected everyday because of the one moment in history when Haiti became slaves, not to man from whom they were freed, but to Satan, an even worse master.
I'm not sure I believe this. Why do you?
I believe that it was dedicated to Satan because of the evidence we see today. Before the Haitian Revolution, Haiti was the richest country in the western hemisphere. Today, it is the poorest in the western hemisphere and the world. Some of this can be explained away certain happenings in the middle of the 200 years it was dedicated to Satan. Personally I believe that God used certain people and events to weaken Haiti's infrastructure because it totally rejected Him, which in turn has made Haiti the poorest nation in the world.
What do you think we should do about it?
I feel that people should search for the truth. Find out what they believe and why they believe it. Don't just believe it because someone said so. Figure out what history is.
Why? Where? Who? When? What?
In 1791, the Haitian people revolted against their French masters. The period of 791-1804 was called the Haitian Revolution. It happened all over Haiti. The masters of the plantations were cruel to the slaves and the slaves were tired of being treated inhumanly, so being inspired by the French Revolution, they revolted against their masters. When the Haitians won, Haiti was dedicated to Satan.
What do you mean by "Haiti was dedicated to Satan"?
In Haiti, the religion of Voodoo is very dominate. It is very much a part of their culture. When the people were fighting, the witch doctors promised that if the revolt was successful, they would dedicate the island to Satan. After sacrificing a pig, the people gave over the island to Haiti for 200 years.
How do most people see this? How do you see it differently?
A lot of people don't believe this; they think that it is just a myth made up and passed on through the generations. Personally I believe that it is true. I believe that the island of Haiti was given over to Satan.
Are you kidding? I didn't know that. What else did you find out?
The reasoning behind peoples unbelief in this is their spiritual state. Some people don't believe in demonic activity. Others believe it was just there to put a scare in people. Some believe that the voodoo is only involved spirits and not Satan himself.
Can you give me an example?
There are several different spirits in the voodoo culture. Depending on the country you are in, it could also vary. Some examples of Haitian spirits are Legba, Marassa, Damballah, Loko, and Agassou. Even though they are spirits, which I completely believe are real, I believe these spirits to be associated with the devil. They are evil spirits and their source of power comes from the devil.
Did that surprise you?
In a way, the unbelief did surprise me. I wasn't expecting people to not think of it as a dedication to Satan. I knew there would be some people who didn't believe it at all, but the ones that surprise me are the people who say it was dedicated, but not to Satan.
What other questions does this raise?
This raised the question of "What is the difference between dedication to spirits and Satan if there is one?"
Who does this affect, mostly?
Depending on the way you look at it, it could affect no one. The island was dedicated to Satan or the spirits or whoever, so who cares? That was in years past. Looking at it from the viewpoint, it wasn't dedicated, that is a myth, gives it no affect at all. Nothing at all happen. But from the viewpoint that I share, it was dedicated to Satan, gives the idea that the Haitian people were and have been affected for generations. If Satan truly does own something, nothing good can come from it. Satan is evil and it is all bad. The people of Haiti are affected everyday because of the one moment in history when Haiti became slaves, not to man from whom they were freed, but to Satan, an even worse master.
I'm not sure I believe this. Why do you?
I believe that it was dedicated to Satan because of the evidence we see today. Before the Haitian Revolution, Haiti was the richest country in the western hemisphere. Today, it is the poorest in the western hemisphere and the world. Some of this can be explained away certain happenings in the middle of the 200 years it was dedicated to Satan. Personally I believe that God used certain people and events to weaken Haiti's infrastructure because it totally rejected Him, which in turn has made Haiti the poorest nation in the world.
What do you think we should do about it?
I feel that people should search for the truth. Find out what they believe and why they believe it. Don't just believe it because someone said so. Figure out what history is.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Curious Reseacher - Blog #5
The writing process continues. Research is moving along. Our knowledge is better of our topic. The beginnings of the writing for the paper shouldn't happen when you have researched everything. So instead of waiting for the very end to write your entire paper, you do a little bit before hand so that the paper isn't such a big deal in the very end. The research we have been doing so far is just reading. Now we are supposed to take the study and begin responding to the information we have gathered. We were supposed to write a response to several different articles and make sure that they were credible sources.
Martin, David. “Haiti: The Untold Story”, News Blaze. 25 January, 2010. Webpage. 8 November, 2013. http://newsblaze.com/story/20100125154806zzzz.nb/topstory.html
This article was published the January of 2010. It is three years old, but since my topic involves lots of history, the date really doesn’t matter. After looking at several different articles, I found this to be one that would help me write the research paper. The readers of the News Blaze will find some reasons the author believes why Haiti was struck by an earthquake only thirteen days before the article was published. Inside the article, you will find facts also found on other websites stating that Haiti was a rich country before the people dedicated the island to Satan. There is lots of fact inside this article, but also some personal opinion. The article was meant to inform people and is written from a political and religious viewpoint.
Barrett, Tom. “Government of the Devil, by the Devil, and for the Devil.”, Live Leak. 11 March, 2004, Star Traveler. Webpage. 8 November, 2013. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f- religion/2430711/posts
In 2004, an article about the blood pact Haiti made with Satan was published. The article talks about the beginning and end of this matter. It is an informative and factual article about things that happened the year the “curse” on Haiti was broken. He quotes from several different sources including the US department of State Report of Religious Freedom, the Media Research Center, and Gospel Crusade Ministerial Fellowship. This was meant to inform the public about things going on in Haiti. I would be totally comfortable citing this source in my paper.
Sutherland, Claudia E. “Haitian Revolution (1791-1804)”, Black Post. Webpage. 8 November, 2013. http://www.blackpast.org/gah/haitian-revolution-1791-1804
Though no exact date is given for the publication of the article, this article was written within the past two to five years. Again, my topic is a historical topic so current information and articles isn’t needed. The site that this was found on is a popular site containing many readers and many different articles. Historically, the information is correct when compared to several other different articles. This website focuses on black history in different countries. The information is there to inform and brought on at a historical viewpoint.
Censer, Jack R., Hunt, Lynn. “Slavery and the Haitian Revolution”, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. 2001, American Social history Productions Inc. 2 pgs. Website. 8 November, 2013. http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap8a.html
This current article is talking about the history of the Haitian Revolution. The information is relevant to understanding the Haitian Revolution. This informative article is very unbiased and gives good facts. The Pennsylvania Gazette agrees with the points made in this article. There really weren’t any biased facts or opinions. It was very much historical.
Martin, David. “Haiti: The Untold Story”, News Blaze. 25 January, 2010. Webpage. 8 November, 2013. http://newsblaze.com/story/20100125154806zzzz.nb/topstory.html
This article was published the January of 2010. It is three years old, but since my topic involves lots of history, the date really doesn’t matter. After looking at several different articles, I found this to be one that would help me write the research paper. The readers of the News Blaze will find some reasons the author believes why Haiti was struck by an earthquake only thirteen days before the article was published. Inside the article, you will find facts also found on other websites stating that Haiti was a rich country before the people dedicated the island to Satan. There is lots of fact inside this article, but also some personal opinion. The article was meant to inform people and is written from a political and religious viewpoint.
Barrett, Tom. “Government of the Devil, by the Devil, and for the Devil.”, Live Leak. 11 March, 2004, Star Traveler. Webpage. 8 November, 2013. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f- religion/2430711/posts
In 2004, an article about the blood pact Haiti made with Satan was published. The article talks about the beginning and end of this matter. It is an informative and factual article about things that happened the year the “curse” on Haiti was broken. He quotes from several different sources including the US department of State Report of Religious Freedom, the Media Research Center, and Gospel Crusade Ministerial Fellowship. This was meant to inform the public about things going on in Haiti. I would be totally comfortable citing this source in my paper.
Sutherland, Claudia E. “Haitian Revolution (1791-1804)”, Black Post. Webpage. 8 November, 2013. http://www.blackpast.org/gah/haitian-revolution-1791-1804
Though no exact date is given for the publication of the article, this article was written within the past two to five years. Again, my topic is a historical topic so current information and articles isn’t needed. The site that this was found on is a popular site containing many readers and many different articles. Historically, the information is correct when compared to several other different articles. This website focuses on black history in different countries. The information is there to inform and brought on at a historical viewpoint.
Censer, Jack R., Hunt, Lynn. “Slavery and the Haitian Revolution”, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. 2001, American Social history Productions Inc. 2 pgs. Website. 8 November, 2013. http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap8a.html
This current article is talking about the history of the Haitian Revolution. The information is relevant to understanding the Haitian Revolution. This informative article is very unbiased and gives good facts. The Pennsylvania Gazette agrees with the points made in this article. There really weren’t any biased facts or opinions. It was very much historical.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Curious Reseacher - Blog #4
As we move along further with this writing process, we are beginning to dive deeper into research. Instead of just trying to find topics and good questions to answer, we are not looking for the answers to those questions. In our text book, it says to not only use google as a search engine, but try to find other search engines as well. While using different key words and different places to find information, there is so much more that you can learn. These are some of the websites that I have found helpful in my search for information on the reasons behind the dedication of Haiti to Satan following the Haitian Revolution.
http://newsblaze.com/story/20100125154806zzzz.nb/topstory.html
The first article that I found talked about the dedication of Haiti to Satan and the reasons behind it. Haiti was the first successful slave revolution. Before the slaves began the revolt, they promised Haiti would be for Satan. This dedication was used as a reason that Haiti was poor and has struggled with natural disasters year after year. In 2003, the president of Haiti, pushed to have voudo an official religion. Ten years later when the earthquake of 2010 hit Haiti, in a sense it was an exodus from the satanic forces that held Haiti captive.
http://www.blackpast.org/gah/haitian-revolution-1791-1804
This article gives very good background of the Haitian Revolution. It tells of the events leading up to the dedication of the island to Satan and gives specifics on dates and peoples involved. This sight proves to be useful for facts.
http://truthforsaints.com/Truth_Belief_Blog/files/7fc95c5b87a6bdc6783642f91c39495e-0.html
In this article, again different facts are presented. It talks some of the facts before the Haitian revolution. There are also facts of current times and facts in between. It gives history of Haiti as a result of the Haitian Revolution. As I continue with my research, I will find that it is good to have several different concentrations of history.
http://newsblaze.com/story/20100125154806zzzz.nb/topstory.html
The first article that I found talked about the dedication of Haiti to Satan and the reasons behind it. Haiti was the first successful slave revolution. Before the slaves began the revolt, they promised Haiti would be for Satan. This dedication was used as a reason that Haiti was poor and has struggled with natural disasters year after year. In 2003, the president of Haiti, pushed to have voudo an official religion. Ten years later when the earthquake of 2010 hit Haiti, in a sense it was an exodus from the satanic forces that held Haiti captive.
http://www.blackpast.org/gah/haitian-revolution-1791-1804
This article gives very good background of the Haitian Revolution. It tells of the events leading up to the dedication of the island to Satan and gives specifics on dates and peoples involved. This sight proves to be useful for facts.
http://truthforsaints.com/Truth_Belief_Blog/files/7fc95c5b87a6bdc6783642f91c39495e-0.html
In this article, again different facts are presented. It talks some of the facts before the Haitian revolution. There are also facts of current times and facts in between. It gives history of Haiti as a result of the Haitian Revolution. As I continue with my research, I will find that it is good to have several different concentrations of history.
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