February 28th Lecture In Class Reflection

In today's lecture we discussed the question: "How can sources diagree in different ways?" Although this may seem like an obvious question with an obvious answer, it is important to realize this when analyzing sources. There are more than just pro or con arguments and we should look to find sources from all directions. An example of an argument that is more than agree/disagree is the question of abortion. You can be for or against abortion, but the third argument could be that it depends on the situation.
It is important to learn just as much about the position that we are arguing against as the one that we are supporting. The ability to argue against the other side will strengthen our angle. Therefore, it is crucial to research from both directions. This information will help me to write my essay because I'm getting hung up on researching leaders in history who used power for evil. It is just as important to find leaders who used their power effectively without being demeaning. This is how I plan to used this information to help me with my essay.

Kantz Article Annotations

Pg. 40- “Many students expect their sources to tell the truth; hence, they equate persuasive writing in this context with making things up.” I found this point to be striking because I fall into this category as well. Sometimes I rely too heavily on the opinions and bias of my sources that I lose my original thought process. I plan to avoid this from now on by asking myself rhetorical questions when reviewing sources.

Pg. 44- “Rhetorical reading is not a magical technique for producing sophisticated arguments.” –Even though rhetorical reading strategies can give you ideas and iron out your thought process, it is not going to write the paper for you. Arguments must be crafted based on other factors as well. This includes personal experiences, history, and your gut feeling.

Pg. 46- “A skillful student using the summarize-the-main-ideas approach can set her writing goals and even plan (i.e., outline) a paper before she reads the sources.” –Planning is the key to effective writing. A paper will be better crafted if the writer reviews the sources and takes notes beforehand. This way when the actual paper is being written, the writer knows exactly where important information is to tie into the paper. This saves time in the long run.

Five "User Friendly" Points from The Curious Researcher

1. Encouraging writing in the first person.
2. You can get personal in an essay without relying on the first person.
3. Broad introductions are not the only option. Focus on being compelling!
4. Try a variety of different leads before you settle on one.
5. Don’t get so caught up on the introduction. You’re not going to write the perfect one the first time you sit down.

In Class Reflection

Two questions that were checked a lot on my sheet were: “What psychological studies show average people doing horrible things?” and “What leaders throughout history have used power without harming others?” I think it is extremely feasible for me to research both of these questions further in my essay and I plan to do so. I think that psychological studies are great sources because they offer relatable data and they show how people act in controlled settings. I plan to focus on characters in leadership positions in the book but also look through other historical events as well. Both of these questions offer a lot of support to my thesis on Power and Leadership.

One question suggested by a peer was: “ What is the irony in Equiano’s situation being a slave turned slave owner?” I will touch upon this question in my essay because it is a perfect example of how power can make people do things that they would never imagine. Although Equiano barely touched upon this incident in his book, I take that as an indication that he was ashamed about his actions as a leader. This question makes me think about all the other people who were in a similar situation when given power. The guards of The Stanford Prison Experiment especially come to mind.

How The Text Will Help Me In My Essay:

At this point, my essay topic is about power and leadership. I want to stem off of this topic and use examples from history in which leaders have used their power for the well being of others and also times in which they used their power for evil. I will use material from the text to highlight Thomas Clarkson and his positive use of power. From this I want to conclude why some leaders help others while some hurt others.

Chapter 21 through 23 summaries

In Chapter 21 of Adam Hochschild’s book, Bury the Chains, hard work finally pays off for the British abolitionists. At the beginning of the chapter, slave traffic is at a high yet the key players are still not willing to give up. James Stephen joins Clarkson, the Quakers, Wilberforce, and Granville Sharp as a prominent lawyer motivated from seeing slavery directly. Together, Wilberforce and Granville Sharp draft “The Foreign Slave Trade Act” aiming to eliminate 2/3 of the British slave trade. Despite some hesitation from The House of Lords, the bill eventually passed thanks to thousands of signatures from Clarkson’s network of supporters. That year, slavery was actually an election issue persuading followers for or against certain candidates. There was an unimaginable amount of abolitionist support in Parliament. Finally in 1807, a bill was passed to abolish the British slave trade and soon after it became a law. Regardless, blacks in the British Caribbean were still slaves.

In Chapter 22 of the book, Bury the Chains, Adam Hochschild describes the role of women in the antislavery movement. We are introduced to Elizabeth Heyrick, a Quaker who strongly believes that the male abolitionists of her time were too polite. She campaigned a sugar boycott, and with other females she demanded immediate emancipation. Women’s societies kept antislavery alive. More rebellions occurred, and despite many dead a wounded slaves, Parliament still would not end slavery.

In Chapter 23 of the book, Bury the Chains, author Adam Hochschild describes Britain’s ineffective electoral system and undemocratically chosen Parliament which lead to talk of a reform. “The growing pressure for Reform reignited the antislavery movement.” Antislavery supporters were looking for change fast and this lead to the formation of the Agency Antislavery Committee. The fate of slavery depended on a more democratically chosen Parliament passing the Reform bill. After even more extreme slave uprisings, it became clear that freeing slaves was the only option to avoid war. In the summer of 1833, this dream finally came true and 800,000 slaves were freed in the British Empire. The revolutionary men and women whom refused to give up will forever be remembered in history.

At The Foot of Vesuvius

In Chapter 18 of Bury the Chains, Adam Hochschild depicts a large slave revolt in St. Domingue and the French Revolution. St. Domingue was the area with the harshest slavery and largest slave population in the Caribbean. This revolt was shocking because St. Domingue was “the Eden of the western world.” When word reached London of the brutal slave revolt, British forces sailed to France’s Caribbean colonies. Next we are introduced to Touissaint Louverture, a tactical French slave leader with an intensity that brought him much success. Yet as the French Revolution continued, armies were dying out due to the spread of malaria and yellow fever. The hypocritical British began buying slaves to fight in their army because their numbers were quickly dwindling. “There was no disguising one central fact: the soldiers of the world’s greatest slave-trading nation had given way before an army of ex-slaves.”