Exercise 1- Kurt Backhus

 Exercise 1

The five statements that I chose are:

-It's okay to say things that the instructor might disagree with.
-You can use your own experiences and observations as evidence.
-You can use your own writing voice.
-You're writing mostly for the instructor.
-You have to know your thesis before you start.

         I agree with some of the following statements that I chose and disagree with others. I agree with the statement about it being okay to say things that the instructor might disagree with. I believe that it is not a problem to state things that your teacher might not approve of because it shows that you put some thought into your paper and that you actually care and are excited about the topic you are covering Also, doing this can make your professor think and maybe even change their views. I also agree with the statement that says that you can use your own experiences and observations as evidence because you can and should. If you have an experience that relates to your research topic, you should definitely use that as evidence. Be careful to not use it as your4 main piece of evidence though because books and publishing's are always a solid source.I also agree with the statement that says that you can use your own writing voice because when you write something on your own, you are using your own writing voice. I think that you should use your own writing voice for every paper otherwise you mine as well not even sign your name on it and turn it in. I disagree with the point that states that your writing mostly for your instructor. I feel this way because the course is not all about the grade. It's more about becoming a better and more efficient writer, and that cannot be achieved if you just write for your instructor. Lastly, I agree that you have to know your thesis before you start. In my case, I have to. I'm not saying you have to have everything that your going to write about necessarily planned, but you do need to know the basic purpose and position that your going to take on the paper.

The statement that I chose for step 2 is:

-There is a big difference between facts and opinions.

         I totally agree with the idea that facts and opinions are completely different things. Facts are things that are known to be one hundred percent true and can be proven true over and over again no matter what the circumstance. Facts have nothing to do with people's thoughts or feelings, they are free from bias, and they are real and true. Opinions on the other hand, are the way people feel about certain situations, or what they think about these situations. Opinions are not always true and they are not reliable in any way. Everyone has different opinions on different subjects. Also, opinions are subject to bias's and other factors such as lifestyle, environment, income and many others.