Gonzalez 1

Pasadena City College

A Second Chance

Alondra Gonzalez
Professor Ogden
ENG 1A STACC
Apr. 25, 2016

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Abstract
The canine community is a common and popular part of modern life. Dogs are part of
families and influence who people are and what they stand for. Although there are dogs who live
in safe and loving environments, there are also those dogs that do not. Dogs that live in pet shops
or shelters are caged away in small, confined spaces where they are deprived of growing into
healthy and happy animals. The living conditions of a shelter have been compared to that of a
prison. They also experience being left without a proper bath or haircut which can have negative
healthy effects. As animal/ dog advocates speak for the animals who cannot speak, there must
also be a voice for these unjustified conditions. Animals living like this is demoralizing and
unacceptable. There must be more opportunities provided for dogs to get properly cleaned and
rightfully sheltered. One of these solutions is to present the opportunity of getting cleaned by
providing no cost bathing periods so they can look presentable and be ready to be adopted.

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Outline
The discourse community of canines is common and modern in this day. They occupy a number
of homes in this country and across the world. Unfortunately, they suffer abandonment, neglect
and being found homeless in the streets. Many of them get put into shelters and are lucky enough
to find a family but many share a common fate of being put down. Dogs need to be given the
opportunity to find a home and not be left for dead.
I.

Defining a discourse community and the dog community

A. Defining a discourse community
1. John Swales definition of the qualifications to be a discourse community.
a. Communication between fellow members of your community.
b. Initiation of newer members to join the community is critical to continue
the existing community.
c. Common goals shared in the community is vital to make achievements.
B. The dog community has several aspects that make them one which ranging from

II.

III.

animal hospitals to doggy salons.

Problems the canine community faces
A. Problems range from in home neglect to shelter neglect
1. Puppy Mills and the overpopulation of pure bred and mixed dogs.
2. Definition of high kill and no kill shelters.
3. Shelters have been compared to prison environments.
#NationalDogDay
A. The use of hashtags on social media apps is misused and should instead bring
awareness.
B. The hashtag national dog day was founded by Pet and family lifestyle expert and

IV.

animal advocate Colleen Paige.

C. Paige presents examples and ways one can celebrate these days.
Addressing the Issue
A. Dog community faces a numerous amount of problems.
B. A simple issue that should be addressed is the hygiene of these animals and they
should be presentable when adopted.

Dogs deserve a second chance. A simple way of helping them get a step closer towards finding a
home is by helping them look presentable with a haircut and a thorough bath. Whether they were

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picked up off the street or left in neglect and put in a shelter, dogs deserve their shot at being
raised in a healthy and loving environment.

A Second Chance
What community do you belong to? What subjects or discourses apply to you? Everyone
everywhere is a part of a community. It does not just have to be a physical community like a city
or town, but it can also be applied to something you are, what you do in your spare time, where
you come from, where you are now. There are multiple reasons to belong to a community.
According to author and linguist, John Swales, it is better to offer a set of criteria sufficiently
narrow that it will eliminate many of the marginal, blurred and controversial contenders. Swales
is referring to communities we identify ourselves with but most importantly why they are defined
as their very own discourse. Why are they their own communities? What makes them different
than other ones? Swales explains that communities have their own set of rules they follow, they

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offer a particular way of communicating, they initiate others to join their community, they follow
cultural concepts, and they have a common set of goals.
A discourse community communicates using common terms and phrases that between
themselves, they understand. Communicating does not just refer to language like English or
Spanish but it can be symbolic or in terms. For example, someone studying to be a math major
will communicate to their peers using mathematical language that they have spent years studying
versus an English major that will communicate with their common peers using a different set of
terms. Swales states a speech community is seen as being composed of who share functional
rules that determine the appropriacy of utterances. But, countering what Swales says,
communication doesnt even have to be words, it can very well be through sound. Musicians
communicate through listening. In order to get a good sound and blend in with one another, they
each must keep their ears open and tune to their surroundings. A person who is deaf
communicates using their hands to speak with others. These are just a couple examples of
distinguished communities and their use of communication.
Initiation is another part of the process of a discourse community. As an individual, you
may naturally be attracted to a community and want to belong to it. Sometimes you are
automatically placed into it. Choice is irrelevant. For example, being a darker shade of skin
color may place a person in a Hispanic or Black community, but not because it was their decision
to be Hispanic or Black. However, as a person grow up they make decisions that place them in
their very own discourse. Deciding where to go to school can put them in that community. Where
you live, how you live, what you own, what you do absolutely is factored into the communities
one belongs to.

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Lastly, being a part of a community means having common and shared goals. Swales
definition states a discourse community has a broadly agreed set of common public goals. A
discourse group has a set of accomplishments and will thus want to achieve them. They may be
high level or abstract as Swales puts it. High level goals are usually meant for higher level
action, like the ambition to change something. For example, back in the 60s when the Civil
Rights movement was happening, African Americans lived and profoundly appropriated action to
gain equal rights. Discourse communities are always looking for ways to improve their groups. It
takes skills of observation to identify the problem and even more skill to take action on it, but
when executed the results can make a positive change.
As a student, who belongs to a number of personal discourse communities, an important
one I can deeply identify myself with is belonging to the pet or dog owning community. Dogs
have been an important part of modern life. They are creatures we have taken in and have
decided to raise as a family member. So why do we see them abandoned on streets, neglected in
their own homes, or even worse, found dead on the street? This is baffling, but it is very real and
although many developments have been made over the years on the control, health and quality
life of dogs, there is still much change that needs to be done.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
approximately 37-47% of households in the United States are have dogs. That means almost half
the population in the U.S. are dog owners.
This community of dog ownership is its very own discourse. We share the common
privilege of having a companion and best friend. Dog owners share common aspects of
emotions, responsibilities, values and love towards our animals. This particular community also
has strict laws that prevent animals from being mistreated and they are taken just as seriously as

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any other rule or regulation if broken; animal cruelty is not tolerated. Pet owners also have the
responsibility of cleaning up after their animal in public areas. This community also has multiple
organizations that helps and protects the wellbeing of animals like the ASPCA is an organization
that helps save animals from being neglected, abused and/ or abandoned. Pet owning
communities also has its own stores like Petco and PetSmart specifically for purchasing food,
medicine, toys etc. for your animals. Its like your pets own personal grocery store. There are
public spaces for animals to attend like dog parks and even dog cafs. There are hospitals for
animals and places for them to get their medicine and shots. Not only do pets have hospitals but
they also have dog grooming parlors or salons if you feel so inclined to pamper your dog. Dogs
are like children that need to be kept a close eye on, so if we feel like they should be watched for
a certain period of time people will take them to doggy day cares. Animals have everything we as
humans have, from hospitals to salons. The Pet owning community makes up a very large
portion of the U.S. We as people have the responsibility to not just take care of our animals but
also help those other abandoned and neglected animals to at least feel healthy and clean.
Why are animals neglected, abused and abandoned? And as pet owners why dont we
help those animals that have no home? People may not feel obligated to help those that we arent
responsible for, but if not us then who else? Its like seeing a homeless person, we dont feel
responsible for them because it wasnt our fault they ended up that way, but if no one helps out
then these problems wont get any better.
Many shelters dont have the money to clean up stray dogs, so when the time comes for
them to be looked at and have the chance to be adopted, people wont take a second look at the
dog thats dirty, patchy and uncombed. The dog will look unhealthy and no one wants to take
care of a dog that might already be in its death stage. As pet owners, I believe that it is important

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we care for dogs as if they were our own, even if they arent, these animals are helpless and
innocent and have no one to fend for them. Its up to us at animal lovers and pet owners to help
give them a voice.
Pet owning communities share common responsibilities and values that make it possible
for animals to live in safe and caring environments. This community of dog or pet ownership has
common ground with pets themselves. Animals have everything we as humans have, from
hospitals to salons to daycares, animals have everything we as people have too. So why wouldnt
we give other dogs the equal amount of attention we give our own pets? People who do own pets
and give them the proper and caring attention raise healthy, loyal and loving dogs. Unfortunately,
this community witnesses a lot of neglect and abandonment towards their companions as well as
other animals without a home. When this neglect or abandonment happens it effects other
peoples decisions and ultimately negatively impacts the animal. There are a number of causes
that effect an animals ability to help live a healthy and comfortable lifestyle.
There a number of causes that occur in the animal and pet owning communities and they
range from in-home neglect to street abandonment. One very big problem in this municipal
environment is the overpopulation of animals. For example, there is an industry that provides
pure bred dogs that are given to pet shops to sell. These are called Puppy mills where they take
the same dog and breed it for more money. According to an article on the website, PetMD, it
states And without a doubt, mixed-breeds are sold at lower prices compared to purebred dogs.
These puppies are being born and sent to pet shops across the country and placed in a store
window to be bought. Some are bought and some are not. The ones that are adopted are of course
lucky and will hopefully be well cared for but the ones that are not adopted are left there in
inappropriate living conditions for months at a time till someone comes along and decides to

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adopt them. But what happens if no one decided to adopt them? They can be given away or sold
at a lower price to smaller pet stores or animal shelters that might have a better chance at being
adopted says an entry from a blogger. The puppies that arent adopted grow up in confined
spaces with little to no space to run around or interact with other dogs. They grow up depressed,
angry or can even develop bad physical disabilities that leave them sick and so begins the effect
of no one wanting to adopt a sick dog, and they are therefore left in shelters and death precedes
them.
Another cause is the surrender of puppies or dogs to unstable or harsh shelter
environments. Dogs may give birth to a number of puppies. The original owners may not want to
keep all the puppies so they will sell them to other families, which is fine. But what happens to
the other puppies that no one wants to take home? They are sent to shelters for other people to
adopt. This is an understandable reason but lets look at the effects of this: according to PET360,
there are open-admission shelters which accepts all animals regardless of the status their health
is in. The staff will feed, bathe, and hospitalize the animal if needed. Unfortunately openadmission shelters can only keep an animal for a certain amount of time depending on their
health or age status. If an animal is sick and has a contagious illness they are directed to put the
dog down as soon as possible to prevent other animals and staff members from being sick.
Generally, these are the typical kind of shelters in communities. There are also no-kill shelters
where the shelter will take in an animal only by appointment, they will not kill them regardless
of health or age status. But according to PETA or the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals,
it states Animals who are accepted into no-kill shelters may be warehoused in cages for months,
years, or the rest of their lives, becoming more withdrawn, depressed, or aggressive every day
further reducing their chances of adoption. Conditions at some no-kill shelters are criminal. The

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living conditions in a no-kill shelter are how PETA describes as criminal, so either shelter a
stray or surrendered animal us given to, they suffer unfortunate consequences.
As a result one way or another these animals that are homeless, neglected or abandoned
are left still with unfortunate living conditions. Whether they are taken to open-admission or
no-kill shelters they are bound to end up neglected still or dead. As pet owners it is a part of us
to help those voiceless animals be their voice. If no one speaks up for these neglected
companions they will remain living in these criminal conditions and will be bound to spend
their years in confined spaces without the feeling of being loved or nurtured for. These animals
deserve to have a home and even if it is in shelters they deserve better living conditions.
Social Media apps and websites like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter have
exploded into a revolutionizing feed of news, fads, trends, videos and much more. Hashtags have
paved the way for people to branch into other pictures and sources they werent aware of before.
The majority of hashtags are made up but note closely that they have become incredibly popular.
Take for example National Pizza Day. Every Instagram user on the planet took a picture of
their half-eaten pizza with melted cheese and vegetables and posted it online. What for? What
important awareness did they create? Not anything, except that their appetites are all the same.
Despite these unnecessary hashtags like #nationalpizzaday there are hashtags that spark
awareness like nationaldogday.
This day is celebrated annually on August 26st, and since 2004 they have made a name
for themselves and bring awareness to the number of dogs that have been and will be rescued
each year. This day was founded in 2004 by Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert and Animal
Advocate, Colleen Paige who is also responsible for finding National Puppy Day, National Mutt
Day and National Cat Day. Colleen Paige explains on her website that she is against breed ban.

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Breed ban refers to the breed-specific legislation which discusses that the possession of full bred
domestic animals cant be used for dog fighting or any violent event. Paige also advises and
encourages that people looking to buy or adopt a dog should not visit pet shops that sell dogs that
have been brought from puppy mills. She also discourages purchasing or adopting dogs from
backyard breeders, newspaper ads and the internet. Paige strongly encourages that rather from
buying from sketchy areas like these, one should look into adoption shelters and/ or rescue
centers. Paige suggests that if you are one looking for a full bred dog from a breeder make sure
to educate yourself from where youre getting the dog from. Check for license, internet reviews
and references.
Ways to celebrate and bring awareness to this day, according to the National Dog Day
website, one can: Adopt a dog from your local animal shelter or rescue center or volunteer to
play or walk a dog at the local shelter. If going to a shelter or rescue center isnt an option one
can also do something more narrowed like: donating blankets or toys to organizations that help
rescued or abandoned dogs, organize a demonstration in front of a local store, or you can send a
gift to family with a dog or even assist an elderly person by helping them walk their dogs. If you
have a dog yourself you can celebrate by having a safety check performed on your home to make
sure it is safe for your dog, taking your dog for a day of exercise, thoroughly brushing your dog,
teach your dog new tricks, give him a spa day, take him to the beach or simply taking pictures of
your dog and posting them online. Although some of these ways to celebrate may not be world
changing, it does in fact put forth change in your pets life.
Dogs roam the streets aimlessly day and night simply looking for food and shelter. They
are seeking their basic needs for surviving .Along the way they collect dirt, disheveled fur and
the possibility of disease. On the off chance they dont become roadkill or dead, they are picked

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up by animal control and sent to high kill shelters. High kill shelters are the more common and
local places people normally go to adopt a dog. Normally, they keep the stray for no more than a
week, if the dog isnt adopted they put him down. Dogs are a common part of society. Everybody
knows someone that has a four legged friend in their life.
The canine community faces a numerous amount of problems. From puppy mills,
to house neglect, they are definitely not treated at an ethical level. Puppy mills is the breeding of
pure bred dogs that are sold to pet shops where they are displayed on windows for people to
[hopefully] purchase. For the dogs that are not purchased they are kept in the pet shops for long
periods of time in horrible living conditions such as a confined spaces and limited space to play.
If they continue to remain in these pet shops, some may grow to become aggressive, antisocial
and even become harmful to people. Eventually, when the new puppies from puppy mills come
in, the older dogs may be sent or sold away to smaller local pet shops or animal shelters to
hopefully have the chance to be adopted.
A simple presentable look for a dog makes all the difference in the world. Think about it,
people make judgmental calls based on first appearances. If an animal has long, dirty and
disheveled fur, the assumption is made that they are sick, infested with fleas or ticks and possibly
aggressive and dangerous. Tangled hair is usually associated with uncleanliness. If you walk into
a pet shop, looking for a dog to adopt, youll more than likely find clean, cut shaved and wellgroomed dogs. They give off the appearance that they are flea and tick free, not dangerous and,
for the families with young children, arent aggressive or harmful. But what about those dogs in
the shelters or even the streets? Despite the depiction stray dogs receive there are people who are
leading examples one can follow that helped those animals that dont have a family or a safe
place to live.

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A leading example of a person who made a difference in the canine community is a
woman by the name of Margarita Suarez. Suarez lived in the 3rd world country of Mexico, she
was not rich nor did she participate in any active animal organization, She [was] just a humble
woman who just [wanted] to help the dogs in the street. Whenever she would go out for
groceries she would bring back dog food for the strays and leave it out for them to eat. She then
later had to move to Cuernavaca, Mexico for health reasons. But even after her move she
continued to feed the strays in her neighborhood. Unfortunately she passed away from poor
health conditions. A very profound thing happened when she passed. During the duration of her
funeral, a number of strays showed up. When Margaritas body was moved to the church, the
dogs even followed behind the funeral car. No one knew what to make of it, they had never seen
these dogs before. What they did not know was that Suarez took care of these dogs by simply
feeding them regardless of the fact that she did not own any of them, but as it is evident in this
event, the dogs were grateful and attended her funeral. This comes to show that simply doing an
act of kindness makes the world of a difference to these animals.
In the streets of Bangkok, Thailand, more than 120,000 strays roam the streets. In this
country, its normal in society to see dirty and long haired animals roam the streets. As common
as it is for people in the U.S to see a bird flying from tree to street lamp is the same for citizens
of Bangkok, to see strays cross the street of an intersection daily. Unfortunately, dogs are more
vulnerable to disease and arent capable of fending for themselves. Sortsart Wisetsin, a citizen in
Bangkok, took initiative in helping stray dogs in his community by giving them showers. It
started with one dog who he adopted and named Gluta. This was the start, he couldnt stop
giving, Once Wisetsin found Gluta, that was it, he felt he had some form of high moral sense to
care for these abandoned animals in his community. even if he cant adopt all the dogs in the

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street, he can help them, so he decided to go and bath them. The simple act of bathing a dog,
can make all the difference to them. A clean looking dog really promotes the appearance of a
healthy looking dog.
The last leading example that is most significant towards casting a solution to health and
hygiene in dogs is a video provided by the group The Pet Collective. In this video, a dog named
Charlie was found roaming the streets of Los Angeles and rescued into a high-kill animal shelter.
High kill isnt much of a rescue but the event that occurred after being rescued was beneficial to
Charlie. When found, Charlie had long disheveled and tangled fur covered in burrs. Normally,
dogs like Charlie do not last more than a week in these high kill shelters. Much of the reason is
because they look unkempt, dirty and dangerous. A couple days after being rescued, the
Hollywood Grooming company, which is a mobile grooming and pet sitting van, came and gave
him a makeover. He was shaved, bathed, dried and groomed and absolutely presentable. Two
days later after his makeover he was adopted. The video ends with a strong statement. All dogs
deserve a second chance. This simple act of grooming a dog demonstrates the powerful
difference it makes in his life. Not even 3 days later was Charlie adopted. It is so important to
acknowledge such a simple act and the difference it truly makes. Had Charlie been left with burrs
in his fur, he more than likely would have not been adopted.
The solution being proposed in this paper is to give all dogs that second chance. How
will these animals have the opportunity to be adopted if they arent given a fair shot at it? Dogs
being put up for adoption should be clean and well-groomed so they can be adopted and given a
loving family. Shelters do not always provide a grooming period for the stray, so they are left
dirty and unappealing. A proposition is giving animal lovers and dog advocates the chance to
donate a shower to a stray or animal shelter dog. Local animal shelter volunteers can go to their

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local neighborhoods and ask residents of the community if they would be interested in providing
a free shower to a shelter dog. They would be asked to pay nothing. The only thing they would
need to provide is the water for them to be bathed. The volunteer would ask the shower provider
when it would be best to bring the shelter dog. The appointment would be set and on the day of
that appointment a shelter worker or volunteer would bring the dog by for a shower. The shelter
wouldnt spend money, the dog gets cleaned and has a higher chance of being adopted and not
set on the path to death.
Dogs need to be given a second chance. Some are lucky enough to find a loving family
from the beginning, but many suffer a life of neglect, abuse or abandonment then left in the
streets. Dogs are loving loyal creatures and deserve a better life than how we treat them. Dogs
deserve to thrive, to be loved and to live healthy. Its understandable that not all families can give
a dog a home but they deserve to be clean, they have this basic right as an animal and anything
less would fall into a form of cruelty. Take initiative and help those dogs who need love.

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Works Cited
Animal Shelters. Peta. Peta., n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
Groomer shaves homeless dog. What she found underneath all that hair made my eyes tear up.
LifeBuzz. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

Kill Shelters vs. Low Kill and No Kill Shelters. PET360. Pet360. N.d,. Web. 1 Mar. 2016.
Mel. The biggest lie pet stores tell you. No Dog About It Blog. Wordpress, 5 Aug. 2012. Web.
29 Feb. 2016.
Mixed or Purebred Puppy: Which is better? PETMD. Pet360., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2016.

National Dog Day National Dog Day. Colleen Paige OmniMedia., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

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Stray Dogs Show Up To Funeral Of Woman Who Fed And Loved Them. I Heart Dogs.
Greater Good & Rescue Bank., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2016

Swales, John M. The Concept of Discourse Community. Genre Analysis: English in Academic
and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990. 21-32. Print.

The Pet Collective. Homeless Dog Gets Makeover That Saves His Life! Charlie. LifeBuzz.
YouTube. 1 Jun. 2014.Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

This is what will happen when you bath a stray dog. Petsfans. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr.
2016.

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Annotated Bibliography
Videos in Class
Schlinkenmeyer, Max. The Most Astounding Fact - Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
YouTube. YouTube. 2 Mar. 2012. Web. 8 Feb. 2016.
This video features an interview with scientist Neil DeGrasse Tyson in which he answers the
question What is the most astounding fact in the universe? Tyson answers by saying that
humanity is connected by the same atoms that created the universe. While he is speaking, the
video displays beautiful digital images of the universe being created, planets and galaxies in the
solar system, and the Milky Way. The ideas in the video are interesting because he discusses how
everything - people, worlds, planets, galaxies - are all made up of the same material. This idea
anchors his discussion of the connectivity and origins of humanity and the universe. His ideas
echo those of psychologist Mary Pipher in her text Writing to Change the World, because she
argues how humanity has lost connection despite the cat that, as Tyson says, we are all created
out of the same atoms.
Texts in Class
Baca, Jimmy Santiago. A Place to Stand. New York: Grove Press, 2001. Print.
Jimmy Santiago Bacas A Place to Stand is a story based on the time and part of his life he
went to prison. In his autobiography he discusses most about his time in prison. Prison
influenced who he became and how he grew to become a writer. He reflects on his childhood
combining story with reflection. The story develops into his time in the streets as well as how he
got affiliated with the police and his incarceration. Baca digs deep into his experiences of prison
and how it exposed him to learning to read and write and how it changed his identity of a
criminal to a writer.

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Baca, Jimmy Santiago. Winter Poems Along the Rio Grande. New York: New Directions
Books, 2004. Print.
Author and poet Jimmy Santiago Baca wrote, along with his autobiography, a collection of
poems he wrote while in prison. The poems are different considering how each one is presented.
They are each numbered and are free versed. These poems talk a lot about love, treatment in
prison life, but in a very subtle kind of way, and nature. Much of the nature is a lot like climate
and mostly how he feels about it. They are deep and profoundly thoughtful and helps one think
about the life he came from.
Elbow, Peter. Free Writing. Dr. Kirsten Ogden. Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA. Fall
2015.
In Peter Elbows article Free Writing, he discusses the topic of what freewriting is and how to do
it. The point in freewriting is to write what you are feeling in that particular moment where pen
meets paper, and you do so for the duration 2 to 3 minutes and you cannot stop or go back and
edit what you wrote. Over a period of time you increase the amount of time you actually free
write. So 3 minutes turns into 4, then 5 etc. The point of this exercise is to help improve your
writing. People go back much too often on what they say, causing them to constantly go back
and edit their writing so you never really get to say what you want. This is a productive writing
exercise because it allows writers to get out the thoughts and reflections bouncing around in their
brain without the distraction of having to go back and edit. According to Elbow, and similar ideas
from Mary Pipher and Natalie Goldberg, this allows us to become better thinkers and better
writers, our ideas are more likely to be well thought out and better developed which in an
academic environment is critical.

Goldberg, Natalie. First Thoughts Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within.
Expanded ed. Boston & London: Shambhala. 2005. 8-10. Print.
Goldberg compares writing to sports, the more you practice writing the better you will be at it.
And similar to sports, writing and sports take commitment. She introduces the practice of
freewriting, which forces the writer to keep moving, dont cross out, ignore spelling error,
grammar...etc. Similar to meditation, we should lose control and dont think about what we
should or should not write. Dont over think about what you are going to write, because first
thoughts have tremendous energy. Our emotions and knowledge to our peers. She said that
writing is for changing. Good writing can make people are to express their thoughts openhearted
even though places which are full of injustice, where the truth and public discussions are ignored
by powerful government. Meanwhile, it can increase their knowledge of the world as well.
Pipher says there are some great wrongs appearing in the society, such as language weapons to
attack people, and make profit programs which waste peoples time and energy in stories or on
TV and lead to be harm to the world and human perspectives, but we can wipe them out. The
statement that she tells us is that writers, who are trying their best to share opinions to humans,
are the representatives of positive aspect. They improve and change the world, clean up all dirties
by their positive writings because their works are like treatment for peoples heart. They have the

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courage of their opinions; their good works can ask people to explicit and struggle their goals of
lifetime as well. They become more open hearted and brave.

hooks, belle. Where We Stand: class matters. New York: Routledge, 2000. Print.
Belle Hooks is a scholarly author who confronts the problems the common colored citizens in
the U.S and in some other parts of the world. She mainly focuses on the class ladder in the U.S.
but she also incorporates the problems of patriarchy, race division, and gender inequality. Each
chapter discusses in depth and somewhat disturbing facts about citizens unwilling to discuss
about the rea problems at hand. Hooks opens the door for her readers to openly think about class
inequality and how one should approach the topic and how to help others. When reading this
book, it really helped open the idea of how society really is and helps you see things that you
didnt really think about before but now realized. The idea of patriarchy is a common concept in
Hispanic cultures and is one that wasnt acknowledged till ready this book. Hooks goal is to
bring attention to the idea of class and its racist and gender lines and to be able to openly talk
about and acknowledge it.

Pipher, Mary. Know Thyself. Writing to Change the World. New York: Riverhead
Books, 2006. 33-44. Print.
At the beginning of the article, author, Mary Pipher taught refugees to write poems about
themselves because writing poem is an efficient way that identify themselves. She thought that
each person has specific history, trail to trace when they look back their past lives. People have
their own hobbies; meanwhile, they want to explore others trials and experiences. The lives,
trails, even the time spending on lives are different depending on individuals because each one is
special and individual, and nobody can copy. Each person exists with advantages and
disadvantages significantly. Writers should explore more details and relative information from
other people, and they can deal with information, and perspectives will be taken shapes; this
process leads to what kind of writing will be provided for writers. Only keeping clear
perspectives and reflection by exploring, they can present honest, detailed works.
Pipher, Mary. What You Alone Can Say. Writing to Change the World. New York:
Riverhead Books, 2006. 45-52. Print.
Pipher said that each person is individual. Everyone has special history, experience, and reactions
for others behaviors. This phenomenon represented that each person has his or her own minds
and words that generated in their brains specifically. People are willing to communicate with
others because they want to share their ideas that shaped from internal heart and experiences
with others. From time to time, peoples ideas and causes might change or stay the same.
Therefore, one way that express peoples idea best is called voice. Voice can make humans
resonate; no matter they are sorrow and fears, or joys. Each person has specific voice. Pipher
said that voice was beneficial to remove the parts that not belong to herself after reading her

Gonzalez 21
completed writing aloud. In addition, voice can reflect the personality, internal heart and ideas of
a person.

Pipher, Mary. Writing to Change the World. New York: Riverhead Books, 2006. Print.
The entirety of this book is about how writing can be used as a tool to infiltrate ideas and
problems in the world. Through the act of writing we can change the world we live in. Pipher
says that much of the time, writing is used as a weapon but instead of using our words to hurt
others we should use them to gain consciousness in mass issues occurring in the world we live in
today. Many of the chapters begin with looking and reflecting on yourself. Before we change the
big things we first must look at the small issues and attack those first. Pipher provides writing
exercises and helpful reflective ways a writer can open their heart and soul to discover things
they didnt know about in the first place. After looking inward we can reach outward and help
those around us.

Davis, Dr. Sampson, Dr. George Jenkins, Dr. Rameck Hunt and Lisa Page. The Pact. New
York: Penguin Group, 2002. Print
This memoir is written by three doctors chronically growing up together in high school and
stayed together through college all the way up to becoming college graduates. The three men
grew up to become doctors and shared their story of their journey together as well as separately.
They faced gang violence, drugs, family issues, stress as a student and educational challenges.
Despite these obstacles they made it to where they wanted to be and they did it by helping one
another. Their journey is a demonstration that friendship is important. Its probably the most
influential social relationship that people will develop in their life. Friendship is an important
part of any persons life, it allows people to take a step back from the place they came from and
grow to be a part of something else, something better. Friends allows an individual to become
who they really want to be and not be so scared of facing a parent or guardian that might not
approve. Friends build our esteem and give us the freedom to be what we want or who we want
without facing trouble.
Ted Talks
Chang, Candy. Before I die I want to TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. TED Conf., Jul.
2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2016
Candy Chang lives in New Orleans where she says is one of the most beautiful cities in the world
with beautiful and meaningful architecture. But many buildings are left abandoned and left with
no purpose. One building down the street from her home stood out in particular. She wanted to
take something sad and abandoned and turn it into a positive use of public space. A friend who
was close to her died, she said her friend was like a mother to her. This unfortunate event
influenced her to turn that piece of public space into something positive where anyone can go
and use it. She used stencil and spray paint and painted on a giant black board on one side of the
wall that said Before I die I want to Then she drew on lines so people could fill in the
blanks. She left chalk on the walls so people could fill in what they want to do before they died.

Gonzalez 22
Soon she came back and every single line was filled in with something someone wanted to.
Chang took a piece of abandoned and useless property and transformed it into a space where
people could connect and reflect about whats important in life. Its really cool to see what other
people have in mind, we all have dreams and ambitions and I think Chang wanted everyone to
see what everyone else had inside themselves.
Finley, Ron. A guerilla gardener in South Central LA. TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. Ted
Conference., Feb. 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
Much like Candy Chang, Ron Finley also took a piece of useless public space and turned into a
place that everyone could use. Finley grew up in a neighborhood of fast unhealthy food. He
describes his neighborhood as a place that many big and obese children are growing up in, he
sees dialysis center popping up like Starbucks. He decides to take a piece of land near his house
that no one is using and transforms it into a garden. Finley grows fresh fruits and vegetables that
he can share with his community. He discusses how the importance of healthy eating and that
gardening is his act of graffiti. Grow some shit! he states.
Research Paper Sources
Animal Shelters. Peta. Peta., n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
PETA is an animal advocate website that helps bring awareness to issues behind the curtain of
pet shelters. The article discussed rules and events that happen in pet shelters. Peta briefly shares
the facts about high kill and low kill animal shelters and their effects on the dogs or pets put into
them. Unfortunately, many dogs look at only living in shelters about a week before being put
down. Very few are adopted and the rest are isolated from people and other dogs and are not
properly taken care of. This can lead dogs growing up to be aggressive and unattached from
people and with reason. If they were never able to communicate with anyone else, then naturally
they are going to feel confused, lost and have the need to protect themselves. Peta briefly
discussed the significances of these shelters and helped lead further investigation into high kill
shelters and pet shops.

Groomer shaves homeless dog. What she found underneath all that hair made my eyes
tear up. LifeBuzz. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
This article is linked to a video that explains the difference between a stray dog named Charlie
that is taken into the care of a mobile salon van that cleans him up in order to look like hes ready
for adoption. The goal the article had was to exemplify the difference one bath can do to a dog
thats been neglected for so long. His hair was messy and he didnt look healthy. The article then
shares a video that shows the journey he goes through to find a home. He ends up finding a home
and though the small act of giving a shower, he was able to look presentable and clean. This was
a nicely presented article with a brief intro on something important one can do in their
community to help those in need.

Kill Shelters vs. Low Kill and No Kill Shelters. PET360. Pet360. N.d,. Web. 1 Mar. 2016.

Gonzalez 23
This article explains the definition and description of the differences between high kill shelters,
low kill and no kill shelters. The most common type are high kill, which is usually the place
people will take dogs to, high kill is usually referred to as the pound. Low kill takes in strays as
well but will keep them longer. If they are suffering from a disease or are abnormally aggressive
and prove a danger, they will be put to sleep. No kill shelters is the safest for any dog that doesnt
have a home. No Kill shelters do not exterminate any animal for whatever reason. Unfortunately,
these no-kill shelters are difficult for dogs to get into and will only be let in by appointment. It
was informative to find there are more than one kind of shelter and they have their pros and cons.
Mel. The biggest lie pet stores tell you. No Dog About It Blog. Wordpress, 5 Aug. 2012.
Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
In this blog, a blogger informs her readers about what pet stores real intentions are. Many pet
stores will buy their dogs from puppy mills. Puppy mills intentionally breed particular dogs and
then sell to pet shops to make money. The dogs in the front store window are to get passerbys to
buy a dog. Pet stores are smart when they do this because they want you to feel bad for the
puppy and buy him. But what about the rest of the animals who arent taken home? They remain
in pet shops caged away in small confined spaces where they are left neglected to grow. The
blogger states that we should be doing the opposite of what these pet shops want. The more
puppies bought from the pet stores the more theyll purchase and the puppy mills will never end.
The purchasing from these pet stores should end so puppy mills can end as well.

Mixed or Purebred Puppy: Which is better? PETMD. Pet360., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2016.
For the assignment regarding the research paper, for the purposes of defining mixed bred and
pure bred, this article helped define opinions on mixed and pure bred. Naturally, it is biased and
everyone has their preference but essentially, pure bred dogs are going to be worth more.
Hybrids or mutts are not as expensive or costly because they are easier to breed or mix. This
brings awareness that the breeding of dogs for money is incredibly unethical and demoralizing.
National Dog Day National Dog Day. Colleen Paige OmniMedia., n.d. Web. 15 Mar.
2016.
This website is an informative site that brings awareness to dogs. #nationaldogday was founded
by pet and family lifestyle expert and animal advocate Colleen Paige. She discusses how she
came to find this day, which is celebrated annually in August, and how the day is celebrated. Not
only is it a fun celebrative day, she also briefly discusses places to look if on is looking to adopt a
dog. For example, looking into a rescue shelter is a good place to start as well as doing research
before adopting a dog so you know what you are getting yourself into. Paige also numbers
activities one can do to celebrate National Dog Day. This day is not one everyone acknowledges
or has a huge event for but it is one anyone can participate in. Its goal is to bring awareness for
dogs everywhere and that their lifes do matter.

Stray Dogs Show Up To Funeral Of Woman Who Fed And Loved Them. I Heart Dogs.
Greater Good & Rescue Bank., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2016

Gonzalez 24
In her community in the country of Mexico lived a woman named Margarita Suarez. She did the
kindest thing by feeding the dogs in her neighborhood. Many stray dogs roam the streets of
Mexico, and Margarita was kind enough to go out of her way to feed them even though they did
not belong to her. Margarita had to eventually move to another city in Mexico due to health
issues but even when she moved there, she continued to feed the strays in her neighborhood. She
unfortunately passed away but the very incredible thing that happened next comes to show that
doing a simple act of kindness really shines though. The day of her funeral a number of stray
dogs appeared at her funeral home. No one knew why they were there or how they knew there
was a funeral going on but they did and they followed her from the funeral home to the
crematorium. This woman lived in a 3rd world country, didnt have much to begin with and still
did the decent thing by providing food for animals that werent even hers. A simple act of
kindness can create change in the smallest things.

Swales, John M. The Concept of Discourse Community Genre Analysis: English in

Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1990. Print.
This handout written by a scholarly author argues the definition of a discourse community and
the rules needed to actually make it one. Swales uses a scholarly method of using rules and
methods one can use to define he is part of a community. The beginning of the article discusses
some main concepts one can use to define a community. There is communication, initiation and
common goals. In a discourse community, there are ways a group speaks to each other. Swales
doesnt just mean a language like English or Spanish but terms play an important role in
communication as well. Initiation is another part of a community. Its about finding new
members of the community that also like or can relate to the discourse you belong to and so it
can continue to grow. The last example Swales gives is the sharing of common goals. A
community cannot be its own discourse unless it wants to achieve a common aspect. Its
important to feel connected to one another and this is a good way to bond in a discourse because
it allows all its members to think about the bigger picture. Swales argument on discourse
community really opens up the thoughts of what each person belongs to and how each human
differentiates from each other. His definition of a discourse community allows people to bond,
communicate and achieve something greater.

The Pet Collective. Homeless Dog Gets Makeover That Saves His Life! Charlie.
LifeBuzz. YouTube. 1 Jun. 2014.Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
This video was a continuation of the article posted by Lifebuzz. After their brief description of
the situation with the stray dog Charlie, they shared a video on his journey to finding a home.
The video begins with an introduction about Charlie and how he was a stray living on the street.
When they first found him, he was found with long tangled fur filled with burrs. His actions
reflected fear and confusion. The animal rescue shelter found him in the streets of Los Angeles
and took him to a high kill shelter. High kill shelters are unfortunately, where the majority of
dogs go when found on the street. This mean that Charlie was going to be more likely put down
if no one came in and adopted him. About a day later a mobile grooming and day care van came
to the shelter and provided Charlie with a haircut and bath. The video lapses quickly through his

Gonzalez 25
haircut, shaving period and bath time. But the difference is conspicuous. Charlie looked happy
and very clean. The video then says that after Charlies makeover he was adopted two days later.
The amount of change a single bath and haircut will do is impressive and with more action taken
like that, dogs can have another to belong to a loving family.

This is what will happen when you bath a stray dog. Petsfans. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr.
2016.
In the streets of Bangkok, Thailand, more than 120,000 stray dogs roam the streets. A man
named Sortsart Wisenstin worked and studied at a nearby school near his home. Around the time
he was in school he found a stray, adopted her and named her Gluta. After meeting and adopting
Gluta, his life changed. He stated that he felt he had a moral obligation to help those other stray
dogs in need by giving them baths. Wisenstin would take a bucket with a sponge and use street
hoses to bathe the dogs around the city. After finding and adopting Gluta it became important to
him to do something small like helping bath stray animals. Wisenstin was trying to inspire others
to also perform small acts of kindness for those in need. None of those dogs were his to begin
with but as a citizen of the city and a dog lover, he felt like he owed to Gluta to help other dogs
like her.