I have really enjoyed working on this paper so far, and have actually gone above and beyond, sharing it with friends and asking for "constructive criticism". It is a bit hard when I feel that most people are biased on my articles subject, but I have been trying to get neutral feedback and have been pleasantly surprised. A lot of people have told me that I have a strong first draft, and while I have not started editing it yet, once I get settled down to it, I am looking forward to improving it. I may even send it to the audience I chose, an Islamic figurehead in Florida. Maybe he would be interested in what I have to say!
I think that my audience would be impressed and interested in my letter, and I have been trying to strike a reasonable middle ground between professional and neutral. However, I still want to try to convince him, but I don't want to sound "preachy" or "boring". Maybe I should add some pizzazz to it? Or maybe less long words. I'm sure the Imam is smart, but he is probably way smarter than me. I'd just seem like a pompous...are we allowed to swear on here? I'll have to ask next class. I'm assuming not.
One of my friends was visiting this weekend and as soon as I mentioned my paper, he went off in a terribly, if not wholly unentertaining rant about Islam. While I will not share those views here, I think it made me more motivated to write this letter truly, convincingly. Out of respect for others, out of respect for ourselves, people should be allowed to think what they want, as long as they do it in peace. However, my friend did have a good point when contrasting major religious texts with the Constitution (thats right, our very own Constitution). He said "Nothing has ever been so beneficial to man that the rights that are laid out for us in the Bill of Rights. You can do whatever you want, until you infringe upon someone elses pursuit of happiness."
Thanks Joey, for inspiring me, with your music, views, long winded rants, and genuinely lovely company. Can't wait to hear back from him about my paper, so I will probably wait to see if he has anything nice to say. Probably not!
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I like that you're so passionate about what you write. It really speaks to the effort that is put into your work. I've read your article, and I don't think that the head of the Islamic community would consider you a pompous....
ReplyDeletePresenting a paper based on religion is definitely like walking on eggshells. While you have your own headstrong beliefs, others may feel completely different.So, kudos to you for being brave enough to choose such a hot-button topic. It's great that you picked a topic that you are so passionate about because that will allow you to make the letter aspect of the paper come to life, rather than it sounding more like an essay.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mary ^ writing a paper about religion is always a touchy subject, but I think its awesome that you have the guts to do so. I agree with you when you said "out of respect for others, and out of respect for ourselves people are allowed to think what they want as long as they do so in peace". Thats a good point to make while writing a paper on religion. :)
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