Nathan Anderson English 1010 Letter of Transmittal

Professor Stephenson, My goal for each of the submitted papers is to provide an interesting read that may be informative yet entertaining. Often this leaves me at the computer trying to type something great that does not translate to the paper. I sit and rewrite every other sentence like it had gone out of style in the past thirty seconds. When I joined the class I asked one of the tutors how to type faster and he said to not erase anything I type. This has worked for brief seconds throughout the term, but I find that I revert to my old habits and edit documents as I go. I would say I have only grown a fraction of my potential, but it is not for me to decide. As requested I will talk about each of the three submitted papers. First, the literacy narrative, is a reflection on my past school experience. If it were my choice it would sit in a journal reminding me of my past, but if I had to give it to a target audience it would be to a student that is struggling in school or a teacher and/or parent who may have a student that needs to find the correct encouragement. I purposely left the ending open for the reader to think about what to do. I hope the reader thinks about the correct action in my giving situation. I revised this a couple times trying to give an alternate ending to it. I could not bring myself to write the happy ending I wish it had been, and I could not finish it off with a harsh conclusion. Second, the rhetorical analysis has been the hardest for me to write. I wish I could give this to an audience who is trying to understand Jonathan Swift better, but I do not feel like I complete understand him myself. I was trying to visualize his style of writing to get an image on the paper but, I was distracted with disturbing images. I have rewritten it a couple times. I hope I got some of the points through, but I need more work on understanding how to write rhetorical analysis. Third, the issue exploration is about a drilling method call hydraulic fracturing. I think the best portion of the essay is when I could visualize what was being written. I hope I was able to explain hydraulic fracturing to the point that someone who does not know about it could be better informed about the process. I rewrote portions of the text until I could get a clear image of what was going on. Finally, I hope this letter is a good indication of my experience writing for this class. I have taken the tutors suggestion in writing as honestly as I could, which was difficult for the rhetorical analysis. I hope the following papers will provide somewhat of an interesting read, informative yet entertaining.

Thank You, Nathan Anderson

Literacy Narrative Stuck in the Past By: Nathan Anderson

The worn calculator was sitting on my desk ready to help assist in todays math lesson. The ugly red painted lines across it had been the reason it hadnt been swiped by other students. This is fortunate for me because I often forget things, especially shiny new items. Interrupted by a crisp stack of papers dangling in my view by the student sitting in front of me, I take one and pass the rest of the crisp papers behind me. The paper was still warm from the printer. I always enjoyed the feel of the slight warmth on my fingertips as I ran them over the paper. My fingers stopped as they ran across the letters at the top: 2nd quarter test.

My small joy of sensing the warmth of the paper had been abruptly ended by the realization; this test seemed different than previous tests. I reminded myself of the life raft that was sitting next to me, my worn calculator. I could type any equation onto the screen and get an answer. I would be fine this time around, or so I thought. Our teacher, the lanky man in front of class with oversized glasses, began to explain the rules of the test. Everyone put away your calculators, I want you to show your work, the teacher informed us. There was an aura of protest from the students around me, but nobody had the courage to voice it. I looked down at the test again it did not have any hints to the correct answer, like a multiple choice. Instead there were large spaces after each question with a subtitle reminding us to, Show your work! My life raft was gone, and a sinking feeling started in the pit of my stomach.

Put away your calculator, Nathan. The teacher said sternly. Had I really froze at the thought of not being able to accomplish this test without some assistance? No, I tell myself. One or two students turned to see who was getting into trouble. I gave into the pressure and slipped my calculator deep into my bag under my chair. I took a deep breath and started muttering over and over: You dont need a calculator you are good at math. The sounds of pencil scratches echoed around me and I knew it was time to start. First question I think to myself, ok so, I minus the 5 and multiply the 7 and you get an answer of 21. What was I worried about? I will finish this test in a few minutes. Second question equals, 42 x; the third questions answer is, 5 x squared plus 32. At the fifteenth question my progress resembled molasses, it was a word problem. I read it and reread it again to myself. It felt like I was translating Chinese to math. I could taste the salt of my sweat as it dripped passed my lips.

I eyed my bag as if I could get an answer by looking at it. The teacher eyed me from his desk with a look that would be given to a potential thief. My eyes and head snapped back to my paper. A chair screeches back, and the class genius walks his paper to the teachers desk to turn it in. In frustration, I skip to question sixteen. To my disgust it was similar to question fifteen. I scanned through the rest of the questions, all word problems. Another chair screeched back and another.

Embarrassment started to compound my frustration as I realized I was one of the last students with a test. The bell rang and the escalating stress exploded into a powerful migraine. I could not focus on anything other than thinking I used to be good at math and why couldnt I

finish this test? The teacher grabbed my test and told me I was going to be late for my next class. I rose in a zombie state and started my trek to the next class, English.

My migraine throbbed as I ventured down the noisy halls, bumping into one angry teenager after another. I had failed a math test, my best subject. All I had to do in the past was apply good logic with some assistance from my trusty calculator; that was not good enough anymore. English had bombarded my favorite subject. A taste of overcooked spinach bubbled in my throat, yuck. I despised the thought of reading. My English and history classes had wanted me to read after school. I resisted as much as possible. I arrived three minutes late to my next class: English.

This was my worst subject. Each month the teacher seemed to torture me with a long book I was supposed to read at home. I didnt care about todays topic of talking farm animals and the hidden meanings behind their politics. I wanted to go home and fight through the dungeons of my computer game, Diablo 2, and get rid of this migraine. My English teacher must have seen my glazed eyes. She snapped her fingers to get my attention and asked me a question. My silence seemed to frustrate her so I quickly sputtered, I didnt read that yet. See me after class! her voice rumbled behind an exacting tone. One of the students snickered. She turned to them with a glare and shouted: same question! The student sitting in the front answered and cooled the teachers temper. The teacher continued her lecture about the talking animals. From the corner of my eye I noticed the snickering girl was smiling at me. She was silently laughing at me. I sunk deeper into my seat feeling depressed.

After class, my English teacher reminded me of how far behind I was from the rest of the class and expressed that I needed to actually read if I wanted to do well in school. I had to read if I wanted to do well in school? My failed math test, the laughing girl, and the mad teacher helped connect the dots through my migraine, painfully. The math test had proven that pure logic with numbers was no longer acceptable. The girls laugh at my stupidity boiled some humiliation. Now, the teacher had the solution. I had to read to do well in school. I have to read to do well in school? slipped quietly out of my mouth. YES! the teacher was stunned that it might be a new concept to me, you will have to read the book if you want any chance to write a good book report. I managed to respond with an, Ok, she then dismissed me to catch the bus ride home.

The evening came and the pressing urge to prove that I could break the cycle was present. I read the most I ever had in one sitting. The hours passed by fast as images from the book actually perked some area of interest instead of putting me to sleep. I even started reading for some of my other classes before my parents found me in my room. They could not believe I was doing something other than playing my computer game. Shocked at the sight, it took them a second to remind themselves of their intended visit to my room, informing me of the green vegetables waiting on the dinner table. My mothers excitement and my fathers encouragement froze me like devouring ice cream that was too sweet. The extra sugar was claying and extinguished the fire that had been lit earlier in the day. I stopped eating dinner and ran to my room. I didnt make any more progress and went to sleep.

The next day after school, I didnt want to do anything school related. But, the prior days events reminded me that I had to write my book report by the beginning of the next week. I needed some motivation. Avoiding any contact with my parents, I locked myself in my room and turned up, Eye of the Tiger, to gain some inspiration. It worked! My pen jumped up and down the page splurging out a thought at every beat. The 30th time through song, I had a completed book report.

I turned in the book report on Monday and received it back on Wednesday. The paper was bloodied and scratched up with an angry red note at the top, Read the Book! D+ I was hurt and wondered why the report did not stain my desk from the open artery. I did not pass mediocre on the teachers scale. The lighter fluid can exploded and my burning rage had to prove that I was better than mediocre. I grabbed the next assignment from my teacher and stuffed it into my bag forcefully.

I was Diablo that night. The burning flames of my hatred poured over the new assignment as I schemed on how to land my final blow on my un-expecting teacher. Ill show you mediocre! I spent all night ensuring the paper was perfect to the letter. My hand writing was crisp and you could read it like it was printed from a computer. I held up the paper, and it felt like I conquered Rome and nothing could stop me. A sinister laugh overcame me. The fires of battle transformed into a grand fanfare and parade of my victory, as I slept that night.

My face bore the biggest smile and aura of happiness as I trotted down the hall the next morning. The time came to turn in my masterpiece. Near the end of class the assignments were passed to the front. I watched it closely like a bowling ball guaranteed to hit a strike. The teacher gathered up all the assignments and set them on her desk. The grand fanfare, Hail the

conquering hero! started playing again in my heart. It did not quiet down when I noticed other students were looking at me strangely. The bell rung and the volume of my fanfare quieted to a whisper. I started to shuffle out of the class room with the rest of the students. Nathan, can I see you for a minute? called my teacher. I strolled over to her desk. Yes Maam? My smile split my face in two. Who did your homework assignment for you? her nuclear blast reduced me to an ashy silhouette on her white board.

Rhetorical Analysis: A Modest Propasal By: Nathan Anderson

In 1729 Jonathan Swift created a political pamphlet, A Modest Proposal, of shock and awe that flooded the streets of Ireland. It suggested the ultimate fix to Irelands economic struggles by using infants of poor, impoverished, homeless criminals and beggars, as sources of sustenance. The details are gruesome at best when he explains the methods, benefits, and plots to incorporate changes in Irelands way of thinking. Swifts agenda behind, suggesting to slaughter thousands of infants, is hidden from his audience until a switch mid pamphlet, he scolds the Irish people in letting its economy suffer. The Irish chaplain, Jonathan Swift, began showering his political pamphlets on Ireland when he joined the Tories in 1710. At the time of A Modest Proposal, nineteen years later, he had refined his technic to captivate his audience with this satire. Noblemen, business owners, and those who were living far better than Irelands common men were among the few, who could read his pamphlets and make a change or be disgusted. Jonathan Swift lures his audience into this proposal by first focusing on a scene of a begging poor mother who cannot provide for her children who trail behind her. She has no other means of work to produce sufficient funds, a sad but common sight in Ireland. He states that the disadvantaged children of these beggar mothers are often left to fend for themselves at a young age. The children, who grow to a mischievous age, often only know a life of thievery and deceit. This strains Ireland, as a whole, of persons who could have been productive members of Irish society. The sadistic nature of Swifts solution requires him to convince his readers of the practicalities of the idea. Locking the readers attention in disbelief and curiosity, he blends the logical and insane in his

lengthy pamphlet. The beginning proposal of eating young children, who would not become productive members of Irish society, is divided and explained in different appeals to appease each reader. Swifts appeals include a solution to the overcrowding of young thieves and thereby making streets of Ireland safer. Giving birth mothers a wage they can count on, by selling their infants, results in better living conditions for participating mothers. Nourishing their young babes would become imperative to give a market the fattest and most desirable child for harvesting. The possibility of this precious commodity could stop child abuse before profiting day. He calculates a productive supply of children available to Ireland, by dividing the availability of ones who could be immediately harvested and percentages of breeders and birthing mothers, to create a surplus of inexpensive meals. This surplus could boost the Ireland economy. An immediate switch is made after going through the appeals of Swifts modest proposal to turn on his audience. He points blame and exclaims the cause of Irelands troubles come from within its borders. He compares Ireland to the Jews fighting amongst themselves as their city is overrun by their enemy. He points to the lack of self-sufficiency Ireland has made by importing goods that could have been manufacture in country to support its economy. He raises grief to the landlord whos short sightedness has given little leniency to its country man. Jonathan Swifts proposal is not about eating infants. It is trying to grasp the attention of the Irish to help them realize the absurdity of their current situation that has been cause by them. The poor Irish, infants, and I are glad the Irish did not take his pamphlet literally.

What is Hydraulic Fracturing and is it too Risky for the Environment? By: Nathan Anderson

Hydraulic Fracturing has given drillers access to large supplies of unconventional natural gas. The result is a price drop of heating and electricity for consumers in the United States, a boost for the economy. The Hydraulic fracturing we know of today was refined in the late 80s with tax incentives. The process included an older form of fracturing and the newer horizontal form of drilling to access the natural gas trapped in tight shale formations deep below the surface. Environmentalists and supporters for drilling debate on how safe it is for the environment. Environmentalists say hydraulic fracturing is linked to aquifer contamination, releases of harmful greenhouse gases, and earthquakes. Drilling supporters focus on the comparison of other fossil fuels saying it is a cleaner form of energy and the environmental effects of the hydraulic fracturing process are marginal or non-existent if drilled correctly. Fracturing or fracking first began a little over 60 years ago in 1947. Fracturing is a form of drilling that access oils and gases stuck in shale or other rocks. Before fracturing, drillers had to drill to pockets of natural gas. These pockets were literally a pool of gas trapped in a hollow space between layers of shale rock. These pools of gas are generally found at peeks or breaks in layers of shale. The gas in the shale seeps into these pools slowly, fracturings goal is to speed up the process. A drilling location is chosen where shale rock can be accessed. Some locations use old wells and drilling sites some are new. Shale rock is typically around a mile underneath the surface. The first drilling holes are made to protect an aquifer if present. The drillers drill past the aquifer and lay in metal pipes. Cement is then laid in to incase the pipe to prevent leaking, a process called casing. After the cement sets the next process in drilling can continue. They drill down to the desired depth to access shale rock. The older forms of fracturing stopped drilling deeper here. A second set of pipes were installed and another round of casing was pumped in to incase the final production pipe.

The first exploration in fracturing included explosives and other methods to free the gas from the surrounding shale with little effect. An idea of hydraulically fracturing the surrounding shale and rock started. Holes were drilled or shot into the pipes at the desired depths. The hydraulic fracturing process would begin by pumping slurries of water, sand, or ceramic balls into the pipe at great pressures. Lubricating oils and other trace chemicals are also added to improve the output of gas from the shale rock and increasing the functionality of equipment. By pumping this slurry into the pipe it would flow into the shale at the great pressure and split and fracture the surrounding shale. The sand or ceramic balls in the slurry help keep these fractures open. They then start pumping the slurry mix out of the pipe and if all went well the gas will flow out after it. They connect the pipe to a pipeline to be transported to refineries and then the consumers. The new method that has been added to hydraulic fracturing is called horizontal drilling. Horizontal drilling and fracturing technologies were essentially developed together, spurred by tax
incentives in the late 1980s to develop domestic unconventional gas fields. (Gilliland)

Horizontal

drilling is achieved by attaching a special drilling bit that can change its direction. These drill bits are typically fitted with a tracking system to pinpoint the exact location of the drill bit. At a few hundred feet above the target shale rock nicknamed the kick off point the directional drill starts to slope horizontally and by the end of the slope is parallel with the shale layer. The horizontal portion can extend out about a mile or in some areas two. After desired point is reached they pull out the drill and insert the final production pipe and incase it in cement. Sets of perforating charge sleds are lowered to a section at the end of the pipe and set off to create fracturing holes in the pipe and shale. The sleds are pulled out and the hydraulic fracturing stage commences. After the section of pipe is hydraulically fractured a plug is lowered to close off that end section and the sleds are lowered to perforate the next section. These sections can vary up to 150 feet

long. When the entire length of pipe surrounded by shale is fractured a drill is lowered to remove the plugs and pump out the remaining hydraulic fluids. The gas then can be extracted.

(Gilliland) Since hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have been combined it has become a heated topic of whether hydraulic fracturing should be allowed. Michael Brune executive director of the Sierra

Club, the nations largest environmental group, has been voicing his concerns. In his article he explains that, natural gas drillers remain exempt from aspects of landmark health and environmental protections such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. (Brune) He also states, While the industry claims this process is safe, there are hundreds of water contamination cases across the country as a result of unchecked and unregulated fracking. (Brune) He does not reference any studies to support water contamination facts due to fracking. He suggests, federal and state agencies need to take a hard look at the risks natural gas fracking poses to our health and communities. (Brune) He recommends the only safe, smart and responsible way to address our nation's energy needs is to look beyond coal, oil and gas, and focus on clean, efficient energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal. (Brune) Mr. Muller, a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley says, emissions are at the lowest they've been for 20 years thanks largely to America's continuing switch from coal to natural gas, which emits half as much carbon dioxide for each kilowatt hour of energy generated. (Millard) He says, One of the factors slowing the world-wide switch to natural gas, however, is shortsighted
opposition from some environmentalists in the U.S., Europe and beyond. They argue that extracting natural gas by hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") may pollute local water supplies and leak the powerful greenhouse gas methane, and their arguments affect official and commercial thinking in both the developed and developing worlds. (Millard) He states, It is true that fracking has caused some limited,

local pollution in the U.S., but this is attributable largely to the wildcatting behavior of the rapidly growing industry. Technology for clean fracking is technically straightforward, and government authorities can promote its use through careful monitoring and large fines for transgressions. (Millard) Ellen Gilliland, a geophysicist and researcher at the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech. Natural gas has a reputation as a clean energy option because it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than coal or oil when burned, but this fact ignores the overall footprint of

unconventional gas production. A recent study from Cornell University suggests the footprint of unconventional production may be equal to or larger than that of other fossil fuels, due to the high global warming potential of fugitive methane that may leak to the atmosphere. (Gilliland) Another environmental concern is contamination or pollution due to surface spills of fracture treatment fluid. When they occur, they are usually identified and cleaned quickly, but because the water and chemicals are mixed at the well site, spills may contain high concentrations of toxic chemicals, posing a threat to humans, wildlife, or clean water supplies (Gilliland) But she does express that Eliminating hydraulic fracturing would mean eliminating drilling in unconventional areas and, in turn, eliminating reserves that our current and forecasted levels of consumption demand. It is well known that turning off the tap of natural gas would increase home heating costs, but, additionally, 25 percent of electricity in the U.S. is sourced from natural gas, and that percentage is on the rise. (Gilliland) Rock Zierman, chief executive of the California Independent Petroleum Association, tells the Los Angeles Times, The "safe fracking" question has been asked and answered many times over by government regulators, scientists and other technical experts, and they have concluded that hydraulic fracturing is a fundamentally safe technology. (Zierman) The EPA studied a site in Alabama at the request of environmentalists and found "no evidence" of "any contamination or endangerment of underground sources of drinking water." (Zierman) In 2009, another study from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Ground Water Protection Council -- an interstate body of environmental regulators -concluded that fracking is a "safe and effective" technology for producing energy from deep geological formations like California's Monterey Shale He also states that, Stanford University geophysicist Mark Zoback, who's also served as an advisor to the Obama administration, confirmed that fluids used in hydraulic fracturing "have not contaminated any water supply," and with more than a mile of rock separating deep shale formations and shallow drinking water aquifers, "it is very unlikely they could." (Zierman) Regulators should continue to review the rules that apply to hydraulic fracturing, and find

ways to improve them to ensure that the public has the information it needs about the process. The facts clearly show that this technology can be used safely while regulatory updates are made. (Zierman) "Wells can leak whether they're hydraulically fracked or not. ... If you misidentify the problems, you misidentify the solutions," said Mark D. Zoback, a Stanford University geophysicist and member of President Obama's Shale Gas Development advisory committee. "Things get spilled, things get contaminated; when things aren't drilled properly, it can cause environmental problems down the line. But hydraulic fracturing is really not the problem." (Puko) Hydraulic fracturing gives drillers access to unconventional natural gases which can be used to cover a boost of growing demands in the next decades. Because of this, I think hydraulic fracturing is necessary to keep up with the demands. But, we need to ensure to be consistently looking for causes of environmental contamination to ensure our environment isnt destroyed. Hydraulic fracturing itself does not seem to be the cause of the environmental problems. However, the processes surrounding hydraulic fracturing should be reviewed.

Bibliography
Brune, Micheal. "An Industry Run Amok." 26 Mar 2012. SIRS Issues Reasearcher. USA Today. Web. 14 Nov 2013. Gilliland, Ellen. "Fracking Can Access Energy from Deep Below." 9 Jun 2012. SIRS Issue Researcher. McClatchy - Tribune News Service. Web. 14 Nov 2013. Millard, Richard. "Fracking's Green Side." 7 Oct 2012. SIRS Issus Researcher. Washington Post. Web. 14 Nov 2013. Puko, Timothy. "5 Myths About the Marcellus and Natural Gas Industry." 2 September 2012. SIRS Issue Researcher. McClatchy - Tribune News Service. Website. 14 November 2013. Zierman, Rock. Why So Much fracking Hystreria? 21 Jun 2013. Los Angeles Times. 24 Nov 2013. <http://sks.sirs.com>.