Final Blog post for Fall 2009!

This is my final post for the semester!

My theme this semester was “change” and eventually transformed itself into the topic of organ donation. The topic itself is a very personal one to me and my family. It had never crossed my mind before until my brother passed away in 2004 and we, his family, had to make the decision.


I believe that my own experience did help me to give me motivation to write my papers but at the same time I do feel it limited me in some ways. My reflection paper was probably the easiest for me to write in terms of subject and information gathering because it was my life. For my observation paper I felt that it limited me because I wasn’t sure or I didn’t understand how to connect the topic to my writing. My analysis paper was somewhat difficult to write because I felt there weren’t a lot of sources I could work with. For my argument paper I feel that the subject is a good one but I don’t feel that I’m creative enough to build my paper around the topic itself.

If I could change my topic I think I would like to change it to something like identity forming or culture differences in an immediate nuclear family. For instance, in my family I’m the first generation Mexican-American and my parents and I have different views and trouble communicating because I was brought up here in the United States and they are originally from Mexico. I think that would be a fun and interesting topic under the theme of “change” too.

I can see the finish line now.

In preparation for this final argumentative paper I wrote three other papers based on my overall theme for this semester.


My first paper was a reflection paper. I wrote my reflection paper on the night the brother passed away suddenly. It was something that changed by life not just because I lost a family member but because it opened up my eyes to the subject of organ donation. Without this incident I probably wouldn’t have even thought about the subject very much not to mention sign-up to be an organ donor myself. This paper was basically is the foundation for my argumentative paper.

(I chose this picture because I felt that it fit my theme of change and the new beginning I felt I had after my grieving process.)

The second paper was observation. In this paper I wrote about the things I was in my new job at an OB/GYN office. I observed the hardships faced everyday by ordinary people and the decision they have to make about their bodies and their future babies. It definitely is different from my topic of organ donation but none the less it will prepare me with the aspect of knowledge (making educated decision) and awareness that I want to incorporate into my last paper.

( I chose this picture because it shows the beauty of a new baby, something I get to see as a perk at my job.)

The most recent paper I wrote was my analysis paper. I wrote about organ donation itself and the factor that may or may not affect ones decision to be or not to be an organ donor. From this paper I was able to familiarize myself even more on the subject and it lead me to focus in on what I wanted to write about in my last paper. From my research I learned that there are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to organ donation. I also learned that many people aren’t even fully educated of the idea of organ donation and how the process works to become and organ donor.

(I chose this picture because it promotes awareness.)

I feel that from all essays I mentioned and the research I did for them I have been able to form a decent sized pool of information to write my argument paper.

Make-Up Post: Personal, Psychological and Physical Appeals

 Personal appeal is something that attracts you to an item, idea or person by what best fits your likes, ideas and needs. For my argument on organ donation I could use personal appeal with the notion that one favors organ donation based on past experiences. In my personal case I favor organ donation because my family has dealt with the issue when my brother past away. I have experienced the gratifying feeling of knowing someone or many people have another chance at life because they received a much needed organ. This idea could also fit psychological appeal.

Psychological appeal is something that attracts you by way of mental attraction. It is something that plays on an emotion and thought. People’s perception of organ donation is primarily psychologically based. They are either afraid of it and how their decision will affect their future health care if they get sick or they’re for it know that they will be helping someone after their death.

Physical appeal is something that attracts your attention by means of physical appearance or will benefit you physically. In the case of organ donation, one would favor it if they needed a new heart or any other organ to live.
Organ Donation - A New Day

Topic Proposal.

Below you will find my topic proposal for my analysis paper.

For this paper I would like to look at the controversial topic of organ donation. Organ donation is not a topic brought about in general conversation on a day to day basis. It is one that is usually brought about with the topic of death or plans for an ailing family member. Today it might also come up with license renewal since it is now a box you can check off on the renewal form.

There are obviously advantages of organ donation for those people that receive them because they are given a better quality of life; but what about the families of the donors? Are there any disadvantages? What are the issues that hold people back from deciding to donate their organs after they’ve past? Some religions are against any form of bodily mutilation and organ donation can be seen as such mutilation since someone is being cut open.

“Concern is expressed that there be no tampering with the body until there is a cessation of respiration, circulation, and heart beat (Judaism), until survivors have had a chance to launch the soul on a new journey (Shinto). To retrieve organs from a potential donor before the dying process is complete and the rituals enacted is seen by some to violate the proper respect for the dying person and possibly to bring misfortune to the surviving relatives” (Gillman 21).

Based on the OrganDonor.gov website there are about 104,673 people on the transplant waiting list (2009). I would like to explore the issues surrounding organ donation and what its advantages and disadvantages. Also, what may drive people to agree and what makes people disagree with organ donation.

Work Cited:

Gillman, J. "Religious Perspectives On Organ Donation." Critical Care Nursing Quarterly 22.3 Aspen Publication(1999): 19-29. MEDLINE with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2009.

OrganDonor.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 30 Oct. 2009. (Web). 2 Nov. 2009.