Writers Workshop Activity p. 132

A topic I need and want to explore is the current standpoints of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Most people my age have been greatly persuaded by there parents political opinions and have yet to discover another reason why they identify with either the Democratic or Republican party on their own. If I was exploring this topic to gain Rhetorical Knowledge the audience would consist of myself. my purpose would be to further enlighten myself about the topic and have no particular initial stance on the topic. If I was exploring this topic through Critical thinking, reading and writing, would be challenged to dig deep as possible into the topic. I would involve myself in heavy research and try to find as much information on each party and their standpoints as possible. My writing process for this topic would need a lot of organization and revision. The are a lot of different views for each party that I would like to know and discuss, but I would first have to make sure I had all my thoughts well in order. As for knowledge of conventions, I would have to make sure to cite and edit all the works I put into my paper.

invention strategies

Three invention strategies I use are listing, free writing, and questioning. Invention strategies are important because they aid you in arranging your thoughts and ideas in an effective manner. I can incorporate invention strategies into my I-Search and Writing to Explore assignments by using listing to plan, free writing to get my ideas down, and questioning to ask myself if there is more ground that I should cover within my writing in order to improve it. Revision strategies that I use are proof reading, receiving constructive criticism via teachers, friends, or classmates and writing more than one draft to see which one I favor more. This is important because it allows to improve greatly. I can incorporate these revising skills into my I-Search and Writing to Explore assignments by editing and fine tuning my writing in order to deliver it in the most intelligent and well written way possible.

Assessing your Strengths and Weaknesses

Until this point, I have never been given the opportunity to deeply analyze the strengths and weaknesses of my writing skills. Now that I have taken a more in depth look at my writing skills, I have discovered a vast amount of necessary information about myself and my learning process.

I see myself to be a good rhetorical writer. If given a specific topic or standpoint (as long as its somewhat interesting for me ) I can easily convey my message. Since rhetorical writing is to be seen as delivering an overall structure, it is easiest for me to understand. I personally write with the overall structure of my paper in my head and just free write until I feel I have delivered my point.

When it comes to critical reading and writing, I don't feel that I am as skilled. Its hard for me to see a point in an abstract way when I'm so used to seeing it in a conventional way. I don't mean to say that I'm an uncreative or shallow minded person, I just prefer to discuss points that I already know and have a firm stance on.


My writing process is pretty basic. I usually begin with thinking about how I want to sound within my writing, what points will I be getting at, and how will I conclude. I jot down bullet notes quickly and begin to free write. Excessive planning slows me and confuses me.

Knowledge of conventions is probably my weakest points. I typically assume I'm a punctuation and grammar rule pro, but the truth is that my I've usually got my rules confused and wind up with numerous errors in my writing. At times when I try to have a more sophisticated tone in my writing, my sentence structures more become baffling than intellectual. My "table manners" of writing are not the best, but I'm constantly looking to improve them.

"Knowledge Collections" or...?/ Ivory tower

I understood "Knowledge Collections" or Discourse Collections t0 deliver a contrasting view on learning methods and what knowledge really is. I understood The Ivory Tower readings to compare learning strategies between students and teachers and how to offer fairness to both groups.


These reading left me with many thoughts. In "Knowledge Collections" or Discourse Collections how Archie Zariski defined knowledge made me feel as if he were a very old fashioned man who was entirely stuck in his way. The more up-to-date views of professor Hibbitts seemed to relate more to how I see things. I do agree with Archie Zaraski when he claims that expertise and skill can't be downloaded in a file, but you have to give it some credit, a lot of lessons this generation learns effectively are learned through the internet. I guess it really all depends on the topic your trying to become educated in. In The Ivory Tower reading I felt that "Professor X" had the right approach to teaching when he said he attempts to do lessons that can be engaging to both professors and students.


If i were able to question Archie Zariski, I'd ask him about how vast his knowledge of the internet is and if he ever utilizes it for the sake of education. I would ask "Professor X" why he chooses to remain anonymous.

An Issue On Campus Affecting Me

An isssue on campus here at USF St. Petersburg that is affecting me is the fact that we're on probation. I don't fully understand the situation but it sounds really negative and threatening to my education. I blame Karen White because I know shes at the head of this situation. I have felt this impact at orientation for summer institute, when considering the future of my education, and when thinking of all the money my parents are spending for me to go here. I'm putting too much into this school for it to not be "accredited" or whatever. Its unfair, its like we've been cheated.

letter to the editor

Dear Natalie Angier,


Thank you for your inspiring insight into image disorders. I felt that the title was entirely appropriate for the message you were trying to convey to your readers. Mirrors are indeed fascinating and can become an obsession for the vain and image obsessed."Mirrors are like pieces of dreams, their images hyper-real and profoundly fake". I have never found a more agreeable statement. Mirrors project illusion that cause people to become self conscious and insecure. I too believe they project a false and unpleasing image. How Dr. Epley states in your story, its entirely true that we project multiple faces into the mirror each day while still being ourselves. We differ with outfits, times of the day, emotional state, and more. I was shocked when you described how dramatically different a mirror image could display someones head size. Half the size of a normal head is a very significant difference. I myself am in the process of studying image disorders and see a very defined link between your views on self image and eating disorders. If one cannot see their true image, how are they suppose to know how truly flawed or fine they are? We truly do live in a terribly narcissistic society in which mirrors are heavily relied on and can be possibly blamed for poor self esteem and confidence in those who seek approval through them.

Poem

Eating disorders are bad
they're threatening and harmful too
when you purge and you starve, it causes much harm
so respect both your body and you.

Media & Risky Behaviors/ New York Times Article

Between both articles, it is clear to see that media has an enormous impact on youth today. In Media and Risky Behaviors by Soledad Liliana Escobar-Chaves and Craig A. Anderson, they explore various statistics that reflect how the youth of today is negatively affected by the media. They breakdown how children are influenced to select certain brands of food, smoke, drink, and become involved in sexual situations. Heather Chaplin shares in Is That Just Some Game? No, It’s a Cultural Artifact how video games, a popular form of media have evolved so much and have become so revolutionary that they are an important part of our history and culture.


In Media and Risky Behaviors I was both shocked and disgusted by what I discovered. The great negative affect that the media has on the youth of today made me feel like they were turning children into victims. Children should not be made into a target for advertising, they should be allowed to be young. Those who have are at a high enough place that they may make an impact through the media are aware and happy that they can encourage younger generations to feed into bad physical habits because they know it makes them money. Children are encouraged to smoke in many places such as billboards, magazines and television. They are also encouraged to consume foods with poor nutritional value by the same means. And even though Heather Chaplin believes the video games are to be praised and appreciated, they are also to blame for unhealthy habits in children. Video games are an excellent form of entertainment, but only in moderation. I was also slightly saddened to see how common it is for children below the age of thirteen to be partaking in sexual intercourse. I have personally known people who have made that life choice, but I have never approved of it. I believe sex and intimacy to be very personal things that should be understood before you indulge in them. The media cannot be entirely blamed for the sexual behaviors of youth, but society is heavily littered with sexual influence that make intimacy seem so much less significant than it is, so children are bound to see it as being less significant than it is.

If i were able to question either author, I would ask Soledad Liliana Escobar-Chaves and Craig A. Anderson how do they feel about this generation and how we have developed. Also, how were they with smoking, sex, alcohol use, and inactivity when they were young. I would ask Heather Chaplin weather or not she believes video games have more of a positive or negative impact on society.

A.D. / Interview With Marjane Satrapi

A.D. & Persepolis are both graphic representations of personal experiences. A.D. reveals the stories of a select group of people during hurricane Katrina. Their tales involve evacuation, living through the destruction, unwillingness to leave, disease, displacement, and much more. Marjane Satropi's Persepolis deals with an entirely different struggle. Her interview offered personal feedback from her and how and why she depicts her tales through graphic novelization as well as insight into how she became involved in animation.

I found A.D. to be an interesting and creative look into the tragedy of hurricane Katrina. I loved how it displayed more than one point of view. Even though A.D. was merely a graphic novel, I got the same impact from it as I would get from a real live news report. I also found the the Marjane Satrapi interview to be very enlightening. I now feel like I have a better understanding of how she views the world around her.


Questions I would ask the the author of A.D. are if they had known any Katrina victims personally or if they are from Louisiana themselves. If I could of asked Marjane Satrapi a question as her interviewer, I would ask if it is difficult to keep a 150 black and white graphic novel interesting and visually pleasing all the way through.

Persepolis

The graphic novel Persepolis depicts the experiences of a young girl in Iran during the 1980's and the political struggle taking place during the time period. In "The Texture of Retracing In Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis" by Hilary Chute, she analyzes the artistic, political, and emotional aspects of the graphic novel. She also gives input on a new sense of respect that is being found for graphic novels and especially female graphic artists like Marjane Satrapi.


I found the graphic representation of Marjane Satrapi's childhood to be both cute and enlightening. I found it endearing how Marjane Satrapi was always so eager to partake in change. She wanted to protest like the adults and be heard. She also wanted to live like a normal child and be able to listen to whichever type of music she pleased, dress how she liked, and go out unaccompanied. I enjoy most stories that are given from a young perspective. I feel as if it always gives the story being told a better sense of humor and a lighthearted appeal. Marjane Satrapi presents her self as being quite the character during her youth. Marjane Satrapi seems to be both curious and insightful and clearly has a knack for depicting her experiences in a gentle, but very effective manner.


If I had been able to question Marjane Satrapi, I would ask her about her parents' occupations. They seemed to be very well off in her graphic novel. Did their wealth come from her great grandfather who had been a prince? I would also ask more about that patrol of women who picked her up off of the street for being dressed improperly. Lastly, I would ask if she worried for her parents when they would partake in protest. They told her themselves that people get shot at them. I wonder if she thought her parents would ever become victims.

7/2-FSU Writing Samples

Out of the six FSU writing samples. I found "Sing To Me Somehow" and "Knocked Up" to hold my interest the most. I could hardly believe that "Sing To Me Somehow" was an actual account of somebodies life! It felt like I was reading a fictional novel all the way through. Every part of the story was filled with so much emotion and vividness that I could actually sympathize with what was going on. The death, the romance, and struggle within "Sing To Me Somehow" was passionate and descriptive enough to allow me to remain engaged with this memoir until the end.

"Knocked Up" was my second most favored memoir of the six. I found the story to be entirely heartwarming. The authors perspective, being a sixteen year old girl allowed the story to have a very comical, very innocent appeal. Its hilarious the thoughts she was having at the time. I found it easy to relate to this story for at age sixteen a couple of my friends were constantly going through pregnancy scares, actual pregnancies, or abortions. I always found the situation to be gross too. But after growing up and bit I too realized a new baby can indeed become your "everything".

7/2 -Mathias, Writing a memoir

In this reading, Frank F. Mathias tells of his personal experiences that have inspired him to write a memoir. He also tells of what he believes a memoir should consist of. Frank F. Mathias recalls the accounts used in his memoir through old letters he had discovered during a move. Nostalgic and excited, Frank F. Mathias then begins telling his story which is full of exciting ( and sometimes fictional ) moments of his life during ages 18-22 .


I surprisingly found Frank F. Mathias' memoir to be very interesting. What he felt a memoir to involve was exactly what people like to read. He felt a memoir should involve scandal, affair, criminal activity, whatever keeps it from falling flat. Frank F. Mathis' personal moments included within his memoir were all entertaining and sometimes comical. I was very pleased to read into such priceless moments of someones life. Frank F. Mathias went from being a small town boy, to being an officer, to being a war veteran, to being a father. I believe Frank F. Mathias has had a life that is absolutely worthy of being published and discussed.


After this reading, I still wonder about Frank F. Mathias' life before the war, how life was after being released from the war, and how his family life came to be.

6/30

The main points of the two 2 pieces are to convey the impact that a memoir can have. I've realized through both the reading and the spoken memoir, that memoirs are a very heartfelt way to express yourself. Memoirs are entirely personal in every way. Memoirs are someones chance to share their most intimate feelings and stories with others.


Personally, I felt that each memoir was honestly touching. The one about the hurricane and the womens family struggle resulting from the hurricane reminded me of the strength of the women in my family and how they are a backbone for all my relatives an I. That memoir reminded me of who and what my grandmothers were. I'm glad that people enjoy sharing their memoirs with others.


After experiencing both memoirs, I still wonder if there are any possible events that could of caused Jerry Waxler to be so confused with himself, what exactly is Jerry Waxler trying to find, and why were the two woman who spoke about the hurricane chosen to share their story?