reflection journal 1
After reading "Understand Composing Process" pgs. 2 - 20, answer the following questions.
What is your writing process? What are some of the steps of the writing process you usually skip? What are some problems you have when writing or in the writing process.
My writing process is pretty simple: I make a mental outline of what I want to talk about, and I begin to write the introduction that I kind of use as an outline for the rest of my paper. After a couple of drafts, I end up with a finished product that I have continually revised, or polished, throughout the writing process. Obviously, I am skipping many steps of the writing process that are necessary for a good paper. Instead of making a mental outline of what I want to write about, I should write it down and extend the information into subcategories as much as possible. I also tend to have trouble with freewriting. If I could find some strategies (such as turning off the computer monitor and just typing) to help undo this "writer's block," I would probably end up with a lot more content in my papers. Instead of worrying about the editing details in the beginning of the writing process, I should try to focus only on getting my ideas on paper, and then worry about editing in the later stages.
reflection journal 2
What do you look for when it comes to feedback either from peers or instructor? What kind of feedback do you give?
Do you take feedback seriously? Do you take feedback into consideration while redrafting?
When it comes to feedback, I look for questions from the reader that will spark any new idea or vision of my topic in the paper. I usually find questions that are asked throughout the paper help me to expand on the information where I wasn't clear enough. In receiving this kind of feedback, I also find it helpful to give it in the same way. I like to ask questions to probe new ideas. I also find that a lot of feedback can sometimes be negative, so I try to give as much positive feedback to give confidence in the areas where the writing content is strong. I definitely take feedback from others seriously and into consideration while redrafting. Similar to the readers critiquing my rough drafts, other peers and teachers alike are going to be the ones reading my paper, so what they think of it is very important to me.
Do you take feedback seriously? Do you take feedback into consideration while redrafting?
When it comes to feedback, I look for questions from the reader that will spark any new idea or vision of my topic in the paper. I usually find questions that are asked throughout the paper help me to expand on the information where I wasn't clear enough. In receiving this kind of feedback, I also find it helpful to give it in the same way. I like to ask questions to probe new ideas. I also find that a lot of feedback can sometimes be negative, so I try to give as much positive feedback to give confidence in the areas where the writing content is strong. I definitely take feedback from others seriously and into consideration while redrafting. Similar to the readers critiquing my rough drafts, other peers and teachers alike are going to be the ones reading my paper, so what they think of it is very important to me.
reflection journal 3
In your textbook on page 47 you find the "More Possibilities for Rhetorical Analyses" section.
Clothing certainly delivers a message to an audience on a daily basis. Dresses, in particular, can definitely deliver different messages depending on the type or style of dress. Wedding dresses, for example, can express love, devotion, commitment, or purity. If the wedding dress is a big ball gown, it may say that the bride is “princess-y”, even girly. If the dress is made of lace with sleeves, it may say the bride is old-fashioned. If the dress is short, it may convey that the bride is laid-back, or modern. All types of clothing are a good example of delivering message without using actual text. When going to an interview for a job, communicating through appearance is very important. A person wouldn’t want to show up to an interview dressed in baggy, casual clothes because it could send a message that the person does not care.
- Answer #1: Think of an item that you might not normally consider to be a text-- a plastic shopping bag, a burger; a car, or a haircut, for instance. Compose an analysis in which you explore the ways this item delivers a message to an audience.
Clothing certainly delivers a message to an audience on a daily basis. Dresses, in particular, can definitely deliver different messages depending on the type or style of dress. Wedding dresses, for example, can express love, devotion, commitment, or purity. If the wedding dress is a big ball gown, it may say that the bride is “princess-y”, even girly. If the dress is made of lace with sleeves, it may say the bride is old-fashioned. If the dress is short, it may convey that the bride is laid-back, or modern. All types of clothing are a good example of delivering message without using actual text. When going to an interview for a job, communicating through appearance is very important. A person wouldn’t want to show up to an interview dressed in baggy, casual clothes because it could send a message that the person does not care.
reflection journal 4
We have done an exercise on Rhetorical identity of everyday objects. Discuss from the beginning to the end the results of the lesson. What were some surprises in finding a "rhetorical situation/identity" to items?
When we first started talking about objects and their rhetorical identities, I wasn’t sure how to answer the question, “What is this object saying?” My first thought was, “well, the object isn’t saying anything.” As the discussion went on, I began to get the hang of what the rhetorical identity of an object meant. First, we looked at the object as it stood alone, and tried to figure out its message. Then, we related the object to its owner and what it may say about the person. The set of keys, in particular, really surprised me with all of the answers the classmates had about its message: the multiple keys could mean the owner is a busy person, that he/she probably owned a car, that he/she was a UNC Charlotte student because of the long green chain, etc. It also surprised me that such a complex object, such as a laptop, was hard to pinpoint as conveying a message. The laptop that was decorated with lots of stickers, though, was much easier to identify its messages.
When we first started talking about objects and their rhetorical identities, I wasn’t sure how to answer the question, “What is this object saying?” My first thought was, “well, the object isn’t saying anything.” As the discussion went on, I began to get the hang of what the rhetorical identity of an object meant. First, we looked at the object as it stood alone, and tried to figure out its message. Then, we related the object to its owner and what it may say about the person. The set of keys, in particular, really surprised me with all of the answers the classmates had about its message: the multiple keys could mean the owner is a busy person, that he/she probably owned a car, that he/she was a UNC Charlotte student because of the long green chain, etc. It also surprised me that such a complex object, such as a laptop, was hard to pinpoint as conveying a message. The laptop that was decorated with lots of stickers, though, was much easier to identify its messages.
Reflection journal 5
Questions on Meaning
1. Is there a there in cyberspace? What is the thesis of Barlow's essay?
I do believe there is a “there” in cyberspace. Sometimes these things may be saved in places that may be temporary, and sometimes they may be more permanent. When I think of all of the information stored in cyberspace, I don’t envision it as just a whole bunch of random information floating around. Things are stored in different places, different websites, different folders, etc. Even though this information is not physically in front of our eyes, there for us to touch, it is still stored in a very similar way throughout cyberspace. Cyberspace is our new library.
The thesis of Barlow’s essay is the journey of him searching for community beginning with pushing cows around a remote Wyoming ranch to his present occupation as a “cyber space cadet.”
2. Without looking at the essay, write a definition of "community." Next, reread the essay and list the many elements or characteristics of a "community" that Barlow gives.
Community is a group of people living together in a shared, common area. Some elements that Barlow talks about when referring to “community” are a culture, a religion of sorts, a sense of necessity, and shared adversity. Barlow wanted to find a community that was “being” together, physically together. When Barlow talks about the Deadheads, he mentions how they were “there gossiping, complaining, comforting and harassing each other, bartering, engaging in religion, beginning and ending love affairs, praying for one another’s sick kids.” Even though all of these elements that Barlow lists are not all positive, they have one common theme: being together.
3. Explain the difference between a "non-intentional" and an "intentional" community.
A “non-intentional” community is one like Pinedale, Wyoming, where all of the people ended up there, and from there they came together to know each other, work with each other, practice their religion together, and to be a part of each other’s lives. This type of “non-intentional” community was not forced to be a community; they came together unintentionally and on their own. On the opposite end, there are intentional communities in which people move to a specific area to be a part of a group for a reason: job, climate, family, school, etc.
Writing Assignments
1. Think about your physical "community"-- the people you live with, the campus environment, the city or town in which your college is located, etc. Using the elements or characteristics of a "community" that Barlow presents (see question 2), determine te strengths and weaknesses of your physical "community." Which "community" is more fulfilling? Why?
Using Barlow’s definition of a strong community, I would say that Charlotte, North Carolina has a decent physical community. There are a couple of large universities here that bring together all types of young people from many different areas. We have plenty of parks and trails in which to spend time with family and friends. Businesses are booming in the large uptown area of Charlotte, filled with bars, restaurants, and plenty of entertainment. Sports are also a large part of Charlotte: the Charlotte Bobcats and the Carolina Panthers. Each of these things physically brings together the people of the community of Charlotte. An example of my virtual community would be a social networking site, like Facebook. Through Facebook I can chat, send messages, post and share pictures, play games, and socialize with friends and family from any geographical location. It is a great way to interact with everyone, but it is definitely not a strong sense of community by the definition of Barlow. I would have to agree with Barlow and say that the physical community is more fulfilling. Nothing in the virtual world can compare to the sense of love and belonging you get from spending actual face-to-face time with family and friends. Although cyberspace has gotten extremely close to being similar to face-to-face interaction (Skype, for example), it still isn’t the same.
1. Is there a there in cyberspace? What is the thesis of Barlow's essay?
I do believe there is a “there” in cyberspace. Sometimes these things may be saved in places that may be temporary, and sometimes they may be more permanent. When I think of all of the information stored in cyberspace, I don’t envision it as just a whole bunch of random information floating around. Things are stored in different places, different websites, different folders, etc. Even though this information is not physically in front of our eyes, there for us to touch, it is still stored in a very similar way throughout cyberspace. Cyberspace is our new library.
The thesis of Barlow’s essay is the journey of him searching for community beginning with pushing cows around a remote Wyoming ranch to his present occupation as a “cyber space cadet.”
2. Without looking at the essay, write a definition of "community." Next, reread the essay and list the many elements or characteristics of a "community" that Barlow gives.
Community is a group of people living together in a shared, common area. Some elements that Barlow talks about when referring to “community” are a culture, a religion of sorts, a sense of necessity, and shared adversity. Barlow wanted to find a community that was “being” together, physically together. When Barlow talks about the Deadheads, he mentions how they were “there gossiping, complaining, comforting and harassing each other, bartering, engaging in religion, beginning and ending love affairs, praying for one another’s sick kids.” Even though all of these elements that Barlow lists are not all positive, they have one common theme: being together.
3. Explain the difference between a "non-intentional" and an "intentional" community.
A “non-intentional” community is one like Pinedale, Wyoming, where all of the people ended up there, and from there they came together to know each other, work with each other, practice their religion together, and to be a part of each other’s lives. This type of “non-intentional” community was not forced to be a community; they came together unintentionally and on their own. On the opposite end, there are intentional communities in which people move to a specific area to be a part of a group for a reason: job, climate, family, school, etc.
Writing Assignments
1. Think about your physical "community"-- the people you live with, the campus environment, the city or town in which your college is located, etc. Using the elements or characteristics of a "community" that Barlow presents (see question 2), determine te strengths and weaknesses of your physical "community." Which "community" is more fulfilling? Why?
Using Barlow’s definition of a strong community, I would say that Charlotte, North Carolina has a decent physical community. There are a couple of large universities here that bring together all types of young people from many different areas. We have plenty of parks and trails in which to spend time with family and friends. Businesses are booming in the large uptown area of Charlotte, filled with bars, restaurants, and plenty of entertainment. Sports are also a large part of Charlotte: the Charlotte Bobcats and the Carolina Panthers. Each of these things physically brings together the people of the community of Charlotte. An example of my virtual community would be a social networking site, like Facebook. Through Facebook I can chat, send messages, post and share pictures, play games, and socialize with friends and family from any geographical location. It is a great way to interact with everyone, but it is definitely not a strong sense of community by the definition of Barlow. I would have to agree with Barlow and say that the physical community is more fulfilling. Nothing in the virtual world can compare to the sense of love and belonging you get from spending actual face-to-face time with family and friends. Although cyberspace has gotten extremely close to being similar to face-to-face interaction (Skype, for example), it still isn’t the same.
reflection journal 6
The readings that you read that pertain to your Blog topic is what you will be discussing in this journal.
My topic, social networking, deals with all three of these things: movies, music, and novels. Instead of reading these articles based on my topic (because it doesn’t necessarily go into any one of them), I chose to talk about how social networking encompasses each. Social networking deals closely with music because musicians tend to make Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube accounts for their bands in order to advertise themselves and keep their fans up to date with shows, apparel, etc. When a band makes a MySpace account, they are able to put their music directly on their website for their fans to listen. Facebook accounts are very similar, where they can update their status on their current location or with whatever they are doing at the moment. YouTube is one of the biggest uses for musicians because they can record videos, whether live or produced, of their music and post it. Many “no-name” musicians have been found on YouTube due to a large number of views, making it on the Popular or Most Viewed lists. Movies and novels are also incorporated in social networking sites. I, personally, have found out about good movies and novels because of the hype my friends make on Facebook about it. For example, most recently a lot of people were talking about the “Fifty Shades of Grey” book, and the “Batman: The Dark Knight Rises.” This creates a lot of buzz, and makes people want to read or see the books or movies because of it.
- How do the requested readings relate to your topic? Some of the readings have questions, further discussion and suggestions after them. Discuss at least one for each reading.
My topic, social networking, deals with all three of these things: movies, music, and novels. Instead of reading these articles based on my topic (because it doesn’t necessarily go into any one of them), I chose to talk about how social networking encompasses each. Social networking deals closely with music because musicians tend to make Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube accounts for their bands in order to advertise themselves and keep their fans up to date with shows, apparel, etc. When a band makes a MySpace account, they are able to put their music directly on their website for their fans to listen. Facebook accounts are very similar, where they can update their status on their current location or with whatever they are doing at the moment. YouTube is one of the biggest uses for musicians because they can record videos, whether live or produced, of their music and post it. Many “no-name” musicians have been found on YouTube due to a large number of views, making it on the Popular or Most Viewed lists. Movies and novels are also incorporated in social networking sites. I, personally, have found out about good movies and novels because of the hype my friends make on Facebook about it. For example, most recently a lot of people were talking about the “Fifty Shades of Grey” book, and the “Batman: The Dark Knight Rises.” This creates a lot of buzz, and makes people want to read or see the books or movies because of it.
reflection journal 7
Structure and Content #1: The author opens his article with the assertion that no idea "influences our daily life more than the idea that 'money buys happiness.'" What support does he give for the importance we place on earning and spending money?
When Peter Dodson writes that no idea “influences our daily life more than the idea that ‘money buys happiness,’” he follows with multiple statistics, mostly pertaining to Canada. He says that “Canadians spend an average of 8.9 hours a day working, forfeited 32 million vacation days last year, and have over $750 billion in debt.” He also mentions that 12 days a year are spent on average commuting to and from work. Further into the article he explains that, based on studies by Richard Easterlin, happiness does not increase with income after basic needs are met at about $10,000 per year. He continues with Canadian statistics, saying 30 more minutes are spent working per day and 45 minutes less are spent on family per day compared to 20 years ago. All of these statistics are used by the author to support his idea that people put a lot of stress on making lots of money in order to buy happiness.
Further Discussion #1: What makes you happy? Make a specific list. How many How many of the items on your list require money?
Things that make me happy:
1. Family
2. Friends
3. Cooking
4. Shopping
5. Hiking
6. Reading
7. Traveling
8. Watching movies
9. Listening to music
10. Making good grades
About 5 out of the 10 things that make me happy in my list require money. Cooking requires money in order to buy the food to cook it. Shopping is definitely the most money-required activity that makes me happy. Traveling also usually costs a good amount of money for gas, room and board, food, entertainment, etc. Watching movies requires a smaller amount of money because I usually tend to watch them on Netflix or use Redbox instead of going to the movie theater. I included making good grades on my list because it creates a sense of accomplishment and personal achievement. Making good grades technically requires money in order to pay for the education to receive those good grades.
Suggestions for Writing #1: How can we escape the temptations of consumer culture and the "depressing reality of materialism"?
“How can we escape the temptations of consumer culture and the ‘depressing reality of materialism?’?” I ask myself this question quite often in order to minimize my spending on items that are not necessary. Personally, I can sometimes get carried away with buying things that I “need,” when, in reality, I don’t need those things at all. I think stopping to ask yourself what is important in life is a great way to escape those temptations. What means most to you? If you were to leave this earth tomorrow, would you be happier about the materialistic things you have collected over the years? Or happier about the relationships you’ve built, time you’ve spent with family and friends, and spiritual achievements? I think that Dodson made a great point towards the end of his article in stating, “If depression is the body’s way of warning us to stop engaging in harmful behavior, suppressing the symptoms with drugs only encourages us to ignore our built-in warning system, and ultimately, ignore the reason why we are depressed in the first place.” I agree with him completely, and believe that the medical field has taken a little too much control of other people’s lives by encouraging patients to medicate themselves for depression rather than fixing the underlying, initial problem.
When Peter Dodson writes that no idea “influences our daily life more than the idea that ‘money buys happiness,’” he follows with multiple statistics, mostly pertaining to Canada. He says that “Canadians spend an average of 8.9 hours a day working, forfeited 32 million vacation days last year, and have over $750 billion in debt.” He also mentions that 12 days a year are spent on average commuting to and from work. Further into the article he explains that, based on studies by Richard Easterlin, happiness does not increase with income after basic needs are met at about $10,000 per year. He continues with Canadian statistics, saying 30 more minutes are spent working per day and 45 minutes less are spent on family per day compared to 20 years ago. All of these statistics are used by the author to support his idea that people put a lot of stress on making lots of money in order to buy happiness.
Further Discussion #1: What makes you happy? Make a specific list. How many How many of the items on your list require money?
Things that make me happy:
1. Family
2. Friends
3. Cooking
4. Shopping
5. Hiking
6. Reading
7. Traveling
8. Watching movies
9. Listening to music
10. Making good grades
About 5 out of the 10 things that make me happy in my list require money. Cooking requires money in order to buy the food to cook it. Shopping is definitely the most money-required activity that makes me happy. Traveling also usually costs a good amount of money for gas, room and board, food, entertainment, etc. Watching movies requires a smaller amount of money because I usually tend to watch them on Netflix or use Redbox instead of going to the movie theater. I included making good grades on my list because it creates a sense of accomplishment and personal achievement. Making good grades technically requires money in order to pay for the education to receive those good grades.
Suggestions for Writing #1: How can we escape the temptations of consumer culture and the "depressing reality of materialism"?
“How can we escape the temptations of consumer culture and the ‘depressing reality of materialism?’?” I ask myself this question quite often in order to minimize my spending on items that are not necessary. Personally, I can sometimes get carried away with buying things that I “need,” when, in reality, I don’t need those things at all. I think stopping to ask yourself what is important in life is a great way to escape those temptations. What means most to you? If you were to leave this earth tomorrow, would you be happier about the materialistic things you have collected over the years? Or happier about the relationships you’ve built, time you’ve spent with family and friends, and spiritual achievements? I think that Dodson made a great point towards the end of his article in stating, “If depression is the body’s way of warning us to stop engaging in harmful behavior, suppressing the symptoms with drugs only encourages us to ignore our built-in warning system, and ultimately, ignore the reason why we are depressed in the first place.” I agree with him completely, and believe that the medical field has taken a little too much control of other people’s lives by encouraging patients to medicate themselves for depression rather than fixing the underlying, initial problem.