15) Optional Student Choice: 500 words or 5-minute video. You author content that includes a title, category, and a reflection about your experiences in this class. Consider specific assignments, specific readings/films, specific conversations, and/or specific processes that helped you learn and grow. In this blog post I’m going to reflect on my journey of becoming a better writer. If I’m being completely honest when we first started the blog post assignments, I really enjoyed reflecting on the stories we’d read in class because they were interesting stories. Then the blog post started to get complex in the sense that they weren’t typical blog post. The writing styles were changing every week. One week we had to write a newspaper article and then we had to create found poetry and other re genres. These were types of writing that I had never explored before and so in some aspect I was a little intimidated by the idea of doing these assignments and what the outcome would be. It was like every week we were exploring a different type of writing that took me outside of my comfort zone. Although I was intimidated I still put my best foot forward. One of the assignments that stuck out to me was the assignment we did for Redeployment. We had to use the genre of fan fiction to create an alternate ending that showed weather or not the main character made the right decision. In doing this post I was nervous because I didn’t know where to start. I started off by writing an ending that showed him making the wrong decision and all of a sudden I got this idea to do a surprise ending. I have to admit I had a lot of fun with this post because I got to be really creative. I was kind of skeptical about doing this because I thought maybe my class mates wouldn’t find it interesting or wouldn’t get what I was trying to do. That was not the case at all. When I got to class the next day a few of my team member had read my post and happened to really enjoy reading my fan fiction post. One of my team members even told me I should volunteer to talk about my post with the class. I was really nervous to do that but I figured it would be a good opportunity to get feedback which would only help me develop as a writer. As the semester progressed I had difficulty with some of the other blog post but I started to realize the objective for having us do these blog post. By learning to write in other ways other than the basic question and response we get to explore other outlets for writing and in return become better writer than we started. Personally I have grown as a writer because of these blog post. Even though I was nervous about the outcome I realized that it wasn’t about the outcome it was about the process. The process of exploring different genres of writing and becoming a better writer than I came in as. I appreciate this process more now that I did when the semester started. I hope to expand my knowledge of writing even more and become an even better writer than I am now. Thank you Professor Sabatino !
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14) Optional Student Choice: 500 words or 5-minute video. You author content that includes a title, category, and a reflection about your experiences in this class. Consider specific assignments, specific readings/films, specific conversations, and/or specific processes that helped you learn and grow. One of my favorite reading this semester was Lulu Wang’s, What you Don’t Know. This was a podcast about a girl whose grandmother was diagnosed with stage four cancer and her family decided it was best for her grandmother if she didn’t know. This was our first reading of the semester. Which for me a was great way to start the semester. What I liked most about the story was the thoughts it provoked from readers, myself included. At first I naturally thought her family was wrong for not telling her grandmother that she was sick. I thought letting her know would give her a chance to fight it and possibly find a way to cure it. As I continued to read the story I found out that Wang’s grandmother did the same thing to her husband. Making me think well maybe she would want the same for herself. As the story progressed Wang and her mother started had a conversation about the idea of not knowing helping her grandmother to live longer. By the end of the story her grandmother lived way past the three or four months the doctor had given her to live. By the end of the story I had a completely different view. I felt like maybe there was some truth to the idea that being happy on not knowing bad news helps you to live longer. After listening to the podcast we had to do a blog post about the story and it was there that I actually got to think and reflect of what I actually thought about what her family did. Although they will never know what would have happened if they told Wang’s Grandmother their decision ultimately prolonged her life. Also after listening to this podcast I questioned if I would want to know if I was sick. How would I feel if my family did this to me? Honestly at first it thought I would have wanted to know but after hearing the podcast I don’t think I would want to know that I was sick. Not because I don’t care but because I would want to enjoy my last days of life. I wouldn’t want to spend the last days of my life stressing about being sick. I think the stress of knowing and knowing that I’m going to die soon would put more stress on my body aiding me in dying faster. I don’t think there’s a wrong or right answer to whether or not Wang’s Family made the right decision. I think what I took from this story was that in life you have to make choices and although people may question if it’s the right choice it doesn’t have to be. It just has to be the best choice for you. If that makes sense. I’m so happy that our class read this story. I learned so much from this story and the other stories we read this semester. I would definitely recommend this story to other students and for next year!
13) Optional Student Choice: 500 words or 5-minute video. You author content that includes a title, category, and a reflection about your experiences in this class. Consider specific assignments, specific readings/films, specific conversations, and/or specific processes that helped you learn and grow. One of my favorite moments this year was getting to watch Where to Invade Next. A documentary about a man, Michele Moore who goes on a journey around the world searching for ideas to r=bring back to the united states. He visits countries like Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Norway and more. He discusses topics like sex education, working and time off, education, free healthcare and prison system. When I first heard the title thought that it was going to be one of the most boring movie ever. Also that it would be almost impossible for me to find something about this movie that I would be interested in doing research for. I was so wrong this movie opened my eyes up to so many interesting things about the world that I didn’t know was even happening. After watching this movie, I couldn’t wait to tell my family, friends and even my boss about it. Learning about how Italy takes care of its workers, by giving them tons of vacation time and extra pay at the end of the year. Then to learn how Slovenia has a free college education and their student are willing to protest for such a cause. To see that there are children eating four course quality school lunches that are cheaper or the same price as he unhealthy lunches they feed Americans was mind blowing to me. Also learning about the prison system in Norway (which was favorite by the way) it’s built on rehabilitation they treat their prisoners like human beings and teach them to become the good citizens that they want them to be. Norway has a very low recidivism rate by the way. Then to compare this to what’s going on in America was so interesting to me. The topics talked about in this movie were all so new to me. What made this one of my favorite moments was that it was something different I got to learn about something that I was interested in, something that was relevant to today that made me reflect. Most of my favorite moments in this class were the moments that provoked a thought and made me reflect and that was what made this moment such a favorite for me. The fact that I was so interested in the movie made writing my research paper even easier because It was a topic that I wanted to know more about. Truth be told it was hard for me to pick a topic because they were all so interesting. In the past I’ve had to write papers on topics that I didn’t really care for so to get the opportunity to write about something that was relevant and interesting to me was awesome. This movie is one that I think everyone should watch. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone I come across I always tell people about it. This movie taught me so much and I am so happy that I got the chance to watch it and learn about the world that I live in. I hope to look into some of the other topics from the movie soon.
12) Formal Assignment #2. A Reflection. [Categories: Reflection]: Please complete the following:
In this blog post I will reflect on my research paper and the approaches I took while writing my paper .
To compose my research paper i worked with classmates to find a topic , professor Sabatino and the librarian. It was a good approach in my opinion because I was able find my topic with the help of my classmates , and I was able yo perfect my paper with the help of professor Sabatino and the librarian. The rhetorical mode I used was argumentation. I wrote this paper the the day before it was due . I tread of writing out before I typed it I went through my articles and highlighted all the information I wanted to use and then I put citations next to each and as I typed my paper took the quotes I needed . This approach was very helpful it was something one of my teachers in high school made me do before and it helped me stay organized . I wrote this paper at school , usually I wrote my papers at home but the change of scenery was nice I was able to focus more . I chose to write about Americas prison system because it's something I've always been interested in . While watching the documentary Where To Invade Next this topic was the one that stuck out to me the most. I think it was a great choice i learned so much while writing this paper . To revise my paper I will work on my introduction and summarizing my summary of the movie. 11) Formal Assignment #1. A Reflection [Categories: Reflection]: Please complete the following:
In this blog post I will reflect on formal assignment #1 and explain some of the approaches I took to write it .
I worked with professor Sabatino to compose my Literary Analysis . The rehtorical mode I used was argumentative. I wrote my paper piece by piece up until the due date. Although it may not be the best approach it works for me. I wrote my literary analysis partially in my book the rest I just typed. This is not a good approach but I always find that when I write drafts it takes me way longer to get a paper done because I get so caught up in writing the right stuff . I chose to write a literary analysis because I really enjoyed the stories our class read this semester. So what better way to expesss that than to write about my favorite stories from this semester. I think it was a good choice although I had some issues with creating an argument rather than just retellig a story I was able to grow as a writer and push myself. While writing my literary analysis I struggled with finding the right information to back up my argument . After wrong my literary analysis I felt like I still could have done better . Since wring my literary analysis I hope to go back and revise it knowing the things I know now I know I can do way better. To revise my paper I will come up with a better thesis statement and also make sure to separate retelling the story and making my argument . Writing About Where to Invade Next. An Argument. [Categories: Where to Invade Next, Research Paper, Argument]: Please complete the following:
Introduction : The objective of this blog post is to choose topics from the movie Where to Invade Next and come up with a research topic and argument in hopes of brainstorming ideas for our research paper.
Topic : Vacation Days Research Question : Should the US require jobs to give employees vacation days? Argument : Jobs in the US should be required to give employees five to eight weeks vacation a year because employees will be less likely to call out sick. Topic: School Lunch Research : Should schools consider lunch and class and serve four course lunch ? Argument: Schools in the U.S should consider lunch a class and serve better lunches because its healthier for kids and will teach them how to eat a balance diet which could ultimately help them live longer. Topic: Education sysytem Research: Should america make changes to their education system ? Argument : America should make changes to their education system because it will benefit students. Writing About Where to Invade Next. A Summary. [Category: Where to Invade Next, Research Paper, Summary]: Please complete the following:
In the documentary Where to Invade Next, Michael Moore travels to different countries discussing topics such as work, school lunch , drug use, education systems and more. He starts his journey in Italy. Here he talks with citizens about work, specifically time off and vacation days. He discovers that workers in Italy receive a total of 8 weeks paid vacation. In December employees are paid an extra months salary. Employees also receive a two hour lunch break. When moms to be go on maternity leave they are given 5 months paid . When Moore spoke with Claudio the CEO of Ducati he stated that there was no clash between profit and the well being of the people. Italians have a longer life expectancy and are less likely to get sick. Moore's next stop was France. There he discovered students in France's poorest neighborhoods ate better lunches than Americans. These schools treat lunch as a class. They use the time to show children how to eat a balanced diet. They eat a four course meal that consists of an appetizer, entree , cheese, and desert. While in france he also discovered that they teach sex education rather than to teach abstinence they actually get into the making love and ways to prevent pregnancy. He also briefly talked about citizens of France receiving free healthcare and only paying a little more in taxes than Americans.Next he visited Finland. This country is number on in education. Student recive about 0-15 minutes of homework.They attend school for a total of 20 hours a week. Finland has the shortest school weeks and years. Also all schools in Finland are equal its illegal to charge tuition for school. After Finland Moore traveled to Slovenia. In Slovenia college education is free even for foreigners. When the government tried to change this policy students protested and were able to shut the government down. Next was Germany , here workers work a 36 hour work week and live comfortably. They are not struggling to make ends meet. Any worker that is stressed can get a prescription from a doctor for a free three week stay at a spa. fifty percent of their supervisory board are employees. Its also it is against the law to email employees while they are on vacation.The next stop was Portugal. Here they do not arrest citizens for drug use. Surprisingly the drug rate went down. Next was Norway here Moore discovers that the jail systems are designed for rehabilitation as preparation for when inmates released.In Tunisia the next country moors discovered that abortions are funded by the government as are women's health clinics. He also discusses the topic of women's rights.Lastly he visits Iceland. Iceland was the first country to elect a female president. At the end Moore realizes that many of these ideas he has been exposed to came from america.
Writing About Our Course Stories [Categories: Life Choice, Course Reading, Re-Genre]: Please complete the following:
Blog Introduction : The focus of this blog is to use what professor Sabatino calls intertexual fiction to write to write a short story. I will do so by using excerpted language from three of our course stories used in my previous blogs. The stories I will be using are The Yellow Wallpaper,The Lottery and Redeployment.
Re-Genre Analysis : Tom had been in the hospital for months . Somehow he’d lost track of time. Tom was a war veteran who had lost everything he’d ever owned in a hurricane a few years back. All he had was an old black box that contained his most prized possessions and memories. The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained. He suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A disorder characterized by failure to recover after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. This combined with his constant urge to drink was never a good mixture. He often got visits from his old friend James . James often tried to help Tom. One day while sitting next to toms bed, James asked Tom “How did you end up like this?” Tom responded “ I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus but John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad. John was Toms nurse. Tom and James talked for hours and hours until visiting time was over. They discussed their child hood and weird traditions they had growing up .The problem is your thoughts don’t come out in any kind of straight order. You try not to think about home. Tom had a very tough childhood. Tom watched his mother get stoned during a neighborhood tradition called the Lottery . Growing up without a mother was extremely tough for him . One of the reasons he joined the marines . To escape his relality and find something to refocus his anger toward . Through everything he could always count on James from bullies at school to the death of his father last year . James was always there. One of the reasons tom asked him to come to the hospital. He wanted someone else there when he got the news. Tom was being tested for cancer . The nurse came in and gave time the best news ever he was cancer free . He instructed Tom to come back in a moth to make sure the results were the same and everything was still okay . He left Tom and James to celebrate. Him and James were so excited they could do all the things they talked about . James left the room to use the bathroom . As he walks the halls he hears some doctors talking " uhh oh , I think I may have mixed up the results, but he was so excited I'll just tell him next month " James couldn't believe what he was hearing . He quickly used the bathroom and returned to the room . When he got there he found himself in a lost for words . All he could say was " hey buddy where would you like to go first ? " " the beach " Tom replied I always felt happy there . 6) Writing About A Good Man is Hard To Find [Categories: Life Choice, Course Reading, Re-Genre]: Please complete the following:
Blog Post Introduction:
In this blog post I will compose three found poems using the genre of found poetry.Before each poem I will provide a theme and an explination from the story, of the theme. Re-Genre Analysis: Theme : A Good Man Is Hard To Find Scene : in this scene the grandmother is telling the kids a story about a good man that she encountered in the past ; in the other scene the family has just reaches a diner and the grandmother is having a conversation with the owner about how a good man is hard to find. These days, A Good Man Is Hard to Find Once when she was a maiden lady she had been courted by a Mr. Edgar Atkins Teagarden He was a very good-looking man and a gentleman He brought her a watermelon every Saturday afternoon with his initials cut in it, E. A. T She would have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden He was a gentleman and had bought Coca-Cola stock when it first came out A Good Man Is Hard To Find "Every- thing is getting terrible. I remember the day you could go off and leave your screen door unlatched. Not no more." Europe was entirely to blame for the way things were now Theme: Judging someone Scene: In the first scene the grandmother is talking about the misfit in an negative way , in the next scene when she actually meets his she gets the feeling that he isn't a bad person and tries to convince him to see it also this fellow that calls himself The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen I wouldn't take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it Youre the misfit ! I know you're a good man. You don't look a bit like you have com- mon blood. I know you must come from nice people!" "God never made a finer woman than my mother and my daddy's heart was pure gold, "you shouldn't call yourself The Misfit because I know you're a good man at heart. I can just look at you and tell "Nome, I ain't a good man, "but I ain't the worst in the world neither. Theme : Pray Scene: in this scene the grandmother is talking to the misfit and hoping that by using religion and faith he will be able to realize that he's not a misfit. "I been most everything. Been in the arm service, both land and sea, at home and abroad, been twict married, been an undertaker, been with the railroads, plowed Mother Earth, been in a tornado, seen a man burnt alive oncet, pray,pray,praypray I never was a bad boy that I remember of, but somewheres along the line I done something wrong and got sent to the penitentiary. I was buried alive That's when you should have started to pray It was a head-doctor at the penitentiary said what I had done was kill my daddy but I known that for a lie If you would pray, Jesus would help you Writing About Bullet in the Brain [Categories: Life Choice, Course Reading, Re-Genre]: Please complete the following:
Introduction :
This blog post is about Bullet In The Brain . In Bullet in the brain Anders who is a book critic is at a bank and as he's standing in line the bank gets robbed. His passion for words and literature ultimately gets him shot in the head by one of the robbers. Re-Genre Analysis: 2 Gunmen , 1 victim By : Inayah Cottman Two gunmen wearing black ski mask rob a bank just after it closed. One man was shot in the head, no others were injured. Two white men wearing black ski mask robbed a bank yesterday afternoon on 23rd and Broad St. They robbed the bank using a pistol and a sawed off shotgun.The suspects have been identified as 24 year old Jeffery Camble and 26 year old Michel Dunes. A witness , Beverly Jones says she was talking to the victim about one of the tellers closing her lane when suddenly she heard the suspects yell " one of you tellers hits the alarm you're dead meat, got it ?" She recalls seeing them handcuff the guards hands together. Then one of the men became enraged after the victim identified as Anders Cooper made a comment about one of the suspects saying dead meat. Anders then looked at Beverly and said " Great script, eh? The stern, brass knuckled poetry of the dangerous classes" This lead to the suspect holding a gun to Anders head. The gunman then let off one shot that struck Anders in the head. He did so because Anders reportedly burst into laughter after he said "capiche". Bruce the guard a who sat just inches away from the victim described Anders actions as unesssary and said that his death could have been prevented. The suspects got away with 25,000 dollars . Police caught them just a few block away. They have since been arrested and charged with armed robbery and first degree murder. The victim Anders leaves behind a daughter who is a professor of economics at Dartmouth University. She says her father was someone with enjoys literature and writing . He was a book critic who found amusment in the creativity of writing. |
Inayah CottmanThis blog is for my English Composition II course Archives
December 2017
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