This semester, I approached this class with the attitude of “I’ll do this, but only because I have to.” I wish that I would’ve approached Writing 1301 with a higher eagerness to learn and improve my writing. Writing is an essential part of every day life and almost every professional career, not just schoolwork (as I have learned in my writing reflection paper). If I had taken this more into consideration at the beginning of the semester, I think I would’ve gotten more out of this class. If I could do it again, I would change my paper writing process. Although I am happy with the process that I developed, I wish that I would’ve split up my paper writing into more than just three or so days. I also would have had a few different friends that are good at writing read it over instead of just one, and I would have gone to the writing center if I was really struggling. I have learned a lot from this class and I am happy with where I am at with my writing now, but if I could do it again, I would give more thought to my writing at each stage of my writing process for a more complete and well rounded approach to writing my papers.
I found it very interesting that there was an article written about this topic because I have also often thought of how ridiculous the title of “friends” on Facebook actually is. As I look at all the friends I have on Facebook, I realize that I don’t actually talk to the majority of them in real life. Most of them are more on the side of acquaintances than actual friends. Some of them are even people that I don’t get along with anymore! However, I do think that there is some merit to what was said in the article that Facebook friends aren’t really friends, but that they are connections and doorways to possible friendships. It is nice to know many different people even if it is in a very small way, because it may help you out down the road. If you run into someone later in life and you both realize that you know each other from somewhere, you can more easily start to build new relationships and possible work/business connections.
I can see why some people think that literature should be taught in writing class. It does give us a solid topic to write about, and it gives the whole class a similar topic so the writing of the students can be graded on a very equal scale. However, I preferred having the opportunity to write about the topic I wanted to. For me, a person who isn’t the fondest of writing papers, the ability to do this made this class and my writing experience much more enjoyable. It allowed me to write about things that I am actually interested in, and it actually led me to learn things that I now apply to my life. I chose to write one of my papers on exercise/fitness culture, and it helped me to discover some fitness keys that I now apply to my regular workout routine. That is why I think that literature is not needed in this writing class. If students are given more freedom on what they are writing about, they are more likely to pick something they are interested in and write a better paper because of it.
I think that what David Crystal is discussing and researching is very interesting. There have been many times in my life when I would say a word and then stop and think, “Why does this word mean this?” Many times I would find that the more I thought about it and the more I said the word over and over, the more ridiculous the word seemed to be. The fact that David Crystal has actually been searching back in time to find the history of certain words, and how they came to be in our language now and to mean what they mean, is actually a very intriguing pursuit. He claims that many of the words that have stayed in our language have been those which have been used by famous people throughout history. This makes sense to me because people, myself included, tend to remember important quotes or certain parts of important speeches that we hear in our lifetime. If we remember these things, and repeat them, I can easily see how the meanings of these famous words can hold their own throughout time.
In a classroom environment, such as the one for this class, discussion and participation are very important in order for everyone to get the most out of the course. However, participation in a course is not only about classroom discussion. Although I have spoken up in discussion and participated each day we’ve had class, I have also participated in a few other ways. Each time we have had a Tumblr post assigned, I have completed it in a timely fashion. When I had questions on papers or other homework, I have e-mailed you in order to make sure I was doing what is expected of us. Another way in which I participated was by coming to all conferences that were assigned, including a few additional conferences to discuss my papers further. I have also had my friend Alex read over my 1st paper about the way recreational cultures are perceived in different forms of media, and I’ve had my family and girlfriend back home read over my big commentary and conference research paper. In addition, when we had to do our presentations for our commentary/conference papers, I rehearsed my presentation a couple times before actual having to present it to the class.
I believe that this is a very sufficient amount of participation and that I should receive a high participation score for all of my work this semester inside and outside of class.
I agree with Crystal that “tweeting” is a variety of language all to itself. No other form makes use of #hashtags, RT, @, and various other methods in the same way that Twitter does. This chapter explains how Twitter has developed and evolved over the few short years that it has been in existence. In my opinion, this just goes to show that language, in any form, will change over time. Each form of language is constantly adapting and acquiring new trends. For Twitter, #, RT, and @ are all an example of this. In spoken language, slang terms are a perfect example. I believe that Twitter will continue to grow in utility and internal variety as long as it is in existence.
I agree with what Fox is saying in this first chapter. We do need to provide more access to higher education to those less socially or demographically inclined to receiving it. However, I do believe that we are moving more toward this with each passing year, not farther from it as he seems to be claiming. I know for a fact that there are many scholarships and funding programs in place specifically for minorities. I believe that although access to higher education may not be equal right now, it is moving in that direction. As for the real life complications with the three students, I was truly moved. I know, and agree with Fox, that access alone isn’t enough. In order to maintain a safe and equal learning environment we need to eliminate not only barriers to access, but the barriers of ethnic and sexist discrimination amongst peers and others in the community. This issue is getting closer to resolution every day, but it will be a long time before it is gone completely.
I found this piece of writing very intriguing. The results of their case study make sense to me, they are what I would expect to see in today’s world. The fact that those who have similar jobs are writing more in general despite ethnicity or demographic shows that the continuing changes in technology are increasingly uniting and familiarizing workers and job fields with common professional practices. I also thought that Witte’s discussion of the meaning of texts is very interesting. His claim that the meaning of text is decided by the reader and the way that they interpret that text, its context, and its relevance in their culture is a statement that I completely agree with. A text presented in a certain fashion may mean one thing to person A, but a completely different thing to person B. It all does depend on how one interprets things, and so goes the saying: “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
The acceptance of abortion does not end with the killing of unborn human life. It continues on to affect our attitude toward all aspects of human life. This is most obvious in how quickly, following the acceptance of abortion, comes the acceptance of infanticide―the killing of babies who after birth do not come up to someone’s standard of life worthy to be lived―and then on to euthanasia of the aged. If human life can be taken before birth, there is no logical reason why human life cannot be taken after birth.
Source: Francis A. Schaeffer, “It is Your Life that is Involved”, Who is For Life? (1984)
I believe that this commercial is a great example of the way that the use of pathos can be infectious and memorable to a viewing audience. In this commercial the “Wassup?” phrase is solidified in the viewer’s mind with a connection to Budweiser and the phrase “Watching the game, having a Bud.” Commercials like this one that are very funny, latch onto a place within the audience’s mind that can be easily recalled when talking with friends or when hearing the phrase “Wassup?”. This commercial does a wonderful job of associating Budweiser with that phrase not only by talking about drinking the beer, but also by showing the beer in most scenes of the commercial where people can be seen saying “Wassup?”. These types of commercials are my personal favorites, and I believe that commercials like this one that appeal to a humorous pathos are the best way to advertise because they are the most memorable.
http://www.adweek.com/video/advertising-branding/funniest-commercials-budweiser-whassup-132702
