Extra credit

I really enjoyed this class. Unlike College Writing I, I had the chance to express myself in my writing. In this class I especially liked the focus of the course. Identity has always interested me and getting to discover more about myself in this class was great. In College Writing I all we did was write speech like papers in character of a moderate, patriot or loyalist. Then we would have to read them out loud to the class and debate. It was not what I expected of College writing what so ever. This year when I received the syllabus and read the main theme of the course was identity, I couldn’t have been happier. Being one who loves writing the assignments were right down my ally. I also liked the feeling that I actually learned something, compared to College writing I. Aside from the theme of this course, I also liked the blogging. It gave me a chance to say what I thought about the readings and read what others thought. It also helped me better understand the readings. I also liked the in class discussions, even though not everyone would participate all the time. Most of all what I enjoyed about this class was how it opened my mind. The topics really forced me to dig deep and really think about things. I not only learned about identity but my identity. I also really enjoyed the first movie we watched on identity. I found it extremely interesting and it was something I would have never watched myself.

final project - in class

The only obstacle I can see right now is putting everything together. I don’t see it as a big obstacle, I’ve written papers before based on information gathered from interviews, so I don’t see it being that difficult. My only personal issue maybe maintaining the focus of identity for my topic I chose. Everything seems very clear with this assignment so I don’t have any questions. I can’t wait to do my interviews and hear what my interviewees have to say. I am very interested to see the outcome of my own paper.

in class- something instead of nothing

1) Klosterman says that sometimes when he is being interviewed he does not answer the questions truthfully and he cannot explain why. He said that maybe it was because he has no compulsion to do right when people interview him even if the person who suffers from it is himself. 2)Klosterman's overarching question was why do people talk to eachother, or even bother responding to questions that people ask. 3)He answers it by explaining that if the person interviewing someone has an interesting question, it is hard for people to resist answering it. If the person asking the questions acts like they care about the response the person is going to give, then that person is more likely to give a response and will talk more about themself. 4)After reading Klosterman talk about how trustworthy the answers of the interviewee are and how even Klosterman himself lies sometimes during an interview, it seems that you want to trust the interviewee's answer's are the truth but half the time they may be lieing. We are not necessarily the best informants of ourselves because Klosterman talks about how some people may subconsiously lie to make themselves appear in a different way or in the way they want to be themself. 5) People would not necessarily avoid interviews at all times because if the persons feels that the question they are asked they have an interesting response to they will be more likely to elaborate and talk about themselves. People like talking about themselves especially if someone seems like they care, even if they are just acting like they are interested even though they may not. 5)

Something instead of nothing

I thought this was a very interesting article. I can relate to Klosterman when he talks about how he thought answering questions would be easier than asking them. I had to interview a lot in high school for the school newspaper and wasn’t interviewed myself until my senior year. I agree with Klosterman, it was a lot harder than I thought, I had to watch what I said because I didn’t want to sound stupid or say the wrong thing, of course unlike him being Editor I could go in and edit what I said but I still remember the feeling of almost not knowing what to say and being careful with my words.
I also like what Ira Glass says when she talks about journalism students asking him how she gets people to open up to her. She says that she is curious about what the people he interviews, are saying. She says she honestly cares about the stories they are telling, I think this is very interesting. It is something I will be doing when I interview people now. The more people open up the better the story will be.

in class: Simpsons/ "Coolhunters"

Last Friday's Simpsons episode can be connected to the Gladwell reading because Homer was shocked to find out that he was uncool according to Bart because he was stuck in his time of what he thought was cool from when he was younger and he was not up to date on all the new trends and things that were in. Homer also tries to be cool by taking his kids to a concert for a band they liked because he was trying to follow the trends by following what his kids considered to be cool. It connects to the Gladwell reading of how the two girls are constantly scouting for the new trends and searching for next new thing.

Cool

I found this article very interesting. It really made me think about what I think is cool. I remember thinking some of the things mentioned were cool, like when I was little I thought my older babysitter was the coolest, but now I just think her 90’s styles were funny looking and I probably would never wear them now. The things I think are cool, I wouldn’t say are necessarily trendy. I have my own style made up of all kinds styles new and old, that I find “cool”. Lately my style has been forced, because I work almost everyday and go straight from class to work, my style consists of jeans and a black shirt. I guess if people didn’t know that they would just think I really like black shirts! Since I have to wear them so much I really don’t like wearing plain black shirts now, because they make me think of work. Maybe I’ll start a trend! Someone like DeeDee will see me walking around in my black shirts and who knows everyone will be wearing plain black shirts and jeans! It is very interesting to think about how all the trends started. To just think one person thought a combination of canvas sneakers with a star logo would become such a large trend. Converse is still trendy even today. I have three pairs and find myself wanting more! My reasoning more for comfort and I like the way they look too. I wasn’t always this way, when I was young and still becoming myself, I followed the “cool kids” but that is all a blur now. Cool is merely a word I use to describe something that catches my eye.

in class - powerpoint

I can see where Tufte is coming from, and agree that PowerPoint can be bad for young children when they are just starting out reading and learning. I don’t think PowerPoint is all bad; I like PowerPoints and their pictures and colors and what not, for me if you put a picture with information I will now register that picture with the information and remember it better. PowerPoints with all information and no visuals are boring to me and I will tend to become less focused on it. I don’t think PowerPoint is all evil, it can be bad for elementary kids just starting out but in colleges, high schools, businesses, it can be very helpful.

inclass: Google

1. What is changing is how easy it is to find information online. This is making people lazy. You can search something and find exactly what you’re looking for in a matter of seconds. Also this is causing people to lose their ability to concentrate because they can read a small paragraph and have their questions answered, or summarized so quickly.
2. The convenience of it all. You can find everything so quickly.
3. “But the machine had a subtler effect on his work. One of Nietzsche’s friends, a composer, noticed a change in the style of his writing. His already terse prose had become even tighter, more telegraphic. “Perhaps you will through this instrument even take to a new idiom,” the friend wrote in a letter, noting that, in his own work, his “‘thoughts’ in music and language often depend on the quality of pen and paper.” “You are right,” Nietzsche replied, “our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts.” Under the sway of the machine, writes the German media scholar Friedrich A. Kittler , Nietzsche’s prose “changed from arguments to aphorisms, from thoughts to puns, from rhetoric to telegram style.”
4. That people are going to rely too much on the internet to do the thinking for them. He is also concerned about losing self-reliance.

Carr

I agree with Carr. I too find myself unable to concentrate on long pieces of writing, unless I am completely into what I am reading, like a book I’m reading for my own enjoyment. If I am reading something online I tend to want to surf the web or get on my Facebook. If I am reading a book it is different, I could read the whole thing without thinking about getting online. Now if that said book was online, well I don’t think I would have this same dedication. I think it’s funny how long Carr’s article is and the fact that it is online to be honest I had a very hard time reading this. It just dragged on and on and had too many examples. I think he could have got his message across faster and more effectively, to people like he is describing, if he would have had said this in less words. His message is fairly clear, that the Internet is making us less inclined to read large passages without being distracted. He make’s a good point about how easy it is to use the internet for research rather than go to the library and read through journals and books searching for something you could get with one click online. This is very true and why would you waste your time at a library when you could find what you need online is just one click. Although when it comes to books to read for enjoyment, I prefer a hard copy to an online copy. Reading material off a computer screen isn’t only distracting but it hurts my eyes after awhile. Also like Carr said, nothing compares to pen and paper.

The Sims

When I was in fifth grade, Sims was the thing to do! The whole time I was reading this that was all I could think about. I found myself remembering my Sims and the lives I created for them. Unlike Kolsterman, I never made an exact replica of myself. I would make Sims I thought were cool or I guess you could say people I thought it would be cool to live through or control, because that is what you are doing in the game. I think it is very interesting how Kolsterman gets so into this game! I think even today if I played the Sims and created myself, I wouldn’t expect to learn something about myself. I think if I created myself it would be boring, I know what my life is like, I don’t want to live it the same way on the computer! That is why when I was younger I would make up people who had things I wish I had and created houses and scenarios I thought would be cool to live.
I do like the way Kolsterman starts off describing his Sim after he has neglected him. It made me keep reading because I wanted to know what the heck was going on! Overall this was an interesting read but the only way I can relate is that I used to love the Sims.

"Billy Sim"

1) It was interesting how Klosterman was trying to re-create himself into a Sim character and how he tried to make it just like himself.

2)Klosterman's piece could be connected to one of the other readings Vanish, how the man created a new identity for himself, wore different outfits and then had people try to track him down. While Klosterman created a new identity for himself through a character just like him that he created on the Sims.

3) We don't necessarily agree or disagree with Klostermans arguement, it just depends on how much time children are using computers and how dependent they are on using them.

Final Draft?

I don’t believe there is a final draft of who we are. I believe that we are constantly changing who we are whether it is intentional or not. For example right now I am this person, but when I have kids I don’t think I’ll be exactly the same. I’ll be a mother; I’ll be more developed as a person. In death our “final draft” will be what it is. We will no longer be living in ourselves but now living within those who knew us. And that may be a different person to each of them. To my children I will be a mother; to my husband a wife; to friends I will be who I was with them…etc. I don’t think I am the same person with everyone I meet. To professors I am a name, an ID number or a voice. To my close, best friends, I am silly, outspoken, corky and witty. To people I just meet I am quiet, polite and maybe a bit mysterious. In the end I am not just one person. I may be to some people and to myself, but I am pieces of me. There will never be a “final draft” because it is being edited every single day and will continue to be even after I am gone.

Slumming

This was a very interesting story. The way Palahniuk starts with the end of the story is great. He is so descriptive; it was like I was watching a movie in my head as I read. I had no idea where Palahniuk was taking me with this story. The story itself is just wow. Giving up everything a few nights a week to really live, is crazy. I don’t think I would ever pretend to be homeless. I would feel too guilty. I would feel so bad for those who aren’t pretending. I don’t agree with what they were doing and I think karma gets them in the end, especially for not doing anything for the girl who ended up dead. I think the newspaper and news is filled with tragedy more that triumph, but to detach yourself from reality? That would be tough. Now I think it would be amazing to not have so much technology and to just live in the country with no TV or computer and a cell phone that only calls people but not become oblivious to world events. In this story I understand how the characters could want to live this life. They talk about how in love they are with each other now that they are “slumming”, I think if they just got rid of their luxury items and took a trip in the country they would experience the same thing. I understand their ultimate joy out of this is concealing their identity and creating new ones. Overall this was a fascinating read.

vanishing act

After reading this article, my eyes were really opened. I had some idea about how much information can be found on the Internet, but the things Ratliff’s readers discovered about him are crazy! Tracking down his cat sitter! That is just crazy to me and really made me think about what kind of information I have online that is available to the public. After reading this article I logged on my Facebook and viewed my page as an outsider would. All they can see is my basic information and see my profile picture. Nowhere does it say my status or where I currently am. For Ratliff technology was his downfall. It is truly amazing how dependent we are on technology these days and how hard it is to function with out it. When I say technology I don’t just mean your computer, I mean ATM, cell phone, GPS, Ipod…etc. Almost anything with Internet access can act as a GPS. Overall this was a very interesting article.

A writer?

Yes I would consider myself a writer. Simply because I love to write. I can find some type to enjoyment in any type of writing, even if it is a boring research paper. I love writing poetry, short stories, feature stories and opinion pieces most of all. I began writing poetry in middle school when my dad gave me a small journal and set of pens. I then continued when I had to keep a journal while on a trip though Europe. In high school I would say my writing really took off when my mom urged me to take News writing, an introductory journalism class. I fell in love with the class quickly and ended up taking journalism every semester and later became the Editor-in-chief for the school newspaper. I think mainly I enjoy writing because I like to put words together in a different way then the usual way, to open up people’s minds and to paint pictures with the words I write.

Literacy & Voice Questions - In Class Response

(3)  We came to a conclusion that both Facebook and texting are forms of writing, which are usually for an expressly communicative purpose.  And further, that most kinds of writing are for some purpose of communication.

(4/5/6) We think that it's becoming more common for an individual's voice to be a patchwork of quotations and borrowed ideas.  Taking into account technology's effect on voice (making it much easier to borrow ideas from other people), we think it's more difficult for a person to develop their own voice.

Joan Didion

“All I knew then was what I couldn‟t do. All I knew then was what I wasn‟t, and it took me some years to discover what I was. Which was a writer.”

I can relate to this so much. This whole piece I found myself thinking “wow she’s like me!” Her imagery, the way her mind works, her way of writing; how she starts her novels with no idea where the novel is going. I enjoyed this reading a lot. I think her point is that her reason to write is not controlled by her. I believe she is saying her mind that she doesn’t quite understand is the reason she writes. She writes to better understand the way she interrupts things. I too find myself doing this.

When she says, “In short I tried to think. I failed” This is what happens to me when I’m trying to write a research paper or something I have no interest in what so ever. I find myself getting caught up in the words thinking about how dull and bland they are. When I have to write for a class I do just this, I think. Thinking only leads me to failure and un-satisfaction. I find that when I let the words flow then revise what I have written when it is all out onto paper I am most satisfied. This to me is Didion’s point.

Why Write?

Writing is a form of expression. Some may hate it, some love it and some really not care either way. I personally love it. I write to relieve stress, for enjoyment, to express my feelings to someone, to just put an idea I have onto paper, but most of all I write for me. I am all for writing. Why? Writing is a way of life for me. I do it because of the joy I get out of it. I do it to express myself to people in a deeper way. I think writing is healthy, it helps me get things out of my head that maybe I can’t say to someone or just don’t want to. It helps me clear my mind. That is why I write.

Obama speech

We think he made the revisions that he made to make the speech more personal and relatable to the audience. For example when he says “But those of us who knew Teddy” The way he says us and Teddy. We also think he made the speech more comprehensive to the audience. Also he gave very relatable examples for the listeners. We also agree with the blogger when he says the government "has to step in to help deliver."

Updike Discussion

1. The ending is liberating and risk-filled and it's kind of a writ of passage for Sammy because he made a change in his life. He's moving on to a new stage in life.

3. We think the piece fits with identity by his observations of people and giving them instant identities. He identifies people by how they dress and how they move and then gives everyone a profile. For example, there's a queen bee and she has two worker bees following behind her. He also gives the people he's annoyed with identities.

5. If we were Sammy we would probably still have quit, but looked for another job first. His decision was very spontaneous, but we think he wanted to be spontaneous for once because he was afraid he would end up like his boss.