Extra Credit Blog

I would say that this class was a pretty enlightening experience for me. It was definitely one of the more discussion-based classes I've taken since I've been at Kent, and I really enjoyed that aspect. In most classes, you don't get a chance to really debate topics and get inside other people's heads to see how they feel and think about things, and I think that related a lot to the "identity" theme of the course. We all look and act differently, but it's surprising to see how similarly people think, who otherwise might appear much differently from a physical point of view. I liked pretty much all of the things we watched and read. I think it's important to look at everyday things like the clothes we wear or who we socialize with, etc. and see how that portrays us. A lot of life is so routine, and if you keep trudging through without taking a look around or analyzing your surroundings and doing some critical thinking, you won't learn nearly as much about the world as you might be able to. Unknown White Male was probably the most interesting thing we watched in my opinion. I thought it was such a crazy story and I've really never heard of anything like it before, but it really made me think about how much of ourselves is created by our environment and the people in our environment. I can't even begin to imagine waking up one day and having no idea who you are. I'm still not sure if I believe it, but the idea of the film made me contemplate how I would be had I been brought up in a different place with different friends and family, and I definitely think I'd be a much different person than I am today. I did thoroughly enjoy this class, though, and I'm glad the course was designed the way it was, because I thought it was a better learning experience than most college writing classes.

Project Plans

The thing I'm most concerned about involving the final project is probably just finding the right candidate for an interview. I'm not sure if we are expected to find candidates with a higher level of credibility regarding what is "cool" or if we can just ask any random student. I think the assignment is pretty clear for the most part. I was also a little unsure on when part 3 of the assignment is due. Othern than that, I think I have a good idea of what's expected and I don't have too many concerns.

Something Instead of Nothing

This week's article definitely brought up some thought-provoking points about the concept of interviews. I would have to agree that when someone is being interviewed, the interviewee probably doesn't answer questions with what they truly believe; more so with answer that they believe to be "politically correct". I really have to agree that it's just a natural reaction to answer a question when being asked. I also believe there is an exception to an interviewees level of honesty. I believe that the reason the Frost/Nixon interviews were so successful and brought out so many truthful answers from Richard Nixon was because Frost was such an excellent interviewer, that he was able to retrieve more real information from the former president. Once again, I'd have to agree with Klosterman's final analysis of interviews by saying that we as humans are simply curious about other people and want to absorb as much information about people and our world by asking. It is human nature to ask, and interviews are no exception.

Klosterman in class discussion questions

1) Depending on the type of person you are will influence or pseud how you answer questions when asked. this directly correlates to your identity. 2)Klosterman is trying to figure out HOW or WHY people answer questions the way they do. Why do you answer the way you do, do you answer honestly or directly or indirectly. Why do people even answer a question when asked? Human nature. 3)He gives 6 reason's to why he believes he answers questions when asked. Yes, different people may have other reasoning's for their answers. 4)When you are being interviewed and all eyes are on you, sometimes a person may stretch the truth or may state things to make themselves sound better. Also, we feel as though it depends on if the two people feel comfortable with each other, may have a direct influence on to how the interviewee answers. 5)In a sense it is unreasonable to ask random people to answer interview questions. But, in a way it could be reasonable to answer simple questions for a person if you are not busy. Overall it is up to a person and really depends on the situation.

In-Class Cool

Both the simpsons episode we watched and the Malcolm Gladwell article connected the idea of the irrationality of what is cool. At the end of the Simpson's episode, both Marge and Homer are perplexed by what is considered cool and ask Bart and Lisa several times if what they're doing is cool, but each time the kids respond that what their parents are doing is not cool. The article also talks about how the "cool-hunters" could spot who they considered to be a "cool kid". What is considered cool is often influenced moreso by the person that decides it is cool, as that person is a very influential figure in style and has a peer pressure type of effect.

The Cool Hunt

This article brought an entirely new side of the business world to my attention. I knew there was research and surveys done frequently to find out what people are interested in, but I never knew there were actual "cool-hunters". As I read the article, I felt like it never explicitly stated why things are considered "cool", just the fact that some things are cool and some things aren't. It's almost described as this random phenomenon that catches on and is extremely contagious. I liked the anecdote about the suede slippers that weren't selling well at all, but suddenly people in Soho thought they were cool, and then the shoes ended up becoming best-sellers. There really seems to be some innate sense of what is cool, as described in the article. Somebody looks at something and decides it has qualities that they like, and much of the population seems to agree for some reason. I think it's funny to see all the new trends that come and go, and I've definitely participated in some regretful ones, but then again, it seems like everybody does at one point.

Evil Powerpoint

After reading this article, I sort of wonder how someone can be so passionately against something like Microsoft Powerpoint, but I do think he has a few valid points. I agree that kids shouldn't necessarily be taught only how to make a powerpoint when doing a presentation or report, but I think there are many ways to fix that. I think that Powerpoint is very useful in the fact that it gives the audience facts and statistics that they can visibly see and better absorb, but the presenter should only be using the slides as some basic information for the audience and should have the bulk of whatever they are presenting written down and should be reading off of that. Mostly, though, I really think Powerpoint is a very useful tool for presentations as it draws the audience in and can keep their attention through some visual aid, but I also believe that it should only supplement a presentation.

Dumb Google

After reading the article, Carr brings up a lot of interesting points about the possibly detrimental effects from simply "googling" any information he'd like to look up and finding it instantaneously. I think I can definitely relate to what he's saying as far as finding information online goes. If I need to find a specific piece of information and I "google" it, I always look for the shortest and most specific article possible. I would also agree that I really don't enjoy reading long articles online if I'm simply trying to look something up. I would have to disagree in many respects, though. I would not say that Google has impeded my ability to read a lengthy article or book whatsoever, because when I choose to read either of those, it is usually out of choice and for personal enjoyment. In fact, I actually read more now than I ever have in my life, but that probably has more to do with the fact that I'm an English major. Overall, I believe that Google is more of a helpful tool than something that is harming us in the long-run. I would have to say that Google probably causes people to be lazier nowadays due to the fact that anything in the world can be looked-up with the a few punches into a keyboard and a click, but like I said, I think the ability to share information is an extremely useful tool, and does more good than harm.

In class, google questions

1.) His mind is changing by the way that he reads and processes the information that he is getting from the article. 2.) The ability to find what you are looking for as fast as possible. 3.) "I had almost lost the ability to read and absorb a long article" -Bruce Friedman 4.) Since google is so easy to use and always readily available, we are becoming very dependent on it and it is making us so used to it, and become less familiar with the old way of just reading.

"Billy Sim" - Group Questions

1) In this article the most interesting aspect related to identity is the fact that people are very materialistic in nature. In the game the only way to make your Sim happy is to buy him nice new expensive things.

2) This article relates to another article we read earlier in the year "All my life for sale" because of how each object a person has represents certain memories or happiness related to the object.

3) We believe that computers help to make children advanced faster. We also can see how it makes children think as computers such as not having as good as an imagination as they could if they were not always on the computer. Also, children are always using electronic forms of communication and lack interpersonal communication skills.

Final Draft of a Person

I don't know if there ever really can be a final draft of who we are. I think everyone starts out with a goal in mind as to the person they would like to be when it's all said in done, but I'm not sure we can ever really be what we strive to be. I'm not trying to sound cynical when I say that, because I do believe that we definitely grow into a person that we're more comfortable with as life goes on, but the experiences and lessons we learn throughout life are endless, and I think that has a lot to do with who we are. I think we are constantly being educated during our lives from the things that we see and do, and no matter how long we live we can never understand or do everything that can be done. I'm a very open-minded person, and I feel like I learn new things with each day that I live, and a lot of the things I learn change my opinions that I once believed to be fact. So to give my final answer to the question asked I would say no, there is no final draft of a person. I remember seeing something that said the peak of life is self-realization; the complete understanding of oneself, and being as young as I am now, I'm not sure I believe that can ever really be attained.

Slumming

I felt as though this article tied in fairly nicely with the overall theme of identity that we've been covering. I've read Palahniuk before, so I knew I'd probably like the story before I even began reading it. I thought that the main characters of the story were all just extremely narcissistic human beings, who draw a lot of comparisons to the actual CEO's and celebrities of today. I think we've all seen the multitude of movie stars who do telethons and/or go to fundraisers for various world problems, but are seen at any given award show wearing a $10,000 wardrobe. Palahniuk obviously has some disdain towards these people, and I love the names of his hilariously ironic (and fictional) charity events. The main idea I took away from the story was that even when these wealthy characters are willing to give up every material possession in their lives, they still weren't able to help save another person's life, for fear of having their name smeared. I really enjoyed the story and I think, as is with all of his writing, Palahniuk raises some very important social questions to the reader.

Vanished

The "Vanished" article was a very intriguing idea in my opinion. I think the main aspect of the article that stuck with me most is how strange and exciting it must be to leave your old life behind. In the article, Evan started out with a very well-constructed strategy to disguise his location and seemed very enthusiastic about the challenge, but near the end he seemed very burnt-out by the whole experience. It's amazing, I think, how vital people and things are to what makes us individuals. Not to say that people are completely dependent on all things familiar, though some definitely are, but they are certainly important in how we define ourselves. By the end of the article, Evan seemed lonely and almost lost without talking to the people closest to him. For some I drew a connection between that and how prisoners feel locked up and away from their families. Everything around a prisoner is seemingly unfamiliar, yet the only thing that seems to keep most of them going is remaining in contact with friends and family. If we were to be somehow kidnapped and taken to another place and out of contact with everyone we knew for an extended period of time, we might lose what we've come to know as "ourselves". The things we do, what we like, who's close to us, are all extremely essential to being us. I'm sure what I'm writing about wasn't what Evan had in mind when he set out on his game of hide-and-seek, but that's what I thought about when I really analyzed everything.

Am I a writer?

I guess I would say that I consider myself a writer simply because of the fact that I write frequently and I enjoy doing it. I would never claim that I am some sort of professional writer by any means, but I do write a lot, so in that sense I'm a writer. As far as academics go I'm far superior in my writing and literacy skills than in any type of math or science skills. I also write for a blogging website and I'm an English major, so for those two reasons alone, I'd probably have to consider myself a writer. I'm not sure if it's something that I'll ever be able to make a career out of, but I don't think being a published author is the only thing that characterizes what a writer really is. Anyone who enjoys writing and does so outside of school-related assignments could probably be considered a writer.

In Class Questions 2/16/11

1) To be "literate" in our world today a person must be up to date with technology, such as face book, twitter, texting, having a smart phone. Being fluent with all medias.
4) It is hard to find your own voice when you feel like everyone else has already said everything that could be said or done. Just like Mr. Cash said you can take some things that other people do, but you have to do it in your own way. People need to put their own twist on what they do to make it theirs or create some individuality. It is very possible, the challenge is making something seem as though it is your own.
5) Yes, some people project themselves in their own ways better than others. For example comedian's must have their own individuality in order to draw people to them. Also, a persons ethos has allot to do with how a person projects themselves. If you walk the walk, you gotta talk the talk.
6) In order to base who you are you have to look up to someone or have an idol. This sets the foundation for who you would like to be, but you are able to be yourself at the same time. For example, if you want to be a musician, you cannot just come up with your own genre, you have to have something to base your style on.

Joan Didion-Why I Write

I thought Joan Didion's excerpt was very interesting. I'm not sure I agreed with her opening statements where she says that writing is always used to persuade, but the more I think about it, the writer is trying to express their opinion in a logical manner, so that the reader can ultimately understand what they're trying to convey, so I guess that is fairly true. I guess I interpreted the main point of the article as the fact that you can try to study various writing methods and attempt to think about writing so abstractly, but unless what you're writing about isn't truly personal to you, it won't be effective. I can definitely agree that writing has to be personal and have meaning. I like how she describes the way some of her mental photographs "shimmered" and that that is ultimately what inspires her writing. I think everyone can relate to seeing something that probably has no real emotional meaning to anyone else, but for some reason the image strikes them or has some effect on that specific person. It is a very interesting insight into her writing process, and something that I'd like to try to use with my own writing.

Why Write?

I think the best aspect of writing is the fact that you can take an idea and make it concrete by putting it onto paper or by typing it. It's the medium we use to take imaginary things and make them real. It's also a great way to share ideas with other people. Ever since the creation of the printing press writing has been the number one way to communicate different ideas to the rest of the world. Even though there have been many technological advances since, we still use reading and writing skills every single day, and the world has become a much more advanced place because of the sharing of ideas through writing. I enjoy writing because I think it makes me a more creative person and I like to express myself through my writing.

Obama in class readings

We think that he made the changes mainly becuase he wanted to make his speech more personal to the reader and make it more engaging and captivating to the audience. It tugs on the heart strings.

We as a group agreed with what the blogger was saying. We think he hit the ball on the head with his thoughts and ideas of what Obama had in mind in why he did what he did. We agreed alot on the blogger saying that Obama wanted to add more detail and more of a personal touch to his words. He really wanted to engage the readers and make it as personal as he was able to.

Errors

In Williams' essay on errors he emphasizes the fine line between knowing what a writing error is, and actually being able to follow every single grammatical rule. In the beginning of the essay, Williams talks about a William Zinsser who apparently used words like "atrocity" and "horrible" when describing common grammatical mistakes, in which Williams makes light of by saying things going on in Afghanistan and Cambodia are "horrible atrocities", not grammatical errors. I think the main point of the essay was to question the strict rules of grammar, because writing's main purpose should be simply to communicate with a reader, and not follow someone's made up guidelines for correct writing procedure. The essay continues on to discuss the fact that the very people who make up rules in writing, such as E.B. White, author of The Elements of Style, constantly contradict themselves by breaking their own rules. He does this to show that it is, quite frankly, impossible to not make any grammar mistakes in any piece of writing. He also locates errors with both readers and writers, and brings up an interesting point that authors make mistakes and even their editors, the people paid to find any mistakes, miss them on a regular basis. At the end of the article he even explains that the very essay that he wrote contained at least one-hundred mistakes, proving that it is simply an inevitability.

Spam 3 Rhetoric

Ethos is present in this article as the writer is trying to make herself as believe as possible. She gives much information about her personal life, background and the current situation at hand in order to make this letter as believeable as possible.

Pathos is very apparent in this article because the whole letter is emmotional, basically trying to get the reader to feel bad for her. Shes uses examples such as her mom dying at the age of six, also her dad mysteriously disappears when she is the age of 21. She uses very captivaling words that draw emmotion to her situation. She also uses very bad grammer, showing that she really is not very intelligent.

This letter mostly appeals to pathos.