Agree. Disagree. Expand. Seek. Wonder. Ask. Muse. Doubt. Affirm. Connect. Confirm. Share. Research. React. Respond. Analyze. Assess. Align. Judge. Realize. Think. Discover. Explore. Extrapolate. Ponder.
WRITE AS WELL AS YOU CAN. WRITE TO IMPRESS. WRITE TO CONVEY. WRITE LIKE GARTH STEIN (PICTURED), WHO COMPOSED THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN, A RECENT LOVE OF MINE.
It's time to produce and demand more. To earn an A or B--and to prepare best for the end test--insert at least three sentences that use nuances found on the final exam study guide. Include numbers that correspond to the final exam study guide's numbers.
84 comments:
Story 2,
Poetry withholding wonderful collaborations of personalities, painting a portrait of immense beauty with various different minds, proves to be productive. I acknowledge my confidence in my writing skills growing with satisfaction quite often in class. Two days in particular stood out, and startled me at what I wrote. Beautiful poetry may evolve out of the most bewildered pictures or thoughts that any person absorbs. As I observed in the gymnasium—particularly when everyone ran around yelling sounds of an object drawn from their paper—English does not have to always be studying a book on grammar or listening to an instructor talk excessively; English can be represented in laughter of humiliating actions surpassing moral standards. Clever. The psychology with learning shows greater achievement in entertaining teaching methods. Accomplished. Students then acquire inspiring and conscious powering ideas in twenty minutes, revealing remarkable poetry by all. Spectacular. To stare at a sculpture of irrelevant and bizarre objects and emulate in a drawing of a specific section, to then act out what you drew, became astounding ingredients for the recipe of immeasurably learning. I am confident that many of my peers also thrived from this unusual experience, as I am also positive that many classmates gathered a plethora of everyone’s writing “swagger”. I found myself writing abstract poetry, instead of concrete. My personality usually deals with seriousness and non-existence of imagination. So why did I write in such abstract dimensions? My answer has a sense of rhyming with Flannery O’Connor’s statement, “I write to discover what I know”. On these two days, I discovered that I sustain more imagination than what my personality displays; my personality pertains to be coated with a mask beholding a poker face staring into the eyes of others with emptiness, yet I am (am is italicized) imaginative. Who knew? Ha! I do.
Marso 7
I absolutely agree with Mr. Story’s reflection on the two days spent not just writing, but living poetry. There is no doubt in my mind that my writing ability grew substantially through the experience. In a musty obsolete gymnasium, I thoroughly enjoyed an English class. (32) Each year in English throughout my education, I have dreaded the section when we must read and write poetry. I found no enjoyment imprisoned in a chair waiting for delicate words to flow from my pencil. My perspective on poetry and creative writing has transformed due to the activity. Somersaulting across a cushioned floor allowed me the freedom to think independently. Additionally, because the poems were not graded, I did not feel pressured to conform to what I thought an instructor wanted to see. One of the most frustrating things about written language is expressing your exact thoughts so that somebody whom you have never met is able to clearly comprehend your message. Finding the perfect word that portrays the exact emotion, connotation, denotation, and power a writer feels is undoubtedly a struggle for all writers, from the 3rd grader to the professional. (25) The shouting and physical activity was able to engage my body with my mind, making the process for finding precise words substantially easier. I could express my thoughts through my actions, and consequently, my actions through my words. When Mr. Story writes, “found myself writing abstract poetry, instead of concrete…On these two days, I discovered that I sustain more imagination than what my personality displays,” I feel that he speaks for a vast majority of the men enrolled in the English course. (11) So often our imaginations and personalities are inhibited in our writing as we fall into cultural ideology forcing us into purely analytical thinking. I feel the two days spent in the “North Gym” were two of the most productive class periods of the semester. The roughly 90 minutes sparked creativity, while also affirming in myself the ability to express my ideas in multiple methods.
Rogen7
An issue that particularly struck me the past month was the issue of the narrative essay due on Friday. I was not quite sure what to write on. (5) To decide this topic I thought back to some vibrant moments in my life.(20) I wrote my rough draft—before leaving for Kansas City—on a night where trauma on our farm created inner turmoil in my life that then created motivation.(10) But then before leaving Wednesday morning, trauma struck our farm again. My father and I had the trailer packed and the calves loaded on board. Before starting the truck and blazing the trail before us, we had to put up the ramp and lock it in place. (The ramp folds down and acts as a wall in the trailer.) My Dad bent down to wipe some wood chips from the hinge in the ramp and said, “Be careful Alex. Make sure you don’t get kicked in the head.” Three seconds later the 1600 pound bull threw his leg back and kicked my dad across the face. Profane words were said, and blood was shed, yet no bones were broken and no eyes were lost. After three hours at the ophthalmology hospital, my dad escaped with a scratched cornea and a swollen iris, and was not allowed to travel for a few days. This posed a problem for we had spent countless hours on the stock in the trailer in preparation for this show. So, we drove home, unloaded a heifer and father and proceeded south. I would now have to take care of two bulls, a heifer, and a mother that weekend. Uh-oh. Two of the three head going were rookies, so the train switchyard right next to the livestock arena and all the cars would be a challenge. The next three days were sweaty, dirty, and monotonous, but I was able to exhibit my animals on Friday. I discovered a lot about myself that weekend and I know it will be valuable in the future.
Van Ede 5,
One concept we discussed this month that struck me as particularly fascinating was the idea and motivation behind volunteerism. We deliberated on how the true ambition trailing any volunteer remains largely selfish. Alleviating guilt, striving for college benefits, and maintaining religious doctrines—all actions stimulate altruistic behaviors (23). As a volunteer myself, I confess to all three. Beginning at a young age, my volunteering career did not necessarily start as a free-willed enterprise but a mandatory obligation of my family. Dragged to shelters and hauled to the Banquet, the six-year old me was far from the epitome of a genuine humanitarian. However reluctant I was at the beginning of each venture, I remained unable to blockade the immeasurable flow of fulfillment at the end. Within a couple of years, I learned to cherish and look forward to my Church's yearly banquet campaign, striving to make the most of the few benevolent hours. In recollection, the youthful yet challenging years of middle school prevail as my most pronounced and authentic sensations of volunteering. Not forced by my family, bound with expectations to fill hour requirements, or stressed by anxiety of a potential resume, I became able to give—as well as receive—the purest form of compassion I could muster (7). Then high school arrived. Volunteering clubs, service learning internships, and building up college autobiographies led to an increase in hours but a decrease in substantial amicability. A decrease in amicability led to the loss of my adored, "Volunteering High". I metamorphosed from an intrinsic mental state of genuinely caring to a hungry collector of hours, extrinsically driven. However, I started to wonder: Was this anger at my lack of satisfaction also selfish? Technically, I was now providing more benefit to the community around me, simply getting less emotional return. I am still largely undecided about whether my new externally motivated volunteering is right. Quality and quantity become deeply blurred in generosity. I am sure of one thing: Selflessly given or selfishly secured, volunteering makes a difference to someone (35).
Larson Pd 2
A day in English class that contained value to me was when we were able to read our stories out loud to our classsmates. At the beginning of class, I did not feel as if this technique of teaching would be effective (32). I dread hearing the negative feedback I would receive after reading my story. This always made me feel anxious and nervous. Today was different (5). After I read my story out loud to my friends, they provided me with positive feedback and critiques. I did not receive the “This didn’t sound good” or “I didn’t like this.” They even said it sounded good and complimented me on what I did right. To listen to my friend’s stories even benefited me as well (20). Because I was listening and critiquing my friend’s stories, I realized I could use some of these nuances in my own writing! Critiquing others helped me critique my own—a concept I never really used till now (7). Another positive to this learning technique is actually reading it. When I read my story, I stumbled across some words and phrases. I mentally noted these spots and realized reading my story in my head may make things sound accurate, but actually reading it out loud can give you a whole new perspective on your story. I always thought the best way to critique your writing was to hand it to the nearest person to you so they could proofread on their own. My preference of proofreading has changed. I like reading my story out loud now, and I do not feel anxious anymore. I have realized that if I can read my story out loud to others and accept their critiques, then I am confident with my work which should be every writer’s goal.
Cain 2
Cutting a deer's throat, last week the topic came up in class. A brief poll was taken and only three of the students present during that day's second period English 101 class had ever slit a deer's throat, two of those three being young women, including myself. The instructor then proceeded to comment about how that was interesting. Interesting? Why is it interesting that women enjoy masculine activities? It's not. I don't know why it's surprising for some people to hear that women enjoy not only the outdoors but the activities falsely associated with men. I have been hunting and fishing with my father since I was a little girl. Some of my fondest memories with my dad are while we're hunting and fishing. In fact, I'll never forget the day I asked him to teach me how to fillet a fish. Since then I've taught two boyfriends how to fillet fish. Gutting my first deer is most definitely something I'll also forever remember. It shakes me to my core when women are perceived to be these fragile and delicate little things. Feminist (63)? You bet. I'll never be one of those girls that loves to play dress up or dolls. I don't get excited about new shoes unless they're softball cleats. Sometimes society is harsh to girls with loves outside of the normal feminine routine I know what it feels like to be a victim (64). I wonder if perceptions like this come from personal experience or parental and peer influences. Would you be upset if your little girl didn't want to be a princess? Guys complain about how it's okay for women to be "boyish" as well as traditionally feminine while men are ridiculed if they're not the muscular athlete type (67). Since when is that true? Men have been prioritized over women countless times: having the right to vote, women traditionally changing their last name due to marriage and even those who drafted the Constitution of the United States were all men. I don’t think society will ever overcome these terrible stereotypes and I don’t believe people with opinions like mine will ever truly go away.
Herrick 2
The thing that struck me as interesting was doing the poetry in the north gym. Scared, I was unsure of what to think about this new style of learning. (33) I was never good at poetry, and having to trace the outline of a shape and make a poem was unappealing. I was worried my shape would not be good enough. I did not want to disappoint. Before we made a poem though, my instructor encouraged us to all act out our shape. I had drawn multiple circles, making my shape resemble a child’s tornado. I acted this out, almost making myself dizzy. Then making a noise for our shape was next. I had no problem finding a sound to match my shape. I suddenly had come out of my shell and discovered that I had no problem projecting my noise to the class. Things were changing. (19) It seemed like the whole class had a smile on their face, even if they were not enjoying the lesson being taught. As the class sat back down, I discovered that I had no problem finding words to help my poem. I was scribbling words all over my paper. I wrote a short poem that matched my narrative essay. It helped me gain confidence for my essay. I was not as worried about writing my essay after these two days of poem practice. I can write my essay knowing that I can add the extra creativeness I learned in this useful exercise. I will create an image of my mind of the terrifying tornado I encountered years ago. Using descriptive words to express the events I experienced will create excitement and also suspense.(25) I think that doing exercises like those we did in the north gym will help others to create better essays. This was a great way to learn how to write better.
Hallstrom 5
Poetry, another way to say how you feel on paper, was introduced in our classroom last week and I thought it was rather fascinating (23). If I remember, my poetry ended up being more abstract than concrete. It geared more towards things that were theoretical. Sitting in front of us was simply a pile of belongings that students offered to bring in order to inspire us to write the best poetry we can create (25). The first thing we did was observe an object and trace it on the paper. Only staring at the object (31). Not being able to look at what we were drawing helped challenge us and our judgment. Once we finished that we were allowed a few minutes to scribble words on our sheet that corresponded with our doodle. This allowed me to work my brain on a different level. Additionally, adding the movement and noises benefited me because it allowed me to discover more words. Putting the additional activities in helped broaden our imagination to create something better. The sight and sound I fabricated helped me imagine how my writing would work if I filmed it and how the soundtrack would be. Although it was by no means perfect, it motivated me to keep going. After communicating the rest of my ideas on paper, it helped improve my creativity that blazed on the paper. Not graded, I felt less pressure to sculpt my words into something so great. I feel that it is hard for me to impress with my writing so it was less frustrating this way. Being able to hear what others drafted was also encouraging because I knew I had just as much potential. In turn, I hope that if I were to read my poetry it would have inspired my classmates just as theirs did me.
Shroll 2
Sculpture poetry will forever be a vivid memory for me—although, as discussed today during second hour English composition, one should never fully believe their own memory and should always be suspicious of it (7). Sculpture poetry was particularly engaging, and demanded that all students separate from the norms of society to actually explore their own mind and be themselves. The first day on the smelly blue mats in the north gym, every single student was a skeptic of the day’s lesson. However, once we drew inane pictures, we were forced to become one mind with the picture, entrusted to tell its story. A classmate of mine wrote about being yourself, because no one else has the ability to be you. No matter if we are the only Brit among a clan of yellow-faced Indians, gearing up to shoot a content elephant, or have our four-year-old arm stuck in an Okaboji pool table, you must be yourself—you don’t really have a choice to be or not to be (10). Many times people strive to be like the latest celebrity, dreaming to be told they look like Taylor Swift…. Katy Perry, while trying to make it in the music industry, was told time and time again that she was going to be the next Kelly Clarkson or Avril Lavigne. Katy’s response was always this: “I don’t want to be the next anybody, I just want to be the first Katy Perry (9).” While celebrities should not be idolized and imitated in vain attempts to be accepted or move up in society, it is certainly wise to learn from their own wisdom. Can one even do this, be wise enough to learn from another’s wisdom? Yes, it certainly can be done. Wisdom does not necessarily come with age, just experience. We should not be afraid to have the wisdom to be ourselves, unwilling to settle for anything less.
Breitzman 1
I was left in a state of contemplation after an in-class discussion we had on this exact date, November 7th. We were discussing yesterday’s presidential election and the results of said election. The election was said to have very close results, with incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama barely edging out his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney. This conversation provoked some thought in my own brain. I began to wonder: What exactly sways people to vote for one candidate over another? (I promise that I will be taking the neutral, bipartisan approach to this open-ended question.) I think most Americans—regardless of their personal political beliefs— can agree that BOTH candidates running for executive office in this election were successful, respectable men (28). Both seem to be intelligent, hard-working, and genuinely good people. There are obvious reasons as to why Obama supporters voted for him and Romney supporters voted for their candidate. Similar political beliefs are obviously a huge factor. Voters who hold the typical Democratic ideals generally believe what Barack Obama believes, and voters who agree with Republican beliefs are more in line with Mitt Romney. Most people want to see the country travel down the path that they see best fit, and voting for a candidate who shares their same ideals will assist in this goal. To be honest, I think there are more superficial factors that come into play than just politics, though (20). Often times, a candidate’s personal characteristics can help attract votes. There may have been many voters who found Mitt Romney to be physically attractive or who enjoyed Barack Obama’s personality (or vice versa). Some voters may have shared the same personal beliefs as one candidate (such as religion) or had a similar back-story to their lives as another candidate. Another attribute that undoubtedly holds merit are the candidates’ personal lives—likely their families and wives (7). Michelle Obama is often considered to be a charismatic and likable woman, and Ann Romney has her fair share of admirers for similar reasons too, no doubt. There may have been many women in America who identified themselves with either Mrs. Obama or Mrs. Romney and she inspired them to vote for her husband. In my honest opinion, I think there are many voters who base their decision more off of the latter issues than the former. Regardless, I hope that, no matter who is elected president in our future, America continues to have respectable people (men, women, blacks, whites, etc.) running for President who can demonstrate and uphold the democratic society that America prides itself on having. I also hope that American voters can continue to make educated decisions on who they feel would make the best president and exercise their right to vote.
Tripp 5
I found our discussion from today, November 7, to be especially interesting (24). After receiving and reviewing the document from Ian, it finally hit me that the English class that we are currently in is in fact a college level course. Realizing that colleges are using almost the exact same prompt for an essay as our class seems strange yet reassuring. While the document we received shares many similarities with our own prompt, there are some quality details that have been added. A few details from the document struck me personally; writing toward the emotional center, convincing the reader that your story is worth caring about, and a layered essay is more complex than a chronological one are just a few of the many specific details that stuck with me (8). Such ideas seem so simple now after reading them on this page but they also made me realize that I lack some of these in my own essay. The one that stuck out to me the most was the part about the layered essay because I never thought about trying to come up with a way other than chronological order to present my story. I enjoy the opportunity to see what college student’s actual assignments are and how closely related to ours they are. To better our own writing, using real college projects is a good way to expose us to what will be expected of us in college (20). I personally feel that providing these types of documents to us is going to improve our writing not only in this class but for college as well. It is always good for students to understand that college, while it should not be a scary thing to think about, will in fact be much different from high school and preparing early will only benefit us in the long run.
Rist 2
Today in class some students were asked to tell the class the theme of their narrative essay and a general summary of what it was about. Clay Lippert explained how traumatic it was that his arm became lodged in a pool table. He was very young and did not realize at the time that it was not a good idea to stick his arm down the hole to retrieve a ball. Nicole Peterson shared some insight on her narrative that she almost had gotten raped while camping with four others. Oh my! Soon Kara Shroll was asked to share and she recalled the time she leaped for the third monkey bar and missed—she face planted (10). Looking around to make sure no one saw, she was embarrassed. The whole class laughed and poked fun but we developed a theme. Know your limitations. At a young age, Kara did not understand she could not reach the third bar (32). She was merely trying to impress her friends and prove she could reach the third bar. Most young individuals do not realize their limitations (5). Even some adults cannot decipher it. Sometimes humans do not think twice and perform acts they would not normally perform. Recently, I took a field trip to the penitentiary, federal court, and county count. Witnessing individuals who have committed crimes, I realized those humans did not know their limitations. One woman had assaulted her husband. Forbid from any contact with her beloved spouse, she was appalled. She had not realized her limitations and chose to strike her husband, therefore leaving the judge with no choice but to not allow contact with him. When these people broke the law, most of them did not think about their actions. Those criminals will serve time in jail or prison to help them learn their limitations. As humans, we need to gain knowledge about our limitations to be successful human beings.
Koehn pd. 7
Mr. C has a way of continually holding the interest of his students each day. By seventh period, many students mentally check out and begin to day dream of the activities for the night or weekend (32). Not in English 101: Composition I. Today I entered class to be welcomed to an unexpected object Mr. C brought for show and tell—a bone (7). Immediately intrigued with interest for his story, I patiently waited with anticipation for him to share about this strange object. He went on to tell our class about his glory days as a high school football athlete getting to play for the State Championship title in the Dakota Dome. Attempting to interest both genders of the class, he made a few jokes about worshiping this bone as much as his wedding ring; but my mind was in a whole other world (8). The plays he kept drawing on the white board only brought me back to “Trojan,” “U,” and “Corner”—the plays we ran at Frost Arena in 2011. Occasionally I cued back into his story to catch a few concepts I had not thought of before. The point I found most relevant to my daydreams was the selfish and unselfish glory moments in times of intense greed-seeking victories. Every athlete has them whether they admit to it or not. When you are put on the court in front of hundreds of fans, selfish pride has its instances of control over you. There were probably several shots I should not have taken during the championship game, other teammates were wide open or a better pass could have been made. However, I wanted to be the hero, the one that scored those points to lead the team to a victory. Luckily, some of those “forced” shots swished through the hoop along with other shots I needed to take. On the other hand, the unselfish glory moments are the plays and memories I recall with most pride. The quick, sneaky bounce passes for a layup or a screen for a teammate that left the opponent seeing stars are some of my favorite memories. There is something about doing the “dirty” work for a teammate’s success that gives you a sense importance and pride. I feel honored to have experienced both selfish and unselfish glory moments in the championship game in 2011 because every play that game lead to our victory—which I will always cherish.
Bender 1
One point of interest for me was reading Matt VandeBerg’s essay revolving around confidence. It made me reflect on how I feel. Reading the essay prompted me to think of what I have “confidence” in(8). Nick Wilde, who has been kind enough to take on the enormous challenge of helping me understand calculus, constantly tells me I need to have confidence in the work I have done. I have confidence in Nick and I have confidence in the rules of calculus. I have no confidence that the work on my page is correct. Why should I? If history is any indicator my answers are more than likely wrong. If I was confident they were right they would still be wrong. I have confidence in the people and objects around me. In football I line up next to Joe Sandavol(25). For those that do not know, Joe is a 6’3, two hundred thirty pound all-conference left tackle who has played football every year since third grade(7). I am completely confident in Joe’s football ability. I am confident that my car will start tomorrow and my brakes will stop its momentum when I need them too. History has given me no indication that this will not happen. I sit befuddled when people proclaim confidence in the ever changing and unproven things in the world. During political season people are confident that their candidate is best and will surely reign victorious. They are confident that this candidate won’t go back on election promises like so many countless others from both parties have. Where this confidence comes from confuses me beyond measure. I guess the point of this writing is to check where you find your confidence from. Know what you are putting your hope on and the history associated with it. Find reasons to be confident. I think everyone should find at least one person to be confident in. But I implore all to base this confidence off of the constantly changing emotions or thoughts we all have but by the history of interactions that occur with the person.
Gallo 2
Our instructor recently—I have admittedly forgotten the exact date—told us the two stories regarding times he was very clearly flirted with by people he had no interest in (28). I found these stories to be very applicable to my own life experiences not only as examples of how not to get dates and of what sort of antics to expect in college, but also as highlights of greater human principals of proper judgment and rational thought and ultimately, of humanity as a whole.
The Michele story in particular reminded me that what we as humans feel would provide the most pleasure for us in the short-run is not always the wisest decision. To resist Michele in that moment truly speaks to his rational thought process (20). This rational thought process, upon further inspection, is one of the sole factors separating our human minds from those of slightly less evolved primates (5). I respect my instructor for not letting his animal instincts and desires overtake his rational thought in that situation. All humans need to make a conscious effort to suppress their animal instincts in situations where they may otherwise be exhibited, including times of poignant love, anger, or jealousy. To be the best human beings we can, we also need to look past short term pleasure, or other temporary advances. The same reasoning that our instructor employed to resist Michele must also be utilized to turn down a business deal that would work well for a couple days then completely flop. This same reasoning is called upon when we avoid investing in a stock we know will soar for a week and then crash permanently while we still hold shares. As humans, our long-term judgment (an imperfect endowment of our Creator’s perfect viewpoint) and our rational thought process are the sole benefactors that have endowed man with humanity. Regardless of race or religion, all men have moral standards of some kind; all men know humanity (36).
Pham 1
Political bias (31). The preceding term marks a remarkably controversial topic in both Composition and the world. The discussion of the immorality of selfish glory encompassing human nature proved poignant to me (29). In addition to Mr. Christensen’s 1995 South Dakota football championship anecdote, we discussed the 2012 election. When Fox News predicted that Obama would win Ohio—and thus, the election—the entire country was in an uproar. This madness led to vainglory at the price of Tyler Anderson. Although Tyler’s profane remarks were belligerent, the duplicity laid in the callers. The event allowed the revelation that politics was a passion for Mr. Anderson; the loss of his team (in this case, Mitt Romney and the Republican party) revealed strong emotions (12). In perspective, Anderson’s feelings are comparable to a sports victory or loss. For reference, on the moot chance that Brandon Valley faces defeat at the Dakota Dome, Brandon alumni, students and residents would feel remorse. Yet, all these factions served no major scheme in the “campaign” of the Brandon Valley Lynx. In the same way, Mr. Anderson feels as if he has lost something dear to him; the reciprocation of this very ideal shows in the potential loss of our football team. Even worse, diatribe and ridicule attacked Tyler. Continuing the analogy and our hypothetical loss, Washington students parade their victory upon our cell phones, town and home. Desolation is the title of this emotion and desolation is exactly how Mr. Anderson and many others felt after the election.
Because of two-party system that George Washington dreaded and the bigotry of many political beliefs, I express my political view as conservatively liberal. Through this aspect, I accumulate support from half the population and condemnation from the rest. Some respect my independence yet some condemn me as being "viewless". However, this viewpoint fits me well. At times, my propensity for predicting political standings becomes paramount and I entertain the beliefs of the individual. Seeing extremely conservative views such as the condemnation of figures including welfare and Obamacare forces me to accumulate a liberal viewpoint in the situation. This agitation further substantiates my theory that human beings are inconsiderate; for what if I was on welfare? If I expressed this falsity, embarrassment would defile the face of any strongly conservative individual I faced! Howbeit, in situations with staunch liberals, I am the antithesis. Individuals with strong religious views fail to vote, or even listen to Romney, because he is a Mormon. Does this not retaliate all liberal viewpoints concerning religion? The hypocrisy of liberalism is truly ridiculous.
Now that any inkling of political views has been debased, my condolences wish to be impressed upon all readers. Yet my use of chiasmus goes unmarked. Allow me to close with statements leading to a rhetorical question. In actuality, merely a rhetorical question (31). Doesn’t your polarization make you feel bad? As Machiavelli once said (obviously translated from his Italian vernacular), “Politics have no relation to morals.”
Minihan 7
After reading Miranda Cain’s blog task entry, I recalled my own classes’ response to our instructor’s question. He asked if anyone had slit a deer’s throat. I did not slit the deer’s throat, but while cleaning a deer it was my job to use a Sawzall to cut the joints of the deer. I have never been one much for shopping, facials, and other girly activities, similar to Miranda. Growing up close to my grandparents, I always made it my objective to ask if I could stay over, far before my other siblings, when having supper on non-school nights. I did this because I loved staying with them; my grandparents are full of stories, laughs, and irreplaceable memories. My favorite part of staying with my grandparents was the fact that when we woke up in the early morning, we would get to start the daily chores: We fed the cattle (3). Pancakes, fresh hay, and my grandpa’s cologne- these are the many scents that bring me back to those mornings (6). These mornings I lived for (15). I loved climbing the cattle panels, just to jump into the feed bunk and upend the 5-gallon buckets of feed. Agriculture. My biggest passion. Weekends as a child, staying with my grandparents. That is where my love for agriculture came in. My weekend sunrises were not spent watching Saturday cartoons, like “Recess,” “Ninja Turtles,” or “Rugrats,” whereas many children my age enjoyed waking up to these shows. Farming and ranching have been more popular for the male race in the past. Nowadays, organizations and clubs, such as FFA and 4H show how women care just as much about agriculture, by the large number of active female members. I feel it is important that women stay energetic about agriculture. Have you seen how much machinery and genetic modifications have progressed over the last few decades? Isn’t it fascinating how about this same time, it was acceptable for women to start playing new major roles in the agriculture industry? I don’t see any coincidences. Women are powerful and are key assets in improving our knowledge in the economy and our world, when we are not held back by sexist beliefs.
Ullom 7
Class was particularly interesting for me today. We started off the period dominating our vocabulary quizzes. Afterwards, the class was given the task to read a prompt for a narrative essay given to a college class. Our goal was to find “nuggets of helpfulness.” When doing so, we were also supposed to try and figure out the gender of the professor who wrote the document. There were subtle clues—leading me to believe the author of the document was a female. I thought this, mainly because of what my classmate Taylor Hansel pointed out. In the second to last paragraph of the document, Dr. Driedger uses the term her/his. This is curious because normally his is placed before the word her. I indubitably agreed with Taylor’s assessment. After discussing this observation for a few minutes our instructor began asking multiple people whether they believed Dr. Driedger to be a male or female. Randomly, our instructor would ask someone to explain their reasoning. When classmate Kendal Rusten was called on, she said she believed Dr. Driedger to be a female. Our instructor proceeded to ask why she felt this way. A short and sweet answer followed, “Because women are better (15).” Some scattered laughter followed this answer. We shortly joked about the boldness of her response. As much as I enjoyed it, the statement caused my brain to drift and consider the response further. It seems as though most people deem their own sex to be superior to the other. I started becoming curious as to why that is. Is it desire for power? Maybe (63). Women often feel judged by men as being inferior. To prove this wrong, women started showing their ability to be equal in all aspects. Such as the military, politics (House of Representatives, Senate, Supreme Court, etc.), bosses of companies, and many other workplaces (12). Men on the other hand try to prove their superiority usually by strength. Men may offer to carry an object to spare a woman from “injuring herself.” I find myself very intrigued when thinking about how both sexes try to one up each other. I am also grateful for Kendal’s response, causing me look at both sides of the spectrum.
Volk 1
Many things, even the smallest of ideas, can make a huge impact on an essay (11). On Wednesday in class we discussed chronological order. I sat in class, befuddled with this concept (12). I had always thought that it was good to tell a story in its correct order. I had never contemplated switching it up. As I pondered this idea, I realized that even the best authors did not always write in chronological order. They would often go back and forth between the first and last happenings. Although this is a good technique, I am not sure that I know how to swiftly and smoothly move in a story without going in time order. I would like to learn more about how to change up my order to make my story more interesting and how it can engulf a reader. I also tried to think of things that I have read that do not go in chronological order. Harry Potter is a great example that I think I can learn a lot from. I think that is a big reason that the books are such a hit. The readers stay interested. It gives them a glimpse of what is to come without giving too much away. Foreshadowing is sometimes used with this technique. Even reading the short story “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, I was enthralled by his writing. Thinking back, I think it was because he jumped around—not chronological (16a). With enough practice and better understanding I think that I can also do this successfully in my own work.
Hallstrom 7
While reading through some of these responses, one in particular caught my attention. I whole-heartedly agree with Ms. Cain’s observation of the way that women are viewed. Being one of those girls that loves to be outside hunting, fishing and working out with the guys. While I do sometimes act very girly, there are other times where I feel more masculine than many of the men around me. At times the masculine feeling is awkward, but I realize that this is how I am and will always be. The day that our instructor asked if anyone in class had ever slit a deer’s throat I was the only one that raised my hand, and it was an odd feeling to be the only one and be a girl, but that is how I was raised. People give strange reactions when I tell them that I enjoy these activities such as hunting and fishing, because it is strictly associated with males. What about all the male swimmers that shave their legs? If you are going to ridicule the few females that delight in such “masculine” activities do not those men deserve to be ridiculed for shaving their legs? As you know I am joining the military, and have chosen what most would consider to be the toughest branch. I have also been on the receiving end of many strange looks when people learn this about me. Some will say “But you are a girl. How can you be a Marine?” This little statement is very aggravating. I work just as hard as all of the males that will become a Marine, and will do my job just as well as they can. The way that females have been viewed for so long is not appropriate for all females. Sure, some are content to stay home, clean take care of their husband and children and such; but some have the need to do something outside the norm.
Tew 1
Reading aloud is a rather awkward thing to do. At my internship, I once read a chapter or two of The Tale of Despereaux. This story is full of easy language, but I did feel out of my comfort zone. I was once told by my sixth grade English teacher that she had no problem speaking to an audience of children because we were not considered her peers. However she had problems speaking in front of adults. It did not matter who I was speaking to, it was an awkward experience. This is not the first time however. During my fourth grade student council election, I was shown up, beaten (4). Recently, I made a speech to the freshmen class (13). It felt much easier now than it was back then. It felt great when I made the audience laugh. Although reading in to a small group invites more criticism. I did not really desire to read my story to others, however, in the end it proved quite effective. I reorganized the flow of my words so that next time I would not choke or stutter on it. It was interesting to hear some stories from the perspective of those who wrote a one as well. Some would make a new voice for each character. They might even get faster or slower depending on the mood of the story. My story is how a child peed on me when I was in second grade. It happened at summer camp and it scared me for life. While reading my story I discovered I mentioned the same word multiple times and on multiple occasions. The people in my group graciously offered assistance when needed and listened politely when it was not. Just as I finished, notes were shared and opinions were heard (16). I was told the story was hilarious, but that it should express ideas differently. All in all, I enjoyed the exercise.
Albertson 5
Over two weeks ago we took a full class period to watch and analyze about twenty minutes of the film WALL-E. Looking deep into Disney-Pixar’s masterpiece tops my list of class activities that are both educational and enjoyable (19). Twenty minutes of film took almost fifty minutes of class because there was as much to watch as there was to moot. Almost everything that we discussed I had recognized subconsciously, but I failed to find words and reasons for what I felt, saw, and inferred. I was drawn to WALL-E’s personality and adorability, for example. What I did not realize was that I liked his personality because he is purposely designed to clearly express emotion, and he exhibits qualities that I can admire such as diligence, curiosity, organization, innocence, and compassion. I found him to be adorable in instances like when he created a connection between himself and a baby by rocking himself on the storage shelf while the CDs were hanging above him like mobiles. I would have never made that connection myself and when it was shown to me I was amazed. The moment when WALL-E discovers a diamond ring only to toss it aside and keep the box is not only humorous, but also a hidden theme about human nature that I missed. Because WALL-E is a children’s movie (or it appears so on the surface) it is even more impressive that it utilizes strong literary devices. Critically watching WALL-E made me want to go back analyze all of my favorite movies. How to think with a microscope, from outside the box, and from different perspectives are some of the most valuable skills that have learned so far in fifth period. Recently I was able to dissect my friend’s essay and show him his underlying themes of poverty, as well as his essay’s strong connections with Lord of the Flies (49). Now I entertain myself during commercial breaks by over-analyzing advertisements. I am almost positive that I have found and IKEA commercial that unintentionally foreshadows the demise of a young boy (73). If a video is a rapid series of pictures, and a picture is worth a thousand words, then it should be no surprise that any motion picture media can provoke a great deal of analysis and discussion.
Tibke 1
Over this past two weeks we had to compose a narrative essay about an out of the ordinary or original concept that was unique and interesting to ourselves. This meant that I had to choose something that not a lot of people have done or something crazy that would hold their attention. Nothing came to mind for when I had to think of a topic, every idea that I thought of seemed bland to me. It was not until after we read George Orwell’s essay “Shooting an Elephant” that I felt confident that I could use creative forms of writing in my own topic. When reading through his essay I noticed that he used a change in his tenses—he would start out in the present and then periodically switch between that and the past tense—to express his views in an appealing way (10). Even though my topic of scuba diving was one of happier thoughts and positive lessons, I loved the way that Orwell chose his paper topic on peer pressure. He didn’t want to shoot the elephant but with a mass crowd of people there spectating the event he was forced, in a way, to do something he didn’t want to. After reading his paper I noticed how he focused more of his detail on his major points of the paper and gave his lesser details brief explanations. When I looked at my paper I noticed I did something close to the something close to the same thing. without his paper I don’t think that I would have noticed it right away and I would have had a insufficient paper.
Callahan 1
Within the first few sentences of “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, I knew I would not like the narrative (32). I found the first paragraph to be extremely annoying—Mr. Christensen found it humorous—because to me, it seemed as though the author was seeking pity (28). A policeman in Moulmein, Orwell is hated by almost every native (38). What I didn’t understand was if he was so unhappy with being hated by the Burmans, why did he join the Imperial Police in the first place? He had to have known that the Burmans hated the British beforehand. The intro left an unpleasant feeling in my stomach—weren’t authors supposed to make us like the character? Mr. Christensen made that clear while we were watching WALL-E. From Orwell’s gripes, insecurities, and pride-driven act inflicted upon the elephant, he proves to be an unappealing character. After reading the story for the first time, I sat and pondered this. I then realized that Orwell does this on purpose. He doesn’t want us to like the character; he is ashamed of who he was while stationed in Burma. He transports himself back in time, and instead of telling the story of a memory, acts as though he is in the memory. He fills the essay with unspoken dialogue from the mind of his past-self, lets the readers see his selfish thought process and his thoughts leading to the submission of the pressure of the anxious crowd. Orwell even gives clues to show that he is ashamed of what he had done, by saying “he wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it” (page 4). He is ashamed of the mask. The mask is not who Orwell really is, but a shameful alteration. At this, I ironically realized that I liked Orwell, because he makes the readers appreciate him by first hating who he was. Though his narrative is filled with exotic imagery that truly allows you to feel and see what he experienced, I realized that I instead like his essay for how he portrayed the character—the exact reason why I hated the essay in the first place. I admire Orwell for the way he writes his stories with such depth, and how much of a lasting impression they leave.
Dutson 1
Lately I have found class to be generally amusing. Our many activities and topics of discussion have been intriguing. One such activity that I enjoyed and broke up the everyday norm was when we went into the gym with our various items and made a sculpture. Starting by arranging everything in a nonsensical manner than proceeding to sit down and trace what we saw was entertaining and gave those of us that lack artistic abilities a small moment of satisfaction by creating “art” – or a lot of undecipherable lines (7, 19). After my attempts at art, I enjoyed the few moments that was given to us to try to come up with creative words to describe the shape that had taken form on our paper. It was a great way to get people to think broader and use ones imagination to successfully create a form or figure. It took a long while for me to initially start and none of my sentences were coming together in any way that I would like to write. We then stood up and started to trace our drawings on the floor. Walking all over in a seemingly pointless manner we added noises to the tracing. At this point I was feeling quite ridiculous but it was working. My writers block was seceding (5). A train of thought was flowing and one thing led to another and pretty soon I was prepared to start writing. This activity was funny in many ways. The lesson I took away from it though, is that writer block only exists as long as the writer allows it to exist. Taking the time to map out what I’m going to write about and ideas I would like to add into my writings is something I am definitely going to take the time to do.
Clemenson 1
I vividly remember the day our class watched the beginning scenes of Wall-e. After viewing Wall-e, Mr. C. mentioned about the beginning of the movie fascinating everyone from young children to elderly adults. The movie begins with upbeat music and a picture of space and slowly the camera zooms in upon Earth where the viewer sees how much the planet has changed and no one lives on the planet anymore. Mr. C. explained to us about how the movie caused him to fear for the environment in the future. He had consumed a bottle of pop prior to class that morning; after finishing, he almost threw the bottle into the trashcan but instead decided to place the bottle in the cupboard. He planned to take it home and recycle it later. I admired that Mr. C. cared enough to recycle—even though it was only one pop bottle (7). If everyone was to throw away one plastic pop bottle a day, the Earth would end up like the scene in Wall-e—covered in plastic and other garbage. Personally, my family has always recycled and I did not think much of it when I was younger. Then my family visited Japan. Japanese people recycle everything because they understand that the island of Japan is not large enough to hold any unnecessary waste. After returning from Japan, the difference in American culture was an eye opener to society’s lack of concern about the environment (32). Hearing elderly people say they do not recycle because they will not be here once the amount of garbage becomes a problem bother me (19). The elderly people may not be alive once problems arise but they should still try to help prevent problems from occurring. I fear, too, that the Earth will turn out like the prediction in Wall-e if people do not start caring.
Petersen 7
The concept that has affected me the most in the last month was the poetry section. In the gym, I was not sure how the activity planned was going to help me. (14) The activity helped. (19) At first glance of the sculpture, I was wondering how this pile of junk was going to inspire me. I could already feel writer’s block crawling into my mind. Our instructor sat us down around the sculpture and instructed us to draw the sculpture without looking at it. Once again I was confused as how this was going to improve my writing abilities. I soon came to find that by drawing the sculpture without looking I was getting a whole different point of view of the image. My paper was full of scribbles that made no sense. We then were instructed to walk around in the path we drew on our paper. My path made me spin over and over, which reminded me of the fair in the summer. As we added sounds to our movements, I found that my path was taking me the fair scene. Most of the sounds sounded completely insane, but I believe this exercise helped everyone loosen up. Once we sat back down, I wrote my poetry on the fair and the rides that were so magical as a child. My poetry was improved -it was more descriptive- due to the activities we were asked to perform. (11a) It was a nice change from the normal class scene. I believe that most students do not get something like our class did as much as they should. In classes, you are usually told what to think or how to do so. Our poetry activity allowed us to think for ourselves and opened a new level of thinking. Stepping out of my comfort zone made me a better writer.
Hanzel 7
This month, one thing that was fascinating to me was sculpture poetry. Sculpture poetry was interesting to me because it is an unusual activity that not only benefits my writing but also benefits the ability of my imagination. I was skeptical at first but, as bizarre as the idea of building a sculpture out of random objects and writing poetry about what you see sounds, I found this activity to be beneficial. Arriving in the north gym with our objects in hand, I was prepared for any activity we were about to participate in. (20) Building the sculpture, the first step, was simple- then came the use of your imagination. (10) Drawing the sculpture from each perspective without looking at the paper appeared to be a mass of chaos and scribbles. (19) At this point I had not received any inspiration from my drawing. Next was to bring the drawing to life, which was unique task. We enacted our images and made their shapes by walking, running, jumping, crawling, or prancing around the gym. When sound effects were added it brought my drawing to a new life. After looking into the masterpiece, it contained much more inspiration than I had expected. I had an endless supply of ideas escaping from my drawing. I have taken this activity from within the north gym and applied my experiences to other situations outside of class. Sculpture poetry has reminded me to look for the excitement in boring situations. It has also reminded me to find the joy in gloomy or depressing situations. Sculpture poetry has taught me new ways to look beyond the surface of things, to look deeper into the meaning of compositions and daily situations. Two days of sculpture poetry in the north gym has affected my life in more ways than I had originally expected.
Andersen
Period 2
Sitting in class, we were told to bring a large object to school the following day. We would be going down to the North gym where we would be creating a sculpture out of our “big objects”, to inspire us to write poetry. Neither poetry nor sculptures are my forte. In the North gym we set our objects in the center wherever we wanted, sat down in a circular shape and began tracing the same shape with our eyes multiple times. Next, we continually drew our shape(s) without looking at our papers. When were done, we walked around in the shape of out object and made noises that we felt were relevant to our shapes. We went back to our circular formation to write down our thoughts. I felt as if I were a young child again, playing in my own world, exploring my mind, and being creative. My shapes reminded me of the characters from Mickey Mouse. I then wrote about Mickey, his friends, and the Club House. Starting out, the drawing, the walking, and the sound making were all testing my imagination, I was not wanting to be a kid again. I allowed my mind to sore. Writing poetry creatively like this has made me understand that not all poetry is boring nor formal. Poetry can be fun and creative if you allow it. The overall project made us think creatively and search our minds to write in ways we are rarely exposed to. This tested me and forced me to use my imagination and write in ways I did not know I was capable of doing. The thoughts and the sentences that came together after a silly project amazed me.
Olesen 1
We are currently writing narrative essays in Composition. I chose to write about my first experience as a volunteer at The Banquet in Sioux Falls. As I began to compose my rough draft, I was not sure what my moral of the story would entail. Just writing about what I saw while there was not going to cut it. As I showed my instructor what I had written so far, I remembered an occurrence that night; I would later use this as my moral to the story. (1) At The Banquet I selected the job of walk up to each table, asking the people if the needed drinks or seasonings. While serving, I had come to a table full of middle-aged men. After handing them the salt they requested (about five times) I understood just what they were up to. (11) Thinking it would be entertaining, and powering, the men ordered me around like I was inferior to them. (13) My pass experience at The Banquet has shown me the feelings and hardships that these derelict people possess. That night I was also in the kitchen cleaning the dirty dishes from supper. As people were coming up to the counter handing me their trays, a man came up to a group of us dishwashers. Looking up at us with kind eyes he thanked us, “Thank you and God bless you!” He was so sincere. It was at that moment that my heart lit up. Never feeling that gratification, I began to tear up. That night was one of the most satisfying moments of my entire life. Just that small thank you changed the way I felt about not only The Banquet and the people there, but volunteering in general. In the dining area after supper, the director gave us a speech as we began closing up. (14) She explained why there were scarcely any children who attended that night. I had not even noticed before she brought it up. Because of the freezing temperatures, it would be a major risk to walk so far to The Banquet. That night there were children and families who did not have the privilege to eat a full meal. This made me sick to my stomach. I cannot wait to volunteer again at The Banquet, and I pray this time that there will be more children who will be able to eat a full meal.
Voigt Period 7
Unbelievable for me, these past days and weeks seem to approach and pass so very quickly. So much is learned in just a single day, making it difficult to pin point just one single instance of particular fascination. In the past week or so, we have all been working diligently on our narrative essays. I believe that I enjoy discussing and compiling these essays more than any other essay we have composed thus far. My appreciation for this essay prompt comes from the individualistic ideas and stories that are produced in response. Everyone, regardless of any similarities to others, has a story or an experience that is absolutely unique to them. (24) I also feel that while it is incredibly intriguing to hear one another’s stories, it also provides something quite healthy and necessary for the authors of such masterpieces. It is often said that there is “healing in writing” or “healing in sharing”. Although the varying stories in our class may not all be negative or traumatic, writing about something that has impacted or shaped your life and who you are, no matter to what degree, is a wonderful and irreplaceable feeling. For me, writing a story about the destruction of my grandmother’s home by an all-encompassing fire has been very beneficial. (5) It was a circumstance that has always really eaten away at me emotionally and I feel I often have neglected to deal with the memories and distress properly. (2) Writing about this situation has helped me to unravel some of those feelings and thoughts. The things that we have gone through, are truly what make us who we are. That being said, when we share those little pieces of our lives with each other through our writing, we gain a better understanding of one another. Obviously, our chosen topics were all selected because we felt them to be stories worth being heard. However, I have found it interesting to put such stories into words. It takes patience to seek out the right words and descriptions in order to properly translate what you wish to be understood. Pushing and transforming the reader into your own skin so that they may see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and feel what you have felt may very well be one of a writer’s most challenging tasks.
Miller 2
Poetry. (31) This is the topic I have chosen for my reflection of the last month. Centered mainly in the sculpture poetry and prompt writing that we did, I feel as though I expressed my inner self to the class. I am quite naturally a reserved person when it comes to speaking in front of a group. This is most prevalent when I am showcasing something of my own creation. I do not necessarily enjoy allowing my peers to see me vulnerable to their criticism, so this challenge of reading aloud was especially difficult for me. I seem to become overly self-conscious about my writing and myself when displayed for all to hear and see.
In front of the class, I first displayed my writing in the form of a poem solely about my father’s eyes. (32) It was received well, but I found myself staring at the ground the rest of class time, most likely for fear of some sort of judgment. This was the first of three prompts that were given to us that day. The other two were “a tool” and “a closed door”. For reasons unknown to me; and made even hazier by lack of direction; all of my writings turned to a poem-like style. I personally, have always loved poetry; classic and modern (mostly classic). (12) Unconsciously, I went to a freeing place where I was able to express my feelings and convey a meaning that; as is always ones hope; another may have felt.
A sculpture; in our case; is just a collection of items thrown into a pile in a less than organized fashion, but the two sculptures we made influenced beautiful writings from all who were present. Sitting and staring at this mass of random objects, which in turn made a quite peculiar shape on my page, I found words springing forth and creating an emotional response in me. I felt sadness for the inventor in my first writing, but also hope for his future to be brighter. In my second collaboration of words, I was terrified for being confined in a maze of darkness, and freed by the promise of salvation.
Poetry has always been an outlet for me, but until this moth I could never express my feelings in such a way that relieved my soul. I have found a new love for poetry, and that love will never falter from now on.
Wilde
Period 7
I was thoroughly intrigued by the two days we spent working with sculpture poetry. After being told to walk around the room in the shape of our obscure pictures while making random sounds, I scoffed. There was no way that I was going to do either of those things. Instead, I merely walked in circles around the room, while all the other students/animals/crazed beings went to town with their ridiculous sounds and movements. My amazement came when I inevitably ventured back to my spot and began writing. Although I had neglected to partake in the odd classroom activity, my mind was stimulated. Thoughts that seized to exist prior to the activity were filling my paper with creative words and atypically impressive sentence structure. Apparently submersing myself in the unusual environment was enough to provoke new thoughts and ideas. What about that ridiculous process enabled me to become more creative? I feel that listening to music, like Libera’s “Stay with Me,” serves much the same purpose. Scientists have put much research into this phenomenon. Studies have strongly indicated that listening to music can, in fact, improve cognitive function. For instance, simply writing or studying material activates the left hemispheres of our brains. In order for our brains to perform most effectively, both sides of the brain ought to be stimulated. Listening to music, classical especially, does just that by activating the right side of our brains. I also have found that roughly 75% of my essay writing is completed towards the later hours of the night. Perhaps the reason for this is that other useless, distracting thoughts from my day have evaporated, leaving me able to focus on my essay. As I have made clear through my earlier blog posts, the human mind perplexes me. How are humans able to turn a blank sheet of paper into a scholarly essay of over 1000 words? How does immersing ourselves in such a setting facilitate the flow of thoughts? Regardless of my refusal to prance around the room like an animal, there certainly seems to be a method to all that madness. Our perception of reality must somehow be subconsciously altered, throwing us into a world of thoughts previously nonexistent. Fascinating…
Kirkus 2
One of the activities we participated in recently that I found intriguing was analyzing WALL-E. This movie, although it seems like an innocent children’s film, is full of messages and themes about society and where Earth is going (24). A lot of things that I saw when I first watched WALL-E went unnoticed, but analyzing it in a scholarly environment opened my eyes to all the brilliant tactics employed by the Disney movie creators. From the very beginning—even just seeing previews of the movie—I loved the character WALL-E (7). I didn’t know why at first, but as we discussed, the geniuses at Pixar Studios gave WALL-E a baby-like quality that immediately attracts everyone. They also portray him as hard-working and innocent, but still very organized and intelligent (the reason why he is alive and the others aren’t) (12). One thing I found interesting, funny, and powerful was when WALL-E found a diamond ring, but tossed it and kept the box. It goes to show how we put so much value in such worthless, useless items. The box has hinges and could be used by WALL-E, but the ring can do nothing practical. Overall, the concept of WALL-E is very real and terrifying. If we don’t take more responsibility for all the trash we create, the world will end up as one giant sea of garbage. I do take pride, however, in the fact that my family will nearly fill up our 96 gallon recycling bin each week. Everything we use that can be recycled will be recycled. If only more people cared as much, we wouldn’t face this growing threat. Some may say, “It won’t affect me; I’ll be dead before it gets that bad,” but that isn’t the attitude anyone should have towards our planet. After all, we only have one planet.
Rollag 5
The idea that impacted me the most over the past month was the discussion recently on figurative language and how you should not tell a story to your reader, but rather show them through the use of literary devices and very descriptive word choice. The story “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell was very helpful to me in vividly describing the situation the main character found himself in and I feel I need to apply much of that imagery to my own compositions. I plan to use vey descriptive words to describe the beautiful setting of my story and I hope to create for the reader the same magical atmosphere of my story. I saw in his story and in other discussions we have had the importance of including internal dialogue to help the read understand the feelings of the narrator. Internal conflict my story has.(34) I now realize that a good narrative story progress on two fronts one is the chronological series of events that describes the action of the characters and the other in the progression of the internal struggles and the logical dissection within the character conscious. Hooking the reader.(31) This is the most important part of the story and Orwell does it simply with his title. I have tried to mimic his quick hook in my own title but I fear my story is not as intense as his and so the first paragraph of my story must also be used to captivate the reader where he need but three words. In every great novel and story the author presents a clear message and often it is not overtly stated in a thesis.(32) However, I am no canonized writer and therefore must include a thesis to convey the purpose of my stories. I will still try and always follow their advice and make my stories theme recognizable even if the thesis statement is left out. I think that is the optimal way to wright a story.
Redford 7
Yesterday in English, we did something that I found particularly interesting: we looked at a college rubric for a narrative essay. (9) I found this neat because it allowed me to see roughly how the guidelines we are given correlate with a college composition class’s guidelines. I also liked how we read through it, picking out, not only what would help us write our paper, but also whether or not there was any indication of whether or not the professor was male or female. We were only given a name—Dr. Dreidger. (7) While I was reading, I tried to pay attention to certain wording as well as the format of the paper. After finishing reading, I thought the professor was most likely going to be female. The border and highlight seemed like something a female would do to draw attention to this sheet. At one point it said “her/him” which was the reverse of how I normally see it. When I first began reading it, the forceful tone seemed to point towards it being a man. However, it just seemed as though there was more “evidence” pointing at it being a female. As the class was being asked what they thought, about three-fourths of the class said female. However, as a picture of the professor was revealed, it was clear that it was a man that wrote it. I was a little surprised, but at the same time there wasn’t much I was basing my assumption off of. I realized that in nearly every paper or book I have read, there had been both famine and masculine aspects to the writing. Though some authors of certain writings are clear based on their subject matter, others can easily go either way. This is especially true with something like a rubric. I found this activity enlightening because it forced me to realize and pay more attention to try to figure out aspects of an author that may be revealed in the writing. Picking out a few helpful hints that could increase my own narrative was also a great use of handing out this rubric. (19)
Backer 1
Yesterday in class we got a glimpse of college life when we took a look at Ian’s current writing assignment. As Mr. C read out loud what the professor expected of Ian and his classmates, I could not help but become transfixed with the phrase “Even though memory is naturally suspect” (15). After I heard the words, I instantly found myself contemplating on why the statement seemed so true. We can not always trust our memory. We all assume we recall situations accurately until someone else comes along with a completely different recollection of what happened. In these moments, we find our memories put to the test (32). How do we know which memory is inferior to the other? In some cases, there is no right or wrong answer (39). Not one person is the same; we are bound to have different perspectives. Each person could potentially prove themselves right. Where a person was at the time of an incident can play a major role in what he/she remembers. Someone who was near the occurrence is obviously going to remember things quite differently than someone who witnessed from a far. Not only do we discover that our memories do not coincide with others, but that we as humans have a profound habit of exaggerating the truth. Surely, everyone has caught themselves putting a twist on an otherwise ordinary scenario at least some point in their life. Why do we feel the need to overstretch the truth? After deep thought, I found myself tracing back to one answer: society. We are constantly influenced by the things we see and hear. Society seems to build up standards that even nonconformists feel the need to take part in. To fit these standards, we modify the truth to make our everyday lives less “ordinary”. Many of us find ourselves wishing for “bigger and better” things. Perhaps, we extend the truth to conceal this desire. We portray our lives differently to mask the fact that we are no better than the person standing in line next to us at a coffee shop. We strive for something more; therefore, we create a fictional life for ourselves where we HAVE something more.
Cole 5
Something absolutely inspiring from our humble English Composition 101 class was our progress gained one Thursday and Friday afternoon. I’ll admit I was a profound skeptic of the tactics employed by Mr. Christensen. The random movements around the floor coupled with the ungodly sounds that were emitted from my classmates and myself led to my conclusion that I must appear to be a complete fool. However, once I began to write, the thoughts, feelings, and emotions confined in my head were allowed to effortlessly and smoothly flow onto the paper. I believe there is more reasoning behind the interpretive dancing and atrocious sounds that escaped our mouths. The true reasoning is that by committing these outrageously bizarre acts, we allow ourselves not to reason. For the majority of us we are left-hemisphere dominant on the brain (7). This in return means that our thought process is mostly analytical. When we begin moving within patterns and producing sounds that are not logical and have no reason, we interrupt our left brain. This allows the right-hemisphere of the brain to begin reasoning. The right-hemisphere is the portion of the brain that does not think analytically; in essence it is the creative portion of our brain (8). By allowing ourselves to only process and interpret data that our senses collect with the right-hemisphere of our brain, we can alleviate the difficulty and stress associated with trying to come up with compositions right on the spot. Now that I reflect on what took place on that Thursday and Friday afternoon, I realize that the class that I participated in was not foolish at all but rather brilliant. Well done Mr. Christensen (31). I have a new perspective on how to obtain creativity. I must simply block out the distraction of my left brain and listen to my right.
Arrowsmith 7
When I first learned of our current assignment, a narrative essay, I immediately became concerned with what I should write about. I could not help but think that I am just a normal teenager and no extraordinary events have taken place in my life so far. Then I realized that the contrary—as is for most people—is true (7). In fact, extraordinary events take place in my life all the time. For example, this weekend I will play in the state championship football game, an extraordinary event, I would say. Many teenagers think their lives are boring, when in reality all of our lives are exciting and eventful. Boring to some, events in one’s life can be exciting and enlightening to themselves (19). We all have a different definition of what an extraordinary event may be. Some may think simply mastering a video game level is petty, while to others it may be meaningful and something memorialized. Everyone has a joyful memory of conquering or overcoming an obstacle. To compliment ourselves is not rehearsed by most and can be surprisingly difficult even when we know we have done something admirable (20). Thinking we do not do much in our daily lives is also easy. When on the other hand most of us are incredibly busy people and find ourselves wishing for more hours in the day to accomplish more. We should cherish our business and not resent it, for one day we will grow old and miss our hectic teenage lives. Though many think their adolescent lives are boring and uneventful, a closer look reveals that we are incredibly busy and interesting beings.
Larson 1
These past weeks I have been thinking about what makes a storyteller great. In audio form, I know there are specific characteristics I enjoy in a storyteller (32). Personally, I love a deep voice with rich timbre, dynamic changes in tone, and eye contact. For me these factors add up to an enthralling story, regardless of the actual storyline. In a narrative essay these factors become moot. Narrative essays are all about word choice and sentence structure and consideration of the audience. My best friend Allie forces me to tell stories constantly, always asserting that they are much better when I tell them. Even if I am an engaging oral storyteller, how do I transport this into the type on my page? Ponder this I did (34). The idea that sprung into my head was that I liked stories when I could imagine a person telling them to me. The best books and writings have a voice of their own; this is why it is so hard to turn books into movies (8). The best books are the ones that receive a cinematic form, and the best books are also the ones that cause a reader to create a world in their brain. They populate this world with characters and images from the text. When the movie does not match up to the land they’ve birthed, it’s a disappointment. Now in a narrative there are no characters per say, only you and the people around you. This translates into creating a piece of you to sprinkle into your composition and leave for a reader to piece together. Our instructor’s direction to “show them, not tell them” clarified in this instant. An effective narrative essay transports a reader into the world that lives in your memory. It paints for them the events, trailing them through your experiences. With this epiphany I strive to create a writing so that when the reader emerges, they have truly tasted and lived the snippet I offer them.
Steffen 5
Trust. (31) One discussion in class that particularly intrigued me. We deliberated that that was necessary to the basis of society. It plays a pervasive role in social affairs, even sustaining acts of cooperation among strangers who have no control over each other’s actions. We must trust another person driving 55 mph in the other lane at one in the morning. We must trust waitresses/waiters with our credit cards while eating out. We must trust surgeons. (5) It comes in all forms. In relationships we give the other our heart, hoping they will protect it. We trust objects, such as alarm clocks, to wake us up in time for school. Our lives are indubitably in others hands. Safety stems from the belief that everyone else is just as responsible, reliable, and honest as the ideal person. Often described as a feeling, the definition of trust is all about confidence. From personal experience I did not know my surgeon. He was suggested by the physical therapist who just so happened to be at the game when I tore my ligaments. In a time of trauma, I trusted they had my best interest at heart and that they weren’t just trying to take advantage of my unfortunate situation. Of course I was skeptical and so were my parents. We didn’t know what this doctor’s success rate was for ACL reconstruction. To trust someone, you need to expose vulnerability. Driving, you expose yourself to the dangers of the road. Eating out, you expose yourself financially. In surgery, you expose your life to the hands of doctors. These—among many situations—show how vital trust really is. (7) And where would we be without it? Fear would capture the developing corrupt society. Lack of trust is a problem, causing friction in personal relationships, careers, politics, and more.
Wilde 7 (Again) (12)
Apparently, I neglected to label three sentences. Because I am so irresponsible (31). Hoping that this will suffice, I am submitting a brief paragraph (25). If not, I will re-post my previous writing with the three included examples of nuance.
Stay confident, Mason Bender (5).
Robertson 2
An interesting topic has been the discussion regarding small-group peer editing sessions. I enjoy hearing other people in my class talk about their papers and being able to discuss their ideas with them. As I do not particularly care for people, being reminded that there is a potential for true creative beauty in others that can be often taken for granted. I have read many essays in the course of this class, and each writer whose work I have read has only improved as the course progresses. One of my favorite moments was listening to Tyler Anderson’s paper about his experience with extreme dehydration. I have never been dehydrated, but the artful description of the sensations of thirst and delusion in his essay made me feel like I was there. I have found that my classmates express remarkable storytelling talents and, in the North gym of all places, surprising finesse regarding poetry and emotional interpretation. While I do not always agree with people, peoples’ ideas, and the general idea of people, I do find a sort of comfort in the fact that there are still brilliant minds in the dark, Facebook-and-technology fueled world we live in.
Also, one of the most poignant of experiences in English 101 came today when I realized that I am possibly the worst writer to have ever taken an English class. Talented (63)? Yes. However, I can really chalk up most of my ability to form coherent work to my own knowledge. Syntax, the study of rules that govern the way words form grammatical relationships, continues to baffle me in every respect (23). I am working on it. Seriously. Working on it (31).
Bakke 5
In the past month, allowing creativity to flow has been a wonderful facet to Composition 1. Sculpture poetry was an amazing vessel for us students to mold a work of great literary ingenuity. Writing about a mass of random, probably not very useful objects was an enjoyable and practical method of perfecting our quick thinking skills and our abstract, more creative mindset for looking at an object or situation. With these skills, we can turn something like a pile of random articles haplessly thrown on a gym mat into a work of art. Being able to focus on one shape or object was like peering into a window, peering into a portal, peering into another mindset that was centered solely on this one object. (9) Studying these objects became more pleasant as we danced around the room and focused that energy it was very calming. It was contemplative. (19) Having the ability to write so creatively in such a stress-free and thought-provoking mood is liberating! I felt great as my ideas were being jotted-down. No judgments. Nothing to worry about. (20) I felt confident in my ability as I read my story to my colleagues. I believed that when I was finished with my short poem, that they were at least mildly impressed that I had put in effort, metaphor, and imagery. I believe that if this kind of serene work environment is possible, then everyone should utilize the space to its full capacity. All of the world’s work would be at a much higher caliber. Grades would rise, graduation rates would be greater, the government would be more efficient. If people are allowed to express creativity, they will not feel oppressed or depressed. this leads to a smooth running community and having much happier people. The freedom that comes from creativity is therapeutic.
Lippert 2
Ok, I will be the first to admit that I was never a big fan of poetry. Poetry and I were like water and oil, we just did not mix. Or so I thought. The activity we did two weeks ago in the north gym made me reconsider my feelings for poetry. I had never considered involving English, art, and physical activity in one exercise before. It was a very refreshing change from the usual. Randomly, we created a sculpture out of objects that can be found in our own homes (33). I was quite entertained by recreating the shape we had drawn with action. And then writing (31). Writing about whatever we saw in our drawings. I wrote an entertaining poem about squiggly eye lines (I could honestly decipher little else in my drawing) (12). Now, reflecting on that activity I have come to a realization. I might actually like poetry. Poetry can be so profound in its message, so vivid in its detail. I think I may have misjudged poetry. I recall that my dislike of poetry began in sixth grade. I have not always been so versed in English—shocking, I know—in sixth grade I did quite poorly in English. I did most poorly on poetry. We were tasked with creating a book with poetry, each page a different poem accompanied by a picture. I did my best, but I inevitably did poorly on my poems. Closed my mind was, closed to poetry, closed until two weeks ago. Until I was reminded of how awesome poetry is. I am no longer an opponent of poetry. I am finally accepting of poetry. I may not be writing it or reading it every chance I get but I no longer groan when a certain six letter word leaves a mouth. When the time comes to face poetry again, I will not face it as an old enemy, but, as a new beginning.
Scholten 2
During Composition class this week-I forget the exact day it occurred-a fellow student was asked by the instructor about the topic of their narrative essay (28). This particular student said that the essay about killing a deer. A poll was taken about how many students had actually slit a deer's throat; only three students in my class period raised their hand (8). I was surprised that only three students had actually killed a deer in this fashion. I thought more would have done so and would have raised their hand. More surprisingly, I think, was the fact that two out of the three students were females. I realized then that society, myself included, is very stereotypical towards males and females. Why was it so interesting that these two females-along with many others girls-enjoy doing masculine activities (7)? It's not. Society has taught me that girls were supposed to play dress up, have dolls, and be princesses. They were not supposed to be muscular beings that hunted animals and did outdoor-type activities. I realized then that there are countless stereotypes from society: racial, gender, cultural, and sexist stereotypes. Blondes are dumb. Women aren't as smart as men. All Arabs and Muslims are terrorists. Feminine men must be homosexual. These assumptions are absurd! All of these statements are wrong, rude, degrading, insulting and false. Will society ever stop using stereotypes? Probably not. We are taught from a young age to classify and categorize like objects together. This is acceptable for objects, but not for humans. Stereotypes are found in many places: books, magazines, movies, and music (9). Because stereotypes generalize people into manners that lead to discrimination and ignore individual diversity, they should be avoided. However, it's not that simple. Stereotyping is simply a perception thing and is a part of being human. Acting upon these assumptions is when you become prejudice against certain people. The only way to forget about stereotypes is to actually get to know the person you are categorizing and find out for yourself if they fit the assumptions or not. Most of the time they won't.
Dawn 2
Poetry. One word, six letters and yet an infinite number of interpretations.(31) Some people view poetry as mere rhyming stories, however, poetry exists on a much deeper emotional level. Poetry gives writers freedom. It lets them express the emotions and occurrences of their mind. Poetry does not require rhyme or reason. It does not need to be crystal clear and easily spelled out for the reader. Poetry requires one to open up their mind to the innumerable possibilities of what the writer is actually writing about. Along with the countless possibilities of written poetry, there are numerous other forms. A couple of weeks ago an English teacher—arguably the best around—took his Composition class to a wrestling room of all places.(7) We then took our large items—which we had been previously assigned to bring—and placed them in an arrangement—a sculpture of sorts. We then studied this sculpture—trying to analyze this amorphous blob. The English teacher then told us to sketch this without looking at it. Instead of physically drawing, my mind drew a blank. I did not understand the importance behind such a trivial task. To follow the directions behind such a childish task seemed like an insult to our intelligence. (20) Had I voiced what I was thinking I probably would have said, “This is a college level English class, not some stupid kindergarten art class. Why are we doing something so stupid?” I figured I would just keep quiet and give it a chance. Staring at the shape, I drew until I thought I had a somewhat decent drawing, but to my dismay, I looked down to an even more shapeless mess than the sculpture itself. (19) We then had to analyze our drawings and find meaning or ideas from this. I came up with a small handful. To add to the juvenile behavior, the class then began walking/running around and making funny sounds, that we deemed fit to represent our drawings. I have no clue how, but that extra addition seemed to spark my imagination. When we sat back down I looked at my drawing again, and found inspiration where I had not seen any. I found it easy to discover and write about a topic. In the end I realized this seemingly childish lesson had actually taught me a lot.(32) It took some time but I accepted the fact that we may all be children at heart—I know I am. I also know not to ever judge my Composition professor’s methods of teaching, because he may be the wisest man I know. With his excitement and enthusiasm he has found a way to make a difficult class both entertaining and educational. Each and every day I look forward to attending this class. (34)
Poppenga 1
As our professor handed out our new essay guideline sheet, ‘Narrative Essay’ immediately caught my eye (4). “What?” I thought to myself; the one type of essay that I was becoming relatively expert-like at was formal essays. I had to dig deep inside the back of my brain to recall the rules of a nonformal essay were. Mr. Matt Christensen explained to my pupils and I that we were to write about a spectacular event that changed our lives or was particularly interesting to us. “What to write?” This was the question I continually asked myself as I pondered the topic that sparked my interest. The more I thought, the more I realized I have had nothing exceptionally interesting happen to me. Little did I know my well deserving narrative essay would revolve about a topic right in front of my eyes. Oblivious (31). Living in my home was a little girl whose story is completely flabbergasting. Although being only ten years old at the time, this heart filled human being had the pride and faith to undergo a hazardous happening that could change her life forever. While writing this essay, I did not have to think about what to write down on my piece of paper. No. The words etched so easily out of my pencil; I felt like I was reliving that very moment (8). I want to make my reader feel as if they were there: not knowing whether the person they cared about the most would make it out of surgery the same person as they went into it as. I wanted them to feel as though they were in some type of horror movie—the suspense building inside them. I expressed how I felt during this process, writing down my feelings and a tremendously descriptive timeline of Kaylie’s operation. Having all these contributing techniques will help my reader/audience picture these very moments inside their mind.
Anderson 5
We have composed quite a few essays already this year, but I had not viewed myself as an author until about two weeks ago. My curiosity kicked in when I read the whiteboard to discover what was due that week. A large item? (31) Why would I need a large item for Composition? Trekking to the North gym, hauling our large items along, was the class. We sat on the floor, looking at the sculpture we had just produced out of our large items. Instructed to trace a shape that intrigued us, we all sat drawing on our papers. We then had to write down a “baker’s dozen” words, and then proceeded to walk the shape of our drawing. I felt as though I should have been in an insane asylum when we began to add sound effects the paths we were walking. Then I thought, “I should not feel as though I am going crazy, everyone around me is doing the same thing. I am not sure what will become of this, but it must have a purpose.” My noises then became more pronounced. We sat back on the floor in front of our notebooks and wrote another thirteen words. Then, we wrote. Composing consumed me (21). I had composed a full page in less than 15 minutes—which does not happen often for me (7). I had composed an entire short story, and I was extremely proud of it. I still did not feel like an author. Mr. C had asked for volunteers to read their short story or poem, Stephen went first. His piece was fantastic! When he was finished, no one else had volunteered. Since I was so proud of my short story, I figured I should share it. This was when I was called an author. I may not see myself exactly as an author, but I know I am one step closer to that position. Who knew such amazing experiences could come from bringing a large object to Composition.
Weidenbach 1
Last week we embarked on a journey into the mysterious land of India, in George Orwell’s narrative essay titled “Shooting an Elephant.” In his essay he exploits the American language by using suspenseful wording and dramatic imagery. He creates the most vivid short story by making us feel like we are standing there along side of him, watching his every move. I thought to myself I need to write like that. (31) But how? I started by fallowing some examples from Orwell’s philosophical essay. One superb example is when he talks about how the elephant has a grandmotherly air about it; another example is when he heard the devilish roar of glee that went up from the crowd. These two sentences express his greatness in writing by showing the reader what is happening, not just telling the reader what is happening. These examples also have more expression and vivid imagery. Now if he wrote just there was an elephant, we would all be bored to sleep, but Orwell is a master at using a unique technique of switching his story’s tense from present to past. (5) I envy him for his knowledge over writing. Orwell can effectively use this technique by adding in hyphens in his sentences which create pauses and dramatic effects. Reading Orwell’s story and fallowing his examples has helped my own essay immensely. (10) Now—I am a better writer. I try to use his expertise on comparing objects and keeping the story lively by switching tenses in my own narrative essay – which surprising is also about hunting. By all means I am not good as George Orwell, but I have embarked on the right path to becoming a better writer.
Peltier 5
Sculpture writing in the North Gym was the most interesting way of expanding creative writing. At first, I was skeptical, not knowing what to write about. How could random objects amount to a work of art and be composed into poetry or a short story? I stared at a beach ball that balanced a caricature with a basket on top. (4) As I started to write with my pencil, thoughts started to pour onto my paper. When we stood up to walk around the gym and make noises that we thought of when looking at our objects, it became pure chaos. Suddenly, I was reminded of the Sioux Empire Fair that I would attend as a child. My memory became so real. While at the Fair, I remember noticing all of the crazy people around making absurd noises for no reason. My favorite memory of the Fair I remember is that I would always go into the barns and pet the horses, dogs, cows, and other farm animals. I absolutely adored it. Being in the barn was the only quiet time one could enjoy while attending the fair. As soon as we would exit the barn, the world was back to chaos. Looking around more, seeing all of the thrilling rides, I would join in. My favorite was the Ferris wheel. (12) I could sit on that ride all day, towering the city (like the gorilla towered our sculpture of large items), seeing everything all over, from the greasy food below to the art building. It was magnificent. As the day progressed at the Fair, I remember always feeling sweaty, tired, and more annoyed. (73) A bathroom break was always needed too later in the day from all of the lemonade being drunk. Finally, at the end of the day, I would sit at the caricature booth and have my own caricature drawn for me. Oh how I absolutely loved attending the Fair. As I looked at the tower of random objects in gym last week, I felt as if I was back at the Fair, having the time of my life. I enjoyed reminiscing about one of my favorite childhood memories.
Lenz, 2
The phenomenon that sticks out to me recently remains the fact that class time is allotted for us to work on our essays. I also enjoy the fact that the teacher roams the room offering assistance when needed. My lifestyle barely allows me time to work for more than a few hours at a time. By the time I drive home after play practice and eat supper, I am too tired to exert myself by doing homework. Some nights I am even forced to go straight to work from play practice until nine at night. I finish the homework absolutely necessary, but leave the rest for later. Later never arrives (19). I am by no means complaining. I chose to participate in all of the activities that I have and love every minute of them, it just gets to be loads of stress with all of my college classes. Also, I get distracted easily; an abundance of distractions consumes my time at home, whereas at school, I am only allowed to work on my essay (1). I may seem as if I mess around in class as well, but I truly am appreciative of the time given. Also, I am glad that we receive time in class to swap essays and peer-edit other people’s essay. Not only do I receive help on my own essay, but I also learn from reading other essays what to include or maybe even what not to include (16). I do not tend to be the type of person who will randomly walk up to one of my peers, throwing my essay in their face almost forcing them to edit it. Although I know that it would be of great benefit to do so, I do not find myself partaking in such action. I am glad that we have class time forcing me out of my comfort zone and allowing me time to complete portions of my essay.
Svartoien 1
Over this last month, I have come to realize how truly applicable this class is to future college courses. Yesterday (Wednesday) our instructor gave us a handout that he had received from a former student, now in college. The paper outlined the guidelines for the college student’s narrative essay. As I read the prompt to myself, I realized it was nearly an identical twin to the prompt we received in class just two weeks ago. While we were supposed to be scrutinizing the page for nuggets of wisdom, I was celebrating. If our assignment was so close to the college student’s assignment, wouldn’t I be able to reuse my high school essays in college? This thought reminded me a post on Facebook I saw last week. A student (also a former scholar of Brandon Valley) had announced to the world that he was done with his fresh essay prompt. Typed, edited and polished—his essay was finished before he ever set foot on the college campus. (23) Genius. With a little tweaking of former essays, I could bypass loads of added stress in the upcoming years by simply investing my best efforts in high school.(32) This isn’t being lazy; this is being efficient. (8) Heck, I’ll be recycling! While Save the Earth advocates may claim this form of recycling lacks merit, I beg to differ. By adding to former essays, I will be able to allocate more attention to other categories of my college studies, having already given attention to the prompt in high school. How successful I will be! (34) Besides gaining a concrete advantage via previous essays, this class --I can already tell-- has helped me learn how to think and analyze everyday events and observations. (33) Before Composition 1, I used to give a certain amount of thought to any given subject that demanded my attention. Now, however, I spend a few extra moments to chew over different perspectives and considerations before moving on to the next life demand. This class is not only preparing me for college, but for life beyond traditional education as well.
Westcott, 5
During the past month, one thing we discussed in class was the first few scenes from the Disney movie “Wall-e”. Mr. C commented multiple times that the movie is fit for someone three years of age to fifty-three (7) years old. I feel Wall-e is an adorable character who anyone can relate to. He has the characteristics of a lovable pet, owners can relate to this. In the first scene of the movie Earth is shown as a trash filled wasteland (32). Looking at the results of human’s laziness and neglect of our planet makes people think about the habits we all possess. Littering, pollution, using our lakes as sewers…(11) I know many people can relate. Why do we treat our home so terribly? And why does it seem as if no one cares enough to make a difference? The truth of the matter is, we not only need to be conscious of the little things, but start making others around us aware as well.
The next few scenes in the film “Wall-e” demonstrate the lifestyle of humans for the prior 700 years. The people are depicted as lazy, morbidly obese, and unaware of their surroundings. They live in flying chairs, allowing these people to never have to walk around or exercise. Every meal is consumed through a cup and straw. Even worse, the people are oblivious to the life they live. The only activity participated in throughout the day is virtual on little screens hovering in front of their faces every day. I feel this film wants our generation to realize the steep path our economy is headed in. Will our world look like that in “Wall-e”? Or will we do something to stop it from ever becoming the wasteland run by oblivious humans? This film wants us as the watchers to not only enjoy a cute movie, but to think about our lives and the world around us.
Woodward 5
Although I am writing a blog entry for a composition class, I am not writing about the written word. Over the past several weeks, I realized how important concise speech is when trying to compel an audience to empathize with you. Listening to our instructor’s flirtatious stories forced me to see the importance of not only using the right words but also speaking correctly. For example, I saw that by pausing after a particularly important sentence, emphasis is created. (2) There are infinitely many tactics used to create profound speech, one being a change in tone. Coincidentally, I had realized this around the same period that the presidential debates were occurring on television. Sitting at home, watching two enemies launch verbal warfare against each other, I tried to truly observe what tactics were used when trying to both have a profound effect on an audience. (19) If I had not listened closely, each of the presidential nominees would have persuaded me to vote for them. Both wanted only to help the American people, and they sounded so convincing saying it. Obama appealed to me with his low and drawn out drawl similar to Morgan Freeman’s voice that made him seem utterly sincere. Romney was concise and punctual in a business-like manner that made everything he said sound correct. Unfortunately, both of these speech-based assumptions were less than accurate. To listen without completely understanding is an easy way to be deceived, or at least subliminally persuaded. (20) Considering this thought, I began to wonder in what other ways we are subliminally persuaded by effective speech. Commercials, whether on the radio or television, are a perfect example of subliminal persuasion. The repetitive and sometimes catchy phrases said by famous people stick in our brain like gum on the sidewalk. In some cases these messages can be just as hard to remove, which further proves the need to fully understand what is being told to you.
Beckman 2
Over the last month we have discussed numerous topics in class, briefly or at large. One that has stuck with me, however, is the narrative essay. (7) When the essay was first introduced I thought it would be simple—the easiest paper we have had so far this year. I proved to be exceedingly wrong. The more I attempted to pick a previous event in my life the more difficult the decision seemed to become. (33) Sure, I could easily surface some memory to write about but I did not wish to write about just anything. Finding a moment which truly impacted my life and taught me a lesson was proving to be my barrier. I knew there were many instances I could write about, my life is not so boring to leave me empty in my time of need. (32) At the time, it felt like it was, though. After coming up short in class I took a few days to consider some of the ideas I had in mind. (12) Writing about something funny was not about to happen for me; though I had many stories about my younger sister I would have loved to use (she can be quite the character.) None of her unintentional comedic presentations really gave me anything to go off of. Certainly I could write about the time my best friend and I gave her a dollar to chug an entire 32 oz. Powerade in under one minute, but what did that teach me? I was not sure that event had taught me anything. Finally, I picked my current topic, but not without great internal conflict. Was this topic too personal to write about? Does the term “too personal” ever apply when it comes to writing? I decided that because it was so private I had to write about it. This was forcing myself out of my comfort zone, which has been my goal for the year, and it would be a great way to challenge myself. Never, did I let my parents in on my final topic choice, that just seemed like too much of a challenge—which I was not up for.
Forster
period 2
This past month has gone by surprisingly quickly, especially when I find myself attending composition second period every day. I thoroughly enjoy this class, and thank my instructor and classmates for providing an interesting, intriguing, and altogether stimulating learning environment. Though these past weeks have been filled with frustration concerning college endeavors and other personal challenges on my part, I am thankful to have learned a couple lessons about myself and others from these recent obstacles. Through editing papers, analyzing my motivations for future aspirations compared with others’, and everyday life, I have come to a conclusion about human nature. We are unbelievably needy. Whiny. Longing to prove. Belong. (31) We, as a nation and a worldwide community of human beings, could not be clearer in displaying these qualities. (38) To explain, I could provide specific examples. (20) However, I feel as if I will showcase my ideas in a more abstract fashion instead. Concerning my comment about essays, I will say that editing essays has been my strong suit in the past, and a process that I enjoy immensely. I have recognized a trend in my peers’ essays recently—one that wavers between alarm and awe. The essays connect to each person in eerie and fascinating ways. Through their voice and individual writing strategies, each author is weaving not only an essay, but a front about their personality. Their words not only tell a story, but prop up a bait, if you will, that we as readers are supposed to bite. This may come as no surprise to English instructors, but as I came to this conclusion, I was confused. Why do individuals feel the need to constantly form a false personality, one that not only fails to represent themselves, yet also misleads others? And, am I guilty as well? The answer is yes. Through my writing and, ultimately, my actions, I am proving my own point. A phony front has been formed, whether I have done this intentionally or subconsciously. To improve myself, and provide an example for others, I will work to alter this behavior. My actions, writing, and general behavior must be a reflection of who I am and who I desire to become. I must not shield my opinions and stifle my need to express my emotions. This will only confuse others and, eventually, myself.
Berndt 1
A couple weeks ago I entered Mr. C’s class expecting to work on sentence structure, syntax, advanced writing skills, or anything of the sorts. I did not think that I would be analyzing a children’s movie, Wall-E. The following Saturday night I sat behind my counter at work and listened to a child whine to her father about how badly she wanted to watch that particular movie, her father was skeptical though. Thinking to myself, “Why wouldn’t you let your child get that movie, it would interest you as well.”(19) The gentleman was surely in the age rage between three and 83-years-old.(7) That of course is how Mr. C presented the film with us, that the film captures the attention of children to the elderly. That night after work, I finished the movie and analyzed the film myself. To better my writing, I asked myself how I could use foreshadowing and suspense as they did in the beginning of the movie. (20) When Wall-E found others of his kind unworkable it made me feel bad for Wall-E because his only friend was a cockroach. The director created suspense when a man started speaking about living in space, because earth was such a dump. How would I utilize my words to make an impact on my reader as a spooky tune? How I would add repeating figures and vivid detail in my narrative. It was much simpler to achieve the tasks by watching, them rather than being told how to produce such devices. I enjoyed this teaching mechanism much, and hope to find other ways to make myself a better writer.
Etrheim 5
The end of football is near—a sport I have loved for as long as I know (7). Because of our successful and near perfect season, we have been given the opportunity to play for the state championship. Our current situation has made Mr. C. reminisce about his high school state championship experiences. I found the story he told very fascinating; I almost thought that it was directed specifically towards me. Summarized, the story is about Mr. C. and his Yankton teammates playing against Brandon Valley in the dome. He was a tight end on the offensive side of the ball (a position that does not get the ball too often) (12). They were a running team so a pass surprised the Brandon Valley defense. Mr. C. was wide open, but the quarterback overthrew him. Upset and disappointed, he reentered the huddle. Realizing Mr. C. was distraught, a teammate reminded him that he still needed to focus on another task—blocking. Mr. C.’s blocking helped the Bucks defeat the Lynx winning the state championship. This story is very relatable for me. I also play tight end. A backup tight end (31). Blocking happens to be a huge part of the position and it does not result in much glory. Your stats are not in the newspaper like the other skill positions. Therefore, when an opportunity like his comes along—especially in a big game—you do not want to mess it up. Selfishness forces you to want this glory. Mr. C. was not a selfish player and he says that he has become a better person because of it. I am not a selfish player either. If I was, as a backup tight end and safety, I probably would not still be on this hopeful state championship team. Everyone wants the glory but selflessness results in a lot more success throughout life.
Heisel 5
During class this past month, I have discovered something about myself, and my classmates. This epiphany was achieved by the very nature of our current essay. Many classmates had trouble finding topics, or interesting things, about their lives. Originally, this lead me to believe that the class was full of people with uninteresting, miserable lives! Alas, my first impressions are often incorrect. I dug a little deeper and came up with a hypothesis. I now believe—I am almost positive—that my classmates either find their stories too personal, or not emotionally gripping.
Often, people have a hard time opening up to a group, and for good reason! Unfortunately, this closed-off mindset and fear of information sharing causes people to seem less interesting, and less connectable. By sharing how you felt during a certain instance, even slightly mundane activities become revealing and riveting. But when people open up completely, the reader is overwhelmed. People should keep mystery and suspense alive by not giving away ever detail of your life. Make the reader fill in the details that are meaningless to the plot.
When people lack the confidence in the intenseness of their experiences, they are unfortunately limiting the possibilities for captivating stories and intense connections. The reader should to feel as if they are in the author’s shoes. Giving vivid details and an insider view on the mindset of the character connects the reader to the audience. Even if your story is something relatively tame, you can add foreshadowing, allusions, and other literary devices to captivate the reader and keep them interesting. Your story doesn’t have to be interesting, the way you write it does!
Whether people believe it or not, all of our lives are interesting. Being an individual, no one can know how you feel, or how you see the world. Knowing that, people should be more inclined to write about experiences—be they physical or psychological—that exist only in their own minds. These are things that can only be regurgitated in the way that the writer imagines. Your memories may be personal or seemingly pointless, but by sharing them you can discover more about yourself, and in turn, let your peers discover more about themselves.
Johnke 5
One of the things that I found interesting in the last couple weeks was the poetry sculpture we did in the North Gym. Inside the gym a sculpture was set up from materials we brought and we had to draw a shape from some part of the sculpture(30). Aside from having a fun time running around the gym it was extremly helpful. After I drew the shape of a ball (it did not look anything like a ball after I was done drawing) I did not have anything to say about it(12). The drawing was a simple, jumbled up mess, but after going around the gym making noises and running around it was much easier to formulate ideas. However, I still had a difficult time coming up with a story after I had written down all the words describing my drawing. Although I'm not completely certain, I think my primary problem is that I overthink what I'm writing. Instead of writng down what comes to my mind right away I think way to far in depth and end up not writing anything. It is truly amazing though how gifted some students are at composing short stories with such few words to begin with. Zach's short story about a cathedral in France was something that I still have no idea how he did. I do not know what shape he was drawing that gave him the idea of writng about that but it was truly amazing. Another thing I learned was that a narrative essay is much easier to write with an open mind; something that I was able to put use in my narrative essay.
Waldera 2
One concept we have discussed this past month that I found particularly fascinating was the concept of captivating a reader’s attention to your essay. A quite captivating story was shared about a young woman trying to seduce Mr. C. I found this to be a quite interesting story because since I am a teenage boy, women are on my mind constantly! I was supposed to be thinking about how to captivate an audience’s attention but instead of linking that to my essay directly I thought about freshman winter formal. I was just a young, stupid freshman who knew very little about the ways of high school. As winter formal approached Paige VanderWeide asked me to go with her. She was a senior so I was kind of nervous at the time...(11) But long story short it was an incredible night. As I thought about that night I also remembered telling my friends the story of the events that night because they all wanted to know. I remember messing with them telling it in parts and mixing up the order of the night. Then it hit me. I was creating suspense for my audience and captivating their attention to my story. I did learn from the lesson; I just learned from an abstract angle. I then went to writing my essay and created suspense in it by starting from the end then retelling the entire story. It creates great suspense and urges the reader to find out what happens. To get a reader to care about you and your story you need to create suspense and make them want to read it.(20) Need to read it.(31) Over the past month I have learned many things in very absurd ways of doing so. I look forward to the class, I have come to love it so much, everyday because of what we discuss and what we do.(28) It is always different and always keeps me interested.
Wehrkamp 5
Every week Composition 101 offers variations of enlightenment, excursions, and discovery. This month introduced new techniques on how to approach writing. One exercise that had struck me particularly fascinating was the poetry sculpture. Just as students before me—Story, Marso, and Dutson—I found the two days of poetry in the small gymnasium imaginative, productive, and fun (10). Poetry can be as concrete as a basic letter; however, it also has the inconceivable ability to make the human mind articulate unimaginable thoughts (8). Intelligibly creating a rhyme of literature, we exercised our mind and body to produce poetry from an object out of a sculpture (32). When I write poetry, past experiences come to mind. Productively recollecting past experiences helped me embark in my narrative essay. I knew automatically what I was going to compose, and my conflict I overcame in my essay solely because of the ingenuity of our sculpture poetry epochs. Not only was it productive for our studious class, it was just plane fun! I honestly never contemplated my peers and I would exasperatingly moving around like little children during class in our senior year of high school. Noticeably each individual was acquiescently involved, showing no sign of being the slightest timidity. An active learning English class, influencing deep thought with physical activity and some wacky noises, shines a new light on opening your cognizance to creativity. I have always felt I had certain dexterity when it came to poetry, but through sculpture poetry “fun” my rhymes flowed fluently out onto paper. If I were to recommend an exercise for someone to move past writers block, without hesitation I would insist they walk about in a specific shape and make noises that correlate to their literary work. Although it may not prove sufficient for every work of literature, it indubitably works for poetry.
Coyle 5
One topic that stood out to me in particular was when Mr. C. shared his story of being hit on by a man. The story started out with a scene where he won a Chinese fan palm plant at a college party. Under Mr. C’s meticulous care, the plant quickly outgrew its tiny pot, and the young college student felt the need to go out to purchase a bigger pot. Walking into the store, things appeared to be a little too quiet. Not a single customer was in the store, the only person was a man standing on the far side of the store, spritzing the plants with a mist sprayer. After making his presence known, Mr. C. was thrown a curveball. The employee turned around and crept—very slowly—toward the young man(7). As if that wasn’t off-putting enough, the employee progressed so near to Mr. C. that he was practically on top of him. Then the hands clamped around the young man’s waist, practically groping him. Shock (31). Oddly enough, the young man stayed still, doing absolutely nothing until moments later. Imagine my surprise when this story was related to me! I couldn’t believe that Mr. C. could just sit there and do nothing while being personally violated by some strange man. I mentally put myself in Mr. C’s position and I found that my outcome would have been very different. I thought that, had it been me in that circumstance, I would have quickly pushed him out of the way, yelling at him with such fervor that the only way to maintain my disappointment would be to leave the store. But in Mr. C’s story, he did nothing and, in the end, was rewarded by getting everything he needed completely free of charge. He stated that it was a rich experience, and that he would have done the exact same thing if he had to relive that moment. I understand that the moment was likely once in a lifetime, but I would have assumed that the typically traumatic event would have deterred him from experiencing it again. Apparently awkward experiences turn out to be awesome memories (35).
Rasmussen 5
One thing that made me particularly intrigued was some advice that was given by Mr. Christensen the other day. The concept of bending the truth to make your narrative more powerful and more meaningful really opened my eyes to the way that authors wright. Mr. C gave an example about how it is acceptable to change details of the story to fit a theme. One example in particular was the thought of changing a color of a truck from blue to red. I think I am remembering right when I say that the story was about hunting and that the color red was a reoccurring theme throughout. Even though you might want to describe the truck because it helps the reader with the setting, if the truck was blue, it would not really need to be in there. If the truck was said to be red, you can tie that in with your story. Also, with this concept of bending the truth, it is apparently acceptable to change the story to make it more powerful. If you don’t recall certain details, add them in to increase the interest level of the narrative. You can spice e story up with made up details that are foggy in your mind. You might remember something that was not particularly interesting but you decide to change it not because it changes the plot; you do this because you want the reader to enjoy the composition more than if it had been the absolute truth. This however does not mean that the “truth should be unrealistic. You must keep your story believable in order to keep the reader’s attention and positive opinion during the narrative. In applying this defying concept, your stories will have more spice and flavor to them in the long run.
Bauer 7
This month, the main thing that really stuck out to me was the sculpture poetry. Drawing and writing poetically really made me write a way I am not used to. It brought me out of my writing comfort zone. In the gym, I was not completely prepared for how this lesson would assist me. (14) During our day in the gym, I was feeling poetic, original, and smarter. (73) When we were, at first, just staring at the sculptor all I could think about was the actual objects themselves, but I figured out it was about creating the story. To get a reader to care about you and your story you need to create suspense and make them want to read it.(20) You must create the suspense and the figurative language in the story to create and urge for the reader to continue reading. Reading our narrative essays in groups was also something I found helpful recently. Prior to my peers reading my essay, I was anxious because I never enjoy being criticized. After they read them, however, I found it helpful because they can help me learn about syntax and sentence variety just like Mr. C can. I also found reading and critiquing a peers essay can also help you learn. Our instructor even said recently that one of the best ways to learn is through teaching. Watching the Life of Pi movie trailer today made me extremely excited to go see that film. The trailer also made me excited to read the book. Mr. C and many others have always told me how amazing this novel is but I have still not read it. The movie will definitely be an awesome event and the book will surely be a great read.
Guthmiller Pd 5
George Orwell the author of “Shooting an Elephant” and most famously his Magnus opus “1984” has been a figure in my life since I was young enough to delve into books. I was exposed to his brilliance – but not totally aware of his brilliance – at a young age by my father (7). Urging me to read the prophetically titled book “1984”, I picked it up. Early attempts at reading it left me in despair because of its overall bleakness and my lack of understanding. At the age I was at I was used to reading about the wizard duels of “Harry Potter” or the odd tales from “The Series of Unfortunate Events”. I could not appreciate or comprehend it. A couple years later, on a rainy day in the middle of May, I tried to read it again. Instantly I was transported into a dystopian world where three super-powered countries (Oceania, Eurasia, Eastasia) continually wage war against each other, 2 + 2 doesn’t always equal four, and a building that is named the Ministry of Peace, is used ironically for Warfare (12). Entertaining to a developing mind, they provided themes and ideas that were foreign to me beforehand. Is everything we hear from adults true? Is our government always trying to help us? Who can I trust? Thoughts like these permeated in my mind, they infected it like a drop of dye exploding in water. Slightly paranoid, slightly smug – I knew I had just read a classic, and my peers hadn’t – I examined what people said, what teachers said, and what the media said more closely (28). It was my first real analysis of literature for more than what the story was. Plots of romance and isolation drew me into the book, but themes that asked “Who can we trust?” and “If everyone believes it, is it true?” has fueled my desire to read it multiple times.
Livingston 5
During the course of this year I have discovered a lot about myself and my English abilities through the essays we have been composing this first semester (19). The other day the class discussed the directions to composing a narrative essay for Dakota Wesleyan’s English professor, Dr. Dreidger. After being directed to scan and select several parts of Dr. Dreidger’s instructions I came upon a piece of information that truly resulted in an exciting realization for me. I earnestly conveyed to the class Dr. Dreidger’s point of how your personal history moves toward self-identification while writing your narrative essay. His point brought upon me a sort of epiphany-type moment when I thought about it in some depth. Your compositions bestow upon you a blissful knowledge: discovery (26). As a student I have always composed essays with a great effort, but never realized that I discovered a part of myself each time I wrote on a subject. Earlier in this semester (before school even started, actually) I composed an essay about manhood, addressing the question whether or not I was a man yet and what I would need to accomplish and withhold to become one (12). After reading Dr. Dreidger’s passage I immediately reflected on this essay and the amazing insight my writing provided to me. Before, I imagined my manhood composition as a kind of petty assignment and used as a benchmark to see how well we could compose a structured essay – it was far from. My essay taught me about my standards, morals, ideals, and insight. Writing on such an important topic expressed to me how I think and how I seek to develop through the years. Through this discussion, reflection, and composition I truly understand who I am, and it does not take a mirror or someone else to explain to me who I am anymore. I am greatly enthused and thankful for reading and examining Dr. Dreidger’s document as it has unfolded before me not only a great path to follow in my writings, but in my life experiences as well.
Rise pd 5
Sexual Harassment is not black and white. (5) Harassment is a matter of opinion or judgment; how do you charge someone with sexual harassment when one side says the situation was consensual? (8) Who is lying? Its possible one side was completely unaware of the other's feelings. How do you judge feeling uncomfortable to completely offensive? Many sexual harassment cases have a similar factor in the case; the factor being power or authority. Someone could be harassing to acquire power over the victim. The harasser possibly finds it amusing, or thrilling. Another common situation regarding authority and power is that the harasser usually is in a position of power, like a boss. The boss could use the position of authority to force a co-worker to do something for him or her. The way we perceive comments or actions depend greatly on the person and the person's relation in our life.... (11) I will admit some situations are easy to depict but others can be challenging. Sexual harassment is becoming a larger issue because the government is creating more rules or laws against it; which is protecting some people, but is also hurting others, like the ignorant. Calling more attention to sexual harassment unfortunately is making some people paranoid; charging others for harassment for minute things. "Women are still considered secondary to men in the work place" explains CPN, an organization of activists who strive to better our world." Women are often portrayed as objects to be used for men's purposes" continues CPN, expanding on the issue to explain that sexism is still deeply rooted in our society, making it "The Norm" to harass women. (14) Women are typically the "harassed", but men can be harassed by other men, like in the story told to us this week. About a man going into a plant shop to buy a larger pot and being hugged and groped by the owner of the shop, a man he had never met. The owner continued to compliment his customer and give him the plant supplies he needed for free. This clearly was sexual harassment when the customer had shown no interest or any form of reciprocation towards the owner. The problem with sexual harassment is that it is all opinion. What is right? Who is right? You may not know that something you do all the time, may offend someone you meet tomorrow. You do not always know what offend someone. There is no way to be completely inoffensive to everyone. No way. (31) The added problem to that is... People seem to be becoming more sensitive. Perhaps people are becoming more aware of their rights to safety? Manipulation... Someone does not like another so maybe produces a situation of sexual harassment where there wasn't one before.
"CPN - About CPN." CPN - About CPN. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. .
Pederson 5
Trust (31). A few days ago, our class discussed the trust everyone has in each other. Mr. Christensen pointed out how many people we are forced to trust while driving. Upon hearing this topic, I recalled a memory of a car crash I experienced this last summer. While my mother and I were on our way to my cello lesson at Augustana College, we halted behind a line of cars while a school bus in front was dropping kids off. Normally, you can trust other drivers to notice the line of cars and to stop accordingly. However, college-aged drivers sometimes don’t pay attention to the road. While we waited, I glanced at the side mirror. A blue car was quickly coming closer, and showed no signs of stopping. I mouthed the words, “oh no”, and closed my eyes. I heard a screech. The car behind us—obviously not paying attention to the road—crashed into us (7). Thankfully, no one was injured, as they slowed enough to only cause minor damage to our car’s rear bumper. Also, the cars in front of us had already began moving forward so our car did not collide into the previously stopped red van just a few feet away. The woman driving the blue car took the blame for the accident; she explained to us and the cop how she was not paying attention to the road because she was waving at her friends on the tennis court nearby (8). As everyone was questioned, another problem surfaced. The young college girl who it us was driving a friend’s car, so there were many complications with figuring out who’s insurance to use. My trust was deteriorated even further when my mother’s car was given a sub-par bumper replacement. Previously, its chrome finish shone brightly in the sun. Now, this apparently new bumper quickly began to rust. The months after the accident, I distrusted every driver I saw. While I waited at stop lights, I gazed at the cars behind me through my mirrors, and moved a few inches forward every time someone stopped behind me. Overall, I learned that it is important to always be on your guard when you’re on the road.
Rusten 7
One concept that I particularly enjoyed was the poetry sculpture. This exercise is where you bring in an object of choice, then place it in a pile. Then you sit/lay down and study the sculpture, you pick out a shape that is enjoyable to you and without looking at your paper, you draw the shape. Once that is complete you can (finally) look at your masterpiece and study it. Then you write down the first words that come to your mind. Next you draw your picture with your feet and connect a noise. At first I was a skeptic, because let’s be honest, how can running around screaming random noises in a gym be productive or help teach anything. It’s plain chaos. (32) Nevertheless, I found it immensely enjoyable. Then again, maybe the chaos is a point, it helps “jog” the brain into thinking creatively. Personally I know I am horrible at writing poetry but with this exercise I found my writing halfway decent . Viewpoints were changing. (19) I was surprised because how could embarrassing yourself and staring at random objects piled in the middle of the room be productive and such a learning tool. Wow. (19) It’s hard to believe you are embarrassing yourself when everyone else is in the class is doing it too, especially since the atmosphere of the class is relaxed. Generating the feelings of contempt and being welcome. This exercise also helped me in another way. It helped me get out of my comfort zone. I am usually shy and being forced to do this helped me out of my shell. It made me do something I would not do normally and not feel overly stupid about it. I was not embarrassed either. If we did this exercise again, or something like it, I would not complain.
Rusten 7
One concept that I particularly enjoyed was the poetry sculpture. This exercise is where you bring in an object of choice, then place it in a pile. Then you sit/lay down and study the sculpture, you pick out a shape that is enjoyable to you and without looking at your paper, you draw the shape. Once that is complete you can (finally) look at your masterpiece and study it. Then you write down the first words that come to your mind. Next you draw your picture with your feet and connect a noise. At first I was a skeptic, because let’s be honest, how can running around screaming random noises in a gym be productive or help teach anything. It’s plain chaos. (32) Nevertheless, I found it immensely enjoyable. Then again, maybe the chaos is a point, it helps “jog” the brain into thinking creatively. Personally I know I am horrible at writing poetry but with this exercise I found my writing halfway decent . Viewpoints were changing. (19) I was surprised because how could embarrassing yourself and staring at random objects piled in the middle of the room be productive and such a learning tool. Wow. (19) It’s hard to believe you are embarrassing yourself when everyone else is in the class is doing it too, especially since the atmosphere of the class is relaxed. Generating the feelings of contempt and being welcome. This exercise also helped me in another way. It helped me get out of my comfort zone. I am usually shy and being forced to do this helped me out of my shell. It made me do something I would not do normally and not feel overly stupid about it. I was not embarrassed either. If we did this exercise again, or something like it, I would not complain.
Johnson 7
Since the last blog task, I have had a lot to wrap my brain around. I could expound upon anything from the young men who sing much too high to the fascinating essay written about why old women should be loved. But in this composition, I will relate a big topic to the topic that affects more than just our class or our community. The election. This election was pivotal not only at a national level, but also at the state level. Since I followed much of this election closely I find the articulation of each bill to be crucial. What kind of example can possibly be contrived? For example, Referred Law 16 states how it will repeal the incentives for math and science teachers as well as removing the teacher tenure system. If one does not know that this law is already in effect then one might vote “yes” to enact this law even though they are really repealing it (37). When the topic of a father urinating on his child was brought up, I thought of the importance of antecedents and the wording of vital bills. One does not have to be an expert in politics, but one must be able to understand the wording of bills that actively and locally affect one (13).
Yet as I continue my stint in the private sector, I find myself avidly using my communication skills. The politicians who run this country have to do the same. I certainly do not want my representative to be using slang and sounding like a complete buffoon. A well composed speaker is a sign of intelligence and leadership; writing well translates to speaking well. The more I work at my ability to write, my speaking ability is expedited insurmountably. Speaking is like writing’s child; the better the writing is, the better off the speaking is (25). This constant work at the seemingly minor details displays itself as insignificant to begin with, but the more I work at it, the better I feel myself write. I find myself to start to naturally write better because I know how to use appropriate sentences for effect. All of these procedures will greatly help my quest to become a successful young man.
Rusten 7
One concept that I particularly enjoyed was the poetry sculpture. This exercise is where you bring in an object of choice, then place it in a pile. Then you sit/lay down and study the sculpture, you pick out a shape that is enjoyable to you and without looking at your paper, you draw the shape. Once that is complete you can (finally) look at your masterpiece and study it. Then you write down the first words that come to your mind. Next you draw your picture with your feet and connect a noise. At first I was a skeptic, because let’s be honest, how can running around screaming random noises in a gym be productive or help teach anything. It’s plain chaos. (32) Nevertheless, I found it immensely enjoyable. Then again, maybe the chaos is a point, it helps “jog” the brain into thinking creatively. Personally I know I am horrible at writing poetry but with this exercise I found my writing halfway decent . Viewpoints were changing. (19) I was surprised because how could embarrassing yourself and staring at random objects piled in the middle of the room be productive and such a learning tool. Wow. (19) It’s hard to believe you are embarrassing yourself when everyone else is in the class is doing it too, especially since the atmosphere of the class is relaxed. Generating the feelings of contempt and being welcome. This exercise also helped me in another way. It helped me get out of my comfort zone. I am usually shy and being forced to do this helped me out of my shell. It made me do something I would not do normally and not feel overly stupid about it. I was not embarrassed either. If we did this exercise again, or something like it, I would not complain.
Rusten 7
One concept that I particularly enjoyed was the poetry sculpture. This exercise is where you bring in an object of choice, then place it in a pile. Then you sit/lay down and study the sculpture, you pick out a shape that is enjoyable to you and without looking at your paper, you draw the shape. Once that is complete you can (finally) look at your masterpiece and study it. Then you write down the first words that come to your mind. Next you draw your picture with your feet and connect a noise. At first I was a skeptic, because let’s be honest, how can running around screaming random noises in a gym be productive or help teach anything. It’s plain chaos. (32) Nevertheless, I found it immensely enjoyable. Then again, maybe the chaos is a point, it helps “jog” the brain into thinking creatively. Personally I know I am horrible at writing poetry but with this exercise I found my writing halfway decent . Viewpoints were changing. (19) I was surprised because how could embarrassing yourself and staring at random objects piled in the middle of the room be productive and such a learning tool. Wow. (19) It’s hard to believe you are embarrassing yourself when everyone else is in the class is doing it too, especially since the atmosphere of the class is relaxed. Generating the feelings of contempt and being welcome. This exercise also helped me in another way. It helped me get out of my comfort zone. I am usually shy and being forced to do this helped me out of my shell. It made me do something I would not do normally and not feel overly stupid about it. I was not embarrassed either. If we did this exercise again, or something like it, I would not complain.
Rusten 7
One concept that I particularly enjoyed was the poetry sculpture. This exercise is where you bring in an object of choice, then place it in a pile. Then you sit/lay down and study the sculpture, you pick out a shape that is enjoyable to you and without looking at your paper, you draw the shape. Once that is complete you can (finally) look at your masterpiece and study it. Then you write down the first words that come to your mind. Next you draw your picture with your feet and connect a noise. At first I was a skeptic, because let’s be honest, how can running around screaming random noises in a gym be productive or help teach anything. It’s plain chaos. (32) Nevertheless, I found it immensely enjoyable. Then again, maybe the chaos is a point, it helps “jog” the brain into thinking creatively. Personally I know I am horrible at writing poetry but with this exercise I found my writing halfway decent . Viewpoints were changing. (19) I was surprised because how could embarrassing yourself and staring at random objects piled in the middle of the room be productive and such a learning tool. Wow. (19) It’s hard to believe you are embarrassing yourself when everyone else is in the class is doing it too, especially since the atmosphere of the class is relaxed. Generating the feelings of contempt and being welcome. This exercise also helped me in another way. It helped me get out of my comfort zone. I am usually shy and being forced to do this helped me out of my shell. It made me do something I would not do normally and not feel overly stupid about it. I was not embarrassed either. If we did this exercise again, or something like it, I would not complain.
Stephens 7
In the last couple weeks I have thoroughly enjoyed writing my narrative about being flashed in Paris. I have been utilizing your willingness to help more, and learned so much from your assistance. I don’t understand why some people hesitate to ask you for advice. You brought me to realize that people remember lessons learned from traumatic experiences better than other types of events. This was very relevant to my topic.(5) An example you gave was: “If you place your hand on a hot stove top and think, ‘Ow! That was really painful!’ you are more likely to not repeat the mistake due to the trauma you felt.” (9) I had never really thought about that before. This also assisted my thesis statement immensely. Narrative essays are most definitely my favorite. Those, and creative writing are my two loves. Speaking of creative writing, the days we spent on poetry last week were extremely enjoyable. I absolutely adore poetry. Writing it, reading it, speaking it. I mostly loved to freedom that you gave us. No guidelines or requirements. Just pure creativity and epiphany.(31) I hope we get the chance to continue doing creativie writing activites. Those are the days I especially look forward to English. I find that I am paying attention much more in English this year. It may be because I am desperately trying to raise my GPA before I graduate, or that I have decided to major in English when I get to college. I am learning so much, and I am disappointed in myself for not have being this attentive throughout my high school career. I know I could have been much more successful than I was, if only I had this integrity from the beginning. I wish I could think of a way to tell freshman that, so they will actually listen and act upon the advice. Obviously people have tried this for years though, and the young 14 year old minds never grasp the dire importance to apply yourself in high school.
Andrews P.1
In the past month, we have discussed many different fascinating and relevant topics. One of the topics we had discussed was the film, Wall-E. We spent an entire class period analyzing and observing its brilliant symbolism, techniques, and narrative structure. Wall-E is the perfect example since the moment the film begins it has hooked you with its suspense. It starts out on a vacant Earth without people since they have all seemed to have vanished and taken shelter in paradise elsewhere. All there is left is a curious little robot who continues to clean up this vacant earth even though all the other robots have stopped and hope seems to have been lost. It makes you wonder about this curious little robot and most important it makes you care for him. Wall-E has many characteristics like a young child or an adorable puppy. All you want to do is see him succeed in whatever he is doing. Watching and analyzing Wall-E in class helped me a lot with my narrative essay. It made me add suspense to my story so my reader would be sucked in and hooked. Adding suspense to my narration essay also helped build up the tension of the story. It also helped me apologize and explain what happened without just strictly showing the reader what happened. Making people feel sympathy for our characters in the story is very important. Even the most wretched characters can be felt sympathy for even if it just happens to be pity. In my story, I felt like the wretched character who was begging for redemption for her wrongdoings. Even though, I must add, that I strongly believe that the act that was caused was strongly blown out -pun intended- of proportion, I do feel remorse. Writing this essay has helped me evaluate the entire incident. It has helped with my guilt, remembrance of the event, and it has helped me learn a lesson.
Samuel H Period 2
One of the most interesting things I have run across during the course of composition 101 is the narrative essay. I have found this type of essay much easier than any of the previous essays I have had to write. I believe that one reason as to why this one is easier than the others is that I do not need to look up any of the information. I can remember the details and events by myself. Being able to convey the idea of the essay without hypothetically stating the thesis is an interesting idea. We should be able to lead the reader straight to the idea without specifically stating it. I have never liked writing or grammar; however Mr. C. has managed to make the class very interesting and actually fun at times. I believe I have learned some about writing however I cannot say in any honesty that I enjoy writing. I do admit that at times it can be distracting an captivating for a short period of time, but I have a hard time either doing it for very long or getting started back up after I am interrupted from it. During my time in Composition 101 I have relearned that syntax is the sentence structure regarding independent and dependent clauses. I also have learned that I can write multiple essays even if they are not very good or brilliant. Amazingly enough there are actually some people who really like writing a lot. Some people write about bleak and gloomy things and others write cheery and bright stories. Meanwhile the rest of us are somewhere in the middle of the two. Turns out blogs are not as strange as I thought. Also it turns out that it can be difficult to just ramble about random things that pop into my head for three hundred words.
Peterson 2
One particular thing that stuck out to me the past two weeks was the sculpture poetry activity in the north gym. Poetry has always intimidated me and I’ve never been comfortable writing or reading it. When Mr. C first introduced the activity that would occupy our class time the next two days I was confused and a little frightened. When we actually arrived in the gym and stared building the sculpture, I really did not understand how a pile of indiscriminate objects was going to help my writing. As soon as we started drawing the sculpture without looking at it I realized I was seeing the sculpture in a completely different way. Next we were instructed to get up and walk around the gym making the shape of what we had drawn and write words on our paper describing our image. I thought this was fun but I was still skeptical. Walking quietly around the gym I made an indefinite shape over and over until we were instructed to also make sounds for our image (20). Around the gym we walked (or hopped) making bizarre noises (30). Complete chaos overtook the gym. We then sat back down in our spots and tried to come up with more words for our drawings. I was astounded, I almost tripled my list! I don’t know how but the activity really did help. Next we were told to write a poem about our drawing and it was surprisingly easy (2). Using the words and the drawing I wrote a poem without any trouble at all. The carefree atmosphere of the activity and the different exercises Mr. C had us complete made writing poetry much easier and even fun. I now have a completely different view about trying new learning styles and understand the purpose behind the far-out poetry activity we accomplished.
Peterson 1
Reading aloud(31). Writing down words to create stories is fascinating, but the true art is when these stories are read aloud. With expression, stories have a whole new outlook. For example, plays can be interesting to see, but most people would rather go watch the play. Actors are professionals at expression and make the black and white words turn to color. Lately, we have been working on ready out stories out loud to others. This helped me find some areas of my text that seemed fluid in my head, but in reality were chunky and choppy. Hearing myself say the words out loud to listeners also helped create more visuals in my head and I came up with more metaphors and similes than I had before. Or, when I read my neighbor’s paper in my head it was good, but hearing them use their emotions and feelings toward their words gave so much more to her paper. I was there with her. Hearing Dylan talk about crawling through the cave let me close my eyes and imagine the cave instead of concentrating on reading his words. Feeling claustrophobic I had to open my eyes to the big classroom I was actually in (25). My paper was very difficult for me to write, so reading it aloud to other people was a hard task for me. This story was one I had not shared with many people besides my close friends. I am glad that I chose to read it to the class because it helped me portray my story in a more expression filled way (4). Reading aloud seems so simple, but takes courage to do. “Will my classmates like it” and many other thoughts ramble through an individual’s brain before and after the reading (22). I applaud everyone that read their paper today. I enjoyed listening and I’m sure most of your classmates also did.
VandeBerg 1
The poetry writing we did earlier was cool. It allowed the creative juices to flow and it allowed me to utilize everything I saw. Not looking down at my paper made me just make a shape without being critical of how it looked and made me not judge my art, which I am prone to do. I was able to write poetry, which I actually enjoy quite a bit. I used to write raps in my free time. Raps are just poetry put to music. You generally have a large number of couplets, but you can also have internal rhyme and different rhyme schemes. I tried to incorporate these into my poetry that we did in the wrestling room. I prefer internal rhyming because I find it more challenging than just writing couplets. I also enjoy rhyming words I think other people would find challenging. This is also why I love listening to Eminem. His remarkable use of words is astonishing to me. He has found countless words that rhyme with the word orange. He uses a technique that he calls "bending" the words. He just pronounces them a tad different and it makes it quite a bit easier to rhyme. I enjoy this technique and try to integrate it into my own poetry writing. Overall I enjoyed the poetry writing experience and would like to do it again some time.
Grapevine 7
Aren't we all poets in the end? Poetry has never exactly been my strong spot in writing, and I will admit that I absolutely dreaded the day when we would begin poetry. But instead of sitting at our desks, hunched over, pencils clenched in fists, we sat in a gym, looking at a bizarre sculpture created by various donations of items. We jumped, ran, and even somersaulted through the gym, allowing our minds to flow freely as we sought inspiration from the sculpture in the middle. While some chose to write about the Holocaust, or trash, I saw a creature formed in the pile, one made of discarded items, angry, yet lonely at the same time. At that moment, my mind was free, and I was able to let the words come to me to create several short poems about this monster in the garbage. It was an eye-opening (not to mention mind-opening) experience, and it truly taught us all to open our minds and let the words flow. Now I'm better able to just look at something that looks ordinary, and use my imagination to see something more than just a pile of junk, or a seemingly ordinary thing in everyday life. Poetry now seems like something that I can use efficiently, something that is not a hassle anymore. I look forward to possibly more poetry and writing activities like this, something that really gets the brain juices flowing.
Kunkel, Pd. 2
I have particularly enjoyed writing our narrative essays. I have never been a strong argumentative writer and narrarating stories has always been my strongest suit. I wrote my story about my eighty six year old grandmother. She is extremely frail and aged. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, which is where my story begins. I was down in Lake Buena Vista, Florida with my family at the Walt Disney World Resort, a place I have been to thirty eight times. I love it more and more each time I go. I loved it especially as a child when I was able to go with my best friend--- My Grandmother. I love her so dearly and she loved me just the same. We were inseperable when I was young and I wanted nothing more than to be with her every second of everyday. My story begins on boat ride, Small World. I used to loathe this ride with the firey passion of ten thousand suns. My story, however, was how I became to love and adore this ride. Small World helped me to realize how short life is and how we cannot simply dote on the silly things in life, but we need to focus on the positive aspects of the short time we are given upon this grand and miraculous planet God has given us. I thank God everyday for the time I have received with my grandmother. Although, her memory is gone now and she will never again remember my name or my face, I wish to remember her as the light and happy soul she once was. She was my best friend and I still love her so dearly.
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