Reflective Essay

Throughout the semester, there were ample opportunities to address and incorporate different areas of outcome into each writing assignment. The processes and strategies associated with composition, language structure, and assessment were critical components of the whole writing process. The composing process and language structure played a crucial role in making sure that each writing project was tailored for its specific purpose and audience. Similarly, the assessment process was useful for gathering information and editing drafts. Essentially, the assessment process ensured that the conventions are both appropriate and effective. When utilized effectively, these strategies serve to strengthen the purpose and appeal of each writing assignment.

Every piece of writing in English 328 had a clear purpose and target audience. As a result, various compositional strategies were employed to increase the effectiveness of each project. For instance, the objective of the “Analyzing a Text” assignment was to dissect a piece of writing and discuss the different literary devices the author used to appeal to his or her audience. Consequently, the essay was written in an analytical style incorporating evidence and explanations to support each argument. Usually, this supporting evidence usually came in the form of internal citations and quotes from the article in question. The “Analyzing Issues in a Major/Minor Field” project is another example where careful composition was critical for effectively reaching the intended audience. The goal of this project was to create a children’s book about the water cycle. In order to successfully appeal to children, vibrant illustrations and rhyming words were applied. Additionally, the content was diluted to match the comprehension level for young children. From these experiences, it is clear that proper composition is essential for effective writing.

Similar to composition, proper language structure was also a key factor in creating a successful document. Once again using the “Analyzing Issues in a Major/Minor Field” project as an example, the language of the children’s book had to be clear, simple, and fun. In order to appeal to juvenile readers, descriptive language and amusing fonts were incorporated to grab their attention. Yet another assignment had students create and maintain a blog throughout the semester. Because blogs are generally less formal than research papers, each entry was carefully written using more colloquial language. If an applicable image, link, or video clip was available, it was embedded directly into the entry so that readers would have it at their immediate disposal. The titles for both the blog and its entries were also an important aspect to consider. Much like a newspaper article, the titles were chosen to be both interesting and informative. Appropriate language and conventions are a vital part of good writing, and this area of outcome was properly addressed through this course.

Finally, appropriate assessment techniques were practiced in gathering information and making sure that final drafts were fully polished. During the “Analyzing a Text” assignment, the class was divided into pairs for peer review. Not only was the peer review process helpful for catching grammatical and structural errors, but it also gave the writer a different perspective on how to incorporate supporting evidence and develop his or her ideas. As a class, we also assessed and critiqued an assortment of sample essays discussing the strengths and weaknesses as well as the different devices each writer implemented. Different assessment techniques were also used when gathering the evidence to use in an essay. During the YouTube project each group had to assess their videos while paying attention to the devices and conventions. Afterwards, a presentation was conducted based off of the evidence that each group had found. Assessment strategies are a pertinent part of writing, and they were integrated into every assignment to improve the final piece.

Through English 328, we were able to address and practice each area of outcome through the diverse array of assignments. The composing process, language structure, and assessment strategies were all an important part of the overall writing process and a firm understanding of each technique drastically improved the quality and delivery of the final product.

Friend Game Presentation

For our final presentation, our group will be analyzing the various devices used by Lauren Collins in her article “Friend Game”. After a brief summary of the story, we plan to discuss a few central themes such as the amalgamative nature of cyber profiles and Collins’s “snake in the grass” approach to the article. Of all the devices that Collin’s uses, our group will dissect and present the six listed in the outline below. For each device, we plan to discuss how it is used and if it was successful in strengthening the author’s points. Additionally, our group will be using the projector to show related material while asking engaging questions to keep the audience involved during the presentation.

Questions:

1. Should the age restriction be raised for social networking sites?

2. Who was at fault for the Megan's death?

1. Brief Summary of Article

2. Central Thesis

   a. “Snake in the Garden” – Danger Lurking in seemingly peaceful suburban middle class

   
   

   b. “Frankenstein” – The piecing together of “Josh Evans” characteristics on MySpace

3. Devices

   a. Anecdotes

   
   

   b. Irony (Title)

   
   

   c. Pathos

   
   

   d. Illustration

   
   

   e. Dialogue

   
   

   f. MySpace excerpts

What is Poverty Analysis

http://www.englisharticles.info/2010/06/10/what-is-poverty/

In an article entitled “What is Poverty”, author Jo Goodwin Parker uses different devices to appeal to her audience. These devices include descriptions and anecdotes as well as the presentation of counter-arguments. The descriptions that Parker includes in her article tend to accentuate sensory details such as smell and taste, “This is a smell of urine, sour milk, and spoiling food sometimes joined with the strong smell of long-cooked onions” (1). These sensory descriptions enliven the article to the point where the reader can almost smell and taste what Parker is lamenting about. Anecdotes are also used to tell the story of Parker’s past, which was also riddled with the effects of poverty, “It is remembering quitting school in junior high because “nice” children had been so cruel about my clothes and my smell.” (2). By adding a personal anecdote to show that the author has been in poverty her whole life, acts to further strengthen the pathos appeal of the article.

Furthermore, Parker incorporates counter-arguments into her writing. With each counter-argument, she also presents a rebuttal, “I have to decide every day if I can bear to put my cracked sore hands into the cold water and strong soap. But you ask, why not water? Fuel costs money. If you have a wood fire it costs money. If you burn electricity, it costs money.” (1). The combination of counter-arguments and rebuttals makes the article seem well thought out and not like a mere list of rants.

Judas vs Jesus

In recent years, Lady Gaga has risen from relative obscurity into superstardom with the help of her unique persona and controversial music. Her latest hit music video, “Judas”, is no exception. Packed with an assortment of religious and cultural references, “Judas” raises questions about acceptance and religiosity. The lyrics contain many biblical references such as the story of Mary and Martha and, in particular, Judas’ betrayal. Using these allusions, Lady Gaga tells a story about love, forgiveness, sin, and virtue.

In the first verse, the narrator expresses that she is ready to forgive Judas despite his lies and betrayals:

When he comes to me, I am ready
I wash his feet with my hair if he needs
Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain
Even after three times he betrays me

Washing someone’s feet is a sign of extreme love and humility in the Christian world. In the same way, the three times Peter denied Jesus Christ was one of the most heartbreaking betrayals in the bible. Lady Gaga implemented these extreme examples to show that the narrator is ready to love and forgive Judas no matter how hard he falls.

During the second stanza introduces two new ideas to the listener. First, the narrator establishes that she is not alone in forgiving Judas. She then states that love can be either a constructive or destructive force. The verse can be interpreted as a plea for mercy on behalf of Judas and his transgressions. The dichotomy in the narrator’s feelings is fully exposed in the bridge of the song. While admitting that she is a sinner who is “beyond repentance”, the narrator is divided between the virtue of Jesus and sinful Judas:

I wanna love you,
But something's pulling me away from you
Jesus is my Virtue
And Judas is the demon I cling to

There is a strong internal opposition structured into the song which is illustrated by the narrator’s longing for both her inherent sinful nature and a life of virtue. The struggle between integrity and immortality is something that many people wrestle with. While some people find great value in trying to live a virtuous life, their selfish nature often times hinders their progress. This internal conflict destabilizes the definition of “wrong” and the boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable in society.

Scholarly Journals and Status Updates

Web 2.0 differs from its predecessor in its collaborative and user-centered design. This is what Professor Michael Wesch is alluding to in his popular video, “The Machine is Us(ing) Us”. He suggests that the content of the World Wide Web is created and used by its own users, whose behavior and ideas teach and enhance the “Machine”. With this new system form and content can now function independently from each other. The resulting simplification of the data import and export process has broadened the accessibility of World Wide Web. Now, just about anyone with a computer and an internet connection can read, write, and publish their ideas through various forms social media. As users of the Web, we have transformed from passive viewers to active producers and consumers in a virtual community.

For some however, the ease and accessibility of user-generated content is also its bane. Because the content is open to the mass public, some question its credibility. While skeptics doubt the authenticity of collaborative information web sites like Wikipedia, others have found them to be an enriching and helpful learning tool. In recent years, it seems as though sites like Wikipedia are gradually shedding their academic stigma. While citing Wikipedia is still forbidden in most classrooms, it now possesses enough credibility for general use. On a similar note, one can now maintain their social life within the confines of his or her own room using different social media networking websites. In the past this scenario would have been an oxymoron, but today it seems to indicate an ongoing shift in how we view human interaction and evaluate credibility.

i can has cheezburger?

The use of web lingo and text speech in the classrooms has been looked down upon by educators for years. Most objections were to their informal nature and blatant disregard for grammatical rules. Teachers argued that with enough use, internet slang would degrade speaking and writing skills. Psychologists like Maryanne Wolf believe that the Net’s emphasis on efficiency and immediacy weakens the interpretive abilities of its users (Carr 99). It seems to make sense that the continual use of acronyms and abbreviated phrases found on the Net would indeed lead one to use shortcuts elsewhere in life. However, several experts are now beginning to believe that with proper management, Net jargon can actually have beneficial effects on students.

In Rachel Abrams article, “Experts Divided over Changes to Language”, linguist David Crystal expresses his beliefs that that the linguistic changes caused by the Internet are purely additive and not altering (Abrams 2). While many people can attest to the Internet’s affect on attention span and language, they cannot deny that most varieties web speech do follow a specific set of rules. For example, the governing guidelines of “lolspeak” or “kitty pidgin” require idiosyncratic phrases combined with poor grammar and spelling. Even the spelling errors, such as the replacement of the letter “s” with the letter “z”, are systematic. Creating a humorous “lolcat” image requires an understanding of a set rules and the ability to apply them successfully. If every subject in school follows this principle of comprehension and application, then one must ask if web languages can have a beneficial effect on learning. Netlingo founder, Erin Jansen, believes that Internet language is a “freedom of expression” which helps students communicate their ideas (Abrams 2). She along with other experts believe that an understanding of its rules and usage are the key factors in utilizing web languages for academic gain and classroom integration.