Alexander

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

December 3, 2012

Alexander Response

Male- strong, in charge, main source of income, protector, provider, fixer upper, big, tall, athletic, intelligent, powerful.

Female- clean, cook, feminine, must look good, weak, sensitive, tend to children, compassionate.

These items do not identify one as a writer.  Some of the best books have been written by not only males but females as well.  There are men out there that have written cooking books and women that have written work-out books.  I did not particularly enjoy this reading because Alexander seemed really biased that men were better than women.

Chloe Brotherton

Medusa Response

November 29, 2012

                What we’re learning in class interacts with Cixous because the story of Perseus has to do with authority and men having control over women.  Medusa was raped by Neptune, which is a major indicator of authority.  Men looked at women as property or pleasure, and Neptune had no idea that what he was doing was more than just sex; it changed Medusa’s life in the worst way possible.  Perseus eventually killed the evil Medusa, though, which I considered fate because everything worked out for Perseus in the end.

peer review for nick

Chloe Brotherton

Peer Review for Nick

November 26, 2012

                I thought this was a good paper.  There were a few grammatical errors here and there, but other than that you basically nailed this assignment.  I like how you chose the Pittsburgh Steeler football organization as your discourse community, because I am a Steelers fan myself!  Steeler fans are very passionate about their team and they really are the definition of a discourse community.  You did a great job providing background information about the organization, but for the collecting data portion I was a little disappointed because your paper was lacking an interview.  Besides that, I’d say you did a good job writing this paper.

intro/synthesis pro 3

Chloe Brotherton

Project #3 Intro/Synthesis

November 5, 2012

 

            According to Swales, a discourse community must contain the following six characteristics: a broad set of common public goals, mechanisms of intercommunication among its members, use its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback, possess one or more genres in the in the communicative furtherance of its aims, acquire some specific lexis, and have a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise.   Discourse communities are all over the world and can be ranged from academic to non-academic.  A discourse community is more of a suggestive term and is not necessarily defined.  The discourse community I am choosing to study is my job Tropical Smoothie Café back in West Chester, Ohio (about 30 minutes north of Cincinnati).  I consider Tropical Smoothie Café a discourse community because our goal is to give great service to our customers, we communicate to achieve our goals and have meetings quite frequently, we are honest and critical of each other so the employees can be the best they can, we have multiple means of communication (email, text, face to face), we all strive to be the best business we can, and we have all been trained at the same level.

            A broad set of common public goals that Tropical Smoothie Café shares are providing extraordinary service/care to our customers, keeping the work place clean and organized, always keeping busy, as well as having fun.  We treat our customers with the upmost, sincere respect.  So many of our customers have become regulars and we know a majority of them on a first name basis.  We give out a lot of free smoothies and coupons, too.  When there is downtime, the Tropical Smoothie Café employees do easy tasks, like stocking cups or sweeping the floor.  These may not sound like that big of jobs, but they make all the difference.  Jeff, the owner of Tropical Smoothie, believes, “You can’t do your best at something if you hate it,” so he lets his employees have fun on the job.  I would consider this an effective work ethic; we are eager and energetic at the work place which reflects our attitudes towards the customers.  We play upbeat music around the clock and if no customers are around, we are allowed to converse with one another as well as make food or smoothies.  There is not a single employee that doesn’t enjoy working at Tropical Smoothie Café and with that in mind it’s easier to achieve our goals.

joe miller

Chloe Brotherton

Peer Edit for Joe Miller

November 26, 2012

                I thought this was a good piece, it stuck to the topic of the discourse community very thoroughly.  It didn’t really tell me about the Athens music community, though, and how the music would be considered a discourse community.  What I liked about this paper was the fact that the data was extremely analyzed and collected in an organized manner.  You can tell that Joe put a lot of time and effort into collecting the data.  What I didn’t like, though, was the fact that the paper focused more on interpreting what a discourse community was, rather than applying the Athens music community to a discourse community.  It had complete sentences, good grammar and spelling, and a nice structure.  Overall, I thought Joe Miller’s essay was a good one.

Delpit and Smitherman

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

November 16, 2012

 

I thought Delpit and Smitherman’s articles were both well written and made good arguments.  Delpit’s main focus was on discourse communities and shared similar ideas with Gee, which was refreshing to read.  Smitherman’s article was written through the eyes of an African American and I thought it was a unique piece.  Although it was different than other articles we have read in the past, I found it quite enjoyable.  I could sort of relate to Delpit’s article more so than Smitherman’s because we are currently learning about discourse communities.  I could take some of Delpit’s concepts and incorporating them into project 3. 

Project 3 proposal

My discourse community for project 3 is going to be my job at home, Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

scary storyyyy

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

October 30, 2012

Scary Story

                It was a lovely day, one April morning.  I went to school, ran errands with my mom, and hung out with friends, nothing out of the ordinary.  But something was very unusual; I kept seeing this baby along with a black cat throughout the entire day.   I thought maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, but I swear it was the same baby but in a different woman’s arms everywhere I went.   It was unlike any baby I had ever seen; his skin was white as snow with black hair, and a face that held no emotion whatsoever.  Moments after I would see the baby, a black cat would appear outside of wherever I was.  The baby and the cat would just stare at me, motionless, but I didn’t think much of it.  I fell asleep that night wondering if the two had any correlation, but I figured I was just being paranoid.  A few hours later I woke up to see a pair of eyes staring at me at the end of my bed.  I sat up to get a better glimpse.  Was it my dog?  No, I sleep with my door closed so there was no way Marley could have gotten in my room.  As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I made out a figure that looked somewhat like a baby.  My heart jumped; the baby from earlier?  How could that be?  I closed my eyes for a second and opened them again, only to make eye contact with the pale, evil baby at the edge of my bed.  I immediately shut my eyes after making the eye contact and went into panic mode.  Was this real?  What should I do?  “Just go back to sleep, you’re probably just imagining this,” I told myself, unconvincingly.  So, with my eyes closed, I slowly lay myself back down in my bed, trying not to disturb the imaginary baby.  Does he know I’m awake?  Before I knew it my head was back on my pillow and I let out a sigh of relief.  After a minute passed, I began to relax a little bit and dozed off again; I knew I was imagining the whole thing!  Suddenly, I feel an object at least 100 pounds spring onto my chest and start biting me.  It was the baby.  In an instant I was wide awake and attempting to get the baby off my chest, but it was too strong.  I began screaming, “Mom! Dad!” and flew out of my bed but the baby held on to my chest tight, eating away at my flesh.  I open my bedroom door and immediately feel something attack my leg; I look down and it’s the black cat.  Both of these creatures were extremely strong and I could feel myself succumbing to them.  But I wasn’t giving up just yet; I was still screaming for my mom and dad and fighting off the baby and cat.  I ran down the stairs and realized that I was not in my house.  Where was I?  “Mom! Dad! Anyone!”  I cried desperately but no one was there.  I was alone in a strange, scary house with a baby and cat eating away at me.  Just when I thought all hope was lost, my mom appeared with a wooden cross in her hand.  Mom!  I was more than happy to see her.  “Mom!  Save me!”  I screamed, but she was hesitant.  As she moved closer to me, she didn’t speak.  What is she doing?  Why won’t she talk?  She was now inches away from me.  She slowly reached her hand out with the cross and placed it on my arm.  It began burning, hurting even more than the cat and baby who were eating away at my flesh.  I began screaming.  “Chloe, this is for your own good.  You’re possessed!”  My mom said as she pressed the cross against my skin even harder. 

                All of a sudden, I wake up.  The first thing I notice is that I’m in my own bed, sweating; it had all just been a bad dream.  But what was weird was the fact I was sleeping on my back (which I never do) with my arms spread apart and my legs together… I was sleeping in the position of a cross.  After this experience I was convinced I was possessed by some sort of demon and went to church the following Sunday, and after that everything went back to normal.  That’s my scary story!!

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

October 24, 2012

Swales/Gee Dialect Journal

 

“In this chapter we ask you to consider the idea that literacy learning is never over.” (Page 463)

What exactly is “literacy learning” and how would one define it..?  Seems like a pretty broad topic to me.

“We need then to clarify, for procedural purposes, what is to be understood by discourse community and, perhaps in the present circumstances, it is better to offer a set of criteria sufficiently narrow that it will eliminate many of the marginal, blurred and controversial contenders.” (Page 469)

What a long sentence!  At first, I didn’t quite understand what the problem was with a discourse community and now I’m starting to understand what Swales is saying.  It’s more of a suggestive term and cannot be defined in just a sentence or phrase; a discourse community is more like the center of ideas rather than a settled notion.

“1. A discourse community has a broadly agreed set of common public goals.” (Page 471)

According to Swales a discourse community is a group of people that share goals or purposes and use communication to achieve them.  This definition of six backs up that statement.

Overall, I found this reading to be a little dry and boring to read, but I think it’s safe to say I officially know what a discourse community is.  A discourse community, broken down into six characteristics, must contain the following: broadly agreed set of common public goals, mechanisms of intercommunication among its members, provide information and feedback, possess one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims, acquired some specific lexis, and threshold of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise.

Chloe Brotherton
English 1510
October 2, 2012

We are all familiar with the Peta ads; sexy, attractive, half naked celebrities with the slogan "I'd rather go naked than wear fur."  And this ad is no different, with these five beautiful women naked holding the sign just below their clevage.  The background color is a plain whitesh gray, with both black and white ethnicities.  This scene makes their skin color really pop out at us.  And the sign is simple but definitely catches the eye; this is overall a really nice looking picture and Peta knows this.  The fine print reads, "Animals killed for their fur are beaten and often skinned alive.  Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs.  Don't buy or wear fur."  The word "skin" and "fur" and repeated to emphasize that our skin is equal to an animal's fur.  The picture is alligned perfectly except for the sign which is a little slanted.  And the girls are ordered in short, short, tall, tall, short, which is appealing to the eye.

dialect

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

October 5, 2012

Dennis Baron Dialect

“For many of us, the computer revolution came long ago, and it has left its mark on the way we do things with words.”

For me, the computer revolution occurred while I was growing up, so that was pretty neat.  I remember I first used a computer in kindergarten, and it was on a Microsoft Word.  I would write the word “cat” (but I didn’t use a keyboard, we had this thing were we picked a letter out of the alphabet with our mouse) and then used clip art and added a picture of a cat… Oh have things changed since then.  I wish it was still that simple!

“I readily admit my dependence on the new technology of writing.”

I don’t know how I would survive without Microsoft Word or any of the new technologies of writing on computers, either.  I can’t imagine school without it.  I have Microsoft Word 2010 on my computer and my mom has either 2005 or 2006 and I cannot stand that version!  I refuse to use it—this shows how much the new technology means to me.

“Of course the first writing technology was writing itself.  Just like the telegraph and the computer, writing itself was once an innovation strongly resisted by traditionalists because it was unnatural and untrustworthy.”

It’s amazing, if you think about it, how far writing has come.  I never really considered writing a technology like the telephone or computer until now.  I cannot imagine college writing with only a pen and paper.  Writing is really something innovative.

hook

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

October 2, 2012

Bell Hooks

QDJ

1.        When Hooks wrote that she wanted to kill herself, she meant not actually dying, but killing herself in her writing.  She wanted to kill herself in the writing because she saw it as freeing herself from her past and troubles.

2.       Bio mythology is writing that is both fiction and autobiography.  Hook’s example is not bio mythology because it’s not fiction; her writing would be considered just an autobiography.

3.       Hooks uses a hope chest to frame her autobiography.  It was her mother’s and it was very valuable to her.  For my autobiography I would use a puppy because I love puppies, they are crazy, playful and sleepy like me.

AEI

2.  Identity is something that can definitely be changed through text.  I think it would be easy to write about yourself and give yourself the identity you’ve always admired.  You can achieve this by writing a fictional book but perhaps basing the protagonist off you, giving yourself new qualities and a different identity.

shitty first draft

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

October 2, 2012

Shitty First Draft

                I have always loved writing ever since I can remember.  When I was ten, I would keep a little notebook full of stories I would write; I never finished any of them though, for some reason.  I would get bored with the story after writing it for a week or so and start writing another.  I never really planned what I wrote either, I just wrote whatever came to mind, which is why I am horrible at rough drafts.  I don’t believe in rough drafts and I sort of see them as a waste of time.  I mean they are better for whatever you’re writing and make your writings more efficient, but rough drafts are not for me.  One time I did do a rough draft for a paper, though, and I got a C on it (the paper), so that was a fail.  I’m really ADHD and a master procrastinator so maybe that has something to do with my hatred of rough drafts.  Papers were meant for doing the night before, under a lot of pressure and stress, so that way all of your stress and anger is taken out on the paper and it ends up being really good!  I hope I am doing this paper correctly haha.

Brandt

Chloe Brotherton

1510 English

October 1, 2012

Dialectial Journal

“Throughout their lives, affluent people from high-caste racial groups have multiple and redundant contracts with powerful literacy sponsors as a routine part of their economic and political privileges.  Poor people and those from low-caste racial groups are less consistent, less politically secured access to literacy sponsors—especially to the ones that can grease their way to academic and economic success,” (Brandt 337)

I found this interesting that Brandt is using race in her article.  In the section “Sponsorship and Access”, the first paragraph starts out with comparing races, which I found surprising.  Apparently race-status really matters in a literary sponsorship.  Also, family background, income, and education contribute to one’s sponsorship.

“When this process stirs ambivalence, on their part or on ours, we need to be understanding,” (Brandt 348)

I agree with Brandt that teachers, professors, and writers need to be more understanding.  Not everyone is good at writing; I believe that a good writer is one who is just born with it.  If college students are not yet “good writers” then teachers need to understand and if they are getting their work done then that is all that matters.

rough draft

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

September 22, 2012

 

Questioning a Construct: Semicolon

What is a semicolon?  What is it used for?  The semicolon is seen in articles and other pieces of writings but is not always understood.  According to Lynne Truss, British expert on grammar, many non-writers avoid the semicolon.  Not as simple as the comma (brief pause) or the period (complete stop), the semicolon (moderate pause) is definitely considered one of the more unpopular punctuation marks, possibly because not many people know how to use it.  Besides being a neat little symbol of a dot on top of a comma, it has several uses and can be practiced as an effective writing tool.  Perhaps if people knew how to properly use the semicolon, it would be used more in their writings.

Developed in 1494 by Aldus Manutius the Elder, an Italian printer, the semicolon was used to separate words of opposed meaning and to indicate interdependent statements.  The semicolon was first used systematically by an English writer, Ben Jonson, later on.  The semicolon is sometimes avoided because, according to Lynne Truss, "They are old-fashioned", "They are middle-class", "They are optional", "They are mysteriously connected to pausing" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semicolon) and many other reasons.  While some of those reasons may be understandable, the semicolon is still an important part of punctuation.  Its functions include listing items, linking related or independent clauses, connecting sentences that contain internal punctuation, a “super comma”, or as a moderate pause.  Do not use it with a conjunction, though; that’s a common misconception of the semicolon.  Typically a semicolon is used when forming a bond between two related, contrasting statements.

When using a semicolon it is essential that one use it correctly!  But the problem with that, though, is it’s “The most feared punctuation on earth” (http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon).  The semicolon isn’t really taught in schools (or schools don’t really spend a great deal of time teaching it), because it’s not necessarily needed for writing.  It’s not like a period or a comma; a sentence can definitely survive without a semicolon.  A semicolon can make a sentence sound better, though, with its pausing effect.  For example, “Today was a great day.  I played with puppies for hours on end.”  Nothing is wrong with that phrase, but it would sound better with a semicolon for its pause: “Today was a great day; I played with puppies for hours on end.”  Since these are two statements, a semicolon can replace a period.

 Two statements or independent clauses can also be separated by a conjunction too, and this is where things can get tricky. A semicolon can be used with a conjunction adverb, but not a conjunction. Conjunctions consist of the words, “and, for, but, since, because, though, so, etc.,” and when a conjunction is present, there is no need for a semicolon. A conjunction adverb, on the other hand, is an indication of a connection between two independent clauses in one sentence. Conjunction adverbs include, “also, however, otherwise, consequently, indeed, similarly, finally, likewise, etc.”  People seem to have trouble grasping this concept, and common errors like these occur quite frequently: “I was so happy today; because I won twenty five million dollars.”  Either leave out the semicolon, or eliminate the word “because” (Example: “I was so happy today because I won twenty five million dollars,” or “I was so happy today; I won twenty five million dollars”).

 

            The most common way to use a semicolon is to connect two independent clauses.  For example, the phrase “I love my mom.  She bought me two dozen roses,” is acceptable, but a semicolon could also come into play here:  “I love my mom; she bought me two dozen roses.”  An independent clause is a sentence that can stand alone (subject, verb, direct object= independent clause).  “I love my mom” and “She bought me two dozen roses” are both independent clauses, and can both stand on their own.  They can also be separated by a semicolon, though.  Either way is acceptable.

            A semicolon can be used when forming a bond between two relating or contrasting statements.  For example: “I gnaw on old car tires; it strengthens my jaw so I’ll be better conditioned for bear combat,” (http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon).  The semicolon used here strengthens the relationship between gnawing on tires and combatting bears.  A case where a semicolon is not needed, though, is when the statements have no sort of connection to each other.  For example, “I fought the bear and won.  Also, I never kiss plague rats on the mouth,” (http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon).  A semicolon would be incorrect if used in this context; stick with a period.

            When a sentence contains internal punctuation (i.e., a comma) it is acceptable to use a semicolon to prevent a run on.  For example, “When bunnies hate each other, they’ll often square dance; bunnies are wonderful square dancers.”  Without a semicolon, this sentence would be long and awkward.  Instead of two commas and a conjunction here and there, it would make more sense to use a semicolon in this context.  Too many commas would resort to comma splices, and a period would lose the connection between the two clauses (http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon).

            A semicolon can be used as a super comma (“what’s a super comma?”).  A super comma is a semicolon being used in listing items, like states or favorite foods, in sentences that already contain commas.  For example, “While looking for my pet hamster, I traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; and Athens, Ohio.”  It can also be used to enable one to list and describe characters in a sentence.  For instance, “My favorite movies include Pineapple Express, a comedy; Titanic, a drama; and Paranormal Activity 2, a horror film.”

               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

"Conjunction (grammar)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Sept. 2012. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conjunction_(grammar)>.

"Semicolons in Lists." Using Semicolons in Lists. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. <http://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/semicolons_in_lists.htm>.

"Using Semicolons." Grammar and Punctuation:. University of Wisconsin, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. <http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Semicolons.html>.

Inman, Mathew. "The Oatmeal." How to Use a Semicolon -. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. <http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon>.

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

September 26, 2012

Peer Review Practice

                The essay “Due Tomorrow, Do Tomorrow” wasn’t the best of essays.  It lacked many essay essentials, like an introduction, thesis statement, supporting paragraphs, etc.  It also broke some essay rules, like saying “I.”  “Due Tomorrow, Do Tomorrow” was constructed more as a novel rather than an essay and had a lot of unnecessary portions, like the Desperate Housewives part.  Some good things about this essay are it definitely kept me entertained and even giggling at some parts while reading.  It had paragraphs and looked like the person actually put some effort into writing this since it was seven pages.  Some bad things about this essay are that it was written really poorly, almost like a 7^th grader wrote it.  It was full of many grammar and punctuation errors, some of which were unnecessary.  Example: “. . . I had— and it had benefitted me greatly.”  There was no need for a ‘—’ in that sentence.  It was a pathetic excuse for an essay and I would give it a C-; even though it didn’t really explain anything but I can see the person put a little bit of effort into writing this.

Intro

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

September 22, 2012

Questioning a Construct: Semicolon

                What is a semicolon?  What is it used for?  The semicolon is seen in articles and other pieces of writings but is not always understood.  According to Lynne Truss, British expert on grammar, many non-writers avoid the semicolon.  Not as simple as the comma or period, it’s definitely considered one of the more unpopular punctuation marks; possibly because not many people know how to use it.  Besides being a neat little symbol of a dot on top of a comma, it has several uses and can be practiced as an effective writing tool.  Perhaps if people knew how to properly use the semicolon, it would be used more in their writings.

                Developed in 1494 by Aldus Manutius the Elder, an Italian printer, the semicolon was used to separate words of opposed meaning and to indicate interdependent statements.  The semicolon was first used systematically by an English writer, Ben Jonson, later on.  The semicolon is sometimes avoided because, according to Lynne Truss, "They are old-fashioned", "They are middle-class", "They are optional", "They are mysteriously connected to pausing" and many other reasons.  While some of those reasons may be understandable, the semicolon is still an important part of punctuation.  Its functions include listing items, linking related or independent clauses, connecting sentences that contain internal punctuation, or as a moderate pause.  Do not use it with a conjunction, though; that’s a common misconception of the semicolon.  Typically a semicolon is used when forming a bond between two relating of contrasting statements.

Bernhardt

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

September 19, 2012

“Seeing the Text” Stephen A. Bernhardt

 

Summary

Stephen A. Bernhardt’s “Seeing the Text” breaks down the process of looking at a text; according to Bernhardt, “a text can be seen, must be seen, in a process which is essentially different from the perception of speech.”  Bernhardt goes on to explain the different kinds of texts and what makes that style of writing unique.  He really goes in depth and analyzes the little things that a reader may not realize.

Synthesis

“Seeing the Text” is similar to other readings we have read this semester because it goes into detail about a function of writing, but it is also somewhat different.  It is different than other readings we have read because it shows an example of an article (Wetlands) and has a chart breaking down kinds of texts.  It was also relatively shorter.

QDJ

4.  I believe when writing an essay there is a specific format to follow because essays are very formal and if you do anything other than the expected criteria you are wrong.  You may not be “wrong”, but you won’t get full credit if your essay doesn’t have the following: introduction, thesis, three or more supporting paragraphs, and conclusion.  It has been like that ever since high school, and it’s drilled in our heads that a proper essay must be in that format. 

AEI

3.  The definition for “gestalt” is: a configuration, pattern, or organized field having specific properties that cannot be derived from the summation of its component parts; a unified whole.  Bernhardt, on the other hand, uses “gestalt” as a law or idea for the text.  Now that I have a better understanding of the word it does help with reading this article.

After thoughts

I found this article to be boring.  It was a boring topic and I really wasn’t interested in learning about texts.  He went into such depth about the anatomy of a text, too.  At least it was one of the shorter articles we’ve had.

Porter

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

September 17, 2012

James E. Porter “Intertextuality and the Discourse Community”

 

Summary

James E. Porters “Intertextuality and the Discourse Community” article is about the absurdity of how our writings must always be original and any ideas borrowed are plagiarized.  Porter explains the principle of the phrase “intertextuality” meaning not all ideas are plagiarized, but contain traces of other texts. 

Synthesis

“Intertextuality and the Discourse Community” is somewhat like the other pieces we have read this semester in the sense of explaining a concept to the reader.  But it’s also kind of different because instead of telling us how to do something or fix it, he is just explaining his views on the concepts of our culture’s way of writing.

QDJ

4.  Porter’s concept of evaluating writing should be its “acceptability” within the reader’s community is different than I assumed before reading the article because I always had different techniques of writing, some from high school and some I learned this year in English 1510.  For a paper to be “acceptable” it must have expected social science sections, demonstrate contributing knowledge to the field, demonstrate familiarity, use a scientific method of analyzing results, etc.  I wouldn’t necessarily agree with all of this, but Porter does definitely have some good points.

5.  I believe Porter’s work reflects the principles he’s writing about.  He got his point across to me and even made me think about the concept in a different light because I have always kind of thought the same thing about plagiarism and intertextuality.  Even if his article wasn’t “original” he still explained had valid facts/opinions like a good article should. 

AEI

2.  The plagiarism policy for the course I’m in now is unless you copy and paste an article or parts of various articles then that is plagiarism.  But if you take the same idea for that article and put it in your own words than that is not plagiarism.  Also, if you quote the passage from the article you want to use and site the article and the author it is not plagiarism.

Meta Moment

Porter’s study hasn’t necessarily changed the way I imagined writers writing; I haven’t really put thought into writers writing though.  I just see a writer writing on a computer, nothing special.  Adopting his notions would change my ways but I doubt I’ll fully adopt his notions.

After thoughts

This wasn’t the most interesting article, but his concept of textuality was something worth reading about.  I always pondered on the idea of plagiarism; isn’t everything technically plagiarized?  Unless you are the one coming up with a new idea or such, is anything you say/write original?  Porter put this is a different perspective for me.

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

September 14, 2012

Peter Elbow “The Voice in Writing Again: Embracing Contraries”

Getting Ready to Read

I construct my identity through my Facebook profile by my pictures, my ‘about me’, my statuses, and my information. My online identity is different than my at home identity because it’s really easy to be myself on the internet; people who are shy in real life use the internet all the time to express their true identities because typing what you think is a lot easier than saying it to people.

QDJ

1. I define voice as someone’s feelings and opinions. Voices range from aggressive to passive. Everyone has one, and sometimes you don’t even have to speak to have a ‘voice’. Voice is just a form of expression. Elbow’s definition of ‘voice’ is a technique to make something sound more appealing, and I think voice is more than that; it goes beyond someone’s tone of talking.

2. It depends; when reading boring, bland articles I do not hear a voice. But when texting someone I really know or reading an interesting book my imagination hears a voice which makes the piece more interesting. So in that sense Elbow is right. But honestly I don’t like Elbow for some reason I feel like he’s forcing this information down my throat I just find him annoying and a sophistic thinker. I don’t agree with Elbow on page 55, paragraph 67 because writing is supposed to be you being creative and he’s saying we should ignore voice.

AEI

1. Resonance is having an effect on the audience/ reader, and sincerity is being serious in your piece or being sincere. Use these in your writings for an effective writing, because they are both really good tools for writing.

Connecting to Other Readings

2. Voice is definitely something used to influence writing. It’s like listening to a song; a pretty and appealing voice is essential to a good song. People with bad voices aren’t singers, and the same could be said about writing

Informal Writing

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

September 12, 2012

Informal Writing

                Nikki Sixx from Motely Crue has had a crazy life… Actually, crazy would be an understatement.  He has written many books about his experiences, and one I have read and become quite fond of is “The Heroin Diaries.”  It’s basically his diary from when he was a heroin addict, with his own input after each entry.  It’s extremely fascinating; one entry was about how he saw evil midgets in his house, so he ran and hid in his closet and actually stayed there for a couple of days.  Nikki was a very tortured person, but he was also very creative and a good writer; all of the ingredients needed to make an interesting book.  One time he overdosed and his friends left him in a dumpster.  He was eventually found and taken to a hospital, where his life was saved.  After overdosing, he decided to turn his life around by quitting heroin and breaking away from his friends and girlfriend who were contributing to his addiction (even though he relapsed later on through the years, but that’s beside the point).

                Published in 2007, “The Heroin Diaries” was written once Nikki had calmed down and grown up a bit.  Nikki had always enjoyed writing, and this was definitely a story worth sharing.  He was very inspired writing this piece because the heroin had completely taken over his life for many years; he even described the heroin as “Hell”.  Once he overcame this awful drug, he felt he needed to share his experience to the world.  The life of a Rock ‘n’ Roll star isn’t always rainbows and butterflies; we as readers saw a very vulnerable, tortured, and dark side of Nikki Sixx. 

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

September 12, 2012

Berkenkotter and Murray

 

Summary

Berkenkotter’s “Decisions and Revisions” and Murray’s “Response of a Laboratory Rat—or Being Protocoled” is about the proper steps a writer must take in order to compose a successful paper; it takes planning, evaluating, revising, and editing.  Berkenkotter and Murray work together practicing these tools and learning each other’s techniques in this article.

Synthesis

This article was somewhat different than the other ones assigned.  There were two writers instead of one, and these writers were evaluating one another opposed to one writer explaining to the reader what to do.

QDJ

1.        My impression of Murray’s writings is that they are extremely organized, well thought-out, and very in depth.  He took many steps before writing his final piece, which I admire him for.  When I write I do not take any caution and revise as I go, which may not be the best method, but it works for me most of the time.

2.       This study changed Berkenkotter’s understanding of writing processes, particularly planning and revision, by observing Murray and how much time and effort he spent in the just the process of planning whatever he was going to write.  Berkenkotter, a writer herself,  was shocked at the amount of planning Murray did, which is saying something.

AEI

1.        When I write, I need to be in a relaxed environment and state of mind; my writing is altered depending on my mood and setting.  I would characterize my level of writing as average because I’m good at writing stories and poems, but essays… not so much.  I’m not the well-rounded writer that I wished I was.  I tend to just write as I go which great writers like Murray do not do.

Meta Moment

One thing I learned from the Berkenkotter and Murray article is how essential planning can be to a writing piece.  It can really make a good piece an even better piece.  Maybe I will try planning before writing in the future.

Berger

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

September 10, 2012

“Ways of Seeing”

Before you Read

When thinking of a man and a woman together, we picture them appealing, the man strong and attractive, and the woman thin and pretty.  After looking up pictures of men and women, I saw exactly what I expected; a tall, muscular, tan man with a shorter but not too short woman by his side with a nice body and long hair.  Society has made us believe that looks are so important, and if you don’t look like the girl or the boy in the magazine, you aren’t attractive.

QDJ

2.  Advertisements use attractive people, mainly women, as objects to get their point across.  It could be an advertisement for anything, baby products, cars, milk, etc., and you can almost guarantee the person(s) used in the advertisement are attractive.  Being unattractive is extremely looked down upon and it’s sad.

4.  The audience is anyone who may be opposed to Berger’s article, especially women.  It seems he is trying to persuade the reader.

5.  The “other” is the thing that attracts us, whether it be a nude person or even an object such as food.  If it were a beer advertisement, it could be a woman in a bikini holding whatever beer is being advertised.

McCloud

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

September 10, 2012

“The Vocabulary of Comics”

Summary

“The Vocabulary of Comics” by Scott McCloud is a comic strip about how our brain is programmed to view an icon as the actual object.  For example, seeing a picture of yourself and thinking “that’s me!” when in actuality it’s not you, it’s a picture of you; except it’s not a picture of you, it’s a pixilated figure on a paper like item.  That’s how the whole comic is written, a breaking down of everyday icons. 

Synthesis

“The Vocabulary of Comics” is hard to compare to other pieces we have read this year, because it was a completely different style of writing.  Instead of the usual bland article written about how to properly research a paper or construct an argument, McCloud’s comic pokes fun at how the brain works and technically unless it’s the actual object, everything is an icon.  I found this reading particularly interesting.

QDJ

2.  Cartoons tend to draw more attention and focus opposed to the average article, and McCloud is aware of this.  Getting your point across through a comic is effective because people like the simplicity of pictures and words; it makes one feel at ease opposed to reading a 10 page article.  I would take a comic strip over a reading article any day.

3.  McCloud is right in ways of the reader becoming more distracted by focusing on the details of the pictures instead of the actual point being made.  He made a good choice by keeping the comic plain with little detail.  Pretty pictures can easily consume one’s mind; notice how cartoons on t.v. are more successful and watched if the cartoon characters are appealing.

AEI

4.  The concept of one having a mask is interestingly true.  Without a mask, one’s emotions would be available for all to see which isn’t okay in society.  Maybe it’s better off if everyone had masks.

After Reading Thoughts

I enjoyed reading this piece because it wasn’t your typical boring article.  I liked the pictures and word bubbles because they kept my attention and made the reading interesting.  I definitely wouldn’t mind if more of our class readings were like this.

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

9/7/12

 

Summary

      The Alden Library videos weren’t as bad as I thought they’d be; they were actually somewhat entertaining, as well as very informing.  I learned about what purpose each floor held and the different opportunities there.  For example, the second floor is where the library service is, and each student can rent a laptop for no more than three hours (with the exception of the laptop must never leave the library).  I also learned that the library is open till midnight, and one floor is open 24 hours!  This is not your ordinary library, and I will definitely find myself spending more time at this facility.

Chloe Brotherton

English 1510

9/5/2012

Summary

In Kantz’s article ‘Helping students use textual sources persuasively’, Kantz takes two students and compares their work, giving her input and advice throughout the process.  She teaches them how to properly use research and how important research is for a good paper.

Synthesis

Kantz’s article is similar to Kleine’s, in the sense of good research and information is key to a good paper.  But Kantz and Kleine have different methods of using their research.

QDJ

1.       Kantz contends that facts and opinions are essentially the same and that they are a claim. The difference between a fact and an opinion is how they are received by an audience. An argument, on the other hand, consists of claims proved with data and backed by warrants (ethical claims). An argument can be supported through another or multiple arguments.

2.       According to Kantz, students don’t understand/have difficulty with how to properly write a synthesis or cite sources, creating an original argument, rhetorical contexts or situations, and writing rough drafts.  Kantz is correct because I know myself and others struggled with this in high school. 

AEI

1.        I haven’t really had any college assignments yet, except for these reading responses.  The reading responses, though, give sufficient explanation of what the professor is looking for, for example, they are very blunt and give pretty good direction on what to do.   We were given a paper on what to do and how to do it, with the summary, synthesis, and after thoughts. 

Meta Moment

The concepts of construction Kantz is trying to analyze is good techniques for writing successful papers, using two different students point of views. 

After Thoughts

Kantz’s article was helpful and gave me a new perspective on writing papers.  I now have a better grasp on how to properly research a paper and write a rough draft.  I liked how she used to fictitious students to make the paper more interesting and easier to relate to. 

PS- I can't find your email, and my home work from last week posted as blank on my blog, why did it do that and what do I do?? Thanks, Chloe