Last Blog of the Semester

When first coming in to the English Comp 101 class, I was nervous just like all of my classes because it had been so long since I had been in school. I didn't know if I would remember anything about writing a paper. Now, looking back at the semester, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to get back into the swing of things and I feel that I did a pretty good job at writing this semester.

Blogging was an interesting way to do an assignement. I can say that I did like it better than having to write an assignment in class. I would say as far as writing assignments go, I think that this is my preferred way to do it as long as we aren't getting graded on grammar and spelling.

Overall, I have really enjoyed this class this semester and I think it has helped me as a writer very much. I feel much more confident going into my next semester English Lit class.

A blog about the weekend

So this weekend, I got to drive home to Rapid City to spend time with all of my friends and family. It was a little stressful to start, getting out of town was a pain and when we finally were able to leave, the rain was turning to ice and I was so scared that the roads would be that way the whole way home. Luckily though, once we got to Mitchell, the roads were pretty much dry the whole way home. Thursday was spend at my boyfriend's family's house and we had an awesome Thankgsgiving dinner! Then, Friday was spent shopping and then we drove up to Spearfish to see our friend's band play. Then Saturday was spent enjoying another Thanksgiving dinner with my family and then that night we got to go out and party with all of our friends. I had a great time back home but I am also happy to be back in my own home and back to life. I definitely can't wait for Christmas time though when we get to do it all again!

#3 On Page 244- The Most Dangerous Game

The biggest detail that I found in this story that was reoccuring was the darkness. It seemed like every time something bad happened, it was dark. The story started out talking about how dark it was which set up for everything else to happen. Also, Zaroff had dark features and hunted in the night. The fact that both of the men were great hunters was also a reoccuring detail, it was shown in how Rainsford was able to get away from Zaroff and also how Zaroff was able to hunt him down. I think the biggest object that had significance in the story was the pistol, the sounds are what brought Rainsford to the island and to the home and it turned out to be the gun that would potentially kill Rainsford. Also, Ivan was of great significance to Zaroff because he seemed to be a kind of companion and he also helped in the hunt so it really set him off when Ivan got killed. The description of Zaroff makes him out to be an intelligent, worldly, and sophisticated man by the fine liquors and wines that he drinks, the food that he eats, and all the things he has done and places he has gone but he is actually just a psyco serial killer. The fact that Rainsford was not a killer at the beginning of the story showed that he valued his own morals but he did value his own life more than his morals and he became a killer in the end.

Young Goodman Brown

While reading Young Goodman Brown, I noticed a lot of symbolizm throughout the whole story. There was everything from Goodman Brown's title, symbolizing that he was a puritan, the forest symbolizing sin, the older man in the forest in Goodman Brown's image symbolizing the devil, Goodman Brown's wife Faith, symbolizing his faith, the ribbons symbolizing innocence and purity, and the snake staff further symbolizing the devil and the temptations he creates. The story was a little hard to read because of the old language that it used but it was very easy to see the symbolism in the story. It was as if every tiny thing in the story symbolized something bigger. It took me awhile to realize what was going on but once I figured it out, it caused the use of imagination to try to understand the moral of the story and also other details of the story like why he had to be tested in the first place and why this experience changed him so much. Especially since he didn't even know if it was real or not. I think this was a very good story to show how much symbolism and morals can be a part of a story.

Review of A Rose For Emily

When I was reading A Rose for Emily, the biggest thing I noticed was how the story was narrated. It was an interesting way for the author to do this because it was a way to let the reader use their imagination and fill in the blanks. The way that the people of the town seemed to think they knew everything that was going on when they really had no idea what was going on behind closed doors was an interesting take. I could sense by the tone of the story that something strange was going on but only having the different people's take on what was happening led to the ability to have a twist at the ending. I liked the way that it was narrated but I don't think that it would work well on a longer story or novel. I think after too long of not know the details of the story, it would be easy to lose what was actually happening. It would just seem like gossip and the story wouldn't be able to shock you at the end like this story did.

The Most Dangerous Game

I really enjoyed reading The Most Dangerous Game. It was suspensful and a very easy story to follow. Something that I noticed throughout the whole story was how the author made it a point to point out the darkness of everything, and how the story unfolded and moved within the darkness. This was something I noticed right away when Rainsford was talking about how he couldn't see 500 yards out from the yact and how the sea looked like black velvet. Then, shortly after explaining the darkness, he fell from the boat. Anytime that it was day time, nothing really happened but then that next night, he found Zafford's house by the lights on the house that were shining through the darkness and when he saw Zafford, the author made a point to show how he had dark features. I also noticed that the only time the hunting happened was at night which also plays into the darkness theme.

Something else that I thought about after reading this story is what will happen to Rainsford now that he has killed Zafford. He too is now stranded on this island and will get shipwrecked boats full of people. He was so against killing a human when he got to Zafford's house but in the end he went back and killed him so could it be that he has turned into a killer himself? He already had the same mind frame as Zafford when it came to the sport of hunting and now he will be in a position to do the same thing that Zafford did. It would be interesting to see the story unfold into a longer novel.

Through the eyes of Katrina Van Tassle

I always thought Ichabod Crane was an odd man. He was older and I was his student but I couldn't help to notice the way he would look at me in class. Especially once I started having my eye on Brom Bones. Brom was the man I truely wanted to be with but I couldn't be rude to Ichabod, he was my teacher. I always just thought he was a funny man, always reading his witchcraft books and singing through his big pointy nose. I couldn't believe it the night that he came to the party at my father's house. He kept looking around at all of the fine things in the house and I think he was trying to catch my eye at all points in the night, anytime I was looking in his direction. He even tried to dance to impress me. I kept staring at Brom who was sitting on the side of the dance floor and I think he knew that I was beginning to be uncomforatable with Ichabod. So we all devised a plan to scare him away. At the end of the night, Brom followed Ichabod through Sleepy Hallow on his horse to pretend to be the Headless Horseman. It was all fun and games and we all thought that the pumpkin would be the perfect touch to play the missing head. I never imagined that Ichabod would run away forever though! I guess we scared him more than we thought. Oh well though, at least now Brom and I can live in peace and I don't have to worry about the teacher eyeing me any longer! I'm just glad no one got hurt. Physically anyways.

Katrina Van Tassle- Bones

Buffy- Halloween Edition

I thought that the Buffy episode we watched was fun and entertaining and it was a little of a blast from the past being that it was from the 90s. I remember when all of the "teenage" shows on tv were full of actors who were at least in thier early 20s, far too old to be playing high school students which was definitely shown here. In this episode there was definitely some stereotyping going on. There was the fact that the guy had to be tough because if he got shown up by the girl to the bully then he would be ridiculed forever because of it. This episode portrayed the fact that girls are supposed to be weak while the guys are the strong ones. This was definitely exaggerated when Buffy was dressed up as the 1700s girl for Halloween and she was supposed to be stupid and bow down to the men. I also thought it was funny how the shy girl dressed up wearing way less clothing then she usually would on Halloween and that is what got the guy to notice her at the end of the episode. It almost seemed like the only way she would be noticed was if she showed more skin. The whole vampire thing does directly coincide with today's moderm teenage shows and books. The tv show that I think it most resembled was that of a show called "The Vampire Diaries" where the main vampire goes to high school and dates a high school girl who knows his secret but dates him anyways because she loves him. She also get pulled into all sorts of bad situations because of this. The Buffy series probably did help build some of these vampire shows that are out today.

My favorite book

Its hard to pick out a favorite book because usually when I find a book that I start getting into, I usually end up loving it and it will be my favorite book until I find another one. So I have decided to make a list of my top favorite books starting with a book that I am currently reading.

I am currently reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I actually had a hard time getting into this book. It seemed like everytime I would try, I would get distracted and I couldn't understand the story line because it is based in Sweden and there were some things I couldn't understand. I had heard that this book was amazing though so I was determined to at least try to get through the first couple of chapters. So when I actually got into the book more, I am finding that I really like it. I love when I actually have time to read the book because its a really intriguing mystery and I'm excited to see how it ends.

My next favorite books are a series of books. I'm actually a little embarrassed to admit it but I absolutely loved reading the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. I was hooked from the very beginning and I think because they were such easy reads, I was able to get through them quickly and really fall in love with the characters. I read the first two books when I was on vacation in Hawaii with my best friend and so I probably attach that memory with how great I thought the books were.

My last set of books that I loved are the books Are You There Vodka, Its Me Chelsea and Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler. I have always loved her as a comedian and I love reading her books. They are so easy to follow and I love that I end up literally laughing out loud when I read her stories.

So those have been my favorite books so far. I love to read when I have time though, so I'm sure many more will be added to this list!

My blog

I am so incredibly happy that it is the weekend. It has been a very long week. They seem to get longer and longer now that I am working 32 hours a week and getting more and more homework every week. This is the life I signed up for though, I knew what I was getting myself into.
 Its kind of crazy to think back to where I was just this summer. I was just like every other normal working adult. I was working for a cable company as a sales administrator and I loved working there. I really did love almost everything about it. The people were great, my job was great, people respected me and came to me to do tough tasks or if they needed help because I was the person that they relied on. The pay was pretty decent too but even with all the bells and whistles, I still wanted something more. Sometime around January of this year, I applied for a promotion to be the front office supervisor. The position came down to me and another lady, and she got accepted for the job. When that manager told me the news, he stated that I was great and it was a really hard choice but she had a little more experience and she had a degree which put her over the top. Losing a promotion that I really wanted at that time really got me thinking. What am I doing with my life? Yes, I have a job that I love but really, I'm just floating by. I just live my life day to day and I am never going to get the kind of life that I truely want to live by doing this. I really want a family with at least four kids and a big house with a big yard and a dog and I could never afford to have that kind of life by floating by. So that is why I decided to come to college and I think it was the best decision of my life.
So now, as I sit in this hot and dingy laundry mat and do my homework and stress about money and tests and essays, I know in the end it will all be worth it. I am going to be doing something that I choose to do, not something I just fall into and I will get to live the life I have always imagined. Now if I only I could make time fly a little faster.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos of Gay Rights in America

I have decided to write my paper about equal rights for gay Americans pertaining to marriage and the right to have a family no matter what a person's sexual orientation. I believe that I will be able to balance pathos, ethos, and logos with this topic.

There is a huge amount of emotional appeal, or pathos, to speak about this topic because it is something that any American has heard about on several occasions and also more than likely has someone in their life who is directly affected by the current laws in most states. Homosexual Americans do not currently have the right to be married in any state in the country and if they do get married in a state that allows same sex marriage, they will not be recognized as such in their own state or other states that do not allow same sex marriage. I believe that there is a vast majority of people in this country who feel this is wrong and are angry and saddened by this. Not only saddened and angered by the fact that gay American's can't be married, but also by the fact that it is harder to raise a child in a family with gay parents because of the ridicule that the child will have to go through because society has made it seem that being gay is a choice and that it is "wrong."

There is also a great amount of credibility, or ethos, which comes along with this topic. There are many criminal cases that have been overturned due to an arrest being unconstitutional pertaining to homosexual acts. There also seems to be a vast amount of straight people who support the equal rights of gay people because they feel there is an inequality. There are studies and books about how gay marriage should be legalized nationwide and why it is not already. There are many published sources speaking about how a child growing up in a home with gay parents can actually be beneficial for a child, no matter the child's sexual orientation.

The last piece of the puzzle would be the logic, or logos, that is involved with this topic. It seems logical to debate this topic because we live in a country where we are supposed to be a melting pot of all kinds of people from all kinds of places and with all kinds of backgrounds. This country is supposed to be "the land of the free, home of the brave," yet if you want to be brave and share with your loved ones that you are gay, and you would like to have this recognized with the institution of marriage, you are not allowed to in most places in the United States. The majority of straight marriages end in divorce and a huge amount of those involve children so why would it be up to the state or the country to decide that a gay couple wouldn't be fit to raise a family?

I think that I have a good start to my paper about gay rights and I feel that it will appeal to all three parts of an argumentive paper.

Topics

The first topic that I could write about is one that I am most strongly leaning towards in my topic decisions. I would like to write about Gay Rights in America. Some questions that I could ask about this topic would be: how many American citizans does this impact? What kind of rights do straight people have that gay people do not have? What would change for America if the rights of gays was equal?

The second topic that I could write about is the need for generalized classes in the University. Some questions I could ask about this topic would be: what are the costs to students for these classes? Are these classes worth the extra time and money? Do these classes create a platform for higher education or are they just a waste of time?

The third topic that I could write about would be the legalization of marijuana. Some questions I could as about this topic would be: what majority of Americans would be on board for this legalization? Would legalizing marijuana lead to leagalizing all other drugs, including harshly addictive drugs? Would this help our economy in a time of need?

I think that these three topics would all be good to write about and I feel I would be able to find many sources and much information about each of these.

Class 10-12-10

I enjoyed today's class period. Moving us to a big circle was a cool way to mix things up a little bit and it was easier to through the gecko around to get us all involved. I can say that we need to organize it a little better next time though. It was pretty close quarters in that back corner! I think that the grammer lesson was informative but it didn't really seem like any of them wanted to give the presentation. I think the use of profanity to start a presentation isn't really a very effective way of speaking about grammar, but that is just my opinion. I did learn more about semi-colons and colons though so that was helpful on the mycomplab quizzes. I also enjoyed the group work on the board because it gave me some good ideas to start with on my own word-bubble outline and it really helped the ideas start to flow.

All in all, I'd say today's class period was productive and getting the class involved was a good way to keep us all in tune with the assignment and it made class go by quickly.

Class Reflection

My experience in this class has been pretty good so far. I really love the smaller size of the class and the fact that everyone pretty much knows everyone, including our instructor. That seems harder to come by in college now and this English class is actually the only class that I have where my teacher actually knows who I am without looking at a seating chart, even though I have spoke with the teachers through email. A smaller, more intimite class setting makes it easier to speak up in class and be involved and it also helps ease the nervousness of peer editing.

I enjoy writing blogs, even though sometimes it is hard to come up with the words to describe whatever the blog topic is, but I guess that is the point sometimes. To get us to think a little bit. I do kind of wish that sometimes the blogs could be about something that we choose to write about but I can see the point of the blogs that are assigned.

Writing papers has been the hardest part of this class for me. I seem to have a difficult time thinking of topics to write about. The hardest paper so far was the proposal essay because it was the first time in a very long time that I had to find sources and citing something was very scary for me. It was a lot easier to write about a situation in my life like in the Literacy Narrative. Once I got past the scariness of citing works, I feel a little better about writing going forward in this class. Learing to do some MLA in class has definitely helped in that aspect. Now I just need to learn how to get over anxiety of choosing topics which is the toughest part for me right now.

Writers Memo about my Literacy Narrative

The first draft of my literacy narrative was a reflection of my thoughts, feelings, and memories of my life growing up in a family of divorced parents. It was a little less formal and I didn't notice very many of the grammar mistakes that I made. I also hadn't read the essay out loud so as it had a flow in my head, that didn't quite come through to the reader. This first draft was peer editied by two people in class. It was nice to have their perspectives on my paper and it was pointed out to me certain sentences that didn't really make sense or didn't flow. Once I had those pointed out, it was easier to see the direction my paper needed to go. I was told that the story seemed rushed and that if it was longer, it would help get my point across. Both of the readers also wanted me to elaborate on parts in order to make the story flow a little easier.

On the second draft that I turned in, I had eleminated some of the sentences that didn't need to be there and I elaborated on my story a little bit more. Like when I talked about moving around a lot as a child, the peer reviewers suggested I explain why that happened so I took that approach on my second draft. The biggest errors I had returned to me from the second draft would be grammar errors. It was also pointed out to me that I used a fact that I would have to cite if used. I got the statistic from a random web page so I now know that I can't use a statistic like that for my papers.

On my final draft, I believe all I have left to do is really look at all of my grammar errors and make appropriate changes to correct them. There are a few sentences that need to be structured a little differently and I will make those changes as well.

Proposal Essay Topic

I have decided to write my proposal essay about the inconvenience of Supplemental Instruction classes at USD. I am unfortunately one of the unlucky students that has to be a full time student and a full time worker and I have classes that have Supplemental Instruction classes that are only available at night. In one of my classes, my professor says that we will pass the test if we come to class, do the work, and go to the SI classes. I find that this is an unfair advantage for the students that don't have to have a full time job to get by. There are only three SI classes a week for this class and I have not been able to attend one due to my need to pay bills. My proposal is that if the professers can't have more than one Supplemental Instructor teaching at varied times throughout the day or if USD can't budjet this in, the SI classes should be video taped and placed on D2L or on some other form of the internet to give students who have to study at random times throughout the day the same advantage as the students who can make all of the SI classes.

This is something that concerns me currently in my life. I am a little concerned that I may not be able to find sources to cite on this but I'm really hoping that this will work because its something that I think would be a great idea to institute at USD.

Stephen Colbert on Migrant Farm Workers

I watched the episode on the Colbert Report where he was talking about migrant farm workers. The episode starts with Colbert talking about how he will be testifying before congress and how Gretchen Carlson with Fox News was so upset about him speaking at congress and "wasting our tax payers dollars". Stephen then went on to make fun of her by saying that yes, she was right because the tax payers would be paying for his water and the electricity powering his microphone for his five minutes of talk time. It was really entertaining because I was thinking the same thing. I thought, "really, she is so concerned about tax payers money?" I thought that part of it was really funny. Also, another reporter was upset because Colbert would be testifying "under oath and in character" when people like Christy Brinkley and Elmo have spoke before congress. I think that some of these journalists will just disagree with anything to get thier faces on tv.

In the next part, Colbert dressed in gardening wear and went on a migrant farm to work and see what these workers have to go through. It was really entertaining because it was funny but it got you to take a look what does actually go on on these farms. Workers are working as fast as possible to fill boxes full of ears of corn and some workers are out in the fields picking beans in the sun. It was funny to see him ask questions about if they get to pick beans in the shade or if the workers get paid by the hour or by the bean. I think he makes this into more of a joke so that more people will pay attention and actually see the really issue behind the humor. It kind of made me think about how these people end up coming into this country legally and illegally just to work in semi-poor conditions for low wages. Colbert asked if he would be qualified for the job and the owner said no. Its interesting because there are probably a lot of American workers who would not be qualified for this job or want to do this job but the for the Mexican immigrants, that is all they have.

Pilots need sleep too

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2010-09-17-editorial17_ST_N.htm 
 I read this article about the amount of sleep pilots were getting due to their long work schedules and commutes to work. There have been crashes due to pilots that were asleep or pilots that were exhausted and people have died because of this. Pilots are currently allowed to work 16 hour shifts and when they do get their required 8 hours of 'sleep' time, this 8 hours includes getting to the hotel, eating, sleeping, and dressing before they are back to work. The Federal Aviation Administration is trying to pass an ordinance that would force pilots to take a minimum of 9 hours of sleep time starting when they get back to thier hotel. They would also only be allowed to work 13 hour shifts and those that worked overnight could be limited to nine hours a shift. They also would force the airlines to keep records of the pilots commuting because those flying hours could count against thier shifts. Pilots and airlines oppose these new proposed regulations and the author of this article believes that if these regulations don't get passed, more lives will be at risk. I agree with the author on this article because there have been several plane crashes and hundreds of deaths due to pilot fatigue. Just because it makes it inconvienient for pilots or it makes scheduling harder for airlines doesn't mean that these people being annoyed is worth sacrificing more passengers. In my opinion, public saftey has to come first because when you are flying on a plane, you are basically intrusting your life in the pilot's hands. I certaintly would not want my pilot falling asleep if I were a passenger on a plane. I think that these new regulations would really help to make sure that the pilots are not overworked or fatigued. I hope that the FAA works with pilots and airlines to make sure that the passengers of these planes are safe and also that it is something that the pilots and airlines can be comfortable with. I think that each side will have to make changes and small sacrifices in order to make a new regulation pass but those sacrifices should be made for the greater good.

My Proposal for my Literacy Narrative

I have decided to write my Literacy Narrative about my parent's divorce and how that has affected me and shaped me as a person today. I came to this decision because thier divorce happened when I was only six years old and it started a chain of movement and change in my life. It also shaped how I view my relationships with not only boyfriends but with my family and friends as well. Thier divorce was a nasty one and I believe I have a perspective on this that not a lot of people may have. I also have views about how I want my future to be, based on what I have been through in the past. I believe this will be a good topic to write about as it was probably the most influental event thus far in my life.

Topic for my Literacy Narrative

I've been trying to come up with a good idea to write my paper about. I have been trying to think of things that I am literate in. It seemed like a lot of people in class had good ideas to start with. Some were good at sports, some knowledgable about hunting, some about writing itself. I on the other hand, couldn't really think of anything that stands out to me as something I am exceptionally literate in. I have always been the kind of person that was a good kid, did well in school, hung out with my friends and family and just pretty normal all around person. My family moved around a ton when I was younger and a lot of my childhood memories just consist of that. Constant change. Even after I graduated high school in 2003 I did a lot of changing. I moved out of the house, I had jobs that I loved but became bored at and so I changed them again. I finally decided to go to college with the intention of changing my life and finding what I am truely literate in and finding something to be successful at in my life. So when trying to come up with a topic for my paper, I decided that I think I will go with the actual meaning of a literacy narrative; how my reading and writing experiences have shaped me into the person I am today. Now, I have never really considered myself to be a great writer and I'm not really sure that I could write about how writing has shaped me into the person I am today but I could write about reading. For as long as I can remember I have always loved to read. My mom used to call me her "little bookworm". I have always been into horror, sci fi, mysteries, law, and crime books and this is something I believe has helped shaped my interests. Even though these books have always been fiction, I think it might have helped define how I think and  has actually lead me to my decision to go into Criminal Justice. I have a lot of brainstorming to do and I hope that this idea will actually pan out to a 1000 word essay but I think I am at a good starting point.

What defines me?

At this point in my life, I would say that I am partially defined. The things that define me are my relationships. My family, my friends, and my boyfriend are the most important aspects of my life. They have all individually shaped me into the kind of person that I am today.

My family consists of my Mom, Stepdad, and two sisters. My Mom has been the rock in our family. She had to be a single mom for most of our lives growing up and she always worked hard to instill good morals and values into her children. Growing up, I always watched how hard she worked and even though I didn't understand it much then, I now know that I wouldn't be the type of person I am today if it wasn't for her. I learned many lessons from her but the most important that helped define me today would probably be that its always best to treat people the way you want to be treated and that family is always first. Those are pretty simple lessons to live by but they have helped me feel like a good person with good morals and also have helped me build strong bonds with my family members even as we have all become adults.

My friends and boyfriend are also a huge part in what defines me. My friends are what I refer to as my 'friend family'. They consist of a small group of people that I would do anything for. They have each in their own way helped to mold me into who I am today. They have brought out the positive things in me and my life and added laughter and joy and fun to it. My boyfriend is also equally amazing as he has really helped me to see sides of myself that I didn't know were there. He has helped push me to become all that I can be and all that I want to be. I've never had anyone in my life who really helped my open my eyes to who I really am like my friends and boyfriend have.

The parts of me that remain undefined are what I want for my future. Eventually I see myself with a family of my own and I believe that having that will define me on a whole new level that I can't even imagine right now. I see myself graduating from college and hopefully going to law school and becoming a successful lawyer. I don't even know what type of lawyer I will choose to be at this point and I believe that the choice I make in that will help define me in new ways. I'm not sure that I will ever be able to give a concrete answer on what 'defines me' but I think that I like it better that way. I like being a little undefined.