well i've done this once. i've been unprepared the other times. well last time i was prepared, but i was not prepared to be prepared, so i just didn't. i think going back to the last blog post, this is another thing i do that is a pattern of error. i write in a weird way, and i feel like only i can understand it, but that's the beauty of it!
ok anyway. with the peer review i witnessed last time, my fellow colleagues were told to read the essays aloud once, and then read them silently. i think this helps greatly because sometimes its hard to understand what a sentence is saying unless you actually say it out loud. i think that was a great addition to the peer review process. i also think peer review is helpful in the earlier stages of writing, and it's done best in small groups. in large groups, it'd be easy to miss out on something. when its just 2 people or 3 people reviewing each others essays, it seems much easier to actually connect with the writer, and its easier to provide feedback. it wont seem like one is repeating ones self either.
as a peer reviewer, i get too boring because i don't know what else to say. and i'm not so good at the whole "be brutally honest" part of this. i find it hard to be a critic on something belonging to someone i don't really know. like if i were reviewing an essay written by my dad or sister, i could be as honest as i want because...well i dont know. i'd just feel more comfortable like that. its probably the same reason i don't like others reading my writing. i'm not sure what to expect when the revision process is over.
Monday, November 7, 2011
error: user malfunction
one thing i do a lot that i really shouldn't is that i constantly try to include my opinion in what ever i'm doing writing about. even if i'm not supposed to, i'm always biased. it's bad, and i'm sure i'm not the only one (my opinion, again. what am i even talking about? i know nothing!), but really. i just don't know how to change this though. i don't think i can. the only way i can be completely unbiased on something is if i don't know what it's about.
another thing is how i try to include like a ton of prepositional phrases and stuff, and pretty much anything i can to make my writing seem longer. for some reason, my brain decided that if i write a lot, the teacher won't read it all and will just give me a good grade. they'll be like "oh ok this first part is pretty cool, A+!!!" that's how it plays out in my head, in reality, it's more like "wow what is this. there's so much. doesn't follow rules...D-!!" *evil laughter*
aside from that, there's probably a lot more that i haven't caught on to yet, or am too tired to realize and be aware of right now.
another thing is how i try to include like a ton of prepositional phrases and stuff, and pretty much anything i can to make my writing seem longer. for some reason, my brain decided that if i write a lot, the teacher won't read it all and will just give me a good grade. they'll be like "oh ok this first part is pretty cool, A+!!!" that's how it plays out in my head, in reality, it's more like "wow what is this. there's so much. doesn't follow rules...D-!!" *evil laughter*
aside from that, there's probably a lot more that i haven't caught on to yet, or am too tired to realize and be aware of right now.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
obama is a hero
WOAH I'm totally going to write about the "Should the Obama generation drop out?" article.
I just read the "most 18-year-olds are not from families with plenty of money, not top students, and not drawn toward academics" part. and I instantly realized "woah, man, that's me."
It's pretty much about the fact that many job requirements include the words "Bachelor's Degree" and that is something that is unattainable to many. as I said earlier, I relate to this. I'm still undeclared in terms of my major. I have like a bunch of ideas that MAY work out but I really don't know at all. I don't know anything for sure. The alternative solution that they provide is a multiple choice assessment, which could work, because it could simply be a "pass/fail" type of examination. you pass, you get a chance at the job. you fail, better luck next time when you're more fit for whatever job. Many businesses do this now with their applications (I know from experience) but they also look at your current situation such as whether or not you're in school or you've graduated, as well as previous experience. Getting a first job is tough enough due to the fact that many places look to hire people who already have experience, so it's a never-ending loop of joblessness. Another thing is how many businesses look at which school you've attended, so they make the assumption that, for example, someone who graduated from MIT is more suited for a job as opposed to someone who graduated with the same degree from like Southern Illinois University. Obama has the right idea here. "It’s what you can do that should count when you apply for a job, not where you learned to do it."
I just read the "most 18-year-olds are not from families with plenty of money, not top students, and not drawn toward academics" part. and I instantly realized "woah, man, that's me."
It's pretty much about the fact that many job requirements include the words "Bachelor's Degree" and that is something that is unattainable to many. as I said earlier, I relate to this. I'm still undeclared in terms of my major. I have like a bunch of ideas that MAY work out but I really don't know at all. I don't know anything for sure. The alternative solution that they provide is a multiple choice assessment, which could work, because it could simply be a "pass/fail" type of examination. you pass, you get a chance at the job. you fail, better luck next time when you're more fit for whatever job. Many businesses do this now with their applications (I know from experience) but they also look at your current situation such as whether or not you're in school or you've graduated, as well as previous experience. Getting a first job is tough enough due to the fact that many places look to hire people who already have experience, so it's a never-ending loop of joblessness. Another thing is how many businesses look at which school you've attended, so they make the assumption that, for example, someone who graduated from MIT is more suited for a job as opposed to someone who graduated with the same degree from like Southern Illinois University. Obama has the right idea here. "It’s what you can do that should count when you apply for a job, not where you learned to do it."
reflection time oooooooo
it's that time. mirror time.
well.
personally. I don't think my writing has changed much.
I do enjoy the class though! it's pretty B.A.
and it's fun. it's not at all like my other classes where I just sit and listen to the instructor.
it has made me think more about the rhetorics of my writing though. like how I can change my writing style depending on who will be reading it.
except not really very much though, because I tend to lean more towards a satirical and witty and often obnoxious style of writing, regardless of who will be reading it. unless I'm writing to, like, Obama or something, because then I'd try to sound smart with a tiny bit of cleverness, just to keep his attention.
aaaand my writing process is pretty much the same. maybe I SHOULD change something about that though, because I tend to not get things turned in on time.
well.
personally. I don't think my writing has changed much.
I do enjoy the class though! it's pretty B.A.
and it's fun. it's not at all like my other classes where I just sit and listen to the instructor.
it has made me think more about the rhetorics of my writing though. like how I can change my writing style depending on who will be reading it.
except not really very much though, because I tend to lean more towards a satirical and witty and often obnoxious style of writing, regardless of who will be reading it. unless I'm writing to, like, Obama or something, because then I'd try to sound smart with a tiny bit of cleverness, just to keep his attention.
aaaand my writing process is pretty much the same. maybe I SHOULD change something about that though, because I tend to not get things turned in on time.
rhetorical situation. whut.
I was a bit confused at first. but I think I understand this now. I think.
so, yeah. there are many similarities between the ad analysis essay and the literacy narrative essay. for one, they were both written to the same audience: my english professor. so with that much, the tone would automatically be pretty much the same. a big difference is that the ad analysis is just the author trying to explain the meaning of an ad, using critical and speculative perspectives on the ad itself. a literacy narrative is pretty much just going over an experience that affected the author's writing ability and style and all that. the ad doesn't really have an effect on the author's writing, it just shows it off.
the end!
so, yeah. there are many similarities between the ad analysis essay and the literacy narrative essay. for one, they were both written to the same audience: my english professor. so with that much, the tone would automatically be pretty much the same. a big difference is that the ad analysis is just the author trying to explain the meaning of an ad, using critical and speculative perspectives on the ad itself. a literacy narrative is pretty much just going over an experience that affected the author's writing ability and style and all that. the ad doesn't really have an effect on the author's writing, it just shows it off.
the end!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Budweiser: The King of Beers
the purpose of the ad is clearly that Budweiser is the greatest beer of all time. how do I know? well the ad doesn't lie, right? right?! "There's nothing like it... absolutely nothing"
my guess is that the audience was people who were of a legal drinking age, which was 21 at the time this advertisement was release (1949, pretty vintage, huh?) and maybe people who liked fishing/picnics.
this ad seems more innocent than the beer ads we see today, especially the ones on tv, which usually exploit women and all.
it just seems like if you wanna have a good time fishing with your woman, and enjoying a picnic, you should pick up some budweiser. that'll make it a GREAT time.
revision
well. I typed my first paper in a really rushed sort of mood. I was at work with my mom and there was an open computer and I had about 20 minutes to write some stuff down. because, yeah, like I said in the last post, my computer was busted. I'd been running Linux from a flash drive before then. it wasn't very good.
so yeah, my revised essay was, in my opinion, better. I think I organized it better. things made more sense the first time I read them. I think it may have actually been a bit longer too. that was pretty cool.
I fixed some grammar mistakes. added a couple more. oops. peer revision helped a bit because I knew what parts I could keep, since they were underlined for being in great detail.
hmm. I think the strongest point was like in my examples that I explained and stuff. and the weakest points were probably the conclusion and introduction, because I always have trouble with that.
I tend to end my writings too abruptly.
so yeah, my revised essay was, in my opinion, better. I think I organized it better. things made more sense the first time I read them. I think it may have actually been a bit longer too. that was pretty cool.
I fixed some grammar mistakes. added a couple more. oops. peer revision helped a bit because I knew what parts I could keep, since they were underlined for being in great detail.
hmm. I think the strongest point was like in my examples that I explained and stuff. and the weakest points were probably the conclusion and introduction, because I always have trouble with that.
I tend to end my writings too abruptly.
FIRST OFF
i'm kinda late to this ugh I mean I don't really have an excuse aside from the fact that my computer's hard drive was fried thanks to a power surge but blahblah yeah I could've done this at school i'm dumb.
anyway.
3rd blog post.
what makes a good paper.
well to start, maybe, it should be turned in on time. yep. that's something maybe I should work on.
next is the length of the paper or essay or book or whatever it is. it should be lengthy enough to get the message across, but short enough to keep a squirrel's attention. not literally, but yeah, it should keep the reader's attention. and stating all facts will just bore the reader, so mix it up a bit with examples and whatnot, maybe throw in some numbers and data or anything to keep interest. keep the reader on their toes. make them want to continue reading. conflicts are good.
a third attribute could be like using proper grammar. I say the word 'like' a lot, so if I were writing a paper instead of a blog post, I'd bring that down. and I'd also use big words because bigger words make it seem like the person knows what they're talking about.
and uh...yeah. that's..that's about it.
Friday, September 9, 2011
fjdakfl brainstorming on the fly
WELP. I procrastinated a bit. I need some ideas.
hmm.
well.
I don't know.
I don't have many interesting stories.
I could write about my first concert ever, which happened to be Streetlight Manifesto, who happens to be like the best band ever. well one of the best. in my opinion, of course. they were pretty kickass. I happened to run into a couple friends there too. that day, I entered the doors of The Metro as a 17 year old loser. by the end of the night, I was a changed man. I was a 17 year old loser who lost a shoe in the pit. I felt so tired and so energetic at the same time. THE DESCRIPTIVENESS IS KEY HERE. I could go on and on. but, it could get a bit boring and cliche if I say things like "IT WAS THE BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE." plus there's not much else to describe. it was a concert. zzzzzzzzzzz........
oh, I could also write about my first warped tour ever! that was pretty epic. I crowd surfed to some Hey Monday song (pretty punk rock, eh?). I was right in front of You Me At Six when they played too, that was pretty awesome. but yeah, this as an essay could get dulled down pretty quickly. I'll probably get too sad to write any more when I reach the part where Sum 41 totally cancelled their show and I had to miss Reel Big Fish. but we did stop at Culver's after the show. fries and ice cream never tasted so good. anywho. uh. yeah. that's...about it.
hmm. perhaps. I can write about some high school experiences. like freshman year when I was small and fast and was able to outrun the seniors who were throwing frozen batteries at kids. Whitney Young is supposed to be such a good school and those kids were brutal. or the first time I ever performed something in front of a crowd. my friend and I played a song. it was pretty bad but hey, we didn't get booed. senior year was pretty awesome too. my buddies and I covered a Rage Against The Machine song at an open mic thing at our school. we broke some microphones in the process, and then left. that was by far the most epic show I've been a part of. or I could talk about my philosophy class that completely flipped my mind over and turned me into some crazy person who constantly questions things, even my own existence at some points. like, after watching Inception, it made me think, like, what if life as I see it is just like that? where I exist alone, and everybody else just presents themselves subjectively, as an imagination of themselves, and everyone is simply my subconscious going to work and making up symbols. reading, if anything, definitely teaches about symbols. how certain motifs represent something underlying. and it brings me to the idea that life could just be a dream. because in dreams everything is a symbol for something. of course, the problem here would be loss of interest. these streams of conscious thought can interest me, but usually not anybody else.
oh well. I'll have to decide on something! where's that magic 8 ball......
hmm.
well.
I don't know.
I don't have many interesting stories.
I could write about my first concert ever, which happened to be Streetlight Manifesto, who happens to be like the best band ever. well one of the best. in my opinion, of course. they were pretty kickass. I happened to run into a couple friends there too. that day, I entered the doors of The Metro as a 17 year old loser. by the end of the night, I was a changed man. I was a 17 year old loser who lost a shoe in the pit. I felt so tired and so energetic at the same time. THE DESCRIPTIVENESS IS KEY HERE. I could go on and on. but, it could get a bit boring and cliche if I say things like "IT WAS THE BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE." plus there's not much else to describe. it was a concert. zzzzzzzzzzz........
oh, I could also write about my first warped tour ever! that was pretty epic. I crowd surfed to some Hey Monday song (pretty punk rock, eh?). I was right in front of You Me At Six when they played too, that was pretty awesome. but yeah, this as an essay could get dulled down pretty quickly. I'll probably get too sad to write any more when I reach the part where Sum 41 totally cancelled their show and I had to miss Reel Big Fish. but we did stop at Culver's after the show. fries and ice cream never tasted so good. anywho. uh. yeah. that's...about it.
hmm. perhaps. I can write about some high school experiences. like freshman year when I was small and fast and was able to outrun the seniors who were throwing frozen batteries at kids. Whitney Young is supposed to be such a good school and those kids were brutal. or the first time I ever performed something in front of a crowd. my friend and I played a song. it was pretty bad but hey, we didn't get booed. senior year was pretty awesome too. my buddies and I covered a Rage Against The Machine song at an open mic thing at our school. we broke some microphones in the process, and then left. that was by far the most epic show I've been a part of. or I could talk about my philosophy class that completely flipped my mind over and turned me into some crazy person who constantly questions things, even my own existence at some points. like, after watching Inception, it made me think, like, what if life as I see it is just like that? where I exist alone, and everybody else just presents themselves subjectively, as an imagination of themselves, and everyone is simply my subconscious going to work and making up symbols. reading, if anything, definitely teaches about symbols. how certain motifs represent something underlying. and it brings me to the idea that life could just be a dream. because in dreams everything is a symbol for something. of course, the problem here would be loss of interest. these streams of conscious thought can interest me, but usually not anybody else.
oh well. I'll have to decide on something! where's that magic 8 ball......
Sunday, September 4, 2011
there's a purpose for everything.
well, in all honesty, if it were up to me, I probably wouldn't be in an english 101 class. I'm not much of a writer, and I don't really know what I'm going to do with my life so I don't even know how necessary this class is. but I'm not a great writer, as far as I know, and there is always room for improvement. for this reason, I won't complain about being in a class that I didn't choose.
having the ability to write well can be very useful, regardless of what kind of job someone has, unless you're, like, a mechanic or something, and if that were the case, you'd just have to be good at..well...mechanizing things... I probably write the most when I'm texting. this means I either text a lot or I don't write much aside from texting. I think it's just that I text a lot though. I tend to use proper grammar when texting, though, because I find it obnoxious when people write things like "yo wat u doin 2day" due to the fact that sometimes people are impossible to understand.
I write a lot when I have philosoraptor thoughts. I enjoy dialectic with people, as well as keeping track of ambiguous thoughts, like the meanings of songs or readings or stories and stuff like that. I like to just write down my thoughts and other ideas that may oppose this first idea. it's pretty much just an argument with myself in my head.
yeah I'm pretty much running out of things to say. I'll stop here before I bs too much.
having the ability to write well can be very useful, regardless of what kind of job someone has, unless you're, like, a mechanic or something, and if that were the case, you'd just have to be good at..well...mechanizing things... I probably write the most when I'm texting. this means I either text a lot or I don't write much aside from texting. I think it's just that I text a lot though. I tend to use proper grammar when texting, though, because I find it obnoxious when people write things like "yo wat u doin 2day" due to the fact that sometimes people are impossible to understand.
I write a lot when I have philosoraptor thoughts. I enjoy dialectic with people, as well as keeping track of ambiguous thoughts, like the meanings of songs or readings or stories and stuff like that. I like to just write down my thoughts and other ideas that may oppose this first idea. it's pretty much just an argument with myself in my head.
yeah I'm pretty much running out of things to say. I'll stop here before I bs too much.
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