last blog for semester

Since coming to college I have learned I need a lot of work to do when it comes to my writing. I am horrible at grammatical language and sentence structure. I also write a lot of fragments. I find it easier to write a paper once I start on it. In this class specifically I have learned all the processes in writing. I had done revising before coming to college just not quite like we do in class. The students have more input that is meaningful instead of just editing your paper and pointing out the things that are wrong with the paper. It’s nice to have a readers point out what is interesting and what there should be less of in my papers. I have enjoyed the structured freedom we have had in topic choices. In high school the topics were very specific with little wiggle room. I liked the writing outline I used for the Beah observation. It was helpful and gave me a whole new way to look at a prewriting outline it was less formal and simple. I have liked the small class size and learning about things about the other students in class. They have there own interesting ideas and their likes, which I could learn something new, which is always nice. Next semester I want to improve on my writing more. I still could improve on incorporating outside sources to back up my ideas. I still could write longer papers and work on my grammar. Really just want to improve my writing more as a whole.

spaced it!

I totally spaced on blogging last week so this is my blog for last week. I work to revise project 1 which wasn’t the best of my work. I should go back and edit that project some more since I redid it last week. I need more sources and details to bring my reader into what I am trying to get across. I need to go back and look at my outline of what the project 1 was asking of me to write on and include in my writing. I need to work on my project three. I failed to get my project three revised before class today. I have no good excuse as to why it’s not done. It will be done before I turn in my portfolio. I am going to work hard this week to catch up and get moving. Finals are coming up close so now is crunch time get things done. For this class that means my projects revisions and blogs. I have been pretty good at blogging. Last week was the first week I forgot which I am not happy about. I remembered on Tuesday on my way home but then forgot again over the Thanksgiving break. I will work on my project three this week. I have to find a whole new article. I have decide to do this because I changed my major so it’s only fitting to find a new article to fit with project 3.

week 13

We getting down to the wire with things the semester looking at revising three of the four projects that I have done. I need a lot of work on some of my project especially on projects 1 and 2. I never did attend the Billy Dancing classing because I never got e-mails back from the contacts left on facebook and the BSU handbook of clubs. I need more attributions in all my papers. I just finished up my project 4 revision papers. I like some of the changes I made but I am pretty sure I don’t have enough sources. I chose not to refer to the Beah book as a source. My topic didn’t work well I thought with my paper.

I am probably going to revise project 3 next maybe even find a whole new article if that allowed. Mainly because I recently just changed my major so that would affect the paper I need to write for project 3. I am going to take advantage of the library databases. It helped me find my article I used in the original paper I wrote for project three. It will be a challenge for me though because I am not applying rhetorical analysis while reading. I can honestly say I have learned about what type of writer I am from this class. I have a better idea of what needs improvement in my writing. Before this class I never really paid attention that my intended reader was. I always just though I wrote papers for people to read it and give their opinions and get a grade. I have read many papers that don’t interest me so that idea really helped me to understand what writers are doing when they write.

Assessment of writing

I would give Gardner a 5 for many reasons. She has good ideas about the impact that traveling to different countries can have on someone. I liked how she goes into detail about the going to Brazil and how it changed her as a person. She goes into detail why it’s important to travel and how it changes ones view on the world. She has a clear idea of what she wants to let her reader to know. She is persuading the reader to the travel if ever possible because of the benefits of it. She explains the language barrier had while traveling but how it didn’t affect the relationships she formed with the natives to the countries she visited.
She gives good visual aids with pictures that relate to the topic. She had many sources that give her creditability to know what she was talking about was researched and not just based on her word. She bounces around with ideas a little bit could be more organized. The mention of disease seems out of place by putting towards the ending of her paper is not necessarily were it fits best. The last two paragraphs should wrap it up her ideas and restate her point she is trying to get across.

All about writing

This week in class was all about writing and peer review. The peer review we do in this class is a lot more in depth then I ever went into in high school. I have found this peer review more beneficial to me when go backing a revising my writings. I have never really thought about my intended reader before and what is the conclusion I want my reader to walk ago with after reading my writing. All these new things I have to take into consideration while writing. All my writing is to short in length for them to be complete. I always have a hard time explaining in more details. The sources for all my writings are a new concept for me as well. It does make since though readers need to know I have creditable ideas in my writing and I know what I am talking about.

The weeks coming up in class should be interesting going back and revising the out projects. There are some that need a lot of work. The one I am most interested in is project three because I love the idea. I enjoy reading information about the profession I am going into. My project four is has a good ideas but I may want to rewrite most of it I have not yet decided. It should be interesting because I will have more time now to really make it better. It is nice to know I did not go to far off base and I got the criteria parts that need details added onto those ideas.

Essay and Project 3

I have not written a prompt in I do not how long. I am a little worried about the time constraint of forty-five minutes. I am not sure I can write a well-put together essay. I have read the whole Beah book so that is good. I just hope I do not take too long to put of thoughts together and write them to so they make sense.

I got a start on my project three but it is not up to the standards it is not three pages and needs more work. I have trouble with writing not enough and being too vague. I like the article I picked it is interesting to me. I like the idea of the whole project using our major to pick an article on it. My major is secondary education with social studies. I also want to add to my license special education. The article was interesting and a good idea. The textbooks for Social Studies should be written in a different format. I wish that would been available to me in school. One reason why I want to go into special education is because I have a learning disability. I think I would be of help to adolescents who struggle with them as well. I can really understand what it is like to struggle with learning material.

project 3/Beah presentation

Project 3 sounds interesting to me. I haven’t really read to many published articles on my area of study, which is Secondary Education with Social Studies. I have not had much experience with using rhetorical analysis. I guess I have done it with almost everything I read but not to the extent I will with this article.

The last Beah presentation group went today. They had a fun prompt to write on write about an experience with culture shock. I wrote about my experience with snow when I was a little girl. Another story my mom has to me about been the first time I experienced a thunderstorm my sisters and I hide in cupboard of screamed. In Honolulu where I was born they do not have thunderstorms. They have heavy rain showers then the sun can return again the very next minute. I will miss having those presentations on Wednesdays in class.

This year freshmen’s connections book was a lot more interesting then the one I had to read my freshmen year. Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert was the book I was assigned as a freshman. The book was dry and a whole bunch of numbers, facts, and statistics. Global Warming is hot topics to discuss do not get my wrong but the book failed to get sucked in. I was surprised by this years book it was interesting and I liked reading it. I do not remember whether or not they brought the author here for my freshmen year because I had to withdrawal from my first semester of classes. It was nice to meet the author who wrote the interesting book about such an amazing story.

Music Influence

The chapters we read in Beah book this week were interesting. They show how music played/plays a big role in beah’s recovery. The songs and artist he chooses are understandable they lyrics are saying something meaning to him.
I like Beah have used artists and lyrics to get me through rough times. Nowhere near as rough as Beah went through though. I went through a bad breakup over a year ago. I got my heart broken and I thought I would never feel okay again. I would listen to “Over you” by Daughtry and “Gives You Hell” by the All American Rejects. I would listen to “over you” every night before I went to bed hoping that day would come sooner then later. At first I would listen to “over you” while crying myself to sleep. Today though I can listen to the song and be fine because I am finally over that person. “Gives You Hell” came out after “Over You” and it made me smile because I would listening to hoping that how they felt when they looked at me.

"Over You"

Now that it's all said and done,
I can't believe you were the one
To build me up and tear me down,
Like an old abandoned house.
What you said when you left
Just left me cold and out of breath.
I fell too far, was in way too deep.
Guess I let you get the best of me.

Well, I never saw it coming.
I should've started running
A long, long time ago.
And I never thought I'd doubt you,
I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know.
I'm slowly getting closure.
I guess it's really over.
I'm finally getting better.
And now I'm picking up the pieces.
I'm spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together.
'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,
I got over you.

You took a hammer to these walls,
Dragged the memories down the hall,
Packed your bags and walked away.
There was nothing I could say.
And when you slammed the front door shut,
A lot of others opened up,
So did my eyes so I could see
That you never were the best for me.

Well, I never saw it coming.
I should've started running
A long, long time ago.
And I never thought I'd doubt you,
I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know.
I'm slowly getting closure.
I guess it's really over.
I'm finally getting better.
And now I'm picking up the pieces.
I'm spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together.
'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,
I got over you.

Well, I never saw it coming.
I should've started running
A long, long time ago.
And I never thought I'd doubt you,
I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know.

Well, I never saw it coming.
I should've started running
A long, long time ago.
And I never thought I'd doubt you,
I'm better off without you
More than you, more than you know.
I'm slowly getting closure.
I guess it's really over.
I'm finally getting better.
And now I'm picking up the pieces.
I'm spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together.
Well I'm putting my heart back together,
'Cause I got over you.
Well I got over you.
I got over you.
'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,
I got over you.


Gives You Hell Lyrics

I wake up every evening
With a big smile on my face
And it never feels out of place.
And you're still probably working
At a 9 to 5 pace
I wonder how bad that tastes

When you see my face
I hope it gives you hell, I hope it gives you hell
When you walk my way
I hope it gives you hell, I hope it gives you hell

Now where's your picket fence love
And where's that shiny car
Did it ever get you far?
You never seem so tense, love
Never seen you fall so hard
Do you know where you are?

Truth be told I miss you
Truth be told I'm lying

When you see my face
I hope it gives you hell, I hope it gives you hell
When you walk my way
I hope it gives you hell, I hope it gives you hell
If you find a man thats worth the damn and treats you well
Then he's a fool you're just as well hope it gives you hell
Hope it gives you hell
[Gives You Hell Lyrics On http://www.elyricsworld.com/ ]
Tomorrow you'll be thinking to yourself
Where did it all go wrong?
But the list goes on and on

Truth be told I miss you
Truth be told I'm lying

When you see my face
I hope it gives you hell, I hope it gives you hell
When you walk my way
I hope it gives you hell, I hope it gives you hell
If you find a man that's worth the damn and treats you well
Then he's a fool you're just as well hope it gives you hell

Now you'll never see
What you've done to me
You can take back your memories
They're no good to me
And here's all your lies
If you look me in the eyes
With the sad, sad look
That you wear so well

When you see my face
I hope it gives you hell, I hope it gives you hell
When you walk my way
I hope it gives you hell, I hope it gives you hell
If you find a man that's worth the damn and treats you well
Then he's a fool you're just as well hope it gives you hell

When you see my face
I hope it gives you hell, I hope it gives you hell (hope it gives you hell)
When you walk my way
I hope it gives you hell, I hope it gives you hell (hope it gives you hell)
When you hear this song and you sing along well you'll never tell
And you're the fool I've just as well I hope it gives you hell
When you hear this song I hope that it will give you hell
You can sing along I hope that it puts you through hell

beah writing sytle

Beah writing style is interesting to me, maybe its like Beah said the fact that in his culture describing a word instead of just saying the word is how they speak. I have read other books where the author is describing things such as an object or place but when he writes it’s different. I find describing the little details make the story more interesting. I am a visual reading so those help me picture the details in my head. He writing is very rare and vivid.

I have trouble with being to vague in my writing that is probably one of the reasons I can never seem to write enough in assignments. Something has helped me though is the observation worksheet we were given. I had never been given an outline to take notes on like that before it really helped me. I found it easier to take notes and spent less time thinking about writing and more time taking notes. I noticed I wrote more details about everything.

Beah bouncing around in time I found it different as well. I had only came across that in movies. It helped though make the book set itself apart from others.  It’s almost like he is telling the story as it is happening at times in book. Almost to give the effect of the experience he had in a way. I like his writing style. I made me want to read the book. 

week 6

Today in class was interesting between the changing of seats, in the classroom that drove me crazy and the Beah topic, which was cool. I cannot stand change even if one as small as a seat in a classroom. I am a very routine person so you mess it up and I sort of go crazy. I lived the question the group asked, Have we ever done anything we though was at the right and later found it was wrong?

I was deciding whether or not I wanted to get really personal with my regrets. I chose to get really personal. I am at the point in my life that I don’t care whether someone is going to judge me based on my past history. I have a bunch of monsters in my closest but I am not afraid to tell anyone about them. I am the person I am today because of everything I went through. I may not be proud of a lot of the things that I did but I have accepted I cannot change it.

I read through everyone’s post and found I am not the only who got personal so that made me feel better.  I liked the story about the egging and boloney someone’s house/car. I have always wanted to do that but I am not willing to pay the consequences if I got caught. I always take into consideration what the person would feel. I do sometimes go after people in someone who mess with my family though. I am not proud of my impulsive anger but I work on it everyday.

Monday/Wednesday class

I presented with Joelle in class, which I though went well. While trying to come up with the idea I thought about how I could be different from the other groups. I did not just want to get up and show a youtube video. I must say I am a fan of youtube though. The two excerpts we used made the class think back to the book.

The excerpt I wrote about is the one I found and wanted to include in discussion and writings with the class. When going back a reading that it meant more the second time around. The visual image of his friend Saidu dead in ground puts a whole new spin on war for Beah. I liked the idea that someone brought up in class about how Beah realized that the war wasn’t the only thing that kills you. Someone else said it might not have even been the bird that killed him.

The Art Museum field trip was fun. I had been to the museum a few times before but for a specific reason. This time the tour guide helped me see and think about certain works of art differently. The African mask from Beah culture was interesting. The face was one of the smallest things on the mask. The hair was what I noticed most about the mask. I did not realize that the mask had eyeholes until someone else mentioned it.

beah group

This weeks group got up there and talked for a little while about the chapters they had then they discussed their views and opinions about Beah's visit. I was a little confused because the chapters they talked about seemed like the same one last weeks group discussed I don't know. My view on Beah's visit is that he was a very interesting guy. The most surprising thing was how humorious he was I found myself laughing a few things.

I want to talk about all the things I saw though other then the discussion. Before he even came out to speak. The people I sat around were characters to say the least. On guy was eating chicken. The girl next to me smelled like onions, fruity bubblegum and prefume. The group behind me made a comment about every person who asked a question. They were so judgemental and made fun of most of them.

short week

The new project we were assigned is going to be challenging for me. Having the steps broken down does help though. The in class time to work on the steps of the project also helps also looking at others papers to get a general idea if I am lost helps. I like the general topic though it is interesting. I have thought about that sort of thing before so the whole idea in a general since is not too difficult. I just have trouble putting all the different steps together to make it cohesive.

The group that went on Wednesday had a good topic to write about I thought. I like reading about others experiences my peers have had in past. If I am not mistaken I have to present next week my partner and I do not have an idea I better get on that. The groups so far have been good came up with good ideas to discuss and good topics for us to write about. I have to remember what chapters we were assigned and come up with something new.

Beah's book/discussion in class

I find it interesting learning about how writers putting certain details, in areas make an impact on the story. Beah's writing style reminds me of someone who has all these memories and is telling someone as they come along. I think all memories good or bad can be triggered the present. I have never really thought about a writer having a certain style and why they do certain things such as going from the actual story to telling the reader about a dream. I actually didn't realize what that chapter was about until we discussed it in class. 

 

I overlook the short chapters in novels sometimes when they are actually saying or describing something important. I am learning to ask or rather wonder why books are written for just other the explaining what is written in them. College English classes challenge me to think about things more in depth and ask why certain things happen, such as in books.

My goals for Class

My main goal would to become a better writer. I have always had low scores on term papers and such. I would like that to change. I also need more help developing a paper; I seem to throw things in towards to the end because my papers are usually to short in length. Another goal I would have for myself is learn to work better with other in groups. As long as I can remember I have always disliked working in groups I guess that because I am the loner type, but mostly because the groups I have been in are divided unevenly in the work loads. I would also like to get more familiar with technology as far as websites and such things. I fine out of the lope most of the time because my peers know more then me when it comes to the World Wide Web.