Reflection #4: Research Process

          Information Literacy has helped me with the writing process and has taught me a lot. Now I am able to go to the library website and understand the databases that are offered to me here at Shippensburg. The tutorials gave me a baseline of what I would be expected during the week I did my research. Each video went into different details of the certain types of resources provided such as a magazine, book, or an electronic source. At the beginning, I tried looking up broad terms in the search bar until I found something that applied to my topic and I read the source. If it was a good source for my paper I would look into those key-words to find more reliable sources to use for my paper. I would read each source, take out quoted that help reinforces my thesis and eliminate the ones that are not strong quotes.
          To help find better quality sources in the databases I had the ability to filter out sources that would not be scholarly. This filter only allowed scholarly documents to appear in the search and eliminate any references that would come from an author with no credit to his name. The difficulty about finding the sources is the use of good keywords. If your words were too broad of an idea, the database would bring up many documents that would not be related to your topic in any way. That was the hardest part of doing a research paper is finding the right keywords that give you the results you are looking for.
         The strength of my research skills was the ability to identify scholarly sources that were required in my paper and then using those keywords to find more sources related to the reliable one. While reading each article I felt it was easy to find the quotes that would support my argument much easier than trying to find keywords. That is what I will continue to work too, the ability to understand my topic to a more relatable level so I can use my knowledge along with the information I learn about. The social interaction help escalate my paper from being a big grammar mess to a paper with a fluent flow. My tutor and I when through each paragraph breaking them all down to find the best way to use the right word choice and punctuation.

Bowling for Columbine

What is Moore's argument?  What compelling examples does he use for support?  What questions does Moore's documentary raise?  What solutions does it offer?  What are your own viewpoints and perspectives on Moore's work?



-Michigan Militia, had two people apart of the group go to OK and blew up a building. 
-One question is if you were getting robbed who do you call? But the response was why call the police to come when you can own your own weapon. 
-People are now ale to learn how to make bombs from the internet.
-People are now keeping pistols under their pillow fully loaded, the same guy says he has the right to have but their should be restrictions for higher grade weapons.
-Columbine changed how we talk and think.
-Why do kids do school shootings? Main reason believed is anger. 

The MI militia was being judge after the two guys went down and blew up a building in OK. The response to the judgement was that not all people are bad, they are ment to protect the people in case of any emergency, not scare them.

-After Columbine teachers had zero tolerance of any type of violence. 

-Marilyn Mansion is the one being blamed for what was going on in life and why kids were brought up with violence. 

-Mansion believes that people are trying to tell students how to live instead of listening to their problems and how they want to live. 

-Other countries are not as aggressive as America. People question why Americans are more aggressive because other countries see the same movies and listen to the same music.

-TV chooses what they want to show on tv, this makes people think of who they can and can't trust around them. 

-Crime is dropping but people are still in fear because the politicians and tv shows are only showing the things we should be afraid.

-American make excuses for why Canada is less violent than the US but every issue that Americans brought up the interviewer was able to show that isn't the reason. (Blacks, Guns, TV Violence)

Advocacy is the active stand against something you believe in that may deal with a small town protest or a large march through a city. To be an advocate you are dedicating yourself to one side of an argument and defend it with everything you got.

Police Brutality
Legalizing Marijuana
Black Lives Matter
Pollution in environment
Capital Punishment
Tobacco

          The article I read was on the terrorist attack in New York City yesterday October 31. A Muslim man who claimed his allegiance to ISIS took his truck and went through a bike lane taking out multiple people and killing 8. He planned his attack for a year, and a month ago he decided to do it on Halloween because of all the trick or treaters out walking. This was the largest terrorist attack in New York City since 9/11.

Argument #1: Kilbourne

            The following TED talk from Kilbourne agrees on the idea that social media and ads do not help young women growing up feel confident. Advertisement effects all girls growing up to look like a person they can’t be. As TED Talk went on Kilbourne said, “The pressure on women to be young, thin and beautiful is no more intense than ever.” This is true what she said, women look at different build boards that display ultra-thin women with some formula to acquire a body like the picture displays. Most women, caught up with the look do not look to reality in understanding the photo is fake and the woman on it is probably not even that size. With photo shop occurring more and more women begin to feel more self-conscious of what they look like.

            Kilbourne then goes on to talk about Chanel, and how a man and woman are shown modeling their bodies. She explains how the male body is not touched up as much as the female’s body is in the Photoshop. I believe they do this because men and women respond differently to photos. Women will look at the photo instantly thing they want to be like them while men don’t look at the model and say I want to be like him, I just want the scent. Talking to girls and learning from experience they are too passionate on the way they look, but not all men look for a woman’s looks. I think woman can look uglier when they try to model themselves after another person.

            One topic really caught my attention when Kilbourne rambles on saying, “Girls at young ages are exposed to ads which then cause them to feel they will never be good enough or pretty.” I don’t agree because if this was happening to woman why isn’t the same effect happening to men trying to look like someone. I believe girl at a young age do it to themselves and find a way to bully themselves and their conscious. If the young girls grew up without those ads appearing they would be happy with themselves because they won’t see any challenger that “looks better” than them. She can easily take herself out of harm’s way by not watching those ads or avoiding the pictures because the companies’ job is to get customers to buy their products and if that’s what it takes they won’t stop.

Reflection #2

     The writing process helped me develop my writing from a high school student to a college level student. The most improve part of my writing process would be peer review, tutoring, and revising. Having my paper looked over in class helps build a solid foundation for the rest of my paper, I believe that if a student can pick out an idea that doesn't agree with your thesis, your professor will easily notice. Tutoring also helped me achieve my writing goals because having a higher level student going through a paper she once did helps me find the key topics that will make my paper stand out. I never was big into revising papers it was't a good habit but I'm slowly starting to enjoy it more because it then makes me feel better knowing I have a well written paper.
     Writing the papers we have completed so far can indicate that the writing process was being used from the start to the finish. The last paper we did on technology ruin our connection to the natural world it is clear that my grammar, spelling and word choice are at a much higher level. Going along with the paper having things done with time to others is what helped me a lot as well. I tried to space my days evenly that I will have enough time to accomplish each part of the process at the best of my ability.
     The process opened my eyes to better ways to achieve in trying to let a reader understand my topic as fast and easy as possible. Having help along the way from the peer review, tutoring, and revising with my professor I feel my paper became a social process not just concerning me. Taking the paper to different people gives me a chance to hear what they believe on the topic if they agree or disagree all the feedback is helpful. Their feedback can very well end up in my paper which in a sense makes it kind of theirs as well.
     As a writer i have learned a lot about myself from grammar to word choice. I feel that the more help i get the better my understanding for what words i should and should not use. I have just learned that contractions are not allowed in formal papers because my tutor in the learning center steered me to the right path.

Thesis

Have we lost touch with the natural world?  Have we lost who we truly are as a result of our interplay with technology?

Thesis-

As technology starts to become more advanced each day, we slowly start to lose the union between the Earth and humankind because technology demands our attention.

They Say, I Say

1.  The Introduction is titled, "Entering the Conversation"--what does this title reveal about your role as a research/argumentative writer?

The title reveals that the writing is going to argue the ideas of conversations relating to the writing in essays.

2.  Explain the "They Say, I Say" model (p. 3).  According to the authors, what is the "one underlying feature" that all good academic writing has?" (p. 3).

The "They say, I Say" is a formula to set up a writers view. Talk about the opponents topic then bounce off that idea with what your argument is. An underlying feature is to deeply engaged on people's view.

3.  Look at the templates under "Ways of Responding" (p. 8-9).  What is the purpose of these templates.  What do they show you as a writer?  Why should you consider using them?

The purpose of these templates are to generate thoughts in the readers mind not to have them responding yes or no. As a writer it shows that you are able to create debate and argument because when that is created the reader enjoyed your book.

4.  In Chapter One, "They Say," what important point does the story of Dr. X illustrate?  (p. 17-18).

It illustrates that having a clear argument from the start helps catch an audiences' attention instead of having them guess the whole time on your idea until the very end, and even then they might not know.

5.  Review the templates for articulating what "They Say" in your papers.  (p. 20-25).  Write down 3-5 templates that you might like to try out in your QDW paper.

In recent work, Y and Z have offered harsh critiques of ____ for ____.
Many people assume that_____.
Common sense seems to dictate that _____.
The standard way of thinking about topic X has it that _____.

6.  In Chapter Four, "Yes, No, OK But," what do the authors write is the most common and recognizable ways of responding to a text/author/idea? (p. 51)

With simply one word answers such as "I agree" or "I disagree" and then explain why.

7.  According to the authors, what is a good tactic for beginning your response? (p. 52)

Although some readers might think that this poem is about ____, it is in fact about ___.

8.  Look closely at the templates for disagreeing and for agreeing.  Attempt to draft your own statement about our topic of study:  The role of technology in our lives, using ONE of the templates in this section.  Try to organize your opinions on the reading we've done (Bauerlein, Lasn, Turkle) into one of these templates.  Fill in this template using these texts and place it in your blog. (p. 53-61)

By focusing on the idea that technology is a way for comfort, Dr. Turkle overlooks the deeper problem of that not everyone can receive the same comfort. Justine once received the wrong type of feedback to her tweet, which led to her being fired as well.

QDW #5 Black Mirriors

The future of technology has a bright future ahead of it with many positives and some negatives. Technology is being created to help keep soldiers safe by using droids. These little devices are being updated everyday and is saving lives. If the army can send in a robot instead of a person you are now risking zero lives instead of one. Technology is also taking over peoples jobs which is a down fall to having this technology. Robots save money as time passes so spending a larger amount of money at once instead of paying a person each week to do a job. People are also becoming more anti-social as technology becomes more advanced, people use their phones to get in touch with a company if they work at home. Video technology lets people have conferences with out even being in the same room as the person that is meeting you.


The episode we watched on black mirrors relates to social popularity and how people strive to be at the top. The main character wanted to be popular and she had an old friend that turned out to be a fake friend. Striving for popularity, Lacie tried her best to get like while popping up randomly in the middle of Naomi's wedding. She spoke her mind as she learned in her journey to the wedding that speaking the truth is better than holding it back just to be popular. This reflects society when people use social media to strive for popularity. Rappers, athletes, and others T.V. stars all use different apps to create an image for themselves that helps them get a product or song to the public to buy. The title of the series "Black Mirrors" symbolizes the bad in side of a person that technology can reflect in you. People in today's society have went in to this phase, because they will act differently to show their wealth. Phones have taken over kids lives is the consequences as a result of modern technology.

QDW #4 "Connected, but Alone"

People use the internet to try and reach out to one another so someone will listen. Instead of using physical interaction, or face to face conversation because it is uncomfortable to people and no one likes to get out of that zone. Social media's get instant feedback which gives the user even more comfort.

    This argument can be compared to when Lasn's talked about Justine riding on an airplane, tweeted a joke on Twitter and fell asleep on the plane with no service. When she woke up she brought the wrong attention to herself, instantly she got back negative feedback about her "racist joke" on the third world countries. Dr. Turkle's argument stands someone what true but not completely. She thought twitter would bring comfort and happiness but in reality Justine received horrible responses and was fired from her job because of it. That's where people don't think before doing, she should have thought about how people are more sensitive than others. The two together do reflect similar arguments but with two different outcomes.
     If I sat down with the two Dr. Turkle and Mrs. Lasn I'd ask what would be appreciate to post and when. Obviously they would I think they would say don't post something you second guess, if you are rethinking about posting something it probably is then a bad thing and shouldn't be posted unless you want to hear any type of feedback. I think they would agree with what I said about the idea of tweeting.


Your iPhone will soon become your best friend, siri, the talking response system to a iPhone will be developed that she understands what you ask. All everyone wants is to have someone listen to what you have to say and understand it, we feel fulfillment when having a conversation and the listener understands the speaker.

    Why do people feel the need to have a best friend robot to have understand you instead of a breathing person who can go through the same situation. Lasn talked about a system that can read what a person buys and sends coupons on stuff that are related to the object bought. This led to a young girl getting in trouble because baby coupons were sent to her house and her parents found it. This will just happen to kids when they are younger because parents monitor their children's phone, busting the kids will be easier if you had siri understand what you talk about.
     I'd ask Dr. Turkle why people are afraid to go out and meet people. If someone is so comfortable letting a device know something what would the difference be if that device was a living breathing human who can relate to a situation. Lasn idea seems ridiculous too, I feel like that is an invasion of privacy if a store can watch what you buy and then send things to you that are related to the topic. They both seem like they like their idea and would not agree with my side because it goes against what they have to say and since they are the ones who study the topic they wouldn't like a nineteen year old questioning the theories.


A elderly woman had a baby seal robot that kept the woman company, she felt that comfort because the seal was just faking empathy to reinsure the user. People are now seeking out different styles of robots that can seem life like but really it is just pretending. Technology is in demand of the people because it creates a sense of comfort.

    Lasn argued that companies should use algorithms to help find employees instead of using face to face interviews. Going along with Dr. Turkle's idea, the robots can't feel anything they just understand what is being said. Face to face contact can be a different form than what a robot sees, the interview has a sense of feeling to relate what the situation is. The old woman was happy that this robot understood her but just think, what if a person listened and responded with her thoughts not something that was controlled to say something. I just do not feel the same way about how robots are the new push for friendship and trust.
     Trust, that would be my question to them, how can a person trust a system. People express their self in many ways, ways that sometimes only can be understood if you listened to the story, how it was said with emotion. Lasn and Dr. Turkle both believe that robots aren't the saving grace but they think they can help people with their comfort. Agreeing to what I have said I think we would create a great conversation and new things to study about human interactions versus the interactions between humans and robots.

Connected, but Alone

"Connect, but Alone" and "Alone Together" symbolize an argument that people are living more on social media than in real life. She express that people don't like to interact face to face but on a social media app like Twitter or Instagram. A person feels most comfort when they are being looked at on these apps; the goal for the goal for Twitter is to get favorites and retweets and Instagram is about getting likes and comments. I do agree that the technology now a days is getting to excessive and people need to get off it. The reason that it is taking over is because our own president uses that to get out everything he wants to say. He tweets at least once a day on nonsense that doesn't need to be addressed in the times we are living in with all these tragedies.

QDW #3 Screen Part 2

They talk about Justine and how her tweet about being a funny racist like South Park and the reason south park strives, but she claims it was a joke on the third world country which is still messed up.
"That was a social justice" the event when people all over Twitter attack one person over racist joke that wasn't even meant to be taken that way and she was fired because social media demanded it.

The talk show talks about a woman who tweets a racist joke and falls asleep on an international plane to wake up to her tweet trending all around the world. The show in a way defends her because they say she wasn't awake to explain herself to all the ruthless people that attacked her for this comment. As I don't agree with the racist joke because living in this world today that is not a joking matter, people are sensitive to what others say and do. I do feel bad for her because she received messages from virtual attackers that led her to delete and go basically off the grid and fired because social media said too. Social media shouldn't have an effect on what decision are made on employees.


Target would monitor what people would buy and a young teenage girl received a baby coupon sheet from Target which then lead the parents to figure out she is pregnant two weeks before she planned on telling them.

I feel like this is a breaking some type of law to be able to send a young girl baby coupons because she bought something from the store such as a pursue that can hold baby diapers. This led to the young girl being caught about being pregnant to her parents. If she is eighteen which I do not know if she is, Target should have made her aware of the coupons that appear in the mail. Target knew she was pregnant because of the algorithms created in the system to figure out what people do and by and be able to tell the future of their lives. Personal I do not want companies looking at me and looking into my "future" and knowing what I will need.


People make assumption on online profile and the algorithms that will learn something about a person in the future. This can cause someone to lose a job because they are predicted to be unreliable.

 The algorithms are now being designed for companies to be able to go in to social media and predict what a perspective employee may be like in the future. Algorithms detect things off social media and that social media page can be totally different than what that person acts like in real life. Social media can be a way to expresses yourself or it can be a way used to hide from people of the outside world so you aren't ridiculed by what you said on Twitter or Instagram. It scares me to know that my job can lie in the hands of a computer for the stuff I like on social media which takes places outside of the work place. The woman who help create these algorithms even mentioned herself that she is scared of what this may do to the world and the jobs we get.

Our relationship with technology is strong and is relied on heavily today. People are being hired because they know how to work a computer; then the employer can just teach the routine on what he must do for that job with little knowledge of the information he is dealing with. My online life is something I do like to do. A phone, computer or any smart device helps update people with instant alerts to notify anyone at the exact moment it is happening. I do use my phone quite frequently; though I try not to use it all the time throughout the day. Taking breaks from the internet and social media apps are important to help see a different side of the world one where you are the judge of what is going on and you think how you feel not someone else. I think in a twenty-four hour day people are on their phones or any device roughly five to eight hours.

Ecology of the Mind

"I have no hard proof that daily exposure to media violence shapes the way you feel about crime and punishment, or affects the way you feel about that guy standing next to you at the bus stop."

I do not agree with what he's saying, violence does have change on people view of the others that surround them. If you went up to strangers on a street and asked who do you feel most nervous about everyone will have an answer because the world isn't safe to people after all the events of civilians being killed in the U.S., France, or England. Just on Sunday night an old man shot and killed fifty-eight people and injured over 200 sends a message to people to be careful of the people around you. If efforts were made to study that idea, I believe they could prove that a fact a person does in fact look at people and wonder.

"You fill your car with gas, there's an ad on the nozzle. You wait for your bank machine
to spit out money and an ad pushing GICs scrolls by in the little window. You drive through the heartland and the view of the wheat fields is broken at intervals by enormous billboards."

This is just a good way for publicizing a company in efforts to make a large amount of money. It can also be used by the many well known companies such as McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's or the gas station that always neighbor each other. These corporations have a great deal of money so what else better to do with all the income they collect than to put it back up in the form of a billboard to get customers to come to their business. All they do is pay the farmer annual more than likely and that isn't probably close to what they make in income off that sign. I have used these signs before because than can be useful to a driver who may be need in gas, food, or a place to stay.


"Advertising aims to do the same thing. Dr. Cameron's guinea pigs emerged from the Montreal trials with serious psychological damage. It was a great scandal. But no one is saying boo about the ongoing experiment of mass media advertising. In fact, new guinea pigs voluntarily come on board every day." 

I don't think this is can be related at all unless you do not know the whole experiment. I watched a documentary when I read this experiment because I am interested in that, but the experiment had other factors than just drilling an idea in to a persons head. Before the Doctors would start to drill certain questions in to the persons head they gave him drugs; one in particular being LSD a hallucination drug. This drug would cause a person to see different things and thinks certain ways; the subject was as well left alone to take in by himself. This to me is nothing like what an everyday billboard is doing. "McDonald's Exit 2 Miles" with a little caption underneath saying "Try our Big Mac with a Large fountain drink and fries" just to let the customer know what the special is.

This passage was about how the world is now being taken over by technology and how we it controls our daily lives. The argument can be supported by how they use facts and statistics throughout the passage, to question if the reader still thinks that the argument of technology does in fact take over our lives. I think technology does effect people and how they interact with each other in person versus texting or using a social media account to interact. I don't think kids are being taught basic skill, they should be taught at a young age when the children first enter grade school. The two authors would agree with the statement on technology because the arguments of each passage supports one another.

Drafting 10/2/17

I'm on my phone on a daily because it is a big part of my life. I think I do use it a lot more than I should since I use it about 4-5 hours a day. I think people check their phone to often which adds time up to a lot when in reality your not doing much. I don't watch a lot of movies on my phone maybe thirty second videos I watch on Instagram. I don't have my phone for games I may have one or two but I think all the games are pointless. Technology does help in classes it provides me with anytime access when I need it.

I've watched the nut cracker two years ago for Christmas.
I have been in the air space museum a couple years ago. I was able to walk around and able to look at all the planes.
I took part in ships service and I was also active in my community since my father was apart of the volunteer club.

Pop quiz:
1. Simon and Randy
2. Forest Gump
3. Taking a knee for black lives in the NFL
4. Jersey Shore, Keeping up With The Kardashians, Kim and Kourtney take Miami
5. Burt Simpson
6. My Hump

Part II
1. Republicans and Democrats
2.
3. Paul Ryan
4. Freedom speech, religion, and expression
5. Vincent Van Gosh
6.

Reflection 1

               I’m working toward being a better analysis of what I am reading about if it is in English or World History. In World History we are given readings that are from 100 B.C.E. and the text can be confusing at times. I had to take it to a tutor or my friends and have them read it with me so I could get a better understanding of what they are saying. Now I can read some text in the book and know what they mean and use context clues. Analyzing is also a component in English to  read the reports and essays that were given in class I had to view the reading from the authors stand point instead of our own. It opens our thinking and understand how they feel and the reason why they feel that way. The tattoo identity topic was a good example; a young man covered in tattoos had a hard time getting a job because people thought he was a bad person when really, he is using it to express himself. He had different sketches that represented what his personal ideas are such as the logo behind his ear that shows his loyalty to the LGBT Human Rights Campaign. This also help me open what I believe in and where I’m from and an identify for myself as a person.

            The Red and Blue country we read about helped me see what a blue-collar person view means considering I grew up in a Red America and didn’t receive the full thought from someone that came outside our county. It really took a toll of what people truly think about where I come from even if the people of Red America are still in need in the world we live in. Reflecting on the opposite side of that story was relieving to let out and defend where I’m from and be bold to disagree in what he was saying about the other side. Putting it on my blog then defines me as who I am and what I believe in.

            My blogs and work do show my abilities to read actively, I can relate to both sides and still be able to keep a steady relationship with whoever I talk to. The tattoo museum writing shows the knowledge of what I know about many groups that live in this country. Realizing that bikers, students, and others can go through the same museum and know the same hobby; communicate with one another on their style of tattooing. Understanding “the dumbest generations” story by Lee Drutman and countering the comments he makes on our generation.

            As time goes on writing is coming easier to me, placing the appropriate punctuation in the write spot or learning new form of writing such as the poem. My grammar and punctuation came along as I met with a writing tutor in the Learning Center of the library. We read through my first paper which helped me hear the different sounding way the words were arranged and how different ways were worse than others. Being my first experience, nerves went through my body until she started reading it with a few mistakes and a couple word changing, I knew this will be a routine before I hand in any more major papers. My abilities to write were pushed to a different mountain when we wrote in a poem format. What a time that was, it wasn’t hard but it’s interesting to write in a different style other than MLA format. The class has taught me a lot about my writing from different styles to connecting to different people I wouldn’t normally associate with.

            I would give myself an “A” for participation since I have been achieving all the requirements. I have yet to miss one class assignment and I come prepared for class with my laptop every time class is schedule. I also am involved in class discussions that we have talked about and brought more key points that generated a new idea for the whole class to think about. During small group times I’m not afraid to mix up the groups and try to meet new people and create new friends while doing our work in class. Achieving the goals outside of class supports my “A” mentality by going to the learning center to make sure I get as much feedback as possible from other students who are there or another teacher.

My feeling for grammar is a love hate relationship, sometimes we get along and I don't mess up a lot but other times I feel like I need to relearn the English Language.  I struggle with using the correct punctuation when it's need or I will put punctuation in where it doesn't belong. I also am not very well with applying a apostrophe with plural and some singular words. That's what I want to get better at in spelling and punctuation.

A woman, without her man, is nothing.
Walking aimlessly, Sienna was lost in the park.
Sienna strolls through the park aimlessly, lost in the park.

Feasting on a cheese burger, Alfred made a mess.
Spinning and twirling, the woman enjoyed the playful time.

QDW #1: Dumbest Generation

Prewriting
Technology plays a huge role in my life and its forced upon me more now that I'm in college than when I'm away from it. Since starting college I have needed to use more technology than ever since our school use a website for teachers to communicated with students. This allows me to access the web whenever I should need it and or want to entertain myself. When outside of class I don't depend on it; I use it when it is needed such as getting in touch with someone. I do think that technology is hurting people today because it can be to distracting. Today apps have ads that will amuse peoples minds as long as it looks interesting and isn't boring but really it is just a dumb game with no real outcome.

"The ignorance is hard to believe ... It isn't enough to say that these young people are uninterested in world realities. They are actively cut off from them. ... They are encased in more immediate realities that shut out conditions beyond -- friends, work, clothes, cars, pop music, sitcoms, Facebook.''

I don't think that people are uninterested in world realities, I think they just haven't realized the world realities yet. Its a phase kids go through now and all it needs is time for that kid to understand their is more to the world than your cell phone. Technology is so advanced today that if people have the access at the palm of their hand why shouldn't they be allowed to use it. Social medias help learn about what's going on around the world now. I can use my phone in the U.S. and know what is happening over in the middle east. 

"Lack of capitalization and IM codes dominate online writing. Without spellcheck, folks are toast."

That is all against the person; growing up with the technology I think we taught where "texting language" can and can't be used. If a kid types "idk" on an exam he deserves to get points off because teachers now stress not to use that language in essays. Plus common sense comes in to know its not appropriate to spell like that and look like an immature child in front of your professor or boss. That helps set reality in for kids as well when they mess up once and the person who reads the text and asks why they would do something like this.

"Bauerlein also frets about the nature of the Internet itself, where people "seek out what they already hope to find, and they want it fast and free, with a minimum of effort."

The internet does help in many ways and the fact that we do have access to it so quick and easy is a blessing. He thinks that people aren't retaining any of the knowledge they look up, but I don't agree most people want to know something for a reason and have a purpose for learning it or remembering it. This counters his point that people only use it for when they want to just know something for no reason.

"Survey after painstakingly recounted survey reveals what most of us already suspect: that America's youth know virtually nothing about history and politics. And no wonder. They have developed a "brazen disregard of books and reading."

I think kids do need to learn a little more about history but I also don't think it is right to say we "know virtually nothing" when that isn't true. People take up different interests so they learn about what they want to learn, not something forced upon them from their high history class. That's what I do not understand; why are older generations trying to shape youth to grow up like they did instead of letting them make their own decision. 

Journal #3

"And I know that everyone who interacts with me is left wondering how someone so "deviant-looking" can be kind, courteous and hospitable."

     This piece of writing creates a picture that helps the reader understand what he does and why he does it. He uses this interview as a way to teach people that tattoos and piercings can have a deep meaning and look like a "biker tattoo". The man is Ph.D. student, if anyone hears that they mostly think of a clean male or woman who was never a bad person in life. He is just what I describe but with tattoos that show where he's been and what it may have took to get there. The statement that caught my eye the most was this because he is making a mark in the world proving not all tattooed, body piercing people are awful non-creditable people.

"Taken as art, tattoos unite disparate cultures, says Skip Pahl, who displayed Rainer's photographs at California's Oceanside Museum of Art. The images attracted an unusually diverse group of museumgoers : Samoan immigrants, surfers, gang members, U.S.. Marines and devout Latinos, all of who have their own tattoo aesthetic."

     The world is an amazing place to live, the amount of attentions tattoos receive is not credited at all. I never thought of a museum sections to be made up of tattoo pictures, and more importantly the large amount of people who go to visit it. Imagine walking in and seeing a gang member looking at the same picture a U.S. Marine is looking at, its just unheard of. Reading this article and noticing how different people of different tattoo aesthetic can study each others art and get a feeling of what they may be dealing with or have a relatable tattoo. Since I do not own any tattoos I am not well with noticing a tattoo with meaning unless the owner explains it. That's the best part, to listening to a memory or story that a piece of art on their body represents and understanding why it meant so much to the creator of the piece.



 

    Tattoos can be anything to anyone but the only person who can tell you the real meaning behind it is the one who got it. The photo on the left shows an old man who has a guy with a push mower on his bald spot. I love this photo because a man just like him lived in my hometown and went to my church. When I was little I always giggled at the man because as a little kid it was just stupid humor. I never did ask the man what it meant but to me it represents growing old and having some fun with it. By that age most people already have their identity so if ever made fun of for that art work it wouldn't effect his everyday life style. I chose the other picture because it seems like the complete opposite of the first one. I focus on the gun shot wounds that are on the right side of his body the most. To me they mean he has been hurt or in harms way in an event so drastic that it took a toll on his life that he needs to be reminded of.
     People with tattoos do not need to be judged because of what they have on their body instead they should be asked why they did it, find out more about that memory. Everyone feels a different way in life and care about different things. The Ph.D. student does it because he believes in certain ways of life and wants to share that information with the world. All the tattoos in the museums create new ideas for the up and coming generations to really go out and explore what you believe in and how you want to represent yourself. Life is to short to forget good or bad memories its what you do about that, makes you the person who you are and how you want to represent that thought.

Class Asignment

“When I announced to my family that I wanted to add an American name, they reacted with their usual laughter.”

I think the author made a good choice proceeding to change her name I think it takes a lot of strength and courage to be able to change your name and ask your family about the decision. If she wanted to change her name and it makes her happier in life why not, her real name was affecting her job opportunity which can ruin her life. Changing her name doesn’t change her cultural identity it’s just what you call someone she still will be the same person if she’s Firoozeh or Julie

“My names, Firoozeh, chosen by my mother, means “Turquoise” in Farsi. In America, it means “Unpronounceable” or “I’m Not Going to Talk to You Because I Cannot Possibly Learn Your Name and I just Don’t Want to Have to Ask You Again and Again because You’ll Think I’m Dumb or You Might Get Upset or Something.”

I think the stereotyping names is still around even if you think it isn’t it is. It is very sad people will judge someone over their name they were given because a person cannot really change their name until they are eighteen.  I take notice to it at college still a place where students should be growing up and realizing that is childish behavior. I think white people in rural areas can sometimes be more associated to this type of bullying.

The name that has been given to you is very important and represents you as a person. Your name could be apart of a family tradition or represent some something that meant a lot to one of your parents. I think if someone feels that bad about their name they should be able to change it, their should make them happy and if a name change makes it better do it.

Journal #2

1.) "The outdoor guys are heavily accessorized, and their accessories are meant to show how hard they work, so they will often have a gigantic wad of keys hanging from a belt loop, a tape measure strapped to the belt, a pocket knife on a string tucked into the front pants pocket, and a pager or a cell phone affixed to the hip, presumably in case some power lines go down somewhere and need emergency repair."

I don't agree with this because I've met many people that are Red Americans and they don't dress like this at all. Yes, they're people out there that do dress like this but what is the big deal what they wear, if someone is comfortable with what they are wearing why does a person feel the need to talk down on them. I think the other side just makes the assumption that everyone is like that and it would be like someone from Red America saying everyone in Blue America only wear suits. I really hate that people have to think like that and can't just get along, because how someone dresses shouldn't make someone think differently about what they do with their life. I wish this author wasn't so bias about being in Blue America because he only seemed to write about what Red America is like and didn't explain the Blue side as much as I hoped he was going too. He said he was from Blue America too, but left out what his life was like and what he usually does on a daily basis.


2.) "And in a flash all the jokes about and seeming hostility toward New Yorkers vanished, to be replaced by an outpouring of respect, support, and love. The old hostility came to seem merely a sort of sibling rivalry, which means nothing when the family itself is under threat."

I like this statement he makes I think it really shows what Americans can really do when their country is on the line against terror. He makes a good reference to family which really reinforces his statement, because if your apart of a family you would or should do what you can to have each others back. The two pictures show two totally different people and one wouldn't think they would team up but they do, plus achieve a lot of work at a short amount of time.

3.) "People have come to understand that they will struggle financially. It's part of their identity. But the economy is not their god. That's the thing some others don't understand. People value a sense of community far more than they do their portfolio.

The author used this as a quote and was one of the parts of his writing I really liked. He did use sources that represented a good group of people instead of people thinking they're just close families who keep to themselves and dress funny. That takes a big person to be able to admit their is a good side to those Red America. Of course some people are bad but that's in either side I'm sure some Blue American people are bad as well that's just life you most deal with.

Red America is described as a person who wear's t-shirts with out sleeves, old ripped denim jeans that are washed twice a year. They are bigger people who do manual labor who car a lot of keys tape measure, pocket knife and with a Van Haleon hair style.

Blue America is described as a person who is very neat and clean, likes to wear a suit or nice outfits. Drive high end cars, Coastal living, independent, up to date in the world. nontraditional

I think they are just cracks in a whole, because a country under attack should be able to put aside all those differences  and realize what actually people should be doing. Once people choose to fight over the differences during a serious event instead of worrying for those who need help is when that crack becomes a chasm.

I'm From The Eagles Nest

I'm from a top of a hill that over sees a lite up stadium,

where we walk down a steep black paved path together,

To a band like no other with loud proud music.

I'm from a place where greasy, vinegar, salty fries are common,

with a large cup of ice cold coke.

I'm from a place where thick white lines can be seen a mile away

grass cleaned cut and designed with stripes.

I'm from a place where chain link fences

Separate fans from athletes.

I'm from a place of being center of attention,

But hearing soft side talk is common.

I'm from a place where rules need to be followed,


Or pay the consequences.

I'm from a place where my view is four inches wide,

Covered in thick protective equipment.

I'm from a side that can be screamed at,

But can't say one word back.

I'm from a team who all wear flags on their helmets,

Play together and always have each others back.

I'm from a football team,

Where family is everyone.

Brain Storming

Growing up I drove an old rusty dirty gold 1998 ford contour. A burger with the grease popping and sizzling on the grill with a layer of a thin sliced piece of American cheese. I like to listen to Kendrick Lamar a rapper who writes up beat tempo songs but also has a couple slow tempo songs.

My high school football field
When you walk in from the top hill through the shinny chain link fence you get a full glimpse of the well taken care of eagles nest. Freshly painted white lines you can see a mile away with the fresh cut grass from the day before that makes it look like a checker board. Then when the orange sun sets the lights appear and you are living a movie on the field as you take center stage.

Listening from the very beginning to the wonderful up beat music the marching band plays as they make there way to the field. Hearing all the small conversation echoing through the stadium with thunderous cheering from the school student section. The high pitch whistle right before the thud of football being kicked and a few seconds later a crack of violence from two players facing off.

Smelling the concession stand famous fries that you could smell from the other side of the stadium. The sweat that drips from each player at the bottom of a dog pile and the odor similar to an old gym locker room after a class.

The fans screaming with pride for their team. Shouts of joy from fans watching their team dominate or the famous "hip hip booo" chant from the kids to the people on the field that look like zebras. Coaches spiting with anger.

Journal #1

My name's Daniel Greenawalt but my friends call me Dan. I played two sports in high school, baseball and football. I like to go out into nature and explore what is out there hoping to find something beautiful. My family means everything to me and I like spending time with them.

As a writer I struggled through high school because I didn't get the help when I asked. I was never good at writing a great introduction that would catch a readers eye they were always just "ok" to my teachers. We had to write an eight page paper that was worth about half our grade so I needed to do good on it and the only thing lacking was a great introduction and conclusion. I finally went to my teacher for help but he just confused me even more. I did what he told me to do and when I handed it in I was confident that I was going to get an "A" but I didn't he gave me a "C" because it was a weak introduction. 

My goals to improve my writing reflect my experience because I didn't listen carefully enough to what he wanted which hurt me in the long run. I also need to work on looking at problems closely and from different perspectives to try and get a better understanding of were that writer is coming from. Going along with looking closely I have to be able to respond with appreciate feedback instead of nonsense they aren't looking for.