Entry #13

The argument that this poster, “Rosie the Riveter”, is making is that women can get involved and contribute to the success of the war. Before this period I feel that women were viewed as weak and delicate; however, by using an empowered woman such as Rosie, it becomes apparent that women are suppose to step into a new light. The first thing that catches my eye is the picture of the woman. She is vertical and tall taking up most of the space which would suggest strength and energy (Callaghan and Dobyns 131). She is also large, as are the words, which would suggest strength and importance (Callaghan and Dobyns 132). The arrangement of the poster really helps to convey the message that everyone needs to get involved in the war effort for the US to be successful. All the objects are in the center of the frame which immediately draws ones attention adding emphasis to the visual picture on the poster. The simple saying in the top portion of the space, “we can do it”, is written largely and seems to have excitement. This helps to establish the argument because it is very believable that the US can accomplish whatever it wants as long as everyone is along for the ride. There is open space surrounding the woman in the picture which suggests that this appeals to woman. It is creating independence through this. The woman herself is dressed like a fellow male worker would be, she still retains feminine qualities but she is made to look tough and strong. The main colors used are red, white, and blue, which are very fitting because this is a very patriotic poster. Also, yellow is used as the background color; this could have been done because it is a light color which would suggest safety and simplicity (Callaghan and Dobyns 132). This would be important because the government would want the American people to believe that the war was a simple thing that had to be conquered and that everyone would return home safely. The main argument of having women be involved in the war effort and making a difference is portrayed very well through this simple, yet powerful, design.

Entry #11

efore I read the comments on project #2 I already knew that I sometimes struggled with how to organize my writing. I usually have pretty solid ideas; however, they don’t always connect well. After reading the comments this was reiterated to me and I feel that that aspect of my writing is what I really need to focus on. In this project I thought that I used good voice trying to keep it from being too bland and boring. This was not addressed in the grading rubric; however, I feel that I usually do a good job of it. For this particular writing assignment I did not consider how the usage of one word would really confuse the reader. I used the word “style” to talk about the layout as well as the diction used and I did not put two and two together that it might be confusing to a reader. I need to be sure that I am considering my audience every time that I write. One comment said that I need to make sure that I distinguish one paragraph from another and I believe that this goes back to my organization and lack of thinking about the audience. By having the two articles in front of me what I wrote down made sense because I could actually see the differences in person and then view the documents to back it up. In the future I need to make sure that my paper is concise and easy for someone to read that does not know much about the assignment. There were also various comments about grammar and punctuation which I know I struggle with. In the future I will be sure to have someone peer edit my paper or take it to the writing center to iron out some of those mistakes.

Entry #14

8:00am- wrote on the white board in the locker room
9:25am- took notes in population biology
9:30am- wrote multiple song lyrics in the margins of my notes
10:20am- wrote down the homework I have to complete in my planner
10:45am- wrote multiple messages on facebook
11:15am- wrote an e-mail to a professor about babysitting
11:35am- wrote down song lyrics to look up on the computer
11:40am- texted on my cell phone
12:00pm- continues to text on my phone (pretty common theme)
1:00pm- wrote an e-mail to my grandma
1:15am- filled out a form at the lab
2:00pm – 4:00pm- studied for stats and history test, wrote down ideas and names so I could remember them better
5:00pm- wrote more messages on facebook
5:05pm- texted more on my cell phone
7:00pm - 9:00pm- wrote down ideas for project three, figured out my audience and finished the project #3 writing assignment
9:00pm – 10:00pm- wrote text messages and facebook messages

By documenting when I write throughout the day I noticed that I write far more on the computer and cell phone than I do by hand. If you would have asked me which I write on more before I did this exercise I would have guessed that I wrote more on the computer; however, I would have thought that I used them both more equally than I do. I believe that I use the computer and phone to write more because it is faster and easier for me, since there is a lovely thing called spell check! I’m not a very good speller therefore I feel more confident when using technology to write. I conduct much more informal writing than formal writing which I think is the same for a majority of people. People who love to write don’t necessarily enjoy formal writing, most people enjoy being expressive and creative through writing which tends to be more informal. Due to the fact that I produce more informal writing I spend more time doing personal writing rather than academic writing. This shocked me because I always feel that I am writing papers and constantly doing homework that requires me to write. In reality however, I am mostly getting on facebook and texting during the process of my academic writing which makes the whole process seem longer.

Entry #9

http://jobview.monster.com/GetJob.aspx?JobID=69821594&WT.mc_n=jobscomview

My name is Jess Luedtke and I am very interested in the job that is being offered. This position would be great for me because it is an entry level requirement and since I do not have much experience in the work force this will be a great opportunity to help me gain knowledge and experience. I have my high school diploma and am currently working on receiving a Bachelors degree from Elon University in biology. I believe that with my schooling at Elon I will be a good asset to the team and will bring valuable skills. I have been a part of a basketball team for the last ten or more years and I know how to work well with people in order to get things done. Aside from working well with the team that is already in place I would be very approachable and willing to help the clients. I have taught in many camps and feel confident in my ability to articulate information that is important for them to know about their pets. Also, I have worked with animals before at shelters and am very comfortable around them. The fact that this is part time is also appealing since I am trying to focus on completing summer courses to help me get closer in gaining my degree. Your location is perfect because it is right down the street from my house, causing me to be able to come into work at a moment’s notice. Thanks for your time and I hope you consider adding me to your team.

Entry #7

When beginning the speech it is very important to remember who the audience is that you are speaking to. Since this speech is to be delivered to an audience of inner-city high school students on why they should attend college I would strive to not sound too preachy and would focus mainly on the advantages that come from going to college. I would first ask for a quick poll of who already planned to attend college and then would ask them their feelings about going to college so that I could see where exactly my audience was coming from so I could gear my speech towards their needs. I would tell them of local colleges and universities as well as junior colleges that would be accessible to them. I would definitely let them know that there is financial aid available, such as loans and scholarships, so money should not be something that should keep them from going to college. Since I am an athlete here at Elon on a scholarship I would really stress the fact that scholarships (athletic and academic) are a great way to help pay for college. I would use a combination of pathos and logos to deliver my points and try to make it more convincing. I would try to use more pathos, explaining how fun college is and how many great experiences they will have. I would want to bring in a person, preferably someone famous, who was from the inner-city and went and found success in college. Since I am from a suburb I would not be able to connect to them very well and would want them to hear advice from someone who had been in their shoes before. I would be able to explain college to them since I am a freshman and have had to deal with a lot of the same issues as them when it comes to the selection of colleges. Using logos I would give them some statistics and try to show them that many jobs these days require education that extends past the high school level. Hopefully by combining all of the above strategies the speech would be strong and convince at least one student to go to college.

Entry #10

1. This semester I have learned how to organize my time and how to plan out my writing. I have also learned to do multiple drafts which has really helped me to develop more in depth papers.

2. Mainly for the other courses I take I will try to implement everything that we have talked about for the writing process and the use of rhetorical strategies. Even though this does not have a lot to do with writing, I plan on using the skills we learned in the library to help me with any research that I may have to do in my other classes. Recently I had to find sources about Yellow Journalism for history and it took me about two seconds to find sources because I knew exactly what to do and where to look for everything.

3. From this course there are a lot of technical definitions and skills that I may not remember ten years from now; however, I am sure that I will remember that I learned it’s ok to procrastinate every once in a while. Before taking this course I believed that procrastination was a “bad thing” but after doing readings for class and talking in discussion I have come to realize that it is a part of the writing process that even the most tenured and professional writers cannot avoid entirely.

4. I still have the same bad habit of waiting too long to start a paper and getting distracted once I have started; despite that, I can say that when I walk away from this course I will be able to say that I have grown as a writer. Even though I still procrastinate I find myself thinking about my paper more frequently than I did before. I believe that I do more planning when writing a paper than I have done in the past. Also, before taking this course I use to use the word “however” a lot and only became aware of this recently. Since it had been brought to my attention I have tried to limit my use of the word and instead pick other transition words that help my paper to flow. This may be a small change; but, I think it will help my papers to be more interesting and enjoyable to read.

Entry #6

Readying “Shitting First Drafts” by Anne Lamott really made me feel like I was not alone in the whole writing process. Before reading this chapter I felt that I was the only person who absolutely dreaded the whole process of writing. Although some of her analogies are a little extreme I would have to agree that the whole process can feel like teeth are being pulled out (Lamott 22).
I like how even though the chapter talked a lot about how much people hate writing when starting out, it also focused on ways to help one through the ordeal. I feel that I am one of those people that likes to sit down and be able to produce a master piece the first go around. I realize this is very unrealistic; however, I always feel that if my first draft is not amazing then the paper will not have a chance to develop. From readying “Shitty First Drafts” I realize that at least one person feels this way, but that it’s OK if it’s not right on the mark the first time. I really like how she describes the different drafts. The first draft being the down draft, the second draft being the up draft, and then the third draft being the dental draft (Lamott 25). I think that I liked this so much because it felt like it was being written specifically for me and the style of writing that I like to do. I am not the one to plan, I much rather like getting things down right away to make it feel like I am doing something even if it does look like a child wrote it.

Entry #4

The first passage is an example of personal writing. The author conveys the journey her took to Guatemala and how it affected her as a person. Once the whole story is gathered, we learn that because of this experience she has decided to start a NGO. Through the context of this passage the reader is able to learn about the help that is being given to Guatemala. Because this passage opened with an experience and that experience was later reflected in the writing it is a perfect example of personal writing. The second passage is an example of academic writing. The author focused more on research using specific evidence to back up the argument that he is trying to convey. It seems like it was written with a very formal tone compared to the first passage. The audience also seems to differ between the two; the first author seems to be speaking to a general public, as where the second author may be trying to engage people that are well-educated on his topic. The last passage is public writing because it seems to be trying to make something happen. The author was asked to debate about the poem and show people her view. This passage seems to be geared towards a well-educated audience like the second passage was. It was hard for me to distinguish between academic and public writing at first but I believe that by reading through the explanations of each and having to find examples it really helped me gain a better understanding of the differences. It is important to focus on the context and audience when you write because it will help make your argument stronger or it will help you get your point across.

Entry #5

I have just started to try to develop my topic for project one. I have narrowed the topic that I want down to three questions, two dealing with the language being spoken in the United States and then one dealing with the lack of interest shown by teenagers in public affairs. To me the ideas dealing with language would be easier to write about; however, I find it fascinating how Americans could get so riled up about things in the 60’s during Vietnam, and how today with the War in Iraq there seems to not be as much of a stand. I’m not sure how I would work that into an argument, I was thinking that I might argue how young adults these days are “too nice”, they have no desire to challenge anything that is being said to them. Before I totally commit to a topic I would like to get more research to see what would be the best choice to write about. I would like to be farther along in the process of project one, having a solid working thesis was a goal of mine, but with my main argument still up in the air I believe that my paper will benefit more from me thinking about the topic I want to write about, making sure I am passionate about it. I am not too concerned about project one, it all seems to be laid out very well and it’s organized. Due to this though I may have some trouble meeting the deadlines, I usually don’t write only two pages of a paper, stop, and then continue working on it. With my writing style I’ve found that I enjoy sitting down and knocking the whole thing out with one punch. I believe my progress is right on track, but like I said above I really would like to have a definite topic right now. If I have any question I plan on using Professor Holmes as a resource as well as other professors I have come to know around Elon. I have also met some knowledgeable peers that I feel could help me with this project. For the remainder of the project I am going to try to follow the deadlines as closely as possible and really try to dig deep into whatever project I decide to explore. My biggest goal for this project is to stay focused on one subject and try to develop a clear and interesting argument.

Entry #3

Before taking this course I thought that my writing skills were well above par. I always got decent grades and my professors never said anything too negative about any piece of work I threw together. However; after examining my writing skills I have come to realize that I could utilize many more aspects and strategies of writing than I currently am. Instead of using strategies and skills I feel that I just sit down and spew out words. Due to the fact that I feel that I lack writing skills a goal of mine is to obtain more skills that can help me develop and write a strong paper. I never take the time to really plan out what I am going to discuss in any given paper. I recently discovered that I am a heavy reviser by definition. I like to sit down and just write; however, a heavy reviser also writes multiple drafts and has other people check over their work. Now, I do not write multiple drafts but I do constantly go back and make changes to the structure of my paper. I feel that if I had others look at my paper and help me with structure and organization of thoughts that it would help to elevate my writing. Aside from solely revision I hope to gain more knowledge about strategies because I cannot name one strategy off the top of my head. I am sure I know a few strategies but the fact that I cannot name one probably means I am not very familiar with it. Through this course I believe that I will develop strategies and be able to use them effectively, or at least that is a goal of mine. Some other goals of mine include to get a lot of practice writing and to write bits and pieces of my paper instead of writing them the night before they are due. I would also like to become a better revisor not only for my own benefit but for other people's gain as well. I feel that if I can help others become better writers than that can only ultimately help me out in the long run.

Entry #2

As with many other colleges around the country Elon requires an introductory English course, in this case English 101. While many of us have been taught how to write in high school this course is suppose to help us gain a more “sophisticated writing process [which includes] invention, peer responding, revising and editing”. This will in turn help our writing to be clearer and more effective. I believe that this first course objective dealing with revision to help make ones writing stronger is a very important aspect of this class. Since I have little experience in revision I believe that my writing will benefit most from this objective. Without learning this I feel that writing for other classes throughout my years in college will be extremely difficult. The second objective of this course is aimed at teaching different styles of writing that may need to be used in varying academic situations. This will be very useful for me because I am biology major and have never really worked on any scientific writings, so I hope that one of our projects incorporates that. Also, since I am trying to get all my prerequisites out of the way I am taking a wide variety of courses that require different writing styles. In high school we solely focused on MLA format so I am hoping to gain some more knowledge of APA format which I have found that the sciences tend to use. The last course objective of appreciation seems like the class ensures that we are not wasting our time by writing. I believe that this course will really help to show ways that writing can be used in everyday things we will encounter.
Although this course seems that it will be very beneficial, I do not believe I would have taken it if it was not a requirement. I do not enjoy writing papers and I feel that I could get by in most of my classes with the knowledge that I already possess. However, I intend to get the most out of this course and am very excited to learn different ways to edit, approach, and understand writing.

Entry #1

Everyone who has attended high school will tell you that they cannot wait to be a senior. Classes are supposed to be a breeze and the year is meant, for many, to be a “last hooray” before separating from friends that have been around since elementary school. However, at ThunderRidge, the administration makes it a point to ensure that seniors are crazily busy up until a week before graduation with the dreaded senior projects.
What do these senior projects have to do with writing one may ask? For a mere outsider this question is completely valid, but for those of us who have had to suffer through the process, we know that if you do not complete or pass your senior project than you cannot graduate. Gasp! And who wants to stay another year in high school when college is just around the corner?
There are two main components to passing the senior project, an oral presentation and a research paper that must be six to ten pages long. Six to ten pages may not sound like a big deal but when you are only a high schooler it seems like a near impossible feat. Not only does it have a long length requirement, there must be at least six sources cited within the text.
Being like many students I was not too worried about my paper, until the due date started hurtling towards me. I realized that I had way too much information and no direction in which to head, to make matters worse, I had put off the paper until the last minute and had to frantically work nonstop to complete ten pages of writing that would decide my fate. This story ends happily because I ended up pulling an A on the paper and graduating; however, it was a very nerve racking and stressful experience.
From my senior project paper I learned that I need to plan more in advance when writing lengthy research papers. As a writer I would like to say that I have completely stopped procrastinating and gotten my papers turned in two days early; however, I still suffer from procrastination from time to time. I always tell myself to not procrastinate and in the future I believe that I’ll work on my papers bit by bit. I feel that if I take 30 minutes to just write down some quick thoughts that I will be able to produce a quality paper by the time its due. To go along with this philosophy, I have found that if I write a paragraph about some research that I have just found, that it makes it easier for me to get my thoughts together later when I sit down to write a first draft. I believe this is because I force myself to get the important information from the research and the parts that will be relevant to my topic. Also, with this paper I forced myself to share my writing with teachers and peers because I wanted it to be good enough to get me my diploma. Even though I haven’t implemented this strategy yet in college I do believe that having two heads is better than one and I plan on utilizing my peers to improve my papers.

About Me

1. Biology or Exercise Sports Science
2. Highlands Ranch, Colorado!
3. Bowtie pasta
4. The last book I read was Water For Elephants. I enjoy reading and since we were in winter term I decided I had enough time to sit down and explore what I heard was a good read.
5. I play basketball and in my free time I like to be outdoors being active. I also enjoy listening to music.
6. Australia and Ireland.
7. Tommy Boy
8. ....