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.