Resaerching a Topic

Research, for me, has always been difficult fir two reasons, one it makes an easy excuse to procrastinate, and two its is also difficult to find credible sources. A research paper is usually granted a large portion of time to complete and therefore is easy to put off. It is also very difficult to find sources that are credible. Even sources that seem credible sometimes aren't; for instance, a site i once visited was written by a doctor, it was an article on the first world war, but even though he was a doctor his specialty was biology not history, making the source just as useless as one written by a journalist.

Research

The hardest part of any research for me is just that, the actual research. Finding credible academic resources is always tough. Second is the CITATIONS! I always forget about what goes where. Does the comma go inside the quote or outside? How about a period with parenthisis? We've all done it. It really is just a pain. In text references are needed, but not warranted. We have a works cited; the only time you should have to use an in text reference is when you are using a direct quote! Anyway, research is just a rough thing for me. I like creative writing. I feel as if researching, and research papers in general stifle me as a writer. You can go ahead and laugh now, I don't mind

Research

The hardest part of the research process for me is finding books.  Having grown up using the internet, it's hard for me to find relevant books.  It is also hard to tell which websites I find are credible.  There is so much information on the internet that a lot of the sites I find are not even credible sources.  

On the other hand, the easiest part of the research process is finding websites.  It takes less than a minute to have thousands of websites literally at your fingertips.  

Research

The hardest part of the research process for me is finishing. I've had many interests in the past, and I go through a lot of sources for a good working knowledge of my subject. That makes getting quotes easy, and after reading so much, telling the good sources from the bad becomes easier. Once I have this knowledge though, it's hard to sit down and write it. What usually ends up happening is I write it out in one big burst, then edit it over and over. Maybe that's okay, but I don't usually have much time to edit until the paper is due. (much of that is procrastination).
The easiest part of the research process is the initial research of the subject. Keeping it all organized in my mind isn't too hard, especially if I'm interested in the material.

Research

The hardest part about researching for me is actually looking in books, rather than just googling the subject. I use the internet for most of my research, and using actual tangible books for research projects was never something I did in high school, or if I did it was the text book. I understand the concept of finding academically accepted things to use as sources, I just never have tried to find something in a book rather than the internet.

The easiest part about researching and writing a research paper is putting it together and writing it. Once all the research is done it's typically pretty easy for me to put it down on paper.

Research

The hardest part of researching for me is finding valid sources or sources pertaining only to that specific topic. What is also difficult for me is finding the information to form a sold thesis. Also I almost always forget to cite correctly.
The easiest part of researching for me is finding enough information on the selected topic. I am usually good at narrowing down the amount of information to one aspect of the topic.

Research

The hardest part of researching for me is taking thoughts from each source and organizing them all together. Most of the time I know in my head what I want to write, but it takes me a long time to put it all together on paper. Also, citing properly is difficult for me.

The thing I most enjoy about researching is learning about new things in a topic that interests me. If i enjoy the topic that I am researching about, then it makes writing the paper that much easier.

Researching

The hardest part of researching for me is finding relivent sources. While I do enjoy writing very much, the actual act of researching is very difficult for me. Sources I do find on a subject are almost never relivent to topic. Maybe I am just bad at researching or I pick topics that too little is written.
The easiest part of researching for me is my thesis. My thesis comes very easy to me as well as analylzing different sources after I find them. Once I have a topic I am almost always able to write the paper very easily as long as I am passionate about it.

Research

The hardest part of the research process for me is integrading quotes without over quoting. I often use a quote without employing "so what?" afterwards. I guess I just assume it speaks for itself, but that's not good writing.

The easiest part of the research process is organizing my thoughts and actually writing the paper.

Week 6 Blog Prompt

This week we began research projects that will last for the rest of the semester. In preparation for this, please write two paragraphs to help you think about your past experiences with the research process. The first paragraph should begin, "The hardest part of the research process for me is _________________" and the second should begin, "The easiest part of the research process (or the part I enjoy most) is _________________."

In these paragraphs you can discuss: finding academic sources, evaluating those sources, refining a thesis, finding relevant quotes, citing quotes properly, integrating other people's quotes into your own argument, organizing all the information you find, or any other part of the writing process you'd like.

The Diversity of Yahoo!

On Yahoo.com the reader is immediately pummeled with dozens of different stories. The titles and brief summaries of said articles make the reader want to discover more, even if you had no interest or thought on that topic prior to venturing to the Yahoo! homepage. By doing so, this makes the reader want to come back to Yahoo! the next time they're on the computer, which in turn keeps them coming back every time they log on to the computer.

Steelers Website

The main focus of the steelers website is the landscape of pittsburgh in the background. also the steel plated background underneath the pittsburgh skyline and the steelers logo are presented here. you also see many pictures of steelers players and coaches along with fan photos. besides the steelers font up top in the logo, the website usually uses the same two fonts for writing and headings.

yankees.com color and font

The color of the new york yankees website is exclusively dark blue and white (the colors of the yankees). The background is covered with blue and white logos that advertise the 2009 inaugural season. The Yankees is written in a fancy cursive font, which reinforces the class that the team is known for. Also champions is in bold, reinforcing how the Yankees put a large emphesis on winning.

In the Heights the Musical Website, Font Usage

The In the Heights Website is full of exciting and eye catching pictures and videos, but the font that is used also grabs your attention. The tabs to all the links are in italicized, capitalized Comic Sans font. The sans serif style makes it easy to read, and Comic Sans implies a friendliness and welcoming spirit. The size of the font is relatively big as compared to other information posted on the pages. Links and important information, or things the show wants to broadcast are in this font, such as the announcement of the Tony Awards the show has won, or special contests that are going on. The font is white on a dark blue background, so it is eye-catching.

ESPN Website, Use of Catchy titles and Pictures

ESPN utilizes catchy headlines and exciting pictures to bring in the audience. These interesting titles and action photos pull in the reader to articles i which there are advertisements. These vibrant advertisements draw the eye of the reader while they are reading the article. This use of advertising allows the owners of this website to operate without charging the users for their services. This leads me to believe that the owner are interested in using this website as a money making tool not simply just to inform their audience or provide a service.

Forever21 Website Font

The website for Forever21, a popular clothing store generally for young women, is obviously conscious of how to reach their target audience. The font they use for most banners and links is contemporary and fun, appealing to their young, female audience. The typical Forever21 shopper is conscious of style and therefore appreciates the attention to "hip" fonts, that is to say that the fonts aren't usually seen on Microsoft Word and are new and fresh to the eye, much like good fashion. These fonts please the shopper's aesthetics and urge them to be similarly fashion-savvy in their wardrobe choices, preferably by purchasing clothing from the Forever21 website.

Week 5 Blog Prompt

This week's focus (as well as the topic of your second essay) has been Visual Analysis. To practice your skills of noticing and asking the "so what?" question, perform a quick visual analysis of one element a familiar website. This could include something such as "the impact of font choice on my favorite band's website," "the impact of color and background design on my friend Kelly's MySpace Page," or "the significance of many images but minimal text on the Sartorialist blog." First identify the element you're going to talk about (text, color, font, etc.) Then describe the impact it has on the way you think about the website/page or its author.

Paradise lost By Hollywood Undead

So watch my chest heave
As this last breath leaves me
I am trying to be
What your dying to see

Feel like "Fuck man
Can't take this, anymore
This heart, break this."
This life is so thankless
How could he just forsake us?

Racist he makes us
Hate us he gave us
Nothing but no trust
And I am so fucked
So let this gun bind us
Lets hide by this lust
And once we are just dust
He'll know that he luved us

LET IT ALL BURN
Its what i deserve
God ive tried, am I lost in your eyes?

Just let, me burn its what I deserve
God of lied, am I lost in your eyes?

So take me and make me
Weak and then save me
This hate that you gave me
Keeps saying the same thing

To sing when you hurtin
To sing when you cry
To sing when you livin
To sing when you die

And here at the end
At the end of the hurt
All the pain aint the same
When its your time to burn
Were the hearts of the heartless
The thoughts of the thoughtless
The lies of the honest
We're the gods of the godless!

Let it all burn
I will burn first
God ive tried, am i lost in your eyes

Just let me burn, its what I deserve
God of lied, am i lost in your eyes

So cry 3 tears for me
When its all gone
Sing me this song

So cry three tears for me
When its all gone
When its all gone

I cannot stand who i am
Im this man with this blood on my hands
In this blood i am damned
so whatch my wings burn
As they burn in the fire
Dont scatter the ashes
No need for a choir

Let it all burn
I will burn first
God ive tried, am I lost in your eyes

Just let me burn
Its what i deserve
God ive lied, am I lost in your eyes

This hate that you gave me keeps sayin
Just let me burn
Just let me burn

This hate that you gave me keeps sayin
Just let me burn
Just let me burn

Burn(NOW)
Burn(NOW)

Just let me burn (NOW)
Burn(Now)

BURN!

In this song mayn words and phrases repeat to drive home the message that the artist is trying to send. Self immolatin as pennance for his sins is one of the most repeated parts of the song, saying just let me burn over and over again. Also repeated is the reference to god and how the artist feels that he has been decieved and abandoned by god, asking whether or not he is lost in "his" (meaning god) eyes. He feels that he has not gotten the proper reward for trying, with the line "God ive tried, am i lost in your eyes?" He is basically ive tried but i have seen no reward, do i not deserve it. Basically the repetition of words and phrases in this song are imn refernce to his sins that he has realized after god forsakes him/

Hourglass- by Lamb of God

Privileged, a chosen few
Blessed with our time in hell
Witness a divine vision, the day we all fell still.
Rapture of the dying age, a shattered hourglass
Wrath of the warring gods and so this too shall pass.
It's only getting worse, not worth a moment's regret
Each dawn another curse, every breath a twisting blade
What will be left behind in the ashes of the wake?
An ill wind blows this way, the edge of the envelope burns
Forbearance and my vengeance, payment for you intent
Fear and death in the wings, in thrall of those fallen from grace
Petty is as petty does, witness the mass disgrace.
God forbid you read the signs, watch for meanings between the lines
Gehenna has now arrived, no hindsight for the blind.
Your trust has been misplaced, believed the lies told to your face
Became another casualty and now it's too late.
You finally made it home, draped in the flag that you fell for.
And so it goes
The a shes of the wake.
It's only getting worse
It's only getting worse
It's only getting worse...

This song was released by LOG in 2004, at a time when the War in Iraq was escalating quickly. Violence in the Middle East was rampant, and the album which this song came on was an anti-war statement, speaking out against America's involvement in the conflict.
Several phrases reveal the true intent behind the piece. 'witness a divine vision , the day we all fell still', stands in reference to the blind eye many Americans were turning toward the bloodshed.
'What will be left behind in the askes of the wake?' is also an important line. Apart from reiterating the album's name, (ashes of the wake), it poses a pivotal question: what will ultimately come of our involvement in Iraq, and is it worth the price we are paying?
The mention of Gehenna is also key in conveying the song's message. Gehenna is a Hebrew word referring to a place where evil people go in the afterlife, in essence, Hell. Its mention evokes a Biblical motif in addition to instilling a sense of moral accountability and consequence.
'You finally made it home, draped in the flag that you fell for' paints a startling piece of imagery of a servicemen's coffin draped in the American flag. Far from being an unpatriotic group, LOG is not knocking America or its soldiers. Instead, the phrase is intended to urge people to not get caught up in the post-9/11 hysteria that led to the war.
'It's only getting worse' is a phrase introduced toward the beginning of the piece and it's emphasis at the end, plainly states that the state of affairs in Iraq was getting out of hand.

"Science" - System of a Down

Making two possibilities a reality,
Predicting the future of things we all know,
Fighting off the diseased programming
Of centuries, centuries, centuries, centuries.

Science fails to recognize the single most
Potent element of human existence:
Letting the reigns go to the unfolding
Is faith, faith, faith, faith.

Science has failed our world
Science has failed our Mother Earth.

Science fails to recognize the single most
Potent element of human existence:
Letting the reigns go to the unfolding
Is faith, faith, faith, faith.

Science has failed our world
Science has failed our Mother Earth.
Spirit-moves-through-all-things {x5}

Letting the reigns go to the unfolding
Is faith, faith, faith, faith.
Letting the reigns go to the unfolding
Is faith, faith, faith, faith.

Science has failed our world
Science has failed our Mother Earth.

Spirit-moves-through-all-things {x12}
Science has failed our Mother Earth.



SOAD uses repetition of key phrases in the song "Science" to illustrate how turning our backs on religion in favor of a purely scientific world is destroying us.

The first phrase that is introduced to later be repeated is
"Science fails to recognize the single most
Potent element of human existence:
Letting the reigns go to the unfolding
Is faith, faith, faith, faith."
Not only is this phrase repeated three times throughout the song, but the word "faith" itself appears a total of twelve times. This repition serves to make a distinct point that faith is the most important aspect of human existence.

"Science has failed our world, Science has failed our Mother Earth" is said on four seperate occasions throughout this piece. This is a clear statement that keys the listener in to the opinion of the song writer. He believes that by turning to a purely scientific standpoint, our world has lost the thing that keeps it going in the right direction - faith.

Finally, the phrase "Spirit moves through all things," which is repeated seventeen times, refers to the possibility of science being proven wrong, whereas faith is more flexible and ultimately more influential.

Don't fret precious I'm here, step away from the window
Go back to sleep

Lay your head down child
I won't let the boogeyman come

Counting bodies like sheep
To the rhythm of the war drums

Pay no mind to the rabble
Pay no mind to the rabble

Head down, go to sleep
To the rhythm of the war drums

Pay no mind what other voices say
They don't care about you, like I do, like I do
Safe from pain and truth and choice and other poison devils,
See, they don't give a fuck about you, like I do.

Just stay with me, safe and ignorant,
Go back to sleep
Go back to sleep

Lay your head down child
I won't let the boogeyman come
Count the bodies like sheep
To the rhythm of the war drums

Pay no mind to the rabble
Pay no mind to the rabble

Head down, go to sleep to the rhythm of the war drums

I'll be the one to protect you from
Your enemies and all your demons

I'll be the one to protect you from
A will to survive and a voice of reason

I'll be the one to protect you from
Your enemies and your choices son
They're one in the same
I must isolate you
Isolate and save you from yourself

Swayin to the rhythm of the new world order and
Count the bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums

The boogeymen are coming
The boogeymen are coming

Keep your head down, go to sleep, to the rhythm of a war drums

Stay with me
Safe and ignorant
Just stay with me
Hold you and protect you from the other ones
The evil ones
Don't love you son,
Go back to sleep

Throughout the song there are many references to sleep. The word sleep is repeated seven times, as well as several sleep references such as “counting sheep” or sleeping to sounds, but their all perverted forms of something innocent. They are counting bodies instead of sheep, and sleeping to the rhythm of war drums. Some thing is using sleep to keep the subject in control, and away from the things that could allow the subject to make his own decision. The voice says to ignore the other voices, to stay ignorant, and safe from truth and choice, it says these things under the guise of keeping him safe. Perhaps in the “real” world the subject was hurt by something and this voice is keeping him from reentering that world and feeling the pain associated with the truth. In the context of the rest of the album, the voice is likely an addiction to drugs.

Say What You Need to Say- John Mayer

Take all of your wasted honor
Every little past frustration
Take all of your so-called problems
Better put them in quotations

Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say

Walking like a one man army
Fighting with the shadows in your head
Living out the same old moment
Knowing you’d be better off instead
If you could only

Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say

Have no fear for giving in
Have no fear for giving over
You better know that in the end
It’s better to say too much
Than never to say what you need to say again

Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open

Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to
Say what you need to

Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say


This song obviously has a lot of repetition. It is also obvious that the phrase "say what you need to say" is repeated the most through out the entire song. The song is mostly about motivating a person to say what they are really feeling. It's repetition is telling the listener to forget all of their fears and say what they need to say, it is most apparent when the phrases "take all of your," "have no fear," "better," and "say what you need to say" appear in the song.

"Never say Never"- The Fray

"Never say Never"-The Fray

Some things we don't talk about
rather do without just hold a smile
fallen in and out of love
the same damn problem together all the while

You can never say never
While we don't know it
Time and time again
Younger now than we were before

Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go

Picture you're the queen of everything
As far as the eye can see
Under your comand
I will be your guardian
When all is crumbling
Steady your hands

You can never say never
While We don't know it
Time time time again
Younger now than we were before

Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go

We're falling apart
Coming together again and again
We're coming apart
But we're pulling together, pulling together, together again

Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go

Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go
Don't let me go

In this song there is repetiton and binary opposition. It is very apparent that the phrase "Don't let me go" is repeated 24 times. The singer is most likely telling someone not to leave them and to have faith in eachother. "We" is said a lot in this song, which means that he is referring to more than one person, most likely a girl that he loves. The line "Never say Never" means that you never know what can happen. Things can change unexpectedly at anytime. Time is the essence of everything. The binary oppostion is when he says that we're falling apart, but coming together again and again. As they fall apart, they become stronger at the same time. As long as they stay together, it dosen't matter if the worl is crumbling aorund them.

Taking Back Sunday- Your Own Disaster

Hey lush, have fun.
It's the weekend.
Hey lush, have fun.
Hey lush, have fun.
Its the weekend.
Hey lush, have fun.
(Oh i don't think that you know what you've been missing.
No, i don't think that you know what you've been missing.)
Hey lush, have fun.
It's the weekend.
(Oh, i don't think that you know what you've been missing.
No i don't think that you know what you've been missing.)

This song by the band, Taking Back Sunday, is a testament to a female friend of the songwriters. The repetition in this song is used to reinforce the idea of alcoholism as it pertains to the writer's lover. Lush is traditionally only  a term used for females. To the writer of the song the habitual drinking of the girl has left him upset and feeling emotionally drained. He is has given up in reference to the phrase, "...have fun its the weekend." the whole song also seems to be a tribute to her drinking problem as well his disgust for it. This repetition serves to reinforce the principle that alcohol addiction can destroy relationships, lives and respect for others.

Fake It- Seether

Who's to know if your soul will fade at all,
The one you sold to fool the world.
You lost your self esteem along the way.
Yeah.

Good God, You're coming up with reasons.
Good God, You're dragging it out.
Good God, it's the changing of the seasons.
I feel so raped.
SO FOLLOW ME DOWN.

And just fake it, if you're out of direction.
Fake it, if you don't belong here.
Fake it, if you feel like infection .
Woah, You're such a fuckin' hypocrite.

And you should know that the
lies won't hide your flaws.
No sense in hiding all of yours.
You gave up on your dreams along the way.
Yeah.

Good God, You're coming up with reasons.
Good God, You're dragging it out.
Good God, it's the changing of the seasons.
I feel so raped.
SO FOLLOW ME DOWN.

And just fake it, if you're out of direction.
Fake it, if you don't belong here.
Fake it, if you feel like infection.
Woah, You're such a fuckin' hypocrite.

Woah, Woah.

I can fake with the best of anyone.
I can fake with the best of 'em all.
I can fake with the best of anyone.
I can fake it all.

Who's to know if your soul will fade at all,
The one you sold to fool the world.
You lost your self esteem along the way.
Yeah.

Good God, You're coming up with reasons.
Good God, You're dragging it out.
Good God, it's the changing of the seasons.
I feel so raped.
MAN FOLLOW ME DOWN.

And just fake it, if you're out of direction.
Fake it, if you don't belong here.
Fake it, if you feel like infection.
Woah, You're such a fuckin' hypocrite.

Fake it, if you're out of direction.
Fake it, if you don't belong here.
Fake it, if you feel like infection.
Woah, You're such a fuckin' hypocrite

Fake it, by Seether repeats the phrase "Fake it" for emphasis and to get their point across. There is alliteration in "Good God" too. The bands that create these songs are not ignorant of their literary prowess; they are well aware that what they are doing will make the songs they create more appealing

Falling For the First Time- Barenaked Ladies

"Falling For The First Time"

I'm so cool, too bad I'm a loser
I'm so smart, too bad I can't get anything figured out
I'm so brave, too bad I'm a baby
I'm so fly, that's probably why it
Feels just like I'm falling for the first time

I'm so green, it's really amazing
I'm so clean, too bad I can't get all the dirt off of me.
I'm so sane, it's driving me crazy
It's so strange, I can't believe it
Feels just like I'm falling for the first time

Anyone perfect must be lying, anything easy has its cost
Anyone plain can be lovely, anyone loved can be lost
What if I lost my direction? What if I lost sense of time?
What if I nursed this infection? Maybe the worst is behind
It feels just like I'm falling for the first time
It feels just like I'm falling for the first time

I'm so chill, no wonder it's freezing
I'm so still, I just can't keep my fingers out of anything
I'm so thrilled to finally be failing
I'm so done, turn me over cause it
Feels just like I'm falling for the first time

Anything plain can be lovely, anything loved can be lost
Maybe I lost my direction, what if our love is the cost?
Anyone perfect must be lying, anything easy has its cost
Anyone plain can be lovely, anyone loved can be lost
What if I lost my direction? What if I lost sense of time?
What if I nursed this infection? Maybe the worst is behind

This song, 'Falling for the First Time' by Barenaked Ladies uses a lot of binary oppositions. For example, "I'm so cool, too bad I'm a loser", "I'm so smart, too bad I can't get anything figured out" and "I'm so brave, too bad I'm a baby" are all phrases that clearly display binary opposition.  I think the binary opposition is used to show the confusion of falling in love and the confusing feelings that the speakers is having.  The song also uses the words "I" and "I'm" many times throughout the lyrics, emphasizing that the story is from the first person point of view and that it is solely about this one side of the love.  The word "love" is also repeated many times throughout the song because it is a song about falling in love and this repetition emphasizes that.  The lyrics of the song are overall very contradictory and show a lot of confusion in the speaker, as well as a sense of love.   

Poker Face, by Lady Gaga
I wanna hold em' like they do in Texas, please
fold em', let em' hit me, raise it, baby stay with me (I love it)
love game, intuition, play the cards with spades to start
and after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart

oh o-oh oh oh, o-o-o-o-o-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I got
(2x)

can't read my, can't read my
no, he can't read my poker face
(she's got to love nobody)
(2x)

p-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face
(m-m-m-ma)
(2x)

I wanna roll with him, a hard pair we will be
a little gambling is fun when you're with me (I love it)
Russian roulette is not the same without a gun
and baby when it's love, if it's not rough it isn't fun (fun).... and so on

Throughout the song there is reference to gambling, and her "poker face". Then the references switch to love and "when it's love, if it it's not rough it isn't fun", the repetition of phrases referring to gambling go through the whole song. These phrases however usually go back and forth between gambling and then love. The gambling references are referring to how love and being with someone is a gamble and there is a whole game to winning a person's heart (or something else?), and using your "poker face", or playing hard to get. The extreme repetition of gambling references, like "Russian roulette", and then pairing it with the next lyric about love or lust "bluffin' with my muffin", shows this relation. Using gambling lingo to talk about love though gives the song a seedier feel, and makes it feel much more dark, than using a different comparison like spinning and running through a field (like 'Accidentally in Love, by Counting Crows). When talking about gambling, images of casinos come to mind and all of the things that happen there or start there, drinking, gambling, and sex.

Week 4 Blog Prompt

In class we’ve been discussing strategies for textual analysis. Specifically, we’ve practiced noticing patterns of repetition, binary oppositions, and anomalies. Observing rhetorical patterns such as these can provide an entry point into analysis. This week, post either a poem or song lyrics that you’ve found. Then, identify one such rhetorical pattern (say, the repetition of a word or phrase). Finally, arrive at some conclusion regarding the significance of that rhetorical pattern to the tone or "meaning" of the piece.

A Circle of Symbols

What a curiously mesmerizing contraption. So perfectly round and detailed, and slightly out of reach, as though the object is meant to be seen, but not touched. Numeric symbols, ranging between one and twelve, run along the border of the circle, and each number is separated from its two neighboring numbers by four small dashes that are all perpendicular to the circle's edge. The number twelve is at the very top, with the number one directly to the right.
There are also three objects resembling compass needles stemming from the center of the circle. The thickest needle is slightly shorter than the remaining two and black, as is the medium-sized one. The thinnest needle, however, is red, and jumps quickly to the right in time to a strange ticking noise that seems to be coming from the circle itself. The red needle is rotating around the circle as it jumps from one dash or number to the next.
As I watch in fascination, I notice that the long, black needle slowly rotates to the right as well. With my continued obvervations, I am able to conclude that this black needle also travels between dashes, and it reaches a new dash each time the red needle completes a full rotation and reaches the top of the cirlce where the twelve is.
Just as the long, black needle enters the area near the number two, I realize with a jolt that the short, black needle has shifted from its original position between the three and the four to a point just past the four. I recover from my initial shock and resume my calculations, this time focusing on the short needle.
After a lot of time has past, the sluggish, short needle reaches the five just as the longer needle completes a full rotation at the twelve. At this revelation, I consider the relationship between the short needle's movements and a full rotation of the longer needle.
Finally, one rotation and three thousand six hundred red needle ticks later, the short needle moves from the five to the six, and my suspicions are confirmed. I now know that the short needle moves from one number to the next in the time it takes the longer needle to complete one rotation, which is equal to sixty rotations of the red needle. Though the purpose of this circular device is still a mystery to me, I am nevertheless impressed by its methods and functions, not to mention its impeccable timing!

tanning salons?

I enter a salon, but instead of seeing women getting their hair and nails done, I see a hallway of rooms full of the strangest looking machines. In some rooms, there appear to be bed-like machines, they look like something that's used for MRI's or in a science fiction movie. An eerie glow is being emitted from the beds, and it looks like some sort of chamber. In other rooms, there are machines that look like two columns with an empty space between them, and there are small nozzles pointing towards the center. As I peer into one of the rooms that has what seems to be a bed, I see a woman laying there in a bathing suit, with weird goggles on. She looks like she is sleeping, and the upper compartment of the bed is hovering over her body. I watch her for several minutes and she does not move. It seems like she might possibly be dead, or frozen. I really can't tell. But as I enter the room, I suddenly feel a rush of heat as I approach the bed. She can't be frozen, I think to myself, but what can she possibly be doing? The woman lays there, lifelessly, as the heat scorches her body. I do not understand what is happening. She stirs and I quickly leave the room and wander into a room with the column like structure. I see a woman standing between the columns being sprayed by paint. Why would anyone paint themselves? She has her eyes closed, and has a hair net on like a cafeteria worker. She slowly moves her body and the weird paint covers her more and more. The paint is a shade of brown, and as she steps away from the nozzles, I can see that she looks orange. She then turns to face the other column where air is being shot out at her. I guess she wants the paint to dry, but I don't know why she would paint herself to begin with. Filled with confusion, I walked back towards the exit, only to see each room filled with someone laying in a chamber of heat or being painted by this loud, intimidating machine. I can't process what is going on, all I know is that I need to escape this place.

texting?

Suddenly, out of no where, a song begins blaring from within a woman's handbag! The woman does not seemed alarmed; instead she simply removes a mysterious device from the bag and opens it up. Covered in buttons and lights, this object seems to have communicated her some sort of secret message because she begins laughing silently to herself. She begins typing on the various little keys so quickly and effortlessly that she seemes to be bewitched by a higher power, using her as a channel to quickly relay a message. Satisfied in the successful sending of her secret message she snaps the device shut and stashes it back in the bag- only for it to go off many, many more times! I wonder who she is communicating with, and why it is so important and secret that she cannot speak the message out loud.

What's a tweet?

Now, I have never used twitter, but I still see no relevance or significance of the name Twitter. In fact, the entire idea of Twitter seems completely ridiculous to me. I can only imagine why the creator of Twitter decided to give it such an absurd name, especially when the correct term for posting something on Twitter is referred to as a "Tweet". I could discuss all of the recent internet phenomena for literally hours, but I will leave it at the fact that Twitter is like no other, in that it serves no real purpose.

Facebook?

This is the oddest of practices. Strangely there are no books involved with this thing. It is accessed through a contraption called a computer on a medium know as the Internet but that is another story for another time. One element of what these people call a "website", is the status. In this section, people do many things. They share examples of the meaningless details of their lives that no one seems to care about and sometimes random selections of words from musical compositions are displayed. I know, quite a strange phenomenon indeed. Another most perplexing happening that occurs in this place is the concept of "poking" your friends. I know what you are thinking "Why would someone poke their friend because that could hurt the recipient of the so called poke? In fact, no physical contact occurs. The recipient simply receives a notification that they have been poked. Being on the receiving end of one of these occurrences may in fact be more annoying than actually getting physically poked it is hard to tell. Yet other odd component of this thing is the matter in which photos and videos are displayed. Many of these media files seem to have solely been created to be shown on this website. I believe this because in many cases these videos and photos have no point whatsoever and seem to be nothing anyone has any reason to look at. This far from all the oddities contained on this website but it would take many hours of writing to describe the other minor processes such as "commenting", "Facebook chatting", and "Wall-To-Wall" communication so this is where I shall end my investigation of the bizarre wonder known as Facebook.

Creatures in Training

First, these creatures sprawl themselves onto the ground, wild in their mannerisms while they extend their limbs and bend their arms and legs into strange positions. Delusional in their silent trance, they reach for the air above them and the ground below them. Soon, they seem to be satisfied with the first installment of their ritual and progress to the looming contraption that waits for the creature to mount himself onto it. He clicks a series of buttons as the apparatus comes to life and begins to move under his feet. Faster and faster, the belt underneath the creature moves in a continual cycle. The creature thrashes his feet forward and back, forward and back, until his movements become a melodic, constant thump. He begins to wipe at the perspiration on his forehead and release heavy pants. His eyes remain about face, narrowed in on the empty space before him. Further down the training line, another creature wraps his hands around a long pole and heaves it into the air, grunting and crying out to any enemies who may hear him. He lifts and releases, lifts and releases. All the way down the training line, the creatures twist and mutilate their bodies into alien poses and movements, all to train their bodies for any threatening enemies who may come their way.

Football

Why would they call this sport football? Its more like runball or throwball. Or even brutes-beat-the-hell-out-of-each-other-for-a-piece-of-pigskin-ball. I dont understand how it could be fun to run up and down on a field chasing one man when all he has to do it throw it to not get trampled. How is it fun to run for ten seconds straight, then stop, and just keep doing it over and over again. What makes someone get up once a weekend to put on pounds of armor and a helmet and go run around in the heat and get yelled at by a middle aged man just to end up watching a kid half your size kick the ball through a huge two pronged yellow fork to decide the game? I dont really understand the point of the game anyways. Why is it so hard to just throw the ball to someone in that big open space on the side of the field? And who came up with the scoring system anyways? Six points for a score? Really? One or two usually works for every other sport.

Week 3 Blog Prompt: Making the Ordinary Extraordinary

In Horace Miner’s “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema,” everyday American spaces, objects and rituals are de-familiarized in order paint a picture of Americans as a strangely fastidious, ritual-obsessed culture (the way outsiders might describe us). This process of “making the familiar strange and the strange familiar” is something that ethnographers and fieldworkers must navigate as they investigate and write about cultures.

For this prompt, take something that’s familiar to you and reexamine it as if you were seeing it for the first time. Try something simple (an everyday object, the way you style your hair, drive a car, take in the mail, or prepare for a sporting event.) Describe the object or ritual in detail, and identify what might seem strange or extraordinary to others.

My Favorite Teacher

My favorite teacher was from my previous university; her name is Mrs. Matheson.  I loved writing in her class because all of her assignments were the students choice.  I loved how she set up the grading system, it was almost our own grading style.  If the student could explain why he or she deserved the grade, then that grade was given.  I also loved how our teacher related to the students with stories and current events.  She told us about her years as a student and her bad and good teachers.  It was a very comfortable class and was my favorite one.

An Explanation: the OTHER writing class.

I have had a wonderful experience here, at Marist College, so far. I have met tons of amazing people and have gotten to take place in some great classes, except for one. I owe a fair explanation for my sudden intrusion into this class, and here it is. The writing II class I was in previously drove me completely batty, and I only had three classes. I will spare the teacher's name because she's someone I may have to deal with again. She had the strangest teaching style for a writing class, although when I describe it, it will probably make total sense. Our first class was a boring nuts and bolts class, but I already had a feeling about her, and it wasn't good. I figured I would give it a shot and see what it was really about though. The second class started off with her giving us all strange postcards and instructing us to write either a short story about the picture, or a unique description or something like that. Personally, I can't just write on command about a weird postcard, and I'm not very good with that sort of creative writing, especially when it isn't explain on how it will improve my writing (I'm a political science major, and quite frankly I have a very brief to the point writing style typically, so this was a stretch for me). I could understand this as a writing task however and strained through it, it's what happened next that made me write in my "to-do" section of my agenda "drop writing II". So we all complete the task and then she picked people to read, as soon as they read she would pick out two or three things and tell them that they needed to fix it, in the most critical tones ever. Then she would ask the class if they agreed, most times we didn't. One of our assignments was to write about our parents generation and their freedom compared to ours, where we had a more supervised upbringing. One of the kids in my class wrote something to the effect "if I were to roam around for three hours with my friends without telling my parents I probably wouldn't see them again for three weeks" as in he was going to be grounded, she picked this out immediately and said it was unclear and needed rewording and all this, she then asked the class, and we all explained to her it made perfect sense, she simply blamed her misunderstanding on an "age gap". There was another student who wrote about his experience in hockey, he made a reference to the "zebra" as in the referee, no one got the reference and he explained it, she then harped on him for at least ten minutes about how to change it to make it more clear, his answer "I could just say referee" she then told him "No, I think you know how to fix it", how did she know?! No one else in the class could see a better alternative but apparently this poor kid in the depths of his mind did, and he better figure it out fast. She was one of those teachers who thought they were so well versed in what they were teaching that they missed the simple things. She tried to look at everything so in depth and critically she just wasn't getting it. Personally, I like to be instructed before I have a task to do, which never happened in my other class, we were first given a task and told to complete it, then told what we had done wrong. I have never disliked a teacher so much in my life after only having so few classes. I felt like she just expected us to immediately know everything that she wanted, to write fruity little stories about a postcard with a salsa dancer on it. I'm sure that the students in her class will do fine, but I could not bare to take 29 more classes with her (I was so desperate I counted).

My Favorite Teacher

English has always been my favorite subject because I always felt I was good at it.  At the end of my sophomore year I had a 98 average in my honors English class.  My teacher (who I had a horrible relationship with) didn't think I could "handle an AP English course".  I was insulted and disagreed.  Despite his discouraging advice, I signed myself up for AP Language and Composition for my junior year.  The AP Language teacher, Mr. Sagnella, was well-known throughout the school as a great teacher.  The class was focused more on what we thought than what he had to teach us.  He would loosely plan each class, and it was taught through class discussions.  Our discussions would be so interesting to me, and I learned so much from the way my classmates thought on certain topics.  We would watch videos, read books/articles and write essays based mostly on society, rather than themes from books.  It was such an interesting approach to English and I learned a completely different way to think.  Aside from being an inspiration, Mr. Sagnella was an incredibly nice man.  He understood the stress we were undergoing as juniors and he took the time to get to know us all personally.  That class became my favorite class quickly, and looking back it was the one I learned the most from.  I will always remember Mr. Sagnella for all that he taught me.  

My Favorite Teacher

When asked to talk about my favorite teacher, one immediately came to mind. His name is Mr. Robles and he is my all-time favorite teacher. Mr. Robles was my English teacher for 3 years in high school, so I guess you can say that he knew me very well, both as a student and as an individual. He taught me all I needed to know about English and writing. Mr. Robles formed personal relationships with his students and was always there for extra help if you needed him. I knew that I could always go to him for advice and that he would always be there to help me, he even helped with my college choice. Mr. Robles constantly pushed me to do the best that I could do and he never gave up on me, or any of his students at that. Also, he made his classroom setting enjoyable. He was never boring in his teachings, and he always said that he would rather be up and walking around the classroom, then teach while sitting at his desk. I was extremely sad to not have him as a teacher anymore, but I know that I can always go back to visit him and he will never forget me.

Doc, My Favorite Teacher

Perhaps my favorite teacher of all time has to be Dr. Libbey-Landis. Throughout my time spent in high school Doc seemed to always be there for me. As her student she expected more out of me than other students and pushed me to be the best I could. She was always available for extra help and would go over our homework, which was nightly bible study, if we had questions about the word of God. She always respected the non believers in her classes. She taught me Catholic history sophomore year, a sort of coming of age time for my friends and I. Junior year, Doc helped us through even more high school drama, be it girls, grades or our college woes. She was my confidant and mentor. It was often said that she knew more about us than we did. It was sad to see her go senior year and we all miss her very much. She exemplifies the type of teacher I want my children to have. The kind of woman I would want my daughter to look up to. Doc's caring and love for her students made her the best teacher I have ever had.

The Worst Teacher I've EVER Had!

Personally, the worst teacher I've ever come into contact with was my 4th grade Math teacher, Mrs. Bohr. She looked like a boar, and she was really a legitimately boring teacher. Math was by far my worst discipline, and as such, I tended to doodle, daydream, and do whatever else I could to escape the realm of boredom that was simplifying fractions and long division. One day, I was staring out the window like usual when I saw the familiar old bony finger shoot into my peripheral vision. Uh-oh I was dead. "How dare you!" "This is a place of learning and I will not tolerate your daydreaming!" "This is your first and FINAL warning!" Score one for me. The next day came the same thing; boredom and my incessant need to doodle and daydream. It was really her fault for that. Why did her room have to face the playground? This time, I didn't get a warning. With a thud, Madame Death's chalkboard eraser smacked me right in the face; my glasses (That I wore at the time; thank God for contacts) covered in dust and chalk residue. "DETENTION!" was the next verbal cue I received. Naturally, I was humiliated, and ran home to the comfort of my mother. I professed everything, and my mom ran fuming to the school. To make a long, drawn out story much much shorter, Mrs.Bohr apologized for her rashness, and I was ignored for the rest of the year. I think maybe this little episode happening to me while I was so young is one of the main reasons I despise any and all things that involve math, except of course the reception of money on my birthday... I'm more than happy to count that.

Week 2 Blog Prompt

Describe either the best or the worst teacher you’ve ever had during your career as a student. What was it about that individual’s teaching style that you liked/disliked? Try to relate this back to your own individual method of learning and writing. Were you compatible? Incompatible? Was he/she more or less relatable because of age? Culture? The way the classroom was set up? Try to think of specific assignments, lectures, class activities, etc. that caused you to form the opinion you did.

Literacy Letter: Reflections on Self as Writer

Task: For this assignment, you'll write a letter to me reflecting on yourself as a writer - both in high school and outside of school. The letter genre allows you to be a little more informal in your voice and style, but you'll still need to provide specific evidence for points you make (for example, it is not enough to merely say, "I can't organize my thoughts." Tell me about a specific assignment in which you struggled with organization). This is your opportunity to tell me about:

- Your strengths as a writer - in school and in general
- What you learned about writing in high school that you think will help you in this class
- How you approach papers you've been assigned in class (your process)
- What you still need to improve
- What goals you have for yourself as a writer in this course and in your chosen major field (if you have one)

While I'm interested in what you feel about yourself as a school writer, you might also want to reflect on the writing you do in other spaces outside of school (journaling, writing letters of political advocacy, corresponding with friends, creative writing, blogging, etc.) and how that writing contributes to your overall sense of yourself as a writer. Feel free to include copies of any out-of-school writing if it helps make your point.

Assignment goal: To provide a snapshot of yourself as a writer coming into this class and to help you set realistic and attainable goals for the writer you want to be by the end of the semester.

Nuts and Bolts:

- This letter should be roughly 500 words (or 2 pages size 12 Times New Roman double spaced)
- Use a format appropriate for a letter
- You don't have to answer/address all of the bullet points I gave you in order; you may combine them in whatever ways make sense to you. Just be sure you are organized in your approach, with a clear overall focus and logical transitions from paragraph to paragraph and point to point.

Due: Friday, Sept 11th at the beginning of class

Writing is like a mirror.

Writing is like a mirror because it is a reflection of ourselves. In our writing, we can see the deepest parts of ourselves revealed, while readers also gain perspective into our thoughts. Like a mirror, writing forces us to analyze ourselves in a critical way. At the same time, we can also admire things about ourselves through our writing. In a mirror, we are faced with both the positive and negative aspects of ourselves and driven to improve. The same is true in our writing, as we gradually strive to improve upon our strengths.

writing

To me, writing is like running a long, grueling race. I detest the process, much like the runner detests the atrophy flowing through his veins like acid. Yet I love standing back and being satisfied by my work, just as the runner feels after snapping the tape, knowing that that moment was worth all the work.

Writing is like a rain storm

Writing is like a rainstorm; thoughts are swarming around in the wind, and then pour onto the page like rain. But in the end when the storm has cleared, it is beautiful.

writing is like...

To me, writing is like riding a bike. You learn how to do it from someone much older and wiser, and once you have the talent you never forget it. But the only way to get better is to keep practicing.

Writing is like a roller coaster

Writing is like a roller coaster. I start off with a lot of momentum and fuel that enables me to write until I reach an apex. Then I lose ideas and inspiration for what I'm writing about and spiral downward until I can't write anymore. The cycle repeats and I reach highs and lows until I exert all of my ideas and my work is complete.

Writing is like a dream.

Writing is like a dream. I can see it inside of my head perfectly, but it is so difficult to explain it ( in our case put it on paper ).

Writing is like a foreign language. When you understand it you can use it in so many ways and for so many things, but if you don't its completely useless and does you no good. The biggest problem is when writing is in a foreign language.

Writing is like running a race. You need to kick off hard, keep an even pace, and finish strong. If you get distracted or stray off the course, you're going to lose your place. If you're in pain by the end of it, that shows you ran your best.

Writing is like the last quarter of a big game. Its going to be difficult, youre tired and you dont want to try hard, but if you do the outcome is always rewarding

Week 1 Blog Prompt

As we discussed in class today, an important step in becoming a stronger writer is to identify and learn the strengths of your own writing process. As a follow-up to that, here is your first blogging prompt:

Come up with a simile that describes how you feel about writing, or your writing process. Then explain your simile. (A basic template for this would be as follows: “Writing is like ____________ because __________________________.”)

To get you started, here’s mine: "writing is like swimming, because I’ve gotten better and faster at it the more I’ve practiced. However, there’s always a chance when I enter the water that I’ll drown.”

Have fun with this, and try to come up with a more interesting example than mine!

Welcome to Writing II

Hi, and welcome to English 117's web page! This blog will serve as a forum for all types of thoughts and materials relevant to our coursework this semester. On the right is a sidebar where you'll find some links to online writing resources.

Since your contributions to this blog will be weekly (sometimes as a poster, sometimes as a commenter, according to the assignment schedule) this blog really will be what you make of it. You, of course, are welcome - and encouraged! - to post as frequently as you like. We are all authors of this blog, which means that you may add information, post links, make comments, etc., as long as you treat the blog and your fellow classmates respectfully.

Before our class meeting on Friday, please take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with the look of our class blog (especially if you've never been to blogspot.com before.) See if you can navigate the site, try voting in the poll, and keep a list of blog-related questions you think of as you browse. Also, take a look at a few other blogs. What makes a blog visually appealing? How is content organized? Can you determine the intended audience of a blog based on its design/content. Jot down any suggestions you can think of for our blog. If you're completely unfamiliar with the blogosphere and have no idea where to start, choose several from the list below:

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/
http://www.designobserver.com/
http://thisisindexed.com/
http://deadspin.com/
http://laughingsquid.com/
http://huffingtonpost.com
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/
http://www.slashfood.com/
http://zenhabits.net/
http://www.got2begreen.com/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/
http://lifehacker.com/
http://www.slashfilm.com/
http://theresalduncan.typepad.com/
http://www.saidthegramophone.com/


Enjoy!

- EV