Writing 150 Overview

Writing 150 turned out to be better than I thought it would. It was the last class I had to go to every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so that made it a little annoying, but it wasn't my least favorite class to go to. I think Sister Elliott did a good job of trying to make it fun and enjoyable. There were some pretty funny moments in that class. Along with that, I felt like I was able to talk and make comments in that class with out feeling awkward. Some of my classes I feel like I am not allowed to open my mouth for 50 minutes. I think it was also good that this was a small class. If the class size was much bigger, I think it would have been more complicated to have fun while still teach. As for academics, I learned a lot in this class. Lots of the stuff I learned I already knew, but I think it is really important to go over things you already know. It helps it to stick in my mind better. There were some new things I learned too. I became better at using the library resources which should help me a lot as I move into harder classes. I also learned MLA Format even more. I knew a lot of MLA Format already, but new things such as . . . <--- these bad boys. I didn't know they had spaces in between them. Overall, I think that this class was pretty good for being a writing class and I got a lot out of it. The only thing that annoyed me was online assignments, because they would glitch on me all the time!

Diane Rehm Show

I listened to her podcast on Shyness and Anxiety. In this podcast they talked about the benefits of shyness and the dangers of shyness. Some of the dangers of both shyness and anxiety is that they have difficulty sharing personal experiences. Also, once they start sharing personal experiences, they wish to talk about other things and change the subject. One benefit that they mentioned about being shy is that they found that  children are more honest who are shy. In general, shy children are less likely to do something that they know is wrong even if they know no one is watching them. Some interesting things that they found had to do with animal studies. They studied animals that were shy and compared them to children that were shy. For example, some scientists studied sunfish in a pound. They put a net in the pound and caught the fish that went in vs the fish that did not. They found that the fish that went into the net were very neurologically different than the ones that stayed away. Overall, I thought that the podcast was very interesting. There were some very slow parts, but for the most part it was pretty interesting. I am not really sure that I will listen to anymore or these unless I have to though. Maybe when I get old and don't have so much to do, but for now, it is good to know that there are things like this that I could listen to if I really am bored. (Even though I probably won't... Lets be honest.)

Favorite Movie

My favorite movie that I have seen is the first Iron Man. I really don't have a favorite movie but Iron Man was one of the coolest movies I have seen. I love the action and the cleverness of it. Also, who doesn't love Iron Man? I thought they did a really good job of setting up the story and portrayed what being captured would be like. The casting in the movie is outstanding too. I particularly liked the special effects in the movie. It amazes me how they are able to make everything seem to real. I wonder if they will be able to get any better in the coming years. Along with this movie, I am looking forward to the Avengers movie that is coming up. I think it is cool that they are tying all of their movies together to make one super movie. I really hope they do a good job on that because it has the possibility of being one of the best action movies ever. Overall though, Iron Man really captivated my imagination and really is the first movie that got me interested and wanting more. From that point on I have wanted to see all Marvel movies, and have seen them all. Out of all of them though, Iron Man was the original one for me, and in my opinion their major successes. The other ones by them are good, but nothing compares to Iron Man due to its action, humor and story line. 

My Essay Progress

So far everything is going ok. I have a feeling I am still going to be rushing in the end. Eight to ten pages is a lot. I got basically all of my research done and know what I am going to be talking about. The only thing I really have to worry about it making it long enough and making sure I do not sound repetitive.

Why Write Reading

This wasn’t the funniest reading I have ever read, but it definitely had information in there that will help me. Even if I didn’t pick up everything from reading that I should have, I know where to find everything I need to know about this next paper. One thing I really like about this book is how it is structured though. It makes it really nice to find what I need in it, and while reading through this last assignment, I am able to know what I will be reading before I get to it. That helps me to comprehend better. Okay, just wanted to say that, now about the reading. I really liked the section titled “Careful Persuasion: Using Ethos, Pathos, and Logos”. In this next paper we are going to have to use these three things one way or another. Using this section as a tool will help me to know if I am organizing it in the right way, or presenting it in an appropriate way. I also think that the book is right when it says to “Find a balance” (177). Often times in my writing I don’t balance the paper well.  In this next paper I really want to find a good balance that will keep the reader interested all the way through this long, painful paper. If I am able to do that for this next paper, than I will be happy and feel good about whatever grade. Well, I would feel better about an “A” to be honest, but you get what I mean. 

My New Paper

I am going to write about be a vegetarian and whether it is good for you or not. I myself am not a vegetarian and strongly believe that meat is good for us and is here for us, but it is interesting to read both sides and see the arguments that they make. After reading some already, I have found out a lot more information. I don't see vegetarians in such a negative light now, well, at least not all of them. There are really two different types. One group just wants to live a healthier life or meat doesn't agree with them, and another group just thinks that eating meat causes global warming and other stupid things like that. So really, within this topic I am going to have to narrow down what I am talking about even more. Overall, I think this paper is going to take a lot more time than the other ones, but I think it will be interesting to see what I find out and to see what other people find out.

Rhetorical Analysis Analysis

I did not think that the rhetorical analysis was too difficult to write. I actually think it was a little easier to get enough writing in there than our personal narrative. With our personal narrative we had to tell a true story and couldn't make anything up. With this paper, we had pages to write on because we could go into the word choice of the writer and a million other things. Even though it was easy to write, I am glad it is done. It is always nice to finish a paper that you have been working on for a while. I really don't want to start this next paper either... Overall, rhetorical analysis wasn't bad at all in my book, but i really didn't like the writing lab. They did not help me at all. It wasted an hour or more of my time.

Anything i want!

Well, this is anything I want to write about. So I will just say that I am glad our responses aren't so long anymore. That is a huge relief. Now I won't have to make up a lot of stuff about nothing that doesn't even make sense. Overall, I am happy with the change!

Letters From Birmingham Jail

This is a persuasive essay written by Martin Luther King, Jr. He wrote this in jail and had a specific purpose for writing this. He talks a lot about the church. In the paper he constantly says that he hopes the church will change. Martin Luther King really wants a change in the church because he is losing faith in it. He even says, "perhaps I have once again been too optimistic" (204). In order for Martin Luther King to get his point across and get people on his side, he uses many rhetoric devices. He uses ethos, pathos and logos to appeal to his readers. He is very careful about word choice. An example of some of his word choice is, " Moveover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states" (196). He doesn't sound repetitive through out the whole paper even though he is trying to get one point across. He brings up logical solutions to what is happening that make what was happening so nonsensical. Overall, this is a very persuasive piece and has great word choice. It also show pathos, ethos and logos in use in a very extraordinary way. 

What Christians Believe

This is a persuasive essay written by C.S. Lewis. He states that his reason for writing this is because he has been asked to state what Christians believe. Lewis through out the entire paper states something that Christians believe and then goes to back it up. He also connects what he talks about to his life. In one case, he says, "my argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust" (176). Because this is a persuasive piece though, he goes on to tell us why there is wickedness in the world. He gives clear evidence to free agency and states very abruptly, but not rudely, that we all have the ability to make our own decisions. Every question he brings up, he answers. He wants the readers to follow along with him and not literally tell them that they are wrong if they don't believe this. He would not be able to change any bodies mind if he came about this topic in a vicious way. Religion is a tough topic to write about. He has to choose his words very carefully. If he didn’t, he could be saying something he doesn’t actually believe in. His punctuation is also important to notice. Overall, he does a good job of using persuasive language. He doesn't sound offensive and explains himself thoroughly. 

Veil of Fears Analysis

Genre: This was written to persuade the reader. The writer of this wants us to follow along with him and agree with him. He shows us things that, as humans, we tend to disagree with. By doing this, he is trying to persuade us to follow what he is saying.

Purpose: He wants to inform of us of what the veil is all about. Most people are ignorant to why women wear these veils in the Middle East; thus, people make assumptions that are not true. Because of this, he wants to tell the true meaning of the veil. He doesn’t believe that the veil that women wear is not bad. It is tradition and customary for them to wear it, so he tries to convince us to accept it.

View of the World: Throughout the story, Kurtz talks about family. He writes “ life in the Muslim Middle East has long revolved around family and tribe” (230).  People all over can connect to what family means. This is good to write about because the majority of people won’t be offended by mentioning family and won’t feel isolated while reading.

Tools used: Kurtz is very careful to pick his words. He doesn’t pick any words that could isolate anyone that is reading. His purpose is to persuade, so if he were to isolate a group, his purpose for writing this is lost. He also doesn’t use harsh language or assume his readers are stupid. He really just wants us, as readers, to hear him out and think of the veil in a different way. 

Over view of my personal narrative

Well, I am glad my personal narrative is over now. Overall I think it went pretty well. I still had some trouble with the ending and I am not sure if it came out cheesy or not, but I think the majority of it was pretty good. I also found it hard to leave some detail out. I wanted to tell the story just how I saw it, but personal narratives don't work that way. I had to give just the important information that would let my readers see what I was experiencing, but not too much where they get bored or lost in it. I think I did a good job of not giving extra information, but still using figurative language and my voice in this paper. Overall, I didn’t think that the assignment as a whole was too difficult. I like how we broke it down in segments and had the first two pages due earlier. It helped me not to procrastinate and get it done when I needed to. Also, the peer edits where nice because I had to have everything written up by then and than I got some feed back on what people thought I could do to improve my paper. The peer edits also made it easy to find the errors in my paper I usually pass over. In the end, I am pleased about how the assignment turned out and hopefully I get the grade I want on it. Writing is worth 70% of our grade!

Blog #4

My personal narrative is going good so far, but isn’t close to being done. It won’t be hard for me to finish it up though. The story I am telling is long, so it is easy to put in detail and extend it to the needed length. However, my story happened thirteen years ago, so some details are hard to remember. I probably need to call my parents and get the missing parts from them. The only problem I might have is finishing my paper strongly. I could probably find some nice weak ending and just say that my experience helped me to learn blank, blank and blank; but I know I should probably find a really strong ending so I get the grade I want. One other problem that I am probably going to have to spend the most time on is making sure that my paper flows and there aren’t too many errors. No matter how many times I read what I have, I always find some new error. It is really annoying because I just don’t see them even though I keep reading it. I should probably have my brother or friends read it though, because reading other people’s papers tends to help out more. They are usually better at telling you what made sense and what didn’t. Sometime I know what I am trying to say but say it weird so other people have no idea what I am saying. You might see this in what I just wrote. J

How to Argue Effectively Narrative

How to Argue Effectively by Dave Barry is a great piece of art. I found it to be extremely funny and also very helpful. I really think I might follow some of his ideas. I particularly liked his idea of comparing the person you are arguing with to Adolf Hitler. I think I might use this in the near future. Overall, the whole paper was written beautifully and very cleverly. My brother took speech and debate in high school and did very well in it. He was ranked as top in the nation for speech and debate, and reading this reminded me a lot of how he argues. He will bring up random statistics that I’m not even sure are true and if I ask where he got it, he wouldn’t respond to my question. Another part I liked in the paper that reminded me of my brother is when Barry tells the reader to use Latin abbreviations. My brother doesn’t do Latin abbreviations, but he will use words that people don’t really know in order to confuse the person he is talking to. He also sounds so sure of himself as he says something that people automatically agree with him even though he might not be correct. Being a twin with him, and around him often, I know he isn’t always correct however, everyone always thinks he is. Overall, this personal narrative really grabbed my attention and I was even able to connect to what the author was saying. 

Response Paper to Personal Narratives

My favorite narrative I read was “My Father’s Sketchbook” by Jessie Hawkes. I personally enjoyed this piece because it was well written and was a good story. I could feel the author’s feelings in her words she writes. I got a good idea of what a personal narrative is by this piece too. One of my personal favorite parts of her story is when she first finds her dad’s statement that he “is sad” (96). I really could see what she was going through at this time and could kind of relate to the way she was feeling. I have always looked up to my dad and when I was young he was invincible and would play around with me. We would have little arm wrestling matches and do other father son games. It is my guess that he also let me win these games. I remember playing a game of Pig with my dad. Pig is a basketball game where if you make a shot, the other person has to make the same shot. If they don’t, then they receive a letter. One time while playing, I accused him of not trying. He claimed he was, but I wasn’t completely sure if he was.  I can relate to this girl when she realized that her dad let her come close to winning these arm wrestling matches. Overall, I really enjoyed this personal narrative and could relate to many parts of her stories and learned how I should structure mine.

My favorite quote I found in this particular piece was at the end of her personal narrative. When she was hugging her father, she said her fathers hug was as if he was saying, “ there is sadness in this part of the journey too. There is sadness and there are mistakes, but more importantly, there is joy. And love. And growing” (98).  I liked this quote because I can relate to this statement. I am going through the same part of life that she I going through and I agree that it is hard, but there are a lot of rewards that come along with it. 

Me in 100 Words

My name is Kevin Nielsen. I do track for BYU. I was second in the nation for the decathlon for my age group. I have high jumped 6’10. I enjoy all sports and not just track. I broke my leg when I was four jumping of a hope chest and when I was five, had a rusty nail go into my eye. I now have two different colored eyes because of the accident. One is blue one is green. I love to eat meat and I prefer warm weather to cold. I am a twin and have five total siblings.