Advice. (12)

     In Ron Koergt's piece he is advising writers to stray away from the traditional notions and concepts about writing. The process of writing is not always linear. Actually, it is more like a messy scribble. He is telling writers to explore life and think outside of the box. Our experiences throughout our lives should motivate our writing and become a part of it. Writing is more than just words...writing is a type of art. Writing should be creative.
     If I could give advice to students that will be taking WSC001, it would be to relax. After taking this course I have learned to accept that nothing I write is going to be perfect. When you sit down to write, just write whatever is on your mind...even if it doesn't make sense. Challenge yourself. That is the point of writing. It's a process. You write, and you rewrite, and you rewrite again. Be creative and exciting when you write. Don't write about things that are boring or bore you. Be honest. If the topic you need to write about was boring to you--find ways around it to express true, exciting feelings. These feelings don't have to be 'good' or positive feelings. Honest writing is the most real writing. It is the most empowering writing for a reader to read. Let go of the formulas that you learned in your twelve years of education outside of college on how to write. Write freely, creatively and most importantly, honestly.

Writing. (11)

What is writing? I don't know. Are the four letter word projects considered writing? Good question. The first thoughts they came into my head when reading the prompt for this post was how writing is words on paper or on a screen... That writing is reading. But when I started to type out my post, I realized that writing is more than just words. I don't know what writing is. I think (maybe) that writing is expressing. Whether it be through words or images or video or dancing or singing. But then that doesn't make much sense...if writing is dancing then what is dancing? I don't know. Are the four letter projects, writing? Yes. Yes they are. But at the same time, no. They are not.

Rodney Jones. (10)

I think that Rodney Jones is arguing that images cannot do what language, or writing does. Jones states in his poem,"no image like the image of language" meaning that words are more powerful than images. I think that throughout the poem Jones creates an image in the reader's mind through his writing and I think that is exactly what he is arguing-- that with writing images are formed through language and that a tangible or viewable image can't always be interpreted the way writing can.

Twouble With Twitter. (6)

I think that when one tweets, there really isn't anyone in particular that they are speaking to. "Who are they talking to?" is an excellent question to ask tweeters. Who am I talking to when I tweet? I do have my own personal twitter aside from the one we made for class. To be honest, I'm not sure who I'm talking to. I think I just tweet thoughts because I want to write my thoughts down and twitter provides a place to do so. I don't tweet to a specific audience unless I'm replying to someone or actually tweeting at someone. Sometimes I'll tweet at someone and wonder why I didn't just text or call them. I'm not sure who is reading my tweets...maybe those who follow me because my twitter is a private account. But to be honest, I don't really care who reads my tweets. So why do I tweet? I think I tweet for selfish reasons. Twitter is a blog. I micro blog my thoughts.. Usually pertaining to food or if hungry or if I think someone looks/smells/seems weird (nice right?). I originally made my twitter to follow my favorite bands and artists and I didn't tweet at all. Eventually I started to and I have been ever since. I agree with the video when it says that tweeters tweet to "no one and everyone at the same time." I also agree with the man who basically says how stupid twitter is and how in our generation we keep on making more and more pointless programs/websites/technological things that we get addicted to. Twitter is stupid and pointless and I think a lot of people that have an account agree, yet we (as tweeters) all still have a twitter and continue to tweet. It's a weird addiction.

Anticipating Readers. (9)

When I put on text, I sometimes anticipate readers, depending on what I'm wearing, why I'm wearing it, when I'm wearing it, where I'm wearing it and what kind of mood I'm in. For example, if I were really passionate about supporting a specific cause and I wore a t-shirt representing it, YES! I most definitely am anticipating readers. I want people to know about whatever cause I'm supporting and maybe even assist in getting word out or joining me in supporting it. Other times, I just throw on a shirt or pants that may have writing on it that I don't really anticipate readers. If I wore Uggs which I do quite often to class, I don't really anticipate readers to read the text on my boots. And yet other times I do anticipate readers but I don't at the same time. I may put on a Hofstra shirt (REPRESENT) and I don't really look to anticipate readers, but I wouldn't mind if a conversation sparked. I think wearing text is definitely a way to present your personality to the world in a discrete yet so open way, and it invites people--whether they be people you know or strangers, to get a glimpse of who you are.

Taylor. (7&8)

I think Zayde Smith's argument that the flexibility of voice leads to a flexibility in all things is true.

The flexibility of voice implies the ability to not only see another's perspective, but to explain, give light to, and illustrate that perspective to other people.

The more perspectives one can see, the better able one is to understand a situation as whole, not broken into me vs. the other. The more perspectives one sees, or flexible one becomes, the situation changes from me vs. the other, eventually eliminating the other (because one then becomes the other). The more voices one can give voice to, the better able one is able to understand different perspectives and reason differently.

Taylor is influenced by the writing implement she uses. The different colors she uses are different sections of her thoughts-- a pretty way to organize them! I don't think she is more or less expressive as a result of the physical constraints of the crayoned page. I think Taylor expresses her thoughts clearly, to as much of the extent her words will let her. This writing is good! I know this is good because she and I seemed to have very similar thoughts on why Smith's statement in true...but I feel as if she hit the nail more than I did. For some reason I couldn't think of the right words to use as I was writing my opinion but it was as if Taylor thought of the right words to use for both her and my opinion.

Presidents and Poets. (5)

To conclude her essay, Smith discloses: "In this lecture I have been seeking to tentatively suggest that the voice that speaks with such freedom, thus unburdened by dogma and personal bias, thus flooded with empathy, might make a good president" (192). However, she rejects this claim by advocating for the many-voiced role of the poet. What is the difference between the rhetoric of a president and that of a poet? Does Smith suggest there should be a difference?

Smith states that Obama "doesn't just speak for his people. He can speak them" (182). When speaking as a president, you must always be able to speak the voices of your nations' citizens. This is because you are representing the leader of the nation, and you often in time must speak what your country's people want. You know what they want to hear, because you know what they want you to accomplish. Unfortunately this rhetoric of a president does not please everyone, as he can only speak some of the ideas of his people, not all. This inevitably causes a dislike for the president from different groups that see differently. This causes tension between the president and the citizens, but there is really nothing one can do. A poet on the other hand has no issues with different voices. That is one of the factors to the art of poetry. The poet or the poem is often an enigma...giving the reader or audience to interpret the work on their own. By having several voices, the poet may give cause a reaction in the reader that he or she may not have intended to create. There is no significant difference in the rhetoric of poets and presidents, only a slight one, as poets reach the wants of their readers in a discrete way, allowing the audience to decide for themselves how to interpret what they are saying. Presidents on the other hand must be speak as a confident leader, disclosing their ideas clearly. However, both need to be able to open up their voices and ears to their audiences and be flexible with their words as much as possible. I think Smith views this in a similar sense as she states, "I believe that flexibility of voice leads to a flexibility in all things. My audacious hope in Obama is based, I'm afraid, on precisely such flimsy premises" (194).

Speaking in Tongues. (4)

"Speaking in Tongues" by Zadie Smith (Hitchens, 179-194)

1. In the first paragraph, Smith uses the word voice six times --"This voice...English voice...not the voice...this was the voice...have the voice...this voice..." (Hitchens 179). What is/are the voice(s) the author is referring to?
2. Smith states the claim that many societies believe that "Voices are meant to be unchanging and singular...our voices are who we are, and that to have more than one, or to use different versions of a voice for different occasions, represents...at worst, the loss of our very souls..." (180). What are your views on this claim?
3. Do you think that the voice represents our souls as mentioned in the last paragraph?
4. "For Obama, having more than one voice in your ear is not a burden, or not solely a burden--it is also a gift" (183). Do you think having more than one voice is a burden or a gift? Or is it both?
5. "...I'm not proud to be female either. I am not even proud to be human-- I only love to be so. As I love to be female and I love to be black, and I love that I had a white father" (188). Why is Smith stating these thoughts? Why are they relevant? What is she trying to say?
6. What is the point of Smith's work? What is she arguing? Do you agree or disagree?

Tweet tweet. (3)

What I really think about the writing space that twitter affords is that it's creative. It gets whoever is tweeting to think about what they have to say as concisely as they can. Although it can be annoying, as some people enjoy sharing quotes or lyrics by tweeting and can't fit it in the 140 character limit. I think it's interesting that the creators of Twitter made it this way. It's kind of like they're saying "keep it short and sweet," to whatever you want to say. It's a way of expressing oneself without putting a mouthful of words into text and into a reader's eyes and/or mind.

Putting on Text. (2)

I'm not sure why so many people wear texts on their clothing and on their skin. Perhaps they feel that such portable writing serves to portray who they are. Wearing text on clothing and/or skin is like a producing and presenting a show to an audience about themselves--obviously, people are going to read the text, and obviously one knows that. Wearing clothing that says "Bacon" gives me the idea that you like bacon. Getting a tattoo of "Hope" and a pink cancer symbol gives me the idea that you are a supporter of helping cure breast cancer. Wearing text is like a small door of your personality that remains open for others to enter.

The Problem of Describing Trees. (1)

In the poem The Problem of Describing Trees by Robert Hass, he is arguing that words can't describe what he's trying to describe...and that it's not always possible to clearly express thoughts through organized words. Sometimes a puzzle, like a poem, is the only substitute for it. Poetry acts as a tool to create images in the mind without actual images.

In regards to the line: "Dance with me, dancer. Oh, I will."

I think Hass is speaking to the reader. Not about legitimately dancing, but telling the reader to follow him...to try and understand what he's trying to say even though words are limiting what exactly he is trying to describe.

Four Letter Word Project.

My four letter word was fall. I tried to portray the different ways that a fall can occur, whether it be physically, mentally, positively or negatively.

Girls and Boys.

Equivalent terms for girl:
Female, bitch, homie, cutie, lady, pretty, woman, beautiful, ugly, slut, whore, skank, player, hottie, girlies, asshole, jerk, idiot, stupid, loser...and probably a lot more I can't think of right now

Equivalent terms for boy:
Male, douche, homie, gangster, cutie, handsome, gentleman, man, ugly, player, tool, loser, dude, bro, brah, son, n-word, asshole, jerk, idiot, stupid, loser... and probably a lot more I can't think of right now

Can Images Do What Words Do?

     I don't think that images can do what words do but I also don't believe that words can do what images do. I think both types of presentation are used to portray different things. In my opinion, the expression "a picture is worth a thousand words" is not always true. Some pictures may be worth a couple of words, or maybe a love-letter-amount-of-words, or maybe one word...but not a thousand words. Sometimes, a picture is just in that particular way because the artist wanted it that way. There might not always be an explanation. Whereas when authors write, there seems to always be a point to the writing. There's a reason why the author wrote it. I don't really know how to explain what I think, I feel like I'm not making much sense.
     It could also depend on the viewer or reader. If I were to look at a picture of a flower, I'd probably think "Wow, that flower is pretty. This picture is nice. I like the colors." Whereas other viewers may just think "flower." And other viewers may think "Wow, look at the different shades of colors. The light is reflecting in such an interesting way. The angle is beautiful. This must have been around 2 o'clock...etc." Maybe that depicts my thoughts more? I don't know. Either way, I don't think that images can do what words do, but words can't do what images do either.

A Magazine Is An iPad That Does Not Work.

In this video, it portrays the idea of writing being refashioned with digital text. A baby tries to "use" magazines as an iPad would be used, hence "a magazine is an iPad that does not work." To the baby, and to future generations, magazines may be seen as useless, as new technologies such as the iPad are invented. The artist of the video puts text onto the screen before specific clips of the baby. For example, the video begins with the text "This one works" and then a clip is shown of the baby playing with the iPad. The video continues to move forward with other narratives such as "This one does not work" as the baby tries to play with a magazine as she would with an iPad. This video is relevant to our composition class as we read Bolter's book about the remediation of writing from print text to digital text.

Still project three.

I keep thinking about my project three and I'm pretty sure my next move is to move away and start an entirely new paper.

Steven's Paper.

I am peer reviewing a colleague's draft of project three and my first reaction is that this draft is about libraries. Steven feels two ways about a library. Good choice Steven. I loved how he included a Disney movie, "Beauty and the Beast." Maybe he is similar to Bella since she loves to read.

Proyecto Tres.

I've been thinking about my own draft for project three and I have to tell you (Professor Lay) that this paper I typed for you sucks IMMENSELY. First of all, I didn't even follow through with the initial place I wanted to write about. Second off... there isn't really a second. I have tried so hard to fulfill what I think are the requirements for this paper and I feel as if I have barely met the guidelines. I. Hate. This. Paper. Not the topic not you, but MY paper. I don't think I've ever been this disappointed with a paper. I'm not sure why this paper troubled me so much, but it did. And it's bothering me. A lot. This is the first college assignment where I really just feel as if I failed at my work. It sucks. Sorry to you and whoever is reading my paper for this horrendous-ness.

Sentences.

A sentence starts out like jumping off a diving board into a pool. You dive into the water, going deeper and deeper in the water until finally you are able to start swimming back up to surface. You kick your feet and move your arms as you begin to desire to breathe more and more. The distance to surface seems never ending as you run out of time to hold your breath...finally...you break the surface and gasp for air.

A Vision of Students Today.

In Wesch's video he argues the fact that students today have a very different college experience than of students years ago. With the emergence and development of technology, students are often distracted, not only from school work but also with the rest of the activities existing in their lives. Many students sit in classes and don't appreciate enough of the fact that they are able to get an education and afford to go to school, while there are people in the world that make less than one dollar a day. Students often don't realize how lucky they are to be educated in a University or College to help assist them in finding their future careers after graduating school. It seems that college is taken for granted by many students and students often forget to remember the bigger problems that exist in the world.

Maybe, perhaps, might be...

My parent's laundromat might be like playing your favorite sport. Sometimes, you really don't want to go to practice or a game but have no choice but to go. You don't feel like running that mile or practicing your agility, yet you do anyway. Sometimes you choose to skip practice-- "I had a doctor's appointment," "I was sick." Other times, you're on the field, or the track, or at the bowling alley and you just feel comfortable. You know what you're doing, and you play the game like it's your job.

Laundry.

My parent's laundromat is not like spending Christmas with your boyfriend's family for the first time. I don't have to be extremely careful to make a good impression. I can easily be myself whether I'm in a good mood or bad mood. It's not necessary to stop and think for those extra seconds or perhaps minutes about what is appropriate to say or do. Meeting new people (customers ta the laundromat, family members at Christmas) isn't weird and nerve-racking. Handing things to customers or workers is not even close to possibly being as awkward as passing the gravy to Mrs. So-and-so. There's no reason to be timid-- unless you want to be. Uncomfortable is a non-existing adjective in the laundromat, unless you're wearing those jeans that are too tight, or there's a strange drunk man in the store.

Home sweet home.

Home is being comfortable. You know when and if you should or can take off your shoes. You don't have to ask where the bathroom is. You can open the refrigerator in search for food. You can walk around in your underwear or in sweats looking like a zombie. Home is your cozy abode, a place you can always turn to.

Prezi Palooza.

My group's prezi can be viewed here!

Other groups' prezi arguments (in my opinion, or maybe, what they stated was their argument):
Group 1: Writing is not only words on paper or on a screen. Instead, audio, video, images, hyperlinks are all apart of writing. With digital text, writers can express their ideas in various different ways.
Group 2: Computers and/or digital text has and is transforming writing into something very different. Digital text is a revolution of writing.
Group 3: Hypertext connects many things together and allows us to write as we think. Writing is insinuating itself into places it may not necessarily always was.
Group 4: Hypertext allows writing to move-- for the reader to navigate. This new form of transportation for writing is assisted with the addition of other sources of media to help the reader/audience comprehend what point the writing is making.

Jacques Derrida.

     I am definitely sometimes afraid to write, but most certainly in a different way than Jacques Derrida is. Derrida takes writing a lot more seriously than I do. I think this is because he is a writer, and I am not. I'm afraid to write because since I don't see myself as a writer, I'm not very confident with my writing, especially when it comes to creative writing. I don't really fear writing essays, as long as I know exactly what I'm writing. I'm scared to write because I don't always think I'm persuasive enough, or organize my thoughts in a correct manner. Then I feel like my writing is all over the place and I panic. This usually happens during the quizzes we have in class. But there's really nothing I can do if I have a time limit, right? So, I have to be a tough cookie and just deal with it. Hopefully I'll end up preventing this fear of writing after I complete this course.

You can view a video of Mr. Derrida here.

John Wideman.

I wasn't sure what or how to post this. Throughout my experience I kind of just wrote down what I was thinking (almost like a stream of consciousness), so that's what I am going to type. Here goes nothing.

I wish this lady introducing this special moment wouldn't speak so rapidly and at such a low volume. I also wish I knew more of Mr. Wideman, or read a work of his. Wideman just stated that storytelling is being alive-- it's a deep telling of the human heart incompetent with itself. Wow, he's funny! And genuine, from what I see/hear. He looks SO scholarly, playing with his glasses in his suit.
     Woah. This is pretty cool. I've never really seen a big author in person before. Could you imagine if I loved his writing like I love...I don't know...J.K. Rowling's writing? This would be SICK. Awesome.
Aw, I like the advice he just gave. He pretty much just stated, "Don't short hand teaching. Find something to do that excites you. Forget about the money. Teaching is a great job." He recommends teaching. Or to write I do not think I will ever write as a career, but teaching is a possibility.
     Oh my gosh, he's reading a work in progress, this is cool! I get to hear part of a book that isn't even published yet! HA!
     While observing John Wideman and listening to him, it reminded me of the short essay we read for class, When Writers Speak. I thought it was interesting because obviously Wideman is a well-known author, and I think he's great at public speaking or speaking out loud at all, opposite of the author of When Writers Speak.
Mr. Wideman's hands seem like they're shaking, and yet his voice is so calm. His work-in-progress is both fiction and nonfiction I believe he said. While he's reading he seems as if he is reminiscing. Oh look, his hands stopped shaking...wow, he is so comfortable now. You can just tell. He's currently lost in his own writing.
Oh no, I'm getting uninterested. I'm having trouble focusing and trying hard to listen to his own writing come out as words. This is reminding me of another idea we wrote about in class-- the idea of orality verses textuality. This is cool that I get to hear the actually author read out his own work. It's awesome. However, like I said about Taylor Mali, I'd be able to appreciate the work much more if I was reading it. I see myself as more of a visual learner and I feel more comfortable capturing ideas when I see it.
Anyway, back to Wideman. Wow! Seriously, this guy is SO into his writing! It's as if he's acting it out. His facial expressions and he rhythm of his voice is emphasizing his writing. I just wish I was able to hear him better. Then I wouldn't be so distracted.
     Alright... in my opinion this passage is WAY to long to be read aloud. I've never been to one of these things before but I can legitimately see the audience losing their attention towards. He should have found an earlier spot to stop.

Slam Poetry.

The biggest difference between oral words and textual words is the affect that each has on an audience. In this particular video of the outspoken performance by Taylor Mali, one sees and hears Mali talking, getting the privilege of hearing the tone of his voice and seeing his body movements, which definitely emphasized his entire point of the poem. Rhetorically, Mali presented his poem with the "speaking problem" he describes in his piece. Rather than speaking with conviction and authority when reciting the poem, Mali questioned his own statements and added unnecessary questioning to his words such as "ya know?" and by using the word "like." In the 'Wordle' video, I had an easier time understanding and focusing on Mali's point, because it included both Mali's voice audio as well as the lyrics to his poem. With the words printed throughout the 'Wordle' video, I was able to capture each word used in the poem opposed to the video of Mali where I only hear him recite it. I feel as if even if the 'Wordle' did not include the audio of the poet one could read the lyrics and hear the tone and irony of Mali's voice just by reading the text.

Trimble's Law of Closing

Power group's Prezi for "Trimble's Law of Closing" can be viewed here.

Michael Wesch

     In Wesch's video he portrays the different uses for the Web to share ideas, pictures, videos, news and much more information. Wesch explains through his video that instead of looking at writing as a machine humans are using, one should look at 'the machine' using us. Without our interactions with writing and technology, it would not exist. We post new things everyday and people create new ways to develop and improve technology. We are teaching 'the machine' new features every second. The machine is using us to learn new things, ideas, ways, and functions. It may seem as if we are using writing and technology, but in reality, 'the machine' is using us. Without our usage, technology would be nothing.

The video can be viewed here

Diction.

In Chapter 6, "Diction," Trimble exhorts writers to pay attention to several qualities of word choice. Which advice feel familiar (or  perhaps necessary) for you to apply to your own writing?

     Trimble introduces the chapter with the topics "Conciseness" and "Vigorous Verbs" which both already give advice that I feel is necessary for my own writing. Due to typical high school assignments, I tend to have a bad habit of writing in the passive voice and using more words than necessary. Trimble states how one must learn how to respect words and to be concise, but also strong but selecting a sufficient, strong word. "Less is more" (Trimble, 49) is definitely something I can begin thinking about to improve my writing. Trimble also advises the reader (me) to remember that "Active verbs move us forward; passive verbs move us backward. Active verbs give us the actor up front; passive verbs make us wait to learn the actor" (Trimble, 50). I can start using the active voice more and remember to assign responsibility for an action. The last topic Trimble addresses is "Freshness," describing how a writer needs to be able to surprise the reader; a writer should write creatively with selective adjectives and verbs. This is another element I can apply to my writing (so basically, the entire chapter is helpful to my writing). I think all of the qualities that Trimble mentions a writer should pay attention to in this chapter will be essential to improving my writing this semester (I already tried to follow his advice while writing this blog post!).

Open Admission and the Birth of Modern Composition

     Dr. John Trimbur of Emerson College gave a lecture today concerning open admission of colleges and the birth of modern composition. I was only able to stay for solid 45 minutes because it did not really interest me, although I must admit I did learn some interesting facts. The education of writing began going through a reinvention around the 1970s. Students who began entering the City Colleges of New York precipitated a new kind of writing due to new open admissions (meaning anyone who graduated high school could enter college) which caused the reinvention of writing. One of the 'classics' of this new writing is an essay written by a student called "Reality Essay." The paper was in response to a prompt from a college, "What is reality?" (The actual essay is posted at the end of this blog post). When reading this essay, one will notice the many simple grammatical errors. However, this was birth of modern composition. It was a new kind of reading in writing. An essay like the "Reality Essay" has its own kind of order and logic that can be read by a new attentive reader. Rather than reading the essay and  automatically looking for corrections, the birth of modern composition was looking for readers to read how particular pieces of writing like the "Reality Essay" were operating, through a new "language" of writing.
     When open admissions first initiated around the 1970s, writing programs were created and populations of colleges doubled. However, it was difficult for the faculty members at first because the faculty wasn't developed. No one knew what was coming; Dr. Trimbur quoted "What is this shit?" from professors from that era, hence this being the birth of modern composition. With the birth of modern composition, writing became a much more significant area for colleges. Due to open admissions and the creation of writing programs, more proficiency testing were created, and tuition of colleges began to increase. All in all, the birth of modern composition was prevalent for the increase in higher education for the students in the United States. Although the lecture was quite boring to me, it was interesting to see how much writing has changed since the birth of modern composition. It's insane to think of the difference between the "Reality Essay" as a response to a prompt to get into a college, to the responses colleges are looking for today.

"Reality Essay"

Reality is what I say it is, I say is to live for "God." It's real or I such say that he is for real and he is more real if you know that your just here on earth for just some time, maybe fourty year, fifty, eighty years, but who realy knows. I guest nobody here on earth knows. You know in "good book," I mean the "Bible," it said there is two kinds of life, this kind fo life, that where living on earth and the life where he lives. This is reality to know that I'm just here for a short while because I donn't know when he is coming for me (death and passing away of the body) I'm glad I wont pass away just my body. But I have to take under consideration that there are other people that were born before me and there turn has to come before me. Because its just a line, your just waiting to be called.

A funny thing happen to me when I went to the A.P. shopping for food. I was with my wife and we got all the food that we can get for us to eat for two weeks. Something distriked my eye when I was about to pay for the ideoms. There was a book on the counter by the cash-register and this book (books) where for people to buy. It was publish by Readers Digest and it said "How to live a longer life in nine easy steps." This was realy funny to me because people of today are trying to prolong life, I mean a lot of people, doctors inventing something like a heart transplant (thats jsut one ex.) How far can you get. Like in the story of Edgar Allan Poe, Allegory and The Masque of the Red Death and Bartleby the Scrivener. Death comes and there no way in the world that you can stop it because the lord comes like a shadow at night, or the Angle of Red Death.

This is reality if people can see it but thay have eye's but they cann't see and they have ears but they cann't hear.

A Painful Glimpse Into My Writing Process.

     Chel White created a video describing his writing process. My writing process is surprisingly very similar to how White depicted his. At one point of his writing process White described himself as thinking of an idea to put into his piece and having to look for a pen and paper just to write down whatever it was that he was thinking so that he wouldn't forget it. When I need to write something (usually for school), I always keep the question/topic/idea of what I need to write in the back of my head for a while. I constantly try and think back to it, just in case I experience, see or think about something that I can relate to in my writing or simply write about. I like to do this because if I don't, I usually end up sitting in front of my computer screen or in front of my paper, with a crazy mind vacillating from idea to idea. If any ideas emerge in my head before I am writing the piece, I always take out my blackberry and begin to type it onto my phone. Sometimes it may be a sentence or two, while other times it may be paragraphs.

     Another similarity to White's writing process is how he described the initiation of his process. He stated the beginning of his process as him laying on the floor wondering to himself if he is dying. Obviously, I do not do this exactly, since I wrote this during class, nor do I do it while I am at home. However, I do have a similar feeling, although I don't wonder if I'm dying. I just panic a bit because I do not see myself as a writer. I fear that my writing will not come out as I want it to be, and I also am one of the most indecisive people I know. I tend to change my mind constantly, and when I start writing or typing my thoughts, I'll sometimes wish I wrote the opposition, especially when I must write of an agreement or disagreement to a specific question or statement. After rewriting my thoughts over a couple of times, I'll finally get into the flow of things and continue writing. Eventually I'll finish up what I am writing, and I read over my work several times to change, remove or add certain words and/or sentences, until I am pretty much satisfied with it. Voilà, I am an author, but not a writer.

You can view White's video here.

Ankle Show.

We are introduced to an Old Navy commercial by a sign that says, "The Ankle Show," while five attractive women dance and sing a song about showing off their ankles by wearing Old Navy ankle jeans and flats. A man also makes an appearance during the commercial, rapping a couple of lines in the song. Some lines in the song include, "Jeans raised up, shoes down low," sang by the women, and "Alright, time to show those ankles please; those sexy little things about a foot below your knees," rapped by the man. As the women sing, their dance moves include a lot of strutting and movement depicting an emphasis on their legs, trying to show them off. At one point in the commercial, it seems that they are singing and dancing outside of an office building, attracting attention from workers in the office, as the employees are mesmerized looking out the window at the ‘ankle show’.

In this particular commercial, the company is aiming to get women to buy their ankle jeans and flats. Although it is questionable to whether all women can dance and sing like the five women in the commercial, the company portrays a guarantee that your ankles and legs will look 'sexy' in the company's ankle jeans and flats. The consumer will also not be the only one to notice their own great looking ankles and legs; others will notice as well, just like the rapper in the commercial and the office workers in the office building. Not only does one get to show off their ankles and legs but one can do so cheap as well-- at the end of the commercial the company shows prices of their products: $19.50 for their jeans and only $14.50 for their "flirty flats."

You can view the commercial here.

Bread Crumbs and Cell Phones.

In the beginning of the AT&T commercial, we see two young children, who seem to represent Hansel and Gretel, arrive in a modern-day city. Walking through the city holding hands, we see the young girl drop bread crumbs behind them as they walked through the city, doing this would allow them to find a way back home. This shows how young children are usually not capable of remembering things by memory, and therefore can get lost very easily. As the two children stroll around the city, Gretel runs out of bread crumbs and turns around to look at her trail of crumbs. She turns around only to find them completely gone. Now, Hansel and Gretel have no way of getting home. However, AT&T will save the day.

Due to our advanced technology in our modern world, many cellular devices now have a GPS system, allowing a very simple way for one to get to one's desired location. Luckily, Gretel owns an AT&T cellular device that has a navigation system on it, allowing her and Hansel to be able to find their way back to their cottage. This commercial depicts how parents and/or guardians of young children can easily be less worried about their children getting lost, as long as their children own a cellular device. With a push of a button, or a touch on a screen, children can easily find their way to wherever they would like to be, especially if they are lost.

The commercial can be viewed here.

Horses.

Neigh

Clothes, Shoes and Heineken.

A Heineken commercial is introduced to the audience with a woman who is leading three well-dressed, attractive female friends through her living space. Eventually, the woman shows them what looks like a bedroom. We see the woman excitedly walk towards a double door located in the room. When the woman opens the doors we see a walk in storage closet filled with clothes and shoes. All the females scream hysterically with joy, jumping up and down, pointing and hugging each other, until a lower, distant screaming is heard. We are then taken to a scene of four well dressed, attractive men who have a rather heightened reaction to the walk in refrigerator they were standing in. The refrigerator is filled with Heineken beer, and the men are screaming, mouths open in awe while they have a similar yet more excited reaction to the beer in the refrigerator than the ladies do to the clothes and shoes in the closet.

The Heineken company is clearly aiming a target towards the male audience in this commercial. Although men may not be the only ones who enjoy and drink Heineken beer, the company uses a stereotypical 'dream' for males and females in our society to portray their product. The commercial depicts how clothes, shoes and a walk in closet fulfill the dreams of women, while a walk in refrigerator filled with Heineken beer fulfills the dreams of men.

The commercial can be viewed here.

12 Questions: AT&T Commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_iWajvrZns

1. What does the commercial say about children?
2. Who is AT&T trying to sell their product to?
3. Why were they using bread crumbs if they had the phone all along?
4. Why are they alone in a city?
5. Why are two kids walking at night?
6. How old are the children?
7. Why are they dressed so strangely in a modern city?
8. When is this taking place? 
9. Why is there no dialogue?
10. Why do they play that specific music during the commercial?
11. Why do they have a cell phone?
12. Where are their parents?

12 Questions: Heineken Commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIutgtzwhAc

1. Is the living space new to the men and women?
2. Why are the women presented in the beginning?
3. Who are the men/women to each other?
4. Are they wealthy?
5. How do their reactions differ?
6. Why aren't the women screaming for beer?
7. Where was this commercial situated?
8. What does the commercial say about men and women?
9. Do women like beer?
10. Must one be affluent to drink Heineken?
11. Why is the walk in refrigerator only filled with beer and nothing else?
12. Do men like clothes and shoes?

10 Things Baseball Players Do.

1. Run
2. Throw baseballs
3. Catch baseballs
4. Spit
5. Hit baseballs
6. Slide
7. Sweat
8. Practice
9. Play baseball
10. Wear jerseys

Warriors.

John Trimble makes the case that all writers are like warriors, defending claims and fortifying arguments. How do you respond to this trope, this figurative turn?

I agree with Trimble's statement. Like warriors, I believe that writers must be passionate, strong and confident in order to support their claims sufficiently. Although writing may not necessarily always need to be bold and assertive, in order for it to be well written, it must be written with a powerful voice in order to ensure that the point of the work is being put across to the reader. Written pieces such as essays, are written with a known argument and therefore the 'warrior-like' writing characteristics are clearly depicted and easily recognizable. Works such as poetry or novels, usually have a more subtle way of portraying a strong, passionate voice, but the warrior qualities are still present, just presented delicately. Thoughts, claims and arguments are put into words by writers and I believe that without writing like a warrior, there would be no possible way to come to a valid point in their text.

Violins and Shining Hair.

In a Pantene commercial, a deaf violinist is constantly being bullied by a rival musician who is a pianist. At one point in the commercial, the deaf girl's rival smashes her violin to the ground, inevitably damaging the instrument. A street performer motivates the deaf girl to follow her passion of playing the violin, in as much as a disability will allow her. Towards the end of the commercial, the violinist participates in a musical contest with her rival. After the pianist plays a vigorous piece, the deaf girl arrives on stage with luscious, shining hair; her once damaged violin is repaired with tape.

Although it is questionable whether such a damaged instrument can be played, the tape represents how the deaf violinist was 'repaired' by the street performer. The girl finally stood up for herself and followed her passion, although she was constantly being put down by her rival. The tape represents strength to stand up for oneself and to 'shine.' Although we are not told whether or not the violinist prevails in winning the contest, we do know that she has beautiful, shining hair, as depicted in the commercial. The commercial portrays how although there isn't always a guarantee to shine in particular situations such as the violinist and her musical talents, one can always be guaranteed to shine by buying and using the product of Pantene.

The commercial can be viewed here.

First Post.

So here I am at Hofstra and I am blogging.  Writing online makes me feel a bit strange. I don't know how I really feel about posting my thoughts online and giving others, including people I don't even know, an access to my thoughts; I guess that is the whole point of this assignment, and of the creation of blogging sites. I do have a tumblr, as do a couple of my friends from high school but I don't really like sharing my feelings on it. I just like reblogging pretty pictures, haha.

And now I just got a mosquito bite. I absolutely hate mosquitoes. They love me. I don't understand why. One time I read on the internet that if you eat a lot of garlic they stay away from you, so I tried it. I ate an clove of garlic (raw) and it takes 2-3 days to sink in so 3 days later I went out with my friends and it actually worked. But I'd rather not have garlic breath the entire summer.

I'm not really at Hofstra, but my assignment for my first post was to say "So here I am at Hofstra and I am blogging..." I mean, maybe it's not meaning literally... it could mean that I'm attending Hofstra University, in which case, I obviously am. Now I'm not sure what to write. I actually used to have stream of consciousness essays in 12th grade. I loved my English teacher. Mr. Thayer was awesome. Consciousness looks weird. That always happens to me, I'll write or type a word and it'll look strange, as if I spelled it wrong when in reality I spelled it correctly.

I am pooped. I keep writing new paragraphs although in a stream of consciousness there is no organization. I guess I'm just trying to be as organized as possible, when i really shouldn't be worried about that. Oh no, I didn't capitalize that last "I" but we're not supposed to edit or go back so I will leave it. And it's my blog right? So I don't really need to be grammatically correct. My mosquito bite is really itchy and I can't help but to itch it. I'm not sure what to write; stream of consciousness papers are always hard because then I'm constantly thinking "what do I write? what do I write?" And I'm supposed to be writing about what I'm thinking. 

Let's see, 3 more minutes. My blackberry's red light is going off which means I either have bbms, texts or e-mails and i really have an urge to check it but I can't! Not yet! I still have 2 minutes here. I wonder what everybody else is writing about. In my 12th grade English class we also read some papers aloud and it was always interesting to listen to others' papers, especially for a stream of consciousness. I am so tired. That's what I meant when I wrote "I'm pooped." One more minute, I want to think of something interesting to say but I don't know. My favorite color is green, I hope I did this assignment correctly, I hope I do well in college, I can't believe I'm not in high school, I'm listing a lot of things. This minute is going rather slowly, 6:04! I'm done. See ya =)