Sunday, November 9, 2008

Rising Virtual Community

After reading Howard Rheingold's "Introduction" to the idea of the expanding virtual communities I was actually astonished at the age of computer conferencing systems. Since 1985 people from all over the world have been communicating with each other via the internet. They have garnered intense social intimacy once never thought of without being face to face with a person. People consumed with WELLs (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Links) have got together for support groups and judicallily to get legal rights that were once not intitled to them. This world is ever growing and getting more advanced everyday.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

"Medium of Netspeak" what about it!

After reading David Crystal's article"Medium of Netspeak" it is clear that he has a noticeably negative view about the new generations consumption with the electronic medium. He feels as though the "language" used over the Internet is very limiting to the expanding world which is getting increasingly more computer savvy. The language barriers and expressions given on modern keyboards are very subjugating when the many dialects and languages are considered. David Crystal calls this new way of language speech writing. Crystal later showed a parallel difference between speech and writing and shows how the "speech writing" concept in its self is oxymoronic.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Arrange or not to Arrange that is the question!

1) Intro
a) Thesis
b) Main Point
2) Background
3) Issue
4) Side 1
a) Proof
b) Appeal
c) Analysis
5) Side 2
a) Proof
b) Appeal
c) Analysis
6) Conclusion
a) Thesis statement restated
b) Closing thought

I chose this particular arrangement because I felt it fit well with the negative and positive aspects of my topic on the use of child learning software

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

An Orange Vest...An Orange Waste

After reading "An Orange Vest" I honestly felt like I wasted a few minutes of my time. The author felt completely humiliated about having to wear an orange vest. More then likely they themselves have treated people who have to do community service in orange vests unfairly. If that instant is true then they got exactly what they deserved. To them it may have been a revelation to treat people with respect but to most they really should know better.

End of the Line? --True inner thoughts

After reading the essay "End of the Line?" about someone on a MARTA bus, I thought either this person is a true intellectual or they are so bored that they have to imagine a story that may or may not be false about random people on a bus. Clearly to me this essay tries to divulge into a concept of a higher and more important meaning of life. As with a different collection of people sharing the same mode of transportation to take them to completely different routes. Which bring up the saying "It's not how you get there; it's where you're going"

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

It's My TURN --Summary

In the student essay "The Corporate Essay: Stripped of Identity" the author in my opinion effectively examines the rigorous effects of standards in writing that has indeed crippled school writing creativity.
"How may I severe you"
is an convert phrase that the author believes has been injected into our mind frames to please others. The idea of our and all societies converting to please an authority figure is one theory about our lack of individualistic beliefs.



The short essay "Rexall" is a southern story about returning to roots; it implies that the simplicity and genuine feeling of a small town diner is an eye opening and unforgettable experience. The author writes about their experience from entering the diner and seeing the decor to sitting down to ordering, eating their meal, and paying for their meal. The author wrote a southern life paper in order to persuade readers to appreciate the causal southern experience. The audience is one that has lived in either cities or suburbs who are used to the quick fast and easy dining experience without getting anything from it besides a larger waist-line.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The Art of Persuasion

Cicero’s Rhetorica ad Herennium may have been more thought provoking when it was first introduced but since writers after him have simplified his many types of Rhetoric, reading it seems confusing. People have a need for simplicity making us look for the easy way out; yet, we still need to look at the work of people from the past that has helped to make our life and understanding easier by their ideals. There are entire classes based on Cicero’s philosophy dealing with Speech, Delivery, Style, and Figure of Thought. The basic art of Persuasion is what Cicero has given to the world. What we have learned is how to effectively change someone’s thinking to reflect our own based solely on the words we use and when we use them.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

There's Something About "SHITTY"

Reading “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott was eye opening in the sense that struggling writers should feel less alone because mostly everyone has writers’ block. Only people who have never actually tried to write an important paper or story would think that the process is simple, easy, and for the truly gifted’. The idea of the writing process is one that is open ended. Everyone has their own ‘groove or manner of starting; it all depends on personal style. First Drafts are like hell on earth for writers; filled with grammatical errors and unfinished thoughts. Yet, the important part about writing is actually getting started.

pEaYcE

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

First Essay Ch. 1 ----What I think about it

After reading about the purpose and the appeals of writing in chapter 1 of “First Essay”, I truly learned how much detail and thought really goes into writing and reading an essay that can be attention grabbing while still serving its purpose. There are many different components that one must keep in mind while writing and reading such as audience, common ground, purpose, and constraints on communication. One piece of knowledge that I received was about ‘Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle’, which deals with the concepts of the ethos (credibility), pathos (emotions and values), and logos (both logic and evidence). Lastly in the chapter the importance of peer response was acknowledged, showing how the outside influence can enhance an essay.

Monday, August 18, 2008

What are you going to learn in Comp 1?

With the question of the knowledge that is to be attained from this class, posed to me, I think about the technological aspects that this day and age has given to the traditional Composition class. The modern individual not only has to be able to understand the major writing styles and works of the
past 3000 years,
but they must also be able to use the fresh, new, and sometimes confusing modes of communication that drive our world into the future.