Reflection

To whom it may concern:

English 110 was like no other English course I’ve ever taken. It was actually enjoyable, versus a big buzz kill to write. The freedom we had to write about anything that interested us was a joy. I learned that I was very opinionated and had a lot of valid points when it came to something I considered controversial. I never considered myself a bad writer, but now after the process I’ve been through I feel more strongly for my writing and care about what goes out with my name on it.

To be successful in English is simple, just do what’s asked of you by the assigned dates. Try not to do the assignments the night before (as I do a lot) because I’ve found that with more time comes more idea’s for writing. Having writers block was never a problem for me because of this. When you receive the assignment just open up a word document and jot down whatever comes to mind and piece it together later. Also a good tip is chosing a topic you feel you’d have a lot to say about, something that you might hate works well because there’s a lot to say.

When it came to my subject of Tiger Woods, I had a lot to say about how he handled his situation, the media, athletes and scandal, and the sport in general. As I continued to write and read secondary sources my own intelligence of interesting points grew astoundingly. This class is designed to get the most out of you as a writer, and for me it was a success. I was very proud of the paper I authored. With a little bit of work, it is easily attainable. Good luck and happy writing.

-Taylor

Transition to commonplace

Well as I’ve read a few articles on commonplace, I’ve noticed one specific thing. The posts are all very casual when written out, almost as a conversation. They display a very strong argument backed up by commonsense statements that still make you say, “ohhh that is true.” This kind of writing will be along the same lines as the RAP but a more of a larger argument. I have a pretty strong argument in my final paper, so getting it to be similar but “radically re-imagined” will take some serious brainstorming. I won’t have a problem writing in a style that fits a college student audience though. Using examples of things that are current will help make it compelling to read. Also by starting with a controversial question or statement that would bring about an opinion from readers can help draw attention and interest. Usually when asking a question off the start it is easier to write the rest out answering said question. A powerful conclusion would restate the text in a more concise way as the answer to that question and draw any final opinions together.
I think my work would contribute to commonplace because it fits their casual standards and will raise an interesting point. I think my style (thanks to blogging) will be timely and make readers want to read the whole thing without getting bored (hopefully). I want comments that encourage me, that it was interesting and questions they may have about the text. Anything relevant that will help make my writing more suitable to the rest of the audience would only benefit me.
That being said, I’m going to try to make this a good writing, and hopefully not get too fixed on the idea that its almost summer!

In class boring blog

I think the number one thing you can do before turning in your final copy is to read the paper a couple times through out loud. It may make sense to you, but there's always a couple of those awkward sentences that don't make much sense. I found I had several of these when reading to my peers. This can help with the overall "flow" of the writing and keep the reader focused on your main argument.
Also, I think a good conclusion paragraph is the best thing a paper can have. This is the last thing your audience will read so in case they were snoozin' when reading, make sure you remind them what they missed out on throughout the paper. This is something I need to work with, as I have a lot of arguments throughout my own paper that will be a little more difficult than normal to wrap up in one. Good luck on finishing up your papers everyone.

Cinco de Mayo

Hope everyone got this blog done so they can go out and enjoy Cinco de Mayo. I didn’t really know what to write about so I thought why not talk about that??

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that takes place every May 5th to commemorate the Mexican army’s victory over the French in 1862 at the battle of Puebla. The funny thing about this holiday is that the state of Puebla is primarily the only part of Mexico that celebrates it along with the United States. This is another commercial holiday that serves little importance in the U.S besides celebrating Mexican heritage. Many just use this as a chance to eat Mexican food and get hammered. Similar to St. Patty’s day. It does serve relative importance to those of Mexican origin, but is widely observed by Americans regardless of ethnicity. I guess Americans will use any excuse to drink, which is fine by me of course 

I’ve seen Corona commercials intensify for the past month where people are lounging on the beach, white sands, crystal clear waters, and an ice cold bucket with some Mexican beverages in it. It makes it seem like the beer will put you in that situation with every sip. A relaxing, chill place wasting the day away at the beach. Sounds good if you ask me, and Corona, along with Dos Equis and Jose Cuervo, have to benefit greatly from this time of year. I’ve seen lots of ads for drink specials everywhere around campus trying to persuade people to go out and celebrate. If it wasn’t for a late night softball game, this blog, and several quizzes upcoming, I’d be right there with the rest of them. But that doesn’t mean I can’t do a little celebrating by myself. So here’s to you General Seguin, way to win that battle.

Rhetorical Analysis

Sorry..


Alright I know nearly everyone has had to have seen this video at least once. You’re chillin’ on the couch, watching a little comedy central, laughing with some friends…then they show this. Buzz kill! Everyone frantically searches for the remote to change the channel as one of the saddest songs in the world plays to battered puppies.

This video features Sarah McLachlan, singer, song writer, and SPCA supporter. The video begins with a sad dog followed by a stat, ‘every hour an animal is abused’. This obviously, along with the rest of the commercial, displays pathos. This commercials main goal is to play on the audience’s emotion by making them feel guilty. As they show you clip’s of neglected dogs and cats, it makes you feel responsible for not providing for those animals. This is followed by another stat that there are a lot of animals in captivity and they still need money to provide for them. Next they show the absolute saddest part in the commercial, a dog that can’t walk hobbles across the floor and falls down whimpering. It makes me hate the video instantly. No one wants to see that. Seriousness aside for a sec, the cats in this video really don’t get me choked up like the dogs do, I hate cats.

Sarah McLachlan makes the pitch when she is introduced petting a beautiful dog. “Will you be an angel?... for just $18 a month, just 60 cents a day..” Using logos here, the ad basically says “wow you can’t give up the change you get from your lunch money to help an abused puppy… that’s messed up.” Then they let you know what you provide: food, shelter, medical care, and love. Love, of course, your money will buy them love. Also you get a welcome kit for joining and a picture of an animal you helped save!

This commercials ultimate goal is to get money for all the rescued animals at different shelters. I think most people sitting at home with animals do feel guilty and make the call to donate. So, to me, this ad accomplishes what it intended to do. And on an ending note- keep the remote close when watching tv, in case this commercial pops up. Unless you enjoy buzz kills of course.

And in case your still bummed about watching the video, here’s a video of dogs getting us back…

Lets try this out

So here goes my first ever BLOG!
I’m not particularly stoked for doing these, but I would prefer this to some boring paper due every week. I’m not very familiar with the whole set up to blogs, but I do know they are more of a freedom to express you without the usual formalities of writing.
I’m the kind of person that says what’s on my mind, right or wrong, I’ll tell you what I think. So getting to analyze a piece of text in blog form gets me excited. I believe it’s easier to express ones feelings to audience of peers who may or may not agree with you, versus you writing to one particular grader. You’re more aware that your work will be presented to a larger group and you want it to be more interesting than you normally. Not only do you want your opinion to be expressed, you also want to make sure that opinion represents who you are and what you stand for.
I will close this first blog with a quote from Robert Frost…

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader”

I think this quote speaks for itself, but ‘tears’ to me symbolize emotion. If you aren’t passionate about what you’re writing, you can’t expect a passionate and sincere response to it. I hope everyone takes this quote to heart when writing their blogs, as I will be trying my hardest to make mine as interesting as possible for my audience… you!

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