Final Reflection

I have found this semester to be a rather demanding one, but that does not mean I did not grow in this class. I believe the thing I have grown most in was conquering all the small, technical aspects of writing that have confused me for years. Overall, I have enjoyed the time I’ve been able to express my writing, and gain positive feedback to help improve it. I did expect that the class would have gone in the fashion that it did, but I am surprised that there were only two essays and that we could pick the topics on both!

My writing has changed in the way that I know the perfect balance of supporting details, personal opinion, and the proper way to cite other works in a paper. The paper that best shows my growth would have to be my research paper since it allowed me to express my opinion but balance it with facts on a topic I got to choose.

I really enjoyed writing my Process Analysis paper on playing Halo because I was able to give it a different tone than I’m used to writing in. Also, having to write such specific steps in a way that anyone could understand was a challenge I greatly enjoyed. However, I did like the Polygamist essay more because it gave me the chance to voice my strong opinion against infidelity, sexism, and abuse. I never thought researching could be so enjoyable, but I learned so many amazing facts and read interviews that made every minute worthwhile.

For in-class writing I grew tired of making and analyzing lists very quickly, I wasn’t sure what we were supposed to gain from sharing our favorite movies and analyzing why they are the best. I feel the opposite about the homework assignments with the Curious Researcher though; I definitely felt like the exercises in the book helped guide my writing to something better than what I could have wrote before.

I didn’t find it hard to choose the pieces I wanted to include in my Final Portfolio, I knew which pieces I took pride in and the ones I felt expressed my writing abilities the most. But, the advice I would give to the next set of EN 151 students is to do your best on everything assigned that way they can have a better selection when creating the Portfolio.

The great thing is that no matter how many papers I write I never lose my passion for it; the only thing I have grown tired of is analyzing and making lists. Although if at least one list wasn’t made I wouldn’t have excelled at writing the Process Analysis paper, so in the end its a win-win situation. I found that paper to be the most helpful with helping me find supporting sentences to explain my point and helping me think of what the reader would understand. I had a great fifteen weeks and I will see you around campus!

Homework: Exercise Two-Curious Researcher

Favorite line or passage?

“Then I see the small Renault of the Florence polizia driving slowly down an adjacent street, where two officers sit stiffly in their crisp blue uniforms and white leather belts; the police seem bored, indifferent, and not even remotely interested in the sudden flight their slow passage through the square inspires.”

Copy a passage that uses outside research.

“Pigeons seem to inspire such paradoxical feelings. Pigeon racers in the Bronx tenderly kiss the beaks of their birds, finally home after flying 500 miles to their lofts after a remarkable feat of solar navigation (Blechman). Meanwhile, pigeon haters host Web sites like Pigeonsmakemesick.com and propose plans for ridding cities of the “vermin”, including the tactical use of tennis rackets and loaves of bread (Thorne).”

Composing, in your own words, what you think is the main idea or thesis of the essay. Begin by speculating about exactly what central question seemed to be behind the essay.

I believe this essay circles around the compare and contrast side of the beauty of pigeons and learning knowledge about them and how they are overall considered beautiful. This essay also displays facts and analyzes their behavior.


When you write your research essay, what techniques could you use to keep the essay interesting to readers even though it is facts-based?

When I write an essay I think it would help to use great visualization, like that which is demonstrated in “The Bothersome Beauty of Pigeons” essay. It read almost like a story in a few paragraph which helped me picture everything so easily. I really enjoyed that and I will try to incorporate more of that in my own writing. As long as the facts are not few and far between, why not spice it up and make the readers mind soar?

In what way is the essay unlike what you understood to be a research paper?

Once I read that essay I completely changed my view of the “proper” way to write a research paper! I have always WANTED to write like that but I didn’t think it was acceptable so I resisted the urge. I am so excited to see that this is not only acceptable but praise-worthy and will definitely be attempting this in the future. This definitely changes my mood towards research and how I feel it should be approached.

Explore your thoughts about the contents of the essay. Did you find you could relate in some way to what the essay seemed to say?

I could certainly relate to the essay in more ways than one. I constantly battle with my love-hate feelings for pigeons, mostly love.

Process Analysis Essay

ENTERTAINMENT

Become a Halo expert in a day
By BRANDI WYANT


Halo is the ever popular first person shooter game of this decade and with so many people playing it, it’s hard to not think about trying it as well, right? Instead of investing hours preparing for that big moment when the Xbox loads the game and it is time to display that hidden skill inside, invest a few minutes learning the ins, outs, and whats of Halo.

The game first premiered in mid-1999 as a first person shooter, and with its instant success Bungie Studios planned to release sequels every few years. With the continuation of its success, novels and soundtracks have been released. The controversial issue is that Bungie Studios has claimed that a Halo movie is to be released but years after waiting, no movie is in sight. Many say that Halo set the stage for all first person shooter console games because of its easy interface and the success of the “mission style” storyline.

Halo is a large ring that is used as a weapon to destroy every living organism within a particular distance from it. It was built by the ancestors, referred to as “Forerunners,” to stop the Flood (an alien race) by destroying their source of food and other life forms. The two main characters are Master Chief and Cortana (an artificial intelligence), and their mission is to disable Halo to save the human race. Even though there are more Halos scattered throughout the galaxy, this is the only one that is shown throughout the game.

Basic supplies to have to begin playing the game is obviously a television, an Xbox360 console, a controller, and the game itself. If online play is of interest a Xbox live membership card must be purchased prior to and that can be found at most convenience stores and game shops. To enhance the online experience, a headset can be added to the collection of supplies and this allows people to talk to each other while playing Halo online.

Before the game is loaded for the first time it is important to know the lingo. The following terms are not so much used in campaign, as they are used when playing online with others.

When looking at the home-screen two options are available: Campaign, which is the game itself where one plays through the missions and watches the storyline evolve, or the option to play on Xbox Live, which is where people can compete against each other. The difference between both options is that the only objective when playing Xbox Live is to kill as many people as possible. It is at the beginning of Campaign that the controls are learned and the story unfolds. Gradually, while passing levels the created character (whom is played as the main character Master Chief) evolves and struggles to destroy Halo. As the story evolves Master Chief travels to distant worlds and encounter aliens that he must kill.

On the other hand, playing online does not involve interactions with aliens, instead the players are competing against other spartans (whom are other people in reality.) They are able to battle with other people in different worlds than those shown in campaign mode. To win in these battles with other people they have to kill the most players; this is possible with the lack of “limited lives” (there isn’t a certain amount of times the spartan can die before they can’t play anymore, the character comes back every time.)

One thing that is the same in Campaign and Xbox Live is achievements, which are “medals” earned by doing rare or complicated things. For example, if playing online and 3 enemies are killed within 4 seconds of one another the player gets the triple kill achievement. Also, every time a level is completed or a skull is found another achievement is given. These achievements appear in a single list that shows achievements earned from both Campaign and Xbox Live.

Some terms strictly used while playing online are:

Camping- to camp is to hide in a disclosed location where one can kill people easily without being discovered. For example, the best place to camp is on a cliff with a sniper rifle that way you are not to be discovered but have optimum view of the players running around beneath you.

Noob- a noob is a person that lacks knowledge of something related to the moment when called a noob, or to be new to something therefore lacking knowledge of that which they are new to. An easy way to be deemed a noob is to shoot your own team member or do similar idiotic actions.

Own(ed)- to be owned is to lose, be made a fool of, or be embarrassed. A frequently used phrase would be, “OHHHH you just got owwnneeedddd!” This means that someone has killed you in an admirable way or you just lack the skill to kill other people and are an easy target.

Teabag- to teabag is to repeatedly squat over someone’s dead body. Teabagging is usually done at random after someone kills you/another player and decides to make a mockery of the dead body.



Along with those terms is a deeper phrase that should be understood when playing through each level. Skulls are “hidden contents” that are literally small skulls that are hidden in hard to reach locations on every level. Skulls can only be found when playing on “Hard” or “Extremely Hard”. When a skull is found it is picked up as if the player was picking up a weapon and then it is activated. Each skull, when activated, creates a special effect in the game. For example, if the “Sputnik” skull was found and activated that would change the mass of objects in the game. This is popular because by changing the mass of objects in the game an object can be thrown in greater distances. For example, if throwing a grenade by a dead body and this skull is activated the body will fly farther than normal.




Now that basic terminology is known, the next steps towards playing the game can be taken. The first thing that is needed when turning on the game is a gamertag. A gamertag is like a “profile” on the Xbox360 console; with this, information and progress can be saved, the player can also take screenshots in the game and save them as pictures, and be added as a friend to others when playing online. After creating a gamertag a customized character can now be made in the game, (this character is also referred to as a “spartan”). It can be made a male or female and the player can choose the color of the spartan’s body armor.

As long as these steps are followed and the lingo is used correctly, the ultimate victory is obtainable and the embarrassment of being called a noob can be adverted.

Research Paper: Polygamist Cults

When most of us think of marriage we see the unification of two people, vowed to be faithfully together for all of eternity. However, we are blind to the reality of polygamy, and the fact that it out numbers monogamous marriages in the United States by the hundreds (Grabianowski). It is possible that this may come as a shock to most because these societies, or more politically correct term cults, live in secrecy, distant from cities so that their practices may go uninterrupted. Understandably, how many polygamist marriages exist in the past or present time can not be correctly stated because of this fact. What is more appealing is why people choose to be in cults and what are the negative outcomes.

Although polygamy is most often referred to as part of the Mormon religion, the Mormon church has never directly associate with it. The confusion may come from the fact that the idea of having multiple spouses was one from the creator of the Mormon religion, Joseph Smith Jr. He then shared this secret custom with his fellow Mormons who then adopted it. Ironically, as the person who wrote The Book of Mormon, he did not decide to include this practice in the book. I question his decision to do this because it is said that Joseph Smith was a man who takes his messages from God very seriously; so if it was one why would he leave this out? Is it possible that he knew this was not a message from God but a desire of his own, and maybe he could not deal with the guilt of actually including it. Smith claimed that he had a revelation that to become a king in Heaven a man must have multiple wives; to be a god in heaven a man must have a minimum of three wives, and if one takes on more than seven they are guaranteed the position of a god (Smith himself had 48 wives). Also, if a woman declines a marriage proposal into a polygynistic family they would be denied entry into heaven (Grabianowski).

The basis of a polygamist cult is the “eternal way of priesthood in which God himself places his nature into the man.” Women will never hold the holy priesthood, and they may only gain its presence through a husband or their father if they are not wedded. Brigham Young, the successor of Joseph Smith Jr., states that every desire and ambition shall be to the benefit of the husband, wives must pray for their husband every time they enter the room and every time he leaves it. The perfect life for a woman is said to be gained by her submission to her husband, and “the way you let him rule over you” (Salt Lake Tribune). If I were to be a woman in this predicament, I would feel like this “known law” means that I am not worthy of respect or care, and that my opinions or emotions do not matter; they must be faked for the betterment of my husband’s emotion. I am sure, from the interviews I have read, that this is a true feeling felt by most of the women in these situations, and it is clear why.

In this same article it is stated that this “priesthood government” must conduct their behavior through love and never force, yet, many of those that have escaped from polygamist cults display the complete opposite. In Townsend and O’Brien’s article, interviews were taken with young girls who have escaped and lived to tell of the grotesque actions that happened inside one of these cults. Both tell horrific stories of mind control, abuse, rape, and what it is like to live every day in fear. They watched as their young siblings were married off to much older men. In Townsend’s article, she shares the story of a girl who ran away at the age of fourteen and left nineteen mothers, and seventy-four siblings behind. The young girl named Sara states that her motivation to leave was from how tired she was of watching her sisters be pulled out of middle school “to be married to men they didn't know. She dreaded a similar fate.”

On the other hand, is the desperate lengths elderly men take to exile young men in the communities so there is less competition in marrying teenage girls. In a majority of the arrangements, teenage girls are placed with men over the age of fifty. Since any form of polygamy is banned in the United States, the marriage ceremonies are held in a church but no marriage license is issued (Grabianowski).

When men were arrested for being caught engaging in such illegal actions, and taken to court they commented that they do no understand why it is banned. They say that there is no explanation to why they could be looked down on so harshly when “they are only living their religion” (Bramham). I’m not sure if it is the sexist in me coming out, but when I read this I wanted to lash out, I wanted to say “how is being abusive, self-absorbed and collecting women as if they are possessions part of your religion?” In what religion does God ask you to be higher or equal to what he is? Every religion states that the followers must only worship that one God, why do they feel differently with their practices and their vision of what God wants?

In Living in Polygamy, Irene Spencer’s story parallels with that of Sara’s. Irene says she lived in misery for dozens of years because she was afraid to leave. She links this fear to the way she was brain washed into thinking that she would be sent to hell if she did. She wrote a book about her life as a polygamist where she states that, "I finally realized that all those years I was threatened with hell, but I was already living it" (Garza). I am amazed with the tone Spencer takes in this powerful quote, because it would seem that after years of being forced into submission she would not be so confident and assertive of her feelings.

Among the difficulties of pondering the idea of escaping, are the complications and misery of having to remain in the cult when desiring a different lifestyle. Those who have previously been in polygamist cults claim the same issues of that way of life: loneliness, poverty, jealousy and the arranged marriages at such a young age. With so many wives the obvious problem is how one husband could allot his time equally to every wife and child. Spencer states that every time she saw her father he would either ignore her or if he addressed her he would always first ask “what is your name and who is your mother?” (Garza).

On the other side of the spectrum wives are feeling the same neglect, jealousy is a frequent issue so sometimes families will create a schedule that regulates which nights the husband sleeps with each wife (Grabianowski). The wives must hide these jealous, and bitter feelings though because one law in every polygamist cult is that a sister wife can never correct or criticize another sister wife. When they do they are accused of stepping above their husband and then they have lost the “oneness with god”.

Those who vow to live in the way of the priesthood for all of their lives feel that, “if you are not for me, you are against me. If you are not with me, you will scatter abroad” (Salt Lake Tribune). This powerful statement helps us understand why so many people who want to escape do not, they know they will never be able to connect with their relatives again and they will be forever exiled. In the case of Irene’s story, she states that she still feels like she has failed her family by leaving, and questions her entry to heaven. Among these fears, the women who want to escape are handicapped in the way that they have been deprived of a proper education, and hold no job experience so life outside of their secret community.

Also, one of the largest obstacles that every family must deal with is poverty. With so many wives and children (some families totaling over a hundred offspring), it is hard for enough funds to be provided by the man when women are usually not allowed to work so there is an economic struggle. The benefit of being the first wife is the ability to collect social security. For the other wives and children to fill the gap they must try and receive as much welfare as possible, many times committing welfare fraud. Colorado City, Arizona, a large area for polygamist colonies, suffers greatly from severe poverty and the strain that is put on the welfare system. Along with the assortment of hardships Irene Spencer faced, she also had to live in sever poverty for twelve years, where she did not have electricity for any one of those years and had to roam the streets for garbage to feed her many children.





There are many negative outcomes with the choice to be in a polygamous marriage, but most people do not choose it, instead they are born into that way of life and it is all they know. Although we still may not understand their beliefs, it is necessary that we take a biased point of view when hearing the stories of what they do struggle with. The abuse, jealousy, and poverty is only a glimpse into their everyday hardships, but now it is harder to criticize their beliefs knowing what they go through to abide by their religious beliefs.



Bibliography


Bramham, Daphne. (2009). Landmark cases begin long slog through courts; One of the two men accused in prosecution that will test polygamy law claims he's only just 'living' his religion. The Vancouver Sun,A.4. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from ProQuest Newsstand.

Garza, Jennifer. (2007). Living in polygamy. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from ProQuest Newsstand.

Grabianowski, Ed. "How Polygamy Works." 31 May 2006. HowStuffWorks.com. 02 November 2009.

O'Brien, Barbara. (2008). Horrific memories of abuse :Years after fleeing polygamist sect at 14, woman tells rare tale. Buffalo News,B.1. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from ProQuest Newsstand.

"Specific duties and counsel to the mothers . . .." Salt Lake Tribune (2007): n. pag. Web. 2 Nov 2009. .

Townsend, Amanda. "Girl, 14, fled abuse, 'mind control' of polygamy." (2007): n. pag. Web. 2 Nov 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/11 fleeing.polygamy.hammon/index.html

Blink Critical Review

When I first began reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, I did not find it at all worthwhile or understandable; however, as I reached the second cover of this book my opinion slightly changed. I do still stand by my views of the first chapters of his book, but I think his explanations and examples did improve as it progressed. I was disappointed with his writing at first because I believe it drones on the unnecessary descriptions of objects and people, and this distracts and disappoints the reader from the true point of what is said. He includes many details to support his thesis, but I found many of them pointless and diverting away from the message he was trying to originally convey.

At first glance of this novel I received in the mail I gained excitement because it seemed like the thesis of the novel is very similar to other books that I enjoy. This feeling was quickly met with deep disappointment as I read the chapter drag through pages of the same confusing text about a “old statue,” and I immediately dreaded the thought of having to finish the rest of the novel for required class assignments. I often wished I could put my hand over Gladwell’s mouth and sternly state, “I got it already, move along” but since this was an impossible request I dreadfully read the first chapters. As I saw the examples reach more interesting heights and loss the “over wording” he is so known for, I did change my opinion of the later chapters.

Gladwell’s thesis, which he strives so desperately to meet with plenty of examples, is that we as humans do several things subconsciously and if we are to learn about these actions than it is possible to take this knowledge of them and use it to our advantage. The main topic of his discussions is thin-slicing; he addresses it in the way of including positives, negatives and the ways we naturally thin-slice. I do think he could have organized his views of the positives, and negatives of thin-slicing better because with his rapid change of tone of thin-slicing he does seem like he is contradicting himself on the entire point of attempting it. For example, he raves about the positives and benefits we can gain from thin-slicing and using it to our advantage, but shortly after stating this he describes the dangers of attempting it and how easily it can be misunderstood and what could result.

It is possible that other statements could have also been better presented if he reordered the examples. I would strongly suggest he doesn’t present the statue example as the one filling the text on the first pages; I think this discourages the reader from enjoying the chapters that follow. Also, I find that it would have been better placed after the example of the red and blue deck of cards. I stand by this judgement call because even though the statue is probably added first to explain a real situation where the viewers experienced a negative reaction to something before they knew it, if the deck of cards example was presented before it then I think we would understand the statue example more clearly and see its true purpose.

Another chapter that desperately needs some work is the “conclusion”, if it can even be called that. I suggest that he should take another look at the main points he has explained throughout the book and then summarize them and his view of thin-slicing in the last paragraph. I believe this would leave the reader with a feeling of a satisfactory conclusion, and would not have this feeling of an open wound that still needs care. I feel as if he rushed the ending, like he was trying to make a deadline or was tired of writing and this makes me question his ethos. I get this feeling because if he was able to rush something as valuable as the conclusion of a novel, than this would explain the lack of care he took to the wording he used in some of his examples. I wished he would have put more thought into the afterword he wrote, yet that leaves me with the same unsatisfied feeling as the conclusion itself.

Overall, I have to say that I would not recommend this novel to a friend, but possibly an enemy? No, I think it would be beneficial if someone whom has interest in this novel to invest their time in the cliff notes version that way they can grasp the concept of thin-slicing in a way that is easy to understand and leaves them wanting to test themselves on the way they do it in their everyday lives.

In-class Writing (Speed Writing)

The Accident

Barbie was driving to work on I-4 when a speeding semi-crossed her path. She swerved into the emergency lane to escape death and watched what soon unfolded in front of her eyes. A semi was being chased by the police and the tires had burned off so sparks started to fly and she closed her eyes to catch her grasp on reality. After a second of darkness she opened to see the same scene only a few hundred feet in front of her, their speed must be decreasing. Suddenly, she watches as the semi explodes and the fiery debris catch the police and three other cars on fire. Four explosions later and the road was blocked off with dozens of ambulances, news crews, and police cars. Barbie didn’t make it to work until five hours later and by that time her shift had already passed.

Harry's translation of the story (NOTE: he is an elderly man)

On my way to visit my wife in the nursing home I hit traffic on I-4 that showed me something I could never forget. An image of something so gruesome that it tops even the memories of the war. I was driving towards my exit, only two miles from it, when a semi raced past me, I got into the rightmost lane because I could hear police sirens quickly approaching, I wasn’t the only one swerving to avoid the scene. The semi caught fire from sparks flying from the bald tires and it the explosion from the vehicle caused several others to repeat the same fate. I was in tears when arrived at my wife’s room five hours later.

Phoebe's translation of the story (NOTE: she is a young child)

Phoebe: “Whoaa I can’t believe we just saw that! Those cars were sooooooo fast.”

Victim: “What do you mean? What did you see? What cars?”

Phoebe: “The big long ones that go toot-toot and a powice car.”

Victim: “WHAT DID YOU SEE HAPPEN TO ME?!?!?!”

Phoebe: “Welllllll, the long car was going really really fast and and the powice had been chasing them for a while and then the long car went KKKABBOOOMMM and caught a lot of other cars on fire. But see your ok because you just feel asleep while you were waiting on the side of the road”

Victim: “...............wow.....”

In-class Writing (The Benefits of Writing)

Details of our history have survived due to one proven form of communication, writing. To properly communicate a point, wither it be for personal expression or the enjoyment of others, it is necessary to be taught the proper way to write so the message can be conveyed clearly. We benefit from courses that teach the fundamentals of writing because we then are able to perform at a higher level in any form of communication and can share our thoughts with a greater audience.

To learn the fundamentals of writing is to not only apply them in writing, but naturally when speaking as well. Not only is their grammar improved, but even quick responses display more clarity. For example, when achieving higher levels of education my family noticed the structure of my sentences were more organized and were able to discuss longer conversations with me because I was able to express my thoughts in a way that could easily be responded to. I do believe this is the result of practiced writing fundamentals that naturally adjusted the way I express my thoughts.

We benefit far more than we realize from the literary works that have been translated from different languages, even centuries ago. It is because the author wrote structurally that such translation was possible. It would be difficult to share works of literary art with large audiences across the globe if the author simply wrote as any child of their language would. I do believe that it is because the author structured his sentences and grammar that we are able to easily translate it for a larger audience to experience.

Anyone will benefit from taking a writing course because it teaches them a better way to communicate their thoughts and allows it to be shared with a variable audience. Without educated writers we would not have the literary works like Shakespeare and Dante's "The Divine Comedy" translated for today's society to enjoy. I believe taking a writing class could have instant benefits that will last a lifetime.

In-class Writing (September 3, 2009)

1) Although it might sound tedious at first, I do believe rereading a passage will help a reader understand the text more, and also will help with remembering it as they continue reading. So many times people just skim the text to be done with it, but if they only take a few more minutes to slow their reading and to read it twice they will grasp the concept of the text more successfully. Along with this, it can equally enhance someone's comprehension of a text by writing notes alongside the passage. Doing this allows the reader to keep what they just read in mind and if they forget they can easily get the basic idea of the passage by reading their notes.

2) My dorm room says that I am very organized, resourceful, creative, unique, and colorful. Although I know this because I am the one who chose these items, I do not know if a stranger could tell the exact same thing from looking at my room. They could easily tell I am organized from my assortment of office products, and my creativity would be displayed with my unique lamp, thrown pottery, and magazine mirror but resourceful I’m not sure if they would grasp that right away.

3) I do not think I would like to participate in a study that would tell the outcome of my marriage. I think that would discourage me from being happy with my significant other if the outcome was divorce, and I would rather enjoy the connection that was there while it is so strong. I do not believe that a study can be so accurate because many factors come into play. If I was wanting to participate in the study I would convince my significant other to go by saying that it would be a bonding experience, and we know we are going to be together forever so why not help a research lab.