Class Reflection

I can't believe that the semester end is in sight! I really enjoyed having the class online. I had a very difficult time at first figuring out all the different tools that we use like the Blog as well have difficultly with getting things "handed" in on time. I also thought the class was a little demanding but that was expected since we didn't have face to face meetings. I really liked the revision tool that we learned how to use, I just wish we were able to use it on more than the one paper. Parts of the class that I didn't like was the different places we were communicating. I wish we could have just stuck to the discussion board or the blog, i did get a little confused here. One thing that I really liked was the conferences. I was able to ask questions from anywhere. Sometimes I was at home being lazy on the couch and sometimes I was in between classes so it worked out perfect. I feel like I got more feedback from the online conference that others I have had in person with professors. Any even in my classes that I have now on campus I didn't even have that many conversations with and they are physically infron of me.
Overall I was very happy with the way the class went and am looking forward to taking 102 online as well. Now that I am more familiar with everything that is needed and I am able understand how much time I need to complete assignment I think it will go rather well.

Reflective Essay

There are many points in my essays on Neufield as well as Kalman that I would like to revise. I will be revising different things from the purpose of the papers, the audience, and also certain choice I have made on the direct choices from the original essays themselves.

            In Kalman’s essay I chose to really focus on the message of slowing down out fast paced life as well as instilling these values of eating healthier within our children. “That today we as a society have built up this image that all meals have to be extravagant or at a fast food place to be enjoyable. Though Back to the Land, she shows us that simple is sometime better and the time it takes to make theses meals and sit down and just simply enjoy them is what life is all about.” (991145318 1). In this portion of my paper I was trying to show how the image how we are to live life is perceived by society as a whole and also by Kalman. With the many different points that Kalman brings awareness to in her paper I chose to focus on the overall goal of living a more slower paces fulfilling lifestyle as well as how she incorporates children and families into her essay though text and images. “People are rushing to get from place to place instead of taking the time to enjoy things that are really important like home cooked meals and the family time associated with them” (991145318 1). This sentence is meant to help the readers relate to themselves by thinking if this sentence pertains to them or not.

            Another part my paper on Kalmans essay that was important to me to write about was the children and family. “Families are also suffering with the fast food that is taking over. Families are no longer cooking together, eating together, or even just appreciating the food that the farmers are growing for them. In missing out on family eating together they are also lacking in some activities that really help the family bond together like preparing the table and cleaning up afterwards” (991145318 2-3). This portion of my paper is shown to help me readers really grasp the significance of a family actually acting as a family in everything that they do. In writing this paper my audience is for all ages, in hoping that everyone who reads strives to make a change at home. Whether the change is coming from a parent that decides that they should be cooking at home and enjoying everything they can within the family unit or a child that brings home these values to the parent. With the children being aware of the ever growing fast society as stated in my essay “teaching children is vital to keeping society moving towards a healthier future”, (119945318 3) this is extremely important message for them.

Another essay that I want to review is the Neufield essay. I was not very aware of all the hardship that happened to those who lived in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. Neufield essay helped bring light to this for me. Thus for I wanted to help others who were unaware understand the significance of the event for people affect as well as their emotions.  My audience for this piece was all ages. And for my audience I chose not to use the profanity that was used in the original comic so that it would be appropriate for everyone. I know that the use of the profanity in the comic helped drive home the angry and hopelessness of those involved but I feel that since my interpretation of the comic was with words and not images it would be just as easy to omit them so that I would have a larger audience.

I really wanted to focus on the emotions of the people from New Orleans. And take a closer look at the different personalities within the comic and how they have changed from what they might have been before the disaster. I try to make it clear that not everyone always had the same attitude that was portrayed in the comic by saying that “people who may have been the model citizen that had turned to violence to fill the necessity for them to survive or a loved one” (119945318 2). This was shown in the comic and described in my essay with the example of the father and his baby. I chose to use this example to show the change in emotion within the father. I also wanted to bring to attention the lack of sensitivity to the dead. I used the portion of the comic that showed the elderly women, Mr. Williams, who had died in her wheelchair and they just pushed her to the back and covered her with a blanket. I really liked this example since it helped to get Neufield message across that “I think was to let Neufield’s reader know that there really was no place for safety, no place for the dead, no place for an escape from the nightmare they were going through. The people at the stadium may have not found it to be necessary because they were trying to dodge the same fate that Ms. Williams had met” (119945318 2).

I really hope that my messages within my essays are understood and the examples provide help to get the message across that the Kalman and Neufield wanted people to understand.

4-5 Essay Review

To start my paper on Kalman's essay my purpose is to get people to think about how they are going about their life. Also to get my readers to understand the thoughts of Kalman and help them to imagine the images that she used within her essay. By giving examples of the images that were shown as well as using quotes help the reader to imagine. My audience for this papers is geared towards everyone. I want to get the younger people interested in the thought of eating healthier as well as get the adults motivated to be healthier and slow their lifestyle down to increase the satisfaction to their lifestyle.

Writing a paper on Neufeld's comic I was hoping to show the changes in people. The changes include: changes in personality, social status, as well as the changes that take place within themselves. I show these changes in the paper with the example of the way the "thugs" changed there demeanor. They were thought to be rough and unsympathetic, however after hurricane Katrina they were shown as helping and caring to all who was effected. Also they were scarifying themselves to do what was best for the group. The raided a store but not to benefit themselves but to pass out the goods to the group. My audience for this essay would have to be for everyone excluding younger readers for the language used.

In writing about the Junod article my purpose of my essay is to show that different thoughts and views of those effected by September 11th. I am hoping to show that the people show their emotions in different ways. As am artist would make a masterpiece and also as a photographer would express though images. Where as others express how they are feeling with anger and denial. An example used in my paper was the way the Hernandez family felt about the actual falling man. They thought he was a disgrace to all who had died on that horrible morning. My audience for this geared towards adults also for some language content as well as some ideas that may be hard to understand by an immature young adult.

4-2

The quote that I have chosen to write about is from the a part of the essay that talks about representing how we all feel, not just those who were directly effected. The direct quote is " I was trying to say something about the way we all feel" (Junod, pg 74). This is a very powerful quote in the fact that this is the way the artist and as well as the photographer were feeling about showing their interpretation. I think that this quote helps convey the message that these "artworks" were not meant for intentional harm but rather so express how everyone was feeling. The horrific event cannot be ignored and others deserve to know about the emotions of others. The hatred for the people who provided the art also show that some are not willing to accept that the emotion that they feel is not necessarily widely felt.

Also from the book the idea some have behind the reason why people jumped. The people whom thought it was wrong to have jumped also have the idea that they want to disassociate themselves from the jumpers themselves. Many responded with angry saying that they do not know the any of the jumpers. They expressed that they didn't want to be related to any of the jumpers as well. A great example of this was when the a member of the Hernandez family said that she was not related to that falling man by saying that he was disgusting for jumping (Junod pg 72). This showed that she really did have a hatred for the people that did in fact jump.

3-5 Continued

After receiving my review from another student I agree that I should add some more quotes into that paper to help the reader understand the feeling in the comic. I also agree that I need to add more detail about the man and the child. Giving more detail about this character will show my readers the manner in which this father is portrayed. I also like the pages included within my review this helps me to see what images my readers are in visioning while reading my paper. Or also what images might pop into a readers head that has never read the comic.

3-5 Revision Plan

For the most part I think the order of my paper was okay and did flow well. The last paragraph may need to be moved towards the beginning of the paper or expanded on. Also one point made in my review was to refer to the term thug as a term that the author used to describe some of the young men in the essay. This is important for the readers to know this is not my personal thought or word choice. Overall I think all of the feedback that I received was wonderful. All points were valid and made sense. There were a couple that I had to reread because in writing the original paper everything made sense to me. but after going back and reading my essay as if I were an outside reader, there were some points to clear up. There were a few instances where I mentioned the word "they" but didn't clarify who I was referring to.

I don't think direction wise that there is a different way I want my paper to go. I think I put good thought into my paper but again I just need to expand a little more in some areas. Some parts that I still have questions on is if my corrections that I have made are sufficient enough to clear up any questions after reading the essay the first time around. This question however can be solved after I re-submit my draft. Otherwise I don't have any other questions.

4-1 The Falling Man

The Falling Man was an awakening essay about one man capturing a moment it time visibly upsetting to everyone involved. There were many details about his essay that stood out to me. First being the obvious details shown in the actual image. The image beautiful with is composition of lines, but also devastating with the reality of the action taken by the man in the photo. Another part in the essay that stood out to me was that of the statistics of how many people had jumped from the World Trade Center that September morning. The numbers were drastically different from one another. The New York Times stating that they could account for fifty jumpers that day. Where as the USA Today counts totaled over two hundred people. 

A common pattern in the essay was that of the feeling of people on the photo itself. There we countless amount of people objecting to the image be shown to the public and also being taken in the first place. Another pattern along the same lines of the first is the people trying to confirm or deny who the man was in the photo. Most of the people were trying to identify if the man was their loved one, however they were not looking to prove it was him, but rather that their loved one was not one of the jumpers. An item that had been repeated was the orange shirt as well as the white jacket. Both of these items were off great importance of to who this man could have been. Mostly the white jacket was an indicator that this could have been someone working in the restaurant or someone working for a catering company. Another part within the essay that had similar characteristics was the artwork by Eric Fischl and the photography by Richard Drew. They were both trying to capture the emotions of everyone. But yet they were both hated by most who thought their art was prying into peoples personal feelings about the tragic day.

Some things that seemed strange to me was the one woman who had called trying to see if the man in the photo was one of her sons. She seemed to be the only one who wanted to look at the photo and help put a name to it. Something else that seemed out of place was the way the photographer’s day had started. He began his day in a rather calm situation, at a maternity shoot. This shoot filled with love and happiness and most of all soon to be new life. Then transitioning to a time of horror and tragedy, in taking photos of a man soon to be death, the last ten seconds of this mans life.

2-1 Back to the Land

In back to the land there were many parts that stood out to me. For starters the very first thing the style of the font as well as all of the pictures. In the very beginning the essay was talking about the ever changing fast world. The first image that is shown was people walking down the street. The image was blurred which helped show that it was moving, moving fast. The next few images after this one also help support a fast life, like the next image of a hot dog vendor. This also simulates a fast pased lifestyle. Following these images of fast things are some images and texts that suggest a more relaxed way of life. It begins with pictures of nature and transitions into a chef in a kitchen that seems very happy. Most people go to a restaurant to relax so i believe that is what Kalman is trying to show. Along with the restaurant are pictures of a man standing in his garden with a hand full of vegetables as well as another image that shows the plate of all the things he had collected. It reads on this picture "it is simple and beautiful". This is the perfect was to describe it. One of the last ideas that stood out to me was the children. The images of the children are of hem working together, learning, and having fun.

There were many different patterns shown. The images although not all the same seem to repeat the same meaning. As stated earlier the images of a fast lifestyle shown to prove that today we are living in a very fast world. The repetition of all of these fast lifestyle choices are shown though out they first portion of the the essay. One image that almost is exact that repeats is the image of the brown shoe. The brown shoe shows up twice within the essay. The only change is the direction in which it is facing. I think this change in direction is to simulate that we are always moving. Contrasting to these images of a fast lifestyle are images of heath, and peace. This is shown though images of the man on the farm. These images repeat in the sense again with the same meaning. All of the images represent a healthier lifestyle.

Somethings that do not seem to fit is the women looking to stop and look at the trees. Kalman seems to relate this to her possibly drinking soda for breakfast. However Kalman also is trying to get the point across that we need to slow down and enjoy ourselves and that is exactly what this women seems to be doing. She is walking around and enjoying nature. This is very confusing to me since it seems that Kalman is contradicting herself.

3-4 Part One

After reviewing my essay I think there are alot of details that need to be expanded on as well as some things that can probably be condensed. I also need to work on my MLA format. I am stuck at some parts of my paper in which I seem to ramble a bit. An example is, at the end of my paper when I begin to talk about the mom and child. I don't really relate it to my thesis and it seems to be just put at the end of my paper and then it ends. I also seem to be lacking a conclusion paragraph to summarizes everything I was just talking about.

Assignment 3-2

Thesis: Under stressful situations people will turn to unfamiliar faces and unfamiliar attitudes within themselves to survive.

Purpose: My purpose it to get the understanding from the readers that people change under stressful situations. Whether it is a change in behavior to survive or a change in role like the thugs in Nuefield's essay. In writing this essay I hope for everyone to see the changes that people go though. Also I would like my readers to understand how people can change in stressful situations for better and also for worse.

A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge

A.D New Orleans After the Duluge was a very strong comic. The detail that was done and the thought process of how it was created was really amazing. There were multiple parts that stood out to me but there were three that stood out greater than the rest. First the picture that really stood out to me was on page 225, this picture was of a man holding his child up trying to get someone to notice that he needs help. This picture is the same color as all the rest and the same style of drawing. However this drawing was the first not in the standard comic box. It felt as if the picture was jumping out at me as the reader. I think this picture was to represent that those stranded were crying out to help to whomever could hear them. The image trying to scream though the page. A second portion that really stood out to me was the thugs, pulling together and trying to do the greater good for the group. They were the ones who declared that the elderly get on the bus first followed by the women and children. They were scarifying themselves to do what was best for the group. The raided a store but not to benefit themselves but to pass out the goods to the group. Lastly, an image that really caught my eye was on the last page, it was the image of the Ms. Williams who had died in her chair and left behind. You can still see her in her chair in the background which I think was to let the reader know that there really was no place for safety, no place for the dead, no place for an escape from the nightmare they were going though.

As for patterns there were a few with the comic. The constant replay of images where the people are sweating. It shows that there was no escape from the elements. They were just left to hope for survival. There is a picture of a women with short hair and glasses that is constantly coming up in the comic. She look mad and very understandably upset in every picture. This sets the tone for how the article is to be perceived. There is also an image on page 229 of a mother with her child in her lap. The first image the mother looks tired and is unable to comfort her daughter. The daughter look exhausted, sweaty and seems to maybe be crying. Directly below this picture there is another one with the same to character with the same emotions. This show me that this wasn't an emotion in an hour of discomfort, but rather that the emotions continued like a broken record. All of the images are in black in white or sepia to be more specific. The color tone of the images show that it wasn't a happy time and the people were filled with sorrow. The overall tone of the comic is dark and very masculine. The women in the pictures do not seem to be sitting back and are also speaking their voice. The pictures where to women are yelling, smoking, drinking beer seem to put off a hard exterior, possibly a survival front to help them get though.

An image that did not stand out to me in great deal but is worth mentioning is an image of the police driving by. They seemed to be clean and comfortable in their car. From what i gather from the text, they are just driving by repeating the same message and not contributing to the overall well being of the people who are struggling. I feel maybe there wasn't must they could do with such a large crowd is no buses were really coming. But they instead of trying to help, act more as a crowd control like it was an event.

Essay Review

Reading another essay gave me some ideas for my improving my own essay. The description that was given about some of the images in their essay helped me as a reader to understand what they were talking about as well as help me as the writer to add more detail so my readers will understand. By including more detail my readers will be able to understand Kalman's original essay and ideas.

After seeing notes from another student about providing more detail about the images that I briefly mentioned makes me really understand that it wasn't written in great detail. As a writer you know what you are talking about but it is all about how your message conveys to your reader, so the added details will be a great improvement.

In addition to my notes from another students review, my conference also helped a great deal to clear some parts in my paper that may have been a little cloudy. For example, there are parts in my paper that need more specific details. After my conference and rereading my essay i did make note that at some parts of my paper I repeat myself with different sentences, but the same meaning.

Reviewing my essay is going to include three major parts, correcting repetitive sentences, including detail about images that correspond with the topic of the paragraph, and also correcting my cited page. I am going to accomplish all these by taking into consideration all the notes and advice I have gotten form my conference and my peer review. I will go back and reread Kalman's essay to see what pictures would do great to helping my enhance my essay.

Thesis Statement and Statement of Purpose

In Back to the Land, Kalman is trying to make it known that people are not understanding the importance of a healthy choices as well as having family time. The ideas of what is considered normal has gradually changed from generation to generation.

Purpose:
The purpose it to get people thinking about the choices they are making for themselves and for their families. Helping people understand the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and family unit. Kalman show though her words and pictures that thing are not a simple as they once were. That today we as a society have built up this image that all meals have to be extravagant or at a fast food place to be enjoyable. Though Back to the Land, she shows us that simple is sometime better and the time it takes to make theses meals and sit down and just simply enjoy them is what life is all about. The thought that fast food is taking over is not right, we need to go back to a simpler time and get to really know our food as well as our family.

Library

While sitting in the library in my hometown. I noticed many different things about the way the library was presented. Everything seemed to be in order, from the book neatly on the shelves to the computers arranged into neat rows of ten. The colors in the library were a mixture of blues and teals with a larger painted border towards the ceiling with all the famous authors names. The furniture was arranged into small sections complete with tables and lamps. I think that they were trying to convey a place of order and peace. The neatly arranged shelves and computers were to show organization. The names on the boarder were meant get people excited about reading or help remember about a great story that they had once read. As for the furniture I think that they were placed in small sections to show a peaceful, home like setting to engage the reader to sit back and enjoy all of the books that they have to offer.

Rhetoric and Process for Composing

One most important parts after reading the Rhetoric and Process for Composing in the DK Handbook are that your readers are not 'full, real people". I think this is a very important concept to understand for whomever is composing. In the book it used the example that when talking to your mother you are only acknowledging the mother portion of her ad not all of her life roles. A second important thing I noted was that where the reader is actually reading the paper has an influence on how your message is interpreted. A question in the book about this topic is how a teacher may view a paper at home, how them may view what you are trying to convey. I think grading an assignment for many teachers may vary depending on where it is they are doing the evaluation. For example, if they are grading in an office setting they may be looking just at the facts of if the student understood the assignment and if the criteria is there. However if it were to be graded in the teacher home, the teacher being more relaxed may view the same paper differently. They may tune into different ideas that they may have not noticed while in the office strictly because they were only looking for the hard facts. Lastly an idea that stood out to me was the imaging purpose portion. It stated that "if you picture for yourself exactly the response you hope the text you are composing brings about, you will be more likely to compose texts that appeal in concrete and engaging ways". I think this is a great idea to think about while writing something that you want a specific response to. If you are writing something scientific you are going to compose it much differently with just the facts. Where as, if you were writing about an emotion, you are going to choose a different approach to the writing so your audience is feeling what you are composing.