Ch. 9 Analysis Questions

1. Heather Harrilesky's insight about Mad Men is that it's a dramatized and extreme version of the "American Dream", but always add drama or some obscurity, because it makes us ask the question, "What is wrong with this pretty picture?" I can tell this is her insight because of the way she started and closed her essay. In her first paragraph she starts out talking about Americans always in search of "something more or better". In the beginning of the sentence in the third paragraph, heather says, "the ambition and conflicted desires of these characters in their pursuit of happiness is what makes Mad men such a popular show"

2. Heather establishes her authority through the progression of her book. Heather starts out and continues throughout the analysis, with very descriptive words that engage the reader. Heather is very descript and through in her details about the show. This lets the readers know and trust the writer and what they have to say.

3. Heather appeals to peoples emotions by giving her own thoughts and opinions, but also leaving room for interpretation. Heather uses very descriptive and mature words through her essay that engage the reader. Lastly, Heather also reiterates the main point of her analysis in the beginning and in the conclusion of the essay, giving the reader a clear idea on what the essay is about.

4. I was not familiar to the TV show Mad Men other than the commercials I saw every now and then. I am intrigued in the show, but not enough to watch it. I felt like she gave away too much of what happens throughout the show for me to be engaged through the multiple seasons.

Analysis in Everyday Use

I analyzed two different websites on places I like to go. Seattle and Downtown Poulsbo. The website about downtown Poulsbo looked plain and did not stand out or look engaging at all. On the contrary, the Seattle website looked engaging and colorful without overdoing it.  Out of the two websites I found that the website on Seattle was not only more intriguing. What makes this website significantly better than the website about Downtown Poulsbo is that the website engages the reader with a multitude of pictures and videos as soon as they click on the link. I also found the formatting much easier to organize and figure out. Also, the website for Seattle offers a lot more information. They provide information on ferry times, maps, the geography, weather and climate, history, and even the local and state governments.

If I could change the website on Downtown Poulsbo I would change three things. I would change the formatting, creativity, and community involvement. I would start by updating the format to make it easier for people to click on different links. This would help people be able to find the information they wanted to know without a hassle. Secondly, I would add more creativity into the website. I would add more bright colors that compliments each other. I would put more engaging pictures and videos on the home page to represent a warm and friendly feeling. Lastly, I would add community involvement by updating the website weekly on activities going on in the community. I would also add in local news and important historical information to the website. By changing and adding these few things, the Downtown Poulsbo website would be a lot more effective.

Analysis of my Choices

Decisions I made	Areas of life it affected	Information I gathered
To sign up for Washington Business Week last summer	This affected my social, educational and inspiration parts of my life.	Lots of hard work for a week out of my summer, but earning 2 college credits and it looks good on resumes.
Walmart brand of face wash, or a name brand.	This affected the financial aspect of my life.	If I buy the Walmart brand, then I can save money, but it might not work as well as the other more expensive face wash.
If I should take a shower at night, or in the morning.	This affected my personal life because I wanted to smell good and feel clean.	If I shower at night, my hair will be dry by morning and I can sleep in, but I would be getting to bed later if I still want to do homework that evening.
To do running start or to stay at the high school for my senior year.	This affected my educational, social, and financial life.	Doing running start, I would be able to push myself and start off my first year of college for free. But I won’t be around high school students a lot and I will have a much heavier workload.

 

This chart tells me that when I come to a choice that I have to make, I think through the pros and cons of each decision. Once I came up with more pros than cons for a choice, that’s what I decided to go with.

Personal Narrative Essay Rough Draft #2

            Ever since I can remember, I have always loved writing. I liked how my hand started to hurt after writing for long periods of time, how I could write about anything and everything, and how simple it is. I’ve always been one to write in journals, on blogs, or on social media. As I entered high school, I thought I was one of the best writers in the school. That lasted until my sophomore year at North Kitsap High school, when my whole perspective on writing changed. I realized that all writing is different; styles vary and I needed to be open minded to all writing styles and the different experiences I could have while writing.

            My sophomore year in English class, my teacher,Mr. Simonson, decided to have a friendly class competition. He was a very sensible and intelligent man who many students looked up to, so I was determined to make a good impression on him. In the beginning of the year, Mr. Simonson offered us extra credit for a creative essay, due the next week. He would choose five, which would then be showcased as examples of outstanding creative work and the assignment would be offered again at the end of the year. The purpose of this was to not only improve our creative writing skills but also to measure our progress from the first week of school to the last. I was so psyched about this essay. I was able to do something I love to do, all while making a good impression on my teacher and getting extra credit. That week I spent hours brainstorming and creating ideas for my essay, only getting more and more excited to show off my skills as a creative writer. 

            When I finished my essay, I was so proud of all the hard work and effort I put into it. I turned it in, ready for him to be impressed. The next day when I walked into class, I noticed that the five top creative writing essays were displayed on Mr. Simonson’s wall. I went over to take a look and my heart dropped when I didn’t see my essay displayed up in the front of the classroom. I was so crushed, I felt like I was a terrible writer. I stayed after class and asked Mr. Simonson what was wrong with my paper and he told me that it was a well-written essay that had no depth. He told me to develop my own style and voice, my own personality. This is when I came to the realization that everyone has a separate opinion on writing. Even if two papers had the same format and style of writing, they will most likely turn out to be two completely different stories and perspectives because they’re done by different people, who have different styles and preferences in their writing.

            After coming to this realization, I started to open my mind more. Not only with writing styles and techniques, but also with how I see and perceive various pieces of information and aspects of life. I started to listen more than I talked, to study others’ writing in order to learn from it. This got me interested in different authors and writers, with what writers’ styles matched with others, and how they were different. Resulting from my newly found open mind, I became more aware and open minded as a person-not only in writing but also in various areas of my life.

            By the end of the year when Mr. Simonson assigned the same extra credit assignment, I felt prepared, at ease. I was confident that I would not feel the need to compete with others for the extra credit, though I would give it my best shot and write freely. Again, I wrote my essay with countless hours of hard work and effort, but this time I made sure to incorporate various styles and personalities in my work in order to create a tone of my own. I turned my essay in and hoped for the best, praying that my hard work would pay off. The next day when I walked into class, I found my hopes had come true-my essay was one of five that was displayed for the class to see. I was, and still am, so proud of myself for learning my lesson and improving my writing (and a lot of that credit also goes to Mr. Simonson).            

My sophomore year was one in which I truly learned what writing is and the various genres there are for me to discover and explore how to write within each one. Had I not experienced failure in my writing the first time around, I would never have pushed myself to “think outside the box” and break the boundaries I set for myself in writing. I wouldn’t have developed a deeper understanding of writing, nor would I have the appreciation for writing that I developed. I use this newfound knowledge and understanding in my daily life as well, appreciating not only myself and my ideas but others and their ideas.

Thinking and Acting Rhetorically

      My definition of rhetoric is writing, reading, speaking, and listening. Being rhetoric is more crucial in today's society, more than ever., Employers look for people who possess the ability to communicate. Writing is a "threshold" for hiring and promoting. My definition of thinking and acting rhetorically focuses of effective, ethical communication, and how words and images can change our minds, and shape our identity and lives.
      Rhetoric thinking focuses on how to get you point across to people the way you want it to, instead of focusing all your time on what your message consists of. By thinking and acting rhetorically, you can peruse careers in life. You can go into law, political and community organizations, teachers of language and arts, history, and social studies. In today's society rhetoric writing or speaking in many ways, have became a new basic skill needed for a quality job.

Outline for Literacy Narrative

1.      In Lydia’s Story, my visual description is: “The hall had no windows; only fluorescent lighting illuminating the large space (p.128 Second paragraph).”

2.      In Bidding Farewell to Arms, my dialog is: “Life is a privilege. I now recognize that responsibility isn’t gone when you leave the limitary, it is changed. Greater by far than the responsibility to comrades in arms is responsibility to friends, family and self, responsibility to the one life each of us gets to live 9p.121 fourth to last paragraph).”

3.      IN Lydia’s Story, my sensory description is: “At some point, a small van drove up and stopped directly in front of her. A female driver, dressed in scrubs, jumped out. The van was loaded with medical supplies, and there was room for only one person… (p. 130 third to the last paragraph).”

 

 

4.      List of possible topics for essay:

·         Mr. Simonson-Sophmore year english

·         My dad

·         Mr. Acton

·         Journaling

 

5.      Purpose:

I want to tell this story because he is the teacher that inspired me and that encouraged me that I was a great writer with great ideas and never gave up on me.

Teach a lesson: A little encouragement every day goes a long way. Never give up on someone. Teach students to teach other students.

6.      Audience:

Other students, peers, teachers, adults I don’t think I would have to do too much explaining, other than what my teacher said and did that inspired and encouraged me. I feel like a lot of people have teachers or professors whom they look of to or they have been inspired by.

7.      Stance:

I want to project a positive, inspiring, and encouraging attitude. I wish to be very sincere. I want the reader to see me as someone who is very dedicated and passionate. Someone who was encouraged and inspired by someone about English.

8.      Media/Design:

My narrative will be printed. I want to convey the tone of very inspirational and encouraging to people, as my teacher was to me.

 

 

Generating Ideas and Text

9.      See?

Small North Kitsap High School class room. Specifically about struggling with my final paper, having to write about the correlation between one of the assigned books we read that year and a personal experience.

10.   Hear?

I hear the constant squeaking of wet shoes on the slippery school hallway.

11.  Smell?

I smell the distinct mix of Axe overload and high school sweat, mixed with girl’s perfume.

12.  Feel?

Feeling encouraged and inspired by having Mr. Simonson help me, along with other students.

13.  Taste?

I taste nothing…

 

Key People:

Mataya, Mr. Simonson, Becky

 

14.  People’s Description

I am tall, I have brown hair with blonde highlights. I dress usually pretty normal, sometimes I like to dress up. I speak fairly clear, but kind of low and deep for a girl. Mr. Simonson is a middle-aged man, he speaks in a funny way where kids enjoy listening to him. He uses big words and phrases I’m guessing because he is an English teacher. Becky is one year older than I am, she is tall and smart. She talks in a very inviting way towards people.

 

15.  Dialogue:

“Becky, I have no idea what book to write about or what it correlates with”

“First, just think about one thing you learned this year, that you think you will continue to use throughout your life. Then we can help find a book and examples.”

“Mataya, write about your experience and growth with English this year. This year you started out struggling, and now you are one of my top students.”

“You have really grown and have shown so much improvement in your writing and vocabulary.”

 

What Happened?

Had to write my final for English in 10^th grade and I was struggling. I ended up asking for help from my teacher and a friend. They gave me ideas and encourages me and inspired me to want to continue with English and also gave me encouragement.

 

What I Learned:

Anyone can do anything if they set their minds to it. Even if they just need a little encouragement or inspiration from someone. It changed me by now using writing as my main form of expression. Where I am in my educational aspect of life is because of this. My life would have been different by me not being as passionate about English as much. I probably wouldn’t read as much or write as much if it wasn’t for the encouragement of those two people in 10^th grade.

Lydia's Story

1. Brideau's main point of Lydia's Story is that family and love can represent hope and determination, even in the face of terrible adversity. This is indicated at the end of the essay.

2. The point of view in Lydia's Story is in third person. Having the story in third person impacts you by telling you what's going on and how Lydia feels about it. It impacts you even more by having another perspective and another opinion about what's going on and why.

3. Brideau make's her work "come alive" by using very descriptive words and phrases. She uses phrases like, "So strong it seemed toxic", Hot, humid wheatear outdoors", "Horrified, she tried not to panic", and "Her tongue became dry and her lips were all cracked". The appeal to the readers emotions because they tug on the heart strings and she uses very powerful and descriptive words to draw the reader in.

4. The audience for this piece would be targeted towards people who love, care, and have a soft spot for someone or something. The audience could also be towards people whom have been in similar situations. This suits the readers because they all have the same sympathetic understanding. She uses words and phrases like, "Hope and determination", "strength and resolve", "proud", and "saved her life" to drag the reader in.