At the beginning of the English110C semester I did not actually set any goals. However I did accomplish well more than I could have expected. I learned to improve my writing in almost every area and aspect. I being a much beter writer than I was when I began, and if I had set goals I'm possitive I would have accomplished them.
I was able to enter as a mediocre writer and improve to a confident one. I've become much more proud of my abilities and what I have learned. I did not expect to improve my writting at all but over this semester I achieved what I didn't expect. My drafting process, editing process, and finalization of a paper have all changed. I've learned to spend time thinking on a topic and to write as much as I can concerning it and finally form a draft. The proofreading this semester was entirely new to me but it was maybe the most productive thing I've ever done in an English course. Proofreading has helped me to understand my errors and see where others excell and do well. From Proofreading I've learned to finish my paper and process strong by correcting and finalizing my essay.
I am glad to have taken this English course this semester. I did not set goals but I was blown away by my accomplishments.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
4 Qs
1. What one specific aspect of your paper are you proudest of? Why?I am most proud of the flow of my essay. I was proud of how I moved from point to point and arranged my writing chronologically.
2. What was the most difficult aspect of writing this essay? Why?
The most difficult aspect of writing the essay was the word length. It was easy for me to express what was required in few words so I had difficulty meeting the 1,000 word count.
3. Imagine that you have a few extra hours to revise this paper. What aspect(s) of the paper would you reword, write, and/or polish? Why?
If I were given a few extra hours I would revise my paper and look to add more detail. I think that I could have added more weight to the paper with well placed detail.
4. How would you approach such a revision?
I would revise the paper by asking a friend to read and correct my paper. I would also take time to review my work and look at how I could better express my information.
2. What was the most difficult aspect of writing this essay? Why?
The most difficult aspect of writing the essay was the word length. It was easy for me to express what was required in few words so I had difficulty meeting the 1,000 word count.
3. Imagine that you have a few extra hours to revise this paper. What aspect(s) of the paper would you reword, write, and/or polish? Why?
If I were given a few extra hours I would revise my paper and look to add more detail. I think that I could have added more weight to the paper with well placed detail.
4. How would you approach such a revision?
I would revise the paper by asking a friend to read and correct my paper. I would also take time to review my work and look at how I could better express my information.
My Choice
My Volkswagon Jetta has been an excellent car. I have been very happy and satisfied with the performance and reliability of this car.
My Jetta was purchased in 2001 by my parents and was given to me when I began driving. I was very happy to get the car and I've enjoyed it ever since. I was first drawn to the car because it is a manual. Learning the manual on the car was surprisingly easy and extremely smooth. The transmissions used by Volksagon are excellent and operate well and reliable. I have driven manual cars of different brands such as Honda and Jeep and was disappointed as to how poorly they compare to my Jetta.
My car has also been extremely reliable. On average my car needs minor maintenance two times at the most annually. I have been impressed because most of my friends do not have the same lxury as I do concerning maintenance. The Jetta drives extremely well and the turning is always smooth. The car's engine does not operate as powerfully as it once did but then again it is 9 years old with 140,000 miles.
Jetta's do have somewhat of a downfall concerning price. The maintenance, although it is rarely needed, is quite expensive. The price to replace most parts on the Jetta costs the same as it would for a Mercedes or a BMW. It is quite disappointing that maintenance is that hefty, but with it rarely needed and the quality of the car it is easily overlooked.
As a whole a Volkswagon, specifically a Jetta, is a perfect car. It performs excellently and is very reliable.
My Jetta was purchased in 2001 by my parents and was given to me when I began driving. I was very happy to get the car and I've enjoyed it ever since. I was first drawn to the car because it is a manual. Learning the manual on the car was surprisingly easy and extremely smooth. The transmissions used by Volksagon are excellent and operate well and reliable. I have driven manual cars of different brands such as Honda and Jeep and was disappointed as to how poorly they compare to my Jetta.
My car has also been extremely reliable. On average my car needs minor maintenance two times at the most annually. I have been impressed because most of my friends do not have the same lxury as I do concerning maintenance. The Jetta drives extremely well and the turning is always smooth. The car's engine does not operate as powerfully as it once did but then again it is 9 years old with 140,000 miles.
Jetta's do have somewhat of a downfall concerning price. The maintenance, although it is rarely needed, is quite expensive. The price to replace most parts on the Jetta costs the same as it would for a Mercedes or a BMW. It is quite disappointing that maintenance is that hefty, but with it rarely needed and the quality of the car it is easily overlooked.
As a whole a Volkswagon, specifically a Jetta, is a perfect car. It performs excellently and is very reliable.
The Rave
One movie that has always drawn my attention is Bloodsport. Bloodsport is most likely the greatest martial arts movie ever created. The movie follows Frank Dux, a German martial artist, as he escapes the military to compete in the Kumate, an invitational martial arts event. Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme does an excellent job in the film and does a portion of the action stunts himself. By far, Bloodsport is the greatest and most exciting martial arts film ever made.
The first time I ever watched Bloodsport I was glued to the film from beginning to end. The film shows Frank's training, travel, fighting, and vengeance of his friend in the final match. The movie contains consant action and very appealing fighting. It is nearly impossible for me to pass up Bloodsport when I see the movie on my television guide. Just as drama can be connected to The Notebook or or The Titanic, Action is easily a metaphor for Bloodsport.
Although the film may seem cheesey at first, it was the prime action film of 1988. It perfectly places places drama into the film to make the action perfect when it starts back up again. The film consistently flows and climaxes to a powerful, exciting, and amazing fight. I would recommend that everyone watch Bloodsport. The movie amazes and relays martial arts at a whole different level.
The first time I ever watched Bloodsport I was glued to the film from beginning to end. The film shows Frank's training, travel, fighting, and vengeance of his friend in the final match. The movie contains consant action and very appealing fighting. It is nearly impossible for me to pass up Bloodsport when I see the movie on my television guide. Just as drama can be connected to The Notebook or or The Titanic, Action is easily a metaphor for Bloodsport.
Although the film may seem cheesey at first, it was the prime action film of 1988. It perfectly places places drama into the film to make the action perfect when it starts back up again. The film consistently flows and climaxes to a powerful, exciting, and amazing fight. I would recommend that everyone watch Bloodsport. The movie amazes and relays martial arts at a whole different level.
The Rebuttal
I recently read an article concerning the war in the middle east. The article praised America's intervention in the middle east and its accomplishments. It approved of America's purpose and presence in Afghanistan and Iraq. I am a very patriotic person and I have the utmost respect for our military, but I would disagree with this article in many ways.
Our primary purpose for entering Afghanistan was very much justifiable after the attack on America coordinated by Bin Ladin. America correctly entered Afghanistan but seemingly went on a wild chase and attempted to control a whole other country. The hunt for Bin Ladin is somewhat of a no win situation. My grandfather, who is an ex Navy Seal and did quite a bit of contracting in the early 2000's, has told me of what he has personally seen happening in Afghanistan. The terrorists that Americans are fighting grow everyday. Because of the fear present in the Afghanistan citizens, terrorists can easily persuade and threaten more men into joining their cause.
America has attempted to rebuild a country by training Afghanistan soldiers and helping cities. In turn America has become a necessity to Afghanistan's system and whenever soldiers are withdrawn from a rebuilt area, the people there return to the same fear and terrorist controlled system. However, our soldier's presence is not in vein because the hunt for Bin Laden himself is a proper cause. Our involvement in their political system on the other hand is not our place. It is difficult for a country to keep another stable and running.
Beyond Afghanistan, America became involved in Iraq. The war in Iraq was justified by the Bush Administrations claim that the Iraqi's had WMD's or weapons of mass destruction. Once inside Iraq the hunt for the WMD's was futile. The Bush administration had falsely claimed that the Iraqi's had illegally with held WMD'd but the US army could find no such proof. For what reason the Bush Administration lied to justify their search is not clear but it showed that America should not be present in the middle east. US Delta Force soldiers did manage to apprehend Sadam Husein, which did give relief to much of Iraq. Once again our soldiers fight was not in vein but they did not deserve to be sent into a country searching for something that did not exist.
In conclusion I would like to sshow my respect for the American's that work to keep America safe and I am proud of our soldiers. I do however disaprove of needless conflict and use of America's brave soldiers when they are not needed. American's do not deserve to risk their lives if it for an administrations personal pride, gain, and power.
Our primary purpose for entering Afghanistan was very much justifiable after the attack on America coordinated by Bin Ladin. America correctly entered Afghanistan but seemingly went on a wild chase and attempted to control a whole other country. The hunt for Bin Ladin is somewhat of a no win situation. My grandfather, who is an ex Navy Seal and did quite a bit of contracting in the early 2000's, has told me of what he has personally seen happening in Afghanistan. The terrorists that Americans are fighting grow everyday. Because of the fear present in the Afghanistan citizens, terrorists can easily persuade and threaten more men into joining their cause.
America has attempted to rebuild a country by training Afghanistan soldiers and helping cities. In turn America has become a necessity to Afghanistan's system and whenever soldiers are withdrawn from a rebuilt area, the people there return to the same fear and terrorist controlled system. However, our soldier's presence is not in vein because the hunt for Bin Laden himself is a proper cause. Our involvement in their political system on the other hand is not our place. It is difficult for a country to keep another stable and running.
Beyond Afghanistan, America became involved in Iraq. The war in Iraq was justified by the Bush Administrations claim that the Iraqi's had WMD's or weapons of mass destruction. Once inside Iraq the hunt for the WMD's was futile. The Bush administration had falsely claimed that the Iraqi's had illegally with held WMD'd but the US army could find no such proof. For what reason the Bush Administration lied to justify their search is not clear but it showed that America should not be present in the middle east. US Delta Force soldiers did manage to apprehend Sadam Husein, which did give relief to much of Iraq. Once again our soldiers fight was not in vein but they did not deserve to be sent into a country searching for something that did not exist.
In conclusion I would like to sshow my respect for the American's that work to keep America safe and I am proud of our soldiers. I do however disaprove of needless conflict and use of America's brave soldiers when they are not needed. American's do not deserve to risk their lives if it for an administrations personal pride, gain, and power.
The Slam
One of the greatest failures of all time came recently in the form of a movie. The Last Airbender, directed by M Knight Shamylan, was maybe the worst movie of 2010. The movie seemed to fail in all areas and was extremely over hyped by the media. Most people expected the movie to impress and satisfy, but the majority were disappointed.
M Knight stunned film making after he created one of the greatest movies of the century, The Sixth Sense. After The Sixth Sense his movies slowly began to lose their edge. Lady in the Water and The Happening both received terrible reviews and the majority of people were very displeased. The Last Airbender seemed to be the directors recovery from his losing streak but once again he failed.
The Last Airbender is based on the first season of the Nickelodeon TV show Avatar. For the people that have seen this TV show you would notice that M Knight murdered almost every characters name. I was surprised that the director was able to ruin a fairly good TV serious in an area so small such as a characters name. The director furthered his quest of destruction by using a terrible cast and script to relay the characters portrayed in the television series. The lines spoken by the actors were extremely void and empty, but this was largely due to the terrible script.The graphics within the film were on average but the portrayal of the shows combat and action was disappointing.
Shamylan managed to do fairly well in transferring the plot to the big screen. He changed the ending of the series but it still shared the same message and meaning as the series. It may be quite difficult for any director to change a whole TV show season into a movie, and Shamylan showed that he could butcher the series well. I give the director credit for attempting this movie, but The Last Airbender was an incredible fail.
M Knight stunned film making after he created one of the greatest movies of the century, The Sixth Sense. After The Sixth Sense his movies slowly began to lose their edge. Lady in the Water and The Happening both received terrible reviews and the majority of people were very displeased. The Last Airbender seemed to be the directors recovery from his losing streak but once again he failed.
The Last Airbender is based on the first season of the Nickelodeon TV show Avatar. For the people that have seen this TV show you would notice that M Knight murdered almost every characters name. I was surprised that the director was able to ruin a fairly good TV serious in an area so small such as a characters name. The director furthered his quest of destruction by using a terrible cast and script to relay the characters portrayed in the television series. The lines spoken by the actors were extremely void and empty, but this was largely due to the terrible script.The graphics within the film were on average but the portrayal of the shows combat and action was disappointing.
Shamylan managed to do fairly well in transferring the plot to the big screen. He changed the ending of the series but it still shared the same message and meaning as the series. It may be quite difficult for any director to change a whole TV show season into a movie, and Shamylan showed that he could butcher the series well. I give the director credit for attempting this movie, but The Last Airbender was an incredible fail.
Friday, December 10, 2010
4 Qs
1. What one specific aspect of your paper are you proudest of? Why?
I am most pround of the structure in which I wrote my paper. I was proud that I was able to write such a well structured and composed essay in the short amount of time given.
2. What was the most difficult aspect of writing this essay? Why?
The most difficult aspect of writing the Mid-Term was the little time given. It was difficult to write a great paper in such little time. It was also quite difficult to compose a good essay with such little knowledge concerning a topic that I did not find extremely interesting.
3. Imagine that you have a few extra hours to revise this paper. What aspect(s) of the paper would you reword, write, and/or polish? Why?
If I were given a few extra hours I would work on revising and re-reading my paper. I did not get to much time into making sure that the essay was understandable or easy to read.
4. How would you approach such a revision?
I would revise the paper by having a fellow student read and correct it. I would also do more research concerning the topic and have a friend show me what would be most interesting to add to the essay.
I am most pround of the structure in which I wrote my paper. I was proud that I was able to write such a well structured and composed essay in the short amount of time given.
2. What was the most difficult aspect of writing this essay? Why?
The most difficult aspect of writing the Mid-Term was the little time given. It was difficult to write a great paper in such little time. It was also quite difficult to compose a good essay with such little knowledge concerning a topic that I did not find extremely interesting.
3. Imagine that you have a few extra hours to revise this paper. What aspect(s) of the paper would you reword, write, and/or polish? Why?
If I were given a few extra hours I would work on revising and re-reading my paper. I did not get to much time into making sure that the essay was understandable or easy to read.
4. How would you approach such a revision?
I would revise the paper by having a fellow student read and correct it. I would also do more research concerning the topic and have a friend show me what would be most interesting to add to the essay.
4 Qs
1. What one specific aspect of your paper are you proudest of? Why?
I am most pround of my detailed analysis of the ad. I am proud of how i used my descritiveness learned from the previous essay and was able to use it to analyze the ad in its fullness.
2. What was the most difficult aspect of writing this essay? Why?
The most difficult aspect of writing the Ad Analysis essay was finding what cold have worked better for the Ad. The ad directly targeted my age group so it was difficult for me to find how it could be improved since it worked very well.
3. Imagine that you have a few extra hours to revise this paper. What aspect(s) of the paper would you reword, write, and/or polish? Why?
If I were given a few extra hours I would most likely analyze the few words that were used in the essay even further. I think that I may have been able to go into greater depth with what the phrase meant and how it applied.
4. How would you approach such a revision?
I would revise the paper by asking a friend to read and correct my paper. I would take the critisism, just as I did with the revisions provided by my classmates, and use it to better my paper.
I am most pround of my detailed analysis of the ad. I am proud of how i used my descritiveness learned from the previous essay and was able to use it to analyze the ad in its fullness.
2. What was the most difficult aspect of writing this essay? Why?
The most difficult aspect of writing the Ad Analysis essay was finding what cold have worked better for the Ad. The ad directly targeted my age group so it was difficult for me to find how it could be improved since it worked very well.
3. Imagine that you have a few extra hours to revise this paper. What aspect(s) of the paper would you reword, write, and/or polish? Why?
If I were given a few extra hours I would most likely analyze the few words that were used in the essay even further. I think that I may have been able to go into greater depth with what the phrase meant and how it applied.
4. How would you approach such a revision?
I would revise the paper by asking a friend to read and correct my paper. I would take the critisism, just as I did with the revisions provided by my classmates, and use it to better my paper.
The Reading Response
"I, Too" is a poem written by Langston Hughes. As soon as I read the second line I could tell that the poem is from the voice of an African American. Hughes uses the line "I am the darker brother." This line itself is bold and powerful. It states that the writer is not only black but that he is also the white man's brother, fellow American. From lines 3 to 7 the writer tells of how his assumed white owners are ashamed of him and that they send him away when company visits. In reaction to their shame the writer describes how he too is an American and no different from his white owners. He speaks of how he laughs, eats, and grows strong just as any other man does.
From lines 8 to 14 the writer then looks and describes his speculated future from his own eyes. He gives foresight to an America were the black man can eat and enjoy company like and with the white man.That he can not be told where to eat and that "Nobody'll dare."
After the writer looks to the future he describes how the white people will feel. He writes that they will finally see how beautiful he, a black man, is. He finishes the poem powerfuly with "And be ashamed- I,too, am American." These last two lines show that although they are lawfully equal to an extent, the white man will still be ashamed that they are both equal, American.
From lines 8 to 14 the writer then looks and describes his speculated future from his own eyes. He gives foresight to an America were the black man can eat and enjoy company like and with the white man.That he can not be told where to eat and that "Nobody'll dare."
After the writer looks to the future he describes how the white people will feel. He writes that they will finally see how beautiful he, a black man, is. He finishes the poem powerfuly with "And be ashamed- I,too, am American." These last two lines show that although they are lawfully equal to an extent, the white man will still be ashamed that they are both equal, American.
Letter to the Editor
Dear editor,
My name is Calvin, I am a student at Old Dominion University. Whenever do have time to relax at ODU I usually get a copy of your newspaper, Mace and Crown. I enjoy reading the newspaper because it is written by my fellow students and it contains information that concerns and appeals to me. I can easily relate and read this newspaper and I would like to thank you.
I enjoyed your most recent edition, it was filled many interesting articles and some very good movie reviews. Specifically I was drawn to the article concerning campus safety on the front page. I appreciate that
the Mace and Crown does weekly articles concerning campus safety. The safety of myself, and I'm sure that I can speak for the majority of the students, is a big concern. Your article was very informative and updated me on what is going on around the campus to counter violence, theft, and other crimes.
I was not aware of the current crimes that were taking place. The list of areas that had reoccurring crimes was very informative and helpful. I also appreciated the description of the ODU police that were patroling the campus and walking students to their cars.I was in the dark about most of the upsets that were happening around campus until I did get a chance to read this weeks paper.
Thank you for for writing articles on campus awareness and safety. I hope you continue to do so.
My name is Calvin, I am a student at Old Dominion University. Whenever do have time to relax at ODU I usually get a copy of your newspaper, Mace and Crown. I enjoy reading the newspaper because it is written by my fellow students and it contains information that concerns and appeals to me. I can easily relate and read this newspaper and I would like to thank you.
I enjoyed your most recent edition, it was filled many interesting articles and some very good movie reviews. Specifically I was drawn to the article concerning campus safety on the front page. I appreciate that
the Mace and Crown does weekly articles concerning campus safety. The safety of myself, and I'm sure that I can speak for the majority of the students, is a big concern. Your article was very informative and updated me on what is going on around the campus to counter violence, theft, and other crimes.
I was not aware of the current crimes that were taking place. The list of areas that had reoccurring crimes was very informative and helpful. I also appreciated the description of the ODU police that were patroling the campus and walking students to their cars.I was in the dark about most of the upsets that were happening around campus until I did get a chance to read this weeks paper.
Thank you for for writing articles on campus awareness and safety. I hope you continue to do so.
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