Justifying Choices

I agree with Will’s statements about how we as writers are expected to follow a certain rubric, restricting us from truly being creative. I think that as Will said, there are certain rules about how we write so that it is our words that paint the picture, not the layout itself. I think that there are types of writing that you want to express the creativity, and express meaning in presentation as well as your words. However I think that in a writing paper where the focus is how we write and how we present an argument in our words, than it is best to have a simple layout that highlights the words instead of the paper. The “societal norms” that will talks about I believe are there so that we can have our argument be the focal point of a paper, so that you’re opinions are not agreed with just because they look pretty. We write in the bland style that we have so that our arguments can be truly examined for how we describe them in our words, and that we can learn to do it better as well. So I do agree with Will that we have these norms for a reason, and that the reasons are valid.

How Do I Know This Is Good? Sample H

Reasons I Was Moved

-       - The author brought up points that brought up points that made me wonder why I got an iPod.

-       - The use of facts and statistics in the paper gave more power and substance to the argument

-       - References to how the iPod may advance mad me consider the future of the product

-       - The different attractive features of the iPod mentioned helped show why it is popular

-       - Giving reasons how the iPod became the most popular music plaver, over its competitors

-       - The papr talked about the premise of “cool” and how that helped the iPods popularity

Reasons I Was Unmoved

-      -  There were parts when the paper felt repetitive

-       - There were occasionally unnecessary words that took out of the flow of the writing

-       - At times the paper read more like an informational paper on the iPod than a comparison to society

-       - Did not talk about iPods with an older generation

-       - Focused on younger generations instead of a whole

-       - The paper had a focus on the capabilities and advances of the iPod, but not why they where there or what the said about society

How Do I Know This Is Good? Sample G

Reasons I Was Moved

-       - The paper immediately tells you what it is about and what it will be trying to prove, pulling the reader in.

-       - It gives examples of everyday American life, and then ties it in to Red Bull

-       - The research and quotes used help to make the paper more convincing

-       - The paper has the fast-paced mentality that it is saying society as a whole has

-       - The comparison of success of Red Bull versus the lack of success of relaxation drinks

-       - The use of Red Bull’s advertising slogan to prove a point and talk about society

Reasons I Was Unmoved

-       - The fast-paced rhythm of the paper made it feel like you were getting a lot at once

-      -  There were not many transitions between ideas

-       - Although the paper listed stressful situations it did not say how Red Bull would be appealing to them

-       - There were a few typos, which mad the paper seem less professional

-       - Although the ideas were comparing society to Red Bull, it felt like there were long stretches in between them

-       - The papers main tying points were only the beginning and the end and felt like the middle was different arguments, not tied in until the end

Spring Come Early? Was The Groundhog Right?

            It’s a beautiful 48 degrees out which is something that on a Friday in February, is probably the last thing I’d expect. I woke up this morning expecting to put on my coat and speed walk to my classes, hoping that I wouldn’t freeze in the process. But to my surprise when I left my dorm this morning I quickly realized that, with the sun shining down on me, I didn’t even need my winter jacket today. Walking around campus the smell of melting snow and warm grass hit me like a long waited for sign of spring. Although I realize that spring is still over a month away, and in 5 days I’ll be speed walking to class again, it was a nice present from Mother Nature for at least a day.

Billy Collins' "Litany"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56Iq3PbSWZY

Questions For The Author

Q1: What possessed you to take the original poem and change it in this manner?

Q2: Did you purposely choose to make some of your metaphors ridiculous?

Q3: Why put personal metaphors in as well?

Q4: Was there intended hidden meaning behind any metaphors, or was it their pure ridiculousness”

Q5: Why end with the same metaphor that you started with?

Q6: Were any other ideas or metaphors taken from the original poem?

And although this assignment only called for 6 questions I have a seventh.

Q7: If she isn’t the pine-scented air, can I call dibs on that?

The Three Letters That Rule My Life

            MLA. These Three simple letters have dictated a large amount of my career as a student, but the truth of the matter is I do not know why. Since I was in about sixth grade I was given this rubric for how my writing should be, black ink, 1 inch margins, double space, name and page number in the header, and a proper heading. It was never really explained to me why everything had to be like this, in fact the more I think about it the more I feel like a citizen in George Orwell’s 1984, blindly following the bland style that I was told I should.

            When I was first asked why my papers looked like this, why they were in this format, my mind went back to my junior year English teacher. I waned to write her a letter telling her that, although she made sure we knew how to write in MLA format, she never told us why we did it, and because of that she should write this explanation for me. However I realized that my letter would most likely go unanswered, so I started to honestly think about it.

            I believe the most logical reason that we are taught to write in this form is so that papers can be uniform. It’s easier to grade a paper if there’s a rubric to it, if there is a set up that is ordered and logical. It may feel like a bit of brain washing. But writing in This MLA format makes it easier for our errors to be critiqued. In one standard form we know what is expected, and we can build off of that, and work on the flaws in our writing while still having something to lean on. So although I still cannot tell you exactly why I write in the format that I write in, I can tell you that there is logic in writing in a standard format. It gives us something to work off of and learn with.

Don Stap's "Flight of the Kuaka"

            In Don Stap’s article “Flight of The Kuaka” he describes his experience in capturing Bar-tailed Godwits, a type of bird that migrates from Alaska to New Zealand each year. Stap also explains how this bird’s species is endangered and facing new challenges in the changing world.  The first thing I noticed about the article is the story that Stap presents you with. He describes to you his experience of capturing the bird and, using descriptive language, brings you along with him on this journey. However you soon notice that this article is much more than just a story.

            Stap’s writing soon takes a turn into a more scientific approach. The writing uses terms from the bird watching community that may be lost upon the average reader. Stap does not give his readers much of a definition for some of the terms, which leave the reader to continue on and have to fill in the blanks. The article appears to be readers within the bird enthusiast community as opposed to the average reader.