Week 9

Week 9: Peer Review for Week 8

I do want to take a moment and say to you both Thank You!! Your critique of my work has been wonderful. I appreciate your input and thoughts.

Amity:

October 5^th: This blog is well written. The ideas from one paragraph flow to the next easily. I can see your personal self come through, but it does not over power the point you are trying to make. Wonderfully done!

October 7^th: The paragraphs glide nicely from on to the next. You add many details to support your quotes. I could tell this writing assignment was interesting to you. Nice Job!

Jessica:

 October 5^th: The paragraphs flow so nicely. I admire that about your work. You make great points to support your thesis statement. Last paragraph I found a grammar error: “marriage last longer; that then can become an issue of overpopulation.”  Perhaps saying marriage last longer; that they can become an … Over all you did a wonderful job.

October 7^th: The paragraphs flowed nicely from one to the next. Your use of quotes from the reading was well placed. I like the way you put your personal thoughts in the last paragraph. I think this was really well done. Great Job!!

Week 8

Week 8: Peer Review Week 7

Amity Connally:

9/28/10- Wonderful work! I like that you have been able to put a life experience to your writing. Your conflict showed the typical scenario of Tannen’s writing. You explored the “she said” point of view well. I can understand why your expectation of marriage failed. (Please remember this is just an observation from your writing, not a judgment of you.)

9/30/10- I like the way you explain the evolutionary psychology as Darwin explained it. The paragraphs flow nicely from one paragraph to the next. You use quotes from the reading to make your point wonderfully.

Jessica Chee:

9/28/10- Great job! I like the way the paragraphs emerge from one to the next. I like the example you give of your husband not listening and relating it to the boyfriend laying on the floor story from the reading.

9/30/10- Nicely done. You make your point throughout your writing. I like how you used quotes from the reading to make those points.

Love??

           So you think you have fallen in love and are in absolute bliss!! What if you were told it is just a chemical reaction that amounts to having large quantities of chocolate?? “Now researchers are beginning to sort out how body and mind work together to produce the wild, tender, ineffable feelings we call love.” (Brownlee 295) If this is true, then every person who falls in love must find the right person to cause the right chemical reaction to sustain them throughout their lives?

Week 8: Beetles pg 310 # 1

                A man is standing at the edge of the bar, and notices a lovely lady on the other side of the bar. She winks at him in a seductive manner to call him over. He succumbs to his biochemical reactions that are happening in his body to entice her come hither stare.  They meet, and instantly they have a connection. They date for a few months and finally he pops the question. They marry within a few months. Then the honeymoon is over and real life begins.

                As an outsider looking in, this dance between two people is lovely and graceful. I think that this dance has happened ever since man appeared on earth.  There has always been love, but now scientist can tell you what chemicals are flowing through the body during each stage of a couple’s development. There is infatuation. This will drive a sober man to drink if they cannot get the affection of a woman.

Work Cited

Brownlee, Shannon. "Biochemistry- What’s Chemistry Got to Do With It?" Academic

                Communities/Disciplinary Conventions. Ed.Bonnie Beedles and Michael Petracca. Upper

                Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2001. 294-298.

Week 7: Directed Free Write pg 246

                So many discussions to choose from, which one do I talk about?? Oh! I know. What is the best way to work out in the gym? Of course, I know the best way for me is to go slow and easy. I need to build up to the higher speed of the treadmill and elliptical machines, and then use lower weight on the circuit training equipment. My brother’s advice to me was to go as fast as I can for as long as possible. All the while, my brother is looking off elsewhere looking at the wall and I was getting irritated because he was not looking at me. He would not acknowledge any of my comments or suggestions. In the end, we both left angry and frustrated with each other.

                From the reading, I gathered that the conversation I had with my brother was a typical miscommunication problem most men and women face each day. With that being said, most of the essay written by Deborah Tannen relates to our conversation as far as how we were raised to fill the typical male or female roles.

                Tannen states “I believe these systematic differences in childhood socialization make talk between women and men like cross-cultural communication,” (Beetles, 242).  According to the essay, boys are a part of hierarchy relationships in comparison to girls who relate to others by acknowledging other peoples thoughts and feelings. This makes girls feel closer and connected to the world around them.  My brother must have felt I was trying to order him to do things my way. But in all honesty, I was only trying to suggest a safe way to use the equipment at the gym.

                The body language a girl expresses is different in comparison to a boy’s body language. Girls like to have eye contact and some kind of acceptance where boys do not need any kind of recognition during a conversation. It drove me crazy my brother was not looking directly at me. I believed he was just ignoring anything I had to say. He never even said if I was right or wrong in his opinion.

                I guess it is sometimes funny how men and women interact with each other. If only I would have had this small piece of knowledge this conversation might not have been so frustrating. I think the next time I talk to my brother it will be with a little bit more understanding.

Work Cited

 

Tannen, Deborah. "Sex, Lies, and Conversation" Academic Communities/Disciplinary

     Conventions.Ed.Bonnie Beedles and Michael Petracca. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall,

     2001. 240-245.

Peer Review for Week 6

Amity Connolly:

9/21/10: Ha! Ha! Ha! This movie sound hilarious. I remember seeing previews, but it just didn’t look like my cup of tea. Well after reading your blog post, I am going to have to rent it.

Your blog post was informative about who the characters are. From your description of the movie, it seems that our society accepts this kind of behavior, especially with Las Vegas’ motto. I like how the paragraphs flow from one to the next.

9/23/10: I like the way this blog flows. As the reader, I am able to understand the where the writing is going. I like that you put your own experience into this piece. It is amazing how much technology plays such a role in our lives. How did the world exist without it??

Jessica Chee:

9/21/10: I hope you are feeling better. I had the flu about two weeks ago and it was not fun. Sadly, the day I called off work so did my assistant. So my classroom was chaotic when I returned.

9/23/10: I think your blog for this day is well written. The paragraphs flow easily and I like that in the first paragraph you had quotes from the reading to make your point. I think you hit the nail on the head in your second paragraph when you stated “…, the family disperses to use different forms of technology.” It is sad to think that this is a true reality of our times, but good for gays and lesbians as they say to not be “in the closet.”

The Changing Face Of Family

When I read the essay Capitalism and Gay Identity by John D'Emilio, I immediately thought of a lesbian friend. She works very hard to have a house and has adopted four children from the foster care system. She has taken care of these children with a heart of gold. I wonder if this would have been the case back in the 1920's?? All four children come from sad homes, where the parents were unable to care for these children properly. All four children were first in her care as foster children, but as time has gone on, the parents have been found unfit to take care of these children. Two of the children are actual siblings that have been kept together. Sadly, I know as D'Emilio has stated "...excluded from families as most of us are, we have had to create, for our survival, networks of support that do not depend on the bonds of blood or license of the state, but that are freely chosen and nurtured" (Beetles, 236). All she wants is to be accepted by not only her family, but the rest of society. I think as time goes on with the state of the economy and the states needing more money gay and lesbian marriages will become an everyday affair. The state of Arizona is in debt beyond anything I could imagine. Eventually, the states are going to realize that they will be able to collect more money through these unions.

Week 6: Movies

This week’s reading was interesting and a little difficult to understand. In the Seduction and betrayal in the Heartland: Thelma and Louise by Jack Boozer, I found the story to be strange. I remember a very long time ago watching this film and thinking that these are two ladies who do not want to be hurt anymore. So they take the world by the short hairs to say the least, and give them something to write home about. As Boozer states "Thelma and Louise is seen, for example, to be either an imperfect satirical analogy of woman's dilemma in contemporary America, or an unrealistic female liberation fantasy that backhandedly supports reactionary violence."(Beedles, 208-9) This was a movie that just gave to world something to talk about. It is kind of like the film 9 to 5 with Dolly Parton in it. She plays a secretary who is just fed up with the males dominating the work area. I do not remember the other two ladies in the film, but they decided to kidnap the boss who treated them like dirt. Then they implemented different programs like a daycare for working moms and a part time work program. These ladies were ahead of their time in bringing about change into a male dominated work place.

Week 5: Week 4 Blog Reviews

Week 5: Week 4 Blog Reviews

Connor White:

9/9        I liked how you described the painting done by Frida Kahlo. I liked your statement “When I look at the picture the first part that catches my eye is the plant moving up the bed. It makes me thing of the dream creeping up into her mind and surrounding her body.” Looking at the painting through your eyes is wonderful, because my perception of this piece at first glance is the complete opposite.

9/7        I like how you separate both sides of the authors arguments. I have a better understanding of the reading now. Thank you.

Amber Crouch:

9/9        I like the painting you chose for this blog. You have described the picture to a T. Your impression of the painting however is much different to mine. When you wrote “I think the reason they all have the sad, solemn look on their face was Frida Kahlo’s demeanor when she painted this.” I could see your description in the painting. The pain in her life must have been excruciating, but for her to overcome it through means of painting is amazing.

9/7        Your title of this blog was cute. The whole piece is organized so well. The paragraphs flow from one to the next. This was a pleasure to read.

April Page:

9/9        I like the way you describe the painting. Your impression of the piece was a nice change of pace. I like how you focus on the positive rather than the negative especially when you said “This intense painting can be viewed by many people and interpreted in many ways but as I look at it I see good things to come out of a sad reality” To see the light at the end of the tunnel sometimes is a challenge for people.

9/7        I like how honest you are about the reading. It was a hard section to read. I even had a hard time with it.

               

Week 4: Frida Kahlo and Artistic Identity

Frida and Cesarean Operation 1932

Week 4: Frida Kahlo and Artistic Identity


The painting I chose is called Frida and the Cesarean Operation. The painting has a woman in the center with a small fetus in the womb. The woman appears to be lying on a bed. To the right of the woman, there is a picture of a baby with no face and above that image is the baby’s face. To the left of the woman is another small portrait of the woman. Above the portrait there are doctors circling a hospital bed. The painting appears to be unfinished with many blank spots and black scribble outlines.

This painting illustrates a sad moment in the Frida Kahlo’s life. She was going to carry the baby full term even after an attempt to abort the child failed. You can tell the painting is unfinished due to the scribbled black lines and open white areas.

This painting made me feel all the pain that Kahlo had gone through in this moment in her life. It brought back sadness in my life for friend who endured the loss of a child several years ago. She was awaiting the arrival of her third child. The pregnancy was going great. She felt contractions one evening, and she and her husband drove straight to the hospital. By the time she was admitted the contractions stopped. She was scheduled for a cesarean the next day. When the baby was born, the doctors found the umbilical cord wrapped around the babies neck. The contractions she felt were the baby struggling with the umbilical cord.

My friend thinks about that baby from time to time. Around July is when we feel the pain year after year. The baby would have been ten this past July. It makes me think about how fragile life truly is. One day you have life, and the next day your gone.




                                                                     Work Cited

Brooks, Mike (Jan, 2001) Frida Kahlo Fans Retrieved from

     http://www.fridakahlofans.com/c0092.html

Week 4: Peer Reviews

Amber Crouch:

I liked reading your blog. When I read your blog, “Can computers be smarter than humans?”, I liked how you had examples to point out that a human had to come up with the concept before a computer could execute the idea. In your blog, “Some of the Hardest Questions I’ve Had to Answer” I like how you had many questions even before you started to write it seemed. I like your theory “…a thought or an idea comes from past experiences or pre-existing notions of certain aspects of one’s life.” To have any concept of anything I think someone has to have experience or some knowledge of the idea in order to accomplish the set out goal.


April Page:

I like the way you phrased this in the last paragraph on September 2nd, “We will always surpass the machines in logic and future ideas, which have nothing to do with the brain capacity and our inability to recall hundreds of thousands of irrelevant facts.” After reading this though, I was wondering if humans will ever surpass a computers thought process in the future. Yes computers can recall items within minutes, but will humans ever be able to do this? What are your thoughts on that??


Connor White:

I like your example of how to explain a thought and an idea. I like the fact that your blogs are short n sweet and to the point, but can you tie any experiences to these concepts to have them be more you?

Week 3: Can Computers Think?

Week 3: Can Computers Think?


While reading unit 2, I was struck by an uncontrollable thought that this generation has no idea that the world they know has at one point never had computers. It is so common place now a days that I am afraid that children may forget what physical activities are. This statement brings me to this conclusion, “…that robots will become commonplace and even be able to think and respond in the way their human creators do.” (Beedles, 123) What a scary thought, but it could be a strong possibility. When I was in grade school I remember the first computer my parents bought. It was big and bulky. I had to use a program called DOS to have the computer do anything. Now when I turn on my computer, it goes through a series of loading screens and finally to a lovely screen with a variety of icons. I just click and the program works. Oh how technology has evolved.

Then I read the essay Terminators: The Robots That Rodney Brooks and Hans Moravec Imagine will Succeed Humans, not Serve Them by Mark Dery. (Beedles, 123) There were many small robots Rodney Brooks has built and studied. The first was one about the size of a cockroach. It is Brooks’ hope that these small robots will help humans by repairing eye issues, assist in brain surgeries, or even paint a house. In my opinion, having such small machines could one day help with many dangerous situations like going over enemy lines to retrieve information. This could eliminate the need for troops in the Middle East. Then the robots are delivering information and not endangering solders. This could in effect save lives. (Having military officers come to the door and say “I am sorry your brother is dead.” is not something I want to experience in my lifetime.)

Week 3: Directed Freewrite pg 96

Week 3: Directed Freewrite pg. 96


In your humble opinion, what is an idea? What is a thought? Where do these things come from, and why? Run with these elusive concepts, and see where the writing takes you.

What is an idea? According to the Encarta World English Dictionary, an idea is an opinion, suggestion, or impression. A person can have many opinion of the world around them. It would even suggest what is wrong with the world, but only in their opinion. This could cause an impression that might last a life time.

What is a thought? The Encarta World English Dictionary states a thought is an idea produced by mental activity. So to think one must actually use their brain to process the world around them.

Where do these things come from, and why? Ideas and thoughts come from the world around us. There are hundreds of things that we touch, smell, see, hear, and taste each day to give our brains information. We process these items and they are transferred into our brain and held there until the next time we come in contact with the same or similar situation. For example, I can remember a particular day when I was young. I remember how it feels when the wind blew in my face as I walked to elementary school. I know how the fresh fallen snow tasted on that first day of winter. As I walked, it was thrilling to see every exhaling breathe. I could hear in the distance the ducks and geese that stayed at the heated pond.

Week 2 Blog Reviews

Week 3: Week 2 Blog Reviews


The blogs I read in my peer group were wonderful. I feel I know more about them then if I met them on the street.

Amber Crouch- Your blog was a delight to read. I like the bright colored background. To comment on your blog Can we be good without God?, you make a good point “people have a hard time dealing with authority and do not like being told what to do.” No one likes to do that. It sometimes belittles a person if they are forced into something they truly cannot stand. I like the fact that you put some of your personal concerns into your blog”Can we ever truly know a person?”. Your fear of being rejected is something most people experience. I think most of the population would agree with you.

April Page- Your blog was a joy to read. I think your personal view you added into your blog “Where does good really come from?” made sense. I think I tried to put too much personal view into mine. “Do we really know each other?” was great to read. I felt the same after reading everyone’s blog. This class is truly different.

Connor White- Your blog was the terrific to read. The library books on the sides of the text were fun touch. Your blog “Can we be good without God?” was straight to the point. You did not add any personal observation into it. Your other blog “Question #1” was good. I would have to agree with you that a person who is normally shy in a format class, may open up more in an online class without the pressure of what the class thinks.

Week 2: Religion and Moral Identity

Week 2: Religion and Moral Identity


Can we be good without God? Wow what a question!! This question has stumped me. I was raised to believe in God and to follow the bible. That is just how things are at least in my life.

After careful thought, I think it depends on how a person is raised. If a person is raised with good morals and taught what is right and what is wrong, then that person will find their way in search of a higher power.

When I was a child, I had no idea what God was. That word left a big question mark above my head even though my parents had open discussion. I did not understand why I had to learn different prayers and scriptures. They made no sense to me, even after my Catechism teacher explained the meanings. The only correlation I had was my name. My mother named me after the Blessed Mother. (I learned later the reason for my name is because of tradition. For several generations, there were no girls born in my family. The mothers would pray to the Blessed Mother to bless them with a baby girl. Finally a girl was born, and the tradition began. From that point on the first girl was named Mary. I am the third generation to be named.)

Being raised with a religion in my life, I only began to have faith to believe in God when I was a teenager. My father died when I was fifteen. I began to believe there was a God due to the circumstances. I did not know how to deal with so much sadness and grief. I felt I needed to be strong for my family. I felt weak when I would cry myself to sleep every night. I finally began to pray to God to take this pain away or to somehow make it easier to live. In time this pain got easier. From time to time I do feel sad, but I remember that everything will be ok.

Week 2: Self

Week 2: The Individual Self


I think the term “self” is how a person perceives themselves and is influenced by how the rest of the world sees them. For example, a teacher is distinguished in how she runs her classroom. She can either begin the school year showing the children “who is boss” or she can set the rules and observe what happens. In my Montessori classroom, I have been able to set the rules from the beginning of the school year. My children know what I expect from them and they know what to expect from me.

My experiences in a traditional classroom and online classes have been different in comparison. In a classroom, I am able to become familiar with the other students and teacher within a few days. I am able find out there likes and dislikes, their mannerisms, and what kind of background they come from. In an online class, I do feel the human interaction is missing. I have never had a sense of community studying in an online class. (I am hoping this course changes that. I have never kept a blog so this is going to be an experience of a life time.)

I think the impression someone would perceive from my blog, through this class, that I am very private. I only share enough information for a person to have a small amount of knowledge of who I am. I will share more about myself once I feel comfortable in an environment, but I am not sure how much to share online. I know this sounds like one of those commercials-“Be careful what you put online, it is there forever!”

Welcome

Welcome to everyone!! I am excited to add different pieces of writing to this blog for ENG 215. I have never posted to a blog before. This is a little out of my comfort zone because I have never written for the public other than my teachers or other peers. I look at this a unique opportunity to explore the world of writing. So here is the first of many posts to this blog. :)