English1A-sec05: 2014

This section of reading focuses on research projects. It begins with chapter 15 and ends with chapter 17. Chapter 15 outlines the research for the project by analyzing the assignment; formulate a research question and hypothesis, plan the research, and set up a research log. The final step of the outline is to move from hypothesis to a working thesis. Chapter 16 then describes doing the actual research. Before beginning research, one needs to understand the different kind of resources, and then head to the library to get started and use their resources to search the internet. To obtain real world information, conduct field research. Chapter 17 is about evaluating those sources and taking adequate notes. Once the sources are determined, create a working bibliography. To create a working bibliography, understand the sources’ purpose, their usefulness and credibility. Read critically and interpret sources. Analyze the sources and synthesize them to notice patterns, especially in academic writing. The chapter and the reading ends with the rule of taking notes and annotating the source as you read it.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Response Paper #2- 4/2

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d57Ve6KQ1W_G9sLtELrrYE97-DgzpWq4FXG25Oq0w0k/edit?usp=sharing

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Visual Rhetoric Project- 3/21/2014

Marching Towards the Stars One Step at a Time

Throughout history, three dimensional sculptures and objects have been very effective at conveying a message and persuading its viewers to accept the same ideals in the object. Take for instance many of the statues built in the former Soviet Union that praised communism and the eventual coming of the workers revolution. For this visual rhetoric assignment, I had to create an object that conveyed a message from my previous assignment which I did on space exploration.

For my visual rhetoric 3-D object, I had to create a sculpture to go along with my theme of space exploration. In the previous genre analysis assignment, I stated that going back and conquering space will usher in a new age of wealth and opportunity for mankind. The wealth comes from the incredible amount of natural resources in the form of rare elements and materials throughout the cosmos. To illustrate this, the object is composed of a spaceship rocketing towards a sun with money signs covering its surface. The spaceship is made out of LEGOs. The ship is made out of LEGOs to symbolize the fact that many people and efforts need to come together and cooperate in any space faring mission just as the LEGO blocks need to fit together and cooperate to stay together. Any adventure as complex as space travel requires a team effort from many people of different expertise and nationalities represented by the different LEGOs. The sun consists of a styrofoam orb as the material has a shine to it which is useful in representing a bright star. The orb is completely covered in yellow and some orange paint to complete the image of a sun. The sun itself represents the brighter future that humanity is heading towards if we go back to space. A future filled with plenty of opportunities and resources from the new worlds we discover. The orb is also be sporadically covered in dollar signs. I chose dollar signs as this sculpture will be primarily displayed to North Americans of the United States, who are my target audience. They are my target audience as the U.S. is the most capable in spearheading the drive back into space and perhaps the youth that view this object will be inspired to join the movement back into space as engineers or scientists. The dollar signs also represent the wealth in resources that are out there in space waiting for humanity to claim them. Both objects are perched on metal wire from a coat hanger to make the scene more dynamic and interesting. If this were a full size sculpture, it would be displayed at a public park to expose more of my target audience, especially children in hopes of inspiring them about astronomy. To keep the objects balanced, I placed metal weights at their bases and covered the weights with a plate for each object. The main message of the sculpture is that it will take all of us to band together and rocket towards a brighter and wealthier future of humanity in space.

Compared to the other three texts from the previous genre analysis, my 3-D genre shares some characteristics and also differs in some areas. My genre shares much of the same message from the peer reviewed article and the NASA website. Both of those texts expressed the desire to inspire the younger generations about the beauty and excitement of space exploration. They further stated that any venture requires a group effort from a multitude of people, just as my sculpture aims to convey that message. However, my genre does differ from the photo of the International Space Station as the photo failed to have any message. My sculpture shared much of the same message from the article and website, then took the picture a step further by incorporating a message.

To construct this sculpture and message, there was difficult period of struggling to define the sculpture than construct and further define it. At first, I thought I did not want to be the person that brought LEGOs and seem childish, but when I asked my sister what I should do with this assignment, she made it apparent to me that there is no problem with using LEGOs. However, much of the guidelines with the assignment were very ambiguous when it came to the use of LEGOs. Once the plan for constructing was nailed, then came the sun. I purchased orbs of different sizes and material as my sister warned me about the use of spray paint on the foam orbs could melt them if they were a certain material. To counter this, I coated the orb in glue to seal the surface to put paint on it. When the orb with the right material was chosen, it was an easy task of spray painting it and adding the money signs to it. This was difficult assignment and had many obstacles as any challenge should, but I feel I did an adequate job in succeeding to address the main points of the assignment.

If I were to determine my own grade for this assignment, I would of course give myself an A as any other grade would be foolish unless I felt I did a truly poor job with the assignment. If I do get an inadequate grade with this assignment, then I have no one else to blame but myself for failing this assignment. I do have a very stressful schedule, but that should be no excuse and therefore should have started working on this assignment earlier. Again, I feel I did an acceptable job with this assignment by creating a persuasive 3-D sculpture that was crafted from my own effort and conveys a message from the space exploration theme of the earlier assignment.

Space is a very exciting topic to me and hope that one day in my lifetime, I get to witness humanity setting aside our petty differences to conquer the stars together. I hope I can share that same excitement through my sculpture of LEGOs and foam, then hopefully inspire some people to join me in my hopefulness and excitement.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

(SWA 3/17) Virtual Peer Review

Based on the reading of Ben Sorensen's object description, his sculpture is trying to convey the message that gun control should be severely relaxed in the United States. It is going to represent this point as there is much controversy to gun control in the U. S. and valid points to both sides of the argument. The intended audience is the young people such as us who may be just starting to develop our views on the topic of gun control and are thus the most susceptible to persuasion. The object definitely reminds me of the fact that I agree with Ben entirely that gun control needs to be more relaxed, especially here in California. Whenever I think about firearms here in California, I get really frustrated because as a law abiding citizen I should be able to obtain more firearms more easily. Compared to the rest of the country, California is one of the strictest when it comes to gun laws. These laws hinder or fully prohibit me from obtaining fully tactical weaponry that I would use to defend the people I care about or sporting/leisure enjoyment.

Monday, March 17, 2014

Visual Rhetoric- Object Outline 3/17

For my visual rhetoric 3-D object, I am going to create a sculpture to go along with my theme of space exploration. In the previous genre analysis assignment, I stated that going back and conquering space will usher in a new age of wealth and opportunity for mankind. The wealth comes from the incredible amount of natural resources in the form of rare elements and materials throughout the cosmos. To illustrate this, the object will be composed of a spaceship rocketing towards a sun with money signs covering its surface. The spaceship will be made out of LEGOs. The ship will be made out of LEGOs to symbolize the fact that many people and efforts need to come together and cooperate in any space faring mission just as the LEGO blocks need to fit together and cooperate to stay together. Any adventure as complex as space travel requires a team effort from many people of different expertise and nationalities represented by the different LEGOs. The sun will consist of a styrofoam orb as the material has a shine to it which is useful in representing a bright star. The orb will be completely covered in yellow and some orange paint to complete the image of a sun. The sun itself will represent the brighter future that humanity is heading towards if we go back to space. A future filled with plenty of opportunities and resources from the new worlds we discover. The orb will then be sporadically covered in dollar signs. I chose dollar signs as this sculpture will be primarily displayed to North Americans of the United States, who are my target audience. They are my target audience as the U.S. is the most capable in spearheading the drive back into space and perhaps the youth that view this object will be inspired to join the movement back into space as engineers or scientists. The dollar signs also represent the wealth in resources that are out there in space waiting for humanity to claim them. Both objects will be perched on metal wire to make the scene more dynamic and interesting.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

(SWA 3/14)- "The Everyday Writer" pg 48-58, 123- 151

The reading begins with discussing rhetorical situations. All writing is connected so on must make good choices with their rhetorical situations. A rhetorical situation is the full set of circumstances surrounding any communication. The rhetorical situation is often composed of three crucial elements, such as text, audience, and communicator, which all surround the context. The text includes your topic and message you want to convey. As a communicator, this involves your purpose, stance or attitude toward the text. The context shapes all three of these elements.

The second portion of the reading centers on critical reading as well as analyzing arguments. The first step to critical reading is to preview the text to consider the context, author, subject, genre, and design before going in depth. Then as read the text for the first time annotate it or take notes. The point is to get everything you can from the first reading. Once you have read the text and feel you understood it, try to summarize the contents in your own words. Critical reading ends with further analyzing of the text by asking questions. To analyze an argument is to think critically of the argument. When thinking critically of an argument, recognize the cultural contexts and identify the argument’s basic appeals. These basic appeals include emotional, ethical, and logical appeals. Break the argument down and analyze its individual elements.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Draft 3- Genre Analysis

Conquering the Stars

As a species, I believe our greatest achievement will be banding together and leaving our only home in the universe to explore the stars and hopefully find new homes. Space exploration has hit the wayside since the end of the space race and shuttle program, but the time has come to turn our attention back to space. The idea of exploring space is not a far out idea as current technology is making it possible to truly explore space again. As the only creatures capable of such a momentous feat on this planet, it is then our destiny to go out and learn our place in the cosmos. Space is filled with resources and when we harness those resources, humanity will enter a golden age of wealth, exploration, and possibility. To gain a better understanding of this possibility I analyzed three different texts including a peer reviewed article, a picture, and a website and determined my own opinions of the texts.

The first text, the peer reviewed article, is “Science, Technology and Imaginable Social and Behavioral Impacts as Outer Space Develops” by Edythe E. Weeks. The article appears as any other scholastic article in PDF form and part of a much greater academic journal composed of such articles. This is very different from my other texts as they do not have such a precise set of information pertaining to this article’s specific purpose. The website I chose does have a great deal of information pertaining to space travel, but it is more of a record of our past accomplishments, rather than this article’s outline of future developments. The article has a very hopeful and confident tone towards space travel. It shares this tone with the website I mentioned earlier. Both describe space as a wonderful and exciting place filled with possibilities and both use common language when discussing space. Interestingly enough, the article actually discusses the operator of the website I will be analyzing later on. The intended readers and audience of this article is anyone interested in space travel, but is aimed at the particular individuals in charge of education levels K-12 and college. It is aimed at these people because the main message of this article is to lay the groundwork for a society with a conflict free and sustainable approach to outer space development. It wishes to spread a desire for knowledge and a universal consciousness regarding newly emerging trends. Space needs to be integrated into more topics in the educational curriculum to expose more students to outer space. It says to fuse the humanities and astronomy in education particularly college level education. In college, primarily only STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) students are exposed to outer space topics in their studies. Once the humanities and astronomy fields become fused at the college level, all students will be required to take an astronomy class for their general education. The author, Edythe E. Weeks, understands these topics as she is a professor of outer space development and international relations at Washington University in St. Louis. She looks at the fact that only a small amount of students are exposed to space and then looks at the fact that the space race ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union. A second space race may begin with new challengers to United States dominance such as South Africa, India, and primarily China. Weeks also hopes that perhaps this competition will one day turn to cooperation among all major superpowers capable of going into space. I hope the ideas of this article come to fruition one day and we as a species band together to step out into space again.

The second text I examined was a picture of the International Space Station, or ISS, which was taken by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on May 23, 2010. The picture gives a complete and grand view of the station in its entirety above the Earth with the curvature of the planet in the background in front of the blackness of space. The primary purpose of the mission was to deliver two Russian research modules to the ISS and the photo was shot as the shuttle was departing the station. This image contains no text and is therefore completely different than my other texts. In the beginning of the next space era, the ISS will undoubtedly be humanity’s first stepping stone. As the largest man made structure outside Earth’s atmosphere, the station will most likely be the first step for any vehicle that has recently left Earth’s surface to refuel and continue on to extraterrestrial destinations such as the moon, Mars, or even places we have not even imagined yet. It is a common idea that a picture is worth a thousand words and when I see this picture, I see a momentous achievement in human engineering and a staging area for future expeditions from our home planet.

The third and final text I analyzed was the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) website. NASA is the agency of the United States government responsible for the nation’s civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research. This organization put an American on the moon and won the space race for the United States. The website has a large amount of information on past missions and discoveries, plus it displays the dates for a handful of future missions. The website also has a large amount of educational information which they hope will spark the imagination in younger people, especially children, and encourage them to learn more about space. Language and terminology is very important in any scientific field and the website shares much of the same terminology from the first article. Compared to the picture of the ISS, the website contains the same exact picture and goes in depth into the history and specifications of the station. If there is any message to be taken from the NASA website, it should be their vision statement which reads “To reach for new heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind” (Fox). The whole reason this website was produced, is to make those heights and discoveries readily available to all humankind just as their vision states. The website has many similarities and differences compared to the other texts being analyzed.

Much of what anyone takes away from a text or image is based on their personal analysis. To be effective or persuasive, I believe that a text needs to be engaging above everything else. A text or image that is engaging grabs a reader’s attention and holds onto it until the message is delivered. If an article is not engaging, then it is just simply boring for the reader. Of the three texts, I believed the peer reviewed article had the most effective message as it was the most concise and straight to the point. The abstract clearly stated the purpose of the article and it was very easy to digest the information due to the language and flow of the article. The text that was the least effective was the picture. Even though a picture is commonly worth a thousand words, I believe a majority of people are not familiar with space exploration and therefore cannot comprehend the importance of the station. The picture may have a thousand different meanings to a thousand different people as well because the picture contains no clear message.

It is very difficult to compare texts from different genres, just as it is difficult to compare an individual picture to a peer reviewed article. Even within one genre, the texts may be completely different. The best example that comes to mind is fiction because there are so many sub-genres in fiction like science fiction and fantasy that they form their own genres. There is so much literature out there and authors are coming up with new genres every year that any texts within the same genre will not be the same. Again, with two works of fiction, one may be fantasy and the other science fiction. However, every text is limited in the genre they reside in.

Different genres always have rules or guidelines to determine if a text fits into that genre. For instance, if I was told to write a persuasive article, then I can’t write an autobiography. Overall, the relationship between genre, message, and mode of delivery of a text is defined by the author. The author has creative power to determine everything about a text such as layout and target audience. These decisions may have ramifications that even the author can’t predict.

There have been times in history that a text has been able to shape individuals and even society as a whole. There is a popular saying “you are what you eat”; however, the saying can also be reflected in “you are what you read or see.” When president Teddy Roosevelt heard the public outcry from the grotesque scenes depicting the meatpacking industry in Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, it prompted him to ratify the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 which would lead to the FDA we have today. Without the FDA, we might still be eating rotten meat. Similarly, Karl Marx and his works of political theory would eventually lead to the formation of the Soviet Union and communism. Muckraking novels and other revolutionary texts that revealed issues in food packaging, politics, etc. lead to major changes in society. The masses read these texts and in turn found themselves aligning with the ideals which lead them to become revolutionaries fighting for change.

Space is the final frontier for humanity. A change is coming for our species where we will one day band together in our common hunger for knowledge and a new territory to conquer together. The peer reviewed article sought to instill a curriculum of astronomy in all levels of education. Secondly, the picture of the International Space Station displayed humanity’s largest structure in space in its complete glory. Finally, the NASA website offered a large amount of information easily available that sought to inspire and share space history with the masses. Some of these texts were more effective than others due to information and message. It is time though, for humanity to step back out and conquer the stars to bring us into a new prosperous age of knowledge and exploration.

Works Cited

Fox, Steve. "About NASA." NASA. United States Government, 30 Sep 2013. Web. 4 Mar 2014. <http://www.nasa.gov/about/index.html>.

STS-132 Shuttle Mission Imagery. 2010. Photograph. NASAWeb. 4 Mar 2014. <http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-132/html/s132e012208.html>.

Weeks, Edythe E. "Science, Technology and Imaginable Social and Behavioral Impacts as Outer Space Develops." Acta Astronautica. 95. (2014): 166-173. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Draft 2- Genre Analysis

Conquering the Stars

The second text I examined was a picture of the International Space Station, or ISS. The picture gives a complete and grand view of the station in its entirety above the Earth with the curvature of the planet in the background in front of the blackness of space. The photo was taken by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on May 23, 2010. The primary purpose of the mission was to deliver two Russian research modules to the ISS and the photo was shot as the shuttle was departing the station. This image contains no text and is therefore completely different than my other texts. In the beginning of the next space era, the ISS will undoubtedly be humanity’s first stepping stone. As the largest man made structure outside Earth’s atmosphere, the station will most likely be the first step for any vehicle that has recently left Earth’s surface to refuel and continue on to extraterrestrial destinations such as the moon, Mars, or even places we can’t even imagine yet. It is a common idea that a picture is worth a thousand words and when I see this picture, I see a momentous achievement in human engineering and a staging area for future expeditions from our home planet.

Much of what anyone takes away from a text or image is based on their personal analysis. To be effective or persuasive, I believe that a text needs to be engaging above everything else. A text or image that is engaging grabs a reader’s attention and holds onto it until the message is delivered. If an article is not engaging, then it just simply boring for the reader. Of the three texts, I believed the peer reviewed article had the most effective message as it was the most concise and straight to the point. The abstract clearly stated the purpose of the article and it was very easy to digest the information due to the language and flow of the article. The text that was the least effective was the picture. Even though a picture is commonly worth a thousand words, I believe a majority of people are not familiar with space exploration and therefore cannot comprehend the importance of the station. The picture may have a thousand different meanings to a thousand different people as well because the picture contains no clear message.

There have been times in history that a text has been able to shape individuals and even society as a whole. There is a popular saying “you are what you eat”; however, the saying can also be reflected in “you are what you read or see.” When president Teddy Roosevelt heard the public outcry from the grotesque scenes depicting the meatpacking industry in Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, it prompted him to ratify the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 which would lead to the FDA today. Without the FDA, we might still be eating rotten meat. Similarly, Karl Marx and his works of political theory would eventually lead to the formation of the Soviet Union and communism. Muckraking novels and other revolutionary texts that revealed issues in food packaging, politics, etc. lead to major changes in society. The masses read these texts and in turn found themselves aligning with the ideals which lead them to become revolutionaries fighting for change.

Works Cited

Fox, Steve. "About NASA." NASA. United States Government, 30 Sep 2013. Web. 4 Mar 2014. <http://www.nasa.gov/about/index.html>.

STS-132 Shuttle Mission Imagery. 2010. Photograph. NASAWeb. 4 Mar 2014. <http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-132/html/s132e012208.html>.

Weeks, Edythe E. "Science, Technology and Imaginable Social and Behavioral Impacts as Outer Space Develops." Acta Astronautica. 95. (2014): 166-173. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.

Friday, March 7, 2014

(SWA) Movie Analysis 3/7

The clips we viewed in class were from “Nosferatu” (1922), “The Shining” (1980), and “The Conjuring” (2013). These horror films all utilized music to create a sense of terror, creepiness, and anticipation. As the oldest of the movies, “Nosferatu” had to rely on music way more than the other movies as it was a silent film. However, I believe the newer movies utilized music more effectively. The music in the newer movies was much more intense, and louder. Also, since I have heard that sort of music all of my life in horror films, perhaps it has become associated with terror and fear.

The movie clip that was the most effective was the one from “The Shining”. I think that clip was the most effective because of the music. The music was the loudest and most terrifying of all the clips. “The Shining” is one of the classic horror movies because of the music and how terrifying it was. Then, you had the scary voice when the child was possessed and all of the suspenseful moments. That is why “The Shining” was the most effective clip as it took the music to a whole new level and combined it with effects and visuals.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

(3/5 SWA) "Peer Review Follow- Up Script"

a) I learned that writing means very different things to different people after I read Francisco’s essay. His was all about soccer related genres such as an article about concussions in the sport, a highlight video, and a game schedule.

b) I was really surprised when Francisco could not find anything wrong with my paper. He did give me a couple grammatical and sentence errors throughout the paper, which is understandable, but he had no major concerns or suggestions.

c) I do not agree with Francisco’s comments. I am glad he liked it, but it felt really rough when I was writing and was expecting it to be slaughtered under peer review. Of course I am going to fix the small grammatical and sentence errors then explain any small thing he pointed out, but I want to know if there are any major concerns so I can fix them.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Response Paper #1- 28 February 2014

The text I am reviewing is The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. I chose this text as it is the most recent text I have read. I read it in my history class this semester and I have always loved history. The main topic of this text was the horrible conditions and negative effects of industrialization and capitalism. The main reason Sinclair wrote it was to be propaganda for the socialist party at the time of this book’s publication in 1905. It all centers on the experiences of a fictitious immigrant family that has just arrived in part of Chicago known as packing town, to start a new life and make money. It goes on to point out the horrible living conditions of most immigrants and how they are often greatly mistreated by other people in the neighborhood and owners of the factories they work at. The battle between workers and unions with management in this time period. The horrible working conditions for long hours and low pay. The corruption in politics, the police, and the owners of the factories. At the end of the text, when the main character has lost everything and is at rock bottom, he wanders into a socialist rally. He then becomes a prominent member of the socialist party and then seems to have all the answers to life. I do believe this text relates to current events and experiences. Today, the gap between the wealthy and everyone else is growing slowly but surely. In the text, the gap was enormous and people banded together to try and get rid of that gap through social and political reform. Today, we need just as much energy need to be brought to today’s problems. We have just as much or even more problems than previous generations did with our economy, space travel, and our planet. Then just the same problems with the wealthy controlling everything from the economy to politics. I cannot say that I read the same type of texts on my own time, but I am interested in solving our problems so we don’t leave them for later generations to fix. I wish I had the skills to solve some of these problems so I can fix them and make a brighter future for future generations. I think the book was a very poorly written book and didn’t accomplish its original task. Sinclair wrote it to inspire people to join the socialist party. The main thing the populace took from this text was the horrible conditions our food goes through in being prepared and stored. This text inspired the president, Theodore Roosevelt, to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 which would lead to our current Food and Drug Administration. The FDA’s primary function is the promotion of public health. The book didn’t accomplish the reform it set out to do, but it did lead to an important reform which we still have today.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

"Shitty First Drafts"- Lamott, 26 February 2014

Lamott’s article is all the first draft to any writing whether it is a magazine article or full length novel. Any writing process begins with a really, really bad first draft she proclaims. The first draft should be all about writing down any idea or imagination on paper. She says it does not matter if it is childish or unkempt as most likely no one besides you will ever read this. It is meant to be the basis to move stuff around and eventually the final draft. To begin writing though, you must silence all the opinions or voices in your head so it just you the writer and your voice on your paper.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Genre Analysis Three Texts- Space Exploration

1. The first text I chose is a peer reviewed article by Edythe E. Weeks and is titled Science, technology and imaginable social and behavioral impacts as outer space develops. It is a formal and well put together article that wishes to let people know that space travel is possible with our current technology and is not some far out idea. One of the ideas it advocates is a contagious desire for knowledge and a universal consciousness regarding newly emerging trends. This idea is reminiscent of the scientific approach to space travel in the universe of “Star Trek”.

2. The second text I chose is a grand picture of the International Space Station, or ISS. The beautiful sphere of the Earth is in the background. This displays a very surreal and majestic view of a presence in space today. The ISS is humanities largest structure in space currently and will most likely be the starting point to any surge into the stars from my understanding.

3. The third and final text I chose is the NASA website. It is central location for NASA’s history, innovations, discoveries, and future plans. It is very exciting just to look at the website and see pictures of far off stars and stellar formations. Reading it gives me more and more excited about the possibility of space exploration and the beauty of the universe.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Draft 3- Personal Literacy Narrative

A person’s history is always a starting point to understand them. Literacy history is comprised of reading, writing, and communication profiles. The profiles are records of abilities and skills in those areas. These profiles can be affected by any event or experience in the person’s life. If the goal is to understand the person’s literary skills, then their literacy and personal history must first be understood.

One of the first ways to get to know someone in college is asking them what their major is. A person’s major is a good way to start a conversation and find out their interests or ambitions. My major is civil engineering which focuses on pretty much every structure society uses such as dams, roads, or buildings. Civil engineering is such a broad field that it has many sub-fields such as environmental engineering, structural, water resource management, geotechnical, and transportation. I chose civil engineering as it is a very honorable field and is so broad that I will never be out of work and can go anywhere in the world to work. A civil engineer is very knowledgeable about the world around them and I want to have that same insight. Another very big reason I chose civil engineering is that I love architecture because I think of every structure as a monument to all of our achievements as humanity. So much thought and technology goes into every standing structure that they represent human accomplishment in general. It is going to be a lot of work and time before I become a civil engineer, but I believe it will all be worth it. The only way I am going to get there though is by using all of skills I have learned so far. Reading, writing, and communication will be my most invaluable skills in college and life. Nothing has influenced those skills and me as a whole more than football.

Football has taught me more lessons and skills than anything else. I think of football as the greatest thing in my life and I would be a different person without football. The sport gave me confidence and a lifestyle of athleticism and leadership that I will have for the rest of my life. (New paragraph) I defined myself as a football player and was proud of being a part of something bigger than myself. The person I am today is all due to football. To be a football player in my small town can only be described as a dream and it felt like a five year long dream.

The impacts are so far reaching for me that I do believe it has impacted the way I read and write. In football, I had to memorize formations and plays extremely fast. When I read or write, I do it just as systematically or confidently as if I was in the weight room. I break things like books and essays into parts or just jump right into them. Just grinding away on a book or essay feels just like working out. (New paragraph) The confidence to keep striving and trying new things with my writing is all thanks to football.

Then football has greatly influenced the way I communicate with others. If I had never done football, I would probably be extremely shy and not socialize with people at all. I made so many friends and met so many people that everywhere I went, I met someone I knew and that is beginning to happen here at Sacramento State as well. I meet people from my high school and then all of the friends I made last semester. I am constantly trying to do my best and make new friends here at school. The confidence to just start a conversation and get to know somebody here at school would not exist without football.

Reading, writing, and effective communication are very important in college and life in general. I need to master those topics in school to become a civil engineer. They are so important in the field of civil engineering that they are the cornerstones right beside technical math skills. Instructors in the civil engineering department and prominent engineering figures in the Sacramento area continually preach how important reading, writing, and communication skills are in civil engineering. Civil engineers need to read through piles of local and state building codes, bid orders, and technical drawings in their career. They must have clear and precise handwriting and language in any document they touch as discrepancies may lead to huge financial costs or even loss of human life. A civil engineer must always do their best work because their projects may be used by millions of people annually and if that project was to fail then people may be hurt. Then finally communication skills are imperative to a civil engineer. They must be able to communicate ideas from those building codes, bid orders, or technical drawings to anyone they deal with whether it be customers, other engineers, workers, or politicians. It is often said that even if a civil engineer is a math genius and that is all they do then they will not advance that high in the field. The civil engineer that has good communication skills will always advance further and faster than the math genius. Those three skills will be my greatest skills to develop throughout my career. (New paragraph)

Civil engineering, football, and all of my lessons and skills define who I am. Football is a team sport and one of the many lessons it taught me was that life is a team sport as well. There are going to be times when I need the assistance of those around me and I have not found a better example of that lesson then college. The only way I am going to make it through a tough major like civil engineering is through support from friends. I have learned about so many resources and seen new places on campus thanks to communicating and spending time with friends. Football impacted everything in my life including my reading, writing, and communication skills. These skills and experiences will define me throughout my career and the rest of my life.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Personal Goals

1. My first goal for this class is to obviously succeed and earn an adequate grade for the work I will put into it as to maintain my hardworking reputation. The only way to succeed is to put in good quality work all the time.
2. My second goal is to further my writing skills to be more creative and more persuasive as writing will be crucial in my life. Applying myself to my writing and trying new things with my writing will be the only way I improve.
3. The third and final goal I have for this class is to meet new people and encounter more ways of thinking to broaden my own. Talking and socializing with all the people in the class will be only way to get to know them.

Football Highlights - Sports Banquet

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Draft 2- Personal Literacy Narrative

A person’s history is always a starting point to understand them. Literacy history is comprised of reading, writing, and communication profiles. These profiles can be affected by any event or experience in the person’s life. If the goal is to understand the person’s literary skills, then their literacy and personal history must first be understood.

The one thing or experience that has taught me the most lessons, skills, or impacted me the most is football. I think of football as the greatest thing in my life and I would be a different person without football. The sport gave me confidence and a lifestyle of athleticism and leadership that I will have for the rest of my life. The impacts are so far reaching for me that I do believe it has impacted the way I read, write, and communicate with others. In football, I had to memorize formations and plays extremely fast. I then had to communicate those topics to others out on the field in split seconds before the ball was snapped. When I read or write, I do it just as systematically or confidently as if I was in the weight room. I break things like books and essays into parts or just jump right into them. Just grinding away on a book or essay feels just like working out. Then football has greatly influenced the way I communicate with others. If I had never done football, I would probably be extremely shy and not socialize with people at all. I made so many friends and met so many people that everywhere I went, I met someone I knew and that is beginning to happen here at Sacramento State as well. I meet people from my high school and then all of the friends I made last semester. I am constantly trying to do my best and make new friends here at school. The confidence to just start a conversation and get to know somebody here at school would not exist without football. Football is a team sport and one of the many lessons it taught me was that life is a team sport as well. There are going to be times when I need the assistance of those around me and I have not found a better example of that lesson then college. The only way I am going to make it through a tough major like civil engineering is through support from friends. I have learned about so many resources and seen new places on campus thanks to communicating and spending time with friends. Football impacted everything in my life including my reading, writing, and communication skills. The lessons I learned will continue to serve me.

"Everyday Writer" pg.58-122 Summary

The reading is about the writing process as a whole and opens with chapter 6 which is choosing ideas to write about. It discusses brainstorming, free writing, and others possible methods to explore topics. Chapter 7 then talks about planning and drafting an essay on the topic you have chosen by creating an outline of your paper. Next, chapter 8 is all about developing the paragraphs in your essay. The framework of paragraphs is always the main idea followed by good supportive details. Then chapter 9 is about aesthetic appeal of the essay such as type of font, headings, and images. Once you have finished creating your paper, chapter 10 discusses revising methods. The first and most important methods are rereading your paper and having a peer read it to offer suggestions. When the suggestions and corrections stop rolling in, then it is time to edit and reflect on your paper. The point of this is to turn your essay into a memorable one. Right after you have finished everything, reflect on your paper to truly comprehend its purpose and development throughout this process.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Straub- "Responding" Summary

Straub’s article is basically an instruction manual or a guide on how to be an effective peer editor. It offers many helpful tips and guidelines. The tip that stuck out to me most was don’t just be their best friend because you have to challenge them to be a better writer. The guide is pretty much how your instructor grades on your paper, but if you were grading then use your words.

Friday, May 2, 2014

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Friday, April 18, 2014

Friday, April 11, 2014

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Tuesday, April 1, 2014