Blog 3R

Three weeks into the course, and already I found myself reevaluating the way I read and write. Over the past couple weeks, we’ve been learning to develop better and more well developed thesis statements. Writing has always been my strong suit, but as I think back, my thesis statements seemingly came across as broad and basic. Hopefully, this course will help me to develop such well-developed thesis that my papers will seemingly just flow better; I’d like to build a thesis that presents such a strong argument that my paper will be able to hold 4-6 paragraphs worth of supporting details.

                Aside from the thesis statement, we have been discussing the differences between autobiographies and biographies. The pieces we’ve read so far, in which are of autobiographical nature, are the pieces that have seemingly caught my full and undivided attention. What’s better than writing about you? Who knows you better than you? Nobody. You can take such a creative spin on your take and your writing, all while telling your factual life story and that’s what I love most about it. I like that fact that in an autobiography you’re recalling on accounts in your life, but taking your own creative knowledge and placing different tones and styles behind the content and context of your autobiography.

                Summarizing and responding… Now I know that these are two completely different things. With more practice I plan on being able to respond to a writer’s piece with little to no effort. I plan on finding specific things in a writer’s work and being able to respond to it individually. I think this will come with better critical reading skills and a better sense of reading for analysis instead of reading for information. 

Blog 3T

1.) Response- A response to a piece of specific writing is more than a summary. A response is the process of breaking down a piece of writing and telling what you related to personally. Responding consists of taking out key points and really analyzing them closely; analyzing the whole piece of writing for its interesting characteristics that make it unique.

2.) Summary- A summary can be as short as one paragraph, but as long as a whole paragraph. It basically just wraps up the piece of writing and states the main idea, and in all sums up the piece of writing.

3.) Autobiography- An autobiography is a self account, written on yourself. It consists of a smooth means of storytelling, and is told in a sense of narration.

4.) Biography- A biography is a factual account written one person's life through another person's take. In a sense it is meaningful and holds a sense of more importance than an autobiography.

Thesis Homework 1/28

*Part A*
1.) This is not an acceptable thesis statement simply because it is a fact that does not have to be proven; it presents no valid arguing points.

2.) Yes, it is an acceptable thesis statement.

3.) No, because the writer is going about telling the reader what he or she plan on presenting in the paper; we were told never to tell what we're going to do, but to just do it.

4.) No, the sentence has no means of making an argument it just states a basic opinion; it also uses the word should.

5.) No, its an apparent fact that drug and alcohol use are an ongoing problem among college students; the writer needs to find a better way in telling us why it is or how to solve this problem.

6.) No, the writer is making the basic of claims possible. There is no argument built in this sentence.

7.) Yes, an argument can be eventually built. It leads into the writer being able to then build his or her body paragraphs off of the steps that are needed to be taken.

8.) Yes, the thesis builds a potential argument and has a direct stance.

9.) No, don't tell the readers what your essay will have in store; just do it.


*Part B*
1.) Living on campus is in the end better than commuting, simply because commuting can lead to missed assignments and poor attendance.

2.) Marijuana and drinking will always be an ongoing problem on college campuses, so because of this stronger rules need to be put in place in dorm rooms; rules that are not allowed now because of the privacy each student is entitled to.

Blog 2R

            How important is your thesis statement when writing your formal styled papers? In short, it’s extremely important. The thesis statement doesn’t necessarily summarize your topic, but instead provides your point on your topic.

            This week we learned all about what exactly a thesis consists of. These are as follows.. it is a statement that needs to be proven that isn’t necessarily a fact and something that not everyone has already agreed upon. The interesting thing about a thesis statement is that it needs to be a statement that possesses the ability to be proven, but in ways that meet the required length of your paper. You never want to make a thesis statement that can only be proven in a short essay and doesn’t meet your criteria of the amount words or pages required. We learned this week that a thesis statement should be specific enough to the point where it shows that you’re making a unique argument and holding an original position. The only thing to be cautious about is making sure you’re not overly specific to the point where you spoil your topic and point- you should have a targeted and focused argument. Also we were told to keep in mind that when writing a thesis statement we should avoid such words and phrases like: in my opinion, I think, I believe, and I should. But instead use words and phrases like: in my position, I assert, my stance on this, must, need too, and have to. Be convincing, and handle your thesis in a way that shows you know exactly what you’re talking about. 

Blog 2T

1.) Conclusion- Usually we've come to view the conclusion as a short one paragraph that basically reiterates your thesis and main points. But it's more than that; it is one to two paragraphs that wraps up your argument by reiterating your main points and thesis; but in doing so it maybe hold an anecdote or statistic that will find a way to convince your reader that your point is valid.

2.) Drafting- Developing multiple copies or drafts of your paper and not just skimming and searching for grammatical errors. It consists of redeveloping your paper and searching for areas in which all subject matter can potentially be changed. Drafting sometimes even results in changing your thesis statement sometimes.

3.) Anecdote- An anecdote is a a little story that pertains to to your topic of your paper; it is used to engaged the reader and draw them in. The anecdote is used as a way to open up into your topic without directly stating it.

4.) Persuade- Persuasion is the process of finding a way to sway your reader into believing what you're saying and really having them feel positively towards your point of view. Finding a way to relate to your reader early in your introduction is a good way to get on the right track of persuasion.

Homework: Act. 6

Look, take it from me.. College is far from easy. My first semester was an actual roller coaster, and held more ups and downs that you could possibly imagine. It was filled with more downs than anything simply because I came to college (a mature place) with an immature high school mindset. I figured, "hey, I coasted through high school, got straight A's with no effort.. I'm sure I can do it again!!" WRONG! Don't do it.. STUDY!!!! Take all of the good habits you've formed through high school and use them more than ever. Develop a schedule, a routine per say, and stick to it; a well balanced schedule, that sets aside "me time" and "study time" will be the reason why your first semester isn't like me. More importantly, go to class. It's easier to do the work and stay caught up, than having to work from behind make up work up.. nearly impossible. College is a place where the professor teaches you maybe 35% of the work and the rest in done on your own free time. To be a good college student you need to proactive and show a sense of care and respect for academics itself, or else.. too put it shortly, you'll fail. You'll find yourself where I was with a skyrocketing 2.0 GPA, struggling to do last minute assignments to boost it in any way possible.

Stay caught up, be proactive, organized, and STUDY. You do these four things and your first semester will turn out to be everything I wanted mine to be!!

Goodluck,
                Sincerely, DJ.

Homework: Act. 1

Immediately when I was told that my english class would primarily focus on "Writing Arguments" I was ecstatic; simply because I love to write and even more so I love to argue I'm sure you know that by now though Professor, you had me in inquiry). I look forward to truly having a strong sense of success due to the fact that I have seemingly always been a fairly good writer; the only thing I see holding me back is the fact that I lack motivation and proper study skills. Throughout high school I never really studied, nor did I nearly work as hard as I've had to in college; and my horrible study habits seemed to just carry on with me.

Throughout high school I was always finding myself caught up in something new on weekly basis, I was that kid who was a plagued with new obsessions and interest every week, it seemed as if nothing was good enough to hold my attention for longer than just a day or two. Then I discovered chemistry. Having not been a great, even good per say, math student it interested me that I found such a strong sense of success in the class, seeing as it was basically a mathematics driven course. The more I learned the more interested I became, I just couldn't put the books down and couldn't wait for D Block every single day. With more learning came more questions and not so much were they questions of myself and the subject, but about the subject itself. The answers came as my curiosity flourished; the more I read, the more my questions went answered.. but on the downside, the more more I read, the more I needed to know.. call it a never ending cycle.

Chemistry was the subject that made me think more highly for school itself. I started to think, "Maybe if I can find a way to be as interested in every other subject, I'll become a better student?!" Chemistry was the reason my grades went up, I started to study and pursue every subject to its full potential until I found something that caught my attention and grasped my focus. Unfortunately, this drive and determination towards school has left, and I'm slowly trying to rework these study skills I had acquired my sophomore year and work them into my college routine.. who knows what'll happen then?

1R: Reflective Blog

Writing has always been one of my strong points; I’ve always found it easy to share and make points in words. The great thing about writing is the tones you can use to convey a message; certain tones and styles make your writing piece flow and bring these words to painted, vivid pictures in the readers head, and that’s what I love most about it. Being able to voice my thoughts in an engaging way has always been my strong point in school; I was never the math wiz or science star, but when it came to English class and writing I always did well. I feel that I’m such a good writer because I set out to read a book a week, which really expands your view of different writing styles and tones. When you see someone else conveying their message and story into words, you notice their style and seemingly it will eventually transfer into your writing, but you’ll find a way to make it your own.

Personally, I enjoy creative writing such as short stories and poetry. Last year in my creative writing class, I was nominated as top young creative writer in Connecticut having had a collection of three poems and four short stories published. Whenever I get ready to write any type of paper even if it is a research paper, I try to do anything I can to turn the formal writing style into something that is more informal and suits my preferred style- creative.  I’ve come to notice that if you can voice facts in research papers in your own tone, you feel a sense of comfort with the material since you’re stating it in your own voice. I was never one who enjoyed research papers, but I always loved writing them because it was fun seeing all different ways I could take a formal essay and turn it into my own. When it comes to writing you’re on hundred percent in charge and I think that’s what I enjoy most about it, the control aspect. No one can tell me how to creatively write something.. I’m the boss. Think about it, math class there’s rules and guidelines, science there’s vocab and things to remember- but creative writing is strictly your thoughts, and there’s no better feeling than seeing your thoughts flow into words. 

1T: Terminology

When discussing academic habits of mind, what instantly comes to mind? When this was asked in class, instantly I was stumped.. but after further discussion we came up with four main academic habits if mind:

1.) Curiosity- The characteristic of wanting to inquire about certain academic fields.
2.) Rhetorical Sensitivity- The ability to understand certain writing situations, such as tone, style, and format.
3.) Critical Analysis- Looking for specifics beyond the surface- reading for information and for analysis. The process of asking questions: asking the reader, yourself, and the author such things like "why, who, why it was written, why it's important, & what can I do with this."
             -> Explicit- Outright on the surface: straight forward.
             -> Implicit- Implied that the reader must look deeper for a stronger sense of an analysis.

4.) Civility- Being open to accepting other ideas in a respectful ad civil manner. It ties into the ability of being able to possess no biases and have multiple perspectives.