JustAnswer
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY 1:
ME, A WRITER?
My attitude towards having to take a composition course is one of hoping to learn something new. I know that I will have to take this, so I am trying to approach this with an open mind. If I can improve upon my writing through this class, that will be great. I know that there are some things that I struggle with. I would appreciate being able to improve upon myself as a writer through this.
I think that what I learned about myself the most in working through the inventory exercise was that I need to be able to stay on target with what I write. I know that I can go off on tangents in where I stray away from what I should be writing on. This is one of the things that I would like to improve. The other thing that I would like to improve as a writer is my grasp of proper grammar and punctuation. I think that this is something that could use a little work.
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY2:
PREWRITING
Positive effects that computers have:
Research tools at my fingertips
Online banking
Keep touch with family and friends more quickly than a letter
Portability makes it possible to work anywhere
Ability to attend school remotely
Easy comparison shopping
Job search made easy
Ways to make money online
Buying through auctions/cheaper retailers like eBay and
Negative effects that computers have:
Losing touch with one on one interpersonal communication skills
Losing ability to use long hand to write actual letters
Wasting time
Keeps kids indoors when they should be outside
Distraction
Procrastination
Although there are times when computers can be a hindrance, there are benefits to using a computer in academic life as it allows a person to attend school and can be a great tool for doing research.
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY3:
DRAFTING
The three different types of evidence that I am able to use to develop my working thesis from the 2nd journal entry are that individuals can work and attend schools online, research resources available online that include scholarly resources and the fact that laptops are able to go anywhere a person travels. I think that this is something that I have gotten from my own personal experience, and I know that I am not alone in this as there are plenty of other individuals that are able to improve their lives because of technology. There are many sources that discus how individuals that work full time schedules that might prevent them from attending school. I know that some resources that are found online are not credible sources, but there is the Google scholar search engine that can help find scholarly articles along with the online library access that is available. I know that balancing work, school and personal life can be difficult, but technology can help as a laptop puts the opportunity of additional schooling at anyone’s fingertips.
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY4:
REVISING
Purpose and audience –
I believe that the purpose of this paper could be improved with the author being more focused on whom their audience is rather than just writing about emails versus letters. It appears to me that the author changes the audience that they are addressing because they speak about grandparents at one moment, and then seems to speak as a grandparent in the next. I think that this makes it more confusing for the reader. It seems that they change the point of view throughout the essay. It does stay on topic with deciding whether or not letters or emails are better.
Thesis statement, topic sentences, and paragraphs -
I am not really sure which sentence is the thesis statement after reading this over. I think that the first paragraph does help with summarizing what this essay is going to be about, but that it might be more effective with a thesis statement. I do not think that the last paragraph works as a topic sentence. It talks about what is good about emails, but the rest of the essay seems focused on the fact that letters are better. It does not seem balanced to me as it does not seem to have an ending that summarized the rest of the essay.
Evidence –
I believe that the evidence that is presented in this essay is very well presented. I do agree with the sentiment that letters are much more cherished by individuals over getting an email. It is something that can be saved and brought out for later, especially a drawing or photograph. I am a little focused on how the last paragraph is discussing the negatives of computers, but the negatives of letters did not make an appearance to make it more balanced. I think that this was not a very good ending paragraph because it does not seem to be a summary of the essay which a conclusion usually contains.
Organization Rough Draft: E-mail vs. Letters –
I think that the organization is certainly a rough draft. It does have a nice amount of paragraphs rather than just one run one paragraph, but the last paragraph does not act as a good conclusion. I think that the author should add an additional paragraph to act as a conclusion. I think that it does have a pretty good flow for a rough draft, but it can be easy to see why a final draft should be done after a rough draft. It certainly can be made into a better paper after a revision or two.
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY 5:
PUBLIC SPACE
There always seems to be a time where I have to change my behavior to accommodate someone else’s needs or expectations. I have to act in a particular fashion when I am around my family, coworkers and friends. There are times when it feels like I cannot completely be myself because I have to fulfill the needs and expectations of everyone else before I can just be me. I think that is one of the best things about being alone or in the company of someone that does not place any expectations on me. I do not have to worry about how my actions or what I say will fulfill those expectations of others.
I think that a situation that really explore this topic is how I had two friends in high school that really did not get along with each other, but I enjoyed being around them both. They were different, but in some ways, they were the same. I think that was part of the reason why they always seemed to not get along. It got to the point where I had to change who I was with either of the friends. Now, I do not think I would put myself in the same situation as I do not think they were really my friends at all.
Errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation can alter the public space between a writer and a reader in an essay in that it can give the reader the wrong impression. It does not matter how significant a topic the essay is once there are a lot of errors to distract the reader from it. Most readers would not take a writer seriously if they find an essay hard to read because of errors. The topic of the essay will be missed, and the reader would probably not be interested in reading anything else by the same writer. Errors would certainly widen the gap between a writer and a reader.
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY6:
NARRATION
The scene is one of chaos. My family is trying to get me to agree to spending the day on a picnic when I know that I really should be using my one off day to study for a test that I know is going to be tough for me.
The key actions that I take are trying to make a hard decision on whether I stay home on a beautiful day to get some more studying in or give in for a visit with my family. All while I am trying to decide on what to do, my family is giving me a lot of reasons why I should go with them. This was making it even harder on me to decide to stay home to go over something that I was not very interested in learning.
The key participants in this are myself, my mother, my father and my siblings. Each wanting me to come visit with other relatives that I had not seen for a while.
The key lines of dialogue include me trying to get the point across that I need to study, while my family continues to say that I study too much. That I need to take more time for myself between work and school. My mother continues to tell me that I do not spend enough time with my family.
My feelings throughout this whole episode are of tension, stress and guilt. I really feel bad that I am not spending quality time with my family. I am upset about the fact that I am not able to spend time outside on such a nice day because I am working and dealing with school. At the same time, I am feeling a lot of tension and stress over the upcoming test.
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY 7:
DESCRIPTION
Think of an experience in which you faced an important test
(either in school, work, or a personal situation).
Sensory Details: For this journal entry, list two specific,
concrete, original details for each sense describing that
particular testing event (Open):
: Sight – cover of the textbook and blank paper
: Sound – the sound of pencils writing on paper and each individual getting up to turn in their test before me
: Smell – the smell of fresh paper and the doughnuts from breakfast in my backpack
: Taste – the mixture of orange juice and toothpaste, along with the taste of my pencil eraser
: Touch Comparison: - grainy feel of the wooden pencil and the smooth softness of the exam booklet
The sound of the tests being turned in was like the ticking of a clock in my mind.
The one of the senses that was easiest to write about was the sound because that was something that stuck with me. Each time I heard someone getting up to turn in their paper it made me feel even worse about how I was going to do on the test. The most difficult sense for me to write about was the sense of smell. I was so fixated on the sound, that I really didn’t notice what I was smelling around me. I did remember that the doughnuts had sat so rough in my stomach because of my nerves that I only finished a small portion of one, so they were still in my bag.
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY8:
Reflection
I remember picking up this study guide and looking over the assignments thinking that this would be too much for me. I was very worried that I would not be able to do well in this class. I think that my feelings have certainly changed. I see that each assignment is not as massive as I thought. Plus, as I work on each one it seems to be getting a little easier for me to express myself. I am still worried about my grammar, punctuation and making errors, but I feel pretty good about my accomplishment with my English, so far.
I think that I have started to make some improvements in my writing skills. I no longer look at a page feeling like I will never be able to fill it up. I feel more confident in being able to get what I want written down without moving too far away from my topic. I believe that I still need to work on making sure that my writing is error free. I have a new goal of always trying to tackle the harder thoughts that I want to express, but worry how to get it on paper.
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY9:
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST
There was this one time when I went to the emergency room because I was in a car accident the previous day. I felt okay right after the accident occurred, so I did not think that I needed medical treatment. The next day was a different story as my neck, back and head hurt horribly. The staff at the emergency room did not take me very seriously because the accident was very minor. The only help that he gave me was telling me to take an over the counter pain medication, but when I went to follow up with my doctor I found out that I had a concussion and neck sprain from that slight accident.
I think that the emergency room doctor that I came into contact with was certainly like the man in the article. The ER doctor treated me without really paying attention to my case. I just was not very interesting to him. I think that my regular doctor was much more invested in me as a person rather than just a chart. I think that this experience was more similar to the female intern in the article that truly cares about her patients.
I think that the difference between my own experience and the individuals in the article was that the individuals in the article at least interacted with their patients and ordered tests. The ER doctor that I spoke with did not even interact with me, and did not bother to run any tests. Also, a difference is that I was speaking with a doctor rather than an intern. At one time, he may have seemed more invested in his patients. Another difference is that my regular doctor is always looking professional, and the female intern seemed to be too harried to be worried about her appearance.
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY 10:
CLASSIFICATION AND DIVISION
Reasons for Cheating:
Procrastination – waiting until the last minute, and having fun rather than completing the work that needs to be done
Poor time management – taking too many classes at a time, scheduling school on top of other activities, forgetting about responsibilities and overscheduling extracurricular activities
Problems with material – taking classes that are too advanced and not asking for help to understand the basics
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY11:
CLASSIFICATION AND DIVISION
I think that I define myself by all of the different hats that I wear in my life. I have so many roles that I have to fulfill in life. I have to be a good child to my parents, and make them proud. I have to be there for my whole family because blood is thicker than water. I have to support my friends in the roles that they have because that is what a good friend does for their friends. I know that I have to do everything that I can to help myself succeed because no one is going to do the hard work for me.
I try to be happy and open about my personality. I know that I always try to make everyone else happy before myself, and I am always looking to get those around me laughing, especially in tense situations. I would not classify myself as the life of the party as I am too serious for that most of the time, but I do believe that I need to try to make those around me smile.
I think that this comes from my background and the experiences that I have had in my life. I truly believe that the experiences that we have and the background that we come from is what makes us into the person that we can define ourselves as. Without having different experiences and backgrounds, I think that everyone would be more similar and that the world would be a lot less interesting.
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY 12:
ARGUMENT
Compare and Contrasting Viewpoints
selling your own kidney versus a dead loved one’s organs
treating the dead with respect versus helping the poor live without financial worry
organs as a commodity versus organs as a gift
donation of organs versus sale of organs
helping someone that needs the organ for kindness versus a big payday
I honestly believe that ignoring the benefits that can be had from someone that is deceased is not a good way to live. It is honoring their death by helping to save someone, and letting them live on through their gift of life to the person that would have been deceased without it. Many people let others know that they want to be an organ donor by having it put on their driver’s license or just letting their family know about it. I think that others should be respectful of that choice to help someone else even after they are gone. Arguing about the whole issue really does take away from the dignity of the person that wished to help others through donation, and everyone else involved with the case.
I also do not think that body parts should be sold to someone because they are able to pay more than someone else is able to pay for this lifesaving organ. I think that is taking away the whole concept of helping someone because they are being treated like a steak at a grocery store. I think it would be a horrible day if only the rich can benefit from organ donation, and I believe that is why things are set up as they are today. I do know that this can be an expensive process, but I do not think that means only the wealthy should be able to take advantage of the system. People that seek only to profit off the dead are worse than vultures in my book.
I do agree with the thesis that a still-living human body and a newly dead body should be treated with the same respect and dignity. Actually, I believe any dead body, newly dead or buried long ago, should be treated with respect and dignity. No matter how a person decides to be treated after death, they should be treated with the same dignity and respect that would be reserved for someone alive. I also think that it should not matter whether a person has decided to help others with their organs or wish to be buried in the same condition that they were born for religious or other reasons. Individuals that do not treat others, alive or dead, with respect and dignity are wrong in their actions.
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY 13:
WEB SITE EVALUATION
Entering the job market is a particular career need that I have faced in life.
I believe that the site that will work better for my purposes would be . The reasoning behind this is that it will be better in getting me the information that I need about entering the workforce is because it is well-known and better set-up. I think that it looks more professional because it does not have a large amount of ads on the pages or seem to be sketchy. I also think that it easier to navigate to find information on searching for a job along with ads for jobs that I may be interested in applying for in the future. Also, this has all the things I need about entering the workforce in one website.
This website is a recognized name in job hunting, and many professional companies use this to look for employees. This is a website that professionals and companies can use to get in touch. I like that I can look for a new job, get information about job hunting along with putting my resume up in hopes that a new employer would find it. I like that the articles are organized by topic, and it is easy to find the topics that you want to research. Plus, the article is from a credible source since the author and their bio is given.
I do not think that has the same professional style as . I think that it is good that this website does not claim to be anything other than what it is. This seems to be a website that might be a good resource to have when a person is trying to find other good websites for job hunting. This could be a good tool to help someone get to or use as a secondary source for job hunting. Plus, it does not seem as credible a site as due to the lack of bio on the author of the website.
also seems to be less reliable than because I have to use it to get to other sites. With , I am not being directed to a bunch of different websites, but can find the useful, credible information that I want from that website. I do not have to spend a lot of time going to website from website by using . I would rather have everything I need at once website rather than having to jump around. Plus, there is no guarantee that the websites that I am directed to through will be credible resources to use, so I will have to double-check every website that I look at to see if I can trust the information.
I am more leery of using a website that I have not heard of before, and that seems to rely more on other websites than having their own experts. does have a great deal of information, but it seems to be more of a starting point rather than a one and done website. Plus, the author that updates the website is doing it by herself, so it may not be as up to date as with dead links, missing information and outdated information. Plus, you really do not know much about her. Overall, it may be a good site to use, in addition to a major job search website like , but I would not only rely on this website.
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY 14:
NOTES AND CITATIONS
In the article “The little white lies we tell during a job search”, it discusses how to take the things that we might like to lie about to future employers and why it is a good or bad idea to go through with it. The first gives advice on how to get a resume noticed because most employers are now using keyword software that scan resumes for keywords. The second lie covers making a person seem more experienced, but that it can be bad to claim to do more than you actually can for a future employer. Finally, it talks about not being negative in an interview which may come up when being asked why a person is seeking a new job, but rather than lie, it states to look for a more positive viewpoint.
MLA format:
When it comes to being asked why a person is seeking a new position, Auerbach gives the advice “it may be more beneficial to put a spin on the truth, and leave out the gory details”.
APA format:
According to Auerbach (2013), “The potential problem with telling these types of white lies is, if you get hired because you supposedly are an expert in a certain subject matter, you’ll be expected to perform at that level” (para. 7).
REQUIRED JOURNAL ENTRY 15:
COURSE REFLECTION
In the beginning, I was very hopeful that I would learn something new. On the same token, I was really worried that I would struggle with it. I know that my writing skills need to be brushed up, but I was not very confident if I would be able to accomplish what I set out to do. I do feel that I have seen some improvements. Overall, I believe that this has been a very positive for my writing.
I believe that this has helped to improve my skills as a reader because I am looking at what is written by others a little more critically. I feel that I am able to better understand what a writer is trying to say because I have improved upon my own skills. I actually enjoy reading a bit more than I did before because of some of the very thought provoking pieces that we have had to read during the course. I probably would not have picked these to read if I had been on my own, but I think that it has opened my eyes as a reader. I think that I may continue to read these types of articles in the future because I want to learn and expand my horizons rather than because I have to read it.
It has also improved my critical thinking skills. With this course, I have had to put down on paper my free writing, which has allowed me to really think about a topic. I think that putting my thoughts on paper make me think more clearly about what I believe. I try to keep a more open mind when it comes to a topic that I think that I already know about by reading other viewpoints. It has really changed how I do even the simplest things like reading the newspaper.
This course was very helpful to me. I really liked the way that it was structured. As I look back over my journal, I can see how each topic flowed into the next. It broke it all down easily into more bite sized topics that I could handle. I never felt like I was overloaded.
There are some suggestions that I have to improve upon this course. I think that it may be helpful to not just refer to portions of the book, but to have more information on hand. It seemed harder to me to have to refer back to the book while I was in the middle of working on a journal entry. Plus, it seemed that each entry should have an estimated completion time. I found that some of the entries took only a short time while others were more intensive.
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