Thlog Week 5

This week was a bit challenging, because of the Project Builder. The PB took a lot of preparing and research, but the reading, “How to Read like a Writer” really helped me with discovering different methods on distinguishing what each writer’s moves are. The activity done in the beginning of class concerning the conversation between Dirty and De Piero was also really helpful, because it provided an example with how to apply moves to everyday conversations. All the different examples we do in class to elaborate on certain topics and ideas are the most useful, because through the activities, questions get asked and answered which elaborate on the most confusing and unclear aspects.

I am still struggling on the idea of the multiple moves a writer can have, but what helps me better understand them is when I go back to last week’s lessons and activities with the videos of well-known figures and their famous “moves,” like Michael Jackson’s moonwalking and Michael Jordan’s dunking. Because each of these individuals are commonly known for a specific action, writers have to be known for a distinct technique that other writers may not use. Just like my other classmates’ writings, mine differs in format, diction, details, and elaborations.

To be completely honest, thinking about working on Writing Project 2 is kind of worrying me, because I am not quite sure I will be able to effectively explain how each piece’s structure unfolds and builds, and how to identify the nature of data in each piece (part 3). I also need to work more on a more specific- driven thesis. My first Writing Project’s thesis was very vague, so formulating a thesis that would tie in every aspect/feature of this paper is going to be a challenge. One thing I do know I will do is work on this essay by referring to my first WP and analyze what I need to focus on. Hopefully this essay will be much more specific and developed.

PB2B

Rockin’ Your Moves

Each author is gifted with a distinct method and way of thinking that can be seen throughout their literary pieces. Unless an individual has copied off another student, which is totally unethical and illegal, their piece of work will never be written in the same manner as another, even if the assignment and rubric is exactly the same. The steps and processes an author takes to write their piece is known as their “moves.” How an individual chooses to format, punctuate, state, elaborate, or argue their topic or ideas are all an essential aspect to their unique moves. Similarly to Jackie Chan’s move with the karate kick or Michael Jackson’s move with moon-walking and crotch grabbing, each writer approaches their different pieces of literature in their own distinct way.

In the appendix, “The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: ‘They Say I Say,’’’ the authors Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst elaborate on some of the most common moves a writer utilizes when expressing and communicating their piece. The article, “Murder! Rhetorically Speaking” by Janet Boyd, used many of the same techniques Graff, Birkenstein, and Durst identified. One move that Boyd constantly used was “Making What ‘They Say’ Something You Say.” This technique was significant when Durst attempted to make his ideas and thoughts into a statement rather than an opinion. By attending closely to the author’s perspective and experiences, it allows the audience to understand more clearly the author’s arguments. The author’s point of view was a foundation and basis in which he was able to elaborate later on a more reasoned and evidenced-based perspective. Another move that was continuously implemented was, “Introducing Standard Views.” When the author states, “…Am I right that it starts with you arriving at the crime scene, and that you wrote in first person?” (86). The author elaborates on common situations most individuals experience and relates it back to the audiences’. This technique is used to conclude that not only does the person reading write a specific piece with similar conventions compared to the author, but so does all the other audiences involved. “Introducing Standard Views” standardizes certain writing procedures.

Another move that Boyd uses is, “Introducing Quotations,” and “Explaining Quotations.” Both these moves are most commonly practiced in academic writing. In order to provide evidence and argue your point accurately, you must provide research and data to support your claims. The author in, “Murder! Rhetorically Speaking,” frequently refers back to his student’s work to clarify his claim.  Introducing sources with phrases such as: “x states…, according to x…, or in x’s views…,” the author can effectively present who they are referring to. By explaining quotations with expressions such as: “x’s point is…, x is saying…, in other words x believes…,” the author can clarify the importance and effectiveness of the quote.  Finally, a common move the author uses is, “Signaling Who Is Saying What.” Relating back to introducing and explaining quotations, this method is crucial in referring back to who the quote pertains to. This builds ethos by crediting reliable individuals and allowing the audience to perceive that your argument is accurate and trustworthy.

Although the appendix “The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: ‘They Say I Say’’’ provided a thorough list of moves that authors regularly utilize, there are numerous amounts of techniques each author uses that are harder to standardize. For example, in the article, ““Murder! Rhetorically Speaking,” the author made constant use of the italics to emphasize certain important terms or to define vocabulary. This move would be defined as “Diction Emphasis!” This technique is very effective, because it allows a way to stress or draw attention to the importance of the word or elaborate on a certain idea. It also permits the author to add his voice into the article, allowing the audience to better understand his point of view. Another move this author uses is constantly referring to the audience directly. For instance, the author stated, “Or perhaps you, like Chelsea Vick, felt mounting drama to be the most persuasive approach” (95). This technique, “The Classroom Method,” was used throughout the article and was very effective in allowing the audience to feel a deeper connection with the author as an educator. The whole article felt like a lesson rather than a literary reading. Although, as students, it was essential to annotate and evaluate this piece of literature, the author constantly referred to the audience, students, in second person, creating direct dialogue. Similarly, the move, “’Let’s Try This’ Exercises,” was a method the author regularly used to keep the audience active. Boyd’s technique was effective in keeping his audience attentive and active. As opposed to other boring and dull readings, the technique of keeping the audience active was much more unique and made the time spent reading interesting. He asked his audience to, “Visualize yourself in your new occupation, recall the “five facts,” and then take five minutes to write up your findings as a coroner would...” (87). Through this method, it becomes much easier to understand the author’s purpose and reasoning by applying it to yourself.

 Another move, known as “Review…Did You Know?” was used to allow the audience to see if they comprehended what was just explained.  He also used many rhetorical questions and elaborated on those thereafter. He asked questions such as, “So what did you include in your eulogy? Of the five facts, you probably mentioned…” (91). These questions were effective in expounding upon the topic. It gets the reader to think and compare their answers to the most common/frequent ones. It also gets an audience to think about the purpose of why a certain idea is being explained and what its purpose is. Finally, the author made use of subheadings to introduce the topics. This method, known as, “The Process You Will Be Familiarized With,” gives the audience an idea of what practices will be implemented and what the focus is of the next section. To be aware means to be educated!

Each author is distinct in their own way and this is shown through each of their textual literary works. Their distinctive actions implemented in their works are known as their “moves.”

Thlog Week 4

              This week’s PB was actually much more enjoyable to work on, because the article I found online was really interesting. I wrote about stress on college students and how that affects their drug use and personality, so this article really related to me as a college student.  I found it informative and educating, as I learned more about a topic that many of my peers would experience throughout the years. Writing the PB was not too bad, but I did struggle on comparing and contrasting the rhetorical features of the scholarly article and the generator. Although I feel I am well-informed so far with certain topics concerning rhetorics, identifying rhetorical situations and exigence are topics I continually have to review. 

              So far, I am really appreciating all the work we do in class to prepare for the project builders and writing projects. It really helps when we do in-class activities, like the “Murder! Rhetorically” activity, because it elaborates in detail on ideas we have to write about. This specific reading really intrigued me, because it talked and explained one topic- writing with concern for the audience- and explained this in multiple examples, even referring to students’ works. The follow-up activity was fun, because we got to relate the readings into writings we worked on to see how everything connected. And it was interesting to see how this all links back to our everyday real life situations. I also enjoyed the "Moves" activity and all the videos we referred to. 

            The most intriguing aspect of this class that I started to really notice this week is how interactive it is. Although a lot of the work is done independently, the constant interactions done in class opens up questions that I would have never asked and those questions clarify topics that I find confusing. Overall, the in-class work allows me to fully comprehend topics that I struggled to understand.

PB2A

Another Rant About Genres…

The generator, “An Automatic CS Paper Generator,” and the scholarly source, “Personality, Social Stress, and Drug Use Among College Students,” are both genres that are oddly familiar with distinct differences. For the most obvious difference, the generator allows individuals to view multiple random essays as opposed to the article which stands alone. Additionally, although both titles presented in both articles were informative, the generator’s titles were much more specific, arbitrary, and abstract as to what they will discuss. The scholarly source’s title directly addresses what the article discusses, but in a broad aspect. Similarly, in both articles, centered in the middle of the page is the title in bold. Then, right beneath the title is the author’s name, which is also positioned in the center. Additionally, the scholarly source and the generator articles included an Abstract, which is an indication presented earlier to allow the audience formulate and develop an impression as to what will be discussed. Unlike the scholarly source, the generator included a Table of Contents and made use of images, graphs, and outside information to educate the readers. The scholarly source conducted an experiment themselves rather than primarily collect a lot of outside information and organize that into one essay. To introduce and elaborate on their thesis beforehand, they included some outside information, but their primary thesis and argument was driven by the experiment conducted. Both articles included references near the end of the paper to provide credibility and assurance to the audience.

The audience in both ranged from college students to older adults. The diction was very formal and the tone was informative and unbiased. Both articles were driven to elaborate and clearly explain the topic presented. Due to the fact that the article, “Personality, Social Stress, and Drug Use Among College Students” was experimentally driven, they included the method, the experiment, the design, the procedure, the materials, and the result. Neither article had an exigence, or at least it wasn’t clearly illustrated. Both included a discourse, which responded to some type of problem. For example, the scholarly source was responding to the issue pertaining to drug and stress related situations. Finally, both of the articles that were written effectively argued and supported their thesis through data and experiments.

There were multiple aspect to the scholarly piece, “Personality, Social Stress, and Drug Use Among College Students,” that complimented the entity of the article, but the most significant features of the article was the details pertaining to the experiment. The core part of the article revolved around the data of the experiment and the elaborated results. First, the participants were described, which was essential, because the audience knew who the experiment was directed towards. Details such as the gender, age group, and ethnicity of the participants were included. Next, which was the most important part to understand, was the design and procedure. To better understand why the procedure is taking place, it is critical to recognize how the process would take place.  This section of the article emphasized the steps and processes that would occur, such as how the researcher would gather their information. “The experimenter visited classrooms and residence halls, and asked students to complete packets of self-report measures” (Coleman & Trunzo 2). How the experimenter gathered their information allows the audience to identify if the experiment is trustworthy and reliable.

Another aspect of the scholarly article was the materials used. The three main materials used was the stress test, the personality test, and the drug-use self-report instrument. These three resources that were implemented linked with each other and related with one another. For example, “Users of illicit street drugs and narcotics (major drug users) displayed higher levels of neuroticism and lower levels of conscientiousness” (Coleman & Trunzo 3). Neuroticism and conscientiousness were part of the personality aspect, while the extent of the drug use was concluded through the drug-use self-report tool. Based on the stress level, if the stress level is high, there was a higher chance of drug use. Through all these self-evaluations, it was concluded whether an individual was stressed, how this impacted their personality, and how much drugs were used. Finally, the results summarized what was revealed through the experiment. The two ideas that were elaborated on was group personality differences and predictors of drug use. As stated earlier, high levels of neuroticism and low levels of conscientiousness were related to minor and major drug use. Additionally, extroversion and stress were predictors of drug use, which explains why there is a rise in substance abuse for college students.

The experiment aspect of this article was mostly informative and educational. It was the most essential part of the article, because it allowed the audience to comprehend first-hand what the concept and importance of the topic was. The details that the article included allowed the audience to have a full and complete acknowledgement of the problem. The experiment was driven to elaborate on the thesis, and it was essentially illustrated why the topic, “Personality, Social Stress, and Drug Use Among College Students,” is significant and why it is an important problem to address for today’s society. It was essential to better understand the question: which path are college students headed on?

Thlog Week 3

This week was our first writing project which, in contrast with other assignments, I enjoyed doing. I have never been given an assignment with so much freedom and free will in which I can write. Before I joined this class, I hoped this writing class would make me a more creative writer, and this class is beginning to shape me into one. I have learned so much about myself as a writer and hope that throughout this course, I can turn into a developed writer that is able to write innovatively. I feel as though the group work we did this week was so informative. I not only learned more about my writing and ways to improve it, but through editing other’s papers, I found ways to advance and develop myself.  This writing project also made me much more familiar with different conventions. After completing two different projects builders to prepare me for this paper, I became much more acquainted with the skill of recognizing the different conventions with different genres. Something I struggled with was distinguishing between the topic and genre of my paper, because I tried not to become too specific with what I was going to write about. The assigned readings have also shaped me well for this paper, because it went over things that I found confusing or I missed during class. When I struggled with writing the WP, I went over the past articles we read in class to become more comfortable with certain confusing areas, like rhetorics. The reading, “Responding to Students’ Writing,” also familiarized me with the techniques and methods to peer edit student papers. The more I read about editing other’s papers, the more I became able to edit my papers better.  This week was a tough week with trying to perfect my paper, (even though there is no such thing as a perfect paper), but it was also gratifying to finish and feel proud of my essay.

Thlog Week 2

              This week was a bit challenging with the papers and reading we were assigned, but I truly believe this class is preparing me to be a more efficient, creative, comprehensive, and improved writer. It has also taught me work ethic, as now I cannot procrastinate to get an assignment done, because the assignments feel like they are never ending and piling up. I am learning a lot more about genres and conventions through each class, and this has allowed me to improve the method in which I write my papers. Each assignment given has its own conventions, and this awareness has led me to make careful and stimulating choices on how to structure and format my essays. I am struggling a bit on understanding the topics on rhetorical situation and rhetorical analysis, though the activity we did in class this past week did clarify some points I missed/ misunderstood.

I enjoyed reading the passage, “So What? Who Cares?” This was an important and interesting read, because it elaborated immensely on the importance to clarify and clearly state how your writing pertains to the audience. By openly and explicitly going into detail, this will allow the audience to comprehend fully what is being informed. I hate it when I am studying a textbook for an exam or reading summaries to better understand a book, but the author does not take time or effort in their writings to explain ambiguous information. This reading allowed me to take a closer look at the importance of writing detailed-oriented and thorough papers.

I love how in every class we are taught simple rules to remind ourselves the “right” way of doing certain things. An example was learning about the differences between a dash and a hyphen or when to use the oxford comma. The daily writing and process tips are improving my writing and also saving me time and effort when revising it.

PB1B - Genre Generators

                For every problem you have a solution, for every action you have a reaction, for every idiot there will always be a bigger idiot, just like for every genre you have conventions. There are hundreds, if not thousands of different types of genres, and with each genre there are countless amounts of conventions that follow. Memes, comics, and formal essays are a few genres that have a specific form which typically appears most frequently. Through online generators that allow individuals to learn more about each genre, it becomes more clear and easier to understand the format and content most genres follow.

                The generator, “An Automatic CS Paper Generator,” allows individuals to view random essays which lets them obtain a better understanding on how to format, structure, and organize a formal paper. First-off, centered in the middle of the page is the title in bold describing what your paper will address. The titles provided through this generator are rather long, arbitrary, and abstract ideas. Right underneath the title is your name, which is also centered. Then comes the Abstract which is supposed to be aligned in the left margin. The Abstract is defined as, “existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence” (Oxford Dictionary). An Abstract is similar to an idea introduced beforehand to allow the audience form a preconceived notion and develop an impression as to what will be discussed. Following the Abstract is the Table of Contents (which is pretty self-explanatory), then you begin to analyze and elaborate on the topic. As you explore and discuss the topic, you can use images, graphs, and outside information to educate the readers. As you come to an end and finish reading the paper, references are listed to provide credibility and assurance to the audience.

                The website that generates comics is one in which is used to cause laughter and enjoyment. The comics presented on this site were related in content and characters, but differed in the storyline.  The story pertains to two main character, each given random dialect through various comics. Comics range from anger, to awkward moments, to comedic moments, to the most random and ridiculous conversations. “Pandyland” is formatted through three scenes, horizontally placed, and the character’s replies were written in thought bubbles. For example, a conversation started with, “I just had a fantastic wink,” then replied with, “IPads are great! I love apple!!” Finally the conversation ended with, “Um…That was awkward.” Obviously, as seen through this discussion, there was no point or purpose driving this comic. Fortunately, through the colorful and vibrant colors displayed in each comic, it made it enjoyable and clear to understand what was going on.

                Last, but not least, the memes generator was the most entertaining and amusing one thus far. Memes are defined as, “an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). The meme generator was primarily composed of images with captions that cause laughter. Most are formatted with a statement in the upper center and a response with that statement in the lower center or a whole statement broken into two parts. The depiction displayed may be a reaction that signifies the situation or it explains the situation in a single picture. A couple popular figures include the Grumpy Cat, Foul Bachelor Frog, and Donald Trump. An example is, “If it’s okay for a girl to state ‘no shorties’… A man should be able to state ‘no fatties.’” Memes generally tend to be harsh, funny, ironic, sarcastic, sexist, or even racist- none of which should be taken seriously or personally.

                Studying these three types of genres is extremely helpful, because it educates an individual about the concept of genres and its convention. A genre is a general idea that can be broken down into multiple and a wide range of examples.  When studying multiple examples within the same genre, with the same conventions being repeated, it becomes much simpler to distinguish which ones are similar or formatted the same as the model example. Comprehending what’s happening in these websites allows the audience to clearly understand genres through relatable and relevant topics. Memes and comics are genres students come across every day, so connecting the newly learned idea of genres to frequently used and admired examples makes the process of understanding the material much easier. A student who spends time on Buzzfeed daily would be able to distinguish Buzzfeed blogs from other blogging sites.

Other Generators: http://gigglepedia.com/f/funny-generator.asp (the ditch letter and boss insulter were fun to play around with).

PB1A

          With over 350 million members, Facebook has become one of the most used, reputable, and established social media sites. Although some social media sites like Myspace are starting to die out, Facebook has only been growing larger. Each day, almost 55 million users update their status virally to allow their “friends,” or random strangers they recently added, to see what they are up to. What they post about can range from what they are doing, eating, how they are feeling, or just a random vent. Whether the newbies of Facebook understand or have yet to figure out what a “normal” or typical post is, it is an issue that many seem to figure out at some point.
         A post on Facebook can be used in almost any situation. Most users who post a status do so to gain attention and get as many likes as possible. An article by FStatuses written to address the most well-known Facebook statuses wrote, “One of the hottest questions in social media is what constitutes the most popular Facebook statuses. There is no one simple answer to this, although it is fair to say that light-hearted postings are among the most popular Facebook statuses. This is because they cheer people up and stimulate happiness.” Posts that generate laughter and smiles are ones in particular that are most talked about.
          The length of a Facebook post usually can vary depending on the situation. Facebook posts concerning the death of a loved one, the acknowledgment and voicing of a social problem, or a “love post” that expresses affection generally tend to be longer than most. Posts in regards to a birthday, how an individual is feeling, a random statement (a joke, fact, or small detail that seems important for the whole world to know), or what a person ate that day tends to be smaller posts. Facebook statuses do not necessarily have to be formally stated or correctly punctuated. Abbreviation for words that expose laziness to actually type the whole word are commonly used as well. Some common ones are “u” instead of “you”, “lol” to signify laughter, “omg” to illustrate surprise or shock, and “btw” abbreviated for “by the way.” These are just a few of the regularly used terms to depict and describe feelings. Pictures and videos can also be posted through statuses and shared to allow followers to view a particular event that seemed important enough for the user to capture.
             Facebook statuses can be used by various types of people to promote and update a variety of different circumstances. For example, celebrities usually use this social media site to keep in touch with their fans. They usually post things to keep their followers updated on what’s going on and to promote and advertise events. Usually famous users are more subject to spell correctly, use proper punctuation, and refrain from disrespectful or discourteous posts. Additionally, Facebook can be used by activists/campaigners/ protesters to rally support and educate the public about a certain issue. The site is used as a passage to allow individuals to gain knowledge about problems that can be aided through popular acknowledgment. Advertisers, companies, and businesses also use Facebook to their advantage as they promote and endorse their “sales pitch” to the public. They also usually notify the public about deals and promotions that can be going on to help increase their profits or number of customers. Finally, regular and normal individuals typically update their status to keep close friends and family up-to-date. These types of posts are generally over-looked and irrelevant. Usually when a post relates or is significant to another individual, they can “share” it and allow their followers to additionally view it as well. Posts can be made private to allow only those you are friends with to view it or public to allow everyone that uses Facebook to view it. Statuses can be bland, mean, dramatic, or informative. Users are given freedom to pick and choose what to post.
             Overall, Facebook has become an essential part of millions of lives and has permitted individuals to have a voice, be given an opportunity to change the world, or seem cooler than they are.