in class writting 2

I began walking down the hall and I noticed a lot of writting and flyers on the doors and boards. These are very informational ads posted and they came in all different colors. So as i get to the front desk I hear the lobby radio playing and its talking about a insurance commercial. I turn to go outside and i start to see more posterswith more information. What really stood out to me was this very colorful tye die shirt this guy had on. It had some writting on it but i couldnt make out what it said. Now i was walking down the sidewalk and i noticed so many genres of shirts.

These shirts were from rock to kid like things. They were small ones, large ones, and extra large ones. There were bright ones, dark ones, long ones, short ones, and even see through ones. Most  had very graphic images like people, monsters, and cartoons. Then there were the plain or striped shirts. Now as i get to the Letterman Building i see more posters. The last thing that stood out to me was a bold font hat this one guy had on in the hall.

Now that i did this assignment and realized how rhetoric is everywhere around me everyday i am fully aware next time i see rhetoric objects.

Writing 2

On my way to english class, I have encountered and observed many different forms of rhetoric. Walking out of my dorm, I am faced with posters and fliers posted all around campus. Telling everyone when the football game is or even talking about activities going on around campus. While standing that the light waiting to cross, I am greeted with numerous amounts of different sayings and pictures that are on people clothing. Some girls wearing sports clothing others wearing brand names. The most I have encountered is Ball State apparel. Everyone is always wearing something to represent our school. Finally, I arrive in class. Not one person is wearing the same thing. Just from a short ten minute walk to class, I am greeted with many different observations. Rhetoric changed my awareness because it made me more aware and observant to what people are wearing and to different things around me.

In class writing 2

 When I first get up, what I see is the logo on my shirt about softball and winning the championship.  On my wall there is a poster full of inspiritational sayings. As I walk out of mmy door room, I see bright colors of flyers about hall meetings and activities that I must attend or are reccomended to attend. Outside, I see flyers on buildings and on every light pole I pass trying to persuade me to join that club or certain activity, mostly with free food. Every other person I see has some type of logo on his or her shirt, from the Abercrombie and Finch logo to professional team shirts. This has made me think how much the world around me tries to persuade me and thinking about the United States consumption the visual rhetoric must be working.

       I have to commute to Ball State daily from Yorktown. There is no public transportation from there to here unless you are disabled. If that is the case you can pay a fee and use some bus called something like "Life Stream." I notice this because I see several billboard advertisement about this severice daily in Yorktown. I have to stop and get gas at the Speedway across the street from my home. While pumping my ridiculously priced gasoline I notice that the pump is covered in Speedway's logo. Also there is a message displayed on the digital screen advising me that I can receive huge discounts on king sized Kit Kat Bars and fountain sodas only with, of course, a Speedway rewards card. Upon entering the gas station I immediately notice the newspaper stand because the extra large and bold font and color photos of hurricane Issac which is to blame for the extremely high gasoline costs. Upon entering my vehicle I switch back and forth between Z99.5 and Ball State's radio station. I hear commercial advertisements for everything from Viagra to the Ball State football game. The radio hosts themselves even are providing me with rhetoric in the form of telling me if I mention them at a laser hair treatment center that I will get a discount. Also, they mention they will be attending the Kelly Clarkson concert at Klipsh Music Center on Sunday and that I should attend because lawn tickets are still available.
       I arrive at my parking place on campus and begin my Jesus walk to this building. On the way I notice the kids who have Beats Audio and Doctor Dre headphones. I notice these because they are bright colored, very popular, very expensive, and I want a pair. I also notice the students who are wearing Ball State logo attire. I notice this because yesterday I saw a girl spending, presumably the remainder of her student loan money which she probably wont be able to pay back anyway, on a whole wardrobe of Ball State attire. I thought that was dumb. I also notice colorful tennis shoes because I am going shopping this weekend and need a new pair.
      After writing this I realize that I am subjected to entirely too much rhetoric on a daily basis and it is no wonder American's are the way we are when it comes to consuming.

In Class Writing 2

   At 7:45 in the morning I see a lot of bright, energetic people walk to their 8 am classes. Too bad I am lying though.  I do not know any one who is excited to be up this early and come to class.  I personally made the mistake of taking 8 am classes everyday. Forget about me, but about my morning walks to class. The weather is usually sunny and a little chilly, but warm enough to were I can still wear shorts and t-shirt.As I make my way to class, I usually see a mix of everything. I see the posters and advertisements line the hallways of my halls floor as head for the stairs. As I walk out of the door on the first floor I notice someone different at the desk just sitting there with their laptop open, struggling to stay awake. I finally get outside and first thing I noticed was foam all over the ground in front of Noyer from the foam party last night. Most mornings I see the same people walking to class and they all look thrilled to be up.  I continue to walk  to class as I head past one of the many columns with posters all over it. There are sports, bands, activities and reminders about certain things that are going on throughout the campus this week or upcoming couple weeks on the column. At that moment, I have 10 minutes to class.  I am not worrying about it, because my dorm room is close to all of my buildings I go to class for. I continue to walk towards the Robert Bell Building, as I pass the Frog Baby Statue.  I make my past the fountain and I notice the Ball State buses and the buses making its way towards the bus stop to pick up people. Once i get past the bus stop, I arrive at Robert Bell and go inside to get my classroom. Walking in the building, I see a lot of people sitting on the ground waiting for their teacher to unlock the door so they can get in the room and get ready for class to start.

    This assignment has made me really think about what is surrounding me and that I should be more aware of what is going on around me and read more in depth of the advertisements that are posted on the walls.

in class writing two

    On my walk to class this morning the first thing I see outside of my dorm is trees. Many tree surround the buildings on campus, near my dorm there are just a few more than average. Even as I continue down the side walk past the majority of them I still see more. Accompanied by the trees are light poles, many of them, in sight for a safer campus at night. On all of these light poles are flyers, trying to keep students aware of whats going on. Every activity and club has a flyer up in the attempt to  get the most students in their organization. Every different color, size, shape, and picture is posted. The purpose is to be the most eye catching, get the most kids to at the least come over and read the flyer. After taking the time to think of all of the things I have noticed around campus, I will notice more things that are rhetoric around campus. It will not just be a passing by of these items after this, I will fully notice them.

In class writing 2

    On my walk to class today, I encountered many different visual rhetoric. From stepping out of my dorm room to walking down the hall, I saw many flyers in bright colors and different fonts of writing. While continuing down the stairs and to the lobby, I was greeted by shirts with different logos, and even brand symbols. After stepping foot out of my complex, and walking down the street there were so many more flyers, signs, and even logos on shirts. As I continued through Lafollette parking lot, I saw more signs with colors and fonts, and even noticed the shapes and architecture of buildings and designs. When finally arriving at the Robert Bell building, I again noticed the bright color flyers, and the thousands of name brand, band, school, and even movie logos everyone was wearing. Throughout thinking about the different visual rhetoric I encountered in my short walk here this morning, I have a better understanding of the meaning, and a mindset of what to look for and notice everyday.

In class writing 2

     That was 6:30 AM that my alarm clock start ringing. I tried to wake up as soon as possible because I had a homework which was due today. At 6:30, the weather was like a dungeon. The sun did not shine yet and I wish that I had more time to sleep because last night I stayed up late and slept at 1:00 AM. During a day, four hours sleep is not enough for nobody especially for a student like me because, I might be sleepy during my classes. After I did all of my homework, I tried to sleep again but, I ran out of time. It was 7:45 AM and I had English class on 8:00 AM. On my way to the university, I saw a few number of birds that were on a tree and they were singing. I had 10 minutes left before my class began. I did not see many people in campus. Maybe most of the students prefer to take their classes in the later hours for example 9:00 AM or more.


The weather was cool and birds singing changed my mood and came to class with a good feeling.

In-Class Writing 2 SS

     After awaking, dressing, and eating, I walk down the hall of floor 3 swinford, where all along the way i see hall council campaign signs for the previous nights election. I walk down the stairs and out the door just in time to see a MITS bus passing with an advertisement for the BSU football team. Seeing as I will be attending to football game tomorrow, I didn't pay much attention to it. Once on my bike and on my way to class at Robert Bell, out of no where a giant Gieco blimp passes overhead at blazing speed. Although an excellent method of advertisement, I already have insurance so I am uninterested. After finally making to the proper building which houses my classroom, I navigate the halls to find my classroom. While navigating I come across every shape, size, and color flyer I am aware of. Everything from student council, to speech club, English club, to volunteer services. If this assignment has taught me anything it's that I now look at advertisements much more intently, and attempt to now dissect them and see what they are really trying to say and why.  

In class writing 2

      I roll out of bed and look down at the t-shirt I'm wearing, it's for the band The Beatles. I walk down to the bathroom, toothbrush and toothpaste in hand, to find the hallways littered with flyers saying to "Vote _____ ______ for Hall Council Service chair" and a bevy of others who I didn't catch the name or position on Hall Council in which they are running. I get into the bathroom and find a bulletin board of all the upcoming events happening in the Woodworth complex. I walk back down the hallway, back to my room, grab my book, laptop and backpack and I'm ready to go. I see two girls in workout shorts and shirts labeled with Nike Swooshes ready to take on a morning run and the four flights of stairs. I opt for the elevator. Inside the small mobile room there are more campaign posters for girls running for Hall Council. This is a very good place for them. I read them more carefully in this confined space than out in the hallway.
     Every poster is advertising something different, every shirt is saying something different, every person around me is completely different.

In Class Writing 2

Yesterday morning I happened to notice some very strange things within Johnson Complex A, where I live in my residence hall. These strange things happened to be flyers, upon closer inspection. And not just any flyers, they were political flyers. I remembered that we were having a hall council meeting and election later that night. I had some time, so I scanned the walls of the lobby and tried to find good candidates to vote for. Strangely enough, all the flyers were very short and heavily focused upon visual rhetoric. One candidate wore a cowboy hat, saying he was for the working man. Another wore a business suit and promised that he would bring in more money for the council. A female candidate running for P.R. chair advertised that she was rather popular and people listened to her when she spoke becuase she was loud. Obviously we had some pretty lousy candidates. I lost interest, then started on my way to my next class. Who did I see near McKinnley street, right outside the stadium? Charlie Cardinal. Again, this made think of the visual rhetoric implied in our daily lives. The rhetoric in Charlie is that he's Ball State's mascot, and when we see him we should fell more proud of who we are as students of Ball State. Not only that, the bright colors and the excited, dance-like actions of Charlie are meant to engage us at sports events and help us cheer on our sports teams. To most people on McKinnley, however, they do not appear to want to be engaged and simply want to go to class. Though when someone with a shirt or piece of clothing with the Ball State name or logo passes by Charlie, they become excited and dance with him and look happy. The visual rhetoric of those with Ball State apparel reminds me to stay away from them in the future at sports games.

This activity has changed my perception of visual rhetoric a bit; I tend to look just a little deeper at the logos and hidden meanings of the things I see. Like how the Teacher's College is a monument to commemorate the Teachers only.

in class writing 2

Leaving my dorm room this morning, I saw posters on the mirror across from the elevator. posters about hall counsil meetings and one shaped like a volleyball that advertised a volleyball game that will be held outside for shively hall residents. Exiting the elevator I saw a huge BallState football sign on the window of the sit down eatery in Lafollete. Finally leaving the building I noticed almost every person wearing a shirt with some kind of logo on it. Most of them were ballstate logos, but a few were nike and there were a number of others such as hollister and american eagle. This activity helped changed my awareness because it made me realize how much visual rhetoric I actually come in counter with on a daily basis.

In Class Writing 2

Birds chirping in the wave of the new day beginning. I walk from the Woodworth complex to start heading to class. I smell the pleasant scent of rain in the air, and the wet grass below my feet. I begin to wonder if it might rain today. As I take another step onto the black gleaming pavement, I notice it is dry. As if the pavement is much hotter then the grass and soaks the water away. I walk to class with the understanding it's just another walk, but what I hadn't realized is, that this walk is so much more clear and eye-opening. 

As I begin to walk by people I see the look on their face, the look of exhaustion. There aren't many people going to class at eight in the morning, Most people want to sleep in and go around nine A.M. I look at their eyes to see if they look tired, then pan down there body to see what they're wearing. You can tell someone who wanted to be out this early by how they dress. I see a person who acts as if they don't have a place in this world, they look at the ground when they walk, and the have headphones in. They play their music loud enough for me to hear it, and they seem to not care what the outside world is doing, just there own walk to class. 

Then you see the bikers. The people that are in a huge hurry to get to class, and will run you over if they must. They never seem to care about walking pedestrians, they just care about their fast travel. If you watch closely, you'll notice how they just weave in and out of big groups of people! It is scary and rude. They should show some sort of common courtesy. The bikers look as if they don't care about the world, they want to be at class fast, and be the first one to leave so they can beat the rush to their next class. I noticed all different types of people, and the way that they portray themselves. How they act, look, and what I feel.  

ENG 103 writing 2

When i was walking across the campus to my classroom every morning, i could find  visual rhetoric everywhere. It is amazing .The advertisement printed on the truck and the logo which printed  on student's clothing. It is obvious that "ball state university"is the most common logo.It seems that every person have a shirt or coat which have this logo.At the same time ,I also find many production print their logo on their pack.You could find many logos on the students' bag even in some food pack which held in their hands.I love visual rhetoric so much because it embellishs our life and makes our life splendid. 

In-class Writing 2

On the walk from my residence hall to my classroom, I encounter several examples of visual rhetoric. Down the hall from my room, my RA's door is plastered with posters and flyers for upcoming events, as well as a brief note reminding residents to finish writing their roommate agreements. Near the stairs is a large bulletin board with a big poster telling how to make the residence hall a nice place to live. One I get out the door, there are students sporting labels on their clothes. Interesting logos, slogans, and quips flash at me. I take a shortcut through Woodworth's dining hall. There are lots of signs for different restaurants in there. Once I make it to the Robert Bell building, I see flyers for writers club and advertisements for affordable LSAT preparation classes. Lots of people have their laptops, and these laptops all have the logo of their manufacturer. Most common is Apple's famous apple.
It is interesting to think about how much rhetoric is thrown at you every day. It seems that everyone wants to get your attention.

In class writing 2

On my way to my english class, from my dorm, I observed multiple examples of visual rhetoric. My first step out of my room, in Brayton Hall, I saw posters on every wall campaining different students running for hall council. After I walked down my hall and went down the elevator, I walked out of the building where I heard the sound of cars racing by trying to get a good parking spot in the commuter parking lot and the sound of many students talking as they make their way to their first class of the moring at 8 a.m. Walking down McKinley street, I observed numerous posters and flyers promoting students to attend the first home football game this week. The bright flyers promoting all different clubs and groups were laying all over the empty ground just waiting for a concerned student to pick one up and become intrigued by the particular group. This particular walk changed my awareness because I realized that just by walking down the street from my dorm to my first class I can find multiple examples of visual rhetoric that can potentially open up my eyes and make my walk more enjoyable and also help me write descriptively in my english class.

In Class Writing 2

There are many different posters and signs and people that I pass on my way to class.  As I leave my dorm in Lafollette, there are many signs about the voting that is taking place this week for various different things.  Most of the signs are saying "Vote for me, you won't regret it."  As i leave the building,  I am in a rush to get to class so i do not notice much of what is around me.  However, I do notice different people wearing various different sport shirts and shirts with pictures on them.  I have now entered the building and I see people rushing to class.  Behind them on the walls there are posters about different things happening on campus.

When i walk to class I now realize that there are a lot of different things going on around me.  Many posters and signs, peoples t-shirts, and many other things.  Next time I walk to class, I am going to pay much more attention to everything that is around me.

Writing 2

When I wake up in the morning I'm greeted by my alarm that i quickly hit snooze on. I look for the T-mobile sign that shows I have two bars just to remind me just how bad the service is, just over from that I see the time and quickly get out of bed. I straighten my hair looking at the "PYT" label on it which automatically gets Micheal Jacksons "Pretty Young Thing" stuck in my head. After getting dressed I walk down the hall and see many signs saying, "Vote me for..." with several positions on the hall board and a catchy slogan to catch a passerby's attention. I see Bri's door, the hall RA, advertising a hall meeting for later that day saying words like "mandatory" which makes the reader automatically think trouble. Down the stairs I pass some girls wearing brand name clothing such as Under Armour, Pink, and and Abercrombie. Out the front door I go and as I do I pass by more posters advertising many different things. I pass numerous people walking down the street talking on their blackberry's and iPhones or blasting music out of their brand name overly expensive Beats by Dre headphones. I'm late so I quickly walk into the building not noticing the advertisements plastered on the wall. I slide into my seat, take out my MacBook Pro as class begins.
This activity has changed my awareness of these things, but only if I actually keep it in mind that these are all trying to persuade me to do/buy something

In Class writing 2

On my walk to class today, I observed people walking, bikers almost running over walkers. I heard the birds chirping in the wind and a car that was extremely loud. My walk is from the La Follette to here so it is a very short walk and I do not see many people. I also observed a blind man walking and swinging his guide stick back in forth. Walking to class and actually paying attention made me realise that rhetoric is all around me. Normally I do not pay much attention to my surroundings, but today i did.

In Class Writing 2

As I  was walking to class this morning I saw lots of signs up in my dorm. I saw signs about the movie night tonight at 9. Also, I saw fliers about the election coming up on senate and others for the dorms. When I was leaving I saw a board up on the wall with a map of the buildings at Ball State. I also saw many different people with all different kinds of logos on their shirts. I normally do not pay attention to my surroundings, this activity got me informed about everything thats going on around me.

In Class Writing 2

Within the short walk to my english 103 class there are examples all around of rhetoric writing. It is actually quit amazing if you never think about it being almost everywhere. From the people to the flyers stapled on every lightpost across campus, there really is it all. One example that was brought to my attention more than others was this man yesterday who was covered in tattoos and wearing a cut off muscle shirt, he was handing out these flyers and saying "Help Stop Slavery", naturally I took one of the flyers, turns out the slavery he was talking about involved animal rights in the meat packing industry, needless to say the pictures weren't very pretty but it defiantly got it's point across.

People often stroll across campus in their logo shirts from various popular stores such as American Eagle, Hollister, Bebe, and etc, all which give of rhetorical examples. Shoes, backpacks, hats. it really is everywhere, I guarantee that 80% of the people in my english 103 class have something on their person that is an example of it. After paying attention it has really come to my eye that there are so many examples of rhetorical writing out there in many forms, I just never thought about it until I was assigned in this class to pay attention and actually see what I am looking at.

In class writing 2

As I walked to my morning english class, I walked into the lift to go to the first floor and the first thing I see is a big poster right above the call button for the lift. I walk into the lift and I see more papers telling about activities on campus. I walk out and voila, more posters. As I walk out of my dorm building I see a few students milling about. They have printed t-shirts on with labels from different stores or with their favourite bands on the front. I walk farther and see more students ahead walking toward the Robert Bell building. I pass by cars and trees on my walk into the Robert Bell building. As I step inside, even more posters appear on both left and right sides of me. I turn down my hall to get to my class and see tons of students waiting to be let into their classrooms. Most have labelled t-shirts on.

I guess this activity might have changed my awareness by making me pay more attention to what is around me and what goes on around me.

August 27th What is rhetoric?

Purpose

•    Recognize visuals as argumentative texts
•  Develop your strengths as writers or thesis and rhetorical analysis essay

Rhetorical situation

          What disengages the reader:

          Slow        

          Cover

          Bad plot

          Boring

          No characters

          Type of languages

What engages the reader:

Catches your interests

Pictures

Strong characters

Funny

What is Rhetoric?

Rhetoric: Means of meditation for how do we speak/talk, Rhetoric has a purpose --- persuade somebody 

 

How do we read an analyze texts rhetorically?

What texts do you like to read?

Novels, magazines, poetry, blogs, cartoon and film
How do we read cartoon, film, and ads?

How do we write about visual texts?

How can we generate thesis statements for arguments?

How can we draft rhetorical analysis essays?

In Class Writing 1

There are many positives and negatives when it comes to reading and writing.  A positive with reading is that you can learn new things every time you pick up a book.  Whether it is interesting or not, you may still be able to learn something new.  The negatives are when you are forced to read a book, such as a class assignment, and you can't get yourself into the book. Anyone can pick up a book and read it, you just may not be that interested in it.  My sophomore year in high school we had to read How to Kill a Mockingbird.  I couldn't get myself to read several chapters every night because I was just not that into it. It hurt me in the end because I was unable to get myself into the story and comprehend what was going on.

Writing on the other hand, is not my specialty.  For me, there are many negatives and not so many positives. One of  the many negatives are that it is hard for me to start the paper.  I may know what I want to write about, but starting it can make it seem much more difficult.  Another negative is that I may be able to get my point across, but it may not sound all that good, which results in me getting a bad grade.  A positive when is comes to writing may be that you can let out emotion and anger in a paper.  Maybe you would be able to write about something that has been bottled up in you for quite some time.  So for me, there are a lot more positives in reading as there are in writing and the opposite goes for the negatives.

In class writting 1

I am a somewhat good reader. i recently read the "Where Am I Wearing" book for the freshman connection. I had a lot of fun reading this book. It was a great experience for me to read this level of  books. What made it interesting is that the author traveled to many different countries to see if those garment factories was the actual one that his clothes were made at. I read the entire book and I would read it again if I had the option to.

I have atouble with my writting though almost all the time. In high school I would write papers that just wasn't good enough to get an A. I am that person that doesn't use a lot of big words, but just the ones that are most common to people. The papers that I would turn in I would recieve them back as being an "ok" paper or just simply saying that it needs a lot of improving. There were many times that I wanted to quit but couldn't because I need to better my writting skills.

In Class writing #1

     The positive experiance of writing that I had was when I got the highest writing grade in my class on my narrative I wrote my senior year about myself and my goals for the upcoming year of school. My negative writing experiance I had was when I was a junior in highschool and we were writing our research paper. I wrote my whole paper thinking that it was going to get a high grade, however I was wrong and I got one of the lowest grades in my class at first. I wrote my entire paper in two different tenses. Although this moment started out as my most negative writing experiance, my generous teacher allowed me to re-do my research paper, correcting these tense mistakes, and turn it in to recieve a much higher grade then what I was originally recieved.
     In highschool, I always was a good reader and could read any book that was placed in front of me. My postive reading experiance was when I passed all 7 of my book tests with either an A or a high B,  on a book that my engligh teacher Mr. Martin had written. Although this was my most positive experiances, I also had multiple negative ones. My first negative experiance was when I did not pass one single text on a book that we began reading at the end of my second semester. I could not force myself to sit down and read this book because I was simply not interested in it. I hope to improve my reading and writing experiances so that I begin to have more positive experiances then negative.

In class writing 1

In my memory,I have much positive reading experience because i am good at reading always. I still remember i love reading poetry when i was a child,especially Chinese poetry.I could learn many ideas from that and use it in my Chinese article.And i enjoy the beauty of the poetry at the same time.It is a happy experience and it deeply rooted in my memory .

   But i also have negative reading experience for everything has both sides. I still remember when i open my grandma's Critical condition notice， i burst into tears.It is really a heart-broken moment.

As for writing ,it seems that i haven't happy experience because i am not good at it actually. The worst experience is in my Toefl test. I never forget what the judge said in my grade report.They said they couldn't understand what i said in the writing apart. Finally  i just got a very low grade. 

   I think i should spend more time in my writing .Writing is related to my learning,my life even my future work .however hard it is . No matter how hard it is, I have to overcome it.

In class Writing 1

Humans read daily. Humans write daily. These two actions are common among the world and each individual learns the basics of them at young ages. However, if people have been doing something so simple for the majority of their life, how is it still so hard? If somebody did any one particular act one time a day for his or her whole life—like writing—they would again be experts at the subject. If a 3 year old started playing baseball and played every single day until her turned eighteen, he or she would be an expert player getting ready to sign a contract with the Chicago Cubs. Yet, when it comes to reading and writing, no matter how many times a day someone does it, people still dread the essays they need to write or the novels they have to read. 

           

            Individuals have their own style when it comes to writing. It is the untouched, natural creativity they are born with. The reason I believe people have such a difficult time writing essays or even simple paragraphs is they do not expand their imaginations from what is already known. There are no boundaries when it comes to writing—just do not run off the page.  If writing comes naturally to a person, they more than likely enjoy it and can improve massively as they grow up through their teenage years. If a person has to work at writing because it typically does not come naturally, it can be assumed that person does not like it and will always struggle because of the lack of excitement when the pen moves along the paper or the fingers hit the keys.

            The same goes for reading books and other texts. When kids are young, some read books, some watch television, and some go outside and play in the yard. Many people in the generation of today’s 18 and 19 year olds grew up playing outside where their imaginations could run wild and there were no boundaries. That could assist reading for some, while hurt reading for others. Imagination could run wild in the minds that played outside and when those individuals pick up a book, they feel sheltered and encaged in the lines and words that cannot be changed. Others see the book as an escape of reality. Finally a script they can go off of to fulfill their imagination. 

            Reading and writing are simple tasks that most every human being learn—in some fashion— at some point in their life. They are skills that are never truly mastered by anyone.  Hard for some, easy for others. Writing and reading are two things that humans will never be able to completely concur.

In Class Writing 1

    Reading and writng are two subjects in school that will never go away. In elemenatary and middle school, reading and writing seemed simple, fun, and enjoyable.  Hitting high school and now college, these two subjects were and still are a challenge and are no longer the high point of my day.

    Reading use to be enjoyable and keep the mind and imagination running free, but the books I was forced to read make reading unfavorable. I was no longer at the age where I could read "Junie B.Jones" or "Captain Underpants. I was reading books such as "Huckleberry Fin", "Macbeth" and "Pride and Predijuce".( I did somewhat enjoy the last one). During in-class readings, I always found myself losing focus because the books did not interest me. I would always start off reading with the class, but then caught myself thinking about my next class or something I thought was more interesting at the time. The worst part was taking the book home and having to read it. I would sit down, read a paragraph then not have a clue what I just read. I found that the best strategy for me was to read and reread until I finally grasped the concept of the story.

   Believe it or not, reading was not the most difficult. Writing had it beat by a thousand miles. My senior year of high school, I took AP (advanced placement) English 12. Throughout the year I had no doubt in my mind that taking that class was the biggest mistake of my life. The constant in class essays were a pain in the you-know-what. It was hard enough to write papers, but to write them in a limited amount of time was my downfall. The most difficult part about writing was getting started. I would sit at my desk praying for any idea to come to mind. When I finally got something down, it was always troubleing to use "words that make you seem smarter". With all the negatives of writing I found some good in it, by the end of my senior year I was a more improved writer from where I started.

in class writing 1

       A negative reading experience for me was reading Where Am I Wearing this past summer. The book was not appealing to me and it took large amounts of time to get through parts of the book. It was not a book that I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. It seemed as though the author, Kelsey Timmerman, would repeat the same story for every piece of clothing and country he went to visit. I always have a great experience reading something that appeals to me and is a book that I do not want to put down.
      A positive writing experience was my literature research paper this past year. I researched my short story well and used quotes that applied to my paper's thesis. The thing that helped boost my confidence the most was my teacher using my rough drafts as examples on the board. I got a lot of feedback but most of it was positive though the other was how to make it sound better. I still think I can be a better writer and knowing people that writing tremendously, I still lack that confidence in my writing. Hopefully, I have more positive writing experiences to come.

The pros and cons of reading and writing.

Literacy has become an essential part of our culture's day to day activities. As with everything else in life there are pros and cons to both reading and writing. Personal preference dictates which activity one is more efficient at. For myself, it is easier for me to read material rather than write about it. With practice and education I have been able to understanding the art of writing much better through out the years.

Reading requires discipline and comprehension. With reading material the outline, thesis, main point, and information amongst other things are already organized there for you. The author has already completed the organization for you. However with different writing styles it is sometimes difficult for me to understand. Also reading takes a long time. I also have to go over certain main points several times before I comprehend it.

Writing is more of an art form. It allows me to express my own ideas and op ions. I also enjoy the freedom of organizing main points in whatever style I desire. I do not enjoy having to write in designated formats. It is hard for me to keep in mind all the rules that come along with each particular style. I also find it difficult to write and compose enough organized information on topics that I do not enjoy or understand.

In class writing #1

I have never been the strongest reader or writer since I can remember.  All throughout middle and high school, I have had my parents or other students help me write my papers. With their help, I was able to get good grades on the papers, but I still did not feel satisfied to say it was my own work with no help whatsoever. I hope with the help I will receive from the writing center and having peer reviews, I will be able to write papers with few to none grammatical errors and make sure everything flows and makes sense.

Starting my freshman year of high school and leading all the way up to my senior year I had troubles starting and establishing ideas for my papers.  I was never able to start my own papers without the assistance of my mom, who was always willing to help me since she realized I was not the strongest writer.  Their was one paper in my freshman English class that I will not forget doing.  I can not be exact on what type of paper we had written about, but all I know is that it was easily one of the most embarrassing and horrible pieces of work. From memory, I believe that I had to write more than 4 rough drafts and have it peer edited multiple times every time. That was one of the worst times of writing I have ever experienced.

I can not exactly say I have had a bad reading experience.  There are some books that I have trouble with corresponding what that author is trying to convey or what he is meaning. Also, some other books are confusing, because I do not know what the bigger words mean and I just skip past them.

In-class Writing 1

I have had many positive reading experiences. I love literature and reading. One of my first positive experiences is from my early childhood. My dad would read aloud for me and my brother every evening. Nights when he read to us were always great.
Another positive experience I've had with reading happened last summer. I decided to read The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. I began reading it in the evening, and I was so captivated by the story, that I read all through the night and into the early morning. I could not put it down. By the time I finished, it was 2:00 AM, but I did not care, because I liked the book so much.
I spent much of my childhood reading, and thanks to this, almost every reading experience is a positive one for me. There is a lot of beauty in literature.

When it comes to writing, I have a mixture of good and bad writing experiences. I remember one time when a brief comedic presentation that I had written made my whole classroom laugh. That was a great experience. It was amazing to see my writing be so effective, and to see other people respond positively to it. On the other hand, I've had some trouble with writing in the past. I was never very good at following the format prescribed by my instructor. This got me into lots of trouble. I remember receiving a D on a final paper my junior year of high school because I had been too lazy to make it in MLA format. I also have problems organizing a concise argument. I tend to create disorganized, sprawling papers that take up ten pages and lack a clear direction or purpose. In my senior year of high school, I started working on a final paper months in advance. However, I found myself struggling with revisions and corrections the day before it was due. I received a passing grade, but in retrospect, I realize how much better it would have been if I had made a simpler argument and developed it more.

I like reading and I like writing, but I have a lot of work to do at both. I want to be the best writer I can be.

When it comes to literacy, there are several different things that one must understand and adhere to in order to become a decent reader and writer. Reaching that goal of understanding is not the easiest goal to achieve, however. People may have the most problems with reading a book and grasping the whole context of the book. Others may have more issues writing their thoughts and opinions onto a blank sheet of paper. Whatever the case may be for each person, there will be hardships throughout one’s rhetoric journey.

               Mostly throughout my journey, the majority of the obstacles I faced were between my eyes, and the book I was attempting to read at the time. I used to enjoy reading; that is until people started to tell me what to think about the literature and what not to think. I couldn’t answer the questions with the preferred perspective in which I was supposed to obtain. I know that I have a different mind that many other readers, and it causes me to struggle profusely. On my own time and will, however, I can definitely sit down and read a book with complete enjoyment – as long as I don’t have to comprehend it in a way in which my mind doesn’t fully understand.

Because of my unique take on ideas, theories, and almost anything, writing becomes a true joy. I take pleasure in openly sharing my opinion with reasoning and purpose so that my audience can take a subconscious vacation in my point of view. In contrast to the reading, I used to write poorly and, occasionally, still struggle with flow and other points dealt with in writing. I understand those struggles can be conquered with vigorous revising and editing, so it is not something that I can’t overcome.

When it comes down to writing or reading, I most definitely choose writing over reading; but in order to grow in my writing, I must grow in my reading as well.

In class writing 1

       My junior year in AP English we were assigned to read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, over the summer.  I was not very keen on reading this book so I procrastinated reading it till about two weeks before school started. I tried or rather "tired" to read this book the best I could, but I did not finish reading the very long and boring book.  When I got to class I found out that was a very poor choice because we had a quiz the very first day.
      Reading or my lack of reading The Fountainhead was my worst reading experience and from that came my worst writing experience. I could not write intelligently about this book to save my life! I had no idea what I was writing about. I ended up writing about just the general themes of the book when assigned writing projects related to The Fountainhead.  From this whole experience I learned that even if you don't want to read a book, at least try because writing is very difficult to do and incredibly nerve wrecking when you have know idea what you are talking about.

In class writing 1

A positive reading experience I've had would be in elementary school, when I first learned to read. In first grade while all the other kids were reading chapter books, I was beginning my first picture books. It was not that I was stupid, or my parents did not try to teach me, it was that I just was not catching on. My teachers in preschool and kindergarten had tried to sit me down and slowly teach me, but soon became discouraged. At home my mom tried to help me, but there just was not enough time in either of our schedules. I was learning dance and gymnastics for hours and hours after school, and my mom had just had a new baby and was finally getting back to work. Finally halfway through my first grade year my teacher aid realized I did not know how to read. She discovered this on a reading day when she asked "What are you reading?". I did not know how to reply to such a question, I just sat there wondering what was going to happen. She looked down at the book, took my hand and we went into the back of the classroom, where she finally knew exactly what to do. For the rest of the year we worked together during reading time. By the end of the year I was finally ready to read a chapter book. We started with The Bookcar Children series, and in no time I was through those. By second grade I was reading all the Harry Potter books. Throughout the rest of elementary school I kept the highest reading level in my class. It was crazy to think I was so far behind, but in a short amount of time I was a great reader, who loved to read.


A negative writing experience I've had would have to be Junior year of high school, when I was in honors English. Honor English was not the hardest class I had had, but soon I learned why everyone dreaded being in that class. At the end of year we had to read a book called East of Eden. This book was hundreds of pages long, and it was annoying but soon it got worse. We had to write a thirty page paper. After three long months I was finally done. Since then I've hated writing.

In Class Writing 1

Reading experiences are hard to me. I sometimes do not comprehend what I am reading. Also, I am a very slow reader if I do not like what I am reading. A positive thing about reading is that it gives me more of an imagination. I do not enjoy reading so that is a reason it makes it harder for me to read.

Writing experiences come a little easier to me then reading does. I am pretty good at being creative, and that is a positive thing when writing a paper. Some negative things may be my grammar and staying on topic. I get distracted very easily so I lose my thoughts when writing a paper. Also, I believe it is very hard to start a paper. It is not that I do not know what I am talking about, it is just that I do not know how to word my papers.

Reading and Writing Assignment 1

     Reading is the easier part of English for me. I'm not sure how it is for everyone else, but when I read I play out the events and dialogue I read in my head. It's really like watching a movie, and I create my own characters and voices and settings. I think reading is easier because there is nothing to create. You do not have to think deeply in reading; only decipher or translate the words that are shown to you. Other people would say that they cannot comprehend what they read, and I encounter this often too. I commonly read over a couple paragraphs and realize I wasn't even thinking about what I was reading. This tends to happen when I'm stressed and have other things to worry about. Other than that when I read, I read quickly and efficently without delay.
     My latest reading experience was reading the common reader book, "Where Am I Wearing?". The book started off quite slow, and there was a lot of unnecessary background information that didn't relate to anything. I really wasn't liking this book with the author who pretended he was your old pal and thought he was using witty jokes when I coudln't even bring myself to laugh in my head. However, when the author finally started to become serious about his mission and began to care, that was when the book suddenly became interesting and I began to actually want to read. In essecence, this book was both a good and a bad reading experience.
     My latest writing experience that was rather good was the English essay we had to do online for Ball State, pertaining to the common reader book. I began not knowing how to start my essay, without a valid point or sensible thought. But as I threw myself into the writing headfirst, I quickly corrected my mistakes and began breezing through the essay. Before I had known it, I had met the requirement of at least 500 words, then as I read through what I had wrote, I realized that I had left a point unexplained. I then began to breeze through the newest addition to my essay as well. By the time I was done, I had nearly met the maximum limit of words for the essay; 1000 words. I had typed 980 words. I was massively impressed with myself! I hadn't even meant to, but I had nearly maxed out my essay, where all my friends were having such trouble. Again, this essay was both a good and a bad writing experience... but I was proud of myself this time.

in class writing 1

A positive writing experience happened when I was in my sophomore year of high school, I had one of the best english teachers for helping with writing. She sat down with me one day during my study period and helped me do my essay for class, she had me start my essay then break down and explain to her the point I was trying to get across. She then explained to me the proper way to explain my idea so other people would understand my point as well. Sitting one on one with someone and just having them correct my mistakes and show me the proper way was exactly what I needed. My ending grade on the essay was an A, which is something I have never gotten on an essay before that day. Writing is still very hard for me but she improved my writing that day and showed me how to improve it ever since. 

A negative reading experience for me was being assigned a two chapters a night that were 30 pages each, and the book being the hardest book I have ever read before. It was very over whelming and made me love reading for school less. I prefer to read at my own pace of understanding a book and not being forced into reading it faster than I can understand.