Blog 11; Responding to a significant topic in The Truman Show

Topic 3: Coming out of the cave (Google Groups questions 4-5)
Truman’s conformity to his society is often depicted as childish. He sometimes behaves wildly and is constantly being told to “grow up”. He begins to “grow up” when he questions everything he has always known and believed in to the point that his view of Seahaven is radically altered
Consider your own life (or the life of someone you know well):
Can you think of a similar situation in your own life that has changed the way you view the world?
If so, please describe it in detail. Was your change in worldview for the better or the worse? Why?
In what ways are you still conforming to your surroundings?
What things/people are keeping you from “growing up”?

               
                 People’s view of life can be altered by many things. Different life experiences good or bad can change a persons outlook on life. The most damaging things that could alter ones outlook on life in my opinion would be a death or being lied too.

             When someone has a close family member or friend pass away it could damage them for life. Some people never get over it. I remember when i was younger a very close friend of mine passed away, i was destroyed. I couldn't eat for days. I didn't want  go to school, i didn't want to talk to anyone.
             My view of the world changed for the worse. I no longer wanted to be friends with people because i thought that if i became their friends they would also die and i didn't want that to happen.I was always by myself. I later was told that people die all the time and it wasn't my fault. It was natural I just figured that my mom was trying to make me feel better. 
             A couple of years later my grandfather died in Ireland and i knew if wasn't my fault cause i was here in NY. After that i realized that it wasn't my fault that people died. I started to become friends with people again. Death today is still not easy but at least I don’t believe that i killed the person.

          

Blog 10; Reflection on Skills

1. What do you think you have learned in terms of writing skills?
2. What proves that you have learned what you say you have learned?
3. What of the material we have covered is still unclear or confuses you? 
4. Would you say that overall you feel more confident about your understanding of basic writing skills, less confident, or about the same as when we started class? What makes you feel this way? 
5. Anything else I should know about?

          From my ENG 099 class i have learned many new skills. I learned how to Annotate how to summarize, how to write a thesis statement, i learned how to organize my essay around a thesis and i also leaned how to put a coherent & how to develop a topic sentence, and finally i learned some new transition words.
          From the annotating class i learned that it is important to underline important ideas. Also it is a good idea to take notes of the words you don't understand and later you can find the meaning so the essay or story makes complete sense to you. It is also a good idea to connect with the reading by writing brief comments or questions. Dr.X also said that it would be a good idea to circle key words and underline important examples. I feel most comfortable with annotating.
          The summarizing class was much more difficult for me as i am not good with summarizing things. From class i have learned that to write a successful summery you should find the main ideas, repeat them in your own words and also mention the authors name and title of the work. I also learned how to use words in different forms.
           A thesis statement is the single claim that the rest of your essay will support or explain. In order to write a good thesis based writing it should include a specific topic, a claim and a list of reasons. I found this difficult to learn at first but i hope with the help of Dr. X i will be more comfortable with wring thesis statements. I think learning how to write a thesis statement was the most difficult thing for me to learn.
          Dr.X explained that a successful paragraph should include a topic sentence it should develop the topic sentence it should be unifies and be coherent. The entire paragraph should concern itself with proving ONE idea. And last but not least would be the transition words. Transitions are words that serve as clues or hints so the reader can follow where your going with the work.
          So far this ENG 099 has helped me understand different writing skills. But what made this difficult was the fact that we are always working in groups. I think that if the CAT was done in a group that would be a great idea but unfortunately we have to complete the CAT on our own and that's how it should be done in class.

Blog 9; Reflecting on Paragraphing.

1. What have you learned from the paragraphing class?
2. How do you know that you have learned it?
3. Can you describe how you learned it? 
4. What helped your learning? What made it difficult?
5. How do you feel after today's class? 

              From the paragraphing class i have learned that a successful paragraph contains a topic sentence, develops the topic sentence the paragraph should be unified and coherent. I also learned how to develop my topic sentence & that i should use examples, cite facts and define key words. I don't know that i have learned it until i am asked to write a good paragraph and it its checked and shown to me whats right and what i should change. I think Ive learned it because my paragraphs are getting better.writing paragrapgs have helped my learning and what made it difficult was the fact that we are working in groups AGAIN. if the CAT was done in a group that would be ok but we are on our own while taking the test. so we should be on our own while practicing for the CAT. I feel ok about writing more well put together paragraphs but not in a group cause that is not helping me.

Blog 8; I Know the Truth, so Don't Bother Me with Facts.

             In “I know the truth so don’t bother me with facts” by Jeffrey Kluger he explains how humans easily believe rumors and flat out lies. Assistant professors of communication at Ohio State University R-Kelly Garrett and Erik Nisbet were shocked by how easy it is to alter peoples beliefs. Investigators are digging deeper into the brain to see how our primal emotions are functioning. Kluger finishes by telling us no matter what information we gather its up to us as individuals to make our own and best decisions.
           I agree with Jeffrey Kluger when he states “even when people do take the time to learn the facts the efforts often does no good” because people are set in there own ways and they are not open minded about new facts. 
           For instance i always tend to do my writing homework while watching television or listening to my Ipod. I have been doing this for as long as i remember. My mom always complains that it is not a good idea, but i am so used of doing this its hard for me to change. I am really hardheaded. I usually like to do things my way and the way that satisfies me despite what other people have to say or tell me. Kluger mentions in his article that it has a lot to do with our ego.
           We put a lot of pride in what we believe in. People tend not to be aware of what is going on around them. They live in their own worlds and do not pay attention to any of there surroundings. people may be easily manipulated as show in Nisbets and Garretts study, it is very difficult to actually change ones belief. The study done at Ohio State University proves that people are not ready for change and consequences that they will have to overcome, but i believe we should be up for anything.!


                                                                                           

Blog 7; Reflecting on Thesis-based writing.

1. In the thesis based writing class today i learned that a good thesis startment will include a specific topic a   claim and a list of reasons.


2. I know i have learned this because when putting a thesis based writing together it comes along much faster and makes sense.

3. Cause we have done many practices in class with our group.


4. what made it difficult was working in the group i would perfer to work alone as i only have to listen to my idea.


5. I feel very good about today's lesson and hope to write more thesis based writing.

Blog 6; Things i do not believe in anymore.

When i was younger i used to believe Santa was real. Today i know he is a made up person because i found letters that i used to write to him in my moms room. I put 2 and 2 together and realized this whole time my mom would pretend she is sending out the letters but in reality she would keep them and buy whatever i had written down.  When i was younger i also though Jesus was real, but then i went to catholic school and from then on i didn't believe anymore and now i don't believe anything until i see it with my own eyes. I also used to think the Easter bunny was real but since i found out that Santa wasn't real i assumed along time ago he was a made up person as well. Also when i was about 5 years old i had lost a tooth and my mom told me to leave it under my pillow and the "tooth fairy" would come while i was sleeping and leave money. I was so excited.! About three years later  found it and my mom confessed that she was the tooth fairy after that anytime a tooth would fall out i would just give it to my mom and she would give me money.

Blog 5; Summerizing what the allegory stands for?

              In Plato's "The Allegory of the cave." Socrates tells a story in which his student Glaucon to explain the importance of exploring your boundaries.Socrates tells the story to his student Glaucon about a group of prisoners who have lived their lives uneducated chained up so "they cannot move and they only see before them" in a cave. Behind the prisoners is a fire which lightens up the cave.It was obvious that the student clearly understood him. Socrates continued with his story, and a road in between All the men see shadows of people doing different tasks; some talking others carrying items. 
           To my understanding Glaucon questions in his own mind why Socrates has shown him this strange picture of the live and moving world.Socrates then goes on saying "like ourselves", which bafels the student but quickly agrees with his teacher, still wondering how can they see their shadows if they cant move their heads because of the chains around their necks. Althought, Glaucon believes almost everything Socrates tells him, it leaves one wondering to why someone could have such an imagination to express this horrendous time that they are going thought.
            He makes the reader and his student realize that what he is saying is that everything has a life cycle,when people pass by you hear their voice and if you think about it, when the prisoners or if they are possibly released would they ever stop being beaten of their wrong doings. Socrates keeps on explaining the things that would happen to the person when they get out of this dungeon of hell that is so dark and full of death. Their eyes would suddenly suffer very sharp pains and possibly go blind or not be able to see for a long time. The individual would most likely have flash backs of the past life he lived.

Blog 4; Rivision of "Hype"

    
Kalle Lasn, the author of "Hype" starts his article by stating "advertisements are the most prevalent and toxic of mental pollutants. The author then continues to give us a number of daily radio commercials TV commercials and billboard ads that we encounter each and everyday. She also mentions that no longer are ads confined to the usual places such as buses and billboards but now we can see ads on supermarkets karts, while waiting online for your cup of coffee. Lasin writes there is no where to run. "Everyone’s life without exemptions are filled with advertisements.


In the giving passage Hype Kalle Lasn writes about advertisements being the most prevalent and toxic of mental problems" He points out there growing number and there places in which they appear. "There is no where to run no one is exempt and no one will be spared states lasn. I totally agree with Lasn. Where ever you turn your bout to run into an ad. While waiting for a bus your constantly see ads, whether its on passing by busses or cabs. THERE EVERY WHERE. In corporate America’s eyes ads should be "filled with a logo or product message" and I don't agree. 'Videocarte' installed interactive screens on supermarket carts so don't you think the customer would be too busy trying to focus on the ad on the screen rather than shopping. I personally think they are useless. Everywhere you turn you will bump into an ad, you can’t run from them. While you sit at the movies you have to sit through 10 minutes of commercials. When you go to the store to buy a cup of coffee the cup has an ad on it. TV and radio stations throw commercials at us all the time. While you’re sitting in the dentist office they have posters on the wall advertising a special tooth paste or mouth wash. Most people dont have a problem with ad's being posted everywhere and on everything. I think its a good idea; not only do we get entertained while shopping or waiting for our morning bus but the ads promote a product. By the ads being promoted the product will get sold more. I personally think there are too many billboards and posters advertising useless products. Companies will do just about anything to catch a customer’s eye.


Companies are going over board. Who's going to look at an ad on a supermarket kart while shopping? Sometimes ad's are a waste of money. Have you ever gone to the store and checked out and got your receipt? did you ever look at the back of it? More useless ads. I think its a waste of ink. Ads should be limited to billboards and buses.


Advertisements are a good way to make money but they are also a good way to bombard people who useless products.

Blog 3: Reflecting on Summary

1. From the summerizeing class i have learned certain things that i didnt know before. I also learned better techniques on summerizeing and picking out main ideas.


2. i have know i some what learned this because i can put sumerys better and they make much more sense.


3. What helped me what doing acouple of them in class with some of my class members. Although it was fun working with my class mates it was also hard because we had to combine all our ideas.


4. I feel more cinfident will summerizeing a paragraph or story.

Blog 2: Reflecting on Annotation.

1.  From discussing annotations in class I've learned that is it a good idea to underline and high light words that  stick out to you or important information, facts & ideas.

2. From doing the annotation in class on "Is Google Making Us Stupid" i got "Search engine delivers useful information about pretty much anything"  "If we're distracted we understand less remember less and learn less".and " if your really interested in developing your minds we should turn off the computer and put away the cell phones.

3. I learned how to elaborate and also explain terms and definitions.

4. Annotations make you a better writer because you learn how to point out main points, and stuff that you can relate too & important facts.

I learned that i shouldent be afraid to under line and circle words that i dont know.

Blog 1 "Hype"

Advertisements are essential in this day & age. If there were no ads on buses, billboards or in supermarkets people would not have as much information on products as they currently do. Everywhere you look theirs an ad trying to market a product. sometimes advertisement company's go a step further and put an ad within an ad Often while i am watching TV a commercial will come on and all the way at the bottom of the screen they have another commercial scrolling across. I personally think there are too many billboards and posters advertising useless products. Companies will do just about anything to catch a customer’s eye. 

              In corporate America’s eyes ads should be "filled with a logo or product message" and I don't agree. 'Videocarte' installed interactive screens on supermarket carts so don't you think the customer would be too busy trying to focus on the ad on the screen rather than shopping. I personally think they are useless. Everywhere you turn you will bump into an ad, you can’t run from them. While you sit at the movies you have to sit through 10 minutes of commercials. When you go to the store to buy a cup of coffee the cup has an ad on it. TV and radio stations throw commercials at us all the time. While you’re sitting in the dentist office they have posters on the wall advertising a special tooth paste or mouth wash.

         As I walk through my school everyday I see ads trying to market school T-shirts, bags, etc

It’s just a way to make money. The product is not special nor will it do anything for you. It’s just a money issue. Advertisement companies will do anything like making 3 different ads for the same product just so people could view the commercial in hopes the product will be bought. I don't think advertisements affect people they are just really annoying and too frequent.

newbe

In English 099 i expect to learn the fundamentals of English. Hopefully at the end of this course i will have passed the test and i can make it everyday to class.!!