Reflection!

Throughout this semester I have been introduced to blogs for the first time. It is a unique tool that can be utilized. It is convenient because if there is something you want to add or delete from a blog you are working on or a previous blog you can do so online by editing the blog. Unlike homework that you turn in this can be modified. It is also nice because you can sit at the computer and write your blog instead of having to bring books with you. After so many classes books get extremely heavy, and when I sit down to do homework I could be anywhere using anyones computer.
Yes there were things that I liked about blogging like the convenience,and making it something new to do instead of turning in paper homework. It was also nice to be able to respond to others indirectly. I know I was more able to be a little more honest, for what ever reason that may be. This was a great way to help other students out without the confrontation. You also get constructive criticism by reading what others have written about the blogs you've wrote. Sometimes it can be depressing but for the most part it was helpful in making me a better writer.

I also had a little problem with blogging sometimes. Yes I always do my homework but sometimes it got redundant. The minimum word count bugged me a little. Yes I understand this is a writing class but we also did other writing assignments other than blogs. I also know that with a word requirement it makes sure that people actually participate in the blogging assignments, as well as it establishes ground rules for what is expected out of the blogs. So this tool is a great way for students to do assignments instead of paper homework (since I am doing my long paper on recycling I care about how much I print):)
A blog to me now that I have written about twenty of them is something that can be constructive, friend oriented, as well as a learning tool. It can keep people connected as well as being some where that homework is done. It is nice because everyone is still accountable for the work that is done, when someone does not do their homework it does not go unnoticed.
A way that I found to make reading others blogs more interesting is adding images. When you clicked on someones blog you noticed one thing first... pictures. This is what makes it interesting to look at and read. It is also nice when there are picture to look at in the blogs. My favorite assignment was the one that we analyzed the pictures. It was something different instead of the same old writing assignments.It was also helpful to hear others ideas on the pictures that were chosen. It helped the writer out in deciding whether the picture would be useful in the paper or not.

An Imperial Message

In "An Imperial Message" Kafka talks about how the authority of a person can be unimportant to some people or they may use their authority in a way that benefits them. Some are greedy and only think about themselves, like in "An Imperial Message" when the king’s daughters trick him into thinking that they love him more then his youngest daughter, which is not true. After the king gives all of his assets to his older daughters they use it against him and then the king realizes that the youngest daughter was the most true and really did love and care about him, unlike his other daughters.

This was an extremely hard story to understand what was going on. I read it multiple times but I still don't think I got it 100%. I think the purpose was to tell people that the power one has could destroy them unless they use that power to benefit others instead of themselves. I also think that it might mean that no matter how someone may perceive another individual they still might backstab you or hurt you in some way. People should make sure that they are safe and well off before trying to make others happy, like the king in the story.

This picture is very interesting. It shows that a man can become very pleased about people who recycle. It is a great thing when there are this many items that have been recycled instead of thrown in the garbage. It is showing that people can make a difference by choosing not to throw recyclables in the garbage. This picture should be interpreted as a positive ideal for the future. More people need to be recycling and by showing them how great it can be, will hopefully get more people to participate in recycling! This would be useful in my paper to show that these items will not be thrown away but recycled so that they may become new items. To me recycling is a great thing that will keep the land and bodies of water cleaner as well as saving natural resources!

Discrimination is A Virtue

With the election that is going on now there is discrimination to O'bama and Clinton because they are not white males. Even though America has started to get rid of the white male superiority idea, it is still hard for people to be ok with the idea that either groups be President. Some think that it is time for change but not everyone would agree. In "Discrimination is a Virtue" Miller talks about how discrimination has adapted to be related to racism. This to me is true, I have grown up being told not to discriminate against anyone, yet it is still there. In the classroom and more professional settings you do not hear much talk about different races but once people get in their comfort zone slurrs and racist comments start to flow between friends. America still has not been able to get over the fact that people are different and deserve equality, which includes a black or female president.

prospectus

1. I think that this person should have said things that they wanted to researcch instead of using questions... sure a few questions is appropriate but it seems as if there are questions in each paragraph and it feels like there are too many.
2. How will teacher penalize students that are caught plagiarizing?
3. How will this person figure out what the students are thinking when they choose to plagiariz?

If Black isn't A Language...

Language is everywhere, and without it people would be lost, hopeless, and unintelligent. There are many things that language does for us; it helps us understand others and it can tell us peoples moods. People may cuss and sometimes that tells us if they are excited or extreamly upset. We can also tell where people are from by how they sound and the different ways people may pernounce certains letters in words. From different cultures people have grown to understand what language is apropriate around certain people and what is not.
In this story Baldwin talkes about how during slavery the "black language" was born. It was their way of communicating with each other without the guards and white people knowing. Using the "black language" during those times united the other slaves, where it may have confused the white guards because they could not understand them. He also stated that even though there may be many people from France not all of their dilects are the same, they still may have trouble understanding others from different parts of France.
I think that people learn by being around different languages. It helps people to understand others and be more understanding of how they are different.

Annotated Bibliography

Imhoff, Daniel. Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Over packaged World. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 2005.

This book talked about Pros and Cons of different containers (Beverage containers, loose-fill packaging, transport pallets, bags, and fresh produce racks). It also talks about many ways that consumers can help reduce the little that is created.

The author is Daniel Imhoff, and he is a researcher, public speaker, and a publisher. He has spent 20 years on environmental issues, and conducts workshops to help educate people.

This book is helpful for my paper because it talks about the benefits and consequences of the different packaging materials and how they affect the earth. It is also useful because it gives case studies, some of which will be helpful in writing my longer paper.