Memo
Sarah Flynn
12/ 11/09
Reflective Authors Memo
I will take away many things from this class. During this class I have learned not only English writing skills, but also new media skills. I have learned how to create, edit and add music to videos. This new skill will help me within my next four years. Also it will help me in the work place. If I would ever need to make a quick business proposal, now I know how to use many new forms of media. After blending the media techniques with the rhetoric I have learned many, many new skills that will help me in the future. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn all of the essential skills for the job market. Another skill I can take into the job market is the creating of my personal blog. Before this class I had no idea how to go about making one. Now that I have had experience with working with word press for an entire semester, I know it well. This knowledge of the program will help me in the future. Knowing how to put your ideas onto the internet is a vital skill for us growing adults. We learn so much from our peers, and what they think. Having our information out there for people to read, and see is very beneficial for our growth.
The class was similar to what I had in the past. In high school we looked into the auto ethnography. We just looked at some examples so we would be familiar with it, but I had never really written one before. Also the paper writing was similar to what I had done in high school. Although in this class we had more assignments, and less time in between to complete each assignment. Other than that the class was pretty similar to what I had in high school.
In other composition pieces I would try and just sit down and write. I would set aside a time to do the paper, and then I would push right through it. This was not conducive for writing. I have learned that writing is more of a process, than a task as to be completed. With the way the class was set up we had workshop time, This workshop time really taught me that to get the best work I would need to continue to revise my pieces, This allowed time for me to step away from a project, and I could come back with a new idea. This continued growth changed all my writings for the better. Now that I have learned this is effective I can implement it into all my composition pieces in the future.
For my first piece I chose to revise my auto ethnography. I wanted to make a video with pictures to literally show a window into the inner workings of our team. I thought that showing pictures would be easier for the audience to see into what we do. I chose these two pieces to revise because I wanted to clarify the things I had said in my paper. I chose to revise the rhetorical analysis because I didn’t do as well as I had hoped. I thought creating the blog would help with having the pictures as well as the words. I though the blog would be easier to relay my message to the audience. In my revisions I really just wanted to make my messages clear. That was one of the things discussed in my critique sheets, so I wanted to make sure that was taken care of. Also I wanted to take a more media based approach to my papers. I think approaching it this way will give a new perspective to the piece. I think in both of my pieces I have made my points clearer, and just made them better. More polished this time, and I think since I have been working with the software, these revisions have been my best ones so far.
Clifford
The author uses this writing to peer into the world of others. He is a visitor in other peoples worlds. Usually you cant spot tourists you just assmue they are normal people living in your area just like you.When you entera restaurant you think that everyone there will go back to their home about 15 minutes away, when that might not be the case. Sometimes you cant spot the tourists, and they just obsereve from a far. In the writing he talks about all the different things he experinces while exploring other places. His wondow into other cultures really helped the readers see what he was feeling. He gave good description of this thoughts and feelings, adn this helped the reader paint a mental image. Also this helped the readers connect with the writing.
Guerilla Art
The artile discusses the many components of Guerilla art. It is an art from practiced all over the country. The artists are very rarely paid for their work, and sometimes are even punished for their work. Even know their art my not be conventional, they still are expressing themselves through their craft. The art is said to a window into ones inner soul. Should this be punished? The artists are struggling to find support, and appreciation for their lifes work. Something so beautiful and natural should be respected and explored by more people today.
rough draft
Sarah Flynn
Social Justice Issue: Clean Up Over the Rhine
10/20/2009
If you ever travel to the city of Cincinnati Ohio you might hear people say “Oh be careful down there” or make sure you lock your door when you are there. ” This area people are normally afraid of is called Over the Rhine (sometimes abbreviated OTR). Over the Rhine has been called Cincinnati’s most infamous ghetto. This area has some general characteristics that hold true to most areas in Over the Rhine, that gives it such a bad reputation.
In February 2006 the city of Cincinnati reported that Over the Rhine had the highest crime rate out of all the areas in the city. The police service to this area is over double the calls from any other area. Other than crime Over the Rhine has been known for poverty, and drug trafficking. All of these things combine give Over the Rhine the bad reputation that it holds. The question most people have is why don’t you clean that area up? Well this social issue has been fought over for months in Cincinnati court houses.
The people that are for preserving the area “as is” have a few arguments of their side. First Over the Rhine has many historical land marks that they want to be preserved. Over the Rhine was settled in the 1840s by German settlers. The German settlers made Over the Rhine a thriving area. They had established a brewing company, and also built beautiful architecture in the area. Some of these buildings are still in the area today. Some people want to preserve this historical area. They think that by cleaning up the area it will take away from the historical buildings and architecture. The people that are for not cleaning the area want to preserve its historical beauty. Also people on the city council do not want to spend the money in fixing up the area. The city also is running low on money maintaining other city structures. In these tough economic times the council does not want to spend money on anything that is not in dire need of repair.
The argument for cleaning up the area will help Over the Rhine in many ways. The city will get a better reputation. The city of Cincinnati sometimes has a reputation for being a crime ridden area. People sometimes won’t go there because they are scared of it. By cleaning up the area it will bring more tourists to the city to spend more money. This money could fund more police to the area. If there are more police patrolling the Over the Rhine area it could stop some of the violent crimes, and drug dealings.
One way that people could help clean up the city is by starting with the schools. I have personally helped with two inner city schools in Cincinnati. I first worked with Kid Café. Kids Café is an after school program in Over the Rhine. The children come there after school to get help with homework, and to eat something before they head home. This helps keep the children off the streets, and away from bad influences. This organization is ran by volunteers and donations.
Another school I worked at was called Roselawn Condon School. This school is located in Cincinnati, and the children that attend come from under privilege families. A group of girls from my school and I went every week to tutor. When we went it wasn’t just about helping the children with homework. We would talk to them about social issues. We also tell them about our future aspirations, and this inspired them. One child told me at the end of our time that she was going to go to college just like me. If I had not gone the help these children they could have been on the wrong path and end up another statistic about crime in Over the Rhine.
All of these things were done on volunteer support. Not everything can be done by volunteers and donations, but it can surely help. By helping the children in Over the Rhine this could stop the vicious cycle of crime. If people focus on the children this could help the area improve.
source
http://www.irhine.com/index.jsp?page=home_041005
www.findlaymarket.org/impact.htm
http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=16431.0
NYC
The NYC article has denounced a common myth with New York and New Yorkers. Pathos is used well in this article. Owen plays on your emotions and your past experiences with New York. When most people think about New York they think about smog and traffic. It is pictured as one of the most un economically friendly area of the United States. The article pointed out that generalization may not be entirely true. If you really think about it New Yorkers have something we can learn from. New Yorkers use public transportation. Public Transportation is a way to save the environment. Since everyone is basically carpooling this is a way to save the planet. Also more people walk in New York than another place. This article shows how common generalities that can be turned around.
Rough Draft
Sarah Flynn
Analysis
The website I chose to analyze is The Community Center in the area that I live in. I am a lifeguard at the pool at The Community Center. I also have swam there, and worked out as a patron. Because I am an employee there and a patron, I have two very different perspectives.
My first view of my place of employment is one very different than the place shown in the advertisement on the Community homepage. I am a lifeguard at the outdoor and indoor pools. The website shows the pools and clean, just the perfect amount of people in the pool, and just so much to entertain yourself with. I know a very different story. First the lifeguards are the people that check the chlorine and Ph levels in the pool. For a safe swimming environment you should have about 7.0 to 10.0 readings on the chlorine scale. I personally have tested the pool at a reading at 2.0 or lower. This reading tells that there is almost no chlorine in the water. On a summer day we could have close to 500 people in and out of the water. This means that almost nothing in the water is killing bacteria. Also when the pool is clean there is a sea of leaves that blow in from the surrounding trees, and an assortment of bugs and animals that take swims in the pool.
In the pictures they also show the pool never crowded. They make it seem almost like a private pool for you and your family. This is not the case. During one day we could see close to 500 people in the water. It has gotten to points where you could barley move there was so many patrons at the pool. This many people in the pool makes it extremely hard to watch the people in the water. The lines are outrageous for the slide and one diving board.
On the website they advertise all the extras that come along with the pool. In reality besides the water itself there is little extra to do if you are not in the mood for swimming. There is a sand pit that is full of plastic toys and kid’s band- aids. Not the picturesque beach seen as depicted in pictures. The homepage for The Mason Community Center does a very good job using ethos pathos, and logos to attract customers.
Ethos: The website I chose to analyze is the one of where I work. I work at The Mason Community Center. I have been there just recreationally and I go there for work, so I have multiple perspectives on this place.
The website right away establishes good ethos. I gives a lot of contact information, copyrights etc. It also provides a history. This gives good ethos to the reader, because they know where they are coming from and that they come from credible roots.
Pathos: Again before you even enter the site it shows pictures of people having fun at The Mason Community Center. This picture pairs The Community center with fun. This makes the reader think if I go here I will have fun. This branding method is a very effective from of advertising. They also have pictures of multiple generations enjoying the community center. This is also effective because it shows no matter what age you are you can find something here to enjoy. The website also shows pictures of other things that you can do the community center most people think that the only thing you can do at The Community Center is workout. The site depicts people taking art classes showing the diversity of The Center. This emotional connection established spans across all boards, and is good to reach a lot of people.
Logos: The website relies very little on logos. Most of what they produce is emotion based. They make it look fun, which makes you want to go there to have the same emotion depicted in the picture. The website provides prices for their different packages. This is a form of logos. It uses logic to tell that the classes and services provided are cost efficient, which in turn might make it a logical choice to participate.
Activism
One definition of activism is Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social change, political change, economic justice, or environmental wellbeing. I think that this fits most peoples general thoughts about activism. A lot of people my age see activism in a very different way than some generations before us. People that lived in the 60′s and 70′s know activism ver well. During that time there was so much to fight for that they felt a certain duty to make their voices heard. I think for people in our generation activism or protesting its something that is looked down upon intead of being celebrated as it once was. For our generation we have seen so many people be severly punished someimes for any typw of activism in a school environment. This has possibly scared us out of standing up so some things.
Disney
This writing talks about the physical place of Disney and the emotions it evokes. They describe the amazing job that the Disney Corporation has done in creating this escape for people. The park provides an escape for adults and children. The place provides a sense of nostalgia and comfort for people who recognize. The problem is in the future some children might not recognize some characters. This will hurt the corporation. The positive is that the products are ever changing and adopting new characters to evolve with the theme park.
