Literacy Narrative

I have chosen to continue working on my literacy narrative, "One Comment." I chose this over my other writing for two main reasons, I enjoyed writing the piece and because I want to continue to develop my voice. I love telling stories, so this writing task was not especially difficult for me. I'm actually kind of excited to revisit this writing.
The two traits of good writing I want to work on are voice and word choice. I've been told that I write with pretty good voice, but there is always room for improvement. I find that voice adds to any piece of writing, especially when telling a story in great detail. Word choice is also crucial to a good paper. Although, that is one thing I struggle with. I don't exactly have a huge vocabulary, so I want to work on developing it and improve my literacy narrative.

Jane Goodall's Plagarism

If I could use one word to describe what has happened in the writing of Jane Goodall's new book it would be "unfortunate." Think about all of the things Goodall has accomplished in her scientific studies of chimps and the worldwide recognition she has gotten. So much respect is lost for her because of her plagiarism. Goodall will be looked at very differently from a professional stand point. She truly messed up badly.

Goodall's plagiarism is very serious. Not only will it lose her respect, but it is also illegal. She stole someone else's work, and that is not ok under any circumstances. “This was a long and well researched book,” Goodall said in an e-mail, “and I am distressed to discover that some of the excellent and valuable sources were not properly cited, and I want to express my sincere apologies. I hope it is obvious that my only objective was to learn as much as I could so that I could provide straightforward factual information distilled from a wide range of reliable sources.” After reading this quote, I can tell Goodall didn't intend any harm, but that still doesn't make it permissible. I think she should first write apologies to all of the authors she stole work from. Next, she should go back it edit the whole book again and fix any errors in not giving credit to others. Only then should she be allowed to put her name on the book and share it with the world.

Yes or No to NC?...

In my quest to figure out whether "Nervous Conditions" should be a part of next year's syllabus, I thought the most logical thing to do would be to take a look at what the main purpose of this course is.  One thing stressed a lot through out the year is this one questions: "How do culture and community influence who we are?" I've decided to look into "Nervous Condtions" and find out how this question is answered throughout the book.

First off, let's look at the surface of it all. Culture: "The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively." Obviously the environment of NC is very different from the one we live in. Let's think about location and customs. Tambu and her family live in Africa, and as we all know, have many different customs. I'd say that the most prominent of them all is the cast system. The men are given the education, ability to drive, money, and basically everything else over women. Just think about how much that effects the women and how their lives are lived.

What about community? It is defined as "a group of people living together in one place, esp. one practicing common ownership." This is closely related to culture. It all has to do with who you surround yourself. When Tambu is around her family, she participates in the cast system and customs because she wants to fit in with her family and show respect. Nobody wants to be the odd man out, so I think community and who you are with makes a huge impact on how you live your life.

Because this question is answered so clearly throughout NC, I would say that it should be a part of next year's curriculum. Personally, I didn't exactly love this book for it's plot, but I do think that it was a good tool for answering our question and led to a lot of deep class discussions. Most importantly, it gave students a new way of looking at our world in a way of understanding just how fortunate we are. At least, it did for me.

Nyasha's Eating Disorder

I want to talk about Nyasha's unfortunate development of bulimia and how it relates to real life. Like Nyasha, many young women are affected by eating disorders in our world today. It is a tragic problem that many deal with everyday. What many don't know is that it is not just girls wanting to be thin because of our society's distorted vision on beauty, but it evolves around changes in body chemicals and biological differences.
No matter how much reassurance some are given, when many anorexic or bulimic individuals look in the mirror, they see fat even if they only weigh one hundred pounds. Once this takes over, it is extremely difficult to get out of this trapped state of mind. This will continue to be a problem in today's world, but I think the last thing people going through this need is judgement. What they need is understanding, help, and support.

Expectations and Locations

I've never really thought of this, but your location really does affect the expectations put on you. I decided to pick two of the most contrary parts of my life to compare. I'm going to look at myself as a basketball player and a musician/writer. Let's discuss basketball first. As most of you know, the girls basketball coaches at Episcopal are Coach Boo and Coach K. Their coaching style is intense (probably having to do with them both also being football coaches). During practices and games, there is no pouting, no getting upset, and no emotion, unless of course, it's out of enthusiasm for the game. As a basketball player, you are expected to be tough and have a mental block from all other things. Focus is key.
On the other, hand I'm also a musician and write poetry. I know, it' s pretty different from what I just described. In both of these art forms, you are encouraged to let go of your emotions and express how you feel. Anything, I've been holding inside of me gets to come out when I'm writing or performing. It creates a good balance between basketball and my arts.  I'm glad I get to be a part of both sides and to be able to be mentally tough, but also let go of my emotions.  Most importantly, I know the difference and when it's appropriate to show each side of myself.

Free Post

For my free post today, I'm going to write about my favorite tv show: American Idol. I know a lot of people think the show is kind of stupid or not as good anymore since they got new judges, but I've been a fan for years. What some of you might not know is that I play guitar and sing, so to see other artists develop because of the show, it's pretty awesome. This season appears to be one of the best yet as far as talent goes.
Every year, Dru and I make predictions early in the season on who will win, and this year, all my money goes on Angie Miller. She is truly amazing. Not only does she have god given natural vocals, but her artistry so early in her life is insane. She is incredible on the piano and her original songs sound like they should already be recorded and bought by thousands. I haven't seen talent like hers in a long time.  I'm going to put a link to her original song, "You Set Me Free", and if you haven't heard it, I highly suggest it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_NhisWuq9o

Nyasha's Rage

Oh he did not just put his hands on me. No way did I just get beat to the ground by one father. I mean, this is absolutely ridiculous. All for staying out at a party? For real? What's he think I was doing? I think I'm old enough to go have a little fun at a party without getting a lecture when I got home as if I had just gone get completely drunk or something. I really just don't get it. I can't even deal with him anymore. I need a cigarette.
It all started with that stupid book anyway. It's none of their business what I'm reading. I'm not five anymore. Can't I just read what I want and make some of my own decisions? Apparently not because it seems like everything I do is wrong. Of course, Tambu's got to be the perfect child too. "Oh, I'll just read, thanks anyway." Girl, shut up. As if you've never smoked or anything. I'm so done dealing with all this.

Project Evaluation

My first project layer can be described with one word: hectic. Of course, I assumed that I was capable of reading through the week and just doing the projects a couple of nights before they were due. WRONG. For three nights in a row, I was up until midnight trying to read twenty five pages and do a project in one night. After hearing all of this, you can probably guess that there is one thing I have learned to work on, and that's planning.
I will definitely space things out more from now on and not get behind on my reading. I find that the most effective project was the reading response questions. Not only were they a nice, simple way to get points, but they really did help me return to what I had read and think about what the author was truly trying to portray. I'm ready to get this next layer done, and will for sure not leave it until the night before.