Grand Finale:"Why I Write"

Why I Write

      In the past, I was never much of a writer. I always had these thoughts in my head, but it was hard to put them on paper. It was not until I got into my Composition class that I fell in love with writing. Well, I fell in love with my own writing. I write because I gain a sense of freedom. I have never been a talker, so to be able to write without any one interrupting my thoughts was empowering.

      Thinking back on this year writing has made me better. I write because it is the bridge from the old me to the new me. I write because I have nothing to fear, but myself. I write because I needed to know where I stood with controversial issues of the world. I write to put my mind at ease and say things to people without verbally saying it to them. I write as the voice to millions of girls like myself. We know who we are, but are not sure who will accept that. I write to let myself know that I have an opinion as a woman and I still am able to voice them if necessary.

      I only write for assignments at school. Composition class has now changed that. I will write to tell myself how I really feel. I will write to see the pain. I will write to allow myself some closure. I will write so that I can no longer just hold in my feelings. I will write for the peace of my family. I will write for the sake of my sanity. I will write for that voiceless girl that used to be inside of me. I will write and never stop writing about what I see around me. I will write to continuously document the woman I will never be. I will write to always know how far I have come. I will write to see all the hard work I have done.  I will write to share my world. I will write as an outer body experience to see where I am in this world that surrounds me.

      I write me see what Darrianna honestly thinks. What goes on in her head as she is walking through the halls? What goes through her head at the sight of her mom’s husband? What does she think of the women around her? Are they worthy of her admiration? I will write to put a stop to a family cycle. The broken homes and hearts. I will write to keep a clear mind and view of the world I will be in soon. I will write my own fantasy and make it my reality. I will write to remind myself that being a child is only temporary. I cannot control what goes on around me, but my writing can. I will write because I cannot say all the things that hurt me. I will write to put in prospective all the things that I have seen. I will write to see a young woman’s thoughts grow and see all of her dreams. See how they played out and see how her life has changed. I will write to see if even after writing what things will remain the same. I will write for me and my mind, body and soul. I will write solely and selfishly for me, because I refuse to let all the pain in life take its toll.

     

My Multigenre Project: The Coldest Winter Ever

This is my multigenre project over the book The Coldest Winter Ever .https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4JE9zfgL8u7cFJUVDdBRmJQNnc/edit?usp=sharing Through this project I have gotten a better understanding of the character and author of the book. I have also taken a closer look at myself and wonder how others view me as a woman.

Reading Response: Article Six "Plagiarism LInes Blur for Students in Digital Age"

http://schools.bvsd.org/p12/Casey/library/Pages/Plagiarism.aspx

 I agree our generation believes that everything on the web does not belong to anyone. Teresa Fishman said, “It’s possible to believe this information is just out there for anyone to take.” Sometimes teens have research papers to do and end up copying what an author says, because they chose to be lazy and not really think about what the author meant in their terms. I do not understand how a student can accidentally plagiarize a piece of writing here at Parkview High School, because in every grade there is that one teacher that pounds how to do citations in our head. Citations are really easy now that you can just fill out the genres basic information in and the generator will produce a citation.

A way to fight plagiarism is to teach students early on how to summarize pieces of writing and to learn to put things in their own words. This helps the teacher and student. Teachers know their students writing, so it will be easy for the teacher to know what their student meant if the writing is in their terms. The student will actually will do better during their presentations. Students grasp on t0 knowledge more if it is presented in a way that is understandable for them.

 Plagiarism is copying someone elses work. I wonder if it is the same if someone copies a concept. After Twilight came out, a lot of other vampire movies came out. Honestly, it was really annoying. People need to start making up their own characters that will be a phenomena of their own. The same thing happens with celebrities. After Justin Beiber it was okay to sign young children that seemed to sound good, but everyone wants to make a fuss about how they are becoming rebels. Another annoying "plagiarism" copy is with clothes. All clothes are the same trend, but with different prices. Somewhere along the line maybe people will begin to be original and realize that repeats are really annoying.

Reading Response: Multi-genre Book Projects "Speak"

The project is about a book, called Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. This project is actually the reason why I wanted to do my multi-genre project on a book.
The project includes poetry, an expository piece, dear readers, and visual pieces. The different genres were very effective, because I got an overall understanding of the main characters struggles in the story. The project includes nine pieces of work. There are four poems with pictures, an expository piece on rape, a list, visual of graffiti, a picture of a tree that she continually draws, and a dear reader for the introduction.

The author did research on the expository piece. The essay gave statistics on rape. Melinda, the main character, was a rape victim of her friend's boyfriend. The author was completely imaginative with the poetry pieces. All of the pieces were about a single subject and included a visual. The poems to me seem like the authors way of making a transition from one piece of the project to another. The transition pieces are effective, because they give you an understanding of the character. Poetry gives the reader a personal understanding of the topics and emotions the character portrays.

I really liked the authors use of poetry. I am not a fan of writing poetry, but the author of this project made it the main focus. The poems are short, but get the point across. She even did a two voiced poem of the main character and the man who raped her.

Everything in this poem goes together. The series of events are not out of order and I like the serious approach. For my project, I want to use the dear readers as a transition piece rather than poems.





Rape is something that is hard to speak out against, but if no one speaks many more will happen.



Reading Response: Article Five "The Secret to being Memorable and Persuasive"

I always find a memorable part in a book that I am reading. Those sayings or ideas always stick to me. Usually they are catchy or clever. The quotes are hardly ever long and are extraordinary things said in such simple words that I could not come up with myself (hint: keep it simple stupid). I cannot ever seeing myself memorizing a country song or a classical piece of music if the hook is not seem catchy or interesting to me. I love R & B and rap music for their catchy and memorable hooks. The metaphores and connections made in songs are eye opening and make you realize how much of an art words are.

In the article, Joe Romm said "Studies suggest that if a phrase or aphorism rhymes then people are more likely to view it as true." If a phrase seems so well put together and it sounds like words were always meant to be together, why not think it is a true statement? As a child, my sisters would say, "Fatty, Fatty you look like your daddy," to me. Those words rhyme and they were so true. I would not get mad, because I knew that I was such a great person that my only problem was my weight. Other than that I was perfect. Some phrases do not even have to rhyme in order for them to sound true. The way you talk personally changes the meaning. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Those words do not rhyme, but the way people recite those words has power.



Lil' Wayne is a very provacative rapper, but he is one of the greatest for a reason.



Reading Response: Article Four "Dave Barry on College"

I was very relieved to see the subjects that Dave Barry encouraged his readers not to major in were not subjects I was interested in anyway. I plan to study psychology. His view on the major of psychology was very funny, but seemed true. Psychologist always want to use a rat to compare to human abilities. Every time the rat wins. Put any animal against a human and I bet the rat will win.

I am not going to lie: people who take like a philosophist do seem to be on drugs and on a whole other planet. I tend to pretend to understand and walk away. There is no need to always quote someone and not break it down to those who do not understand a word you are saying. Why try to educate someone if you are not willing to elaborate what it is they are supposed to understand?

I am going to college next year, but like Dave Barry said, all but very few of my hours spent in class will be usless and forgotten. I guess I will take as many psychology classes as the school offers just to learn new things that technically cannot be proven. Psychology interest me and I should be very facinated by what my classmates will try to prove.



Reading Response: Article Three " 7 Bogus Grammar 'Errors' You Don't Need to Worry About"

I find it funny how Ben Yagoda writes that it is okay to start a sentence with a conjunction. Sometimes some sentences do sound better if they begin with a conjunction, but many teachers will make you go back and find another way to start your sentence. I have a problem with ending my sentences with a proposition and not wording things correctly. It is like I know what I am trying to say, but when it is written down in what is supposed to be proper English, it does not look right. See! I did it. The sentence before would sound better if I wrote "It is like I know what I am trying to say, but it does not look right written down in what is supposed to be proper English."

I usually write an English paper in my head before I write it down. The problem with that is I always use a passive voice and assume people know what and who I am talking about. This never fails. A teacher always questions who or what did such and such in the sentence. The passive voice always leads to my wordiness and inability to word sentences in the correct order. It was a relief to know that someone else thinks the passive voice in writings is a grammar error that people do not need to worry about.



I will no longer allow the fixations of bogus grammar errors make me seem like a bad, wordy writer.



Reading Response: Article Two " 7 Grammar Rules You Really Should Pay Attention To"

I must admit that I am guilty of almost all of the grammar rules Ben Yagoda feels are imporant to remember. To be honest, I will never master the rules of verbs like lie verses lay or be able to use the semicolon the correct way. I have a huge issue with making a lot of run on sentenes and placing commas in the wrong place. I became obsessed with the usage of commas when a lot of teachers began to re-teach their students how to use them. All of the rules he brought up are really common mistakes. Sometimes it is easier to write a paper in the form of the way we talk than to have to make sure we use the correct grammar.

The books I have been reading lately probably do not follow the grammar rules. I like to read books that have their own style to them. If the author does no have their own way of talking to their readers, then I do not feel that they should be an author. Each author's voice is different and brings a unique purpose to their books.

An interesting rule Ben Yagoda presented was the subjunctive rule. It makes a lot of sense and was sort of fun. If you are making a fiction statement, say were instead of was. If it is non-fiction statement, say was instead of were. He used the examples of popular commercial songs are important figures in our society. It was a neat rule and I was surprised it was even mentioned in grammar. It seems like there is always a rule for everything that we do, but we do not realize it until we get older.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people use the wrong homophone in their sentence. It happens a lot on Facebook. I feel bad that my biggest pet peeve is a grammar error. I just that homophones are not hard to understand, especially if you are in high school. My cousin purposely uses them wrong just so he can get a reaction. I probably should find a way to get over my homophone pet peeve.



Five List for the Multigenre Research Proposal

Question Categories

• urban lifestyle
• ghettos in the time period
• how a father has an effect on your life
• does the effect of a father change the way you would want your boyfriend/husband to be
• percentage of girls who grow up with and without a father
• does being African-American make a difference
• stereo types
• personal experience
• how I view Winters experience
• survival skills

Interview Concerns

• show interest
• be specific
• be patient
• have feedback
• be open and inviting

Plan B Tips

• research on credible websites
• interview friends
• ask their parents how they feel they have effected their child

Factual Details

• prices of clothes
• daily schedule
• economy state
• crime rate
• fashions of drug dealing families
• gang violence
• how people saw their future
• role of women
• justice system
• family life

Academic Topics

• behavior of young girls in the ghetto
• mindset of a father who does illegal things
• why women need security
• do girls always try to follow the footsteps of their mother
• girls who grow up too fast

Multigenre Research Proposal

After looking back at my favorite book, I have decided to do my Multigenre Research Project on the effect powerful men have on women. I chose to do this subject not only because it is very prevalent in the book, but I grew up without much of a father and I wanted know just how much having a man in our lives can effect us. I personally do not think that it can make much of a difference, but I grew up in a working class family and not a prominent drug dealing family in the ghettos of New York. I have had it pretty easy, but the main character Winter has not.

My project is going to be based off the book The Coldest Winter Ever from a psychological stand point. I want to be a psychologist, so doing this project is coming from a career interest. I think I will be able to interview my church friend Tommye and my Grandmother Katherine. Tommye grew up with both of her parents, while my grandma just grew up with her father. Themes that will reoccur in my project are how urban areas are and the correlation between me and Winter. I think that the only problems I may run into on this project are not being able to stay on topic. If this project does not work out well I do not know what I will do next, but I do know it will probably be psychology related.

Multigenre Research Reaction

At first I did not like the idea of a multigenre research project. I had never heard of it before and was cautious about what I would end up doing For the past few years I have been pondering on the idea of becoming a psychologist. I love trying to understand others and want to be a part of healing the world mentally.

I read a multigenre project about a little girl named Ally. She has been being researched by a psychologist after watching multiple Disney movies. The psychologist, Dr. Sandra J Duwaik, is doing research on how Disney movies can often distort the way a child deals with death and grievance. She had brought up some interesting points and I sort of want to go ahead and do something that has to deal with psychology.

When I read her proposal, I agreed with her. I have watched some Disney movies and have thought that some of the things are pretty guesome for little kids to be watching. Children may often times get the wrong idea of how to handle things if they can connect with a character. Ally connected with the Beast in the movie Beauty and the Beast and found herself becoming paranoid, afraid of death, and thinking of how people would react to her death like characters did in the movie with the Beast. Thoughout the research, Dr. Sandra J Duwaik, paused and identified how Ally demonstrated the steps of the death cycle. This was an intersting read and has left me wondering how my nieces would respond to the messages in some of the Disney movies.



Beauty and the Beast





Pop Culture and Its Reflection of America: Mob Wives Essay

Doing research on pop culture is not an easy thing. Most of the music, games, shows, and concepts that we consider a part of pop culture are fake. Therefore, finding credible resources was really hard. A lot of the time it took going through a few hyperlinks and side stories to get credible articles.

I researched the series Mob Wives. Initially, I thought the show was fake and maybe the women were really wives and daughters of deceased or incarerated mobsters, but their storyline in the reality show was fake. After doing some searching I found out that this show followed these women through the events of their real lives and this is how women who want to follow the "bad boys" or "wise guys" end up. They are left all alone with children to raise. Now, finding or creating a job is their only option. The show does increase their popularity and makes it possible for them to have good business.

We can see how America has become facinated with the idea of strong, violent, but at the same time gorgeous women with the rise in fame of the mob wives. Shows like the Real Housewives of New Jersey are played out and Mob Wives is continuing with more seasons in different cities. In a sense it seems like America is flirting with the idea of how far they can push women. The old tradition of how a woman should act has been shattered and now she can only go for a downward spiral. By hard work and determination the women can overcome their obstacles and be back on top and make a clean rise from the fall their mobster family members have done.



Now all alone and no one else to depend on, the Mob Wives stick together and try to make their mark on the world and share their story.



Reading Response: Article One "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

While reading this article, I found myself stopping to; reflect on myself, skim the text, and really think through the quotes provided. I was doing everything the author said we would do. I got distracted easily, wanted the article to be over already, and had a hard time absorbing all of the information.

The article,' Is Google Making Us Stupid?," s about how one writer used herself and friends to see what exactly the Net has done to the way we think, read, and perform tasks such as research. I would say that all of her points were valid. In a sense Google is making us stupid by not allowing us to do our own reasearch. Google is "building artificial intelligence" into us. We have not did anything, but surf the web to have all the knowledge that we have. There is nothing wrong with using your resources. Everyone always says that " It's not what you know, but it's who you know."

Using the computer strains my eyes and they are strained even more when I continue to look at ever add or side link a website has. Teachers are now usiing the web and a sites worksheets to complete our work. It goes by quick, but we are not really learning. I know that when I have to do online worksheets I just look directly for the answers and do not read all that is available. Some may say that doing school work online is the same as physically having to do the work, but it is not. A quote read, "When the Net absorbs a medium, that medium is re-created in he Net's image." When we see on paper is not what it is on the Net. The Net just shows the bare minimum and allows us to get by with doing very little.

Our brains are "almost infinitely malleable" and reprograms itself. We do not have to worry about catching up on the changes of technology or worry about how I will adapt to new settings. We change everyday and are brains are becoming less of what we depend on. It is so much easier to get out our smart phones or laptops and type something in that writing something down and having to search for the work. Our fingers become our train of thoughts and leaves no reason to write papers anymore, but type them and be able to do research on the computer at the same time.

Google is like  the robots finger that gives us a gentle tap and we know all the information we need to know. Google is building artificial intelligence.



Reading Response 3: Eyes of a Child

Gun control is a very prevalent topic in our politics now. A lot of innocent children have been the victims of gun violence. From Columbine, to Sandy Hooks, and now the shooting of a Texas college. The topic of gun control came up in the book that I am reading. In my book, Terri is dating a man named Chris that has the opportunity to be the next Senator. On the way to the event where he would give his speech the news of a shooting came onto the radio. A man had walked into a play center and shot 7 children with his assault rifle. Two of the children were his and the other five were children who just happened to be at that same center. He made a notion that if he was going to be Senator, then things have to get more serious in politics. Here are a few quotes from the book that were in his speech.

"Since when, I wonder, is an AK-47 a tool for sportsman? Empty one into a deer, and there wouldn't be enough left to hang up on the wall. The truth is that other countries use assault weapons to fight wars; we use them to butcher people in our streets and stores and homes."

"In short, our politics isn't serious anymore. It's not about serious things. If anyone requires proof of that, consider that seven children died today because of our political system is too cowardly and indifferent to protect them."

In my opinion, there is truth to what he said. We as a people get a chance to vote and control what happens to our country. We know that everyone has their rights, but sometimes politics wants to sweep things under the rug because it is too serious of a subject. I think that the recent shootings that have happened should be enough to have outstanding gun control in our country and no more lost lives of innocent children.

Reading Response 2: Eyes of a Child

I enjoy reading books that follow a character through the events that have happened during a stressful time in their life. The main character, Terri, is going through a divorce and a custody battle. Her soon to be ex-husband, Richard, is basically a stay at home dad and lives off of Terri. Without her he has nothing so of course he uses that against her in court. He even uses the fact that he is a stay at home dad against her. She is a lawyer so she was not home a lot, but enough to be a great mother. Terri begins seeing her boss named Chris. This shakes Richard to the core and causes him to want to tear Terri's life apart.

Richard frequently uses their daughter Elena against Terri and says that her relationship with Chris is affecting Elena's behavior. Now, Terri only gets to see her daughter on the weekends and has to pay all of Richard's expenses. Richard does not work, because he has a great difficulty of working under people. When Terri got pregnant, he had her go back to law should to get a higher degree that will better take care of the family.

As of now, Richard has not been getting his way money wise. Since he is not getting what he wants, he plans to take Elena away from Terri at any cost. Richard accused Chris's son, Carlo, of molesting their daughter. Richard can not have Terri so he is trying his best to isolate her. He has taken this too far, but getting the children involved, but that is the least of his worried. Terri wishes that he was dead. He was never no good anyway. He was abusive, not supportive, and extremely jealous of Terri.

"Whether you hit me or not, I'm leaving. And if you do hit me, I'll make sure it's the last time you'll ever hit anyone."

 He stared at her, and then anger became another expression---embarrassment, exposure. His hand dropped to his side.

Don't let him see your fear, Terri told herself. She knew that this was not over; with Richie, things were never over until he won.

In that scene, Terri had finally stood up for herself and found the confidence to finally leave him. She knew that she had started a war, but it was all worth it to her if she did not have to be abused anymore.

In this picture I see a women putting on a fake smile, a soft spoken man that puts on a front and likes to be seen as the loving one (holding onto the child), and a little girl who is just trying to be happy and not aware of the crossfires between her parents. This is how I picture Terri, Richard, and Elena.

Research Question for Mob Wives

Why is America so facinated with violence between women?

Evaluative Argument Essay Proposal: Mob Wives

I will write an essay on the TV show Mob Wives. Mob Wives is a very popular docu-soap on VH1 that displays the lives of real women who have some type of affiliation with the mobs of New York.

In this essay I will argue about why docu-soaps are so popular and whether or not they are actually real. Part of the name makes the show seem a little fake, because a soap opera is always a fiction story. Also, I wonder if the show was real then why are they broadcasting the mobster lifestyle? Mobs move in secrecy and do not let outsiders into their world of crime.  

I plan to start off my essay by giving a statistic on how many women stay with their men after they go to prison. Next, I will explain what a docu-soap is and who the Mob Wives are. I will also give my opinion on why the Mob Wives show has aired and what the women do for us. Then, I will point out facts as to why people, women especially, like reality TV  shows even if they seem fake. 



From Left to Right: Renee Graziano, Drita D'avanzo, Carla Facciolo, and Karen Gravano





Reading Response 1:There Comes a Time When the Sorries and I Love Yous Arrive too Late

Men of power often choose to take their wives for granted. It is not until the end when a man can actually look back and realize what he has or is about to lose. Innocent people are always drug into the bad guys’ downfall unknowingly until it is too late. I guess women can take some fault in their demise, because she was not aware or did not try to be aware of her mans doings. In my book I, Alex Cross, Mr. Nicholson was a witness to numerous murders. He not only set up the meetings between Zeus and escorts, but recorded their interactions.  Angry men were coming after those who had the ability to unmask the identity of Zeus. Nicholson had the tapes so of course he was going to be one of the first to go. One of the intruders placed a plastic bag around Mrs., Nicholson’s head.

“Nicholson could see Charlotte’s expression change as she realized exactly what was happening. He even felt a pinch of pity, maybe even lost love, something emotional and, well, human. For the first time in years, he felt a connection to Charlotte.”

            Mr. Nicholson had no choice, but to sit there and watch his wife die. While watching her suffocate, he started to feel the love again. He was angry that the intruders had killed his wife, but in the end he had brought her into this situation along with his girlfriend. I find it very disturbing that Nicholson had saved his girlfriend, but not the wife he had been married to for decades. He could not tell Charlotte how sorry he was for all that he had caused or tell her what was really going on. Everything was a big blur to her and that just was not fair.

           

Life After High School...?

To be honest, I have no idea where I want to go to college at. Not continuing my education after high school is not an option. I have always known that I would have to go to college in order to have my dream job. A part of me wants to stay here in Missouri, but I also feel as if there are better opportunities for me in another location. Wherever I chose to go I will have to make it my mission to get involved. I do not want college just to be a part of my life that I had to do, but a total experience. After all, that is what I will be paying thousands of dollars for.

                Many people change their majors multiple times before they figure out what they really want to do. I am hoping that does not happen to me. I like to have things planned with no changes. That just makes my life a little easier. I do not have time to be in college forever, because I could not decide what I wanted to do. Like they say, “Time Is Money.” I think the best option for me is to study psychology. I love the study of people and have always wondered why they do the things they do. The thing is that I cannot decide if I want to be a personality and behavioral psychologist or a forensic psychologist. Both of them are very interesting to me and are something I want to be a part of.

                I can see myself living in a really nice condo that has a view of a beautiful city. I will not be alone though. I can always get the dog I have always wanted. That is my plan if “Mr. Right” never comes along. If he happens to find me, I want a big house; keep the dog, a few children, and a huge yard. That is pretty much what every girl wants, but it will take some work to keep it all together. There is no such thing as a perfect life.



or



Back at it Again with James Patterson!

This semester I plan to continue to read a lot. For me, reading is a form of therapy and also a way to make me go to sleep. Before bed I always try to read something just so I can sleep more peacefully. This sounds strange, but it is true. My new book is by James Patterson of course. I have become a huge fan of his books and would like the library to purchase more of his work. This time around I am reading I, Alex Cross. I chose this book, because it is all about Alex Cross trying to solve the murder of a family member by himself. This book should be different than the others, because it is only Detective Cross going after the killer and there will not be any other view points.

Maybe after this James Patterson book I will switch to another author. There is a chance that I will not. I probably should try to read about something other than solving murders just to see is any other writings interest me. I have been reading a lot lately and plan to continue to make room for reading.