Spring 2010 brought a challenge to me like none I had ever faced before. The challenge was passing an English class ONLINE, when I knew darn well that I did not like classes online let of alone English composition. I knew this class was going to be tough but I needed it to pursue my goals in life. Therefore, I jumped in and at first this class was very overwhelming. I struggled often to keep pace with this class along with my others. However, I maintained and started to figure out a schedule that would allow me to put the time and effort in to this class.
As the class progressed through the weeks, I really started to enjoy the long nights and English 103. I enjoyed the challenge and the fact that I was learning things that I had never known before. I was actually excited about writing for once and Gone were my days of not wanting to type. This class was set up in a way that allowed the student (me) to be fully involved in the work itself thus, giving me the feeling of encouragement rather than the latter. I feel the all the work was intertwined with each other, and the pace of the class was steady and never overwhelming. This class is going to definitely rank high on my list of class I have took and ENJOYED.
The social aspect of this class was significant to me. I experienced my first blog in this class. This experience has opened a new communication avenue that allows me to display my thoughts on subjects in an intellectual and respect way. the blog exercise’s were great I enjoyed reading other people’s opinion on the same topics I was giving to interpret. I gain a lot of confidence from the feature, I did so by realizing that others were having the same problems I was having when it came to analyzing and interpreting the work that was giving to us. There was a whole list of the things, which I truly enjoyed about this class. The best thing is that it is over the summer is finally here and I can unwind and let go. The cool thing is that the stuff I learned in this class actually translates into real life. I am always going to remember to think critical about situations and make sure I watch for DoubleSpeak (lol). Along with a long list of other things, I will have pop up in my head that pertains to this class.
To all my fellow classmates have a great summer and be safe. There is a graduation JUNE 4th to all of you who are graduating or walking the stage as I am, Congratulations. You have definitely earned it. Let’s just hope that the ceremony speech is not long and boring. To those who are not graduating, continue to be strong and Patient, your time is coming. Well now it’s time to say goodbye from me too you, I hope that you have enjoyed my thoughts and opinions on the various topics and assignments that was presented to us.
Sincerely Kevin Small
10 Class A.V.C

Darn Research Paper

This week’s blog assignment is to vent about my research project, I was surprised by this assignment at first but my surprised rather turned to joy. I say joy because I needed someone to talk about this assignment; the whole Rlit theme has really put a damper on my optimism leading up to this assignment. The book is written well but I was not as thrilled with the book as others in my have appeared to be. This is probably the reason my research paper is not coming along as well as I thought it would be at this point. I figured I would have it almost done by now, but I have other classes that have required my attention over the past couple of weeks and I have not got a chance to put my full attention into this project. I hate to use excuse but it is what it is. I consider myself an average writer, so I already knew that this assignment would be challenging for me. I tried to put together a realistic period of how long it would take me to put this paper together but every time I sat down and tried to gather the info need to make that assessment other things came up that prohibited me from doing so. I had to do something to get me started or headed in the right direction so I went to my professor’s office to gain some clarification on this paper. I also wanted to speak with her about a so-called “communication glitch”, which failed to fully explain the direction we as students should be taken research topics that were assigned to this paper. The glitch turned out to be a minor glitch for me because I had not started my paper, thus saving me the frustration of rewriting my paper. My professor was very helpful, I asked her array of different questions and she answered them all without hesitation or confusion. I walked out of her office feeling very confident about my ability to complete this assignment and get a grade. This was promising but the bottom line was that I still had not started my paper to this point. I had gathered all types of information on the topic of women rights now, the challenge was incorporating that information along with those resources into my paper. That visit was earlier this week and since then I have been able to make some positive progress on the research paper. I was able to clarify what resources were proper for me to use and not use, which saved me a lot of time because I did not have to search through useless information on my research topic. I am not sure how much of it I will have done by Sunday but I am going to try my best to put maximum effort into developing a comprehensive research paper that portrays my thoughts and ideas properly. I plan to achieve this by missing my family’s field trip this weekend in order to put this paper together. I am down about not being able to go because I have not seen my family in Fresno in almost eight years, but I have to do what is necessary for me to be a successful student in this class.

Taboo Language is Aright with me

John McWhorter believes “Taboo Language simply reflects our social mores”, he makes this statement in his short essay “Lettings Words fly”. In this essay, McWhorter points the fact that a federal ruling that overturned a Federal Communication Commission policy geared towards language on live television had no affect on life itself. He goes on to give several examples of the use of “Taboo Language” in almost everything we encounter today, which he does not feel is the problem. The problem he feels is the way Taboo Language is viewed and how it is often criticized when it used in public or in the media. The essay was short but impactful and represented the author’s thoughts very well. From the essay came the questions of my opinion of the use of Taboo Language from the 1960’s up until today. Why I think Taboo Language should be used uncensored in media and the effect this type of language has on character and their ability to sound like reality. I do believe that the use of taboo language has grown since the 1960’s and that people are far more reluctant to shy away from the use of it especially when there are some many different outlets where literature can be published, and if not for the explosion in technologies Taboo Language might be still in minor use.
The use of Taboo Language is great when used in ways that do not offend or disrespect intentionally, if that is possible. I for one am glad that I am not subject to overbearing censorship of language, which at it foundation represent the reality I live in. McWhorter spoke of how Victorians of the past would suggest that certain words be renamed because their original name may refer to sexual body parts. Victorians or not that way of thinking is selfish and full of shit. Humans being should have the right to make their own decision when it comes to what type’s languages they want to hear or speak. For me, the only way to spread language is for it to be spoken it truest forms no matter how offensive it may be. Censoring Taboo Language in media would only allow distortion of reality. The way we view Taboo Language has changed because as humans, we seek knowledge and knowledge is not obtainable if it is constantly being covered, or hidden from us. Thus, more I do believe that Taboo language is a key skill in the repertoire of skills an actor should have in order to play an effective television character. It is not expected for an actor to draw a healthy crowd if the script or show he is performing does not represent a reality that an audience can relate to. I do not know about you but every day I hear some type of word or sentence structure that has language that could be labeled Taboo, but to me it is just another part of my reality. For me, it is the language itself, that is instilled in our culture and it speaks for us, and is not necessarily spoken by us.

I honestly can’t remember when I have done so much work in a class before, blogs discussion questions, group assignments, essay’s, (PDR’s), reading assignments and whatever else I missed. This class has been hectic to say the least. Every week I open the “so here what to do” folder in hopes that there will little or nothing there, which is never the case. It is always this, that and the other, I probably would not be overwhelmed by this much work, if I did not have to split my free time up with multiple classes converting those free hours into study time. I have to admit it has been some nights when I questioned I motives for taking such a class (online). I would ask myself this question and the answer would always be the same. This type class is needed; it provides me with necessary skills to be a successful at the university level.
English 103 class has been great for me. I have gained more knowledge from this one English class in the eleven weeks, than all the other compositions classes I have ever registered for. The blogs are great; I believe they are a great way to express myself openly on even within the structured prompts. They also offer some freedom in a class that demands a lot from a student. This part of the writing assignment has become my favorite and one of the biggest reasons I am starting to enjoy writing again. I especially enjoy the whole “respond to your classmate” thing, this gives me the opportunity to review my classmates views on topics and also allows me to voice my opinion on the same topic and agree or disagree with the blogger in a respectful manner.
Peer draft reviews were very helpful, the (PDR’s) are new so at first, I did not really know what to do when I opened it up on turunitin.com, but I quickly caught on and realized that the (PDR’s) had the potential to a be a key tool in writing composition and help students develop papers in more effective ways. I was glad to see that turnitin.com could actually be student friendly. I also enjoy the discussion boards along with the group activities those were fun and were helpful when it came to getting the work done along with helping to build class cohesion. All the assignments were very helpful for me, even though my penmanship is falling behind because of all the typing, which leads me to this question, do you believe that the use of keyboard technology is affecting your penmanship in any way Good or bad?. Now back to the blog. The assignments helped me to face my fears about writing and English classes. I no longer have a negative outlook on my own literary pieces I might want to compose.
When I enrolled, I did not know what to expect. I was not very fond reading and or writing. Therefore, I figured this class would be boring and useless. It has been everything but boring or useless. I found myself at a play for the first time because of this class. That experience alone was so pleasant that it made me want to do the best I could in this class because I knew from that point on that I was going to be taught things that were otherwise not paid attention to in my world. I feel as if I’m a better writer just because of this class the every week workload has grown on me given me the appreciation I once had for writing back.

"Love is..."

Making a connection is the sole purpose of all editors of cartoons. The pictures and drawing they portray are supposed to directly depict topics that, us as Americans can relate to. I only have a few editorials that I have read or gazed at, The Boondocks by Aaron McGruder which, ran from 1996 to 2006 and gained praise and criticism for its unique and sometimes unflattering views of a ten year old African American boy. The other is American classic, Peanuts, written in its entirety by Charles M. Schulz (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000), I briefly glanced at peanuts from time just to see what the hype was. The one editorial cartoonist that has been the most successful in making the most connection with me is New Zealand Sketch artist Kim Grove. Her “Love Is…”
Cartoon is my favorite. In my younger years, I use to get the Los Angeles Times every day in order to see the days Love is…. At the time I was going through many problems and I wrote lot of letters to my loved ones in order to satisfy emotional needs as well as build healthy communication links that were relatively inexpensive. I was isolated from them and I was constantly in search of things or items that I could send to them to let them know how much I loved them. I found that the Love is… cartoon was perfect item for this because it gave me different ideas as to what love is and could not be. No matter what word, phrase or sentence was put behind love was directly related to how I was could should feel about the people I love. These cartoons were a significant part of my personal relationships. I would open the paper and see A Love is… like the one below
Cut it out and send it as it was no lettering a signature anything. My hope was that when this reached the person they would forget about how much money they were spending on phone calls and think about the love they have for me why they answer those phones calls for me. Now this cartoon was only a tool I used and do not know if it had any true impact on the love they for me or amount of phones got they answered, but I can say that those who received Love is... often spoke to me.
Even though I do not view the work of Kim Grove as much as I use to, I often go online to remind myself of what love is…. I enjoy the work of Mrs. Because it offers logically possibilities of love is and feeds into the hopeless romantic in all of us. All of us have a different view and definition of what love is on any given day, but what make Love is…, so special is that day on any giving day her views on what Love is…, might be the same as those who read her strip.

“Signing over my Freedoms”
If the school I attended required me to sign an agreement that stated that I as a attendee had to refrain from racist, sexist or otherwise abusive language I would sign it without second thought, as long as it was understood that this use of language is only prohibited on school grounds and or at school events. I would sign this agreement not only because I would want to go school, but also because it is the right thing to do. I would sign it just on its merit alone. I strongly believe these types of offensive languages have no place in Institutions of higher education, except for educational purposes. I also know that this type of agreement will lead to a better learning environment thus creating positive attitudes. It also encourages positive thinking along with setting the guideline for personal conduct. With this agreement in place, the student body will be more socially interactive because they will not have to worry about being embarrassed because they look act, sound, or think differently. The respect level amongst students will be higher because as a student’s they would know along with other students that their personal conduct towards others might lead to get in trouble and or hinder their ability to learn and participate in school activities. For me school is a place where I can go to open my mind and express positive and constructive thoughts that have foundation and real meaning. No one should have to be subject to negative expressions that do not allow him or her to express thoughts and ideas positively.
I would also sign this agreement because I believe that overall I would be safer than if I had went a school without the same guideline. I say this because those who are in no way ready to accept such a guideline would not sign the agreement therefore they would not be attending school with me. This would only signal to me that those folks have bad intentions and were not ready to accept responsibility for their actions or had bad intentions. With the school, restricting certain freedoms of expressions that people are a custom pertaining to racial , sexist and other abusive languages the school is trying to combat everyday problems dealing with sexual harassment and other form of offense’s that might lead jail time for offenders and lawsuit being filed by those who been offended there school grounds. Now I am true to myself and I do know and have seen the harsh realities that this world has to offer, and know that this agreement will not keep people from harming others in no way, shape, or form if they decide to do so. What I am saying is an agreement to personal conduct, is a positive step towards accountability and schools sometimes have to take certain actions to insure everyone is represented the right way, as well as those who are applying to their school. The agreement is beneficial to students and faculty alike because it set parameters for what is and is not acceptable conduct while on school grounds.

"Self Respect"

My teacher presented the question “what was more important, self-respect or happiness”. The question was a intriguing question because I have never been asked to compare my self respect to my happiness. I always went through life as if they were hand and hand. I needed a better understanding so I grab my Oxford Dictionary/Thesaurus and looked up the terms. Oxford defined the self-respect as pride and self-confidence, happy as pleased or contented. Now I know many people will probably say that there happiness is more important than their pride and I have no problems with those who do so. However, I believe that you have to think about the self-confident part of the definition. I sat back and thought about putting my happiness in front of my belief in myself. I just could not imagine myself doing so. The confidence I have in myself is what leads to my happiness. My confidence or pride is what I stand on when it is time to perform task or when I am difficult situations that put me under pressure. From inner confidence I project and demand respect. This is also how I gain the respect and trust of others, which allows me to have a healthy social life. I also believe the respect I have for myself can be seen in the everyday me and has helped me tremendously with all the hiring process’s I have been through. Having self-respect is the same as having morale to me. My happiness is important and I want to have happiness in my life but I know that this cannot be achieved without having self-respect for myself. Another thing I know is that without respect others will take advantage of me. Men should have confidence at all time in their life.
Self-respect or self-confidence can also take a person down a narrow road where their vision is blurred and they depend too much on their opinions and findings to guide their lives. This would be a case of over confidence, and pride becomes the term commonly used when people mention you.
I have a very open mind so I do not let my pride get the best of me, often. I pride myself on being open to all things I believe I will stay that way. I am happy with myself today and hope I continue to prosper. Happiness I figure will come as long as I stay true to myself and remain confident in my actions, opinion, and ideas. The question caused me to put something’s into perspective and think about the things that are important to me but seldom pay attention to. It Important to me to have my children look up to me and respect me. I do not know if love is strong enough to keep my child from developing negative thought me and doing something wrong prematurely. This is why I hold self-respect so high, I have respect for myself there for I want to see myself succeed so my children will do better and know more than I ever imagined knowing.