Week 15 - Posting 15! Last posting*

There is much I have learned about myself and my writing style as I have been in this English class. I've learned to take the time to sit down and write my drafts, rather than just do them the night before. By learning this trait, I have become more organized in my writing process and feel great about the papers I am writing. I also believe that I've gotten much better and citing the sources in my paper. I know that they're correct every time I site them, and that's a good feeling. However, I believe that there's stuff I have struggled with too. For example, I have become a little too biased in my paper which is exactly what we're not supposed to be doing. It's hard not to when you are so passionate about your subculture and wanting to persuade people to view it the same ways you do. So, that's been a lot of my biggest struggle. I like the way the class was run this year, I think that it was very effective and the website Mr. DiSarro created really helped me know exactly what was required for each assignment. The only assignment I was ever really confused on was the research proposal. Therefore, I find it important to research this topic a little further in the classroom. Also, the conferences are very beneficial and are something that should definitely be continued throughout the duration of the semester. All in all, I believe that the class was run very smoothly and there's nothing I would change about it. Having to write a 12 to 15 page paper at the beginning of the year was a complete weight on my shoulders, however throughout the course of this classroom's assignments it has gotten much easier and I'm so thankful for that!

Week 14 - Posting 14

For this week, I'd like to give you folks the opportunity to do some more pre-writing for your portfolio reflections. So, pick ONE of the following questions to answer: What strategies did you develop to analyze the data for your mini-ethnography? What is your favorite piece of data (or data source) and why? (i.e. people you interviewed, observations you made, academic sources you read, etc). What do you feel is the best piece of writing you've done in the class (Exploring Subcultures, Annotated Bibliography, Research Proposal w/Literature Review, or Mini-Ethnography) and why?

For this blog posting, I've chosen to answer the second question that being -- what is your favorite piece of data and why. To answer this question, I would honestly have to say my interviews. I loved hearing feedback from the other girls in my sorority and what they had to say about it. It was really interesting to get their inside view because you don't really know what another person is thinking or feeling without truly asking. Everyone's got a past, everyone's got a story, therefore it's important to look inside and ask what a person really feels about a certain situation. Without my interviews, I don't think my paper would be as heartfelt as it will turn out. I believe this because I've gotten the inside view of my sisters in Chi Omega and their thoughts, not just my own thoughts. Because of this, my paper and my personal knowledge about my subculture will change drastically. 

Week 13 - Posting 13

"I didn't get back the one I wanted," she silently mumbled, with tears filling in her bright, blue eyes. "I don't know what I'll do now! That was my favorite sorority!" Eyes gazing upon the room, I see girls crying, laughing, some in complete shock of the results that came back from recruitment the night before. I was scared to open mine, anxious to see what could of happened next. Would I be sitting in tears like some of them, crying and wishing I could just go home? Or would my heart be filled with joy, knowing I was one step closer to becoming a part of the sorority I loved most? Hands shaking, thoughts flying through my mind, I felt as if I were on a trial for murder, so scared and anxious and deeply desiring knowing my future fate. My hands clenched the small white, folded piece of paper and I slowly opened it, with eyes closed before I was prepared enough to open them to peer onto the three sororities I was going to see that night for preference rounds. The first, WHEW! I like them. The second, oh no... I don't fit in there. My heart started to panic. Is this really happening? Then, my last choice... my heart lifted with joy! Chi Omega! My favorite! I couldn't help but feel a smile on my face while I was sitting with hundreds of other girls around me, getting these same notes, finding out the three they had to choose from for preference rounds, one of the three sororities we would soon be joining. I saw other girls smiling, I knew they would be happy in their choices too. However, I think the reason I still felt sadness, I still couldn't be fully happy is because I looked around the room of sad girls faces and knew that that could have been me. 

6 Word Stories*

My life: moving on, growing strong, loving deep*

My subculture: always cherish those in our sisterhood*

Posting 12 - Week 12

To me, rhetoric has always been brought up in English discussion about language. I think that the correct definition of rhetoric is something along the lines of perfecting English or knowing the English language completely and thoroughly. English shows in your appearance in ways like your voice and the way you carry yourself. Your speech has a lot to do with how you present yourself to other people. However, I don't believe it fixates the way we dress or how we look, it's more so how we sound to others. Our sound can show how other people can see us. Also, I believe that it can be both negative and positive in the context that it is said. If someone says that your rhetoric is scholarly and beautiful, it obviously points more toward a positive view point. I also think that there is somewhat of a rhetoric in my subculture. The only reason I think that is because sororities sometimes have their own language, with words that wouldn't really fit in other circumstances. For example, people outside of sororities may not understand the words: rush, recruitment, baby hooties, philanthropies, etc. I'm going to use these words in my paper therefore I will be using rhetoric, hopefully in a positive way, in my mini-ethnography.

Quote about writing..

"Writing to me is like trying to pick out a good outfit, you keep searching throughout your closet like reading a dictionary for a plethora of words but it takes awhile to find a good match." --Ashley!

"Writing cannot work unless you have passion and creativity both in your mind and behind your pencil."  --Ashley!

Whoaaaa some of these are slightly cheesy. I don't know a good quote to write about my writing process. I do know though that writing to me takes a while and it takes me a bit to find words that I want to put in it. I also know that I cannot write something down unless I take the time to make it a well developed assignment. For example, I love journaling and writing. If I write a draft I know is not good, I completely erase it and start over from the beginning. So sometimes, writing a paper can take me a very, very long time.