One Down, Seven To Go

     As my first semester of a college student is coming to an end, I have realized the qualities it takes to be a successful college student. I have always find I put a lot of effort into all of my work. With these journal entries in particular, I made sure that each response was very personal. When I write I like for people to be able to relate to what I say easily. There are a few journals that I may have slacked off a little bit, but I still made sure that I answered the questions thoroughly and added a personal twist.
     Furthermore, when I write responses such as these twenty journals it is a lot easier to just flow with my words because it is not a serious as an actual essay. I enjoy answering responses like this because it is a way for a professor to be able to get to know their students without actually interacting with them. I believe that the class time and the information from these journals allow a professor to get to know about the student and the way that student writes.
     All in all, I enjoyed my time in this class and the ways it has assisted my writing. I have always been modest with the way I write although I often get praised for it. I enjoyed the lessons in the book because it pin pointed each and every aspect of putting together a good paper. Writing is one thing that I will always make sure I keep doing no matter what. It is very healthy to write just to write and I love being able to know that I can always have a hidden confidence for my writing.

The Respect Grows

     After my multi draft presentation I was the most relieved I have been in a long time. I'm not necessarily worried about public speaking but it is not something I'm a natural at. I have an immense amount of respect for the people who are constantly talking in front of large crowds. I feel like for me it is all a matter of the atmosphere. In the classroom it was not that bad, I just found myself being a little repetitive at times and I sensed a shake in my voice at times. My respect has grown so much simply for the confidence it takes to speak publicly. The language used is much different as well because if someone speaks to a crowd as if they are speaking to a friend it does not sound smart at all. In addition, it is hard to take a person seriously if they do not talk with slightly more sophistication than usual.

     Furthermore, many presentations opened my eyes. I really enjoyed seeing the different topics people in class chose. The one in particular that sticks out is the one that compared the Beatles to one hit wonders. I really thought this was clever especially because it is something most people would not think about. It is amazing to see the many diverse ways that the mind works because pretty much every single person had a different take on their papers even though there was only two topics.

Public Speaking

The funny thing about me and a large crowd is that if you put a drum kit there I'll be fine but when I have to speak I usually tense up. When it is a large group of people that I know it does not effect me as much but either way I tend to find my voice get a little shaky. There is a couple techniques I have learned to avoid embarrassment when talking in front of large groups that I plan to use. While speaking, holding a pen and pressing the thumb down helps keep a speaker calm, as a matter of fact the president does this a lot during big speeches. The other technique is to look at peoples noses. When looking at someones nose it looks as if the speaker is looking in there eyes but they really are not. This is a way to escape the anxiety of when a speaker's eyes meet with the people in their audience.

This Book Is So Goo...What's For Dinner?

If I were to arrange books in a book store, my system would not be too far from what the cartoon on page 375 displays. I found the cartoon particularly comical because when I read my mind wanders like crazy. In the cartoon there are three sections on a book shelf titled "Attention Span" the three sections are short, medium, and long. In the first section I would have like easy leisurely reads nothing too serious. In the medium column I would put like novels and books that have a series, reading that is a little more advanced. Lastly in the long section I would have all the boring stuff like documentaries, books on law, and books of that nature.

The Tipping Point: Strengths and Weaknesses

The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell is an excellent book that describes the trends that things take, and the steps that show what way that product will "tip". He explains how some products explode exponentially and how others just slowly dwindle to nothing never to be produced again.

One thing in particular that makes this book extremely strong is Gladwell's use of examples and support for all of his arguments. His research is very through and makes a lot of sense to the reader. He would bring up these examples again and again because of their validity and strength to make sure the reader remembers.

I would not necessarily say that the book had any weaknesses but the only complaint I have is how wordy it is. It is understandable that this book was written this way because it is an advanced read, but for me I like something a little more relaxing.

Lastly, I must say that all his laws and concepts make a lot of sense. I agree with all of his propositions, especially the "sticky" advertising. It is always easy to remember something if the advertisement is made to stick in your head. This book is very thought provoking and really gets the reader thinking critically.

Multi Draft 2!?

For my second multi-draft I plan on making small changes to my process. I received a 90 on my first one, but I plan on doing better on the next. In order to do so, I'm going to use all the techniques we have reviewed in the book. I plan on using the book for my title, transition words, my thesis statement, and the closing. If I take a lot of time to plan out and write this paper I should do even better than I did on my first.

Bias Discussion

David Shipley is an Op-Ed editor for the New York Times and he recently spoke in an interview on the topic of Immigration and the recent elections that took place. He is obviously extremely biased against how states like Nevada portray illegal immigrants. He talks about how they are shown as “brown-skinned men sneaking over the boarder” and that if the people did not vote Republican that the country will be invaded. Shipley is very against the Republican Party’s portrayal of these people. He does not think that the Republican views are correct and he is obviously biased saying things like “republicans what them all deported” etc. Shipley continues to state his position on this topic strongly against the Republican Views.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/11/01/opinion/1248069266155/immigration-and-the-elections.html