The End!

This class was a great experience! Something I could try to have control over because of the timing and other things as well. I liked the fact that we could work whenever we wanted and everything was already up with its due dates. Even though it was hard to get the hang of it at first it was still very interesting. I liked how we had to make a blog account and discuss assignments with out classmates because it made this online experience a little more personal. I learned many valuable things in this class, like how to analyze a topic and do some serious critical thinking. This class how taught me to do research about anything I write to actually be able to write a good complete essay with full ideas. The work we did was pretty intense! Even though we only wrote about four essays, it was hard because we had to put lots of time and effort to make them come out good since they were a big part of our grade. The experience of learning how to take an online class was a challenge. I had trouble adjusting at first and I think that the hardest part was not having a teacher be there in front of me to help if I had any questions. I am very happy Jennifer was there and did her best to help when I emailed her or went to her office. I was also happy to have my best friend in the class with me because we were able to figure things out easier together. I enjoyed reading my classmates essays because it helped me to get to know them a little more. If I had to choose between an online class and a regular class I think I would chose a regular one because it’s more personal but this experience was not bad at all. I would just prefer a face to face class. I feel like I need a teacher right in front of me whenever I have questions or something because otherwise I’ll get lost along the way. Other than that, I liked reading all the different kinds of ideas they had about different subjects and getting to know them in this was definitely better. I think I might go to the pool party our class is having if I have the chance to. I think it would be very interesting and something to remember. I’m just happy this semester is almost over and I am happy I learned all these new things. It feels like this semester has gone by so slowly and it just sucks how stressed I was about everything. This class definitely helped me manage my time a little better and helped me not feel as stressed. I have a hard time dealing with stress so I appreciate the one opportunity that this class has provided me with because it has helped me cope with it! Yay the end of the semester is tomorrow can not wait!!!!

My Writing Skittles

Let’s see! My writing skills have never been so good but now I feel like my writing has improved as well as the ideas and the critical thinking I unleash on my papers. I used to only write for assignments, but now I changed that. I enjoy to research a little more about the topic of my essays to be able to develop a better paper that people can relate to or understand better. My writing skills have improved and made me a better writer and a better reader. English has always been a struggle and writing has always been one of my weaknesses. Even though I still struggle, I like the idea of getting a great paper done which is something I believe is good. My favorite part about this online class have been our blogs. I like how we get to write how we want and give out opinion on many things. Even though our topics are assigned we still have room for creativity and to give out input on everything. I also like to respond to my classmates because I get to know them a little since I have never met any of them. I think it is nice to get to know others through their writings because you really get to see their personalities this way. It’s a nice way of interacting with others in a good and friendly way. I never thought I would ever have a blog or write just for fun. I never even had intensions to work on my writing skills because I thought average was fine, but I know now that that was a very wrong idea I had. Now I understand the importance of getting all your thoughts down on paper and getting your point across. Having to do some critical thinking at first was a little hard. I had to analyze the situation in my head and get a complete understanding and my own opinion on the subject. I feel like now I have a new hunger to learn more about different things. After this class, I plan to keep my blog and continue to write about random things that catch my attention. I thinking it is interesting and a fun. This is a great way of venting and giving people who read a chance to get to know you. The group discussions were also a bit interesting but I was a little confused at first. I didn’t know how to communicate with someone like that to get one assignment done! To wait for others to respond since this is all online was a little challenging since everyone has different schedules! It was definitely something new that would have taken longer to get used to. Well, overall I enjoyed this course and all it has taught me. The thinking I am able to do now is something I appreciate because it will help my future. I hope that everyone has learned a little more in this class as well!

Researching the Endless

So this is what I call venting! Lets see, I must start by saying how much I hate research papers. One of the reasons for the endless hate I have come to build up over the past few years of my life, for this is the amount of time that is required to be put in this. I think research papers take the longest to do. One of the essentials in any paper is the background information, which for our luck happens to be the most for research papers. The topic I have chosen to do my research paper in this class is for Iran’s Women Rights, which basically happen to be none. One of the good things about research paper is that no matter how long and dreadful it sounds like to work on one, at the end you always come out winning by learning something new to the fullest. It was a bit hard for me at first because I have never did any research on another country. I never thought I would have to do research about Iran either. Iran is a place where religion plays a big part in. I am not the most religious person alive, I actually have my own little religious belief, but to learn about another system of religious ways was definitely a new look on life for me. I haven’t even come to an understanding of my own religion to be having to deal with the background of another. This is where some of my friends came in to help. I have some friends who know more about Iran more than me and they helped me to understand how they work a little better. Writing this paper has opened my eyes to the cruelty that is taking place right at this moment in another place while I am here living a lovely life, worry free. I never noticed the importance about this topic before and I find it very intriguing. One of the many interesting but sad things I just read about was about how they stoned this woman to death because they thought she cheated on her husband. After her death she was found not guilty but what was the point of that after she died. Another story is about a woman that has stoop up for herself and did something that many would not even dare to try, which is file for a divorce. She claims she got beat b her husband and her husband’s father which was clearly unacceptable, at least for us Americans it is. Well, I am almost done with my research paper but I still have to revise it. I know that when I re-read it I am going to want to change a lot of things on it so I think I should get started on that. Four pages and still two more to go! I hope this research papers comes out good, enjoyable, and an eye opener, because it sure was for me!

Online Conversations

I consider my online communication style to be very dull. Even though I know I’m not detailed, exciting, or fun to talk to over the internet I don’t find anything wrong with it. I am the type of person who is straight to the point and I don’t like to be too over the top with details. I understand details are important so the other person can get the full message and a understanding to what they really mean but I don’t find the need for me to do it except maybe for school essays. I have been told that sometimes, my dull communications style sounds rude or might give off the wrong message but that’s just the way I am. My friends sometimes think I’m mad because I respond with only one or two words, but my close friends already know that’s how I talk. I think I talk the same as I write. For example, if someone asks me in person “how are you” I’ll say “good you?” This is the same way I would respond in person. I don’t find myself wanting to write more or saying more. I am very straight to the point. Unless I’m very interested on the topic, I will not show any interest and it’s not to be rude, but it’s just my way of being. I also don’t like to write more and be detailed because a lot of times things can get misinterpreted. I remember one time I was having a normal conversation on face book with my friend, and from one moment to the next it turned into an argument. I really didn’t see it coming, but I was shocked to look back at our messages and see how mean and rude she must have read what I said. This ties in with the saying, “Written words are more powerful than spoken words” because at least when you hear someone speak, you know exactly what they are saying and what they mean by their voices. A spoken word has a very slim chance of being misinterpreting because you can tell a lot by a persons tone of voice. Even if it’s something nice, you can tell if they are being sarcastic or honest which is why I like to talk to people if we have problems so things wont escalade even further. When someone reads something, they have a greater chance of misinterpreting the words and making them sound as bad as possible. Some even manipulate these things to their benefit. It is really a sad to see this happen. People often get offended easily and get their feeling hurt for no reason. This is why I like to be straight to the point and the people who know me understand me. Unless the person I am writing to does not have a phone I will remain to be straight to the point in my online conversations. I rather speak to a person, than write to them just to make sure that I am getting my message across.

Cartoons Speak

Messages that are transferred through a simple picture, or a cartoon, can be either an eye opener or an insult. Depending on the artist and what their feelings about a situation are, is what the cartoon will illustrate and what story it will tell. A simple picture can tell a books story and argue better than a person in my opinion. Most of the drawings I have encountered have been political pictures illustrating whether someone is with or against something. Also, depending on the reader and their beliefs is whether the picture can be found offensive or not. One of the drawings that caught my eye right off the bat, was a drawing that had to do with immigration. This picture bothered me because of the message it was portraying and how it made other human beings look. In this picture there were two men who were posting the something that looked similar to each other. The two posters they were posting had the same picture with different writing. In both pictures there was a Hispanic man with a straw hat and he carried vegetables in a basket. On top of one of the pictures it said, “HELP WANTED,” and in the other poster over the same exact picture it said “WANTED.” Underneath the one with the “HELP WANTED” title it said, “Cheap, disposable labor: to keep our profit growing thru the roof,” and under the “WANTED” it said “For immediate deportation: to keep the help in their proper place.” By reading this, it gave me an understanding of where the author of the picture stood in this situation. To me, it felt as if the author of this drawing felt like immigrants come to this country only to take the jobs of Americans. There are many who believe this but I don’t. I believe that people come to this country to look for a better life and nobody should be labeled as an immigrant because we are all human beings. Anyone would want the best for their family and that is what these people are looking for. Aside from my beliefs, I also see where this author is heading. He claims in his picture that big businesses use immigrants to benefit themselves because they don’t get as much as much as an America. Of course some immigrants take less pay because that is the only way they will get hired. In this picture, the man that is putting up the picture that says “HELP WANTED” is wearing a shirt that says “BIG BIZ.” This picture offends me because it’s putting down immigrants and basically saying that they are taking American jobs from them. I also clearly shows that he wants them to get deported. I feel like sometimes people forget where they came from and that we are all immigrants. For better or for worse we are all human beings and deserve to be treated the same. To me this author is being highly disrespectful and being ignorant but to others he might be brilliants. Cartoons have a lot to say and give people a lot to think about.

The Truth Comes Out

Propositions 8 has caused and is still causing huge controversy’s as well as arguments in politics. This proposition states that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California,” and was passed in 2008. Many argued about this proposition for many different reasons, but one big controversy that occurred, was finding out that one of the judges that had put his input on the case is gay. U.S. Chief Judge Vaughn Walker, had been a judge since 1989 and was assigned by President George H.W. Bush, but his sexual preferences had never been exposed until now. After he retired in February of this year, he revealed his sexual orientation and 10 year same-sex partner. U.S. Chief Judge Vaughn Walker, stated “Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples.” By this he is declaring his opposition to proposition 8. Many people argued that since he is gay, he should have not been able to get involved in this case, considering that the outcome could have affected his personal life. When I think of this I feel like those people were being unfair. There are many things judges have to decide on, and most of this things affect not only ordinary every day people, but them themselves and their families. Another argument about this situation is that if the homosexual judge was to have been restricted from the case, then why do straight married men get to decide on prop 8, because that is the same thing as a gay man getting involved. The straight men are standing up for men and women getting married which affects them personally as well. I believe that it didn’t matter if the judge was gay or not, what matter are the reasons and ideas the judges had on this case. If they can back up their opinions and give legitimate reason for their decisions, then everything should be ok. One thing I do agree with though, is that he should have stated his sexual orientation before entering this case. Since this case is strongly based on his life issues, then I think it would have been fair to the people to be informed. The U.S. judges work for the American people and their loyalty should be completely to them. We expect our government and any authority to be completely honest with us, because at the end of the day, they are the ones who run the place we live in and have control over our lives for the most. If we can’t trust them to be completely honest with us from the beginning, who can we deposit our trust into. The judge should have stated his sexual orientation from the beginning, but should have not be judged for it. I know many people would have many things to say about that, but what is important is that he could have kept his job and continue what he was doing.

Taboo

Our language values have changed through these recent years. As our generation starts to evolve and kids start aging, specially now in the 21^st century, our values have changed in way our ancestors would have probably never imagined. Everything is so vulgar and there is so much profanity being thrown around like it is absolutely normal. Taboo language should not be an issue to be used in the media. We run into things that are way worse in our own every day lives, to actually have a problem with this. It is logical to be concerned about our children, listening to this vulgarity but in reality, children do not watch the new or are concerned about the media. It is to our advantage to be able to get things the way they are, and taboo language is the way sometimes. When it comes to television, taboo language reflects our reality because most of the people in our generation don’t have any sensitivity for bad words and profanity. It is easy for us to express ourselves in this manner only because we are around people who respond to it as if it is normal when that’s not exactly the case. This is why when television characters use taboo language it sounds more realistic and we can identify ourselves with it. For example, many people like “Adult Swim” which is where taboo language takes its form. These shows are full of profanity and language that are not appropriate for children but it does sound normal to me.
I do agree however, that the taboo language should be kept away from children because it can cause a big amount of corruption in their minds. The fact that children absorb things when they are young, and for them to be introduced to such vulgarity at infancy, only corrupts our society more and more. The longer we can keep this away from children the better. I think the correct thing to do, is to wait until they are old enough to determine the right from the wrong on their own to be able to make the right choice. I know it is hard to keep these things away from children, specially when we act the way we do in the world today, but it is good to try.
The idea that taboo language is bad for children does not mean that it should be kept away adults. There are channels where they should restrict this type of language as well where there should be no type of censor. Some television channels have been able to do this and I think every one them should. It is easy to control what your kids watch now too, so it should not be a problem. This will help in the long run.

Hurting

Challenging or contradicting the opinions of others is not an easy task. Some people decide to remain silent through the outburst of racist or sexist comments made by people who don't have a good moral judgment. A lot of times, a person is exposed to a situation where someone is saying something they disagree with, and instead of causing a scene and starting a discussion, with fear that it will escalade due to the differences of their opinions, they choose silence. When I was younger, I remember being put in a situation like this. My best friend at the time happened to be African America, and we were inseparable, she was like my sister. One day some kids from our school said something racist to her, making it seem like being African American meant the same thing to being poor. I remember she didn’t say anything and she continued to walk.
I was very upset because I did not know kids were that mean. After time went by I heard one of the kids who said those mean things say his parents said African Americans were bad and that he shouldn’t talk to them. I understand now that the history of this kid was not a good one when it came down to racism. His parents were setting an example for him to follow and it so happened to be a bad one. Since he didn’t know better, he didn’t feel the sting in his words as much as my friend did. People who aren’t exposed to this type of hate speech don’t know what its like, so when they talk they don’t feel like they are doing anything wrong making the other person feel less. The problem with this is that people are hurting innocent individuals without even noticing the mental damage they are causing.
This is were common sense should kick in for people. All we have to hope for is that people start to begin to place themselves in situations like this to be able to understand and know not to make rude comments. If people are not reminded to do so they might not ever take the initiative which is why I believe this should be talked to at school. Hate speech can be very hurtful specially for young kids who are beginning the process of forming their personalities and individualism. This could affect them for the rest of their lives, but what can school do if their parents are not enforcing these beliefs and actions? I believe schools should be very open with parents about this topic so that they can both come up with a solutions that works best for both.
Ignorance can play a big role in this to. When someone knows it’s bad and they continue to do it to be mean and hurtful they become ignorant and show they are uneducated. Nobody wants to be viewed this way so it’s best if we are open about this subject so people will stop doing it.

Freedom

Freedom in today’s society is considered a right and not a privilege. Even though it is a natural right that should not be able to be taken away by anyone, there are many ways that the authority of our nations could take that away from us. Freedom is taken for granted when we stop to think about other third world countries. In those countries, there is no democracy. People are not allowed to voice their opinion and are harshly prosecuted if they do. For example, citizens in Egypt began to revolt when their request for a new government was denied. Internet and telephones lines as well as airlines where blocked. People were dying by the thousand by their leader. Over in the United States, we are self righteous to think that those events could never happen to us. That we could say anything we want, whenever we feel like expressing ourselves. We take our freedom of speech and our other freedoms for granted because we don’t know what it is like to live with fear. In our country we can speak out against the government for any reason, when done properly and without harming others. The ideal concept would be for anyone to voice their opinions for a chance to be heard. Throughout our countries history, many important things have changed by someone speaking out and taking a chance. Martin Luther King fought for African Americans and it might have taken him a while for his voice to be heard and understood by all of the country but he got there and accomplished his goal. Because of him and many other people like him, African Americans are able to do things people never imagined back in the say and get treated correctly.
Freedom of speech is one of the most important rights I believe we have that we take for granted, People just don’t appreciate what we are entitled here living in the United States. Americans get everything handed to them in the best was possible and we still continue to not value what we have , even when we know that there are places out there that are not as privileged as us. We just don’t think about that when we do things. I hate noticed that people who are grateful and have the best manners here in America, are immigrants who have come here to better themselves as well as their family. They are grateful because they don’t have such things in their country to help their situation. Even though we like to help others in need we still lack the ability for be thankful for everything we have and get for free, something we were born with which are out rights in this country. If the whole world was to change in the blink of an eye and controlled by someone who restricted everyone from our natural rights, I think America would be the most vulnerable place. This just means something bad has to happen for everyone to be grateful.

When Behavior Gets Heavy

Nonverbal behavior s influenced by many things, but one of the biggest things is gender. Men and women have different ways to express themselves, ways that are only created through time and that goes with the way we are. Not all the time, but most of the time you can see the huge difference between the attitude of a man and a woman. Men tend to be more masculine, showing less emotion when holding a conversation, and don’t get as excited as women do when talking about something interesting. I believe that the delivery of any word and the effect it has on someone is more clearly shown y gender. Women also tend to be more delicate when handling conversations. Most like to talk gently and nicely to get their point across, while men are known for not being able to show their true feelings by words but by getting frustrated and not being able to deliver what is on their mind. Gender plays a big part in nonverbal behavior as well as other things that separate men from women, it’s mostly all in our genes.
In a conversation, words are just one part, but the other part is how you express yourself while delivering these words and the expressions you have when doing so. I believe that in a conversation words are only half of the message. The other half consists of the tone, facial expressions, and the gestures you make while talking. A person could say something very important and interesting, but if their gesture and delivery is dull, then it clearly shows how uninterested they are in the subject, maybe even changing the perspective of their audience.
For example, lets say a boy and a girl are in a relationship. They are having an argument in which the girl got really affected and after everything is said and done, they guy might think everything is ok, because they talked about the problem. Now, the next day when she is not replying to his texts or not answering his phone calls, he might try to look for her and try to talk to her but she might seem distant or not want to talk. In this situation she is obviously showing she is still bothered. This is an example of how nonverbal behavior also has a huge effect.
Nonverbal behavior is what shows how a person really feels about what they are talking about. It delivers a vibe that could lead to positive feelings or negativity. These factors can end a conversation. Many people prefer not to speak to people who have bad vibes and bad kinds of nonverbal behavior. It could make people feel awkward or neglected. It’s very simple to speak but to have a good mood while doing so could be difficult for some people. Nonverbal behavior affects our everyday life and will play a big role in the relationship people have with one another. The best thing to do about this issue is to stay true to yourself and your feeling about certain things, so you can express how you truly feel without confusing others about your feelings.

English All Around

There are many advantages as well as disadvantages when it comes to one global economy being dominated by one particular language, English. It might sound good to us, because it is our fluent or first language, but imagine having to learn a new language in order to be aware of different important issues like global economy for instance. Everyone probably feels like global economy should be dominated by their own language, but things can’t be this way. For their own convenience and their benefit, they wish to be able to communicate about something so important in a way they feel comfortable. This is completely understandable, but the point is that it is English the language that in dominating and it will remain this way for a while.
Nonnative speakers have many different challenges to overcomes. When having the interest and necessity to be familiar with global economy, they must learn the language most of the people know. Learning a new language is always a challenge. To other cultures, one thing in their language might mean something completely different in another one. The most important things in these situations is to get the message across very clearly and straight forward, which is hard for a nonnative speaker to get. If everything was handled in different languages, things around the world would get hectic. There would be more confusion then what there already is and things would not always come out according to plan. Having the same language has opened many more doors for our people, as well as for people all over the world. The great thing about communicating in one language is that at all times, communication between one another will never be scarce. We will be able to contact each other and understand what is going on.

Global economy is very important to everyone around the world. To be able to fully understand it in one language is already good enough, regardless of the fact that people are upset that it is in English. Just because of the simple idea that it is not their native language they get upset, but I believe they should be relieved. Many people other there have given much thought to the easiest languages to learn, and English is one of them. English is common and it is easy to learn, so it benefits everyone in the way that they will be learning it faster. Different cultures need to start to cope with the idea of keeping English around as the global economy language.
In my opinion we should all just be happy that we at least already have picked out one language to represent our global economy. Good things come from understanding each other even if it take more effort to some than others. It is an easy language, and most people know it because it comes from a big country. English is a necessity to know, and I am aware that in some countries it is a requirement for kids to learn this language in class, giving us the understanding that other countries are aware that English is important.

A Conversation With Paper

To many people their work seems unique and it sure is. Every writer has their own way of writing that has been developing since they first learned how to write. There are many different styles and tones people use when they write, but the way I write and my word choice sets my writing style apart from others. Up to this point in my life, I have always wrote my essays a certain way. I like to speak out loud while I write, I believe it helps me to get on a roll without stopping. My essays usually consist of my personal feelings and thoughts, unless I’m asked to do otherwise. The words I choose to write with, are words I use on a regular day basis. I have this little process I follow, it helps to get my audience to relate with my work and to have a clear understanding of my message.

At first I sit there and stare into space thinking about the subject I’m going to write on. Then I jot down some random words that might help me write if I get stuck. After I’m done thinking, I get a little conversation going on in my head, or out loud if I’m alone, to get my paper to come out as if I was just speaking and everything I said was getting wrote down. I feel like this gives it my personal touch, specially when I get lost in my words. The words I choose are words I use every day. I might use new words I recently have learned, but I will not go out of my way to use a word I am not comfortable using. My paper are 100 percent me, no if or buts. If I’m going to get credit for something it will most definitely be for my work and my words.

I write how I speak. Sometimes to make my essays sound more formal, I have to go back and edit. At times, when I read my papers it sounds like I’m having a conversation with someone and I just wont stop talking, but this is the way I feel like I get a connection with my audience. This is great way to make my audience feel like they are in my paper because it’s talking to them. I can tell my papers and similar papers apart from others. When I read a paper, and I feel like I’m stuck in a conversation, I know that the author and I have similar writing styles. I feel like I can just put my opinion it somewhere, and it will still be talking back to me without any problem. It’s truly amazing to have a connection with some random persons writing. These authors word choice, like mine, help to get a better understanding of the message in an essay. The easy-going and flowing word choices help to visualize and influence the reader while keeping them interested on your paper. Books with my writing style, get me hooked!

The Art of Sugarcoating

In the essay written by William Lutz, named Doubts About Doublespeak, the author describes doublespeak to be "a language which pretends to communicate but doesn't." To me, doublespeak means the same thing as sugarcoating. In this essay I learned that the four main kinds of doublespeak are euphemism, jargon, gobbledygook or bureaucratese, and inflated language. Some of these are harmful while some are useful and could be for the best.

He describes emphemism to be "a phrase designated to avoid a harsh or distasteful reality." In my opinion this is a good type of doublespeak. The reason being because this kind of doublespeak is used to not hurt people's feelings when being criticized. Some people are sensitive when dealing with certain issues and euphemism might help cope with that bad feeling of other people's bluntness. A perfect example of this doublespeak would be to say "I think we should take some time apart" instead of saying "I don't want to be with you anymore." It means the same thing but in a nicer way.

The second type of doublespeak he describes is jargon. Jargon means "the specialized language of trade." Lutz informs us that this allows people who work together to communicate with each other in a faster and more efficient way. The examples he provides for us are doctors and lawyers who have a certain codes t communicate with each other in their fields and if they were to speak to anyone outside of their working groups is where the jargon would take place. By speaking to someone in a way they do not understand. An example of this would be trying to speak to someone about something they don't know much about and assuming they had some kind of knowledge about it, because they might feel lost. It might be easier to work better using jargon, but when it comes to the real world, normal and easier ways to communicate would be more efficient so no one has to feel awkward, but I believe this type of doublespeak is harmless.

Gobbledygook or bureaucratese is the third type of doublespeak. The authors describes this doublespeak as "a matter of overwhelming the audience with words." This is when you load up a sentence of a phrase with many words in order to loose your audience in the procedure. This is often done in long documents or speeches with meanings that don't fully describe what they are about. This is a dangerous type of doublespeak because it can make you lose track and acquire false information because of the simple fact that you got lost in transaction.

And the last kind of doublespeak which I believe is also harmless is inflated language which is designed to make the ordinary sound extraordinary. This type of doublespeak isn't necessarily a bad thing but it is not the best thing, it depends under what circumstance you are using it under. For example, you might think it is okay when people use it to elevate their job title because that does not harm anyone, but when stores put out sale advertisements that sound really great but in reality are not, this becomes an issue to some people. I do not like going to a store where they are promising me great deals but I end up walking out with only a 10 percent discount.

This doublespeak to me sounds like a bunch of sugarcoating but that is what our world consists of. In our nature there is the dominant trait of being hypocrites, liars, and two faced even if we don't want to admit it. This is were sugarcoating comes in as part of being ourselves.

Knowledge in Knowing

What keeps this world together is the art of communication, and the key concept of communication is literacy. To be literate is to know how to read and write in order to express yourself. According to some psychologists, our population would be much less than what it is today if people were still illiterate. Literacy has helped us as human beings progress in life, live longer, get along, and most importantly become more knowledgeable.

Literacy can open many doors for you. Whether it’s to get by in this world, open your mind to more ideas, become educated, or be able to have your own thoughts about situations by analyzing, reading and writing is knowledge.

In an essay I read called Learning to Read and Write, by Fredrerick Douglas, he explains his journey to learning how to read and write as a slave. He discusses that gaining the knowledge of literacy was to finally be aware of what was happening around him. What he learns in his readings are the reasons to why they were keeping slavery around. He also explains to us that while he did something good, which was learning to read and write; he discovered horrible things that made him angry like reading about the slave situation. Douglass felt angry about the truth that surrounded him, but without knowing to read and write, he would have never figured out any of this. The concept I got from his story is that the more knowledge I gain, is the more I think, and the more I think is the more I contradict things in this world.

When you begin to wonder what is going on around you, and you finally come to an understanding of why certain things take place; you individualize yourself from other people and come up with your own conclusions and perspectives on situations. You gain more knowledge by doing this, and most knowledge comes from reading.

I have read all kinds of things from religion to scientific methods, giving me lots to think about. I start to contradict many ideas and make up my own conclusions. In history class, reading about the past has opened my eyes to why we do things the way we do today. It explained to me why we have so many laws and so much security where we live. Reading about past events, has helped me to see the right from wrong. When knowing the rules or laws, it is harder to break them. It also explains why we have education, freedom, and many more things we are guaranteed. In Political Science I learned many different political views. Only by reading what they stand for, and I have made a choice of which one I am closer to. I may not like to read and write, but I have gained a great amount of knowledge from it.

Of course people learn through experiences and observations, but the most common and the most used way is through reading. Being illiterate would have a huge impact on anyone’s life in today’s world, specially a teenager. We would not be able to e-mail, text, or be on these website that allow us to chat with friends and family in different countries, such as facebook, myspace, twitter, etc. Without reading one can not educate themselves or have the ability to progress in life. Success if mostly brought by education and to be educated, is to have gone to school and learned to read and write correctly. The key to succeed in life is education and literacy plays a big role in this stage of life.

Thinking Critically

Thinking is only part of the process of writing, but it is the most important one.You must concentrate on everything you are planning to focus on in your paper and add detail to the ideas you come up with. When I begin to write, I often take about 20 minutes to sit down, relax, look around me, and think about the point I'm trying to get across. I tend to over-think things most of the time, but I've come to realize this is a good thing. As I keep thinking, or get to my critical thinking stage, my beginning thoughts could change or become more detailed and firm. The point of critical thinking is to get the ideas in your head to reach their fullest potential, and to be able to expand on them. I might start out having a simple opinion on a subject, and this could lead to the discovery of a new belief for me. When it comes to politics and real world issues, I must do research before making any judgment. I read as much as I can to understand the main point, and to be able to make a potential belief. I like to base my thoughts off of proven facts or statistics. When listening to the media, I like to absorb their point of view, but at the same time not take it too seriously. Some media will make one side of the story sound better than it is, or favor them, so I believe in looking up other sources as well. I try to get information from more than 2 sources to make a more educated opinion. Other than using critical thinking is an essay or a blog, it is used on an every day basis. People may not notice this, but they are constantly thinking every single second of their lives. Basic everyday routines may cause thinking, something that stresses you out, or something that makes you happy. Whether some of their thoughts might get to the critical thinking stage or not, they are thinking about everything, and most of these thoughts get to the critical thinking stage. In this class, I would like to explore new ways to describe and make my thoughts sound more interesting, or to be able to capture my audience's attention and say things in a way everyone could relate. English 103 was specially created for critically thinking and analyzing which will help me enforce my writing skills and make my papers flow better. Critical thinking is needed to write a good paper. This will help my future career and my way of being. The first step to an educated life starts at learning to think things thoroughly. By learning to analyze my information better, I will be able to make better points, prove facts, and connect ideas to each other. Analyzing is the first step into deep thinking. You must master the art of analyzing before moving on to the bigger and better things, such as thinking critically.