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.