Blog #9: The Civil War...today?

I read a CBS Poll article about whether or not the people of our nation are ready to have a black president. It says roughly two-thirds of americans said they were willing to accept a black president and were planning to vote for Obama. Eight years ago only 38% of the people asked answered that they were not ready for one. Two-hundred years ago, this was not the case. African americans were regarded as slaves and were not given the privilege to get a higher education or even be able to be independent. The Civil War changed all of that and the rights of african americans grow and continue to grow. Our culture has matured and evolved into the tolerant and free country we know today.

Blog #8:The Constitution, The News & You

As i was browsing the internet, I came across a republican biased website that had an article called "Obama Violates Separation of Powers". I was intrigued by the accusation so I clicked and proceeded. The following are responses to the blog prompt:

1) Written May 13, 2009 this article may no longer be relevant yet at the time, republican advocates claimed that Obama has somehow violated the constitution and that he should be punished. Obama's task force assisted Chrystler Corporation when they filed for bankruptcy the court is responsible to temporarily protect the company's foundation until the company is able to resurrect itself. They refunded 29 cents to the dollar for all stockholders while giving the UAW a much higher intrest rate at 55%.

"It is not the responsibility nor does the Obama administration have the Constitutional authority to negotiate, restructure, decide stock options and who and how much stock holder are payed for their investment, or decide budgetary matters with any company seeking or within the perimeters of bankruptcy protection because it is strictly a Judicial matter and as such is Constitutionally handled by the courts and not the White House."

This quote clearly states the author's argument on why Obama has violated the costitution.

2) The constitution states that no entity ,beyond the authority of the President, within the Executive Branch is allowed to interfere with trials. Obama has harmlessly violated the constitution in an indirect way. His task force has seized control of the Crystler situation rather then having it go through the standard judicial procedure.

3) The author sees Obama as a dictator and clearly has it out for him. This article is simply one man's opinion and may have evoked counter arguments, thus engaging in an all-out war of words. I think that it is interesting about how seriously people can take the constitution(the author) in modern times as well as how relaxed they are about it.(everyone else)

American Icons Reflection

Prompt: You will produce a highly polished piece of reflective writing in which you describe your place in a continuum of American Icons.

I think that the key words in the prompt are “describe your place in a continuum”. The assignment’s objective is captured in that simple phrase. To me the prompt is basically asking: “Who is your icon and how can you relate to him/her?” I think that I answered the questions reasonably well and I am confident that the reader will understand my references with some background knowledge of the show. I think that the second to last and last paragraph of my essay communicate to the reader, my opinion of my icon and how I see him.

I think that the intro to my paper was done pretty well. The anecdote serves as a hook that grabs the reader attention early on and makes them want to keep reading. I have been experimenting with good anecdotes and it seems to be effective so I shall most likely try this method again. I think that If I could improve one part of my writing, I would want to improve the flow of my writing. The transition between paragraphs doesn’t flow as smoothly as I would have liked it. Using the writing tips, I think I can improve my writing in the future.

I think that an appropriate score for my work would be 50/60. I tried very hard to produce highly polished writing by using what I learned in class and reviewing my notes. The image that I produced with my work could have used some improvement. I was my first time using most of those applications so I will have to work on my photography and photo editing in my spare time so I wont have any problems in the future.

Blog #7

What stands out to you in your learning?

In my learning, the thing that stands out the most to me is the writing tips. They have greatly improved my writing and the review helped me fully understand the concepts. I felt like I was one step ahead of the class for a while until they caught up with me and the work became hard.

What is working well in this class?

The thing that works best in this class is the freedom to work with whom you choose. I think that if this keeps up along with my best efforts and if the homework was reduced to a reasonable level, I just migh have a chance at passing this class.

What can you do to build upon your successes?

I can keep up my work and study habits. I also want to build upon my photography skills so I can produce higher quality artwork in the future.

What very specific, concrete & manageable steps can you take to make the most of your opportunities to learn in this class?

I think that by setting half an hour aside everyday to study before school so I could enter school with a mind ready to learn.

What are your goals for the next few weeks in class?

Some goals that I have for next few weeks are to get more experience reading and annotating informational articles and to be able to learn idependently.

American Icons Project

Dexter Morgan

By: Jon Silva

Recently, I went to Mexico for a week during summer vacation. When the sun goes down, there is not much to do outdoors so I planned ahead and rented the first season of Dexter to bring with me. As the credits rolled after the first episode, I was hooked. The protagonist of the series was so interesting that I could not resist watching the next episode because the curiosity was too much. I ended up watching the entire season in two nights (that’s six hours a day!). I grew attached to Dexter and it feels like if I hung out with him, we would be best friends.

Dexter Morgan is the mild-mannered forensics analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department. In his spare time he has a peculiar habit of tracking down murderers and “disposing” of them. Dexter has the ability to manage several difficult tasks at once. Whether it taking care of work, his needy girlfriend, or dismembering the corpses of bad people, Dexter can stay on top of all of it.

I think that the most iconic thing about Dexter is his set of morals. He has a sturdy sense of right and wrong and uses a list of rules to determine if a person’s offence is deserving of death. If the target has taken an innocent life then they must pay the ultimate price. I respect Dexter because he manages to stay in control of his work, family and hobby.

“People fake a lot of human interactions, but I feel like I fake them all, and I fake them very well, that's my burden, I guess.” Dexter has an inhuman side to him that emerges periodically. He becomes a beast without emotion that kills for the satisfaction. Dexter is also pretty normal on a certain level. He laughs, loves and learns just like everyone else. He disagrees with the current justice system, which is why he feels like he has to takes matters into his own hands.

I admire Dexter’s sense of morality and his ability to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle. These are some goals I have set for myself and I find Dexter to be a good example of an intelligent man with a stable career and a fulfilling life. Dexter is a man of logic and a man of mystery, which is what I find most interesting about him. If you haven’t seen the show, go to your nearest video store and check it out. I promise that it’s worth your while.(All 36 hours of it)

Blog #5: Questions about our writing...

1)The most successful aspect of my writing in my artist statement is the opening paragraph. I think that it catches the readers attention and gets them settled in for the remainder of reading to come.

2)The writing tip that i found was "Watch Those Adverbs". My sentences used to be long with several unnecessary descriptive words. "Watch those adverbs" has shown me how to become a more powerful writer by doing less work.

3)The hardest part about writing my artists statement was having to explain the concept of Dexter to an audience who has no background knowledge of the show. I had to think of a way to explain who he is and what he represents in one page when I could have easily written ten more about him.

4)The writing tip that I found most challenging is "Activate Your Verbs". This writing tip disrupts the flow of my writing and I find myself unable to express the same meaning of the sentence through past tense. When writing a monologue, I would normally write in the present tense but I had to defy my instinct and activate my verbs.

5) "Dexter Morgan is the mild-mannered forensics analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department. In his spare time he has a peculiar habit of tracking down murderers and “disposing” of them. Dexter has the ability to manage several difficult tasks at once. Whether it taking care of work, his needy girlfriend, or dismembering the corpses of bad people, Dexter can stay on top of all of it.

I think that the most iconic thing about Dexter is his set of morals. He has a sturdy sense of right and wrong and uses a list of rules to determine if a person’s offence is deserving of death. If the target has taken an innocent life then they must pay the ultimate price. I respect Dexter because he manages to stay in control of his work, family and hobby."

1) Which words could I replace to make it sound better?

2)Does it make sense?

3)How could I better organize these paragraphs?

Blog #4: Icons Loop

Recently, I went to Mexico for a week during summer vacation. When the sun goes down, there is not much to do outdoors so I planned ahead and rented the first season of Dexter to bring with me. As the credits rolled after the first episode, I was hooked. The protagonist of the series was so interesting that I could not resist watching the next episode because the curiosity was too much. I ended up watching the entire season in two nights(thats six hours a day!). I grew attached to Dexter and it feels like if I hung out with him, we would be best friends. He has inspired me to change how I think about life and helped me see that by being responsible I can live a great life.

I admire Dexter’s sense of morality and his ability to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle. These are some goals I have set for myself and I find Dexter to be a good example of an intelligent man with a stable career and a fulfilling life. Dexter is a man of logic and a man of mystery, which is what I find most interesting about him. If you havent seen the show, go to your nearest video store and check it out. I promise that it’s worth your while.(All 36 hours of it)

1)I feel like these paragraphs are good for an opener/close because they speak to the reader on a human level, therefore establishing an early writer-reader bond. I want to give the essay a warm intro and outro that keeps the reader thinking.

2)Both talk about how Dexter inspires me and what he represents in my eyes.

3)When a reader walks away from my paper I want him/her to think about being all they can be and to give Dexter a chance.

Blog #3: American Icons and Resources

In my artist statement I am going to include my icon, Dexter Morgan, as well as his rival, Sergeant James Doakes. The two express opposing opinions regarding murder and justice. Dexter shows us a perspective that approves of killing those who have killed in cold blood. "Taking out the trash", he calls it. Dexter sees no problem in punishing those who have wronged. He even plans out the repercussions of his actions and anticipates the consequences. Dexter represents Justice and Honor with a vengeance.

Officer Doakes, on the other hand represents the long arm of the law, stretched to its fullest extent. He blindly enforces law and gains satisfaction out of busting criminals. Though passionate about his work, Doakes does not share the same motives as Dexter. Doakes works for a paycheck and for the thrill of the hunt.

Resources:

1) Wikipedia

This site contained a detailed show description along with an episode guide and season summaries. I used it to pinpoint certain quotes in the character's dialogue.

2)IMBD- Quotes

I used it to pinpoint certain quotes in the character's dialogue.

Blog #2: American Icon Ideas

Possible American Icons Choices:

Dexter

I chose Dexter as a possible icon because he delivers justice when the law fails. Dexter works with law enforcement by day as a forensics analyst, but has a hobby of tracking down killers that slipped through the fingers of the police department and disposing of them. Dexter operates with a set of principles that determine whether a subject deserves to die. He also maintains a set of rules the prevent him from getting caught. I think that Dexter does what he does for reasons not of his own and in a weird way is a protector that saves people from potential harm.


Zach Galifinakis

Zach Galifinakis represents a cool new kind of comedy that makes real time situations into awkward moments with celebrities and others. Now a budding actor, Zach has made appearances in movies as a comic relief such as Allen from The Hangover. I think Zach represents a simpler time when people could be brought together by the joy of laughter.

Steve Miller

Steve Miller is one my favorite musicians who has a unique sound and talent. As a singer/guitarist/songwriter he has produced several masterpieces such as "fly like an eagle". I am inspired by his music and wish I could have seen him perform while he was still good. Like Jimi Hendrix, Steve Miller combined aspects from several different genres of music to create something innovative and psychadelic. I think that he is an important icon because of the influence his music has on its audience. It has an enlightening effect on them. The sounds create the sensation that I am dissolving into an invisible cloud floating up into the heavens.