Summing it all UP!

Looking over the many blog posts assigned throughout the semester, I noticed my writing styles have changed somewhat. Initially, I held alot back. Not because I was afraid to express myself, but I was a little apprehensive about what other classmates would think about what I chose to write about.
When writing a blog post I try to step outside of myself and look at what I am writing as if I am the reader who will be reading the posts and commenting on them. I also looked to other outside sources for feedback before I posted comments as to kind of proofread the posts to make sure they made sense and weren't too far fetched.
The one thing I enjoyed about the blogs was the freedom to write however I choose to write about the given topic.
Writing the blogs has prepared me to pretty much write anything in the near future. It also taught me to not get too biased but to present certain topics from a neutral standpoint.

What a Semester!

This has been a very interesting semester. I have made new friends in my classes, and I have made some new discoveries about myself.
If I had the choice to change anything about this semester, I wouldn't because each mishap or good thing that happened to me happened in order for me to learn a much needed lesson.
I was fortunate enough to only have to take ONE final! (YAY!!!!!) That alone was a milestone for me because past experiences with school wouldnt have come out as well as it has now.
In the beginning of the semester I spoke on wanting to work hard for what you want and I feel as if Ursuline has pushed me to work twice as hard despite my hectic schedule outside of the school life.
Lastly I want to thank the people who have stumbled across my path for whatever purpose. Most of them may never know the impact they had on me whether they shared words of encouragement or helped out on a question I had. Thank you! And GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!

Identity

While coming up with a working thesis, I decided to look at some key points I felt were necessary when it comes to identity. Some things that stood out to me were confidence, strength, and knowing where you stand as an Individual.
Identity is a very touchy issue because alot of us, young and old, are still searching to find one. Everyone chooses to travel a different road, which means everyone will have different experiences. Those experiences may evolve around the same concept but because the person isnt the same, therefore neither will the experience or the outcome be the same.
With this in mind, I decided to use the following thesis: Knowing where one stands can build confidence, courage, and strengthen ones identity.

I.O.U.S.A

While watching I.O.U.S.A, I could not help but wonder why the target of the questions were the younger people. When I think about the debt of America, I think about the generations after generations of our forefathers that hold a bulk of the responsibility of our nations debt, not the younger people.
Watching the movie made me wonder if the purpose of questioning the younger generation wasnt necessarily meant to pick on them, but to more so show how we as a nation spend so little time looking at the numbers and act on impulse.
The fact that alot of todays' youth have little to no education on money poses a great threat to the future of America. The national deficit is already at terribly high numbers and if we as a nation dont react now to fix the problem, the deficit will continue to increase and thus push the chances of the national deficit ever decreasing even further out the window.

Crooked River Burning

When I first began reading this book, my first thought was "dang...this book is booooorrring!!!!!" lol. The dryness of the book made it difficult for me to stick with the plot and read the assigned reading. The book appears to be full of interesting characters, all serving some unique purpose in the molding of Cleveland as it is today.
This is an interesting challenge seeing how Im open to trying new things as well as reading different types of books. But I am up for the challenge and Im diving in head first. I just hope that I can finish the book without feeling as if this is a book that I was forced to read, which would leave me not really being able to take something from the book.

Integrating Sources Into Your Writing

"No I don't want nothin'. I just want to get as far away from here as I can....."(Marlow 194)

This section of Color Me Butterfly stuck out to me because it dealt with Eloise closing a chapter in her life that in my opinion, should have never been reopened. This qoute also interested me because of the power behind it. By that I mean she was so fed up with her situation that nothing of material value was important to her.
Life can be that way from time to time. We face hard times that shape us and mold us; times that call for lightening the burden and moving on as fast as you can never looking back at that uneccessary drama. By this time in the book, Mattie and John were living together and she had learned to keep Roy in her heart and move on with her life for the sake of her children. Mattie was also a source of strength for her mother Eloise when she needed her the most.
This particular section taught me my own personal lesson of the importance of family always being there when no one else will come to the rescue. I say that because Mattie did not agree with Eloise going back to Isaac but she supported her and didn't hesitate one bit when Eloise decided she would no longer be Isaac's punching bag and that she would leave.

Marlow, L. Y. Color Me Butterfly. Bowie: eL, 2007. Print

Peer Review Session

I was unable to participate in the peer review session the initial day. But, what i got out of my peer review session was the importance of looking at what I write through the eyes of the reader as well as my own. I learned to read aloud my ideas that I write on paper as I type to check for grammatical errors within my paper. I have mixed ideas about peer reviews sometimes because I don't agree with the errors sometimes. But I've learned to accept criticism constructively and to build a more precise and effective essay.
Peer reviews prove to be effective because another set of eyes can always be useful when you are trying to express an idea or if you are stating facts.