Friday, June 4, 2010

Table of Contents


Reflections


Critical Analisis Introduction


Traditions Essay


Revision Introduction


Identity Revision


Voice and Audience Introduction


Crash


Writers Choice Introduction

Traditions Blog


My Final Say



A Time of Reflection


Hi my name is Barbara Hughes and I am a 48 year old new student. I studied Dental assisting in the Navy and practiced it for the next 30 years. My last job assignment was being a scheduling coordinator; I liked it a lot but did not get the satisfaction of helping patients. I lost my job due to a company downsizing, you know the one: last hired first fired, well I decided I was done with the dental field. My next decision was to go back to school and get my Nursing degree. I found out that I was going to have a lot of diverse classes to take in order to get in to the course. English 98 was a really easy class for me not a lot of essay writing, although this class has shown me a totally different road.
Today I sat and thought about what I had discovered about myself in this class. I have slowly determined that I have not much talent as a writer. I didn't really get why I need to be able to write a story when I am going to be a nurse, but then I realized that when I do write a report on someone I am looking after it's a story I am writing. Mostly I have the facts in my head I know what I want to say but I can't always get it down on paper. I have struggled with the essay part of this class and still don't feel very comfortable writing one. I have a caring mind that is not very analytical. I hope one day I will be able to write in a different mindset.

My Critical Analysis Introduction


My tradition’s essay is based on the very interesting wedding traditions that have been around for hundreds of years, most of them have become out dated, but some have been able to be modified and made to reflect the couple’s individuality. I, myself, love weddings, I love to go to them, I love to plan them and I really loved mine 19 years ago. The best part of the wedding is the planning of it. So if anyone wants help just let me know. There are some very interesting traditions that a person would discover while researching traditions, so I hope you enjoy reading what I found out. My research has made me really think about what really goes into the traditional wedding I hope it does that for you too.

Wedding Tradition: Old and New


Wedding Traditions: Old and New
Weddings are ceremonies that mark a rite of passage. In the past, they had set in motion the union of two people for purposes of securing property, heirs, and citizens and for strengthening political ties. Wedding ceremonies united households, families, communities, parishes, and kingdoms. Such rituals took place in many countries including the United States long before the arrival of non-indigenous people. Wedding traditions have changed very little over the last few decades. These are rituals that have been passed down from generation to generation. Although some of these traditions have been changed to suit individual couples, they tend to continue to be followed by many. No matter what the wedding tradition is, most of them shared the same basic symbols of solidarity, joy and prosperity; symbols that have stood the test of time. Sometimes a wedding ceremony was not preformed because the couple had fallen in love; occasionally the parents followed their culture’s tradition of picking the mates for their children.

Different cultures and different civilizations have very diverse traditions. Even in this day and age of modern thought some families still follow their cultural traditions of finding mates. Although, many faiths, regions, cultures, and nations have very different wedding traditions, there are some close similarities. The one’s that are the most followed are the most cherished. The one that is most often followed is the giving away the bride. Most often the father of the bride walks her down the aisle to be joined to her future husband; the minister usually asks who gives this woman to this man and her father will most often say “I do” and then sit down. However in the more modern ceremonies the minister asks the bride if she is giving of herself freely to the groom and also if the groom is giving himself freely the bride. This seems to be a change in tradition that has followed the idea that no one really owns a person so no one can give them away.

Revision of Identity Essay


This was the hardest essay to write for me. My last English class was much easier for me. I still am not sure that I got this right. Many times someone can write a story and it not make sense to the reader, but I thought what I had written was both informative and entertaining. Well, that‘s not what our teachers felt or maybe not the way I really came across. I do hope my revision is much clearer and to the point. Enjoy!

Proof Of Identity


According to Ludeman and Erlandson the male ego can really get away from a person. The Alpha Male Syndrome is strongest in men. Although, it does affect women, it seems to have different type of one. Most often an Alpha male is domineering and aggressive. The women that have the Alpha Male syndrome have more self-control of their emotions. Men on the other hand sometimes allow their egos to get the better of themselves. They identify with the need to run everything but in the end the somehow run their businesses to the ground. Women indentify themselves with a more nurturing way of dealing with the everyday problems that come up if the day to day business. Occasionally, the world as a whole tends to make snap judgments about what a person identity should say about them.

When a baby is born most people say how cute they are or how well behaved the baby is. Usually they don’t say wow he’s going to be president or she’s going to make the best wife. People most often start developing their identity as they grow and mature. Even though as a baby a personality starts to come out it does seem that as people get older their identity becomes more defined. As people mature the traits that are developing get stronger, and their identity becomes more evident. Women as well as men develop strong alpha symptoms, although how they deal with them is slightly different. “Alpha women want to lead, but they don’t necessarily need to rule.”(Ludeman and Erlandson, Alpha male syndrome, 233). “Alpha males want excellence, they want it now, and they know how to get it.” (Ludeman and Erlandson, Alpha male syndrome, 231). Men are more controlling of their emotions then women. Women just as most men can lead and follow but sometimes men have a harder time following.

Movietalk DB 2 Introduction


Movietalk DB 2 Introduction

This had to be one of the most controversial movies of all time. There was so much discussion in our group that challenged what we thought about and how we perceived people when we first meet them. Sadly enough this movie really showed how bad a policeman could be, but not how much, except in one instance, they help their communities.It also showed how tight a community could be without the people in always knowing the others in it.

Crash


Crash Movietalk

In the opening scene I was confused when the cop played by Jennifer Esposito seemed to be part of the crash and then got out screaming at the Asian woman calling her names and insulting her then the next thing she is investigating the incident. Since she is a cop why did the other officer not stop her from talking to the woman like she was. I felt they were both showing racist tendencies which was interesting since the were both a minority and probably suffered from that same kind of disrespecting abuse from other people and probably didn't like it much when it happened to them.

It amazes me everytime a cop thinks they can do whatever they want just because they are cops and feel they are above the law. In this scene the female cop just talks to the woman like she has no rights at all and the other cop doesn't defend her at all. I think they overstepped their boundries of being a cop. I felt like the filmaker was trying to make a point but at the same time was saying it's ok to be rude. this movie pointed out several different types of ways people cross boundries. The characters all seemed to find ways of being racist and rude. None of the people in the movie seemed realize they were overstepping the boundries until someone actually pointed it out to them.

Traditions Blog Introduction

My thoughts on traditions come from having a strong family unit. I feel that when there are traditions in place that are passed down from generation to generation that they should be kept going. Not all traditions have t stay the same but some do seem to do so. My family loves to eat and socialize a lot, so anytime we have gotten together, it usually has both involved. I hope you enjoy my 4th of July party as much as I do.

4th of July


The 4th of July is the most enjoyable day of the year for my family. It is one of the few holidays my family still celebrates together. We have gotten together at my sister's house for over 30 years. We started out playing volleyball when we were younger and had more energy but now as we have gotten older our children and our children's children are now the ones doing all of the playing. My brother-in-law, Craig, always makes the same yummy oysters on the half shell over the barbecue pit and he also cooks chicken and salmon. Everyone brings some kind of a side dish and or a dessert. I have a special cake that I make every year, its a flag cake with blueberries and strawberries on it for decoration. While the little kids are lighting off the small fireworks out in the cow pasture for what seems like hours, we eat and eat until we are so stuffed we can hardly move. Then just as it starts to get dark we send out the older kids, ones that aren't going to blow themselves up, to set off the big bang ones. We have in the past had a guy that actually caught himself on fire. There seems to be someone new or someone we haven't seen in years. I totally look forward to it all year long.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

My Final Say

I need to say that in the beginning of this class I had many panic attacks. I am always second guessing myself and am concerned that what I may think is wonderful and intelligent not everyone else does. I am not the most educated person, although I am working my way towards that goal, I do try the best I can. I hope that this course does give me more focus for my future classes and that it helps with my future job as a nurse. I still am in awe of people that can just sit at their computer and make a paper happen, but I feel more confident that I will succeed in the future. Thanks to everyone that has given me their input throughout this quarter and I hope to actually meet some of you in the future.