Journal #7

I thought that Michael Lassell's poem, How to Watch Your Brother Die, was a perfect example to show how misunderstood homosexuality is. In the poem, it describes how after the brother told  the narrator he was gay, the narrator no longer wanted to speak with him. Usually homosexuality is misunderstood because people can only think of how the gay person is different than them, and sometimes this difference is too complicated for the straight person to handle. I am used to being around homosexual people, because my best friend growing up had a homosexual father who lived with his life partner, and I spent the night at their house many times. This showed me that gays are not people to fear just because they have a different sexual orientation, rather that they are just normal people who have found that they are more interested in the same sex. I can see the relationship between this poem and the episode of Glee we watched in class because the homosexual kid in the show was treated differently, by being told not to sing with his partner because it would ruin the kids reputation. Media shows homosexuality as being something forbidden and completely wrong, where in reality, homosexuality is perfectly normal and a life choice that should not be judged by anyone. As in both of these texts, homosexuality is presented as taboo. I personally have no problem with the choices made by other men or women that are attracted to the same sex, I know that it is not always a choice that is made, but rather something that is born within mind of the person, and that I am not in the right position to be judging someone who is born that way. After watching these clips and reading this poem, I have learned that there will always be people who simply cannot accept the fact that someone is homosexual, and that there is nothing I can do to persuade these people into not caring so much. I personally dont see the big deal if someone wants to have sex with a person of the same sex, i mean theres really nothing wrong with it besides the fact that it is not accepted by everyone. I think that everyone in this world should just chill the fuck out and let things happen. Just because someone doesnt have exactly the same morals as you doesnt mean you get to be the one to tell them that they are wrong. Relax people, let gay people be gay and straight people be straight. For real.

Rhetorical Analysis (Journal #6)

As i was watching the Old Spice commercial we watched in class, I could only think of one thing. This commercial is one of the most logical commercials on the internet. The commercial focuses on the one thing that men think about most, sex. Using the emotional appeal of logos to effectively market the product, Old Spice persuades the male viewers to purchase their product. If old spice can get men to think that by using their product, they will get more women, than it could possibly be one of the greatest selling products on the market. Its logical because men know that women dont like stinky guys, so if they can smell like the big buff dude in the commericals than can get any woman that comes with in a smelling radius of them. The Old Spice commercial uses logic to get their customers to buy their products.

Journal #5

After reading the hypertext version of Sloan's text, I believe that it is more effective in the way the information is delivered. The text in the Writing As Revision was a little boring and didnt keep my interest for very long. It was pretty difficult to read and follow, especially because she kept jumping back to the conversation she had with "her father's friend." The hypertext on the other hand gave visual examples within the text that kept me interested while reading it. I also think that the hypertext was more direct in its approach, instead of beating around the bush like the Writing As Revision version did. The links within the hypertext were not distracting, for the most part. I only looked at a few, and the ones I looked at gave me more information about the topic, which also kept me engrossed. If i were to have read every single link, it might have been distracting from the text, but other than that, the links were not distracting at all. Overall I believe that the hypertext is a better way to connect with the audience because it is more visually captivating and easier to read.

Journal #4

So this past week I visited CESL, Center for English as a Second Language. This was a very cool experience for me, because I never get the chance to speak with foreign students, or foreign people for that matter. The person I talked to the most is named Saif, from Abu Dabi near Dubai. Supprisingly his life at home is not that much different from that which we have here in America. Back in his home country, he went to school, hung out with friends, played sports, watched movies, all the thigns you would expect an 18 year old kid to do. I asked him a bunch of questions about America, for example if he likes the people he has met here. He said that everyone is very kind, but that most of the Americans he met couldnt see his true self past his skin color and broken english. I took this to heart, explaining to him that some Americans can be ignorant, but that I always try never to judge at first sight. Saif is like any other kid I have met here at the University, he is just looking for a great education and maybe to have a little fun on the side. I think its really interesting that someone from half-way across the globe could have the same interests as me, but now I know its possible. I have learned a lot from Saif, and the most important I think, is that no matter what your skin color, religion, or language you possess, we are all people, and should be respected as such.

Journal #2

The text I have chosen for my first essay is my facebook page. I think that because i have been writing my ideas and feelings on my page for a while now, I will get a wide range of text to sample from when trying to identify my persona. I have decided that by looking at my pictures, statuses, comments, etc. over time relates to how my actual identity has changed with it. I can compare my text to Paticia Hampl's "Memory and Imagination" because my facebook is basically a memoir. My page contains memories and thoughts i had in the past. The only difference is that my page is not written in the past tence, for everything i wrote was how i felt at the time, where a memoir is written after the fact. Im actually really excited to look at how my facebook relates to my persona and how it truely does represent the real Drew Lichtblau.

Journal #1 Review

The MISSION2010!!! post came straight from the heart. Nothing in the post is fictionalized, and everything just came naturally. I had no trouble coming up with an experience to describe that fit the requirements of the assignment. I feel like the language I used is just what came into my head as I was writing the piece. Honestly, I had no trouble describing my vacation, maybe because it was very recent and still fresh in my memory. My first post was just a free flowing explanation of how I thought the trip changed my life, and that's why I used the language I did.

MISSION2010!!! (Journal #1)

It started merely as a dream, something my friends Tanner, Chris, and I thought would be a glorious idea. We didn't actually think it would ever really happen, rather something that would get us through the school year and into what was going to be the greatest summer vacation of our lives.

One day Tanner brought up the idea to go to Mission Beach, California over the week of July 4th. The plan was to rent a house on the beach with a couple of our closest friends and spend a week without our parents on the beautiful beaches of Cali. The idea originated in March, soon after spring break ended, but the reality of the situation was that most of the rental homes in Mission Beach were either already booked, or required a minimum age of 21 to rent. We kept our search going and eventually, sometime in May, and somewhat like a miracle, we found a house that fit 10 and the minimum age to rent was only 18. So we gathered the troops, rounding up kids who were willing to throw down around $300 for a house for the week, not to mention get permission from their parents to go! When most of our friends couldn't get permission we had to ask some kids that weren't considered our best friends. Finally, we had 9 kids willing to pay and whose parents would allow them to go. We had done it, we planned and followed through with our first real vacation without parents, with no help from the elders. It was a great feeling, the feeling of growing up and doing something without the assistance of our overseers. 719 San Gabriel, the address of our soon to be Mission Beach residence, had no idea what was coming to it!

My trip to cali turned out to be one of the single greatest vacations of my life for many reasons, but most of all it changed my lifestyle. This trip was like the start to college, for I had never truly done anything on my own like this (without the help of my parents). I was quickly learning how to deal with life on my own. For example, I learned how to live with other people and on my own, like buying groceries and being solely responsible for myself and my actions. Mission Beach was a like a time portal showing me what it would be like on my own, starting a new life for myself and having completely different interactions with people. I will never forget this trip or the people I spent it with, for my life has not been the same since.