Blogging

I have to be honest, I will most likley never look at this blog post again. However, this blog post could be helpful and fun for others. When blogging you can freely write ideas, unlike a formal paper. People who are creative and maybe want to be English majors would enjoy this post. However, I am not creative and sometimes have a hard time thinking of ideas to write. It is strange that I have a hard time doing this because most people could go on forever and ever talking about one topic. I do think that this blog post taught me how to form ideas in writing better though. If I was going into creative writing I would probably use this blogger everyday:)

Legalizing Marijuana

I choose the topic legalizing marijuana because I just finished a civil rights and liberties project about it and found some interesting facts that I would like to explore furthur in this post. Although in my project I was against the legalization of marijuana because I was taught that it is morally wrong, during my research I found several reasons to legalize it. I was shocked by the statistics of how many people use it. Also, did you know more people will die from drinking and smoking ciggerettes every year? Guess how many people died from smoking marijuana last year..none! This also reminds me of the movie we watched, I.O.U.S.A. If our country is trillions of dollars in debt why not make money off of something that a large majority of people already do? In conclusion my opinion about the legalization of marijuana drastically changed.

Essay two

A person’s identity can be recognized by their role in society, a major change in their life, and their interests.

I think that someone's idenity has a lot to do with their job occupation. Whenever you meet someone new, usually the first question asked is what do you do? Even if you are not paid for your occupation, such as a college student, it is still your role in society. Also, everyone goes through changes in their life. When I went from high school to college my identiy definetly changed. As you experience new things you also find new interests. Whether it is deciding your major based on a class you like or a cute guy you met and end up falling in love with, you are shaping the person you will become in the future.

Crooked River Burning

At first Crooked River Burning was difficult to understand. I had lived in the suburbs of Cleveland my entire life and went to school right across the street from Shaker Lakes and have never heard of some of the people and places in the book. The fact that Cleveland used to be one of the largest citys is baffeling, but also fasinating. It's interesting and different to read a love story told from my own city and not New York or Los Angeles. This book ties together history and romance while revealing some of the city's secrets.

Color Me Butterfly Quote

" They were relieved that the Prince of Darkness had, at long last, left their home" (Marlow 74). I picked this quote because it demonstrates an important changing point in the book. Everyone was relieved when Isaac finally left the household. No more abuse and no more fear. I also appreciate how the author capatilized Prince of Darkness in the quote. This emphasizes Isaac's evil. As soon as Isaac drove away, Eloise had to raise the kids on her own. Strain and relief overcomed her the moment she found out Isaac left. However, Isaacs disappearance from their life was an overall positive feeling.

Marlow, L. Y. Color Me Butterfly. Grand Rapids: El, 2007. Print.

Peer Review

Being able to recieve feedback from others is helpful when writing a final paper. During the peer review session it was important that me and my partner read our papers out loud to eachother. This allowed us to fix any akwardness and misuse of words, something I struggle with. This paper taught me how to flow paragraphs together while inturpurting facts, opinions, and own experiances. We could apply each of these aspects to other papers we write in the future.

Eloise's Ways of Knowing

In the begginning of Color Me Butterfly Eloise expresses silance. She keeps the abuse in her family silent and listens to Isaac. Even when the kids are abused she feels as if she can only sit back and pray. Not leaving Isaac first signs of abuse and keeping mute was very difficult for Eloise. After Isaac leaves she begins to feel relief. Being a single parent raising eight children by herself makes her a strong individual. With a defined role in society she begins to express characteristics of a recieved knower. Finding her own identity after Isaac leaves, she still remains true to others. Eloise is a good listener for her children and grandchildren.

I.O.U.S.A

I.O.U.S.A is a movie produced to make the citizens of the United States aware of the enormous debt our country is currently in. The movie illustrates a time line of debt. It showed how we climbed into debt and how we fell out of debt over years. However, by the time the twentyth century came, our country has been in the greatest amount of debt thus far. The message was clear that if nothing is done to relieve our country out of debt, then we will escalade even further in debt then we are today.

I think that this movie has a good meaning. Citizens need to be aware of debt and start organizations to make others aware. The leaders of our country need to form new regulations to help our country out of debt. Also, people need to save now before it is too late.

Essay one

For my educational essay I am considering writing about my transition between the University of Toledo and Ursuline College. The very two different settings was a huge change for me. Before I even considered transferring I had to evaluate the pros and the cons. This was a very difficult process and had a great impact on my educational future.

Three key points I would like to put in my essay is the difference in cost, location, and class sizes.

Thesis:

Transferring from a greatly populated institute to a small private college had a great impact on my life, influencing money, different location settings, and the large variation in class sizes.

I'm not that good at writing thesis statements so everyones input will be greatly appreciated. I tried to accomplish my topic, plus my focus, and three main points. However, the wording may be a little odd. Comments and feedback are welcomed:)

Color Me Butterfly

This book is the worst book I have ever read and I cannot stop reading it. I typically do not like reading and usually only read when a book is assigned in class. Sometimes I don't even read that..shhh. However, I am finding a hard time putting this book down. An emotional story of violence and love, this is a heart breaking book. I understand that it is hard to leave someone you love even when they treat you like an object and not a real human being with real feelings, but Eloise should have left Isaac as soon as he started abusing their kids. It is clear she has many new loves in her life that she does not need Isaac. Even when she expresses how empty it is in her bed now that Isaac is gone, don't be sad, go grab a kid to sleep with you in your bed! I would rather be poor then put a kid through domestic violence. However, I do think that Eloise is a strong women with good intentions. When Isaac told Eloise to hit Mattie with the belt and she refused, willing to take a beating herself then to be responsible for bruising her kid was a very selfless and courageous act. I cannot wait to continue reading and find out what ends up happening to Mattie...will she fall down the same path her mother did?

My Education

What is your educational philosophy?

Education is very important to me. Having completed a high level of education will allow a person to not only sound intellectual when having a conversation with others, but succeed in the working industry. I also believe that with a high level of education you can be more respected in the social world.

How do you learn best?

I learn better in a lab setting because it is more hands on. When I am in a lecture I am usually dosing off or thinking about something else. Even when I am interested in the particular topic it is no fun having a monotone teacher talk for hours and hours. However, sometimes it is unavoidable. If that is the case then I usually do not pay attention in class. Some may ask how I learn the material and do well on the exams? Well, I will either teach myself, usually cramming right before a test reading over all the material we learned in the course of weeks in one night, or visit a tutor. Having one on one attention may seem selfish, but is the only way you can get me to pay attention!

What is you ideal system of education?

I believe more in private schools then public. I have been through private school almost my entire life except for two minor slip ups. In junior high I did not fully understand why my parents were sending me to a private school with ugly uniforms and strict rules. At recess we weren't even aloud to talk to boys, I seemed to always get in trouble for that. That is when I decided for my last year of junior high, 8th grade, I wanted out of the private school district and in with the public school district. Well...it was not what I pictured. Kids were mean and teachers were lazy. No one cared if you did well or went on to college. The public school in my district had on 35% of the kids going on to college, and even then you could not guarantee they would graduate. I went to an all girls high school, which is kind of ironic since I was usually the one caught with the boys and deemed the biggest flirt. To be honest though, so far, those were the best years of my life. After that I went back to public, only because my parents said they would pay for everything and I wouldn't even have to have a job. Once again I learned from my mistake that it was not for me and came back to another all girls private school.