BLOGS!!!

My last blog . . . it's bitter sweet. I definitely enjoyed the online blog more than I could have ever enjoyed a written journal. However, there were times it was inconvenient. One specific incident was over Thanksgiving break. The internet was down and I had just remembered that a blog was due so I had to drive around town looking for a wifi spot in Sioux Falls. It wasn't hard to do, just inconvenient. Another thing I enjoyed about these blogs were the ones in which we were given more freedom to blog about whatever we want. The subject specific ones were hit or miss with me. In the future I would recommend a mandatory interaction between the class. Over the semester I posted on a few other peers blogs but a conversation never developed. I would like to see this class concept developed much more. It would improve class participation and also help students with developing deeper thoughts in their post. Overall, the online journal was fun and educational. Great idea Lindsay!

Reviews

Overall, I thought the reviews were not much more helpful then the other styles of peer review we've used. They were different, but the people that review either are afraid to lay out what is wrong with the paper or don't know how to improve it. I believe it is that people are afraid to point out mistakes, or in other words, they don't want to hurt anyones feelings. Myself, I try to find errors and make a point to point them out, but when I'm not getting any feedback it's hard to want to give any advice. Perhaps in the upper English classes the students will be more willing to give helpful peer reviews, but this is not the case in our class. I'm unsure how to fix this problem. The peer reviews aren't working because the students are not committing to the exercise and this might be a problem that teachers cannot change. I would rather have essays reviewed by the writing center or the teacher from the get-go. 

Holidays

I have not always been a fan of the holidays. There is often a hysterical notion that envelops people around this time of the year and to counteract it I have often played the grinch. However, this year I am going to change that. Instead of being grumpy for the season I am going to do my best to show some holiday cheer. This is a time to see family and eat good food. It's a time for celebration and reflection. With that in mind there is no real reason for me to play the antagonist.


Reflecting on this last year I believe there are many moments I can be proud of. For one, going to college is an extremely proud moment in my life. Neither of my parents ever attended and my older sister dropped out after her junior year. Looking to the future, this is also something that will be a milestone in my life. I can also be thankful for all the support I've had in my life this last year. From getting discharged from the military, a bad ending with my ex-fiancée, and trying to figure out what to do from there I have had friends and family helping guide me. Yes, I have much to be grateful for.


With all of this, I am happy to end this semester on a high note and look forward to embarking on the journey of next semesters classes. I have been a little nervous concerning school this semester but I've decided that I will do well. All it takes is a choice to change the current situation of things. I truly believe I've made that choice.
-Casey

Reflection of Class

I believe I speak for the whole class when I say thank you to our teacher Lindsey. The notecards, while rather tedious, helped greatly in the research process and the detailed outline she made is greatly appreciated. One of my biggest set backs in composing an essay is getting the organization down; I know what I want to say it's just difficult to put it on paper. Today in class I used the outline provided to collect my thoughts and with Lindsey's feedback I feel more prepared to write this paper than any other one before this. Hopefully this does not come off as a suck up post because I don't do that. In fact, I almost didn't come to class today but I'm sure glad I did. In the future I plan to use these two prewriting techniques and I know they will help greatly. I wish I would have taken the notecard technique more seriously with my RBAA paper. 

TH3SIS

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's story "The Yellow Wallpaper" shows how a woman's mental condition deteriorates along with the yellow wallpaper. 


or


As the wallpaper is deteriorating in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's story "The Yellow Wallpaper" so also is the narrators mental state. 

What does it mean?

The ability to read critically is parallel to understanding what you read. In every piece of literature there is a theme that goes beyond the surface of the authors text. This does not mean that every reader will catch it though. Personally, I read critically half of the time. Now that I'm in college I'm forced to read and when I have to read something by a deadline I tend to do it with haste. While I quickly skim the sentences of a story I inevitably miss the deeper meaning and ideas the author is trying to convey.  However, when I read for leisure I always take my time and absorb the words. It is in this art of 'slow reading' that I ponder the significance of a philosopher's  question, or a novelists metaphor. 


I would like to mention our class discussions over the short stories we are reading. Lindsey asks us to read critically and decipher the symbols, theme, and such of these stories. Personally, I am enjoying these group think sessions.  It amazes me how the class finds so many different things from the same story. These varied thoughts and insights into the short stories can only be found through critical writing. 

The White Heron/The Yellow Wallpaper

Between these two stories there are many symbols and in some instances those symbols are parallel. The way in which men and women interact are very similar in these two stories. These interactions are symbolic of man's superiority of that time. In the "Yellow Wallpaper" the husband (who may be only a doctor?) has the final say-so in all of the ladies decisions. Also in support of this is the man expecting the old lady to take him in for the night. Women during this portrayed time had very little power. A few more symbols are obviously the wallpaper, the secluded house in both stories, the white heron, and the cow. To explain the wallpaper, it is apparent that this wallpaper can symbolize the women's deteriorating mind. Throughout the story the wallpaper is torn and by the end of the story it is in pieces across the floor. Much like that wallpaper is the ladies mind. While at the start she is 'sick' and at the end she is crawling around the perimeter of the room, lost in her insanity. The secluded houses show that these stories portray events outside of society. One house lost in the wilderness, another is away from the road and hidden. The characters in these stories are not 'normal' and the events that unravel are not everyday occurrences. The White Heron is symbolic of innocence. The cow is symbolic of the two ladies survival.  Both the grandma and the child have to chase it, or find it, but they need the milk to live. As I have stated, these short stories are full of symbols and I'm excited to see what others will find within these tales.