#rhetoric 102

[sassy-enlightenments-blog1]

Sweet Final Reflections

When we were assigned to blog throughout the year for rhetoric, I was beyond excited. I love to blog, and I love the Tumblr platform. Writing generally comes easy to me, I love how words can make one feel so many different emotions. Words can be so personal, but yet make one laugh until they pee. Blogging, though, is a bit of a different writing style.

There’s this thing called the writing process. Each writer has a different type of process. For me, I sit down and throw up on paper. I brainstorm multiple ideas, to help me narrow down what I want to get across. Then I outline. I have quite the linear brain, so this part is my favorite. I outline what exactly is going to be on my paper, and in which order it will be in. And the last (and hardest) step, is to write. I usually have procrastinated writing the paper, so I am used to writing in a hurried manner. But I’ve realized that, through this year, that I trust my writing skills enough that I can do that. I like to have food or something to drink around me, it gives me a slight distraction but not enough to take my attention fully away from the paper. Sometimes, I even get up and dance a little bit just to get the blood flowing towards the brain.

Speaking of my brain, when I write I already have the idea of what I want my writing to say or get across to the readers. Sometimes though, I have to change what my message is because I realize things are going to come out differently or my argument has changed due to further research.

My writing process hasn’t changed since middle school. It’s what works for me, and I believe that it will continue to work for me all through college. I  do think though that I should stop procrastinating so much...

My blog for rhetoric was one of my favorite long term assignments for the year. I love to see my blog writing growth from the beginning of the year, towards the end of the year. I like how I can remember how I felt when writing each piece, or I laugh at the jokes that I made that I thought were funny at the time.

So shout out to dear Mr. Hackney for blessing me with this blog. At times it was a hassle, but I ended up loving it anyways.

[sassy-enlightenments-blog1]

The “I finally finished my research paper so now I’m officially clocked out of senior year” post.

So I completed my research paper last week, and I have never been so happy in my entire life to do so. I spent maybe 7 hours on the whole thing, which is a really small number compared to what others spent on it. With 7 hours of writing and rewriting, I think I deserve a C. I didn't write well in some parts, and I felt like I only gave partial effort. 

My research paper was on the brides of ISIS. This was probably the most difficult research paper I've ever written, mainly due to the fact that there was so much terminology, ideology, and religion I had to understand. The beginning of my paper explains the Islamic State and its ideology, and this was the most difficult. But I will say that the introduction is the most well written part or so I’ve been told. When I got towards the main argument I began to freak out since Storify, the platform I used, was hard to figure out at times. I used Storify since my paper was SUPPOSED TO have lots of social media posts incorporated, but apparently Twitter shuts down user accounts that are suspected of “terrorism.” Therefore, my paper had little social media which didn’t help my arguments, so I feel like it sucked. If I had had another week to write my paper, I would’ve expanded my arguments and searched until my fingers fell off for more social media evidence to support. 

Even though my research paper felt dry to me, I did enjoy my topic and learning more about Islam. Islam is so unique in their beliefs, and I understand why women would want to live in the Islamic State. If I was an extreme Muslim I would contemplate leaving my home to join, since women got it pretty good over there! If asked if I would have chosen a different topic, I would yell “NO” pretty dramatically. I loved my topic just because it was so unique, and no else was writing about it. On a side note: I was so scared the government was going to show up at my house since my internet history was filled with ISIS... But no one came so we’re all good. :) 

Next time I write a research paper I plan on taking more time on the paper, and less time procrastinating. I think 7 hours isn't long enough, and 7 hours only produces crappy writing. 

Well, I am officially done with high school research papers. So long, farewell, you will not be missed. 

[sassy-enlightenments-blog1]

Genius Hour Update: Number One of 102

First Genius Hour post of second semester...

Juicy J and I have changed the focus of our project due to recent news events that have to do with the police and peoples' relationships with the police. We will be asking people whether people feel comfortable with how police handle things and whether they feel protected or not.

The recent news events would be police encounters with Mike Brown and Travyon Martin, just to name a few. The nation is being flipped upside down with controversy whether our policemen/ keepers of the peace/ protectors are doing the job they're supposed to, or whether new conditions should be put in place. It's a sticky topic right now, with those on both sides arguing what should be done. 

We will be sticking with our location of Chicago for the interviews, and plan on doing a full day of them on Monday, February 16th. 

[sydneyisinrhetoric101]

End of the Year in Rhetoric: List of Things to Look At.

Listen to this: Bastille

and Jack White 

These two artist are in the top part of my very long list of artist I like. And I'm also going to see them in concert. Jack White in the summer and Bastille in the fall, so there's that as well.

Read This: All My Friends Are Dead and the sequel All My Friends Are Still Dead. The link is a brief 10 page preview of the 96 page thriller, that will keep you guessing on what will happen next.

Watch This: These kids speaking in German, doesn't stop you from learning a new magic trick to impress your friends. Watch and be amazed.

Play This: Ever wanted to play Super Mario, but didn't have a Nintendo 64 to do it? Well now you can. Or, if you don't have the app on your phone already, 2048 is the most addicting game out, and is now available to play online as well as your phone.

Eat This: Chicago style hot dog.

Need I say more?

Do This: Read books. Seriously, they are way better than any app in your phone, and they help raise your IQ and you actually learn things. There are so many different types of books, there should be one for you to read. A book a day keeps illiteracy away.

Click This: Just enjoy the randomness of this website, Move your mouse around slowly at first, and then quickly, and see what happens. It does have sound, so make sure it's on, but not too loud.

Go Here: The UP, or Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It's beautiful up there. I've been going up there since I was born, and it's a second home to me. (I also have a lot of family up there on my dad's side. One even owns a campground in Bessemer.) The forests are beautiful in the summer, but even better in the fall, Lake Superior is cleaner than Lake Michigan, there are a few waterfalls, and in the winter it's a huge skiing spot. You can really connect with nature up there. 

Always, and I mean always, remember this: Nothing is ever easy. You will face challenges, and obstacles will be in your way. It's up to you to keep pushing forward and never let your goal fall out of sights. Just keep swimming, and one day you will make it.

[sydneyisinrhetoric101]

Once Upon a Writer.

http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/287445/Once-Upon-a-Writer/#vars!date=2001-06-10_18:04:04!

This is the link to my Rhetoric presentation about my story as a writer. It's a timeline, which is kind of neat, and it goes through my growth as a writer over time. The video on here is for my presentation as well, but it wouldn't work on Tiki-Toki

[sydneyisinrhetoric101]

The Path to my First Job.

These images may not make sense on their own, because, they're metaphors. Newman wants metaphors, and images that need explaining for our presentation. So these images describe the story of how I got my first job, Enjoy these metaphors.

A very monotone voice isn't good for an interview.

I met Tom Petty's long lost twin at Red Lobster.

You mean I have to actually start conversations with people?

[sydneyisinrhetoric101]

Is Public Speaking Right for You?

It's a simple question. Do you like speaking in front of people, without feeling nervous and out of your comfort zone? Can you easily talk to an audience, big or small, and entertain them instead of boring them? Do you have a good sense of humor, and know how to project and enunciate your voice? 

If you answered yes to any of those questions, congratulations. Public speaking is for you, and you don't have to suffer through it like the rest of us do.

So if speaking in front of crowds is not your cup of tea, here are a few tips that can help you suffer through it until the very end, because let's face it, public speaking is not going to disappear anytime soon.

HowStuffWorks.com wrote an article listing 18 tips they believe can help people who struggle with public speaking do better. Reading through them, A lot of them are pretty good, and can actually help, and others are just basic common sense. The 4 tips they list that I think will help the public speaking impaired are these:

1. Know your material. I know it may seem easy just to give up, or know about half of your material, but knowing your material helps you remember what you're going to do, and even what else you need to cover in your speech. It also shows organization, and preparation. Which leads to practice. Which is a way to make sure you know your material, and you feel better presenting your speech.

2. Relax. Make sure you breathing is right, so that you don't hyperventilate and pass out, and that your keep your emotions in line, so you're not storming out of the room you're presenting in with tears streaming down your face. I've also found that either eye contact with someone you know in the crowd, or basically staring at the wall right above your audience's heads works great too. It makes you feel like not so many people are staring at you. Moving your hands, or slightly walking around can help shake some of your nerves too when speaking. Just don't be like this:

3. Crack a couple of jokes. Humor definitely lightens the mood for anything. It keeps the audience entertained, and it helps you feel better knowing that your audience is responsive and listening to your speech. But don't focus it mainly on the humor, because it makes your speech more of a really long joke rather than a speech

4. Errors are okay. You just have to learn that mistakes happen, and that nobody's perfect. If you forget to say a sentence or two in your speech, it's okay. Who is going to know that your forgot it? Only you. Just keep moving forward, and roll with it.

A good example of a good unprofessional yet formal speech would be a kid's High School Graduation speech that I found while searching through Youtube. He's from East Jessamine High School, and his speech reflects on his life before graduation, and his high school career.

He opens up with an airline joke, and ties it into his speech, warning them "... in case my speech crashes, your seats do double as a flotation device." Comedic genius.

Throughout his speech, he has a consistent speed, and he has his entire speech memorized. and he cracks plenty of jokes to keep his audience entertained and engaged. He gets the message of his speech across, and was successful in doing so. He didn't show fear, and kept his cool.

Although he did good, there were a few mistakes he made. The tone of his voice was consistently lacking emotion, and he was basically reciting his speech in front of people. He also leaned too much on the podium in front of him, making him look less professional because he was hovering over the podium. Standing up straight would of made him look a lot more professional, and given his speech better presentation.

Hopefully you take these tips into consideration next time you're about to speak in front of a bunch of people. I used these tips while I was in speech team. and even though I didn't do super awesome in speech team, I always got A's on my speeches in English.

[sydneyisinrhetoric101]

Research Papers are a Little Piece of Hell.

The dreaded senior research paper.

Almost every High school senior has to do it, no matter how much they dread it. They try and prepare themselves for it by thinking of a interesting topic beforehand, maybe having a general idea of what direction their paper will go. But in the end, every attempt a senior tries to make in order to prepare themselves for this, fails.

None of the attempts i made to prepare myself for this helped me in the slightest for this paper.

I started off my senior research paper with my topic idea and basic understanding on what direction on how I wanted my paper to go. I didn't know what kind of sources I would find, or what major points I wanted to make, because I was relying on my research to give me new knowledge and facts that I didn't know, and lead me to different points I could make for my paper. It's like I walked into this research paper thinking I was going in the right direction, but really I was walking into it with a blindfold on, and my blindfold was senioritis.

Senioritis hits a senior hard. Before you even know it, due dates are hitting you in the face (not literally), and the overall feeling of laziness and just plain stupidity remains no matter how hard you try and fight it. I began this paper with little to no senioritis. I was determined to not let myself fall victim to its illustrious charms of long hours of sleep and netflix marathons. I would be the bigger person.But with all the assignments that flooded in, and my sudden lack of free time, I began to ask see myself fall for senioritis's charms.

(the motto of senioritis)

This paper is a product of senioritis, high school class requirement, and lots of on the brink of sleep late night writing. This paper had a pretty easy beginning and middle, but towards the end of it, near it's final construction is when it all fell apart. I like the topic that I picked. Every time I tell someone about my topic, they think that it's very interesting and want to know more about, which is basically what a research paper is about.

I am some what satisfied with the way my essay is, but I feel like I need to get feedback for other people, and edit it a lot more, and I will be much more happier with it. I did think several times throughout this paper about how much easier it could of been if I had chosen a different topic, but then I realized that's what everyone thinks. I really wish that I had planned out my whole deeper understanding of this paper, as well as flow and direction. Maybe if I had these, I would feel a lot better about my research paper.

Who am I kidding? I hate research papers.Every year I try and learn from my mistakes on past papers,but I seemed to have flushed all those lessons down the drain with this paper. I'm just glad that I had enough sense to write most of this paper before it was due. I would have totally set myself up for failure otherwise.

My biggest hope is that this paper doesn't look or sound like someone who hates research papers wrote it. I want it to look and sound like a professional high quality paper.