Project Presentation and Meme [Jackie Li]

Summery / Response

The topic that I chose for the research paper is about how gay stereotypes are viewed in society, and how incorrect they actually are. There is a consensus that gay men act like women and the reverse applies to lesbians. My thesis is how the images presented by the stereotype has a negative impact on how people view homosexuals, even if it isn’t necessarily true. Stereotyping has a tendency of discriminating without actually intending it to be offensive, and this also applies to gay stereotyping. The views that people tend to have in regards to homosexuals have traits of the opposite gender, even though it might apply to some it doesn’t apply to all homosexuals and the stereotype provides a somewhat deceptive view of someone who happens to have a different sexual preference than others.

There wasn’t really a concrete reason for choosing this topic, as I haven’t personally been impacted by the stereotype. However, I had meet some people who are gay, and does act in the way that the stereotype describes. I personally don’t agree with the image that this stereotype presents, as like many things, not everyone is the same and can be categorized under the same umbrella of the stereotype. For me, writing the essay was a way for me to see the validity of the stereotype and how it has made an impact on society in the past and present.

Day 21: Using Sources / Writing Style

Using Sources

In this article, the purpose is to teach how to identify and utilize sources when writing a research paper. The first part talks about finding the correct sources to use, n context of what the topic being addressed is. They use the phrase “Practice Intention”, to refer to how one must practice finding the sources they need within a large database of information. When picking sources, one must fully analyze the type of sources they need, on the basis of what their writing is about and what type of information one may need. It is a long process to try and find the information that someone might need to explain their thesis, but one they do they still have the challenge of actually incorporating the information within their research papers. There are many ways that one can add the information that they acquired; summary, paraphrasing, and quoting. All three has the purpose of being information from source, with the identification that the idea was from someone else. Depending on the situation, one of the three types are used in context to how the writer wants to portray the research that they have done. Overall, the idea presented is that it is very important to prepare what you want to write and how to writ it, when making a research paper. It is a long and tedious process, but the more one practices the better their paper will be.

Writing Style

People have different writing styles in that the way that they portray information can be executed differently with others. Although it is a personal difference, such as a handwriting, other factors can impact how a person writes their paper. For once, the context of the writing plays a big role as certain genres of writing require different rules that makes that type of writing different from others. The execution of information varies within the many genre of writing, which requires a writer to know the difference between the types. For a writer, it is crucial to know when or when not to do certain things within their writings, due to the context of a piece. For example, one cannot have personal opinions or views within a research paper because the writing is supposed to be neutral. Another issue that writers have to check is their way of citing sources, as there are many different ways to cite sources depending on the type of writing that is occurring. Like genres, citations have their own genres which varies from the type of research that the writer is conducting. There are those that are meant for sophisticated and formal writings, while there are less. Each form of citation is identifiable and related to a type of category of writing, so a viewer should be able to identify the type of article it is based on the type of citation along. It is important for writers to use the correct writing style and citation based on the context of the paper they are writing about.

Day 19: Research Process (Jackie Li)

Finding Evidence

When making a claim, the most important thing to do is to back up your claim with evidence which further enforces the validity of the claim. A way to make evidences effective, it in the context that one presents them, that being the time and place that the evidence is being used. It is important for researchers to use the “correct” types of evidences to back up their claims, as it has an impact on how much impact the claim has. When one is trying to provide evidence for their claim, it is very important to question those evidences and to make sure that the type of evidence is necessarily in order to prove a particular rhetorical situation. The types of evidences that are required varies from field to field, as different situations requires different forms of analysis. When it comes to finding evidence, it is important to take advantage of the resources that you have at your disposal. For example in school you would be able to get your sources from school databases, which in general are pretty reliable source for doing research. There is also the internet, a giant source of information that ranges from a variety of topics. The web might be a great source for an abundance of examples, however researches still have to be careful and to check their sources in order to verify the validity of a site. In order to support a claim, researchers have to find evidence from a range of sources in order to further support their claims.

Under My Thumb

The author Chelsea Booth addresses her life experiences of criticism over female music critics. It was different for a woman to be a music critic, as it made her stand out from other critics. The first thing she writes about is when she lies about what her favorite song was, because her actual favorite song was a bit out of the norm. She lies in order to somewhat fit in with other listeners of Rolling Stones, as she wanted to fit in with the other listeners who were mostly men. Booth states the conflict of female representation within the music industry and their lack of representation, which can be seen when she learns about classical. composers that were all male. Most if not all of famous composers are male. It’s not that there aren’t female composers, they’re just not as predominant as males and less people know about them. There is a constant trend where women composers are being covered up and hidden from students, an example being the curriculum and people not wanting to change it. Booth also explains her bad experiences when it comes to attending concerts and being touched by the men there. The man was molesting her, but she gets yelled at by him when she told him to stop. These types of events cover-up the sexual harassment that occurs to women, and Booth wasn’t able to get help from the runners of the concerts to address her issue. In a way, the music industry was initially intended for men, and had established rules and policies in order to appease their demographic. But there were no changes to policies when there were women in these concerts, which in itself causes problems to both the women that attend and the image of the concerts. It is the oddity of a female music critic that makes these issues of policy much more apparent to the general masses.

Day 18: Manifesto (Jackie Li)

Manifesto by George Saunders

From what I can understand about the article, Saunders is trying to promote the idea that things aren’t what they seem to be. He challenges the ideas of stereotypes, that have a negative impact on the image of certain types of people. The main example that he provides is one about an American solider within the middle east. The stereotype that he presents is how destructive soldiers are towards the country that they are invading or currently fighting in. Most assume that everyday there is destruction, where bombs would go off and destruction would occur. However as stated by Saunders that is not the case, in fact it is quite the opposite. Saunders uses the actions done by the “People Reluctant To Kill for an Abstraction” organization to show just how those images of soldiers were indeed false. He writes about how the organization was highly against destruction, as zero buildings were destroyed and how silent the surrounding area was. It was so quite and peaceful, that it wouldn’t even wake a baby up. Saunders also writes about violence towards people, where the PRKA wouldn’t inflict any form of injuries towards others. They didn’t force people to do what they didn’t want, even when it comes to sexual desires the members would control themselves and put aside such feelings.

Overall, the PRKA is a form of symbol, a symbol against the stereotypes that were put against people that identify differently the the ‘general norm’. In fact, in the way that Saunders describes this organization, it makes it seem that it isn’t an organization at all, rather it was a symbol for people. The purpose of this supposed organization, was to make people value the individual regardless of the stereotypes that are put upon them. Saunders writes couple of examples that shows this idea of putting away ones judgmental feelings about someone, and doing something to aid them. There was the inclusion about the homophobic grandfather who rewarded a gay man after helping him. The grandfather in that moment, showed empathy towards the man and was able to put aside his negative thoughts of homosexuality in order to compensate the man for helping him. These is also the toothless women, known for being negative and bitter throughout her life, wanting to change. She wanted to change before it was too late for her to be able to redeem herself, which shows how one can’t be judged by their outside. In short, the PRKA refers to people who are able to forgive others, or at least put away their opinions in order to help others. It shows that the stereotypes that people have established aren’t necessarily true, and people have to accept the fact and try to find out the truth themselves.

Researching Stereotypes and “Fake News” (Jackie Li)

Introduction to Researching and Making Claims

The introduction is explaining the basis of what a research based writing is. The purpose of these writings is to inform, with the inclusion of topics or ideas that the writer as learned from other sources. A major theme of this writing is research, which refers to the development of ideas or truths through observations. In this case, the passage mentions the analysis and debates about trees. At first, a tree is a tree, but once someone continues to view and analyse those trees they realize that they are different. This comparison can be seen when it comes to research, as people analyzes existing sources in order to come up with their own interpretations. The various sources that people use can be referred to as the analysis part of the tree example, and the debate that results from these observations is the research. The purpose of why people do research is to make sure that their sources are factual, and tests a source’s credibility. There are often times where statements or ideas aren’t necessarily true, so it is up to viewers and writers to make sure that their sources are correct. The general purpose of a research paper, is to verify existing ideas or claims. Writers through research, find out their views in regards to a certain topic, which is most likely to clash or agree with others. Research papers further supports and idea, through the research of various credible sources. That’s why it is important for people to check how credible a source is, since it might not be true and will affect people’s views on the matter.

“To repeat, this study found that only 7% of college students were able to see that a source was not credible.”(50)

This highlights just how deceiving some sights may be, and it able to deceive most of it’s viewers. In this day an age with the inclusion of the internet, it is becoming more and more difficult to identify the credibility of sources. This is a bad thing, as more people are more easily fooled by what the source is saying. It shows how it is important for people to research their sources, especially in a much detailed level. For this assignment, it shows that we have to up the level of researching that we do for this paper as it is very easy for us to write about information that is factually incorrect.

The Research Process

It is common for people to conduct research in their daily lives, many whom don’t even realize that they are doing it. The whole process of conducting research or inquiry, is through someone asking question about a certain topic. It is through their questions that lead to making a decision or view about the topic. In this passage they present the idea of whether or not to go to the movies. In this example, it shows various potential questions that one might have when deciding to go to the movies or not. The person is conducting research, and gathering information that has an impact on their future decisions. Research plays a big role in peoples lives, as it is a way to help them see the world. Through the trials of questions, leads to a multitude of interpretations or views on a particular topic, which shows how people views the world differently. But why do they view things differently? Well its because of the different types of information that they have gained throughout their life, which shapes how one mind works or thinks. For the brain, it is an adventure or discovering new ideas and making those views change due to new information. They gain such information through asking questions, questions that focus on certain parts of a topic that the person wants to know about. In short, the research process is something that everybody uses, just not in the same way.

“Instead of finding pre-existing truths, it looks to test out different ideas and hypotheses that could provide us with fresh ways of understanding the world that immediately surrounds us.” (52)

This sentence was interesting, since it is basically the idea of writing a research paper. The point is to make observations and through research, come up with a view that you have when it comes to a certain topic. Through research, it helps people see the various aspects of the world and in their own eyes. It is a way to interpret certain ideas, and through these ideas contribute to society by showing how you feel and making others see in a similar light.

Revision (Jackie Li)

“…For Most of us revisions is the only road to success”

This phrase within the text can be applied to real life as well, in terms of the road to success. Throughout life, there are many obstacles that one had to face and overcome. This can be seen with writing and revision, as people often has to fix the multiple parts of a draft until it feels right to the author. For many people, it is important that they revise and make new drafts of their work. Through feedback from others or just new ideas, it allows for a writer to improve upon what they have already written. They would go through many trails in order to write something that would make them satisfied.

Car Metaphor

The metaphor of the car is a good way to show the process of writing and completing an essay. The first draft can be used to refer to the key components and engines that would make the car function and move. Then the editing process makes the car run at its best, trying different parts so that the car would run with the most efficiency. In writing, it is the revisions on the first drafts that suggests changes that can improve the first draft. Certain parts of the essay could be changes, removed, or added in order for the draft to feel more complete. Then there are the changes following suit, which focuses much more on detail and might have a huge impact on the piece without seeming it. In the car situation, it can be seen with the coat of paint which makes a car seem new and at it’s best. In writing, it is very similar, as some changes has impacts on the overall tone and message of your writing. The car metaphor the Dethier states is a great comparison on the editing process in writing an essay.

“Good Writing is essentially rewriting”

In a sense, revision is going to lead to changes that are going to be made toward the draft. People’s feedback suggests to writers on what aspects of the essay work and what don’t, which gives the writer a sense of direction in which they should take when writing the essay. Through this changing process, a lot of times people delete parts of their essay and replace them with new ideas. Rewriting leads to good writing, as better sentences can be incorporated and replace preexisting one that might not have been as effective. These changes that authors makes when editing, has big impact on the quality of their writing, so it is important for people to be open about rewriting certain parts of their work.

Anzaldua and Naylor (Jackie Li)

How to Tame a Wild Tongue

The passage focuses on the conflicts of a Spanish-American where in an American society, English was the only accepted language to speak in. Anzaldua mentions the term, “Chicano”, which is used to describe those of Latina decent, and live in America. The Chicano had to take two different language classes, so that they would speak with the correct languages, in both English and in Spanish. They were criticized for speaking the opposing language, and weren’t accepted by their discourse communities. For speaking Spanish, they were considered as Mexicans, and when speaking English they are considered as traitors for embracing the English language. However despite this, the Chicano find ways to deal and accept their differences, creating their own discourse community as well. They had developed their own language, where there is a merge of aspects from English into many Spanish terms. In many music produced, the ideas that they embrace are of those that resolves this conflict of language being a persons’s identity. Music, along with several other ways were outlets for Chicanos to find confidence in being different. Anzaldua emphasizes the importance of language, as to him it is a way of identifying himself. The Chicano language was considered by many native Spanish speakers as a poor version of the Spanish language which discourages many Chicano. However Anzadula retaliates, and states that despite how much they criticize their language, the Chicano are strong and can take the criticism. There is pride within the Chicano, as they have pride in their new separate communities and embrace their differences.

The Meanings of a Word

Naylor describes the conflict of a word and it’s meaning, as it’s original meaning is altered due to changes within society. The term that she talks about in particular is “nigger”, which in general is used to describe on of African American decent. However, throughout it’s history the term is often used by Caucasians, especially within the Americas, as a way to criticize African Americans by their race. Now a days it is still a term that is used to describe those of African American backgrounds, however it has been a way to describe them in a less insulting way. The term can be used to describe one’s or a group’s unruly actions, which was a reflection of what type of men that they were. The term, as Naylor saw it, was one that was based upon men and was only used to describe men of this ethnicity. The problem that Naylor has with this is a word with racist backgrounds, and although that racist meaning is slowly dying out due to changes where it becomes a norm to call someone a “nigger”. It might not be considered as an offensive term to describe those of African decent within the future, however the backgrounds of it wouldn’t be able come to light. It in ways, was a method to forgive the past actions of racism towards African Americans and with the loss of the meaning, it allows racists to be forgiven as that word would no longer be considered as offensive.

Day 12: Alexie and Tan (Jackie Li)

Superman and Me

The author writes a narrative about how books has changed his entire life. Being raised in an Indian reservation, life had challenges due to how non-Indians saw and treated those from the reservation. Alexie learned to read by himself at a very young age and was a prodigy at reading, even if it isn’t recognized outside of where he had lived. With the example of when he first read a Superman comic book, it shows how his mind was able to develop a way to find meaning behind sentences with only the contexts of the images within the comic. Through reading, Alexie saw similarities between how passages are arranged and it’s similarities in real life. He compares a house to a paragraph and the words of those paragraphs being the family members. Alexie also address the stereotypes about Indians aren’t smart or devoted to learning at the same level as someone who attends a school outside of the reservation. He also notes how even though the non-Indians in his school doesn’t want him to succeed, with the reason being because some whites are such self-loathing that they end up hanging out with Indians. The narrative by Alexie puts a lot of insight on how ambition leads to success, despite the lack of education you might have in the past.

Mother Tongue

Amy Tan writes about how the way someone talks should not be the limiting factor of the idea that they are trying to convey. She talks about her mother, who is Asian and knows a large amount of English and can read a lot as well. However throughout Tan’s many experiences, the way that her mom talks has a different impact on how people received a message than someone who spoke “proper English”. The English that people often refers to is one that has many grammatical factors that makes them sound professionally. However with the way that Tan’s mother speaks, despite the topic she addresses is very clear, people don’t seem to understand her. Now they might just not take her seriously due to her English not being said the “proper way”, or they just really don’t understand her, is up to debate. Through Tan realizing that society has somewhat stereotyped what is considered as the correct and incorrect ways of speaking English. That sentences that are formal holds just the same value as a sentence consisting of a few words. Language doesn’t have to be complex, and can be understood much more frequently if the standard of “proper English”, were to drop so that everyone would be able to understand what is being said.

Response

Tan addresses several good points when it comes to communication, especially if it’s through the same language. Since it is the same language, wouldn’t it be easy to understand the ideas being addressed? Even if one person uses fewer words than others, they have the same message. In fact it is much more easier to understand when people talks with less words, as the main idea is being addresses without being obstructed by those various words that are meant to connect ideas together, even though they are basically pointless. I like how Tan realizes that it isn’t her mother’s fault that no one seems to understand her due to her “limited” vocabulary, as the stereotype of the proper way to speak a language makes people less acceptable to formats of language that aren’t the status quo.

With Alexie’s passage, I had remembered that I read one of the books he had written, when I was a freshman in high school. The book is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which draws a lot of inspiration from Alexie’s personal experiences growing up in an Indian reserve. It is a first-person narrative, where the main character represents Alexie in many ways, with the main one being that they both try to destroy the status quo that whites had on Indians. In the book, the main character Arnold is a very intelligent student, despite having brain deformities since birth. Like Alexie, Arnold was limited in education due to the lack of funding and care that the schools near the reserve has. Arnold also had a future like Alexie, despite the challenges and zero-to-none chances that growing up in an Indian reserve had.

Literacy Narrative (Jackie Li)

(re)Making Language

The text talks about how language can be seen and used within texts to inform the readers. The language within many texts is a way for people to gain information that they previously didn’t know. In turn, some of the new information has impact on what readers now think in relation to themselves. The example provided in the introduction, is about a clueless Frankenstein, who wanted to learn about the world in order to get a better understanding of himself as well as the world he arrived to. However, he soon learns about the many terrors of the world, for example the concept of people killing their own kind. He was informed and confused about the concept of murder and the laws that associate with them. Due to his new knowledge, it had an impact on Frankenstein as he starts to question his existence, as a monster who was different from the rest of society. The purpose of the passage is to show how information provided in texts can affect the views or thoughts that someone might have about themselves or about the world around them. Language is an important was for one to communicate and argue on various topics that are presented in everyday life.

Language, Discourse and Literacy

The concept of language refers to the exchange of ideas and beliefs amount people. It is a form that people use in order to communicate ideas with others, which can come in multiple of ways. Things such as images, actions, code, and more are all used to convey an idea or belief to the viewer. A discourse community, refers to groups that shares common ideas and beliefs. Social groups are examples of this type of community, as things such as race, social class, political beliefs, etc. are all factors that people have a common connection. There is also literacy, which is often a written form of language that explains certain ideas, through many different forms. The types of writing depends on what the author is trying to focus on in terms of a topic, and that topic itself can be interpreted in many different ways. The way that an author writes has an impact on how people think about certain topics and ideas.

Summary

Language is used everyday, and yet people often forget just how important language is. It allows for the expansion of ideas as people with different mindsets have different views than others in regards to the same topic. The connections between people develops mainly due to language playing a big role in the connection and the awareness of ideas. It also has a major impact on how people view themselves, as language allows to how the different factors in society are different to the factors that defines yourselves. This allows for people to become more aware about themselves, about who they are and what ideas and opinions that you support. Language allows for people to define themselves, to show how the stereotypes that others may have on you are not necessarily what describes the real you.

Thesis and Review (Jackie Li)

What’s the Point

The purpose of this text is to get the reader to understand how to analyze a type of text, by providing different ways of approaching it in order to come up with a thesis in writing an analytical essay. The writer is encouraged to answer some questions in regards to how to start with coming up with the thesis, and these deal with how the writer interprets the texts in their own way. Through these questions, the writer would be able to find the lens that they would use to analyze this text, which helps develop the idea for the rest of the essay. Hengel also provides several tips in the transitioning between the ideas that are displayed throughout the essay. The whole purpose of this passage is to provide some aid in writing and showing the thesis clearly throughout the essay.

Responding—Really Responding—To Other Students’ Writing

In this text, the purpose is to help a writer become a good editor as well. There are many tips provided throughout the text that allows you to critique another person’s writing, by looking at the key aspects of their essay. As an editor, you are the reader and audience of the essay, so it is important to give the writer the opinions that you you might have about their piece. The main part of this is to make sure that the writer is doing the assignment correctly and that they are able to portray their thoughts effectively through their writing. The passage also provides way to write comments on the essay, as well as providing an example of how commenting works. The tips provided are meant to help you as the reader to point out your ideas or concerns that you might have about a writer’s work, by providing them with the opinions from the viewpoint of a reader.

Response

Both of these texts provides helpful information for both writers and editors. The information provided in “What’s the Point” is really helpful when someone is writing the first draft of the essay since it is the part where you mostly gather up all your ideas. With the thesis of your writing figured out, it would be easier to write down the ideas that supports your thesis, and allows you to have the general idea about what your essay is going to be about. The second passage provides good editor tips, and shows what is a good comment that could help the writer consider and further improve their essays. In general, the two texts have a lot of useful information that can be used when we write and review the first draft.