Day 7: Thesis and Review (Lorraine Guintu)

What’s the Point?
Sometimes, trying to write a thesis may be a daunting task, but it shouldn’t be too hard. Daniel Hengel suggests to think of it as a “macro-question” that will be answered with the help of “micro-questions” in the body. There are three steps to formulating a good thesis: identify something that stands out to you, form your own ideas about the text, and explain the importance of the text. Once you’ve completed those steps, you may be satisfied with your thesis, or you can change it multiple times to make sure that it isn’t too general or unanswerable. With lots of careful thought, creating a thesis can be easy.

Response:

David Hengel gave useful tips on how to create a thesis. With how it lets readers know what you’ll be talking about in an essay, the thesis is essential for establishing that idea in a sentence or a few. I think it’s also important to know that, like how a draft will be revised multiple times, it’s okay to have your thesis undergo multiple changes before you settle on the perfect one.

Responding – Really Responding – to Other Student’s Writing
When reading and commenting on a writer’s work, you shouldn’t focus too much on the technical writing stuff, such as spelling or grammar mistakes. Instead, it is important to give feedback on how the writer can improve on the content of his or her work. While keeping in mind of the goals of the writing assignment, the ideas that the writer wishes to portray, and the personality of the writer, you can form comments that would be beneficial to the writer. Whether they’re positive or negative, your feedback becomes valuable when you mean what you say and say it in a friendly manner. For writers, editing their own work can be done quickly, but improving their ideas can’t be done without the help of readers’ responses.

Response:

This text gave us some great advice on how we can respond well to other writers’ work. Most of the time, we may feel inclined to correct spelling and grammar mistakes, but providing our opinions and asking questions about the work can be greatly beneficial for the writer. We should also be careful of how we give our comments to prevent the writer’s unique voice from being meshed or replaced with our own.

Day 6: Project Pitch (Lorraine Guintu)

Top Choice:

“Shelter” by Porter Robinson and Madeon (Music Video)

When I first saw this music video, I had no idea what was happening in the video or what the song meant. The song is written and sung in English while the video is presented to us as an anime. The song is about having hope and support during a dark time. The video reflects the song’s meaning by showing a short story about a young girl after an apocalyptic event occurs. A pro is that a ton of visual metaphors are squished into the six minute video. Another is that a few of the potential lenses that I could use are obvious, such as pathos. A possible con is that there might be a struggle to write a six or seven page paper about this.

Other Choices:

“Your Name” (Movie)

This movie is a Japanese animated romance film. It centers around a boy and a girl from different places who mysteriously swap bodies from time to time. I think that most long-distance couples can relate to this movie, but there are other interesting insights about life that other people can learn from this. I absolutely loved this film and saw that there is a plethora of visual metaphors and symbolism that can be used for this project. A con would be that there is so much to analyze that even after watching the movie more than once, I still have no idea what certain parts of it mean.

“Soul Eater” (Anime)

This is an action-packed comedy anime that follows three groups as they go through difficult challenges while fighting witches and evil entities. One of the pros it has is that there is a lot of great representation. For example, the characters are ethnically diverse and a good chunk of them are females. It also touches on mental health issues, which can give us a different perspective while interpreting this. One con is that it has fifty-one episodes, so I’m not sure if I should analyze the anime as a whole or pick a single episode. Another con is that explaining the show may be difficult and sound very unusual, as you may have seen after reading the first sentence of this paragraph.

Day 6: Writing as a Process (Lorraine Guintu)

Introduction to Composing as a Process

When writing, you won’t immediately end up with a finished product. Like many other skills, it’s something that takes a lot of time and practice. Great writers have to plan, draft, and edit their work before completing it. Sometimes, new and better ideas can appear as one goes through this process. If you want to have a good written piece of work, then this writing process must be done.

Freewriting

Freewriting is an exercise of writing anything and everything that comes to mind. This allows you be less fearful of writing because you start writing without worrying about filtering your thoughts, correcting grammar mistakes, and fixing spelling errors. It helps you to bring out your own unique voice, which is something that gets warped if you simultaneously write and edit. Freewriting may sound crazy, but it’s a very useful exercise that makes your writing better.

Shitty First Drafts

As mentioned in the introduction, writing is a process. It starts with writing a “child’s draft,” which consists of a gigantic mess of thoughts that no one will ever see. Writing a second draft is next, where you begin to edit the first draft, fixing anything that looks off. The third draft comes last, and this is where you look closely to see if you’ve missed any uncorrected mistakes. Writing drafts is essential to having a good piece of writing, and it’s completely fine to make a thousand mistakes before having your final product.

Response

In order to write well, everyone has to start with writing drafts. The “child’s draft” is like a freewriting exercise on a specific topic. The editing comes later, in the second and third drafts. After knowing that the first draft can be a complete disarray of multiple ideas, I feel less afraid of writing. As someone who attempts to write and edit in one go while panicking over how terrible the sentences are, writing drafts will definitely be beneficial to me.

Intersectional Readings (Lorraine Guintu)

“Dancing Around Objectification”
The women in Claude McKay’s “The Harlem Dancer” and Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” are objectified in both stories, but their circumstances are different due to their race. Instead of being wowed by the Harlem dancer’s personality and talent, the crowd is enthralled by her “blackness”. Meanwhile, Ellison’s white character finds herself stuck between being a divine entity and a whore for the racially different men. Both woman find themselves losing who they are as they perform, but Ellison’s character is able to fight back to a certain extent while the Harlem dancer does not. Although they face similar situations, their difference in race displays a problem with how black and white people are treated.

“Intersectionality 101”
As defined in the reddit post, intersectionality is a way of seeing how multiple aspects of life, such as class, gender, and race, relate to and affect one another rather than independently. Oftentimes, it has a focus on minorities, allowing us to see why some may be viewed in a negative way. Besides from seeing how the different social classifications are linked to one another, the standpoint theory discusses how one’s own experiences can influence their own perspective. In the example given, two Hispanic woman may share the same opinions on race and gender, but their opinions may be different if they grew up in different economic classes. Therefore, with intersectionality, we are able to see how these connections make people dislike or favor certain groups.

“The Urgency of Intersectionality”
In this TED Talk, Kimberlé Crenshaw discusses how we should be aware of intersectionality, particularly with black women. While we are aware of the black men that have been victims of police brutality, most of us don’t even know the names of the female victims. Due to how they are black women, they fit into two social classifications that are seen to be “weaker” or “lesser.” This means that when it comes to media coverage or applying for a job, they face issues with being treated fairly. As Crenshaw mentions in the video, we have to be aware of intersectionality and how it affects groups like this so we can stand up for them.

“Bechdel Test”
The Bechtel Test looks to see if the portrayal of women in a work of fiction is an accurate representation of women. The test is quite simple, with the requirements being that at least two women have to be present and have a conversation with each other on a topic that isn’t about a man. Since its introduction, it has spread awareness and pushed creators to have gender equality in their work. Not only that, it has also inspired the creation of other tests for sexuality and for people of color, such as the Vito Russo test and the the DuVernay test. As a test for gender equality and an inspiration for other tests for equality, the Bechtel Test is a very useful tool that can be used various forms of fiction.

Response:
As a lens, intersectionality is highly important when it comes to understanding people and their situations. Most of these readings discussed how we lack awareness in how black women are portrayed and treated unfairly due to being a combination of being of black and female. Unfortunately, racial and gender stereotypes have made others perceive them in a degrading way. Now that we know what intersectionality is, I think that it is important to use it to look closer into the picture and determine whether or not there is equality for all. This, in turn, will allow us to have a better understanding of what is happening and push us to change how people are perceived in all types of work.

Question:
Are today’s creators aware of any issues with regards of intersectionality in the characters in their work, or do they not realize it until their audience addresses it?

How Metaphors Affect Our View of the World Around Us (Lorraine Guintu)

Summary & Response for “Metaphors We Live By”

Similarly to rhetoric, metaphors are not just words; they are a part of our daily lives. In order to understand something that may not be familiar to us, we use metaphors to make connections between one thing and another. With the given example, “Argument is War,” it contains ideas that allow us to understand what an argument is. While knowing what war is, we are able to get a better grasp of what arguments are and eventually see that they are verbal battles. Metaphors are also systematic; they involve a series of words that relate to one idea to help explain what the other idea is. The example, “Time is Money,” includes words, such as “spend,” “cost,” and “budget,” to allow us to figure out that our time is a valuable resource. Metaphors can also keep other aspects of an idea hidden to allow us to focus on the main idea. As shown in the conduit metaphor, Michael Reddy focuses on the concept of sending and receiving to help us understand how the exchange of ideas work. Sometimes, context matters when you use or see a metaphor. Depending on what the situation is, the meaning of a metaphor can change and it is important to be wary of that. Other than in text, metaphors help us get a better understanding of the world around us.

Before, when I heard the word, “metaphor,” my mind would immediately think of it as something in a passage where one thing is being compared to another. I never realized how much it is used in our everyday lives until now. We use them to help explain ordinary things in our world, such as how arguing works. I also found it interesting how there is systematic way to put a metaphor together. I’ve never noticed how word choice can influence how well a metaphor can work.

Summary & Response for “The Sperm and The Egg”

In “The Egg and the Sperm: How Science Has Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles,” Emily Martin discusses how gender stereotypes affect our view on biology, particularly with the reproductive system. To help create a simpler explanation of how these systems work, scientists use metaphors. Although the male and female processes are quite similar, one has more of a negative connotation than the other. For example, while both processes can result in the loss of gametes, a woman’s menstrual cycle is thought of to be a “productive enterprise” that “failed.” Since the first discovery of how fertilization naturally occurs, scientists have also used metaphors to help explain how the male and female gametes interact with each other in this process. They tend to use the metaphor of a “heroic hero to the rescue,” to describe the male gamete and the female gamete is likened to a “damsel in distress.” Although later research has proved that the male gametes aren’t the only “active party” in this process, they still continue to use masculine words to make it appear as if it is stronger than what it really is. While these metaphors help us to understand these processes, future scientists should refrain from using gender stereotypes and find other metaphors that equalizes our view of the topic.

I am quite impressed with how the use of metaphors can drastically alter our views on a simple topic. As seen in Emily Martin’s writing, both systems play a significant role in reproduction, yet the male’s is seen with a more positive light. Yes, the metaphors that are used for both systems give us an idea of how they work, but it’s frustrating to see that they continue to describe these processes in this unfair way, despite already having evidence that one is not better than the other. For example, both gametes are equally important in the process of fertilization, so why give the imagery of a “weak damsel in distress” or a “spider lying in wait in her web” to the female gamete? When using metaphors, they’re useful when describing an unknown topic to an audience, but we must keep in mind of how our culture can influence our views on it.

Tools for Analyzing Texts (Lorraine Guintu)

Summary

Rhetoric is in everything we see, and while our brains may ignore most of them, there are a few that catch our eye and stick with us forever. With analysis, we can see why and how this happens. Analyzing a text is like putting a puzzle together. We take pieces of the text and see how they relate to one another and how they fit into the meaning of the text as a whole. In order to analyze text, we have to use “lenses,” which allow us to see it in a different perspective. It’s like taking a puzzle piece and rotating it to see where it belongs in the puzzle. In the end, we get the final picture, or a full understanding of the author’s intentions. Sometimes, we can arrange the pieces in our own way to form a new picture, or a different interpretation of the text.

Response

I never realized how frequently I analyzed everything until now. Every time I looked at something with rhetoric, I was unaware that I was actually using the different types of lenses to find multiple interpretations. I find it fascinating how my own interpretation of something can be different than the creator’s original intention and someone else’s interpretation of it.

Question

If we know what the creator’s original interpretation of their own work is, then are all of the other varying interpretations still acceptable?

Art is! (Lorraine Guintu)

This ad was found at the Woodhaven Boulevard subway station, on a wall that is right next to the staircase. In comparison to the other posters that I’ve seen in that station, this particular one stood out the most. While coming up the stairs, my eyes immediately became drawn to its vibrant purple background. Once I noticed the unusual display of curved pencils, I couldn’t help but stop to stare at it. My curiosity took over and I found myself taking a few seconds to figure out that the pencils formed the phrase, “Art is!” Also, I discovered that it was an ad for the School of Visual Arts when I looked closely and saw the words, “SVA NYC,” “School of Visual Arts,” and “Made in NYC” written on some of the pencils. For a simple poster with a short phrase on it, the creative ideas that went into it allowed it to be the eye-catching ad that it is today.

What is Rhetoric? (Lorraine Guintu)

What’s one new thing you’ve learned about this course or resources at Baruch for writers that you found interesting?

When I heard of the Writing Center for the first time, I immediately assumed that it was where you submit a draft of your papers to have it reviewed by professors or by your fellow peers. While you can certainly do that there, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the it can do much more than that. Aside from written assignments, it was nice to see that they gave feedback on different types of written work that you normally wouldn’t think would be reviewed there, such as PowerPoint presentations or resumes. The different service options are extremely helpful and can cater to each person’s specific needs. For example, if you are unable to have a one-to-one session, then you can submit a draft online to receive feedback. With what the Writing Center can provide for students, it is a beneficial resource for students and their writing.

Briefly (in a few sentences) summarize the reading from “What is Rhetoric?” (summary)

Rhetoric is how you express yourself through any form of communication and how the audience interprets it. Most of us are quick to associate the term with literature, but it is something that is present through many different parts of our daily lives. An example would be the way you dress. By choosing specific colors and styles for an outfit, you are expressing yourself and others can form their own interpretations about it. In literature, the same thing occurs when an author chooses to write in a certain way and leaves his or her audience to try and understand what he or she was trying to convey.

A Glimpse of Who I Am (Lorraine Guintu)

Describe yourself

In most social situations, I am someone who prefers to listen rather than speak. I love hearing people’s opinions and ideas on different topics, and I think that it allows me to be very open-minded. When it comes to hobbies, I have a whole range of interests, so you may find me doing a numerous amount of things. For example, in high school, I sang in chorus before running off to study microbes and diseases in preparation for the Science Olympiad competition. At home, I teach myself how to code, doodle characters of my own, and type up ideas for stories that I’ll never write. During my time at Baruch, I’ll definitely be exploring more of my interests by joining different clubs while making sure that I do my best in every class.

Describe yourself as a writer

As a writer, I like to think that I write fairly well, but I’m not sure. I used to be quite confident with my writing, but I lost most of that confidence after taking a certain class back in high school. Due to how I constantly rewrite sentences over and over again, I wind up taking a significant amount of time to complete my work. I also have a tendency to worry about content and structure, which only lengthens the amount of time I take to write. Personally, I am not a fan of using outlines or writing drafts, and I would very much prefer to complete everything in one go. I do realize that this habit may be detrimental to me as time goes on, so I plan on changing the way I write papers. With this class, I’m sure that I’ll be able to regain my lost confidence and acquire new writing skills that will help me later on in the future.