Going into my first semester of college ever, I was super nervous and didn’t know how I would survive. I thought I would be late all the time because I'm pretty notorious for being late for everything, but I managed to make it to class every week at least 10 minutes early and that's impressive for me. Being in ENG 100 made my first semester a little easier to get by and definitely gave me the tips I need for future classes. I can honestly say I learned more in ENG 100 than in high school. I learned what TPS (Topic, Position, and Support) is when writing a paper along with a Source Sandwich (don’t forget to introduce, quotation and explain kids). I also learned what it’s like to work together and be a team. I met amazing people and if it weren't for my professor, I don’t know that I would be talking to any of them. Creating a website and making it so my personality shows through my blog post was something I really enjoyed the most. I'm not a fan being assigned to read anything, I tend to not even care and just hope for the best. Although that was high school Jen. 22-year-old Jen enjoyed almost every article and short story we had to write a blog post on. My Name is Margaret, What You Don't Know, and Hills Like White Elephants really grabbed my attention when going more into the story and evaluating what the story is actually trying to represent. Had I been in high school, these blog post would be bull shitted the whole way through. My professor really gave me a different perspective on how to look at a story, paper, or article and really give it a good looking into to feel the author's purpose. Writing processes are a big deal in our class, having free write and reading about different processes that several authors have, I took all of that "advice" and tried to put it in affect with how I wrote and revised my papers and blog posts. According to Professor Mangini, you can write any paper "sexy". He's taught me some of the best "ice breakers" that I hope one day I can use with my kids when I become a teacher. I walked into this class with really low confidence that I would be like I was in high school, thankfully my class mates were awesome, my professor is the man, and some days were a little more difficult than others trying to make it through. I couldn’t be more proud of myself that I didn’t cave and drop out because things got a little rocky. I stayed. I couldn’t be more ready to take on the rest of my college career.
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Over the course of the passed 2 or 3 weeks, we've starting our MLA Research papers and how to go about writing them. How to begin, the right questions to ask, going over strategies in class along with watching a video on reflective writing. Learning about how to write to a MLA Research paper has really helped in figuring out how to go about making this paper a strong argument to show my point of view on the American Prison System. In my post this week, I'll be sharing my process and it was the right way to go about writing the project. Who did you work with to compose your research paper? Was this a good approach? I had another topic for my MLA Research paper and had a rough time trying to get started. My professor suggested picking another topic I felt more passionate about, so Professor Mangini helped in my beginning process of my paper. It definitely was a good approach. I felt discouraged when I had picked my first topic. Feeling frustrated and not really knowing what to do, Professor Mangini's ideas and models really helped out. What rhetorical mode and genre are you using? Argumentation is the rhetorical mode and Research paper is the genre. When did you write this project? Good approach? I began to write my paper after work and at night. It definitely was not a good approach so I'm trying to find other ways to go about it because I am definitely not finding myself to be on task. Where did you write this project? Good approach? I wrote in my living room or in my bedroom. These 2 two are where I've been finding the most comfort lately depending on my mood. I like to be in a comfortable atmosphere so being at home for sure helps. Why did you choose to write about your chosen topic? Good choice? I've had my own personal experiences with someone who was once close with my family. I do believe it's a good approach because committing a crime is a serious deal and in some cases, second chances are an okay thing. Other times? I don’t believe criminals deserve much sympathy. How did it feel to write this argument ("during, after, and since")? Do you have any "if only" moments that can help you revise the draft? I was confident at first. After writing 2 or 3 paragraphs, I got super irritated with an imaginary person telling me that my opinion was wrong so I did have to take tiny breaks in between to settle myself down. How will you revise your argument? Using the TPS model, I learned in class and using the source sandwich on the class website, have been really helpful strategies in getting started and I will continue to use them to help revise. I'm starting to get more eager about writing my MLA Research paper now than when the assignment was first given. Moore, Michael, Where To Invade Next 2015
The man who makes the film travels to different parts of Europe to learn what they do different in their cities from what they learned in AMERICA! He starts in Italy to start off his "invasion" and learns that they get a 8 week paid vacation. In France, the school lunches are 5 star meals to teach kids about better nutrition. Some kids even hesitated to try a Coca Cola. Next stop in Finland, they have the highest education rates because all the kids don’t get homework and the teachers believe they need more time to be kids so they spend 3-4 hours in school. In Solvenia they give their college students free college education so they have to live in debt for getting a degree in their field of study. Ever wanted to know what it was to have a 36 hour work week and still get a scheduled break? Talk to Germany because they have all of that. He then travels to Norway to learn about the prison systems where the inmates live like they are free but have a shot at a second chance. Tunisia actually cares about what women have to say. Not saying that America doesn’t care about what women have to say but Tunisia has more women in their government to speak more not just women rights' but about other important matters as well as that. After all his travels, he realizes all of the ideas that Europe has was from America. I thought the whole film was very informative and well played out. Each topic last just as long as it needed too on the big issues we are dealing with here in America. He went with facts and asked all the right questions only to know make his jaw drop but also his audience. Michael Moore struck a topic for me that I feel very strongly about. The prison systems in Norway are extremely shocking to me with how they run their prisons. It honestly blows my mind that they let these inmates roam around like they didn’t lose their freedom. They only lost the chance of family visits. Source 2. Glazer, Sarah. "Sentencing Reform." CQ Researcher, 10 Jan. 2014, pp. 25-48, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2014011000. This source tells a story about a man who sold drugs and received a 55 year sentence for also having 2 illegal weapons. It goes deeper in the sentencing systems for our nation and helps the reader understand better how the sentencing process when given to the convicted. Just by reading it I gained a lot of knowledge about Law and Justice to help keep harmful individuals off the streets. I find this source to be extremely reliable in order to complete my assignment. Reading the information, not only gave me answers to some questions but helped me understand the Justice system better when going to trial to be given a sentence for how terrible the crime may have been. It will help my process in putting together a solid argument as why I believe our prison systems are just fine the way they are. Source 3. Katel, Peter. "Solitary Confinement." CQ Researcher, 14 Sept. 2012, pp. 765-88, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2012091400 This source goes into detail on Solitary Confinement. It might be beneficial to an audience who don’t quite know the length that some prisons to go to when sending "sane" prisoners in solitary confinement for close to a decade at most times depending on the severity of the crime. This is a HUGE break for me in getting the information I need to learn more about what actually goes on inside the prisons and how the inmates are treated based on the crimes they commited. Source 4. Clemens, Dianne. "Prison: To Punish or Reform" Dec. 16, 2003 http://www.pbs.org/pov/whatiwant/prison-to-punish-or-reform/ This source has real people talk about their experiences about either being in jail and how some people have lost their loved ones to murder. The article is also going off a show that PBS aired. I find this source to be super helpful in my process to writing my assignment. Reading it had me completely focused on how I would to begin wiriting my MLA Research Paper. Source 5. White, Josh. "Talking with Evil: My interviews with a serial killer, rapist, and child molester." February 22, 2013 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/talking-with-evil-my-interviews-with-a-serial-killer-rapist-and-child-molester/2013/02/22/41d1f0bc-79e1-11e2-a044-676856536b40_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.738113756532 This man speaks with real criminals about their crimes. One is very remorseful, and the rest are just as sick and twisted in 2013 as they were when they committed their god-awful crimes. They speak about their crimes and their sentences. Josh White even asks them questions if the rolls were reversed to find any kind of heart in these cold souls serving almost life sentences. This source helps me prove a point in explaining that criminals do deserve a second chance at society when they are so mentally ill. In the article and the way to speak, it almost sounds like the last two inmates would do it again if they had the chance and one sees nothing wrong in the crime he committed. |