Making an Alligator

I never knew how hard an art and craft project could possibly be.  After today's class, I have now figured out that I never want to be the person who writes out directions for something.  It was difficult to write out everything that was going on because being a human being we all assume a majority of actions that we perform.  That was definitely one of the struggles I had.  Figuring out what all should be included.  Also there were some people who took it a bit far and just wanted to get revenge on others for not following them correctly.  It is difficult to do projects with different types of people.  It was a good learning experience on how to make step by step directions for people.  I feel that the technical writers should get a lot of props for doing this hard work when it is done correctly.  Sometimes, like we talked in class they do not give great directions and we are all left to fend for ourselves. I now have a better understanding on what goes into technical writing and even though it was frustrating, it was a good exercise to get us all involved and to teach us. 

Mother Tongue

In telling this story, Tan was trying to show different perspectives on how others look at non-English speaking people.  There is a stereotype that goes along with not having  English has their first language and she is showing us this in her story.  Her teacher didn't want her to be in English because there were outside factors weighing on the opinion.  Tan's mom did not speak fluent English, which is why Mother Tongue is such a good title.  They look at who is raising Tan and not how Tan is speaking.  Because her mother had broken English, she was judged differently. 

Digital Storybook Topic

For my story I choose to do it on a place, my neighborhood.  There are so many memories that I have from my child hood from their and I cannot think of anywhere else I would have wanted to grow up.  Many special people are on my street that are practically family and I want to tell the story of Walton Avenue from back in the day.

Digital Storytelling Revolutionize Narrative Experiences

Digital story telling could change a simple story into something that interests people more.  There are ways people can read or listen to a story, but digitally telling the story would get emotions that wouldn’t normally arise from simply reading it.   The story would have a twist in the traditional story being told in a new and exciting way.  A lot of technology is changing and stories are no different.  It would be fun for young kids and give the narrative a brand new experience.  It would make the story more memorable and the sounds in the background or a voice over in the digital story would trigger a part of the brain to relate what is going on to the factors inside.   This normally is just by how the reader or listener takes in what is being read.  I think that is what the one part of the “cookbook” was trying to say in the subtitle overloaded memory bank.  Also it says it’s a way to tell their story and get their point across in a way that will be remembered.  I feel that it would possibly bring better writers and readers into the classroom.  It would be a great way to get the kids involved as well.  It would make a great journey for them and they could someday want to become a producer to a television show or possibly a movie.

METAPHOR OF WRITERS

 Topic: Metaphors of Writers
A. introduction
    1. explains the assignment
    2. gives examples of metaphors
B. process and speed
    1. use metaphors for how writing is to them
    2. examples of students metaphors
C. Fear and Courage
    1. emotions of how they feel while writing
    2. examples of when they were scared
D. Control
    1. Feeling in charge of writing
    2. students experiences and metaphors
E. Silence
    1. failure of writing 
    2. basic writing of doing something and another thing happens
F. Conclusion
    1. wrap up of metaphors as invitations
    2. concluding the meaning of what is being written

-  This article is very true on how people write and see themselves as writers.  Sometimes I even find myself looking at what and how I write in a different perspective to catch the full potential of what I am writing.  The examples in the article helped imagine what the different feelings were about each person's perspective. 

Stand Against Wiki

Middlebury College's policy is one that i agree with.  I have always been told, through high school, that Wikipedia is not a great source to use for a paper.  The college has the right idea by not punishing the students, but also trying to teach them at the same time.  Another reason I feel it's a good idea is because they are having them compare and contrast the Wiki information to the other information that was found on the topic.  There could be a class or activity based on Wiki having the students look deeper into how it is set up and organized.  The faculty could ask the students to use Wiki as a reference to contradict what they are saying in the paper.  There are many ways Wiki, however, could be useful.  It is not always giving wrong information like the article said.  This internet encyclopedia could be used to benefit the students and give the faculty teaching material for making a point.

Extra Credit ! ! !

I would love to go and explore on an island such as this.  I have yet to find somewhere that is a good place for me to visit but I feel as if I could get lost on a place such as this.  It would be an amazing feeling to live and wonder around just like McCandless did.  I still have my fear of heights and flying however.  I could possibly change that if I had the opportunity to get to a place like this. The new species of animals in and out of the water would be so fascinating.  The water so clear that I could see my feet.  It would be my dream to buck up enough courage and go to a remote island! 

Movie vs. Book

Compared to the book, the movie gives Chris a sense of loneliness.  It makes it seem as if his parents are rude and do not love him.  The book, however shows that they do which could make u wonder which is true.  The movie also has the sense of a quiet moment which is filled with a sound effect. It makes for a more suspenseful moment in the story which the book did not contain. 

Of what we have seen so far, there is justice for Chris and it shows he wants to go out in the wilderness and live.  The movie is showing he is a young outgoing boy who thinks nature is sacred.  It does not make him look like he is looking for a death wish because we do not really know he ends up dieing yet. 

The book gives outside details that are relevant when reading a story; there is no need for them in the movie.  The cinema movies are made to entertain and get a point across.  The reality is shown more in his action of the movie.  It give a much better feel on how he was feeling.  Also the reason he does not interact well with some is very apparent in the movie.

Overall, the book is good for a sit down and a nice time outside in the wild to read.  The movie shows more of the emotion and I, so far, like it much better.  I find myself getting lost in the story up on the screen rather when I was struggling to get through page by page of the book.

Chris McCandless, My Final Feelings

After reading the entire book of Chris McCandless, my thoughts about him do not change.  I still feel the same way that he is an adventurous person and still has a close connection with nature.  Also, I think there was no selfish bone in his body.  There still do not see how someone thinks he went out into Alaska to die.  I feel that he knew it in his mind, but never wanted it to actually happen to him.  I am sure that after he accomplished his dream, he thought about going back and rekindling the fire with his family again.  I do not think he ever wanted to truly hurt them.  So my feelings and thoughts on Chris have yet to change. 

After the reaction of his family at the bus, I felt they only wanted to understand.  There weren't tears shed by his mother, but she left the care package for the next explorer.  He was not crazy by any means or ignorant.  Chris knew what he thought he should and went out to be away and alone.  To some he would be an idealistic kind of person; however, I do not feel as if his family felt that way.   There are some types of people that get an idea into their heads and will not let it go until it is reached.  McCandless was one of these people.  An outgoing, smart young man is all that Chris was!

OUTCASTS

Having the interruption of chapters 8 and 9, was to make a comparison.  There were similarities to Alex and the others that have made "crazy" adventures in their life time.  I think that Krakauer wanted to show that McCandless was not the only one who did this sort of act to become someone else. Some people in the world want to reinvent themselves for different reason, but it all ends up looking the same.  A crazy kid went to make their death sentence in the wilderness is how people view it.  There are human beings in the world that want to live life to the fullest with the earth itself.  The nature and wild feeling it has is breath taking to some and it shows when Krakauer adds in the other stories.  I know when I read about them i compared and contrasted them with Alex and his hitchhiking ways.  There is something unique about all of them in their own way which can be looked at as being the same as well!

The names they had and why they changed them is easy for me to see.  No one gets to pick their name because their parents give it them when they are born.  When the time comes I know some people that go by a nickname, my brother.  His name is Austin, but ever since I was little I called him BOO.  Now my entire family calls him that and some of my friends do too.  His friends on the other hand call him DEBO because of our last name.  He doesn't go by Austin even though he likes his name, the other ones just go with him and show his personality.  Another person may change their name completely such as Miley Cyrus. She felt her name wasn't the right fit, so she changed it to something she felt was better.  Changing a name isn't weird; sometimes people don't correspond with their names and feel better fit with another name which is fine too.

Epigraphs Speak to Me

The first by Leo Tolstoy is saying that life is to quiet and something loud needs to happen in it.  The first line saying he wants movement I feel is yelling out he wants to be active. There is no reason to live life like an old person when someone is so young.  It makes it feel like a huge waste. The second one by Wallace Stegner says there is no reason to live a little.  Sometimes people need to feel like no one is around and act like a fool, but it would be normal for them.  Their inner person who has been fighting needs to come out in some way.  Everyone in their life wants to escape and break free of their lives.  There are some people out there who are not afraid and do it and enjoy themselves.

I believe that Alex did look up to what these two others portrayed in their epigraphs that are noted in chapter 3.  His ideas were probably though of by himself, but the added thought of what they wrote is probably in his mind all of the time.  It could be a type of reinsurance that what he was doing wasn't the wrong thing to do.

ReiNVenTiNG mE : Yes or No?!

Having the chance to reinvent myself, I probably would not. The challenges that we are all faced with happen to us for a reason.  Through all the issues I go through only made me a stronger person and starting over, I think would just make it worse.  There are those days that everyone wants to do over; however, I would not want to redo me! I enjoy my life and the people that are in it.  It would only be foolish for me to do it with such a good life now.  Not saying that I have the ideal life; I like the way I am now and hopefully it only gets better from here on out.  Others can reinvent themselves and I would support them 100%.

There are things I would do if I was FORCED to reinvent myself that would be so much fun!  I would love to get rid of my fear of flying and travel all over the world.  I can not see myself getting into an airplane any time soon in this life time.  If I had a redo, I would want to be adventurous and able to just go and do it all.  I have always wanted to go to a place where the ocean water is clear and I could see my feet! That is a dream of mine.  I probably will never be able to do that unless I am rich and there is a drug invented to loose the fear of heights and flying. 

Opinions on Christopher McCandless

Alex was the kind of person that knew what he wanted and wasn't afraid to go after it.  I feel like he has an original way about himself and it shows through his bravery when he enters into the wilderness alone.  There is not a selfish way about him; he is trying to express himself in a way he seems fit.  Alex has a way with nature in which he needs to find himself again and nature is helping him.  The way that he travels and uses resources in the wilderness is amazing.  Alex is truly a person to look up to.  He was unfortunate on the way he passed away, but I am sure he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

McCandless is a sensation that loved what he thought was important.  He lived vicariously through the wild and was ready for the battle.  He did not want to be saved so he did not tell anyone where he was that was close to him.  Alex wanted to be himself and nature allowed him to do so.

There was a little bit of him being naive.  Him thinking he would survive is a tiny bit ridiculous, but he though he could because nature was his life.  Religious was in the nature that he did and it meant everything to him.  Alex was a man who knew what he wanted!

Nature is IMPORTANT!

Nature is an important element in our lives.  I think that nature affects me because it gives us things we do not realize.  There is a reason for the animals to be living in nature and some food to be in the trees and bushes among them. Nature has a sense of being relaxed when I am in it.  Taking the time to sit near a tree and breathe in the fresh air is a great thing for me.  It keeps my mind free flowing with new ideas and there is time to reflect on what has happened.

All of us will return to nature some day when we all pass away.  It is the sense that nature is around when we are living and even when we die, it will be there to house us in the end. 

I enjoy to be outside rather than inside.  If I get the chance to have my window down in the car, I do! Another is if I get to go outside and read a book, I will!  There is a strong tie between me and nature in my mind and I like to think that it is there to comfort me.  I live with woods behind me; it is a lovely thing to look out and watch what is going on. 

Nature is a simpler way of how humans are in life.  They are born and grow and then eventually pass acting as a mini human world if you think about it.  There is no reason for us to be taking it down.  It adds beauty to our lives and it adds color to the world.  If it was not there, I am sure a lot of people would be lost without it including me!

More Land Doesn't Make a Better Life

After reading How Much Land Does a Man Need it is a real eye opener for how much people take for granted.  There is a real problem with materialistic items in today's society.  The story shows that the more land the man got, the less of a nice person he was.  All he cared about was getting more land.  There are people like that today and it is just baffling to me. The rich people have money, but are the unhappy ones.  It is the simple things in life that mean something to people not the items they have.

The benefits of a simpler life is having the experience to be thankful for what is given to a person.  It isn't worth it in life to have everything placed into your hands for nothing.  Working hard for something is definitely worth the struggle. If a rich kid asks "mommy" or "daddy" for something it is only showing how spoiled a child is.  On the other hand a child that works at something is being rewarded when a parent gives them something.

There is a definite change from back in the day to today; however, somethings are STILL the SAME!

The NEW Me!

Since the fall semester some things have changed about me.  I am come to realize that I do not worry much about what other people think about me.  It is not the high school environment any longer and I have come to realize that as matured adults, people don't care who you were, but who you ARE.  I have realized what everyone was telling me, you really find out who your friends truly are.

I am still a Bio major although I have been thinking that I may consider changing.  I still have a goal of being an Orthodontist and because of this, I have set the goal to stay in bio. I am hoping to get a great GPA this semester. (Last semester was good, but I want to make it even better!). 

Another goal I have set is to work out and work on my body image.  I feel as if the first semester I didn't worry as much.  I have since realized that I have asthma and had to get tests done to make sure everything was okay.  Maybe if i work on being more active and caring more about me, things will work out and I will be and overall better person!