Workshopping

I liked the group workshops that we did in class on Tuesday. The small group exercise really allowed us to get to hear someone else's story as they would read it, which put an entirely different light on things. Also the large group excercise, where we went around and discussed what we thought we could do to better our papers showed me that most of the class was having the same or similar problems and it was just nice to know that I wasn't alone in that.

Literary Analysis Thesis

Thesis: "The use of the color white in Sarah Orne Jewett's "The White Heron" and of the color yellow in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" show how symbolism can be used to describe the feelings of the characters in the stories.

Critical Analysis

The critical reading session in class today was very interesting. It was crazy to see how the story that I had read and got meaning out of had a completely different side to it. It was almost like reading another story altogether. I plan on using more time and effort in really looking into a story and finding all of its hidden meanings.

Symbolism

Symbolism is used in both The Yellow Wallpaper and The White Heron through different colors. In Heron, the color white is used. Sylvia is about to show the hunter where the heron has its nest, but when she sees it is all of its purity she realizes the purity of the world around her and can't bring her self to reveal the bird's location. On the other side of the spectrum, the woman from The Yellow Wallpaper, is surrounded by the color yellow and begins to see it as something that is dirty and foul, the opposite of pure.

Response to The Yellow Wallpaper

Women's conditions at this time were atrocious. They were treated as subservient and kept down by their male counterparts and it was believed that their place in the world was as caregivers and homemakers. Those women that did work, worked terrible, usually dangerous, jobs that paid far less than what a male would be paid for the exact same position. Women were also not deemed as smart as men, for it was believed that women didn't have the brainpower or ability to reason. This was one of the reasons that women we're not allowed to vote until the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. After a while this can take a very hard physical, emotional, and mental toll on a person as we saw in The Yellow Wallpaper.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

This was a very surprising piece. I really began to feel for Farquhar. He was committed to a cause and was about to be hung as a result. In his final moments, all he really wanted to do was to see his wife and children, but he knew there was no real way out. When he was thrown over the edge to his death though, something miraculous happened. The noose around his neck snapped and he was able to get away. He escapes and makes it all the way back to his wife, but when he goes to embrace her he is engulfed by a blinding light and that is it.....He is dead and his escape and reunion was all a dream.

Response to Omelas

This was a powerful readings. The people who live in Omela believe that they live perfectly when most of them know about the poor deformed child that lives locked away in their city. They would rather ignore the needs of this one soul in order to keep living in the bliss they are used to.

Writing Process

My weekend, when I was not working, was spent in the I.D. Weeks Library. First off, I never realized just how many books there actually are in that place. It's astounding! Anyways, I found the books that I thought would be helpful, checked them out, went back to my dorm and proceeded to make note after note of them on any information that I thought might be useful in writing my paper later. After this process I worked out my introduction and then went into my body paragraphs.

Class Evaluation

So far English 101 has been an interesting class. I feel like my writing ability and voice have been improved in the few weeks the class has been in session. The CommuniWrite Blog has been fun and I have found that I like to write about my opinions and ideas. The homework load has been a bit stressful, but I guess that was to be expected.

Research Based Argument Topic Idea

The tpoic I have chosen is why it is wrong and destructrive when people take their beliefs to a violent level.

Tuesday Glorious Tuesday

I was not able to make it to class on Tuesday....but let me tell you, I much rather would have. No, no. My Tuesday was spent with a major sinus infection and a migraine, which made my homework for that night just a joy do work on.

Presentations

I feel like the presentations were a very good experience. It gave us all a chance to work as a group and learn a material in a different way. It was fun seeing everybody's views on the styles of corrections and it made it very easy to pick the ones that were the best and easiest to use.

Class

Tuesday's class was interesting. It was weird to have someone else teaching us, but kind of nice to see a different style of teaching. We went over our paper, and I got a good peer review out of it the time given, so all-in-all it was a good class period.

Proposal Thesis

I have decided to write my proposal paper on how necessary it is for someone to be allowed to think freely and not be controlled, using a thesis of: "without freedom of thought there can be no growth in society, no exchange of ideas, and no hope."

Hollywood Blowhards

First off: I can't wait to read the complete version of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America. It made doing my homework so much more enjoyable. The selection entitled, "Hollywood Blowhards", really cracked me up. It makes prefect sense, once you stop and think about it. We grow up seeing these celebrities on screen and idolize them. We also grow up seeing politicians. Unfortunately, politics doesn't make for interesting television, unless it is election time.....or the politicians have done something wrong. This does tend to cast an unfair light on the people who actually know what they are talking about and give people a sense not to trust them. No, no, the people they trust are the people that make them happy. Keep them entertained. Celebrities. Now I am not saying that all celebrities are ignorant. I'm sure plenty of them have very valuable opinions as to what is going on in the world. I just find it abusive when the use their fame to pitch these opinions on the fans and viewers that they know they can sway. Acting is acting and politics is politcs. If either group wishes to elighten people on the other maybe they should think about changing professions......unless you are The Terminator.....then I guess it's okay.

Peer Reviewing

I really like the idea of peer reviewing. It gives you a chance to let someone else read your piece and see what they think of it. It also allows someone to catch mistakes that you might not ever have noticed or even thought about. It also allows you to get fresh ideas and opinions on your style of writing. You might be reading someone's paper and think "Wow! That was really cool the way they did that! Maybe I should try something like it on my next paper."

The Future

People express themselves in many different ways. Some people paint, some people draw, some people act, others choose to participate in sports. But my creative outlet is film. I love to write, direct, edit, film, act, anything that gets me into the process of making a video. I plan on turning this creativity into a career. I realize that that is quite an ambitious goal, but I believe I will make it. Not because I'm lucky, but because I look at things in terms of: Do or Do Not....There is no try. I will either succeed or crash and burn. Those are the only two outcomes. But I will fight for my goals to the bitter end....and I don't plan on failing.

Carpe Diem (Thoughts on "The Dead Poets Society")

Free thinking. It is something that many people take for granted. Growing up in America, we are protected by the First Amendment, which grants us freedom of speech and freedom of thought. But most countries around the world have their right of free thought controlled, manipulated, even used against them. Welton Academy is, in a sense, one of these suppressed countries, maybe not to an extent as extreme, but suppressed none the less. The boy’s lives are controlled. Every move they make is scrutinized. Every flaw reprimanded. Everything in their existence at the Academy is to prepare them for their futures in college and beyond. But being as suppressed as they are makes them shells. Husks, that, when asked their opinions on the world, their memories of it thus far, have nothing truthful to say. That is why I believe Robin Williams character Professor Keating had such a strong effect on the boy’s at this school. He taught them to think, to feel, to accept death as an inevitability and in doing so free themselves of its fears and live life to its fullest extent. This how I try to live my life, how I believe we should all live our lives. Don’t ever let anyone take away your freedom of thought. Defend it. Fight for it. For if it is taken. You are taken. And nothing is yours.

Carpe Diem, everyone. Carpe Diem.

The Notebook

         I feel for the man in the excerpt from The Notebook. His time in this world is running out and he believes that his life up to this point has been unremarkable. Not boring, but nothing special. Yet through all of this I have to give him credit, because he has held on to something that age cannot take from him...hope. Hope that tomorrow will bring something better and perhaps bring a day that is just a little bit better.

Unlocking The Doors

         I have been reading for a very long time, and in this time my skills as a reader have been honed like a fine edged sword. But it wasn't always this way. I remeber a time, when I was younger, that my Mother had to read for me. Every night, right after she had tucked me in, she would read me a bedtime story. But one night, instead of having a story read to me, as I was accoustomed to, she put the book in my hands and told me that tonight she wanted me to read the book to her. I looked down at the book, a relatively foreign object, and was confronted by all manner of strange symbols. The book was a veritable puzzle box, and just like a puzzle I knew it could be solved. Time passed, and the riddles became easier and easier to figure out, and as I deciphered the code I unlocked the knowledge that was stored with in those simple words. It was through this knowledge that I developed an insatiable desire to read anything and everything I could get my hands on and to this day that desire holds true. If there is a book out there that interests me.....it will be read.

Mini-Autobiography

        Hi! My name is Casey Schramm and I am a freshman at the University of South Dakota. I chose to come to USD to pursue a degree in Contemporary Media and Journalism and the Al Nueharth Media Center has tons of awesome programs and equipment that I really look forward to using. My ultimate goal after college is to get a job in the film industry. I would most like to become a director, but really any job that gets me into the process of making cinema happen is alright by me.
        Here is some more information about myself that I hope will be interesting and help you get to know me a little better. I love to read and listen to music! My favorite books are: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Road by Cormac McCarthy. As far as music goes I listen to pretty much everything, but my favorite genre would be rock and roll. Flogging Molly, Led Zeppelin,  and The Who are by far my favorite bands. Family and friends are the most important things in my life. If they are happy I am happy. My biggest goal in life is to be at least nominated for an Academy Award.......and preferably win. So that is basically me. I hope this gives you all some insight as to who I am and what I do!
        
           Life Motto: "Do....or do not.....there is no try."