27: Endings that last

Endings…

When thinking of films with good endings a few that come to mind are The Usual Suspects, Silence of the Lambs, and the Wizard of Oz. All of these have very different endings, but are great for the story that is being told within. The ending of The Usual Suspects pretty much makes the movie. This is overall a good film, but what it becomes great with its ending. The ending to this moving is just so shocking and puts a spin on the movie overall. In the Silence of the Lambs it is the last line, "I'm Having an old friend for dinner" that makes the ending so great to me. It is the way that Hopkins speaks this phrase and then continues to frighten the audience as he exits. On the other hand, the Wizard of Oz has an ending that has been used many times. In the end we find out that it was all a dream, but personally I think the Wizard of Oz is by far the most noteworthy. 

When thinking of literature, an obvious one would be The Great Gatsby. Somewhat similar to what stuck with me in the Silence of the Lambs ending, The Great Gatsbys final line is unforgettable. It seems almost impossible for this story to have an ending, but this line gives the reader away to close the page and be satisfied. 

The Ending wraps up the entire story and brings it all together. With one word, one line, one page, or one chapter. The ending confirms the what the story has been trying to sell the entire time. A good ending doesn't have the ability to save a terrible story, BUT a bad ending can truly hurt a good story. I believe a good ending should be satisfying and possibly a bit shocking. Whether or not the ending is shocking, it should deal with the conflicts and changes that have happened within the story and satisfy the reader. 

26: Looking Backwards at Cheating Upwards

From the very beginning of the article "Cheating Upwards" the writer gives a full character description and allows the reader to visualize the setting. The writer uses a lot of description, keeping the reader engaged. Although this is a true event, the author is able to tell much of it as a story. From the beginning the reader is aware of what the conflict is and that keeps the reader engaged to want to read what is going to happen with Nayeem. Throughout the story the setting is constantly described and each new character that enters the story is introduced with a full character description. The author also uses a small amount of dialogue in order to keep the reader to continue to visualize and feel the situation. The author also opens up his article with a very specific event of cheating, to transition into the bigger picture of high-profile cheating scandals. Afterwards, there is a transition back into the opening story when the author meets with Nayeem. Robert Kolker is able to write an informative article, while telling a narrative throughout.

When I read this six months ago I did not pay attention to the way that Kolker wrote this article. I believe I just read straight through, maybe even skimmed over parts, wondering why I had to read another article on cheating. I did not even think to pay attention to why he created such a successful piece, furthermore, I most likely did not even think that it was a successful piece.  During my first reading I did not even care to pay attention to Kolker's use of narrative within the article. After my first term in college, and more specifically taking this LHSP course, I believe I truly have learned so much more about writing and what makes a good piece.  My writing still needs a lot of work, but this class has taught me to be a more sophisticated writer and has given me a more open mind when sitting down to write. Before coming to college, every time I would get an essay assigned I would get extremely stressed out. Not that essays are easy for me to write now, but I feel much more comfortable sitting down to start. Additionally, I have begun to read in a slightly different manner. As I pay more attention to my writing, It is inevitable that I am going to start paying closer attention when reading. Also this term we have spent a good amount of time analyzing all different types of writers and their different ways of writing, and that has given me a stronger background of how to look at writing.

25: Relationship Between Academic and Blog Writing

Blogs? 

Term papers? 

Whats more effective for students? 

In my opinion, blog writing gives students the ability to write much more freely. Students are able to write posts without over thinking every word that gets written on the page. From my personal experience, when writing a blog I feel like I am able to express myself much more creatively and freely. When writing an academic paper there are so many more components that I am worried about as the words are hitting the paper. I feel as if every single thing I put down has to be looked at multiple times before I can feel confident about it. Blogs are just more of a way for students to be able to express themselves about many different things. Also blogs can be written in many shapes and forms and with many different voices. Where as academic writing is a very specific way of writing and teachers are looking for an specific thing. As mentioned in the New York Times Article “Blogs vs Term Papers” students “feel as if they’re actually producing something personally rewarding and valuable, where as when they write a term paper, they feel as if they do so only to produce a grade.” I believe that both of these types of writing should be given to students because they are so different and teach very different ways of thinking. Sometimes, I would agree that I feel like I am writing papers only to receive a grade, but other times when I feel strong about my argument and am passionate about my topic I don’t necessarily feel like its only for the grade. In that case, I truly do want to write the paper to prove that my point is correct. The more and more students blog, the more confident they can become as writers and may feel better when sitting down to write an academic paper.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/education/edlife/muscling-in-on-the-term-paper-tradition.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&sq=term%20paper%20or%20blog&st=cse&scp=1

24: Pumpkin Fever

 Pumpkin 

is one of my favorite flavors, thus why I absolutely love this time of year. I will eat literally anything that has to do with pumpkin whether it be pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, etc. If there is an option for something pumpkin flavored, I, without a doubt, always opt for that. Not only do I adore the flavor, but also pumpkin just reminds me of this time of year. Thanksgiving is always held at my house and I have all my family and friends come up for this holiday. It’s the one time of year that it is confirmed I am going to see many of my family members on my dads side that I don’t get to see that often. I am always the last to wake up on thanksgiving morning, but I get to come downstairs to all my family that has arrived and the smells of the food cooking throughout my house. Although I never help my mom with any of the main dishes, I always contribute to the desserts. My two favorite pies to bake are, of course, pumpkin pie and pecan pie. Although I must admit I make a great Pumpkin pie, I always insist that we also get another one from Urth Caffe. Every year, even before thanksgiving I go to Urth Caffe to get a slice of pie. Of course this is the first time I haven’t been home to go yet this month, but there will of course be one at my Thanksgiving dinner!



urth caffe made it on this list:

Best Of LA: Pumpkin Pie 

!!!!!

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2010/11/19/best-of-la-pumpkin-pie/

23

Assessing Blogs

As stated in my earlier posts, layout is something I think is very important in a blog post. If words are nicely put on the page and they align well with the images it is going to make the reader eager and excited to read the post. Another eye catcher for a blog post is the title. As we talked about in class titles are very important, but especially important for a blog post. When scrolling through my classmates blogs, I find myself using the titles as one of the main ways to decide whether or not I want to fully engage myself in that particular post. Also, when the post goes back and fourth between words and photographs I think it makes it more interesting as a reader. 

That way we don’t only have to visualize what the writer is talking about in our heads, but it is right there on the page for us. Again, for me the look of the blog plays a big role, but the context must be interesting as well to create an outstanding or excellent blog post.  The blogs that stand out to me the most are the ones with strong voices, but voices that are able to express themselves in many styles. It is nice to read one blog that writes in different ways. Long posts, short posts, poetry and prose. 

What do you see?

external: I see a man who is wearing a striped sweater with different tones of grey, and a light colored collared shirt peeking through. He pairs the cashmere sweater with dark jeans and a black pair of adidas sneakers. This man gestures with his whole body as he speaks, specifically uses many hand gestures. He is talking with a very calming voice. His voice carries a very chill, relaxed tone and he seems very open to the ideas of others. 

internal: This mans name is Jamie. He is 35 years old and from a small town in Connecticut. Jamie has had a tough upbringing as a child. His mother suffered from breast Cancer, and his dad, although very successful in the film industry, has been dealing with an unknown sickness for many years. Jamie has an older brother and an older sister. He went to college at NYU and has always been interested in music. Currently, he is a music producer and is doing very well at such a young age. Jamie has a very laid back manner about him due to the way he was brought up. He feels so fortunate for what he has and fears his health. Although he may be slightly insecure about his looks, he is overall a confident guy.

 

Exploring Lit Blogs

·         When reading other peoples blogs I tend to get easily drawn in or out by the first second I look at it. As they say “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but for some reason with blogs I am much more excited to read them when they are aesthetically pleasing. 

     The first blog that caught my attention was Reluctant Habits. The layout of this blog immediately caught my eye. The large photos and fonts seemed very engaging and easy to read. Also the tabs at the top seemed to make this blog very easy to navigate. 

     The Blog has one contributing editor, Sarah Weinman, and one managing editor, Edward Chamion. Weinman has had her works appear in many places such as the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Macleans. Furthermore, Chamion is a writer in Brooklyn and also has had his work appear in many places such as the Chronicle of Higher Education, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Sun-Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, New York Magazine, Time Out New York, and The Philly Inquier. Also, he is a fiction writer and a playwright and director. After reading about these editors, it was clear that this was a well-written, reputable blog. Since this blog also has multiple writers, It would be more interesting to read and not as easy to get bored of the same voice, with the same style of writing. 

     Also, on the home page there is a very short description of each post and that way you can decide what you actually want to spend the time reading. Clearly, formatting for me is a big deal and I feel the same way about magazines and newspapers when reading articles. It really does help to bring someone in with the appearance of the page.






h   Http://www.edrants.com/