"Nature" (what does that even mean?)

I think that the humanities are vital to our understanding of “nature” since it is a complex concept that stretches across many disciplines of study.  If we were to merely look at this concept and phenomenon through things likes chemistry and ecology, then we would be failing to understand a significant portion of “nature”.  The word “nature” itself has two basic definitions, one is the physical world and the forces within in, but another is the traits and characteristics that define something.

This is a video about the video game, Skyrim, and in that game are these humanoid-tree creatures

 these things, that attack you if you go out into the wilderness and run into them.  

Now, this clip is relevant to this essay, because in it the player and the humanoid-tree have a conversation/confrontation that illustrates the different definitions of "nature".  Skip to 1:27 and watch until 2:00. Also, there is swearing, so if that's offensive, then....

 

            In his essay The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis, Lynn White touches on this dichotomy in the first paragraph—he mentions Aldous Huxley’s discussion of “a favorite topic: Man’s unnatural treatment of nature and its sad results.”  Huxley appears to have a different idea of how humanity should be interacting with nature than others.  In this sentence, White uses the two different meanings of the word “nature” in conjunction with each other.  He goes on to his main point, which is that the mainstream Christian view of  a natural relationship with nature is actually quite harmful to the environment.  It is this second definition, “natural” that is the realm of the humanities.  What one believes to be “natural” is quite subjective, as White’s mention of Huxley’s view demonstrates. 

            An example of this confusion and ambiguity of interpretation can be found in the argument surrounding gay rights.  Someone may say that homosexual behavior is “unnatural” and therefore should be discouraged.  This implies that heterosexual behavior is “natural” and therefore intrinsically better than other sexual behaviors. But the same idea of what is “natural” can also be used to the opposite effect—someone may say that since all individuals are born with their sexual preference already in existence it is therefore “natural” for homosexuality to exist.  They may also point to examples of other animals besides humans who exhibit homosexual behavior, and say that homosexuality is not just an abnormal behavior created by the human race, it is common to all animals, therefore it is “natural” and should not be discouraged.  Both of these statements present slightly different definitions of what qualifies as “natural” with vastly different outcomes.

            This definition of “nature” has a strong philosophical quality to it, and is most often first found in religions, therefore it requires knowledge outside of the disciplines of science to understand it completely.  And we must understand it completely.  Throughout history, failures to understand have often resulted in catastrophes.  For example, if the Medieval Europeans had better understood their fear of witchcraft, prejudices against practitioners of Paganism or other non-Christian religions, and the motivations behind the publication of the Malleus Maleficarum, then there would have been less mass hysteria and less people tortured and murdered for non-existent crimes. 

            So, a failure to understand the human perspective on something, “nature” in this case, is a failure to understand its true depth and significance.

I tried to link out to a website showing the failings of the Malleus Maleficarum, but there wasn't one source that had everything I wanted it to say without a bunch of expository stuff.  So do your own research because I have to go rake leaves.

Facebook Literacy

1) People post links instead of just explaining them.  You have to be able to read.  News stories are all about the same subject, like an epistolary story.  People have arguments prompted by the posts.  If you visit a page, chances are that you are interested in the subject.  It’s like a social performance of everyone agreeing and rallying around their beliefs.  They make new terms that are contextual, ex: “traditional” + “marriage” in the dictionary does not mean the same thing as “traditional marriage” as discussed on an LGBTQ page.

2) Profile pictures are giving brief descriptions of themselves – how they want to be seen, communicated quickly.

3) Online practices are generally more exaggerated of offline practices.  ex: people are waaaay meaner on the internet than they would be in person.  Trolls (no evidence). 

4) Publically shown private discussion on walls.  If it’s really private and you don’t want anyone to see you go to chat.  It’s awkward if an older relative comments on a conversation.  When it’s a birthday, everyone says “Happy Birthday” even if they don’t know them – it’d be rude for the birthday person not to “like” all the posts or to send out a generic “thank you”. 

5) Using ‘like” to end an awkward conversation that is going on too long.  If it was in person you’d say “oh, it’s 2 o’clock I have to get going!” but you wouldn’t type that out on Facebook.

Ethnography questions on Chicago Mexicans

1.      How is the ability to read and write distributed in a community?

Lower class is less literate, upper class/wealthy have increased literacy.  Education is expensive.  Older Mexicans have less schooling than their children.  Birth order matters as well – younger kids get to go to school at the expense of the elders.

2.      What is the relationship between the abilities to read and write?

Sometimes you can learn to write before learning to read – learning the symbols…but not the meaning (??)  Limited, contextual knowledge.  We assume that reading comes before writing – that’s how it is in our school systems. 

3.      How do these abilities vary with factors such as age, sex, socioeconomic class, and the like?

SEE ANSWER ONE

Girls tended to help out at home, boys go make money.  EX nine year old with dead mother and father in US went to work

4.      With what kinds of activities are reading and writing associated, and in what types of settings do these activities take place?

Church, writing letters to family members who aren’t in US.  That’s the biggest motivator for learning writing/reading.  Maybe a bit for work?

5.      What kinds of information are considered appropriate for transmission through written channels, and how, if at all, does this information differ from that which is passed through alternative channels such as speech?

Literacy is learned through speaking (somehow).  Learning is a speech thing.  The letters are described.  Our brains hurt.  Written things are personal communiques – not particularly complicated.  Maybe that’s how they can learn to do it?

6.      Who sends written messages to whom, when, and for what reasons?

Letters.  SEE OTHER ANSWERS

7.      Is the ability to read and write a prerequisite for achieving certain social statuses, and, if so, how are these statuses elevated by other members of the community?

People who can write are used to write letters for others.  Social responsibility/status.  They are sought out for their services. 

8.      How do individuals acquire written codes and the ability to decode them--from whom, at what age, and under what circumstances, and for what reasons?

At all ages.  If you don’t have formal schooling, you’re going to need lots of motivation in order to learn to read and write.  It’s harder to accomplish as you get older.  EX Cigarette box man.

9.      What are the accepted methods of instruction and of learning both in and out of school?

In school – reading is first, then writing.  Outside of school others can teach you.  You’re going to have to get creative if you can’t find resources.

10.  What kind of cognitive functions are involved?

Symbolic thinking (understanding what a symbol is EX “A”).  Problem solving. 

11.  In summary, what positions do reading and writing hold in the entire communicative economy and what is the range of their social and cultural meanings?

Those who are literate get more attention from the community, their skills are in demand.  Those who can read & write English are more integrated into the US society.  Literacy bolsters the economy.  EX Avocado town.  Literacy expands your social “market” – you can reach new audiences and communicate better.  Also, higher paying jobs require literacy which elevates socioeconomic status. Literacy equals more opportunities in the US.

            live the whole year in Mex

            Chicagoans sending $ to Mex

            ½ & 1/2 

Response to Chapter 14: Tenets of Sociocultural theory in Writing Intstruction Research

Chapter 14

is one nasty reading.  Very dense.

Scaffold (tool for understanding) given to us by Professor Silva (thanks!)

Sociocultural Theory Writing Prompt

What is sociocognitive apprenticeship?What is an apprenticeship?What does cognitive mean?What would be a cognitive apprenticeship?What would be a social apprenticeship?What would be a sociocognitive apprenticeship?

Interpret this quote: “Rather than viewing knowledge as existing inside the heads of individual participants or in the external world, sociocultural theory views meaning as being negotiated at the intersection of individuals, culture, and activity” (p. 208).

“Tools include a variety of mental, linguistic, and physical devices used to enhance writers’ performance, including notational systems, writing symbols, instruments, diagrams, graphic organizers, text structures, mnemonics, writing implements, procedures, rules of thumb, grammar and spell checkers, and any tool used in the transformation and construction process....These tools support cognitive performance by helping writers to organize mental reasoning by offloading aspects of thought or functions onto the tool, and by making elements of the activity more visible, accessible, and attainable….” (p. 211). In what ways does this writing formula, which is learned in high school, support cognitive performance: All paragraphs should follow this structure--Main Idea, Evidence, Analysis, Link (MEAL).  In other words, in what ways does it organize thinking, offload aspects of thinking, and make writing and thinking more visible?
“Compatible with Vygotsky’s thinking, procedural facilitators offer semiotic tools that enable teachers to make visible the character of the particular text forms, the strategies and procedures that underlie the text’s construction and revision, and the discourse structures and language practices that permit writers to realize their writing goals” (p. 213) 

What is a community of practice? What are its characteristics?

Sociocognitive apprenticeship - working alongside an expert, expert leads by example, like a teacher reading a book to her class or a teenager learning to drive by watching parents
Cognitive/semiotic tools - asking questions, defining words, making connections with prior knowledge, examples

What would happen if the whole world became literate?

I'm not sure if it would be too terribly different from the world we're in now.  Literacy rates across the globe are the highest they've ever been, so I would just expect more of the same.
We'd probably be getting an influx of thought from old native cultures who have formerly not joined the global community, because of language and social barriers.

Gabby's Presentation (Comp. Theory)

Audience addressed - the audience is a concrete group, they do exist. has more power than the writer to affect a piece.  Feedback, writer tailors to audience.  You may run the risk of stereotyping or over-generalizing your audience or marginalizing other audiences (queer theorists).  Rhetoric-minded.
Audience invoked - your audience is ficitonalized, you're writing to who you think will read your stuff, based on what the writer needs/hopes for a piece, audience has no say in what the writer makes. Assuming what your audience wants to hear is an example of this, like "sex sells, so I'll write erotica"
Pedagogy - theories and methods of teaching
Audience - your readers, (why does this have to be a small group? everybody can potentially encounter your piece)

Audience Addressed and Audience Invoked are two schools of thought about writing.  They shouldn't be polarized, because in the real world audiences and writers work together, nothing is written in a vaccuum. Genre affects this as well.  You're not going to rip out your favorite part in your manuscript because Joe Schmoe says so.  But you will re-write the snot out of a paper if your professor tells you to so you'll get an A.

[Also, I'm cold and hungry and I locked my keys in my room]

supplementary article - the writer as an audience

HOLY CRAP

So, this is really pretty cool. It's a testament to the connective power of the internet.
Remember when I posted my essay "Why Don't We Just Ask Them?" about chimpanzee religion and actually communicating with the animals themselves.
I just got an email from the guy who wrote the article, James B. Harrod.  He said that he was Googling his article to see what people were saying about it, and my blog, this silly little website full of my rants and awkward jokes.  He also figured out who my professor was (maybe I mentioned her in my posts?  but that sounded like wizardry) and emailed her too!  He found my email through LinkedIn, and maybe that's how he found my professor, maybe they know each other out in the non-interwebs world, I'm not sure.
I've been giggling to myself for a while now because I think this is pretty awesome.
He says that "so far it seems that one person in the world has read an commented on my papers online - and that is you".
Actually, I feel kind of sorry that the only person he's found who's made a response to this revolutionary set of papers is some college kid's 2 am paper.  Regardless, it's still pretty cool.

possible topics for the presentation (comp theory)

Constructing and Reconstructing the Self in the Writing Class
Intersection of Composition and Creative Writing Theories this is a dissertation (which I've heard are painfully long...) but bringing in creative writing ought to keep me engaged.
Mapping Pop Culture in Composition
Literacy of Sustainability (yay environmentalism!!)

so these sound pretty promising.

Presentations (Comp. Theory)

I'm interested in working with Joey Anderson.  Now I realized that I misunderstood the assignment so now I need to pick a new article.  "Inventing the University" sounds interesting, but requires further research before it becomes what I actually want to do.  "Audience" article sounds interesting too.
Maybe we could do video game literacy with specific relation to the game Skyrim.  Which would be fun becuase both of us enjoy that game.
We can work something off of a hybrid of the Bazerman and Fulkerson articles.

Guidelines for Midterm-y project

select chapter from textbook (also a folder on Sakai)
find another reading, an additional perspective, contradictory perspective
educating the class about the chapter/reading
do a class activity
(quills, Mad Libs, group discussions)
we get to pick our partners

"Coggle" response to Bazerman

Coggle is a nifty little brainstorming/flow-chart making program provided by Google.  In order to use it you need an account with Google.  It's all online and fairly easy to use.
So, I was assigned to use this tool in order to make sense of a particularly dense reading, and here it is! (thats the link to the Coggle diagram - hopefully it works).

Workout Video (you will be in pain)

So the first time I did this, for about two to three days afterwards my legs were in serious pain.  Good pain.  I'm not complaining.  But if you want something that will light your thighs on fire, I have found it for you.
My goal is to eventually be able to do this video without it hurting.

Composition Theory class, Friday 10/10/14

Vygotsky

 Zone of Proximal Development

(in between independent performance and assisted performance) student can kind of do it on their own.
Ex: pointing at every object in order to count them, eventually the student will outgrow the need for the tool, the pointing (AKA scaffold).
More emphasis on nurture instead of nature

Social context

influences not only what we think, but how we think it.
learning happens not after the brain has sufficiently developed [Piaget], but while development is happening

ergo....
what scaffolds do we, this class, need to understand composition theory better?

Mass Extinction Caused by Humans

Read about it here

I can't talk too much about this or else I'm going to cry/have a panic attack/go into a spiral of guilt and sadness.  The last time Earth had a mass extinction was 450-440 Million Years ago.

In the next 85 years, half of all plants and animals will be extinct.
In the next 334 yeas, three-quarters of all mammals will be extinct.

Composition Theory Related Idea: My Theory

In talking with a classmate in my Ficiton II class about why I am continually drawn back to a certain story, I said this:

"He [a character of mine] is a distorted representation..interpretation of my own personal problems, and as long as I continue to have these problems he will continue to fascinate me"

And then I realized what just came out of my mouth and I was like, "Eureka!"  That's Greek, it means "I've found it!".  I thought that this would be a very cool thing to talk about.  It's my own theory (I actually said "that's my theory")about how I write, not anybody else, not how I learned to write, but why I write.  What I get out of it.
I thought that was worth writing down and sharing.  Thanks, Jamina.

Four Short Writing Exercise for the Different Philosophies

group: Kayleigh, Lauren, Joey, Cindy

Mimetic

Ex: Research a current event of your choice and write an opinionated essay about it.

Rhetorical

Ex: Take an oppositional stance.  Write an anti-fracking essay for a conservative audience.

Expressionist

 A free-write about: something personal, an experience that many people have in different ways. Reflections
Ex: Reflect on your first day of school (any school)

Formalist 

Ex: take a paragraph of your own work and closely examine the use of prepositional phrases.  Are they needed?

Response to Fulkerson's Four Philosophies of Composition

• For the Fulkerson article, select 1 quote from the reading and describe the context of the quote, Fulkerson’s main point, your interpretation of that quote, and its significance to your knowledge of how writing classrooms have been structured.

  • Select one concept or definition in the chapter and define it in your own words. What is easy about defining this word and what challenges are raised?

quote I explore:

"Expressionists cover a wide range, from totally accepting and non-directive teacher, some of who insis that one neither can nor should evaluate writing, to much more directive, experiential teachers who design classroom activities to maximize student self-discovery" p.344

interpretation:
expressionists teach writing in a less formulaic way, geared towards the individual.
significance:
These guys sound like the most fun.  I think that expressionists are the best people to teach creative writing (that's why I'm attracted to it).  It's a lot harder to discover yourself if you're stuck looking at sentence structure and diction.  That's the kind of stuff that makes most people think that they hare writing.

concept I define:
a general description of the four philosophies:

formalist: judgement based on form - grammar, spelling, syntax - work on the sentence level, and focus on generalized "norms"

expressionist: writing is a self-discovery, the process is indiviual like the writers

mimetic: clear and logical thinking, analysis of the larger conversation

rhetorical: audience-centered, emphasis on persuading the audience

Response to "Rhetoric and Ideology in the Writing Class"

I learned how to annotate and highlight in Adobe PDF.  Vaguely inconveniet, however, I don't have to pay for printing so that's good.
Also, holy crap this text is dense.


ideology definitions for [smart] twelve year olds - a system of thoughts and values that forms the basis of understanding a certain subject. Ideologies can be explicitly taught, self-taught, inborn, or simply a part of the culture that one doesn't notice with a cursory glance.  For example, a Christian ideology (ideas that are espoused in Christian teachings) can form the basis of how a culture views the world and their place within it.

Explaining things as if to a young child will help you truly understand the complex ideas that are only going to get more confusing as you go on.

Cognitive Rhetoricians Study (science & objective truths)
formulas, structures
study how language is learned
    neuroscience
    processes of writing
       inside people's heads
efficiency

Expressivist Rhetoricians Study (radical individualism ignoring social political economic & immaterial)
common core to all people
dislike/distrust of structures of writing
    individuals, therefore, individual styles of writing
    accuse cognitives of borrowing languange from corporate America: efficiency, generalization,               formulas

Social Epistemic Rhetoricians Study (the self imbricated in social political)
Knowledge is the intersection of observes, discourse community, material conditions
material environment surrounding writing: pens, desk
immaterial conditions: ideas, culture
discourse community: the people we communicate with, with certain tools, has a normal pattern
language is a social phenomenon, product of historical moments

Response to "Technology and LIteracy: A Story about the Perils of Not Paying Attention"

In your reading responses, articulate your position regarding Selfe’s central claims. To support this position, underline at least 5 sentences in Selfe’s chapter and explain how these sentences support your position. In addition, underline an ambiguous sentence or paragraph or one about which you would like additional information. Last, generate 1-2 questions for class discussion.

Selfe is talking about the intergration of technology, that is, computers, into the public school system.  She's writing in 1999, so this article is a bit outdated.  Apparently there was some law under Clinton that was really excited about putting computers into all of the classrooms.  Selfe points out that, although that sounds peachy on the surface, there are actually some serious problems.  "Computers continue to be distributed differently along the related axes of race and socioeconomic status and this distribution contributes to ongoing patterns of racism and to the continuation of poverty" Although some of the facts and statistics she gives are outdated, the general principle still, I think, is true. The main point of her article is that educators, specifically English teachers, are not really aware of how these social trends are playing out in their classrooms. "If written language and literacy practices are our professional business, so is technology." She points out how technology is polarizing the teaching profession, "we divide ourselves into two perfectly meaningless camps - those who use computers to teach classes and those who don't". She them says why this is a problem for everyone "Both groups feel virtuous about their choices and both manage to lose sight of the real issue" which is that no on is noticing how this technology has affected them. Selfe also says that many people subscribe to the "'literacy myth', a widely held belief that literacy and literacy education lead autonomously, automatically, and directly to liberation, personal success, or economic prosperity". After reading that, I realized that I was in that category. One thing that she says that doesn't exactly make sense to me is that "by paying critical attention to lessons about technology, we can re-learn important lessons about literacy." And now for some class discussion: 1) How do you think this situation described by Selfe has changed since 1999? 2) Do you think that this issue still exists? To what extent?

Baby's First Resume (formatting got very wonky in the transfer from MS Word, also the linkedin link is not pretty)

this is for my Writing for the Workplace class, and it's tailored to an internship opportunity with The Environmental Magazine that sounds pretty much what I'd like to do for a paycheck.

Kayleigh McKay

kmckay2@ithaca.edu                                                                                    linkedin.com/profile/view?id=370174726&trk=

(585) 831-6472                                                                                                           1256 Heather Lane, Victor, NY, 14564

Education

Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY                                                                                                              2016

            Completing Bachelor of Arts in Writing from Ithaca College School of Humanities and Sciences

            Completing Minor in English

            GPA: 3.253

Finger Lakes Community College                                                                                                 2012

            Completed Forty-Eight credits through a high school exchange program

Victor Senior High School                                                                                                              2012

            Regents Degree with Advanced Designation

Relevant Coursework

Ithaca College

            Argument: B-                                                                                                                       2013

                        Researched current events on the Internet

                        Critically analyzed texts

                        Studied rhetoric and methods of argument

                        Wrote compelling argumentative essays centered on current events

            Religion and Nature: Ongoing                                                                                           2014

                        Reading scholarship on current environmental issues

                        Critically analyzing historical and socio-economic causes of environmental issues

                        Discussing methods for instigating change among the general population

            Introduction to the Essay: A-                                                                                             2013

                        Studied and practiced various types of essays

                        Wrote literary, investigative, analytical and experimental essays

Finger Lakes Community College

            Environmental Crisis                                                                                                          2012

                        Studied the local ecology

                        Gained a broad knowledge base about environmental issues and proposed solutions

                        Generated analytical arguments about current environmental issues               

Related Experience

Writer, Kitsch Magazine, Cornell University & Ithaca College, student run publication              2013

                Emulated the voice and style of the publication

            Met deadlines

            Researched topics on the Internet

Writer, Buzzsaw, Ithaca College, student run publication                                                              2014

            Emulated the voice and style of the publication

            Met deadlines

            Researched topics on the Internet

            Interviewed students for statements

Revised Literacy Narrative

It really bugged me that the class interpreted my voice as being one of apathy towards my own writing career.  I've attempted to keep my own blunt style while humanizing myself a little more. I also tried to bring in some select words that should focus the readers more towards an Brandt-style analysis of my literacy experience. Hopefully it works.
Again, this is my intellectual property and if anyone steals it bad things will happen.

I guess I got into writing because no one had written the specific stories I had wanted to read.  I remember wishing when I was about thirteen, that I could just watch my own thoughts in my head like a movie.  It seems like I’ve got stories inside of me that I just really want to experience, and I have no other alternative than to write them myself.  I’ve heard other writers talk about how their stories take a hold of their brain and rattle around until they are exorcised in print, like demons of the imagination.  That’s not the case with me.  My characters don’t torture me, they are my toys, my vehicles for escape and self-expression.  When the going gets rough it’s easy to slip your mind into a different skin and exert energy on their problems, things that can’t possibly hurt me.

            What I’m really talking about here is fiction writing—apparently that’s what’s most near and dear to me.  It seems more genuine in a way, less presumptuous than creative non-fiction (which I do like if I’m feeling chatty), more coherent than poetry, and less boring than regular non-fiction.  When I think of “writing” I think of storytelling.

            I am engaged in a multi-media storytelling experience.  I draw pictures of my characters, pick out certain songs that go along with their stories, I think of colors and aesthetic notions that belong with certain stories.  For example, my serial-killer story (think Mickey & Mallory Knox) has serious psychological leanings in the narrative, is red and grey and black, and goes along with Marilyn Manson.  If it was a movie, it would have a patched-together documentary feel.

            I feel like I have the potential to explore my stories in all these media, it’s just that some are more challenging and practical than others.

            I probably would be an actor if I had the self-confidence.  I would probably direct movies or TV if I had the social skills to coordinate that many people without my head exploding, or the desire to learn nit-picky things about cameras.  I’d be a painter if I had the patience to learn advanced techniques or the money to spend on supplies.  Writing is the easiest tool I have to get my stories out there.  Not necessarily for other people (recognition is nice), but probably just for myself.

            I don’t adore language, I’ve never opened a dictionary of my own volition before, the musicality of poetry doesn’t send me into thralls of literary ecstasy.  I missed that memo, I just don’t get it.  But, somehow, I’ve never really worried if I’m in the wrong profession.

            I’ve had a pretty non-challenging literacy experience.  The McKays—my father’s line—are almost all engaged in creative activities, most commonly writing.  They’ve published books of poetry and memoir.  I didn’t learn about that until I started sharing bits of my writing with my father, so it’s not like I felt I had to follow in anyone’s footsteps.  I was just going my own way, and then I found out that many of my ancestors have gone the same way.  That’s a nice feeling; maybe writing is in our genes.

            Nobody's ever told me that I can't write or that I shouldn't write.  That's probably why I'm still here.  My parents never told me that I'd never be able to support myself with a B.A. in Writing, they just encourage, heavily hint, and otherwise pester me to look into journalism and technical writing.  They know that I'm not cut out for that starving artist shtick.

            We have the money to send me off to school to learn a skill that doesn’t provide an instant financial payoff (or perhaps any payoff).  I was expected to go to college, so I was groomed in the public school system so that I could become a good candidate for acceptance.  There was a prestige level that I wanted—if I had really tried, or tried at all—a fancy name on my diploma would’ve been nice.  I would never have wound up at some underfunded community college.  I was always expected to aim higher than that.  I’m not sure how far I’ve actually gone.  It’s hard to see yourself as attending a prestigious school when you share the TCAT with kids from Cornell.  Maybe my perception of IC is colored by that.  I’m not sure. 

            Anyway, I’ve had a supportive family, and that’s a big deal.  They read me bedtime stories, gave me art supplies and music lessons.  It’s important not to get a raison d’etre stomped out of you when you’re growing up.  They never forced me back into sports after I said I didn’t like the competition of a soccer game—I was in kindergarten, and far  more likely to watch a butterfly float above the grass than to pay attention to where the ball was.  They never forced me back into ballet lessons at the local YMCA after I decided I didn’t like that either.  Music lessons though, were non-negotiable.  I actually never asked why.  Maybe because it was the practicing that I really had a problem with—the act itself, of playing music, was fun. 

            My high school was okay.  They did their jobs in getting me tons of college credit before I even graduated, I took AP courses and tests, got an Advanced Designation Regents degree, and blah, blah, blah.  It’s the same old college rat-race.

            I had room for electives, sort of—at the expense of my only study hall.  I took Orchestra and Art, all four years.  I continued French because it would look good to colleges.  I had always wanted to take the half-semester Creative Writing course that our high school offered.  There was never any room in my schedule for it—the resource existed, but it was always a little bit out of reach.  I remember my mother telling me that if I took all these courses in high school that I’d be able to take whatever I wanted in college.  She was right. 

            The kids in that Creative Writing class were the ones who decided what got in to the high school Lit. Mag.  I really wanted to be in the Lit. Mag.  I had a vision of teachers’ smiles as they finally were presented with some writing that I cared about, something that had a piece of soul in it.

            I submitted some poems.  A set of three versions of the same poem, a triptych.  I mixed visual art and poetry and also old-timey vampires.  I thought it was a genius idea. 

            I never got published.  That stung.  I went back to them and asked for the copies of my pieces they’d need for review back.  I don’t remember if I cried—I think I just got pissed.  Looking back, I think that they didn’t got what I was trying to do.  Maybe they didn’t like vampires that weren’t love-struck and sparkly.  They did however, like angsty poetry about the problems of being a teenager that hinges on an extended metaphor about grocery shopping.  I thought it was a boring, whiney poem.

            I’m not bitter.

            Anyways, so that was my only experience with creative writing in high school and it was thoroughly disappointing.

            So I came, full of hope, to IC.  I’m here because it’s fairly local, and it has a Writing Department.  I didn’t even know that those existed until I found the one here.  At the other colleges I could’ve gone to, Creative Writing was a sad subset of the English major, or it didn’t exist.  So, in the end, my college choice, the big agonizing choice was a no-brainer. 

            Now I’m here, and now I have the best example of how undernourished my writing knowledge actually was.  When I got into Intro to the Essay (which I only took because it’s required) I learned about the existence of the Creative Non-fiction genre. 

            Wait, what?  Non-fiction isn’t just boring book-documentaries?  There is a world outside of textbooks?  Nobody had told me that essays weren’t anything different than the crappy things we wrote in English class, or in frantic, formulaic brain-dumps on Important Tests.

                Totally blew my mind.  Completely changed my idea of what writing is, and can be.  That’s probably what smacks me in the face as the biggest thing I’ve quantifiably learned in college.  There are, of course, lots of other things, but I find that learning a craft is a more amoeba-like process.  You extend tiny tendrils of understanding out into the world.  Or they connect things that previously didn’t seem related.  I’ve been a student for almost as long as I can remember and I’ve only just realized that I have never really thought about what true learning—not just information memorization—really is. 

I have no idea why the font changed.  I've attempted to fix it, but it's not working.

Job Description (that I created based on a position announcement) for Class

This is my intellectual property, and bad things will happen to he who steals this.
This was created for my Writing for the Workplace class, in which we are selecting a position to "anchor" our portfolio of credentials.
(that picture is  just a logo, it may not show up in the post)

 The Environmental Magazine

Editorial Intern

Salary: Unpaid, Possible Course Credit

Location: Remote (?)

Reports to: Editor

Send Resume, Cover Letter & Writing Sample: Brita Belli, Editor, brita@emagazine.com

Position Overview:

“A valuable first step for many young environmental journalists”, interns work independently to research, interview, revise, fact-check, solicit photographs, and to produce publishable work.

Specific Duties:

·         Writing editorial content

·         Researching editorial content

·         Fact-checking content

·         Updating content on E’s website

·         Updating content on E’s social media pages

·         Web research

·         Proofreading layouts

·         Assisting editorial staff with special projects

·         Assisting with photo research as needed

Qualifications:

·         Excellent writing and proofreading skills

·         Strong interest in environmental issues

·         Strong Internet research skills

·         Ability to meet deadlines

·         Ability to work effectively on a team

·         Familiarity with Microsoft Office

·         Undergraduate experience in English or a related field

Citation:

www.emagazine.com/internships

www.commonwealthclub.org/about/jobs-internships/editorial-intern

milkweed.org/about-us/internships-jobs/internship-description/editorial-internship/

Has Anyone Ever Just Asked? [Chimpanzee Religion]

This paper is my own intellectual property and if I catch you stealing it for use as your own work bad things will happen to you.  This short paper recieved an 83% in my Religion & Nature class.  

Has Anyone Ever Just Asked?

            The question of chimpanzee religion is one that, if answered, has ramifications across many different fields of study.  Jane Goodall, in her 2005 encyclopedia entry, Primate Spirituality, thinks that their behavior in certain situations indicates that they do have some sort of primitive religious inclinations.  James B. Harrod agrees; after first creating a definition of religion that can be transferred across the species, Harrod examines reported chimpanzee practices, both in captivity and in the wild, and finds that they do indeed correspond to his trans-species definition (Harrod).  It is now up to researchers from a wide range of disciplines to investigate. 

            The possible avenues of research are endless, since almost no research has been done before.  A possible method that may yield results is to attempt direct communication with members of the chimpanzee species.  It is fairly common knowledge that Washoe the chimpanzee, raised in captivity, was able to learn about three hundred fifty different signs.  If chimpanzees can be raised like she was then maybe could be able to communicate in an effective way like Washoe, perhaps even be able to convey abstract ideas. 

            They may exhibit some of the same religious behaviors that Harrod describes in his article, The Case for Chimpanzee Religion.  In the conclusion of that same article, Harrod says that those behaviors are “biological ritualizations of instincts”, (Harrod) which implies that since every chimpanzee has the same basic instincts, therefore they must have, to some degree, a similar set of inclinations towards religion.  They may all feel the need to announce something strange and threatening, or to fall silent in a sort of awestruck way when experiencing the emotion of wonder (Harrod). 

            Perhaps I have made my argument too simple, I do not intend to express the relative ease with which such communication may take place.  Most likely, it is next to impossible.  Teaching another species how to communicate with humans about something that we see through such an anthropocentric lens will be extremely challenging.  Harrod’s definition of religion, and perhaps others that may follow, must be at the center of these discussions.  Chimpanzees would also have to be taught words and concepts in such a way as to interfere as minimally as possible with their subsequent communication.  A trans-species definition is the only option that could currently work.  We would have to begin by asking them about their behaviors in abnormal situations.  For example, if a fellow chimpanzee has died, and the rest are let in to pay last respects like in the situation Harrod describes at the New York University lab, researches should ask the animals about their behavior (Harrod).  For example, in the NYU case dealing with death rites, “WHY DID YOU OPEN PABLO’S EYES?” may prompt an informative response.  “WHY WERE YOU SILENT AFTER THE SCREAMING?” could be another question, this time aimed at Harrod’s case in the Arnhem Zoo (Harrod).  This avoids the issue of having to teach chimpanzees the meaning of the word death, and thus lets them come up with a less influenced answer than if humans were to teach chimpanzees about death and then asked them what they thought about it.

            Humanity has a long way to go to understand the other animals that live on Earth with us, but maybe the journey isn’t as long as it seems.  Maybe we could just ask them.

Works Cited

Harrod, James B. "The Case for Chimpanzee Religion." Journal for the Study of Religion,                  Nature, and Culture 8.1 (2014): n. pag. EquinoxOnline. Web. 12 Sept. 2014. 

Harrod, James B. "A Trans-Species Definition of Religion." Journal for the Study of    Religion,                Nature and Culture 5.3 (2011): n. pag. Equinox Online. Web. 12 Sept. 2014. 

An Examination of Diction in Robert Frost's "Design"

I found a dimpled spider, fat and white,
On a white heal-all, holding up a moth
Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth --
Assorted characters of death and blight
Mixed ready to begin the morning right,
Like the ingredients of a witches' broth --
A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth,
And dead wings carried like a paper kite.

What had that flower to do with being white,
The wayside blue and innocent heal-all?
What brought the kindred spider to that height,
Then steered the white moth thither in the night?
What but design of darkness to appall?--
If design govern in a thing so small.

If you want to hear this poem read aloud, go here.  
So, as I always say, this piece is my intellectual property and if I catch anyone nabbing it for use as their own I'm going to be angry.  This paper received an A- in my Intro to Poetry course.  Seriously, don't steal this.

“Design”, by Robert Frost, is a nuanced and multi-layered piece of work.  At first glance, it seems to be fairly straightforward and innocent, but if one inspects the poem on a word-by-word level, a darker undertone begins to show itself.  The poem is organized into an extremely ambiguous octave that describes a scene in nature as viewed by the speaker, a passerby.  This is followed by a sestet that is comprised of deep questions that rapidly expand outward and, ultimately, challenge our perceptions of the world itself.  Frost makes expert use of the positive or negative connotations of individual words in order to suggest a more sinister worldview.

            The first line of “Design”, “I found a dimpled spider, fat and white,” is fairly pleasant.  The choice of the words “dimpled,” “fat” and “white” make it so.  “Fat” evokes images of bountiful food and jollity, “dimpled” is associated with children’s faces and people’s smiles, “white” is associated with purity, cleanliness, and light.  Line two continues in much the same way, “On a white heal-all, holding up a moth”.  The image of “holding up a moth” appears to be a supportive sort of action, one that seems positive—at least in the way that it is described.  When the speaker describes that the spider and moth both exist on the top of a plant, he is very specific about the type of plant; a “heal-all”, a common herbal remedy.  This specification is another positive image, blatantly using connections with healing and repair.  “White” is repeated, and it still carries all for the positive weight from the first line, although now it’s colored slightly differently than it was before.  A quick trip to an encyclopedia or online search engine will inform readers that a “heal-all” is a blue-violet flower.  Now the repetition of “white” takes on a different hue—the “heal-all” plant that the speaker is observing is not its natural color, most likely, the cause of this is a disease of some sort.  In just two words Frost has provided a twist of irony; the “heal-all” cannot heal itself.  This is the first of many such nuances that occur in “Design”.  Line three repeats “white” for the third time “Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth” and, by tying in the “rigid satin cloth” image, has described the material of the average wedding gown.  There’s a positive image for the moth’s relationship to the spider.  But with the addition of the word “rigid” Frost has given the situation a contradictory feel.  “Rigid” may be referring to the stiffness of the limbs that occurs in corpses, that is, rigor mortis. 

            Things take a turn for the worst in line four, with “assorted characters of death and blight”.  “Death” is obviously filled with negative connotations, as well as “blight”, or disease.  Line five continues the same imagery, “Mixed ready to begin the morning right”.  The word “mixed” especially after following “death and blight” brings to mind images of a witch’s cauldron and all the supposedly foul things brewed there.  The phrase “ready to being the morning right” at first sounds like a commercial for orange juice, evoking images of sunrise and happy families gathered around a kitchen table.  Both the words “morning” and “right” are, however, homophones—when read aloud, the phrase could just as easily be understood as “ready to being the mourning rite”, as in practices of grief.  In the sixth line of “Design”, the idea of witchcraft is stated outright “like the ingredients of a witches’ broth—”, however, the word “broth” has some positive connotations associated with it.  “Broth” is like the chicken soup to be eaten when one has a cold, a common folk remedy, like the heal-all plant.  “A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth,” in line seven, repeat the white imagery again, with the “snow-drop” imagery.  Snow is pure and white, but it also only occurs in the wintertime which is heavily associated with death and barrenness. “A flower like a froth” is a puzzling simile, but a possible conclusion is that it refers to the foaming-at-the-mouth exhibited in rabid animals, implying that the discolored flower is diseased like a rabid animal.  Frost ends the octave with “And dead wings carried like a paper kite.”  The phrase “dead wings” has a negative connotation since it implies a death of the freedom that is commonly associated with winged creatures—this also is the prelude to the questioning tone that fills the sestet.  “Paper kite” is the final evocation of the innocence imagery so prevalent in the opening of “Design”, with images of children at play.

            The first two lines of the sestet are the same idea, “What had that flower to do with being white,/the wayside blue and innocent heal-all?”, with the second line behaving like an adjective, modifying “flower” from the previous line.  The speaker is now deconstructing the description he just gave in a search for some explanation or greater meaning.  The next two lines “What brought the kindred spider to that height?/Then steered the white moth thither in the night?” as similar sorts of questions.  The speaker seems unconvinced that he has stumbled upon a mere coincidence, he is determined to make sense of the small spectacle he has been witness to.  Frost brings back the “white” imagery in the sestet’s fifth line by punning on the word “appall”, “What but design of darkness to appall?—” “Appall” means to horrify, or, more specifically, to turn white with fear, since it is linked to the word ‘pallor’, which is a white color of the flesh, commonly associated with death. 

            The poem ends with another turn of the screw; throughout the poem, Frost has been hinting at some dark agenda at work in the natural events described, but then in the last line he gives readers this: “If design govern in a thing so small.”  He writes his audience into a corner, presented with only two disheartening conclusions.  Either that dark forces are at work in seemingly random moments in our lives deliberately constructing horrifying spectacles.  Or that no such forces exist at all, that “design” does not govern things as insignificant as human experience, or the death of a moth, or the sickness of a healing flower, or the luck of a spider. 

            By a careful and precise choice of diction in “Design” Robert Frost has managed to create a heavily ambiguous poem.  On a cursory reading, it seems to be merely about a strange coincidence that the speaker has been part of, but as soon as the words themselves are dissected, a much deeper, philosophical question arises.  The poem seems to be asking its readers the deeply troubling questions; ‘what if the world doesn’t work the way we thought it did?’, and most problematic of all, ‘what if there isn’t any design at all?’