In Class: Freewrite

I was not as interested in the profile, "The Man in the Iron Mask" as I was in the profile about Erykah Badu. I thought that the profile was organized in a very unique way, which caught my attention. It was interesting how they talked about Colbert for a little while now, then they went back and told us the history of Colbert, which led him to be the man he is today. This was a better way for the author to catch my attention, because if it had started out with the facts of Colbert's family, I doubt that I would have been able to pay attention to the article at all. The article was not as personal as the article about Badu, but it had some elements that made me feel like I was apart of the story. The author used great detail describing Colbert before he went on the set, which helped me create a visual image in my head.

Rhetorical Response #3

The narrative "Home Girl" was a very interesting profile of Badu. I have never heard of Erykah Badu before reading this article from Texas Monthly, but the details of Erykah in the opening paragraph got my attention and made me want to read more. Hall makes Badu seem "real" by telling us what she was like in different settings. The story opened up with us being able to view Badu from her home setting with her four assistants, and dealing with her children. She seemed pretty normal besides the fact that she had four assistants. We then see her in the studio, dancing, and after that we see her actively involved in her community. Seeing Erykah Badu in all these different settings helped me really grasp an idea of who Badu really was. I felt like throughout the story I almost knew her because of all that the author mentioned her doing. Even though Erykah Badu is famous, the author focuses on her personally. He mentions the great accomplishments that she achieved, but he does not only talk about her achievements that make her famous.

 

 I personally was more interested in Badu because of how the author did not make her seem like such a celebrity. He used details to make her seem like a normal ordinary person, who I could relate to. The author uses really good details while describing her at the dance studio, and I could really grasp a good idea  of how Erykah acted in the dance studio. 

 

The author uses a great deal of details to help the reader picture , “A box of art supplies sat on a cluttered table next to a couple of palettes of dried orange and purple paint; on the wall were paintings of and by mom and her other child, nine-year-old son Seven. A piano and guitar sat next to the fireplace, and a hundred stalactites of colored candle wax descended from the mantel” This quote from the passage creates a visual of what it is like at Badu's home. Besides knowing that Badu is a celebrity, dancer, singer, and mom, we can have an image of her personal lifestyle based on this description from the author.

 

Another thing that stood out to me was the author's focus on Badu. He did not just say how famous she was, he focused on all of the elements about her. This sentence really stood out to me, "Next to the covers was a cabinet that held some twenty trophies, including her four Grammys". Hall mentioned her getting four Grammys, but he did not go on and on about her winning these awards. He mentioned them like they were just an ordinary thing, but this attitude about the Grammys is similar to Badu's attitude about being famous. She is truly a 'home girl'. You could tell this by her just wanting to be able to 'go to the store and buy milk'. This shows that everything that Badu is about is not just about what she has accomplished, and the author makes sure to focus on her, not what she has done and how famous she is. 

 

 Overall, I like how this was not just an ordinary biography. Hall uses an interview to help us see the behind the scenes of Erykah Badu. He focuses on Badu and keeps the reader (me) interested by using important details of Erykah's life to develop a narrative about who she is. Interviewing Badu lets the readers explore a more personal level of Badu's life. This is more interesting because it is not just facts that the author could research, its primary information from Erykah herself, which makes it that much more entertaining and personal. Not only does the author interview Badu in one setting, but he views her at all different aspects of her life. I thought this kept me more interested because I was able to see everything that Erykah Badu is about. 

In Class: Notes on Essay #3

what essay 3 should look like:
-focus on the person, not what they have done
-you argument should be simple/oriented in the person
-organization* --figure out a creative way to begin, usually the profile is structured by the story that you are telling
-don't include everything!
-can speak in first person
-every description the writer gives should help the reader understand the person
-you have to have a strong beginning, especially if the person isn't a celebrity
-talk about the person in different scenes/settings

In Class: Freewrite

I did not read the assigned reading, Home Girl. I read the book about writing about people, not celebrities, and how we should make the beginning of our papers really interesting, if I want people to care what I have to say in my paper. In the book Ballenger gives different ways to profile a person and focus on them, to make the paper interesting. He says that the paper flows (duh) sort of like a narrative, and that the paper provides just enough information to really talk about one person, rather than adding a bunch of details that do not matter. It is very unlike me to miss an assignment, but it happened and I will not let it happen again.

In Class: "Reading" the visual

I think that the image, Nighthawks, makes me think of being lonely. I feel that since the colors are dark, the image seems kind of dreary, and the people in the image have nothing else to do, besides drink late on a corner of the streets. I think that the guy that is alone at the bar, probably has issues, that no one notices. I feel sad for him, that he is alone that late at night. I think the other couple is on a date and the man or bartender? behind the counter looks like he is on the prowl about to hit on the girl. There is no cars in the street which also makes me think that this setting definitely occurred late during the night. I feel like the artist maybe was trying to maybe show people how sad and maybe pathetic people look late at night like this, because he does make these peoples night lives seem very dead and unlively.

Overall, I think that this image is maybe trying to tell the story of lonliness. The couple on the date seem to be mellow and bored, which makes me think that even though they are accompanying each other, their facial expressions make them seem alone. The man alone sitting at the corner of the counter also looks very alone. He is wearing a hat and a jacket, and onlookers can not see his face, but his body language (he is kind of slouched over) makes me feel bad for him. The streets are empty and it is late at night, which if I picture a place like that, it just seems so sad and lonely. The counters of the bar are very clean, which probably means the bar either never has any customers, or the man behind the counter has already cleaned up for the night. The man behind the counter must also be very lonely, becauase he is creeping in on the couple. This makes me think of maybe a sad time in a community somewhere, and it gives me a feeling of lonliness and I feel bad for the people in the picture.

The colors used in this painting are dark and dull, which made me feel sad and lonely. The dark colors help show that it is night time, but the only light is the light from the bar. There is no street lights to liven up the mood. Also the men are wearing dark color suits and dark hats, which also helps give the lonliness vibe. The only bright colors of the painting are the reflection of lights from the bar on the sidewalk, and the offwhiteish, yellow wall in the bar. Also the bartender or worker behind the counter is wearing white, which doesn't make me feel as bad for him. The girl in the picture is wearing a red dress, which sort of stands out, but still kind of blends in to the darkness of the background.

I first notice the couple at the bar and the bartender. They stand out because they are right by the bright wall of the bar, which catches my eye, since the rest of the picture is dark. I notice that all of the people in this picture are slouched over and by what the people are wearing, this probably was depicting a time period from a while ago.

The image is trying to make me feel, sad and maybe feel bad for the people in the picture. I don't want to live my adulthood by hanging out around empty streets at bars late at night. These people do not seem the happiest and I would not want that for myself. It would be a whole other story if these people were up dancing around, but they are not. The artist of this picture purposely placed the people in this picture where they are, to make me feel bad for them.

In Class: Generating Ideas for Essay #3

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders are 'idols' to some Americans. Two years ago, my sisters best friend tried out for DCC and I remember going to school, and Kaitlin was literally the talk of the school. I think people just thought about how she was almost famous, and that she was 'hot' but no one really knew who Kaitlin was. They just knew her for her appearance, not for how hard she worked and what she went through to accomplish the dream of a lifetime. I think people should know more about the actual individual that Kaitlin is, so people can understand that Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders are much more than just a pretty face. They are real girls, who have to work for what they do. They are not just catered to and get whatever they want, like some people think. Some girls just assume that Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders have unlimited access to boys in the world, including NFL players, but that is false. People are too quick to judge, but they have a reason to be since Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders are always being watched. From the show on CMT and from commericals, and views from the sidelines, its hard for Kaitlin and other cheerleaders to get away from the spotlight.

In Class: Brainstorming for essay #3

I am an authority:
-working with special needs kids--Doug Schulte or Donna Pugh
-my high school--Mr.McDaniel
-going to concerts--Melissa
-boarding a plane--My Uncle Dave
-having a good time--Kaitlin Ilseng
-how to entertain myself during road trips--
-loving and spending time with my family--Natalie White
-being a good friend--
-going to football games--Kaitlin Ilseng
-redheads--
-frozen yogurt--Tiana Hauber
-how hard it is to play the piano--the girl that always plays in the lobby of Colby
-going on mission trips--Les or Connie Hodson
-Young Life--Scott Rhoades

I think it might be interesting if I write about my sister's best friend, Kaitlin Ilseng. Kaitlin is a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, and I think people just assume negative things about her and prejudge her, because she has long blonde hair, has the perfect bronze skin tone, and is definitely in shape. I think it would be good for people to know that Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are normal people. Kaitlin is one of the sweetest girls I know, and when I am around her...it does not seem like she is some fake celebrity, because she isnt. I know a lot about Kaitlin, but I never really ask her many questions about being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. I know some stuff she has told me about, or things that her mom has said, but I think I could learn even more about her if I ask her on a personal level. I have seen her 'in action' before, and could probably easily go to a practice, or watch the show on CMT. I am going to a cowboys game, but not until Thanksgiving, so that wont help.

In Class: Freewrite

I am pretty much done with essay #2. I still could probably add details, or facts to my paper if I reread it enough times. Tonight, I am going to review what I wrote and make sure that it is personal enough, but provides enough information about my topic. My essay was kind of hard to write because the topic was common sense in a way, and all of the information/research I found seemed to be very repetitive. I hope that I do as well on this essay as essay #1, but this essay did not come as natural to me. It might have helped me to have a teacher conference, because that is what really helped me know what I was missing in essay #1. I hope I sited my sources right throughout my paper, and I hope that my research flows in each paragraph and sentence. I need to double check and make sure my research is not scattered throughout my essay, and I also need to make sure my ideas flow, so I do not confuse anyone who reads my paper. I am glad that I chose my topic because it was reassuring to find out that as I researched, people lose weight their freshman year. Also, not everyone gains 15 pounds their freshman year in college, and it is very rare that students gain the full 15 pounds.