Stephen King

Stephen King: What is Writing Response	Quotation
This made me see writing in a whole new way. I never thought of it as a way to communicate. What the author is writing is something that the reader will be reading as well and processing in a whole new and different way than the author might have ever imagined, yet at the same time, there is a message being sent and received.	“I never opened my mouth and you never opened yours. We’re not even in the same year together, let alone the same room… except we are together. We’re close.” (307)
Writing is not an easy thing to do. You can tackle it in any way that you see fit. Depending on what I am writing, my mood will change, which is both expected and obvious.	“You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair – the sense that you can never completely put on the page what’s in your mind and heart.” (307)
I like the way he puts this part. It makes it real. It makes writing look less like a task but more of an importance.	“This isn’t a popularity contest, it’s not the moral Olympics, and it’s not church. But it’s writing, damn it, not washing the car or putting on eyeliner. If you can take it seriously, we can do business. If you can’t or won’t, it’s time for you to close the book and do something else. Wash the car maybe.” (307)
Every art does work by trying to send a message to the viewer, that’s the whole point. Without that message, there would be no expression, nothing to strive for in art.	“All the arts depend upon telepathy to some degree, but I believe that writing offers the purest distillation.” (305)

Project 1 Topic Proposal

My Topic Proposal

For my topic, I am going to be researching whether or not you have to remain who you are in all forms of writing.

Berketkotter and Murray

Getting Ready to Read

"Sometimes, something very bad happens to a person and they will not be around anymore. There are times where it is expected but sometimes things happen without anyone knowing. This is the reason why we always have to enjoy the time that we spend with one another, especially those that mean so much to us. Even though they may not be around us, these people will always be with us, we just will not be able to see them anymore." These are the things that I would say to an eleven year old child to try and explain what happens with death. Putting it in the most delicate and simple way, it was hard to sort out what would be to harsh and what would be to vague. Children at this age already have a good understanding of what death is, but it is still something that is uncomfortable to discuss. Children have that sense of innocence because they have not seen what the world can really be like, so it is hard to imagine being the one to put so many negative thoughts into a small child's head.

Questions for Discussion

1. For Murray's writing process it says that he takes a lot of the time to verbalize what he writes. He will write something on paper and to revise his work, he will read it out loud and use this as a way to sort of edit his paper. Once, he had to read over his work eight times before being happy with what he had. As for myself, once I write down what I have, I will go over and read it as if I was a teacher and look at what I have on the page in the eyes of someone else. I do not read my work out loud however, I feel that reading it over in my head is enough. It is important to read it over yourself, but having a second opinion could never hurt. There are times where after creating something, it is hard to find all the imperfections. As for the planning of a paper, I tend to spend a lot of time just on the intro and the rest just simply fall into place. Murray spent a lot of time (35% to 56% of his time) planning out what he was going to write about. I feel that if I were to figure out just exactly how much time I spent planning, my percentage would be way lower than his.

3. Berkenkotter learned a lot of valuable information by studying Murray while he wrote. He learned that a great deal of time was put into the planning and the revising stages of his writing. It was not just continuous process, there would be times where Murray would have one major plan and then branch off into other plans. Also, Murray had a different note taking process than most other writers. Murray would make notes in a book and then go back after a day's worth of notes and figure out what would fit best into the writing.

Meta Moment

After reading over the readings, it made it more clear how important it is to make sure to plan out what to put in the paper. By planning, writing the paper will be less spur of the moment, and have a more structure and well put together design.

Summary

The readings by Berkenkotter and Murray show the writing process and how it is performed by that of a writer. The readings aim to show students and those interested in the writing process how different writers go about actually writing a paper. Murray is observed and demonstrates how he writes and the different techniques that help him get through writing blocks and achieve what he feels to be a good piece.

Synthesis

The writing process that is being observed relates back to the other writing processes described in the Kantz article. It shows different methods of different writers and how these techniques benefit the writer and help produce a product that satisfies them.

Video Response

Video Response

The opening to the video really caught my attention. Right away, I felt a sympathy for the father of McCloud and was able to easily pay attention from there on. He brought up many good points about comics and art, especially when he presented his theory of the four different types of drawings and where other forms of art could fall.  Again, art is all about perception and is not only in the creator’s hands but in the viewer’s hands as well. Even in something as simple as a stick figure, there is a way to make it into the viewer so that one can find themselves  in the image still. 

McCloud/Berger

Before the Reading

When looking up images of male and female celebrities, more often than not the females are posed in ways that suggest a more confident and promiscuous way. On the other hand, a male celebrity instead have photos that focus more on their striking facial features or more so on their body. Though there are differences between the pictures between the two, there still is an appeal that is sought to be achieved in both. It is easy to see that when the pictures are taken, the opposite sex is considered and what exactly they will want to be looking at in the photo.

QD Questions

2. A lot of the time, I see women posed in ways that are very promiscuous and suggestive. It is hard to find women that are celebrities, not being exploited and used for their beauty or for their bodies. When it comes to using "nudes" of women, especially in art, it is hard to not see the beauty in the body. With art, one is trying to capture the way life has created an image and instead of trying to exploit that image, someone is trying to capture it in a way to enhance and portray how the view that beauty.

3. I feel that they still remain the same. When a man is pictured, usually it shows how muscular or handsome he is, showing more of a dominant quality. A woman is expected to look confident and have a mysterious look to her, which most of the time, especially when it comes to fashion, is the case. Both men and women, in photos, have expectations that they have to live up to so that the public can obtain exactly what they are looking for when viewing the photo.

AE

3. Of course how the woman is positioned in a photo determines what the photo means. When a woman is the main focal point, it is very apparent by the other props. Sometimes, a woman could just be a prop in a photograph, taking more part in the background than being the focal point. Today, I see examples of both in everyday life. From magazines to billboards, with any type of advertising people are going to be used to try and sell a product. Depending on the model and what is being sold, the model is going to be positioned in the picture to ensure the best results from the advertisement.

MM

When it comes to visual art, a lot of time is put into taking into consideration how other people will view the art. The same can be said when it comes to writing. There is an audience that needs to be satisfied and hopefully interested in what they are reading. When it comes to art, it is easy to captivate an audience with the skill one can show through their pieces. In writing, a different skill has to be used, and it is not just understanding grammar. There has to be a creativeness to writing as well, for a well written piece does not mean that it is an interesting piece.

Before Reading Activities (McCloud)

As a little kid, my favorite cartoon to watch was The Rugrats. Being so little myself, I was able to relate easily to the babies on the screen. The connecting features at the time were definitely the age at which The Rugrats were and the simplicity in the designing and story line of the show.

QD Questions

2. By using the comics and images, McCloud is able to convey his idea to his audience in more ways than can be done by just using words. With the cartoons and the simple features found on them, it is up to the reader to perceive the image how they see fit. Most likely, the reader is going to place themselves in the same situation and find themselves in the cartoons/comics. Also, by using images, it is a way to show exactly what the words mean by using relatable examples.

Synthesis
McCloud is easily linked to other authors that have been discussed so far. McCloud talks about how the author's identity in his or her writing can almost act as a mask, which is

AE

1. I think that once an image is used as a teaching tool, it will become easier to remember the information, especially when the viewer is more of a visual learner. By using cartoons and graphs and such, an image is then easily related back to the word or words and made easier to learn. Images are not only good for learning the information but also for remembering the information as well.

4. I understand the mask concept. There are times where one uses a mask to hide emotion and to conceal truly how they feel. Also, in a more anatomical way, a mask can be looked at more as something that is controlled by the brain and the emotions. The mask works only when it is told to work, it has no mind of it's own. Which is the same for a mask that one would pick up in a store.

Videos

How to Find a Book:

When finding a book in the library instead of trying to find it in the library, it is possible to use the online website to find it instead. By going on Alice and searching, one can enter a book title and find quick results. Then, by adding different words to the search to help limit the search, one can find several different books that are within the same topic. The site also adds the possibility of looking at a map in the library and finding exactly where the book will be based on the blue print provided by the site.

Finding Full Text from Citation:

            When having the actual citation for resource with the actual author, one can use this to find the full text for this article. By going on Alice and changing the search to periodical title, one can then generate a search to find exactly the article that they are looking for. After hitting search, different records will come forward allowing the person to locate exactly the source that they are looking for. After clicking on the record, one can locate several of the different databases that are offered. The only thing to make sure to have while searching is the author and any other helpful information from the works cited.

How to Request a Book:

            Sometimes the library will not have the book that one is looking for. Luckily, the Alice website can help with that by providing a way for a student to order a book and receive it by three business days. By using Alice, you can enter the title of the book that you need and find the book from different libraries. By saying that you go to Ohio University, the book can be delivered easily. This way, even though the library itself does not  have it, there is still hope that the book can be found and the student will have it within a few days. 

Kantz

Getting Ready to Read

It is so easy to fall into an argument when you take two or more people who do not necessarily see eye to eye on most things. One major example that recently happened to me was a debate I had with someone when Barak Obama was brought up. I have always been a supporter of his yet it is very easy to find someone who does not see it the same way as I do. While I used my knowledge of politics and the limited understanding I have of the government, it was very frustrating to say the least, especially when facts were being thrown out which had very little to do with the actual topic. No matter what the argument is, many times people will just spit out facts that have nothing to do with what is being discussed, but instead the facts are just being used to make their argument sound stronger and more well thought out. Instead of letting the argument about the president escalate, I decided to drop it for I know that once I start arguing with what I know, things could get ugly.

Questions for Discussion and Journalling

1. Kantz says time and time again that facts, opinions, and arguments are all claims that can either be agreed with or disagreed with. When someone states a fact, it can only be regarded as a claim that mostly everyone agrees is true because enough proof has been presented for them to believe it. There are differences between these three things however they all relate to each other based on the fact that they are all claims. The differences stem from the amount of people that end up believe the given information and agree with it.
2. List of things that Kantz frequently sees in students who have not achieved a "sophisticated" writing style:

• Misunderstanding sources because they read them as stories
• Expecting sources to be telling the truth
• Not understanding that facts are claims

The three above were all listed on page 72, below are other instances in where students seem to be slacking in writing their papers.

• Writing original papers with textual sources
• Writing and expository analysis as a narrative

Looking at what she wrote and comparing it to my own work, I think I agree with her for the most part. She brings up very big points especially about the facts being claims. It is hard to question whether or not a text book may not be completely telling the truth, especially after being taught to follow the text book all throughout ones schooling. I agree that students tend to read something, believe what they read based on the source and whether they can trust it, and then read something that contradicts what they just read. I feel that I definitely understand the first three bullet points much better now. I have always questioned how accurate the information is when I hear or read it, and want to know just exactly how the source obtained this information before I believe it for myself.

Applying and Exploring Ideas

2. Someone cannot sit down to write a research paper without having a goal of being creative. If creativity is not used, not only will the paper be dry and hard to read, it will also be lacking information from lack of interest. Likewise, in the article, this is what stops a writer from achieving a sophisticated level and leaving a paper to be mediocre. Once the student learns to incorporate creativity into their research, students will become and proficient within their writing. I agree with Kantz on all the points she made in this section of the text. I feel that one needs to use both creativity and research together in order to achieve a great paper.

Meta Moment

Kantz is trying to analyze the fact that facts and opinions all fact back on basis that they are claims. Much of the text focuses on this one point. Research can be a very frustrating thing, especially when different sources are presenting a student with different information. By following what Kantz is saying, it shows that both sources can actually be correct, and one must remember that all text can be biased in a way.

Synthesis

Kantz focuses on different ways that a student can better a research paper. Just like the "hunter" and "gatherer" approach that was listed in Kleine's text, Kantz brings up the use of a triangle and labeling one point Encoder, the next Decoder, and finally Reality.

Summary

Kantz describes in her text the difference between a mediocre student and a "sophisticated" student by taking a girl by the name of Shirley and using her as an example throughout the whole text. By acting as if she is talking to a room full of teachers and teaching in a way that these teachers can take the information and pass it forward to their students.

Thoughts

I feel that the information in the text was very beneficial. I did at times find that Kantz was rather pessimistic and acted as if it was a crime that at times a student may not produce one of the most intriguing papers of all time. I agreed with much of what she did say however, especially when it came to understanding information and how at times certain texts, although presenting facts, still is a bit biased.