Last blog for CM1145

Final Blog

            So this will be my final blog of the semester for CM1145. I can’t believe my second semester here at CNA is coming to a close already it seems like Christmas break was just last week and now it’s nearing the end of march. Next month marks the beginning of our exams. At the beginning of the semester when I was told my writing skills would definitely improve by the end of the semester I honestly didn’t believe it. Mainly because my writing skills have been extremely weak for a long as I can remember. My grammar and punctuation were terrible as well. Even though I am certainly not a top English student I feel like I’ve improved at least a little because of the endless line of writing assignment’s we’ve had to do this semester. I enjoyed doing the blog for this course because there we’re no specific guidelines as to what we had to do our blog entry’s on. We were allowed to write on whatever we chose as long as it pertained to the course. The only issue with this course was coming up with topics for my blog entries. One would think that deciding what to write on for your blog entries would come easily. Trust me it’s not. For this last entry alone I spent fifteen minutes racking my brain trying to think of what else I could write about without sounding repetitive because I’ve written about pretty much everything else in the course. If there was something that we covered that I didn’t write about I certainly don’t remember. I’ve written about so many random things in my blog that I’m sure some outside readers who are not in the course are going to think I’m insane. It doesn’t matter now though. As I write these last few words I finish all of the blog entry’s I had to do this semester. In a way it’s kind of sad this this course/ semester is coming to a close. My year at CAN went by way too fast I know I’ll miss being here next  year.

To Lie or Not to Lie?- CM1145

To Lie or Not To Lie

            Ok so yesterday in English class we were assigned to read two essay’s from out book and do the questions that followed. After skimming over the different essays I finally chose one titles to lie or not to lie. In this essay Bok discussed and argument that many people have stood on opposite sides of for quite some time.  Should doctors be allowed to lie to their patients? Whether it is for health reasons and so on. Some doctors argue that doctors should have the freedom to decide whether or not they should have to be truthful to the patient because it may cause them to lose hope or deteriorate faster. Take for example if a man tested positive for cancer and he only had a limited time to live, but he was due to leave for a family vacation soon . Should the doctor wait until after the vacation or tell the man right away? This was the example presented in the essay. Regardless of the situation the doctor should have to tell the patient the reality of their situation no matter how severe the outcomes. In the essay it is clearly stated that being truthful to patients often helps them recover more quickly and choose the appropriate treatments to better benefit their health. Doctors should have to be truthful to their patients

Put yourself in the position of a terminally ill patient who had just a couple of months to live. The doctor is aware that the patient is going to die but chooses not to tell the patient right away because he thinks that it would benefit the patient to live their last few months without worrying about death. Is this fair to the patient? The answer is no regardless of the situation. Without knowing the reality of their situation the patient is left unable to make decisions about their health, and about ending their life. If they are unaware that they are dying they will not be able to choose who they want to spend the remaining time of their life with, or do things they wanted to do before they die. Doctors must keep in mind that the patients have a right to know about what is going on with their body. If the roles were reversed and the doctor was in the position of the patient one would think that the doctor would like to know any information that the doctor holds concerning their health.

Overall I think it should be illegal for a doctor to hold information from a patient at any cost. If I were terminally ill or I was suffering from a major health condition that could put my life at risk I would want to know immediately so I could choose what to do about it. It frightens me to think that doctors think that withholding information regarding one’s health is appropriate or beneficial to the patient. All doctors should have to provide their patients with any information relevant to their own personal health.

Preparing an Outline -CM1145

Preparing an Outline

          Preparing an outline is an essential part of preparing any piece of writing. If you attempt to write without being prepared the outcome will not be as good as it would have been if you had taken the time to prepare. There are multiple steps that you need to take when getting ready to write an essay, research paper and so on. Many people feel that they can simply write off the top of their heads, but I can assure you that an outline will result in you achieving a better grade in the long run.

Before you prepare your outline you must decide what exactly you will be writing about so you don’t go off topic and lose you train of thought. If you allow yourself to get off topic your outline will become unorganized and you are more likely to waste your time doing extra research that is unnecessary for your paper. Second you must write out your introduction as this will save you time when you are actually in the writing process and allow you to make any changes you wish to your introduction before you begin writing.

Next you should split the body of your outline into three different sections. This will allow for a more detailed body and allow you to decide exactly what you will include in your writing and in what order. Therefore you will produce and more organized paper. In the three sections of the body you can present the information in any order you wish but try to ensure that you will keep you reader interested throughout the body of the paper. Ensure that you include quotes and use valid sources to prove that the information presented in your paper is valid.

Finally you must write your conclusion. Here is the only section of your paper in which you are allowed to include personal pronouns (remember this throughout the course of your paper). Here you should restate your thesis statement and include your personal opinion. Ending with a question might also help to make your paper more interesting to the reader as it will give them something to think about. Hopefully this helps you with preparing an outline

Overal Opinion of the Course- CM1145

Before starting this semester I was faced with a choice. I could take either CM1135 and read four novels and write in class essays much like last semester or i could take CM1145 and improve on my writing skills. Little did i realise at the time that i would be taking both because i needed to make up for a credit that i was short last semester because i had dropped biology. I thought when i finally chose to do two English courses in the same semester it was going to be a living nightmare. However that wasn't entirely true.

Although there is a lot of work and i am struggling to get all three of my research  paper's done for my two English courses and my Sociology course I am happy to say that i think i made the right choice in choosing to take both courses this semester. In the end I've improved at writing demand essay's and I've learned  how to write a variety of papers so that i will be better prepared when I go on to a larger University this September. I feel much more prepared to take on next semester because my writing skills aren't so weak. Therefore my grades won't suffer a major loss next year . However if i had not taken both English courses this semester this might have been the case. I have to say I've learned a lot.

Although it is going to be a major struggle to finish all my assignments on time this semester I do not regret the choice i made because I feel I made the most beneficical choice for myself and that all the hard work and long hours will pay off in the long run. I have to say i really did learn a lot in taking this course which is something i can't say for some of my other courses. I feel much more prepared for writing English paper's and essay's this September when I go on to university.

Final Exam-CM1145

Sitting here in English class panicking about all the assignments that i have due it doesn't help to think that i also have a final exam coming up in this course. Now most people would tell me not to worry because it's only English right? I mean really how hard can an English final be? Well the level of difficulty regarding the exam is not the issue. No it is the long drawn out process of the writing and trying to have time to re-read what you've written and edit it. Seriously who has the time or patience to do that after having spent at least and hour and a half writing till you feel like you're finger are going to suddenly fall off because you can't bare to write anymore. Not to mention that on top of the pain physical pain caused from non stop writing you also develop a massive stress headache because you are under so much pressure to finish your exam and to do it well. I can't stand it.

I don't even understand why we have to have final exams. Honestly we spend enough time coming to classes, doing the requires work, assignments and tests as is. Is that not enough torture for us students? If you are capable of achieving high grades all throughout the semester, you've attended most of your classes and you have a good overall average I don't think you should have to do the exam? All it does is stress the students out and put far too much weight on one exam? Honestly is that fair? What if you haven't slept the night before the exam or something traumatic had occurred the morning of you writing the exam? Now because of a series of events that was out of the student's control they are going to loose everything they're worked for that semester just because they had a bad day? The overall result will be a grade that does not reflect the student's academic ability but will cause them an extreme amount of grief as it may close off some opportunities that may have been available to them if they had received a better grade on their exam.

I feel that final exam's shouldn't exist. I don't feel that one exam respects a student's academic ability and i think final exams just cause far too much unnecessary stress on the students who have to write them. I feel the workload without final exams is enough and if final exams were no longer a part of the requirements to graduate students would excel at school because there would be a huge amount of stress taken off their shoulders. I think there should be no such thing as final exams.

Learning how write a comparative essay- CM1145

This is something that has been drilled into our heads is since the beginning of time. Seriously teachers have been preaching this to us since junior high. You can only imagine my delight when we had to spend a class this semester hearing the same things that our teachers have forced us to learn over and over , time and time again.

I still fail to see why this was basically the only thing that was made to seem of any importance by our teachers in high school. In university there is nowhere near as much emphasis put on comparative essays. There are a variety of different kinds of essays that you learn to write in university which you are unprepared for. You are unprepared because you are not taught in high school. I really hate comparative essay's.

The Einstein Of Happiness- CM1145

You will often hear people ask you "are you happy?". When asked if you are truly happy how would you respond? Perhaps this was a question Patricia Freeman herself was curious about . I imagine that she had done some previous research on Parducci prior to the interview .

Parducci is known as the "professor of happiness". Allen Parducci is a professor of psychology at an American University who had spent much time studying happiness it's self . In the interview Parducci ha recalled one woman who was dying of cancer but was completely happy. She said "every day was like a party". Words one would not expect from one who is terminally Ill. However this really makes readers think about what it means to be truly happy . If I woman who is dying can continue to be happy even though she knows that she will soon die then why do we allow the smallest things to render us unhappy?

After reading The Einstein of Happiness I had to question myself . Was I truly happy ? Despite all the things in my life that I let get me down I came to realize something . You can't sweat the small stuff. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I over stress far too much over small things like projects and tests. There is really so much more to worry about in life . You truly only live once. Are you truly happy?

Book Review- CM1145

Book Review

          Writing this book review was probably one of my favorite assignments to do this semester. I loved taking the time to review one of my favorite books. Getting the chance to review One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest was actually a great experience. This was by far the best book I’ve ever had to read for school. Throughout the novel you follow the protagonist, Randle Patrick Mcmurphy through the Chief Brombden’s eyes. Randle comes into the asylum as the picture perfect definition of masculinity. However the relentless Nurse Ratched soon tares Randle down just like she does with all of the other men in the asylum. The men are figuratively castrated. This novel is believed to support the author’s views on the women’s movement of his time.

Editing a pre-written essay- CM1145

Editing a Pew Written Essay

        This semester has flown by so much faster than I had expected. Looking back I think I’ve made quite a bit of progress in my writing. Although it may not seem like a big change to others this course has made all the difference in the world to me. I’ve learned to become a better writer which will help me in the September when I go on to a larger University.

I really had no idea how poor my writing and punctuation was until I received my grade for my first assignment. For this assignment we were given a pre-written essay which contained absolutely no punctuation and we were expected to add in punctuation wherever we felt it was necessary. I have to say it was nerve wrecking for me. Mainly because I’ve never been good at Grammar and Punctuation.

After writing the essay I had thought that perhaps I’d at least passed. Sadly I was wrong. I was so upset when I received a failing grade. I had convinced myself that I would not pass English this semester. Much to my surprise I was completely wrong. After receiving a failing grade on my first assignment my grades went up. I eventually came to realise that I was not a failure just because I had received one failing grade. Instead I realised that this was the wakeup call that I needed, and it was better I come to realize that I need to work on my Grammar and Punctuation now rather then find out later in my university career.

Since having done this in class assignment I’ve learned to be more cautious and take my time when writing an essay or a paper for class. You will pick up on a lot of mistakes when you take your time and re-read your work. Many mistakes that you might have missed while in the writing process. I may have received a poor grade on my first assignment but because of that I’ve made major improvements.

Writing a Casual Arguments-CM1145

Writing a Casual Argument

         

The workload this semester seems to be endless. After just having turn in my Rhetorical Analysis here I am again with another assignment. At first I started to panic because everything seems to be piling up. However after thinking about it I can have some fun with this assignment .With this particular essay we have a little more creative freedom them with some of the others. After thinking about what I would write about for the entire English class I finally came up with a topic.

This is something we as women all wonder about, you have to admit it. If you live with any teenage boys in your house hold, you have friends, kids of family friends, or you know teenage boys in general you’ll notice that for many of them of their great loves are video games. Now I’m not saying this is the case for all teenage boys but most people would admit there are a lot of teenage boys who spend endless hours at things like Xbox. Playing games like call of duty ,or grand theft auto. I’ve seen some of the teenage boys that I know (yes I realize girls do this too) spend up to five hours nonstop playing games like call of duty, and I have to say . I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s just not my thing so I don’t understand why it’s so fascinating to play a soldier and run around a battle field in an online game shooting other online players and getting aggravated to the point that you start screaming profanities and throwing things at the wall because “you were trying to prestige and some *unmentionable profanity* just killed you”. Am I the only one that see’s something wrong with that? (Yes I’ve seen this happen)

I am not a professional I cannot confirm that these video games make an individual violent; however there is research out there to suggest that this may be the case. I’ve also seen many instances in which I’ve seen boys my age throw a conniption because of a video game (this not just teenage boys). Think about it though if a video game can make a teenager act like this what kind of message does it send to young children who are playing video games such as these? I am not saying that these games should not be available. It is completely the choice of the individual, or in the case of a young child it is the choice of the parents whether or not they wish to purchase such games for their children. I am simply throwing a thought out there for people to form their own opinions on. I think this will make for an interesting casual argument

Blogging assignment - 1145

Being in two English courses this semester I've had a lot of reading and writing to do. Although I do like English many of the assignments have been time consuming and have required a lot of research. However this blogging assignment is an exception. At first I couldn't understand why we were required to do this . Simply because it is outside of what you would normally expect to have in a university English course . However then I thought about it in a different manner.

This assignment allows student to exercise their creativity . Something we generally are not allowed when we are given a traditional essay or research paper to complete .

For this class we have been assigned fourteen blogs . I like the fact that we are able to write on anything we want as long as it pertains to the course . In my opinion the blog assignment is a great way to get students excited about English because not only can the express their creativity , but everyone can view their work whenever they please . Students are also able to customize and their blogs in any fashion that they wish.

I think it was an excellent idea to have students do this as an assignment because students are able to learn and enjoy English.

Writing a Retorical Analysis- CM1145

Writing a Rhetorical Analysis

        Today in English we had to turn in our rhetorical analysis that we had to work on over the break. When I was first assigned the paper I was frustrated because I wasn’t sure how I was going to go about writing. However now that it is finished I can say that it was actually a great learning experience.

        We are exposed to magazines, book, and more from a very young age. We are exposed to so many things in the media that sometimes it’s hard to process all the information that is thrown at us. As we grow up it’s important to be able to think for ourselves and not allow what we see to corrupt how we think as individuals. That is why coming to university is so beneficial because through assignments such as these we learn to think critically and form our own opinion by questioning the information that we are presented with.

        For my analysis I wrote about the new found dangers of second hand smoke according to an article published online on Time.com. The article is slightly dated being written in 2007. However the information presented in the article still supports what health officials’ argue about the dangers of second hand smoke today. If it were not for scientists such as those at the Oregon Department of Health smokers would still be free to smoke in many public places today. Through their research they proved that second hand smoke truly is just as dangerous as smoking itself (you can read more about this in the link provided below).

        Through writing this article I learned a lot on the dangers of second hand smoke. I had always known it was dangerous and I’ve read many different things regarding the dangers of smoke. However I hadn’t read all that much about the dangers of second hand smoke. If you are interested in learning more about the dangers of second hand smoke please take the time to read this article.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1638535,00.html

Mrs.Dalloway

Yesterday I wrote my in class essay on Mrs.Dalloway. I have to say it was one of the most frustrating experiences of my entire life. Allow me to explain why. First off this book is my least favourite of the three i have read this semester. I understand that the point of the novel is to pay attention to the major themes in the novel, however a book about a superficial woman who lives for planning and throwing parties, care far to much for social status, and degrades those who are of lower status is not my ideal novel. When her cousin wished to be invited to her party she was unhappy because she did not want to invite "all the dull women in London" to her party. That is just plain rude. There was also another instance when septimus said he was going to kill himself and the only thing that concerned Clarissa was whether or not people had heard him, and not the fact that septimus was so distraught that he was considering suicide. In my opinion Clarissa Dalloway is just plain selfish and superficial. She seems to be concerned for nobody other then herself. I think that because of her luxurious life style Clarissa is ignorant of the pain and suffering of others who are less fortunate for her, maybe that is why Clarissa is so self-centred. I do not feel bad for Clarissa, or the fact that she had a mental breakdown at her party because she was coming to terms with the regrets she had for the way she had lived her life. Perhaps if she hadn't lived so superficially she would be more content now as she had gotten older. Although I did not like her , Clarissa does make us think about ourselves and question ourselves as individuals. She makes us question whether we are superficial or whether we regret certain things we have done throughout our lives. Think about it. Does Clarissa Dalloway remind you of yourself?