Journal Entries
In this journal entry, we were asked to react to This Is Water. I felt strongly about the piece and would probably write relatively the same things that I wrote here. I still believe that most people should follow the perspective that the speech has to offer, I believe that it will make people happier.
For this entry, we were asked to describe our own default settings. We were also asked to describe our writing style. I found this particularly interesting, because it was like evidence of my own ability to fall into a default setting. I would change my answer to number one slightly. I would add that once I begin writing, I find it enjoyable as I lay out my thoughts.
I felt very strongly about this entry. I believe that a forgery can be just as aesthetically pleasing as an original work. If a forgery is indistinguishable from the original, then what is the difference between the two other than one came before the other? When I made these claims, I was thinking of jewelry because of The Necklace that we had recently read. If I were to write this now, I would make it clear that I was speaking of jewelry and not a piece of art. Art is special because it is originally drawn/painted by a specific artist. A forgery of art is a rip-off of an original idea.
I chose this journal entry because I was feeling particularly confident about my paper that had been workshopped on. I felt unsure on how good it was before the workshop, but I appreciated all the feedback that was mostly good. This was particularly relieving because it was the first major paper of college that I was turning in, so I was nervous about its quality. I would write this entry the same if I were to write it now.
The journal entry about the platitudes was interesting to me. I was feeling particularly engaged this day because most of these things may be something that you hear quite often. It was interesting discussing whether a certain phrase was a platitude or was meaningful. I would stand by my claims that I made when I first wrote the entry. However, I would change my answer to the phrase: “Just be yourself”. I now believe that this is a platitude that only serves as a cop out answer when someone doesn’t wasn’t to become further involved in an issue that their friend/loved one is having.
I chose this entry because I was particularly interested in the connection that existed between essay introductions and movie trailers. We were shown a clip from Indiana Jones, and we were able to get an idea of what the movie would be about. I would answer these questions in the same way that I did back then.
This week’s journal entry was partly about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I feel very strongly about this. It’s hard to believe the tragedy that the victims went through. In class, we were shown a collection of drawings drawn by people who had seen the aftermath of the bombing. The drawings were crudely drawn, nut they were more powerful than any photograph. I still believe that people should be more aware of the bombings, to prevent something like this from happening again.
We compared the drawings of the victims to the photo essay from WWII times. I’m very interested in history and especially WWII, so I was very engaged in this entry. I mentioned the raw emotion put into the drawings, and as I think more about it now I still think that the drawings are more powerful than any photo. The drawings highlight things that are most prevalent to the artist, the things that he/she remember most about the scene before them. This can be very powerful. We were also asked to pick a picture from the photo essay. My group and I chose the black and white photo of the children playing jump rope while wearing gas masks. I found this image particularly powerful. The message that I took from it was: these children cannot live their daily life without a certain fear in the backs of their minds. I would respond to these questions the same if I were to write it today.
This journal entry is about what constitutes something that goes viral. We also talked about language and visual communications. I still feel that something that goes viral is something that invokes a strong feeling in a person, enough to where they feel the need to share it. If I were to change something about this answer, I would specify that the viral thing would appeal to a very basic human emotion such as shock or hilarity. When talking about language, I found it very interesting that people may interpret something that you say incorrectly. I found visual communication strong, it is something that can break the language barrier, and it was particularly good in explaining emotions. I wouldn’t change my answers to the questions, except for the viral question that I explained earlier.
I found this entry very interesting. I had not considered that a group of people may be worried about the loss of deaf culture. I hadn’t thought that someone who was deaf would want to stay deaf. The accompanying article that we read was about the potential loss of deaf culture and how it was a shame. I still feel that this man has no say in what happens to these deaf people and that it is ultimately their decision on whether or not to receive the implant. The loss of the culture may be disappointing, but it wouldn’t be the end of everything. I wouldn’t answer these questions any differently.
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