Blog Entry #2

Blog Entry #2: Do you think Smith (“The Wife Beater”) should have spent

more time in this essay on developing the cause and effect relationship, if any,

between the “wife beater” shirt and family violence? What additional

information would she have to provide?

Smith should have focused more on developing the cause and effect relationship. The relationship between a wife-beater and the shirt its-self. Although I think that the shirt has nothing to do with a man beating a woman. I think that it all has to do with society and stereotypes. Smith would have to provide more information on the shirt and family violence. She needs additional resources to let me and others know who also disagree that the shirt has nothing to do with violence. ME and OTHERS who read the story need facts and documents that states, why she has come up with this conclusion>

Journal Entry

Blog Entry#1: Like most definition essays, “I Want a Wife” (pp. 520-523) uses

several patterns of development. Which ones does it use? Which of these do

you consider most important for supporting Brady’s thesis? Why?

The story "I want A Wife," it uses a lot of exemplification. She gives many examples to explain how she wants a wife, and what a wife should be like according to her.

*I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife's duties. (521)

*I want a wife to take care of the baby sitting arrangements. (521)

*I want a wife who will keep my house clean. (521)

Judy Brady also uses description.

*I want a wife who will work and send me to school

*I want a wife who will who will wash the children's clothes and keep them mended.

*I want a wife who is sensitive to my sexual needs (521)

I think exemplification is the most important for supporting Brady's thesis. Exemplification will explain different behaviorism; One that she may like and dislike.

Journal Entry

Do you agree with Smith that the casual use of the terms like wife-beater is dangerous, or do you think he is exaggerating the problem?

I definitely disagree with Smith. I think she exaggerates the problem excessively. I don't think that the term is serious. Growing up, my mother and family just called them wife beaters, when I heard the term I didn't think anyting of it. I looked at it as a shirt. Any one can wear them, I wear them as lounging shirts.

Combining the Patterns

I would not advise Ericsson to delete the definition in paragraph 6 for this reason, the definitions that he gave were very accurate and true. It all made sense. WE lie everyday if not all the time, and we (I) do it so much that I forget what really happened or what I'm really trying to say. Sometimes we tell lies to cover up things or to not hurt anyone's feelings, so we tend to lie and keep lying. It's not good because we have to keep covering up for the first lie that we told. The definitions help and tell what a LIE really is.

Combining the Patterns

Journal Entry

Do you think this essay is funny? Explain your reaction.

I think this essay is very hilarious. The things that Segal talked about in this essay are very very true. The people I know including me make up excuses when we can't turn our homework in on time. The family, the bestfriend, the evils of dorm life, the evils of technology, and the total bizarre excuses are excuses that I've used before. I've used them in a different way but it all had the same meaning behind it.

Journal Entry

Based on your ow observations of female-male communication, how accurate is Tannen's analysis? Can you relate an anecdote from your own life that illustrates or contradicts her thesis?

Tannen's analysis is pretty much correct. All relationships have problems because of communication. Communication is the number one thing wrong with all relationships. Women think men arn't listening and vice versa. I agree, totally with what she's saying.

I had this one boyfriend Naeem, and we didn't last the rest of the two years because of communication. We didn't talk about enough and I was assuming and vice versa and slowly but surely we fell off and we broke up. I never thought he was listening.

Combining the Patterns

This essay contains a number of exemplifications paragraphs- for example, paragraphs 6 and 9. What do these paragraphs add to the essay?

These paragraphs add what a dream house really is to the media and society. " A Dream House," is whatever you really want it to his be. The media depicts it as this huge big house with many bedrooms and bathrooms with all these extra kind of rooms, but thats not the case at all. The paragraph is helpful because thats really how people depict a dream house. I feel that it is whatever you want it to be, how you wan it to be. There's no standard for it.

Journal Entry

Do you think the author characterize society accurately or do they overstate their case?

I think that the author characterizes society accurately, they do not oversize their case. The author provided enough examples to state that Americans typically buy what they don't have. Americans ALWAYS want what the next person has which is wrong with society today. If you don't have it then that means that you don't need it. If you have to think about buying it that also means that ou don't need it. Page 223 basically states how Americans influence others which make them want what they can't afford.

The Plug-In Drug Journal Entry

What effects-positive or negative- do you think television has had on your life? What would your life be withou it?

Television has had both influences on me. My mom and grandma did not allow me to a lot of television, but they were lenient toward some shows that had a meaning to it. As a child the only television show that I liked was Barney. That show enforced how to brush my teeth and wash my face as well as how to mind my manners at all times. There were other little shows that taught morals to me like Cinderella, Beauty and The Beast, Franklin, Gullah Gullah Island ect that my mom and grandmother allowed me to watch. While watching those shows my mom use to ask me questions like "what did you learn, is this write or wrong, who were the main characters," so I was learning while enjoying the show as well.

As I got older and stated watching reality shows and things of no content, I stared to copy the habits. Habits like responding by saying, "what," not paying attention to other while talking to me because I was watching t.v, laziness, and other things.

I could definitely go wothout television. My life would be okay. Now that I'm in college there is no time to sit and watch t.v. I have better educational and extracurricular activites that I am engaged in.

Journal Entry

Would you ever get a tattoo? Write a paragraph answering this question.
Yes I would get a tattoo. I have 8 of them actually. Each one has a different meaning and tells a story. I have a rose with my mothers name on it. My mom is my flower and she means a lot to me. I have Naeem on me which means Doer of good in Jamacian. I have a dove on my back with a rose, and it says Dolores. Dolores is my grandma; at funerals they let doves out and throw roses in the grave. I have a D with a crown, which symbolizes me as a queen with many responsibilities. I have a daylily on my foot, that's just something I thought was cute. I also have a cheetah ribbon on my back, my bestfriend I've known since kindergarden drew it out and we both have it with each others initials inside the heart. I have 2 butterflies on each side of my hips because of my weight loss, there were stretch marks left behind and I wanted them covered up.

Journal Entry

Have you ever been in a situation such as the ones Staples describes, where you percieved someone (or someone percieved you) as threatening? How did you react? After reading Staples essay, did you think you would react the same way now?

I once percieved my mom's boyfriend as threatening. He's 6'4", light skined, and he likes to drink, occasionally get drunk. I saw him threatening at that point because he was dating my mother and I felt like he was going to put her in danger with all the drinking he does. When he's sober he's the best man in the world for my mom. When he drinks he gets into all these altercations which are uncontrollable. My reaction to all this was to mean-mug him everytime he came around, or I would just stay in my room and close the door until he left. After reading this essay I would still react the same exact way.

Journal Entry

Do you agree that carrying a gun is Hasselstrom's only choice, or do you think she could take other steps to ensure her safety? Explain.

I agree that carrying a gun is Hasseelstrom's only choice. This is what happened when she went shopping,"as we gathered our cooking gear, they drank beer and loudly discussed what they would do to us after dark......when we asked the rangers point blank if they could protect us, one of them said dont worry girls they're just kidding." (358) That right there is a great example of why she should carry her gun. A gun is a right-then, and there kind of thing. When it comes to safety for ones self carrying a gun is better. Now if you feel that you should take classes, you could do that too, but shooting a person is way easier than trying to fight them.

Combining the Patterns

In paragraph 8, Staples uses cause and effect to demonstrate what goes "into the making of a young thug." Would several examples have better explained how a youth becomes a thug?

Several examples would not have better explained how a youth becomes a thug. There is no particular way or step that teaches one to be a thug. By definition a thug is "a cruel or vicious ruffian, robber, or murderer." Those are things that you don't learn, those are things that you experiment to get what you want or to get revenge. once one keeps trying and he figures out that he likes what he's doing and he does it constantly, that when he is considered a thug.

The Storm

To what else could the story title refer?

The story title is a methphor. It's about a woman having an affair with her ex-lover while he's married and Alcee having an affair with Calixta while she's married. I think that both of them were unhappy with who they were with and old memories just got the best of both of them. Calixta didn't really seem to worry t oo much about the fact that her husband and child were out in a storm and Alcee didnt care too much about the fact that he was out cheating. The fact that they got intimate with one another says a lot about their past relationship. "The Storm," passing was another way for them to catch up on old times.

Thinking about your own use of paragraphs

(intro) topic of the paragraph is my mom and what she has taught me and how she was able to better me.
(topic sentence) My mom made me practice the responsibility of being independent, staying organized, and to ask questions. At the age of 10, I couldn't understand how those three things could make me a better person. My mom inspires me to be the best person I could be.

(concluion) the topic of the paragraph is did I apply what was taught to me, and who was the person that contributed the help that I needed.
(topic sentence)With all the knowledge that my mom has given me, I've applied wisdom. All the things that she has taught me throughout life has helped me in all the things that I do. I ask questions, stay organized, and accept responsibility. There are many times that I make excuses, but at the end of the day I've accepted that this is my future, not my mom's or anyone elses. My mom has contributed a lot and has a huge impact on what I do, since I represent her.

yes, my paragraphs do guide each of readers to understand what I am talking about. The first paragraph lets you know everything that I am going to cover in the next 3 paragraphs. The next 3 paragraphs break down everything that was in thee intro paragraph. The conclusion sums up everything that was written previous to the first paragraph.

The paragraphs are already revised.

The intro I chose was to write one paragraph and rarely more that two, introduces your subject, creates interest, and often states your thesis. I chose this strategy because this is how I was taught to write an introductory paragraph, and it's easier because i've been doing it this way for so long. This strategy is effective for my audience and purpose.


The easiest way to write a concluding paragraph is to review your key points or to resate your thesis. This is also easier for me because this is the way I was taught and its easier and very simple.. This strategy is effective for both my audience and purpose. My choices would appeal to my audience because it would be short, organized, and straight to the point.

1st Blog Entry

write a paragraph or two explaining how it was useful (or not useful) to you to freewrite, to use journaliic questions, (or the question for probing) and to discuss your topic with others.

It wasn't very useful for me to freewrite or to use journalistic questions because, I tend to go back and fourth in my mind about different ideas. I only write them down because I have no choice. The journalistic questions kind of throw you off if you don't know the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and WHY in your freewrite. If i take my time with minimizing my writing options I could benefit from the journalistic questions. Discussing the topic with different classmates gives you a better insight on who the person is that you are sharing your ideas with. I like to talk, so sharing my information with others is pretty fun and interesting. People don't usually see a serious side of me until it comes down to me doing my work, and expressing through my writing.