journal 16

- Should urban music be blamed for the increased sexual activity of teens?
- Is a person defined by the clothes they wear?
- Should Myspace be open to adults over the age of 30?
- If cars were banned to save the environment, would modern society be able to survive without them?
- Should recycling be made a law in order to save the environment?
- Do children raised in single-parent homes have the same opportunities as those raised with both parents?

journal 12

The Fresh Food Company

=] ...... I'm greeted by the smiling face of the woman working the register. I proceed in my search for a table, but the place is packed. I luck out and find a good seat in the middle of the dining area. As I sit down, I begin to observe my surroundings. There is lively R&B music playing in the background. The dimmed lights set a relaxing mood and I immediately feel at ease. I see groups of friends sitting together, laughing and having a good time. The smell of roasting meat, sizzling vegetables, and fresh baked goods fill my nostrils. The servers smile as they feed the line of hungry college students that never seems to end. To my right, a young woman just made an icecream cone that's about 5" tall. When she turned around to show it to her friends, it tipped over from imbalance and fell on the floor. The girls all laugh it off. In the corner, you can see a couple enjoying a meal together, when it is interrupted by the boy's friend. You can tell that the girlfriend is annoyed. The clean up crew buzzes around like busy bees, rushing to clean the tables for the incoming diners. The room is filled with positive vibes. Good music. Good food. Good company.

>=[ ...... The cafeteria is overcrowded with greedy people. The lights are so dim, I can barely see what is going on around me. It is extremely noisy. All the people inside are talking at the same time, I can hardly think straight. There is a group of obnoxious young men sitting at the table next to me, laughing aloud and disturbing the other diners. Across the room, a smaller group of girls begin screeching, causing everyone to look in their direction. The lights are dimmed, so it's hard for me to see what I'm writing. The tables are messy with dishes that the workers have failed to pick up. Behind the pitiful looking servers, you can see remains of butchered cows and pigs cooking. A young lady in the corner has a pile of books on her table(studying for her exams I assume), and she looks very stressed. I notice that the majority of the workers do not speak English and it is very frustrating.

journal 6

This add is depicting the movement for gay rights in the United States.

The are alot of negative views of gay people. They are sinners. They are the reason for AIDS. They are beneath heterosexuals. They do not deserve the right to get married or have children. The purpose of this ad is to diffuse the negativity surrounding homosexuals....

You can see a group of homosexual men and women, laughing and having fun. This is to show that homosexuals are just like any other person. They are normal people who have friends and like to have fun. The equal sign on the back of their shirts is reflecting how gays want to be treated: equal. They want to end the hate crimes and the discrimination they experience on a daily basis.
Also, you can see the Lincoln Memorial in the background... This is kind of a sublimonal way of saying that some goverment action needs to be taken to help the gays in their fight for equality. Being that Lincoln freed the slaves and enforced their human rights, the homosexuals of today want someone to do the same for them. A leader who can break their chains of oppression and allow them to start their new hate-free lives.
Look at the sky in the ad. This could be a depiction of the gay's status in the US. It's cloudy, but still a beautiful day. Homosexuals may not be perfect, but they are still good enough to not disturb the daily activities of others. If the sky in the photo was dark and rainy, that would give a negative connotation. Because when it's raining, alot of people get upset or cannot go through with their plans for that day. But it's not. The sky is a normal day. Just like the gay people of America. Normal. They aren't going to stop you from doing what you have to do. They don't want to.

journal 4

TEEN PEOPLE: more simple diction, alot of celebrity gossip, fashion-related information

TIME: elevated diction, scholarly articles, confronting serious issues

COSMOPOLITAN: urban, female audience, fashion-related articles, sexuality-related topics

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: male audience, sport-related articles, lowered diction, alot of statistics for athletes,

journal 1

the most memorable paper i wrote was in the beginning of 11th grade. the topic of the essay was symbolism, so i wrote about symbolism in the movie "the lion king". i was inspired by a class discussion that i had in my 9th grade year. i will never forget that day in class because it taught me to see the bigger picture in the simplest things. that day helped to develop my thinking and expand my creativity.

during the next class, my teacher read some of the papers out loud. my teacher read my paper as an example to the other students. the teacher was so impressed and the enthusiasm she showed while reading my paper made me feel on top of the world.

on the closed-open continuum, my paper falls on the open form end. the assignment was freestyle writing. the teacher did not want a specific structure, or even a thesis. that assignment was a way for the teacher to see how well developed our writing was. it was me, expressing my thoughts and opinions in the form that i chose.

evaluating my past in writing, i feel that i am better at open form writing because i am free to do as i choose, and i like having that power. just give me a topic and i will take it from there. i do my best work when i can express myself with no limits.

TESTING 1, 2

just a quick check to see how this thing works =]