Final blog post

Of the three essays that I'm putting into my portfolio, the one that i am most proud of, and conversely that i feel is the best prepared, is my personal analysis paper. A lot of my confidence in this paper comes from it being used as a class example, also, it the only one that when writing, i had a clear idea of my thesis the entire time. Also, i find it very easy to talk about myself so when it comes down to writing a paper about myself then i can bust out 6 pages with relative ease. Also it allowed me to be humorous, which definitely added to the overall effect of the paper. The paper of mine that needs the most work is my research paper. My thesis is still not clearly defined, and i lack the information i need to write the paper, meaning that a great deal of research neeeds to be done in the next few days. So far it consists of 4 pages of explication, and that is essentially all. So i need to find something to add three more pages to it. It will be rough, but i have recently come upon a book that will be a great aid to me. With the help of my classmates, i hope to have a strong research paper by the end of the week.

krakauer's methods

It is obvious from reading "into the wild" that Krakauer's research was methodical, extensive, and gave a global view of the issue. Also, he presented his research as fact. It is easy discern the supposition from the fact in certain parts of the book if you closely examine them. For example, in the chapter that he talks about how Chris's parents were feeling at the exact moment that they learned of his death, well obviously he can't know exactly how they feel. But learning how Chris's parents felt about Chris before and after his death, he had a fairly good idea of how they were feeling. But by presenting his opinion and ideas as fact, he concretes them in the readers eyes, and this helps to prevent the story from being questioned. This also came into play when he was telling the stories of all the people that Chris met before going to Alaska. Judging from the questionable mental stability of some of the people he references, i really doubt that even they know exactly what was said in their conversations with Chris, or how they felt about it, so when Krakauer just made a solid statement about it, it was much more effective than if he involved the readers in his estimates of these people's testimonies.

Primary source blog

The primary source that i chose for my research essay is Seinfeld. My paper is about Seinfeld and the way it represents various aspects of social interactions. My primary source says everything that i could possibly need for the topic of my paper, in fact, other sources could only serve to diminish the effect of my primary source, the show itself. The way i push this point of view is by saying that Seinfeld is the most realistic representation of true human interaction that you will find on t.v, the difficult part is that i'm having trouble finding evidence that somebody could use as an argument against it. It is important because people devote so much time and energy to trying to figure out what other people are thinking when really they could watch Seinfeld and i guarantee there would be an episode that dealt, in one form or another, with the same topic. You all should care for obvious reasons, it is a life guide. And it could help you for the aforementioneed reasons, knowing what other people are thinking in particular situations.

Combined Post

The topic for my research paper is the sitcom 'Seinfeld'. This topic doesn't have a significant impact on american culture, other than that nearly every american with a t.v. has stumbled upon a re-run of seinfeld sometime in their channel changing, and most factor it into their daily schedule. It is different from other t.v. shows because it doesn't attempt to teach a moral at the end of the episode, the episodes themselves don't have any particular area of emphasis, and it is officially about nothing. The issues that i will be addressing have to do with it being the most representative of people's inner thoughts and true, realistic actions. It is an excellent example of humanity, and should be studied as such, as opposed to just a comedic sitcom.

3-12

It is difficult to assess how well i did on papers earlier this semester, but i think the best estimate i can give is on the "state of american literature" essay. It was the first essay of that nature that i had written for quite a while, as such, it was very rough. I would give it was a low. It didn't help that it was written in various pieces and then thrown together, but even the various pieces by themselves weren't excellent. To make it better, I would attempt to unify the various sections, give it a more clear, defined thesis, and argue my point more strongly. However, since it is a paper about a subject that i care so very little about, i will never open that document again.

Blog pormpt for 3-5

The chapters about Krakauer were highly entertaining, first, because i love mountain climbing, and second, because it gav eme a break from reading about chris's boring shit. but as for the actual prompt, yes, it made his recount of chris's story more credibible. It is easy to imagine Krakauer as a skinnyass hippie journalist for a nature magazine, but hearing about his ordeal, my image of him became much clearer, and as a result, i can view his commentary about Chris with trust because they are coming from a person with experience in the subject area.

Group E Prompt

I really really liked the two chapters in which Krakauer discussed the stories of other figures who acted in a similar manner as Chris. I think they are a big positive to the storytelling because while reading "Into The Wild" it is easy to view Chris as an anomaly. But with the examples that Krakauer laid out, it gives more insight into the attitude that Chris and other young men like him have towards their adventures.

Blog prompt #5

My opinion about Taylor Swift is set in stone. I am more than satisifed with her as an artist. When her first album came out, she was never under this type of criticism, but a common theme is that when somebody becomes famous, they become subject to public criticism for no reason other their fame. Even though i don't like her second album nearly as much as her first, that is just her trying to reach a wider fan base. The article tried to criticize her music, like the topic of her music, and that is what i love most about her music, just because it's about boys doesn't mean i'm a gay, but the whole attitude of her music, and the setting described. listening to it puts me in a comfortable place mentally. As for the pictures, videos, and charts in the essay.. yes, they added a great deal of support for the author's point. Fortunately for me, i'm thickheaded as bear, and hold onto my opinions with stalwart resolve.

blog #3

I think that logos is the most effective when writing a paper. When making people interpret pathos and and ethos it leaves room for their judgement, but logos is (for the most part) indisputable and facts seem to change people's minds a lot more than feelings. In my "Into The Wild response i used mostly logos, but also tried to use some ethos, being a outdoors type of person, but i get the feeling that neither was extremely apparent.

Blog Prompt #3

After reading slightly more into the book (there is still a considerably amount of story to be told), the extra pages have only served to solidify my opinion of him. One aspect of his personality that I didn't mention in my essay is that he is incredibly honest, sincere, and an all-around good guy. I find that admirable, and respect him for it, but he still was just a city boy completely out of place in the wilderness. At the end of chapter 5 then that lady (forgot her name, don't care to look it up) said that she thought Chris would be fine because he had managed to jump the border and paddle through mexico on canals and rivers. While it's true that those were not everyday activites and not everybody could do them, they were done out of desperation. And it's not too hard to survive in a warm climate in a country with very little social and economic organization, he likely stole everything that he ate (i could be overspeaking here, but i'm on a role so ignore it). In alaska it is a much different situation. If you are out in the middle of a national forest, and the shit hits the fan (have i used that phrase before?) then it isn't necessarily possible to just walk out to the road. When he got in the shit, he stayed in it, and there wasn't a way out. He just didn't have enough information going in, and he didn't have a way to get that information, because he was born in the city.

Blog Prompt #2

The most important thing that I learned in bootcamp was the concept of indebtnedness. Obviously i knew that sources had to be cited, but having it phrased as indebtedness, it helped me view the source as being more integrated into my writing, as opposed to just something merely quoted from. And overall i think this will help me writing considerably.

Blog Prompt #1

So, in the spirit of introduction, my name is Matthew Carl Mill, I go by Matt because I like the way it sounds, unless said in conjunction with my last name, in which case i prefer Matthew because Matt Mill is two very terse alliterations and i don't think it sounds good, but i digress, for all intents and purposes, Matt is good. I was born in Olympia, WA and have lived all of my life in Littlerock, a very small town about 20 miles South of the capitol. I'm a big fan of the outdoors and do a lot of hunting. Whether it be big game or waterfowl, for me it's more about being outside and getting away from whatever persistence is bothering me, whether it be school, work, or a combination of the two. My favorite sports are soccer and tennis, i'm on the club tennis team at WSU, which means merely that i paid the $50 to join, i'm just a decent player. I'm a good student, it is about the best thing i have going for me, and I view classes in terms of "how can i get an A?" as opposed to the more practical "what can learn from this class?" but since i'm studying chemical engineering, I feel that I get get away with that outlook in this English class. I read a lot of books. Most of which are in the Science-Fantasy genre, but also i read a lot of war accounts and Tom Clancy. I don't read Clive Cussler because I think his books sucks ass. I like to write about myself ^^^, and i'm competant when it comes to writing a story, but I'm pretty awful at academic writing, so this class will be a struggle. that's about it.