English 1 in a Nutshell (Cover)

English 1 in a Nutshell

To be completely honest, I was relatively looking forward to taking my first college level English class this semester. I have never been very enthusiastic about English, writing, or anything like that, though I never really minded it. My senior year of high school, I had a great teacher for my modern literature class that changed my perspective a bit. I am not really sure if it was the the course material and the books we read, my teacher and his teaching style, or the people and discussions we shared in class. Perhaps it was a combination of all these things that sparked my interest in writing and literature. All I know is for the first time in my life; I was looking forward to taking an English course. I was looking forward to learning more about critical thinking and analysis of literature, as well as sharpening my writing ability and understanding of deeper metaphors found in various forms of writing. While I now know that what I was seeking is more along the lines of the curriculum for English 3, English 1 was not without its charm. Despite the often treacherous drive to the Long Beach City College Pacific Coast Campus at the early hour of 7:30am, I can now reflect on the course and what I have taken from it.

Shitty First Drafts

            While some might be thrown off by its rather unique title, Shitty First Drafts holds a lot deeper meaning to me than it may to most. To me, it symbolizes three very impactful aspects of the course. First of all, it was one of the first things we read and analyzed as a class, and its crude title acted as a sort of comic relief for a new group of classmates to interact with each other and the instructor. Hearing the teacher say the word shitty several times throughout the lesson lightened the tense mood that is often felt for the first few weeks of class. Second, the writing itself was actually quite good, and expressed a very valid point that even the best writers often have very shitty first drafts. The important thing is that you start writing, get something down, and then you can work with it from there. Sometimes you can get so focused on what to write and making it perfect, you end up stumped with a blank page. Lastly, it represents the importance of editing, revising, and modifying your work. Shitty first drafts are exactly as they are described, shitty. Throughout the year I definitely learned the importance of revision. Through peer edits and the teacher’s comments left on the first draft, I was able to see that my writing could become significantly better and more refined through various drafts, edits, and revisions.         

Advertising

            While we read multiple writings and excerpts about the many aspects of advertising, I could not simply choose one, and felt it necessary to simply acknowledge the entire unit. It is a rare occurrence that students are looking forward to reading the assigned material. Well, maybe not looking forward to, though I can definitely say I enjoyed the readings and found them all extremely informative as well as interesting. It was really quite mind blowing to read about the various forms and techniques of advertising, and recognizing their prevalence in society. It is one of those things that you never really noticed before, but once you know it, you recognize it EVERYWERE. I will never look at a department store or grocery store the same ever again.  What was almost more disturbing than that was the unethical and manipulative use of children’s advertising. Even if we had only read this, and not been assigned to analyze and write about it, it is very valuable information. While advertising was probably my favorite unit, this paragraph is less about that, and more about the importance of all three of the units in general. Props to Professor Rowley for picking such interesting topics for the units. Even if you took nothing about English away from the course, at least you learned some pretty cool stuff. I believe that it is because of these interesting topics; misconceptions, advertising, and unseen aspects of technology that I was able to really get into my writing. Often time English prompts are dry, though I genuinely found the material quite interesting, and therefore was able to excel in my writing. This taught me the importance of subject matter and topics in writing, and how they can drastically affect quality and style.   

Quote Sandwich

            While this may not be quite as important as some of the more general themes of this year, I definitely feel as though I became more aware of citing work in MLA format, and using my quotes effectively. Honestly, my least favorite part of writing an essay is doing the works cited page. I would rather write a four page essay than 1 page of works cited, and it would probably take me about the same amount of time. While I absolutely hated the assignment of practicing the works cited page, I at least now feel much more comfortable in my ability and knowledge of MLA format, which will prove very useful as I continue my college career. Also, the quote sandwich itself helps me to better explain quotes, and therefore improve my writing. Sometimes I would just throw a quote in there, and think that the reader should be able to follow my train of thought and understand its context. This is often not the case though. Using the quote sandwich ensures a proper citation and detailed explanation of its importance.

Citizenfour

            Finally, I reflect on one of my favorite days in English 1. I am a big fan of good documentaries, especially about super interesting topics. I had heard about and somewhat followed the whole Edward Snowden situation when it was happening, but did not have a lot of the details. Watching Citizenfour was really just awesome. I was enthralled throughout the entire film, and it was so cool that it was part of the subject matter. It really fit in perfectly with what we were learning about, and at the same time was quite a captivating story. To top it all off, Professor Rowley brought donuts. I never thought that in college we would have donuts and watch movies. It felt like the last day before winter break in high school.

Essay 3 Draft 2

The Hidden Dangers of Mobile Phone Addiction

            Cell phones have come a very long way from the basic, heavy brick like design they once were. Advances in technology have made mobile phones smaller, lighter, and more efficient. You can access the internet, email, send text messages, make phone calls, play games, do social networking, and access a variety of other applications all through your smartphone. Today, almost everyone owns a smartphone and whether we realize it or not, our lives revolve around them. While these smartphones are quite amazing and handy, they are proving to have some serious negative side effects. While the internet, social media, video gaming, and online gambling can all prove to be serious addictions, I feel mobile phones are the most dangerous since we can access so much through them. Our addiction to our mobile phones has resulted in a lack of real, tangible social interaction, a false sense of relation and connection with others, and a reliance and inability to function without them.

            With the majority of society owning and actively using a cell phone on a highly regular basis, many are blinded with the sensationalized perks of being “plugged in.” Those who do not merit the negatives of cell phones often say that they allow us to form relationships without having to actually meet or interact in person. They feel that cell phones help us stay connected to those that we do not see regularly, and help people stay in touch.  Finally, they stress the accessibility and versatility of cell phones, and benefits of doing everything from one easy to use device. In theory these reasons are valid and appealing. However, the human race has a tendency to abuse that which can be used for good. Moderation is important in all things, and moderation is the last word I would use to describe society’s use of cell phones.

            While cell phones definitely do offer an element of sociality through various forms of communication, they have become a substitute for in person socialization, rather than a useful addition. Most people today would rather use a variety of intangible modes of communication, such as calling, texting, instant messaging, tweeting, liking, and favoriting. While these all offer some form of communication on both a verbal and nonverbal level, none of them compare with actually talking and socializing face to face with another human being. Face to face interaction provides a deeper, more complete form of communication that forms a more intimate and meaningful relationship. This phenomenon has escalated to almost laughable extremes in today’s world. Often I see two people sitting right next to each other, completely silent, on their cell phones. Even when people are face to face, they are distracted by their cell phone. In Britney Fitzgerald’s article “Americans Addicted to Checking Smartphones, Would ‘Panic’ if Lost Device” she discusses recently discovered facts about smartphone use in the United States and says, “What once were considered bad behaviors have now become social norms” (Fitzgerald). These bad behaviors include acts such as texting at the dinner table, or scrolling on your phone when on a date. This shows that as a society, we are devolving in our social skills, and are relying on our cell phones to avoid conversation and interaction that is necessary to developing social skills with other human beings.

            Some say that cell phones, and social media especially, allow us to stay connected with people we may not see regularly. While if used responsibly this can be true, the use of cell phones and social media more often than not leads to a false sense of connection with other human beings. This false sense may satisfy our natural longing for social interaction and connection, but it is actually distancing us from real interaction, and only making us lonelier. If people were only using cell phones to occasionally text or call a friend they had not heard from in a while, there wouldn’t be much of a problem. However, when we obsessively scroll through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and even old text messages, we see the posts of people we know (or claim to know) and we automatically make a connection with that person and that post. Whether it is positive or negative, significant or insignificant, a connection is made. We could be seeing posts every day from someone we haven’t talked to in months, or even people we barely ever knew and create a false sense of relation and connection with that person. In reality, they may not even notice that you follow their posts, yet you can feel a relatively strong sense of connection. A human interaction provides reciprocal communication, and involves both sides, creating a deeper and more realistic connection.  The International Center for Media and the Public Agenda wrote an article called “Students Addicted to Social Media” that follows the study and results of depriving students from their phones and social media for 24 hours: “But what they spoke out about in the strongest terms was how their lack of access to text messaging, phone calling, instant messaging, e-mail, and Facebook, meant that they couldn’t connect with friends who lived close by, much less those far away” (484). This shows that people are becoming dependent on the connection they feel through digital communication mediums, and are relatively alone without them. If this continues, society may become less social, and more disconnected from one another.

            Lastly, many seem to think that the ability to do everything from your phone is more convenient, and makes life easier. This is true, but what happens when you lose your phone. One student in the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda study stated, “I clearly am addicted and the dependence is sickening. I feel like most people these days are in a similar situation” (483). This student was only asked to go for one day without their phone. What if it was longer?  Fitzgerald says “ If in some catastrophic event they were to lose their device, 73 percent of people admit they would feel ‘panicked’ while another 14 percent would feel ‘desperate’ ” (Fitzgerald). While at first this may sound a bit high, in reality it is not surprising at all. Cell phones really are quite amazing, and you can do just about anything from them. Many people’s whole lives are run through their cell phones. The problem with having such a great dependency on one item is that it can be easily lost, stolen, or broken. People need to lessen their dependency by reducing the frequency and time spent on their phone. The fact that we feel great anxiety or distress when we don’t have our phone for a few hours is enough cause for concern. People need to use their phone less, and not put complete reliance on them for so many aspects of their life.

            While cell phones are quite amazing and can do just about everything, they have become an often unhealthy accessory in the lives of many people. This reliance on cell phones has blossomed into a very serious addiction that is relatively overlooked by most of society. Our judgement has been clouded by changing social norms, media hype, and the overwhelming popularity of cell phones and mobile devices. Our addiction to our mobile phones has resulted in a lack of real, tangible social interaction, a false sense of relation and connection with others, and a reliance and inability to function without them. If you are failing to see this, try it for yourself. See how long you can go without your phone, and what kind of reactions you have. I bet the excuses are filling your mind already as to why you are an exception, and why you just cannot go without it. The proof is in the pudding.

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, Britney. “Americans Addicted to Checking SmartPhones, Would ‘Panic’ if Lost

            Device.” Huffingtonpost.com. Huffington Post, 21 June 2012. Web. 28 May 2015.

International Center for Media and the Public Agenda. “Students Addicted to Social Media.”

            Signs of Life in the USA. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. 2015. Print

Essay 2 Draft 3

The Negative Impact of Children’s Advertising

            In a world that is driven by marketing and the media, we are bombarded with advertisements and product promotions on a daily basis. Whether it is in the newspaper, magazines, radio, television, billboards, or websites, the goal of advertisements are simply to get us to buy a certain product. However, the business and strategic concepts behind them are far from simple. Today’s advertisements exploit human desires and insecurities, while manipulating their target audience for the sake of money. When it comes to an unsuspecting and unknowing child, these advertisements can be especially effective. Here lies the ethical decision that advertisers seem to ignore in today’s market. The underdeveloped minds of children are too easily manipulated and swayed by the clever techniques used by advertisers. In his article “Kid Kustomers”, Eric Schlosser analyzes the growing business of child marketing. Schlosser quotes head of the FTC Michael Pertschuk as saying “They cannot protect themselves against adults who exploit their present-mindedness” (226). This shows that children are vulnerable, and can’t see past the marketing techniques. On top of this, today’s advertisements stress unwholesome acts and habits such as nagging and throwing a tantrum. While the rest of the population may be considered fair game, it is ethically and morally wrong to manipulate the innocent mind of a child for financial gain, especially on such a large scale. I believe that advertising and marketing directed toward young children needs to be limited and regulated. While adults are mature enough to discern these advertisements for what they are, and are held accountable for their actions and decisions, children are not.

            Children’s advertising has been around since the beginning of TV and radio. In the beginning, children were mainly targeted by companies that sold products pertinent to children, such as toys and breakfast cereals. The popular breakfast cereal icons we see in the supermarket such as Tony the Tiger, Tucan Sam, Count Chocula and many more are all examples of advertising campaigns directed towards children. Tony The Tiger and the camaraderie he shares with his group of athletic kids may be manipulating, though it is not necessarily unwholesome. He is encouraging healthy habits like exercise and teamwork.  As for using clever cartoon characters to make items seem more fun and appealing, this is expected of marketers, and very productive from a business standpoint. Advertising such as this is fun, creative, and can be viewed in a positive light. While this type of advertising is relatively harmless, the same cannot be said about all children advertising. This has gone much deeper than toy and cereal companies though. Schlosser says “Today children are being targeted by phone companies, oil companies, and automobile companies as well as clothing stores and restaurant chains” (223). The extent of children’s influence in their parents’ purchasing decisions goes very deep, and a wide variety of companies are now targeting children to tap into this source of profit. Schlosser states that “they have a great deal of ‘pester power,’ along with ‘leverage’ to get parents to buy them what they want” (222). The term pester power refers to the incessant nagging and whining of children to parents in order to get what they want. If the child asks enough times, and bugs their parents enough, the parent will often give in just to appease the child and avoid the pestering. In a particular Simpsons episode the children ask Homer if he will take them to a water park. Despite an initial no, the children ask incessantly almost to the point of driving Homer insane, until he finally gives in just to shut them up. This power is promoted by advertisers and mastered by children, and gives both a degree of leverage in the parents’ purchasing decisions. Children need to learn that life is not about instant gratification, and that they cannot always get what they want, especially by begging for it.

            While the scale of children’s marketing in today’s society is indeed incredible, what these marketers are pushing through their advertisements will truly blow your mind. In Juliet B Schor’s article “Selling to Children: The Marketing of Cool” she discusses the techniques used by ad makers to manipulate children. It would seem that advertisers are pushing the very concepts that parents would have their children avoid, right under their noses. Schor describes ads targeted to children that “made subtle connections to violence, drugs, criminality, and sexuality” (220). Companies are using the natural human desire for sex, independence, and rebellion to exploit and attract the underdeveloped minds of children. Advertisers have also been known to “promote behavior that is annoying, antisocial, or mischievous” (Schor 224). Though these ads may seem harmless, many of them are indeed promoting negative attitudes and behaviors. In Schor’s article she explains that many advertisers have tried to tap into the hip-hop and rap culture, due to its association with streets, ghettos, and overall edginess (220). This culture is often associated as being “cool” to youth, especially wealthy whites. Reese’s Puffs Cereal commercials, for example, often feature young African American teens dressed in trendy clothing, performing hip hop dancing and rapping. In an attempt to be cool, white children try to mimic this subculture. Advertisers are well aware of this, and do not hesitate to promote this attitude to its target audience.

            Children are clearly an unfair, yet highly profitable target for these marketing giants. Because of this, children’s advertising and marketing needs to be limited and regulated. In Schlosser’s article “Kid Kustomers,” he says “the typical American child spends more time watching television than doing any other activity except sleeping” (226). While this statistic alone is a bit disheartening, it is even more so when we understand that during that television time they are constantly being manipulated and persuaded by corporate giants. The people that design these commercials and advertising campaigns are among the best in the business, and it is their full-time job to identify how exactly they can get kids to want their product, and to buy it or have it bought for them. This being said, the unsuspecting innocent mind of a child is completely vulnerable to this act, and is manipulated on a daily basis without even being aware of it. Not only are they being manipulated, but the advertisers are promoting unwholesome behaviors and habits such as nagging and throwing a tantrum. It is for these precise reasons that advertising that directly target children needs to be regulated. From an ethical standpoint, it is wrong.

Works Cited

Schlosser, Eric. “Kid Kustomers.” Signs of Life in the USA: Reading on Popular Culture for

            Writers. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012.

            222-27. Print.

Schor, Juliet B. “Selling to Children: The Marketing of Cool.” Signs of Life in the USA: Reading

            on Popular Culture for Writers. Eds. Sonia Massik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/

            St. Martins, 2012. 218-27. Print.

Essay 1 Draft 3

Junior College Misconceptions

            As a student attending Long Beach City College, I am all too familiar with the negative response you get when you say you attend LBCC instead of California State University, Long Beach. Though subtle, it is usually evident through their reaction that they have already made a judgment about you, usually with a negative edge, simply because of the fact that you attend a Junior College. Many think that community college is for those that did not do well in high school, and/or those that do not apply themselves to their education. There are common misconceptions about both the education received at a community college, as well as the students that attend it. In reality, many of the classes and professors are the same at a JC as they are at a university. Also, because a student chooses to attend a community college does not mean they are less intelligent, or do any worse in school than those at a university. On top of all that, community college is more economically viable for most people. While many people believe attending a university is always better, in reality a junior college offers the same courses for general requirements, is more economically viable, and is the option many intelligent students choose.

            The first two years of college, no matter where you go, are often spent completing general education requirements that are necessary for obtaining a degree. They may or may not count towards your major, but they must be taken. This includes basic courses of English, science, social science, mathematics, the arts, and physical education. While without a doubt, higher level courses and programs that are major-oriented are only offered at universities, the exact same lower level general education courses that are offered at that university are offered at your local community college. In fact, often times professors will teach both at a four-year university, and at a community college. Once the general education units and GPA requirements are met at a community college, a student can transfer those credits to a four-year university, and start as a junior. On graduation day when you receive your degree, nowhere on it does it say that you attended a community college. You receive the same degree as everyone else who attended that university since their freshmen year. Not only can you meet the same course requirements that you would your first two years at a university, but this gives those that need it extra time to decide on a major and a school to pursue after two years, as well as save some money.

            When it comes to money, community college is clearly the more economic choice. While tuition varies from school to school, it is never cheap. While many state colleges can offer relatively affordable tuition to state citizens, it is still much more than the cost of community college. If you want to attend a private or out-of-state university, you can expect to pay A LOT of money for tuition. I pay less than $1000 a semester for community college, while relatively inexpensive state schools can cost upwards of $10,000. Often times students are forced to take out loans, and go into debt just to make it through college. By the time they graduate, this debt can be quite substantial. On top of tuition, there are living expenses. This includes rent, utilities, food, textbooks, and day-to-day expenses. Many students have to hold a part-time job throughout college, just to help pay for these expenses. Managing a full time school schedule, as well as a job is exhausting, and leaves little time for anything else. Community college tuition is a fraction of the cost of a university, and with financial aid and other programs is affordable on most any budget. Also, most community college attendees live at home, and commute to school. This in most cases takes away the cost of living expenses. With a substantially lower cost of tuition and living, students and their families are given the opportunity to save money, and plan for the future. In the end, transferring to a university from a community college can almost cut your overall expenses in half. I live at home, and have been able to save money for when I plan to transfer to California State University, Long Beach. In tough economic times, and for students/families that are on a budget or just want to save some money, this is a great option.       

During the fall of my senior year in high school I was faced with the ordeal of college applications. At this point in time I had no idea where I was going to end up, and to be completely honest I didn’t really care much.  I applied to California State University, Long Beach and was accepted. It was at this point I really had to weigh my options, and take into consideration the many factors that would play into where I wanted to pursue my education and in essence my future for the next several years. While the majority of my friends were excited about committing to various four-year universities, I was leaning more towards the path of staying local, and enrolling in a nearby community college. The deadline to commit to CSULB passed, and I sealed my fate. When graduation day finally came, I  finished my senior year with straight A’s, achieved a score of 1720 on the SAT, and graduated high school on principal’s honor roll with cumulative 3.8  grade point average. I received my award of merit (given to students for completing necessary courses to attend a Cal State or UC out of high school), my Eagle Scout award, and varsity letter in baseball. On top of this, and perhaps most importantly, I was well respected by my peers and teachers, and considered one of the more intellectual and intelligent of my friend group. Now despite what you are probably thinking, I am not telling you this to make myself look good, or boast my accomplishments. I am simply trying to clarify my biggest grievance on the subject of junior college misconceptions. To make it clear, just because you attend a community college does not mean you are any less studious, intellectual, intelligent, hardworking, or successful than someone who attends a university. To be honest, I know a lot of people who attend community college that are much smarter than some of the people I know who attend big four year schools.

Being a student at Long Beach City College, I am familiar and accustomed to these misconceptions. It is my hope however, that these misconceptions can be made clear, and that the negative connotation that is too often associated with community college will cease to exist. You should not have to feel shameful or embarrassed when you tell people you attend community college, as this reaction only affirms the misconceptions. Be confident and have pride when you speak about community college, and do not hesitate to inform others and discredit these junior college misconceptions that run rampant through our society.