Final Portfolio

chelseyboucher.weebly.com

The Devil Wears Prada

The movie we had to review was The Devil Wears Prada starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. The movie as a whole was clever and funny. Meryl Streep was astonishing as Miranda Priestly aka the devil. She was not only mean and sadistic, but played her role to a tee. Miranda (Streep) is so scary that when she shows up at the office, people turn the other way just so they don't have to run into her. Anne Hathaway was also a star in this film, it really showed how she is capable of playing other roles other than a princess. The only issue I had with this movie was the fact that it was kind of stereotypical, however that may have been the point of the film, but I did not like that. Just because Andy (Hathaway) did not look like everyone else, she was looked down upon. Miranda's (Streep) first assistant told Andy that she wasn't into fashion, and she responds with, "What makes you think I'm not interested in fashion?" On a scale of 1 tot 10 this movie is definitely an 8.

Obesity

I completely agree with everything that the author of "Obesity and Race in America" was stating. She said, "Food availability, marketing of food, and obstacles to physical activity in low-income neighborhoods are largely responsible for the high prevalence of obesity in ethnic minorities." I agree with this because if I was from a low income family, the last thing on my mind would be whether or not the food I was eating was good for me or not. I also agree with the author because she says that the media contributes to the higher prevalence of obesity in America. Every other commercial on t.v is fast food, candy, and soda etc. The media does that on purpose, because the more commercials I see on t.v, the more I want that product. I think, however, that the media tries to target everyone, not just minorities. McDonald's doesn't care who eats their product, as long as they get money from it. 

Sources

In the reading for this week we read about sources and how to tell whether or not they are legitimate sources. It says that when you find a source, you should look at the title and then browse through it quickly for key terms. I usually do that when I am researching materials for my papers or homework. In the reading it also says you should check who published and produced the source. I never check that, however, I realized if you are using a source from CNN or the U.S. government, then it is most likely a legitimate source. Otherwise you could be using something from Wikipedia where there is no known source and everything could be made up. Also, it says to look at who wrote the work you are looking at and if you do not know the author, you could always Google the person to see how legitimate he/she is. Likewise, I learned that you should check to see how old a source is before using it because you want to base your research on the latest information. http://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit09/

Transitions

In our reading, it talked a lot about transitions. I thought I knew most things about transitions, however, I learned a lot from the reading. Transitions makes words, sentences, and ideas flow from paragraph to paragraph. The words themselves may be simple, but "they have different functions and uses, with subtle differences even between words as close in meanings as but and yet." For me, transitional words are very important when I'm writing a paper, because they can make or break your paper. For example, expressions like first, second, third should go in the beginning of sentences, not in the middle or at the end. If transitional words are not used properly, then there is really no point in using them at all. I also learned that it is best to reread your paper aloud to test the use of the transitions, because as you read it may be easier to point out whether or not a transitional word works. http://larae.net/write/transition.html

HTWA

In our reading, there was an excerpt "Ad Report Card: Mac Attack." This is an online magazine article grading the new Apple Mac commercial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5skuYPa_fY I liked this reading a lot because well everything the author said in it was true. I myself use a PC, and it did not make me want to buy a Mac, it made me feel bad for the PC and want to buy that. Although it seems that Macs are definitely better, faster, and easier, I still love my little old PC. The person who is playing the Mac (Justin Long) is too perfect for the role. "...is just the sort of unshaven, hoodie-wearing, hands-in-pockets hipster we've always imagined when picturing  a Mac enthusiast. He's perfect. Too perfect." That quote from the reading is very true because if Apple wanted to expand their market, and open up to different people, Justin Long is not the right actor for it. This ad got a C+ from the author and I have to agree with him. This ad goes along with the reading in our book because it has to do with rhetorical analysis, which is an argument that takes a close look at the strategies within a text; it lists and describes specific techniques  that a writer, speaker, editor, or advertiser has employed and then assesses their effectiveness. The Mac add, however, in my opinion does not make me want to buy the Mac, or watch the commercial. 

Project!

http://chelseyboucher.weebly.com/

While reading in my Embracing Writing book, I came across a passage called "Layering the Details." I really enjoyed reading this passage because I had never understood the point of detailing while writing. In the reading it explained that you should describe all physical features, dress, smell, mannerisms, how a person talks, and so on, because it will make the reading more enjoyable for the audience. I usually don't ever fully detail my writing so after reading this it was clear that if I want to become a better writer, I need to describe every little detail. Great detailing will allow the audience to see what you were seeing, feel what you were feeling, smell the scent, and point out a specific person in a crowded room. This reading convinced me to start detailing all of my writing assignments from now on.

One of the readings that I really enjoyed was "A Twisted World." The whole thing made me laugh because it was very clever. One of my favorites quotes in the reading was on page 103, "This country would obviously look and run very differently. First off, our capitol would be moved to Hollywood, California, and Washington D.C. would be replaced by a real mall." I like that quote because in our society almost everything has to do with the media and celebrities. Most people don't care about politics, they are more worried about who's dating whom in Hollywood, and whether or not Lindsay Lohan is back in rehab. One thing I do agree with in the reading is the legalization of marijuana. On page 103 it says, "Shortly after these celebrities are in office, there would be a giant push for the legalization of marijuana and most other drugs." Personally I think marijuana should be legal, and police should stop looking for marijuana when they should be more worried about the bigger drugs like cocaine or heroin, and the people who are distributing those to younger and younger children (http://legalizationofmarijuana.com/). This reading was a funny and persuasive way to help people understand that politicians and the government are doing a pretty good job considering all the circumstances. I would like to see the average Joe trying to make a new heath plan or what to do with the troops who are still in Iraq because from my perspective, I know I couldn't do a better job and neither could most of the U.S. "We need to realize that in order to dig ourselves out of this massive hole we are in, it is up to us to be patient, no matter how difficult that may be in times of hardship. Clearly, things could be worse." Before reading this, I was convinced that the President and his officials were doing a terrible job, but my opinion has changed, and I respect how hard they have to work to keep everyone safe.

Blog Numero Dos

I watched all four of the literacy narratives, and they really put things into perspective for me on how I want to do my own literacy narrative. They were all good, however, I really liked John Rapp's literacy narrative. It really popped out to me when I started watching it. The music was interesting and it made me want to keep watching. It's important to have good music because if you're watching a movie and it has "blah" sounding music you're not going to pay attention. Every song in the movie kind of "fits" together too, I don't know how, but it does. The visuals weren't too much, and they were relative to what was going on, and I thought it was clever to have both his own family pictures, as well as pictures probably found on google or something. I also liked how he kind of made his wording funny and the whole project as a whole made me smile. The writing in the project was good to because nothing was too long, and it didn't distract me from the movie either. His coloring was on key too! Black is a good neutral color to use, because it really does match with everything. John's project really made me wish that I had stuck with playing the violin haha, because he made music look fun, and I think that's also an important aspect when you're making a literacy narrative. Another reason why I liked this narrative was because it wasn't too long. I think his project was a perfect length, because if I were to watch a 5 minute video, I don't know if I could pay attention for that long. I really enjoyed the fact that he had an unhappy face in the beginning and slowly it became a happy face! Which went along with the theme of the literacy narrative project, overcoming a conflict and never giving up. In John's case it was overcoming having no friends, gaining friends, and doing something he loved (music). So all in all, it was a good literacy narrative project!

Literacy Narrative Topic

I have finally decided on my literacy narrative topic. I really had no idea as to what I wanted to do. But then it finally hit me, what do I really love, enjoy, and can not live without? Food! Yes, I absolutely love food. Everything about it, the smell, the taste, the texture. I love fried food, baked goods, protein, meats, veggies, fruits, pasta, anything and everything. There is no food that I have tried and didn't like. I remember the first time I actually fell in love with food, because I have obviously liked food. I was watching Rachael Ray's cooking show, 30 Minute Meals (http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170791372l/71806.jpg), one afternoon after school. It was the first day of sixth grade, and I came home and was flipping through the channels looking for something to watch, and I had come across Rachael's show. I hadn't ever watched it before, and I became quickly intrigued. I'm not sure if it was her enthusiasm for food or the fact that she could make anything in 30 minutes, or how good everything looked, but I knew from then on I wanted to know anything and everything I could know about food. I used to try to cook all the time, I wasn't very good at it in the beginning, but I tried so hard and I never gave up.However, I was lucky that my house didn't burn down, that's how terrible I was at first. And for a while, I wanted to become a chef because of Rachael Ray, until I realized that cooking and eating was kind of just a hobby for me. Still to this day I am constantly watching The Food Network,(http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/index.html) but not just Rachael anymore. I love The Iron Chef, Chopped, Emeril, Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, (http://www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/index.html) The Food Network Challenges, Top Chef (on Bravo TV) basically anything that has to do with cooking or food. I also started trying different kinds of foods that I never would have thought about trying in a million years, and I liked everything. Food has opened my mind up to so many different cultures, Asian, Middle eastern, French cuisine, southern cooking, Thai food, and so on and so on. It has made me less ignorant to the different cultures in the world and has expanded my thinking. I now want to visit so many countries and try all the food that I can. I want to not only eat their food, but try to learn how to make it. Food has helped me realize what I want in life, I want to travel and expand myself as much as possible. It has really made me who I am today, and I am grateful to the fact that I will not give up until I have learned everything there is to know about food.