Portfolio

I think my strongest piece is my personal analysis with my research paper in close second...because the personal analysis is really an inspirational piece. My whole life i have kept a journal so being able to write as if i were writing in my journal was really fun for me. I also feel i found the perfect person to write the essay on and i think it really helped that i was able to talk to her and ask her my own questions about her struggle and be able to compare them to my own struggles. Because i was able to get on such a deep emotional level i think it really captures the reader and keeps them hooked throughout the whole essay. I do need to work on making it be able to reach to everyone even if they or someone they know has not experienced issues with their weight. If i can accomplish that i feel that piece of writting will truely be effective.

The essay i have had the most trouble with is the mccandless response essay. Although i know my position on what i think of him..it has been hard for me to put it in essay for and really prove why i think he is a hero...I wish i had like three very specific strong points that i could establish to make my point. It would make the essay a lot easier to write but because i just have a vision of why i think he is the way he is i dunno i feel its not as strong as it could be...i know a lot of people are doing this essay and all that i have read of them i feel each one doesnt have very specific points...im at a loss but trying to make it work hahaha

if he could have would have...

I think if Chris were to survive he would have gone about his life much of like he did before. The main thing that changed for chris while he was in the wild was that he realized that happiness needed to be shared with others. So i believe that the people who were closest to him he would spend a lot of time with and really cherish each of the relationships. I think he would still get angry about society i and how its so materialistic and it would bother him quite a bit, but i dont think it would make him want to go back into the wild. He had a very scary encounter and if he was able to come out of it i believe he would appreciate a lot more about america and the specific aspects that he hated so much before his experience. I think Chris would have done charity work too hahah or something to inform people about his experience. hopefully even teach people about the wild! haha. The possiblities are endless when it comes to chris. I think he would want to go on more adventures and learn even more than he already has. I dont think he would make any serious love relationships though..it just wasnt his style. He is the type of person that cant stay in one place so he would prolly travel all around and keep making the ranomd relationships with people like he did before he went to alaska. No matter what even if he did settle down somewhere i think he would live with the bare minimal aka no extra stuff just the things needed for survival. If living on the edge and with barely nothing like what he did previously was what he was so into and looking for i dont htink he would stop that because i think he believed that materialsm is not the way to live so deeply that no matter what happened that would not change him at all!

Research Paper

My topic is the movie Grease. It currently impacts American culture because a lot of the influences and themes throughout the movie are still sought out today. Grease is different than other movies because it was made in the seventies yet is still very popular today. In 1997 it was still at the top of the charts. Because it is so popular it is hard to not realize the messages that come from it. Because Grease reaches to all ages of people everyone can be affected by it. It looks good to all different people which causes them to remember what is going on in the movie. I think i am going to talk about a major topic within the movie that involves sandy and how she enters into the high school and innocent girl that was not worried about what others thought but because of all the pressure of her peers by the end she transforms into Sandra D who essentially loses her virginity...with this i think im going to talk about something like how people are becoming to influence by others...maybe how celebrities influence too much...or how behavior in high school can be dangerous because the kids are still so young but think they are so old....or my favorite option is talking about the pressure to have sex in high school and how many view that as the time to "experiment"

The Dark Art of Description

The author had a specific purpose through her writing like all writing should have. She was trying to make the reader understand that you can describe anything in detail you just have to put hard work into it. You cant just expect it to come naturally either. Describing something that would normally be very difficult to describe takes precious time...anyone can do it they just have to stay focused and realize that others don't necessarily know what they are talking about. If a writer begins with this thought process then they can be successful in describing and everyday object. Descriptions provide the reader with vivid images which is key to a successful process as a whole. The author of the specific reading we had to do really wanted to get across the importance of being descriptive. The last few paragraphs that where she talks to a student about his boring small town life shows that the simplest of things can be described with immense powers. The student didnt realize he would be able to do it until he spoke the words out loud. Because of this reading one is able to see how much better writing can be with the use of description.

personal chapters

like i said in class these chapters provided a lot for me. it gives insight as to why the writer is credible and gives a reason as to why they care for the piece. It also shows evidence that chris was not the only one that experience what he did. Having those chapters made it easier to connect and believe that what chris did was for a reason. I was able to understand from someone who lived through their situation as to why they went about doing it.

I did my rhetorical project through post secret. For me i believe it was the most effective! Although all of the different ways allow for the viewer to analyze the image in their own way I felt that post secret would enable me to show my thoughts the best. Each of the different ways can allow words and images but post secret is the most simple to me and can be the most vague allowing for more interpretations. I would not have changed what i did for the project. I loved using my creative side to show my "secrets." Using a still picture allows the onlooker to be able to see the message for a longer period of time allowing for the most detail to soak in.

My Song...

"Cool Thing," by Rascal Flatts has been my favorite song since i can remember. No matter what i always go back to it for some reason. Yah, i have other favorites but those get old after a while but cool thing will always be amazing. Rascall Flatts are by far my favorite country artist. I do have others in hiphop and r&b, but for country its definatly Rascal Flatts. The story about the song it being young and falling in love without even looking for it. It just happened. I love it! If you try to hard to find something a lot of times it doesnt work out, but when you just go with the flow and enjoy your life for what it is amazing things can happen. Just thinking of how happy the couple is in the song is sooo cute :) haha.

Logos, Pathos, Ethos

Personally i believe that pathos is the most effective. This is mostly because i am a very emotional person myself. Emotion is the one thing that drives everything i do. So when i am reading something and it has a sort of emotional appeal to me and i am instantly connected. This is not to say that i think it is the most effective form of rhetoric for everyone because everyone is different. For example my dad is the most logical minded man i have ever met. Everything you say has to have logic behind it or he doesnt pay attention to what you were saying and he hides his emotions to himself so something that has great emotional appeal would not necessarily work for him but something very logical he would understand and connect with immediately.

I think throughout into the wild ethos is the most prominent. Jon shows all of his sources to the point and tell everything how it happened. From the very beginning he has proven himself to be trustworthy although he does have some bias on things. By giving the actually letters written or snipits of Chris' journal he is able to show that he is a very credible author.

Hitchiking....

Honestly i think hitchiking if it could would be more widely used in this day and age. Yet there are laws against it. Although it is still done so obviously it is very important to some peoples lives. I too have not thought a lot about hitchiking, but i believe it is much more dangerous now day than it was in the past. In the past getting raped or killed probably wouldnt even cross a persons mind when getting in a car with another person. Personally i would never hitchike i would be way too scared. I would much rather walk than getting in a car with a stranger. I wish times were how they used to be where a person could easily trust another, but of course times have to change and there is nothing we can do about that.

I do think to some people hitchiking is beneficial, but others very dangerous and not needed. Some its their only form of transportation like McCandless.

Response to 1st prompt

I think that Gallien did not feel he was in the position to tell the cops what was going on. Gallien believed that Chris seemed like a normal young adult that obviously was on a mission of some sort. It is hard to go out of your way to help a complete stranger, especially if they didnt even hint at wanting help. Gallien was put into a very difficult situation, but i think he got the vibe that Chris didnt want any help and that what he was doing needed to be done for some sort of reason. Besides Gallien thought that Chris would be like any other person and just run away for a little while and come back when he was ready. If Gallien called the police it wouldnt have solved anything. Growing up i have had many instances where i just wanted to get away and not be bothered...id want to go somewhere knew about so i could just be with myself and if someone told on me while i was trying to have alone time i would hate that. Gallien did the right thing it really wasnt his place because he had no idea why Chris was going into the wild.

Hey guys! My names Samantha Collins, but most people call me Sam or something along those lines. haha Im from Sammamish, Wa, and yes people call me Sammamish all the time as well. I went to Eastlake High school and have played softball my whole life..that is until college. I was on varsity all three years of high school and was captain my senior year, the same year we won 4A state champs! :) I have lived on the lake my whole life and love ever single moment of it! My family is really close and probably the most spastic out of anyone in the world. I am a big animal lover especially dogs. I have a long haired miniature daschund and he's the cutest little guy in the whole world! When i was in fourth grade i taught him how to sneeze on comma and and its prolly the funniest thing to watch him do. It was a great ice breaker in high school ;) haha. Im a sophomore right now...cant believe it already. I have mixed feelings about being at WSU, but im putting up with it as of right now. Im going for a Business Administration major and hopefully one day owning my own company, but we shall see where life takes me! I enjoy writing especially things that interest me...I have had a journal my whole life, well since the fourth grade and love looking back and reading what i had to say throughout my life.