1. Interest Level
For someone like me, who often has the ''blank page syndrome'', I found this course to be very resourceful. For most of the course, I was very captivated by the content. However, I had already seen some elements of the program, but it still refreshed my memory.
2. Difficulty
In general, the course was pretty easy to follow, but some parts were way too simple. For example, I had already been force-fed with some notions about the introduction of topics, in high school. On the other hand, I found rather difficult the fourth part of the second section with the charts. As a matter of fact, I had to try twice to be able to organize my ideas properly in the chart.
3. What I Learned
-I learned that by writing down my chains of thought all at once could effectively help to unleash my inspiration. By doing so, it clears the mind of off-topic ideas and leaves the place for a more visual organization of the ideas into a topic statement.
-I found that, when introducing a topics statement, it is primordial to quickly link the elements together. When you go from a vague idea to a precise statement, linking the elements closely and concisely prevents redundancy and unclearness.
-This course taught me that dividing a topic with several questions - such as where, when, why, etc. - helps to establish a basis for an introduction. Even if we already know the answers to those questions, it lets us gather them all together to put them in relation in an introduction. By doing so, it gives a richer introduction to the topic statement.
4. My Score
I did not get a score for this course.
5. Course Rating: 7, 5/10
Compared to the two previous LEL courses that I took, this one had much less technical flaws. Moreover, the content offered different possibilities to start writing a text the right way; therefore, it gave me many different methods to cope with a lack of ideas for a text. The only problem with the course was that some of the parts were way too easy compared to what I expected. However, there were many eye-openers that compensated for this lack of difficulty.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
LEL 4: Basic Written Communication Skills
1. Interest level
I found this course to be very interesting because if taught to write in a very down to earth way. Thus, this course really showed how to improve our way to communicate. Being concise and neutral is the best way to prove your point.
2. Difficulty
In general, this course was fairly easy to understand. The presentation helped a lot because I did not have to always go back a few pages to confirm what I learned. As a matter of fact, the information flowed constantly and clearly; moreover, the use of tables was very useful for teaching to a visual person like me. For the exercises, they were challenging enough and resumed the theory efficiently.
3. What I Learned
- I learned some subtle changes in expressions could make a statement more formal. For example, it is more appropriate to use ''as if'' than ''like'', in a more serious context.
-Writing in a concisely speaks straight to the reader. In fact, even if some words give a poetic feeling to a text, it is always better to stick to the facts when trying to convince someone in an essay.
-Some ways of writing can be slightly sexist even though we use them frequently. This can actually give a certain stance to the text. For example, calling a character a waitress infers that this job is usually done by women. By using terms such as server instead of waitress, it gives a neutral tone to the text.
4. My Score
I did not get a score for this course.
5. Course Rating: 8/10
I found the course not only to be interesting and easy to follow, but also very useful. During real-life situations, clarity and logic are the two best elements to use to convince people. However, the main negative aspect is that the general idea of the course focused too much on shortening texts, while the use of jargon and abstract sentences are useful in many situations as well.
I found this course to be very interesting because if taught to write in a very down to earth way. Thus, this course really showed how to improve our way to communicate. Being concise and neutral is the best way to prove your point.
2. Difficulty
In general, this course was fairly easy to understand. The presentation helped a lot because I did not have to always go back a few pages to confirm what I learned. As a matter of fact, the information flowed constantly and clearly; moreover, the use of tables was very useful for teaching to a visual person like me. For the exercises, they were challenging enough and resumed the theory efficiently.
3. What I Learned
- I learned some subtle changes in expressions could make a statement more formal. For example, it is more appropriate to use ''as if'' than ''like'', in a more serious context.
-Writing in a concisely speaks straight to the reader. In fact, even if some words give a poetic feeling to a text, it is always better to stick to the facts when trying to convince someone in an essay.
-Some ways of writing can be slightly sexist even though we use them frequently. This can actually give a certain stance to the text. For example, calling a character a waitress infers that this job is usually done by women. By using terms such as server instead of waitress, it gives a neutral tone to the text.
4. My Score
I did not get a score for this course.
5. Course Rating: 8/10
I found the course not only to be interesting and easy to follow, but also very useful. During real-life situations, clarity and logic are the two best elements to use to convince people. However, the main negative aspect is that the general idea of the course focused too much on shortening texts, while the use of jargon and abstract sentences are useful in many situations as well.
Friday, November 20, 2009
11 Sexy Ways to Introduce a Literary Essay
Background:
-A thesis statement is necessary.
-A TS is an interpretation.
-A TS is based on literary elements (setting, plot, narration, etc.)
-A TS is not a fact.
-A TS never uses ''I Think''
-A TS needs proof based on quotations.
1. Biographical Information: In A. Bierce's ''Occurence at ... ,'' he takes the view point of his enemy, a confederate, - even though he was a federal soldier - to show the horrors of war.
2. Quotation: ''I'm not mad. No, I'm not.'' Why did the narrator say this? Was he really sane? E.A. Poe's ''Tell...'' explores the fine line between madness and sanity.
3. Denifition: According to the dictionary, the word ''lottery'' means random draw with money as the prize. In S.Jackson's ''The Lottery,'' the prize is very macabre indeed: death by stoning.
4. A literary element: Imagery is a powerful way to express feelings and emotion. In John Keats's ode to psyche,'' there is stunning visual imagery to depictthe environment surrounding psyche.
5. Life experience (author):E.Hemingway had major problems dealing with women in his life.This is reflected in ''Hills...,'' where Jig and the American never really communicate.
6. Plot: At the beginning of Oscar Wilde's ''Nightingale...,'' the bird is heart-broken because the student is in emotional pain. At the end , the bird's heart is literally broken by a thorn of a rose tree.
7. Philosophical or sociological concept: Racism has always existed and will always exist, particularly towards black people. In A.Meeropol's ''Strange Fruits,'' the savagry of racism is clearly exposed.
8. Historical background: Romanticism and gothicism were in vogue in the early ninetenth century. In E.A. Poe's ''The Tell...,'' there are many gothic elements, such as the dark side of human nature.
9. Claim to fame/ notoriety: J.D. Salinger's ''Catcher in the Rye'', is still read in classrooms across North America because of its relevance to young people.
10. Using imagery: ''A painting for the painter is what the novel is for the writer. The authors of whole genres face endless possibilities when shaping the canvas of their work.''
11. Allusion: Many classic works are based on trials: Lee's ''To Kill a...,'' Rose's ''Twelve Angry Men,'' and H.Miller's ''The Crucible.'' Lee and Lawrence's ''Inherit the Wind'' uses the context of a trial to pit freedom of thought versus fondamentalism.
-A thesis statement is necessary.
-A TS is an interpretation.
-A TS is based on literary elements (setting, plot, narration, etc.)
-A TS is not a fact.
-A TS never uses ''I Think''
-A TS needs proof based on quotations.
1. Biographical Information: In A. Bierce's ''Occurence at ... ,'' he takes the view point of his enemy, a confederate, - even though he was a federal soldier - to show the horrors of war.
2. Quotation: ''I'm not mad. No, I'm not.'' Why did the narrator say this? Was he really sane? E.A. Poe's ''Tell...'' explores the fine line between madness and sanity.
3. Denifition: According to the dictionary, the word ''lottery'' means random draw with money as the prize. In S.Jackson's ''The Lottery,'' the prize is very macabre indeed: death by stoning.
4. A literary element: Imagery is a powerful way to express feelings and emotion. In John Keats's ode to psyche,'' there is stunning visual imagery to depictthe environment surrounding psyche.
5. Life experience (author):E.Hemingway had major problems dealing with women in his life.This is reflected in ''Hills...,'' where Jig and the American never really communicate.
6. Plot: At the beginning of Oscar Wilde's ''Nightingale...,'' the bird is heart-broken because the student is in emotional pain. At the end , the bird's heart is literally broken by a thorn of a rose tree.
7. Philosophical or sociological concept: Racism has always existed and will always exist, particularly towards black people. In A.Meeropol's ''Strange Fruits,'' the savagry of racism is clearly exposed.
8. Historical background: Romanticism and gothicism were in vogue in the early ninetenth century. In E.A. Poe's ''The Tell...,'' there are many gothic elements, such as the dark side of human nature.
9. Claim to fame/ notoriety: J.D. Salinger's ''Catcher in the Rye'', is still read in classrooms across North America because of its relevance to young people.
10. Using imagery: ''A painting for the painter is what the novel is for the writer. The authors of whole genres face endless possibilities when shaping the canvas of their work.''
11. Allusion: Many classic works are based on trials: Lee's ''To Kill a...,'' Rose's ''Twelve Angry Men,'' and H.Miller's ''The Crucible.'' Lee and Lawrence's ''Inherit the Wind'' uses the context of a trial to pit freedom of thought versus fondamentalism.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Book Report: Watchmen
Graphic novels are often underestimated because of their appeal towards more impressionable readers. However, it is possible to find that, in most cases, there is a deep analysis of the society in which we live. The graphic novel Watchmen, written by Alan Moore, and taking place in 1985, is an example of a great work of literature in this field. The novel’s approach towards and alternate historical timeline and its critic of modern society are in fact the two main points that support this thesis.
First of all, for what concerns the alternate historical timeline in Watchmen, it adds a lot of interest to the story because it gives the reader a whole new perspective on what could have been 1985 if the normal course of preceding events was changed. In the novel, some important historical elements were modified. The peak of fear of a nuclear war is in 1985, not in 1962; furthermore, many elements of the cold war took a different course. For example, the Watergate scandal involving Richard Nixon was covered up, and the war in Vietnam was won by the U.S. troops. This said, it takes the fearful, yet patriotic, climate of the United States before the social shift of the 60’s, and it transposes it to 1985. Because of this, the novel gives a whole new perspective of what would the world have looked like if some other factors came to influence the course of time; it lets the reader wonder about the importance of every event that occurs in our society. As a matter of fact, in Watchmen, the average citizen has a lot of trust towards the government and abides easily to the highly controlling attitude of the authorities; moreover, the U.S. the government has a strong opposition towards the Watchmen because of their free-thinking and independent nature, and leads easily the public on its side. Knowing that in reality people were more suspicious of their government at this period of time, what would our society look like if past events did not occur as they did? In my opinion, those interrogations help a lot for the novel’s quality because a book should not be only used to entertain, but also to stimulate the mind. Taking this depiction of society in context, Watchmen is also worth reading because it lifts questions upon thrust towards the authorities and what we take for granted. The Watchmen, who were once working with the authorities, are now being threatened by the authorities, who have doubts towards them. Nevertheless, the Watchmen really want a stable and peaceful world; therefore, there is a blur between good and evil, something that we also see in our society.
To sum it up, if found that Watchmen was a very interesting piece of literature because Alan Moore really knew how to stimulate the reader’s mind with subliminal questions about an alternate view of history and a nuanced perception of the authorities. Perhaps, we could find some similar views in other graphic novels.
First of all, for what concerns the alternate historical timeline in Watchmen, it adds a lot of interest to the story because it gives the reader a whole new perspective on what could have been 1985 if the normal course of preceding events was changed. In the novel, some important historical elements were modified. The peak of fear of a nuclear war is in 1985, not in 1962; furthermore, many elements of the cold war took a different course. For example, the Watergate scandal involving Richard Nixon was covered up, and the war in Vietnam was won by the U.S. troops. This said, it takes the fearful, yet patriotic, climate of the United States before the social shift of the 60’s, and it transposes it to 1985. Because of this, the novel gives a whole new perspective of what would the world have looked like if some other factors came to influence the course of time; it lets the reader wonder about the importance of every event that occurs in our society. As a matter of fact, in Watchmen, the average citizen has a lot of trust towards the government and abides easily to the highly controlling attitude of the authorities; moreover, the U.S. the government has a strong opposition towards the Watchmen because of their free-thinking and independent nature, and leads easily the public on its side. Knowing that in reality people were more suspicious of their government at this period of time, what would our society look like if past events did not occur as they did? In my opinion, those interrogations help a lot for the novel’s quality because a book should not be only used to entertain, but also to stimulate the mind. Taking this depiction of society in context, Watchmen is also worth reading because it lifts questions upon thrust towards the authorities and what we take for granted. The Watchmen, who were once working with the authorities, are now being threatened by the authorities, who have doubts towards them. Nevertheless, the Watchmen really want a stable and peaceful world; therefore, there is a blur between good and evil, something that we also see in our society.
To sum it up, if found that Watchmen was a very interesting piece of literature because Alan Moore really knew how to stimulate the reader’s mind with subliminal questions about an alternate view of history and a nuanced perception of the authorities. Perhaps, we could find some similar views in other graphic novels.
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