Blog#14

I decided to read chapter 18 which is about sentences. This chapter talks about how to revise your sentences for the rhetoric of the sentences style. It states, “a writer who understands how to build sentences is a writer who understands the key concept of sentence style: that there is a powerful link between the shape of a sentence and the shape of a thought” (391). And they summarize this key idea with the phrase, a sentence is the shape thought takes.

                 

Operating assumptions

When you create sentences that are going to work for you and to help your reader understand your meaning as you wish them to, it is a must for many writers to re-orient the way they think about sentences. They are three “laws” corollaries of primary mantra that every sentence is a shape thought takes. The first is every sentence is a delivery system which mean by that is stop thinking that a sentence is a neutral carrier of meanings. The second is every sentence possesses style means start focusing on what makes sentences right rather than on what makes them wrong. The last one is every sentences composed of interchangeable parts which means you can rearrange the parts.

I liked the section, “the simple sentence: one statement at a time” because I always struggle with writing sentences. I just write whatever I want to say to readers, and then it gets longer. This long sentence gets lost and I forget what I'm talking about and it becomes confusing. The simple sentence is kind of a single independent clause. An independent clause is which can stand alone, such as The dog was depressed. The simple sentences are good to use when you want to say something clearly and forcefully. But if you have too many simple sentences in a row, it probably means you are not adequately connecting your ideas. As you use a simple sentence, you can find your problem with your ideas.

Since I read this chapter, I am going to revise my sentences better and come up with more expanded sentences. As I said before, I get lost in what I was going to say about something. I tend to cannot write down my thoughts within letters. It could be better if I write my thoughts in simple sentences. And then make connections between sentences that go together. I think this would be more work for my sentences in my revision of my writing project.

Blog #13

In chapter 9 of Writing Analytically, the chapter talks about the purpose of an argument with an introduction to the rules of an argument. There are three viewpoints on an argument:

•       Formal Argument Analysis: The Syllogism and the Toulmin Model
•       Rogerian Argument and Practical Reasoning
•       Figurative Logic: Reasoning with Metaphors

The Rules of an Argument: Syllogism and Enthymeme

The Aristotelian model is the syllogism. There are three parts that consist in this model. The major premise is a general proposition presumed to be true. A minor premise is a subordinate proposition also presumed to be true. The conclusion is a claim that follows logically from the two premises, if the argument has been properly framed. It gives an example to understand easier:

And here is my example of what I understand:

            All actors are handsome.

            Chris Hemsworth is an actor.

            Therefore, Chris Hemsworth is handsome.

Toulmin’s Alternative Model of the Sylopgiam

Philosopher Stephen Toulmin studies arguments as we see them in everyday life instead of mathematical formulations. A good argument connects the whole discussion together. You need a claim that is a standpoint which is presented by a writer. Data is the evidence which supports the claim. A warrant is a general principle or reason for connecting particular data to a particular claim. A claim is a conclusion about the data. Here is Toulmin’s example:

            Data: Harry was born in Bermuda.

            Warrant: The relevant statutes provide that people born in the colonies of British

    parents are entitled to British citizenship.

            Claim: So, presumably, Harry is a British citizen.

                              

Rogerian Argument and Practical Reasoning

Both Rogers and Booth’s goal is the need to be able to understand and accurately represent the positions of “opponents” in an argument (196). This goal is important because of the standard in academic writing, where you try to put different points of views into the conversation rather than just argue about one view point. Also, there are two examples to illustrate how qualifying your claims and checking for the unstated assumptions upon which your claims depend on, can remedy the two primary problems created by categorical thinking: unqualified claims and overstated positions. So, you should more carefully limit the claims.

Figurative Logic: Reasoning with Metaphors

The Logic of Metaphor

•      Metaphors pervade our ways of thinking
•      Metaphor is a way of thinking by analogy
•       The logic of metaphors is implicit
•      The implicit logic of metaphors can be made explicit by scrutinizing the language
•      We can recast figurative language to see and evaluate its arguments just as we recast language to examine its logic in syllogistic form
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The last section of this chapter is about fallacies. Fallacies are false moves that can subvert arguments and interpretations. It is in the categories Pathos, Ethos, and Logos from classical rhetoric. It is important because it appeals to the audience’s emotions. If you understand fallacies, you can easily to avoid them in constructing arguments and in analyzing the arguments of others. 

Blog #12

In the process of writing, it is important to know how to start and end a piece of writing. These parts of your writing are called the introduction and conclusion. In chapter 16 of Writing Analytically, the chapter talks about how to write your introduction and conclusion in a better way. These are important in your writing; an introduction shows what your paper is going to about. The Latin root of the word introduction means “within” and “to lead or bring”. This means exactly what you are trying to say at the beginning of any writing. You are supposed to lead into the conversation instead of just saying what you want to say. This is kind of like when you talk to someone. You say “Hi, how are you?” so that you do not sound rude or too quick to ask someone something. Many professional works are better when you have an introduction, “in fact, papers in the humanities often begin [this] way” (356). The information that you write in the introduction must be relevant; “in deciding how much to introduce up front, you must make a series of difficult choices about what to include and exclude” (357). Sometimes you write too much or too little about your paper. A good introduction will make your whole paper better. There are many ways to begin your paper. These are “challenge a commonly held view”, “begin with a definition”, “lead with your second-best example”, and “exemplify the topic with a narrative.” You can start by asking a question that society is controversial about or maybe has an opinion about. This will usually make readers more interested in your topic. Another way is to define a word that goes with your theme. That way readers know what you are about to talk about. Another good way is to make a narrative or personal story about the topic. 

                                          

Now for the conclusion, “the concluding paragraph presents the paper’s final “So what?”(361). This is the last chance for you to convince readers about your point of to make a last impression. “At the end, the writer should rephrase the original research question and discuss it in light of the results presented”(363). You are supposed to restate your purpose, not repeat it. It is supposed to connect everything that you have said.  This creates some problems because sometimes you do not know where to stop when you are gathering all of the ideas. Some problems are “redundancy”, “raising a totally new point”, “overstatement”, and an “anticlimax”. You can be repetitive or even make up new points that you were not supposed to do. The conclusion is a sum of ideas. 

                                          

Blog #11

For my first draft of writing project #2, honestly, I kind of rushed and I did not think my first draft is organized nor clear because I did it kind of last minute. I had a hard time trying to choose a discourse community because I was not sure what the discourse community can be. Also, I was confused on how I should write about them. When I was writing, I did not know what I was writing about. I know I need to spend more time to work on my writing project #2.

When I discussed with my partner, she said that my essay sounds interesting but for the introduction, I need to show a clearer purpose, goal, and argument of what I am writing about. Also, I need to add some rhetorically analysis because she said it seems I just described the discourse community. She mentioned that I try to make extended conversations about one side and then the other side. That way I can have a better flow. She also told me that she wants to hear more about the women who experienced a change in beauty and their feelings about the transitions and such. 

                      

For my second draft of my writing, I am going to make sure that my purpose/goal of my writing is clearly written and I will make good arguments with it. I always have a hard time trying to write rhetorically so, I will go back to look up Prezi, which we discussed in class on Wednesday. It is not on the Prezi yet but I am sure he is going to post. Mr. Frank gave us the examples about good introduction, conversation, and rhetorically analyzing. It was really helpful of him to give examples for our first writing project rather than just explaining. I think that is because we all know what the writing project was about. Also, I will research more about my discourse community and make sure that I know what I am writing about. 

Blog #10

Writing Project 2

Before I start my essay, I kind of panicked because there was one more 7 to 8 page writing project. I was really unsure where to start from because I was unclear which discourse community I want to write on. I chose hospital and doctors the last time when we learned about analysis the discourse community in class but I was not sure what things I should write about hospital and doctors. I kept thinking about how I am going write 7 to 8 pages and what I should talk when it comes to the hospital and doctors, but I could not think of any arguments. I think because I do not know that much about them. Then, I decided to write about young women because I thought this discourse community is going to be easier to write with. I can easily include my thoughts and opinions into this topic, because I was more familiar with the topic.

This discourse community is really interesting to me because I am in this community and I feel that I could agree with them. That is why I choose this discourse community. Young women are sensitive on trend. In my opinion, most young women’s focus more on their looks. For example, in today’s society first impression is extremely important going to a job interview. One issue of this discourse community is that the media has such an enormous influence on not only young women but everyone actually. The media has such control over us that we do not even notice how much it has impacted us. For instance, the standard of women’s body, the media portray the ideal body to be skinny. Everywhere you go or see is skinny beautiful young women. We have this image embedded in our head of what beauty is defined as. This is a huge issue; beauty cannot be defined by our size. The media is sending a horrible message to young girls out there, and the worst part is we are letting them do this. This idea of being perfect or having the perfect body does not exist so we cannot be brain wash by the media. We have to except the fact that what we born with is a blessing and just learn to love and embrace our imperfections.
                                             

                                   




Chapter 11

                     

In the chapter 11, it is about how to improve and write a good and clear thesis statement to make your paper explore. I always struggle with writing a thesis statement. The reason behind this is because it is hard to adapt to the English language and writing. I know that having a thesis statement is one of the key elements to have in my writing. The author states that “A thesis is an idea. It is a thought that you have arrived at about your evidence, rather than something you can expect to find, ready-made, in whatever you are studying.” Having a good thesis can be having a good idea so, it help to explore your thought with good evidence. I am pretty sure this chapter is going to be really help to write thesis statement in the future.
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Blog #9

                      

Last Wednesday, we got in to the group and discussed and worked together. The group work was to talk about one strategy that we read before class and summarizing and editing one group member’s paragraph of their writing project #1. Our group’s strategy was “Strategy 4: Use Your Sources to Ask Questions, Not Just to Provide Answers.” We used Google document to complete this task. It was cool because we can type together at the same time. The strategy 4 was about when you are using a source to your argument or issue, it can bring up ideas and questions. Also, you should try using your source to avoid using the source as answers. One more thing is that you should consider only the source in isolation, you might not find much to say about it. Sometimes, you may not discover all the questions in the source. But you should not say that the source is “wrong”. It's just limited in some ways.

                         

Here is my group’s revised paragraph:

In “The Meaning of Mobile Phones for society” the author breaks down social matters regarding the cell phone and its significance on people. Cell Phones today are more than just a convenient device they are becoming a symbol of individuality by being able to contact someone directly this ability allows not only for us as individuals to be more accessible but the rest of the world as well (Glotz 11). The Cell Phone allows us to be free from traditional means of socializing so now we can be mobile with no restrictions of time and place smart phones especially allow us to chat face to face through the web anywhere anytime (Glotz 13). This quote from Glotz makes us wonder, “How are cell phones harming the society?” The main thing the cellphone does is bring down the boundary of space and time people now have conferences in other countries while never leaving their own town. The Ability to communicate whenever and wherever gives us the mobility to be free. This attribute is the reason our mobile world needs cell phones.

We used Angel’s paragraph from her writing project #1. When we revised this paragraph, it was kind of hard to apply this strategy because we did not have the source, so we were not sure what the sources were about. Also, I understood what the strategy is but I was not sure how to produce a question in this paragraph. We did not know what to do until the very last minute. So, we talked how to come up a question, and Angel told us that this article is about how cell phones are harming the society. Then, Kabao made a question “How are cell phones harming the society?” and she just put the question. After we finished our group work, Angel was presenting our group work and Mr. Frank told us to add, “This quote from Glotz makes us wonder,” this phrase to make more sense. This strategy made Angel’s paragraph more understandable. It also helps the reader to have an understanding of what the article was about.

                                         

For my writing project #2, I am not sure what discourse community I am going to write about. I chose hospital and doctors last time when we learned analysis the discourse community in class. I was thinking about what I should talk when it comes to the hospital and doctors, but I could not think of any argument. I think because I do not know that much about them. However, I will have time to choose my discourse community and get some ideas and the purpose of my writing project #2. 

                  

Blog #8 "On Political Labels"

This week we worked on the midterm portfolio description assessment. We read peer’s midterm portfolio and graded them 5 ways: reading and writing strategies, reflection, summary and conversation, rhetoricality, and language coherence. This is already blog #8 and I feel like the time goes by really fast. We have learned lots of things by doing these blog works. And we only left one week until spring break.
                                    

                         

When I skimmed through this reading, something caught me my attention. The words “Humpty Dumpty” and “Alice in Wonderland” were interesting because I know the movie “Alice in Wonderland” and I have watched this movie before. But I had no idea what or who is Humpty Dumpty. I think that is because I did not grow up here. So, I searched and asked my friends what is Humpty Dumpty. It was a character. When I started reading this article, it was kind of confusing for me because I am not much of a political person, I do not really know about politics. So, I felt this reading was going to be boring and challenging for me. But then it was okay to understand and it was good to learn about the rhetorical effect of words and labels in respect to politics.   

                  

In the reading, “On Political Labels” it shows how people label and how labeling works. Borick mentions that “Luntz advises his politician clients to change the name of the “estate tax” to the “death tax” and to switch the word “privatize” to “personalize” in an attempt to sway public perceptions.” They switched the words I think because they want to make a new word and have attention so they describe the situation better. Also, he said, “Since in all likelihood you will encounter thousands of political labels over the course of your lifetime as a citizen, it is important to develop a lens that will allow for a productive analysis of a label’s use and effects.” This quote demonstration as a citizen, that political labels are important in your lifetime.

                  

This related to the discourse community that we have learned in class. The political community can change by your political thinking, background and side of views. The city or what you have heard or watched before can affect it too. 

Midterm Portfolio

REVISING MY PAPER

It is already time to turn in the midterm portfolio for this class. Since we worked on the first writing project, I got the feedback from my peer and Mr. Frank. For my first draft, my peer said that I needed to start with my topic sentences first, that way I can have better flow in my paragraphs. She also told me that one paragraph in my essay is kind of out of topic. So I put topic sentences at the beginning of my paragraphs, took out the paragraph, and it was better than before. For my second draft, Mr. Frank said that as I introduce my sources and demonstrate my ability to work with their ideas, summarize, and quote, I am able to explore many interesting ideas. He also said that I will have to do more of that though-not just choosing sources that go along with how good cellphones are, but sources that have a bone to pick with cellphones. Another thing that he mentioned is to try to connect each idea to the next and show how my argument is developing. I will explore many interesting ideas from other sources and find negative sides to cellphones. First, I am going to read “The Idea of the Paragraph” again, which is about the relation and connection of paragraphs. Then, I will revise again and use strategies in my tool box.

                          

REFLECTIVE COVER LETTER

For my reflective cover letter, I will write about what I have learned in this class from my writing project. I will include things like how to write and think rhetorically, analyzing the reading, languages on academic writing, what strategies I have learned from reading the book, and how to apply them on my essay.

PREPARING MY PORTFOLIO

For my portfolio, I will post my first writing project with pictures and some texture elements to create my essay. I am going to using some of my blogs that go with my writing project for extra work. I think it is going to be helpful for my portfolio. I will also find some pictures that go to with my essay and put the pictures along with it. 

                                         

Wiki & Chapter 8

                          

The Wicked Wikis

Last Wednesday, we got in to the group and discussed about discourse communities and comics that we made or chose. That group was going to my group which is Wicked Wikis. We had group homework on the wiki. The homework was to post one of our paragraphs from our writing project 1 and then revise each group members’ paragraphs. It was kind of hard to do it because if I did not really understand peers’ main point or ideas, then I might edit my peers' paragraphs all wrongly. Also, if the other classmates are editing a paragraph at the same time, it could be all out of topic, so I read really carefully and then edited them.

When I revised group members’ paragraph, I edited the sentences to make them more understandable. Also, I added some grammatical errors and sentence structures. I felt that some of the words were too colloquial so I changed words academically or removed the colloquial words. In one of my group member’s paragraph, I added some words and added a little bit more of commentary to the quote. I just feel that the quote did not have enough commentaries, so I added on two more sentences after the quote. In another group member’s paragraph, I edited the grammar and sentences. I think that the way the sentence was originally is too confusing and so I changed just a few words to make it more easy to understand.

In my paragraph, I can see my grammar issues were fixed and they added some more words to make it flow. My peers changed some sentences to make them flow and connected them to each sentences. It looks better and it is more understandable now. They also removed a sentence that didn't really fit in with my point.

Chapter 8

                       

When you are writing academically, you need to put evidences to support your ideas. You cannot just say your thoughts without evidence. It cannot persuade your reader. In chapter 8 “Reasoning from Evidence to Claims,” of Writing Analytically was about how to use evidence to improve your writing and develop your ideas, rather than just trying to prove you are correct. This chapter mentions there cannot be claims without evidence and evidence without claims. The evidences are enough to make a thing as true and believable. Also, you should make sure that there is a relationship between the evidence and the claims. And it is better if you make the details speak out which shows that you considered how the evidence complicates the claims. Using evidence can support my ideas more and show that I understand what I am arguing for. These strategies are going to be in my strategy toolbox. 

Chapter 7

 

Chapter 7 of Writing Analytically was about how to improve your writing more analytically. I found that this chapter is really helpful for my writing project because I know that analytical thinking is going to make an advancement in my writing. This chapter is about various strategies for making more creative and better ideas. These are some of the common topics:  summary, personal response: the reaction paper, agree/disagree, comparison/contrast and definition.  The first thing I was interested in was summary because I am not comfortable with the idea of summarizing analytically, and my partner commented on the summary paragraph on my first draft. So, I should use these strategies on my writing project that summarize the other sources that support my ideas. It is important because writing analytical summary can help you to have more ideas about what you are summarizing. Also, when you are summarizing the text, you can better understand what you are reading. Another interesting part was personal response. We learned in class how to make good responses to each other, and we should apply these ideas when we reply to other’s blogs. Personal response deals with asking what is interesting, see-through, mainly significant, and/or difficult in the reading.

                                      

In class, Mr. Frank taught us the number system. He said that he is going to teach us how to remember the numbers easier, and if we learned it that way then we can remember any one of the  numbers. I was wondering how he was going to teach us and I was interested because I am a really forgetful person. I cannot really remember numbers well. For example, like a friend’s birthday and phone number. I have to look on my phone when someone asks me someone’s phone number. Also, when my parents were looking for a lawn mower, I was following them, and we were like comparing the price from store to store. I had to take a picture of the prices because I kept forgetting the prices. So, I was thinking this is a good chance to learn how to remember numbers.

Here is the number system:

1. = T, D

2. = N

3. = M

4. = R

5. = L

6. = Sh, Ch, J

7. = K, G

8. = F, V

9. = P, B

0. = S, Z

                                                                            

In class on Wednesday, the discourse I wrote about was doctors. They use medical terms which are really hard and difficult to understand. Most of the words they use are abbreviations of the name of a disease. Also, we cannot understand their hand writing but doctors and nurses are able to understand.

                                   

                         

Revision & The Idea of the Paragraph

Before I started my essay, I kind of panicked because a 7 to 8 page essay seems really hard and that means a lot of writing. I was really stuck on how to start this essay. So, it was hard to start, I could not start easily. I kept thinking about how I am going write 7 to 8 pages and which reading I should choose from. Then, I decided on “Our Cell Phone, Our Selves” because I thought this reading is going to be easier to write with. I can easily include my thoughts and opinions into this topic. Also, this reading was the most interesting one to me. I do not think my first draft is organized nor clear because I did it kind of last minute. There is one paragraph that does not really with my topic as well, so I need take off my paper.

When I discussed with my partner, she said that my introduction needs to be developed again because some of my body paragraphs do not go well with my introduction. Also, I need to summarize the reading that I chose for this essay. She mentioned that in the beginning of some paragraphs, I started with a quote or sources, so I might want to start with my topic sentences first. That way I can have a better flow. She also told me that one paragraph of my essay is kind of out of topic. That is how I realized my essay is unorganized and unclear to read, and I read through the paragraphs again.

                                              

In the section, “The Idea of the Paragraph,” it tells you how a paragraph should be written and improved in your writing. Basically, this section shows the relation and connection of paragraphs and sentences. The paragraph should have a topic sentence and all the other sentences in the paragraph should be related and connected with your main point which is your topic sentence. Also, if a paragraph is longer than half a page, the reader and writer will usually get confused. It is really easy to get lost when the writer forgets his/her claim. So, you should give breaks to the reader and between paragraphs should be relating to your main idea.

                                                   

Before revised

In the article "Cell Phones as Computing Devices" Angus K.Y. Wong discusses about the best features presented from mobiles. It is stated in the article that cell phones have come up with such a thing as the medical microscope. It is also called the "cellscope" (43). Cell phones and smart phones several years ago came with little storage. Smart phones came in  about 32 to 512 megabytes. Back then, that much would seem a lot. However, if you were to own a phone with only that much memory or storage nowadays, you might use up all that space in no time. Smart phones these days come with 4 and up to 32 gigabytes. Now that is a lot of data-storage. With more storage, you can do more on the phone. Cell phones now have the most useful tools and apps available for you to keep up with your work, dates and what needs to be done. Wong states in this article that "cell phones provide the most convenient way for people to handle their daily tasks, such as managing personal information, staying connected with friends, and even conducting business" (42). Mobiles have become our planners, papers, notepads, and many other useful tools we use in our daily lives. Not only can our phones become our planners and reminders, cell phones let us keep in touch with our friends and families. One of the most important apps a Smartphone provides is the map and GPS app. With this app, you can find your way easily and just about anywhere you want to go. It can also tell you where you are if you are lost or cannot find your way back home or where you are supposed to be.

After revised

In the article "Cell Phones as Computing Devices" Angus K.Y. Wong discusses about the best features presented from mobiles. Cell phones and smart phones several years ago came with little storage. Smart phones came in  about 32 to 512 megabytes. Back then, that much would seem a lot. However, if you were to own a phone with only that much memory or storage nowadays, you might use up all that space in no time. Smart phones these days come with 4 and up to 32 gigabytes. With more storage, you can do more on the phone. Cell phones now have the most useful tools and apps available for you to keep up with your work, dates and what needs to be done. Wong states in this article that "cell phones provide the most convenient way for people to handle their daily tasks, such as managing personal information, staying connected with friends, and even conducting business" (42). Mobiles have become our planners, papers, notepads, and many other useful tools we use in our daily lives. Not only can our phones become our planners and reminders, cell phones let us keep in touch with our friends and families. One of the most important apps a Smartphone provides is the map and GPS app. With this app, you can find your way easily and just about anywhere you want to go. It can also tell you where you are if you are lost or cannot find your way back home or where you are supposed to be. Smart phones have become a big part of our lives by providing us useful apps and tools that help us get around in just about anything.

I took out a couple of unnecessary sentences. I first used a quote about "cellscopes" but I figured it was not going well with the rest of my paragraph, so I erased it. I think it will flow better this way. I did not change much on my analysis of the quote, because I kind of like how I threw in the information about our phones being useful by providing us good apps and stuff. I added just a couple of sentences for the "concluding sentence". But I might have to change it later if I come up with something better. So for sure, I want to keep my explanatory sentences and the quote.

Chapter 5

In Chapter Five of Writing Analytically, the main focus was on the different ways of reading and interpreting texts. Often times, when we read we do not try to delve for the hidden words. Reading between the lines is an old concept. We tend to read just to read. We only read to understand the main points. We tend to read fast and skim through readings as if it were a race. However, reading and truly understanding is not something to be timed. Reading takes patience and a significant amount of attention to detail. After reading one should be able to casually talk about the text in a conversable matter with other peers. If you have truly read the section then you do not need to look up certain details about the chapter, you simply talk about it and ask questions about it with others. Reading can be a lot like note taking. When you read you should take your own notes of the passage. Rephrasing words and creating a hard copy for yourself lets you remember them easier. This is similar to paraphrasing. When you paraphrase it "allows you to arrive at your own sense of the significance of the sentence"(Rosenwasser 111). Putting sentences that you do not quite understand into more readable words lets you redefine the meaning in your own terms. This makes it easier to remember the meaning. When reading it is important to know why and what you are reading. This means to know the purpose of the argument and to know what the author was trying to teach you.

The articles all talk about the evolving technology around us. The world has quickly become dominated by computers and technology. All three of them talk of the effects that a technology based life has on us. They often compare what our lives used to be to what they are now. However, the stance on whether technology is good or bad is not equal. Some say it is a good thing and protects us while others say it distracts us and unsuspectingly makes us more vulnerable. 

I have not started on my paper. I do not quite know where to begin and I am looking to my peers for more advice and help on this paper. I have not started researching yet but I hope to begin soon and I want to have some sources by then.

Naked Crowd Blogging

In the section titled "Naked Crowd" by Jeffrey Rosen, he talks about the human beings revealing their emotions and feelings openly. He discusses the differences in having sincerity and authenticity. Rosen states that "sincerity requires that whatever is exposed must be true; authenticity requires that everything must be exposed as long as it is deeply felt" (480). When a person is sincere their actions are without deceit. They have a "real" expression. To be sincere is to accept that your actions are valid and complete. When one has authenticity, they can openly express all of their emotions. These emotions come from the bottom of the heart. Having authenticity is like having a lot of profound emotions that you can widely express. Sincerity is only expressing a fact.

Rosen has a really unique way of writing. He writes in a way that makes it easy for me to understand. Although he is a writer who uses big words, I can understand his main claims and such. In this section, Rosen also discusses about how technology has changed the way we express ourselves to others. And even though other people are not necessarily friends nor family members, we would post up our feelings and what emotions we are going through on our wall on Facebook and cyberspace. The way we communicate with the "world" these days is through the internet and texting through cell phones. Rosen writes in the section "The Comfort of Strangers?" that intimacy can only be gained on a personal level. Strangers cannot achieve intimacy through electronical means. Rosen states "to offer up personal information that has been taken out of context, in an effort to create the illusion of emotional connection with strangers, requires us to homogenize and standardize the very qualities that made the information personal in the first place" (484). Putting up personal information publicly for strangers to view and see makes the information non-special and not valuable anymore. It defeats the purpose of having personal information and feelings that only you should know about. I see this happen a lot on Facebook. Many people post up their emotions and feelings and situations they go through. And I know everyone goes through hard times here and there, but exposing personal information on the internet seems a bit too much. I find it unnecessary because personal information is supposed to be kept within yourself and the ones that are close to you. 



These chapters showed the emotional depth that one can take when writing online. The electronical age has been both a blessing and a curse. The internet is now a place to write about every emotional event in one's life. However this is known by the author as an unwise choice and actually reveals the insecurity of the writer.   

Our Cell Phones, Our Selves

Cell phones have been really popular these past couple of years. Cell phones have become a really big hit and impact in this world. Not only that, people have upgraded to smart phones. You turn that way, someone is looking or playing on the phone, you turn this way someone is either texting or talking on the phone. Almost everyone has a cell phone from elementary kids to seniors like my grandma's age.

 Cell phones are very handy in many ways. One way is that you feel a lot safer when you are carrying a cell phone. According to Christine Rosen in "Our Cell Phones, Our Selves," many people have cell phones to feel safe wherever they may go. Rosen states that “more than ninety percent of cell phone users also report that owning a cell phone makes them feel safer. The CTIA noted that in 2001, nearly 156,000 wireless emergency service calls were made every day-about 108 calls per minute” (458-459). The statistics prove that people are safer when they have a cell phone with them. When accidents happen or emergencies come up, it is very helpful that you have a cell phone in your pocket or purse. Or if situations were to come up at home and if your family needs to contact you, having a cell phone is a great thing to have been contacted by. Cell phones can also become your friend. When you are alone or waiting for someone, having a cell phone to play games or text you friends kill time pretty quickly. Smart phones provide apps that you can use for entertainment. You can also use smart phones to complete homework assignments online and for education such as dictionaries. Rosen discusses about how cell phones have changed over the years and their influence on people. She also stated that cell phones dominated video games and other hobbies that kids and teenagers used to enjoy doing. Instead of playing video games, teenagers and kids would play game apps on their phones or Facebook on their mobile and do networking. I cannot help but to think that if there were no cell phones, the world would be a very sad place to live in. Without cell phones, we would not have music to listen to while walking alone. We would not have any portable entertainment to carry around in our pockets. Without cell phones, I would not be able communicate with my old friends, present friends, or to-be friends. It would be hard to keep in touch with my loved ones and the people I want to communicate with. Cell phones are a would treasure. You can do just about anything on your smart phone and I love my phone.