fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it .

Wow, I couldn’t believe that I could read this. I read it without a probl, which is strange because it usually takes me 2 or 3 times to carefully evaluate what’s within a text!

The movie Babel is all about connections. Connections made clear through the characters, and also drawn by the audience. Steph’s Junior’s have been asked a number of times to blog about Babel; to post what we like, dislike, our reactions, or any other thought that came across. Steph has been trying, so hard, to connect our class with her freshmen class and the honors class, having us, her juniors, start a conversation. Just like the odd connections between the characters, Steph is relaying messages using the wiki as her medium, intertwining her classes. Shininginthewind says, “Our Class is about being able to communicate to an audience and to make sure we as writers are understood by the readers.” Relating Babel to the title of our course “Writing as Communication,” I immediately thought of the wiki. We talk about Babel more so on the wiki rather than in class. When in class, we simply just watch. “The fact that this movie brings all these different situations together is similar to how our goal of writing to formulate a essay that wraps together the topics of media, function, context, and content,” says Kmb04. I couldn’t agree more!

Although I am considered an average writer, I have problems with diction. I can’t find the appropriate word to make the sentence work . I tend to use words or phrases such as, “seemed, basically, describes…” oh, how the list can go on. With feedback, Steph makes me realize that there are other ways to go about wording a sentence. The structure and grammar of a sentence should fit and make clear sense to the audience!

The feedback Steph gave me was mostly positive and will only benefit me if I choose to rewrite this essay. Given what I already know about my topic, being “The Rising Cost of Textbooks, ” she posed many questions for me to consider. In a sense, the questions brought to my attention will help tidy up my essay, however, the length being 500 words, will not. My essay just met that requirement. I want to improve my writing skills; reading and understanding the feedback given on paper will help to do just that.

After reading feedback on my first few papers, I question myself as a writer. I would always beat myself up because the suggestions Steph gave me were better than my own. I would write and rewrite essays to hit some of the points she would give me. I understand that the information I present about my topic could be different from what she knows, she is only trying to help. Now, I take the questions on a new slate. How can I improve my writing with incorporating these questions but not take away the main elements of my essay? This will be a challenge for me since I have opted to do a re-write. I’m excited to see the final product, hopefully it’s better than my first.

John Carey’s “Communication as Culture” comes from the basis of the ritual model of communication. Communication becomes culture centered when people work together to create shared beliefs. “Communication is a symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired, and transformed.” New and sometimes hidden meanings are acquired in everyday social life.

The Ritual model of communication is seen in both “Writing as Communication” and “Communication as Culture.” The Ritual model comes from the social constructionist paradigm. In class, we also tend to use the Transmission model of communication, sender to receiver, or the “idea of communication as the transmission of signals or messages over distance for the purpose of control; characterized by the desire to increase the speed and effect of messages as they travel in space.” For example, Steph (being the teacher sends) us (being the students) information whenever we have discussions. She uses the chalk board relaying her ideas to her audience. However, checking the wiki for homework assignments is a ritual act on the students behalf. The information held in the wiki determines what is needed to be done.

The main conversation held between Steph and her freshmen English 112 class was about feedback when reading or editing papers. The feedback would not only be from Steph, but from other students who are involved with the wiki and wordpress (Steph’s other junior writing class: Writing as Communication.) This post acknowledges all the work that both classes have undergone and completed. By using the wiki, it is allowing outsiders with different opinions, critique and gives helpful feedback to other students without feeling embarrassed, since we are all anonymous users. Feedback from outside sources can benefit the writer by learning new techniques or ideas in rhetorical situations.

The use of the blogs and the wiki creates an ongoing conversation between bloggers. Anything posted is able to receive comments and feedback. Through the wiki, Steph or anyone else can easily make comments. It is a quick and friendly way to get a point across. Could writing a post then commenting be easier than doing a peer-edit in class? Would the comments be more in depth? Writers can write what they feel and not have to explain what they mean every second. Questions and concerns arise and can be sought out through the wiki. All suggestions ultimately lead to help the blogger become a better writer, and sometimes more organized.

Blogging is a successful tool to use in regarding feedback; however, I am awful at blogging. Stef wants us to utilize the wiki and take other peoples feedback into consideration to help build our writing skills. I believe this is a great way for writers to hear what other people have to say, even if it’s not what you want to hear.

What I liked about Bela’s piece that was not included in my own was the fact that she made her logos, pathos, and ethos know. I had trouble including these in my piece until my final draft. This is something that I can take and learn from. She makes references to Jacoby without summarizing too much. Bela draws conclusions through his emotion as a writer: “He seems like a man whose opinion is relatively normal and moral, pointing out flaws such as the “indifference” of guards to rapes and murders, that most murders and robberies go unpunished, and that criminals can become skilled in crime in jail.” A very well written piece!

I like that the two beginning paragraphs of Elr6’s. It focus on numbers and statistics, which draws the reader in to learn more about the essay. “Jacoby also gives statistics as evidence to support the argument.” This is a good opening sentence, leading into the connection the writer makes with the ethos, pathos, and logos as compared to Jacoby point of view.

“Jacoby’s argument begins to break down with his implications and assumptions. He claims that corporal punishment would not be seen as a “sign of manhood” in the way that there is a “cachet of doing time [in jail]” (para. 7). This cannot be assumed, because many forms of corporal punishment result in permanent scarring, which is visible to everyone. Scars from stab or gunshot wounds are considered a sign of manhood in many gangs. Given that gangs were one of Boston’s biggest problems at the time which Flogging was written, this seems to be a major oversight in Jacoby’s argument. To make matters worse, corporal punishment only reinforces the idea that violence is acceptable. Also, It’s very difficult to have revenge on the prison system, but it’s not a stretch to imagine violence targeted against a corporal punishment system.” This is a strongly worded paragraph that argues Jacoby’s belief in bringing back flogging. I like that this example was tied into his piece because it is worded well and makes a point.

In Amanda’s essay “To Flog or Not to Flog?” she critiques Jacoby’s style as a writer. Using statistics in support of Jacoby and his very public opinion of a change in the criminal justice system, she argues for the reader to consider her point of view. By stating how it would be better to have a public flogging like the Puritans did, “he never claims to know if these methods worked or not, possibly because of lack of records, but that is a mute point in his argument“. This is a very good point to bring up in the essay. There were no facts Jacoby mentioned that this method would truly work. The basic point that both writers make is that there is a desperate need for change in the way punishments work in today’s society.

In both Amanda’s essay and Bella Berly’s “Unflogg Your Mind,” the authors stress the word “cage.” Jacoby uses provocative words and phrases such as “prisoners are caged behind bars.” Like the other three writers, Bella uses examples and statistics to evoke the reader into changing their views of punishment.

The conclusions on all five essays, including my own were ultimately about educating the reader. The real issue that Jacoby claims is that there is a desperate need for a change in the criminal justice system. He used comedy and sarcasm to bring together his points to entertain yet inform the reader of this change. All three essays made references to these main concerns of Jacoby.

Questions we came up with:

Is there more to the message in the definition?

Who are these questions directed to?

Who came up with definitions?

How can we differentiate and analyze what is in the text?