Please Don't Make My Mistakes

Dear English 110 Students,

Right now you are probably a little nervous and/or unsure about the work that is ahead of you in your comp class. I completely understand as I was in your shoes just a few months ago. However, don't worry! It probably won't be as bad as you think. At least that was the case for me.

Before autumn quarter started, I thought that English 110 was going to be stressful. I pictured myself writing essays or research papers every week. I thought that every assignment would be an academic paper like the ones that I wrote in high school. However, on the first day of class, I learned that this would not be the case. Instead, we would spend the quarter writing one analytical research paper, one essay for Commonplace, and some blogs and short informal pieces. It was a lot less work than I had expected, but I was still pretty nervous.

Before English 110, I had never written an analytical research paper, and I didn't have a lot of experience with writing for the public. There was definitely an academic tone to all of my writing, too. (I still haven't completely fixed this, but it's getting better.) Although this tone worked great in the ARP, it wasn't very appropriate for the public audience on Commonplace. This made the Commonplace essay a bit more difficult for me.

So, don't be too nervous about English 110...but don't start thinking that it will be a cakewalk either. You'll have to put in the time and effort to get a good grade. To make things a little easier, though, here are some tips:

1. Go to your instructor's office hours whenever you feel like you need help. Heck, go even if you don't think you need help! Your professor will give you tons of good ideas and help you to see things that you may have overlooked. You'll learn a lot about your writing style and how to expand on your writing topic, too. Looking back, I wish that someone had told me this before I started my comp class. I waited until the end of the quarter to realize what a valuable resource my instructor was. Please don't make my mistake.

2. Don't procrastinate. I had a bad habit of this, and I think that a lot of my work could have been much better if I would have spent more time on it.

3. At the beginning of the quarter, pick a primary source that you feel really passionate about. You don't want it to be something that you are going to get sick of. It will come back to haunt you for the rest of the quarter, so make sure that you enjoy it.

Please take my advice. I hope that it will be helpful. I also sincerely think that with some effort, English 110 will help you to grow in your writing abilities. It taught me the skills needed for integrating primary and secondary sources, and it helped me to feel more confident in my public writing, too. Hopefully you get something out of it and learn a lot. I wish you the best!

Good luck!

Brittnee Halpin

Size 8 - Hideous Unisex Clown Sweater - NWT

Hideous. That's the only word that appropriately describes this item. I mean, have you seen the thing? If so, I think that you'd agree with me 100%. If not, just look at the picture next to this description. But please disregard the fact that I look like a complete tool in this darn thing! I tried to find someone who looked better in it, but sadly Megan Fox was a little too busy and there's no one else who could pull off a look quite like this! So, you get what you get.

Now, you might be wondering how I came to own this oh-so-lovely article of clothing. Did I buy it? Heavens, no! Did I get it as a gag gift? Definitely not. Did my Grandma knit it for me? Psh! That shouldn't even be a possibility! The truth is that I found it. (No, correction...it found me.)

It happened last Tuesday night when I was at the Coin Laundry down the street. As I was pulling my jeans and work shirts out of the dryer, I noticed something red and "fuzzy" among all the familiar shades of blue. Curiously, I latched onto the new speciman with my thumb and index finger, pulled it carefully from the machine, and yelped like a little girl. (No joke! I've had a serious phobia of clowns ever since watching Stephen King's It.) The atrocious combination of colored yarn then fell to the floor and continued to stare at me menacingly. So, before I left, I made the only obvious choice that was available to me: I brought it home.

Well, now that you know exactly why I don't want this thing, you're probably wondering why you should waste your money on it. Here's why:

1. You could wear it to your office's annual "Ugly Sweater" Christmas party (you'd be guaranteed to have the ugliest thing there!)

2. This sweater still has the tags on it, (Hmm....hard to guess why.) and it's unisex, so it could be a great gift for just about anyone!

3. My buddy bet me 2 tickets to a Raptors game that I couldn't even sell this thing on Ebay. If I win, I'm going to propose to my girl over the big screen. She's always told me how that would be her dream proposal, so buy this sweater and help me make her dream come true!

Thanks and happy bidding!

(Image found at http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Brilliam/c-s-s-crew-assemble-chad-sweater-solidarity--88887.phtml)

Evaluating Evidence -

I might be a redneck if I post a blog about country music and Wal-mart....
Is that going to stop me from doing it though?
NOPE!

I'm going to completely disregard my hicktown code of ethics, though, by examining some negative reviews of these two things. The first is a "thumbs down" review of Justin Moore's song "Small Town USA." The second is an article persuading people to boycott the Wal-mart corporation.

1) In Karlie Justus's 2009 review of Justin Moore's song "Small Town USA," she makes a variety of claims, but the evidence that she presents is just a procession of empty opinions and her own claims. She feels that the song is "frustrating" and does not really highlight the unique qualities of small town life. However, this seems to be merely her opinion. Her main point of logic is that "even in New York City, a guy can hang out with his girlfriend, down a six pack of beer while listening to [insert country legend of choice here], or attend church on Sunday morning." Although this logos does appeal to the reader and increase Justus's believability, it is not enough logos to fully support her argument. Also, she does little to incorporate pathos into her review. The work merely makes claims based on her own thoughts, and a few examples of lines from the song. She seems more intent on informing the reader of her views than of influencing the reader's thoughts on the song. Finally, ethos is included in Justus's work by refering to Moore's song lyrics as various places in her review. Therefore, due to the excessive use of opinions, little use of logos, and nonexistent pathos in Justus's work, I find her review to be neither credible or believable.

The following is a link to Karlie Justus's review:
http://www.the9513.com/justin-moore-small-town-usa/

2) Jim Hightower's 2002 article, "Boycott Wal-mart," is aimed at persuading people to have negative views of this multibillion dollar corporation. Hightower's persuasive article begins by comparing Wal-mart with a pleasant picture of a small town Arkansas family that is merely trying to sell decent priced goods to decent, hard-working people. The article then claims that this picture is merely a tactic that Wal-mart uses in its advertising for the purpose of appealing to people's emotions. (Even Wal-mart uses pathos!) Then, the article immediately begins to tear down that picture using facts and statistics about the company. For example, Hightower states that the "average [Wal-mart] employee makes only $15,000 a year for full-time work." He also mentions that the corporation's yearly profits are around $7 billion per year, while Wal-mart claims that it is cutting its profits by offering lower prices than many other businesses. Facts and statistics such as these are sprinkled throughout Hightower's article, and they lend logos to his argument. This logos is emphasized by Hightower's firm and simple diction. He tells the facts like they are, and elaborates only when necessary. His main goal is to give readers the facts. After the necessary facts are revealed, however, Hightower uses the conclusion of his article to appeal to the emotions of the readers. He incorporates pathos into his work by basically telling readers that Wal-mart is unpatriotic, and that anyone who supports it is "Un-American." He incorporates the idea that Wal-mart is taking control over "our country, our communities, and our economic destinies." These ideas appeal to the emotions of many Americans because the United States is a place that values individualism and freedom, while Wal-mart, according to Hightower, will deprive Americans of these things. Finally, this article includes a great deal of ethos. It refers to publications such as Business Week, The Texas Observer, and the Wal-mart supervisor's manual as places where its information was found. Therefore, I believe that the article "Boycott Wal-mart" is highly cridible and believable. It includes logos, pathos, and ethos, and uses them in ways that I find to be higly convincing.

The following is a link to the article "Boycott Wal-mart" by Jim Hightower:
http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A17618

Primary Source for Research

I chose the song "Small Town USA" by Justin Moore as my primary source.

I am only analyzing the lyrics, but if you want to watch the music video for this song, just click on the top image of the video bar to the right of this post. A window should pop up where you will be able to play it!

It takes a minute to load the video bar, and once it loads it will probably take another minute for the right stream of videos to pop up. Just don't watch the car commercial stream! It'll come! Sorry for any inconvenience!

In case you can't get the video to work, here are the lyrics that I am analyzing:

"Small Town USA"
by Justin Moore

A lot of people called it prison when I was growin up
But these are my roots and this is what I love
Cause everybody knows me and I know them
And I believe that's the way we were supposed to live
Wouldn't trade one single day here in small town USA

Give me a Saturday night my baby by my side
A little Hank Jr. and a six pack of light
Old dirt road and I'll be just fine
Give me a Sunday morning thats full of grace
A simple life and I'll be okay
Here in small town USA

Around here we break our backs just to earn a buck
We never get ahead but we have enough
I watch people leave and then come right back
I never wanted any part of that
I'm proud to say that I love this place
Good ole small town USA

Give me a Saturday night my baby by my side
David Allen Coe and I'll be just fine
Give me a Sunday morning that's full of grace
A simple life and I'll be okay
Here in small town USA
Oh yeah

I wouldn't trade on single day
I'm proud to say I love this place

Give me a Saturday night my baby by my side
Sweet Home Alabama and a six pack of light
Old dirt road and I'll be just fine
Give me a Sunday morning that's full of grace
A simple life and I'll be okay
Yeah, I'll be okay
Here in small town USA

Orton Hall

In order to find out what Ohio State is all about, you won't need expensive football tickets, a visit with Brutus, or even a long walk around campus. All that you need is your own two feet and directions to Orton Hall.

Orton Hall is my favorite building on Ohio State's campus. First of all, I like it's history. It was built between 1891 and 1893, and it is named after the first president of OSU, Dr. Edward Orton, Sr. Actually, someone told me that Orton's ghost still haunts the building. I'm not sure if I believe that, though!

When it comes to the building itself, I find the vestibule of Orton to be most intriguing. The room is usually a quiet and empty space. It creates a feeling of solemnity. Furthermore, the entire room is made of stone, from the high, arched ceiling to the columns that line the walls. This repetion of stone seems to indicate the idea of endurance and timelessness. Also, the stone columns were cut from various types of rock from all reaches of the state of Ohio. They are engraved with different images, including snakes, birds, skulls, and sea shells. The fact that these columns were brought in from different parts of the state seems to relate to the idea that Ohio State is a place where people from across the state can come together and receive an education. These people are different and diverse, though, just like the carvings on Orton's columns. With that in mind, I drew the conclusion that Orton Hall's vestibule is not simply an entryway to a building, but a representation of why Ohio State was created. The varied columns represent the diverity of students who attend Ohio State. The stone walls, ceiling, and floor give the impression that the legacy of Ohio State will last forever, and the information display case in the very center of the room represents the reason why students come to OSU - education. Who could have thought that one room could hold so much or have so much meaning? I didn't....until I visited Orton.

Hot Coffee and Dirty Plates

There is one life experience that I believe everyone should have - waiting tables.

For me, this experience came along during my senior year of high school. I was in desperate need of a job, and my mom made it no secret that she was sick and tired of paying for all the gas that I put into my new-to-me 92' Buick. In an effort to get her off my back, I applied to a restaurant in town where I was almost certain to get the job. In fact, the manager was my cousin's girlfriend, and she practically hired me before I even turned in my application!

Before I knew it, I was going in for my first day of work. It was a Sunday, and I arrived at the restaurant about fifteen minutes before my shift was supposed to start. I wanted to make a good impression. My collared polo was crisp, clean, and as white as cheap detergent would allow. I was wearing new black slacks and a pair of shiny black shoes that my mom had bought on the sale shelf at Wal-mart. Make-up had been painstakingly applied, and my hair was pulled back as tidily as I could manage. I felt like a million bucks! Or at least I did for about five minutes.

That morning turned out to be a nightmare! I would solemnly swear that the entire church-going population of Fulton County walked into the restaurant within the three hours that I was on the clock. People were everywhere, and everyone wanted something from me. Drinks were constantly being filled and refilled. Mounds of dirty plates begged me to carry them to the dishwasher as I rushed past them with the pot of hot coffee. Countless times, I heard the dreaded words "check please," and knew that I had not even entered the order into the cash register. To say the least, I was overwhelmed! What had I gotten myself into? Would I be able to handle doing this job every weekend?

The simple answer to that question was "yes." There was no way that I was going to quit. I had to stick it out, and now that I look back on it, I am very grateful that I did. Working in that small town restaurant changed me in ways that I could hardly have expected on that first dreadful day. First of all, I learned to be more social and outgoing. I have developed the ability to talk to strangers* and to people of all ages and backgrounds. My time management skills are much better than they once were, and I now do a better job of juggling tasks.

Ultimately, that restaurant prepared me for the real world. I created bonds with the members of my community, met travelers and heard their stories, and even had to deal with being "cussed-out" at one point! Waiting tables is an experience that teaches a person how to deal with real life experiences and to think of others before himself/herself. It is a lot of work, but I promise that all who try it will be richly rewarded!

*I apologize for my word choice at this point. Talking to strangers is not always a good thing; however, some jobs require it.