Our Engl 106 class is reading the book "Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family And Place". The reason for reading this specific book is because the author is eventually going to visit our campus. And my opinion so far of the book is not so good. Being a typical college student I do not find myself an avid bird watcher, and since that is what half of the book is about I do not find it that interesting. The other half about the sickness in her family is alittle more interesting. It is about cancer and how many members in her family have it. I find it more interesting because a few members of my family have also had cancer in the recent years.
The book is also about the bird refuge she frequently goes to and the different things happening to it. I find it somewhat interesting, the flooding atleast, but most of the other things I do not find all too interesting to me. I must say that I do not really like the book that much and in that sense it is more of a "must read" then a "pleasure read". With this being said I find myself forcing myself to read it and then I do not enjoy it. And I know that if I do not enjoy a read I will not get as much out of the book as if I would like reading it. So that is what I get out of the book so far. By the end, that may be a different story.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
English Mechanics
The English language is a very peculiar kind of thing. I rememeber back in 7th grade in English class we had a weekly spelling test. He would give us around 15 or 20 words on Monday and we would test on them on Friday. Now these words were never very hard but for some reason I just kept failing them. What caused me to fail them I still don't know since my spelling since then has improved greatly. But what gave me a laugh was the few that I did not fail, I aced. That never did make sense to me.
Now, the English language has always had a very odd way of spelling. Opossum is just one of a list of hundreds of words that the majority of people would miss spell. We have silent letters, as mentioned in opossum, and we also have words where the letters seem to be wrong, such as music (the c makes a very harsh k sound). And if you ask me, these things are pointless. The only reason you would need to be grammatically correct is if you are writing a paper for a grade, or for the public.
But I believe if you are simply writing to communicate with one person, that grammar is not very important. Our minds have a way of reading things even if they are grossly misspelled. There is a common article being circled on the internet that every single word is misspelled, but it is still readable. There are studies that as long as the first and last letters are right, it doesn't matter what's in between.
But also, spelling shouldn't matter, as long as the basic idea gets across. If I were to write musik, you would still know what I mean, the same with possum. But they are misspelled, therefore that shows that spelling is not always an important factor in writing.
Studying grammar, in my opinion is pretty pointless. It will make you look smart in the world of Academia but that is just about it. Knowing where words come from can help understand the true meaning, but words only have the meanings we give to them. Take for instance crap. This word has been changed in the passed decade or two. Once used to identify fecal matter (and still sometimes today) it can be used to say that something is unfair, or even stupid. There are many words like this in the English language. So since the meaning of things can be changed simply by how we use them, it is pointless to try to understand the true meaning, if we are only going to change it.
Now, the English language has always had a very odd way of spelling. Opossum is just one of a list of hundreds of words that the majority of people would miss spell. We have silent letters, as mentioned in opossum, and we also have words where the letters seem to be wrong, such as music (the c makes a very harsh k sound). And if you ask me, these things are pointless. The only reason you would need to be grammatically correct is if you are writing a paper for a grade, or for the public.
But I believe if you are simply writing to communicate with one person, that grammar is not very important. Our minds have a way of reading things even if they are grossly misspelled. There is a common article being circled on the internet that every single word is misspelled, but it is still readable. There are studies that as long as the first and last letters are right, it doesn't matter what's in between.
But also, spelling shouldn't matter, as long as the basic idea gets across. If I were to write musik, you would still know what I mean, the same with possum. But they are misspelled, therefore that shows that spelling is not always an important factor in writing.
Studying grammar, in my opinion is pretty pointless. It will make you look smart in the world of Academia but that is just about it. Knowing where words come from can help understand the true meaning, but words only have the meanings we give to them. Take for instance crap. This word has been changed in the passed decade or two. Once used to identify fecal matter (and still sometimes today) it can be used to say that something is unfair, or even stupid. There are many words like this in the English language. So since the meaning of things can be changed simply by how we use them, it is pointless to try to understand the true meaning, if we are only going to change it.
Friday, September 7, 2007
The Dictionary
The youth of today generally have no idea of what literacy is. The think if they can read a book, and write an essay that they are good to go. But what they don't know is that they are missing out on alot.
The essay we read goes into description about Santa and his sleigh. Everyone generally belives that the sleigh flies but in the original text the reigndeer simply jump ontop of the houses. How many people honestly knew that? I know I didn't. This is only one example of our generation and the gap we have with the past.
More so, many people of our generation don't know older authors or books. Sure some of us know "To Kill A Mockingbird" or "A Raisin In The Sun" but that is probably because of an english class somewhere down the road. There are only a select few, probably 1 out of 10 that read that sort of stuff to learn, or for pleasure.
What they were trying to do by writing this Dictionary was to bridge the gap between the "Mockingbird" generation and ours. So that by doing this, our generation can have all that they knew, plus some. Because as it is with each generation, we try to get ahead in life by learning from the past.
The essay we read goes into description about Santa and his sleigh. Everyone generally belives that the sleigh flies but in the original text the reigndeer simply jump ontop of the houses. How many people honestly knew that? I know I didn't. This is only one example of our generation and the gap we have with the past.
More so, many people of our generation don't know older authors or books. Sure some of us know "To Kill A Mockingbird" or "A Raisin In The Sun" but that is probably because of an english class somewhere down the road. There are only a select few, probably 1 out of 10 that read that sort of stuff to learn, or for pleasure.
What they were trying to do by writing this Dictionary was to bridge the gap between the "Mockingbird" generation and ours. So that by doing this, our generation can have all that they knew, plus some. Because as it is with each generation, we try to get ahead in life by learning from the past.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Journal Entry 1
Here are the answers the 5 questions we got in english class.
1. Define literacy as I understand it.
Literacy has many different parts to it. The basic parts are reading and writing. But there is much more then that. You can be literate in a number of things. Computers, mathematics, and meteorology are just a few.
2. What types of literacy do I have?
My types of literacy are mainly the basic (reading and writing) as well as some mathematical and computers. I know some things about video games (not as much as some others) as well as the "sport" of bowling.
3. What types would I like to have?
There are tons of literacy I don't have but would like. More about computers, science, and sports are some I would really like to have. I would also like to know more about music (not only the kind on the radio but concert hall music, and even pep band music).
4. How important is it as defined by me?
In the days we live now, literacy is very important. If you can't read or write you really can't do very much. Reading is a must if you want to go to school, drive, watch certain T.V. programs, and use the internet. Writing is important to get any job. You can't fill out an application or make a resume if you are not able to write.
5.How will my time at Purdue affect my literacy?
I wish while I am here at Purdue that my literacy of sports, creative writing, and maybe even music will be amplified.
Well there are my 5 answers.
1. Define literacy as I understand it.
Literacy has many different parts to it. The basic parts are reading and writing. But there is much more then that. You can be literate in a number of things. Computers, mathematics, and meteorology are just a few.
2. What types of literacy do I have?
My types of literacy are mainly the basic (reading and writing) as well as some mathematical and computers. I know some things about video games (not as much as some others) as well as the "sport" of bowling.
3. What types would I like to have?
There are tons of literacy I don't have but would like. More about computers, science, and sports are some I would really like to have. I would also like to know more about music (not only the kind on the radio but concert hall music, and even pep band music).
4. How important is it as defined by me?
In the days we live now, literacy is very important. If you can't read or write you really can't do very much. Reading is a must if you want to go to school, drive, watch certain T.V. programs, and use the internet. Writing is important to get any job. You can't fill out an application or make a resume if you are not able to write.
5.How will my time at Purdue affect my literacy?
I wish while I am here at Purdue that my literacy of sports, creative writing, and maybe even music will be amplified.
Well there are my 5 answers.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
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