Dear Incoming Student,
I am writing to you to inform you on what you might need to know for Freshman English at Ohio State University.
I came into this class hating writing and english classes in general. I was afraid I wouldn't do well and the work would be too challenging or that the class would require too much reading. However after taking the class I realized differently. The material itself is not too hard to learn if you really try. What I did get out of the class though, is that I now really enjoy writing.
What you really need to know is to do all your work on time, and enjoy yourself with it. you will be working with your Analytical Research Papers for a while, so I suggest you pick a topic that interest you. Also something i didnt realize is that you will use that topic to also write your common place essay at the end of the quarter. That essay is supposed to be timely, relevant, and compelling to Ohio State Students. So you should try to pick a topic in that range for your Primary Source Analysis as well. I believe as long as you choose topics that interest you, you should have fun in the class.
Ofcourse, to get the grade you want you will also need to complete all of your work on time and put effort into it. I wish you the best of luck!
Sincerely,
Stephanie S.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
blog prompt 3
What a perfect time to write this blog about my own community. I just flew home to maryland for the weekend. My neighborhood is very diverse, so I am not going to talk about just one type of food or culture. I will however talk about one specific neighborhood tradition that I find extremely fun.
First, here is a little background on my neighborhood. When I first moved here when I was 8, my family was the only house with children on the street. Technically the house next to me had a girl in high school, but to an 8 year old that wasnt a child. Every house was occupied by an elderly resident, and in come a household of 4 girls between the ages of new born and ten. Within 3 years, between the elderly passsing on, or moving away, 4 of the 7 other houses on my street were then occupied by households with children. My little sister and all of the little kids would run around from house to house all day (and they still do!). All of the families on our street know each other, and the parents feel fairly safe leaving their children to run around the neighborhood. Anyways, all four of those families are either fully or part Hispanic, so i've learned a lot about their culture in the past years.
My favorite tradition is on Christmas. I love to bake, and the winter hoidays are the perfect time. In our house every year, my family and I make dozens and dozens of cookies and treats. Chocolate chip, peanutbutter, gingerbread, oatmeal raisen; usually 4 or 5 different types of cookies. Then I make fudge, and my mother makes date bread, banana bread, and she has started making figgy pudding (which by the way is not pudding really. It's more of a bread, and then a sauce that can go on top)! After a days worth of baking, christmas eve we make plates of these fresh treats and take them to all my neighbors. The first year the neighbors to the right of my house moved in (with 3 generations of people, and 4 kids under the age of 6) was probably the first year we made this tradition to pass out cookies.
While we were trying to go to sleep at 10 pm so Santa could come, we heard loud music and a knock on the door. We all woke up to see what was going on. In their tradition, Santa did not come when the children were sleeping so they could wake up for presents Christmas morning, but Santa came while they were outside breaking a pinata and they opened the presents at midnight. However that was not the only tradition they gave to us. In return for the cookies they brought us a plate of fresh made tamales. I had never had a tamale before, but it was the most interesting, yet amazing food I have tasted. Every year now I crave those Tamales, and can't wait til Christmas eve when we do our exchange.
As you can see, we have brought out two cultures together. While everyone around the world probably eats cookies (i dont have sources for this. just a guess), I do think of them as an American food. They are comfort foods, and sold in almost every store in America. It is a tradition in America for most people to put out cookies and milk for Santa. At least that is how the cookie making tradition came about in my household.
In Hispanic culture, or what I have learned from my neighbors, meat is a big portion of their diet. My neighbors are always having cookouts in their backyards, but they don't last a half hour like they do for my family. They will go out and start cooking steak at 3pm, and by 11pm they mighttt be turning off the grill. For those who don't know, Tamales are typically a bit of meat in a corn meal dough, and then wrapped in corn husk and tied at the ends to boil and cook. They originated in Mexico and have been altered/varied and brought to other cultures. My neighbors, for example, came from El Salvador, and brought this wonderful meal and tradition to my family.
First, here is a little background on my neighborhood. When I first moved here when I was 8, my family was the only house with children on the street. Technically the house next to me had a girl in high school, but to an 8 year old that wasnt a child. Every house was occupied by an elderly resident, and in come a household of 4 girls between the ages of new born and ten. Within 3 years, between the elderly passsing on, or moving away, 4 of the 7 other houses on my street were then occupied by households with children. My little sister and all of the little kids would run around from house to house all day (and they still do!). All of the families on our street know each other, and the parents feel fairly safe leaving their children to run around the neighborhood. Anyways, all four of those families are either fully or part Hispanic, so i've learned a lot about their culture in the past years.
My favorite tradition is on Christmas. I love to bake, and the winter hoidays are the perfect time. In our house every year, my family and I make dozens and dozens of cookies and treats. Chocolate chip, peanutbutter, gingerbread, oatmeal raisen; usually 4 or 5 different types of cookies. Then I make fudge, and my mother makes date bread, banana bread, and she has started making figgy pudding (which by the way is not pudding really. It's more of a bread, and then a sauce that can go on top)! After a days worth of baking, christmas eve we make plates of these fresh treats and take them to all my neighbors. The first year the neighbors to the right of my house moved in (with 3 generations of people, and 4 kids under the age of 6) was probably the first year we made this tradition to pass out cookies.
While we were trying to go to sleep at 10 pm so Santa could come, we heard loud music and a knock on the door. We all woke up to see what was going on. In their tradition, Santa did not come when the children were sleeping so they could wake up for presents Christmas morning, but Santa came while they were outside breaking a pinata and they opened the presents at midnight. However that was not the only tradition they gave to us. In return for the cookies they brought us a plate of fresh made tamales. I had never had a tamale before, but it was the most interesting, yet amazing food I have tasted. Every year now I crave those Tamales, and can't wait til Christmas eve when we do our exchange.
As you can see, we have brought out two cultures together. While everyone around the world probably eats cookies (i dont have sources for this. just a guess), I do think of them as an American food. They are comfort foods, and sold in almost every store in America. It is a tradition in America for most people to put out cookies and milk for Santa. At least that is how the cookie making tradition came about in my household.
In Hispanic culture, or what I have learned from my neighbors, meat is a big portion of their diet. My neighbors are always having cookouts in their backyards, but they don't last a half hour like they do for my family. They will go out and start cooking steak at 3pm, and by 11pm they mighttt be turning off the grill. For those who don't know, Tamales are typically a bit of meat in a corn meal dough, and then wrapped in corn husk and tied at the ends to boil and cook. They originated in Mexico and have been altered/varied and brought to other cultures. My neighbors, for example, came from El Salvador, and brought this wonderful meal and tradition to my family.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Primary Source Redo
Here is a link to the source I am using. The video should be the first one. It is called Easter Goodies.
http://www.ricekrispies.com/memorylane.aspx#/memorylane
The source I chose was a commercial from rice krispies. I remember seeing it and thinking how effective it was. It is a video of a real family. The mom is bonding with her children while using "the product." It is aimed towards families with little kids. this is an interesting source because it makes people want think that if they buy rice krispies, they can have a family this happy. The kids and mom in the video are cheerful and smiling and laughing. It is also a good idea for a project. In the commercial, rice krispies is trying to make themselves seen as a family friendly product.
http://www.ricekrispies.com/memorylane.aspx#/memorylane
The source I chose was a commercial from rice krispies. I remember seeing it and thinking how effective it was. It is a video of a real family. The mom is bonding with her children while using "the product." It is aimed towards families with little kids. this is an interesting source because it makes people want think that if they buy rice krispies, they can have a family this happy. The kids and mom in the video are cheerful and smiling and laughing. It is also a good idea for a project. In the commercial, rice krispies is trying to make themselves seen as a family friendly product.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
possible primary sources
As most people can agree, everyone loves food! They may love different types, styles, or backgrounds of food, but everyone has that food they can not resist. For some of us, its many foods we can't resist. But what I believe is that many of us actually enjoy being with one with our food. We like to take huge bites, mouthfuls, so we can barely chew, let alone swallow.The taste of the food just fills your entire mouth to complete satisfaction. But... what if that's not enough? What about those of us whom feel the need to just be surrounded in our food?...dive into it? swim around?
The first picture I chose was a little boy eating spaghetti.. or Atleast trying to. I'm not sure how much of the food is actually getting in his mouth. He seems to be enjoying himself, non the less. He is obviously eating the spaghetti more with his hands than the spoon he is holding, and making a complete mess not only on his high chair but all over his arms and face. He seems completely content with life.
The second picture is La Tomatina. It is a traditional tomato food fight in a semi small town in Spain. For this annual event, thousands of people come to this little town for this huge event. People of all ages dream of being able to go to this event some day. There must be some thrill in being covered in food. Maybe its the idea of taking part in the worlds largest food fight, or maybe its just the idea of being smothered in food. Because of American standards and culture, many people believe it is improper to be a messy eater and be covered in food. But who doesn't love it from time to time. From children just learning to eat, to grown adults sliding in tomatoes, who doesn't enjoy the thrill of being covered in their favorite food.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Blog prompt one: introductory post
1) Write a profile of yourself based on the contents of your refrigerator or your food shelf. What do the items in it reveal about you? What don't they reveal? Do you think people would get an accurate idea of you based on it?
I believe the items in my refrigerator reveal a significant amount about me. I have many fruits, apples, pineapple, strawberries, and many more. When I was a child almost all i ate was fruit and junk food. I wouldn't eat any of the meals my mom cooked me or most foods at restaurants. I didn't even like pizza. I probably ate atleast three apples a day, and a bunch of junk and candy. The two places I have always wanted to work is a candy store and a produce stand. Coincidentally, or not so much, I have worked at a Farmers Market for five years now. Much of the food in my refrigerator comes from there. I think this reveals that I am to an extent, a healthy and pure person. I don't like too many chemicals in my food, but at the same time I will eat almost anything. I try to keep my body healthy but I am not one of those people who stresses about what they eat. I am not picky anymore like I was when I was younger. My refrigerator and pantry includes lasagna, macaroni and cheese, hot pockets, icecream, chocolate, warheads...etc. Perhaps this shows that I am not afraid to let free and shove my face occasionally. Personality wise, I think it shows that I am relaxed and chill. I believe the healthy foods show I am structured and care about myself, and the more comfort/luxury foods show that I am able to let free and have fun. Now because I live on campus, my refrigerator isn't necessarily big and doesn't contain many of the foods in which I eat. For example, I eat a fair amount of meat products, and since college I have also gotten into eating more salads. I am a very athletic person in my opinion, so the protein and vegetables might reveal that I am fit and need that type of food for energy. Although salad is a necessary food for everyone, I believe it is somewhat associated with girls as a more feminine food. On the other hand, meats are strongly associated with being a man. Because I eat a fair amount of both foods, I think it shows the two different sides of me. I love dressing up and looking "cute" but at the same time I enjoy playing sports and being "one of the guys." A lot of times I just hang out with a bunch of guys throw a football around or make sexist jokes and laugh at them. So maybe the foods I eat (not necessarily in my refrigerator because I live in a dorm and can't cook here) show a lot about my personality. I think people could get a pretty good idea about me by looking at my pantry and fridge.
I believe the items in my refrigerator reveal a significant amount about me. I have many fruits, apples, pineapple, strawberries, and many more. When I was a child almost all i ate was fruit and junk food. I wouldn't eat any of the meals my mom cooked me or most foods at restaurants. I didn't even like pizza. I probably ate atleast three apples a day, and a bunch of junk and candy. The two places I have always wanted to work is a candy store and a produce stand. Coincidentally, or not so much, I have worked at a Farmers Market for five years now. Much of the food in my refrigerator comes from there. I think this reveals that I am to an extent, a healthy and pure person. I don't like too many chemicals in my food, but at the same time I will eat almost anything. I try to keep my body healthy but I am not one of those people who stresses about what they eat. I am not picky anymore like I was when I was younger. My refrigerator and pantry includes lasagna, macaroni and cheese, hot pockets, icecream, chocolate, warheads...etc. Perhaps this shows that I am not afraid to let free and shove my face occasionally. Personality wise, I think it shows that I am relaxed and chill. I believe the healthy foods show I am structured and care about myself, and the more comfort/luxury foods show that I am able to let free and have fun. Now because I live on campus, my refrigerator isn't necessarily big and doesn't contain many of the foods in which I eat. For example, I eat a fair amount of meat products, and since college I have also gotten into eating more salads. I am a very athletic person in my opinion, so the protein and vegetables might reveal that I am fit and need that type of food for energy. Although salad is a necessary food for everyone, I believe it is somewhat associated with girls as a more feminine food. On the other hand, meats are strongly associated with being a man. Because I eat a fair amount of both foods, I think it shows the two different sides of me. I love dressing up and looking "cute" but at the same time I enjoy playing sports and being "one of the guys." A lot of times I just hang out with a bunch of guys throw a football around or make sexist jokes and laugh at them. So maybe the foods I eat (not necessarily in my refrigerator because I live in a dorm and can't cook here) show a lot about my personality. I think people could get a pretty good idea about me by looking at my pantry and fridge.
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