This writing class has been productive for me moving forward as a writer and educated individual. Despite wiritng thorughout my life, I have learned a few things in this class that have stuck with me more than any other English class I have taken before. Of these things are the importance of topic sentences and conclusions, the power of skim reading, and visual rhetoric through maintaining this blog.
As I wrote my rhetorical analysis paper, I quickly realized that the things I write make sense in my mind but don't always come across that way. I have the tendency to overcomplicate my writing so I have learned the power of being concise. My topic sentences did not appeal to my thesis statements but would rather feel like a new introduction every paragraph. Therefore, my concluding sentences did not tie back to the topic sentence and thesis in a way that gave logical flow. In short, my point was not coming across. Now, I have learned how to use my thesis to shape those sentences instead of writing on a blank canvas every time.
The first thing we did in this class was learn the power of skimming. I would have never only read the introduction and conclusion before the middle on my own, so learning that has been huge for he in quickly comprehending passages that I must read in my school work. Without that, I would waste a lot of time still in reading complete passages, only to forgot much and retain little. That initial moment in the class proved to me that I would learn many important things needed to become a better reader and writer.
Lastly, this blog has helped me in conveying my own thoughts and insights in a rhetorical way visually. I hadn't thought it much before, other than on social media, but reading something bare is much more unappealing that reading something with illustration or images complementing it. I think about being a kid and loving to read picture books instead of soup labels. I think the same rule applies. Visual rhetoric is important in English but also in appearance through things like body language and polite gesturing. That's something I have learned from simply maintaining this blog and applying it to everyday life.
In conclusion, this writing class has helped me to learn things on my own as well as through a great instructor and peers. Writing has always been a strength of mine so I haven't consciously focused on improving it very much. Doing so now has proved very beneficial moving forward and I continue to be grateful for it every day.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
19. General Conference Analysis - Elder Holland
In Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's conference talk "Songs Sung and Unsung", rhetorical devices are expertly used to convey his message of encouraging diversity and inviting all to come unto Christ. Elder Holland delivered a wonderfully structured talk that begins with reference to a well-known hymn and uses it to propel a consistent allegory of a choir that supports his claim of strength in diversity.
Elder Holland begins his talk by quoting lines from the well-known hymn "There is Sunshine in My Soul Today" to assert that singing brings joy to the soul. He adapts the lines of the song to fit his message that "happy moments" will not always "roll." By referencing this song to the many members of the church, he is able to draw in his audience through something they already recognize as familiar. This hymn serves Elder Holland's talk with a foundation for his claim that mankind represents a dynamic choir and keeps the musical motif constant throughout his talk. He also closes with lyrics to another popular hymn that wraps up his argument in an emphatic way, calling members of the Church to action. By making these references to hymns sung weekly in meetinghouses, Elder Holland skillfully connects his message to his audience through familiar means.
Throughout his talk, Elder Holland presents an allegory of humanity as a diverse choir. He tells of a "musically challenged" singer and how such a person desires to be placed next to a confident, strong voice so that they can be supported. This is a parallel Elder Holland uses to show that at many moments, each individual will be weak and in need of such support. He suggests that the support comes from the Savior standing alongside us, whether in the form of His Spirit or in the form of an earthly disciple sent to the rescue. In addition, Elder Holland speaks of a rich choir as full of separate vocal parts - sopranos, altos, baritones, basses. Through this, he is able to precisely speak of humanity's diversity as a necessity for robust harmony and peace. He uses examples of people who may feel like a misfit to the gospel or mankind and reaches out to them with a specific, vital part that is needed in the choir of God. Elder Holland invites all to join in the choir of God that will sing songs of praise both heard and unheard. His allegorical use of a choir substantially furthers his claim and conveys his message in a way that would be weakened without it.
Elder Holland's message of strength in diversity is clearly conveyed by way of his expert allegory and connection to his audience. He uses rhetorical devices to appeal to those he speaks to and calls them to action by inviting them to join the choir and come unto Christ. His talk "Songs Sung and Unsung" resonates with all those who hear it and he defines a place for all who feel misfit for the kingdom across any demographic barriers. His argument is clear and powerful as he wishes that all of God's children may sing in His choir with sunshine in their soul.
18. The Daughter of My Mother
Since a child, my mother dreamed of having a daughter of her own. I did not fulfill that dream, being the oldest of five children, when I came out as a boy. She will tell you that she was joyful, however. Three children later, my mother found herself greatly outnumbered by having four sons to no daughters. She's recently told me about her battle after my youngest brother, because she was going to stop having children becasue of age and with that, any chance of having a daughter of her own. But she had always had the feeling that a daughter would be a part of our home, and she wouldn't let that feeling die.
My parents are regular temple-goers. They always have been and claim to always be. Inside the temple, after much prayer, fasting, and personal research, my mother received personal revelation that would later be confirmed to my father. That feeling of having a daughter did not die. She was prompted to adopt. I still remember when my parents corraled us four boys onto the couch to tell us that we would be getting a sister. They had already taken steps of faith and were underway to adopting my sister from unfortunate political circumstances within China.
Six weeks before my parents left for China, we received pictures and a story from a rural orphanage near the border of Mongolia. As soon as my mother looked upon her, she felt a familiar spirit calling to her and was touched deeply. My parents went to China over Christmas of 2006 to pick up my sister and bring her into our family and the everlasting gospel.
We don't know my sister's exact birthdate. We don't know her parents or where she was born. We have a alleged birth certificate in Chinese as sole documentation of her birth on December 31, 2005. So that is her birthday. Four days later on the 4th of January is when she was found. Early that frigid morning, a jogger ran by a cold, lonely bus station as she did each morning. Apparently she did not listen to music because as she ran she heard crying near some bushes. She stopped running and followed the wails until she came to a small, cardboard box with the top flaps cracked open. Inside lied my sister, wrapped in a small, scratchy blanket with her face exposed to the bitter cold winter. The woman took her in and presented her at the local orphanage where many other little girls lived, abandoned at birth by parents who feared the law.
At this time, China was under the strict one-child policy. Many wanted the boys to carry on the family name and honor. Girls, then, were commonly abandoned or given to orphanages so that the parents would not be caught violating what was "overpopulating". This sad policy has undoubtedly caused unimaginable sorrow among Chinese people as family and ancestors are pinnacles in Eastern culture. I've thought about how hard that must have been, but also at how without the law, my sister would not be with us now.
She is the youngest in our family, the only girl, and has brown eyes and hair in a family of blonde and blue eyes. She is different from us, but we cannot imagine our family without her. To me, she doesn't look Chinese any longer. She is just Jaida. My sister. A daughter of God. The daughter of my mother.
17. Expectations for General Conference
Leading up to General Conference, I didn't have a specific question or topic that I wanted answers to. The only thing that really crossed my mind was that I wanted to find a way to make more spiritual goals that will keep myself accountable for them. I didn't know how an answer to that was going to come, but I kept it in mind just in case.
Because of the job I have, I must work every Saturday for at least 5 hours weekly. I wasn't able to watch the two latter sessions of conference live, but I was grateful to be able to watch the first session Saturday morning. Just before the session started, I thought about the past 6 months and things that I had done to adhere to prophetic counsel since the last conference in October. I also thought about everything that has happened in the world since the last conference we had. I realized that much had taken place, with the pinnacle being the election for President of the United States last November. Having that in mind, I was able to better understand a few talks that addressed the world and promoted equality, love, and charity.
I was also interested (as anyone else was) in the well-being of President Monson. I had heard that he wasn't able to attend the General Women's Session and was concerned for his health and attendance in the Conference. For him to be there and speak in the manner he did proved to be a miracle and the spirit felt from his prophetic words were incomparable.
Lastly, I expected to hear about tolerance and love. Every conference has a central theme that has to do with discipleship and becoming more pure saints, mostly by way of increased love. Stories of charity and love always touch my heart and reteach me that there is no law superior to loving one another. Considering things the world is going through now and how people have been dealing with each other, an increased focus on love is not only necessary but crucial to remedy sour feelings between mankind. My expectations were not disappointed as I watched and heard General Conference.
Because of the job I have, I must work every Saturday for at least 5 hours weekly. I wasn't able to watch the two latter sessions of conference live, but I was grateful to be able to watch the first session Saturday morning. Just before the session started, I thought about the past 6 months and things that I had done to adhere to prophetic counsel since the last conference in October. I also thought about everything that has happened in the world since the last conference we had. I realized that much had taken place, with the pinnacle being the election for President of the United States last November. Having that in mind, I was able to better understand a few talks that addressed the world and promoted equality, love, and charity.
I was also interested (as anyone else was) in the well-being of President Monson. I had heard that he wasn't able to attend the General Women's Session and was concerned for his health and attendance in the Conference. For him to be there and speak in the manner he did proved to be a miracle and the spirit felt from his prophetic words were incomparable.
Lastly, I expected to hear about tolerance and love. Every conference has a central theme that has to do with discipleship and becoming more pure saints, mostly by way of increased love. Stories of charity and love always touch my heart and reteach me that there is no law superior to loving one another. Considering things the world is going through now and how people have been dealing with each other, an increased focus on love is not only necessary but crucial to remedy sour feelings between mankind. My expectations were not disappointed as I watched and heard General Conference.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
16. Vulnerability
I had a very deep conversation with some dear friends of mine this past week. As the semester has been nearing its end, we began talking about the relationships we have made with each other. Ironically, each of us still considered ourselves to be closed books as far as revealing our true self to people around us. I'll write in the way that our conversation went.
There are two spectrums, one that ranges from an open book to a closed book and another that ranges from being fake to being real. Each person falls somewhere on both ranges, but are they correlated? Someone can be open about things and a very real person or open and fake simply to draw attention to themselves. Someone can be a closed book and real but limited in what they reveal or a closed book and fake to protect anything inside. The all-around problem is that of vulnerability. We are all afraid of being vulnerable to some extent. For closed books, we don't reveal things about our true nature because we fear of reliving something in the past, failing at trying to become something, or talk about it at all. For me, there is one person, my best friend in Montana, that knows me the very most. I have a mental list of things that I do not share, but she knows the majority of the things on there. As we talked, we found out that most of us had that one person in whom we entrusted our true nature to. As a person, we want to learn the truthful nature about someone and feel trusted to know who someone really is. It's almost like we expect to know everything about someone by developing a relationship with them. But does that person know everything about you? Doubtful. Then what do they owe you in opening themselves up and being vulnerable? It is something that is developed over time and is only built upon a foundation of trust. Vulnerability only feels safe when it is mutual. There is no right or wrong answer on the two spectrums we thought of, but understanding them and how people place themselves has much to say about how we mustn't judge but learn through love and trust.
There are two spectrums, one that ranges from an open book to a closed book and another that ranges from being fake to being real. Each person falls somewhere on both ranges, but are they correlated? Someone can be open about things and a very real person or open and fake simply to draw attention to themselves. Someone can be a closed book and real but limited in what they reveal or a closed book and fake to protect anything inside. The all-around problem is that of vulnerability. We are all afraid of being vulnerable to some extent. For closed books, we don't reveal things about our true nature because we fear of reliving something in the past, failing at trying to become something, or talk about it at all. For me, there is one person, my best friend in Montana, that knows me the very most. I have a mental list of things that I do not share, but she knows the majority of the things on there. As we talked, we found out that most of us had that one person in whom we entrusted our true nature to. As a person, we want to learn the truthful nature about someone and feel trusted to know who someone really is. It's almost like we expect to know everything about someone by developing a relationship with them. But does that person know everything about you? Doubtful. Then what do they owe you in opening themselves up and being vulnerable? It is something that is developed over time and is only built upon a foundation of trust. Vulnerability only feels safe when it is mutual. There is no right or wrong answer on the two spectrums we thought of, but understanding them and how people place themselves has much to say about how we mustn't judge but learn through love and trust.
15. Movie Magic
My family and I like to call ourselves movie junkies. Movies have always been a staple in our home that have brought us together over decades past. It's influenced my life so much that I considered pursruing a profession in film for a while. Below is an analysis I wrote about the classic movie Pinocchio and how its theme was represented through different filmmaking elements:
Pleasure is only Temporary
In the Walt Disney classic Pinocchio, temptation and obedience torment a young puppet as he learns what it means to be a real boy. His innocence betrays him and he is quickly taken advantage of by others seeking an easy gain of money. As the film progresses, Pinocchio encounters many new obstacles that advertise quick happiness and hide long-term consequences, suggesting the theme that immediate pleasures are but temporary. This theme is achieved in the linear narrative through the symbolic representations of both protagonist and antagonist, the important crisis point that reveals Pinocchio’s real character, and how the hero’s journey portrays the theme of temporal pleasure.
Life is granted Pinocchio because of his master’s wish and Pinocchio is introduced to society with no knowledge about how it works. As a comic children’s toy, he embodies innocence and symbolizes it throughout the film as he learns and grows. Because of this, Pinocchio’s naivety is frequently put to the test and he almost always chooses the more pleasurable option in the given moment. His conscious is represented by Jiminy Cricket who tells him that these options are called temptation and for Pinocchio to wisely consider each one. Soon enough, Pinocchio learns first handedly the truth behind these words in instances such as being locked up in the circus van and becoming trapped on Pleasure Island.
The film’s antagonist is represented more as an abstraction than a character. Multiple characters are introduced to convey the idea that instant gratification is the enemy to much wisdom and patience, shown through the manager of Pleasure Island and the circus owner. This idea of instant gratification is symbolized by these antagonists and constricts Pinocchio. As he learns about life and the temptations in it, he ironically disobeys the fairy’s orders to be good and obedient to earn status as a real boy.
Pinocchio reaches a turning point in the film when he faces his crisis of becoming a donkey due to foolish decisions as opposed to a real boy through obedience. It is here that he realizes what will bring him lasting happiness and as he seeks out to rescue his father and friends, his true character reaches the surface of a selfless and innocent boy. His ideas and sacrifice save them from the whale and by being noble and heroic despite affliction, the fairy opens Pinocchio’s eyes to see the selflessness and love that was in him all along. By overcoming his crisis point, Pinocchio learns to overcome temptation and gains perspective between temporal pleasure and lasting joy.
Despite what his conscious tells him, Pinocchio begins to explore the unknown early in the film. As he leaves the safety of home and quickly ventures to the circus, he crosses the threshold of the hero’s journey and rapidly approaches the inevitable abyss. The theme is highlighted in this instance because the audience alongside Pinocchio suspects the outcome to be pleasurable and fun without thinking too hard on the aftermath of his decision to skip school. Soon enough, Pinocchio finds himself locked up and realizes that the fame and pleasure he had is fleeting and his foolishness is making him pay the consequences. Although he learns this lesson, he falls victim yet again to easy happiness when embarking to Pleasure Island, asserting that temporal pleasure can take various forms and appearances. By coming to his senses and saving his master and friends, Pinocchio returns to the known and becomes a real boy with experience and knowledge to help him make better decisions in the future.
Pinocchio is a classic animated film with a strong theme of reminding viewers that pleasure is of temporary substance. Through characteristics unique to a linear narrative, this film teaches that theme and entertains the viewer in a memorable and light-hearted way. Like Pinocchio, the audience learns that instant gratification tends to offer more risk than reward and should always be determined wisely.
Pleasure is only Temporary
In the Walt Disney classic Pinocchio, temptation and obedience torment a young puppet as he learns what it means to be a real boy. His innocence betrays him and he is quickly taken advantage of by others seeking an easy gain of money. As the film progresses, Pinocchio encounters many new obstacles that advertise quick happiness and hide long-term consequences, suggesting the theme that immediate pleasures are but temporary. This theme is achieved in the linear narrative through the symbolic representations of both protagonist and antagonist, the important crisis point that reveals Pinocchio’s real character, and how the hero’s journey portrays the theme of temporal pleasure.
Life is granted Pinocchio because of his master’s wish and Pinocchio is introduced to society with no knowledge about how it works. As a comic children’s toy, he embodies innocence and symbolizes it throughout the film as he learns and grows. Because of this, Pinocchio’s naivety is frequently put to the test and he almost always chooses the more pleasurable option in the given moment. His conscious is represented by Jiminy Cricket who tells him that these options are called temptation and for Pinocchio to wisely consider each one. Soon enough, Pinocchio learns first handedly the truth behind these words in instances such as being locked up in the circus van and becoming trapped on Pleasure Island.
The film’s antagonist is represented more as an abstraction than a character. Multiple characters are introduced to convey the idea that instant gratification is the enemy to much wisdom and patience, shown through the manager of Pleasure Island and the circus owner. This idea of instant gratification is symbolized by these antagonists and constricts Pinocchio. As he learns about life and the temptations in it, he ironically disobeys the fairy’s orders to be good and obedient to earn status as a real boy.
Pinocchio reaches a turning point in the film when he faces his crisis of becoming a donkey due to foolish decisions as opposed to a real boy through obedience. It is here that he realizes what will bring him lasting happiness and as he seeks out to rescue his father and friends, his true character reaches the surface of a selfless and innocent boy. His ideas and sacrifice save them from the whale and by being noble and heroic despite affliction, the fairy opens Pinocchio’s eyes to see the selflessness and love that was in him all along. By overcoming his crisis point, Pinocchio learns to overcome temptation and gains perspective between temporal pleasure and lasting joy.
Despite what his conscious tells him, Pinocchio begins to explore the unknown early in the film. As he leaves the safety of home and quickly ventures to the circus, he crosses the threshold of the hero’s journey and rapidly approaches the inevitable abyss. The theme is highlighted in this instance because the audience alongside Pinocchio suspects the outcome to be pleasurable and fun without thinking too hard on the aftermath of his decision to skip school. Soon enough, Pinocchio finds himself locked up and realizes that the fame and pleasure he had is fleeting and his foolishness is making him pay the consequences. Although he learns this lesson, he falls victim yet again to easy happiness when embarking to Pleasure Island, asserting that temporal pleasure can take various forms and appearances. By coming to his senses and saving his master and friends, Pinocchio returns to the known and becomes a real boy with experience and knowledge to help him make better decisions in the future.
Pinocchio is a classic animated film with a strong theme of reminding viewers that pleasure is of temporary substance. Through characteristics unique to a linear narrative, this film teaches that theme and entertains the viewer in a memorable and light-hearted way. Like Pinocchio, the audience learns that instant gratification tends to offer more risk than reward and should always be determined wisely.
14. Change
Over the span of my life I've accepted the idea that I do not like change. As a kid, I cried when my parents sold our family car and was distraught the first time we moved. It is hard for me when I must break out of my comfort zone and jump into unfamiliar territory without a choice. That being said, I've become such a stronger person through enduring change and being forced to adapt to new circumstances. I remember when our family moved from Highland, Utah to Boise. I was eleven. It destroyed my entire world. I distinctly remember being told at school that I would graduate from a high school named French Fry High. It sounds ridiculous now, but even that poking statement felt like a dagger through my young chest. For years I longed to return to Utah and escape where my family had ventured off to. It's amazing to see the change from then to how I feel now.
Boise is the place that taught me happiness can be spelled with only five letters. Each time I see or hear anything about Boise away from home, it connects with me. It is my home. Without the trials, people, or schooling I had done there, I would likely be far from the path I am walking now. Discovering my love for home in the Treasure Valley was the first time I understood change with a glow. It isn't something I necessarily like or freely choose, but change supplies me with something nothing else can: potential for growth. I've taken to heart the following phrase: You cannot grow inside of a comfort zone, and you cannot be comfortable in a growth zone.
Boise is the place that taught me happiness can be spelled with only five letters. Each time I see or hear anything about Boise away from home, it connects with me. It is my home. Without the trials, people, or schooling I had done there, I would likely be far from the path I am walking now. Discovering my love for home in the Treasure Valley was the first time I understood change with a glow. It isn't something I necessarily like or freely choose, but change supplies me with something nothing else can: potential for growth. I've taken to heart the following phrase: You cannot grow inside of a comfort zone, and you cannot be comfortable in a growth zone.
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