Inquiry to my madness
My Showcase
Click on the pictures to see my best pieces of work.
This I Believe.
Music Within
I chose my This I Believe essay to be one of my showcased pieces of writing because it was one of the longest writing processes I have ever been through. When we were first told we would have to write a paper and explain why we believed in a specific topic, I thought this was going to be easy. But then come to find out that we have to explain one of our biggest beliefs in only 500 words. I decided to do my essay on something I am a firm believer of and that is our inner song. Our inner songs are things we have to really dig to be able to find. It took me fifteen years to find but sadly some people never find theirs. The most beautiful music you could ever hear lives within you and you could never know it. It was difficult for me to explain why I am such a firm believer in this strong topic in only 500 words. It’s up to you, did I get my point across?
The Key
The second piece I have chosen is my first blog I had written. It was on another topic I feel very strongly about. I tied Lady Gaga’s song “Born This Way” with bullying. This is a topic that I have personally experienced when I was younger and I hate it. I explained the lyrics Gaga sung and how it goes hand and hand with being confident and now letting anyone bring you down. The comparison between the two are very strong and I tie them together with much detail and in my closing paragraph I explain why standing up for yourself is such an important thing to do. If you’re sensitive to this topic you may not like this blog and I apologize. Enjoy!
Damsel to Heroine
My last piece was the one I spent the most time doing. I worked for four days straight making sure I had every piece of back ground information that any reader could need. I personally am a very big fan of the Disney princesses and I believe that they have changed with society, not because of media heat. I explain my reason for thinking such things in the paper, and since I could not find any sources that agreed with me I wrote my own information straight from my heart. Some of you may think that Disney is sexist and they just want to make girls feel like they have to look a certain way and act a certain way. You will see through the time line when each princess came out and how her attitude and actions co-lines with the period she was released in. This is the hardest and longest piece I have ever done and I hope you enjoy.
Informal Writing
Have you ever thought you were not good enough to do something because you weren’t smart enough? We have all thought that, but why did we think that was the truth?
Randy Pausch said in his speech The Last Lecture “Brick walls are there to show you how much you want it.” He says this because if you really want to do something and are that passionate about it then why let it go when we come to one obstacle? We have to keep our dreams close because they are what make us unique.
Also In his speech he also said “Never lose your child like wonder.” This stuck in my brain for the rest of the day because as people grow up they get tired, and think taking risks and being spontaneous is for kids when in actuality it’s not! To keep your life entertaining you can’t become complacent or else you will be the ordinary person living day by day look at the sky without reaching for it!
One last thing he said that made me think was “Respect authority while questioning it”. When I heard this I thought to myself “What do you mean question authority? We’ve always been taught to respect authority.” I then realized you always question authority, if you didn’t, you would never have your own thoughts and imagination. We are individuals who know how to bend the rules.
Shooting for your dreams is what can drive you through your life just like Randy Pausch did. He followed his childhood goals, and ended up a huge success. He is truly an inspiration, he may leave us soon, but his words will live on.
Forever Insperational
This piece was a very important part of this class to me because Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture” touched me. He spoke about how he had come over so many obstacles and brick walls are only there to test how dedicated you are. He tells us to never grow up all the way, which is something I had been battling in previous years and so when he said he never grew up all the way, I knew I didn’t have to either. I chose this piece because it is one of the most memorable to me.
Personal Credo
I believe that music can sooth your soul and can be better than a therapist. Music is the most powerful element of our everyday lives, and without it, we would be nothing.
I believe in being spontaneous and dancing while no one’s looking just to make yourself happy.
I believe that no matter your background, you can be anything you want to be.
I believe that everyone is unique and we should all show our true colors and be ourselves. We can’t just be another peddle in the stream.
I believe in forgiving, but never forgetting. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
I believe we all have that one person waiting for us, we just have to be outgoing enough to meet them.
I believe that manners are still alive, they are just hard to find.I believe that we make mistakes for a reason, and in the long run they make us stronger.
I believe in God and is only son died for us.
I believe in my sisters and my sorority. I can honestly say that I have 120 people who will answer my calls at 2 am when I am in trouble.
I believe in my family, because they are the ones who molded me from the start.
I believe that the most unsuspecting people can surprise you in every way possible.
What I believe in the most, is becoming a legend is within everyone reach. The only question is, are you willing to overcome the obstacles that stand in your way. .
This piece is also very important to me because here I got to express everything I believe in. This helped me with my “This I Believe” essay and made me realize what my biggest beliefs are and why I truly believed in them. Some of mine are religious so I apologize if you do not agree, but they are my top beliefs.
Day Book Writing: Single Story
I chose this day book entry because this lecture was another powerful one to me. Everything clicked when she was explaining her "Single Story" theory and how we have to learn for ourselves. This really made me realize that we all have to live our own lives and be unique.
Topic Thoughts
Why do little girls feel like they always have to have a tiara on their birthday? Why do fathers call their daughters their little princesses? I think that as a young girl that the Disney princesses we watch religiously shaped our expectations of what life should be like when we get older. I chose this topic because I feel like the princesses have shaped our society even more then Barbie. When girls are little, yes they pay with Barbie’s, but they don’t dress up like her or dream about being her. The girls around the age of five don’t say they want to be Barbie growing up, they say they want to be a princess. They grow their hair long and beautiful because all the princesses have long hair, and a tiara is a staple item in their dress up bin. What about these princesses make us want to be them? I know I don’t want to be poisoned by an apple then kissed by a stranger, or locked in a tower till my hair grows to be about fifty feet and hove some random use my hair as a ladder. That doesn’t sound very appealing to me, and think about the headaches. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I even did it. I want to know why the idea of being a princess is so appealing to little girls, because it is a lot of work and you are never allowed to make mistakes. I plan on talking to little girls around the age of five or 6 and finding out their thoughts on being a princess and why they love the princesses in the movies so much. I chose this topic because I was always one who wanted to be a princess, and I would always dreamed of being one. Because of that I have always strived to have the best and most expensive stuff, just like a princess would. If I didn’t want to be a princess so bad, as a kid would I have been cheaper? Even today would I feel like I didn’t need designer handbags, sunglasses, and anything else ridiculously overpriced? I have a feeling the princesses is what makes little girls feel like they have to always look perfect and be perfect. Let’s not forget the princesses’ relationship with nature and all the little animals. Take snow white for example, she stays so positive while she is being hunted by the queen, and the animals help her clean. Obviously unrealistic, but we all think we should be as delicate and dainty as them. Is this blown out of proportion, or it true? Do we as women think in the back of our minds “What would a princess do”? Are we all princesses’ in our own minds? Well I for one am ready to find out.
This blog post was one of the many stages to my final inquiry topic. This show's my original thoughts on princesses and how I personally thought all the anti-princess people were nutts. But I took their perspective on this one and wrote how they thought of all the princesses.
Good writing
The writing rules we learned throughout high school were helpful at the time, but most of them now I think were just completely wrong. Some of the rules we were taught just do not make sense. So what if we start a sentence with but? Maybe it adds to my point and makes sense! I cannot tell you how make papers I got points deduced for these stupid rules. Now don’t get me wrong, not every rule was stupid and pointless, but some don’t make sense. Some good writing rules are all about spelling. Every good author for the most part uses correct spelling. But grammar on the other hand, we use one word sentences all the time but why is it only okay if you’re a famous millionaire author. It is very risky making a line in between good writing and bad writing because it is all opinion based. That’s like saying a painting is ugly on display in the Smithsonian. It’s all about whether your content based or grammar based. I personally find it wrong. Writing is an art and it should all be up to us to write what we want to. What I want to do this semester is really want to focus more on content. I want to be able to get my point across and not just beat around the bush. I also what to learn how really write a good strong thesis and topic sentences. I hope that through this course I will be able to really make my writing better as a whole.
The reason I chose this one is because now my views have changed. My thought of good writing has morphed into an opinion rather than what was pounded into my head in high school. It amazes me how much my opinions have changed.