My Reading Experiences

When do I read? What do I read? What am I reading for? After taking a minute to think about these questions, it was obvious to me that I only read to learn. No longer do I read for my own enjoyment like i use to when i was younger. I read for school, for research, and to learn. However i am essentially reading all the time, at school, at work, on the billboards while i drive, at home, on the tv, ect.. Advertisements and lone sentences are almost immediately processed in my head. It is the longer texts that I will voluntarily decide to read and they usually must meet specific requirements in order for me to read all of it. It seems that they must always be interesting, new, and captivating. I rarely read the same thing twice or even similar topics. I am reading textbooks, science articles, news headlines. I cannot remember the last time i read more than a page of a novel or story that was not required of me for a class i was in. Excluding facebook and twitter posts that usually go right over my head, I am only reading to find out something new.

Photo Essay, Closing Comments

Completing this photo essay was more complicated than I originally thought. I think the main issue was having to use personal photos that I needed to take in a 2-week period. I feel as if I could have had more relevant pictures for perhaps a different topic or argument. However, I think i did a good job with what I had. In my final version of the photo essay, I think I successfully followed my design plan in terms of format and the process of including ethos, logos, and pathos. I ended up asking less questions than I originally intended, and my narrative became much more personal than I thought it would be. If I did need to fix something in this essay, I would guess it to be making my audience more obvious. I can see how this power point Photo essay is not as specific to a specific audience as it could be. I also think I accomplished my purpose of arguing that religion and science can coexist. I think I did a good job of remaining neutral and presenting an unbiased argument. The way my pictures are aligned tell a story that the captions below then narrate, and i think the project overall has a smooth and even flow type of feeling when reading through it.

Photo Essay

For all the young adults of today curious as to how two HUGE (and often contrasting) ideas are actually tightly intertwined and simultaneously influencing their future, enjoy...

Photo Essay: Design Plan

I realize I am composing this Photo Essay on a delicate topic so my primary strategy is to remain respectful and thoughtful.

I also have plans to appeal to my audience in multiple other ways. I want to make sure they trust me and that my credentials are worthy of talking about this subject. In my essay I will make them aware of both my religious and non-religious background/history (Ethos). Also, I want them to convince them of this religious and science co-existence by excluding my own opinions and using real, non-manipulated photos and also discuss widely agreed upon religious beliefs and well researched scientific theories (Logos). And finally, I plan to appeal to my audience’s emotions through thought provoking image comparisons and “big idea” questions (Pathos).

My intentions are to use MS PowerPoint to present my essay with a solid color background and frames. I do not want anything taking away from the pictures or words. Also, I plan on using a hard contrast font color through the entire essay to remain uniform and neutral (much like my argument). Likewise, my pictures (multiple per page) will be aligned together, parallel, and with the same size and dimensions to portray the feeling of balance and equality as an undertone to “co-existence.”

I will be opening with a narrative addressing the relationship between religion and science in the past, their relationship now, and asking questions about their future. Hopefully my audience will find things they can relate to or engage in. I want to have 3-4 pages of pictures (3-4 each) that I will stylistically format to highlight the relationship between religion (one of the pictures), science (a different picture) and then an example of their mutual, co-existence in between (the picture in the middle).

Communication is very important for my essay. Not everything I have to say can be done with pictures and vise-versa with only words. I am also looking for feedback from my essay and presentation so I will be asking questions thought the project.

            

            I can test my projects effeteness from my peer’s opinions. I want them to see the connection and co-existence between religion and science and I want them to question the future between the two as well. Ultimately I want to open my audience’s minds to a not so thought about idea and I should be able to tell if I achieved this through their reactions.

Photo Essay: Statement of Purpose

Michael Newtoff

College Writing 2

Photo Essay: Statement of Purpose

    

            I have an idea to focus my photo essay on the personal, documentary-like story of myself. I have recently noticed that I have many religious and scientific experience each day and I want to shed light on how religion and science can co-exist.

            The growing debate over religion and science bothers me in the fact that their arguments are set up so there will be a winner and a loser. Although I do believe that they should each have boundaries from each other in certain situations, I would like to argue that there is still room for both in our daily lives if that’s how one chooses to live. Although I am not religious anymore at all, I grew up catholic and feel that I have enough experience to present a well-balanced argument.

            This photo essay will not debate nor support religion and science. This photo essay will not glorify or undermine religion and science either. This photo essay is essentially to explore the prevalence of the two in our American society (using me as an example) and will also suggest some questions in regard to where and where it does not belong in respect to each other.

            I am composing this for my peers who may have noticed similar occasions of their coexistence. I am also composing this for anyone who is one-sided on the issue and I offer a non-biased look at how religion and science can have a mutual relationship.

            ***This essay will be specific to the Catholic/Christian religions due to the pictures I plan on taking, but the message applies to all religious practices.

               

Research Topic

My intention for my final research topic is of a somewhat controversial subject. It will consist of an argument and the research behind the future of religion in the world (specifically America). It may be combined with where future of science is heading as well, and overall explore where the opinions and ethics of the next generation seems to be heading and where it ought to end up based off of current trends and expert opinion and observations.

Communicative Responsibilities

What are our responsibilities to each other when we blog?

There are different types of literature that require different things from the audience as well as different things from the author. Blog posts are no exception to this rule.

                Although it is specific to each blog, generally the audience for a blog needs to be one that can focus. It is difficult to get a message out with only a few sentences, and unfortunately that is about how long the attention span is for someone on the internet. When you read a blog you need to learn to commit to the post and ignore the fact that the rest of the internet is only a click away.

                Meanwhile, the Author also has to adaptive to this relatively new medium. Keeping in mind of one’s audience, their post should be relatively short, captivating, and frequent.

                The rules start to disappear when it comes to content. Blogs are places to share feelings, tell stories of daily adventures, and express opinions. There is much more freedom in writing a blog compared to a formal essay or letter. I do not think bloggers have many, if not any “responsibilities” when it comes to that respect. Blogging is essentially the hobby of keeping a journal or diary on the internet that others can view. You set your own standards and do your own thing.

Do we have responsibilities to others when we communicate?

                Communication originated as the foundation of human nature, and has forever since been the soul way ideas spread. It is essential in each of our lives. And I think there is only three responsibilities we all have when communicating. They are listening, reflecting, and responding. This is what defines communication and the only things needed for it.