JOURNALS
Consider the Lobster
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #1
1/25/20
1.) While reading this essay, I related to a lot of Wallace’s thought-provoking questions. I have also wondered about how morally correct it is to treat animals of any kind inhumanely. Why is it that we consider our lives so much more valuable than theirs? Why do we as humans feel we have the right to harm, torture, or maim any living animal we desire, when you set aside the necessity of food? In a discussion with Wallace, I would like to hear his opinion on these issues, beyond just the lobster. I would like to ask him how he feels about the way we treat animals such as cows when they are commercially slaughtered. I would also like to ask him how he feels about the hunting and trapping of animals. I would ask him if he believes hunting is an appropriate practice, and if not, why.
2.) Written discussion has many limits. One of these limits is that we are unable to ask questions to the writer of a certain piece unless we know them or have the chance to speak with them. This limit is evident in question one, because there are usually questions the reader has for the writer. It is also harder to determine what the author is feeling through writing. Since you can’t speak with the author of a piece in most cases, I believe writing is better and richer when the writer conveys more emotion and passion. When I write, I can anticipate the audience’s questions by viewing what I’m writing as if I know nothing about it. By pretending I myself am the reader, I may be presented with some obvious questions and be able to answer them in my piece.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #2
1/23/20
In high school I had many large writing pieces that were assigned to me. These assignments took time and effort, and it wasn’t something that could be done in a day. I like to write drafts of my papers so they can be edited by my peers, my teacher/professor, and myself. While in high school I appreciated it when my teacher edited my paper first so I could get the best and most important revisions done first. Then I would have my peers edit my papers, but sometimes they weren’t as helpful because they would be afraid to critique my work. I noticed in my high school that my peers were too afraid to give any real criticism because of fear of hurting someone’s feelings. I hope to gain more meaningful peer review sessions in this class so I can continue to improve my writing. Being a successful writer has always been important to me, and a life skill I desire.
After my peers would review my paper, I would make the final revisions. I would change the wording of some phrases, make sure my work was grammatically correct, and add details I hadn’t thought of before. I have always enjoyed the satisfaction of a final and finished paper. Multiple drafts of a single paper make the hard work worth it to me because what I am usually left with is a paper, I am proud to attach my name to.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #3
2/3/20
I thought “They Say, I Say” had many convenient ideas on quoting that I could go back and reference for my writing. I found the part of this reading where they referenced a “quotation sandwich” very useful. A quotation sandwich states you need text before the quotation to introduce the reader, and text after the quotation to explain the quote and its meaning to you. I am going to apply this format to the quotes I insert in my paper to make sure they are an adequate representation of my essay. I also thought it was helpful when the book gave example phrases on how to introduce a quote. In high school I usually just used “they said” or “they stated” as the introduction to all of my quotes. Using a variety of phrases in my essay will help improve my future writings. Lastly, I think it was beneficial for the author of “They Say, I Say” to include a section on how not to use quotations. It gives students the advantage of examples on both the proper and improper way to use quotations.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #4
2/6/20
The first paragraph I found that would be useful for my paper is on page 5, paragraph 3. This paragraph discusses how our food has become corporate, and fresh fruits and vegetables now seem to be a rarity. This would be useful in my paper as an argument for why foods have become a nightmare, as Widdicombe put it. I also found paragraph 1 on page 7 interesting. When Widdicombe expressed how full she was after just a few sips of Soylent it made me think of how easily you could have a full meal in a matter of seconds. Time to eat would never be a concern if someone decides to drink Soylent. Lastly, paragraph 6 on page 8 makes an excellent point for Soylent when discussing how companies such as Abbott Nutrition have already made food replacements. There are modern food variations all around us, which would be a good point to include in my essay.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #5
2/6/20
When reading Entering the Conversation in “They Say, I Say,” I thought the visual of the cartoon man was helpful in understanding the concept. In the visual it was easy for me to see what the addition of the they say portion does for the reader. I also noticed the book used the they say, I say method when trying to convince their reader to use the format provided by the book. It’s one thing to write about a method and say that it’s useful, but noticing the authors applying the concept in their own writing aided me in understanding it really is an important aspect of writing. Finally, I appreciated that the book touched on how using a template does not make your work unoriginal. I have been skeptical of using templates in the past, fearing it would diminish the creativity in my writing. This books explanation cleared up my misconception of a template.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #6 (Peer Review #1)
2/17/20
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #7
2/18/20
I received some good suggestions from Morgan about my formatting. She had suggestions about adding page numbers to my quotes and MLA format that I know I’ll find very helpful when I go back to edit my paper. Ashley gave me an interesting suggestion about including what Soylent means to Rhinehart in my essay. Kayla gave me a great suggestion about expanding my idea on how not taking time for yourself could negatively impact mental health. These ideas will help expand the main points of my paper. I thought I offered some really good and in-depth feedback for my peers. I gave Morgan advice on adding transition to her paragraph so it would flow better, and gave Kayla and Ashley advice on paragraph structure, so each paragraph would have a central theme. I think these comments will really help my peers strengthen their papers. We talked a lot about MLA formatting in all of our papers, which is important because our papers are required to follow that format. We also discussed the word count on my paper. Since I am very close to the word count, my peers reminded me of that. Something I wish we had discussed in our peer review was the Barclay format. This format was used in all of our papers, and I wished we had tried to find that in each other’s papers to offer feedback on it. This peer review was much more extensive than the ones I did in high school. I have never received or written a feedback letter before, and I thought the feedback letters I received and wrote were all exceptionally valuable to the papers.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #8
2/24/20
In my “Soy You Have a Favorite Meal” essay, I spent my time revising my essay as a whole and making sure the paragraphs flowed together. I also spent some time editing word choice in my essay, to improve my writing and emphasize the points I was trying to make. If I could change my essay, I would add more background information into Rhinehart’s life. I would add these details so the reader would be able to understand where Rhinehart’s views on Soylent, and life in general may stem from. This drafting/revising process is different from high school because I’ve never received “meaty” comments before that could actually improve my writing. I can improve the grammar in my writing by simply proofreading my paper. What I found helpful about our peer review was how the comments were more geared towards structure and big ideas of the essay. These comments are going to improve the quality of an essay much more than a grammatical comment ever will. I was more focused on the quality of my essay than I ever was in high school. Sometimes in high school I would catch myself being more caught up in the length requirements than the actual content of the paper, but I knew that wasn’t going to be an option in this class. I think this class has already improved my writing and given me new writing skills, and I believe I will continue to develop them as the semester continues.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #9
2/24/20
- In this article written by Mann the first two paragraphs that resonated with me and helped me understand his points were on page 2, paragraphs 4 & 5. These two paragraphs discuss the differences in Vogt and Borlaug’s views. Vogt and Borlaug are two environmental scientists whose followers presented as Prophets and Wizards, respectively. The first paragraph discusses the views of Vogt, which reminded me of modern-day views on global warming and climate change. Vogt felt we needed to respect the resources Earth has presented us with and altering them would cause detrimental environmental consequences. I relate to Vogt immensely more than I relate to Borlaug. Borlaug believed that technology could be used in agriculture to solve the environmental and human population growth we face today. I felt much more connected with Vogt’s point of view because I feel as humans, we have been selfish by using our own personal motives to destroy the environment and ecosystems of all other organisms. I believe it’s unethical of us to keep creating new ways to benefit our population growth, that would in turn hinder the growth of other populations.
- The next paragraph that made me ponder the issues brought to light in this essay was on page 9, paragraph 2. This paragraph was relatable to so many issues today and reminded me of the current U.S. politics. It seems recently that both sides of the political spectrum cannot come to an agreement, which would most likely be the best option. This is exactly what happened when the Wizards and Prophets tried to collaborate to create a solution to feed our growing population. I found this paragraph very important to the article because it sheds light on the “social norm” we have created that you have to be on one side or the other, all or nothing. This attitude towards food increase to feed future populations is a serious problem, because by combining both ideas we would most likely end up with the best solution. By combining some technology and some environmental conservation, we could create the most efficient source(s) of food.
- The last paragraph I’ve chosen for this journal presented new ways the Prophets believe they can to create more food for future generations. This paragraph is on page 14, paragraph 5. In this part of the essay, Mann talks about how the Prophets have ideas that differ from the Wizards on how to increase food production. He discusses how crops such as rye and corn are annuals (need to be planted every year) and how wild grasses are perennials (plants that come back after summer, up to a decade in length). The Prophet’s argue that using perennial plants as our food source would be just as productive (if not more) than annuals. I completely agree with what the Prophets are trying to explain here, because perennials are more disease resistant, photosynthesize in the fall, and rely on less water and nutrients. Perennials seem like the most reliable option for food production, and they are better for the environment which is always a plus.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #10
3/2/20
While reading Pollan’s essay, I understood his fear and frustration with our current outlook on food, and lack of actual cooking in American households. One paragraph that particularly struck my attention on this topic was on page 4, paragraph 3. This paragraph provides statistics on how much time the average American actually spends cooking and preparing food. It is quite frankly sad to me that we spend more time wrapped up in tv shows about cooking than we do actually cooking with our families. In today’s world we spend way too much time watching or using technology that isn’t even relevant to our real lives. Losing the aspect of cooking in households has also partially led to a lack of real communication with loved ones. I feel that we need to learn how to immerse ourselves again in our actual lives so we can have real conversations and connections. Another paragraph that intrigued me in this piece was on page 6 paragraph 2. This paragraph illustrates the work Julia Child did and how she brought an empowering swing to cooking for women. The book “The Feminine Mystique” was written the same year Child went on air, and it depicted cooking in the kitchen as women being oppressed by men. I thought it was so interesting that Child was able to take that stigma around cooking and turn it into something that actually empowered women. Child was against oppression herself and described cooking as intelligent work and fulfilling. This outlook on cooking by Child I felt was revolutionary, because her message to women was that cooking is hard and it does require skills not everyone possesses. The third paragraph that made me think was on page 17, paragraph 3. This paragraph looks at cooking as being “central to human identity.” Pollan also discusses here how cooking has an emotional aspect, and certain tv shows are satisfying that emotional reaction rather than actual cooking. Pollan looks at how grilling may be our new form of obtaining this emotional response, even though most American’s don’t grill every day. I agree with Pollan’s ideas in this paragraph because I do believe cooking offers an emotional aspect that we rarely see anymore. I have felt this emotional aspect while baking cookies with my mom and helping my Nanny with Sunday dinner. I also feel Pollan is correct in saying our substitutes for the emotional response of cooking are food network shows. It seems that people, in my generation especially, want to have the welcoming and happy feelings food brings without actually putting in the work to make it. Their solution to this problem is to watch it on tv, which I think is sad, but more importantly harmful to emotional development and communication skills in the brain.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #11
3/4/20
This chapter in “They Say, I Say” is all about how to get your point of view across to your readers effectively. The most important point made in this chapter is you have to include the view of others, preferably first, when writing an essay or other form of text. I thought it was helpful in this chapter when they provided many different templates for how to construct the views of others, (what “they say”) while still getting your personal point across. One way you can present an argument in your text is to present the noncontroversial portion of the argument, and then lead into the point where opinions begin to differ. Another way an “ongoing debate” can be presented is by clearly stating what the argument is, both sides of the argument, and then your personal point of view. Lastly, I hadn’t thought of using arguments that were already implied in my paper until I saw the “something implied or assumed” template. I think adding this type of argument to my paper will strengthen it. I also thought it was interesting how “They Say, I Say” had a different perspective on opening your written text. In the book it’s written that it would be a good idea to briefly introduce a quotation, statistic, or anecdote at the beginning of your piece leading to the point or central thesis of your writing. I think reading this chapter will aid in the development of my writing and is definitely something I can come back to during my writing process.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #12
3/5/20
While writing my essay and discussing Alexa’s essay here in class I have realized something key to the writing process of this essay. This essay requires a lot of thinking, because all of the essays truly are different and have their own unique points. It takes critical thinking to dissect these essays and really discover their similarities. This is something I think will really help me with my paper going forward. I want to be able to bring my two essays together, while still including my own opinion. I think I have some good material on my essay so far, but my thoughts are still jumbled. For me, before writing a paper that is concise and relates back to my thesis, I have to organize my thoughts. I usually use a very small outline that contains my thesis and the big points I want to incorporate in my essay. This helps me branch out and add detail to my writing. My action plan going forward is to meet with Vic tomorrow. I am hoping she can help me organize my ideas so I can centralize them around my thesis. I also am planning to sit down and spend quality time with my essay this weekend so I can have a stable version of my essay ready for peer review next week.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #13
3/9/20
While reading “They Say, I Say” I found myself reflecting on my second essay and trying to think of myself using the naysayer in my text. I found two templates in the naysayer chapter that I think will really benefit my essay. The first template was referred to as naming your naysayers. Since I tend to agree more with the prophets in my essay, I could use the wizards as my naysayers. The second template that I thought would improve my writing was making concessions while still standing your ground. I thought this template would improve my writing because I need to be able to present a strong argument for my opinion in my essay, while also considering the opinions of others. I thought this template demonstrated these key points the best. Lastly, I liked the way Chernin, the author of the women’s weight loss piece, organized her counterargument. I interpreted it as her primarily trying to argue for her counterargument, but then quickly supporting her actual argument with even more evidence. I thought this was a very detailed and advanced strategy that I would be able to apply to my paper.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #14
3/12/20
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #15
3/24/20
The first narrative that really caught my attention was titled Helen Morrison Brown in the Plantings section. This narrative is told by Helen’s daughter and is about the stories her mother told her from the 1918 flu pandemic. She writes about how schools were closed, just like they have been now. She also talks about bodies piling up everywhere which were the responsibility of the family, and the abundance of coffins. This would be much more unlikely today because of medical resources such as ventilators and advanced medicine. One particular detail that I found slightly creepy was that coffins were placed in one of the school buildings, and the curtains were lifted to view the deceased. I understand this in a sense of not wanting to contract the disease, but I wonder if the people in 1918 found this as odd as I did.
The second narrative I found interesting was titled Betty Somppi in the I Survived section. This narrative was written by Betty, where she explains how when she was four when she became ill during the pandemic. Her parents were frightened because she was delirious, so they called a doctor. When the doctor came to her house, he gave her some sort of shot. The shot supposedly made Betty feel better the next day. Another boy in her kindergarten class didn’t survive, and also didn’t receive the shot Betty did. If I could ask Betty a question, I would ask her what she suspected was in the shot. I wonder if it was an actual form of modern medicine or just a coincidence that she got better, and her classmate didn’t. I would be curious to know if the experimental medicine (shot) was just an essential oil or old home remedy, or if it was an early form of modern medicine.
I found all the narratives I read very interesting because they are similar in many ways to what is happening with COVID-19 today.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #16
3/26/20
Replies to Peers:
- I also read the story of Helen Morrison Brown, and had many of the same reactions as you did to the passage. Even though Helen was only telling her mother’s stories, it felt as though she truly understood the pain of that time. I also had mixed feelings about using one of the schools as a funeral parlor/wake viewing. I know bodies were piling up even day, and they didn’t know what else to do with them, but it made me feel sad and slightly horrified that lifting a curtain was the only mourning families were allowed. It reminds me of the stories I have heard about families unable to see their mom, dad, sister, etc because they are infected with COVID-19. It must be the worst feeling in the world to know your family is sick, and you cannot visit or have any contact with them.
- After reading your comment about the story of Frank Biberstein, I had to go back and read it for myself. Frank’s story is probably the closest thing we can relate to our lives right now, since he was our age in 1918. It made me especially sad to read how Frank was forced to collect the bodies of the deceased just because he went to a religious college. He must have been so frightened, not only that he would get sick but also by the emotional trauma literally carrying the dead day after day must bring. If I had the opportunity to meet Frank, I would want to ask him how he got through such a sad time. I would want to ask him what brought him hope, and how he was able to cope with such uncertainty.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #17
3/29/20
Narrative
Intro: UNE shutdown, how I handled it, how I’m feeling
Body 1: What I have learned about me
-more on how I’m feeling
-my transition back home
-online classes
Body 2: What I’ve learned about family and friends
-how my friends are dealing with this, some better than others
-how my family is dealing with this, their work, me being home
Body 3: How my community has dealt with this
-chaos of overbuying at stores, food
-working together to teach students and finding little moments of joy
-firetrucks for man in town’s birthday
Conclusion:
-what I’ve been taking for granted
-how this has been positive: environment, people doing kind things for one another
When I first found out UNE would be closing due to COVID-19, I honestly was heartbroken. I have loved my time at UNE so far, including the independence, friendships, and new experiences it brought me, and I wasn’t ready to let all of that go for the next five months. This transition is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, and I can imagine most of my classmates probably feel to same way. Knowing I would be staying at home for the next five months was hard for me to process at first, but over the past two weeks I have started to adjust. I think the hardest part for me through this new transition is the unknown. The questions of when we will stop social distancing and when the Pandemic will end are constantly in the back of my mind.
I have learned a lot more about myself than I thought I would during this new period of social distancing. I had never realized how much I rely on social interaction as a stress reliever before this Pandemic. Not being able to visit with my friends and family has been one of the most difficult things through this process for me, but I know it’s what’s best for their safety and my own. Living at home has also been a challenge, because where I live is so different from UNE. I live in a rural area, basically in the middle of the woods. Although I love where I live and how much space I have outdoors, it has been hard not seeing new people, even if it’s just through my window. The last big change that has taken me awhile to get used to is online classes. I know most of my peers feel the same way, because we chose to attend a university for a reason. I am better at learning in a structured environment, so I’ve tried my best to create a schedule that works for me. Although this is definitely not what I had planned my freshman year of college to look like, I know I have to stay as positive as I can.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #18
3/31/20
Full Narrative
When I first found out UNE would be closing due to COVID-19, I honestly was heartbroken. I have loved my time at UNE so far, including the independence, friendships, and new experiences it brought me, and I wasn’t ready to let all of that go for the next five months. This transition is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, and I can imagine most of my classmates probably feel to same way. Knowing I would be staying at home for the next five months was hard for me to process at first, but over the past two weeks I have started to adjust. I think the hardest part for me through this new transition is the unknown. The questions of when we will stop social distancing and when the pandemic will end are constantly in the back of my mind.
I have learned a lot more about myself than I thought I would during this new period of social distancing. I had never realized how much I rely on social interaction as a stress reliever before this pandemic. Not being able to visit with my friends and family has been one of the most difficult things through this process for me, but I know it’s what’s best for their safety and my own. Living at home has also been a challenge, because where I live is so different from UNE. I live in a rural area, surrounded by trees. Although I love where I live and how much space I have outdoors, it has been hard not seeing new people, even if it’s just through my window. The last big change that has taken me awhile to get used to is online classes. I know most of my peers feel the same way, because we chose to attend a university for a reason. I am better at learning in a structured environment, so I’ve tried my best to create a schedule that works for me. Although this is definitely not what I had planned my freshman year of college to look like, I know I have to stay as positive as I can.
Even though this experience has been difficult for me, I know everyone else has been affected by this in some way too. My sister is a sophomore in high school and when her school was moved online, I know she was sad she wouldn’t be able to see her friends every day or even just be able to socialize with others. My mom is an aesthetician, so she isn’t able to work right now because of the pandemic. My dad works by himself in the woods, so he is able to keep working and I know everyone in my family is thankful for that. Since I haven’t lived at home since August, coming home from college was an adjustment for my family too, not just me. Some of my friends seem to be dealing with this pandemic better than others. My roommate Caitlin and I were both devastated when we found out we had to leave UNE, and so were most of my friends. I have a few friends who love to be at home, so I don’t think that aspect of the pandemic has been as difficult for them. Not being able to eat at the dining hall or even study with my friends like we did just a few weeks ago is something that upsets me the most about this transition, but something that inspires me is my community.
Since I’ve been home, I’ve had the privilege of watching my small-town deal with this new reality. I have watched previous teachers hold Facebook live videos every day to help students learn. I have seen bus drivers make their usual route to deliver meals to kids, and I even heard one bus driver bought one of the students a cake for her birthday. Just a few days ago, the entire fire department drove through town to wish someone a happy birthday. Even though I have seen people hoarding supplies and the chaos in grocery stores, these gestures from people in communities who care bring me hope. I have also watched people begin to cook more because of the lack of restaurants, which makes me think of Pollan’s essay, and how this might be the way we bring back real cooking.
This pandemic has given me a lot of time to think. I have been taking so many things for granted that I never thought would be taken away from me. I miss seeing my friends and family, going out the restaurants, being in school, and even working. I have seen the world through a new lens in light of this pandemic and won’t forget the way it felt to be social distancing. Even though this is a struggle for everyone, we have to remember that not everything is falling apart. We are still able to listen to music, read books, watch movies, see our immediate families, have faith, hope, and love. The environment is also thriving through this pandemic. The water is clearer, air is cleaner, and plants and animals are healthier. This is a strange and scary time, but I would rather stay home to keep my family and friends safe then go out and risk their lives.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #19
3/31/20
The first thing I noticed when reading these articles was the focus on the need for women to help. Obviously, this was a different time, and since women weren’t allowed to serve in the current war, they were expected to be nurses and Red Cross aids for the pandemic quickly engulfing their communities. This must have been terrifying for the women who decided to volunteer, and for those who did not choose to help their community must have felt an immense amount of guilt. The newspaper articles were written in a way that would make the reader feel almost guilty for not wanting to risk their lives. If it had been me, I would have volunteered to help, but I also only have to consider myself right now. If I’d been a woman with children back then, I think the decision would have been much harder because no one wants to put their children at risk for such a deadly flu.
There are so many people in my community right now demonstrating civic virtue. All of the workers who have been deemed essential for this pandemic are risking their own health for their fellow neighbors and citizens. Healthcare workers everywhere are working overtime and putting themselves at risk for COVID-19 every single day. It’s not just healthcare workers who need to be appreciated though, the gas station workers, grocery store employees, truck drivers etc. deserve our immense praise as well. What essential workers are doing for their community is amazing to me, and I have loved watching my community come together through this hard time. I have watched teachers help countless students and bus drivers dropping off school provided meals to kids who need them. Even the people who are doing something as simple as picking up groceries for their elderly neighbor are doing their part. Through these trying times, I have seen people be kinder, which I consider a positive aspect of this pandemic.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #20
3/2/20
The first response that stuck out to me was Kenneth’s. I really enjoyed reading about his community coming together, and it really reminded me of my own. I also live in a very small town, where I see acts of civic virtue every day. I also liked how Kenneth made the point about giving back to his community himself if he had the chance. This is definitely something I would do, because like Kenneth my community always supported me through high school, and everyone I see always asks how I’m doing and how college is going for me. Kenneth made a great point when saying that even though the volunteers in. 1918 were probably scared, their will to help others was stronger than their fear. I think this probably how most of the healthcare workers feel today, because they care about their communities and want to see people recover from this virus.
The second response that was interesting to me was Parker’s I really liked the point Parker made about people who volunteered to help in the 1918 Flu Pandemic. He talked about the courage and strength it must take to be able to volunteer knowing you may get sick and die from the virus. I think most people forget that even though healthcare workers today do their job for a living, they have never seen something like this before. I’m sure they are scared and worried they will bring the disease back home to their families. It is brave of them to continue to save lives every day, knowing they would be safer at home. I also would have volunteered to help out in 1918, and I liked the point Parker made about the elderly community needing extra help. My grandparents have done so much for me just like most of the elderly have for my generation, so I would be more than willing to give back.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #21
4/5/20
One thing that I’ve noticed is common to human nature, is that we look out for ourselves first. Humans are selfish. We put ourselves before animals, nature, and the earth, with little regard for the cost. This is why I believe we have reacted so quickly to COVID-19 yet have done almost nothing in the grand scheme of things for climate change. COVID-19 entered the United States in what felt like the blink of an eye, even though it probably has been here much longer than we actually know. The reason I think we reacted so quickly and so harshly to COVID-19 is because it is affecting us directly. The corona virus is killing people, so we are feeling the effects more than we have from climate change. It’s really not surprising to me that we haven’t reacted so intensely to climate change, because even though the atmosphere is deteriorating and animals such as polar bears are starving or losing their habitat, we aren’t dying from it yet. I fear that we won’t react to climate change until it is far too late, and we no longer can salvage what is left of our planet. The corona virus came in quickly, while climate change has been a much longer process. In regard to Mann, we don’t need some big elaborate plan, we just need to act. My hope for the future is that because of corona virus we realize what can happen if we don’t act on climate change. I hope people value life and the gift it truly is more after the corona virus, and that in turn we become less selfish, and more selfless towards the other organisms on our planet that desperately need us to make a change.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #22
4/8/20
When reading this poem by Ellen Bryant Voigt, I definitely had a few questions about her poem. My first question is I wonder why her family was shaving their heads/cutting their hair short. This was puzzling to me, because in the rest of the poem I could make a connection to some type of healing practice or ritual for the illness they were trying to escape but couldn’t make this connection with the trimming of their hair. The second question I had about this poem was why she decided to slit the cat’s throat because they didn’t have a goat. I would like to know more about this ritual. The final question I have about Voigt’s poem is what “buried the rind” represented, because I didn’t really understand this phrase.
The phrase that stuck out to me in this poem was the final one, where she watched the flies leave, carrying the sickness with them. I thought this was very symbolic, and really spoke to such a different time she grew up in than we do now. No one I know would ever perform rituals like this because we have ventilators and medicine to take care of us during this pandemic.
I felt connected the Voigt when she explains how she let no one into her home and sang with her family. We are all social distancing right now, so letting no one into my home is very familiar. While my family doesn’t necessarily sing together, we do try to watch movies together, and do other activities to try and stay connected and busy.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #23
4/9/20
I really enjoyed reading Emily’s journal response about the differences in our reactions to the population crisis and COVID-19, and I related to a lot of what she said. I thought Emily made a really good point when introducing Mann into the conversation through this journal, and how we have paid little attention to the population crisis. I also like how she connected Mann to the point she made about people not reacting to COVID-19 quickly enough. Nobody saw COVID-19 as an immediate threat here in the United States, so it was ignored until people here started to become sick. We are now seeing the effects of not reacting quickly enough, with social distancing measures in place and hospitals running out of the supplies they need to treat patients. I think a lot of people didn’t realize how fortunate we were before this pandemic, and a lot of us have been reminded of that.
Sometimes in the United States especially, I think we forget how much we really have in comparison to other countries until something bad happens. I believe this is why we haven’t reacted as quickly as we should have to the coronavirus, and why we still aren’t acting on climate change and the problems we face with an increasing population. I completely agree with what Emily says in her journal about people looking out for themselves more than society as a whole. I think that is exactly what we have done with all the major issues we face today, and by pushing them aside we are only worsening the affects these problems will have on us individually, as a community, and of course globally. We can learn from COVID-19 and begin to act on these societal issues so we can prevent this type of future devastation.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #24
4/13/20
While reading my peers responses to journal #22 about the poem, Jess’s response really stuck out to me. I liked the questions she posed about how big the family was and if everyone was sick or just one person. I thought these questions were unique because it was a deeper analysis than just wondering what the rituals meant. Even though most of us if not all definitely had questions about the rituals, Jess took it a step further with her questions, showing her understanding of the poem. I also related to Jess when she explained how her family read books or watched a movie together, like the family in the poem sang together. My family also tends to watch movies or do other bonding activities together, even more so since this pandemic began.
I also liked Emily’s response and how she described the home remedies they used. I thought it was really interesting how many home remedies were being used, and I’d never heard of some of the remedies before. I also thought it was interesting when Emily wrote about the smell of the home remedies. I hadn’t thought about that when I first read the poem, but now that I have, I would also imagine most of them wouldn’t smell very good. The connection Emily made about us not having a vaccine for the corona virus, and the people in 1918 not having a cure for the flu was something I hadn’t thought about. We may not be participating in home rituals or trying as many natural remedies as families in 1918 were, but most people are still afraid since we don’t have a vaccine for this virus.
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #25
4/17/20
Shannon O’Roak
Journal #26
4/22/20
I really tried to focus on tying all aspects of my paper to my thesis in this third essay. I’ve noticed I occasionally stray from my central theme, or don’t incorporate a later formed theme into my thesis. I feel like I did a good job of this through my writing process in this essay, while defining a clear topic for each paragraph I was writing. My writing flowed best in this paper, which I think is because I could directly relate to each text I incorporated into my paper. In the first drafts of this paper I had a difficult time forming my conclusion. My original concluding paragraph was a little too long and I incorporated new ideas that could have been in a separate paragraph. My peers agreed with me on this, so I spent a lot of my revision time rewriting my conclusion and making sure it connected to my thesis and all other aspects of my paper.
My peers also brought up some really great points in their comments that helped me with my revision process. Both Parker and Ashley gave me helpful comments on how I could expand my original ideas by further explaining them and discussing why they were important to me. I also added a naysayer into my text and Barclays formula to give my paper more textual depth. I have noticed my writing strengthen since the beginning of this class, by analyzing more, incorporating paraphrasing and quotations, and more textual moves such as Barclays formula.
Lastly, I also wrote the most drafts for this paper than the others. I think posting my drafts as I continued to write helped me recognize my errors and resolve them for my final draft.
