Looking back over the past semester in English 125, my writing skills and techniques have been refined and perfected.  Reading through my first blog post and my first couple of writings of the semester I can see a big difference in my writing now.  I have become a better writer in terms of not only focusing on in scene description which I was fairly good at before but now using dialogue, narration, and other techniques not just relying on in scene description.  I have also learned to apply to “so what” technique to the papers that I have written and will write in the future.  This technique will not only bring my essays together but will allow me to focus on the concentration and refine the work. 

Another major lesson that I have learned is the difference between works that rely on pathos vs. logos and ethos.  This lesson is essential when trying to write different types of works whether they are academic in style or for creative writing, it is necessary to employ the correct technique.

I also really enjoyed the activities that were done in class.  These were not only fun, but helped to solidify ideas and techniques that I will be able to use for the rest of college and eventually later in life.

The essay that I would like to revise for the mandatory revision is my last essay.  I feel like I can greatly improve on several aspects of my paper some of which include transitions.  As of this point my transitions are very rough and need more of a connector piece in order for my essay to have better flow.  Another major aspect that is missing from this essay is the ever so important so what.  Maybe I could back up many of the statements with specific studies thus presenting new evidence.  Also many of the examples seem to be geared towards advertisements via commercials.  In order to have a better argument that advertising has a very negative effect on the youth and changes societies perceptions, maybe I can include other types of advertising such as little things like product placement in movies, advertising using labels on shirts or newer techniques such as the ever so hated ads on youtube.  If I can revise these two aspects along with others I believe that I can tighten up the paper and there will be more of a so what.

Another essay that I would like to revise is my second essay.  Throughout this essay like my 4^th essay it is also missing a so what.  Maybe if I focus on the importance of the word chill, and use many other sources it will also help to further my argument.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving- a time for family, Lions football and of course good food!  Thanksgiving for the past 5 or so years has been dramatically different from this year’s turkey day festivities.  This is the first year that I have actually been home for Thanksgiving.  Usually I am out west in Colorado at a ski camp for Thanksgiving break.  It felt different sitting at a table full of family, rather than a table full of racers and coaches.  This is not a bad thing though.  As much as I love skiing and the Thanksgiving camps that I have attended in years past; there is nothing like being surrounded by your family during Thanksgiving, especially after being at college for 3 months. 

     My Thanksgiving Day celebration began by watching Americas Thanksgiving Day parade on television.  As the floats and inflatable’s came across the screen I sipped on hot chocolate topped off with plenty of marshmallows and a heaping amount of whipped cream.  As the parade came to a close the Lions game followed soon after.  After watching the Lions fight the first half of the game, their implosion in the second half sure brought down my spirits, which were pretty high!

     That night I had dinner with my family, minus my sister who was out west skiing, along with my grandma.  There is nothing like a home cooked meal after weeks on end eating in a college cafeteria.  After dinner we had apple pie and vanilla ice-cream for dessert.  While apple pie for Thanksgiving may seem weird, no one in my family likes pumpkin pie.  Overall my Thanksgiving experience was quite enjoyable and relaxing.

The main point that I will be arguing throughout my essay is the significance of marketing and adverting on society.  I would like to examine the effects of advertising on Americas youth and its persuasive value.  Advertising is all around us.  No matter where you go it is easy to see just how prevalent advertising and marketing is in America.  From product placement in major motion pictures to billboards and commercials.

There are also many underlying forces that advertising has on society.  Some of these forces include peoples change of perception based on advertising.  For example many of the commercials on television, in an effort for viewers to purchase their product place good looking people in their advertisement.  An example of this strategy is the pro-activ commercials. These commercials have celebrities such as Jessica simpson along with other pop culture icons.  These icons have a wow effect on the audience.  These people appeal to their target audience, being the teen population.  The teens think that if these popular people have had acne and then used the acne product being advertised then the teen will have no problem admitting their acne problem and purchasing the product.

Another aspect that I would like to convey in my essay is the influence that some advertisements have on young kids.  These victims of the commercials are not yet old enough to realize that these commercials are not to be taken at face value.  The younger kids see an older good looking authoritative figure drinking alcohol, then this could in turn make them want to indulge in the illegal activity.

Another talking point could potentially be the positive side of advertisements.  For example psa advertisements are key in terms of warning people of the dangers of activities such as using drugs.  These announcements are not only positive for the single viewer but for the community as a whole.