Revisions, Revisions, Revisions

          I was pleasantly surprised with my conference with my English class.  I thought that my paper was going to be ripped to shreds and feared that I was not on the right path for the given assignment.  The hints I was given to revise my paper made sense and I am going about it by watching my scene from Shrek the Third again.  Having my teacher’s words in the back on my mind, I continue to rewrite my thesis statement to make it fit with the paper.  Overall I hope that the revising of my paper will meet my teacher’s standards.

We Are All Good and Bad

          In Fantasy, Mystery and Ambiguity, a literary analysis written by Philip Nel, one passage describing Harry Potter grabbed my attention.  “Just as we all must come to terms with who we are, Harry also wonders if some of his abilities make him a bad person.”  I always thought that the bad parts of me were not really me.  I recently learned that both the bad and good parts make up who I am.  They make up part of who everyone is.  Sometimes our abilities are not good or bad, they just are.  How we use our abilities is our choice.  We can choose to use our abilities for good or evil.   

Questions for my Conference

          Conferences are coming up and I have a couple of questions pertaining to assignment number three.  I would like to know the overall impression of my paper.  Did I fulfill the assignment?  Did I analyze the film I sis the assignment on properly? Was I able to capture the reader’s attention?  Was I able to keep the reader’s attention throughout the paper?  Did I create any new views on the movie Shrek the Third pertaining to stereotypes in women and how they are being portrayed to children?  What can I do differently within my paper to get a better result?  

Tired of Chapter 57

           I have written two previous blogs about different argument articles and I don’t want to write about them anymore.  Part of the reason that I do not want to write about an article in chapter 57 could be that the articles do not interest me what-so-ever and when I try to read them, I want to go to sleep.  I like reading articles that interest me.  Some topics that interest me would be environmental issues, women’s issues, and vaccines.  I read articles and arguments every day that pertain to one of those issues.  I wish I could pick an article off the internet that interests me to blog about.

Questions for my Reader

          I have several questions for my reviewers/readers.  First of all, does the first paragraph of my article pull you in?  Does it give you a sense of what the article will be about?  Is my stance clear and concise?  Is the paper well organized and does it flow?  Throughout the article, do I give you enough information so that you understand what you are reading and where I might go with the article?  Am I following the guidelines within the assignment?  How might I improve my writing? 

          I wish I could have actually asked the reviewer of my critical analysis paper these things.  The peer review I received was helpful and I can see where I need to improve.  I wish I could sit down with my teacher and get some answers…wait, I can…conferences!

Media Violence in my House

           For years the increase of violence in children has been blamed on the increase of violence in our media.  To an extent, I agree. But, it is not just the increased violence in films and games causing this; there is an increase of violence being shown on the news as well.  However, I also think that nowadays children are by themselves more than they used to be.  Many children today do not have the guidance from their parents to be taught that the stuff they see on TV or play on their games is fantasy. 

          With my own children I follow the age guidelines recommended on the films and view the films before my children do.  If by chance they see something violent, on TV or in real life for that matter, I talk to them about it and ask questions about how they feel about what they saw.  We have an open door policy in our house and the kids are free to ask me anything about any subject.  When kids have the proper guidance, they feel more secure and are able to process the negative things they see in the media.  

Prewriting Feminist

          While writing through a feminist approach on my critical analysis of Shrek the Third, I realized that I am way more of a feminist than I would have ever thought.  I also realized how utterly frustrating this society is in regards to the views of women.

          I can’t help but think of my children.  Questions start racing through my head. “Will my son respect women when he is an adult?”  Yes, he will.  His father is a great role model in the way he treats women.  “Will my girls feel powerful, secure, and safe when they grow up?” And that’s where I get scared.  There is so much pressure on women to be beautiful, thin and smart…but not too smart.  I find myself struggling on a daily basis of what I “should” be.  It has been hard to differentiate between what I “should’ be and what or who I am.  I came across several books that I will have to read so that I can teach my children and myself to be strong, safe, and comfortable with whoever they choose to be.