I can do it!

I had heard the term blog before I started Transitions but didn’t really know what it was. It has turned out to be a fun tool for learning. As we progressed through the semester, creating our blog and posting regularly, I learned that I had new skills to develop. The greatest thing I learned was how to write a short paragraph and yet relay a full message about a topic. This was important because in each of our essays, I approached each paragraph as a mini blog. Because I am at the beginning of my academic journey at Ursuline, this skill will come in handy for the plethora of papers I’m sure I’ll have to write.

As for my favorite blog posting, the “Motherhood Paradox” on October 25 was my favorite but not for the reason one might think. I liked this one because it was the first blog we were assigned where we had to incorporate the work cited. Because Blogger is limited in some features, I found it a challenge to find the correct HTML code. Once I did, I was able to enter my work cited in MLA format. Cool!

One last thought about my blog posts – I really liked some of the ideas I came up with for these assignments. Who knows? Maybe I will become the next blog phenom!

Parting Thoughts

As we wrap up the end of the semester, and the end of the year, I wanted to say what a pleasure it has been being in class with everyone. This class was a great way to begin my reentry into college life, and you all made it a positive experience. Either directly or indirectly you have inspired me, made me think more critically about certain things or look at something from a different angle. For instance, I loved Constance’s story about the princess earlier this semester and Sarah’s perspective on Crooked River Burning this past week. I hope to be able to incorporate some creative storytelling to my future projects and to not be so rigid in how I think a story should be written. We will all be in flux as life is a great learning process, and I wish you all many blessings throughout all of your transitions.

I D-ecisions

Considering the overall story of Anne and David in Crooked River Burning, I think my second essay will be on how our decisions (good or bad) help to form our identity. Think about it, most of how we come to know ourselves is through choices. Do we go to church on Sunday? We’re a good Christian. Do we blow off friends to hang out with some boy? We’re a bad friend. Do we steal a piece of candy from the corner store and feel guilty or not? We’re a thief or repentant in the making. Life is full of choices. (Wait! Is that a cliché?) If we play close attention to the choices we make and look for patterns, we can start to make the decisions we want to get us where we’re going.

Just as Crooked River Burning is a complicated story, so is my life. It has been very hectic over the last month. As I was playing catch up with my schoolwork, I realized that I have to find a way to get organized and use the resources available. Hence, I limited my search for a print source to the library catalog. There were only a couple of options for me regarding my topic, so I used one of the two books that showed up in my initial search. I chose the book because it contained actual stories from the author. This helped me get to know the author Dawn Powell through her writing and not just from biographical data or reviews. Considering that the book is a compilation of four of her stories, I considered it to be a worthy source.
Work Cited
Powell, Dawn. Novels, 1944-1962. New York, N.Y.: Library of America, 2001. Print.

Drown Me in the Crooked River!

Drown me in the Crooked River, please! I am having the hardest time following this story. It seems that the writer jumps around too much, not only in the thoughts but in the points of view as well. However, when he first starts to describe David’s and Anne’s first meeting at Kelly’s Island, he does seem to be taking his ADD meds. That’s really the first part of the book where I was able to read more than four pages at a time. My guess is that I shouldn’t have read the plethora of reviews at the beginning of the book before I started reading. The hype set me up for a letdown. Fortunately, I see a good story under the bad writing and think I can cross this river without the drowning. (Let’s hope!)

National Treasure - NOT!

“I.O.U.S.A.” is a video that discusses the credit crisis in the United States and addresses some of the causes as well as possible solutions. To help viewers understand the seriousness of the crisis and how it affects the national debt, the creators break the crisis up into four areas of deficit - budget deficit, savings deficit, trade deficit and leadership deficit. To make their argument experts such as Alan Greenspan and Warren Buffet were interviewed, a historical analysis of the debt was provided and an overview of how the government works financially was provided.

I enjoyed this movie for many reasons. First of all, I think that the creators made a good argument using aspects of egos, pathos and logos. They did this through the use of expert interviews with people like Alan Greenspan and Warren Buffet, by providing historical charts and future projections, and by playing on the viewers’ sense of patriotism in wanting America to succeed. Second, I liked the way that the movie was organized. They didn’t just state the problem and focus on pathos to call the audience into action. By providing background and breaking the argument into sections, they were able to teach viewers about each aspect so that an understanding of the whole problem could be understood. Finally, by providing the education on the different areas of the problem, they were able to guide viewers to the outcome they wanted, which was their final call to action. Now, do I just view this as an assignment? Or do I answer the call?

Motherhood Paradox

Out of strength comes weakness and from weakness comes strength. It’s an amazing paradox that can be seen in the relationship between Lydia and Treasure. Lydia would do anything to help provide Treasure with a better life. Treasure is her strength to stay away from Lloyd. In addition, she is Lydia’s driving force to complete a college degree. However, when it comes to trying to provide Treasure with strength, it is here that Lydia shows her weakness. Lydia wants Treasure to have a father who will be there for her and give Treasure the love only a father can share. Because of this, Lydia allows Lloyd into their lives. She sees Lloyd’s temperament reflected in Treasure’s behavior and eventually pays the price for giving in when “Treasure jump[s] up and lunge[s] at her mother” (355). It is in this brutal scene that we see the deep-seated hatred that is brewing inside of Treasure. Lydia must make a choice. She is weak and broken-hearted and decides to let Treasure go. Lydia realizes that “Treasure [needs] to taste the ripeness of life; she need[s] to learn life’s lessons, even if it [leaves] a dent in her” (363). After tasting another lifestyle with her father, Treasure does learn these lessons and returns to Lydia. In the end, this period of weakness allowed them both to make decisions that helped return them both back to a state of strength.

As a mother, these passages spoke to me because I sometimes struggle with letting my daughter figure things out for herself or deciding her every move. I related to Lydia’s desire to help Treasure be all that she was created to be and the sadness when Treasure literally “spit in her face” (355). Although my daughter and I don’t go to the extremes told in the story, we have our moments. And I pray, just like Lydia did, that our struggles will lead to a better life for my daughter.

Work Cited
Marlow, L.Y.. Color Me Butterfly. Maryland: éL publishing, 2007. Print.