Where I'm From

I am from somewhere that only I can claim as home. This is a place that I have spent nineteen years of my life returning to. It is masked by the colors gray and dark blue. There are windows to allow glimpses of the outside world in. My place sits in a rectangular frame on top of a hill. I have spent the good times and the bad times of my life at this place. This is my home. It may look average, or normal on the outside, but on the inside everything is unique. Every room in my home tells a different story of my life.

This place played a unique role in the different stages of my life. During my younger years I spent much time out in my nice, open, green yard.  My musical career started at my grand piano at the age of four. I watched a lot of Arthur at the old television in my family room. I grew up, and the role of my home changed. It was no longer my playground. My personality began to show as I redecorated my room with bright colors, and in a weird pattern. I stopped spending as much time outside, and more time inside. I spent time in our furnished basement which included a school room for studying and playing.

I continued to grow, which has led me to today.  I redecorated my room once again, complete with everything music. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing food, and enjoying meals with the family. The television room in my basement is a place where I relax, or my escape for when I am sick. My yard is now my puppy’s playground. The piano room is where I continue to develop as a musician.  My house is somewhere only I can claim as home. Each room holds its own memories over the past nineteen years that only I have.  These rooms are my place, and where I am from.

Naomi Klein

Naomi Klein gave an effective presentation about the oil spill. It was effective due to her credibility, her visuals, and her facts. I feel that she is credible because she gave credit for her information to the scientists who have been researching the effects of the oil spill.  Her visuals added a lot to the presentation. They helped her get her point across to the audience, and as a viewer they evoked some emotion. She started her presentation by focussing on the small things that most people forget about. When examining disasters as a country we look at the big losses and the huge changes, but Klein focused in on the things we do not first look at. These facts also help her case, because they are not unbelievable facts, they are facts that as people we may have forgotten about. Klein is tackling a very important topic, and as a speaker she is able to lighten the mood occasionally throughout her speech, which as a viewer makes me more comfortable. In order for a listener, or a viewer, to be effected by a presentation I feel that they need to be comfortable, trust the source, and gain information about the topic. I gained all of these from Naomi Klein's presentation.

Photo Project

            The natural beauty of the land is seen as beautiful throughout the world. Even though today’s technology has changed the appearance of the world, it is still beautiful. These photos display the natural beauty of the world and the changed appearance of it due to industrialization. These photos were taken in Arizona and Hawaii. 

            These photos start with the natural landscape of the beautiful land, and progress as they move to the industrialization of the land. There are many simple photos of trees, flowers, cacti, and animals, and then there are various photos of beaches. Then I took photos of simple objects combined with industrialization to show the changes the environment has gone through over time.  I feel that the photos display the beauty that these states and their environment have to offer. 

            The collection of photos I have put together shows the similarities between Arizona and Hawaii.  The nature of both states has been obscured by the advancement of technology.  In one photo from Hawaii there are bushes that have been shaped to say Aloha which has continued to make the nature beautiful.  There are some photos of palm trees that are obscured by power lines, and although some may think it takes away from nature’s beauty, I think there is a sense of beauty there.  The environment has changed over time, but the changes show the changes our world has gone through, both good and bad. I wanted to display these changes throughout my photos, and capture the different angles of beauty that can still be seen in them.

Silent Spring

As I read this article I was able to make a couple connections to my personal life. The first one is about a camera that is set up in Northern Iowa that monitors a family of eagles. It is linked to a website that is very popular, and has been featuring this family for many months. When I first learned of this website I wondered why it was such a big deal, but after reading this article I understand that it is rare for eagles to survive. The newly hatched eagles have been doing great so far, and hopefully they will beat the odds. The second connection I made was that the crows in Ames don't seem to be effected by any of this. It is sad that so many animals are dying and going extinct because of humans and the chemicals they use, but living in Ames with all of these crows it is hard to see the reality. This article does a great job of presenting and argument and facts, and has shown me some things I wasn't necessarily aware of.

The Omnivore's Dilemma

There were a lot of details that caught my eye in this reading.  This reading was very similar to the Stuff Video we watched in class. As consumers it showed us the full picture of what was going on, instead of what we thought was going on. I didn't know that corn could be so expensive, and that a lot of people/animals can suffer from the consequences of corn-fed cows. As I read the article I was confused as to why the author could see the harm his steer were causing, and not remove his steer from that facility. I think this article does present people with quite a dilemma, but like the ending of the article I feel like most people will go back to eating corn-fed cows, including myself.

Chapter 7- The Everyday Writer

A good essay is organized, and is written so that the reader can understand it. I think I could use outlines to my advantage when writing essays. I tend to outline things in my mind, but by writing it down with specific examples I want to include can help me get to the point without dragging on. I like the formal outline and the linear organization options, because it shows the flow of things.

Is This Kansas: Claim

Eula Biss believes that the University of Iowa, and its students do not have the midwestern hospitality that she expected. Biss argues that the university doesn't care for anything more than itself, and that the students are too wrapped up in their college life. When the community is hit by a storm, Biss writes, "It was a version of the usual Thursday-night carnival, but set against the backdrop, this time, of disaster. And that backdrop revealed the carnival for what it was." Biss had some negative views against the type of community she found herself living in. In Is This Kansas, Eula Biss uses tone, imagery, and narration to describe her experiences and observations in Iowa City.