First Year at VCU

This was a great year for me. Graduating high school and then attending college were two major steps in my life. My freshman year at VCU went by very fast. I learned a lot down here in Richmond academically and about myself. This year has helped me to grow a lot mentally. I will take this year and use it towards next year to further educate myself in college

Summer Job

While at home over spring break one of my dad's good friends asked me where I was going to work over the summer. I told him I still had my job where I had been employed the last 3 years but I was seeking career advancement. He told me about a job opportunity up in Falls Church, Viringia with the Department of Homeland Security. He told me to apply for the position and since he is a director there he would look out for my application. One of the ladies in the hiring office called me about three weeks later confirming that I would be receiving the job. I cant wait to go back home and stack my money

Swine Flu

This is crazy I hope that there aren't any cases that come up in Virginia. I will be washing my hands 5 and 6 times a day now. SMH

Mom

Mothers Day is in a few weeks and once again my mind began to wander. As I look back on my life I believe that I have one of the most loving mothers ever. When I was younger I dont think I appreciated her as much. I would often think she wouldnt let me do certain stuff because she didnt want me to have fun but now I realize she was protectin me. She didn't want me to get involved in those things that everyone out in the streets were doing. I appreciate her for that now because if she didnt do that then there is no telling where I would be now. I may not have even reached the point where I realized what she actually did for me in my life. I love my mom more that anyone in the world and I still dont think that I tell her I love her enough. I Love You Mom

Inked-Up

I did my research paper on tattoos in our society now. Personally I have 4 tattoos and I think that my collection will continue to grow over the summer. I dont think that I am addicted to them I just like tattoos a lot. I wont get any tattoos that will be visible when I go to work but as for everywhere else I will be covered with tats LOL. Shoutout to my cousin Duke for showing me the way LOL

Need That ONE

For years I have been what everyone calls a "player." I have messed with many girls from highschool to college and never have really had a real girlfriend. I may have told a few girls that they were my girl but in all reality it was just to get into their underwear....LOL...but as of lately I am starting to think that I dont want to live that life anymore. Its too much going around for all that and these girls cant be trusted. Now I want a girl that I can chill and spend time with and even be faithful to. I figure i cant be a player all my life so I might as well settle down and see how these relationships work out.

Is College Really Worth It?

Before I fall asleep at night I do a lot of thinking. One night I began to think is going to college really worth all the money, stress, and time that a student has to go through? I know that in our society now that without a college degree a person can't get that big money like we all want, but as I look around I see a lot of people who do have college degrees and the jobs that they have aren't all that. We have to spend all this money to take all these classes that don't have anything to do with what we want to do after college. I dont know maybe I'm thinking too negatively right now but I just pray that when I leave college that I have a career path for success.

East African Albinos

I watched this documentary the other day and it was very interesting and sad.

Essay Exam Outcome

The outcome of my essay exam was pretty good. I received a B which was pretty good but I think I could've done better. The second question I ran out of time and the points I was trying to get across didn't really develop and I think that may have affected my grade. The first question I believe I answered perfectly and I gave good evidence to back up what I was saying. All in all I am proud of myself.

Preparing for Essay Exam

Preparing for the essay exam was kind of tough for me now that I look back on it. That entire week I was suffering from a sinus infection and had to miss out on the in class activities to prepare us for the exam. My roomate and I did some preparing ourselves which I believe helped me out a lot. Thanks Brady!!!

Adolf Hitler?

In the United States our freedoms are limited by the Constitution, but putting limitations on the names that people can give their children is somewhat outrageous. Even though those people gave their children Nazi names, and one was Adolf Hitler, they should not be penalized for the names they choose for their children. Many poeple name their children after historical heroes, and no one gets mad about that so people who name their children after villians should be treated the same way. Walmart being in trouble for writing Adolf Hitler on the cake makes no sense because its Walmart's job to write whatever is asked on a cake, with limitations on profanity. In America people are criticized and may get in trouble for excerising their natural rights, and it is not fair.

Inaugaration

His speech was absolutely amazing. He talked and was upbeat the whole time giving us reason to listen and stay listening. I was worried as I’m sure everyone else was just for President Obama’s safety. The first black president is a big deal and I didn’t want anyone to mess it up. I am sure security was extra tight and safe but I was still on edge. This being said, Obama’s spoke like he was at a local rally and was indestructible. His quotes were amazing but some of my favorites were. “To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.” This to me is a reason to believe in the next generation. Times have changed drastically and I believe Obama has understood that and believed in a way to fix this. As times change, you need to change with it. Meaning when the sh#t starts to hit the fan; you need to switch something up and start solving the problem at hand. When you windows vista crashes you search for updates. When your economy crashes you hope to have a president clean up the mess.

A Very Hot April

Since last Friday the weather has been extremely hot. It is very strange because that Monday it was very cold and nasty outside and then Friday comes and its 95 degrees outside....Where did this warm front come from? The entire weekend it was also very hot and it made me think......If its this hot already and its just April, then what is it going to be like come June and July? I don't even want to think about how hot it will be, but I am so ready for summer to be here.

Will Ka Forgive Her Father

I think Ka will eventually forgive her father but she will never forget his past. I think she will eventually forgive him because she doesn't really care about anything so she will probably just put it in the back of her mind. I also think Ka will eventually forgive her father because she seems closer to him than to her mother, so she will be more lenient on him and accept his faults. Ka's mother forgave her father, but i'm sure she never forgot what he did to her brother, so I think Ka would have no problem forgiving him, being that he did not harm anyone she knew personally.

Context Lead to Greater Understanding

I think that understanding the larger contexts such as the ones listed in the question help with a greater understanding a lot. Historical can show how it has evolved over time and where it has come from. Political can show how it is now in the world and how society may view it. Social I believe ties in society and everyday life which is very important

Evaluating Sources

I think it is very important to have strong skills in evaluating sources. If someone cannot evaluate sources well then they risk receiving information that is not credible at all. People can voice their on opinions on anything but if they don't have a background in that certain field then the information that they are giving out may not be reliable. Exploring sources can help with understanding larger contexts because it gives a wider range of views

Assertions in Personal Writing

For personal writing I think the writers need support that can help their assertions out. If they dont have a good support then their assertions will somewhat be weak. The writer can use different types of support which will also streghten their assertion. I have been thinking about doing my research on tattoos.

The Use of Water Imagery in the Dew Breaker

In the Dew breaker, water was talked about many times. In 2 parts of the book, 2 of the characters family members drowned. Anne's little brother drowned, and she was permanently scarred. The funeral singer's father drowned, and she always sang songs that were related to water and being a fisherman. In water child, Nadine had a shrine with water and pebbles dedicated to her aborted baby in her house. Ka's father threw the statue of him into the lake. I think Danticat uses water to symbolize,life, death, and rebirth.

Purpose of The Dew Breaker's Scar

The use of the Scar on the dew breaker is symbolic and purposeful. The Scars serve a purpose when Ka is making the sculpture to personify him as a victim. As long as the Dew Breaker is personified as victim it continues to remind him of what he did and Ka will continue to believe that he was a prisoner which will further guilt the Dew Breaker. It seems like this scar is the reason why his daughter makes his past such a big deal. This scar also must haunt him when he is alone. The scar eventually pushes the dew breaker to tell Ka the truth and it in ways redeems him with his daughter in some ways. The Scar also presents another theme in the book being forgive but never forget. Everyone in the book who has been tortured may live long enough to forgive what was done for their own sanity but will never forget what was done to them. Danny had his chance to kill the Dew Breaker but when he was given the chance he didn’t because he felt that the dew breaker had become another person. The scar again being a reminder of who he was because Danny said that has he looked at his face it seemed as though the ferocity had faded and it seemed like it was not the same man. The Scars purpose of a reminder of a malevolent past is well served though out the book.

Why Doesn't Danticat Give Ka's Father a Name?

Danticat does not give Ka's father a name in order to keep him somewhat of a mystery. Him being called Ka's father, the barber, Anne's husband, or the landlord, are less important than him being The Dew Breaker. When he is called the dew breaker, the readers are constantly reminded of his past. Him not having a name is unimportant because his actions as the dew breaker are whats most important.

Self Evaluation

I think this time around I did a lot better on my oral presentation than the first time. It seemed to go alot smoother but I got caught up in some of the information on my notecards when I tried to wing it at some points. Overall I would say I did a pretty good job on my presentation but it always could have been better. It seemed like I should have used a lot more time as my presentation seemed to be very short. I wasn't as nervous as I was the first time so I am proud of myself.

Different Answers Form Complete Claims

With many different answers it gives many different points of view which helps to strenghthen a claim. I believe that with many different kind of answers it also does the same thing. The answer might be the same as another answer that has been received already but it may be worded differently which in return gives an altered point of view. With several different points of views it can only strengthen the claim

Academic Research

I think that the type of questions that lead to academic research are those that relate to something culturally, politically, and anything else that is going on. Anything can be researched but to academically be researched it has to be something that someone else can gain knowledge from.

Voice

The peer revision went very well as it has been going recently. People give great input into your writing which helps to have the viewpoint of another person. I think people can maintain their voice in a formal piece of writing by the tone that they use in their writing. Maintaing a consistent tone throughout a paper can help with the flow of the paper a lot.

Research Question

I believe that starting the research process off with a question is a very helpful step in getting a good jump on the topic. Having a good question will make the research a lot easier as you can focus in on that question.

Sample Argumentative Essays

The first essay that was about Christianity seemed to be an ok paper not one that deserved to be published in a book and used for higher education curriculum. The writer had some pretty good sources but he bounced around a lot from topic to topic which didn't help his arument out much. The essay about the Iraq war didn't really catch my attention since this topic has been covered over, and over, and over, again.........

First Argumentative Essay

Looking back on the first argumentative essay that we wrote at the beginning of the year, I dont think I really had the concept of how I was supposed to write an argumentative essay. While reading the essay it didn't seem as if I was arguing anything at all. It was more of an informative style essay of why I came to college and what I planned to use my college education in the future. If I was to revise it I would come up with a solid thesis, ways to back it up, a counter argument and a strong conclusion.

Developing an Argument

I think the reading the Developing the Argument reading in the Hacker helped me with writing my Argumentative Essay a great deal. It really showed me how to come up with an argument and defend that one side. It helped with comin up with ways to backup the side I was taking in my paper.

Critiquing Presentation

My oral presenation didnt go as well as I expected it to. I stood before the class intending to have it go smoothly but my nerves kicked in and the presentation was somewhat sloppy. While trying to articluate some of my words they began to run together and my words were jumbled up. After messing up a few words the thought remained in the back of my head that I was messing up. While referring back to my notecards I lost my place a couple times and the dreaded uhhhh came out. Another no-no when giving an oral presentation. All of this running through my head affected the way I presented the information to the class. When I slowed down and actually spoke on what was I knew it actually seemed smoother and I could make eye contact with the crowd. That was probably the strongest part of my presentation. Overall I feel like I did a fairly decent job, but there is a lot that needs to be worked on for presentations in the future.

March Madness

Thursday was the start of my favorite time of the year, March Madness. The NCAA tournament only comes around once a year and to most college basketball lovers this is one of the best seasons during the year. Schools from all across the country have the chance to prove that they are the best team in the land. It is great to see the small schools knock off the power house schools that everyone expects to win. It is also suspensful to see the outcome of major games determined by the final seconds.

Me being a freshman in college and having the university that I attend be playing in the "big dance" added to my excitement about this time of the year. As I sat and watched the game with some of my friends we began to have doubt in the second half as UCLA began to pull away from VCU. As we started to narrow their lead and got into the game I thought we would be able to come out with a win. The game went down to the final seconds as our star player Eric Maynor who had a spectacular game missed the game winning shot. It was somewhat disappointing to see my school lose but I was proud because we put up a good fight against a powerhouse like UCLA.

There will always be next year........

Annotated Bibliography Steps

Looking for sources that give out the specific information that I am seeking has been a tough task. Some of the information that I was getting in the beginning of my research wasn't what I was exactly looking for. I had to continue to dig deeper and find what I was searching for. I found a couple of books that gave some of the history of tattoos which I plan to use in my annotated bigliography

Annotated Bibliography

So far I have been looking for sources to use for my annotated bibliography. I have found 2 internet sources that I can use but I still need to find more. I looked for the reading that we had to do on oral presentations but did not find it under unit 2.

Family Time During Break

Spring Break was pretty amazing. I started it off by spending time with my family on a Friday night which I hadn't done in a very long time. Everyone in my family is often very busy and it has hard to find the time to just sit down and relax with eachother. We sat around and just watched basketball which was cool. My Saturday was also very family oriented. My family and I went to vist my grandmothers grave and decorated it with flowers. This was a very touching moment for my entire family as we all cherished the great memories we had with my grandmother. The weather was beautiful which also added to the experience. After leaving the cemetary we went out for dinner and had a great time fellowshipping with eachother. I couldn't have thought of a better way to start off my spring break.

Self Evaluation

This semester is a very different from my first semester in college. There is a lot more work being given out and classes seem to be tougher. I must admit I have started this semster off very slow and I need to pick it up the second half. I have not exactly been reaching for the goals I set for this semester but they aren't far away from being grasped. I am doing well in all of my other classes except for my History 201 course but I dont believe I am in danger of failing the course I just need to crack down and focus more.

Dew Breaker Essay Exam Questions

1. Danticat uses a different number of narrators to tell the story to add an interesting twist and to give different point of views. The shifting points of view helps to give the reader more than one side of the story which in return leaves the reader with less bias. The different points of view affects how the reader understands the story by forcing them to think abstractly puttin together the diffrent peices to form the main idea of the story.

2. The author starts the book off with Ka's father's confession and ends it with the last crime he committed so that the reader will stay intrested, she also does this so the reader can connect the ending in the beginning with the stories in the middle. This way of telling the story is more powerful than a chronological telling because the reader stays intrigued and its different from how most books are structured.

3. The stories of Eric, Michel, Dany, Nadine, Beatrice, and Freda allow the readers to put together the missing peices in the book and allow us to see the Dew Breaker throughout his life even though he, himself does not tell his own story. These peoples lives were intertwined with Ka's father directly and indirectly, some of the people were hurt by him others were tortured by his Dew Breaker colleagues, and others just were living around but in some way he affected all of them.

4. Ka's mother marries the Dew Breaker because she and Ka make him better and she feels as if its her duty to stand by him especially because she is a very religious women. Ka's mother stays with him even after learning the truth about the identity of his last victim because at the time she just needed somebody to be there for her and at the time, and over time she begins to realize she can make him better. The reconciliation of Ka's parents is a good example of how anything can be forgiven, and even the worst of people can find redemption. The last section of the story told in the The Dew Breaker bring us back to the beginning because you finally find out the kind of person the Dew Breaker used to be, and the reasoning to why he is the way he is now, it fills in any missing gaps.

A Golden Weekend

This weekend was homecoming and I think it is safe to say this was the best weekend I have had since coming to college. My birthday was Tuesday so I also was celebrating that this weekend. From eating food and enjoying the beautiful weather at the chill-n-grill to watching the basketball team blow out William and Mary; there wasn't many negatives about this weekend. The parties were also pretty amazing. This was a very memorable weekend but now its time to crackdown on the books

Free Response

While in class Friday we watched an interview with the author of the Dew Breaker, Edwidge Danticat. At the end of the interview she made a statement that was very touching to me. She said that we may be going through something in life that we think others can relate to but in all reality there is probably someone out there that has gone through or is going through that same experience. I never really thought of it that way because as humans we naturally just think about ourselves. If we tell our experiences to others we may find out that there are others in the same shoes and might be able to help them and vice versa.

Most Significant Experience

The experience that has affected me a lot recently is seeing my grandfather get remarried.

This event may seem small but it is very important to me. My grandmother whom my grandfather loved dearly for 40 plus years passed away and now my grandfather is remarried without 2 years even passing. I think to myself everyday how he could be ready for another marriage so soon. Then i let the thought escape as i think that if this is what will make him happy then it is good for him.

The Dew Breaker......Personal and Academic

The Dew Breaker was one of the most interesting books that i have read. It is a book of experiences from a great author that pretty much anyone can relate to. Academically I can relate to the hard work that was put forth by the Haitian immigrants once that reached New York. Being academically successful is not easy it requires patience and devotion. Even though sometimes the going may get rough we have to remain humble and continue to work and later on down the line there will be great pay offs. From a personal aspect I can relate to the book in a way when Danticat's parents left her and she wondered if she would ever see them again. My parents never really left me but my father who is in the Army left for Iraq when I was younger and in the back of my head I wondered if he would return. It is tough having thoughts such as those going through your head. It can affect you throughout your daily life in ways that are unseen to the average person