Reflection Essay

This semester in English 250 we have used all the concepts of WOVE in our writing. We
Have written about a place that is important to us, a critical analysis of a place, and an argument about a place. The oral aspect was exercised during class presentations of our jammed ad. Visual aids were used throughout papers whether it was a picture of an ad or our photo essay. We used electronic communication with our blogs and with our power point presentation. All of these projects have dealt with a place because places play an important part in our lives.

The writing process is an important part of communicating with people. This class
Helped me to see that places have formed who I am. Now, I also look at how places have had an impact on my life. At the beginning of this semester I liked to write my entire paper at one time. Throughout the semester we have had to write part of the paper and then expand on our ideas to reach the required amount. This technique involves writing down some of the main points and then having someone look at them and give suggestions about how you could expand and what can be taken out. This makes it easier to make revisions and add things into the paper. Before this semester I didn’t show my work to anyone. I have now started to run my work through several people. This helps me to see what isn’t clear in my writing and to find grammatical errors in the paper. I will look at all the feedback from these people and decide how to work these ideas into my paper. Any part they say needs to be clearer I will see how it can be revised. I look at all the grammatical errors that they have pointed out and the parts that should be expanded and parts that can be taken out. During the semester we have used different ways of communicating with other people. At the beginning of the semester my strongest way of communicating with people was by oral presentations. Throughout the semester I have had to work on developing my other areas of communication. Electronic communication was new to me; I had never composed a blog before. This experience has shown me that electronic communication is a very easy way to share your ideas with a large audience. I have greatly improved with my electronic communication; I learned how to make a blog that is easy to understand. I have also improved in my written work. I had the most problems with writing papers and clearly making my points. I have improved in my writing technique and I am getting better at putting my ideas on paper. I also learned some techniques of adding visuals into my work. In the jammed ad we had to use a power point and I learned new techniques about presenting ideas to people through a power point presentation. My favorite assignment was the argument essay. In this essay I was able to argue about an issue that was relatively local and how it would affect my area and people from my hometown. It also helped me to see that there are many sides to an issue and that they should all be looked at and be given a fair shot.

In conclusion, places have played an important role in everyone’s life. Being able to communicate about these places is what cultivates our relationships with others. The use of different means of communication helps us to be able to express, not only the facts but also, how these places have affected us. This class has helped me learn to better communicate in many different ways; orally, electronically, written, and visually. Because of this class I will better be able to communicate with those I come into contact with both now and in the future.

Written Communication

The purpose of written communication is to express an idea or an opinion to other people. The basic layout is to have a strong thesis that will help other people to understand your idea. This selection is an argument about how big companies should not be able to push other people out of their homes and that a historical landmark should not be torn down so that these companies can make a little more money. I will talk about the fact that the alternative building sites are a better selection than the place that the large companies want to build at.

The Cost of an Airport
There have always been disputes over land and the government. In the towns of Pella, Iowa, and Oskaloosa, Iowa, companies need a larger runway so that they will be able to land their jets. They asked the city council to approve the building of a new airport. The sites that were selected for the building of this airport come into conflict with fertile farmland and other historical landmark. The people that want the airport are calling for eminent domain to be called so that this airport will be able to be built. The need for a larger airport will affect many people, but the economic benefit is not worth the loss of history.
This debate involves 3 multi-million dollar companies- Pella Corporation and Vermeer Manufacturing based in Pella, Iowa and Musco Lighting Corporation located in Oskaloosa, IA. These three companies have the need for bigger jets. The new jets would allow these companies to take longer flights and be able to accommodate a larger party of people on them. This need for bigger jets comes with the need for a longer runway. The local airports will not be able to accommodate these needs. Authorization to land the larger airplanes that these industries need may be revoked because of certain safety issues at that current airport. A research committee was commissioned to do a study and find the best economical solution to this problem, and they resolved that a new airport should be built to accommodate this need. The airport would also be much safer for all aircrafts and will be able to operate in more demanding weather conditions than the old one. (Aviation Review Committee)
Many people in the community of Pella have been looking for alternative solutions to this problem to avoid the building of a new airport. The first thing that would come to mind is to expand and update an existing local airport. This is not possible at the Pella airport because it is between a major golf course and some other buildings. The nearby town of Oskaloosa has an airport that is located in Cedar which is a 40-45 minute drive to Pella and they see this as being too far for them to drive. The only option that is available is to build a new airport. This airport is said to be able to draw people to the town and to help give an added incentive for larger companies to move to the area. For instance, more people would be able to come to the major races at Knoxville and Newton. (Aviation Review Committee)
There are two locations that a committee has determined to be the most economical. The two sites that are being pushed for are a local township called Black Oak and a city named Otley. (Woodhouse) The township that the council is now considering putting on the contingency site is located in Black Oak. The reason why the council suggested this area is because this place is between Oskaloosa and Pella. The companies in Pella agree that this would be the best spot because a major company that is pushing for this airport is located in Oskaloosa. This area would put the airport in between the major companies. This site would take many people’s homes away and many acres of farmland. (Supervisors delay airport decision) In order to obtain these lands, there would have to be an eminent domain declared so that the Council could take these lands for a price that is determined by an appraiser. One woman that would lose her land says, “It’s a century farm that’s been passed down for years, and we want to keep it that way.” (Kappelman) This site also has a farmstead that has been registered in the National Registry of Historical Places. The farmstead is said to call attention to the movements of the 20th century of rural life. (Kappelman) Some of the better farmland in the region and the symbol of
history would be lost if we tore down the historic farmstead. Even though it is not the most economical decision it would do the least harm to the history of our region and to the rich farmland that is at the proposed site.
The other proposed site is in Otley, IA. This region has now become the frontrunner for the airport. Since this is a new proposed site that has just occurred lately there are not any responses from the landowners at this region. (Woodhouse) Some of the land that is needed for the airport has gone up for sale, which means that less people would be forced to sell their land and that there aren’t any historical landmarks in this area. The drawback of this site is that the airport would be located in the northwest corner of Marion County. This would make the company in Oskaloosa drive an extra 15-20 minutes to reach the airport. This is why the company in Oskaloosa is trying to get Mahaska County to let them build over the historical landmark. There are 4 or 5 other sites but all of these would require the moving of cell phone towers, which would be a much greater cost and hassle. (Woodhouse)
Though the Otley airport would cost the company more money it is still the best choice of sites. Even though it is not the most economical decision it would do the least harm to the history of our region and to the rich farmland that is at the proposed site. The argument of the major businesses and the research committee may be the most economical solution but there are other costs we need to think about. Are we willing to give up prime farmland and a landmark that represents the history of this region in an effort to save a few dollars? The loss of this farmland and the history is not worth the result of saving a company few dollars.

Works Cited
Aviation Review Committee. Aviation Review Committee Report to Mayor and Council. 15 November 2007 .
Kappelman, Wes. Pella looks at two sites for new airport. 30 October 2007. 15 November 2007 .
Woodhouse, Steve. Otley is likely airport site. 22 October 2007. 15 November 2007 .

Oral Communication

We have used groups in many of our assignments. The aspect of getting everyone on the same page and to do their work on time is hard. At the beginning of the semester on the jammed ad we had some problems on the fact that we couldn’t get everyone together at the same time. We eventually got this done and were able to complete the assignment on time and get everyone organized so that we could have an effective presentation. The fact that we were all pressed for time when we finally met helped me to see the importance of meeting early with my group so that we would have more time to get the project done. The hard thing in group work is to try to get everybody to agree on the way to do things and what to do them on. Everyone needs to be flexible with their ideas so that the entire group will be able to agree upon ideas. For instance in the audio project we had some disagreements on what place we would do our project on. We finally were able to agree because everybody was flexible with their ideas. The main thing that has to happen is that everyone needs to be flexible and respect everyone else’s ideas.

Visual Communication

The purpose of a visual communication is to catch peoples eye and to get them thinking about what they ad has to say. The purpose of this project was to use a series of photos to portray a side of the campanile. The different angles of the picture and the different objects that we have in the pictures portray a different side of the campanile.

This is a picture of the campanile on central campus. This picture is taken in the middle of the day and shadows are being cast on the structure. The campanile is a structure that has many different traditions that go along with it. This picture was chosen because it gives a food overall view of the structure. For an ISU student or alumni, this picture gives us a sense of community and tradition. The sight of the campanile gives us a good feeling because we know the traditions that go along with the campanile and the university. When you first look at this picture your eyes focus on the top where the sun is shining, and then slowly works down to the shaded part and the trees at the base of the campanile. This leads your eyes down to the next picture that we will describe.

This is the archway of the campanile. This archway faces the memorial union. The arches have a significant role in the tradition of the campanile. The story goes that someone is not a true Iowa Stater unless they take there loved one and kiss them under the campanile when the bells ring at midnight. This has been a tradition for over a hundred years and this shows the heritage that this school has. This also shows the old decorative architecture that was put into the arches. This is contrasted with the new bright green leaves. This shows a merging of the old tradition and the new students that still hang onto this tradition. When you first look at this picture your eyes are drawn to the arches and the branches that are in front of them. Then your eyes are drawn down to the green grass which leads to the next picture.

This is a picture of the top of the campanile. This shows the clocks that are on all four faces of the campanile that can be seen from most places in central campus. Every quarter hour the bells of Iowa State are rung. Most days at 11:50 someone will go up and actually play the carillon that is up in the tower for a twenty minute concert. At other times carilloners go up and play concerts at different times throughout the years. The bells of Iowa State can be heard over most of the campus. This is a tradition that goes back to when the campanile was first built. Your eyes focus on the top of the campanile and are drawn down to the shadows at the bottom of the page. This picture is bright and warm and gives you a good feeling about the campanile.

This is one of the corners of the campanile. This photo represents the old architecture that was put into the campanile. This is merged with the new trees that are in the background. This represents that the old traditions that go along with the campanile are still alive today. The sun in the background makes you feel warm and comfortable which is how you feel whenever you see the campanile a realize that some things in the university are the same now as they were many years ago. When you look at the picture your eyes glance over the building and are drawn to the bright spot in the picture, which is the sun and then your eyes follow the tree branches until you are looking at the base of the building and then work up to the top of the picture. This is the last picture in my sequence because as you look at it, it does not really lead your eyes to the next picture down.

Electronic Communication

I didn't have much experience with electronic communication before this semester. When we had to use power point to present our jammed ad, It was a good experience and taught me many things about how to make an effect slide show that gets your theme across and how to make your thoughts clear to other people. I had never had a blog before this semester and I didn’t really know what it was. This experience helped me to understand the basics of blogging. That you can post anything that you want and it can be viewed by whoever you select. This means that you can post your opinions and it can be read by anybody that can get on the internet. This form of communication seems likely to get even more popular since it is a quick and easy way to express yourself and your thoughts to people. Where a paper copy of a paper will work for a small audience, a blog can be presented to anybody in the world. People need to keep in mind that not everyone has the same views as them and that they should be considerate of other people when they post comments or opinions to their blogs.

News Article

The article that I am summarizing is titled "Manhattan welcomes ladybug" and is found in the Iowa State Daily on October 22, 2007. In New York there are 720.000 ladybugs. They said that this sounds like a bad horror movie. These bugs have been released on an 80 acres in one of the biggest apartment complex. The ladybugs arrived in boxes that were shipped by a natural gardening company. They were shipped in from Montana. The groundskeepers scattered them in 72000 ladybugs per box. The lady bugs quickly flew into the sky and are supposed to crawl into the plants and eat the bad bugs that are harming the plants. The owner of this complex is trying to solve his bug problem without using pesticides. He says that he doesn't want to kill the good bugs along with the bad bugs. You can get 2,000 ladybugs for $16.50. These ladybugs converge in the wilderness where they are harvested. They are kept in large refrigerators where the ladybugs are dormant at this temperature and they use up their fat reserves and they can stay alive for five months. They got to the complex and were ready to fly around.

Film

The film that I will be talking about is "Labyrinth". At the beginning of the movie Sarah is told that she has to stay home and watch her brother named Toby. He was being loud and crying and she said that she wished that the goblins would take him away. The goblin king came and took her brother away, and the only way that she could get him back was to make it his castle in 13 hours. She is taken to a labyrinth were she meets Hoggle. He lets her into the labyrinth and she is walking and it looks like there is no turns to the labyrinth. She talks to a worm and it tells her that things are not what they seem and that she needs to look harder. She makes it to a place that has two doors. She is forced to choose one and she chooses one and ends up being taken down into the underground tunnels. She meets back up with Hoggle and convinces him to help her get out and she will give him a jewel, since he has a fondness for them. He leads her back up to the labyrinth where she saves Ludo from some goblins that were tormenting him. Ludo joins there group and they end up in the stinky swamp and they meet Didymus where he is guarding the bridge out. After he tries to fight Ludo and they reach a stalemate he decides to join there group. Jareth, the goblin king, gets angry and sends his army into the town that is in front of his castle, a fight breaks out and Sarah and her group end up making it to castle where Sarah goes to confront the Jareth and get here bother back. She ends up finding him and she quotes the line from her book about the goblin king and she is able to bring her brother back before her parents return home. Her friends come to her room and tell her if she ever needs them just call, and she says that she needs them. Sarah was able to overcome all the obstacles and was able to save her brother even though she was offered anything she wanted, by Jareth, if she forgot about the boy.

News Article

The article that I will be summarizing is titled "Gardens plant future seeds" that is found in the Iowa State Daily on October 22, 2007. This article is about the Reiman Gardens. The administration and staff face a major problem in a budget cut. They met to discus their strategies for the facility and how they will deal with the financing cuts. The assistant director says that they have changed their focus to concentrate more on educating people on good stewardship in the environment. Their goal is to incorporate themes into the garden that will show how everyone can live a sustainable life. The themes that the Gardens chooses each year are there basis for their decoration. This year in is how literature and nature are intertwined. They are going to incorporate many styles of literature. They will have a "Moby Dick" sculpture along with many other literary themes. The displays that the Reiman Gardens put up are examples for other gardens around the world. The garden have won many prizes and people that work are asked to speak to other people on what they are doing at the Gardens. Though the gardens are changing their theme, they have a severe restriction on their marketing budget so most people don't know about the theme change. They have overcome this obstacle by asking for volunteers and making their own flyer's. Though they face many financial difficulties they are optimistic about the future.

News Article

The news article that I am summarizing is titled "Survey, Wallace Hall helpful in student caucus recruiting" from the Iowa State Daily on November 30, 2007. This article is focused on the caucus that is coming up on Jan. 3. The early caucus time is a problem because some students who want to caucus in Ames don't have anywhere to stay since some residence house contracts don't allow students to stay in their dorms over Christmas break. This problem was solved when Wallace hall decided to open up the tenth floor. They would only have to pay $19.50 per night. This will allow the students to stay somewhere cheap so that they can join in on the caucus. There was also a survey sent to all students that asked who planned to caucus. Of the 8% of students who answered the survey, 58% said that they planned on participating in the caucus. The survey did not ask where they would participate at. The article also has quotes from different people who say that they are excited about the caucus and that they hope other people will get out and participate. They talk to other students who say that they will caucus here and some that say they will caucus at there hometown. The survey also asked who they would vote for, for democrats 57% said that they would vote for Barrack Obama followed by Hilary Clinton with 14%. Of republicans, 27% would vote for Ron Paul followed by Mitt Romney with 24%. Stephanie Lichter said that it isn't surprising that Ron Paul is so popular since there has been a big push for him by college students and people just out of college.

Advertisement

The advertisement that I chose is how to buy a trip to disneyland. The ad has a picture of a castle that is in disneyland in the background. They have what looks to be a family of a dad, mom, and a daughter. They are all smiling and look like they are having a good time. The text on the picture part of the ad says Disneyland in elegant font. The text on the other half of the ad talks about how you can get early admission to Disneyland Resort. Then the two companies that sponsored the ad are written on the bottom.
The audience for this ad can be anyone, but it is more focused towards younger children and families with younger children. The purpose of this ad is to get people to get a package to go to disneyland. The reason that these people are in the picture is to persuade people that if you go to disneyland you will have a good time. They also are hugging and this says that if you go to disneyland you will be closer to your family and they will love you. The writing on the right side is trying to get you excited about going to disneyland. One of the companies that is sponsering this ad is called FunSun which makes you think of having fun on a vacation. The other companies slogan "We Know Travel Best" tries to convince you that this company is the best and that you should travel with them. The overall theme is that if you go on this trip you will have a good time and that you will grow closer to your family.

Commentary about a Song

I will be writing my commentary on the song "Rock Show" by blink 182. This song is about how a guy met a girl at a club and that he fell instantly in love with her. He talks about how they would get drunk and go to a club over the summer and weekends. He talks about the first time that he saw her at the club. She was getting kicked out of college but that she is always there for him. He then says that everything is better when she is around. Then in the next verse he talks about the problem that they had with their parents. They were going to move to Las Vegas but her mom said that they were young and didn't have any direction. The next verse tells about how he had pictures of her and that he always waited for her to call him. Then it says that she kept him waiting, and that is why he still thinks about her and that he would dance with her again if she gave him the chance. The song is fast paced and upbeat, which works well with the fact that this "love" they had didn't seem to last to long but while it was happening things were going on at a fast paced, like when they wanted to move to Las Vegas. The upbeat part is that he still likes her because she always kept him waiting and that she was in control of the relationship but after they broke up he would always remember the good times that they had together.

Corporate Blog of GM

I am analyzing the Corporate blog that is published by GM. This is a public blog that anyone can read. While this blog is geared more towards people that have an interest in cars, their are also environmental issues that are talked about. This blog is also contains quite a few blogs about the engineering that goes into vehicles so it would also interest the people that want to know what innovations are being put into the new cars. There are many different people that are able to post on the blog. Their are a blogs posted by a blog editor. Their are also quite a few blogs posted by high ranked people within the corporation. The manager of the social media connections has posted on the blog. Also the general managers for different sections of GM have posted things on this blog. This blog touches on the innovations that are happening in the automotive world. They also talk about the constant need to continue to improve fuel efficiency and hybrids. This is a very large topic in today's world and most companies are going towards the more efficient car. The overall design of the blog has a light green background which is associated with fuel economy and saving the environment. Also they have many videos of the new technology that has been implemented into the design of cars. This is to help us see what they are talking about, since not everyone knows what they mean when they read the blog, since most people are visual learners.
The difference in the corporate blog compared to a personal blog is very noticeable. The corporate blogs put a team together and the entire site looks professional. The writings don't contain grammar mistakes and seem more professional than a personal blog. This blog seems to focus on people that know a little bit about car. This might dissuade people from looking at this blog, while a personal blog is easier to understand because the language that someone uses in their personal blog is well understood by most people. This blog is very fact oriented since it is about GM they give out things that are being done and that have been done. The personal blog isn't always fact, most things that are put on blogs are opinions of what that person thinks.

Rhetorical analysis "In the Jungle"

In this selection “In the Jungle” by Annie Dillard, was written about her time in the Ecuadorian jungle. She starts out with talking about how this is an out of the way place. She continues on to describe how the wildlife is abundant. She also describes how the natives of this jungle still live the same way they did hundreds of years ago. The natives children were fascinated with her hair because they were not used to foreign woman. The image of the tall trees and the birds still singing songs and how this is sweet air to her because it has been untouched by civilization.

She starts with and emotional appeal to the reader. The phrase “out of the way” is questioned, by her, because what is it out of the way of? She uses a description of all the wildlife and its interaction with the environment to try and get us to see that this is how she pictures nature. The majority of her appeals to the reader are based on what she thinks is what true nature should be. She paints a picture of a place that has been untouched by outside forces. Her use of descriptive words is meant to help the reader picture this place. When we are able to picture this place it is meant to make us think about how beautiful nature is and that we should leave nature alone and not interfere with it. She makes an argument at the end that this place was not out of the way but that this was a center of life and peace. The description she gives of the birds songs and how all the wildlife and people are able to live together. She is making the argument that we should be able to live with nature without corrupting it and that nature is not ours to ruin but that what we do affects all of nature.

The organization that she uses leads us to form conclusions for ourselves. The way she starts by asking a question introduces us to the purpose of the essay. It is also meant to make us think of what is “Out of the Way” really means. This leads us to think on about what she says about how the people and nature interact. She then leaves us with the phrase of the jungle not being out of the way but that it is a central place for peace, the peace between people and nature.

This is a picture of the campanile on central campus. This picture is taken in the middle of the day and shadows are being cast on the structure. The campanile is a structure that has many different traditions that go along with it. This picture was chosen because it gives a food overall view of the structure. For an ISU student or alumni, this picture gives us a sense of community and tradition. The sight of the campanile gives us a good feeling because we know the traditions that go along with the campanile and the university. When you first look at this picture your eyes focus on the top where the sun is shining, and then slowly works down to the shaded part and the trees at the base of the campanile. This leads your eyes down to the next picture that we will describe.

This is the archway of the campanile. This archway faces the memorial union. The arches have a significant role in the tradition of the campanile. The story goes that someone is not a true Iowa Stater unless they take there loved one and kiss them under the campanile when the bells ring at midnight. This has been a tradition for over a hundred years and this shows the heritage that this school has. This also shows the old decorative architecture that was put into the arches. This is contrasted with the new bright green leaves. This shows a merging of the old tradition and the new students that still hang onto this tradition. When you first look at this picture your eyes are drawn to the arches and the branches that are in front of them. Then your eyes are drawn down to the green grass which leads to the next picture.

This is a picture of the top of the campanile. This shows the clocks that are on all four faces of the campanile that can be seen from most places in central campus. Every quarter hour the bells of Iowa State are rung. Most days at 11:50 someone will go up and actually play the carillon that is up in the tower for a twenty minute concert. At other times carilloners go up and play concerts at different times throughout the years. The bells of Iowa State can be heard over most of the campus. This is a tradition that goes back to when the campanile was first built. Your eyes focus on the top of the campanile and are drawn down to the shadows at the bottom of the page. This picture is bright and warm and gives you a good feeling about the campanile.

This is one of the corners of the campanile. This photo represents the old architecture that was put into the campanile. This is merged with the new trees that are in the background. This represents that the old traditions that go along with the campanile are still alive today. The sun in the background makes you feel warm and comfortable which is how you feel whenever you see the campanile a realize that some things in the university are the same now as they were many years ago. When you look at the picture your eyes glance over the building and are drawn to the bright spot in the picture, which is the sun and then your eyes follow the tree branches until you are looking at the base of the building and then work up to the top of the picture. This is the last picture in my sequence because as you look at it, it does not really lead your eyes to the next picture down.