Interpreting Graffiti

In Friday’s class, we went to the library to look at graffiti. Graffiti has a wide range of interpretation. Some may think that its art and some may think that its vandalism. Looking at the graffiti in the library, I think a lot of it is boredom. Students are sitting there and their studying and they draw on the desk to give themselves a break. A lot of the drawings were in support of fraternities while others were of sexual content. Then there’s graffiti that is very much like art to me; Such as the snoopy drawing and the spaceman drawings. These were both very detailed and intricate and showed expression of the artist.

I think graffiti gives the artist a way to show their voice without anyone knowing who it is. It’s a way to show people who they are and what they stand for through art. Other times though, graffiti can be very hurtful depending on where it’s at and how people interpret it. For example, the graffiti that is on the desks in the classrooms can be interpreted as vandalism, art, and some may be offended by of it. However, I think its students boredom and they decide to doodle. It’s just like when you doodle in your notebook only it’s on the desk and some may feel that it is vandalism but I think if it was that big of a deal to the university or even students that something would have been done already.
Megan McCreery

On Pixie Dust

With the agrument of how Pixie Dust is made, (slaughtering pigs), I believe it comes down to a matter of what are we here for?I believe each and everything has a purpose and reason for being here, whether it be human or animal.Think about Noah Ark... He was to take a male and female of each animal etc. Why?Think about dinosaurs... They ran the world at one point, why are they not here anymore?Think about Steve Jobs... He was resigned as CEO of Apple in 1996 after a power battle in 1985 lead him to leave the company. Why?

I think they matter shouldn't be how its done, but that it can be done and for what reason is it being done.

Candace Scott

Pixie dust and cloning: What are the boundaries?

There are many controversies when it comes to science and what it can achieve. After viewing the video of the man that grew his finger back it reminded me of the cloning video that we viewed the prior week. Although science is a subject that is trying to expand, it is also a subject that has a desire to solve world mysteries, but what are the boundaries? Pixie Dust was a substance formed from pig's bladder, although that maybe controversial for some people it does not actually call for more slaughtering of pigs, the bladder is simply received after the pig is most likely slaughtered for making the food that most people eat almost everyday. Cloning, though, does result from the death of an animal though, but instead from something is a major controversy in today's societies. Cloning results from copying an embryo, but the statistics that the embryo will actually clone are very small. Due to this fact many embryos are needed to try to clone, and some people may see these embryos as killing a part of human life. Human life is seen by many people as a sacred thing. This fact brings up the question of what is the line between sacred and what humans do. The last line that has to be drawn through cloning is who decided who should be cloned, if only certain people are cloned should that be illegal because cloning is trying to create one standardized culture. Also, what happens if the cloning does not turn out right is the clone killed or would that be murder. Clones are not part of society today, but if they are one day what is the separation between clones and normal humans. Science can lead to major leaps and bounds in the lives of humans in the future, but how far it can go and what it can achieve needs to be specified before the trials even begin.
Carin Shafer

Illustrations of Life: Tattoos

Today in class we had a guest speaker who talked about his personal experience about getting a tattoo. He said that when he first got it an amateur artist did it, and he did not like it. The speaker then told the story on how he got it fixed by another artist and how he loves it now because there is such symbolism in it for him. Many people in today’s society think that tattooing is destroying one’s image, but in truth it is an illustration of the person wearing it.Tattoos have been around for centuries and are actually part of our history. For example, during the Holocaust Nazis tattooed the Jews with numbers labeling them. Those tattoos are part of our history and the survivors of the Holocaust still have those numbers on their bodies, and they tell a story about that person. It also symbolizes a time in their life. If the survivor does not want the tattoo anymore it can be easily changed like the guest speaker’s.Tattoos can be changed to fit the person. One minute the person may love what they got and then years later they want to change it, which is totally possible. Tattooing has developed as an art form and continues to establish itself. Back during the Holocaust tattooing was very simple, but look at it today. It still tells stories or moments in a person’s life. So no, I do not consider tattooing vandalizing the human body. I see it as an illustration on a person’s skin that will be there for the rest of their life that they can share with others.

Megan Sowers

Graffiti

Grafitti can be expressed in many different forms. Some people considered graffiti as a form of art and some people consider it as vandalism. Graffiti is a public marking that usually appears as words to express wall paintings.

I personally think that graffiti could be considered both vandalism and art. Some forms of graffiti can tell stories about life and personal situations. In other conditions, such as graffiti on school desks, I consider it vandalism.


Chrystal Eady

The Importance of Proofreading

Although this topic hasn't been explicitly discussed in class yet, it's one that I have always felt to be important as a writer. We have all discussed how vital engaging one's audience through accurate factual research can be, but haven't addressed how credibility can be forfeited when a writer chooses not to proofread their work. When a writer publishes a piece, they of course hope to be taken seriously, whether the piece is a work of fiction or an academic article.

However, when a writer publishes their work and a reader notices obvious grammatical errors or evidence of poor spelling skills, the reader will automatically assume the writer doesn't fully understand what they are talking about. This may be a false assumption, but when presented with sloppy writing, it is an easy assumption to make. A researcher may spend hours finding credible evidence to support their claim, but if they don't spend the same amount of time editing their draft, all that time and energy will be for naught. This is why I always re-read my drafts several times over, and even ask others to read my drafts for me in case I let anything slip by. I'm not trying to imply that everyone need be an exceptionally skilled writer. Everyone has their own talents and interests, and writing research papers is certainly not everyone's forte. That doesn't mean that as writers we should all be satisfied with producing carelessly proofread material. Try your hardest to produce the best papers you can every time, and as you practice honing your writing skills, you will become that much more trustworthy as a writer and researcher.

Emily Manno

The Use of Research Headings

Why shall the researcher include sub-headings while conducting and forming a research paper? As Professor Mohamed Ahmed declared earlier this week whenever the class discussed Paper 2, it is very professional and formal to include headings when conducting a research study. Certain headings which may be included in one’s paper include introduction, methodology, discussion, limitations of the study, implications for further research, and conclusion. This qualified form of research is critical because it provides the paper with clarity. As a researcher, you are expected to clearly and explicitly state headings as well as elements in your paper. Remember, what you think is clear may be vague to your readers. You do not want your readers to guess which section is which because guessing wrong may lead them to misunderstand the argument you are trying to claim. The main accomplishment through any research is to connect with your reader, providing them with a clear understanding of what is being addressed.

For example, discussed in the rubric for Paper 2, the introduction was required to include, in addition with the researcher’s thesis statement, the research problem, significance, and research questions, which were expected to be clearly and explicitly stated. Throughout our high school years, we were familiar with generating research papers without headings. As a class, including headings in our papers threw most of us off, while confusing the way we, as researchers, generated our papers. Our writing techniques had to be adjusted in order to effectively meet the requirements, and it made most of us feel as though the paper was not a “real” research paper. Headings provide clarity, allowing the reader to clearly understand issues, as well as important points in which the researcher is trying to address.

-Jeffrey Fyock