Style Academy seems like a pretty cool site so far. I like they way they break down the concepts into their simplest elements is really helpful. My favorite exercise so far has been the sentence combining. I always get comments on my writings that my sentences don't make sense, and it's because I try to pack a lot of information into one sentence, so it just comes out like gibberish, kind of like how this sentence is becoming.
What I liked about it was how they took real examples from literature, and tore apart each thought that the writer had, and then helped you see how many ways you could put the thoughts together to change the tone or voice.
I think this website is going to help me with my writing, by helping me sound more clear and to put more thought into what I am saying.
There are so many different tricks that can be used in forming just a single sentence, to help convey an idea. I'm excited to learn these tricks.
Sentence Combining Exercise:
1. People who become highly productive learn to acknowledge and embrace their failures, and to explore and to learn from them.
2. In the late 1990's when I could no longer see my feet, I made an appointment with a Paris eye doctor who ran some tests, and sent me off to buy some glasses. I'd like to blame my choice on the frames on the fact that I couldn't see them clearly. I'd even like to say that they were forced upon me, though neither excuse is true. I chose them freely, and this I did because I thought they made me look smart and international. The frames had rectangular lenses, that weren't much larger than my eyes, surrounded by dark plastic. There was something vaguely familiar about them, but I could not put my finger on what it was. After I picked them up, I spent a great deal of time staring at my reflection in the mirror, and pretended to make some intelligent comments regarding the state Europe.
Imitation:
Sometimes, according to Edwin Teale, a gall gnat larva, which does not resemble the adult in the least, and which has certainly not mated, nevertheless produces within its body eggs, live eggs, which then hatch within its soft tissue.
Sometimes [STUFF] gall gnat larva [STUFF] produces [STUFF] eggs [STUFF]
My imitation:
Sometimes, according to my best friend, Mormon boys, who have just returned home from their mission, and have certainly have not dated in years, find spouses, in a few short weeks, and then marry them in a few short months.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
Why the Oscars’ Omission of ‘Selma’ Matters
David Carr makes some good points about the politics of the Oscars, and why the film "Selma" may have been robbed of an Oscar in his article here.
Generality: He assumes that the academy did not recognize the film as much as they should have, because of the demographic of the academy (mostly older white males), and last year "12 Years a Slave" won an Oscar to take care of "the black thing".
Analogy: Carr points out similarities between the representation of women, and of African-Americans at the Oscars. After the first woman to win best director won in 2010, she has not been recognized since, because (perhaps) the academy felt they had taken care of that situation.
Sign: If the Academy Awards were not corrupt, then "Selma" would have been given more attention.
Causality: The academy's decision to not award "Selma", has caused them to appear more superficial than before.
Authority: "As someone who once spent a great deal of time reporting on the ins and outs of the Oscars," Carr shares that he has experience, and has learned a lot about the Oscars.
Principal: Carr believes that minorities are underrepresented at the Academy Awards, despite having quality work.
Generality: He assumes that the academy did not recognize the film as much as they should have, because of the demographic of the academy (mostly older white males), and last year "12 Years a Slave" won an Oscar to take care of "the black thing".
Analogy: Carr points out similarities between the representation of women, and of African-Americans at the Oscars. After the first woman to win best director won in 2010, she has not been recognized since, because (perhaps) the academy felt they had taken care of that situation.
Sign: If the Academy Awards were not corrupt, then "Selma" would have been given more attention.
Causality: The academy's decision to not award "Selma", has caused them to appear more superficial than before.
Authority: "As someone who once spent a great deal of time reporting on the ins and outs of the Oscars," Carr shares that he has experience, and has learned a lot about the Oscars.
Principal: Carr believes that minorities are underrepresented at the Academy Awards, despite having quality work.
Mean Girls in the Retirement Home
Jennifer Weiner shares an anecdote of her grandmother's experiences in a retirement home in this opinion article, here.
Generality: Weiner assumes that her audience has already heard some stereotypes of retirement homes, and that they view those stereotypes in a comedic way. She also assumes that, because here own Grandma is having this bad experience at the retirement home, that there are other elderly people who can relate, and that it is a serious issue.
Analogy: The author draws similarities between the attitudes of these women, and the attitudes of the "mean girls" in high school. The study she shared from Karl Pillemer, did not explicitly say, but showed that there are some similarities between the social living of those in retirement homes and those in prisons.
Sign: If Weiner's grandmother is suffering socially in her retirement home, then other seniors are experiencing the same discomfort.
Causality: Because of the way she is being treated, her grandmother can't call her retirement home a "home".
Authority: Weiner has experience, because she has witnessed what her own grandmother goes through. She references another source of authority when she shares the statistics of "conflicts and violence" in retirement homes found from a study done at Cornell University.
Principle: People should be kind to one another, no matter what their age. It should be handled seriously when seniors are taken advantage of or bullied, because they are just like the rest of us.
Generality: Weiner assumes that her audience has already heard some stereotypes of retirement homes, and that they view those stereotypes in a comedic way. She also assumes that, because here own Grandma is having this bad experience at the retirement home, that there are other elderly people who can relate, and that it is a serious issue.
Analogy: The author draws similarities between the attitudes of these women, and the attitudes of the "mean girls" in high school. The study she shared from Karl Pillemer, did not explicitly say, but showed that there are some similarities between the social living of those in retirement homes and those in prisons.
Sign: If Weiner's grandmother is suffering socially in her retirement home, then other seniors are experiencing the same discomfort.
Causality: Because of the way she is being treated, her grandmother can't call her retirement home a "home".
Authority: Weiner has experience, because she has witnessed what her own grandmother goes through. She references another source of authority when she shares the statistics of "conflicts and violence" in retirement homes found from a study done at Cornell University.
Principle: People should be kind to one another, no matter what their age. It should be handled seriously when seniors are taken advantage of or bullied, because they are just like the rest of us.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Quit Your Yakking - Thesis Proposal
There is a
popular social media site for college students. It is called YikYak. The
site is essentially Twitter, but all the posts you make are anonymous. The app
finds your location, and you can view everything everyone with the app is
saying in your area. This could be a fun app, but due to our carnal and sensual
nature as human beings, this app is the scum of the earth. People tend to say
extremely inappropriate things on the app, even at BYU. BYU's wifi restricts
the use certain sites, I think that YikYak should be added to that list.
To break it down, a rough draft of my thesis
statement would be, “YikYak is an awful
social media
site, and BYU should ban it from its wifi.” I want to talk about certain
websites that are already banned from BYU wifi, nothing too racy, but Victoria’s
Secret for instance. Some girls may not have cars and still want to buy
high-quality underwear, but Victoria’s Secret does not advertise their product
in the most appropriate manner, and so it is banned, and that is perfectly
understandable. I also want to talk about what makes YikYak such a dangerous
website, and make some reference to the story of The Ring of Gyges, which is
about how people tend to act worse when they think that no one can see them.
People use the site for dating, there are so many things wrong with that! I may
share some of the recent, more PG-rated, posts that show how people misuse the
site. Another claim I want to make is how the site is addictive, and how that
negatively affects the students at BYU. Also, the wifi is always so slow! Let’s
not let it be because everyone is YikYak-ing!
I want to persuade people to agree
with me that YikYak is one of the worst social media sites out there, and that
it should be banned from BYU wifi, but I also hope to persuade those who use
the site to quit. I want to be careful with my tone, because I don’t mean to offend
anyone who uses the site. I know what it is, because I have opened it before and
I have friends who use it. I speak from experience, and out of concern.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
The Example Opinion Editorials
I thought that Ludlow made some good, persuasive points in, "A Miniskirt, Even With Leggings, Is Still A Miniskirt". The title was intriguing, but turned out not to be the main topic of discussion. She focused more on the larger problem, which is the general disregard for the honor code.
She made herself a credible source in her introduction by sharing all of her experience she has had at BYU. I also liked the point she made about how many different fashion choices there are to make these days. Without really saying it, but implying it, she is saying that there are a lot of trendy ways to dress that would not go against the honor code.
Near the end she also brings up the First Presidency of the Church, which is a good way to appeal to her audience, since many of them believe that their words are inspired.
By that point in the essay, I really reconsidered my own fashion choices, and thought about just wearing a burka from now on.
No? Maybe too extreme. But nonetheless, I thought it was a persuasive paper.
Holt's "A Kiss-less Campus" did not persuade me as much. I think, because I went in reading the paper with another view already.
In her introduction she admits to not being a credible source. She is only a freshman.
In my statistics class last semester, one of the BYU studies we looked at were how the different years in college viewed kissing on the first date. Almost all of the freshman opposed it, less sophomores opposed it than freshman, less juniors than sophomores, and almost all of the seniors surveyed agreed that it was acceptable.
Amelia Holt may believe the amount of PDA at BYU is not okay, but as time goes on, I'm sure she will find a love of her own, and maybe even one-day be herself, those lip-smacking noises in the library.
Also, her evidence/facts were not strong enough for me. I would have liked a real study on "Why PDA is Destroying College Campuses" or something of the sort.
As for the wrestling editorial, I enjoyed that as well. Wrestling isn't something I know much about, but it opened my eyes up to how dangerous it is. If they want change, it makes sense to bring up the NCAA, who is in charge and makes the rules.
She made herself a credible source in her introduction by sharing all of her experience she has had at BYU. I also liked the point she made about how many different fashion choices there are to make these days. Without really saying it, but implying it, she is saying that there are a lot of trendy ways to dress that would not go against the honor code.
Near the end she also brings up the First Presidency of the Church, which is a good way to appeal to her audience, since many of them believe that their words are inspired.
By that point in the essay, I really reconsidered my own fashion choices, and thought about just wearing a burka from now on.
No? Maybe too extreme. But nonetheless, I thought it was a persuasive paper.
Holt's "A Kiss-less Campus" did not persuade me as much. I think, because I went in reading the paper with another view already.
In her introduction she admits to not being a credible source. She is only a freshman.
In my statistics class last semester, one of the BYU studies we looked at were how the different years in college viewed kissing on the first date. Almost all of the freshman opposed it, less sophomores opposed it than freshman, less juniors than sophomores, and almost all of the seniors surveyed agreed that it was acceptable.
Amelia Holt may believe the amount of PDA at BYU is not okay, but as time goes on, I'm sure she will find a love of her own, and maybe even one-day be herself, those lip-smacking noises in the library.
Also, her evidence/facts were not strong enough for me. I would have liked a real study on "Why PDA is Destroying College Campuses" or something of the sort.
As for the wrestling editorial, I enjoyed that as well. Wrestling isn't something I know much about, but it opened my eyes up to how dangerous it is. If they want change, it makes sense to bring up the NCAA, who is in charge and makes the rules.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Potential Paper Topics
I wish I was really passionate about something current and meaningful to society, like gun control or animal testing. However, I don't know much about either of the topics. I do know that Graham Canyon seems to be a popular ice cream flavor at BYU. To me, it tastes like coffee flavored candy.
Right now, there's a lot of heavy debates going on across the country about who is to blame in certain civilian shootings by cops.Such as in Ferguson, Missouri. People were rioting everywhere, and they think it is a race issue. I think people have wronged, and been wronged, on both sides of the argument. I don't think that violence is the answer, and I don't think giving cops 24/7 cameras will change the real problem which is people's attitudes.
Speaking of attitudes, one thing I suppose I am passionate about is the messages sent through pop music. I'm from not the nicest neighborhood, in not the nicest city in America. Children growing up need role models. When they don't come from good living situations, they usually choose these rappers, and singers to look up to. They idolize them, yet the majority of their music is about drugs, sex, and money. These youth then believe that, that is what life is about. They get the mindset that "you only live once" and these are the things that matter most. Taking my LDS perspective out of the view, these are the future leaders of America. Is this what our nation is coming to? I propose that the government set stricter rules on what is allowed on daytime radio and tv. Once you're an adult, do whatever you want, but kids are being exposed to worse things than ever before, and it's warping their perspective of the world.
Or, I could write about the honor code, but there's not much to say about it except that it's awesome and Elder Ballard said in stake conference, "You can't murmur about the honor code if you believe in Christ."
Right now, there's a lot of heavy debates going on across the country about who is to blame in certain civilian shootings by cops.Such as in Ferguson, Missouri. People were rioting everywhere, and they think it is a race issue. I think people have wronged, and been wronged, on both sides of the argument. I don't think that violence is the answer, and I don't think giving cops 24/7 cameras will change the real problem which is people's attitudes.
Speaking of attitudes, one thing I suppose I am passionate about is the messages sent through pop music. I'm from not the nicest neighborhood, in not the nicest city in America. Children growing up need role models. When they don't come from good living situations, they usually choose these rappers, and singers to look up to. They idolize them, yet the majority of their music is about drugs, sex, and money. These youth then believe that, that is what life is about. They get the mindset that "you only live once" and these are the things that matter most. Taking my LDS perspective out of the view, these are the future leaders of America. Is this what our nation is coming to? I propose that the government set stricter rules on what is allowed on daytime radio and tv. Once you're an adult, do whatever you want, but kids are being exposed to worse things than ever before, and it's warping their perspective of the world.
Or, I could write about the honor code, but there's not much to say about it except that it's awesome and Elder Ballard said in stake conference, "You can't murmur about the honor code if you believe in Christ."
Monday, January 5, 2015
Introduction
Hi! I'm Taylor Holiday, and I'm from Stockton, California.
It is my second semester at BYU. I'm not sure what I want to study yet, but I applied under Athletic Training, and if you ask what my major is, that is what I will tell you.
In high school, I played a lot of sports, and a lot of music.
I played basketball, volleyball, and my main sport was swim. My favorite sport to play is volleyball, and my favorite to watch is basketball.
I hate swimming. Swimming is awful.
I am the youngest of five.
We are all pretty spread apart in age, but it has never felt like that.
No, we don't all look alike, but I promise we are related.
FAQ's:
1. How tall are you?
I am taller than average, but really not that tall. You're probably just really short. (5'11"-6'0")
2. What are you?
How rude! I am child of God, duh. But I know what you mean, and I am half black and half white. Not much else.
3. Is that a weave?
I haven't gotten this question much at BYU, but no, it is not a weave. It's just genetics and usually hair gel.
For this class, I dunno grammer to good, so I do hope to improve on that even if the Weird Al video was a joke.
Also, I'm excited to learn more about rhetoric. I enjoyed my high school English class that emphasized on using different rhetorical devices.
Hopefully, by the end of this course I will become like one of the great debaters. Someone like Cher, from "Clueless".
That's all you need to know about me!
It is my second semester at BYU. I'm not sure what I want to study yet, but I applied under Athletic Training, and if you ask what my major is, that is what I will tell you.
In high school, I played a lot of sports, and a lot of music.
I played basketball, volleyball, and my main sport was swim. My favorite sport to play is volleyball, and my favorite to watch is basketball.
I hate swimming. Swimming is awful.
I am the youngest of five.
We are all pretty spread apart in age, but it has never felt like that.
No, we don't all look alike, but I promise we are related.
FAQ's:
1. How tall are you?
I am taller than average, but really not that tall. You're probably just really short. (5'11"-6'0")
2. What are you?
How rude! I am child of God, duh. But I know what you mean, and I am half black and half white. Not much else.
3. Is that a weave?
I haven't gotten this question much at BYU, but no, it is not a weave. It's just genetics and usually hair gel.
For this class, I dunno grammer to good, so I do hope to improve on that even if the Weird Al video was a joke.
Also, I'm excited to learn more about rhetoric. I enjoyed my high school English class that emphasized on using different rhetorical devices.
Hopefully, by the end of this course I will become like one of the great debaters. Someone like Cher, from "Clueless".
That's all you need to know about me!
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