This page is intended to present the outcomes of the course which is reflected through the various instances of my works.

To demonstrate learning outcome #1, which is “Explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations.” I will go analyze the instance of self and other of society as a whole. “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg, is a poetic piece that sought to publicize an arising counterculture. A sense of individualism that collided with the mediocrity of American tradition and cultural values resulted in being excluded to the confines of a sub society of rejects and social abnormality. Ginsberg’ fight is a clear manifestation of “self and other” through his attempt to shatter this social status quo that had been normalized within society. For instance “who threw their watches off the roof to cast their ballot for Eternity outside of Time, & alarm clocks fell on their heads every day for the next decade, who cut their wrists three times successively unsuccessfully, gave up and were forced to open antique stores where they thought they were growing old and cried,” essentially, Ginsberg and his fellow Beatniks sought a life out of the uniformity of the dominant culture. Throughout those two stanzas Ginsberg illustrated the inevitable conformity of Americans, such as alarm clocks falling on their head signifying a typical 9 to 5 work shift, or working in an antique store that offers little to no excitement, rather it’s grounded with repetitiveness. The mid twentieth century was a period of economic prosperity that solidified the united states as a global power, and with it brought a rigged cultural identity such as, suburbanization, nuclear families, religious faith, essentially a life of ideality. Ginsberg’ life centered around secession to the norm of the era. This was evident through his untamed life which included drug abuse, homosexuality, and mental illness which collided with the dominant culture. In all “Howl” paved the way for future generations.

An instance of learning outcome #2 “Develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing.” comes in the form of my paragraph for self and other which was extensively revised after extensive contemplations

Self and other is an exploration through the disparity between oneself and the “other” being society as a whole. “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg, is a poetic piece that sought to publicize an arising counterculture. A sense of individualism that collided with the mediocrity of American tradition and cultural values resulted in being excluded to the confines of a sub society of rejects and social abnormality. Ginsber’ fight is a clear manifestation of “self and other” through his attempt to shatter this social status quo that had been normalized within society. For instance “who threw their watches off the roof to cast their ballot for Eternity outside of Time, & alarm clocks fell on their heads every day for the next decade, who cut their wrists three times successively unsuccessfully, gave up and were forced to open antique stores where they thought they were growing old and cried,” essentially, Ginsberg and his fellow Beatniks sought a life out of the uniformity of the dominant culture. Throughout those two stanzas Ginsberg illustrated the inevitable conformity of Americans, such as alarm clocks falling on their head signifying a typical 9 to 5 work shift, or working in an antique store that offers little to no excitement, rather it’s grounded with repetitiveness. The mid twentieth century was a period of economic prosperity that solidified the united states as a global power, and with it brought a rigged cultural identity such as, suburbanization, nuclear families, religious faith, essentially a life of ideality. Ginsberg’ life centered around secession to the norm of the era. This was evident through his untamed life which included drug abuse, homosexuality, and mental illness which collided with the dominant culture. In all “Howl” paved the way for future generations.

learning outcome #3 “recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations.” is exhibited with the extensive draft process of this paragraph after much deliberation

Yuri Herrera’s Signs Preceding the End of the World, explores the journey of a young Mexican girl crossing through the Mexican-American Border in search of her brother who’s gone to reclaim land in the north. As Makina pursues her goal, she falls to the whims of a society that is vastly different to her own. The slow descent into this foreign land alters her scope of reality.  A notable instance of a gradual change to the environment is the experiences of her brother. For instance “it’s really lonely here, but there’s lots of stuff, I’m going to bring you some when I come. I just have to take care of this and then I’ll be back, you’ll see… and the third if it existed, might’ve made the same claim, this way: I said I was fine so stop asking” essentially, Makinas brother had conformed to the culture of the north in an instant. Through the brace of letters, Makina’s brother displayed the archetypal immigrant coming to the north. like any other immigrant there’s a sense of enthusiasm in a foreign land renowned with chance and opportunity. However, Makinas brother had lost his individuality along the way falling steeply into the sociocultural environment of the north which is evident through his final letter in which he starkly responded with “ I’m fine. I have a job now.”. What had been a descriptive letter took a sharp 180 degree turn to a letter of merely a few words which assert the gradual change that immigrants face in the midst of a new culture. The single most important event that transpired was the detainment of Makina along with her fellow comrades. What ensued was the culmination of the shared frustrations and struggles that Mexican immigrants faced. For example “we are to blame for this destruction, we who don’t speak your tongue… We who came to take your jobs and who dream of wiping your shit, who long to work all hours… We are the dark, the short, the greasy, the shifty, the fat, the anemic. We the barbarians”(page 99-100) the repetitiveness of Makinas use of  “we” is the vital aspect as she emphasizes that these struggles and experiences aren’t merely her own, rather they are the struggles that the broader domain of Mexican immigrants experience on a constant basis because of the perpetuation of stigmas against Mexican immigrants. The issue of immigration continues to be a constant and controversial issue within the United States, simply on the premise of legality, but they are as human as American citizens, yet are the subjects of a government that will not validate them and will consistently undermine their existence as well as their efforts to sustain themselves. 

Learning outcome #4 ” Engage in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.”  is exhibited during the peer review process in which a fellow peer enlightened me regarding what I could’ve done better

learning outcome #5 “Understand and use print and digital technologies to address a range of audiences.” is displayed during the meticulous and complex dissection of “Howl”, by Allen Ginsberg. throughout the lectures concerning this poem I used “Genius.com” as a means of gaining a better understanding of the thoughts and the plethora of implications that were scattered throughout the poem. the close analysis would guide me in formulating my own opinions and thoughts.

Learning outcome #6 “Locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias.” during the drafting of my papers I would sparingly use academic resources of any sort other than the selected works although the few resources I used were mainly analysis of the works.

Learning outcome #7 “Compose texts that integrate your stance with appropriate sources using strategies such as summary, critical analysis, interpretation, synthesis, and argumentation.” I will include the analysis setions of each of the selected works

Citizen an American Lyric

“your friend is speaking to your neighbor when you arrive home. The four police cars are gone. Your neighbor has apologized to your friend and is now apologizing to you… you clumsily tell your friend that the next time he wants to talk on the phone he should just go in the backyard. He looks at you a long minute before saying he can speak on the phone whenever he wants. Yes, of course you say. Yes, of course.”(page 15) what may have appeared as something insignificant to the narrator which is evident when they recklessly tell their friend to take the call elsewhere, it exhibits the saddening reality that the African American community must face within a country that preaches freedom and equality, yet its African American citizens must live with the reality that the color of their skin evokes fear and violence. Despite the narrator also being African American, their advice to take the call someplace else may at face value seem like mere advice, but hidden beneath those few words it essentially tells the narrator’s friend that they come off menacingly simply because of their skin color. The narrator threw out all logic of reasoning and chose to adhere to the whims of a social order that seeks to repress and establish a discriminant form of social control. The narrator unknowingly becomes not the victim, but the aggressor.  

Signs Preceding The End of The World

“we are to blame for this destruction, we who don’t speak your tongue… We who came to take your jobs and who dream of wiping your shit, who long to work all hours… We are the dark, the short, the greasy, the shifty, the fat, the anemic. We the barbarians”(page 99-100) the repetitiveness of Makinas use of  “we” is the vital aspect as she emphasizes that these struggles and experiences aren’t merely her own, rather they are the struggles that the broader domain of Mexican immigrants experience on a constant basis because of the perpetuation of stigmas against Mexican immigrants. The issue of immigration continues to be a constant and controversial issue within the United States, simply on the premise of legality, but they are as human as American citizens, yet are the subjects of a government that will not validate them and will consistently undermine their existence as well as their efforts to sustain themselves. 

Excess — The Factory

Essentially, the process described is simplistic in nature that requires minimal effort, yet the nature surrounding a factory place is lifeless. There isn’t any room for improvement or room for ambition whatsoever due to the fact that a factory employs a substantial amount of workers assigned to do a simple task repetitively. When the narrator remarks “ time is outside, in things” they personify the construct of time signaling the strenuous and extensive investments that workers make in order to produce a product. The narrator longs to escape a reality in which they have to sacrifice their personal ambitions as well as time in order to merely survive in society.   

Throughout my paper the incorporation of learning outcome #8 “Practice systematic application of citation conventions.” was used whenever including a quotation from the selected work with in text citations. for instance: “your friend is speaking to your neighbor when you arrive home. The four police cars are gone. Your neighbor has apologized to your friend and is now apologizing to you… you clumsily tell your friend that the next time he wants to talk on the phone he should just go in the backyard. He looks at you a long minute before saying he can speak on the phone whenever he wants. Yes, of course you say. Yes, of course.”(page 15)