The Main Course: How to Spice Up Your Writing for English 110.01

Dear Future English 110.01 Student,

Welcome to my blog, a representation of one of the many assignments you will be keeping track of in your upcoming English 110 class at OSU. As a student enrolled in any writing class, it's important to evaluate first your own interests/ experiences as a writer, before evaluating a course curriculum, for example, what some of your interests are, what your strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to writing, what your former experiences as a writer entail, what your preferences are as a writer, etc.

I can tell you first hand that coming into this English class wasn't initially exciting for me. I prefer to write in a more liberating style; one that gives me freedom to be creative and express my opinions. What does English 110.01 entail? An academic writing piece about an assigned theme. Looking back on my writing experience in high school, I was NEVER excited when we had to write academic research papers, especially when I didn't have much say about what I could write about. For me, being able to express your opinion in your own writing is extremely important (of course, while recognizing the other side and avoiding excessive bias at all costs), and I advise you to stay true to this when you write all of your papers for this upcoming class.

You may be thinking, is this possible? Well what I've come to learn throughout this writing course is, yes, this is possible! Even though you may be given an assignment theme to write about, you can still make it very much your own piece of work with insightful details, claims, and anecdotes that express who you are. Our topic (which you may have been able to pick up on) is food and food ways. The topic was broad enough that I was able to choose an outlet that appealed to my interests, and create an academic paper that was relatively engaging to both complete research for and compose.

You can also look forward to writing a Commonplace essay. What is Commonplace? Well for me, it was much more exciting than creating an academic piece of writing. Commonplace really gives you the chance to expand your thoughts on a given topic, as well as expand your abilities as a writer. In a way, blogs do this for you as well. Your writing will become much more public, therefore much open for expressivity and public opinion. You will be able to both receive and provide feedback concerning your article or others. This will give you, as it has given me, the opportunity to engage in public writing at the college level; communicate with authors like you about your ideals as well as theirs. It's an opportunity to be an expressive writer!

Of course, there are guidelines you still need to keep in mind. Remember to always be professional, and be casual when necessary. The number one rule of thumb that I've always tried to follow is to avoid becoming biased. In the Commonplace essay, there is more freedom as to what opinions you can express, but what I've come to learn is that part of become a mature writer is accepting that it's necessary to support your ideas with factual evidence. You'll come to learn, that without logos, you lack ethos, and pathos is too prominent. This may mean nothing to you now, but consider this: if you base your writing solely on emotional appeal, where is your logic? Without logic, can people trust your writing? Can you be convincing? Where is your character?

Throughout the course of my writing career, I've always tried to keep these things in mind, but I truly think they were fully brought to light in this class. I firmly believe these are some of the core foundations of exceptional writing style, and I hope you get out of this class, all of the importances that I plan to hold on to for the future ahead. Good luck!

A Trip to Italy

If you were wondering, these aren't simply pictures that I pulled from google images, but rather images that I pulled from my memory of Venice, Italy. You may be asking: Why these photos? I don't see you represented in any of them. There's a reason for this of course, and that's to explain the idea that pictures aren't exactly perfect representations of a vivd experience in the past. During my trip I tried to take as many photographs as possible, but not of me and my family standing in front of monuments and historical structures (though I do have a good number of those). Really the purpose of these pictures was to try and show the people close to me every part of Venice that I thought was magical; vivid, as if they were seeing things from my own perspective. Though many of these pictures represent how beautiful it was there: the color of the water, the shadows casted on some buildings as light was reflected off of others, the incredible colors of the buildings, the glorious plazas and canals,they also illustrate the art of the food created their. This also supports the idea that food, for many cultures, is an artistic representation of that culture as a whole. I am trying, like many photographers do, to take you away to these places as if you are experiencing them yourself. Think about it, when you flip through a travel magazine and see a delicious presentation of food, how do you associate that food with that culture? Does it bring back perhaps a vivid memory of a culture you have visited before? Now you tell me, what do these pictures do for you? What are you taking away from these photographs?

The Importance of Pie

Usually when one thinks about the American food way, hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries are the first thing to come to mind (this idea is well represented in my PSA and SSI, which reveals fast food as a contributing factor to America's political, social, and economic culture). But enough about fast food. While I do believe fast food is a large part of our food way, I also believe a lot of other foods relating to our culture are overlooked. As this post clearly states, one cannot forget the importance of pie.

Not only has pie been a large part of American desert-making traditions for years, but it's something very relevant to me, and my own personal food way.

For me, there is a specific pie that corresponds to very specific memories, seasons, and events. This may be one of the reasons why I often can't choose a favorite pie: it changes throughout the course of a year, along with all the events that take place within that year. For instance, around thanksgiving, pumpkin is my favorite flavor of pie. Whenever I get together with family in the winter, I can't get my mind off black raspberry pie. The taste alone reminds me of being in the kitchen with my mom and helped her stow away as much leftover pieces as possible for the car-ride home, and having those pieces disappear within a week. At the moment, I'd have to say I'm partial to key lime pie. It has me thinking about sea food dinners on the beaches of florida (where I happen to be traveling to this August), and all the positive associations with spring and summertime. 

So really, pie represents all of the different flavors of my experiences as they change throughout the course of everyday life. Nothing is set in stone for me, especially the events, people, and places that I do and will encounter in my lifetime. 

Food for Thought: My Possible PSA

So now's about the time when we as an English 110.01 class at OSU need to start thinking about our main focus for our PSA projects. The theme "Food and Foodways" really broadens the spectrum as far as what types of literary works, advertisements, video clips, movies, media, etc. we can choose to be the focus for an analysis of this theme and how it relates to and influences a specific culture. That being said however, I wanted to choose something that has a profound influence on our American culture as a whole. That is why out of my many, many options, I chose the following two options:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc_z623Wsro or the poster itself (displayed at the top left). I feel that both the movie trailer and the poster (both based on a New York Times Bestseller) can depict a lot of information about how some of the largest food empires in America can have a pretty detrimental effect on our society. Fast food originated in the United States; to other countries, it is the food that we are known for. While the majority turn a blind eye and see those McDonald's and Burger King hubs as a place for quick and affordable "good eats," there is plenty of information about how those companies run, and about how much Americans are influenced by them that would have people boycotting these places instantly. Or maybe not. Maybe fast food has just become so incorporated into our daily lives and culture that it's almost impossible to live without.

I Am What I Eat

There comes a point when it starts to become difficult for me to describe the contents of my refrigerator. In fact, I can't even being to think about what my favorite food might be, or a specific "food memory" that sticks out in my mind. I guess to sum everything up, there is no one particular food that I prefer out of all the rest, and no one particular food that embodies everything that represents who I am. However, I think the term, "you are what you eat," applies to me perfectly. I eat just about everything, and there are so many different parts that are the make-up of who I am.

For example, when it comes to the contents of my refrigerator, they reflect probably some of the most basic fundamental aspects of myself. The carrots, hummus, fruits, yogurt, and juices are all representations of me in my proudest moments; the moments when I feel most refreshed, healthy, and confident with myself. Though this may sound a little bit ridiculous, think about it. Imagine yourself running on a treadmill, or something even more relatable: walking to class. You're going to feel pretty good about yourself walking after eating a delicious, healthy meal that keeps you light on your feet rather than you will after wolfing down a gyro and fries at Buckeye Donuts. Don't get me wrong; I absolutely love gyros, and Buckeye Donuts. The healthy foods in my refrigerator are just a perfect example of how feeling good and healthy is a pretty profound concept in my life. There are certain things that make an individual become more self-confident, and working on self-image both inside and out happens to be the perfect outlet for me to build that confidence.

But please, don't get this confused with the attitude of being all about self-image. No, I am not narcissistic, no, I do not judge others based on their appearance (or at least I try my hardest not too, but who doesn't instinctively?), and no, I am not a chronic health nut. The "contents of my refrigerator" extend beyond refrigerator doors; from local sushi bars in Columbus, to crowded Thai restaurants in New York City, all the way to tapas bars in Barcelona and beyond. Those famous words, "you are what you eat," apply to me because what I eat embodies the cultured aspects that make up who I am; the creative portions of myself that I can express through food. Food itself provides a window of opportunity to expand my interests and discover more about the world. I know this, because traveling and spending time in foreign places really broadens your perspective on what food can really represent. It's something that we eat every day, but never really take the time to think about; something that I love, and I'm beginning to understand plays a significant role in the make-up of who I am. I'm not restricted to a single refrigerator (I'm not really a big fan of restrictions anyways); the world is open for me to discover new tastes.