Semester Numero Uno

One thing I’ve learned this semester is how to improve my thesis statement. You have taught us that removing clutter makes the statement straight forward and easier to comprehend. I’ve learned that the whole paper flows better when your opinion is clearly stated from the beginning and the reader knows what side of the argument you’re on. Take for example the paper we wrote about American culture. My thesis statement was, “No, America’s culture is not declining.” It is straight to the point and you know exactly how I feel about the topic. Another thesis I wrote that I think has improved this semester is from the paper we wrote about nuclear weapons. According to your comments you also liked this thesis. I wrote, “The United States needs to use a “hands-off” policy when it comes to dealing with other countries, specifically Iran, and their nuclear weapons.” I liked this one because it shared enough information with the reader so they knew what to expect in the paper including the country and weapons, but it also was not cluttered and didn’t give away more than it should have, as to what to expect in the article.


I have learned that Q.C.V.I.’s are a system of very helpful strategies that can help you break down complex literature. Q.C.V.I’s, also known as questions, connections, vocabulary, and important/interesting facts help you to understand what the writer is actually saying instead of just reading through the piece and not paying attention to detail or other small parts of the story. Now when I have to read something that is above my reading level and difficult for me I use these strategies. Questions help you to put yourself in the place of the characters from the story so you better understand what they’re going through. Connections help clear up situations because when you relate them to yourself it is easier to be familiar with what is going on in the story. Vocabulary, especially when they use huge words that I’ve never heard of before, forces me to get a dictionary and actually look up the word. When there are many difficult words in a piece and you just skip them, you often end up losing the overall meaning of the piece. And finally, important/interesting facts really engage you in the piece so you are actually looking through to find things that you like about the authors writing and appeal to your interests.


The three cultural events I have done so far this year have already led me to learn about three new cultures I was unfamiliar with. Not only have I learned about Mexican mummies, an Italian wedding, and people from the Middle Ages at the Renaissance festival, I have also learned how to improve my writing and public speaking skills. When I gave my speech this semester I really talked through it a lot with my dad. Together we thought of way to eliminate nervous habits such as saying, “uhm” and playing with my hair. Instead I focused on enunciating my words and looking at my audience instead of reading straight from my note cards.


Blogging has taught me a new form of writing that is a little more laid-back and casual compared to our usual formal papers we write. Blogging has allowed me to expand on my creative, poetic side when we write free blogs. Such as when I wrote a free blog about dance, “There is nothing like the feeling of being on stage. You're announced, you walk on, you pose, and then the lights come on and you simply lose yourself in the dance. The stage is the one place where I feel safe. Although I'm being judged it just feels so natural. I get in the zone and not a problem in the world could affect me. I forget about past problems, I don’t think about what could go wrong; I just dance from the bottom of my soul and leave my heart on the stage.” In this blog I really let out my feelings and expressed how strong of a passion I have for being on stage and I hope that came across to the reader.


Finally I have learned how to use pathos and ethos in my writing. Before this year I had never even heard of either of these things and now I try to incorporate them into all my writing. Pathos and ethos both help to establish trust, especially when trying to convince someone that what you are saying is valuable information. For example our letter to the United Nations as Paul Rusesabagina; we wanted to establish ethos so the letter would be more personal and not just another complaint. In my letter I wrote, “I am Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of a 4 star hotel, the Mille Collines which is currently housing over 1,000 refugees suffering from the Rwandan genocide.” In that opening sentence I included being the manager of a 4 star hotel so I would sound qualified, professional and trustworthy, along with housing over 1,000 refugees because that shows just how bad the situation really was for the people of Rwanda.

Colonization of Australia, USA, Rwanda, and South Africa

In the history of Australia, the United States, Rwanda, and South Africa, each colony wanted to have the most power and own the most land.

A main similarity these four countries shared was gaining power by overtaking the natives to that region. Taking over the natives and colonizing for themselves meant cheap labor, gold & other natural resources, and of course land. Take South Africa for example. The British defeated the native Zulus which won them land and reigned in their power. In America and South Africa they used the natives and slaves for cheap labor and in Australia they used convicts. Overall, when they took over the natives they had all acess to land and were the supreme power in the area.