http://dictionary.reference.com/ defines Blog as:
"An online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page; also called Weblog, Web log. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author." OR "A shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies."
So for those of you who are not familiar with this ever-growing phenomenon, welcome to a blog portfolio of a Seton Hill University student who is becoming more addicted with every passing day.
This site allows you to access some of my best blogged ideas and criticisms to the writings discussed in the American Literature 1915-present course with instructor, Dr. Dennis Jerz.
Although I am not an English major, I can reflect upon my ability to critically analyze and respond to various literary works. These may include, but are not limited to: short stories, novels, poems, dissertations, commentaries, and other literary works. From time to time, you may also find blogs which are non-academic, but there simply for reading entertainment and fun.
I am proud of my work in this course, and am becoming more involved in blogging with my fellow course mates. As I began the course, I was receiving little to no feedback/comments from my course mates, but as I become more involved by commenting on other blogs, I have been very pleased by the results it has had ~ more comments on my blogged agenda items.
I would like to extend a sincere "thank you" to Dr. Jerz for introducing me to this new concept of "blogging" that allows me to discuss literary works and other topics with my peers. As technology continues to grow, blogging is a very important tool to incorporate into the classroom. With a course that deals with discussing literary works, it is almost imperative to use such a method of communication outside of class that ensures the works are adequately covered. Time allotted during class time is simply not sufficient to cover everything needed to become involved with the texts.
As we move towards Spring Break, I look forward to the second half of the semester as becoming a more productive and involved blogger with my American Lit class!
So... without further explanation, this is my first set of blogs that were created to help become better understood with my American Literature course with Dr. Jerz. They may not look like much, but they are Introductory. As the semester continues, I will become more comfortable and explorative with my blogging of agenda items. Stay posted for updates! :)
THE GREAT GATSBY : This is my second blog ever. This is the blog that I prepared after finishing the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby. I argued that Gatsby was, indeed, a great man. This was my honest opinion and I backed up my claim with some evidence from the novel itself. Some controversy over Gatsby's "Greatness" rose during following class discussions. This is one of my earliest blogs, and one can see that I was a bit more succinct than in some of my later blogging assignments. From this blog, I received some course mate feedback regarding Daisy and Gatsby's relationship. Still new to blogging, I was slow in checking back and failed to reply back to their comments.
MACHINAL: This blog demonstrates my ability to not only comment about the play, but also use some of my personal opinions and life experience to better understand where the young woman stood in her life. This story posed some serious questions, which I wish I could have better covered within my blog. This may have been what was needed to produce some discussion among my classmates regarding the play. Unfortunately, no comments were given on this blog.
DADDY: In my opinion, this is my best blogging work to date. I felt strongly about this poem, and it shows because I took it upon myself to not just accept the poem for face-value, but I wanted to see what the author, Sylvia Plath, was really saying. My interest sparked curiosity regarding Plath's background and I learned the poem didn't fit with what others were saying. Within this entry are numerous comments regarding my interpretation and even some doubts from fellow course mates. I was very prompt to reply back to the comments received, and offered answers to questions that were asked. This is the type of blogging that is fun and helps you to learn. This is the blogging style I wish to create in all future assignments ~ where people question and argue facts and ideas. That makes for more interesting blogging, than the dry, boring entries I was better used to writing. I am proud of my efforts with this blog, and I feel that it created a successful discussion in which I was able to teach a thing or two to others about the author's life and open the poem up in a different direction.
Hart Crane and David Lehman: This was an attempt to create similarities to Crane's "To Brooklyn Bridge" and Lehman's "The World Trade Center." Crane's poem celebrated New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, which was an architectural accomplishment for the time. A link is given that supplies a brief history of the bridge's construction, as well as tourist information and relevant facts concerning the well-known NYC Bridge.
Lehman's "The World Trade Center", written in 1996, is a very powerful and honest depiction about the New York City twin towers. Lehman states that he, as well as many other New Yorkers did not like the towers until a bombing occurred within, thus, helping people to change their views of the towers. They stood for an image of liberty. My blog also examined the poem in light of more recent events, September 11, 2001. I learned a few things from this poem, such as that it had been attacked before, and that people did not particularly like the World Trade Center. This poem carries a different meaning now than it did in 1996, because of later events. The World Trade Center no longer stands tall in New York City, but the feelings towards it are expressed within this poem.
Examples of my Xenoblogging (the word Dr. Jerz cleverly coined to mean: "the work that we do that helps other people's weblogs")...
Maggi Quinlan: One of my first comments. This shows my earlier efforts to comment and give some feedback on a peer's blog. This is a good example of an earlier form of "xenoblogging" because rather than bring up an issue to be further discussed, I commented that she made some great points, including one that I thought was excellent ~ a view I hadn't noticed within the novel "The Great Gatsby." Even more, I felt comfortable commenting on Maggi's page because she is a friend of mine. As time progressed, I began to read the blogs of classmates I was less familiar with, but engaged in discussion regarding some literary works.
Maggi Quinlan: Another comment to a familiar peer. This is another example of how I was a bit hesitant to comment on classmates who I didn't know very well. Again, it demonstrated my opinion, somewhat contrasting, to Maggi's regarding Nick Carraway.
John Haddad: Comment to praise his oral presentation in class and reaffirm my contrasting opinion in Gatsby’s Greatness. This is a bit of a transition to my xenoblogging, because I commented on a classmate who I was not familiar with and posed a more thoughtful response to his post.
Mary Anderson: Comment to a stranger's blog. This is a transition because I have never talked to Mary one-on-one before. I was interested in what she may be thinking because she had made some good comments in class discussions. I was disappointed that she didn't follow-up on my comment, but at least I am trying to contact other people in the class!
What I have learned from looking back on my Xenoblogging:
I need to become more familiar with the blogs of other course mates. This is extremely beneficial, not only to myself, but to them as well. It helps me to see their perspectives on the literary works we are studying. I may gain a better understanding because of their insight, or perhaps begin a discussion that ultimately brings new ideas to light and/or helps reaffirm and argue our interpretations. An open mind to new ideas is always good to have when studying American literature. Additionally, xenoblogging is beneficial to the other person because it creates feedback to their ideas. What fun is it to blog if no one ever leaves suggestions or ideas? A blog can be a very fun experience, especially if dialogue is encouraged within.
So… there is a summary of the contents of my blog. I hope you have found it interesting and thought-provoking. I am looking forward to much more blogging in the future, to better myself as a student studying American Literature, and to engage in relevant discussion with my peers.