Profile 1: "You have not ...really learned something until you talk or write about it" (Roberts 1).

Carissa Liberty Altizer

Dr. Jerz

Writing About Literature, EL 237

September 20, 2008

 

Profile 1: "You have not ...really learned something until you talk or write about it" (Roberts 1). 

 

            This semester has been my first blogging experience.  It was difficult for me to understand the technology involved, but I'm learning how to post urls in their proper places so others will read my work.  I admit that I struggle to post blogs ahead of time, but that is something that I will work to improve for my next portfolio.   

As a future teacher, I am always looking for new ways to introduce technology into the classroom.  Blogging gives students a chance to analyze a work of literature before class even begins.  It cultivates discussions and debates, raises questions, and helps students read more closely.  As a result of the crash course in blogging in EL 237, I can see myself using it as a tool in my own classroom one day!

 

 

Coverage: I wrote a response for every article, poem, and work of literature that we have read thus far.

·         In this entry, I explained my interpretation of Sylvia Plath's poem, "Metaphors." 

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/sylvia_plath_metaphors_spoiler.html

 

·         This entry is a little less formal than others.  "Sonnet 73" left me with a lot of questions which we addressed in class.  I realize my brief summary of the poem seemed correct after the classroom discussion, but I certainly understand it more clearly now.

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/sonnet_73still_a_mystery_to_me.html

·          In this entry, I created an argument for why most modern readers prefer Bierce's Owl Creek Bridge to Hardy's The Three Strangers.  If I created a strong thesis statement and researched the ideas I began on this blog, I may be able to use it to write a paper.

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/twenty-first_century_storytell.html.

·         For this response, I chose to complete a writing exercise at the end of the chapter.

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/chap_5_q7_kat-naughty_or_nice.html

·         The quote I chose from Chapter one is about rewriting and revising your work.  I don't believe a written piece of work is ever quite finished, and I demonstrated this theory by using a passage from a previous class that explains my relationship with literature and a few of my experiences as an English major.  Before I typed it into my blog entry, I corrected several mistakes and clarified several lines. 

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/chapter_1_rewrite.html

·         I responded to this poem by writing my own interpretational description of the narrator. 

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/hardy_the_man_he_killed_after.html

·         I responded to Luck after we discussed the short story in class.  On my first reading I didn't catch the double meaning, but I understood after my classmates talked about the possibilities of an unreliable narrator.  I blogged about my first reaction to the reading and I compared Scoresby's character to former President Bush.     

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/twain_luck_we_got_issue_in_ame.html

·         In this entry, I responded to Jessica Orlowski's article which stated that she would write her own eulogy.  I had a high school teacher who would assign this task to her class as a writing exercise.  The idea of writing your own eulogy sparked questions and comments during the class discussion the next day.  After I posted this blog, Jessica responded to my posts and thanked me for helping her see the depth of the challenging statement she made. 

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/ch_4_point_of_view_what_would.html

§  http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JessicaOrlowski/2009/09/i_will_write_my_own_eulogy.html

·         I wrote this entry as a response to the class blogging debate on Aja Hannah's "Go Gentlemen...Go Confederate?" article.  I originally thought that I found a quote to disprove Farquhar's perceived prejudice.  After a classroom discussion, I realized that I did not have enough proof to back up my theory.

 

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/white_hands.html

§  http://blogs.setonhill.edu/AjaHannah/2009/09/go_gentleman_goconferedate.html#comment-746730

·         In this entry, I compared "On Turning Ten" to my Classroom Management and Behavior Disorders class discussion on developmental childhood depression. 

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/on_turning_ten_and_childhood_d.html

·         In this entry, I compared the cast of Everybody Loves Raymond to a list of stock characters that has been around since the time of the ancient Greeks.

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/everybody_loves_raymond.html

·         I hypothesized why Minnie chose to hide the canary corpse in her sewing basket.

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/needleworka_dying_art.html

·         I wrote about the importance breaking large projects into smaller steps and remembering the basics of writing when you start to panic after being given a long assignment.

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/08/ch_2_close_reading_more_planni.html

Depth: These are what I believe to be my best blogging samples.

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/sylvia_plath_metaphors_spoiler.html

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/twenty-first_century_storytell.html

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/on_turning_ten_and_childhood_d.html

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/hardy_the_man_he_killed_after.html

 

Discussion: These articles have sparked comments or discussions from my peers.  They range from three to one comment.

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/sylvia_plath_metaphors_spoiler.html

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/08/ch_2_close_reading_more_planni.html

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/twain_luck_we_got_issue_in_ame.html

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/ch_4_point_of_view_what_would.html

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/needleworka_dying_art.html

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/everybody_loves_raymond.html

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/hardy_the_man_he_killed_after.html

 

Interaction: These articles are examples of blogs where I either disagreed with the opinions of my fellow classmates or added a meaningful comment to their blog discussion.

·         I wrote this entry as a response to the class blogging debate on Aja Hannah's "Go Gentlemen...Go Confederate?" article.  I originally thought that I found a quote to disprove Farquhar's perceived prejudice.  After a classroom discussion, I realized that I did not have enough proof to back up my theory.

 

o   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/white_hands.html

§  http://blogs.setonhill.edu/AjaHannah/2009/09/go_gentleman_goconferedate.html#comment-746730

·         After reading Sylvia Plath's poetry, everyone in the class worked to decipher what the deeper meaning to her words could mean.  I politely leaned more towards Josie than Brooke's interpretation.

o    http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JessicaOrlowski/2009/09/ladies_and_gentlemen_sylvia_pl.html#comment-747305

·         In this comment, Brooke made a suggestion for a possible interpretation of "Lady Lazarus."  While I think the background information that she used was very helpful, I felt Brooke's conclusion for why Plath lost her innocence at ten years old included not only the fact that she moved, but her father's death as well.

o    http://blogs.setonhill.edu/BrookeKuehn/2009/09/those_sticky_pearls_just_wont.html#comment-747306

·         While the rest of the conversation revolved around Mathilde, I commented on her husband's role in the story.

o    http://blogs.setonhill.edu/AjaHannah/2009/08/the_necklace.html#comment-746779

·         I added my own personal experiences to a discussion sparked by "On Turning Ten."

o    http://blogs.setonhill.edu/AjaHannah/2009/08/the_necklace.html#comment-746779

·         Karyssa helped me understand "Lady Lazarus "better.

o    http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KaryssaBlair/2009/09/shes_a_maneater.html#comment-747308

·         I explained my own interpretation for part of Plath's "Daddy" and Brooke found it helpful.

o    http://blogs.setonhill.edu/KaryssaBlair/2009/09/shes_a_maneater.html#comment-747308

o     

Xenoblogging:

·         The Link Gracious: Jess Orlowski's piece on writing her own eulogy sparked my article for the chapter.

o    http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/ch_4_point_of_view_what_would.html

·         The Link Gracious: Aja Hannah's article inspired my entry for the story.

o    http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/white_hands.html

§   http://blogs.setonhill.edu/AjaHannah/2009/09/go_gentleman_goconferedate.html#comment-746730

·         The Link Gracious: Dr. Tarnai's lecture inspired my entry.

o    http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/on_turning_ten_and_childhood_d.html

·         The Link Gracious: The editor's notes in Kelly's Seagull Reader Poems helped me to better understand the poem.

o    http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/sylvia_plath_metaphors_spoiler.html

·          The Comment Primo: I was the first to respond to Brooke and Cody's entries.

o    http://blogs.setonhill.edu/BrookeKuehn/2009/09/life_costs_money_people_die_pa.html#comment-746788

o    http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL237/2009/08/hardy_the_man_he_killed/#comment-15745

Wildcard: I chose this article because I used my blog as a rough draft for a close reading of Metaphors by Sylvia Plath.  It generated several comments, and I used the editor's notes in Kelly's Seagull Reader Poems to help me better understand the piece.  I also added outside links for anyone interested in further reading.

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/sylvia_plath_metaphors_spoiler.html

Timely: I never submitted an article a full 24-48 hours in advance, but several of my articles ignited classroom discussions.

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/on_turning_ten_and_childhood_d.html

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/ch_4_point_of_view_what_would.html

·         http://blogs.setonhill.edu/CarissaAltizer/2009/09/white_hands.html