Blog #9

As the first most important text , I am choosing the "Gender Advertising" by Irving Goffman. This was one of the first papers we read, and I connected to it immediately. The text described successfully manners in advertisement that we are exposed to on a daily basis. The text was a bridge between our writing class and real life.The text made me think about writing in a new way. Since then, I can watch TV and when the commercials come on I am not annoyed. I've been watching them carefully to see the meanings behind them. I imagine in my head, for the first time, what I can write about that particular commercial. How can I successfully describe it to the reader and why is it interesting to write about in the first place.

The second text I enjoyed very much was "The Omnivorous Dilemma". I loved the way Michael Pollan walks us through the four different food paths. His approach to the topic was brilliant and very educational. First he maps out four ways food can be produced today and sends himself on a journey to examine them all. The book is hands on , includes great research and explores the good and the bad in all of them. I like the way Pollan writes non-fiction book and makes it so easy to read. This book is an inspiration. No matter how complicated the topic is, I can see now how one can put it in writing. What I am trying to say, no matter how complicated the subject is, if you think about it long and well enough and have the tools and skills, you can write about it in a successful manner.

The third text helped me with the writing a lot. The eighth chapter in the book "They Say I Say" has showed me how to connect sentences and my thoughts. This part of writing is still a struggle for me. So many ideas come in to my head, but not in ordered manner. So I usually write them all down, in a quick rush. Then I try to connect them to each other in a logic order.
Using transitions and transition terms does make the paper more understanding. After all, that is what we all aiming for. Also, I repeat myself a lot while writing a paper. This chapter showed me how to do this effectively without sounding monotonous. It is still a struggle to master this part, but at least I am learning how to fix the problem. As a result, I open this book frequently while writing my papers and I always find something new I can use for particular problems. In addition, "The Bedford Handbook" has been an excellent help throughout the semester. At first I had a hard time understanding it. It seemed complicated and overwhelming. As the class progressed, I found the book helpful and very resourceful.

In conclusion, these are the text I picked, but have to say I was inspired by many more and find all of them helpful. Each of these works opened a new door to understanding writing and connected me to the process. Thank you.