Thanks to the COM352 students for contributing a bunch of new pages! I'll be moving these pages into the main area of the wiki soon.

From UMassWiki

[edit] Eng112 Major Assignments

[edit] Reflection Paper #1

Read my Reflection Letter

If I had to choose one format for a paper about myself I would choose "The Contexts That Make Me". I am very much a product of my background. I have been through a lot of things that have shaped my personality and the ways that I deal with certain things. The people and events that I have experienced in my life have altered the way I view things and certain situations. These people and events have actually changed my personality; made me stronger, more critical, and extremely self-sufficient. I can also relate to being a victim of labels. Often times I am characterized as a ditz who is not intelligent and not hard-working, which is so far from the truth. Not only do I think my background influences my reactions on a daily basis but it affects my writing as well.

Stephanie 16:18, 20 September 2007 (EDT) ]]

[edit] Introduction Paper

Self Sufficient Stephanie

Who would take English 112 even if they were exempt? Stephanie Nunes would, she thought taking an English course would be a good idea to brush up on her writing and to prepare herself for the junior year English Class. She is an eighteen year old from Raynham Massachusetts, a small town with only 11,739 people. She went to a catholic high school with only one hundred students. Stephanie is the oldest of five children, three girls and one boy. Being the oldest child, Stephanie had no one to look up to; she had to be the role model, making her own decisions with no older sibling’s path to follow. Since she has to prepare herself for things to come, she took this English writing course. She has never written anything that was graded at a college level and this class will make her ready for any college writing that lies ahead.

In High School, Stephanie played basketball, volleyball and softball. She was also involved with debate, student council, National Honors Society, and Spanish Honors Society. She took multiple Advanced Placement exams such as Biology, Spanish, English and History. In addition to all these clubs and classes, Stephanie played the clarinet and dance. Now that Stephanie is in college she does rowing and is part of the Ski and Board club. She has to wake up at five every morning except for Sunday to row. Her accomplishments go back to the idea of being a role model. Stephanie’s involvement in clubs adds to her list of responsibilities thus making her more autonomous.

Even though she is only eighteen, Stephanie has been through many hardships. Her dad and her stepfather have both been in jail. This has significantly shaped her early life in many ways. For a while she had to live in different places, from her grandmother’s house to different friends’ houses, for safety reasons. Stephanie did not want anyone to know at first, but eventually her fellow high school students became aware of her situation. She was embarrassed that they knew but she soon realized that this situation would change her as a person. Stephanie perceives herself as stubborn because she does not let people push her around after seeing how her mom was treated. As of now everything seems to be all right and she no longer has to move from house to house to feel protected. With both her fathers in jail Stephanie has lacked a father figure to guide her and as a result she has had to lead herself where a father figure would have done so. While most people have two parents to guide children, she only has her mother and has to make up for the missing parent by guiding herself.

Stephanie has trust issues because both of her fathers’ actions has made it difficult for Stephanie to trust who she is supposed to trust. Luckily she has her boyfriend Justin who has helped her with her family situation. They have been going out for a year and a half now, and he is in University of Massachusetts with her. This is the only school that they both applied to out of six different schools and they both ended up going to the same college. She says she is close to his family and talks about how they stay in on weekends and make dinner for everyone and how comfortable she is with him. Now Stephanie is learning to trust males through Justin. Since her father was not an ideal male figure in her life, she went out and found one on her own.

A positive outcome from Stephanie’s family situation is learning to become independent, paying for everything, from her cell phone bill to her tuition fee. By being able to support herself she is helping her mom with the financial situation, who still has to provide for her five year old brother and two year old sister. She considers herself close to her mom, because they been through hard times together, she has witnessed what her mom has gone through, and saw her deal with it. Stephanie knows she is hard working because of her mom, who also struggled to pay for her own college situation because she had Stephanie when she was only sixteen years old.

When I started interviewing Stephanie, our conversation went from superficial to very serious. In the beginning we talked about her family and what clubs she was part of, and if she likes the school. We talked about similarities in our lives but as we talked more, she opened up. I was not sure what was too personal to write and what was to be kept between the two of us. I asked her if I could write about everything that we talked about, she agreed because she knew what she went through is what makes her the way she is today. It became clear her life thus far has given her the inspiration to do well at University of Massachusetts.

Evita 11:23, 15 November 2007 (EST)

See the feedback about Evita's introduction that I wrote.

[edit] Interacting with Texts

What is your art? There is a dominant discourse in society today that defines art as something found in a gallery: paintings, sculptures, photographs--art as purely decorative. It is this misconception that is addressed in Jeanette Winterson’s Art Objects. Her story expounds an awakening that altered her world-view in a single glance. Winterson’s experience with one single piece of art vivificated her desire to learn art, to love art, and to live art. Winterson’s reaction and desire toward the art is so powerful in her story that I began to question: What is my art? What is the one thing that can completely enrapture my attention? As I read Art Objects, I found myself reflecting about the connection between Winterson’s experience with art and that of others in society, including myself. But most importantly, I reflected on what art is and what it means to me. Before her influential trip to Amsterdam, Jeanette Winterson would argue that her art was writing. A true writer at heart, Winterson always felt most comfortable with a pen in one hand and considered writing to be her art. However, on this one particular trip to Europe, Winterson was captivated by a painting hanging in a gallery window. Standing alone under the street lights, is when her captivation evolved into desire. Winterson began questioning: What is this painting about? Who is the artist? What does this painting mean? What does this painting have to say to me and what do I have to say to it? Winterson’s new found thrill even convinced her to change her travel plans and she stayed in Amsterdam to learn as much about art as she could. Winterson explains that she visited various art galleries and read numerous books in hopes of being able to understand the art that had stopped her in the street on that cold night. She worked achieve her goal of understanding art and she practiced so that she is able to now understand the true meaning of something that she once thought to be “not for her”. Winterson’s experience parallels that of many in society today. Few things in life can be identified with passion and hard work, but to find something that has both, is to find art. So, what is art? Is there a standard definition of art? Who defines art? Although society categorizes art as decorative or as Winterson explains “about the money or the notoriety”, art is not strictly an object, it is something that exists universally in infinite shapes and forms, with infinite definitions and connotations. Art is never the same for two people and in the same right no one can ever pass judgment on another’s art. As Winterson explains, “there are no Commandments in art and no easy axioms for art appreciation” (Winterson 334). This statement becomes extremely influential in my opinion of art because it is unconventional. I believe that anything can be art if it can be achieved through passion and hard work. Sports are art, writing is art, language is art, painting is art, love is art, relationships are art, singing is art. Oscar Wilde once said, “Paradoxically though it may seem, it is none the less true that life imitates art far more than art imitates life”(Wilde). This quote explains that these things that we are so passionate about have undoubtedly come to dictate our lifestyles. Just as Winterson worked to learn about art we practice sports, we write constantly, we learn languages, we love, we build and work through relationships. Correspondingly, our lives reflect the art that we choose, therefore, life is art. When reading Winterson’s story I reflected about what I believe is art. All the things previous came to mind but the art that I find most influential in my life, is life itself. Every person lives it but the ways to live life are limitless and unwritten. Natasha Bedingfield’s song “Unwritten” characterizes life as art that we must make our own:

“Drench yourself in words unspoken Live your life with arms wide open Today is where your book begins The rest is still unwritten”.

The word “unwritten” is increasing definitive in the explanation of art because art is essentially unwritten. The word “unspoken” lends to the idea that no person can define art for anyone else and there is not one universal definition. The lyrics symbolize that art is open to be anything, any place; any time. There is no structure or boundaries, it is something to be created with no previous pretenses. To me, life is like a painting. All artists use some type of canvas on which they begin their work and often times artists will be influenced by a muse or some other factor that has driven them to want to make the painting. The painter’s blank canvas is comparable to my background--my childhood, my culture and the painter’s embracement of the muse is parallel to my desire to live life. Furthermore, just as the painter’s type of canvas whether it be on a brick wall, on paper, or on pottery, effects the finished product so to will my background always affect the way I live my life. Moreover, the different colors that a painter uses resembles the different decisions I make throughout my life because as the colors mix to form one image my life experiences will essentially tie together to create one complex “painting”. Winterson talks of “true artists” in her story, “who are connected to the past and who themselves make a connection to the future” (Winterson 333). I use my past experiences to make decisions in my life now. I use my past experiences to “paint” my future. My life is my art. What is your art?

Works Cited

Bedingfield, Natasha. "Natasha Bedingfield Lyrics." A to Z Lyrics. 2005. 17 Oct. 2007 <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/natashabedingfield/unwritten.html>.

Winterson, Jeanette. "Art Objects." The Text-Wrestling Book. Dubuque, Iowa. Kendall/Hunt Company, 2005. 328-339.

Wilde, Oscar. "Art Quotes." Quote Cache. 2004. 17 Oct. 2007 <http://quotes.prolix.nu/Art/>.

[edit] Adding to a Conversation

Potential to save lives and potential to kill lives? The two statements in this question would seem to represent two different subjects, but ironically, they both characterize the research of embryonic stem cells. This research has become one of the most controversial issues in modern society. Although there are federal laws that seem to regulate the research in moderation, there are many loop-holes--that companies and scientists are determined to find. At a glance, people marvel at the advances that scientists claim embryonic stem cell research will allow, but never question the process of obtaining the cells or who is researching them. Those who do question the process find themselves against a world blind to the scientific reality of embryonic stem cell research and optimistic about the idea of a disease-free world. But where are these embryonic stem cells derived from, to whom are the cells available, and what are the potential risks of furthering embryonic stem cell research? A new system of regulation, both federal and state, should be implemented to moderate these exact questions.

First and foremost there must exist an explanation of the embryonic stem cells and their ultimate functions to further the analysis of the issue at hand. “Human embryonic stem cells are the primary cells from which cells in the body ultimately differentiate and develop” (Taylor 590). Because the whole development of the human being is based upon the significant embryonic stem cells, scientists claim that embryonic stem cells have the potential to save lives by ultimately curing diseases and allowing for synthetic organ growth. An article written by Patrick Taylor, published in Science and Engineering Ethics stated that embryonic stem cell research could potentially result in “new insights into how human beings, organs and tissues develop, detailed knowledge of the factors that affect growth and differentiation and how they interact, and dramatic new research and clinical applications” (Taylor 590). It is clear that embryonic stem cell research as the potential to yield amazing medical advances. However, with the potential of these medical advances comes potential advances in other developing scientific theories and techniques.

Two issues have been at the forefront for arguments that support a stricter regulation of the research of embryonic stem cell research: (1) the research creates the potential to perform reproductive cloning and (2) the killing of embryos that would have otherwise, if inserted into the uterus, survived and have the potential to live a normal life. The argument that is often labeled as pro-choice is most commonly expounded by ethical persons. This argument feeds into bioethical issues, in that the embryos that are being used for research are embryos that may be destroyed, therefore, technically life if being destroyed. As Andrew Sullivan emphasizes in his essay, “Conversation on the Ethics of Stem Cell Research”, “…the embryo contains exactly the same amount of genetic information as you or I do” (Sullivan 407). Therefore, it should have the same rights as any human does.

The potential for reproductive cloning is clearly more dangerous because it not only has the potential to destroy embryos but the potential to promote human cloning. As Soren Holm explains in his article “ Going to the Roots of the Stem Cell Controversy” “If all the technical problems in the first steps of cell nuclear replacement techniques are solved successfully then it become both easier and more tempting (because certain risks have been reduced) to try to use nuclear replacement techniques for reproductive cloning (Holm 500-501).

Although cloning humans is illegal in the United States for projects using federal funds, private companies and individual investigators have claimed there intent to attempt cloning humans in the near future. Human cloning can only be produced by cells that are embryonic in a science lab. Using a technique called DNA splicing, “the nucleus of a donor egg is removed, the DNA from the patient is inserted, the egg is activated, and an embryo is created” (Tranter). This embryo then has the potential to grow into the adult subject because it has the same DNA. To many people, the idea of human cloning is a ludicrous idea, however, scientists are constantly trying to develop techniques for conquer it. To fully understand this issue completely one must understand the current legislature on which embryonic stem cell research is based. The federal laws state that research of embryonic stem cells can receive federal funding if (as President Bush outlined):

Removal of cells from the embryo must have been initiated before August 9, 2001, when the President outlined this policy; and the embryo from which the stem cell line was derived must no longer have had the possibility of developing further as a human being. The embryo must have been created for reproductive purposes but no longer be needed for them. Informed consent must have been obtained from the parent(s) for the donation of the embryo, and no financial inducements for donation are allowed” (“Stem Cell Information”).

Although the federal laws do provide some regulation to embryonic stem cell research, federal law also states that “Individual states have the authority to pass laws to permit human embryonic stem cell research using state funds. Unless Congress passes a law that bans it, states may pay for research using human embryonic stem cell lines that are not eligible for federal funding”(“Stem Cell Information”). This law allows for any company to gain access to embryonic stem cells if they are financially able, no matter their intentions.

It is clear that the current legislature in the United States, although seemingly protects embryonic stem cells and regulates the research, does not do this at all. In an essay written about stem-cell research, Charles Krauthammer wrote, “In his Aug. 7 radio address to the nation, John Kerry three times referred to “the ban” on stem-cell research instituted by president George W. Bush. What ban? Stem-cell research is legal in the United States and has been so since human embryonic were first isolate in 1998. There are dozens of groups studying them, including major stem-cell center recently launched at Stanford and Harvard (Krauthammer 411).

This illustrates the major problems with the existing laws because even though Jon Kerry referred to a “ban” on embryonic stem cell research, it is clear that strong one does not exist. The laws allow any state to alter the laws about stem cell research which makes it virtually effortless to gain access to the cells for research. And, in a worst case scenario, if a company continuously uses embryonic cells for research this can lead to many detrimental results including the two previously mentioned: reproductive technology and destroying embryos. A federal regulation system, that cannot be altered by individual states, must be implemented to monitor who is accessing embryonic stem cells, what they are researching them for, scientific research, and the progress in scientific and medical technologies as a result of the research. By forbidding states from altering embryonic stem cell federal laws, it will decrease the number of researches performed with conspicuous intentions and increase the number of researches done with intentions of medical advancement. It is imperative that a system of this magnitude be implemented to prevent reproductive cloning from becoming a reality and to promote the medical research that may one day cure diseases.

Works Cited

Holm, Soren. “Going to the Roots of the Stem Cell Controversy”. (Nov. 2002). Bioethics, Vol. 16, No. 6. Pg. 493-507.

Krauthammer, Charles. “Why Lines Must Be Drawn: Stem Cells Present a Complex Moral Issue, Shame On Democrats for Polarizing It”. The Text-Wrestling Book. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Dubuque, Iowa. Pg 411-412.

“Stem Cell Information”. The National Institutes of Health. 23 Aug 2007. 4 Nov 2007. <http://stemcells.nih.gov/StemCells/Templates/StemCellContentPage.aspx?NRM ODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7bA604DCCE-2E5F-4395-8954- FCE1C05BECED%7d&NRORIGINALURL=%2finfo%2ffaqs%2easp&NRCAC HEHINT=NoModifyGuest#guidelines>.

Sullivan, Andrew. “Only Human”. The Text-Wrestling Book. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Dubuque, Iowa. Pg 405-408.

Taylor, Patrick. “The Gap between Law and Ethics in Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Overcoming the effect of U.S. Federal Policy on Research Advances and Public Benefit”. (Oct 2005). Science & Engineering Ethics Vol. 11, No. 4. Pg. 589-616.

Tranter, Mary Patricia. "Testimony of Mary Patricia Tranter, Ph.D." Massachusetts Citizens for Life. 16 Feb. 2005. 08 Oct 2007.http://www.masscitizensforlife.org/ index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=226.

The National Institutes of Health

Don Ralbovsky Office of Communications & Public Liaison National Institutes of Health 1 Center Drive, MSC 0188 Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0199

Stephanie 15:33, 13 November 2007 (EST)

[edit] Reflection Paper #2

In my first reflection letter I started by explaining my developing writing skills in college compared to my skills in my high school English class. My first paper was very vague and I did not focus on specific points or ideas. For example, I focused much more about what I was learning in class as opposed to what I was learning about my own writing: “The explanations and practice I have had employing audience, purpose, and context has heightened my comprehension of the rhetorical situation”(Reflection Paper #1). The feedback in English 112 has not only helped me with the specific paper I am writing but it helped me to notice my progress and my mistakes that I need to keep working on. I have realized that I have great ideas with good arguments, but, I am a little disorganized in my writing, and I lack effective transitions. One thing I do know about my writing is that I can always formulate a great interesting topic. However, I have realized that I get so excited about the topic that I often mix all of my ideas together without clarifying any of them. I tend to put so many ideas into a paper that, although I understand what I am writing, other people have a hard time following the main message in my paper. Therefore, the first drafts of most of my papers are a bit disorganized. However, with the feedback that I receive from Steph and from fellow classmates I am beginning to notice and fix the problem. Another thing that I know that I need to work on is transitioning. Again, because I like to fit a lot into my paper, I often jump from one topic to another without an effective transition. Although I may know what I am talking about, if the reader did not do the research that I have, then they will less than likely know what I am talking about. Transitions are essential to writing a good paper because they allow the reader to follow the key points and sets up for arguments and details. Also, it allows the reader to make connections on their own. One thing in English 112 that has definitely helped me is the feedback. It is through the feedback that I am able to realize my mistakes and I am able to correct them. Honestly, I feel like I am getting better at fixing my own mistakes but I know that when Steph gives me feedback on my papers it really does help to make my final draft that much better. I feel like I am truly progressing in my writing with things that I mentioned in my first reflection paper, “I realize now that “audience” was never something I focused on and that I should be aware of it”(Reflection Paper #1). Although I am still not perfect in writing to a specific audience, this class has enabled me to progress in this area and understand the idea of “audience”. It is clear that I still have things to work on in my writing but it is also equally clear that I am progressing. The activities that we do in class definitely help me understand concepts much better, and I think this shows in my writing. I look forward to bettering my writing in the future with techniques and skills I learn in this class.

[edit] Reflection Letter #3

When I first came to college and I was enrolled in an English class I have to admit I thought it would be like any other English class that I have ever taken. A class where it did not matter how well I was writing or how much I was improving but a class in which I had to cater to a writing style that the teacher favored and one that was based on the strict techniques and ideas from which I could not sway. In all of my other English classes, I feel like I never had the opportunity to grow as a writer. Now that it is nearing the end of the semester I feel like I am finally growing as a writer and learning to develop my mind as an individual. As I have stated previously in other reflection letters I feel like the feedback in this class has definitely helped me improve my writing for my readers. I like that that feedback from my peers and Steph allows me to put myself in the reader’s place, making it easier to relate and ultimately creating a better piece. I think that the things I have learned about how my own writing is interpreted by others--including what I have learned about the rhetorical situation, will help me with my writing forever now. I also think that the technical parts of my writing have improved as well. I still have some issues with my writing mechanics but overall I feel that I have made a lot of improvements. I honestly have worked hard to really interpret the feedback to grow as a writer. As I stated in my second reflection letter, “ It is clear that I still have things to work on in my writing but it is equally clear that I am progressing”. If I were to grade myself I would honestly give myself an A and not just because I want one. I honestly work extremely hard in this class. I have always been at class, I always do my assignments on time and to the best of my abilities. Although my writing has not always been perfect, I do my best to rewrite and I really do change what I write to make it better and “I am getting better at fixing my own mistakes”, because I catch myself while I am writing my first drafts now. All in all, I try my very best in this class to succeed and not just to get the A. I want to succeed as a writer so I can succeed in other classes as well. This class is not that easy and it takes hard work--hard work that I feel I have done the whole way through. The things I have done and learned in this class will definitely help me in the future with my class work.

[edit] Final Reflection

What have I learned? My first semester at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was not anything like I imagined it would be. I have to admit, I never actually wanted to attend UMASS, it was one of those “safety schools” I applied to, just in case. My dream was to attend Boston University. Coming from a small town, I was extremely excited to live all on my own in the city. But when my financial status was not compatible with the tuition of Boston University, my dreams were shattered. I was forced into choosing a school that offered me a lot of financial aid and scholarships--and the University of Massachusetts Amherst fit the bill. Furthermore, I had heard about UMASS’s reputation for being a big party school, and that was not me at all. Even though I was not excited about the school my roommate happened to be one of my best friends from home and my boyfriend was also attending, so I figured that even if I did not like the school I could rely on my friends to make it a good experience. As I look back now, from a completely different point-of-view, I have realize that things are never as they seem and I have learned to adapt. Coming to UMASS I was expecting all of my class to be just like they were in high school, except bigger. I attended high school at a very small Catholic school and there were only one hundred and seventy-six students in my graduating classes and my largest academic class had about twenty-five enrolled. The first class that I attended at UMASS was had about three hundred students enrolled and honestly, was not like anything that I would have expected. After attending a Catholic high school, where certain things i.e., sex and drugs were never discussed unless the administrators were prohibiting them. But in my first Sociology class the professor made no qualms about dropping any “inappropriate” subjects in class. I was completely shocked but at the same time excited. This school was a completely different academic world for me--and I loved it! The academic freedom I have here at UMASS is something I have never experienced. I soon realized that every other class, especially English, was relatively the same, and began to understand that my preconceptions about UMASS may have been wrong. But academics were not the only thing that turned out different than I had expected. One of the aspects of UMASS that I actually liked was that I would be rooming with one of my best friends. I knew that we were different but I thought that it would be a good thing because we would not be together all of the time. After two weeks at school, it became blindingly obvious that we were extremely different in almost every aspect of our lives. When she wanted to party, I wanted to study and when she wanted to go to bed, I was getting up for class. Our room became a ridiculous place to live. and I learned that my freshmen year of college was not panning out at all like I had planned. Although I was having problems with my roommate, every other aspect of UMASS was working out great. I was making more friends than I have ever had in my life--friends that were actually like me. Looking back, I would say that my freshmen year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was bittersweet--bitter in the beginning but sweet in the end. Now that I have been at UMASS for a semester I would never want to be anywhere else. I had all of these preconceptions about the school and the people I knew and I did not know but I was completely wrong. I learned not to judge by realizing that I love UMASS and it is the right fit for me, even though I thought it was so wrong before I came here. From the unfortunate experience with my roommate, I learned that people change and grow apart. I learned that life is better when you are free and not confined academically and individually as I was in high school. But most of all I learned that things are never as they seem.

Eng112_Userpage