Multi-modal

Our last assignment has been to put together a multi-modal poster and essay. It has been fun actually! I have enjoyed working with a group and putting it together. It can sometimes get confusing and busy with multiple people working on it but Googledocs are amazing!! :) I am very glad this last project is not just an essay. I enjoy writing but I enjoy presenting a lot more! I feel like, as long as I have practiced, I can get my ideas out more clearly in speech. I enjoy public speaking. Most people dread getting a talk for sacrament meeting--I love it! I also think it will be fun to dress up and make it more like a conference but also get to have food as well! Formal enough but not too formal. The whole group has been working on the poster and it ended up looking a lot different than I expected or had imagined but I really like how it turned out! I think it will also be great to see everybody else's posters and ideas at work. I hope the presentation goes well. I guess we will see!!

IP FINISHED!!!

Finally, the issues paper is finished. It is still a bit short unfortunately but I did all I could! I got a few new ideas talking about it with my dad and anyone I told about it gave me some ideas. It is not what I expected but I think it turned out alright. I guess we will see! :)

Issues Paper 3/4 of the way done!

I am almost done with my issues paper. It will be a relief to be finished! I have had a hard time with this assignment! I have had an especially hard time with the length. I usually do okay with length in papers if I am talking about something I like, so I thought this one would be the same since we got to choose our topic. I have enjoyed learning about my topic but I am still wondering if I would have had an easier time writing about something else. Right now I have 7 out of the 8 pages I need and have nothing else to write but I don't want to add a bunch of fluff! I want it to be good and show the work I have put into it. Hopefully I can think of some more things to write about so it sounds good.

Issues Paper beginnings

Finding a topic for a paper or project seems to be the hardest part. This one was particularly hard for me. I have a lot of interests, but I wanted to find something I truly have a passion for. I also had to make sure that it had to do with globalization. The day before my brainstorming of what to write about I had been talking to a friend about how bone structure and bodies differ in different countries or areas because of diet and surroundings. She is from Taiwan and was explaining the smallness of the Asian people. Nutrition intrigues me so I decided to base it around that. As I found that I needed to have some sort of argument I thought about humanitarian aid and how it can improve based on nutrition. I had a few ideas and brought it to my dad. He helped and came up with the idea of improving humanitarian aid by not just giving underprivileged countries food or water that will soon disappear once eaten or drunk, but rather teach them how to help themselves and make more of a lasting effect. Sustainable humanitarian aid is what we need. I decided to focus on that. It has taken me a while to get started and my thoughts in my rough draft are still very jumbled but I hope they will smooth themselves out as I continue to work.

The Writing Center

The Writing Center, located in the JKB, is very helpful. The few times I have gone I have never had to wait too long and the workers have given me some great insight. Although I have had positive experiences in the Writing Center, it is still hard for me to go in and have my writing evaluated. I am very sensitive when it comes to the topic of my writing. I know I am not a fantastic writer, so therefore should be happy for constructive criticism. However, this knowledge of my writing abilities makes it even harder for me to hear. I know I am not great and then having them tell me yet again all the things I need to work on can be discouraging. I am working on not letting their comments get me down and remembering they are not telling me I am a weak writer, but simply have things to work on-- kind of like anything in life.

The final draft of the RA!

Here is the final draft of the RA... finally!!
 

Kyla Threlfall

Mrs. Radley

Writing 150

28 February 2012

A Truly “Eco-Sexy” Figure

Looking “eco-sexy” is currently a fad in the United States. However, is being “eco-sexy” truly helping the environment? Alex Williams reveals the truth in this question in his article “Buying Into the Green Movement”. Williams educates those who desire this “eco-sexy” figure how to help save the environment rather than just put on a phony persona. William believes that when one becomes truly “eco-friendly” rather than “eco-sexy”, the most environmental relief is achieved. Right from the start, Williams captures his audience using picturesque imagery and a sarcastic tone. He wants his audience, the eco-sensitive readers of The New York Times, to understand where they are going wrong and what they can do better. He backs up these pathos appeals with research to validate his arguments that it takes a lot more than small acts for America to become eco-friendly. Williams, however, while pointing out misassumptions, fails to realize that these small acts will in the end prove to be beneficial.

Williams begins his article with an invitation to his readers to picture the situation he outlines. Laughter or rolling of the eyes is sure to follow as you imagine someone living the ridiculous nature of the lifestyle he describes. Hemp-fiber sheets, $245 organic cotton Levi's, biodegradable shirt, reclaimed lumber and fish food golf balls all sound eco-friendly but not very appealing. Williams describes how life would be different using all eco-friendly products. Through this fictitious situation he covers not only how certain events would be different with an eco-friendly lifestyle, but also how everyday habits would be changed. The public then realizes they must find an eco-friendly medium between the outrageous extremes and fruitless deeds.

By the second paragraph, Williams sets up his argument about whether people are attracted to being eco-friendly because they want to help the environment or because it is a style statement. As earth-conscious people read this article, many will want to persuade how eco-friendly they really are–quickly disassociating themselves with those who only want the Earth-friendly image. However, after reading the second paragraph containing Williams' argument, readers are encouraged to take a deeper evaluation of their thoughts and actions on the environment. Williams opens the idea that the green movement came about by society's idea of an eco-sensitive life. He sarcastically mentions that too many Americans ignorantly believe that it is simply a series of choices, such as buying eco-friendly products, that determines your degree of earth-friendliness.

Williams gives examples, statistics, and research to claim his points. Because of a lack of his own knowledge, Williams gathers information from other, more reliable, sources. He tells how 35 million Americans regularly buy products that claim to be earth-friendly. Throughout his article he mentions many websites, journals, and groups such as worldchanging.com, the Sierra Club, grist.org, OnEarth, Greenpeace, and Rainforest Action Network, that are making efforts to better our world. “The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook” and the 2006 documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” are mentioned to exemplify positive media that helps to inform an inexperienced society. Williams uses sources that are dependable and common so his audience will be able to relate to them because of their familiarity. If readers recognize one of his sources, they are more likely to connect with and be open to the information presented.

Seeing the label 'organic' can be very appealing to anyone. Buying organic can be done with the intent to help the environment or to follow the fads of a trend. Williams explains how the marketing industry and media attracts the younger generation into the “green issue” by posing it as fashionable and using pop stars like Kelly Clarkson and Lenny Kravitz to promote its importance. Live Earth concerts around the world are another great advertiser to the young generation. However, Williams explains how this “green fashion” can distract from serious issues. Williams quotes Chip Giller, the founder of Grist.org that “too much of the population thinks there's an easy way out.” (101)

Williams clarifies that doing small acts of “green” or being what is often called a “light green” does little for improvement. He uses the examples of buying eco-friendly items such as clothing material, cars, solar panels, lights, homes, and beeswax lipstick does nothing for the environment. He uses the analogy of consuming an entire box of SnackWell's fat-free devil's food chocolate cookies–avoiding fats but piling up on calories. Williams recalls information by Paul Hawkens, a longtime environmental activist and author when he talks about how buying fruit at a whole foods store in the winter is another example of the ignorant mistakes of the public. If they are flown in from another country, it doesn't matter if they are organic. “It's diabolically stupid.” says Hawkens (102). Williams also quotes Rachel Kesel, a founder of a San Francisco group called the Compact, who says, “The more I'm engaged in this, the more annoyed I get with things like 'shop against climate change' and these kind of attitudes. It's hysterical. You're telling people to consume more in order to reduce impact.” (103)

As a writer on the economy, the web, technology, and enterprises, Buying into the Green Movement is a foreign subject to Williams. He gives little solutions to the problem throughout the article. His purpose is to enlighten society that what is being done is not enough. One solution that is offered is that less is more. The less done or bought, the more the Earth will be helped. Williams quotes Michael Ableman who says, “Maybe the solution is instead of buying five pairs of organic cotton jeans, buy one pair of regular jeans instead.” (102) Williams says that some products, such as cars, that are marketed as green, may actually pump more carbon into the atmosphere than something more modest or nothing at all. Simply owning one home is another way to reduce carbon footprints, according to Williams.

These solutions are feasible but Williams fails to recognize that these small steps will take a long time and are essential. Even though buying eco-friendly items is not a solution, it is a start to a life-long process of keeping our Earth safe. At this point in the article, Williams' sarcastic tone has worn off and his audience is left feeling guilty. According to Williams, it seems as though the audience's small acts of purchasing eco-friendly products have gone to waste. Williams quotes Michael Brune, the executive director of the Rainforest Action Network, “After you buy the compact fluorescent bulbs, you can move on to greater goals like banding together politically to shut down coal-fired power plants.” (103) Though it might be a bit late for the small steps of eco-friendly purchases, how else to get the attention of society to make larger decisions that will actually benefit the environment? Despite the media marginalizing the green movement, it is gaining the attention of the public on the subject and making them aware of their choices. Williams never mentions that though the seemingly useless consumer attempts at being “a green” do not add up, they are a good first step that can lead to greater objectives.

In order for global warming to be lessened, the participation of all the public is needed. One way to help get the participation of society is to educate them and urge them to make better eco-friendly decisions. More action on the side of political leaders can also help to assist in this education and desire to better our Earth. Near the end of his article, Williams quotes Michel Gelobter, a former professor of environmental policy at Rutgers and current president of Redefining Progress. Gelobter says, “A legitimate beef that people have with green consumerism is, at the end of the day, the things causing climate change are more caused by politics and the economy than individual behavior.” (104) If humankind wants to continue to have a sustainable Earth, the concept of “eco-sexy” must be turned around to become “eco-friendly.”

Works Cited

Williams, Alex. “Buying into the Green Movement.” Perspectives on Globalization. University Writing. Provo: BYU Academic Publishing, 2008. 100-104. Print.

Spalding, Michael. The Debate over Green Consumerism (Can we buy our way out of this problem?. Philanthromedia, Dialogue for the discerning donor. 2006. Web. 20 February 2012.

Zaleski, Olivia. Buying into the Green Movement. Huffpost Healthy Living, The Internet Newspaper: News, Blogs, Videos, Community. 4 July, 2007. Web. 20 February 2012.

Steffen, Alex. Privatizing Responsibility: the Times on Green Consumerism. WorldChanging: Change Your Thinking. 1 July 2007. Web. 20 February 2012. 

 

Oh the RA...

Oh how I have struggled with this rhetorical analysis. It is hard to have gone from the Opinion Editorial where I was writing about something I have a passion for to something I have to fake a love for. It has been hard but I have tried to show the research I have done for it. I hope it comes through in my paper. This paper has been hard but is also good for me. I often need to ask myself 'why?' when I write and answer it throughout my paper. With a rhetorical analysis I have no choice but to do that. So, it is hard but good. We will see how it goes.

Rhetorical Analysis outline

Here is my points as an outline for my rhetorical analysis.

Intro: Alex uses picturesque imagery, sarcastic tone, and research
1. Alex Williams is very visual. You can imagine yourself in the situation he describes.
2. He sets up the tone very quickly. Are you helping the environment or following a fad?
3. He uses statistics and research such as on the hybrid cars and companies.
4. His audience is towards middle class, specifically young, American public.
5. He goes into detail about how small acts of green really do not help. (Do less and it will give to the Earth more)
6. Is he writing about the economy or the Earth?
Conclusion: We need everyone's participation.

Rhetorical Analysis

     I have three topics to choose from for my rhetorical analysis assignment. One on immigration, one on technology (specifically twitter) and one on the green movement. Which to choose? I read each of the options and thought I would have a hard time choosing which one to write about. However, as I read I was amazed how quickly I favored towards the green movement article. I wasn't exactly sure why I chose this article until I went to my writing class the next day and my teacher asked us why. I waited for the first few answers from students and then gave my opinion which came to me surprisingly quick. In my comment I mentioned how I have my opinions about certain aspects of immigration but am still fairly wishy-washy on the subject so I didn't want to do it on that. I don't even know how to use twitter and I feel that the subject of technology is used too much so that was not an option. That left me with the green movement. I do not do a lot, besides recycling or turning off the faucet, to help the environment but I think it is very important to keep our world at its best shape and form. I am interested in learning more about this topic and will be eager to hear the many opinions there are about it. Let me know if you have any insights and we will see how it goes!!

Opinion Editorial: So BYU Thinks It Can Dance...

Here is my opinion editorial. I really enjoyed writing it. It was a topic I had a passion for and it was fun and good for me to compose my ideas into a paper. Hope you like it!
 

Kyla Threlfall

Mrs. Radley

Writing 150

January 26, 2012

So BYU Thinks It Can Dance...

Dance is a part of many people's lives. Many of us, including myself, have studied the technique of contemporary, lyrical and jazz at dance studios. We dedicated time, money, physical and emotional energy and gave up social activities to fulfill our passions. As we graduated from high school and our studios, we moved on to college and still wanted to pursue our passions of dance. We studied and researched all the different teams available here at BYU. We found many options, but none that fit the criteria of what we had put so much time and dedication into. The BYU Dance Department needs a new dance team that helps dance students progress in contemporary, lyrical and jazz technique that is taught in studios all over the country, because there is not a team like this available, the high interest overrides budget concerns and training in the past will not go to waste.

Young Ambassadors, Contemporary Dance Theater, Kinnect, DanceEnsemble, Cougarettes, Folk Dance, Ballroom and Theater Ballet are all options. All of these teams are wonderful but none of them are the kind of lyrical and jazz we have come to thrive on. For Young Ambassadors you must have a good voice as well as be able to dance. Contemporary Dance Theater is not made for getting contracts after college and it is exclusively modern. Cougarettes are now part of the athletic division and have focused their attention on athletic support and combine drill and cheer-like movements into their repertoire. Even with all the options available, none of them are the kind of dance we are longing for. We need a team that can practice and perform concerts with technique-based contemporary, lyrical and jazz dance.

I know as BYU's Dance Department, you meet regularly to discuss and overcome issues of the dance program. I have talked to many others about this situation and have gotten their consent. They often feel like their technique is now going to waste. Megan Walker, a pre-Dance Education major, says, “While it is good to have the teams that BYU currently has, I think it would improve the dance department if there was more diversity... I am used to doing all styles of dance. That's what I miss most after leaving the studio I started dancing at and my high school dance company.” Sierra Camp, along with a group of friends, has created a jazz dance team outside of BYU because BYU doesn't offer such a thing. It is called “TheVerveMovement” and she plans practices, performances and events for this team. Sierra says, “TheVerveMovement is all about getting a chance to use our studio training we've grown up with while still remaining open to the training we get at college. This company was formed because BYU didn't necessarily have the kind of performing company that danced the way we wanted to dance. BYU has a great dance program, it is simply missing some pieces of the puzzle... so we went out on our own!” So far this group has had some bumps along the road such as getting faculty support, but it has been a success and very fulfilling undertaking so far! I am hoping to join this group this next fall semester.

Joining a team such as “TheVerveMovement” may seem like a solution to my problems but there are still obstacles. As a freshman, I do not have a car and can only get to places that are in walking distance. If practices or events are out of this distance, I may not be able to attend. It will also be a lot of time outside of school. I am already very busy with school, homework, church callings, work and extra-curricular activities. BYU teams take up time as well but if they are on campus they are much easier to attend and less time consuming. As a member of the dance program, I also want to support BYU teams. Trying to do a BYU team as well as an outside team such as TheVerveMovement would dominate too much of my time.

The question of money and budget may be brought up. Is there enough money in the budget? This is a question I cannot answer as I do not have access to this information. However, I do know with enough participation, a new team would be worth it. Watching as jazz classes fill up so quickly during registration, I know the interest in a new team would be high. Fundraisers and donations are also always options to help a program get up and running.

There are jazz dance classes available at BYU which teach studio technique. But as mentioned above, they fill up very quickly. Also, as great as these classes are, the technique obtained is not put into play on a team. If the content learned is not used for a team, why do we have them? Lauren Askew, a folk dancer, says, “classes can only go so far. The performance element really is what I love about it, and I wish that I had a chance to perform or compete on a team... How cool would if be to be a part of a team of something that I've grown up doing?” How you take the class is up to you, while a team is not. You can try your hardest in a class but when technique is used on a team you are pushed and you know you cannot let your team down. They are all counting on you. Frequent rehearsals that teams require also help to keep your technique consistent. Consistency is vital for improvement in a dancer.

The past two years I have attended the auditions for Tuacahn, an outdoor amphitheater in St. George, Utah. Two years ago my audition went very well and I made it in! Even though I was not able to take the engagement as I was still graduating from high school, I know it was my technique and teams I was involved in at the time that helped me do so well. At the time of the audition I was dancing on the highest team at a pre-professional studio called, “Studio One Dance Center” in Orem, Utah and was president of my high school dance company. These two companies left me at dancing a total of about 25 hours a week. This year I auditioned again and did well but my dancing was not in tip-top shape as it had been before. After graduating from high school as well as my dance studio, I only took modern classes at BYU. I could not get into either a ballet or jazz class as I am a freshman and have last priority for registration. Because of this, I had not lost all of my technique but it had digressed--resulting in my poorer performance.

I have had a hard time not being able to do the kind of dance that I love and have treasured. As you begin college, everything is changing. Despite the change around me, I hoped the kind of dance I had studied would still be there, only to be disappointed. I know that I am only a freshman and have participated on just one of these teams mentioned. Nevertheless, I have researched each team and have come to find that none of them fit the criteria of contemporary, lyrical and jazz technique. Though some may disagree with me, a new performing dance team consisting of these styles would be a great benefit to BYU. Many others agree with me and some have even taken action and created their own teams, independent of BYU. Though money may seem like a problem, it can be arranged. Jazz classes unfortunately do not provide enough push for technique, as a team would. Auditions can help lead to bigger and better things, but only if they go splendidly. Dance teams that are based on lyrical and jazz technique can help this be accomplished. As I hear about dancers who have had to give up what they have cherished, it scares me to wonder if I may have to do this as well. I hope that you see my concerns and actions will be taken on this dilemma. 

Thanks for reading!! :)