Welcome!

            Welcome to my e-Portfolio. I have comprised my page with three works I have written for LA 101H, a class I took freshman year. I have included an essay, a speech, and several blog posts from this semester. I plan to include more works as I continue my journey as an undergraduate at Penn State University. My experiences of writing in college have been significantly different than my experiences in high school. The first experience I had of college writing was in the SOC 001 in the summer of 2010. I was told to write a seven page paper about any social issue I could think of. The freedom scared me at first as I was thinking of a topic, but then I decided to take it as a challenge. I picked a topic I was intrigued by and began researching and writing. I believe when you are given the freedom to write about anything, your true talent and originality is reflective in your work.

            I have enjoyed this English class because of the freedom I was given and I would like to showcase my best writings from this past semester. During my freshman year and during this class I have learned to construct clear and specific theses, organize my papers and speeches in a logical and engaging manner and most importantly, be creative and unique in my writing. I have learned that a good piece of writing is not something that is revised once and turned in. Writing is a never-ending process; you can never revise and rewrite too much. I have taken this idea to my writing throughout my freshman year and will continue to remember and apply this idea to my writing for the rest of my college career and as I enter the workplace. My work continues to improve because of these concepts I have learned.

Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage

I chose this essay to include in my e-Portfolio because I think it demonstrates my ability to write a persuasive paper. After making several revisions, I am happy with the results. I am also very passionate about this topic. I revised this paper a considerable amount from my original draft. First, I added additional research and support to my claims; this boosted my credibility as a writer. Secondly, I decided to focus more on the injustices the current law presents because that was my strongest argument. So I included more information about the current federal law and rearranged sentences and paragraphs to draw the focus to that law. I also filled in transitional sentences from paragraph to paragraph wherever they were needed. The revisions I made improved the strength of my paper by narrowing in on one main argument, providing evidence in support of my claims, and creating a logical flow that is easy to follow.

Click here to read my essay

This I Believe

My “This I Believe” speech is one of my favorite speeches I have written. I think the idea of these short, personal statements is touching and inspirational. When I was given this assignment, I wanted to pick a topic that was unique to me but relatable. I chose this speech for my e-Portfolio because I think it displays some of my best writing while revealing a little bit about me as a person. The event was a memorable time in my life that I enjoy sharing with people.

I revised the speech by adding more detail to my adventure to engage the audience better. I allowed myself to lengthen it slightly as well. By replacing plain sentences with figurative language I think I made the story more effective. The revised version has a nicer flow and is cleaner because I took out filler words and replaced repeated words with synonyms.

Click here to listen to my speech



Two Entries from my Rhetoric and Civic Life Blog

Cosmic Wonder

http://www.cosmicwonder.com

            This clothing line is advertised as using 100% organic cotton material and made in energy- efficient conditions. I think this ad does a perfect job of portraying the simplicity and uniqueness of this clothing line. First, I like how the photos are clear from distractions so the viewer can focus entirely on the clothing. The pale background colors blend nicely with the shades of the clothing but the clothing still pops out of the picture.

            The model’s stance and facial expression is very appealing. She seems a little awkward and shy but inviting at the same time. She looks like all she is trying to do is show the audience what she is wearing. She’s not trying to be sexy or seductive or angry; she is just modestly displaying the clothing. By doing this, she is appealing to pathos. Because she is not intimidating but inviting, I feel like I deserve to wear the clothing she is wearing.

            The model also appeals to ethos by the lack of accessories and makeup she is wearing. When advertising an organic and natural clothing line, it wouldn’t be appropriate to plaster makeup all over the model’s face. This model looks like she is barely wearing any makeup and has pale skin, giving her a natural look. She is establishing her credibility by looking like the kind of girl who has a simple style and believes in the “less is more” motto. She seems at ease with her organic look, which makes her suitable to be modeling this organic line of clothing.

Karen Walker Eyewear

http://www.karenwalkereyewear.com/

            As weird as this ad is, I think it does a fantastic job of advertising these sunglasses. I love how everything is completely white except for the bright-colored glasses. The contrasting colors are what really make the sunglasses the center of the advertisement. The whole theme of the ad has a kind of futuristic, chic feel which I think is exactly what Karen Walker wanted to present.

            The fact that the models are wearing formal shirts and the women’s hair is pulled back creates a sophisticated look that appeals to ethos, promoting the product’s credibility. The way the models are looking off into the distance with straight faces also makes the ad look more refined and elegant. The models’ white hair and pale skin keeps your eyes glued to the pictures. I found myself looking back and forth between the models and the glasses, which I think is exactly what the ad designer had in mind when creating these photos.

            I also found it interesting how there are three females in the ad and only one male. Because the male and female in the top two pictures are wearing the same pair of glasses, it exhibits that the sunglasses can be worn by men and women, widening the product's audience. Overall, I love this ad even though the models look curiously albino.

I decided to include these entries from my Rhetoric and Civic Life blog in my e-Portfolio because I believe they are a selection of entries that display my best work as a rhetorical analyst. In these entries I explore in depth the effectiveness of certain fashion advertisements and the use of ethos and pathos within them. I’ve always been fascinated with the bizarreness of fashion ads today so I dedicated my blog to discussing and analyzing the pros and cons of ads I find.

An Entry from my Passion Blog

Tears
            About a month ago a man came in and said he was shopping for his daughter. I thought he was just like any other dad coming in, but as we started talking I realized he was like no other customer we have ever had before. As Megan and I were helping him pick out an outfit, he told us his daughter (around seven or eight years old) had just died of a brain tumor a few days ago and he was shopping for the outfit they would put her in for her wake. Megan and I were speechless. Here was this man doing, what I imagine, one of the hardest things someone would ever have to do in their life. We gave him our condolences and tried to assist him as much as we could but I could barely keep it together in the ten minutes we were talking to him. Thankfully his wife came in to help him pick out the outfit. They ended up choosing two outfits, a blue one and a pink one, because they couldn’t decide at the time.

About a week later I walked into Tween Girlz for my shift and I saw him at the counter. I braced myself and walked up to him and Autumn at the register. She was just finishing up the return for the pink outfit he brought back. He looked over at me and said, “We decided to go with the blue.” At that moment I couldn’t hold back my tears. I looked at Autumn and I could tell she was having the same problem. I felt terrible that I couldn’t even keep it together for two minutes in front of this dad who was probably dealing with so many other random, blubbering strangers already. The last thing he needed was another pity party from the girls at Tween Girlz. But all he did was thank us for our help, and as he was leaving he said, “She really loved your clothes.” His eyes started to water and I had to look away.

After he left the store I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I tried putting myself in his position but I knew it was impossible to know what he was feeling. When thinking about planning funerals and wakes the main concerns that come to mind are the guest lists and the flowers and who is going to say what at the ceremony. You never really think of the small things like going shopping for an outfit you think she would like. And it’s those little things that are the hardest of all I think.

I chose this entry from my blog about working at Tween Girlz, a clothing store for girls between the ages of 6 and 11, because it was the hardest entry to write but my favorite as well. The experience affected me in a way I would have never expected at my job. Every day I see a baby crying, a little brother running around the store, and a frazzled mother trying to get her daughter to try on clothes, but this was a situation I'd never faced before. It is experiences like these that make me stop and think, and I’m happy to say my job is able to give me times like these, no matter how difficult they are.