All Writing is Autobiography

Murray is constantly talking about all writing being autobiography just like the title states. No matter how hard people try to not make it an autobiography, it always turns out to being one. Its inevitable. No one can, according to Murray, change this. I thought about it and it does make a lot of sense since everyone writing has to make the piece their own some how.

Like i stated in the previous paragraph, I can see how Murray feels this way about writing. I mean not only is he an established writer, his points make a lot of sense to me. I'm going to sound like a broken record, but no matter what everyone has to make a piece of writing part of themselves some how.

They make me realize that regardless of what I think, a piece of writing that I do will always be my own. It will make me think about writing more and try and see how one piece is different from another as they are written by different authors. My eyes have been opened a little by this article by Murray.

Rhetorical Situations

          A "Rhetorical Situation" is something that in my mind, is trying to convey something through what I believe could be subliminal messaging. If you say something that someone already knows the answer to, then they will understand what you are talking about and might also possibly pick up other messages you intended to point out in your conversation. Whether the point you are trying to get across is right in their face or more subtle, that is up to the one who is speaking. But whether or not the person receiving the message understands is, well that’s just up to them.

          As for the article itself, well it could have been a little more interesting. Needless to say it was very informative. My old understanding of rhetorical situations was ones just of sarcasm or someone trying to be a jerk. But now I understand that they are used all over the place in readings and other pieces of literature. The read was very dull. It took me a while to get motivated for it, and then once I was, I quickly became bored with it and tossed it to the side to finish later. Like I said, it is full of useful information; it’s just extremely flat and boring.

"My Paper" (Final Draft)

My writing experience has by no means been very successful. I’ve had my ups and downs, but for the most part they have all been downs. Although my writings have become more elaborate and distinct, I’m still trying to find my writing “Nitch.” Reading over the years had certainly been my down fall. In 2010 I read one book that I actually loved, and this year I read another book cover to cover just because my girlfriend said it was good. So basically my reading and writing abilities as a whole are not as sharp as I would like them to be. This by no means makes me think I’m a bad reader or writer. I actually believe my reading and writing skills are great, it’s just that I’ve never been able to take hold of something and really put my mark on it and make it my own.

            As a child I remember reading the Dr. Seuss books just like everyone else. The pictures and rhymes had always been what have caught my attention… Mostly the pictures. I read the Calvin and Hobbes books too because I was his age and I always wanted to have an imaginary stuffed tiger to go on adventures with. So out of school that was the only real reading I ever did. In school there were always the required readings that the whole class did together. While every kid in my class was eager to get their try at reading the text, I usually just drew on my desk. Other than this I can’t recall all the other readings and what not that all the other kids were getting into.

Harry Potter and the Series of unfortunate events were books commonly read amongst my friends but I was always too busy outside exploring my yard or riding bikes with a good friend. I found that outdoors and activities were always much more enjoyable than reading a silly book. This goes the same for reading for school as well. I never read a school text book until my senior year in my civics class. In this case I read the book from cover to cover not only cause it helped out in the class, but also because American government had always attracted me. It takes something that interests me to write about or read about before I get into it. And to be honest this paper does not exactly fall under the category of “fun” for me either.

Currently or in the recent past of my high school years I generally just read or write the bear minimum to just skip past the glares of the teachers who assigned them. I specifically remember reading my sister’s diary (looking back on it, it was a bad idea.) and after that I gave a try of starting my own journal, which still today has that one entry. That journal is now somewhere in a dump after I threw it away years ago. Today I’ll generally only write about things that are required. Never have I felt compelled to write on my own because it simply bores me to death trying to get ideas from my mind onto a piece of paper, and when it makes it on the paper I quickly get irritated because the ideas never sound as good on paper than they did in my head.

I have listened to books on tape before and found that much more enjoyable cause that takes zero effort on my part. But stories and adventures of other people have never been a hard thing for me to pay attention to. I found that I enjoy music a lot only because of the stories most of the songs tell. I listen to every kind of music and every genera has a different story to be told. Rock is usually about how someone is going to kick some other guy’s ass because he stole his girlfriend. All rap music is about the same stuff; sex, money, drugs, and success. As I write this paper in front of me I am indeed listening to music. Lately I have been listening to a lot of country music. The stories are much better and are almost never about sex, money, drugs, or kicking ass. They are generally about love and the obstacles one faces to achieve to find true love. So this is much more of an adventure in itself listening to the stories of other people and their journey to gain that in their own lives.

The writing I do today like I said has changed immensely over the years. From small half page assignments to five page essays I have to write for this class. I approach it the same way, I’m going to dread it and I’m not going to give it every bit of the attention from me that it may deserve. My favorite writings are about the topics I know the most about; hunting, sports, government, and life. I see myself with a blank stare looking at a computer screen and typing tediously to meet the deadline. Ear buds are in and the music is filling my head. Most of this paper in front of me is a distant memory past the last paragraph. I’ve never felt like I have ever had the ability to make a piece of writing my own. It has no identity and is a nameless face in the sea of the other countless no name papers I have written in the past.

I feel that with every letter written or typed is another moment in my life that has passed that I could have been doing to do something that has some self-worth to me instead of something that a teacher of mine or some students will read. It has no real point to me. To other people, I’m sure, it’s just as bit as exciting that they want it to be. But to me it’s nothing special.

For intelligent writing, I feel that I should be using words way past my vocabulary and the context must be sophisticated and advanced for it to be good. I usually pick things that spark my interest and then I can write for hours, but I never get to write about my interests. Even in the times in class that I was told to write a paper about whatever I wanted, still it never seems right when it comes out. If I could I would just sit on a mountain side somewhere and listen to music, stories of other people’s experiences.

Reading is just like writing. If it doesn’t seem like it’s helping me out then why do it? All the required readings I had to force myself through in school never really had any point at all. It’s just another book that some author wrote for other people to read. Fiction, or non-fiction, it’s all the same to me. The only book I read in 2010 was called “Beyond Belief.” This was a story about my favorite baseball player, Josh Hamilton, who overcame an addiction to cocaine and other detrimental things to get back onto the field and live his own dream. Sometimes when reading books that I enjoy I wish it was real life and the main character was me. I wish I was the one falling in love or taking down an entire nation’s army all by myself.

My high school writing classes always taught the same things. They told me how to write and the proper techniques I should use to become a great writer. None of these things ever caught me. I still have no idea what the hell the teacher was talking about half the time only because I wished it was more interesting or wishing I was outside having an adventure of my own. If I could I would read or write about my own life and my experiences. I wish I could write a book and sell it, but so many people write these books and no one ever takes a second look at them in the store. It’s all so pointless to me. I understand that writing is something that is vital in the today’s world, but why does it have to be something everyone has to do? Why must the kids that have no interest in it, be forced to write hours on end against their will?

All of this said, I have no real interest in becoming a writer myself and have no plan of further pursuing writing as a career for me. Papers are papers. They all have words written on them. Most of the papers written have the same outlook as I do. It’s always to just get by in that class. Maybe I’m just naive or difficult to the “world of writing and reading” that I’m missing out on. But being myself and going out into the woods with a gun and a pocket of shells and animals to slay will always win over writing a paper. To be honest I found that writing this paper went from a task to something I actually found enjoyable. I just hope that future papers are as enjoyable as this one. Looking back on my life as a writer and reader has opened my eyes to all the things I have done. I’m in college now and I’m on my own. I have responsibilities and I have to keep writing papers that feel like no one will ever look at them once they are graded. Writing in school is now is inevitable for now and maybe it will never change. I certainly hope that not everyone in the world has the same outlook as I do, but I guarantee that after this year is past and after the final period has been put on this paper, no one will ever look at it again. It will be lost in the sea of other papers that I have written. But one thing this paper will have over the others will be a name. “My Paper.”

            

Dennis "The Red" Baron!!!

Holding a pencil. No one single person taught me how to hold a writing utensil. It was mostly just monkey see monkey do. I would see how my parents or sister would hold something and I would try and do the same thing. I’ll never forget the time in second grade, our teacher caught a student holding his pencil the wrong way and jokingly, he took tape and fixed the boy’s hand in the correct pencil holding position. Typing for the first time was basically the same concept. I just saw my parents working the key board and I decided to do the same thing as them. And texting on a cell phone was probably 8^th grade when I scored my first prehistoric device.

The ancient Egyptians, American Indians, and almost every other early civilization used some sort of picture writing. Pictograph caves are still being visited by tourists and some caves are just again being discovered. Pictures give people a more visual description rather than a written one. Some people can see something by reading it, but anyone can see an idea that is drawn right in front of them. Drawings sometimes tell better stories than actual written words. This is because they can be interpreted differently by every single person that happens to view a picture. Better yet, pictures could be accompanied by words, creating a “Picture Book.” Something everyone can enjoy no matter what age.

Sponsors of Literacy

Deborah Brandt defines a "literary sponsor" as people. We all have the ability to go and find whatever we are looking for, the dividing line is just the people who go out and do just that. The people who have been around literacy and its ideas are more likely to comprehend literacy as a whole rather than someone who has not seen modern technology very often. She says that people use literacy and pursue it for their own benefit. So in short a literacy sponsor is a person who wishes to pursue literacy and its concepts for further self benefit.

Malcom X and Sherman Alexie were their own literacy sponsors. Sure the books and the materials to read were right in front of them, but they had to chose to go out and take their own path in bettering their situation by informing themselves on these subjects. Malcom X while in prison took the initiative and decided to get something done with all his free time. He helped himself by reading and writing the dictionary all by himself. Alexie on the other hand had a father that may have been pushing books his way. But instead of just not reading he took the bull by the horns and read as much as he possibly could. Both of these men were on a mission to better themselves. and they both succeeded.

The United States is predominantly white, and probably always will be. Minority groups have always been looked down upon by whites and people who have more intelligence in literacy. The books and knowledge was thrown right in front of Branch and he had to choose wether or not he would take advantage of what he had. Lopez on the other hand was a minority for most of her life. finding books she enjoyed or could even read was difficult because of the area that she moved to. with this said i believe there is a degree of self motivation that goes with literacy sponsoring. Branch could have easily said no to all the books and information, and Lopez could have given into society and not done anything to make herself smarter. people are people no matter what color their skin is, and the schooling opportunities today are the same for everyone. so the minority has just as good of a chance today in life as the majority. it all just comes down to the self motivation, and the will to learn and further improve your own life.

"My Paper"

My writing experience has by no means been very successful. I’ve had my ups and downs, but for the most part they have been all downs. Although my writings have become more elaborate and distinct, I’m still trying to find my writing “Nitch.” Reading over the years had certainly been my down fall. In 2010 I read one book that I actually loved, and this year I read another book cover to cover just because my girlfriend said it was a good one and it really was. So basically my reading and writing abilities as a whole are not as sharp as I would like them. This by no means makes me think I’m a bad reader or writer. I actually believe my reading and writing skills are great, it’s just that I’ve never been able to take ahold of something and really put my mark on it and make it my own.

            As a child I remember reading the Dr. Seuss books just like everyone else. The pictures and rhymes had always been what has caught my attention… Mostly the pictures. I read the Calvin and Hobbes books too because I was his age and I always wanted to have an imaginary stuffed tiger and go on adventures with it. So out of school that was the only real reading I ever did. In school there was always the required readings that the whole class did together. While every kid in my class was eager to get their try at reading the text, I usually just drew on my desk. Other than this I cant recall all the other readings and what not that all the other kids were getting into.

Harry Potter and the Series of unfortunate events were books commonly read amongst my friends but I was always too busy outside exploring my yard or riding bikes with a good friend. I found that outdoors and activities were always much more enjoyable than reading a silly book. This goes the same for reading for school. I never read a school text book until my senior year in my civics class. In this case I read the book from cover to cover not only cause it helped out in the class, but also because American government had always attracted me. It takes something that interests me to write about or read about before I get into it. And to be honest this paper does not exactly fall under the category of “fun” for me either.

Currently or in the recent past of my high school years I generally just read or write the bear minimum to just skip past the glares of the teachers who assigned them. I specifically remember reading my sister’s diary (looking back on it, it was a bad idea.) and after that I gave a try of starting my own journal, which still today has that one entry. That journal is now somewhere in a dump after I threw it away years ago. So today I’ll generally only write about things that are required. Never have I felt compelled to write on my own because it simply bores me to death trying to get ideas from my mind onto a piece of paper, and when it makes it on the paper I quickly get irritated because the ideas never sound as good on paper than they did in my head.

I have listened to books on tape before and found that much more enjoyable cause that takes zero effort on my part. But stories and adventures of other people have never been a hard thing for me to pay attention to. I found that I enjoy music a lot only because of the stories most of the songs tell. I listen to every kind of music and every genera has a different story to be told. Rock is usually about how someone is going to kick some other guy’s ass because he stole his girlfriend. All rap music is about the same stuff; sex, money, drugs, and success. As I write this paper infront of me I am indeed listening to music. Lately I have been listening to a lot of country music. The stories are much better and are almost never about sex, money, drugs, or kicking ass. They are generally about love and the obstacles one faces to achieve to find true love. So this is much more of an adventure in itself listening to the stories of other people and their journey to gain that in their own lives.

The writing I do today like I said has changed immensely over the years. From small half page assignments to five page essays I have to write for this class. I approach it the same way, I’m going to dread it and I’m not going to give it every bit of the attention from me that it may deserve. My favorite writings are about the topics I know the most; hunting, sports, government, and life. I see myself with a blank stare looking at a computer screen and typing tediously to meet the deadline. Ear buds are in and the music is filling my head. Most of this paper infront of me is a distant memory past the last paragraph. I’ve never felt like I have ever had the ability to make a piece of writing my own. It has no identity and is a nameless face in the sea of the other countless no name papers I have written in the past.

I feel that with every letter written or typed is another moment in my life that has passed that I could have been doing to do something that has some self worth to myself instead of something that a teacher of mine or some students will read. It has no real point to me. To other people, I’m sure, its just as bit as exciting that they want it to be. To me its nothing.

For intelligent writing, I feel that I should be using words way past my vocabulary and the context must be sophisticated and advanced for it to be good. I usually pick things that spark my interest and then I can write for hours, but I never get to write about my interests. Even in the times in class that I was told to write a paper about whatever I wanted, still it never seems right when it comes out. If I could I would just sit on a mountain side somewhere and listen to music, stories of other people’s experiences.

Reading is just like writing. If it doesn’t seem like its helping me out then why do it? All the required readings I had to force myself through in school never really had any point at all. Its just another book that some author wrote for other people to read. Fiction, or non fiction, its all the same to me. The only book I read in 2010 was called “Beyond Belief.” This was a story about my favorite baseball player, Josh Hamilton, who overcame an addiction to cocaine and other detrimental things to get back onto the field and live his own dream. Sometimes when reading books that I enjoy I wish it was real life and the main character was me. I wish I was the one falling in love or taking down an entire nation’s army all by myself.

My high school writing classes always taught the same things. They told me how to write and the proper techniques I should use to become a great writer. None of these things ever caught me. I still have no idea what the hell the teacher was talking about half the time only because I wished it was more interesting or wishing I was outside having an adventure of my own. If I could I would read or write about my own life and my experiences. I wish I could write a book and sell it, but so many people write these books and no one ever takes a second look at them in the store. Its all so pointless to me. I understand that writing is something that is vital in the todays world, but why does it have to be something everyone has to do? Why must the kids that have no interest in it be forced to write hours on end against their will?

All of this said, I have no real interest in becoming a writer myself and have no plan of further pursuing writing as a career for myself. Papers are papers. They all have words written on them. Most of the papers written have the same outlook as I do. Its always to just get by in that class. Maybe I’m just naive or difficult to the “world of writing and reading” that I’m missing out on. But being myself and going out into the woods with a gun and a pocket of shells and animals to slay will always win over writing a paper. To be honest I found that writing this paper went from a task to something I actually found enjoyable. I just hope that future papers are as enjoyable as this one. Looking back on my life as a writer and reader has opened my eyes to all the things I have done. I’m in college now and I’m on my own. I have responsibilities and I have to keep writing papers that feel like no one will ever look at them once they are graded. Writing in school is for the moment for now and maybe it will never change. I certainly hope that not everyone in the world has the same outlook as I do, but I gurantee that after this year is past and after the final period has been put on this paper, no one will ever look at it again. It will be lost in the sea of papers that I have written. But one thing this paper will have over the others will be a name. “My Paper.”

            

Justin Reading Aloud

To be completely honest, I thought i sounded crazy. It seemed as though as i was just rambling on about random garbage. From "a change" coming over the waters to "the dreams of men". Everything i read seemed to be coming from out of no where and uncertain about where i was going. But, this was the first time i read it.

The second time i read the passage it began to open itself up to me more. The words began flowing together better and just everything about it became more enjoyable to me. From random "change" (by my understanding) to "the dreams of men", these now had a purpose and made sense. It seems that through the dreams of men, dreams were fulfilled and adventures were documented. Without dreams, man would have never forged the seas and conquered the americas, and none of this would exist today.