Writing Assignment 4

I chose the article LOOK@ME: Generation Next Is Living Out Loud and Online.

Text- The article I chose is an essay written by Melissa Ludwig. It is divided in to three sections. The first one does not have a title but its the introductory paragraph. The second section is titled "Generation Me", and the third section is titled "Get Used To It". There are a lot of quotes used in the essay from people who are "participating" in the argument that is being written about. The argument itself is about how the new generation is now living online.

Reader- The targeted audience for this article I think is defintiely for the younger generation, the "look at me" generation. They talk about myspace and facebook and have college students talking about experiences and their online usage throught the article. I was personally very interested in the article, and found it very true and was easily able to relate to it, which I think would be harder for an adult to do.

Author- After reading the article, I think the author is probably a middle aged woman who has experienced the "look at me generation" through either her own kids, at a college, or through work. She seems to know a lot about the generation and how interested we are in facebook and myspace. She doesn't seem to be interested in facebook though, since her argument is that our generation spends all their time online, so that also makes me think she is older and already past our generation.

Constraints- The author uses college students from many different colleges, and some stories from other people who have had their lives ruined from things that were put online, as her "backbone" for her argument. She writes about her believes about the "look at me" generation and expects a certain reaction from her audience.

Exigence- The whole article itself is a very controversial topic, because just like every argument, there are people who agree and disagree. The controversial thing she uses is that the internet is basically taking over the lives of the people from the ages of 18-24, and that they put to much about themselves on the internet and do things online that they just shouldn't.

I thought that the text itself was very imforative and very true. I was very easily able to relate to it, because just like most college students, I spend a lot of time on facebook and put a lot about myself on the internet. I learned that the author feels that this has become a serious problem and that something should be done, because it is going to get worse as the generations move on.

SWA #3

The article I chose was one from The Daily Gameock about having vending machines in the bathrooms of resident halls. <http://media.www.dailygamecock.com/media/storage/paper247/news/2008/01/29/News/Condom.Access.Challenged-3173104.shtml?reffeature=recentlycommentedstoriestab>

This arguer wants us to believe that placing condoms in vending machines can give the university a negative image. Resident Hall Association Sen. Jim Manning, has said that many students have agreed with him on the issue, but lately many students have given different responses. Manning feels as if the vending machines are promoting sex to the students and that parents, and future students may look at the situation differently. Those who are in favor of the bill argue that the Thompson Student Health Center already gives out free condoms for students, while others argue that the health center is not always open 24 hours. Manning also says he doesn't want parents of future students to come tour the campus and be turned away from letting their child attend USC. A few people commented on the article, and one woman said this has been the same argument going on for 20 years after she has already graduated. Personally, i think its going to be an ongoing argument for a long time, and people will continue to find reasons and evidence on why it is a bad idea or why it is a good idea.

swa #2

Kathleen Parker's article "Seeking Balance in an Either-Or World", explores differenent opinions and reasonings behind why people are either conservative or liveral. Different people have different views on certain things than other people do. Parker uses abortion as an example when it comes to picking a side. She talks about how over the years, she has urged a pro-life position, but still clings to a pro-choice conclusion. She gives her opinion on abortion and tells why she feels that way. She also goes on to talk about the certain thins that need to be done in education, things that could lead to a compromise. Such as, teaching highschool students how to use a condom and teach more people the pros and cons of birth control. Towards the end of her article, she gives a few examples from other articles, and says that independents are the fastest growing group of voters across the country, especially amoung the young. I think her talking about the young voters ties back into what she said earlier on in her article.

Although I don't have personal experience when it comes to abortion, I really disagree with her views toward it. Parker is pro-life, and i agree with pro-choice. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions though, as long as you have reasoning for your choices, which she clearly did.

Writing Assignment 1

My best writing experience was my senior project in highschool. We were able to choose any topic that we wanted to, research it, and then write about it. Picking something that I was interested in made the experience a lot easier and I actually enjoyed writing it. Even though the paper had to be 6 pages long, it wass really easy since I already knew a lot about what I was writing about, and there were no guidelines as to what we could and couldn't put in the paper. My most frustrating writing experience was actually last semester in my english 101 class. We had to read Foucault's Panopticism, and then write a 4 page paper on how it related to the real world. The reading was very hard to understand on it's own, so writing a 4 page paper about it made it even harder. The hardest part was fitting the little ideas that I actually had into 4 pages. My senior project affected me the most because I was able to write about something that really interested me. Our teacher told us to just pick a topic and start writing. I think it was much more effectful than writing about something that you don't undersand.