RefleXive Letter
X marks the spot
Reflexivity is a “systematic, self-critical”(3) fight for understanding that often takes place in the state of “between” (10), yet by no means does reflexivity suggest fighting alone; nevertheless, people often confuse reflexivity with reflection, metacognition, comprehension, and even processing, all of which are solitary acts serving as a stark contrast to the true meaning of reflexivity. Admittedly, the characteristic of looking inward is a critical component of reflexivity; however, this simplistic action alone cannot hold the weight necessary to make any of the previously mentioned words interchangeable with the term reflexivity. Although, the problem lies not in the individual’s willingness to think critically, but in his or her lack of willingness to actively change after consulting the other. To clarify, the other as defined by Donna Qualley is, “an other idea, theory, person, culture, text, or even an other part of one’s self” (11). Certainly, there is abstractness that when added to the mix helps most if not all view the other subjectively or objectively, yet this alone cannot match the authority of reflexivity because reflexivity requires these two entities to entangle themselves and work together. Likewise, reflexivity resembles more of the characteristics of dialogue than a monologue simply because reflexivity is “bidirectional” (12), not “unidirectional” (11). Pursuing this further, reflexivity not only impacts the thinking of the other or oneself, but also one’s perception of the world. The key in reflexivity is to practice the art of reflection and then push beyond the importance of oneself to not only consider the other, but also allow this shift to confirm or contradict one’s previous thinking while leading to change. Essentially, reflexivity is requesting participation rather than perfection; this particular form of participation leads to a conversation whose population is larger than one and whose topic is open to interpretation. In sum, reflexivity is a transparent, self-motivated activity that lingers in the hmm between the head and the heart in order to meet the goal of self-actualization.
Writing
Pagnucci & Berry
Writing forces us to peer into our past with a renewed purpose and a refined consideration for that which we already experienced. We begin to study the people, places, and things that we once skimmed over. This allows us to “see…with a new clarity and a new understanding and a new seriousness.” (Berry 7). Details that were once taken for granted are now grasped as significant. In a sense, writing drives metacognition, or thinking about our thinking.
How often do we go through life passively, while writing compels us to become active participants in life’s experiences? It is not until we reach a point of retelling our stories that our eyes are opened to new details, developments, and deductions. In pursuing this further, if we do not commit our stories to ink, they just become faded memories (Pagnucci 72); more often than not a missed opportunity to record results in a missed opportunity to remember. There is always the potential to share our stories, but it requires us to awaken our subconscious by pushing past the obvious and addressing the obscure.
In a way, we pretend to be “alive to [the story] as never before” (Berry 7). We begin to question and make observations. What did we really see? Are there things we overlooked? Do we hear the words of the conversation the same now as we did then? Are our beliefs the same? We start making mental footnotes of all that our senses encountered as if we were revisiting the memory physically. In essence, just in remembering, we explore the memory by exposing each layer – the characters, the climate, the conflict, and the conclusion – as a writer would.
Once again we are faced with the idea of metacognition. We are not done revisiting and rewriting our story until we have answered two critical questions: 1) Am I being true to myself? and 2) Am I being true to the memory? The first is answered by establishing and critiquing our “vantage point” (Pagnucci 77), while the second is answered by exploring and depicting the flashback. Ultimately, the answers to these questions are personal and debatable, yet it is our story so we are the ones who have the final say. Period, point blank, end of story!
How often do we go through life passively, while writing compels us to become active participants in life’s experiences? It is not until we reach a point of retelling our stories that our eyes are opened to new details, developments, and deductions. In pursuing this further, if we do not commit our stories to ink, they just become faded memories (Pagnucci 72); more often than not a missed opportunity to record results in a missed opportunity to remember. There is always the potential to share our stories, but it requires us to awaken our subconscious by pushing past the obvious and addressing the obscure.
In a way, we pretend to be “alive to [the story] as never before” (Berry 7). We begin to question and make observations. What did we really see? Are there things we overlooked? Do we hear the words of the conversation the same now as we did then? Are our beliefs the same? We start making mental footnotes of all that our senses encountered as if we were revisiting the memory physically. In essence, just in remembering, we explore the memory by exposing each layer – the characters, the climate, the conflict, and the conclusion – as a writer would.
Once again we are faced with the idea of metacognition. We are not done revisiting and rewriting our story until we have answered two critical questions: 1) Am I being true to myself? and 2) Am I being true to the memory? The first is answered by establishing and critiquing our “vantage point” (Pagnucci 77), while the second is answered by exploring and depicting the flashback. Ultimately, the answers to these questions are personal and debatable, yet it is our story so we are the ones who have the final say. Period, point blank, end of story!
Joyce & Stern
In reading James Joyce’s “Dubliners” and Jerome Stern’s “An Anthology of Really Short Stories,” I was struck by a writing technique that though obvious is often overlooked. Writers are always in search of ways to hook their readers, yet Joyce and Stern chose to implement the art of drawing upon natural instincts— in this case love and desire. When love and desire are present in writing, it drives the reader to become an active participant. The reader takes on the responsibility of filling in the blanks and sharing in the emotions based upon their own experiences in those areas. This is made possible simply because love and desire are universal themes. Everyone can relate to having a yearning so intense that it drives his/her thoughts and actions. This is not to say that writers have no role to play in this, for the writers, Joyce and Stern at the present moment, have the responsibility to convince the reader that there is genuine longing along with the potential drive to obtain love or fulfill the desire. The challenge for the writer then becomes creating a will stronger than the “monotonous” (Dubliners) routines of everyday life.
Anzaldua
The following piece of microfiction is based upon two tweets that I have posted in the past month. The first tweet posted on February 1, 2011 is “I love when ordering coffee sounds like a dissertation!” The second tweet posted on January 26, 2011 is “Why can’t everyone prefer texting over phone calls like I do?” I was inspired to commit all of the emotions and expectations I have recently been facing to writing. I found the process therapeutic and surprising. Greyt Expectations was therapeutic in the sense that I was able to view my circumstance objectively and adopt a new perspective. In addition, writing this piece was surprising in that the words I was typing kept taking a different direction than the plan I had in mind. Remarkably, this assignment helped me grow as a writer as I was forced to shift tense, remove prepositions, utilize my thesaurus, add color, and limit my words.
Greyt Expectations
I enter the café, offer my dissertation of an order, and feel I’ve earned every word. I make my way to the corner seat, pull out a pen and write Expectations, with a capital E on the back of the grey napkin. Most people would probably call this a to do list, but to me that never seems to carry the weight of what is to follow. Certainly there are some monotonous tasks like running errands, making appointments, and cleaning house, yet more lines are filled with obligations of my full time job, being a student: read this, analyze that, and write my thoughts; however, these aren’t the most dreaded words committed to this napkin. The biggest challenges are the idealistic standards repeated in the margins week after week — practice patience, take risks, exude confidence, offer forgiveness, demonstrate selflessness, applaud humility, develop trust, exercise vulnerability, radiate love, and above all cheat perfection. They are seemingly unobtainable, but entangle themselves with the tasks they surround. I pause and try to think of a way to see more things on my list scribbled out, but my phone begins to ring. Why can’t everyone prefer texting to phone calls? (Tweet) At least that way I could have a written reminder of what is expected of me.After a mhm, ok, I’ll add it to my list, and an I love you, I sat back, dropped my pen, and sipped from my coffee cup now that the grey steam had disappeared completely.
In the following piece of microfiction, I incorporated a quote from Anzaldua’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue. I should note, however, that I altered the quote slightly by taking out the 2 Spanish words and replacing them with their English translation as well as changing my bedroom to our bedroom. This piece of writing has stretched me as a writer by trying to make someone else’s tone and language fit my own style of writing.
Lovesick Little Girl
Trouble sleeping— check. Lack of appetite—check. Depression— check. I’d continue on with side effects doctor, but wouldn’t it be easier for me to say “the back of any medication”—check. This is a sickness. No, an infection. It’s beyond that; it’s a disease! You should know since there’s no fitting prescription or pause. Why am I telling you this? This won’t help. That’s what I get for listening for my mother. And I know what you’re thinking, and you’re dead wrong. I am not some lovesick little girl. No sir, I am a strong, confident, independent woman. It’s not your fault; the women who are typically lying upon this crimson, sling back couch are just that—lovesick little girls. I am no girl, however, I am a woman who has seen love come and go enough times. It’s nothing new. What’s that? You want me to tell you about him? Start anywhere? Well, I guess I can do that: “I can remember the hot, sultry evenings when songs of love and death reverberated out of cheap amplifiers from the local bar and wafted in through our bedroom window” (Anzaldua 2953). He held me in his capable arms and I became utterly and completely vulnerable… This is pointless. The songs have ended, the bar went bankrupt, and the honeymoon is over. He left me weak and wounded. You would call this a breakthrough, but this lovesick little girl is out of time.
Greyt Expectations
I enter the café, offer my dissertation of an order, and feel I’ve earned every word. I make my way to the corner seat, pull out a pen and write Expectations, with a capital E on the back of the grey napkin. Most people would probably call this a to do list, but to me that never seems to carry the weight of what is to follow. Certainly there are some monotonous tasks like running errands, making appointments, and cleaning house, yet more lines are filled with obligations of my full time job, being a student: read this, analyze that, and write my thoughts; however, these aren’t the most dreaded words committed to this napkin. The biggest challenges are the idealistic standards repeated in the margins week after week — practice patience, take risks, exude confidence, offer forgiveness, demonstrate selflessness, applaud humility, develop trust, exercise vulnerability, radiate love, and above all cheat perfection. They are seemingly unobtainable, but entangle themselves with the tasks they surround. I pause and try to think of a way to see more things on my list scribbled out, but my phone begins to ring. Why can’t everyone prefer texting to phone calls? (Tweet) At least that way I could have a written reminder of what is expected of me.After a mhm, ok, I’ll add it to my list, and an I love you, I sat back, dropped my pen, and sipped from my coffee cup now that the grey steam had disappeared completely.
In the following piece of microfiction, I incorporated a quote from Anzaldua’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue. I should note, however, that I altered the quote slightly by taking out the 2 Spanish words and replacing them with their English translation as well as changing my bedroom to our bedroom. This piece of writing has stretched me as a writer by trying to make someone else’s tone and language fit my own style of writing.
Lovesick Little Girl
Trouble sleeping— check. Lack of appetite—check. Depression— check. I’d continue on with side effects doctor, but wouldn’t it be easier for me to say “the back of any medication”—check. This is a sickness. No, an infection. It’s beyond that; it’s a disease! You should know since there’s no fitting prescription or pause. Why am I telling you this? This won’t help. That’s what I get for listening for my mother. And I know what you’re thinking, and you’re dead wrong. I am not some lovesick little girl. No sir, I am a strong, confident, independent woman. It’s not your fault; the women who are typically lying upon this crimson, sling back couch are just that—lovesick little girls. I am no girl, however, I am a woman who has seen love come and go enough times. It’s nothing new. What’s that? You want me to tell you about him? Start anywhere? Well, I guess I can do that: “I can remember the hot, sultry evenings when songs of love and death reverberated out of cheap amplifiers from the local bar and wafted in through our bedroom window” (Anzaldua 2953). He held me in his capable arms and I became utterly and completely vulnerable… This is pointless. The songs have ended, the bar went bankrupt, and the honeymoon is over. He left me weak and wounded. You would call this a breakthrough, but this lovesick little girl is out of time.
Genre Shifts
250 words, 140 characters, or 5 syllables? It doesn't matter how you slice or dice it; they all are limiting in their own respect.
First, I selected a quote from Anzaldua and set off to write a 250 word piece of microfiction. I must say that being a very descriptive, some would say wordy, writer, I struggle with maximum word counts. I began with a set direction aiming for a simplistic and short way to say what I needed to say, yet my fingers told a much better complex and symbolic story. Within this assignment I grew as a writer by inserting color, adjusting tone, shifting tense, removing prepositions, utilizing thesaurus, and limiting words.
Next, I took this piece of microfiction entitled "Greyt Expectations" and used it to inspire a haiku. I must say that while I prefer the narrative form, the 3 stanza haiku did hold some weight as the words I selected were the windows of meaning taken from the microfiction. Some things I did learn, however, are that I should vary my word length and make my prepositions beefier, yet my verbs tend to be strong!
Then, in the same fashion that I wrote the first piece of microfiction based upon the Anzaldua readings, I explored my tweets and selected 2 of them that wouldn't normally coincide and enmeshed them into the same piece of microfiction. Since I started with my own style and voice, it was much easier to incorporate these outside quotes into my writing and make them flow. Within this piece alone, I took a risk writing the inner and outer thoughts of one character alone, all presenting a rather complex plot that I believe reader's can add their own experience.
Finally, I took my microfiction that was inspired by my tweets and tried to create a found poem based upon the words I wished to emphasize. For this assignment, I tried the haiku once again and found that since the tweets were not cohesive thoughts, the poem, already limited by syllables, became limited in meaning. I feel this was stretching the heart of the writing beyond its intended purpose.
Essentially, shifting genres forced me to think critically about each and every word I placed into my writing. Furthermore, I found myself saying if I only used this word, or if I only posted this thought. The biggest lesson I learned is that revisiting the same text at times may seem monotonous, yet it allows me to edit things that I wish to explore in hindsight of the first attempt!
First, I selected a quote from Anzaldua and set off to write a 250 word piece of microfiction. I must say that being a very descriptive, some would say wordy, writer, I struggle with maximum word counts. I began with a set direction aiming for a simplistic and short way to say what I needed to say, yet my fingers told a much better complex and symbolic story. Within this assignment I grew as a writer by inserting color, adjusting tone, shifting tense, removing prepositions, utilizing thesaurus, and limiting words.
Next, I took this piece of microfiction entitled "Greyt Expectations" and used it to inspire a haiku. I must say that while I prefer the narrative form, the 3 stanza haiku did hold some weight as the words I selected were the windows of meaning taken from the microfiction. Some things I did learn, however, are that I should vary my word length and make my prepositions beefier, yet my verbs tend to be strong!
Then, in the same fashion that I wrote the first piece of microfiction based upon the Anzaldua readings, I explored my tweets and selected 2 of them that wouldn't normally coincide and enmeshed them into the same piece of microfiction. Since I started with my own style and voice, it was much easier to incorporate these outside quotes into my writing and make them flow. Within this piece alone, I took a risk writing the inner and outer thoughts of one character alone, all presenting a rather complex plot that I believe reader's can add their own experience.
Finally, I took my microfiction that was inspired by my tweets and tried to create a found poem based upon the words I wished to emphasize. For this assignment, I tried the haiku once again and found that since the tweets were not cohesive thoughts, the poem, already limited by syllables, became limited in meaning. I feel this was stretching the heart of the writing beyond its intended purpose.
Essentially, shifting genres forced me to think critically about each and every word I placed into my writing. Furthermore, I found myself saying if I only used this word, or if I only posted this thought. The biggest lesson I learned is that revisiting the same text at times may seem monotonous, yet it allows me to edit things that I wish to explore in hindsight of the first attempt!
Collaborative Writing in Composition Studies
Considering the fact that Sheryl I. Fontaine and Susan M. Hunter’s article, Collaborative Writing in Composition Studies, articulates three distinct mindsets for writing— solo, cooperative, and collaborative— I found it useful to create a chart that illustrated the distinctions and bridges between each mindset. This is in part to help me, a woman with a photographic memory, determine which role I am taking on when writing, and to assist me when a role has been assigned. I found the creation of this chart furthering my understanding of Fontaine and Hunter’s key concepts.
Illustration of Collaborative Writing
Illustration of Collaborative Writing
Potential Genres
1. Prescription Script – Rx paper prescribing VitaminWater for the General Public signed by Dr. Coke Jellybean to illustrate Coke’s potential use of the jelly bean rule which is an FDA violation.
2. Letter – Written by the Center of Science for the Public Interest and addressed to Coca-Cola using CSPI’s direct quotes and the strongest arguments found while researching such as fraudulent advertising and misleading the public.
3. Video or Audio – Presenting VitaminWater’s use of color rhetoric from the perspective of Kari Reed, a woman with her Bachelors in Marketing and who works as a Graphic Designer for a living.
4. Facebook Poll – Posing the question: Do you think VitaminWater is healthy? This will show the percentage of the general public polled and the common attributes associated with VitaminWater as it is advertised.
5. Receipt – Belonging to coke and modeling the “priceless” commercials utilizing vitamins with the cost of a penny, sugar with a cost of 33 dollars and arsenic with the cost of 2 dollars, but a brilliant marketing campaign is priceless.
6. Advertisements – Two that Coke actually displayed to the public and one that Abby and I design to show how much Coke has pushed the envelope in advertising paired with text above reading: one of these things is not like the other… one of these things just doesn’t belong.
7. Bar graph – The different bars will illustrate the popularity of different flavors of VitaminWater in comparison to other flavors.
8. Slideshow – Displaying the different bottles of VitaminWater to show colors and the health buzz words associated with them, working at a subconscious level.
9. Texts – This would serve as the conclusion of the project where there are two choices- start or stop- that can be texted to answer the question Should Coke be able to continue promoting VitaminWater as healthy? while using the same medium Coke used to advertise to the public in 2007.
10. Defense’s Opening Statement – This genre follows the setting of the lawsuit and allows Coke to present their opinion that the public could not possibly think VitaminWater is healthy.
11. Label – This will not be designed by Abby or me, but we will add red circles to highlight overlooked elements such as the fact that there are 2 servings per bottle and an average of 33 grams of sugar.
12. Inner Monologue – Written in a stream of consciousness format that will representing the internal conflicts that Coke’s Marketing Team experienced while planning.
13. Glossary or Dictionary – Formatted in dictionary form with the parts of speech and pronunciation key using the words healthy, reasonable, sugar, and lie.
14. Song Lyrics- Using the song Suga Suga by BabyBash to play on the line Suga Suga How’d you get so fly? As in it becoming so fly that it can now be called Vitamins.
15. Debate- In dialogue form with a debate title we will use this genre to display the comments members on the discussion board made that were controversial or insightful.
16. Timeline- Showing major events from the purchase of VitaminWater to the lawsuit.
17. 2 Obituaries- One for coke’s integrity and the other for the public being self-informed.
18. Reviews or Video- Depending on which genre we choose for Kari’s marketing interview, we will use one of these choices to show the blind-taste-test.
2. Letter – Written by the Center of Science for the Public Interest and addressed to Coca-Cola using CSPI’s direct quotes and the strongest arguments found while researching such as fraudulent advertising and misleading the public.
3. Video or Audio – Presenting VitaminWater’s use of color rhetoric from the perspective of Kari Reed, a woman with her Bachelors in Marketing and who works as a Graphic Designer for a living.
4. Facebook Poll – Posing the question: Do you think VitaminWater is healthy? This will show the percentage of the general public polled and the common attributes associated with VitaminWater as it is advertised.
5. Receipt – Belonging to coke and modeling the “priceless” commercials utilizing vitamins with the cost of a penny, sugar with a cost of 33 dollars and arsenic with the cost of 2 dollars, but a brilliant marketing campaign is priceless.
6. Advertisements – Two that Coke actually displayed to the public and one that Abby and I design to show how much Coke has pushed the envelope in advertising paired with text above reading: one of these things is not like the other… one of these things just doesn’t belong.
7. Bar graph – The different bars will illustrate the popularity of different flavors of VitaminWater in comparison to other flavors.
8. Slideshow – Displaying the different bottles of VitaminWater to show colors and the health buzz words associated with them, working at a subconscious level.
9. Texts – This would serve as the conclusion of the project where there are two choices- start or stop- that can be texted to answer the question Should Coke be able to continue promoting VitaminWater as healthy? while using the same medium Coke used to advertise to the public in 2007.
10. Defense’s Opening Statement – This genre follows the setting of the lawsuit and allows Coke to present their opinion that the public could not possibly think VitaminWater is healthy.
11. Label – This will not be designed by Abby or me, but we will add red circles to highlight overlooked elements such as the fact that there are 2 servings per bottle and an average of 33 grams of sugar.
12. Inner Monologue – Written in a stream of consciousness format that will representing the internal conflicts that Coke’s Marketing Team experienced while planning.
13. Glossary or Dictionary – Formatted in dictionary form with the parts of speech and pronunciation key using the words healthy, reasonable, sugar, and lie.
14. Song Lyrics- Using the song Suga Suga by BabyBash to play on the line Suga Suga How’d you get so fly? As in it becoming so fly that it can now be called Vitamins.
15. Debate- In dialogue form with a debate title we will use this genre to display the comments members on the discussion board made that were controversial or insightful.
16. Timeline- Showing major events from the purchase of VitaminWater to the lawsuit.
17. 2 Obituaries- One for coke’s integrity and the other for the public being self-informed.
18. Reviews or Video- Depending on which genre we choose for Kari’s marketing interview, we will use one of these choices to show the blind-taste-test.
Research
Clandinin & Connelly “Narrative Inquiry”
After reading D. Jean Clandinin and F. Michael Connelly’s Narrative Inquiry, a piece exploring art, role, and focus of narrative inquirers, I am left reflecting upon a few, key excerpts that I found rather thought-provoking. Please allow me to present these quotes in bullet form followed by comments and thoughts in italics:
Clandinin and Connelly focus on “four directions in inquiry: inward and outward, backward and forward. By inward, we mean toward internal conditions, such as feelings, hopes, aesthetic reactions, and moral dispositions. By outward, we mean toward existential conditions, that is, the environment. By backward and forward, we refer to temporality— past, present, and future” (Narrative Inquiry 50). I wonder if as narrative inquirers we tend to focus on the direction which comes naturally to us, often overlooking other directions. This thought occurred because while reading I asked myself if I focus on the four directions in my writing, in which I could answer no unless prompted or corrected. For me, I gravitate toward exploring the inward direction, exploring my feelings and emotions more so than that which impacts the situation externally. Having said this, I know when placed in groups to analyze a situation, others seem to have their preferences just as I do, so when combined each direction is covered thoroughly.
· “Ming Fang’s long-ago China stories and present-day Canadian ones help us, as Blaise (1993) suggests, ‘live in their countries, speak their language, negotiate their streets on their buses and turn out keys in their locks’” (Narrative Inquiry 54). Blaise’s words are richly insightful! When reading accounts of others’ life, we are granted access to their culture. Through this access, we are just as her metaphor suggests unlocking new experiences through our combined memories.
Clandinin and Connelly describe the Three-Dimensional Narrative Inquiry Space:
1) “We might imagine the terms as an analytic frame for reducing the stories to a set of understandings.”
2) Think of terms as “pointing to questions, puzzles, fieldwork, and field texts of different kinds of appropriate to different aspects of the inquiry.”
3) “A third use of the terms… is the ambiguity, complexity, difficulty, and uncertainties associated with the doing of inquiry” (Narrative Inquiry 54-55).
Admittedly, I tripped over many of the concepts presented in this section, because the concepts and language at times seemed abstract; however, my understanding of the Three-Dimensional Narrative Inquiry can be described in three paths: 1) an outline for understanding, 2) dialogue for understanding, and 3) rhetoric of understanding. I’m using the term rhetoric loosely to stand for those thoughts and questions that are often debated as to whether an answer exists.
“I think sometimes when you feel strongly about things though, that it marginalizes you” (Narrative Inquiry 57). I connected to this quote, for when I am passionate about something it shows in my tone, word choice, body language, and the like. While feeling strongly about something shows significance to me, it also shows an inability to be open-minded on the issue and therefore can have a negative connotation of making yourself insignificant to the conversation.
“What starts to become apparent as we work within our three-dimensional space is that as narrative inquirers we are not alone in the space. This space enfolds us and those with whom we work. Narrative inquiry is relational inquiry as we work in the field, move from field to field text, and from field text to research text” (Narrative Inquiry 60). Certainly, when writing as a narrative inquirer it is not only the author that constructs meaning, but the responses of the audience which have a strong potential to alter the meaning. In other words, narrative inquiry is socially constructed!
“As narrative inquirers, we share our writing on a work-in-progress basis with response communities. By this, we mean that we ask others to read our work and to respond in ways that help us see other meanings that might lead to future retelling” (Narrative Inquiry 60). As stated in response to the previous quote, meaning making is in part the author and in part the audience. Neither part can exist alone for true narrative inquiry, for it would lack the test of debate.
“As inquires we, too, are part of the parade. We have helped make the world in which we find ourselves. We are not merely objective inquirers, people on the high road, who study a world lesser in quality than our moral temperament would have it, people who study a world we did not help create. On the contrary, we are complicit in the world we study. Being in this world, we need to remake ourselves as well as offer up research understandings that could lead to a better world” (Narrative Inquiry 61). I will not speak for others, but I have become very aware that my writing exposes my thoughts, intelligence, and perspective among many other things. While I could cringe and edit my writing to appear impartial, it would take away the sincerity and transparency that is valued in writing. If everyone approaches the table of narrative inquiry as open books, there is no telling the understanding that could result!
Working in this space means that we become visible with our own lived and told stories. Sometimes this means that our own unnamed, perhaps, secret, stories come to light as much as do those of our participants. This confronting of ourselves in our narrative past makes us vulnerable as inquirers because it makes secret stories public. In narrative inquiry, it is impossible (or if not impossible, then deliberately self deceptive) as researcher to stay silent or to present a kind of perfect, idealized, inquiring, moralizing self” (Narrative Inquiry 62). As stated in the comment on the previous quote, there is a necessity for narrative inquirers to be transparent in their writing. If there is a chance of walking away from the stories and research with any new understanding, it is based upon the ability of everyone involved to ditch their socially acceptable mask and be real. There is not a single soul that is unprejudiced in some area or another, so let’s embrace our perceptions of the world in order to gain new insight!
Clandinin and Connelly focus on “four directions in inquiry: inward and outward, backward and forward. By inward, we mean toward internal conditions, such as feelings, hopes, aesthetic reactions, and moral dispositions. By outward, we mean toward existential conditions, that is, the environment. By backward and forward, we refer to temporality— past, present, and future” (Narrative Inquiry 50). I wonder if as narrative inquirers we tend to focus on the direction which comes naturally to us, often overlooking other directions. This thought occurred because while reading I asked myself if I focus on the four directions in my writing, in which I could answer no unless prompted or corrected. For me, I gravitate toward exploring the inward direction, exploring my feelings and emotions more so than that which impacts the situation externally. Having said this, I know when placed in groups to analyze a situation, others seem to have their preferences just as I do, so when combined each direction is covered thoroughly.
· “Ming Fang’s long-ago China stories and present-day Canadian ones help us, as Blaise (1993) suggests, ‘live in their countries, speak their language, negotiate their streets on their buses and turn out keys in their locks’” (Narrative Inquiry 54). Blaise’s words are richly insightful! When reading accounts of others’ life, we are granted access to their culture. Through this access, we are just as her metaphor suggests unlocking new experiences through our combined memories.
Clandinin and Connelly describe the Three-Dimensional Narrative Inquiry Space:
1) “We might imagine the terms as an analytic frame for reducing the stories to a set of understandings.”
2) Think of terms as “pointing to questions, puzzles, fieldwork, and field texts of different kinds of appropriate to different aspects of the inquiry.”
3) “A third use of the terms… is the ambiguity, complexity, difficulty, and uncertainties associated with the doing of inquiry” (Narrative Inquiry 54-55).
Admittedly, I tripped over many of the concepts presented in this section, because the concepts and language at times seemed abstract; however, my understanding of the Three-Dimensional Narrative Inquiry can be described in three paths: 1) an outline for understanding, 2) dialogue for understanding, and 3) rhetoric of understanding. I’m using the term rhetoric loosely to stand for those thoughts and questions that are often debated as to whether an answer exists.
“I think sometimes when you feel strongly about things though, that it marginalizes you” (Narrative Inquiry 57). I connected to this quote, for when I am passionate about something it shows in my tone, word choice, body language, and the like. While feeling strongly about something shows significance to me, it also shows an inability to be open-minded on the issue and therefore can have a negative connotation of making yourself insignificant to the conversation.
“What starts to become apparent as we work within our three-dimensional space is that as narrative inquirers we are not alone in the space. This space enfolds us and those with whom we work. Narrative inquiry is relational inquiry as we work in the field, move from field to field text, and from field text to research text” (Narrative Inquiry 60). Certainly, when writing as a narrative inquirer it is not only the author that constructs meaning, but the responses of the audience which have a strong potential to alter the meaning. In other words, narrative inquiry is socially constructed!
“As narrative inquirers, we share our writing on a work-in-progress basis with response communities. By this, we mean that we ask others to read our work and to respond in ways that help us see other meanings that might lead to future retelling” (Narrative Inquiry 60). As stated in response to the previous quote, meaning making is in part the author and in part the audience. Neither part can exist alone for true narrative inquiry, for it would lack the test of debate.
“As inquires we, too, are part of the parade. We have helped make the world in which we find ourselves. We are not merely objective inquirers, people on the high road, who study a world lesser in quality than our moral temperament would have it, people who study a world we did not help create. On the contrary, we are complicit in the world we study. Being in this world, we need to remake ourselves as well as offer up research understandings that could lead to a better world” (Narrative Inquiry 61). I will not speak for others, but I have become very aware that my writing exposes my thoughts, intelligence, and perspective among many other things. While I could cringe and edit my writing to appear impartial, it would take away the sincerity and transparency that is valued in writing. If everyone approaches the table of narrative inquiry as open books, there is no telling the understanding that could result!
Working in this space means that we become visible with our own lived and told stories. Sometimes this means that our own unnamed, perhaps, secret, stories come to light as much as do those of our participants. This confronting of ourselves in our narrative past makes us vulnerable as inquirers because it makes secret stories public. In narrative inquiry, it is impossible (or if not impossible, then deliberately self deceptive) as researcher to stay silent or to present a kind of perfect, idealized, inquiring, moralizing self” (Narrative Inquiry 62). As stated in the comment on the previous quote, there is a necessity for narrative inquirers to be transparent in their writing. If there is a chance of walking away from the stories and research with any new understanding, it is based upon the ability of everyone involved to ditch their socially acceptable mask and be real. There is not a single soul that is unprejudiced in some area or another, so let’s embrace our perceptions of the world in order to gain new insight!
Situating Narrative Inquiry
While reading “Situating Narrative Inquiry,” there were a few key excerpts that triggered something inside of me and cause me to create dialogue with the text. Please allow me to present the quote and then offer my thoughts in purple italics:
“So while researchers have new respect for the human in the subjects they study, they continue to perceive themselves as capable of being objective” (Situating Narrative Inquiry 11).
“In this discourse, as researchers we continued to act in our role as researchers as if we were capable of remaining in some way intellectually and objectively separate from what we were studying— we did not remove the boundaries we had drawn around ourselves as researchers. We felt that in our role as researchers the self was unchangeable” (Situating Narrative Inquiry 12).
We are not robots who view everything in one of two spheres: black or white. As humans we contradict the components necessary to be objective by dictionary definition. Certainly, we can try to base our decision on facts, yet we would be lying if we said our conclusions are “not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudices” (dictionary.com). Through considering the role of judge or jury, we as humans, even when “putting energy into maintaining an objective stance” ( 12) insert our own moral compass and experience before rendering a verdict. Therefore, I find it more credible to say “the researcher and the researched in a particular study are in relationship with each other and that the parties will learn and change in the encounter” ( 9) because “humans and human interaction exists in context” ( 11). Essentially for humans the objective lens is always accompanied by the subjective lens.
The previous paragraph was written when I had only read up until page 12, so when I made it through the complete reading, I was thrilled that the text was conversing with me and supporting my argument. This occurred on page 15 with the idea of the “implausibility of being truly distant” and again in the conclusion where the authors argue that you cannot dispose of the “nonneutrality of curiosity and interest” (29).
“[Piaget] focused not on numbering the answers but on the children’s explanations (words) about their understanding of particular events” (Situating Narrative Inquiry 16) – a quote in reference to the Stanford-Binet intelligence test. Student Teaching reinforced this concept for me. Children come at problems from all different angles, and while their answers on an objective test may be wrong, if asked to explain their reasoning in oral or written fashion, they often have perfectly intelligent logic. This goes to show that numbers cannot account for all reasons, for language must accompany those numbers.
“When the audience is presented with numeric findings, the reader must provide a narrative to explain and capture the relationships presented with statistical values” (Situating Narrative Inquiry 20). “It is interesting to consider that not only should numbers be accompanied by words, but also words should be accompanied by numbers. As stated in the article, formulas, charts, graphs, and tables must be accompanied by words in order for relationships to be established and explained. Likewise, writing needs a sense of numbers, not in the traditional or literal sense, but in code. This code is known as sequence. Sequence words (first, next, then, last) serve the purpose of numbers in that they keep each occurrence “independent, interchangeable, and equal” (18). The difference between numbers and words in my opinion is that in writing, words can ground sentences making them dependent, contradictory, and even disproportionate. I believe the key is to use numbers and words together only when they serve to complement one another and offer a better explanation than providing words or numbers alone.
“So while researchers have new respect for the human in the subjects they study, they continue to perceive themselves as capable of being objective” (Situating Narrative Inquiry 11).
“In this discourse, as researchers we continued to act in our role as researchers as if we were capable of remaining in some way intellectually and objectively separate from what we were studying— we did not remove the boundaries we had drawn around ourselves as researchers. We felt that in our role as researchers the self was unchangeable” (Situating Narrative Inquiry 12).
We are not robots who view everything in one of two spheres: black or white. As humans we contradict the components necessary to be objective by dictionary definition. Certainly, we can try to base our decision on facts, yet we would be lying if we said our conclusions are “not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudices” (dictionary.com). Through considering the role of judge or jury, we as humans, even when “putting energy into maintaining an objective stance” ( 12) insert our own moral compass and experience before rendering a verdict. Therefore, I find it more credible to say “the researcher and the researched in a particular study are in relationship with each other and that the parties will learn and change in the encounter” ( 9) because “humans and human interaction exists in context” ( 11). Essentially for humans the objective lens is always accompanied by the subjective lens.
The previous paragraph was written when I had only read up until page 12, so when I made it through the complete reading, I was thrilled that the text was conversing with me and supporting my argument. This occurred on page 15 with the idea of the “implausibility of being truly distant” and again in the conclusion where the authors argue that you cannot dispose of the “nonneutrality of curiosity and interest” (29).
“[Piaget] focused not on numbering the answers but on the children’s explanations (words) about their understanding of particular events” (Situating Narrative Inquiry 16) – a quote in reference to the Stanford-Binet intelligence test. Student Teaching reinforced this concept for me. Children come at problems from all different angles, and while their answers on an objective test may be wrong, if asked to explain their reasoning in oral or written fashion, they often have perfectly intelligent logic. This goes to show that numbers cannot account for all reasons, for language must accompany those numbers.
“When the audience is presented with numeric findings, the reader must provide a narrative to explain and capture the relationships presented with statistical values” (Situating Narrative Inquiry 20). “It is interesting to consider that not only should numbers be accompanied by words, but also words should be accompanied by numbers. As stated in the article, formulas, charts, graphs, and tables must be accompanied by words in order for relationships to be established and explained. Likewise, writing needs a sense of numbers, not in the traditional or literal sense, but in code. This code is known as sequence. Sequence words (first, next, then, last) serve the purpose of numbers in that they keep each occurrence “independent, interchangeable, and equal” (18). The difference between numbers and words in my opinion is that in writing, words can ground sentences making them dependent, contradictory, and even disproportionate. I believe the key is to use numbers and words together only when they serve to complement one another and offer a better explanation than providing words or numbers alone.
What is Oral History?
What is Oral History, an insightful article exploring the “maddeningly imprecise term” (1) of Oral History, provides a compelling set of guidelines with which to compare Oral History to my own journal writing. In the process, I found riveting parallels and stark contrasts in the areas of motivation and style. To start, there is a similarity between the shift toward the story of the everyday person and the fact that I am just an average girl who is sincerely attempting to tell my version of the truth (2). Are the topics covered in my journal necessarily life altering? Sometimes yes and sometimes no, yet they usually address some form of “social experience” and provide me, the “historically—silent,” (2) a voice. The divergence enters in three major concepts: point of view, purpose, and publicity. While Oral History is meant to provide multiple perspectives, my journal consists of one narrator. At the same time, Oral History attempts to “democratize the record,” (2) whereas my journal is solely under my jurisdiction. Furthermore, Oral History is noted for its “dialogue” (3) and “self-conscious, disciplined conversation” (2-3); however, I can argue that my journal holds internal dialogue that can be calculated and confrontational. The differences are that this dialogue is fashioned out of two different roles within myself and is written as opposed to being spoken. Certainly, my journal writing lacks the interview process required to make it susceptible to outside influences, but technically even that which I believe is original or solely mine was crafted with the help of my environment that includes people and events that have shaped and possibly manipulated my thinking. Having said this, my journal embodies qualities found within Oral History that help to preserve honest accounts:
[This includes a] thinking-out-loud quality, as perceptive questions work and rework a particular topic, encouraging the narrator to remember the details, seeking to clarify that which is muddled, making connections among seemingly disconnected recollections, challenging contradictions, evoking assessments of what it all meant then and what it means now (3).
This excerpt in particular struck me as a critical and intriguing lens with which to compare Oral History to my journal writing. Admittedly, my journal contains elements of each characteristic mentioned above. The differences lie within style. The thought process has merely shifted from the subconscious to ink. The line of questioning has merely shifted from an interviewer to an inner-self; nevertheless, the questions are still critical, challenging, and require a great deal of courage to ask. Inevitably, details are provided in the manner and to the degree that I can conjure up an image simply by revisiting my writing in order. This allows me to readdress my perspective from then to now. I often attempt this process to illustrate my maturity over time. Luckily, in doing so, my eyes have been opened to things I was once blind. More importantly the connection between Oral History and my journal writing is based upon the fact that not only does everyone have a story to be told, but also a desire for it to be told in his or her own words; essentially, when you take the text out of the context, you are left with a con which interestingly is the argument behind the importance of Oral History.
[This includes a] thinking-out-loud quality, as perceptive questions work and rework a particular topic, encouraging the narrator to remember the details, seeking to clarify that which is muddled, making connections among seemingly disconnected recollections, challenging contradictions, evoking assessments of what it all meant then and what it means now (3).
This excerpt in particular struck me as a critical and intriguing lens with which to compare Oral History to my journal writing. Admittedly, my journal contains elements of each characteristic mentioned above. The differences lie within style. The thought process has merely shifted from the subconscious to ink. The line of questioning has merely shifted from an interviewer to an inner-self; nevertheless, the questions are still critical, challenging, and require a great deal of courage to ask. Inevitably, details are provided in the manner and to the degree that I can conjure up an image simply by revisiting my writing in order. This allows me to readdress my perspective from then to now. I often attempt this process to illustrate my maturity over time. Luckily, in doing so, my eyes have been opened to things I was once blind. More importantly the connection between Oral History and my journal writing is based upon the fact that not only does everyone have a story to be told, but also a desire for it to be told in his or her own words; essentially, when you take the text out of the context, you are left with a con which interestingly is the argument behind the importance of Oral History.
Conducting the Interview
While reading the article, Conducting the Interview, I found myself having a rich conversation with Cynthia Stokes Brown, the author. Certainly, she was not answering me in typical dialogue fashion, yet it was as if her text was interviewing me as the reader, encouraging me to dig deeper and interact with the text. While many of her points were simply review from my past experiences with interviewing, there were a few pages when I went highlighter-happy over her elegantly written insights. Please allow me to showcase the conversation I had with Brown by placing direct excerpts from her article in blue followed by my responses:
1. “Listening well is much more important than consulting a list of questions, especially if your narrator wants to talk” (35).
I can relate to the fact that when taking the role of the interviewer, listening should be elevated high above speaking. For me, I find that if I am worried about covering a list of questions, I am not listening intently as to what the narrator is saying. My prepared list of questions forces me to become more concerned with that I am going to say next rather than what the narrator is saying currently. Essentially it is hard to listen and think at the same time.
2. “leading questions” (36)
Leading questions were a major challenge for me. I find it very difficult, especially when interviewing students and faculty within a school not to input my own beliefs and perceptions into my questions. Cynthia Brown, however, pointed out the easy cure, which many of my professors have addressed prior to reading the article. The solution is to delve deeper and insert the words how and why when appropriate.
3. “Don’t be afraid to ask daring questions in order to get beyond the surface answer… But in an interview the usual roles for social conduct do not apply; you are likely to be rewarded for boldness. After all, the worst that can happen is that your narrator will become silent or say, “I’d rather not answer that question” (37).
The above excerpt is one of the portions that strike me as being very insightful. When I took time to reflect upon asking risky questions, I realized that in all roles— the interviewer, the narrator, and the observer— I appreciated the questions that do not generate generic answers. To illustrate, I will present a farfetched, yet familiar occurrence: Simon Cal on American Idol, 9 times out of 10, commented and inquired about the very things that all of us were not scared to think, but were scared to articulate. As a result, the audience tended to receive rich, transparent answers.
4. “Answers that are interesting include not just information, but also feelings and interpretations” (37).
I could not agree with this statement any more than I currently do. As stated in the article, yes and no answers are too vague to produce anything worth analyzing. From the perspective of the student, textbooks are only as interesting as the elements it provides beyond the information. For example, in a social studies book, I will become more interested if there are personal accounts, opinions, and perspectives on wars and social experiences than facts alone.
5. “Reading a good children’s book about a topic is always a good way to start your research” (40).
This suggestion excites me because I have such a passion for kids and believe with everything in me that children’s books have immeasurable lessons radiating from their pages. I have never thought of learning about history from children’s books, yet I am willing to try it when the situation presents itself.
6. “Interviews are always unique and unpredictable events. Each one is the interplay of two personalities. Your task as the interviewer is to be sensitive to what is happening, so that you can help your narrator become relaxed, talkative, and revealing as possible. An interview should be a monologue, not a dialogue; the narrator should do most of the talking, with the interviewer on the sidelines, encouraging and cheering on” (40).
I value this metaphor of the narrator being the star athlete and the interviewer being the coach/cheerleader. Certainly, I have been in interviewing situations where being sensitive to the concerns or story that the narrator was sharing paid off in the information and insight I walked away with.
7. “Go with these surprises—play detective— follow you instincts” (42).
The most exhilarating interview moment is when your narrator diverges from your plans and allows you access to lose yourself in their story. The narrator then becomes the tour guide and the interviewer becomes a fan with a VIP backstage pass. Personally, the best interviews I have ever conducted, and I use that word lightly, were with children. The best thing about kids is that they are completely unscripted and candid; whenever possible, I try to incorporate children into my research because they have no filter, thereby offering their sincere version of the truth!
8. “chemistry” (43)
I metaphorically high-fived Cynthia Brown when I came across this word. In my experience interviewing everyone from the school nurse to the superintendent of my assigned school for Clinical Practice, my eyes were opened to the importance of chemistry between the interviewer and the narrator. While I requested 15-20 minutes for each interview, I found that certain people offered me so much information and insight that I was able to pick and choose quotes from their monologue with which I wanted to present. On the other hand, those individuals that acted as though my interview was an obligation offered me the bare minimum thereby ruining all chances of chemistry before we even sat down.
9. “Life has its dark side, and to leave it out is dishonest. Conflict, challenge, obstacles, tragedies—these are the times when a person’s real spirit emerges. But we all have trouble discussing some things or even admitting that they have happened to us they may see too awful or disappointing even to acknowledge. By not being afraid of raising sensitive questions and but not passing judgment on what you hear from your narrator, you’ll encourage your narrator to talk freely. You can accept whatever happened—it’s simply what happened, and you know already that life is a lot more complex than anyone ever expected it to be” (43).
This is by far my favorite excerpt of the entire article, Conducting the Interview. The words literally jumped off the page and danced in my mind for quite a bit of time! Admittedly, people are generally prone to expressing at length anything and anything they deem positive, yet they stutter, hesitate, and often hide that which they deem negative. The real story, however, lies within the combination of both the positive and negative elements of life. Furthermore, I find the statement, “life is a lot more complex than anyone ever expected it to be” (43) to radiate with truth!
10. “Usually the narrator will reveal the most sensitive material only after hesitating, if you rush with a question, you will miss it” (45).
While silence in my book is usually defined as awkward, I have learned to allow silence, pauses, and hesitation as a gift! As Cynthia Brown attested, narrators generally share their heart after a moment of reflection. If rushed, however, interviewers lose the most important component of the story—transparency.
1. “Listening well is much more important than consulting a list of questions, especially if your narrator wants to talk” (35).
I can relate to the fact that when taking the role of the interviewer, listening should be elevated high above speaking. For me, I find that if I am worried about covering a list of questions, I am not listening intently as to what the narrator is saying. My prepared list of questions forces me to become more concerned with that I am going to say next rather than what the narrator is saying currently. Essentially it is hard to listen and think at the same time.
2. “leading questions” (36)
Leading questions were a major challenge for me. I find it very difficult, especially when interviewing students and faculty within a school not to input my own beliefs and perceptions into my questions. Cynthia Brown, however, pointed out the easy cure, which many of my professors have addressed prior to reading the article. The solution is to delve deeper and insert the words how and why when appropriate.
3. “Don’t be afraid to ask daring questions in order to get beyond the surface answer… But in an interview the usual roles for social conduct do not apply; you are likely to be rewarded for boldness. After all, the worst that can happen is that your narrator will become silent or say, “I’d rather not answer that question” (37).
The above excerpt is one of the portions that strike me as being very insightful. When I took time to reflect upon asking risky questions, I realized that in all roles— the interviewer, the narrator, and the observer— I appreciated the questions that do not generate generic answers. To illustrate, I will present a farfetched, yet familiar occurrence: Simon Cal on American Idol, 9 times out of 10, commented and inquired about the very things that all of us were not scared to think, but were scared to articulate. As a result, the audience tended to receive rich, transparent answers.
4. “Answers that are interesting include not just information, but also feelings and interpretations” (37).
I could not agree with this statement any more than I currently do. As stated in the article, yes and no answers are too vague to produce anything worth analyzing. From the perspective of the student, textbooks are only as interesting as the elements it provides beyond the information. For example, in a social studies book, I will become more interested if there are personal accounts, opinions, and perspectives on wars and social experiences than facts alone.
5. “Reading a good children’s book about a topic is always a good way to start your research” (40).
This suggestion excites me because I have such a passion for kids and believe with everything in me that children’s books have immeasurable lessons radiating from their pages. I have never thought of learning about history from children’s books, yet I am willing to try it when the situation presents itself.
6. “Interviews are always unique and unpredictable events. Each one is the interplay of two personalities. Your task as the interviewer is to be sensitive to what is happening, so that you can help your narrator become relaxed, talkative, and revealing as possible. An interview should be a monologue, not a dialogue; the narrator should do most of the talking, with the interviewer on the sidelines, encouraging and cheering on” (40).
I value this metaphor of the narrator being the star athlete and the interviewer being the coach/cheerleader. Certainly, I have been in interviewing situations where being sensitive to the concerns or story that the narrator was sharing paid off in the information and insight I walked away with.
7. “Go with these surprises—play detective— follow you instincts” (42).
The most exhilarating interview moment is when your narrator diverges from your plans and allows you access to lose yourself in their story. The narrator then becomes the tour guide and the interviewer becomes a fan with a VIP backstage pass. Personally, the best interviews I have ever conducted, and I use that word lightly, were with children. The best thing about kids is that they are completely unscripted and candid; whenever possible, I try to incorporate children into my research because they have no filter, thereby offering their sincere version of the truth!
8. “chemistry” (43)
I metaphorically high-fived Cynthia Brown when I came across this word. In my experience interviewing everyone from the school nurse to the superintendent of my assigned school for Clinical Practice, my eyes were opened to the importance of chemistry between the interviewer and the narrator. While I requested 15-20 minutes for each interview, I found that certain people offered me so much information and insight that I was able to pick and choose quotes from their monologue with which I wanted to present. On the other hand, those individuals that acted as though my interview was an obligation offered me the bare minimum thereby ruining all chances of chemistry before we even sat down.
9. “Life has its dark side, and to leave it out is dishonest. Conflict, challenge, obstacles, tragedies—these are the times when a person’s real spirit emerges. But we all have trouble discussing some things or even admitting that they have happened to us they may see too awful or disappointing even to acknowledge. By not being afraid of raising sensitive questions and but not passing judgment on what you hear from your narrator, you’ll encourage your narrator to talk freely. You can accept whatever happened—it’s simply what happened, and you know already that life is a lot more complex than anyone ever expected it to be” (43).
This is by far my favorite excerpt of the entire article, Conducting the Interview. The words literally jumped off the page and danced in my mind for quite a bit of time! Admittedly, people are generally prone to expressing at length anything and anything they deem positive, yet they stutter, hesitate, and often hide that which they deem negative. The real story, however, lies within the combination of both the positive and negative elements of life. Furthermore, I find the statement, “life is a lot more complex than anyone ever expected it to be” (43) to radiate with truth!
10. “Usually the narrator will reveal the most sensitive material only after hesitating, if you rush with a question, you will miss it” (45).
While silence in my book is usually defined as awkward, I have learned to allow silence, pauses, and hesitation as a gift! As Cynthia Brown attested, narrators generally share their heart after a moment of reflection. If rushed, however, interviewers lose the most important component of the story—transparency.
Kari Reed's Interview
Today was the big day for interview number one with Kari Reed, a woman who has her Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design and is a well-informed member of the public when it comes to the food industry. Overall, the experience was richly insightful and eye-opening. I learned so much about the process of interviewing and the benefits of ditching the script and engaging in conversation, for it was as if she had a much better script in store than I could have ever anticipated. Likewise, I was pleasantly surprised that when I stopped worrying about the progression of the interview, I was relaxed enough to partake in the perceptive information that I would have missed if I put a stop to the tangents.
Walking into the interview, I expected to hear my sister argue about who was right and who was wrong, yet I walked out with a completely different perspective. There is no one guilty party in this lawsuit; however, there are three separate parties— The Center of Science for Public Interest, Coca-Cola, and the public—who would all benefit greatly from taking responsibility for their own errors in judgment while also holding the other parties accountable. Furthermore, I appreciate the tangents concerning crystalline fructose, graphic design, and justified roles. First, I learned that crystalline fructose, while better than high fructose corn syrup, can only be broken down in the liver, and so when taken in excess, it has the potential to cause liver damage. Also, I was shocked to hear that VitaminWater has a percentage, however small, of arsenic in its contents. Second, I learned that VitaminWater has a brilliant marketing campaign from the elements of simplicity to font to color. More specifically, Kari explained from the perspective of a graphic designer that VitaminWater chose colorful, yet muted dyes in order to send a message that indeed there is the presence of water in this beverage, yet their energized verbs are also subconsciously communicated. Finally, it is important to remember that at the end of the day, Coca-Cola is an industry, CPSI is an organization, and the public is busy. In other words, they all have motives and intentions that are package deals with the role in which they play.
At the same time that the interview itself went well, the video editing side of the project was phenomenal. With the help of my amazingly talented sister, Abby and I were able to add an intro slide as well as a music clip. As a side note, I must say my suggestion of using the song “Suga Suga” by BabyBash to the introduction slide is not only hysterical, but ironic when seriously considered. I hope that our audience takes the time to see the links between the lyrics and the discrepancy with VitaminWater especially in the play on the word “suga”:
“You got me lifted shifted higher than a ceiling
And ooh wee it¡¦s the ultimate feeling
You got me lifted feeling so gifted
Sugar how you get so fly?
Suga suga how you get so fly?
In addition, it is important to note that I was extremely nervous about making the 30-minute benchmark, yet we exceeded this time limit by nearly 7 minutes with more than 500 words of quote-worthy excerpts! Without a doubt, I can say that today’s experience was exhilarating and beyond my expectations. This was exactly the encounter with our topic that I hoping for to motivate Abby and I into further research and the creation of multiple genres. Next on the list are 3-minute interviews with close friends as well as a blind-taste-test at Barnes&Noble!
Walking into the interview, I expected to hear my sister argue about who was right and who was wrong, yet I walked out with a completely different perspective. There is no one guilty party in this lawsuit; however, there are three separate parties— The Center of Science for Public Interest, Coca-Cola, and the public—who would all benefit greatly from taking responsibility for their own errors in judgment while also holding the other parties accountable. Furthermore, I appreciate the tangents concerning crystalline fructose, graphic design, and justified roles. First, I learned that crystalline fructose, while better than high fructose corn syrup, can only be broken down in the liver, and so when taken in excess, it has the potential to cause liver damage. Also, I was shocked to hear that VitaminWater has a percentage, however small, of arsenic in its contents. Second, I learned that VitaminWater has a brilliant marketing campaign from the elements of simplicity to font to color. More specifically, Kari explained from the perspective of a graphic designer that VitaminWater chose colorful, yet muted dyes in order to send a message that indeed there is the presence of water in this beverage, yet their energized verbs are also subconsciously communicated. Finally, it is important to remember that at the end of the day, Coca-Cola is an industry, CPSI is an organization, and the public is busy. In other words, they all have motives and intentions that are package deals with the role in which they play.
At the same time that the interview itself went well, the video editing side of the project was phenomenal. With the help of my amazingly talented sister, Abby and I were able to add an intro slide as well as a music clip. As a side note, I must say my suggestion of using the song “Suga Suga” by BabyBash to the introduction slide is not only hysterical, but ironic when seriously considered. I hope that our audience takes the time to see the links between the lyrics and the discrepancy with VitaminWater especially in the play on the word “suga”:
“You got me lifted shifted higher than a ceiling
And ooh wee it¡¦s the ultimate feeling
You got me lifted feeling so gifted
Sugar how you get so fly?
Suga suga how you get so fly?
In addition, it is important to note that I was extremely nervous about making the 30-minute benchmark, yet we exceeded this time limit by nearly 7 minutes with more than 500 words of quote-worthy excerpts! Without a doubt, I can say that today’s experience was exhilarating and beyond my expectations. This was exactly the encounter with our topic that I hoping for to motivate Abby and I into further research and the creation of multiple genres. Next on the list are 3-minute interviews with close friends as well as a blind-taste-test at Barnes&Noble!
Technology
Twitter Poem
This “found poem” was created using 13 of my personal tweets:
1. Some secrets are too good not to confess! (January 24)
2. While there is an exception to every rule, no story is free from argument or edit.
(January 25)
3. I miss the days where possibilities were only limited by your imagination (January 26)
4. How many emotions do you think the human heart experiences in any given day?
(January 26)
5. "Put down you guard just a little. I'll keep you safe in these arms of mine." (January 26)
6. Once trust is broken it will never be fully restored! (January 30)
7. "Her bloodprints in the sand like valentines." What powerful imagery and language!
(February 1)
8. She hesitates while her past screams of previous hurts, yet she knows in order to love
there are risks involved. (February 2)
9. Why is it that people always love to hold others accountable but hate being held
accountable? (February 2)
10. If only maturity was infectious! (February 2)
11. There is a work of art in my head, if I could only get it onto paper. (February 3)
12. Sometimes you have to make yourself numb in order to love someone! (February 4)
13. In reality, vulnerability is inevitable if our life is to have any meaning, for it is the basis of
all relationships and reason! (February 8)
Vulnerable
Like a hesitant heart
Numbs reality
Argumentative
Like exceptions to the rule
Guard against edit
Accountable
Like a paper valentine
Confesses secrets
Imaginative
Like an infectious language
Trusts without reason
1. Some secrets are too good not to confess! (January 24)
2. While there is an exception to every rule, no story is free from argument or edit.
(January 25)
3. I miss the days where possibilities were only limited by your imagination (January 26)
4. How many emotions do you think the human heart experiences in any given day?
(January 26)
5. "Put down you guard just a little. I'll keep you safe in these arms of mine." (January 26)
6. Once trust is broken it will never be fully restored! (January 30)
7. "Her bloodprints in the sand like valentines." What powerful imagery and language!
(February 1)
8. She hesitates while her past screams of previous hurts, yet she knows in order to love
there are risks involved. (February 2)
9. Why is it that people always love to hold others accountable but hate being held
accountable? (February 2)
10. If only maturity was infectious! (February 2)
11. There is a work of art in my head, if I could only get it onto paper. (February 3)
12. Sometimes you have to make yourself numb in order to love someone! (February 4)
13. In reality, vulnerability is inevitable if our life is to have any meaning, for it is the basis of
all relationships and reason! (February 8)
Vulnerable
Like a hesitant heart
Numbs reality
Argumentative
Like exceptions to the rule
Guard against edit
Accountable
Like a paper valentine
Confesses secrets
Imaginative
Like an infectious language
Trusts without reason
Rock My Network
1. How has technology impacted your writing/composing?
From my early teen years until the present, technology has been an integral part of my life socially, academically, and professionally. Technology impacts my writing in different ways, for I am capable of adapting myself to the rules of each convention. While tweeting and texting, I am limited to a small number of characters, so I abbreviate and condense my thoughts. When I am blogging, however, I am more apt to develop my thoughts and think critically. Furthermore, I have created two websites. One serves as a portfolio of my work for Writing, Research, and Technology. The other serves as an online alternative to a binder portfolio to work as a "leave behind" at interviews. Clearly, I have to present myself as a competent student and applicant in these spaces; therefore, my writing must be polished. All things considered, technology most impacts the efficiency of speed. Communicating for any purpose has never been faster than it is today. A responsibility accompanies this technology, however, and we are to blame for allowing text speak and poor grammar to sneak into our academic or professional writing. My Experiencing Literature teacher, Kim Southwick once said, "every time you write you showcase your intelligence." Her words have stuck with me and make me more conscious of my writing!2.
2. How has technology connected or made you more mindful of your writing and place?
"Rock My Network" by Theodora Stites literally rocked my world! It presented an intriguing lens for viewing the social aspects of the online realm. I feel that by posting direct quotes from "Rock My Network" and commenting on whether I agree/connect will serve as the best illustration for how technology has made me mindful of my writing and place:
"It's not that we're lazy or bratty or glib; it's just that we're fast. We know how to access all kinds of information, and we have absolute confidence in the tools at our disposal" (Note from the Editors). While some people would argue that this generation has lost the ability to think and wants everything at their fingertips, I argue alongside the editors that our generation simply knows the resources that are at our disposal and choose to use them efficiently!
Because I'm voyeuristic, and you are too. We love personal information; Internet communities are a popularity contest, and it is no longer chic to be mysterious" (142). I have never considered this thought until Stites presented it, but I find it fascinating. I am a very private person who values my personal space, yet I agree that it is widely accepted that being mysterious is becoming less and less attractive! If an individual is not exposing themselves in a milieu of social networks he/she is viewed as lacking normalcy.
"There are hidden codes in every image" (143). I don't agree with Stite's picture profiling. It seem very stereotypical and I try to avoid that at all costs. Certainly people want to portray themselves as attractive, yet the camera angle and lighting shouldn't categorize me.
"Every profile is a carefully planned media campaign" (144). I would say that most profiles are media campaigns, not every profile. While there are a large number of people who try to sell themselves by creating a idealized, online persona. On the other hand there are people who portray themselves exactly as they would be in real life and make no apologies for being real; therefore, they are not campaigning.
"Online, everyone has bulletproof social armor" (144). While it may be more comfortable to be open in an online space, bullying is a major issue online. In light of this, I would argue that bulletproof social armor only exists when the online persona fits into society's standards.
"But I have no choice. I need to belong to all of them because each one enables me to connect to people with different levels of social intimacy. The closer I am to someone in the offline world, the more easily accessible they are online" (145). Unfortunately, I have to agree with Stites on this issue of accessibility. I am more comfortable growing a relationship online than I am in person. I guess I would argue that the screen gives me a sense of security that I lack in person.
"I now think of most people by their screen names, even when I see them in person" (145). Stites hit a nerve on this fact. It pains me to admit that when meeting those who I converse with online, many of our conversations revolve around online activity.
"We have enough connection online for our degree of closeness and don't need to enhance our relationship by spending time together offline" (146). I have friends who I only converse with online simply because we do not have a strong enough connection to spend time in person. Fortunately, while communicating online I can multitask, yet in person that person deserves my undivided attention, and not all people connect on that level.
"Blogs are the most notorious, easiest, and best ways to gain celebrity status and online fans" (146). I have experienced blogs in two realms: academic and entertainment. When I am composing within a blog, I am used to anayzing some reading or discussion and then expressing my thoughts in a meaningful context. I would much rather read my sister's blog, for she takes the good, the bad, and the ugly of her life and writes laugh out loud accounts.
"It's so difficult to concentrate on talking to just one person at a time. Eye contact isn't all it's cracked up to be, and facial expressions are so hard to control" (147). I have never connected with a quote more than I have with the above thought from Stites. I have a degree of social awkwardness due to my shyness, and I have struggled for 23 years now with eye contact. While I have managed to overcome this issue when conversing with women, men have yet to look me in the eyes. Furthermore, I've been told that my faces give away exactly what is on my mind. It takes me being conscious of the looks I'm giving.
3. How has technology impacted your identity construction?
Even when being careful to represent myself as accurately as possible online, I am not blind to the fact that as I am working to construct my real life persona in an online avenue, so too are other users who comment, visit, and share within those same spaces. What is important to note is this idea of having so many opportunities, expected and unforeseen, that help to mold the very identity that I embody. Interestingly, “committing yourself is a way of finding out who you are. A man finds his identity by identifying,” and online writing spaces allowed me to do just that, identify with that which formulates my identity. Technology has allowed me the ability to put on different masks when it comes to my writing. Pursuing this further, there is a level of comfort when composing online because the audience only sense of you is your writing; therefore, their judgments of your writing are based solely upon the written word and have no links to the author as a person. Certainly, who I am at home, at school, and online are three different people who overlap or stand in opposition based upon my identity within that place.
From my early teen years until the present, technology has been an integral part of my life socially, academically, and professionally. Technology impacts my writing in different ways, for I am capable of adapting myself to the rules of each convention. While tweeting and texting, I am limited to a small number of characters, so I abbreviate and condense my thoughts. When I am blogging, however, I am more apt to develop my thoughts and think critically. Furthermore, I have created two websites. One serves as a portfolio of my work for Writing, Research, and Technology. The other serves as an online alternative to a binder portfolio to work as a "leave behind" at interviews. Clearly, I have to present myself as a competent student and applicant in these spaces; therefore, my writing must be polished. All things considered, technology most impacts the efficiency of speed. Communicating for any purpose has never been faster than it is today. A responsibility accompanies this technology, however, and we are to blame for allowing text speak and poor grammar to sneak into our academic or professional writing. My Experiencing Literature teacher, Kim Southwick once said, "every time you write you showcase your intelligence." Her words have stuck with me and make me more conscious of my writing!2.
2. How has technology connected or made you more mindful of your writing and place?
"Rock My Network" by Theodora Stites literally rocked my world! It presented an intriguing lens for viewing the social aspects of the online realm. I feel that by posting direct quotes from "Rock My Network" and commenting on whether I agree/connect will serve as the best illustration for how technology has made me mindful of my writing and place:
"It's not that we're lazy or bratty or glib; it's just that we're fast. We know how to access all kinds of information, and we have absolute confidence in the tools at our disposal" (Note from the Editors). While some people would argue that this generation has lost the ability to think and wants everything at their fingertips, I argue alongside the editors that our generation simply knows the resources that are at our disposal and choose to use them efficiently!
Because I'm voyeuristic, and you are too. We love personal information; Internet communities are a popularity contest, and it is no longer chic to be mysterious" (142). I have never considered this thought until Stites presented it, but I find it fascinating. I am a very private person who values my personal space, yet I agree that it is widely accepted that being mysterious is becoming less and less attractive! If an individual is not exposing themselves in a milieu of social networks he/she is viewed as lacking normalcy.
"There are hidden codes in every image" (143). I don't agree with Stite's picture profiling. It seem very stereotypical and I try to avoid that at all costs. Certainly people want to portray themselves as attractive, yet the camera angle and lighting shouldn't categorize me.
"Every profile is a carefully planned media campaign" (144). I would say that most profiles are media campaigns, not every profile. While there are a large number of people who try to sell themselves by creating a idealized, online persona. On the other hand there are people who portray themselves exactly as they would be in real life and make no apologies for being real; therefore, they are not campaigning.
"Online, everyone has bulletproof social armor" (144). While it may be more comfortable to be open in an online space, bullying is a major issue online. In light of this, I would argue that bulletproof social armor only exists when the online persona fits into society's standards.
"But I have no choice. I need to belong to all of them because each one enables me to connect to people with different levels of social intimacy. The closer I am to someone in the offline world, the more easily accessible they are online" (145). Unfortunately, I have to agree with Stites on this issue of accessibility. I am more comfortable growing a relationship online than I am in person. I guess I would argue that the screen gives me a sense of security that I lack in person.
"I now think of most people by their screen names, even when I see them in person" (145). Stites hit a nerve on this fact. It pains me to admit that when meeting those who I converse with online, many of our conversations revolve around online activity.
"We have enough connection online for our degree of closeness and don't need to enhance our relationship by spending time together offline" (146). I have friends who I only converse with online simply because we do not have a strong enough connection to spend time in person. Fortunately, while communicating online I can multitask, yet in person that person deserves my undivided attention, and not all people connect on that level.
"Blogs are the most notorious, easiest, and best ways to gain celebrity status and online fans" (146). I have experienced blogs in two realms: academic and entertainment. When I am composing within a blog, I am used to anayzing some reading or discussion and then expressing my thoughts in a meaningful context. I would much rather read my sister's blog, for she takes the good, the bad, and the ugly of her life and writes laugh out loud accounts.
"It's so difficult to concentrate on talking to just one person at a time. Eye contact isn't all it's cracked up to be, and facial expressions are so hard to control" (147). I have never connected with a quote more than I have with the above thought from Stites. I have a degree of social awkwardness due to my shyness, and I have struggled for 23 years now with eye contact. While I have managed to overcome this issue when conversing with women, men have yet to look me in the eyes. Furthermore, I've been told that my faces give away exactly what is on my mind. It takes me being conscious of the looks I'm giving.
3. How has technology impacted your identity construction?
Even when being careful to represent myself as accurately as possible online, I am not blind to the fact that as I am working to construct my real life persona in an online avenue, so too are other users who comment, visit, and share within those same spaces. What is important to note is this idea of having so many opportunities, expected and unforeseen, that help to mold the very identity that I embody. Interestingly, “committing yourself is a way of finding out who you are. A man finds his identity by identifying,” and online writing spaces allowed me to do just that, identify with that which formulates my identity. Technology has allowed me the ability to put on different masks when it comes to my writing. Pursuing this further, there is a level of comfort when composing online because the audience only sense of you is your writing; therefore, their judgments of your writing are based solely upon the written word and have no links to the author as a person. Certainly, who I am at home, at school, and online are three different people who overlap or stand in opposition based upon my identity within that place.
Weebly Website
The creation of my Weebly Website is inspiring when considering technology. Previous to this class, I had created a Wix website to showcase my resume for potential employers, yet it was not as advanced or as extensive as this website. Within Weebly, I learned how to arrange pages and create links. In addition, I thoroughly enjoyed strengthing my voice and sharing my thoughts. Admittedly, there is an ethical responsibility associated with creating a website, blog, and such, yet through the use of links, my ideas and projects are now easily shared and credible. My favorite thing about Weebly is that come the end of the semester, it is often difficult to remember everything that was taught and absorbed within any given course, yet for Writing, Reserch, and Technology, all of my work is preserved online, so in looking back I feel accomplished!
