Writing Journal

Writing Journal Prompt #1 Ethnographic Fieldwork: Observational Study: Favorite spaces I

     Forty minutes from SUNY New Paltz is my house. The same house I was brought home to, and I have lived in since a baby, in Middletown, New York, Orange County, growing up attending Pine Bush schools. Every day I go outside when I don’t have classes so I can sit in my backyard and play with my puppy. My house is located on 3.5 acres of land. This land’s primarily woods with tall trees and old decaying leaves covering the wood’s floor. My backyard is a slope, so when I take my puppy out to play, I have to ensure the soccer ball does not roll down the hill into pricker bushes. Those pricker bushes produce wineberries which you can eat during the summer. Usually, the bears eat them all before I can pick any. When walking back into the woods a little behind the house, you come across a stream, and every winter, I cross it with my family. We return to a tall pine tree that we carved our names into and then add the year to the tree. Sitting in my backyard now, I sit in the hammock hanging from the deck. I watch my puppy chase the soccer balls and the frisbees I throw for her. As the leaves start to change this year, I have noticed it is less into beautiful colors and more into shades of brown. When you walk across the lawn, you can hear the crunching of the grass from the lack of rain and high temperatures this summer. The yard has giant circles and patches of brown and slightly green-yellow spots like polka dots. When the wind blows, leaves come flying down like it is snowing, but instead of snow, it is leaves. I love it when it gets colder. So you can sit outside and not sweat when running and chasing the puppy. I love looking back into the woods and only imagining what amazing creatures and animals live back there. While sitting, you can hear the birds chirping while squirrels and Chipmunks scatter along. The woods are covered in old leaves as more new leaves join the ground as the wind blows them off the trees. It is peaceful and realizing to watch nature within my own backyard. 

Writing Journal Prompt #2: Ethnographic Fieldwork: Observational Study: Favorite spaces II

One of my favorite spaces growing up was my bedroom. It had light gray carpeting and periwinkle-blue walls. In the winter, I could smell the heat when it first turned on and feel the chill in the room still from the night. I loved playing with my dollhouse when I was little. My parents set it up in my room after my baby brother started walking. He would come stumbling down the hall and knock everything down, so my room became a safe space. I would sit on my carpeted floors bundled up in fuzzy socks, hoodies, and comfy pajama pants. My dollhouse was under the window in my room, and as the sun would rise, it would shine through it, perfectly lighting up my dollhouse for me to play, even when the rest of my room was dark. As I got older, I loved playing with barbies in my room and, eventually, my American Girl dolls. I loved brushing their hair and changing their outfit. I used to pretend I ran a daycare and a classroom, and they were my students. I would always want the girl of the year American Girl doll because I liked to collect them. I loved to pretend they were all my kids because I dreamed of being a mom one day and having many kids. I would name them all and give them all ages and develop a whole life story in my head. I knew what each one liked and if they played sports or did dance. I would make sure to give them each their own personality, and sometimes my brother would play with me too. We would pretend he had his kids and I had mine and that our kids were cousins getting to see each other on family vacations.  I loved my dolls so much that I would always make sure to leave them on a blanket in case of a fire so I could grab them and save them. I would leave them sitting out with enough space so they could breathe in case they were alive and had feelings like in the Toy Story movies. I loved playing as a child and took good care of all my toys. I enjoyed playing and had a great imagination.

Writing Journal Prompt #3: Ethnographic Fieldwork: Favorite Spaces Reflection

The first writing experience was fun because I could spend time observing my surroundings. Then try to describe what I was actively seeing. Compared to the second writing experience, I was trying to remember things from the past. The second writing was a great experience because I got to run through the memories stored in my mind and remember my childhood. I loved to relive those memories in my head and write about them to share with the reader. When writing the second one, I experienced a happy feeling, making me want to go back in time to relive those memories. I also thought about how excited I am for the future and to help my own kids create happy memories to one day look back on. With the first writing assignment, you are writing about the facts of everything you see right then, but with the second, you are writing based on what you choose to remember. If you went back in time and wrote it as if it was the present, the story may be very different or contain even more details than you could ever dream of remembering. They are both incredible experiences in their own unique way. It was easier to start the first one because you are just writing about the current world that is present to your eye. The second writing exercise was more complicated for me to start because it requires you to look back and try to remember your childhood. However, once I began to remember some things, it led to more memories returning, and I enjoyed being reminded of all those things that brought me joy as a child. They were both pleasurable to do, and I enjoyed them both in very different ways. I have learned I really enjoy writing based on making an observation. 

Writing Journal Prompt #4: On Looking and Looking Again: Observations of an Organic Object

Day 1: I decided to pick a flower from the rose of Sharon bush in front of my house. I have three rose of Sharon bushes in front of my house. Two of them grow beautiful white flowers and are very large because they have been there my whole life. They love to grow into the walkway, so it makes it hard to walk by without them skimming the top of your head. The one I decided to pick from I planted along with my parents two years ago. When I planted it, I named her Rosie because she was a rose of Sharon. This one is multicolored according to the tag that was on Rosie when we bought her.

Day 2: Rosie’s baby flower is doing well. This is the first year there have really been flowers from her bush. I realized that they are all the same pink color when they first opened. Later as they die, they become more purple, and I am beginning to wonder if that’s why they called it multicolored on the tag when we bought it. Today Rosie’s flower still looks pretty pink. I took the flower outside to compare it to the other flowers still on the bush.

Day 3: Today, the flower from Rosie is starting to turn purple around the edges and shrivel up. I have been surprised by how well the flower has held up. She did not shrivel up and die nearly as fast as I was expecting. I wonder if it is because I was leaving the flower in the sunlight and would put it in water for a few hours every day.

Day 4: The pink is now mostly purple, with spots of darker purple spreading more to the middle. Rose of Sharon bushes are very nice because the deer do not eat them. Most of the flowers by my house get eaten by the deer within days of being planted. It can be a waste of money just for the deer to eat them. This year Rosie got very tall and is probably around six feet compared to two feet when we planted her two years ago.

Day 5: I did not go outside today because it was dark, cloudy, and raining. I felt the flower from Rosie on my desk last night. I noticed that none of the pedals fell off throughout the five days. They just shriveled together. I did not give the flower any water on the last day, and basically, no sunlight was received. I think this flower is towards the end of its life, unfortunately. I love these flowers because they remind me of flowers you might see in Hawaii. Rosie’s flower survived way better than I expected.

 

 

Writing Journal Prompt #5: Campaign Ad Analysis

The message of this campaign ad is against Pat Ryan and what he stands for. The target audience is anyone who also disagrees with the view written in the ad. Many people in New York do not want to see crime on the rise. These campaign ads promote opposing stances Pat Ryan holds that competitors feel many would also be against happening. The campaign ad states, “crime is running rampant in New York, and Pat Ryan is protecting the wrong side”.  The other side running against Pat Ryan wants to use the fear of crime rising to get votes by not necessarily promoting their candidate but causing others to question what Ryan stands for and what would happen with him winning. This ad convinces voters that by voting for Pat Ryan, you will be opening up gates to increase crime, and his opponents want people to consider the safety of themselves and their loved ones. They are using fear to get people to vote for someone else. This political campaign ad can fall under fear propaganda. Fear propaganda is when an ad shows citizens what will happen if they do not step in and help or choose to vote for a particular person. The picture on the campaign ad shows a home destroyed with papers and books, furniture all broken, and someone stealing a TV which alludes to the idea that with Pat Ryan in the office, this will be an everyday thing people deal with. This political campaign ad shows that if Pat Ryan wins, your house will be broken into, leading to no one being safe. Therefore, to prevent this from happening to voters, they’re using fear to get you to vote against Ryan. The campaign ad also states that Pat Ryan is against law enforcement and plans to strip them of proper funds. Putting on the campaign ad that he plans to defund the police does not help people feel safe when they see on the same campaign add pictures of houses being broken into knowing that the police department’s being defunded. With fewer police officers, people question how safe their homes and families will be, and no one would want to put loved ones at risk. This helps play into fear propaganda all the “what-ifs” that could happen with Pat Ryan winning the election.

Writing Journal Prompt # 6 Analyzing a Speech: Non-Verbal Messages

Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

In the movie speech from “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939), Mr. Smith keeps both feet next to each other. This allows listeners to notice that he is fully involved and believes in what he is giving his speech on. If one foot were behind the other, it would show that he was unsure and not fully committed to his topic. He is standing straight and proud while talking with devotion to this topic. This helps convey to listeners that he stands firmly on what he is talking about. Throughout the speech, Mr. Smith starts to point, and his facial expression look as his he is angry and yelling at the listeners. It could hurt him in persuading listeners to his side by pointing at them. Listeners could feel personally attacked by Mr. Smith’s pointing his finger while speaking with anger. Pointing makes people feel personally ambushed. When adding in his facial expressions that appear to be filled with anger and hostility, it can steer the listeners away.  Mr. Smith faces and looks at the President the whole time, ensuring eye contact even though he is looking at the back of others’ heads. He manages to focus on the President, proving his point directly to him. In the beginning, Mr. Smith is calm, and his facial expressions show that he is giving his speech with an open and peaceful mindset. Throughout the speech, he becomes enraged that no one will listen to him after talking for hours and hours. You can see in his facial expressions that he has had enough and proceeded to give his speech with anger and aggression to try to get his point across; however, this would really not help his point. When giving a speech with anger and starting to point, it scares away listeners and steers them away from listening to what you have to say. If Mr. Smith could have been calm, it would have helped him keep his listeners and persuade them to believe in his cause.  

Writing Journal Prompt # 7 Analyzing a Speech: Verbal Messages

The character Mr. Smith establishes ethos throughout his speech to the senators in Washington. He does this by mentioning how we are all the same. We are all humans who were once little children and, therefore, not that different. He gains the trust of the audience by being relatable, saying that a person is just a person. Mr. Smith hopes that by doing this, one of the senators will listen to what he has to say. Mr. Smith continues to talk about how one person is not that different from another. Mr. Smith states, “to get boys out of crowded cities and stuffy basements for a couple of months out of the year and build their bodies and minds for a man-sized job, because those boys are gonna be behind these desks some of these days”. This helps to develop the idea of ordinary people being in the senate and how we should care for each other. Then as none of the senators listen to Mr. Smith, he starts to yell and speak very passionately, moving around. This helps develop his pathos to keep the crowd listening and make them realize he cares for what he speaks of. Mr. Smith uses the propaganda technique of pail folk testimonial. He does this throughout the speech. When talking about how ordinary boys of all different backgrounds will grow up and possibly be the senators behind these desks in front of them. I feel in Mr. Smith’s speech to Washington, his non-verbal message aligns well with his verbal message. When analyzing his non-verbal message, you noticed both his feet were next to each other in line, which meant he was passionate and believed in what he was talking about, and when listening to him speak, you can tell that he really cares about what he speaks on. Mr. Smith also points and moves around a lot during his speech to draw in the crowd and make them feel attacked because he wanted them to feel all his passion and emotion and feel guilty for not allowing what he’s fighting for.

Writing Journal Prompt # 8: Ethnographic Fieldwork: Observational Study of Human Behaviour:

She had long black hair, and many may even describe her hair as pin straight. Her skin was an olive color. She was eating a cheeseburger with ketchup. She is sitting at a round table with her MacBook set up next to her iPad. Netflix was playing on her ipad as she was eating her food. She was wearing black sweatpants with a light pink hoodie. She had her hair down and then put it into a bun after finishing her food. She got up to throw away her food. She seemed to be about five feet tall. She was wearing white socks with her sweatpants tucked into them. She had black Uggs Tasman slippers on, and her pack back was a pink and grey North Face. I noticed she did not pick up her phone once. After walking back to her table, she started to do some schoolwork. She appeared to be really calm and did not look confused or frustrated doing any of the work. The environment around us was very quiet, and there were many other students sitting and working. There were a few small quiet conversations happening occasionally. She was typing on her computer, very focused and deep in thought. When her phone started to ring, she let it ring for two rings to finish her thoughts. When she answered the phone, her tone sounded very friendly and happy. It was a quick phone call that only lasted a few seconds. She hung up the phone and then closed her computer. Then pulled out a computer travel case and zipped her computer safely inside. Then she closed her iPad. She pulled out another protective travel case from her backpack. She then slide her iPad into the matching case just as she did for her computer. She then put them both in her bag and zipped her bag up. Then she got up and left her table. 

Writing Journal Prompt #9: Interview: Analysis 

Jimmy Fallon is an American Television host and comedian. He was born in New York and is known for Saturday Night Live and for hosting the late-night talk show The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy has many famous guests on his show. He recently interview Taylor Swift and talked about her newly released album Midnights. Taylor Swift is a highly popular singer-songwriter who millions of people follow. Her fans have many questions they want to be answered. Jimmy Fallon does not host normal interviews where he holds a list of questions and rattles them off. You can notice from watching his interviews he likes to make his guests feel comfortable. Jimmy does not get too personal or directly ask questions that cross the line when it comes to what the public should know. Fallon creates and nice conversation between himself and his guest, and in this particular interview, he mentions while talking that Taylor Swift has not been on tour in 4 years. This allows her the opportunity to talk about touring if she wants or allows Jimmy to keep talking until Taylor hears something she is willing to share with the public. It is not like Jimmy directly asked Taylor if she is planning on going on tour after releasing the new album, and this helps her not to feel pressured into talking about something she does not want to talk about. Jimmy also tends to play games with his guest to help lighten the mood and make it more fun and silly and less of an interrogation. Jimmy likes to find common ground between himself and the person being interviewed. Fallon also takes the time to really listen and acknowledge their answer. This is why many people go back on his show because they do not feel pressured and feel it is a safe environment where they feel understood.   

 

Writing Journal Prompt #10: Looking at Advertisements 

Throughout this semester, I have studied the many myths and misconceptions about obesity, mainly created by the media. Obesity has so many misconceptions surrounding it, and that is greatly to do with the heavy influence from the media. Many people do not even realize they are part of the problem when it comes to the myths and misconceptions surrounding this disorder. Within this advertisement, there are multiple ideas and misconceptions that can be harmful to the majority of people and for people’s mental health as well. This ad is firstly promoting the idea that there is something wrong with being overweight. Especially damaging because the “fat” person shown as the before is not even heavily overweight or overweight at all. This is damaging because people who struggle with obesity may feel extra alone and judged because they have even more fat on their bodies. The body shown as the before is actually what most normal bodies look like, and the media has convinced so many people it should not look like that and should be skin and bone flat. Secondly, this ad is insisting that with just one “miracle pill” you can burn fat off fast and have a flat stomach. A common myth around obesity is if someone is heavy, they do not eat healthily or exercise. However, someone could be an active person, exercising every day and eating healthily, but their genetics work against them. The media needs to work on helping stop these myths and misconceptions that skinny equals healthy and fat equals lazy and unhealthy. With this pill, someone may end up with a flat stomach but what actually should matter is if their body is healthy on the inside, and people should be less worried about what it looks like on the outside to others. Ads like these are extremely damaging to those who suffer from many disorders, including obesity. People can feel alone and like they are not good enough for this world because they have fat on their body. That can take a huge toll on someone’s mental health too. Everyone has fat on their bodies, and it needs to be accepted by the media. The media needs to help create the idea that your size should not matter as long as you’re healthy on the inside because everyone deserves to live a long, happy life where they feel loved in this world.