Reflective Essay

Olivia Mosley
Andrew Kinney
Reflective Essay
4 June 2010

My Lifetime Goals

My personal goals over the past years have made dramatic changes. When I was younger my goals were a lot more materialistic than they have become in the present day. I wanted to be famous and be just like Britney Spears. By dressing up, singing, and dancing around, I was completely convinced I was going to be just like her. Also, I wanted to have a seemingly unlimited amount of money and a huge house. Growing up was one thing that seemed to never happen. I wanted as much responsibility as possible and could not wait to be all grown up and living on my own. As I have gotten older and realized many of these goals are almost comical, I have changed my goals to be centered more around happiness for people surrounding me as well as for myself.
My goals today are not completely set in stone but I have a good idea of what I want my life to consist of. My first goal is to have a job I completely love which I believe is a job in the field of dietetics. Many people have a job they do not like and they always seem so unhappy because of their life in the workplace. I do not want to have to go home in a terrible mood every day because of my job. Another big goal is to have a family someday and hopefully have as much happiness within the home as my parents have made for our family. Of course there are other goals that are smaller like hurry up and become twenty one but I think I can wait a couple more years before gaining all the other responsibilities that come with being that age.
There were many instances where I realized I wanted to have a job in the health field. When I was very small and one of my brothers or parents got sick I would always take care of them and try my hardest to help them feel better. Seeing other people go through a sickness has never been something I would just sit back and let them deal with themselves. As I got a little older, preventing sickness was something I had became an expert at. I always made sure there was always orange juice and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables around the house. My freshman year of high school I had a class called Living Skills where we learned many things that would become useful throughout our lives. One section was over all the vitamins and minerals needed, their purpose in the human body, and what foods they could be found in. I was completely interested in that section of the class and that is when I truly learned I wanted a career that had something to do with nutrition. One thing I learned was that by eating healthful at all times, you can prevent most sicknesses and diseases before they even have the chance to begin. In a Speech class my senior year of high school I gave a lengthy speech about this fact and presented items that could be integrated into any diet to prevent sicknesses. I was surprised as to how many of my classmates did not know this information and that is when it hit me that I want to teach people how to eat properly and be extremely healthy by being a dietitian. Although dietitians normally work with clients who are already sick, they also often times help people prevent it by giving speeches or writing articles on their recent discoveries which is what I am truly interested in. I want to be able to fill people with knowledge on how a simple diet change can mean a dramatic life change. The world today is filled with so many unhealthy food choices and I want to make a difference. I want to be the reason someone decides to get something healthy instead of McDonald’s the next time they go out to eat. I plan to achieve this goal by attending college, majoring in Medical Dietetics, and perhaps getting my doctorate someday.
Many people have the goal to have a loving family when they get older but mine derives from the fact that I was grown up in an extremely loving home and all I look around and see is divorce and unhappy families. Being married to someone whom you are completely in love with, I believe, is the key. Couples need to love each other for who they are with their perfections and their flaws. Relationships take work from both sides and is not easy what-so-ever as I have learned from watching my parents. My parents have been the biggest influence on me for the family and relationship aspects of my life. They have taught me to love unconditionally, never take anyone or anything for granted, and to put other people’s happiness before my own. When I am older and have kids I want to be able to make the same impact on their lives as my parents have made on mine. I plan on achieving this goal by teaching my kids properly from the time they are born to the time I die. By being with someone I love unconditionally and completing my goal of having a job I love, this goal will be much easier to reach.

Alayna Morris: Reflective Essay!

Alayna Morris

English 110.01

Andrew Kinney

June 3, 2010

Reflective essay

                I have now officially finished three full quarters at OSU Mansfield. My first full year is complete! Although I have struggled picking a major this entire year. I feel like I cannot decide because it is such an important decision that will determine the rest of my life.

                Growing up all I have heard from teachers, neighbors and friends is that I would make a great kindergarten teacher because I’m so kind to others and children love me.  This may be what everyone else wants me to do, but I don’t know if it’s really for me. I always thought I would get older and do great things. In high school I was involved in everything! And that’s not an understatement. I was  class president all four years of high school, a Ski and snowboard club member for 4 years and President of the club 2 years, I was a four year member of student council, student body Vice President my senior year, the Editor in Chief of the school yearbook , a prom committee member my junior year, a member of foreign language club, a Letterman in softball and volleyball, Homecoming attendant my Sophomore year, a member of the safety task force and I was named the 2009 West Holmes Prom Queen.

                I realize now that none of that matters anymore I must make something of myself in the real world. English is the only class that I have done really well in. It comes easier to me that other subjects, plus I had a great teacher! J

                I have decided to go with early childhood education for my major for now. I will see how it goes I can always change my mind. It has great benefits and I get the summers off to possibly open a small business of my own. Once I have children and a family of my own I will get to spend a lot of time with them which will be a main priority of mine. This year has been pretty rough on me because my parents couldn’t help me much with the expenses of school so I have been working a lot and I have two jobs to help pay for my book and apartment. I was lucky that I had received some great scholarships from high school that paid for most of my classes this year.

                This year didn’t go as well as I would have liked I am definitely behind on my pre-requisites for the year. L I didn’t get to take as many classes as I should have because I was working a lot. Next year I am going to try to get my priorities straight. English this year was great and I definitely learned a lot. Working on all the papers definitely helped my understanding of works cited I feel more comfortable with it. Thanks for all your help and feedback you definitely helped my writing capabilities by giving me feedback, you always had a positive attitude and you made learning fun.

Annotated Bibliography

Bacevich, A.J.  “Military Culture and Effectiveness.”  Society 31.1 (1993): 43-47.  Academic Search Complete. Ebsco. Web.  Apr. 14 2010.

Belkin, Aaron, and Melissa Sheridan Ebser-Herbert.  “A Modest Proposal: Privacy as a Flawed Rationale for the Exclusion of Gays and Lesbians  from the U.s. Military.”  Internal Security 27.2 (2002). 178-97  Academic Search Complete.  Ebsco. Web.  April. 14 2010.

                   The authors of this article highlight recent attempts to overturn the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy regarding the military and admissionof open homosexualality.  The article explains the policy as well as lists the contridictions that arise from policy.  Heterosexuals are said to have somewhat of a homophobia in the military where they have little privacy.  The people who condone the policy feel as if their rights will be violated because they will be exposed to the homosexuals who may view them as attractive.  The article also highlights some upcoming changes to avoid so much exposure in barracks, and the fact that more than likely these heterosexuals are already aware of the homosexuals and are conformed to their prefrence.

Carr, John A.  “The Difference Between Can and Should.  Able V. United States and the Continuing Debate About Homosexual Conduct in the Military.”  Air Force Law Review 46. (1999): N. PAG.   Academic Search Complete.  Ebsco.  Web.  14 Apr. 2010.

Davis, Charles L.  “Lifting the Gay Ban.”  Society 31, no.1  (November 1993): 24-28.  Academic Search Complete.  Evsco.  Apr. 14 2010.

Estrada, Armando x, and Janice H. Laurence.  “Examaning the Impact of Training on the Homosexual Conduct Policy for the Military Personel.”  Military Psychology 21.1 (2009): 62-80  Academic Search Complete.  Ebsco.  Web. 14 Apr. 2010.

Harris, Stanley E.  “Military Male Rape and the Development of Male Homophobia in Judaeo-Christian Culture.”  Journal of Bisexuality.  6.4  (2006): 87-120.  Gender Studies Database.  Ebsco. Web. 14 Apr. 2010.

Should Plastic Surgury Be Legal? Alayna Morris

I dont think it is right for people to destroy their bodies just just because they dont like there bodies or the way they look. There are high medical risks from these procedures not to mention the high cost of perfection.

-What makes people want plastic surgury?

-Why would people pay so much money for those procedures?

-How do people accept themselves after the surgury?

-How do others percieve these people after surgury?

-What makes people want to get such a serious procedure done?

Assumptions of this issue is that its all bad and these people just want to change their looks and their bodies, but is one advantage to plastic surgury. When there are accidents that leave  a person disfigured it is a good benefit to society for that purpose alone.

Moment- When someone dies or gets hurt.

Complaint-Its unecessary unless medically needed.

Pitch-They tell you its safe and recoveryis fast and easy, But they dont tell you about infection is very common in with plastic surgury procedures.

Alayna Morris

Proposal

I am changing my proposal for my argument to the subject of pay to play sports.   The pitch for this topic will most likely be that pay to play sports are used within too many school districts where it could easily be avoided.  The complaint will include problems financially within families and the with the current economy.  The moment of this argument is written for parents who have children in school.

Proposal: La’Tiesha Graham

The potential proposal of my analytical argument is of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” code of the military.  This is a legal action upon gay members in the military who are dishonerably discharged when found out to be homosexual.  The homosexuals are of some what an issue to members of the military.  Throughout my research I intend to find out why.  The governement is in the process of making this action illegal. 

The typical assumptions as to why the governement is making this illegal is because it is a form of legal prejudice and it constitutes human rights.  The homosexual community is able to marry in most states, and this issue correlates with that same movement.  The pitch for the paper is the fact that these people are capable of fighting for our country just as any other.  The complaint is the issue circulating the media and the types of attention it receives; from who, why, and where.  It is also the question of why it is an issue for some people that this form of “abuse” toward the homosexual  community should continue.  The moment is the people who support humanity, and we are in the era of the 2000.  This issue was probably legalized in the 1900’s or earlier.  We are of a different generation and we see people in a different spectum than before.

Pitch, Complaint, Moment

Crawford’s assumptions are quite clear and obvious in the article “Shop Class as Soulcraft”. Within the content of this piece, Matthew Crawford implies that people who become craftsmen are far more motivated and master one skill which they will do their entire lives while the average college student learns abundant skills and never really master one particular thing. College graduates seem to be content with just fulfilling what is necessary in the work place and do not go above and beyond as craftsmen usually do.
The pitch is that Crawford believes trade jobs are becoming a thing of the past. Trade jobs are often seen as less intelligent, less gratifying jobs when in fact, craftsmen feel more achieved and are happier throughout their life time than someone just sitting in a cubicle day to day. Matthew Crawford’s complaint is that people today believe they will be happier with a college education with a wide knowledge base than with a trade job. He believes this view is completely mistaken since tradesmen feel more rewarded for their hard work and skill than a college student. Although young people today believe they want to go to work at an office then go home to their families and they will be completely happy, Crawford does not think they will actually be happy with their job and they will wonder why they paid for an education that trained them for a job they really do not like. The moment of this article is written with intelligence to persuade the targeted readers (college students and those who received a college education). If Crawford did not make this writing sound intelligent, then there is almost no chance he could have persuaded the headstrong college students or graduates to think any different about skilled trade jobs.

Crawfords assumptions, pitch, complaint and moment.

In the article written by Matthew Crawford there is a distinct “basic ground of belief” that is generalized to; manual labor is under appreciated, and cubical working has least drive.  He believed that a “craftsman” did his job with intrinsic motivation, hence the the average worker bee in the office fulfill their duties for extrinsic motives.  The manual laborer had a trade right out of high school then spent the rest of their time getting better at their trade, hence the graduating college student is taught a variety of things without really mastering one solid trade.  The statement “college is a ticket to an open future” speaks volumes when comparing the the craftsman to “issue from logic of things rather than the art of persuasion.”

Crawford’s pitch was the fact that most people think that manual laborer’s are less than smart when in fact they’ve used  the knowledge of “volume, pressure, and temperature at a time when theoretical scientists were tied to the theory of heat.”  He then pointed out the fact that their findings weren’t so hot:)  He used the example of the “Vernier scale used on machinists” used in 1631 by handymen that measures in “discrete digital approximation to four decimal places.”  The skilled workers are painted to people who are under paid and over worked when in fact they have an overall life fulfilling satisfaction.  Their children may have more of a pride in them when looking at their father build something rather than knowing they have a picture up of them in their cubical.

The complaint in this article is the fact that younger generations are believing the so called American dream where they attend college for 4 years with or without a major decision on what they will do for the rest of their life.  They think that having some kind of desk job where they could wear a suite and tie, come home to their families and be happily ever after is what they will be satisfied with.  When in fact, they are forgetting that the “Soaring Technology Revolution” needs the handy man no matter how much the new millennium upgrades the lifestyles of people with a little money.  The comment made about the millionaire living next door is the “typical guy driving a pickup, with his own business in trades.”  He wants the teenagers and young adults to look at the manual laborer and learn his path and skill before settling to the painted picture made by society.

The moment in which this article is written is more of a college student context.  He uses language and dialect that even I as a 30 year old had to look up in a dictionary.  He assumed while writing to a bunch of college students or middle class young people that he would need to be persuasive to un-paint that picture that has been put in front of them their whole life.  The audience has more than likely been already influenced by their parents which may not steer them wrong.  He could not sound like a lesser educated person, persuading and audience to a sought lesser lifestyle without sounding as if he is intelligent and knows what he is talking about.

La’Tiesha Graham

CounterProductive Habits?? Alayna Morris

 I believe that Nicholas Carr experiencces counterproductive habits. He Believes in the internet yet he also believes that it has caused him to not be able to read the same as he use to be able too. He also believes he is no longer able to focus on one topic for a long period of time.

Our society has become a lazy generation, the internet is a fast and easy way to find anything we need. If that was taken away from us as a population nothing would get done anymore and it would take much more time for our generation today because most people today dont know how to do anything without the internet.

Alayna Morris

Is Carr a believer or a doubter? Alayna Morris

I think Carr is a doubter. Carr uses the internet and likes it, but even he states that people tend to just look for what they specifically need and it reduces our ability to learn, concentrate and obtain new knowledge.

I believe that google is a big help to us and our society. I really like using google, but i do believe google is making us not use our brains as much as we should be. I like using google, but i do believe it may cause our generation to start depending on it too much which is not good for the future of our society.

Alayna Morris