Final

Callie Reynolds
English 151
Final Essay

My Experience With English 151

Coming into English 151, I really did not think that I would learn much about writing. My dad is an editor and former sports writer and my sister has an English Major and now works for a textbook publishing company. I have multiple other family members who work in writing-related fields. I really thought that I knew everything I needed to know about writing and English and was almost certain that English 151 was going to be a waste of my time. Looking back, I realize that I could not have been more wrong. I have learned an incredible amount of information about English, writing, and myself in the past ten weeks.
I have had many changes in my writing, but one thing has stayed the same. I always like to relate my essays to outside topics. I titled my first essay for this class “Child Psychology”. I chose this because it is the name of a Black Box Recorder song with lyrics describing a young girl’s experience at a mental institution. I believed this was fitting because I was writing about The Ridges and I had been listening to this song the first time I drove up the hill to see the asylum. I recognize this relation of outside topics as something that has stayed the same with my writing because I wrote a fairly similar essay during my Junior year of high school. I compared the lyrics of “Brutality”, another Black Box Recorder song, to 1984. I am passionate about music and try to relate it to my assignments in any possible way.
Over the course of the ten weeks, I have noticed several changes in my writing. In high school, I was always taught that it was unacceptable to use the word “I” in an essay. This class has taught me that the use of this word is actually quite important. It allows me to express my own opinion on topics and I believe it makes my writing more interesting. I discussed my opinion in almost every assignment we had in this class and loved getting to share my thoughts on all of the blogs I posted. When you express your own opinion on a topic, it makes you much more passionate about the topic because it allows you to have a greater connection to the subject. I believe I have also learned how to be more engaging to readers. Each time I created an Eco-Event, I would spend a good amount of time trying to find a topic that interested me. I had tried to write a couple of Eco-Events on some topics that I really did not have much interest in, but I found myself having to go back and restart the assignment to find something that was important to me. I realized that by choosing an event that I was truly interested in, I was able to write much better blog posts. I tried to relate my posts to something we were discussing in class, such as WalMart and organic farming. Some of my Eco-Events were about OU. I talked about sustainability efforts going on at the school because I believe that people have a greater interest in a topic when it relates directly to them. My ability to present the same information in various ways has also changed over the past quarter. For projects two, three, and four I looked at the conventional and organic foods. I had the same information for each project, but I learned to deliver it in different forms. I enjoyed writing the essay, but I like the presentations even more. It helped me to see that there is much more to English than just writing a paper.
English 151 has taught me that I will never truly stop growing as a writer. I have learned to share and develop my own opinion about topics and am able to do this in a variety of ways. I have deepened my connection with writing and have learned to engage my target audience in the topics that I write about. My experiences in this class will not only have an impact on my writing, but on my life as a whole.

Works Cited

Black Box Recorder. “Brutality.” The Worst of Black Box Recorder. Jetset Records, 2001. CD.
Black Box Recorder. “Child Psychology.” England Made Me. Chrysalis Records, 1998. CD.

Final

Callie Reynolds
English 151
Final Essay

Food Relationship

If there is anything I have learned from growing up in a huge Italian family, it is that Italians do two things: they eat and they talk. These two acts normally occur simultaneously and continue for a seemingly endless period of time. This is how it all works: first, we talk while we prepare the food. Then, we eat while we converse, sometimes this discussion is about the food that we are eating. Once we have finished the meal, we sit and talk until the next meal is prepared. If you are not careful, you can easily get caught up in this ceaseless cycle. A couple of years ago, my family and I had taken a weekend trip to visit my Great Aunt Marian. It was Sunday morning and we were planning on getting up for a quick breakfast and then hitting the road for our long car ride home. We awoke to find that Aunt Marian had prepared massive amounts of food which we were expected to devour entirely. My family and I tried our best to steer clear of the food and discussion cycle, but it was no hope. We were trapped. We spent the next three hours talking with Aunt Marian and eating the colossal breakfast she had prepared for us. By the time we had cleared our plates, she had already started to make lunch. It is not just my Great Aunt Marian who does these things, but rather my entire family. And honestly, I have never met an Italian who has not been stuck in the dreaded food and discussion cycle at some point in their life. Needless to say, I have a pretty important relationship with food.
When I am with “The Italians”, I tend to eat whatever I please and consume vast quantities of calories. However, I only visit my relatives a few times a year and manage to maintain a relatively healthy diet for the remainder of the year. My mother and sister are both vegetarians, so I hardly ever eat meat. I take pride in the fact that we rarely eat at fast food restaurants, especially after watching Food Inc. in class. Not only was I thoroughly entertained by this video, but I also learned a lot. I knew animals received bad treatment on industrial farms, but I had no idea it was so horrible. I had the same reaction after reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I was disgusted to learn that cows are fed cow parts and that this is what causes Mad Cow Disease. I was so interested in this subject that I chose to write my English Argument on the benefits of organic foods versus conventional foods.
My eating habits have changed in several ways throughout my life. When I was little, my diet consisted of Good & Plenty candy, peanut butter sandwiches, and various other candies and snack foods. I was a typical kid with a major sweet tooth. In fact, my first word was “Cheeto”. As I grew older, I began to make smarter choices about what foods I consumed. I ate healthier foods and watched my daily caloric intake. I wanted to be in shape and eat nutritious foods. Around the time I started high school, a Whole Foods Market opened up down the street from my house. I thought it was the coolest thing and would be a great way to help me stay in shape. I could purchase all the organic foods I pleased. I suppose this is the way I fit into the greater food discussion. Nowadays, everyone talks about “Going Green” and “Sustainability.” By shopping at Whole Foods and declining any form of fast food, I am helping to sustain the planet. I am also keeping my body healthy. I may be buying into a fad, but I really do believe in the benefits of organic foods. I try to keep myself in shape and encourage my friends and family to do the same.
My relationship with food has changed many times throughout my life, but it always seems to be changing for the better. I am proud of the fact that I choose to eat foods that are good for me and sustainable for the planet. I know the media has an influence on all aspects of my life, including the foods I eat. I like being healthy and go along with The Organic Movement. That does not mean that I will cut out all forms of junk food in my life, because I certainly cannot give up my tradition of having a celebratory doughnut from Krispy Kreme on my birthday each year. However, I will continue to better my health and the health of the planet.

Works Cited

Food Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Magnolia Pictures, 2008. DVD.

Pollan, Michael. “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau. Ed. Bill McKibben. 2008. 948-960. Print.

Organic Presentation

Presentation

Eco Event 7

I was on StubleUpon when I found this link.  It shows pictures of a Buddhist Temple that was created entirely out of recycled beer bottles.  The article says it took over one million bottles to build the temple that is located in Khun Han near the Cambodian border.

I thought this was really cool and pretty ironic.  People don't usually associate drinking and religion, but I thought this was a really neat way of sustaining the planet and making something useful.  The pictures of the temple are incredible and I was impressed by the artwork created by the beer bottles.

I really like the temple, but I wonder if other people will.  I could see how some people may even find it to be offensive to pray in a place made out of beer bottles.  I believe this was incredibly creative and it makes me wonder if this will inspire architects to build more sustainable buildings/reduce existing pollution in the places where they are making these buildings.

Eco Event 6

I found this link when I Googled the word "sustainablilty".  The link takes you to the WalMart website.  This site tells about WalMart's mission to become more sustainable.  Facts about zero waste, renewable energy, and sustainable products can all be found on this site.

I was pretty surprised when I found this because I really had no idea that WalMart had any focus on being sustainable.  It also made me think about videos, articles, and discussion we have had in class about big corporations.  Maybe some of these corporations are not so bad after all.

This link made me wonder if some of the smaller, organic lines WalMart carries have had an influence on WalMart's decision to become sustainable.  Will this lead to an increase in the number of organic farmers who choose to sell their products at WalMart stores?

Eco Event 5

I came across this video earlier today on Stumble Upon.  It is a fairly short film about the production of bottled water.  The video describes the ways in which bottled water companies get us to buy their products.  It also discusses many of the lies they tell us such as, saying our tap water isn't safe and telling us that bottles will be recycled when really, they're just being sent to other parts of the world.

I thought this was really entertaining because I have an interest in the media's influence on consumers.  I knew that a lot of what was said about bottled water wasn't true, but I didn't know how many lies they were selling us. 

I thought this video was really informative, but it still makes me wonder if people are going to stop drinking bottled water.  I feel like people think it is more convenient, so they are going to do it anyways.  Hopefully after watching this movie it'll make you think twice before grabbing a $2.00 bottle of Dasini.

Eco Event 4

I found this article on the Environmental News Network earlier today. It discusses LED lighting and some potential hazards of using these lights. The article says that LED lights are incredibly efficient, but they contain lead and metal toxins that could be harmful to the people using these lights. Click on the above link to read more about the disadvantages LED lighting is having on human health.

I was rather surprised after reading this article because I had no idea that LED lighting was harmful in any way. The piece says that the toxins in these lights can cause hypertension, rashes, certain types of cancer, and even brain damage. I thought this was an important article to read because I try to be conserve energy and have considered LED lighting, but I am not going to put my health at risk just to save a little energy.

After reading this article, I began to wonder if people should even be allowed to use LED lights? Is saving energy worth putting our health at risk for? Shouldn't we use alternatives to LED lights?

Eco Event 3

My sister showed me this site when I told her that our class had been discussing sustainability in Athens. The site is for Integration Acres, a company in Athens that sells pawpaws and promotes sustainability. The company was created by OU graduate, Chris Chmiel. The site tells the about the creation of Integration Acres and is very informative about the Ohio Pawpaw Festival. Products created by the company are sold on the site and many recipes are listed as well.

I really liked this site because I felt that it is incredibly relevant to everything we have been discussing in class. It deals with local sustainability, organic foods, and the reduction of fossil fuels. Their products are sold at the Farmers Market, which we have talked about several times in class. Some of the recipies listed were from Warren Taylor, who will be visting our class this week to talk about Snowville Creamery. Integration Acres also offers field trips, and I think it would be really cool if our class could get a chance to visit Integration Acres sometime to learn even more about the company and sustainability in Athens.

Eco Event 2

I came across this site on StumbleUpon. It is a brief article that discusses the problems assoicated with bottled water. It provides shocking facts about the damage drinking bottled water is doing not only to the earth, but to our bodies. Some of the most interesting facts I found in this reading were that certain bodies of water contain five times more plastic than plankton and that bottles of water contain expiration dates to inform you of when so much time has passed that harmful chemicals are now being released from the plastic into the water. I use BPA-free water bottles, but that's not to say that I don't occasionally pick up a plastic bottle of water as well. The article suggests that consumers stop buying bottled water altogether. This leads me to wonder whether it is possible to completely eleminate the use of plastic bottles. Are people willing to only use BPA-free water bottles?

Eco Event 1

I came across this portion of the Ohio University Website while I was looking for a topic to discuss for our second project. By clicking on the link, you will see that Ohio University is holding a contest to see which residence hall can reduce energy use the most. By participating in the contest, students are entered in the running to win a trip to Cedar Point.

I was pretty shocked when I found this link. I didn't know that the OU website had a sustainability link. I had no idea that this competition was going on, but I was instantly interested in it. My hall tries to reduce energy use by turning off the hall, bathroom, and mod lights whenever possible. I think the competition  is a great way to get students involved in sustainability.

I was a bit concerned that that I had never heard anything about this link. Have other students been informed of OU's attempt to promote sustainability? I would also like to know what else OU does to help the environment. What could we do to make this link more well known to OU students? Are students taking advantage of this competiton? Is this having an impact on the way students live in their residence halls?

Project 1 The Ridges

Child Psychology

By Callie Reynolds

After spending a weekend back in Columbus with my family, I am always pretty excited to return to Ohio University on Sunday nights. Each time I make the trip, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be alive in modern times as opposed to the early 1900’s. For if I were to be making my trip to Athens at that time, I may not have been headed to Ohio University, but rather to the Athens Asylum for the Insane, also known as the Ridges. It is quite possible that I could have been admitted to the asylum because I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Having OCD nowadays usually means seeing a therapist on occasion and taking a prescription medication, but in the early 1900’s, this disorder would have landed me in the insane asylum. Many of the patients at The Ridges were never really insane. They often had minor problems or lacked any problem whatsoever. These problems were “cured” by horrible means. For my research project, I have chosen to address the mistreatment of the patients who were admitted to The Ridges. I am going to discuss my promotional piece, its purpose, my target audience, genre, and the ways in which I tried to appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos.
The promotional piece I created was a journal. This journal was to seem as though it was written by one of the patients who was admitted to The Ridges. In the journal, the patient talks about life at the Ridges and the mistreatment of the patients around her. I titled my promotional piece and essay “Child Psychology”. I believe it to be a fitting title because the patients at this mental hospital were often treated as children, or even animals. This name is based off of a song by the band Black Box Recorder. The song is about a girl who is talking to her psychologist about the problems she is going through with her family. It features eerie lyrics such as, “Life is unfair, kill yourself or get over it.” These lyrics describe the same callousness as was rampantly used at the Athens Asylum for the Insane. This song is also significant to my promotional piece because I had been listening to it one of the very first times I had ever gone to the Ridges. I remember this night quite vividly. I was staying with my sister, who was a freshman at Ohio University for siblings weekend. We had heard many of the tales about the happenings that go on at The Ridges and had wanted to investigate things further for ourselves. At the time I was only thirteen, and I remember being pretty scared as we pulled our car up and parked outside of Lin Hall. It was about ten o’clock on a freezing February night, so we did not stay very long. As we walked around the buildings I felt a sense of sadness, especially after seeing many of the unmarked tombstones in the cemetery at The Ridges. Ever since that trip to The Ridges, I have had an immense fascination with the asylums history.
My target audience for this piece is Ohio University students. I chose them as my audience because I believe that everyone knows the ghost stories about OU, but few seem to know why or how these stories came about. Many of the eerie tales come from happenings at the Ridges. These patients were so brutally abused and mistreated that they are said to haunt the cemeteries of the Ridges and the asylum itself. I do not find these ghost stories to be as scary as I do sad, and I believe that it is important for students to understand the history of the insane asylum.
Since the purpose of my promotional piece was to inform students of the mistreatment of the patients, I wanted to tell the true story of what happened at the asylum. I wrote about the different therapies used at the hospital. I think I also fulfill my purpose because people often think that the patients admitted to mental institutions were legitimately crazy, and that was not always the case. My promotional piece mentions that the main cause people were admitted to The Ridges was because of masturbation. I do believe my piece lacks some detail in the “treatments” of the patients, such as what went on with the lobotomies and shock treatments. However, this was somewhat intentional. I believed that if the journal were to be written from a patient’s perspective, they would know very little about what happened to the other patients during their treatments. I also intentionally left out the reason the woman writing the journal was admitted to the hospital because I wanted the reader to be curious as to if she was actually crazy or if she was sane.
The genre I had chosen for my piece was historical fiction. I wrote it in a plain looking journal to try to make it look older, as if it had come out of that time period. I also wanted my the journal entries to have a more formal tone. However, this is not the exact language or tone of people during that time period. I made sure that the journal did not include any slang terms or words that we presently use, but that were not used in the past. The patient also refers to her place of residence as the Athens Asylum for the Insane. That made the piece seem more historical because that was the name of the mental hospital during the 1920’s.
I believe I appeal to ethos in several ways. I have had a profound interest in insane asylums from a very young age, so I have done quite a bit of research on them. For example, the journal mentions that a patient had left a message on the windowsill saying, “I was never crazy.” I had first discovered this piece of information a few years ago and decided to include it in my piece because it was so poignant and moving that it stuck with me all these years. I have also visited The Ridges several times. One of the sources I used to created this piece was the book Weird Ohio written by James A. Willis. He features a section on The Ridges in his book. Willis is a friend of my father, so I have had the chance to discuss The Ridges with him on several occasions.
My appeal to pathos can be seen in a variety of ways. The promotional piece discusses the horrible ways in which the patients are treated at the mental institution. It is obvious that the patient writing the journal has a feeling of hopelessness during her stay in The Ridges. Not only does she feel bad for herself, but she feels sorry for all of her fellow patients who must be put through these excruciating circumstances. She ends the journal hoping for death because she believes it to be a better alternative to having to spend another day at the asylum.
My piece appeals to logos because it is very factual. I wanted my audience to have a better understanding of what really went on at the asylum as opposed to what one would expect to happen in a hospital. I used chronological order in the journal to make it easy for the reader to comprehend. I also paid close attention to when the journal needed to the time period. Overcrowding became a problem in the 1920’s, which is why I chose the journal to be written during 1923. I also chose May and June to be the months of focus because I wanted the patient to be able to talk about spending time outdoors because the beautiful landscaping of the asylum was thought to make the patients feel happier. It was my goal to make it clear to my audience that many of the patients were not legitimately crazy.
I have discussed my promotional piece, its purpose, my target audience, genre, and appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. I believe that my journal provides shocking and factual evidence of patient life and mistreatment at The Ridges. By completing this research project, I feel that I have a much greater appreciation of modern mental health treatments and it is my hope that my audience will too.

Place

The writing prompt I received this week was to describe my relationship with place. As I began to think more about this assignment, I saw it as being asked to write about my place in the world. I believe that everyone, myself included, has a very unique place in this world. I think that every action has a purpose, so my life is making a difference to the lives of others in some way or another. Everyone impacts the world and the people in it in a different way because no two people are exactly alike. My place is to do something new, something that nobody else would be able to do. I want to have a positive impact on the world and other's lives, but I also want to live my life for myself. I think that if I am doing something that makes me happy, I will be more likely to make the people around me happy.

Everyone needs to know that they fit in somewhere. That is why it is vital to have a sense of place in the world. By knowing your place, you are more likely to be happy with yourself and with your life as a whole.  If a person lacks a sense of place, it would be easier to feel depressed or hopeless. When you have a sense of place, you are more in tune with the world around you. You look forward to every coming day and long to live life to the fullest. It is important to know that you are making a difference to the world in some way and that your life has a purpose to it.