Magazine Reflection

Through the magazine project, I learned more than I had ever imagined I would. The project covered so many different topics. It gave us creative freedom to focus on what suited us best and what fit our own experiences. As far as the writing for my article goes, I focused on the economy, recession and losing my internship. This was something that interested me and it was a way I could share my internship experience and relate it to current American affairs. All year, we’ve been having class discussions and learning about the economy and the recession. This was a chance for me to translate that new knowledge into an experience-derived article for the magazine. I tried to incorporate facts that readers would relate to, like comparing California’s unemployment rate to the rate of this semester’s interns.

I learned so much about the publishing industry in these few short weeks. Though I was often worried about the lack of extra time we had to complete this project, I see now that it was an accurate representation of what the printing and publishing world is like. The fast pace of this project and the printing deadlines that were absolutely crucial provided a sense of real world professionalism. This project wasn’t like other projects—we couldn’t ask for extensions or change due dates. Since we were working with our printers and knew we had such a short amount of time, the deadlines were set in stone. I’m glad that I was able to experience this because if I ever choose to enter a career field similar to this, I have had the experience of working towards fast-approaching deadlines.

Layout and design were so important in this project. To be honest, I was worried about this when we first started to collaborate ideas for the magazine. I was worried that our class of nearly 50 students wouldn’t be able to agree on one style, ideas would clash, the pages would appear cluttered or busy and our final product wouldn’t be cohesive. My worries were completely gone once we started the project and set specific style guides and jobs. We had a writing style guide for everyone to follow so grammar was consistent throughout the magazine. We also had a style guide with the fonts that everyone was to use and the correct formatting. I’m so glad we started the project off this way because it completely avoided any clash of ideas and gave everyone solid examples and expectations for their spreads, while still leaving room for creativity. I’m so proud of our final product because it is professional and cohesive and has nearly 50 authors.

I personally saw my writing skills develop throughout the course of this project. The skill that I was happiest to attempt and eager to continue developing was condensing my writing to send a clear message to the intended audience. I was able to practice this so much when I was writing my article. In the early drafts, I neglected to mention the actual message of the story until one of the last paragraphs. I had thought that I was building up to a climatic ending, but I had done it wrong and the paper really had no meaning. After critiques and new drafts, I had a final article that was drastically different from my first. I cut out a lot of unnecessary paragraphs along the way. I focused and expanded on the important parts and finished with a much stronger and more meaningful article. This quality of learning to send a clear message is very important, or else your reader will be lost in a mess of words. I want to work on this a lot more because it is difficult to find a balance of being simple, clear and understandable, yet still using literary tools and diction to make it a high-quality piece of writing.

I've learned that critiques are probably the most important and essential aspect of creating a piece of writing, at least in my experience. Through critiques and advice, I made changes that I never would have recognized or thought of. I now understand that, as a writer, it's important that I seek out critiques and constantly write new drafts. I’ve learned that I need to work on a piece of writing every single day from when it is assigned to when it is due. I learned that having a fresh draft every day, ready to make more changes, is the way I work best. In order for my writing to develop further, I need to establish good habits that work for me, like the ones mentioned above, and make them routine. I know that when I dedicate myself to a piece of writing and work on it every single day, it will gradually develop and become stronger, which is exactly what I saw in the magazine project.

Magazine Reflection: Part Two

Overall, when you think about the big picture of your writing, what improved? How did it get better? Why?

In the early drafts of my article, I neglected to mention the actual point of the story until one of the last paragraphs. I had thought that I was building up to a climatic ending, but I had done it terribly and the paper really had no meaning. It was really difficult for me to decide how to rewrite a powerful introduction. I wanted it to catch the reader's attention, yet leave enough hidden information to discuss throughout the rest of the article. After many critiques and revised drafts, I had a rewritten introduction. I cut out a lot of paragraphs from my first draft that proved to be unnessecary. I focused and expanded on the important parts and finished with a much stronger and more meaninful article.

Overall, when you think about the big picture of your writing, what still needs work? What do you think will help you improve? Why?

I'm generally happy with my completed article. Comparing my first and final drafts show me how much I improved and how dedicated I was to creating a good piece of writing. I feel like I still could have improved on clarity throughout the article and ending strongly. Reading it again, I noticed areas that probably could have been rewritten so that the sentences were simple and easy to understand. Line-by-line editing would solve this. I would also have a few different people read over it so that it wasn't being critiqued by eyes that have already seen it before.

Specifically, show us something that improved and describe the path it took to get better. You can quote your article, your drafts, link to evidence, etc.

My writing improved when I zoned in on particular details and wrote specifically and personally. I learned to to take a general statement and rewrite it to make it more specific. Through the process of writing this article, I learned that each paragraph can become stronger if specific sentences bring some sort of detail that the reader can relate to. I know that if I look at a sentence and think of the ways I can bring detail to it, it strengthens my writing. It's easier for me to get all of my thoughts down on paper in the first draft and, later on, go through each paragraph and find ways to add details. For example, in the early drafts of my article, I had a boring paragraph explaining the well-known fact that companies are struggling and closing down--"Unfortunately, today's working Americans know the story of unemployment far too well. Companies are finding it harder to stay profitable and are being left with no choice but to regretfully downsize or even close down." After realizing how general and boring this statement was, I incorporated sentences that would make sense to the reader and my general audience and make it much more personal and easy to relate to--"...I began to better understand recession because I was witnessing it firsthand. I started noticing the local effects of recession everyday. Stores are closing and boarding up their windows. New stores are replacing others to suit the needs of consumers--See's Candy at Fashion Valley Mall recently reopened as a Cash4Gold store. Starbucks, undoubtedly one of the most famous corporations in America, closed over 600 stores in 2008." The paragraph continued with more specific examples that readers will relate to much more than the original.

Describe something specific (or a few things!) that you learned about writing.

I learned that a piece of writing can always be improved. One of the techniques that I enjoyed the most was concerts, not pancakes. It really helped me to consider each sentence individually and make each one powerful on its own. I also liked the loop-writing structure because it's challenging. It is difficult to do, but it makes writing stronger. I hope to continue to practice the loop-structure and use it in other pieces of writing. Keeping these in mind will help me with my writing in the future.

Magazine Reflection

What went well for you during the process of creating this magazine?

I feel that everything went as well as possible and the class as a whole did a great job. What I liked about making a magazine was the fact that the standards of completion and perfection were automatically raised tremendously. For example, the Media Saves the Beach project was put online, where it can still be altered or changed if needed. This magazine can't be changed once its printed, which made me want to make it absolutely perfect. I liked having that high-level of expectation and it worked well for me because it made me want to make everything as perfect as possible.

I feel like I did a good job at helping my classmates in what they needed. I would offer to copy-edit or critique anyone's article, helped my editing group with their layouts one-on-one before I started my own, and I was able to step in on other editor projects in addition to the ones I signed up for.

What challenges did you face as you moved from an early draft or idea to a final product?

When writing my article, I didn't struggle in the beginning stages of getting my ideas organized, but I did struggle in later drafts, trying to perfect it. I had trouble with the structure as my ideas started to separate and I needed to include more. I also included a lot of unnessesary sentences that I never really noticed as I read it, but learned that they weren't needed when others pointed them out to me. I sought critiques from a lot of different people and ended up with at least 10-12 drafts, if not a few more. As far as layouts go, I learned a lot about dotted lines.

What other examples of work—student and professional—stood out as exemplary and served as a good model for your own work?

For writing, I took advice from critiques from anyone that I got them from. For layouts, I looked at a lot of magazines. I had never really taken the time to look at a magazine spread and decide hoe it was made, but it helps alot. I've always liked simple, yet different and interesting magazines or advertisements and now I see why they really work. When we did in-class layout critiques, I got a chance to look at everyones layouts and some that I really liked were Wyatt's, Rodrigo's, and Kaory's.

Lit Groups

What worked?

Our game that we played when we all finished the book was very successful and our whole group really liked it. I'm glad that I put a lot of work into that because it was very successful. I think the idea of reading along with a group is a good idea, but it doesn't work when half the group reaches the due dates, and some don't. It would have been easier to talk and discuss the book if everyone was on the same page when we checked in.

What would you like to change?

I'm a slow reader so I have to change my own reading habits so that I am not stuck reading an excessive amount the night before it is due. Other than that, I wish there was a way to make Lit Groups more even and make the work that people put into the activities a little more balanced.

What was your book about?

The book that my group read for the first Lit Group session was The Grapes of Wrath. The story followed the Joad family as they travelled from Oklahoma to California during the Dust Bowl/Great Depression in hopes of finding a better life. The book describes deaths in their family, difficulty finding work, and other tragic hardships they had to face.

Obama Socialism

Since the early beginning of the 2008 Election, there have been speculations, accusations, and comments made about Obama being socialist. By Googling “Obama Socialism”, about 5,370,000 article results and 6,927 news articles will appear on your screen. Articles like, “The Rush Toward Socialism—and How to Stop It”, or “Obama Socialism will Wreck the Nation”. Personally, I see many of Obama's plans as plans of redistribution. I think that, if implemented correctly, redistribution could be the remedy that America's economy is in desperate need of. The controversy of Obama's recent raise in tax rates on the richest Americans can be interpreted in many different ways. Transferring money from the rich to the poor, redistributing wealth, or taxing according to one's ability to pay. As seen from a McCain spokesman's point of view, "Barack Obama wants to increase taxes on small business, the one current bright spot in the economy," said Tucker Bounds, "only to issue handouts to Americans who don't pay income taxes in the first place." Socialism seems to be seen in a negative light, but it's important to think about what would happen if there were no ideas even remotely related to the concept of socialism. A successful government with certain socialistic ideas doesn't have to be completely controlled by the government. If there were no policies that supported the ideas of rehabilitating low-income communities or creating jobs for people in need, what would America be like?

Many past presidents had ideas similar to President Obama's. Both Obama and Ronald Reagan were sworn in as president during an economic recession. By February 1981, less than one month after being sworn in, Reagan unveiled his "Program for Economic Recovery". Similarly, in February of 2009, President Obama announced that he had put a limit on the amount of bailout money large companies can receive. A few days later, Obama created the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Both Reagan and Obama worked quickly to implement new ideas in hopes to fix the broken economy. In a 2004 article, Paul Krugman explained, "Ronald Reagan does hold a special place in the annals of tax policy, and not just as the patron saint of tax cuts. To his credit, he was more pragmatic and responsible than that; he followed his huge 1981 tax cut with two large tax increases. In fact, no peacetime president has raised taxes so much on so many people."

Sources Cited:

• Dave Michaels and Todd J. Gillman, Dallas Morning News, McCain Remarks on Obama 'Socialism' Viewed as a Stretch, 19 October 2008, Link, Accessed 21 April 2009.
• PBS, The American Experience, "Timeline of Ronald Reagan's Life", Link, Accessed 22 April 2009.
• Paul Krugman, The New York Times, "The Great Taxer", Published 8 June 2004, Link, Accessed 23 April 2009.
  

Honors Blog

The Grapes of Wrath; by John Steinbeck

Tom Joad.

What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc. Tom Joad is of average height and average weight. He gained a more muscular build from working during his four years in prison. He stands tall and confidently. He may be intimidating to some, mostly people who know his past.

Describe the character's further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc. Tom has shaggy, messy brown hair. He isn't clean shaven because of all the traveling he has been doing. His skin has been tanned to brown because he is constantly in the sun. He has no noticeable scars and no tattoos.

What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelery, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her. When Tom left prison, they gave him new clothes to wear. In the beginning of the book, when he reunited with his family, he was wearing a nice suit and brand new shoes. Later in the book, when they were traveling, his clothes were dirty and messy; for all the families traveling West, wearing dirty clothes was inevitable.

What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor. The entire Joad family talked the same way. Their speech was a little difficult to understand and they had heavy southern accents.

What is the character's role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time. Tom, like many others, didn't have a job for the majority of the story. He was able to get some work when they got to the government camp. Just like everyone else, he tried his best to find work, that was the ultimate goal.

What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche? Tom wasn't specifically religious throughout the book. His family was religious, especially his grandma. Tom did write the note for grandpa's grave, but I don't think that is specifically religious. I think he had a philosophy of doing what is best for his family. He made choices that he thought would help his whole family in the long run.

What do others in the book say about the character? Tom's family loves him and was ecstatic when he came home from prison. His whole family was shocked and happy, especially his mom and dad. Since he is the oldest Joad son, he is seen as the leader, after Pa. His younger brother Al obviously looks up to him and wants to impress him. People outside of his family often talk about Tom and how he killed a man. Sometimes, its indirectly, like to his brother, "That's Al Joad. His brother killed a man." People seem to be interested in him because they know what he did. When he meets new people, they usually take an immediate liking to him because of his kind personality to strangers.

What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book? Tom is connected to history, of course, because of his involvement in the story itself and traveling to California. He was one of the many, many people who made the journey and his character is a specific story that we can follow.

What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this? Tom has his father's name. I'm not sure it represents anything other than the fact that he is the oldest son. He does take a role of responsibility at certain times throughout the course of the story.

How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change? I see Tom as the character who developed and changed the most by the end of the story. The main thing that I noticed is that he went from caring mostly about himself and his well being, to caring more about his family and others. I saw him gain a larger sense of maturity and he started to worry about others more and do what was best for the other people in his life.

Rose of Sharon.

What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc. Rose of Sharon was about six months pregnant in the beginning of the book. Other than that, she is average height and size.

Describe the character's further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc. Rose of Sharon has long hair that is messy when not braided back. She has a round face and no scars or tattoos.


What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelery, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her. Rose of Sharon usually wears a dress. She has no specific jewelery that she wears, but may have had some packed away while they were traveling.

What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor. The entire Joad family talked the same way. Their speech was a little difficult to understand and they had heavy southern accents. Rose of Sharon spent much of her time dreaming about her life with Connie. She also had a tendency to complain and cry when things weren't in her favor.

What is the character's role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time. She didn't have a job. On the trip, she spent most of her time with her husband Connie. After he left her, she spent her time in self-pity and trying to make her whole family feel sorry for her. She thought that every bad thing that happened during the trip would have an effect on her unborn baby. People quickly became annoyed with all of her complaining.

What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche? Rose of Sharon was very superstitious about her baby. She was constantly worried and fearful that something would happen. When her grandma died, she thought it would have a negative effect on her baby. In the government camp, an extremely religious and strange woman told her that dancing and acting were sins and would send you to hell. Rose of Sharon was terrified and thought that she had hurt her unborn baby by dancing. All of this messed with her head and made her live in fear throughout the book, until the tragic birth of her baby.

What do others in the book say about the character? Her family loved her, but they were often annoyed of her constant whining and complaining. Ma was the one who would tell her she needed to stop having pity on herself and that she needed to help instead of crying and feeling sorry for herself.

What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book? Just like all the other characters, Rose of Sharon is connected to history because she traveled to California. She was one of the many people who made the journey. Rose of Sharon could also represent pregnant women going through difficult times or women who have had to deal with the pain of having a still born child.

What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this? Rose of Sharon is a really interesting name. Throughout the book, she was referred to as "Rosasharn". Ma loved her name, "'When you're young, Rosasharn, ever'thing that happens is a thing all by itself. It's a lonely thing. I know, I 'member, Rosasharn.' Her mouth loved the name of her daughter." (Page 209). I think her mom chose her name because she loved the way it sounded.

How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change? For most of the story, Rose of Sharon was only concerned with herself, Connie, and her unborn child. She was self-pitying and and had an overwhelming sense of self-importance. However, after the birth of her stillborn child, Rose of Sharon developed a sense of maturity and selflessness, even feeding a starving man.

Al Joad.

What physical presence does the character have? Include height, weight, size, physical fitness, posture, etc. Al is of average height and weight. He is physically fit, but not extremely muscular. His posture and walk is very confident.

Describe the character's further visual details. Include hair, eyes, face, teeth, scars, tattoos, etc. Like his brother Tom, Al has similar hair and eyes. His facial structure is defined and he is usually dirty with car oil. He does not have any scars or tattoos.

What distinguishing items does the character wear? Include clothes, jewelery, shoes, and any other physical item the character keeps with him/her. Al tries to dress really cool and fashionable. He rolls up his jeans and and his t-shirts walks confidently. His shirts tend to be dirty with dirt and car oil, since he is always under a hood fixing cars.

What distinguishing behavior does the character have? Include habits, preferences (music, food, literature, etc.), speech (sayings, stalling words, etc), and demeanor. Al's main interests in life are cars and girls. He loves cars and he wanted to work as a mechanic. He was also in love with any cute girl he saw. And like the rest of his family, his speech was the same rough, heavy speech.

What is the character's role in society? Include his/her job, hobbies, and uses of time. Al was responsible for the truck. He picked it out and kept it running. He helped out his family a lot by handling the mechanics of the trip.

What is the character's religion or philosophy? What beliefs does he/she hold? How does this create or mitigate internal conflict within his/her psyche? Al never really showed any sense of religion or philosophy.

What do others in the book say about the character? Tom seemed to be impressed with how quickly Al had grown up while he had been in prison. Everyone was thankful for Al, especially since without him, the truck wouldn't have run so well.

What connections does this character have to history, established religion or the world beyond the book? Just like every other character, Al is connected to history because of his involvement in the story itself and traveling to California. He was one of the many people who made the journey and his character is a specific story that we can follow.

What does the character's name suggest? Authors rarely (if ever) name characters at random. What could the name symbolize? What evidence do you have for this? I cannot think of anything that Al's name could suggest. Maybe Steinbeck just liked the name? ;)

How does the character develop during the plot? How does he/she change? Al matures throughout the story, but he still has his moments of immaturity, like when he could only think of finding girls when there were larger problems within the family. He still grew a lot throughout the course of the book.

Internship Photo Essay

One of our assignments during our two-week internship immersion was to photograph around our internship site and create a photo essay. The purpose of the photo essay was to convey a story or theme related to our internship experience.

The California Center for Sustainable Energy, or CCSE, is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a sustainable future for the world we live in. They aim to advance public policies and provide programs, services, information and forums that make clean, reliable, renewable, and a sustainable environment a feasible mission. When I first started as an intern, I thought I knew about clean and efficient energy. I was under the impression that I knew all there was to know and that I was as “Green” as I could be because I felt I knew enough. However, after watching videos, researching and writing, spending time in the facility with “Average Joe” (pictured), looking at solar panels and light bulbs, being taught by others, and teaching my new knowledge to others, I learned so much more than I ever thought I could. I wrote papers about alternative energy, found the carbon footprints of packaged foods and water bottles, and used biodegradable spoons and forks for the first time. Looking back on it now, I can see, almost in slow motion, the steps that I took and the constant progress and growth that I made in a few months’ time.

Some people wouldn’t enjoy it simply because it seems boring and tiresome, but volunteer coordinating was one of my favorite responsibilities as an intern. It amazed me as I read applications and saw how passionate people were about volunteering their time. Coordinating the meetings was new to me and I overcame my fear of making business phone calls. As I was jotting down notes at the first volunteer meeting, a woman asked me for my e-mail address so she could send her résumé. She wanted to “be sure that it got to me directly”. Such a small thing has never made me feel so important. I felt noticed and not overlooked as a high school student. After this, I saw that internship is a catalyst in the process of preparing for college. Small experiences like the volunteer meetings gave me a larger sense of maturity and made me feel much more self-reliant. But of course, a seventeen year old can’t always act like an adult.

For two weeks, I spent my time with Leo and Chandler working in the small “closet”, or Intern Workroom. At one point, the office got so crowded, messy, and packed with all of our stuff that we couldn’t even move. With stacks of boxes filled with our project supplies, three chairs, two bookcases, two desks and computers, all of our clothes, and an endless supply of food, the office started to look less like a workspace and more like our rooms at home. Employees would walk by and joke that they’ve never seen the room so messy. My mentor, Kimberly, walked and joked, “At least you have the excuse of being teenagers.” Though it was a funny, on-going joke, a day of epiphany finally came and we cleaned the room until it was habitable again.

On my very first day of internship, my mentor told me that I could always go into the Break Room and take whatever I wanted to eat. I didn’t go for the first couple of weeks; for some reason, I felt like I was stealing! It was awkward for me to walk in and talk to the employees. By the end of immersion, I was walking in there, eating the food, and I would almost always end up in a conversation with someone. Everyone always seemed to be so interested in what we had been working on and how we enjoyed internship. One afternoon in the Break Room, I was talking with Anna, the Marketing Assistant, “It sounds like you guys are doing an awesome job.” She said, “We’re all really proud of you guys. We’re so happy you’re here!” Small conversations like that help days go by smoothly and made me feel appreciated and like I had proven myself. Completing many HR projects and volunteering to help with the Climate Change Program shows me that I’m capable of anything and I’ve become more self-reliant.

Around 12 o’clock, every day during immersion, we would leave our cluttered desks and walk to get our lunch. In n’ Out, Taco Bell, and Quizno’s were our favorite places. Walking down Balboa Avenue turned into a joke when Leo and Chandler would try to cross the street when I wasn’t looking and leave me stranded on the corner (they succeeded most times, and I’d have to run to catch up). Everyone at the office joked because we would say we were going out to exercise, just to eat our fast food. Leo and Chandler tried every day to get me to run with them, but I turned them down constantly. They finally convinced me to run with them once and I was so proud that I kept up with them. But I should’ve known they would steal my glory and tell me that they were jogging as slow as they could to stay with me.

The High Tech Fair was completely about science and technology; the three of us interns represented CCSE at our booth. The fair was filled with different organizations and companies, with exhibitors ranging from experts on aerospace, agriculture, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, computers, electronics, environmental science, and green energy technology. I taught and high school students about carbon footprints, energy efficiency, and renewable resources. The lessons were interactive and interesting and run solely by the interns. The success of the fair and the feeling of accomplishment that followed made the perfect ending to immersion. It was the culmination of the efforts we put into learning and presenting the topics. I couldn’t have asked for it to have gone any better. We were even in the newspaper!