My English 101 Blog...

Quote of the Week:

2008-12-10T08:28:00.001-08:00

There is no such thing as luck. There is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe. - Robert A. Heinlein (Time Enough for Love)

Wilderness v. Walking

2008-11-17T11:11:00.000-08:00

Assignment:

Final - Draft

Write a complete draft of a persuasive essay comparing and contrasting some aspect of Stegner's Wildernerness Letter and Thoreau's Walking.

Wilderness v. Walking

Wilderness Letter v. Walking Essay - Alternate Beginning

2008-10-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

Assignment:

Write a complete draft of a persuasive essay comparing and contrasting some aspect of Stegner's Wilderness Letter and Thoreau's Walking. Use an alternate beginning to your previous essay - use Dr. Hepworth's "How to Begin and End: A Dozen Suggestions."

Wilderness Letter v. Walking - Essay Alternate Beginning

How to Begin and End: A Dozen Suggestions

Wilderness Letter v. Walking - Essay

2008-10-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

Assignment:

Write a complete draft of a persuasive essay comparing and contrasting some aspect of Stegner's Wildernerness Letter and Thoreau's Walking.

Wilderness Letter v. Walking - Essay

Stegner's "Wilderness Letter" - Abstract MLA Format

2008-10-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

Assignment:

Read “Walking” by Henry David Thoreau and “Wilderness Letter” by Wallace Stegner. Summarize the contents of both essays in an abstract. Format one of the summaries in MLA and one in APA.

Stegner's "Wilderness Letter" - Abstract MLA Format

Wilderness Letter by Wallace Stegner

Thoreau's "Walking" - Abstract APA Format

2008-10-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

Assignment:

Read “Walking” by Henry David Thoreau and “Wilderness Letter” by Wallace Stegner. Take notes on your reading. Summarize the contents of both essays in an abstract. Format one of the summaries in MLA and one in APA.

Thoreau's "Walking" Abstract - APA Format

Walking by Henry David Thoreau

11 Questions - Walking & Wilderness Letter

2008-10-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

Assignment:

Compose a list of ten legitimate questions for class discussion of “Walking” by Henry David Thoreau and “Wilderness Letter” by Wallace Stegner.

11 Questions

Little Red Mustang - Poem

2008-10-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

The narrative essay Little Red Mustang didn't work out well as an essay, so I rewrote it as a poem.

Little Red Mustang - Poem

Little Red Mustang - Essay

2008-10-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

Assignment:

Write a complete draft of your own original narrative essay.

Little Red Mustang - Essay

What I Truly Believe

2008-10-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

Assignment:

Use your list of 20 beliefs and any other writing you’ve done on the subject to write a 500-750 word essay an essay in which you say what you “truly and fundamentally believe.”

What I Truly Believe

20 Beliefs

2008-10-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

Assignment:

Compile a list of twenty personal beliefs using the principle of parallelism. Title your list and format your list in MLA style.

20 Beliefs

Tenative Calendar for English 101 Fall 08

2008-10-06T11:43:00.001-07:00

http://drhepworth.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-08-18T12%3A13%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=2

Introduction to Wilderness Letter

2008-09-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.wilderness.org/OurIssues/Wilderness/wildernessletterintro.cfm

“Wilderness Letter” by Wallace Stegner

2008-09-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.wilderness.org/OurIssues/Wilderness/wildernessletter.cfm

“Walking” by Henry David Thoreau

2008-09-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.transcendentalists.com/walking.htm

eTutor Login

2008-09-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

http://pearson.smarthinking.com

Create a Podcast

2008-09-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

One Way to Create a Podcast

Mycomplab URL

2008-09-08T18:40:00.001-07:00

http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_ruszkiewicz_mcl-sfhb_8/

What I Truly And Fundamentally Believe

2008-09-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

What I Truly And Fundamentally Believe

An Essay

A Podcast

Assignment:

Create a Podcast of 'What I truly and Fundamentally Believe'.

Our greatest fear...

2008-09-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

" Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us." Nelson Mandella

20 personal beliefs essay - draft

2008-09-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

Assignment: Use your list of 20 personal beliefs and any other writing you’ve done on the subject to write a 500-750 word essay an essay in which you say what you “truly and fundamentally believe” (Essay #1).

What I truly and fundamentally believe

What I truly and fundamentally believe has been cultured by education, influenced by society and shaped by my life experiences. As I have aged, I have discovered that I had lived in a state of youthful ignorance. The joys and brutalities I have experienced in my life, and those that I have observed in the lives of others, have formed what I believe. While I believe that the more I learn, the less I know, I have come to live my life by those beliefs.

The course of my life has come with numerous opportunities for self-reflection. Some occurred during times of turmoil and frustration, when I would look at the man in the mirror and wonder what went wrong. Others occurred during times of success when I wondered what went right, ultimately concluding that my successes and failures in life are determined by the choices I’ve made. I believe I have the potential to be a better person, and have an ongoing desire for personal growth; but as with us all, I am definitely a work in progress. I believe in myself and that I can have or be anything I am willing to work hard enough for. However, I’m also aware this cannot be done alone, and I believe that choosing the right partner is the single most important decision I will ever make; it will determine my life’s path, and the accomplishments I attain. After a failed marriage, I have learned - without question - personality and integrity outweigh physical beauty.

I have come to discover after taking psychology that personality is shaped by our life experiences, good and particularly bad. Someone who has been deeply hurt might react with abrasiveness as a defense mechanism, or someone who has little self-confidence might be taken as arrogant. Before I learned this, there were times when I would dismiss people I disliked. Through my social and workplace interactions with others, I have come to believe if you don’t like someone, you don’t know them well enough. Once I began to practice these beliefs in my own life, I was able to demonstrate compassion and understanding toward others. I began to realize everyone has hopes, dreams and fears, and sharp words can bring tears. As the saying goes: “Words are sharper than knives”, and I would add “wounds to the heart may never depart.” Compassion, awareness and understanding have now become words for me to live by.

My interaction with others has opened my eyes to new ideas and concepts. I no longer subscribe to religion because I have witnessed and experienced the division it has caused among people, families, and entire nations. Rather, I lean more toward a belief in intelligent design and that we are not alone in the universe. When one considers the number of stars in the midnight sky, it is pure arrogance to presume otherwise. Consciousness of waste and the regression of our society to a purely consuming nation has prompted an awareness of the role I play in the need to care for the environment.

I’ve learned that with age comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes the development and understanding of how fragile and precious life really is. With new experiences, education, enlightenment or an encounter with someone’s opinion on the matter, the beliefs that I hold true today may change at any time - with or without notice. But until then... this is what I truly believe.

20 personal beliefs using the principle of parallelism

2008-09-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

Assignment: Compile a list of twenty personal beliefs using the principle of parallelism.

20 personal beliefs

As I have aged and experienced the joys and the brutalities of life, my beliefs have changed with time; some for the better - some for the worse. The following is a list of some of those beliefs;

1. I believe humans have an inherent nature to be kind

2. I believe religion divides people

3. I believe we should care for the environment

4. I believe everyone has hopes, dreams and fears

5. I believe most people who seek political office shouldn’t be elected or trusted

6. I believe words are sharper than knives

7. I believe if you don’t have a sense of humor you don’t have any sense at all

8. I believe personality and integrity outweigh physical beauty

9. I believe no one should marry before age 35

10. I believe no one should have children before age 38

11. I believe compassion, awareness and understanding are words to live by

12. I believe we are not alone in the universe

13. I believe choosing the right partner is the single most important decision one will ever make

14. I believe sometimes you should do it for the story

15. I believe your successes and failures are determined by the choices you make

16. I believe if you don’t like someone, you don’t know them well enough

17. I believe the more I learn the less I really know

18. I believe mentoring a child is one of the greatest contributions you can make

19. I believe I have the potential to be a better person, and I am a work in progress

20. I believe in myself

This is a list of my current beliefs. It is not a complete list, but includes the main concepts I try to live by everyday. And, as I live my life and gain increased knowledge and understanding, is subject to change at any time – with or without notice.

Quote of the Day

2008-08-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

"If at first you don't succeed, you're running about average." - M. H. Alderson

I must be below average ;)

First Assignment

2008-08-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

So this is the first day of English 101.

My assignment - create a blog.

According to the syllabus I will be posting thoughts, feelings, ideas, essays and other assignments throughout the semester. Oh, and posting to my blog gets me a point.