Nicholas Schweers

Maj Hodde

4/29/18

Teaching Portfolio

 

Introduction to Service Teaching and Learning experience:

ERH-411 during the Spring 2018 semester has been an excellent experience. The course revolved around the development of student “teachers” who would then go to either Lilburn Downing Middle School (LDMS) or the Kendall (Kendall) retirement home, and teach the kids or adults the art of memoir writing. The class first consisted in an introduction to memoir writing for us students. Once we came to understand many of the issues, concepts, and strategies of memoir writing, we began to meet with Kendall and LDMS. At these meetings, two cadet facilitators would lead a discussion, bringing forth research and a guided lesson plan to introduce the subject matter to the residents or middle schoolers. The discussion would then teach, evaluate the needs of those being taught, and hopefully address those problems. The meetings that followed kept that general outline, but constantly developed both classes understandings of memoirs and how their writing processes can be improved.

Questions- One question that I have about this course is the necessity of teaching memoir writing to these two audiences. I say this because both LDMS and Kendall are seemingly full of very intelligent people. At LDMS, there were children who were writing way above the average ability for their age group. Most of the kids seemed to be of above average intelligence. With the Kendall Residents, many of them had already completed college or higher education, many had been published, and they all seemed more than capable of writing memoirs or at least doing the research they needed by themselves. I just wonder whether we could have been used as a more valuable resource to a group of people who were uneducated, or a school that struggles with academics in general. There are many schools in Appalachia, even around Rockbridge County that I’m sure could have used some help in developing their writing skills. My second question relates to the first. If the Kendall Residents are already so experienced, what really can they learn from us?

Goals: I have two goals for this course. First off, I want to have some form of positive impact on the groups that we are working with. If I could teach them one thing that will help them in their lives, I will be happy. Second, I want to improve my own creative writing. Creative writing is something that I have always enjoyed, and I look forward to learning more about how to improve myself.

 

Research an existing Community Writing Project:

Nicholls, Sophie. “Beyond Expressive Writing: Evolving Models of Developmental Creative Writing”.             Journal of Health and Psychology, VOL 14(2) 171-180. Sage Publications, York, UK 2009. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1359105308100201

I have chosen “The Appalachian Writing Project” (http://awp.uvawise.edu/OurResearch (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. ). They are an organization that pair universities with public schools to “…train teachers to become writing consultants and agents of change in their school systems, while recognizing themselves as writers.” They do so by giving the public school teachers access to research that will help them learn the linguistic issues or differences between their home areas and other places, allowing them to help their children learn how to use their language more effectively as a whole. This program relates to our fieldwork as a whole. It teaches adults, who should already be proficient at writing, how to improve themselves, and then to use that information to help improve those they teach. While it is less personally focused than our teaching, the main effort of the program is to teach others how to write well, and then for them to pass on and or use that information for the students and schools that need it the most. This kind of project is needed worldwide, anywhere where there is any sense of disparity or lack of resources for students of any age. The AWP focuses on an area of the United States that has a particularly high poverty rate, along with a typically not satisfactory education system. Programs like this are essential to developing students into writers, which will be required in high school, college, or almost anywhere that they are going to work in their futures. Without the ability to write and express their thoughts well, they are far less likely to succeed than their peers. But success is not the only reason that creative writing is important.

Another, less talked about impact of teaching creative writing is the positive effect if has on people of all ages. One particular way in which it could help out these rural Appalachian communities is by helping the students express themselves. This would allow for not only better writing, but it would also help students with their own mental health. Developing writing allows students to, “… more easily open themselves to the exciting but scary larger space, the less controllable realms of the unconsciousness” (Nichols 175). This allows for further self-development as well as a way to cope with the stresses and trauma that may enter into the students mind. Nichols further explains how, “…expressive writing might offer some initial relief from traumatic experience”. So this basic introduction may be therapeutic to students whose home lives may be traumatic or scary. If students are influenced to constantly develop their writing and reflection skills, over months or years of practice, they might, “… shift our (the students) relationship(s) to lived experience”.

Documented Community Participation:

1- Monday February 5, 2018. 1100-1230. McDonald and Foster. Scott Ship Hall Room 201. Kendall Residents. Introduction into memoir writing, invention, and memory.

2-Thursday, February 15, 2018. 0925-1030. Lee and Carlos. LDMS. Memoir writing through poetry, stressing expression of the senses and memory.

3-Thursday, February 22, 2018. 0925-1030. Sarah and Amber. LDMS. Writing about embarrassing or hard memories.

4-Thursday, March 20, 2018. 0925-1030. Nick and Yuri. Scott Ship Hall Room 239. Kendall Residents. Basic revision and getting a clue as to what other information the Kendall Residents felt would be best to know.

5- Tuesday, April 3, 2018. 0925-1030. Sarah and Amber. Kendall Residents. Continuing revision, writing about traumatic and hard memories, final preparations for the public reading.

Lesson Plan 1-

ERH 411 Fieldwork, Nicholas Schweers and Yuri Panchik

Teaching Portfolio

Memoir Lesson Plan Sketch

Lesson Title: Incorporating Fiction into Memoir Writing

Audience: Kendall Residents

Purpose: Ensure that Kendall Residents understand that there is no way to remember EXACTLY how something happened, and that in order to recreate a memory, they must incorporate fiction to fill in the gaps. This creates a fuller story and something that the audience would find more authentic and enjoy more. Reinforce that just because there is fiction in the memoir, it does not make the memoir fiction. If it goes along with their memories, it is still true to themselves.

Bigger Questions: What gaps need to be filled in a memoir? How can you best use fiction to fill those gaps?

 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify where fiction is needed to make a stronger memoir.
• How to incorporate the fiction itself.

Materials: Pencil’s, writing Paper, Excerpts from our (Yuri and Nick) own memoirs (one without the fiction, the other with).

Procedure:

1- Visualization exercise (15 min) – Think of a memory, how much do you remember? Do you remember what every person said, what they were wearing, the smells and sounds etc…? How much do you REALLY remember?—– Give the Kendall Residents the uncomplete memoir (without fiction) to read. Point out how empty it is. Give our filled out memoir, and talk about the major differences.

2- Writing activity (15 min) – Give them a new scene without any fiction. Ask them to implement their own made up/fictional details.

3- Sharing/Conclusions (15-20 min) – Partner up, have the residents and partners share what they added to the story, ask if anything stuck out and ask any questions.

Teacher Notes for Reflection, Action Steps:

The lesson went according to plan. Using Yuri’s and my creative writing pieces to show them how bland writing without some bluffing was seemed effective. It did not take long to go through, but instead of a writing practice, the groups went into a discussion, then split off into small groups. I partnered with one lady that was writing the story of her family for her children and grandchildren. She was a sweet lady that mainly seemed to struggle with making her writing interesting. That was a struggle due to the fact that she was simply writing about what she knows of her lineage. This fit perfectly into the topic, because this would give her ample opportunities to write about what her family members could have been thinking or feeling as they came to America, so on so forth. Group conversations went a little bit longer than expected, resulting in a quick recap of the meeting, and then the Residents left (May 1, 2018).

Lesson Plan 2-

ERH Fieldwork, Nicholas Schweers and Yuri Panchik

Teaching Portfolio

Memoir Lesson Plan

Lesson Title: Revison

Audience: Kendall Residents

Purpose: Identify areas in which Kendall residents are struggling. Ask questions and have an open discussion about these issues and possible solutions. Provide examples of revision of both Nick and Yuri’s memoir’s. Adequately prepare the residents for the public presentations of their memoirs in April.

Bigger questions: What specific challenges are common among the writers? How can these be addressed? Also, what is going well?

Learning Objectives:

• Identify areas of struggle for Kendall residents
• Identify solutions for these struggles
• Practice revision in their own works
• Prepare them for public presentations

Materials:  Pencil’s, writing paper, excerpts

Procedure:

• Introduction: Nick and Yuri’s example (10min)
• Group discussion: identify any problems the residents are having(10min)
• Look over/review memoirs in small groups with cadet leaders (15min)
• Group sharing—small or large— conclusions about revision. Any questions or issues they still have?
• (15min)

 

REFLECTION- NICHOLAS SCHWEERS

On March 21, Yuri and I performed this Lesson Plan with the Kendall Residents in our normal classroom. Up until this point, the class had largely focused on helping the Kendall Residents with memory and invention. We did not have much direction as to where we should take the Residents next, so we decided to begin working on revision and to get the Resident’s opinions on what they would like help with the most. After basic introductions to revision, Yuri read his work and showed how he had revised it, and the Residents seemed to love the memoir and commented on his revisions. I did not get a chance to read my memoir or revisions due to time constraints and the fact that it would be a little bit too repetitive. We then moved to small group discussions where we got to hear the Resident’s memoirs, and give them any advice on revision or anything else that was lacking in their stories. After a good while, we turned back to talking to the whole group, asking where they would like to go with the lessons after this.  A few Residents voiced their opinions which hopefully directed the next student group to be more effective.

Overall, the lesson went well. Residents got help with what they needed, a basic introduction into useful revision, and got to share their ideas and even some of their memoirs. While almost everything went well, a highlight was Yuri sharing his own revisions with the Residents, giving them a good example of what needs to be done, and making them feel more comfortable sharing their own memoirs to the whole group. The cohesiveness of the group really seemed to start coming together around this point, and I could tell the Residents were starting to feel more comfortable with each other and the environment as a whole. One thing that could be done more effectively is keeping with the schedule. In this lesson, along with many others, it seemed that the small group discussion went over the scheduled time limit, which is not bad, but it kept the group from having a longer class discussion and limited our time to see where the Residents saw they needed the most help.

3 additional dated reflections-

1- Monday February 5, 2018. 1100-1230. McDonald and Foster. Scott Ship Hall Room 201. Kendall Residents. Introduction into memoir writing, invention, and memory.

The lesson began with Foster and McDonald handing out a piece of a professional memoir and a piece of their own memoirs. McDonald started with his, and it seemed to focus on invention and memory, but mainly served to make the Kendall Residents more comfortable in this new environment. Obviously their writings were not professional, which in a way seemed to connect with the Residents, opening them up to share their own works and to get a dialogue going. They really got comfortable when Foster read his memoir piece. His piece had curse words and seemed very realistic, or down to earth. I believe that the vulgar nature of his piece brought enough humor into the room to finally get the Residents in a place that was comfortable enough to break into small groups. In these small groups, we found partners that we typically stayed with throughout the other lessons.

2-Thursday, February 15, 2018. 0925-1030. Lee and Carlos. LDMS. Memoir writing through poetry, stressing expression of the senses and memory.

Lee and Carlos taught the kids how to write memoirs through poetry. This gave them a particularly powerful tool to help the kids with memory and invention. They focused primarily on developing the kid’s ability to describe their senses. They handed out a packet that had examples of descriptive poetry, and spaces for them to write their own descriptive poems beneath. They also had a power point presentation with the same poems on the board. They would describe the sense, read the poem, and describe how the poem involved the sense that they were teaching, then would have the kids try their hand at writing a poem highlighting that sense. Then, after all of the examples, they had the kids try to write their own poem incorporating all of the senses, using what they had already written. This seemed particularly effective with such young children, because it forced them to focus on aspects of life that do not seem important to them. When put to the task, the kids performed excellently, writing beautifully descriptive poems.

One thing that I did notice is that all of the kids were not on the same level of writing ability. Largely, I believe that is due to the social ability of the kids. Many seemed to excel in their work, but one or two kids in my group seemed too scared to share their thoughts and feelings to be able to express themselves and then share it. That is definitely something to keep in mind when working with people in an environment as stress filled and judgmental as school.

3-Thursday, February 22, 2018. 0925-1030. Sarah and Amber. LDMS. Writing about embarrassing or hard memories.

Sarah and Amber brought up a fantastic topic to teach to young students. Middle school is a hard time in one’s life. It is filled with the stress of growing up, changing, and judgement for these changes. Some kids are far more mature than others, and not everyone is able to understand what the others are going through. So Amber and Sarah taught the kids how to write about those embarrassing and awful moments that everyone goes through. They gave their own examples of things in their own lives that they find hard to write about and embarrassing. They talked about how it could help them to understand the experience and even help them get over that trauma. They ended the session with asking the kids to write about their own embarrassing experience. When they asked that, all of the kids started snickering and calling out one boy who was in the group I was working with. He seemed very intelligent for his age, and was able to write better than most others from what I could see in the class. I instantly wondered what he could have done and if his embarrassing story was due to his maturity. But after writing, I asked everyone to share their experience if they were comfortable, and I was not ready for his story. He told me that during Valentine’s Day, he did not get any candy grams, even from the girl that he liked, who I assume he had “asked out” or voiced his interest in. On the final candy gram run, he heard his name was called. He was so excited as he went to get it. When he read it, he was crushed, and instantly laughed out of the classroom. It read something along the lines of, “You’re a nice guy”, which in reply to a confession of young love would have been crushing. This was the only moment that stuck out from this meeting, because as a 21 year old male, I have never been through such a horrifying experience as that. But through writing about the experience, he seemed to be able to cope with the embarrassment well, which was the purpose of the whole class.

 

 

Publishing and Community Impact

 

I was a bit under the weather and could not attend the publishing/public reading. I regret terribly the fact that I could not attend the pinnacle of the class. I would have loved to be there and see how far everyone and their memoirs had come since the beginning of the year. It has been great seeing the Kendal Residents and LDMS Students develop throughout the semester, and it has helped me develop as a writer myself. It has been a wonderful experience.

To LDMS:

Dear LDMS students,

Thank you for letting me and my fellow Cadet Leaders have the wonderful experience of working with young students as smart and talented as you. I hope that we have helped you all learn to enjoy writing, and that you are all more confident in your ability as writers and students as a whole. I am proud of all of you and excited to see where you all go in your lives. You are young and have a long way to go, but I have never seen such a smart group of middle schoolers in my life. I am confident that if you all keep working as hard as you work, you will go far and succeed in whatever path you chose in life. Thanks again for your time, and Rah Va Mil.

 

To the Kendall Residents:

Dear Kendall Residents,

Thank you all so much for participating in our journey to become better writers. Being a student is something that lasts your entire life, and I hope that we in some way or another have helped you develop your writing and have helped you along your path to reach your writing goals. It was hard to know what you all needed help with, because you all seemed like such advanced writers already. Again, thank you for your time, and for helping me realize many different ways that I could improve my own writing. I definitely learned as much, if not more, from you all as you learned from me. Your inspiring stories and writing skill have motivated me to work on my writing more than you know. Good luck with your works, God bless, and Rah Va Mil.

Nicholas Schweers

Maj Hodde

5/1/18

Creative Portfolio

 

 

Reflective Tag-

ERH-411 requires that we dig into our own minds and write about experiences in our past, using creativity to not only complete but also enhance the writing that we do. This is something that I struggle with, because I feel as though I am ultimately not that creative. So when we were assigned to create three of our own creative memoir pieces, I was a little bit nervous but very excited. I thoroughly enjoy creative writing, but it was definitely a challenge adding elements such as a different perspective and

Writing Process Journal-

Journal 1- My first creative memoir for this class was easy. I picked one of my favorite memories that still is very alive in my mind. It seemed effortless to describe not only how I felt but also to describe the senses that I had observed during the moment. Everything was so clear to me, but it was only a memory. While memoirs are essentially just the telling of a memory, it is better if they conclude with some lesson or anything that leaves the reader feeling like they had learned or gained something from the reading. After a classmate had revised it, they pointed out that my conclusion did need more work. I spent a good amount of time thinking and writing then re-writing the end, focusing on some sort of lesson that I pulled from the experience. Finally, I realized that capturing the moment and enjoying the present company while you can is the important lesson from that memory, and that conclusion resulted in the completion of this memoir.

Journal 2- My second memoir presented a particular challenge for me. This memory had faded a little bit. I remembered the major details of the experience, but the ricochet memoir format required that I add a good amount of back and forth dialogue into the story. Luckily, Yuri and I had done a lesson plan that revolved around incorporating fiction to spice up your memoir when you cannot remember everything that was said or that happened. By adding dialogue, which did not happen exactly as I wrote it, the memoir became more relatable and understandable to the audience. Overall, making the dialogue was my greatest challenge with this memoir, but it also allowed the memoir to flow a lot more smoothly than if I had just described the situation.

Journal 3- My third memoir, or a different point of view memoir, was by far my favorite creative writing project that we performed this semester. In this, we had to write a memory we had, but from the perspective of someone or something else that experienced it. I liked this because it allowed me to think outside the box, and really embrace the creativity that I struggle with. I wrote about the same experience as my second memoir, but not from the perspective of a person, but the car that we moved. I attempted to make it seem as though the cars were people and that we were criminals. It was such a ridiculous sway on the story that it was hard to create the cars characteristics, and even harder to finish the story in a way that lets the audience understand that it was from the perspective of a car. All it took was some advice from my peer reviewer, and a good amount of time on revision, and I eventually ended it by revealing to the audience that the narrator was a car, and that we were the bad guys.

Three Original Memoir Pieces-

Creative Memoir 1-

Clouds covered the sun, spreading an orange tint over the rolling hills that spread out before us. A glowing spring wind swept around us, bringing with it the sweet smell of blooming flowers, trampled weeds, and the sweetest aroma of the cigars we were smoking. The words rang out from my roommate’s speaker.

“Don’t you know the answer’s in the sky?

The sky. Half of it was a dark blue, growing darker and darker as the sun slid beneath the mountains. The other half was a crisp orange, broken up by the darker clouds hanging slightly above the horizon.

“If you believe you’ll let your spirit fly”

And for one of the first times in my life, I was completely happy. I was with four friends who I consider my family to this day. The scenery and the weather could not have been any better.

“Can’t you feel the heavens open wide?”

It seemed almost unreal. I caught myself thinking of a brown haired brown eyed woman who was hundreds of miles away, and how much I wished that we could be sharing this moment together. I look off into the beautiful sky, only thinking of her more and more.

“Fool the answer ain’t in the sky”

The answer sure is not in the sky. It is not in our heads. While this was my favorite memory, I had spent much of the time sitting there not in the moment but in my head. I wished that my current girlfriend could have been there. I wished that the moment would not have ended. I wished and I thought, but that is not what these moments are for.

“It’s in the heart of a child”

It is moments like this that you need to behave childlike. Children are often lost in the moment. They see things as they are, not as what they could or should be. I should have focused more on the way the sweet cigar smoke twirled out of my mouth, looking like spirits chasing each other back to the heavens. I should have focused on the strangely comfortable bark that we sat on and picked at as we sat, not saying a word. The smell of the gentle breeze. The coolness of my ice cold drink on my sunburned body. Eventually, I became like a child. It did not take technology to make me happy. It did not take something I did not have in that moment to make me happy. My heart was full because I was drinking and smoking with family, listening to gentle music that seemed to roll over the hills, or roll over us like the smoke.

“The beauty is there inside”

While I wish that I could have been more in the moment, many details still stuck with me, but one did so more than any other. It was the moment I realized that I had found my second family. Sitting in a beautiful environment, smoking and drinking and listening to my favorite music would have been enough to make anyone happy, but the real reason this memory sticks out is those friends. We sat ignoring any distractions from the moment. We did not have to say a word to know what we were all thinking. The cool air began to get colder, but we stayed, in our shorts and tank tops, disregarding comfort for the experience. The sun finally set. The sky darkened and the girls asked for us to head back to the lake house. We moved almost silently, in awe of the vast power and beauty of the moment. Then again, moments like this are rare to find, but friends like these are even more rare to find.

Creative Memoir 2-

 

“Pull it a little bit harder” he said as I grunted, leaning back with all of my strength. “Just a little bit more and I can fit the screwdriver in!” he exclaimed. “’There” he said, stepping away.

“It took you long enough… there’s no way that it was that hard to fit a screw driver behind the door of your old worn out jeep” I said sassily.

“Well maybe if you actually worked out, it would have taken only a few seconds” he retorted, making me laugh.

After a few brief moments, I had to ask, “What’s next? Do you know how to do this part?”.

“Uuuhhh… we can figure it out as we go” he said as he unfolded the wire hanger. “Push that back, and I’ll try and hook this around the lock”.

I pushed the screw drive back, opening the top part of the door. He slid the hooked end of the hanger down, quickly wrapping it around the lock, and pulled up. “AH HA!” he yelled as we opened his door, reaching in for his keys.

“Well, that was easy” I laughed after realizing it only took two people under five minutes to learn how to break into a car.

“With older cars like this, it’s pretty easy. The locks have divots you can lock onto. Newer cars take a lot more skill. We walked back up, through the parking lot, towards the dining hall. “Wouldn’t it be funny if we moved Gabriel’s car” he said, receiving a hearty laugh from me. But with that laugh, a seed was planted…

 

 

The very next day, Gabriel, the pompous, self-conceited head floor proctor of the entire boy’s dormitory, shoved one of my friends in the shower and turned it on. My friend had all of his clothes and technology on him as he got soaked.

I know he has no common sense, but I didn’t think he was possibly that stupid I thought for the entire next day as I tried to calm my incredibly angry friend down. Finally, after a few days, my soaked friend began to think rationally again.

“We have to get back at him” he said, clenching his fists slightly.

“Let me go get Landon, I think we have an idea” I said, the seed blooming into a whole forest in my head.

Within minutes, the three of us headed back down to the parking lot. After we found his car, we effortlessly broke in. We knew how to jam it into neutral in case we needed to tow the vehicle, but we could not find a tow hitch or any steel hooks at all. While Landon and I were searching the front of the car, we hear our friend Marco scream, “JACKPOT”. We quickly run around to see what he is so excited about.

“Did you find a hitch?” Landon asked excitedly.

“No… better!” Marco replied as he came out from underneath the back of Gabriel’s car, holding up a spare set of keys. Needless to say, we took the keys and drove his old Honda Civic into the center of a field, making it visible from quad. We almost got expelled, but thankfully we had received approval from several of the school’s faculty, meaning that we were relatively safe. It truly is amazing how one single thought can be planted like a seed that blooms into a memory that everyone involved will cherish forever.

Creative Memoir 3-

“Oh my gosh, Brian, have you heard about the break in that happened a few doors down?” whispered Shelley, the cute but small blonde next door. She was peeking over the thin white fence that separated us.

“Yeah… I’m kind of worried. This is a good neighborhood. That kind of thing usually doesn’t happen here” I said as I took a sip of my cool dark drink, giving me some energy. “Have you heard how Becky is doing?” Becky was the girl whose house got broken into. She was a strong, outdoorsy girl with messy blue hair.

“I heard they only stole her keys, so it’s really not that big of a deal… it’s just scary that it could happen here” said Shelley.

“That’s not too bad” I said, knowing that this was not the end of these break-ins…

 

After I had finished my drink, I headed to bed. I was tired… I am old after all. My tan skin seemed to glow in the darkening evening sky. The last thing I remember before the incident was laying down, thinking that I should move my spare keys from underneath the doormat.

“BOOM!”

A loud crash woke me up. I was too mortified to even make a sound or to move. I could see a screwdriver being used to pry open my door. They wedged open the top with it and reached their hand in to open it even more. “What can I do… What CAN I DO?” I thought as I just laid there, paralyzed by fear, waiting for my fate.

“Oh we’re going to get him so good” I heard them laugh quietly as they slid a wire hanger down the door to unlock it. After a few brief moments, they got it. Two of them ran in, wearing white shirts, khakis and red ties… like some sort of hit men. I knew my time had come. Shadows told me that there were others searching the perimeter of my house, for what I could not understand. I stayed silent and tried to pretend that I was asleep. Maybe they would take what they wanted and leave me in peace. But that was not their plan…

I watched as the door to my room creaked open. The dark figures walked in slowly. I saw the knives clipped into their pockets. “Why are they not even armed? Are they going to hurt me? If so, why would they come in and not even have their knives out?” I thought as they creeped closer and closer. I felt a cold hand grip my wrist and pull me out of bed, standing me straight up. “Come with us now” he said, but I wouldn’t get myself to move. After a brief tussle, I heard one of the criminals outside yell, “JACKPOT”. I froze as he came in holding the keys to my house. All of the sudden I fell into a blurr and seemed to just move with them. The fear that I had felt earlier was gone. I felt nothing. No emotions. I was just moving to survive. I vaguely remember being dragged out of the neighborhood, hardly awake, paralyzed with fear. They took me out to an open field in plain view, and dropped me. The leaders who entered the house first sat me up and stared at me. He waited for me to realize where I was then said. “It’s not about you. It’s never been about you. It wasn’t even about Becky… it’s all about the game” He said with a laugh as he stood up and threw my keys at my face, turned around, and left, laughing with all of his cronies. I still don’t understand, to this day, why they did this, but after that, they were never caught breaking in to anyone’s houses ever again…

Gabriel, my owner came by, tears streaming down his face. “I can’t believe that they would ever do anything like this, not to me” he sobbed as the headmaster of the school stood behind him. He was livid that anyone could ever do something so heinous to Gabriel, but at the same time, you could see him smiling. Gabriel had a reputation of being very self-righteous, so it must have been nice to see him get humbled by a few sixteen year old students. After calming down a bit, the headmaster and Gabriel got in me, put the keys in my ignition, and drove me back to the Monastery parking lot, where it would be safe. It wasn’t my home, but it was the only way I could know that I was safe. It’s hard being a car when you are surrounded by hooligans like Nick Schweers and Landon, two of the main culprits.

Overall, your draft was good. A few things that you may want to pay attention to are the chronological organization of your sentences, and in particular, the further development of your thesis. Remember that topics should generally go from general to specific, which could surely help your paper more.

Nicholas Schweers

Maj McDonald

8 February 2018

Reading Response 1

 

Aristotilian and general Classical rhetoric is based off of Aristotle’s three appeals: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Ethos, or the “good will of the speaker” refers back to the first chapter of “Rhetoric for Writing Teachers”, where it talks about how the writer must be believable (Lindemann 41). Pathos and Logos also are tied into the first chapter to advance the “…writer-reader…” concept. Pathos appeals to the audience’s emotions, memories, and anything that could pull on their heartstrings to advance persuasion. Logos appeals to the rationality of the audience’s mind, helping the audience believe what is being said. Rhetoric, which is largely the art of persuasion, has been constantly modified throughout history, but almost all rhetorical ideologies refer back to these three appeals. One main example is the 5 cannons of rhetoric (Lindemann 42). Invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery all correlate or more so dissect the three appeals. All of the cannons effect one’s ethos, because if one lacks in any one cannon, people will not view the orator as well. Arrangement, style, and delivery all go into pathos, for the manner in which you present your information will greatly affect how the audience views the rhetoric. Finally, invention, style, and memory all work together to create logos, for if one forgets the material, is not consistent in style, and cannot logically connect the information, it will appear illogical.

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Nicholas Schweers

LTC Ticen

Ramayana Time Capsule

Help Received: Sources, class notes and discussions.

The Ramayana is one of Hinduism’s primary religious texts. Much of ancient Indian culture is contained in this ever changing text, and it even influences Indian and Hindu culture to this day. The story was for many years told by word of mouth instead of a single main text. This has resulted in hundreds if not thousands of different variations of the Ramayana, each with different messages and cultural ideologies held in their words. New renditions are being made to this day, resulting in the Ramayana being a sort of living document to guide the moral behavior of those who follow Hinduism and its tenants.

This time capsule is meant to be read in 4 years, or the Fall of 2021. Coincidentally, this is the same year that my rats may be taking this course (as firsts), which would be awesome. If you get this, “Hey, get your chin in, and congratulations on making it this far- Dad”. If you are not my rat, I am sorry, and I hope that this capsule gives you the tools to gain a basic understanding of the Ramayana and parts of its cultural significance. Below you will find my views of the Ramayana, links to two versions of the Ramayana, three scholarly articles about Dharma in the Ramayana and modern culture, and a link to a cultural reference in which the Ramayana is referenced or used. I hope this helps with your class. Drive forward. Rah 19!

Link to Naryan Ramayana:

http://dt.pepperdine.edu/courses/greatbooks_v/gbv-15/66697602-The-Ramayana-R-K-      Narayan.pdf

Link to Paul Richman’s “A Diaspora Ramayana in Southall, Greater London”:

Richman, Paula. “A Diaspora Ramayana in Southall, Greater London.” Journal of the American   Academy of Religion, vol. 67, no. 1, 1999, pp. 33–57., www.jstor.org/stable/1466032.

 

Many people seek the knowledge of what is good and bad in life. They believe that if they live their lives in a manner that reflects this “good life”, that they will be rewarded in some way. This is part of the reason that people will do what is right instead of always following the easy, most pleasurable route. Following the just way of life is what allows society to work together in relative harmony. This concept is one of the main facets of Hinduism, which believes in a “universal order”, or a right way of acting, known as “rita”. Rita shows the struggle for the balance of the universe. To uphold this “rita” Hinduism gives a sort of guideline on how to live. It is called Dharma, and is understood to be the “embodiment of rights, duties, laws, justice, virtue, and truth” (Bilimoria 65). The Ramayana, one of Hinduism’s primary religious texts, sets the example on how to best achieve one’s dharma. Rama, the main character of the Ramayana, sets the example for people of all times and places to better themselves, and strive to achieve unity with rita.

While there is no single way to give the example of a person with perfect dharma, Rama is sometimes seen as “Dharma personified”. While Rama may be one of the “most perfect” examples of Dharma, the Ramayana is filled with countless other examples from countless other people. Two examples can be found in the work of John Brockington in his journal, “The Concept of “Dharma” in the Ramayana”. On page 659, he gives two examples of how to uphold Dharma that do not involve Rama. The first happened when Lakshmana was preparing to leave the comfort of the city to accompany Rama and Sita into the wilderness. Lakshamana’s mother tells him, “It is a universal principle among good people that the younger should be subject to the will of the elder, and the custom of this family has always been to give alms, to undergo initiation for sacrifice, and to lay down their lives in battle”. This excerpt provides a partial glance at the societal order of the time, largely focusing on respecting one’s elders and sacrificing oneself for the greater good. Another set of advice, but this time given to Rama’s adversary, follows a similar pattern. Marica, one of Ravana’s companions, said, “Therefore in all situations rulers are to be honored and respected; but you, not acknowledging propriety, have fallen into a mere delusion”.  This is another example of the Hindu belief in respecting one’s elders and superiors. This also shows the result of not following dharma closely.

When the social order is disrupted by the neglect of dharma, karma comes into action. Karma is essentially cause and effect, or what comes around goes around. There are countless euphemisms for karma, but one that is particularly relevant is, “If you play stupid games, you get stupid rewards”. This statement means that if you act without thinking, and do what is wrong and rash, you will be punished in one way or another. This is particularly relevant to the Ramayana, because poor choices are what caused the story in the first place. As a child, Ramayana made fun of and threw mud at an elderly, deformed woman. In return, when the god-like Rama was about to take the King’s throne, the deformed woman convinced the Kings wife to send Rama into exile for 14 years. Rama takes his punishment well, and leaves for the 14 years to find himself. His brother Lakshmana and his wife Sita accompany him. Together, they survive and thrive in the wilderness, running into many people that either become enemies or friends. At one point, Rama’s enemies, particularly Ravana and his company, kidnapped his wife, but that is not even the most important relationship in the Ramayana.

One of the most important relationships that Rama forms is with a diving monkey, Hanuman, and his king Sugreeva. After Sugreeva earned Rama’s trust, he had Rama help him kill his brother Vali. This is another example of Karma, for Vali had taken Sugreeva’s wife as his own, and had on many occasions attempted to kill him. After this, Sugreeva takes charge of the Kingdom and pledges to help Rama find his wife after the Monsoon Season is over. While Rama waits for the season to end, Sugreeva builds an affinity for the pleasures of life. When the season ends, he forgets to send Rama his armies, which almost resulted in Lakshamana destroying Sugreeva’s kingdom. Thankfully, others interceded for Sugreeva, calming Lakshamana down with their reasoning, showing another concept of Dharma, or temperance. Eventually, the armies arrive, and they search for, find, and rescue Sita from Ravana and his armies.

The Ramayana remains a foundational religious text for Hinduism, but its age does not make the messages it sends irrelevant. Many of the traditional messages promoted laws that are now seen as sexist or over-conservative. For example, the concepts of svabhava and svadharma had been largely relevant in India for many years. Svabhava, or the “inherent nature” of women is to distract or harm men, which is seen at several points in the more traditional renditions of the Ramayana. For example, Rama advises Sugreeva to watch out for women due to this same concept. Svadharma, or women’s “own dharma”, was also a very commonly held belief in India. An example of svadharma in traditional Indian culture would be the involuntary appointment of a wife to another man after her husband dies. This principle neglected to ever take into account the woman’s needs or desires. Many other examples may be found in traditional Hindu and Buddhist texts, but that does not make the stories wholly bad (Dharma pgs 160-172).

The Ramayana has been told and retold since its conception. Thousands of differing texts of the Ramayana have been produced, each largely pushing their own agenda. This is shown well by Paul Richman in his “A Diaspora Ramayana in Southall, Greater London”. In the Diaspora, Richman gives an account of one particular case where a group of oppressed minorities, particularly the women in the minorities, made their own telling of the Ramayana to send a political message. In their rendition, the women made Sita and other female characters more strong willed and important to the story, challenging societies pre-conceived notions of male dominance.

The Ramayana, an ancient religious text, is still being used to this day because of its useful messages, and its adaptability to every situation. The Ramayana is constantly being retold, with each rendition adding its influence to the telling. This has made the book a sort of living document, which means that the messages being spread today, while differing from the original, still coincide with modern Hindu beliefs and moralities.

 

 

 

Works Cited:

 

BILIMORIA, PURUSHOTTAMA, and LYKA SETHI. “Dharma in the Hindu Epics.” Key        Concepts in Modern Indian Studies, edited by Gita Dharampal-Frick et al., NYU Press,             2015, pp. 65–67, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt15zc7zj.29.

 

BROCKINGTON, JOHN. “THE CONCEPT OF ‘DHARMA’ IN THE RĀMĀYAṆA.” Journal           of Indian Philosophy, vol. 32, no. 5/6, 2004, pp. 655–670.,       www.jstor.org/stable/23497156.

 

HILTEBEITEL, ALF. “Dharma for the Twenty-First Century.” Dharma, University of Hawai’i   Press, 2010, pp. 164–172, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt6wqszc.15.

 

Richman, Paula. “A Diaspora Ramayana in Southall, Greater London.” Journal of the American   Academy of Religion, vol. 67, no. 1, 1999, pp. 33–57., www.jstor.org/stable/1466032.

 

 

The three scholarly articles above were all carefully picked for the paper that I had to write for this capsule. The names of the articles are as follows: “Dharma in the Hindu Epics”, “The Concept of ‘Dharma’ in the Ramayana”, and “Dharma for the Twenty-First Century”. The underlying theme I used for my research was dharma. The concept of Dharma is one of Hinduism (and other belief systems such as Buddhism), which is the belief in maintaining the proper social order. The Ramayana gives many great examples of the tenants of dharma.

By using these sources, I attempted to gain an understanding of dharma, and also attempted to portray how the Ramayana has been used as a medium to teach dharma throughout time. Of course, an intensive study of this would take years and thousands of pages, so I give just a brief overview. I used “Dharma in the Hindu Epics” to gain a fundamental understanding of Dharma, its purpose, and some instances of its use in the Ramayana. Then I moved to Brockington’s article, which allowed me to find more in depth examples of dharma in the Ramayana. Finally, I used “Dharma for the Twenty-First Century” to learn how the Ramayana is being portrayed to stay relevant in the modern world.

 

 

http://painting.mittballs.com/contemporary-paintings-by-indian-artists/

Above is a link to a website that contains contemporary paintings from Indian artists. The pictures largely reflect religious leaders such as Sita and Rama. In these renditions, Rama is often found to be gentle, and is often found to be embracing Sita. In others, Sita, or Indian women are found to be joyfully playing the flute. I included this link because contemporary art often shows the ideals of a current society. This site reflects that Indian culture is caring, creative, but at some points harsh. For example, further down the page is a picture of a woman seemingly being mocked by three other women. While this may reflect public shaming in Indian culture, there could be any other number of meanings in the painting. These pictures all give those same little revelations of what is in the artist’s mind, and what their beliefs (including their beliefs in dharma) reflect.

Schweers_ERH303_StudyAbroadOverview-2c01tfv

 

Nicholas Schweers

LTC Ticen

2/3/17

Study Abroad Overview

 

Congratulations!

If you are reading this, you are either considering attending The University of Mumbai, or you are preparing yourself to go. Regardless, you are about to embark on a fantastic journey. The University is world acclaimed, but that is not necessarily what I want to tell you. I want you to know more about what is important, like the history of Mumbai, the social ways of Indian people, the environment, and most importantly, the food of the region.

 

THE UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI-

The University is quite a large school, and one that has more than doubled in size in recent years. In fact, it is so large that there are 40 faculty members in their Arts department alone. This is impressive, especially for a school that is widely known as a more math oriented school. For engineers, this school is also a haven. Due to the relaxed attendance policies, students can engage in clubs and organizations that will not only provide entertainment, but also can help further one’s education. But another awesome aspect of the University of Mumbai is its location. The University has many different campuses throughout India, but the one we are discussing is actually the Main Campus in Mumbai. This is special in particular because of the many aspects of its surrounding areas.

HISTORICAL ELEMENTS NEAR THE UNIVERSITY

To be frank, the school is probably the least entertaining part in your study abroad experiences. I find that one of the most interesting factors of Mumbai is its dense history that the whole area contains. Mumbai’s history ventures back thousands of years. Originally called Bombay, it has lasted through many times of change, many wars, and other mass carnages that have only added to the culture. It is located in-between many different world powers, and has prospered from the trade between all countries. Unfortunately, Mumbai’s influence on trade has also been a cause of many of the “mass carnages” that they have faced. For instance, when the Suez Canal was built, Mumbai and its surrounding areas became ports for many incoming goods, and prospered from taxes and business for the Canal overall. Yet when World War One and Two came around, the Suez Canal became a major point of conflict. Its advantages for one’s economy and Militaristic maneuverability were unmatched.

The British, who controlled much of India, have influenced much of the culture wherever you look. But when India was reaching its independence from Britain, they began to have many internal struggles. One of these most notable struggles was the Hindu-Islam conflict. This conflict lead to many thousands of people being abused or even Massacred throughout much of India. While there remains violence and tension between different religions in India, Mumbai celebrates its diversity and acceptance.

RELIGION IN MUMBAI-

            Mumbai is seen as a very liberal part of India, for it constantly celebrates diversity and acceptance. Through the mass diversity and the hectic schedule of “Mumbaikars” (the pet name from people who live in Mumbai), the people show their religious conviction by regularly attending the services of those religions which they follow. These religions include, but are not limited to, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Each of these religions celebrates holidays and other special occasions in unity with each other, and even Christmas lights are held during the whole Christmas season. The people, being so devote, must conform their busy schedules to their religious lives as well.

PERSONAL LIFE-

            The people of Mumbai are known as, “Mumbaikars” or “Bombayites”, and are seen as hard working, cultural, witty, modern, and passionate people who are very approachable. They are commonly seen as a light hearted people. For example, it is not uncommon for you to find them travelling several hours for something that has no major impact on them. But that is only an outside perspective of their vast and interesting culture.

While in Mumbai, you will see things that you most likely have never seen before! For instance, if you do not live in one of the United States’ largest cities, then it will be unfathomable how packed Mumbai is. During periods of heavy traffic, the streets will be packed, and the railways will be as well. In fact, it gets so packed on the railways that there have been reports of people being shoved out of their trains in other people’s attempt to get on board. To go along with that negative, 12 hour workdays are common throughout India, and weekends are typically a lost concept in Mumbai. Thankfully, there are many more bonuses to life in Mumbai than there are downsides.

The social life in Mumbai is widely acclaimed throughout much of the world. Shopping is a large attraction to all in the area. Malls are so huge that they are described as “mind boggling”. They are open from 10am until 10pm, and are most busy on Sundays, where it is said that there is little to no room to even move while shopping. People go to these malls, “to check out the latest fashion, eat, relax, be entertained, and have fun— as well as shop” (goin). While the mall was fun, nothing brings you closer than a stroll through Mumbai’s street markets. Everywhere you look, there is fresh fruit and meat being sold by loud vendors. The spices and live meats seem innumerable as do the people yelling their offers in the streets. Many people even advise taking a translator or learning some Hindi before taking on the street vendors. After looking at all this food, and hopefully having lunch, you can continue to look around. When you work off your lunch and get hungry, the street vendors often sell small snacks such as spiced potatoes cooked in dough. After a long day of walking around markets or working, there is nothing like blowing off some steam.

My favorite two ways to blow off steam in Mumbai are to watch some of their excellent “Bollywood” movies, or to enjoy the local night life. The movies themselves are full of drama, intense action scenes, and are generally very fun. They also help you grasp tiny pieces of Indian culture that you may otherwise miss. But most of all, the night life is where it’s at. Mumbai is known as one of the safest cities in India, especially for women. Here, women are allowed to wear modern Western clothing, instead of traditional Eastern clothing. They are allowed to party and generally be themselves, so go out and enjoy Mumbai for what it really is, and do not be afraid! But if we are being honest, the social aspect STILL is not what all I look for in a new environment. The main thing that I seek is good food!

 

INDIAN FOOD-
            I love food. There. I said it. I love food, and I’m under the impression that so does most everyone else. Having lived at VMI, I have truly come to appreciate good food more and more. I cannot even begin to touch the most basic variety of their foods, so I will just tell you my two favorite meals. First, I love Nalli Nihari.

Nalli Nihari is a thick meal that can be cooked many different ways, with many different ingredients. Whether it is cooked with mutton, chicken, or beef, it is all cooked relatively similarly. You cook the meat in a broth with several vegetables, and many spices. The typical hot Indian food is savory, tender, and very filling. It is everything you could imagine for any meal of the day, and can be matched well with any sort of bread.

My second favorite meal is Mutton Curry. The two meals are actually quite similar, but I definitely could eat both every day.

This savory meal, spicy and tangy as it is, is very nutritious and very tasty.

Overall, this is just some of the information which I found when learning how to survive the great University of Mumbai. The Indian culture is full of thousands, if not millions, of other interesting and peculiar oddities. American culture is so different from Mumbai’s, but deep down, we all seek similar interests and a good life. All of these things are readily available for you to soak in in Beautiful Mumbai, and I hope that you get to experience even more than I did. Good luck!

Works Cited:

http://archive.mu.ac.in/About%20University.html

• School info

http://www.mumbai.org.uk/history.html

• History of Mumbai

http://www.expatarrivals.com/india/mumbai/pros-and-cons-of-moving-to-mumbai

• Pro’s and con’s of moving to mombai

http://goindia.about.com/od/cities/ss/life-in-mumbai.htm#step3

• useful tips about social life in india

http://i.dawn.com/primary/2015/03/550a569dee18c.jpg?r=356669455

• nalli nihari

http://royaltaste.com.qa/wp-content/themes/royaltaste/images/indian/south/mutton-sukka.jpg

-mutton sukka

https://www.quora.com/What-is-it-like-to-be-a-student-at-University-of-Mumbai

• Student review

http://www.savaari.com/mumbai/outstation-cabs

• Mumbai bridge

 

 

 

 

linkedin-profile-mock

job-letter

Above are the articles required for class.

Rhetoric Shaping History-

Nicholas Schweers

The world today is filled with examples of rhetoric’s use in shaping culture. While most of these examples may seem disappointing in modern times, they are still shaping our beliefs and our future. Examples can range from Black Lives Matter, to the Victim Culture of the West, to even the Presidential Election of 2016. In a culture as fluid and viscous as the United States, politicians and leaders have to adapt their rhetorical styles to help promote and move forward their ideologies.

Western culture, largely the American culture, changes and adapts to new ways of thinking constantly. What has happened most recently has been caused by a sense of victimization. Since World War Two, the United States have boasted being the best (which is undeniably true), but it has left most feeling entitled. This entitlement has done both good and bad. It has led to discourses of equality, putting blacks and whites, men and women on the same playing field. Sadly, this has also led us to expect more from society than is reasonable.

When looking at the current (2016-2020) Presidential election, both main candidates have decided to appeal to these desires. Mrs. Hillary Clinton promises tax cuts and totally free education for all Americans. While it has been proven to be monetarily impossible to achieve that goal, she appeals to said sense of entitlement, promising equal chances through socialism. Mr. Donald Trump appeals to conservatives by attempting to promote equal chances to gain advantage over others. He says that he will bring in jobs being lost to outsourcing, giving more people the chance to gain economic stability. While Hillary appeals to the desire for “equality” for less, Donald appeals to the American desire for “equality” through hard work. However the election goes, it will have a largely historic effect on the US. That is because whoever gains the presidency, will most likely control the Senate, Supreme Court, and more. This will allow them to best fulfill their goals to appeal to our entitlement. This is a chance to greatly influence the economy and politics of the United States, for better or for worse.

Nicholas Schweers

Maj Hoddie

10/2/16

Graphic Analysis

http://www.emersontech.net/2010/01/28/power-strip-vs-surge-protector-/

The link above takes you to a page that contains information on power strips and surge protectors. The company uses this article to help people understand what these tools are used for and the difference between the two. I convey much of the information in this website onto the toolkit project.

 

Appealing Characteristics:

• The Graphic leads the reader to question what all difference there is between the surge protector and the power strip. This is the most effective use of material because it brings into question the main point of the article.
• There is easy access to different tabs, which can lead the reader to other tools and tips if they are looking.
• Words that the author wants to portray as important are completely capitalized, begging the attention of the reader.

Negative Characteristics:

• The data is within the text, and is not very easy to pick out at a quick glance.
• While it is mostly common knowledge, there are no graphics or instructions on how to properly use surge protectors or power strips. This is the least important because it is already widely known how to use these materials.
• While black and white are as contrasting as it gets, the plain black and white does not draw much attention to the material.

 

Potential Solutions:

• To help the reader focus on important material, I would highlight the important sections in red, I would set them apart from the regular text, and I would use a graph to further explain the costs and benefits of each tool.
• To help the reader understand how to use these materials, I would add graphics of them in use, followed by descriptions on how to apply them.