Derek Tremblay

Major Garriott

ERH 101-03

November 16, 2016

Literacy Journey

My literacy journey was influenced largely from the experiences I had learning and reading as a youth. Ever since I can remember, reading was greatly encouraged in my family., Before kindergarten my aunt would take care of me every day being that my dad had to work every day of the week. I can remember us occasionally walking about half a mile to the local K-mart to get lunch at the K-mart café and after we would head to the book section where I would pick out numerous books that I thought I would be interested in. Firetrucks, cars and construction vehicles were more often than not the topic of the books that I chose. I would go home and my aunt would read them to me and I would look at the pictures for hours and try to read the books for myself. However, my literacy journey has not always been so reinforced as it was when I was younger. As I got older I started to drift away from a strong background of reading and writing. My development journey of literacy has shaped my strengths and weaknesses in the way I write today.

My aunt played a large role in my literacy development from a young age. My dad worked two jobs to provide for his four young children and was often not at home, after my mother passed from cancer my aunt stepped in to help my dad and even moved with us to Virginia from Maine. She took care of me and my siblings and did her best to provide us with the care we badly needed. While my siblings were at school she would do “play school” with me and I would dress up like I’m going to school and she would teach me letters and numbers. She would read to me and help me learn to read for myself. A book she had in her apartment that really aided my development as a child was “Dick and Jane.  She would read it to me until one day I was able to read it myself. The simple words and fun stories kept me interested in reading and was the start of my literacy journey. My aunt’s positive interactions with me since I was a child gave me a solid foundation and a head start on being interested in reading and literacy.

Influences on my literacy development didn’t end with my aunt, eventually I started school and my dad got remarried so I was less dependent on my aunt to take care of me. In kindergarten I was the “problem child”. I constantly challenged my teachers and didn’t listen to their instruction. I would get in conflicts with the other kids and I often got sent to the office for my behavior. Despite this behavior my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Scott, was very kind toward me and she was always willing to work with me to make sure I would learn the material. Ms. Scott’s kindness showed me that teachers could be trusted and learning could be fun, she reinforced the positive literacy experiences I previously had. However, not all of my teachers throughout elementary school. In the third grade my Language Arts teacher didn’t care much about us and the learning process of third graders. She assigned us to read books that were way past our reading level and books that we weren’t very interesting and hard to follow. She would then give us packets with questions on the readings. Me with my third grade reading level was unable to comprehend a 400-page book such as “Little House on the Prairie” and answer difficult questions on the text. So for the first time I started getting bad grades and I started believing that I wasn’t very smart. Rather than having a bad teacher harming my literacy development, I believe that actually aided my development. I had a strict father who would punish me with grounding for my bad grades, so my Language Arts grade caused me to spend continuous months alone in my room for being unable to bring up my grade. All the time I spent in my room as a child I was reading books. I remember in elementary school I would go to the library and request for them to get certain books. I then would check in with the librarians every morning wondering if the book had come in, probably annoying them to death. That’s when I fell in love with reading, and I would even leave my lamp on until late at night because I read what I wanted to read and I was interested by the stories.

It was around this time that my dad remarried. My step-mother was an avid reader and still is today. She would always read books with me and encourage me reading on my own. Countless times she would take me to the local library to pick out books, and as I grew older and was able to read bigger books, I would carry home two armfuls of books every time we went. Me and my step-mom would read the books I got from the library and we would talk and have engaging conversations about them. She read books that I liked such as the Artemis Fowl series and I would read some of the books that interested her like the Jason Bourne series. This was a large part of my literacy development growing up. My step-mother’s influences made me interested in reading and writing and was the pinnacle of my strength in writing.

During middle school my literacy decreased for multiple reasons. In the seventh and eighth grade I started to become really involved with sports. Having baseball and football practices mixed with weight rooms really took away from the energy I was willing to spend reading late at night. Also, I stopped getting in trouble and getting bad grades so I stayed out of my room and I stopped having an excuse to read as much as I did. My interests changed and I also saw it as “uncool” to read. My time became more preoccupied with other hobbies. As I moved to high school my habits didn’t change and I never picked up reading again. The school work became harder and the sports became more demanding and I grew further and further away from where my literacy once was. Maybe I just became lazy and these are all excuses I’ve led myself to believe as to why I don’t read anymore. Either way my literacy and my writing ability has suffered over the years.

The writing and rhetoric class I’m taking at VMI is starting to re-develop my literacies. The assignments and readings are causing me to be more thoughtful about reading and are encouraging me to read more. I am gaining valuable reading skills as my writing becomes more self-aware and part of me and my experiences. I see my writing improving and Major Garriott has played a large role in my writing and unlocking my writing potential. I hope one day to start reading again and I hope to write successfully and better each time in future classes I’ll take and papers I’ll write.

My literacy journey has been full of ups and downs but I see it slowly improving.

 

The writer does a really good job using and explaining their real life examples. He/she makes it easy for me to understand their point. Has a good use for the secondary source. Uses “I” a lot and explains personal thinking and ideas.

It keeps my attention and my interest and it goes along with my thinking process and it helps me understand the author’s point better.

My school work isn’t often shaped by my personal experiences. Essays that I have to write that have nothing to do with my interests are much more difficult to write and i find i often get worse grades on them as opposed to writing about an interest of mine. I believe personal writing should be used more in school to develop a better, interested, writer.

When I was younger I read through a 2000 kids almanac given to me by my aunt and a student dictionary I got from school all the time. This gave me an insight, at a young age, to learning and knowledge.

Malcolm X wants to be more traditionally literate to be relatable and to be able to convey his ideas to the general public. It gave him power to think for himself and to express his ideas.

Knowledge allows for informed insight, and with informed insight adequate change can be made. Literacy is a large part in obtaining knowledge access is important but can be self taught such as in Malcolm X’s case. The people have the power as a whole to shape their own lives. It has given me the opportunity to further my education and make a better life for myself, my confident attitude as developed my literacy narrative.

Sports is one of my main literacies that effects how I learn now and why I make the decisions the way I do. When I was young I would play baseball with my older brother all the time. He tried to get me to pitch a certain way and I could never do it how good he wanted. He told me “I would never be a good pitcher” and I was crushed. I went in the garage and cried for hours, but i resolved to prove him wrong and I did, I now pitch in college. My brother taught me a lot and this was an isolated incident, but it gave me a new attitude an taught me how to overcome adversity through hard work and not give up.

1. Learning how to write from experience and write autobiographically. Style of writing and the content.
2. Writing can be drawn from personal experiences, and Murray argues that all forms of writing is autobiographical. He has seen from experiences his own writings have included pieces of personal information, even if it was fiction it was still based in his personal experiences.
3. The article is interesting and draws from personal experiences more than the other authors in the book. His style of writing makes it easier to follow and to understand the message he is trying to relay.
4. Murray analyzes writing and explains the thought process just like the other authors throughout the book.
5. I had never previously thought that all writing was from previous experiences, it is interesting to think about but i think he might be right. From now on ill see if I can notice writing from personal experiences in my own writing. I’m not sure if i will consciously change my writing.

Derek Tremblay                                      Help Received:

Major Garriott                                    ERH 101: Section 18 class

ERH-101-03                                         Conferences with Major Garriott (General Advice)

17 October 2016

Rhetorical Analysis of Professor Bednar’s

“Economics 301: Business Economics”

The Elon University School of Business includes the economics department at Elon University. The purpose of the economics department is to, “Develop your critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills. Learn the skills needed to understand changing economic conditions, what drives institutional change and how consumer behavior may change over time.” (Economics) Economics 301 is a required course to receive a business degree at Elon, it is neither an advanced class nor an introductory class, but more of a middle of the road class. Dr. Steven Bednar, a Yale graduate, is the class’ instructor.  The course explores questions such as, “What functions do firms serve, and where do firms fit in a market economy?”, and analyzing two main perspectives. One perspective deals with “maximizing profits subject to the constraints of demand, production, cost and market structure.”, another with strategy and value maximization (Economics). The general type of assignments are recurring exams that account for 60% of the final grade. Dr. Bednar engages the students of Elon in rhetorical discourse about economics through six homework assignments, newspaper responses, and quizzes, as well as three exams. The expectations of Dr. Bednar are that the students show up for class and conduct themselves in an adult manner. He implies in the syllabus that students should act like adults and put in work, even if it doesn’t count for or against their grade. The professor outlines, in the text, his expectations for behavior and for learning in a professional manner throughout the syllabus like: come to class prepared and ask questions, respect others in the class, and seek help if it is needed (My Expectations of you).  Dr. Bednar has a professional attitude through the text and he expects students to act like as such in a workplace. Dr. Bednar’s clarity and professionalism leaves a positive attitude with the students and gives them a sense of urgency to begin and start taking the class.

Goals of the syllabus are for students to develop skills necessary to “make optimal managerial decisions given different situations, and environments” (Course Description and Objectives).  These goals focus on the students learning the real life skills needed to be successful in business, not just memorization of knowledge or terms. Dr. Bednar is showing his expertise in the field because he understands that the students need to be taught more than just useless terms to be successful. By doing this he is showing a mutual respect for the students, by teaching them what they need to know to be successful in the discourse, rather than basing the class off memorization.

Dr. Bednar sets high, but reasonable, expectations for his students. He expects them to attend class and participate even though it won’t directly affect their grade. He expects maturity and he expects students to be held accountable for their work and their exams. Dr. Bednar outlines the policies for missed work stating that “there is no make-up for quizzes or newspaper articles” (Attendance) Dr. Bednar than, as a helpful note, says that “Historically, students who consistently skip Econ 301 lecture have either failed or barely passed. This is not a class that you can show up only for the exams and expect to do well in.” The professor is attempting to make a personal connection with the students to seem more friendly as he is giving them advice to help them pass the class. Treating the students more as peers than novices improves the moral and attitude of students entering the course. Dr. Bednar, rather than placing himself above the student as many other professors do, outlines expectations for himself such as preparing for the class and showing up on time, grading work in a timely manner, and offering support outside the classroom (Expectations of me). In return, Dr. Bednar outlines his expectations for students like: come to class prepared and ask questions, respect others in the class, and seek help if it is needed (My Expectations of you).

Dr. Bednar fits in very well into Gee’s definition of a Discourse. He displays the “appropriate costume and instruction on how to act, talk, and often write, so as to take on a particular role that others recognize (7)” In the syllabus text Dr. Bednar uses technical business terms because this is not an introductory course and the students should already be familiar with appropriate business lexis. Dr. Bednar is well versed in the business discourse community, and he establishes his knowledge throughout the syllabus. In the section “Course Descriptions and Objectives” he talks about “applying (the) microeconomic theory”, interpreting demand functions and elasticities, recognizing market structures, and calculating market powers. I am an Economics and Business major who hasn’t taken any business courses yet and I don’t know the meaning of most of the terms used. A beginner, such as myself, unfamiliar with the discourse community would be confused by the syllabus and would probably be unable to get a good grade in the course. Dr. Bednar is an expert in the field of business and economics, as he graduated from Yale in 2010 with a PhD (Faculty and Staff Profile). Yale is one of the top schools in the country and it gives Dr. Bednar credibility in the econ and business discourse community. Technical terms used in the syllabus sets the tone for the class and the expectations to act like a professional.

The syllabus calls for use of rhetorical discourse in order to explain to the students the purpose and mission of the class. Dr. Bednar displays exigence as he goes over the Course Description and Objectives by using his expertise in the Economics and Business discourse to outline the course to the novice students. He is trying to give the students a basic understanding of the class to the students so they can be more prepared for the class they’re taking. The audience Dr. Bednar seems to have in mind is strictly the students about to take his class. He uses “I” and addresses the student as “you”, suggesting he intends to be speaking directly to them. Dr. Bednar expects the students, based on lexis used, to already have a basic understanding of economics and business. The professor does a good job in the syllabus establishing his ethos. If the students behave professionally, Dr. Bednar will do the same, he has “the reader’s best interests at heart and is not purely self-interested.” (796)

Dr. Bednar’s syllabus for Economics 301 at Elon University is descriptive and helpful to the students taking the class. The professor’s expertise, evident by his use of lexis, and his expectations for the students outline the professional behavior Dr. Bednar requires for his class.

 

Works Cited

“Elon University – Martha and Spencer Love School of Business.” Elon.edu, http://www.elon.edu/e-web/academics/business/, Accessed 26 Oct. 2016

Economics 301: Business Economics Spring 2014 Syllabus

Gee, Literacy , Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction, WW ePages

Derek Tremblay                                      Help Received:

Major Garriott                                    ERH 101: Section 18 class

ERH-101-03                                         Conferences with Major Garriott (General Advice)

17 October 2016

Rhetorical Analysis of Professor Bednar’s

“Economics 301: Business Economics”

The Elon University School of Business includes the economics department at Elon University. The purpose of the economics department is to, “Develop your critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills. Learn the skills needed to understand changing economic conditions, what drives institutional change and how consumer behavior may change over time.” (Economics) Economics 301 is a required course to receive a business degree at Elon, it is neither an advanced class nor an introductory class, but more of a middle of the road class. Dr. Steven Bednar, a Yale graduate, is the class’ instructor.  The course explores questions such as, “What functions do firms serve, and where do firms fit in a market economy?”, and analyzing two main perspectives. One perspective deals with “maximizing profits subject to the constraints of demand, production, cost and market structure.”, another with strategy and value maximization. (Economics) The general type of assignments are recurring exams that account for 60% of the final grade. Dr. Bednar engages the students of Elon in rhetorical discourse about economics through six homework assignments, newspaper responses, and quizzes, as well as three exams. The expectations of Dr. Bednar are that the students show up for class and conduct themselves in an adult manner. He implies in the syllabus that students should act like adults and put in work, even if it doesn’t count for or against their grade. He outlines his expectations for students like: come to class prepared and ask questions, respect others in the class, and seek help if it is needed. (My Expectations of you) Dr. Bednar has a professional attitude through the text and he expects students to act like a professional in a workplace. The professor outlines in the text his expectations for behavior and for learning in a professional manner throughout the syllabus. Dr. Bednar’s clarity and professionalism leaves a positive attitude with the students and gives them a sense of urgency to begin and start taking the class. He implies in the syllabus that students should act like adults and put in work, even if it doesn’t count for or against their grade.

Goals of the syllabus are for students to develop skills necessary to “make optimal managerial decisions given different situations, and environments.” (Course Description and Objectives) These goals focus on the students learning the real life skills needed to be successful in business, not just memorization of knowledge or terms. Dr. Bednar is showing his expertise in the field because he understands that the students need to be taught more than just useless terms to be successful.

Dr. Bednar sets high, but reasonable, expectations for his students. He expects them to attend class and participate even though it won’t directly affect their grade. He expects maturity and he expects students to be held accountable for their work and their exams. Dr. Bednar outlines the policies for missed work stating that “there is no make-up for quizzes or newspaper articles” (Attendance) Dr. Bednar than, as a helpful note, says that “Historically, students who consistently skip Econ 301 lecture have either failed or barely passed. This is not a class that you can show up only for the exams and expect to do well in.” The professor is attempting to make a personal connection with the students to seem more friendly as he is giving them advice to help them pass the class. Treating the students more as peers than novices improves the moral and attitude of students entering the course. Dr. Bednar, rather than placing himself above the student as many other professors do, outlines expectations for himself such as preparing for the class and showing up on time, grading work in a timely manner, and offering support outside the classroom. (Expectations of me) In return, Dr. Bednar outlines his expectations for students like: come to class prepared and ask questions, respect others in the class, and seek help if it is needed. (My Expectations of you)

In the syllabus text Dr. Bednar uses technical business terms because this is not an introductory course and the students should already be familiar with appropriate business lexis. Dr. Bednar is well versed in the business discourse community, and he establishes his knowledge throughout the syllabus. In the section “Course Descriptions and Objectives” he talks about “applying (the) microeconomic theory”, interpreting demand functions and elasticities, recognizing market structures, and calculating market powers. I am an Economics and Business major who hasn’t taken any business courses yet and I don’t know the meaning of most of the terms used. A beginner, such as myself, unfamiliar with the discourse community would be confused by the syllabus and would probably be unable to get a good grade in the course. Dr. Bednar is an expert in the field of business and economics, as he graduated from Yale in 2010 with a PhD. (Faculty and Staff Profile) Yale is one of the top schools in the country and it gives Dr. Bednar credibility in the econ and business discourse community.

The syllabus calls for use of rhetorical discourse in order to explain to the students the purpose and mission of the class. Dr. Bednar displays exigence as he goes over the Course Description and Objectives by using his expertise in the Economics and Business discourse to outline the course to the novice students. He is trying to give the students a basic understanding of the class to the students so they can be more prepared for the class their taking. The audience Dr. Bednar seems to have in mind is strictly the students about to take his class. He uses “I” and addresses the student as “you”, suggesting he intends to be speaking directly to them. Dr. Bednar expects the students, based on lexis used, to already have a basic understanding of economics and business. The professor does a good job in the syllabus establishing his ethos, Dr. Bednar has “the reader’s best interests at heart and is not purely self-interested.” (796)

Dr. Bednar’s syllabus for Economics 301 at Elon University is descriptive and helpful to the students taking the class. The professor’s expertise, evident by his use of lexis, and his expectations for the students outline the professional behavior Dr. Bednar requires for his class.