Is There Anybody Out There?

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It turns out that posting my "tweethis statement" on Facebook for all to see yielded not results. So I sent it to one of my friends in Kentucky that I haven't seen since graduation four years ago. She's an English major and I figured she'd have some good things to contribute. Unfortunately, she didn't reply to the message I sent specifically to her, but I still have hope! In the mean time, I did receive some good feedback from Kate and Tori who offered some good suggestions on how my thesis could be a little more specific. Every attempt I have ever made at a thesis statement always starts out far too broad, so I'm very grateful when people offer suggestions on how I can channel my ideas and make them more concise. In addition to Kate and Tori, I asked one of my roommates to read it and he offered some suggestions on how I might lead into it a little bit better. Ultimately, writing a thesis statement is the hardest part of the whole paper. Once I can nail it down, the rest of the paper is a breeze. I'm glad then to get some casual feedback about how I can improve this task that proves the most difficult for me.

Tweethis Feedback

As I have received feedback on my tweethis statement, I have considered changing it a little bit. It's difficult, because I am having a difficult time figuring out what I want to research. But some of the feedback I received on my potential thesis statement was really helpful, particularly that of Professor Burton, who encouraged me to look at the stakes/argument I can make with my thesis. I want to continue to look more into the religious and political implications of The Count of Monte Cristo. I think this is really where I want to focus more of my research, even though I did find a biographical connection between Dumas and Carroll.

In all honesty, I'm a bit bummed that I have to include Carroll in my paper at all, because I was not a huge fan of any of his works. But I think what will be best for me will be to dive into my research, and then later find some connection to Lewis Carroll.

Some Current Thoughts about Morrie

My first thesis statement (or "tweethis," as we affectionately call it) was a bit of a bust. The feedback I got from people was lukewarm at best. So the other day, I really put my mind to the task. What is it that I love about Tuesdays with Morrie? Why is it interesting? Why do I always come back to it, over and over again?

I considered that part of the reason I fell in love with Morrie Schwartz, the man the story centers around, is his loving, parental guidance. I started to consider if there were any Morries in my life--people that guide me and love me and direct me when I wander. Of course, I have many Morries. My parents, neighbors, friends, and sometimes even my younger siblings all serve as guides for me. I think that if there are so many Morries in my life, I can reasonably assume that there are other Morries out there, especially in literature.

Key passages:

• “So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” 
• “Well, for one thing, the culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We're teaching the wrong things. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it. Create your own. Most people can't do it.” 

Analysis:

• There are many guiding forces in people's lives, and most of them have one or more Morrie-like quality. Kindness, goodness, thoughtful advice, and honest opinions. I've considered different ways Morrie displays these qualities, and how Mitch Albom represents them in his work. Much of Morrie's advice reflects these ideals, and there are many stories from Morrie's life that help illustrate his character. Being better acquainted with Morrie's quality will help me relate him more closely with other characters.

Summary:

• Right now, I'm working under the assumption that I'll be comparing Morrie to other characters from works of literature to see what similar qualities they possess. I'll make a special point to include some characters from Alice in Wonderland, perhaps the Mock Turtle or the Caterpillar. They don't possess all of Morrie's great qualities, but many of the characters possess partial bits and pieces of Morrie's characteristics.

"If you post it, they will come."

As promised, I posted my thesis statement on Facebook.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get feedback on such an academic idea! Normally I would never have associated my schoolwork with my social feeds; those two things have always been in two separate worlds in my mind. I was happy and proud to see friends, famil

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y and distant relatives comment on my idea.

The fact that people I knew were eager to give me feedback made me feel like my ideas were valuable, intelligent and worthwhile. It has given me the confidence to try this again in the future for every essay I write. For me, the term "Social Proof" is no longer a hollow academic buzzword, but a helpful process through which caring people help you along the difficult journey of writing a paper.

The World We Write In: How Setting Affects Readers

As I've been reading Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, I have found it rather difficult to connect the story with Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass.  What I have noticed, though, is that both authors use a lot of in-depth descriptions to really put the reader into the story.  I'm not entirely sure if this is the direction I want to go, but I think it's a good starting point anyway.  Here's my working thesis statement:

The setting in Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd draws the reader in, allowing them to take the journey with the characters.  The crazy, upside-down world in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass has a similar effect on the reader.  Setting, therefore, is one of the most important aspects of writing because it has such an influence on how the readers interpret the story.

Update (March 12):  I've decided to change my thesis.  After discussing and doing some more research, I'm going to focus my paper on feminism in Far From the Madding Crowd and Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  I'm going to research feminism in the time period of both authors, who Carroll and Hardy approached feminism, and how their female characters interact with their stories.

The Hand of Friendship

I don't like to attract attention. I'm the kind of person who is more content in sitting on the sidelines and observing than being the focal point. It isn't easy for me to put my writing out there for everyone to see, and it really isn't easy for me to talk about my problems. But, here we are.

My roommates last semester at the SLC light display

I have depression. It manifested itself last summer, though it came on so gradually that I can't really say for sure when it started. I've been working through it with a counselor since the beginning of September. This semester has been particularly difficult. My mood plummeted at the start of the year, and it stayed there for a really long time. I missed nearly 3 solid weeks of class because I simply couldn't get out of bed. I had this voice in my head that constantly weighed me down, telling me that I was worthless, that all of my friends were fake, that no one cared about me.

Luckily, things have started to get better. For the past week and a half, I've been taking medication which has helped balance things out. I still have my bad days, but now, at least, they are less frequent and more manageable. I have started to feel like myself again for the first time in several months.

How Tagging Matters for Writers Who Blog

These are the labels or tags
used for this post.

As writers use blogging as a platform for developing and publishing their ideas, they should not omit using tags (also known as "labels" or "hashtags") with each of their posts. Why bother?

There is a practical angle for tagging: the instructor can find and sort student posts more easily. But tags play a greater role. Tagging has to do with ways of thinking and finding that go along with online writing. Bottom line: tagging helps both to automate and to socialize online content. And for writers perfecting their ideas, tagging helps you reflect on and focus your writing.

But first, what are these things? You can see the images I've inserted that show where labels are added when composing a post in Blogger, and how these appear at the bottom of a post.

Labels or tags appear below a post
(and sometimes via a widget on the side of a blog)

Tags are Metadata
Metadata is data about data. It is critical to helping machines sort and prioritize information. Whenever someone tags something, the computers give more emphasis to those words in search results. Tags get you found by machines, and by humans who have learned how to search for tags and to find content and users that are associated with tags. Interestingly, their usefulness isn't related closely to their formality. They actually work best when they are a casual part of posting content.