A Simple Letter

Dear Lovers of the Written Word,

            For as long as I can remember English has been my favorite subject. I think it all started when my dad read stories to me and my sister before our bedtime. I was mesmerized by the way the words flowed off the page and transported me from one adventure to the next. One night I would be swimming with mermaids in the wild seas and the next I would be sneaking into a dragon’s cavern to steal his treasure. And so, with these stories my love of English began.

            The written word is a powerful thing. It possesses the ability to educate, inspire, and create, but the most important of these, I think, is to create. I believe each individual has the opportunity to create something of value in their lifetime; whatever it may be, the ability to write and write well plays a vital role in their success.

            I’ve always been praised by teachers and peers for my writing, and while I am far from expert, I’ve always quietly agreed with them. I think when you enjoy a particular subject you pursue it with a passion, and in a sense that is what I have done with English. So walking into English 115 this semester felt like second nature. I wasn’t concerned about not understanding the material, or being overwhelmed with the work. No, neither of these things crossed my mind when I walked into that room.

More than anything I was eager. Throughout high school, my English teachers had put essay writing on the backburner, instead opting for literature comprehension and grammar skills. Neither of which are bad lessons to learn per say, however, I yearned to fill pages with words. I was taught the standard five paragraph essay, and what a black and white technique that is. Writing is a colorful process composed with a multitude of shades and hues, and I thought it should be treated as such. But I suppose high school students are better off reading and comprehending colorful literature rather than learning how to create their own.

This brings me back to one’s ability to create with the written word, where in a world comprised of limitations the possibilities are endless. They are the closest thing we have to magic. We can make history, bring our imaginations to life, and stir up a fire of emotions with just a few well written sentences. For this reason, it is worth learning how to compose something meaningful and noteworthy.

I’m not saying that through the course of this semester I have perfected my writing skills, but I am able to say that I am walking away from this class with a greater understanding of what it takes to be a better writer.

I have always valued the end product. I have never written first, second and final drafts; I simply wrote one draft, fixed minor changes, and submitted my work—my process was a stunted creature. I never thought to nurture that creature until English 115, where the process of writing an essay was emphasized over the end product. We were assigned to read and annotate many articles supporting the process of writing, but Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts” struck me as the most relative.

Maybe it was the punchy title or the relatable text that challenged my stunted writing procedure. Whatever it was, I was presented with a more complete method of writing that didn’t seem too tedious for me to handle: the shitty first draft. At first, I thought to myself, “I can’t do that. Either it’s perfect the first time around or it never will be.” And yet, after one shitty first draft attempt I realized I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Once I had released my delusions of having a perfect essay in one attempt, I was able to pour out all my thoughts about the subject without worrying if anyone would see them. It was my first draft after all, and seeing all my ideas there on the page allowed me to organize them in a way I hadn’t been able to before. By the time I had written my second draft, I already had better material than I would have if I had been using my previous one-draft-wonder process. Seeing this progression in my writing was an unexpected reward that I welcomed with open arms. Finally, my writing was being critiqued rather than praised and I soaked up all the constructive comments that were offered.

Ironically enough, the first essay I chose to include in this portfolio is not about my writing being critiqued, but my attitude. What began as an essay about a person of influence in my life ultimately ended as a self-reflective paper that shed even more light on the importance of the journey rather than where you end up. Looking back on the years I spent in high school trying to play this perfect role reminded me of how I attempted to write my one-draft-wonder essays. I was trying to act like I had everything under control, when in reality life is just like a first draft. It’s supposed to be messy and full of mistakes—that’s the beauty of it. The essay titled “The Teacher Who Got It” describes my journey to this realization.

The second essay included in this portfolio is my critique on a societal issue that was presented in a movie of my choice. I chose the 2012 film Project X and tackled the issue of how partying and drinking relates to the pressure teens face to be a part of the in-crowd. Beginning this essay was challenging for me as I struggled to find my own voice within the topic I had chosen. The essay titled “The Project X Effect” analyzes my opinion of how to some degree media has influenced adolescents’ actions and desires.

These two essays represent my best work of this semester during which I have seen my writing progress more than it has throughout all my high school years. Thanks to English 115, I feel more confident in my writing voice and strength as a writer. I am excited to see how my writing will improve in the future, but until then I will remember to enjoy the process, however messy it may get.

Best Regards,

Casey Miller

The Project X Effect

Every good teen movie has that one groundbreaking moment when everything suddenly works out for the underdog. The nerd who becomes popular and gets the girl is a classic representation of this, and more often than not the backdrop of this moment is some sort of raging party. Films such as Can’t Hardly Wait (1998), Superbad (2007), and most recently Project X (2012) have one thing in common: the party. In these films, the party has become something more than just a party; it has become a reinventing strategy that adolescents are uniquely drawn to. Is it the desire to fit in? The appeal of having a good time? Whatever it may be, parties are hardly ever the way movies portray them to be. Has media overlooked the negative aspects of partying and in turn glorified its effects on a teen’s social life? Starting from childhood, young people are under constant pressure to fit in, and by depicting teens gaining acceptance through partying, media influences adolescents’ actions and desires to take part in such activities.

Of all the partying films to make it into theaters, Project X is perhaps the most explicit—and its movie poster is of no exception. The image of a teen sprawled face down on a patch of grass among scattered red plastic cups leaves little to the imagination. With visual cues such as his unkempt clothing and missing shoe, we know that this young man is not simply taking a nap on the lawn in his backyard. The implication here is clear: he passed out after some sort of out of control party. The message depicted on this movie poster would be instantly recognizable to the target audience of adolescents, and thereby draw them into theaters. The simple phrase at the bottom of the poster, “Witness It,” only adds to the overall advertisement. The poster is trying to sell us a message that the behavior that is being depicted is normal. The question is: are we buying it?

One look at the media of today provides the answer. Young people are bombarded with examples of how they should be acting and what they should be doing. The adolescent years are filled with defining moments. Not only are teens attempting to define themselves, but they are also figuring out how they want to be defined by others. On pages 238-243 in Elizabeth Kessler’s text Reflect, Inform, Persuade: College Writing Today there is an article written for Ms. magazine in 1984 by Jennifer Critchton entitled “Who Shall I Be?” The Allure of a Fresh Star” that describes the teen crisis of fitting in quite well, stating, “…identity is tricky stuff constructed with mirrors. How you see yourself is a composite reflection of how you appear to friends, family and lovers.” (239) Because of this, adolescents are susceptible to the desire to adapt to the in-crowd of society, and media tends to portray this in-crowd as party-going, excessive drinkers. The pressure to fit into this culture is what I call the project x effect. The project x effect has steadily increased over the years due largely to the influence of media.

The all-night party subgenre is not a new concept, and though the parties have gradually become wilder, generally the characters overcome a challenge and learn a valuable lesson. Over a decade ago in the 1998 film Can’t Hardly Wait high school seniors attended a graduation party that was advertised as “an event eighteen years in the making.” The party was essential in providing the shy loser an opportunity to get the popular bombshell that was always out of his league. In the 2007 film Superbad, two nerdy high school friends unexpectedly get invited to a hot graduation party which they offer to buy all the alcohol for in hopes that they will lose their virginity to drunken girls at the party that night. Over the course of the movie, we see the two main characters realize that even though they are going their separate ways for college, they will always be best friends. However, moral lessons like these are absent from the 2012 film Project X.

The film Project X follows the theme of a teenager’s desire to fit in. Thomas Mann plays the main character, Thomas, who depicted as a bottom-of-the-food-chain, less-than-cool high school student. However, when his parents go out of town for the weekend, Thomas’s obnoxiously vulgar best friend, Costa, played by Oliver Cooper, sees it as an opportunity to climb the social ladder and convinces Thomas to throw a party. What was supposed to be no more than 50 people quickly escalates into a few thousand, and Thomas is credited with throwing the best party of the year. His motives for throwing the party are understood by all teenagers—the desire to fit in. Here, character is set aside to make room for a much more insane, out-of-control party experience, in which -- no matter how much damage is incurred or how much it costs -- it was worth it.

As the movie progresses and the party rages harder, the images become more and more crude, like half-glimpsed snippets of a nightmare experienced through a drunken fog. It truly is out of control. Household items are shattered, a car is driven into the pool, and by the end of the party the house is in ruins, so much so that it looks more like a war zone than a neighborhood where families live. Project X takes the perspective that a great party is one in which teens turn off their brains and let their bodies go wild. The aftermath of which is illustrated perfectly on the film’s movie poster—teens passed out on a lawn. With visuals like the Project X movie poster and red solo cups becoming icons of a teen’s Friday and Saturday nights, could there be a much bigger issue at hand?

Shows like MTV’s Jersey Shore depict the party lifestyle as something to strive for. The reality TV stars of Jersey Shore spend the majority of their time jumping from one club to the next with alcohol acting as a fundamental staple of having a good night. The expectation is that adolescents follow suit. “Let’s get crazy tonight!” and “I just want to get drunk.” Become common phrases that are received with cheers of approval and camaraderie.

Let’s take a look at how the teen partier character profile might play out in a real life situation. Walking into a typical college or high school house party may not be as extreme as portrayed in the movies, but the basic concepts are still present. There would be a game of beer pong in the living room, some kind of music with a good beat would be playing, and just about everyone would be tipping and spilling their homemade alcoholic concoctions wherever they went. Generally, there are one or two people who have had a little too much to drink, and as a result either pass out or claim the bathroom as their territory—for them the idea of having a good night has gone out the window. Attending one of these house parties sober immediately puts a target on your back; people either make it their business to get you to drink or they ignore you entirely. This scenario paints of picture that of social rejection unless you participate in drinking and partying like the majority of teens are doing.

Drinking together provides teens with a sense of community, that’s why party films work so well. People who may have never spoken to each other become instant buddies because of the drinks in their hand. However, there is an ironic claim made by Jack Solomon and Sonia Maasik in their text Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers saying, “So the teen movie is wildly ambivalent…Perhaps it is no surprise that the outsiders can be validated only by the people who ostracized them.” (428) This means that the main characters of movies such as Can’t Hardly Wait, Superbad, and Project X seek approval by peers who never liked them in the first place. This indicates that no matter how hard they try they will never fully be accepted by those they desire to please, because they are not truly accepting themselves. Thus developing the vicious cycle of peer pressure teens are faced with throughout their adolescent years.

Social acceptance is something that plays a vital role during adolescence, and is seen clearly in nearly every teen film. Every direction teens turn, media is influencing their actions and desires, and as a result, is causing them to take part in activities that are beyond their years. Because of media young people are provided with examples both positive and negative of how they should fit in. More often than not, however, teens find themselves trying to imitate the onscreen parties and in turn wake up the next morning surrounded by plastic red cups. Their head is pounding and they adamantly vow never to drink again. And then the next party rolls around.

Works Cited

Critchton, Jennifer. Who Shall I Be?. Kessler, Elizabeth. Reflect, Inform, Persuade: College Writing Today. Pearson Education, Inc., 2010. 238-243. Print.

Greg, Mottola, dir. Superbad. Prod. Apatow Judd, Robertson Shauna, Writ. Goldberg Evan, and Rogen Seth. 2007. Film. 5 Dec 2012.

Harry , Elfont, dir. Can't Hardly Wait. Dir. Kaplan Deborah. 1998. Film. 5 Dec 2012.

Nourizadeh, Nima, dir. Project X. Writ. Drake Matt, Bacall Michael, and Prod. Phillips Todd. 2012. Film. 5 Dec 2012.

Solomon, Jack, and Maasik Sonia. Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 7th ed. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 428. Print.

The Teacher Who Got It

I walked through the doorway and slammed my books down on the kitchen table—another pointless, monotonous day of school in the record books. “Someday you’ll look back on this and laugh,” my parents said. Well I wasn’t laughing. How was that supposed to make me feel better anyway? Sometimes it seemed like parents just didn’t get it.

I drifted through my classes the next day, finding myself in fifth period—Associated Student Body. ASB is what we called the Leadership Team at my high school, and it used to be my favorite class, but these days I felt oppressed the moment I sat down. Maybe I felt that way because of the pressure that seemed to be weighing on my shoulders; I’m a take charge kind of girl, after all, if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. However, I had quickly learned that when you put yourself in a position of authority all the responsibility falls into your lap as well. I slouched in the back with my arms crossed, sulking like a dark cloud. “You’ve lost your joy,” the teacher said. This blunt statement jolted me out of my daydreaming. Who did she say that to? I looked around gauging the other students’ reactions, only to find they were gauging mine. Miss Shiplett stood at the front of the room; her words hung in the air. I still wasn’t laughing, but there in front of me, was someone who got it. Miss Shiplett, who in all regards could be considered plain, would thereafter hold me accountable, invest in my life, and influence my future in a very extraordinary way.

She wore no makeup and kept her hair in a ponytail with her wispy straight across bangs covering her forehead. She was shorter than average height, yet towered over most men when it came to leadership skills. When she talked, you were instantly engaged—whether the subject was fungal bacteria in her Biology class or raising money for a family in need in her ASB class. She had a passion that affected others and impacted their lives whether they were ready for it or not.

It seemed she had a target on my back ever since I first met her. I was 11 when I first crossed her radar and her sights were expertly aligned. Little did I know, this target on my back would shape me into who I am today. She had a plan, and the end goal would result in me being a member of the leadership team, or ASB.

As a sixth grader, that end goal was my ultimate dream. I could not wait until I was in seventh grade and I could finally apply to the leadership team. Miss Shiplett had been encouraging me to join that whole year, and when the time came, I signed myself up at the top of the list. “I’ve got this,” I would say to myself, “I shouldn’t even have to apply, I know I’m going to make it.” Well, we have all heard that saying don’t count your chickens until they’ve hatched? That saying was made for moments like that. When the list of who made it or not was posted, my name was nowhere to be found. Ouch. Talk about a bruised ego. My seventh-grade self felt so betrayed. Miss Shiplett had told me to try out for the leadership team, after all, how could I not make it? From that moment on, I wanted nothing more to do with it.

Fast forward a few years later, and my path crossed hers again in 7th period Biology. Now, I’m guessing that 7th period is probably the hardest period to teach, especially with a class as rowdy as ours. Yet somehow she managed to maintain a balance of humor and respect with her good-natured jokes and no-nonsense teaching style. I respected her. So when she said, “Casey, I think you should really join ASB.” I respected that, but like I said, I wasn’t going down that road again. No way was I going to get my hopes up only to be rejected a second time. But she didn’t stop. Every few weeks she would spark up a conversation about my involvement, as if I was already committed.

I guess persistence pays off, because when the time came to apply to ASB a second time, my 15-year-old self thought, “What the heck. I’ve got nothing to lose.” I found myself going through the application process and eagerly awaiting the list to be posted. The day finally came. The list was taped on a window; I would know my fate. I exhaled, stepped forward, scanned the names, and there I was “Casey Miller” typed in Times New Roman 12 pt. font, third name from the top.

I was in. There was about thirty of us, and together we planned the school social events and coordinated ways to encourage school spirit. For the next two years of high school ASB would add stress, frustration, and fulfillment to my life. You see, without that target Miss Shiplett had put on my back, and without the passion she had for what she did, I would not know what I wanted to do.  It was by being a part of that team, that I discovered my attention to details and ability to plan events well. From tail gate parties to social and weekend retreats, I loved seeing people enjoy what I had helped to create. If it wasn’t for Miss Shiplett, I doubt I would know what direction I should be heading. When I told her that I wanted to pursue a career in event planning, she was the one who supported me and encouraged me to go for my dreams whole-heartedly.

She taught me what it is to be a work in progress—to be ever-growing and ever-learning. She is, perhaps, one of the bravest women I know, because she would stand up in front of a bunch of teenagers and share what she had been going through in her own personal life. She admitted that at times she felt overwhelmed by the stress of her responsibilities and as a result caused her to have a short temper when she shouldn’t have. Because of her honesty with herself and with others, I was able to cultivate that type of honesty in my own life. I took a good look at the discontentment I was feeling, and rather than blaming it on my circumstances I realized there was no one to blame but myself; I chose to feel discontent, and I could choose to feel otherwise. She taught me, through her own life more than anything, that we aren’t meant to have it all figured out. This helped when I felt like I was a living zombie, going through the motions of my various responsibilities, all the while feeling like I was drowning. Miss Shiplett was like my life jacket. She kept me afloat. She was like the current, because she directed me out of my apathetic attitude. We would meet after class once or twice a week and I would burden her with my teenage angst. Slowly, with her quiet counseling I felt a shift in my defiant attitude and I felt my joy returning. Students need teachers like that—teachers who see where you are and guide you to be your best.

 Saying my involvement in ASB changed my life does not do it justice. Who I am as a person was challenged and shaped during those high school years, and I owe that to Miss Shiplett.  Despite the fact that I’ve graduated, she and I still maintain that relationship we grew over the years. It feels like a lifetime ago, but I know she is someone who I could go to for anything and I thank her every chance I get for sharing her passion for life with me and being a much needed role model. I am so grateful for that target she put on my back all those years ago, and the ways she has invested in to my life since then. Next week is the homecoming football game, and when I see her I hope she sees that because of her constant guidance my joy will never be far from me again.

A Difference of Opinions

Assigned with reading two articles, Can You Hear Me Now? written by Sherry Turkle and Gin, Television, and Social Surplus written by Clay Shirky, I was able to see how media has affected society from two opposing views. Both writers agree that media has affected identity, but differences arise when it comes to whether or not media affects one’s identity in a negative or positive way.

Sherry Turkle explains her point of view saying, “We are connected, tethered, so important that out physical presence.” In effect, media allows people to recreate their identity virtually. Turkle presents this concept in a very skeptical way; in her opinion, this is something we need to be extremely cautious of because it leads to dependency on technology. Clay Shirky, on the other hand, sees media as creating purpose rather than dependency. In his words, “It is better to do something than nothing.” Shirky is explaining that though certain aspects of media may not seem relevant to you and me, it may give a sense of belonging to others.

Below is a link which puts into perspective how media has evolved over the years and how prevalent it has become in today’s culture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi34kVUEL5c

While Shirky may present his opinion in a more positive way, I found Turkle’s article to be more persuasive. This is because Turkle presents her argument in a clear, concise and organized way. The tone of her article is believable, whereas Shirky’s sounds too opinionated to be persuasive.