Humanities 11
This I Believe Project
Essential Question: What do I believe and why?
The purpose of our class’s this I Believe Essay was to advocate for your belief and write an inspiring story on what you feel strongly about. The way we found our core beliefs was by reading and listening to This I Believe essays on NPR. This helped us understand structuring and the skills you need to write a strong essay on any personal belief. To put our points across to get the reader engaged we had to use narrative coherences, communal relevance and of course have a personal voice within the essay. With narrative coherences we wouldn’t have stories to enhance our beliefs. Without an emotional string in your writing, how will you get others to enjoy your writing? If you don’t feel strongly about a topic how will you get others to feel strongly about it as well? With communal relevance you have to push to find how it affects the community. In my paper I decided to show that the words they use are oppressing generations of people. I believe that my voice inside my writing really put my point across. It really flows well when I read it aloud so I believe that helps it sound more natural. Without a natural flow and rhythm the rhetoric of your piece of writing won’t affect others as well. The process was very easy to follow once you started typing. Your picture just flew onto that keyboard.
Throughout my schooling and home life one of the most important things I have learned is to respect everyone no matter their sexuality, race or intelligence. Through this process of writing I really started to understand my growth as a person and my beliefs. Before this writing assignment it felt as if my thoughts and opinions were suppressed. Until this project I have really started to share my beliefs. If someone doesn’t agree with my beliefs I don’t care anymore, they can disagree all they want it doesn’t mean I’ll change my beliefs to accommodate anyone else. I believe that my essay is really sticking up for the people who don’t or can’t do it for themselves. I’m advocating for them so that they can receive more respect. In my essay I show that our vocabulary can be very disrespectful by using a simple three syllable word. This is really where my personal growth and self-awareness on the words I use came into play.
Throughout writing this essay, I gained more and more pride within it with every line I would write. Then when the refinement and originality in it came I developed a love for my essay. In my essay one of my most prideful lines is “Their brains might be a little slower... But what they don’t have, they make up for it in their giant hearts.” I love this line for many reasons. It really shows my personality and my beliefs on the subject I wrote about. In this line I stand up for what I’m talking about. This is also something that would likely come out of my mouth which made it ever so better. The opening sentence I used in my essay was a very strong point as well. “Today, the binds of prejudice seem to be closing shut but it follows us in today’s vocabulary and in today’s actions.” These lines were a really great opener in my opinion. In the first sentence my essay has already integrated half of the message into it. Without a great opener your message won’t be as strong and you won’t be able to keep the attention on your essay. The first and last section of an essay, song or book always has to be very good because the writing or message in the middle is usually never remembered.
I’m very proud of my essay, but I know I could’ve further refined it from where it stands. In my poem I said “To be an American you don’t have to be yellow, brown, tan, white or red, you don’t have to be smart, rich or famous. You have to believe in equality; for we shall take your poor, your sick and your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This line was very strong and had a great point behind it. There are many ways I should or could’ve worded it but I decided to keep the wording the same for I couldn’t think of a way to make it sound more like myself. In my writing I decided to not include the most elegant vocabulary, especially if I am writing in the way I talk. I prefer to sound like myself because when you are reading it to a group it doesn’t flow off your tongue as well. I may not have worded these sentences too well but I believe they are the way they should be.
Participating in this conversation of rhetoric has influenced me into a member of the community by showing that I can make a difference. I use to think I could help make a difference and just try random acts of kindness. But through these random acts of kindness out came an essay. In this essay I learned that I can do more than help, I now know that I have a voice. I learned that I should always spread my beliefs and my passions with others. In today’s society the majority of people are oppressed to spread their thoughts. I believe throughout these changes I’ve become a more open person who is not afraid to speak up for his thoughts. I believe I will now fight for what I believe, no matter how big or small the view, and I now won’t let influences change my thoughts or actions.
Throughout my schooling and home life one of the most important things I have learned is to respect everyone no matter their sexuality, race or intelligence. Through this process of writing I really started to understand my growth as a person and my beliefs. Before this writing assignment it felt as if my thoughts and opinions were suppressed. Until this project I have really started to share my beliefs. If someone doesn’t agree with my beliefs I don’t care anymore, they can disagree all they want it doesn’t mean I’ll change my beliefs to accommodate anyone else. I believe that my essay is really sticking up for the people who don’t or can’t do it for themselves. I’m advocating for them so that they can receive more respect. In my essay I show that our vocabulary can be very disrespectful by using a simple three syllable word. This is really where my personal growth and self-awareness on the words I use came into play.
Throughout writing this essay, I gained more and more pride within it with every line I would write. Then when the refinement and originality in it came I developed a love for my essay. In my essay one of my most prideful lines is “Their brains might be a little slower... But what they don’t have, they make up for it in their giant hearts.” I love this line for many reasons. It really shows my personality and my beliefs on the subject I wrote about. In this line I stand up for what I’m talking about. This is also something that would likely come out of my mouth which made it ever so better. The opening sentence I used in my essay was a very strong point as well. “Today, the binds of prejudice seem to be closing shut but it follows us in today’s vocabulary and in today’s actions.” These lines were a really great opener in my opinion. In the first sentence my essay has already integrated half of the message into it. Without a great opener your message won’t be as strong and you won’t be able to keep the attention on your essay. The first and last section of an essay, song or book always has to be very good because the writing or message in the middle is usually never remembered.
I’m very proud of my essay, but I know I could’ve further refined it from where it stands. In my poem I said “To be an American you don’t have to be yellow, brown, tan, white or red, you don’t have to be smart, rich or famous. You have to believe in equality; for we shall take your poor, your sick and your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This line was very strong and had a great point behind it. There are many ways I should or could’ve worded it but I decided to keep the wording the same for I couldn’t think of a way to make it sound more like myself. In my writing I decided to not include the most elegant vocabulary, especially if I am writing in the way I talk. I prefer to sound like myself because when you are reading it to a group it doesn’t flow off your tongue as well. I may not have worded these sentences too well but I believe they are the way they should be.
Participating in this conversation of rhetoric has influenced me into a member of the community by showing that I can make a difference. I use to think I could help make a difference and just try random acts of kindness. But through these random acts of kindness out came an essay. In this essay I learned that I can do more than help, I now know that I have a voice. I learned that I should always spread my beliefs and my passions with others. In today’s society the majority of people are oppressed to spread their thoughts. I believe throughout these changes I’ve become a more open person who is not afraid to speak up for his thoughts. I believe I will now fight for what I believe, no matter how big or small the view, and I now won’t let influences change my thoughts or actions.
Deconstructing America
In the project we deconstructed the America we are living in today. This project made us think about our country and how we are affected by everything our government and people decide. Through this deconstruction and the biases in which we gained through reading articles and letters we had all come across our own unique beliefs. In this process we discovered that we were all powerful tools of rhetoric when it came to writing our speeches, making our movies or debating. The process in which this project took place really enhanced learning about our country, rhetorical devices and writing op-eds.
What I have learned about rhetoric, ideology and the American experience in the past couple months is that they all play hand in hand. The American experience is something that is composed of rhetoric and ideology. Our entire system consists of rhetoric in which can set ideologies on Americans. Americans use to be against communism for there was mass amounts of propaganda going around in the American Cold War era in the 40’s and 50’s. Through this project I have gained knowledge that rhetoric is the main variable in which creates our thoughts and beliefs today. I’ve learned that we live in a world where people skip thinking and rationalize beliefs on the world and politics surrounding them. I am now aware how I will set my ideals.
A way I really connected to this project is through my words. In my speech I made it obvious that I was serious about what I was talking about. I spoke clearly and l spoke my own words to enforce my rhetor. I believe that I really connected in this project by making my speech me by using my own words to connect to the audience. When I made this speech I wanted to insult the audience for I could more easily have brought the audience to listen if I had insulted them. This made it me for I was real. I was real with the audience and I enforced that I was informed on what I was speaking on. Speech giving abilities is a talent I have through my loud voice and my stern thoughts. Through all of these aspects of me my speech had a connection with me so strong that anyone could’ve seen it.
The most challenging part of this project was writing my op-ed. My writing is always very opinionated but it’s hard for me to throw a lot of evidence with my opinion. When writing an op-ed evidence is the most crucial part of the paper. For without the evidence your opinionated article means nothing due to lack of accuracy or fact. When stating an opinion it’s most important to allow the reader to gain knowledge as they gain a new opinion. This is why it was challenging for me. Finding the evidence for my op-ed was easy yet incorporating it into my writing stood to be a challenge for me.
In 11 months I will be an eligible voting citizens. Through this project I learned who I was. I learned that as an emerging American citizen that I need to be careful with my thoughts and what I say as an American. Today’s society has rhetoric and ideology thrown at you around each corner. When society throws rhetor at a group of unsculpted minds beliefs are easily founded and can be manipulated. Through this project I have found that I need to filter out what is reasonable and what is nonsense. In this rapidly changing society and world full of mindlessness thinking I now know that I will keep a clear head and find the light through the dark.
What I have learned about rhetoric, ideology and the American experience in the past couple months is that they all play hand in hand. The American experience is something that is composed of rhetoric and ideology. Our entire system consists of rhetoric in which can set ideologies on Americans. Americans use to be against communism for there was mass amounts of propaganda going around in the American Cold War era in the 40’s and 50’s. Through this project I have gained knowledge that rhetoric is the main variable in which creates our thoughts and beliefs today. I’ve learned that we live in a world where people skip thinking and rationalize beliefs on the world and politics surrounding them. I am now aware how I will set my ideals.
A way I really connected to this project is through my words. In my speech I made it obvious that I was serious about what I was talking about. I spoke clearly and l spoke my own words to enforce my rhetor. I believe that I really connected in this project by making my speech me by using my own words to connect to the audience. When I made this speech I wanted to insult the audience for I could more easily have brought the audience to listen if I had insulted them. This made it me for I was real. I was real with the audience and I enforced that I was informed on what I was speaking on. Speech giving abilities is a talent I have through my loud voice and my stern thoughts. Through all of these aspects of me my speech had a connection with me so strong that anyone could’ve seen it.
The most challenging part of this project was writing my op-ed. My writing is always very opinionated but it’s hard for me to throw a lot of evidence with my opinion. When writing an op-ed evidence is the most crucial part of the paper. For without the evidence your opinionated article means nothing due to lack of accuracy or fact. When stating an opinion it’s most important to allow the reader to gain knowledge as they gain a new opinion. This is why it was challenging for me. Finding the evidence for my op-ed was easy yet incorporating it into my writing stood to be a challenge for me.
In 11 months I will be an eligible voting citizens. Through this project I learned who I was. I learned that as an emerging American citizen that I need to be careful with my thoughts and what I say as an American. Today’s society has rhetoric and ideology thrown at you around each corner. When society throws rhetor at a group of unsculpted minds beliefs are easily founded and can be manipulated. Through this project I have found that I need to filter out what is reasonable and what is nonsense. In this rapidly changing society and world full of mindlessness thinking I now know that I will keep a clear head and find the light through the dark.