Wednesday, May 28

I am happy to say that I am almost done with my final project, a special issue of American Life magazine, titled Culture Through The Ages. I got a lot done this weekend and although I am almost done with the project itself, now I have to focus on my presentation, which is this Friday. Since my project is on Pages, I will definitely project it on the overhead throughout my presentation so that I could refer back to it and so the class will have a visual of what I have been working on. I feel that my research paper and final project are well integrated with each other because I have taken certain excerpts from my paper and embedded it within my magazine. For me, the most difficult part of the presentation will be finding an effective way of incorporating the class into my "lesson."

Tuesday, May 20

I am happy that I am finally finished with my research paper and that I can now focus on my presentation and final project. My presentation is schedule for next Friday, so I have a little more than a week to plan what I will be doing. I would like to get the majority of my project done before my presentation so that 1. I will have hard materials to present and 2. It will force me to complete a good portion of it done by next Friday. I plan on creating a magazine of some sort that will concentrate on the content of my research paper, which was the progression of American literature. My paper chronologically followed the changes and adaptations of writing styles and dominant authors an classics of specific time periods. I would like to create a magazine, a collection of different kinds of texts that is put in time order. The magazine will be adorned with other aspects of the corresponding time period, such as music, style, fashion, and overall culture, so that it is a well-rounded collection of information. I am confident in presenting the research I have done and the final project I plan to produce; however, I am struggling as to how I should get the class involved in my presentation. This week I definitely need to figure that out and put a final presentation together for next Friday.

Monday, May 12

I am finally about halfway done with my research paper and am happy with my progress so far. I was happy to finalize my thesis, the part I was struggling with the most. I have decided to research the progression of American literature over time, how the literary styles have changed, and the major authors and works produced from that time period. Much of the research I have found has turned out to be very helpful, such as literary timelines dividing American literature by era and which literary genre it is marked by. The timeline has helped me with organization, for it has served as a sort of outline for me to fill in with additional research and details from other sources. I am happy with where I am right now in the writing process and plan on finishing within the next few days. Tuesday or Wednesday the latest I will give my paper to a peer so it could be edited by a second set of eyes, to hopefully catch anything I have missed. In addition to finishing up my paper I will begin gathering my sources and creating my bibilography so it is not left until the last minute.

Monday, May 5

I have not completed nearly as much as I have hoped to in the past week but I plan to make up for that and more early this week. I think the main problem has been that I have been confused as to what I should research but I have finally gathered my thoughts and decided that I am going to focus my research paper on the progession of American literature throughout the 1900's. We have studied so many different styles and authors in school and now I will be able to learn about each piece's place and significance on the timeline of literature. I plan to cover the 1900's by decade so that the organization of my magazine to follow will fall into place neatly. Today, Monday, I will research and begin writing as soon as possible, even if it is only an outline. I plan to have a good portion of my research paper completed by Wednesday so that much of it can be edited.

The First Step

For the most part, I have finalized all of my decisions having to do with my fourth marking period project. I plan on getting as much done as early as I can to avoid the stress and pressure of procrastination. This week my focus will be on finding the research and materials necessary to write my research paper. I found many books in the library that I plan to take out which give detailed information of the eras I am covering by decades. I am planning on starting my research at the 1920's and continuing up until the present. My research will focus on the progression of American culture and dig deep into the changes abd ever-changing trends in which our country has endured. I, myself, am eager to learn more about our country's culture and the literature, music, fashion, and traditions that have changed as time goes on. My goal for the week is to complete my research and hopefully begin my paper so that I can start my project as soon as possible. I am eager to begin my actual magazine because I want to make it as authentic as possible and my thorough research will help me to do that.

Culture Through the Ages

For my fourth marking period project, I am planning on creating a magazine called Culture Through the Ages. I plan on incorporating fashion, style, music, literature, icons, and traditions of numerous eras in chronological order throughout the magazine. This particular project will involve magazine production, writing skills, and historical research. I will bring life to the magazine by interviewing my peers, friends and family. For example, I will interview my peers and friends for deeper insight into the 90's, my parents for the 60's-80's, and my grandparents for years earlier than the 60's. My goal for this project is to learn more about all different areas of the past as opposed to just hearing stories from my elders. I have always wanted to research and gain more knowledge about certain eras and I am excited to finally get the chance to do so. I am eager to read books, watch movies, and format all of my materials into one professional-looking magazine issue. For example, I am going to read Girls Like Us by Sheila Weller, a novel about the music of Carole King, Carly Simon, and Joni Mitchell, their lives, and the generation they changed. I came across a review of this book in People magazine and finally have the perfect opportunity to read it. I hope to work with fashion merchandising and possibly magazine production in and after college so I know this will be a positive learning experience for the future.

A Woman's Versatility

If there is one common thing I've found among the three books that I have read this marking period, it is the emphasis on women. Both In The Time Of The Butterflies and Herland focus on the inner strength of a woman. Julia Alvarez's In The Time Of The Butterflies depicts the struggle the Mirabel sisters endured as they fought against the oppressive Trujillo dictatorship. I found this novel to be very inspiring, even more so because of that fact that it is based on a true story and that such sacrifices and hardships really did occur. Similarly, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland praised the abilities and acheivements women are able to attain, even in the absence of the "almighty men." While this novel may have been a bit too fantastical for me, I enjoyed the fact that it made me realize that women are capable of doing so much more than they are given credit for, even running an entire civilized society by themselves! Herland proves that women are just as capable of men and that if they had to step up to the plate, all they have to do is find the strength necessary that they all hold within. Once again, an inspring novel that sparks interesting thoughts and endless possibilities. Last but not least, Like Water For Chocolate. I am about midway into the novel and am enjoying it thus far. Rather than strength of women, I would say that this book focuses more so on the complex emotions and events of a woman's life. Author Laura Esquivel really digs deep into the complexities of women and how their emotions take an intense toll on their entire beings. "The weeping was just the first symptom of a strange intoxication—and acute attack of pain and frustration—that seized the guests and scattered them across the patio and the grounds and in the bathrooms, all of them wailing over lost love” ( Esquivel 39). The story is told very dramatically and definitely exercises the imagination; for example, at one point Tita finds her tears dripping into the batter she is preparing and then as the guests digest the finish product, they are instantaneously burdened with the very same emotions that Tita had felt while making it. Overall, I think I have learned a lot from this marking period's assignments because I have glanced not only into the versatility of women but also other cultures, heritages, time periods, and societies.