Post 4~

Today we were told to read some examples of multigenre projects and reflect so I am going to talk about a project who's theme generally sparks controversy among many women. Feminism and how fairy tales can relate.

We have all heard the classics of Cinderella and Belle, but do these stories (key word-stories) play a role in how we view ourselves growing up? The answer is no for me. I am a huge Disney fan and I will proclaim that loudly. I grew up playing dress up as princesses and singing along to my favorite Disney movies. Yet, I am extremely independent and have never really been one to rely on guys for my happiness. Maybe that's just me and how I turned out, but I disagree with the author of Happily Ever After in the Media? who is, by the way, Tori Grinberg. 

The title immediately grabbed my attention. Although I probably wouldn't choose it as a topic for my research, it was a good example of what we should be starting to work on. 

If you want to know what I am researching, here is your answer... I don't know. I am waiting for a good idea to hit me and it just hasn't yet. I'll make sure and let you know as soon as one does though.  

Reading Response 3~ Millennium Development Goals
Ensure Environmental Sustainability

The environment has always been a priority to me. All throughout my childhood I wanted to be a marine biologist. My room was painted with sea animals and I had hundreds (not kidding) of sea books and encyclopedias scattered about in hopes that I would learn about a new creature. At that time you could ask me questions about anything involving the ocean and if I couldn't immediately answer, I would seek to the books and learn. This was all before I realized that I have a fear of deep water/clouded water that I can't see through (this did dampen the dreams of marine biology, unfortunately.)

Not only was I interested in the ocean, but the environment as a whole. I started recycling and encouraging others to do so at school. This is why I was so attracted to number seven on the Millennium Development Goals. Number seven is Ensure Environmental Sustainability.

In Missouri alone the Least Tern, Gray bat, Indiana bat, Ozark Big-Eared bat, Ozark Hellbender, and many more species are on the official endangered list. I found this information after reading the fact sheet for the environmental page.


"Although more land and marine areas are under protection, many species of birds, mammals and others are heading for extinction at a fast pace. Significant progress has been made in increasing the coverage of protected areas dedicated to safeguarding and maintaining biological diversity and natural resources. 14.6 per cent of the world’s land surface is now protected, while marine protection has more than doubled since 1990, from 4.6 per cent to 9.7 per cent in coastal waters. At the same time, species are moving towards extinction at an ever-faster pace, and reduced biodiversity will have serious consequences for the ecosystem services upon which all people depend"


I have always had an interest in environmental protection, and I always will. It is so interesting for me to read the goals and accomplishments so far of the Millennium Development Goals. I am really proud of the work that has been done so far to protect the environment and the species that inhabit that land and can't wait to see what they do next to help.

My absolute favorite photo describing the tragedy that has sparked regarding shark fins. I encourage you to look up the situation if you so desire, but it will definitely anger you. (as long as you are a normal caring person, I suppose)

Article 2 Response-

     My favorite Do Good idea that I read was called Art to Aid. It is an online site where people can sell their creations and donate a portions of the profits to their favorite charity. It was unique to me because anyone could help. All someone would have to do is sign up to the website and sell their creations. It is a really neat concept, I love it. If I were creative enough to make things, I would participate (but no one would buy my stuff because I am most definitely not artistic).   { http://startsomethingthatmatters.maker.good.is/projects/arttoaid?position=2&sort=alphabetical }
     I also read and idea called OAK which stands for Ordinary Acts of Kindness. By buying a backpack through OAK, you automatically donate another backpack and school supplies to homeless children and children suffering through foster care. But they don't stop there, they also help fund tutoring and counseling for the children in need. { http://startsomethingthatmatters.maker.good.is/projects/oaklifestyle?position=9&sort=15 }
     Last, but not least, a father went to his first daughters baby shower and was unimpressed with the childrens books. He claimed they were all too sappy or just plain boring, this view helped spark the idea for CoverForCover. Mike Nemeth has now published three of his own creations and has two more in production. But the cool thing is that for every copy sold, he donates a copy of one of his books to a low income family that may not have access to good chilrens books. I think it is really awesome that he is trying to fight child illiteracy. { http://startsomethingthatmatters.maker.good.is/projects/BabyDaddyBooks?position=4&sort=alphabetical }

All three of these stories caught my attention because they were something that I potentially could participate in. I like when people create something to help but also make it to where it can involve the community. It is a lot more fun to get involved if you know that you personally are helping by purchasing a product. It got me thinking about how I can help by just pursuing one of my passions. I have a dream of working on an Evidence Recovery Squad and getting a degree in Forensic Science. When I go to those crime scenes, I want to get the truth and help someone that was in an unfortunate situation. I want to be the one that proves someone guilty and puts that person where they need to be to protect the community. It's my passion to work with forensics and I hope on day that I can.

Article 1 Response~

I read the grammar article and thought that it all seemed like common sense. The topics that the author covered were fairly basic and simple to understand. The only things, out of those choices, that I know that I am guilty of is wordiness and bad parallelism. I tend to put a lot of words into one sentence and then word them in such a way as to confuse the reader. Of course I do this by accident, but nevertheless, it happens.

I believe the main points of the article are strictly based on opinion. For me, the main topics that I noticed were bad parallelism, wordiness (didn’t have its own section, but mentioned in opening paragraph), and the subjunctive section. I noticed the first two because I immediately knew that they pertained to me. However, I noticed the subjunctive section because I know multiple people that still use “were” and “was” wrong. Although it is not a big deal, it is still mildly irritating. In summary, this article basically listed seven common grammatical errors (whether big or not) and gave examples of how to avoid the mistakes. It was helpful for me to read through the examples and see how to properly word a piece of writing.

“As I noted in my previous article, the meaning of words inevitably and perennially change.”

The above quote is wonderful. No matter what, the meaning of words tends to change based upon society itself. People use words in different ways than they were originally intended, which can cause trends that briefly (or permanently) change the words meaning.

“On the other hand, no one thinks anymore that astonish means "turn to stone," and it would be ridiculous to object to anyone who does so.”

This quote, later on in the paragraph, further proves my point. It would be silly for someone to interpret astonish into “turn to stone” in this modern day. That’s the beauty of words, they are forever changing. And we are changing with them. 

This article just made me picture a giant rule book of good and bad writing styles.