In Class: Freewrite

me and my ex girl argued a lot about everything to the point that i just put my phone down. We most often argued about me not picking up the phone if i was busy but of course most women think there man is lying but its ok.

Something i wish i could change is baggage cost at the airport. I wish it would go back to the way it use to be where u only pay if u are checking a second bag. The cost of those bags be killing the pockets of college students and young adults.

People who disagree with me might just talk about how the economy is still so bad but i think that might just be an excuse to get more money from that idea

Rhetorical Analysis

Erykah Badu has taken the teachings from her childhood and let them guide her path in life. She is totally opposite from most other celebrities, she never let her fame or fortune change who she is or what she believed in. In the article she states that she never wanted to be a celebrity but she was more interested in doing what she loves. I think she is a positive role model for young African Americans because she has a strong dedication to learning about her ancestors and African American culture. In today’s society most people among younger generations take for granted the privilege of learning about their history and where they came from. As a whole our culture is fixated on fame and fortune and we are also culturally obsessed with celebrities and their lifestyles we are always interested in what they are wearing and who their dating. We rarely take any interest in the positive information such as starting a non-profit organization or teaching fine art classes in the neighborhoods where they grew up. These are all things Erykah Badu has accomplished while staying true to her career as an entertainer.

Erykah Badu is truly the definition of a free spirit and isn’t afraid of being herself at all times and she has expressed that freedom throughout her entire career. Most celebrities are always portrayed to be one way in the public eye and they are totally opposite behind closed doors this gives their fans and the people who admire them the most a false perception of who they really are. It sends the messages that it’s not okay to be who you are and that you have to follow the path of everyone else.

Erykah Badu has did a great job of breaking down this barrier although she was different from everyone in the music industry at the time of her arrival she was still welcomed with open arms and went on to sell three million copies on her debut album Badizum and she has also earned the title as the queen of Neo-soul. Reading this article on Erykah Badu helped me gained a stronger interest in her and also a greater respect for her in my opinion she is the definition of a true artist from her music to her passion for art itself. She has always found new ways to innovate herself throughout her career through her albums, and her appearance and she accomplished all this while staying true to herself and what she believe and also while inspiring others through the positive messages in her music and her free spirit.

In Class: Freewrite

I think this image is a regular picture that could be taken any where. It reminds me of when i was growing up walking up and down the streets playing outside and seeing guys that probably use to be somebody or could have been something struggling to make it, but will never show because they're thankful no matter.
I feel like striving to become someone better and not being the people in the image when i look at the picture. It makes me want to keep grinding so that people won't look back years later of a photo of me an say he could been something.

The story I get from this image is no matter what comes their way or what struggles may lie ahead their going to make it because to have success there has to be some struggle. It makes you stronger and wiser to know that you can overcome anything, but the best part is when you do it with a smile on your face. That lets others know that nothing can get to you no matter how hard someone tries to bring you down. It's a typical growing up in the "hood" story, some people can't cut it, but it's all good in the hood and only the strong can survive it there's no room for weakness.

The color of black an white in the pitcure makes me feel somewhat sad, why? i really dont know, but maybe its because i have a sense of what they're going through because i actucally know people like the ones in the photo. It reminds me of the times before me when blacks didn't have it as good as some of do now.

When i look at this photo the first thing i notice is the two guys one with a bike and a bag, then the brick walls and apartment floor windows behind them then the text. It looks to be dated back in the 1960s when times where all bad, when signs said colored and whites only.

I think the image is trying to get me to feel that everything is okay even though there's some struggle because of the setting in the photo, such as where it was taken and the text lets you know it was in a tuff neighborhood because it says the lower west side meaning the "hood."

In Class: Freewrite

People:
Bill Russell
Tim Grg
CJ Watson
Ed O'bannon
Linda Green

Some issues:
rules of the NCAA
the struggles of reaching your goals
real estate
Stress of coaching

Some Careers:
owning a business
fashion
music producing
magazine publishing

In Class: Freewrite

I've been thinking about a topic for this assignment and so far I am stuck between research fashion or doing something else. I am leaning more towards fashion, but I am trying to figure out if I want to write about a specific kind, style, or designer. I picked the topic of fashion because it is something that interest me and I don't already know about it. Really all I need is to find the right type of question to help me expand the topic........Thinking of a question...........

I think I am going to research the brand Gucci. Who is the creator, how did it become such a high end value? I have no clue about the clothing or anything that is why I am researching it.

Answering this question will help me understand more about the fashion industry. I think the research will help me and others appreciate the brand more. I always found myself interested in fashion because it seems so easy to make money off of it, but yet so hard at the same time.

Retorical response 2

The essay  Tattoo Crazy gave a first person perspective view on how tattoos have had a major impact among younger generations. The art of tattooing has become very popular among the youth in recent years, and In my opinion I think my generation is filled with innovators and those who are always looking for various ways to express themselves freely rather it be the way the dress or the art they put on their bodies. Throughout history every generation has always made it’s own mark and my generation expresses that through tattoos. Although tattoos are becoming more common there are still a lot of negative opinions about the character of people who have tattoos. In the essay the author Lori Gangi gave a good example of the type of  discrimination that takes places among someone who makes the choice to get a tattoo, “ tattooed people are faced with much discrimination from all sorts of people, not seen for who they are but for what they may look like. They are instantly being judged for their body art, and not who they are“ (Gangi). In my personal experiences I have never been discriminated against because of my choice to have tattoos, but I have learned from the experiences of some of my peers who were denied jobs or treated differently. Before my first tattoo I realized that my choice could have a major impact on my future and  affect the way I’m treated among my elders, but I knew I hade the right to express myself freely and without the opinions of others affecting my personal decisions.  In my opinion just because someone has a tattoo doesn’t give someone else the right to stereotype them and form negative opinions about them before the know who they are as a person. The decision to get a tattoo has no relation to who you are as person or what your boundaries are in life it’s just a form of self expression that everyone should be granted freely. In today’s society many of our favorite actors, music artist, and athletes are often covered with tattoos but they still have the free choice to pursue the career path they chose and often without the negative opinions of others , you rarely hear stories about a actor not receiving a role because of  the way they chose to express themselves the point I’m trying to make is that the tattoos have no affect on how well the actor can perform his or her job. When this scenario is applied to the average person it’s not fair that their discriminated against because of the way they look. I think author of this essay did a great job making this essay easy for someone my age to relate to. I remember being younger and being scared of people with tattoos because I automatically assumed that they were bad people. Although I’m surrounded by people  in my generation who have tattoos everyday I never thought about their opinions or how their choice to have a tattoo may have helped or hurt their progression in life. This essay helped to give me a better understanding on something that not only had a major impact on my life but also the lives of my peers. I think as my generation grows older the role of tattoos will become stronger and they will finally be accepted by everyone, because the role of our elders  and those who oppose of tattoos will become less dominant and it will be harder for one person to discriminate on another person because of their looks if it’s something that their use to seeing. In America people are automatically granted the right to be who they are and they should always take full advantage of that right and not let the opinions of other stop them from being who they are.

Retorical Response 2: Tat

In Class: Freewrite

I am so tierd i just finished morning workouts and its enough with getting up at 6 am. I been having an okay week so i cant complain too much. My cousin just signed his deal with the Warriors congrats C.J. do your thing boy. The only thing that is really getting to me now is sitting out for a year. I havent really given it any thought until last week because the season is near an i want to play so bad and can't, but its okay next year is my year to shine just work on the other aspects of my game and just keep getting better. Something im trying to do this year is push my self to the max on everything i do so that the next couple years come easy to me.

In Class: Thoughts and Questions (essay 1)

They only question I have about the essay is what does it take to get an A. I think if I do everything thing required then I should come out with the grade I want. It is really simple for me and I all have to do is just write and piece it together nicely.

In Class: Freewrite

Second week of school and im already tierd its crazy but i know alot of people are feeling the same way as me. With that said im happy we started workouts its good to be in the gym everyday. Just another day in the life of Hank Thorns. My first week was so busy because i had to fix up my new apartment while managing different task, my apartment looks nice now by the way. Its so early i can barely concentrate i just finished 6am workouts now im in class writing about it. See what i mean the kid is always on the go and on top of the im having some problems back home. So, have any guy out there ever had a girl that just gets on your last nerve like she just nags and nags and nags. Man, its so annoying but women dont seem to get that a man doesnt wanna be bothered with those types of issues. It is what it is though! Next up on the schedule is my second class which is about an hour in a half long then workouts at 2pm, so until next freewrite peace out world.

Retorical Response

In response to the reading “The Biography of Blake Stone” I felt a connection to the narrative. I feel that I can connect personally to the alter ego of Blake Stone. There were times in my own life when I felt insecure and I wished I could be like all the athletes on TV. When I was younger I wished I could be taller and that I could be a better basketball player. In the text, the author speaks of Blake Stone as a man with “piercing blue slate eyes and black hair that gleamed”. Blake Stone was the alter ego that all men wish they could be. All guys dream of being that soap opera character with the washboard abs and the “full year body tan”. As the author becomes more and more like his alter ego he loses apart of himself. In the chat room he is a college student at Stanford when in reality he is a pudgy pubescent boy from Odessa, Texas. Many times in life we lose ourselves when we try to be something we are not. The character in the story becomes a man who drinks martinis and dances gracefully along the ballroom floor. There have been times in my life when I have compromised who I am in order to fit in with a new group of people. When I first arrived at TCU, I wanted to prove to the basketball team that I could play and that I was more than my short stature. During the summer workouts and pickup games I was constantly working harder than my teammates around me. I would stay late and come early. There were days when I felt like my body could not take it anymore but I had to prove not only to the other players and coaching staff but to myself that I was worth signing. When we try to be things that we are not we lose ourselves and we lose those around us. We become people that others do not recognize.

Having an anonymous alter ego online can be fun and exciting. But it can also be dangerous and heartbreaking. In the text, when Stone learns of CalanderGAL’s true identity he is shocked. When she was online, she was a young nurse from Atlanta with long raven colored hair who wore a black cocktail dress that accentuated her voluptuous curves. She made vodka martinis and sang “Unchained Melody”. In the eyes of Stone, she was the perfect woman. In reality, she was a thirty year old woman who was overweight and unattractive. She had low self esteem which led her to create her alter ago. In today’s society, one must be beautiful to be accepted. CalanderGAL was not accepted in society and men did not find her attractive so she was desperate for attention. The use of online alter-egos allows for even the most unattractive people to become beautiful online. In the case of the author, he transformed from a pudgy fifth grader to a suave and debonair young man. In the chat room, he was the man that all the women wanted and the man that all men were secretly envious of. A theme of accepting yourself for who you is prevalent in the conclusion of the text.

The question that I was constantly asking myself while reading the text was why people care so much about how others see them. Magazines are constantly telling women that they have to be thin and that men are supposed to be buff and tan. They also state that men are supposed to be athletic like Lebron James in order to be successful on the court. In reality, most men are not buff and tan. Most men do not have time to go to the gym to work out for hours and hours. There are also very few people who have the athletic prowess like Lebron James. Society focuses on the outer beauty and characteristics that are held by very few individuals. Instead of focusing on athleticism or appearance, people should focus on the character of the person. Instead of talking about how much money a person made, we should talk about their charitable acts or the love they have for their family. When Martin Luther King Jr. made his I Have a Dream speech he stated that he dreams of a land where people are judged by the content of their character and not their appearance. It too is my dream to be judged by the type of person I am and not my appearance.

In Class:

An Authority List: (Things I know a lot about)
1) basketball
2) fashion
3) survive
4) packing for a vacation
5) cleaning (my house)
6) music (new songs)
7) shoes
8) making friends
9) how to be a leader
10) women
11) having fun (at boring times)
12) how to get my way
13) cooking breakfast
14) being creative


I became an leader from watching my father he always made his own decisions never look for anyone else to guide him always depended on himself and made his on path then i notice people trying to copy or follow what he already accomplished its the craziest thing to see people jocking other people's style i always been a cool type of person to be around and never really demanded anything from anybody just always did what i thought was tight or fresh not matter what it was if it was fashion i never wanted to wear what everybody else had on if it was basketball i wanted to play my own game sure i may have copied a couple moves but i always created a go to move of my own i try to be a trend setter i guess my father kinda rubbed off on me i know how to get people to follow me not by punking them but by setting trends and just being me

In Class: Free Write

Bruce Ballenger talks about writing badly I think he wants you to just apply your thoughts on paper so that you can witness your mistakes or maybe so you can just free your mind. His writing soounds harder than it may seem because take me for instance im not a writer at all but its something im trying to work on i didn t read too much of this chapter because i didnt have my book yet so im just applying what i think it may mean its been a busy week! writers are not perfect. Today i guess im gonna go back and read this because its clear i dont know what im talking about this is kinda weird but i guess it might help me hopefully! So who is Ballenger? i would like to know so if you know please feel free to post a comment.

Who Is Hank Thorns?

On January 11, 1989 in Las Vegas, NV on a beautiful Thursday morning a star was born and his name was Henry Thorns, but you can call me Hank. I'm a 20 year old junior now attending TCU on a full ride basketball scholarship after spending two great years at Virgina Tech. When I am out of the classroom and off the court I am as simple as they come. Some of my hobbies include collecting shoes, riding horses, and sleeping. Here at TCU, I will be majoring in communications while taking business as a minor. I take pride in my work and not just in this class, but in everything I do.
So, if I became Chancellor of TCU the one thing I would try to change, if not make it better, is expanding the university by adding more majors, which will bring more students. This campus has great faculties, facilities, and a great environment that can make this program one of the nation's best. Teachers would also be a key in helping take the program to another level as well as the type a students that are accepted here. A good teacher is someone who makes learning fun, strict when they need to be, but makes a student enjoy their company. A good student will feed off that and will strive to be the best with whatever is put in front of them.
Some things you should know about me is that I am a big family person, I feel like I'm the best in whatever I do, even if I'm not, and that I would stop at nothing until I have success. A couple of my role models of mine is number one my father he's the reason why I who I am today. Second would be my grandmother she was the strongest person I know. Last but not least, Micheal Jordan, I think the guy is a genuis from what he did on the court and what he does off it. Those are three people who I feel like I can have dinner and talk to everyday.
This course was assigned to me, so I didn't have a chance to choose it, but it's one that I think I can benefit from because it can help me expand my knowledge and skills in writing. Honestly, I never write unless it's an assignment, but I think writing can be powerful if it is used in the right ways. Everything explained for this course is very clear to me an I admit it migh be a little of a challenge for me, but I will embrace it, learn from it, and hopefully become the best writer here.