Letter to Reader

Dear Reader,

            I have gained more knowledge than I expected to from my first college English class. I learned how to establish a writing process and create the best versions of my essays through reading sample essays, and learning to use clear points in my paragraphs.

            In the beginning of this course, I probably would have put together an essay without even thinking of creating a writing process. However, I learned that having a writing process allows for a writer to create a better piece. In order to develop a successful essay I found it helpful to make a list of all the topics I would include in my paper. I would then connect the topics so that they would flow together and form a clear and concise essay. I found Professor Young’s teaching method of “RENNS” to be more helpful than any handout for making corrections and moving from one draft to another. RENNS stands for reasons, examples, names, numbers, and sensory detail. RENNS was a useful resource when trying to figure out if certain topics would tie into my essays or not.

            Because I established a clear writing process that was tailored specifically to the way that I write, I was able to comfortably and knowledgeably churn out my best essay. The greatest essay I have written so far is “The Boulder Run Issue.” I selected this piece for the portfolio because I feel that it showcases my ability to write and establish clear points for the reader to understand. The strengths of this essay are the points made about disruptive behavior and illegal activities from teenagers in Boulder Run. I made several revisions to this essay to improve it by including dialogue.

            By reflecting on my progress as a writer, I have found that my writing skills have improved from the beginning of the semester till now. As a writer, I discovered that I write better when I have a writing process in place. The process helps me stay focused and organized as I create my essay so that my points stay clear and concise for the reader to easily understand.

Thank you for taking the time to review my portfolio.

Sincerely,

Josh Yovich 

Beauty is Not Honest But Decieving

Can Beauty be Honest?

            As you are walking down the street something, actually to be more specific, someone beautiful catches your eye. You can’t move your gaze off them as you are examining their physically attractive attributes. In an instant they viciously began mugging a nearby elderly man for money. All of the strong feelings of attraction you recently acquired toward them were crushed immediately after they committed this evil act. You realize that despite possessing beautiful qualities on the outside they can be a wretched person on the inside. If beauty is solely based off of sight then can beauty truly be honest? The lesson learned from this scenario can connect with Cameron Russell’s, an American fashion model, stance on beauty. Russell’s views on beauty’s honesty were portrayed by her TED Talk lecture in which she explains how beauty is not honest, but constructed and fake. I agree with Russell’s perspectives on beauty because humans have a deceiving nature and will go to the extreme in order to recreate themselves into something they are not.

The quintessence of beauty is one having a combination of qualities which all please the aesthetic senses, especially the sight. Cameron Russell teases the audience of her TED Talk moments after walking onto stage and puts on casual clothes over her black dress. Russell did this to show that even though she changed her superficial appearance nothing else about her changed aside from her clothing. After putting on more clothing Russell argues her opinions on beauty by stating, “Image is powerful, but also image is superficial. I just totally transformed what you thought of me in six seconds” (Russell). She is still the same person, but she could be viewed as less appealing to the eye due to her covering up her legs and chest. Both those body parts are what makes one attractive in the eyes of society and the media.

Anyone can change the way they look in this day and age with the use of Adobe Photoshop to edit photographs of themselves to improve their outward appearance. Makeup can be applied to one’s skin order to clear up blemishes and add colors to make ones skin look more vibrant and appealing. Another modern method in order to change ones appearance to look more beautiful is surgery. Surgeries such as plastic surgery and Botox injections are preformed to permanently change one’s body to their own liking when they really don’t need any change at all. My friend Mike who had a perfectly normal nose got a nose job to change his nose permanently simply because he had the cash for the surgery. Anyone can undergo a surgery to look different and possibly more “beautiful” on the inside, but they could still be an ugly person on the inside no matter what they do to change themselves.

 Beauty should not be based solely off of sight since visuals can be deceiving. Visuals can deceive because they do not show the inner motives of others Furthermore, since visuals can be deceiving, how can an individual’s beauty be honest if they are basing what their own beauty’s worth is by visual appearances? I believe that beauty is not only based off of sight alone, but what consists of one’s true beauty is what positive qualities someone has. People have to prove the beautiful qualities they have such as being kind hearted, portraying to others a positive point of view on life and giving off an uplifting attitude.

 Instead of stressing about trying to please others we should please ourselves and accept the bodies we have. The way we look naturally is the way we should always appear. Stressing about our beauty and make us insecure and that is an issue that could lead to depression. Cameron Russell interprets this to her audience by saying, “…the thing that we never say on camera, that I have never said on camera, is, I am insecure. And I'm insecure because I have to think about what I look like every day. And if you ever are wondering, if I have thinner thighs and shinier hair, will I be happier? You just need to meet a group of models, because they have the thinnest thighs and the shiniest hair and the coolest clothes, and they're the most physically insecure women probably on the planet” (Russell). Apparently, even the most self-proclaimed beautiful people, models, are insecure because they always have to be pleasing others by their looks. If they relaxed and had a day to not care about what they looked like they would have less stress and could focus on improving other positive qualities they have instead of just their bodies.

Cameron Russell ends her TED talk lecture with, “If there's a takeaway to this talk, I hope it's that we all feel more comfortable acknowledging the power of image in our perceived successes and our perceived failures” (Russell). I believe that Russell means through this statement that our appearance doesn't affect our image, our beauty and every other quality we possess. We can deceive others easily through appearances but if we are trying to be someone we are not we are only living a lie.  Eventually our true personality is revealed in the end and we are shown for who we truly are. No matter how much we try to be someone who we aren't our true identity shines through even if we don’t want our actual identify shown. Therefore, we should try to be the best person we can be and not try to pull a facade in order to make ourselves look more appealing to others. In the end, our beauty is shown through how we see ourselves and if we do not see ourselves as beautiful then we are trying too hard. No one should ever try to be someone they are not since their beauty is not honest but a fake beauty which is meaningless.

My Opinion on Dutton's Theory Of Beauty

 A Darwinian Theory on Beauty

            Natural beauty is instinctive, but do all people believe that this is the case? Denis Dutton featured on “A Darwinian Theory on Beauty” Ted Talk states his points about beauty. Beauty, according to Denis Dutton, is instinctive, anything done well is beautiful. I somewhat agree with his point on beauty. I agree on Dutton’s point that beauty can be instinctive because some things in nature are naturally beautiful. Examples of this are immaculate landscapes, waterfalls and Amazonian rain forests. Although these things can be beautiful to one person but not beautiful to another. The point I am making is that Dutton is thinking that all people have one opinion on beauty, but that is not true. Beauty is opinionated and it is ruled by how society thinks and how the media portrays beauty. One person may think beauty is the Grand Canyon while another may think that the Grand Canyon is not beautiful to view at all. The Grand Canyon was an occurrence by nature and it was indeed made very well by natural causes and time. With Dutton’s way of viewing beauty it must be that all people believe the Grand Canyon is beautiful but in my friend’s opinion it is not that beautiful. Therefore, beauty is opinionated and Dutton is incorrect to believe that anything done well is beautiful. The truth of the matter is that beauty is opinionated. Instinctive beauty is possible for some people, but for the latter everyone has their own opinions on what is beautiful and what is not.

Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty

http://www.ted.com/talks/denis_dutton_a_darwinian_theory_of_beauty?language=en

Can Beauty Be Constructed?

       Aimee Mullins, featured on My 12 Pairs of Legs Ted Talk, proves that beauty can be constructed through how Aimee lives her life. Aimee Mullins is a model, American athlete and fashion designer. She lived her whole life standing on prosthetic legs but that did not stop her at all from growing up to be a beauty woman and accomplishing her goals. She did not let her disabilities hinder her in her life. Aimee used her constructed prosthetic legs to assist herself in her athletics, academic studies and ultimately attaining beauty. This shows that even though she is disabled she did not let it affect her in being the funny, kindhearted, attractive and intelligent woman she is today. This can be a lesson for anyone who may feel that they are not beautiful or that they could use some improvement. If they feel that way then they should go ahead and construct their own unique beauty. If one puts in the rigorous effort and hard work towards their goals then they will be rewarded with a positive outcome.

            Beauty can be constructed in the sense that we as humans can help ourselves attain beauty and construct it for ourselves. An example of this in my life where I wanted to construct my own beauty was when I was a freshman in high school. I always wanted to be a varsity wrestler for my school team and I looked up to those who were seniors in my high school who wrestled. After much effort and work I put into each practice I grew to become a better wrestler. Finally after years of effort I achieved what I always wanted from freshman year, a better body, a strength increase and the title of varsity wrestler. Staying consistent with the positive qualities we show towards others such as kindness and support can be beneficial to constructing beauty.

Aimee Mullins: My 12 pairs of legs

http://www.ted.com/talks/aimee_mullins_prosthetic_aesthetics?language=en

Final Revision, Essay 1

The Importance of Identity

            From a young age we define our identities and if someone was to make an attempt at taking a piece of our identity away we should fight back no matter what. Gloria Anzaldua did exactly this when scolded by her Catholic teachers at school for actively professing her identity. Gloria was punished for speaking her native language, Spanish. “If you want to be American, speak ‘American.’” That is what the teacher said to Gloria. The only effect this had on her was to provide inspiration for her to be proud of her nationality. I disagree with the rational of the Catholic teachers because even though she may be living in the United States she doesn’t only have to speak English. Millions of people live in the United States and they do not all speak only English. Therefore you do not only need to speak English to be American, so there was no reason for Anzaldua’s reprimanding. For Gloria, her identity relates to her Spanish language because it is uniquely and entirely part of her personal life, as well as Spanish Culture. Therefore, Anzaldua fights back and does not stop speaking her home language whether it be at home, with her friends, family, or at school. This piece is a chapter of Anzaldua’s book, “Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza,” which depicts Anzaldua’s life at a young age and follows through adulthood. It also explains how her identity remained with her and how she applied it to everyday life. She understands that America is a melting pot of different identities which adds to the American culture. Everyone in the world has a different identity no matter where they are located on the globe.

An identity is not simply just a language; it consists of much more. An identity can be made up of multiple features such as language, morals, personality, nationality, family, friend’s, culture and education. Identity is how one goes about their life. For example, Anzaldua identifies Spanish as her primary language. She speaks it at home with her family and at school with her friends. Anzaldua also writes in her book not in just English, but in Spanish as well. Gloria writes about her personality as, “Stubborn, persevering, impenetrable as stone, yet possessing a malleability that renders us unbreakable…” (Anzaldua). This is significant because it states how her personality is strong minded and persevering. She did not back down when faced with the being sent to the corner of the classroom by her teachers at school. Her experiences as a child shaped her identity. After she was told she was not American she was strengthened. Anzaldua then applied the lessons she learned from that incident and matured. This shows how identity is important as ones strong beliefs in their identity can help someone grow and mature to be a resilient individual.

Identity consists of education and environment. Education can be part of someone’s identity because if one is not well educated they may speak with slang using improper grammar or sentence structure. Education is also how one obtains a job in the future, so if one isn’t properly educated they will not have a decent high paying job. Identity is made up of family life as well because one may look up to one or more family members such as a mother or a father. A family tragedy also can also change a person but it also can strengthen them too such as a child who lost a father and they must now take care of their mother. Having an identity is important since it affects someone in every aspect of their life.

We should all remember that identity is important because your identity is who you are as a person. That is why even though Anzaldua might have been living in America she did not have to speak ‘American’ just to be considered an American. Your identity is how others see you and how you will be remembered. We should stand up for ourselves if someone is trying to bring us down and not let them negatively affect how we truly  are as a person. Anzaldua’s identity is her Spanish language and the Hispanic culture surrounding her. Our identities may be made up of many parts but as a whole that is who we are as an individual. No one should be judged for being professing their individualism for that is what makes up their identity.