Personal Reflection / Response to the Course

During the duration of the quarter I have learned more about the technical aspects of writing. My instructor has influenced my learning greatly throughout the course. Classmate contributions haven't influenced my growth as much as I would have thought they would, but my improvements are not my classmate's responsibilities. Personally, I have tried to grow during the course, but my involvement could have been increased. My instructor's contributions were straight forward and the assignments were easily accessible on Angel, making my instructor's contributions extremely helpful. I appreciate my classmate's contributions in critiquing my work and replying to my blog posts, but I don't think they were very helpful. I believe my growth as a writer has increased since I began college in the Fall of 2008, but my writing has yet to meet my personal standards I have for myself.

Researched Argument Thesis

Society hasn't always been focused on celebrities the way it is now, but the effects of being in the spotlight has influenced many stars to get cosmetic procedures. People have taken notice of celebrities who have gotten plastic surgery and feel the need to strive to become more beautiful like their celebrity idol. Today's media has enhanced the glamour of cosmetic surgery in television shows such as Nip/Tuck and The Swan. Plastic surgery is more common than most realize and is growing rapidly in popularity by the minute. The popularity of cosmetic surgery does little to demonstrate the predetermined views society has become accustom to on the risks from procedures performed in cosmetic surgeries. The views I am referring to usually relate to the young blond women that have breast implants. The practice of cosmetic surgery has been developed and the risks have diminished as the techiques have improved.

Topic Proposal

I would like to know if plastic surgery is safe. This is a concern all over America and in countries where plastic surgery has become more popular in recent decades. I know many people have cosmetic surgeries to make themselves appear more attractive, but what are the side effects? People considering plastic surgery should be aware of possible side effects and if the side effects are short term or long term effects? Would different procedures have different effects? I know there is a variety of types of plastic surgery that can be performed and multiple procedures can be performed at once, does this increase the risk of having side effects? Do other medical conditions effect plastic surgery side effects and/or increase the risks when having plastic surgery? If plastic surgery doesn’t result the way the patient intended could the patient have psychological side effects? If the result of plastic surgery is what the patient intended can the patient become addicted? I plan on finding the answers to these questions, then depending on my findings determine whether I think plastic surgery is safe, or not. I am going to use medical journals, books, and the internet for conducting my research on the topic.

Response to “The Men We Carry In Our Minds"

Sanders’ essay describes women as victims, which is not how I would describe women during the time period. I agree with Sanders’ that women, in any period of time, do strive to be everything and do everything, I consider it a woman’s nature. Married women, especially during the late 1940s and 1950s, had priorities that were viewed similar to a male’s job. The priorities could have been cleaning or cooking, but that doesn’t make the work less superior than a man’s job. However, a woman wasn’t able to receive additional education as easily as we are now. The women attending college in the mid 1960s were from wealthy, powerful families striving to carry on the legacy that the men in her family established.
Sanders’ title says it best, “The Men We Carry In Our Minds,” is the generalization of a working man, that young men will strive to be one day. Living up to the title, Sanders’ envisioned a difficult life for himself by becoming similar to the men he knew, struggling laborers with aging bodies and families to care for. Sander’s was able to break the mold by attending college. The women he met there enlightened Sanders to the realization that he had been confined to the small town attitudes from where he was raised. I have alternate views then Sanders, pursuing additional education was expected to be in my future as a child. Sanders’ essay described his realization of his small mindedness he was oblivious to, I support with the topic of Sanders’ essay, small mindedness is intolerable ignorance.

"The New Vocationalism: What It Is, What It Could Be"

I am in college to get my AA degree, once I earn my degree I hope to know what I want to focus on as a career. Grubb's essay "The New Vocational ism: What It Is, What It Could Be" describes the importance of guidance and instruction in vocationalism to high school students. Grubb encourages public schools to offer education that is more fitting for the future, which is something I could have greatly benefited from while attending high school. While in high school I wasn't aware of the career options that were available once I completed college, if more occupational education was taught I could possibly be done with school and pursuing a career, not an entry-level job. I enrolled at SFCC because it was the logical thing to do, being that I didn't have a career in mind, but wanted to further my education. I hope to find a career that I would like to pursue while attending SFCC. Once I narrow career choices down I want to complete the schooling or prerequisites needed for the pursuing the career, then find a job in the career field. Grubb's argument in comparison with my goals is what Grubb is discouraging, or in other words, I am the type of student Grubb is trying to prevent.