Open Week

Students,

Good blogging so far. Thank you for sharing elements of your life with the class and myself.

You will need to blog this week, but the topic is open. Please do choose something connected to the class or what we are doing in class. If you struggle to find a topic, you might extend something we talked about in class (like which Progress Report from "Flowers for Algernon" you connected to the most) or continue to meditate about the meanings of the terms "speaking," "silence," "rhetoric," and "literature."

Ms. Lambke

Pax Nelson

Hello. My name is Paxton Nelson. I am currently a Biology major here at SLU, but I am looking to switch my major to Education. I am from the north side of Chicago and work at a law firm in the downtown loop. I enjoy to play music a lot and have been playing for 5 years. I like to play guitar, bass, and piano as well as singing. I would like to do something with music in my future career.

I joined this class originally because of the name. I thought that it would be an interesting way to present an english class. After the first class I saw that I was correct in choosing this course. I think the assignments sound interesting and that I can learn a lot from this course. I have enjoyed almost all of my English/literature courses in the past and I believe that will continue. I look forward to see what this semester holds.

As a musician silence was never something that came easy to me. Although, I do enjoy to listen to others, I find that it is just to get enough information about the topic to reply and retort. Silence to me can sometimes be awkward and boring. Speaking is something I am more familiar with. Speaking is one of the fundamentals of communication. (Especially for me because I prefer not to text or im) Speaking is essential for interaction in a clear and artistic way. I look forward to going deeper into the meaning of both silence and speaking later in class.

Paxton Nelson

Will Thinnes Introduction

Hello classmates,

My name is Will Thinnes and I am a sophomore Biology major, Psychology minor from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My goal after SLU is to go to medical school. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with my friends,   listening to music, and playing sports. My favorite sport is basketball and I am frequently found at the rec center shooting hoops. I consider myself to be approachable and easy-going, and I hope to get to know the rest of you better as we progress through the semester.

After reading some of the blogs posted before me, I too must admit that English is not my favorite class and this class mainly serves to fulfill a requirement for my degree. However, I am eager to see what this class has to offer. The title in itself is interesting; when I signed up I had no idea what I was getting into. Now, however, after a little light has been shone onto what we will be learning, I am interested to see where it goes.

I think that speaking and silence are two very different but related forms of interaction. I am sure that someone before me has made the connection before that they are yin and yang of language. For me, I feel comfortable in both speaking and silence. One can learn the most from another person by being silent when they are talking. The opposite is true as well, you can only let others know what you are thinking by talking to them. I am hoping that this class will become useful as I move towards being a doctor with the knowledge I learn of conveying thoughts and ideas through speaking as well as silence.

Hello class, my name is Sean Hazlett. I am in my second year at SLU and majoring in Biology. At this point in my academic career I am attempting to finish up my prerequisites for my B.S. degree. One of these prerequisites happens to be an English course above 300 level and that more than anything is the reason why I am enrolled in this class. I enjoy taking classes in subjects other than my major, but to say that I have a true passion for these courses would be a blatent lie. The only exception to this statement is music. I view music as one of the truest ways of expressing one's self, and although the same could be said about writing and speaking, there is something about music that I truly connect with.

Silence is very important in my life. I come from a very large family and that sometimes means that rivate time can be hard to come by. Many days I take time, even if just 5 minutes, and reflect in silence. This allows me to think about what I could have done better in the last few days as well as how I can reach my goals in life.

My goal for this course is to become a better speaker. I have been told many times that I am a very good listener, but never that I am a very good speaker. In the past I was very shy about sharing my thoughts and beliefs on different subjects, but as I made my way through high school I realized that by being truthful and sharing what you want to share you are better able to connect with others. This does not mean that other people will agree with your opinions, but as long as you are respectful in your expression they should respect your thoughts. I am beginning to believe that the reason for my struggle as a public speaker is the thought that I am not as creative as I would like to be. This thought lingers in the back of my mind, and because of it I sometimes fear harsh judgment from others.

Introduction

Hi!

My name is Priya Sirohi and I am from Omaha, Nebraska. I was born in India, but I came to the United States when I was 2-years-old, and I basically consider myself American. I am studying English here, and I hope to go to graduate school to study Rhetoric and Composition. I am not sure specifically which topics in Rhetoric I want to study, all I know is that I love English and I especially love studying the arts of persuasion. I was on the debate team in my high-school and that is when I really got interested in the art of speaking and persuasion.

As such, for me, this class holds a great deal of significance. There isn't a clear rhetoric program here at SLU, so I've kind of been scrambling to take all the classes in rhetoric that I possibly can. I have really enjoyed the readings so far, and I'm looking forward to the rest of this semester.

I find silence oppressive, even on a surface level, whenever I'm around other people. I love talking, and I'm always bursting to say something. I have learned to try and not raise my hand for every question asked (to give others an opportunity), but my impulse to always be answering questions is still there. When I'm alone, I have to have noise of some kind. If in the library, I have to listen to music. I enjoy studying in cafes where there is constant activity and noise. My surroundings are rarely quiet.

Hi Class,

My name is David Kimzey. This is my fourth year at SLU and I couldn't be more happy with it. I'm currently trying to get a math degree, but have no idea what I want to do with it. I've been in St. Louis my entire life so someday I hope to travel to see other places.

Honestly I was a little bit concerned when I signed up for this class, just because I am one of the worst readers ever. It was always easier for me to see a story come to life first-hand through visualy seeing it, rather than watching it unfold through reading text. So without a doubt, my goal for the class is that I hope my reading skills will be a little bit better after this class.

There are times when I believe silence can be good and bad. Silence can be a great thing if you are hoping to focus on a single aspect. For myself, I feel like the only way I can efficiently study is to have complete silence, just because I get easily distracted with the slightest noise or with any other minor distraction. But other than for study or for sleep, I don't think I would ever want to "hear" silence. It is a good feeling to hear the world around you everyday.

For speaking, I feel like I am much more confident telling a story than I am reading one. I like the idea of being able to communicate a story with people and sharing your ideas on the subject. 

Hey everyone,
My name is Supriya, I am a sophomore and pre-med.  I am currently a Biology major and a Psychology minor, but I'm going to switch to neuroscience soon.  I am from Festus, MO which is only 40 minutes away from SLU.  I was born in India, but my family moved when I was little and I lived in England for 6 years before moving to America.
The reason why I am taking this class would be because a 300 level English for a B.S. The title of the class did seem interesting and ratings were also good.  I did not know what to expect from this class, but so far I have enjoyed the class, readings, and discussion.  It is nice to read something and form your own opinions.  It has also been interesting to see how other people view the same reading and how perception on a topic varies between people.
I have no problems speaking with my friends or even strangers, but I normally only speak in class if I think something is relevant.  I am also fine with being silent, but more in an indifferent manner than being shy.  I believe that my life has good balance of silence and speaking.
Supriya Nagireddi

Trina Introduction

Hi, my name is Trina Sablan and I am a freshman. I am originally from Saipan (a small island in the Pacific) but prior to moving here, I lived in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. My major is English/Prelaw, the two subjects that I find most interesting; although, English was not my first choice. As for law, I have always had the desire to become a defense attorney and I plan to pursue that goal. I would not let anything deter that.

As I progressed academically, my interest in English increased. I think that it fits me the most. Since high school, English was always my strongest point. My goals for this class is to have more knowledge on the subject and have a better understanding on it, I definitely want to expand and I think that this class will fulfill that. Due to the fact that I am a freshman who took English 150 last semester, I was nervous to attend this class because it is a huge step. However, I will do my best to receive the grade that I want.

I am not a great fan of silence, atleast not anymore. I used to be immensely shy, but as I grew, I realized that being shy would get me nowhere. After realizing that, I improved my social skills in multiple ways. Being active in sports and extracurricular activities were the best solution to that problem. I was active in many things throughout my high school years so that helped strengthen my social skills. Now, I always look forward to meeting new people and having the opportunity to getting to know them. Clearly, I like speaking more. I also knew that being silent would not help me pursue my ambitions due to the fact that I want to become a defense attorney. I knew what I had to do and I know that I accomplished it. Lawyers have to be good public speakers, it is essential. Although I am not an expert in public speaking, I try my best. I know that I need more practice so I will ensure to speak as much as I can everyday.

Hello! My name is Mary Lee Ptacek; I’m one of the people who added the class after the first session, so you probably know very little about me. I’m from Kansas City, MO, and I’m a junior, previously a political science major but now English and International Studies with a political science minor. I’m also a pre-law scholar, but my desire to go to law school is vanishing fast. I spent last spring studying abroad in Budapest, Hungary, which was an amazing experience. I now know more about communism than I ever wanted to know, but I also got to meet people from all over Europe and see some incredibly cool places.

As an English major, naturally, I enjoy and look forward to English class. That being said, I am a little rusty, as my last two English classes (one at SLU and one abroad) have both been very specific, focusing on one Russian playwright (Chekhov) and love in Shakespeare and Eastern European literature (random, but true). I love grammar and punctuation usage, but tend to overdo the commas. I am also inclined to see symbols everywhere, so I apologize in advance for that. My goals for this class are to learn more about the significance of speaking and silence in rhetoric and literature, to create presentations I am truly proud of, and to improve my analysis skills.

I have mixed feelings about silence. In my own life, I was very much silent throughout elementary school; I probably should have been more silent in high school (way too much gossiping goes on at an all-girls school), but I think I have found the proper balance now. In Budapest, I was forced to be silent all the time, as Hungarian is an incredibly difficult language to learn and I was not confident in speaking what little of it I knew. Also, on the public transportation in Hungary almost everyone is silent, which I found very strange since in the U.S. we are constantly talking on our phones or to our friends, or sometimes even to the stranger sitting next to us. However, I also think it is important to make time for silence, so that we might reflect and appreciate our lives more.

I like to listen to other people speaking. When I went to Italy in high school with my Latin class, my best friend talked for almost the entire trans-Atlantic flight about a summer camp she had gone to and I listened to every detail almost completely silently. But for me, it’s important to speak only when you have something significant to say. That’s not a very good answer, so hopefully this class will help me form a better opinion about speaking!

Blog Assignment 1: Introductions and Silence

Hello Class,

                My name is Danielle Nicole Hosie and I am a sophomore here at SLU. I have a double major of Psychology and Early Childhood Education. Honestly, I am not quite sure what my future holds, but I am truly optimistic. I have been in a relationship for 5 years now with my best friend, Brandon, who I have known since second grade. Brandon will definitely continue to be a part of my life, like he always has been. I work as a waitress at the Lemp Mansion Restaurant by Cherokee Street. Besides work, school, friends, family, and Brandon, I dance ballet. The dancers of SLU are actually working on making dance a minor. Anything else I would say about myself would just be very random and unimportant, like how I am more of a cat person than dog and that I love the Red Hot Chili Peppers. So I will digress.

                To be honest, I have to take English classes to satisfy major requirements and not because I want to, but I always end up taking something away from the class. Usually I take something that is small advice or a quote from a book. Normally, I find it difficult to enjoy English classes because they involve dull readings and long reaction papers. My professors were very boring, not excited to teach, and graded extremely harsh. Last semester, I took a poetry class that I actually kind of liked. My professor was open to everyone’s different and creative responses even if they were bizarre. Usually we would stray off topic, which I find every interesting class usually does stray away from the main topic.

                My goals for this class are quite simple. Obviously, I want to receive a good grade, but I want to find something to take away from this class. Since most of my English classes have been writing papers, this class will be interesting to have interaction and speaking. I get nervous speaking in front of people, with the shaking hands and forgetting what to say. Hopefully this class will help get me more comfortable speaking in front of a class. On the contrary, I am a great listener. I enjoy hearing people’s thoughts and I like giving feedback. Maybe this class will improve my speaking and I can relax when it comes time for silence. 

Danielle Hosie

Hi all,

Again, I am Nicole Gremaud and am a chemistry major. This is my last semester here at SLU, as I will graduate in May with a BS! I couldn't be more excited! Last September, I became a proud mother to a beautiful little boy, who has changed me in so many unexplainable ways. With him, there is never a moment I do not have a smile on my face!

Anyway, enough about me. As a chemistry major, I wasn't to fond of the idea of taking a 300 level English class. Why? With some Humanities professors, I find them subjective and set in their own ways. Thus, being a science major, I prefer objectivity, where things exists independent of mind. However, I scrolled through the list and came across the title of English 327. After reading through the catalog entry and of course, finding ratings for the teacher, I thought this class might allow for more individual thought, rather than molding to what is already presumed by the teacher. So far, this is exactly what I have found. Therefore, in the class I hope to obviously receive a good grade, but most importantly, read instances of others' experiences with silence and speaking in rhetoric and literature and relate them with my own life. I also hope to learn from these particular pieces and become more of an individual by expressing myself through speaking and silence.

In addition, speaking has never been an issue for me. I am extremely outspoken and always tell it like I see it! My mother says I am exactly like my father and she is not a huge advocate of things we have to say most of the time. Therefore, silence has never seemed to come very easy. This was until I learned that listening is equally important as speaking. There can be no good speaking without good listening first. Also, I've come to realize that silence can be just as powerful at times as speaking, such as in protest and making a point. Thus, silence has become a major part of my being, especially now with a four month old! I must listen to realize his needs and respond accordingly. In conclusion, speaking and silence go hand-in-hand and it is near impossible to have one without the other. Thanks for listening to what I had to say! I look forward to listening to you!

Nicole Gremaud

Blog Assignment 1: Introductions and Silence

For our first blog of the semester, I want you to expand your introduction from the first day of class. Tell us a few things about yourself, your feelings about English class, and your goals for the class.

Then, answer these questions: How do you feel about silence? How do you feel about speaking? Explain your answers.

Welcome to Our Class Blog

English 327-01 Students,

Welcome to our blog! As I mentioned in class, this is a place where you are asked to post once a week (and comment twice). I hope we can use this space as an online semi-informal forum to enrich class discussion. Sometimes ideas that you might have half formed in class, and therefore are not ready to share, can be posted on the blog. Here you can develop these half-formed ideas through writing and solicit feedback on them. I will do my best to keep abreast of your postings, and will reference them in future class discussions. And, please keep in mind that even if I do not mention your posts, I do read them and take them into consideration when designing class activities, discussion topics, and lecture themes.

Before you start blogging away, let me put forth a few guidelines and expectations. I try not to be too restrictive on your blogging, but there are some things I would like to get across up front:

1. One post and two comments are required each week for full blogging points. A week begins on Monday at 10 am. Thus, a post at 9:55 on Monday, Jan 23 will count for week 1, and one at 10:05 am will count for week 2. Multiple blogs during a particular week will not gain you additional points.

2. Always be respectful of one another. These are your classmates and they have a right to their ideas about different subjects. Sometimes reactions can be over-quick or over-excited, so remember that the posters are actual people who you might be sitting next to in class. This does not mean you always must agree with your classmates. On the contrary, I encourage you to disagree and to have discussions. But I encourage you to do it respectfully.

3. Always use language appropriate for class room discussion. If you would not say it in front of your teacher, do not write it in a blog post. I reserve the right to remove posts that use improper language or inappropriate slang. I will be reading all posts and comments, and I will know who everyone is, so do not make comments or suggestions that you do not wish me to read and connect to you.

4. Try to show thought and reflection in each of your posts and comments.There is no set down length requirement, but each post should be interesting and evidence some actual thought. Each comment should connect to the post for which it is a comment.

5. Read the previous posts so that you know your posted ideas are original in the blog. If someone has already said the exact same thing as you, pick another topic or at least attempt to expand upon what they have said.

6. Feel free to insert (appropriate) visuals or weblinks into your blog posts. Often, these visuals can be a jumping off point for reflection.

7. Remember to re-read and spell check your blog posts and comments before posting! Although I do not expect blogs to be in formal and academic prose, I expect few to no spelling errors, no major grammatical errors, full sentences, and little txt spk. Also, please capitalize your Is.

8. Set up your blog account as soon as possible. I have had minor troubles using blogger before, but I can guide you through resolving most of them. Don't procrastinate in setting up your blog and thus lose points for the first week. Come to me immediately with issues, preferably in person.

9. A class blog is as good as you make it. Like many other elements of education and especially this class, what you put in to the blog is what you will get out of it. If you post opinions, ideas, and passionate appeals, the blog will gain life and activity. If you procrastinate, rush all of your blogs, and don't connect to your classmates it will lose force and purpose. I hope that each person in the class can contribute something to a vibrate online cultural of blogging in this class.

And with that, happy blogging to you!

Ms. Lambke