In Class: Topic

class,
mornings,
size of rooms,
I want a golf cart to take me to class,
I want an entire kitchen in my room,
i'm apathetic,
tuition,
more stuff to do I guess?
no attendance policies
PIRATES VS. NINJAS

arrogance
texting during conversation
money
money
money

everyone has their opinion over pirates and ninjas. its hilarious. people truly think that a barnacle blasting pirate could beat a sleek serpent-like ninja. not possible. I will show the research to prove the ninja's superior skill and killing power to the pirate.

"oh pirates have guns and junk. They have cool hats and are bad to the bone. Pirates eat people for lunch and make weapons out of the bones of their enemies. They must be better."

Rhetorical Response

The Second Amendment and The Right to Bear Arms

The Second Amendment states that the people‘s right to “a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to bear arms, shall not be infringed”. This amendment has been fought over and judged just as much, if not more, than any other amendment. The standing question is: do the people have a collective right to form a small militia, or does each individual have a right to a firearm? The “moral” choice has long been to illegalize weapons to the mass public. This choice would certainly cut down on crime and death rates. Nonetheless, self defense against anything that may need a bit more distance than the edge of a blade to properly defend oneself calls for a firearm. It is in the individual’s best interest and right to own a firearm for self defense and preservation and to stop said actions is indeed an infringement.
There is absolutely no way to stop the illegal sales of firearms. In the legal sale of a firearm there are background checks and such, as there very well should be. The type of weapon sold in monitored. Military grade products are not usually available to the public. The only event that would occur in an instance where legal firearm sales were made non-existent would be an augmentation in illegal sales. This would take to money out of the honest American’s pocket and supply it directly to the underworld of the U.S. If crooks have guns, so should the honest American for a guaranteed defense.
Due to the current state of the economy and the ruling dealing with the “clear and present danger” doctrine in Schenck v. United States, it is most likely illegal to make this point out loud. Another clear reason for the individual’s right to keep firearms to remain legal versus the state controlled militia alternative is the possibility of a revolution. The government must protect the people from itself. This amendment makes it possible for and overturn in power if need be. America was built on such men who owned firearms and marched into their own cornfield for their freedom. To try and put a stop to the same spirit that made America would be hypocritical, which is not a surprise coming from the government, and unpatriotic.
I have full faith that America is in no need for a revolution, nor will it be as long as I live. However, self-preservation is important, especially when guns are rampant in a world where it is a severe disadvantage to own one in defense. The second amendment protects the individual’s right to bear arms and it always will.

In Class: homegirl

I wish I could tell you my favorite part of homegirl. There were so many good parts to it. Hmmm... to think of one specific moment that really stuck out to me is very hard. Ok, so maybe I didn't read it because I didn't realize that an assignment was due today. That's ok though. I'll do it tonight as many students are. So I think I'll just talk about my day today. I'm very tired. I went to bed at 11:30 but didn't go to sleep until 2:00. What's up with that. Had I known of it, it would have been good time to complete my assignment.

In Class: Pictures

I think that this image shows amazing simplicity. I feel quite at peace when seeing this picture. This picture comes from a time of racial oppression, but that isn't the meaning of the picture. It's seemingly a snapshot out of an ordinary day with two friends. Times are SIMPLE. They have a job that makes enough money for what they need, and that's good enough for them.

This photo tells the story of the common African-American life in the 50s. It was a side of America that people don't usually see. It was a time when music legends, such as Muddy Waters and B.B. King, started to rise out of the pulp. All African-Americans were together in the world. By heart, they were all connected. A true society of friends.

The color of this image gave me the feeling of age. Age in a vintage sort of sense.this photo is not black and white out of choice, it's black and white because of time period.

My eyes are first drawn to the smiles on the men's faces. Come on baby, let the good times roll. Come on baby, let me soothe your soul. Come on baby let the good times roll; roll all night long.

I think it's trying to make me feel the way I just explained in the earlier paragraphs.

in class: trois

1. Sealing Grout
2. Surviving a Fire
3. Defense Against Blade
4. Phasic Relaxation
5. MMA No Holds Barred Fighting
6. Post Driving
7. Musical Theatre Music
8. Sleeping
9. Making It Seem Like It's Raining Using a Water Hose
10. Chillaxing
11. Emotion Control
12. Listening
13. Cooking Any Types of Meat
14. B.S.ing my way through anything

Authority number one has to do with my step-father, who taught me how to seal grot. Shortly after that, he asked me to seal all of the grout in our new house. Authority number three has to do with Master Kurban. He taught me defense against the blade. Authority number four has to do with my old theatre director Michael newberry, who taught me this technique. Ok, I'm sick of talking about these things now.
The person I really want to interview is my father. I want to interview him over the civil rights movement. In 1960 he would have been 20, so he was the age to be right in the thick of things. The movement in Texas is something very rarely talked about and something my father never talks about. My father has always been a good storyteller, so I believe that this ought to be good. The only thing he's ever said remotely close to the subject is, "Son, I grew up in a time where you either had to be a fast runner or a good fighter." Sounds promising.

In Class: Man in the ______

Essay 2. Oh glorious essay 2. I feel a little less confident about this essay then I did about the first. I find it hard to incorporate direct quotes from the sources while still holding true to the style of the essay. I like my essay, or at least what I have written. I have yet to read completely through it.
That's about all I have to say about that... yup. I'm having a very tiresome week already and it's only tuesday. I'm mainly just tired. I wonder if a nap class is offered. How to Nap: 101. That'd be rich. It should be the one class that takes care of all of our core requirements. Thus, we wouldn't have to take any core classes. We could spend all of college focusing on our majors.

In Class: What?

I'M freakin tired. i stayed Up untiL 6am ThIs morning inventing myself over and over. it wasn't a PLEasant ProcEss. in fact, it has made me quite weaRy. i am nothing like mySelf, and neither am i. all Of this goes and comes arouNd like wind under the wing of dove. So that's the end of my story today folks.

Rhetorical Blog #2

Dax Moore
Amanda Irvin
ENGL 10803
09/22/09

Rhetorical Blog #2

These two essays were ridiculously sterile. I had the worst time getting through page after page of hard fact. These essays put the literary gun into the mouth of voice and passion and pulled the trigger. There is nothing more boring than an essay with a forced writer. It seems as if these two authors were forced to grow up too fast and left some of their creativity behind. The vanity of a heartless dragon comes through these essays and sweeps away with that maiden of sentiment and leaves nothing but the cold ruins of history.

The essay about the tattoos is very intriguing at face value. I'm sure that there comes a point in everyone's life in which they must decide whether or not to get a tattoo. I have gone through these moments and still struggle with the battle. So much feeling goes into marking your body. There are tattoos that bring people to tears, not because of the pain, but because of the memory that the portrait inlaid in their skin brings. The idea of a tattoo itself is extremely emotional. A story, a personal experience, is engraved onto a person's body. This is not engraved into steel or stone, but the only thing that is eternal to a person's life, their temple. Religious signs, portraits of lost loved ones, names of children, mottoes encircling the very essence of a person's being are etched into their skin to be there forever. The lack of feeling and over-usage of quotes in this essay is appalling and should be insulting to most people adorned with tattoos. It is my belief that to even quote the text of this lack of a discovery essay would be weakening and insulting to my work. This woman should not be suggesting herself as an avid tattoo activist. She merely glosses over the fact that a certain passage from a book insults her. She never goes beyond that word, insult. On such a topic that contains such emotion, she should be embarrassed to be so devoid.

The second reading about the Starbucks coffee did little more than the first. For such a seemingly heart filled memory that lead her to a life-long addiction to caffeine product from a particular dealer, she did very little elaboration on her inner monologue. All she gave was cold hard fact about the inner workings of a huge corporation. Seeing as she is not Michael Moore, her pleas were less than interesting. Once again, to use quotes from such a lack of a paper would be absolutely demeaning to my own. This paper made me feel virtually nothing but anger at the absolute incompetence of people.

There is more to a research essay than cold hard fact and a simple argument. There is a rhythm and a flow to research. Almost as a narrative, the voice in a research paper should be used to convey the emotion caught in the subject. The vocabulary should portray the author's true feelings. Save sterility for hospitals and bathrooms.

In Class: Questions without Answers

What constitutes a small event? Yup, that's about the only question...

In Class: WOO HOO

Oh freewriting. Well I didn't have breakfast, which sucks because I need food for my meds. I have to take meds for my upper respiratory infection, but at least I don't have swine flu. This weekend I pretty well just sat at tcu and did nothing. It's rather sad actually. to not use punctuation would make this a stream of consciousness, which I suppose is what freewriting is all about. I'm on my way to joining Alpha Psi Omega which is the National Honor Theatre Society. Speaking of theatre, today I'm going back to my old school to sit in on auditions for their fall straight show and spring musical. GAAAAAAAAHHH!!!! I'M FREAKIN' TIRED!!!!!! some girl's screen just shut off, that has to suck a lot i'm sure. I'm just sitting here, working on the railroad... ooooo song lyrics would keep me pretty busy at this freewriting stuff. Let's do it. I've been working on the railroad all the livelong day, I've been working on the railroad... I don't know all of the words to that song. What song do I know all of the words to... well a lot actually. How about "Let it Sing" from Violet: Raise your foot now that's the way, you'll be movin on today. Raise the other put it down, now you're headed into town. Oh my lord! she just said we could stop. Thank God!

Rhetorical Blog 1

Dax M.

Amanda Irvin

English 10803

Blogging Rhetorically

Reading this essay surprised me in the best of ways. Jeramey Kraatz's ability to write a college level essay with such a juvenile tone is genius. This essay would be a wonderful children's story and would serve well in a book of short stories for the young teens. However, the juvenile writing is part of the genius. There is a method to this madness. I believe that Jeremy Kraatz was connecting with the vocabulary that he used at the time in his life that he created Blake Stone. Voice is what makes this narrative unique. Voice is a hard thing to find in a writer and some go a lifetime without finding it in their writing.

Kraatz's description and attention to detail is absolutely remarkable. His description of CalendarGAL often makes it to where I can feel the woman's sculpted hip under the thin silk dress. His detail doesn't create the picture, but instead guides the imagination into place. This would very much be like the way he had to come up with the pictures. Given only slight detail in the chat profiles, his imagination was left to itself, but with the guidance of the words written in the profiles. By doing this, he recreates his experience and passes it on to the reader.

Due to the same re-creation described earlier, Kraatz transfigures this potentially boring narrative into an adventurous fable. His description of the chat room and quote of the conversations there-in would be absolutely boring if they were just flat out read. Instead, he creates a story with the manuscript of these chats. Just his simple banter with CalendarGAL and her flirtatious tendencies are enough to cause the reader to want to read faster. His narration in between dialogues creates the perfect sense of scene and placing. The fact that he switches between first person and a form of third person omniscient causes an immersion of the reader that is terminal.

The immersion of the reader is caused by Kraatz's weaving of fantasy and reality. This world created by his, ultimately the reader's, imagination is so intriguing that it is possible for the reader to wish that the story doesn't end the way it does. Some readers could wish to stay emerged in the swirling fantasies of this teenage boy. Elaboration preserves the magic caused by this revelation. The real world can be completely wiped away with a few clicks of the keyboard, and that makes everything so much more appealing.

Why is this moment so important to Jeramey Kraatz? Why is it that this simple chat room experience had such an impact on him that, almost a decade later, he chooses to write about it? To an overweight pubescent boy, and I speak from experience, going a day without ridicule is hard. I believe that this is one of the first waking moments for the young Kraatz. He can finally escape into a world where he is the man he wants to be and he equal to everyone. Yet later on, when his dreams are crushed by seeing the reality of CalendarGAL, he banishes the chat room from his life. All of this to find out that there are people just as unattractive as he was on the other side of the screen. What could possibly be the moral in such a story? The loss of virtual friends, the playing on the heart strings of a young boy, the realization of a boy's mistake in sinking too far into the fantasy world; What gave him the inspiration to share a story? Perhaps the tragedy of the event has stuck with him for this long and caused long term problems in his life. Through this narrative, I feel as if I got to know Blake Stone more than I did Jeramey Kraatz. Possibly he writes narratives of his fantasies instead of himself for the same reason he started the fantasies in the first place. Or could it be that he learned that it is better to live life in your conscious self than to live it in a fantasy? God only knows how many hours, days even, he spent stuck in his own thoughts and fantasies. Many life experience opportunities might have passed him by. That is the moral that I pulled out of this story. It is better to live life, no matter how bad it is, instead of living in a fantasy because, at the end of the day, all fantasies must come to an end. What is left is the world that the fantasizer let pass by; Incomprehensible to them, they are left socially inept and stranded in a barren wasteland.

In Class: All the Wasted Time, All the Million Hours

1. Sealing Grout
2. Surviving a Fire
3. Defense Against Blade
4. Phasic Relaxation
5. MMA No Holds Barred Fighting
6. Post Driving
7. Musical Theatre Music
8. Sleeping
9. Making It Seem Like It's Raining Using a Water Hose
10. Chillaxing
11. Emotion Control
12. Listening
13. Cooking Any Types of Meat
14. B.S.ing my way through anything

Phasic relaxation is a process used by actors to, well, relax into their characters. It eases tesion in the muscles and clears the mind of any personality other than the character that is being focused on. I was taught this for the first time by Michael Newberry while doing the show Electra in 2005. I was young and impressionable, and this definitely left it's mark on me. It was a useful tool he used to focus his student actors. After asking how to seek further information on this method, he handed me a book. "The Actor at Work" by Benedetti. This book revolutionized my juvenile methods of acting and transformed them for the better. My skills have tranformed even further since then, but I see this as the starting point. After reading this book in it's entirety, I started practicing methods from the book, mainly phasic relaxation, at home. My junior and senior year, I was allowed to practice this method on my theatre peers during shows, having the power passed down to me by my director.

In Class: Ballenger's Ideas

writing as inquiry... wow. what was I thinking while I was reading this? I remember thinking I was hungry, and then I got up to get a bottle of water. I sat back down with the book and and stared at the words before me. The everlasting sound of wind between my ears distracted me from the words in front of me. If I can remember correctly, writing as inquiry is to write to raise questions and get them answered. While writing, one discovers new ideas about their subject, not before in an overveiw. Now, all of these questions raised in one writing may be answered in another essay, yet the next essay will bring more questions. Just so, as questions are raised in one paragraph of an essay, they may be answered in the next paragraph. It is all part of the discovery. To write as inquiry, one must take off the filter from their brain to their fingers. Disreguard their thalamus and power forward. Good god I have no idea what to talk about next. I'm extremely fatigued and want to go back to bed. However, I would forgo a nap for some freaking food. Well, two minutes to finish up some bad writing turns into two seconds.

Introduction

Hey there. My name is Dax and I am a freshman BFA Theatre major at TCU. If I were chancellor of TCU I'm not sure that I would change anything. It would be near hypocritical for me to want to change much for I chose this place out of free will. I chose to be a horned frog and agreed to stand by what that entails. I believe a good teacher changes their students in some form or fashion. If a student is left unchanged by the class they take, then they have learned nothing and might as well not take the class. A good student allows for the teacher to mold them. An ignorant student is not a student at all.
If I were to have dinner with three people they would have to be Billy Porter, Elizabeth I, and Thespis. I would invite Billy Porter because he is my number one idol in the arts. I would invite Elizabeth I due to her strengths and wills that she put forth through history. Finally, I would invite Thespis to acquire more historical knowledge of my profession. For those of you who don't know who Thespis is, he is considered to be the first actor. This is where the term thespian came from.
Three things you should know about me... This question is a bit perplexing. I am an overly blunt and open person so you could really know anything about me. I suppose that could be counted as one. I am overly open and blunt. Another could be that I am extremely devoted to the arts. I forwent luxurious sport scholarship offers just for my sheer size for my more measly theatre scholarship offers. Lastly, I feel as if there in no such thing as "too many friends". You may have too many bad friends, but never too many friends. If there are three things that I'd like to know about you, my questions are most likely answered in your introductory blog. If I want to know something, I'll ask, no holds barred.
I would actually love to get out of this course. It's not that I hate the professor or anything about the course. I just find it merely redundant. I went to a small private school in the area where a course with this exact structure was taught. I love to write, don't get me wrong, I just feel that after taking a course, to take it again is no help. Nonetheless, I'll go in with a positive attitude and give it a shot. Speaking of writing, I usually write short stories. These stories are more than likely about mental illness. I'm not sure why. I think because the two things in the world that scare me most are spiders and mental illness. Maybe I find it intriguing.
I, Dax M., understand and agree to the terms in the course syllabus.