Blog-3: Improving my writing skills

Yulieth Hassan

Blog-3

Improving My Writing Skills

Arriving in the United States (US) for the first time, can you imagine how I, an 18 years old girl From Colombia, have felt when my plane landed at the LAX airport in Los Angeles?  Now, add to this picture the fact that I spoke very little, and that is an overstatement, English.  My writing skills were of course as bad, or even worse, than my speaking skills.

I came to the US to further my education and to expand my world view of the different cultures that are concentrated in Southern California.  Very quickly, I recognized that mastering the English language, whether it be writing or speaking, was a must in order to accomplish any of my goals.  Towards this end, I enrolled in evening English classes that were tailored to those like me who spoke other foreign languages than English.  Today, I look back and wish I have kept my first English writing assignment as it can be used to gauge how much progress I have made in improving my writing skills since then.

To improve my writing skills, I recognized early that it is a process that involved a number of steps that I had to go through.  Reading books, newspapers, magazines, on-line articles, etc.– I consider that to be the most important step in this process.  Reading made me learn new words, expressions, grammar, and punctuation.  I have to admit that, in some instances, I did not understand the meaning of a word.  However, by reading the complete sentence I was able to understand what the author is trying to convey.  While reading is very important, I also feel that my final writing product was always better when I considered compiling different drafts – each one being better than its predecessor.   In this step, my friends played a big role by providing constructive criticism they pointed out/eliminated repetitions, corrected grammatical errors, eliminated jargon, and chopped very long sentences into ones that were more concise and to the point.

At CGCC, ENG-101 is a required course that I need to take towards my graduation goal.  I sought guidance and advice from the staff at the Writing Center, from my course instructor and used numerous on-line resources that allowed me to further refine my writing skills.  An on-line dictionary allowed me to translate words that I knew in Spanish, my native speaking language, to English.  The spelling and grammar checker imbedded in Microsoft’s Word 2010, also allowed me to minimize spelling and grammatical errors as well as made me aware of proper sentence composition.

My writing skills, especially as they pertain to writing essays, are getting better by the day.  All I need to do is look at the first and last drafts of any of the essays I have written.  What I usually see is a more, focused and refined final product that pleases me.  While my writing skills have improved, I still feel that I have a long way to go.  I am still struggling with mixing the “tense” (between past and present), conveying the message in a “single” or “plural” voice, and the use of the proper punctuation.  To improve in these areas, I have found, and am recommending, an on-line resource (“50 Free Resources That Will Improve Your Writing Skills” by Vitaly Friedman, URL: www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/06/28/5) that have proven to be very useful to me.

What I am posting here is a summary of what I, originally an 18 year old Spanish-speaking Colombian woman, had to do to improve her writing skills.  Now, imagine again that all that was accomplished over a period of 15 years.  It is clear that patience and determination are also two very important steps that have helped me to be where I am today in terms of improving my writing skills.

Blog-2 "Valley of the Gun"

Blog-2

Valley of the Gun by Joe Bageant

 

What role did the gun culture play in Bageant’s family and how did it provide him with important values?

According to the article by Bageant, gun culture played a very big role in his life which ultimately reflected on his family.  As a child, having been raised by parents and grandparents who are strong believers in the use of guns for hunting and survival, rather than for sport, it is no doubt that his article clearly demonstrates his own belief and conviction about this culture.  Hunting was primarily used to provide food for sustenance and hunting just for the thrill of killing was not allowed or condoned. This culture promoted tight family relationships, fostered respect for those adults having gun experience and, by enlarge, defined the character of a role model for younger children.  Family values and acceptable practices for the use of guns were not necessarily taught only at home, but they were also taught in the field while hunting.  Contemplating the benefits of the hunt, hunters appreciated the bounty given to man by god.  While hunting, the quite solitude also provided these hunters with the opportunity to connect with god and be thankful for his bounty.

 

To what extent has the gun control controversy impinged on the everyday activities that Bageant describes?  What are your views on this issue?

There is no doubt in my mind that gun control laws have curtailed the number of adults and youth that embrace the classical “gun culture” of our fathers and grandparents and great grandparents.  Skewed views and opinions by those who oppose the right to use, let alone to own, a gun have tremendously impacted what is accepted today as the “New Gun Culture”.

In our world today, gun culture promotes the use of guns for sport.  Hunting is no longer viewed as a necessity for survival as it was back in the days of our parents and grandparents.  Experience and safety issues relating to the use of guns are taught to young children in classes and fewer by their parents and grandparents as was years ago.  Animal right activists also fuel the existing skewed views of hunting.  Hunting season is regulated by local and state laws such as those put in place by the “Fish and Game” government entities.  Hunting season is no longer 365 days as it was long ago.  Hunters are required to dress in the appropriate attire, pay the required fees and obtain the necessary permits for hunting certain animals of given size.  Even hunting is not open for all those who would like to hunt a certain animal.  Only those fortunate individuals who win a drawing are allowed to hunt these animals.  For example, during the Moose hunting season in the State of Montana, only six or seven individuals are randomly picked each year and allowed to bring in this trophy size animal.  Others may have to wait a few years hoping that their names be drawn.

 

In general, I personally do not like hunting.  However my children and my ex-husband are avid hunters who not only enjoy the sport of hunting but they also understand the benefits of hunting in the provision of food sustenance.  In my heart, while hunting may appear to be a cruel act against animals, it is equally an act that makes a person appreciate gods bounty to mankind.

Blog1

Follow the Money by Vivienne Walt and Amanda Bower

 

What relationship do the authors discover about the workers level of poverty and how much they send back to their families?

I was surprised to find out the amount of money that is sent to poor countries by their citizens in support of their families back home.  I was even more surprised to find out that with the increase in the poverty levels, more money is being sent home - as much as 60% of their income per the authors findings.  I have to admire their survival skills and their lack of selfishness and commitment to their families and loved ones.  Obviously, there is a tremendous amount of sacrifice where priority is given to family and loved ones who may live thousands of miles away.  Not only is sacrifice being shown by sending the money, but also by the accepted poor living conditions that they are willing to endure in order to achieve dreams that they can clearly see through the eyes of their family members.  For example, when money is being used to build a home that is considered luxurious by any standard in a poor country – this is the dream home that the family has been waiting for.

 

If you were forced to relocate to another country, would you send money back to your family and relatives in your home country?  Why or why not?

I definitely would send money to my family if I am forced to relocate to a country, such as the United States, where better pay and numerous opportunities exist for a person to succeed.  What I would be doing is identical to what was reported in the article by Walt and Bower.  I personally come from a cultural background where children are expected to provide support and help to our families – no matter how much sacrifice this will demand.  Obviously, I can only do this if opportunities are presented to me to relocate to another country where I can make all their dreams come true.

Others who come from different cultural backgrounds may not be this receptive to the personal sacrifices that need to be done in support of their families and loved ones back home.  For example, a person who relocates from Switzerland to the United States would be less inclined to send any money home.  This is primarily because Switzerland has one of the highest costs of living in the world as compared to the United States.  In simple words a person who is wealthy in his own native country would not be inclined to send money back to his equally wealthy or well-to-do parents.  The inclination of that person would be one where saving for purchasing a personal home upon his return would be his first priority.

Overall, the article by Walt and Bower is very enlightening.  It is well written with numerous examples that demonstrate that this “Flow of Money” is a global phenomenon that takes place only among third world poor countries.  For citizens in wealthy countries, it falls upon all of us that we must demonstrate respect and appreciation for those individuals who have left everything back home and were willing to sacrifice even their own comfort in order to make those at home more happy.