Final Exam

1.Choose one of your posts. (Your favorite? Your least favorite? The one that surprises you the most when you reread it? Any one you want to pick.) Analyze it in detail, with quotes etc. And link to it, of course!
One of my favorite posts from this semester would have to be The Misconceived Concept of Love. Here is a link to the page of the blog post.

    The rules or "cultural expectations" that dictate the behavior of young men and women in relationships today has greatly evolved from the 50's, but with the same basic principals in tack. Love is such a broad topic, I don't even know where to start. There is no on correct definition of that word because what it means to one person may not apply in the same way to another. There is no clear black and white line on what dictates the rules of a relationship. It gets hard to keep up with the unwritten expectations that constantly contradicts itself in today's society. A good example is the classic double standard: When a guy gets around and dates a whole bunch of girls, he is known as a legend. However, if a girl was in that situation, she would get written off as a slut and labeled a whore or a tease.

It is not the fact that I wrote on love nor because the fact that I am a girl therefore I condone and enjoying spreading MY opinions of love, but how much I actually wrote on the topic. It started as a quick write in class but it quickly became a long blog post. Even though this was required for a grade, I still enjoyed writing this even if it may not be that fun to read. I did not know the amount of substance that would actually come out of this topic because I have never even been "In love". It surprises me in a way because I never actually noticed how may rules there are to the rules or cultural expectations of relationships in today's society.

As one myself, I assume that most girls usually just want to find "Mr. Right," but who is he really? Well of course he has to fit the stereotypical image. You know, tall and tan, funny and smart, manly yet sensitive, aggressive yet courteous, romantic, buff, etc. ( The list goes on). "He" is the one that's suppose to ride into our lives on a white horse and save "us", the damsels in distress. As a result propaganda and influential media around every corner, we grew up learning that love will solve all our problems. Once you're living happily ever after, no problems will ever arise and everything would be dandy. That is what we were taught to believe. The thing is, we are attracted to people society has deemed acceptable. The reality of it is, we don't even really set our own standards, but allow society to set it for us. In the end, the bar is set so high, no one will ever reach it. That is where all those "high maintenance" girls come from. However, some just settle for the next best thing, the "asshole". Those are the kinds of girls that are convinced that there are no genuinely nice guys are left in the world and constantly complain about all the men being jerks, when really, they're just chasing the ones that don't treat them right. Ironically, these girls will always chase the "asshole" because society makes it acceptable as long as they are physically attractive.  Although, as a result of another contradiction of love, rules have their exceptions. A select few can actually look past exterior appearance and love people for their personalities as well.    Why do you always think you see the love stories where the guy is in love with the best friend, but he is stuck in the friend zone while she chases the jerk that is muscular, tan, and MVP in whatever sport he plays. That is exactly what society wants to see. Need an example? Guess who won senior prom kinda and queen this year, a football player and a cheerleader. I am not in any way saying that they didn't deserve it, but it contributes to my point that stereotypes are taking over.

I am NOT saying this was well written or that my options on love are necessary that great or correct in the terms of everyone, but I do believe that the same basic principles that existed back in the 50's are still in tact today. In my next answer, you will find that I have a bad case of writer's block from time to time and I hope that I come across topics I can write about in detail with no trouble finding example and things I could elaborate on such as this topic because it gets my mind working and writers block seem like just a distant memory.

2.What have you learned from your struggles with writer's block? Why do you tend to get stuck? How do you tend to get unstuck? Notice any patterns?Writers block - a temporary condition where the inability to write which has the ability to dictate the quality of your writing. Writers block has become a common issue when it comes to writing my actually weekly blog post. I truly believe this is a major factor as to why the quality of my posts this semester has definitely not been my best work. You see, I am the kind of person you would label "procrastinator". There are more down compared to ups in being one. Fridays are days where you want to kick off your weekend with a blast and not think about when you sleep and just have fun. However, every Friday, I find myself in the same position in turning down plans because, knowing I will not be back before midnight, I would not finish my blog post in time. This ongoing pattern has been present mostly this entire semester and has affected what and how I write because of the time pressure put on me to rush all my thoughts out without revision and click the "post" button exactly at 11:59. A simple suggestion many have suggested, " Oh hey Tiffany, why don't you just write them earlier?" Ok, did you not get what I am? What cannot be changed no matter how much discipline and rule enforced? I am a procrastinator and there is not much I can do to change it but to just go with it. Ever heard of working better under pressure? On the days we venture as a class to the computer lab, I find myself constantly getting distracted by multiple things on the inter-web even with all the school restrictions. When I sit down at the computer in the lab, do you know what happens?! That's right, writers block strikes again, each time evidently worse than the last. Unfortunately, there may never be a cure for such an infectious disease. 
3.How do you like having a blog? How has blogging changed the way you write, the way you think, or the way you think about writing?

• Has blogging had any other effects on your life beyond strictly your "school life"? If so, explain.
• For the second semester only: Do you plan on continuing to publish writing on your blog this summer, next year, or beyond? If so, what are your writing goals and how will you use your blog in the future?

This school year was very different from many of my others previous years of school. I never would have thought that I would be in an English class that would be virtually paperless. Amazing, innovative stuff you have come up with Sutherland! Blogging has definitely changed that way I write, however, it may not be for the better. I currently find myself writing very informal because of it being MY blogs. Blogs are basically where you can express yourself via words or pictures or whatever floats your boat and no one can do anything about it because it is part of our freedom of speech. As a result, I have gotten accustomed to writing without much thought to who or what I may offend, being a lot more " to the point", stating things towards the beginning and being more blunt.
I do have another blog beyond my school life however, I will not link to it because it contain some of my personal thoughts and writing which would not too great if viewed by public eyes of the unknown members of Sutherland's blogging classes. Blog has indirectly affected my life because it acts as an outlet to what I bottle in. I am not one to pour my emotions out to someone, however, it is ironic that I can blog it out for everyone with Internet access to see. Honestly, I think that without my blogs, I would have been a very sad and bitter person this year. I may have lashed out at some and I may have pushed people away if it were not for my blogs. They serve as a different, accepting place that will agree with my every statement which really helps a person out. I believe I will continue blogging long after this class is over. This year has been great and the whole blogging experience was one i thought I would never have. Thank you for making this memorable.