Anna Spencer's Blog

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The Different Englishes

We, as living things, use many different things to communicate: body language, gestures, facial expressions, etc. But since we are humans, we can communicate in more complex ways than just that; we have spoken language, specifically English. Our language is so complex that it's not uniform/cut and dry for everyone. There are certain words that we, as a society, have determined are only to be used in formal or informal settings, as well as the syntax. For example, in a formal essay or presentation, jargon used on whatever topic is being presented is utilized in order for the speaker to be given some credibility by the audience. The speaker using words that only someone within a certain interest group would thoroughly comprehend demonstrates that the speaker themselves have been in that situation, and they know the language the interest group uses. However, this jargon is not limited to only formal use. Jargon such as slang and slang phrases are frequently used in informal settings, ...

Reflection on Writing

Throughout this semester, I've grown greatly as a writer. To be honest, a lot of my writing skills were lost over the summer, as I wasn't frequently writing or reading as I was during the school year. But many of the skills I had previously gained quickly came back to me as the semester went on and I practiced more. I reread what I had written in essays and short responses and quickly picked up on what I needed to improve on; such as using more specific evidence/quotes. By the end of the semester, I feel much more comfortable picking out quotes to use and I now use several per paragraph, which greatly strengthens my argument. I have accomplished having great analysis, a thorough intro and conclusion, a strong thesis, as well as plenty of quotes, however I haven't had them put all into one essay yet. For next semester, I must remember to include all of these essentials parts of an essay into my writing, instead of getting lazy or sloppy with it. To accomplish this, I am go...

A 21st Century Take on Huckleberry Finn

Howdy there, the name's Luke Johnson. I grew on up deep down south, middle of no where Alabama. I could tell you where, but I reckon you ain't never heard of it. It's a small town where everyone knows everyone. One of those type a towns. But I'm tired of it. I'm sick and tired of getting in up in this little white town everyday. Where we farm and go to church and spend time complainin' about how those darned liberals are trying to take away our guns. So me and my good dog, Spot, have come up with a foolproof plan to get us out of here, and up to New York where we can make somethin' of ourselves. The red X is where we are, and the green X is where we're gonna be. As I'm writing this, me and Spot are sneaking out of the barn and hopping into my Pop's old trunk-- he's been tryin to sell this ol' thing anyways. Then I hot wire the car (I learned how to do it when I was watching Joe Dirt with my old man) and sped off down the rigidity dir...

...With Liberty and Justice for All

We pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America, And to the Republic for which it stands, GOP Senator: It's a 'Great Idea' to Make it Harder for 'Liberal Folks' to Vote How Georgia's Voter Suppression Tactics Have Evolved Can American Democracy Come Back? One nation, Is America Headed for a New Civil War? Trust Each Other or Die? US Political Divide Might be Bad for Your Health Initiative to Break California into 3 states to go on November Ballot Under God, U.S. Law Enforcement Failed to See the Threat of White Nationalism Three Kansas Men Convicted over Mass 'Slaughter' Plot Targeting Muslims ‘You don’t deserve American food!’: Muslim Students Attacked at McDonald’s Indivisible Antifa Protesters Chant Outside Fox's Tucker Carlson's Home, Break Door Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing Shows Divide Trump Divided America With Psychology With liberty and justice...

The Line Between Religion and Cult

Charles Manson deemed himself a disciple of God. He argued that God wanted a race war, and he was to be the one to ignite it. Once the ash had settled, the African Americans would turn to him as a leader for the new civilization. Jesus Christ claimed to be the son of God. He states that he will return from "the dead" at some point on final judgement day, where all people (living or dead) will be judged. Some will be granted eternal life, while those who fail will be cast into an eternal hell and suffering. So, what's the difference? Act 1 of the The Crucible tackles this very question, whether or not it intended to. We are introduced to the religious towns people, steadfast in their beliefs of God and their ideas of what an ideal society is. At the surface level, this seems a harmless and relatively moral religion. But as the act goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that underlying this faith is a more sinister, echo chamber mentality. As talks of ...

Native Culture in the Media

The Lion Turtle from Avatar: The Last Airbender I had a standard childhood. I played with dolls, had some close friends, ate too much mac and cheese, which I still do, and of course: watched an unholy amount of television. I did other things, of course, but looking back I realize that a lot of it was to heighten my imagination and understanding of the world. Books, movies, writing— anything that could help me escape from the real world. I thought the prime example of that was a TV show called Avatar: The Last Airbender . One important scene in the entire 3 season TV series was the meeting with the lion turtle— a seemingly all knowing being providing wisdom, guidance, and spiritual powers to help guide the protagonist to defeat the “evil” in a peaceful way— a way to demonstrate that there must always be balance (a “good” and “evil”) in the world. Sound familiar? The turtle from “ The World on the Turtle’s Back ” This plot line of an all-knowing large turtle bei...