Blogging Portfolio December 2010

Reading the novels which were based on the same theme, as well as related, short stories, allowed me to slowly develop thoughts and concepts over time. Blogging allowed a free expression of these thoughts with freedom unshackled by set formats so common in structured essay writing. Below are some of my best work which, “demonstrates my intellectual engagement with the assigned reading,” and overcomes the loneliness of writing by inviting a responsive debate or discussion.

Coverage

Silence is Golden

23” Waist is a Waist of Time

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall who’s the fairest of them all? The Beauty Myth Busted.

Be Careful What You Wish For. You May Just Get It!

What's Love Got To Do With It?

Fact or Fiction?

What Goes Up Must Come Down

Fact or Fiction?

The blog post “Fact or Fiction” is interesting as it comes after all the assigned novels and readings were completed and therefore allows a blanket coverage and reflection from We to The Road. How apt that my blogs are the road I have taken on this literary journey of discovery. Somewhere along this road well travelled, I discovered something about myself, and so a little part of me remains in this blog, as well as the normal reaction to the writers comments. The blog also comments on writing which is apt when my own musings come to a close and I can take the comments made by James Wood personally and to heart.

Depth

Be Careful What You Wish For. You May Just Get It!

While the title in this blog is a little tongue in cheek, do not allow this to fool you. This is a serious blog on feminism and being a young woman who will soon embark onto the real world it is a reflection that is personal and true to my heart. The blog shows great depth as I was able to think out of the box and draw on knowledge I have gained outside the sphere of this article and incorporate this general research into my thoughts. I have modern day references to the speech made by Hilary Clinton on not receiving the nomination for President but cracking the proverbial glass ceiling as the number of votes she received and how Sarah Palin was often ridiculed in a manner her male counterparts did not have to face. Further, I have included my knowledge on medical treatments such as IVF and made biblical references to bring my point home.

Interaction

Love: Necessity in the lives of women

While the blog was detailed and informative in relation to the novel, I felt it necessary to add that when we are talking about the topic of love in general we must be careful not to simply over generalize. There are always exceptions to the rule and we must be aware of this and be ready to point this out to complete the analysis and prevent it becoming one sided or biased.

http://iloveenglishmorethananyone.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/love-necessity-in-the-lives-of-women/#comments

Discussion

Be Careful What You Wish For. You May Just Get It!

My blog on feminism invoked a response which sparked a lively debate from my end and allowed me to further expand on my thinking and ideas. The questions encouraged me further find solutions to the problem as opposed to simply detecting the problems. The debate is definitely not over and should continue offline or online.

Xenoblogging

The Comment Primo

We can’t think of something that doesn’t exist

After reading this blog I felt compelled to reply and in doing so both praised the writers’ insight but pointed out a few points which I felt she had overlooked. This sparked a response and explanation to clarify her stand.

http://adrienne-hlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/10/we-cant-think-of-something-that-doesnt.html#comments

The Comment Grande

Love – A Commentary

While Nina gave a detailed and in depth  analysis of the Handmaid’s tale my Comment Grande was an expansion on the points she had made and offered further food for thought on the mind set of the protagonist Moira and the rationale behind her actions.

http://3nina.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/love-a-commentary/#comments

The Link Gracious

Love: Necessity in the lives of women

The musings in this blog helped me to establish and reinforce my own ideas and thoughts. I was quite taken aback and maybe disheartened by the realism of the comment “men have other businesses other than love and love is only a small part of love,” but admitted how true to life this sounds which gave me a base in which to begin my blogging thought process.

http://iloveenglishmorethananyone.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/love-necessity-in-the-lives-of-women/#comments

Wildcard

What Goes Up Must Come Down

As an American citizen now residing in India I felt compelled to write this blog on the fate of America. In the wake of Indian terrorism as paralleled to September 11, and the rising fortunes of India post this and recent visit of Obama and the CWG games to name a few events, my mind was filled with musings of why and how the news channels applaud the rise of nations such as China and Shining India both of which are deemed third world nations, while chanting the never ending troubles of the nation traditionally considered to be the greatest and richest in the world.

What Goes Up Must Come Down

Has the present day only remaining only super power, America lost its Kryptonite ?

            From Newton’s laws and our application of physical forces of gravity we have learnt from the basic principles of physics that what goes up must come down!  This notion can be applied to the greatest nations of the world.

            They say that Rome was not built in a day, and indeed its greatness was awe inspiring. How proud Caesar must have been to survey the great Roman city with a string of conquests in his pocket. And yet Rome burnt and was mostly destroyed in just a day. In the same way it was proudly claimed that the sun never sets on the British Empire. Well, the sun did set and in the cold light of day, Great Britain was not so great after all. After conquering and ruling a large part of this planet, the empire is a mere poor relation that acts on the whims of its neighbor, USA across the pond. How the mighty fall, and the higher heights you reach the greater the fall and impact on landing. It may sound a tad clichéd but every dog has its day, and this brings to mind the present and only “super power” of America.

            History has shown that when a nation reaches dizzying heights, they are unable to see the wood for the trees. Success breeds contempt and arrogance as the nation in question believes that she is now invincible. Victory after victory rests on her shoulders and the weight of power becomes a load hard to bear. In the case of America, this was shown in the steely determination and rather crude methodology of Bush in invading Afghanistan and Iraq with the warning to his allies, “ you are with us or against us ”.The end result of this dictatorship government built on arrogance was that  billions were spent on the “war on terror” and America went to bed each night fearful of the “axis of evil”. In the meantime the government failed to read the mood of its people or the other nations. While someone “slept at the switch”, a major economic catastrophe in the form of the credit crisis and housing market collapse was on the horizon, and the world united in its mistrust of this fallen power. I can almost hear Bush muttering to his advisors in the oval office, on being told the people have no bread, “let them eat cake”. They say America sneezes and the rest of the world catches a cold. And true to form the economic downturn spiraled in a domino effect to the rest of the world. In the midst of this madness, came a Messiah heralding hope and change and we all fell to the charm that is Obama. But two years down the line our hopes faded as Obama was unable to sprinkle magic dust on the nation’s woes, and we learnt that inspiring speeches do not always lead to fruitful changes. With the housing crisis intact and unemployment reaching 10% it seems right that Forbes voted the most powerful man in the world as China’s leader. The king is dead long live the king! Yes, China (followed on the heels by India) are fast emerging as the next successor to hold the mantle of super power. But will America give up this mantle without a fight? And yet the nation that once boasted of having the highest, biggest and tallest something in the world has fallen to the wayside. What happened to the American dream?

            It remains to be seen if history will repeat itself or if America can rise from the ashes like a phoenix. Only time can tell.