Critical Response #5
The two sources I have chosen are from my annotated bibliography paper regarding social media and health. The sources are found below.
Julie. “Brainwashed by Barbie…What a Doll!.” Bleeding Blue White. Penn State, 8 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
The author of this source Julie is against Barbie Bolls being used to set the feminine beauty criteria. Julie never explicitly disagreed with Barbie Dolls, but she did write about them in a very disgusted manner. Julie even wrote, “She would literally have to move herself on all fours, because or her distorted proportions” to say that she was completely amazed as to how this doll could possibly define feminine beauty. The author of this source agrees that ever since Barbie Dolls have been manufactured, there was been a negative impact on the way young girls view their bodies. Julie provided images to prove this. One image was a diet list from a young girl’s journal before she could even spell properly. Julie was able to frame her discussion on the topic of health by providing evidence of the impact these dolls had on youth. I value Julie’s writing because I also believe that Barbie Dolls do not met the feminine beauty criteria because there shouldn’t even be one. To be slim does not mean you are beautiful. Something in her writing that makes me have second thoughts to the Barbie Doll image would have to be her argument of the different roles Barbie Dolls roles.. Some Barbie Dolls are teachers, astronauts, business women, and other professions which may help young girls in the long run.
I have not changed my position on this topic because there are many more negative effects on young girls than there are positive ones. I was able to realize that a Barbie Doll could potentially help young girls pursue certain professions. However, I grew up on Barbie Dolls and Bratz, and I never changed what I wanted to be when I grew up until I reached college. At that point, I had already stopped playing with dolls. If I were to meet the author of this blog I would most likely ask them why their opinion of this topic is what it is, how their opinion has evolved over their time of research, and why this topic. These questions and answers will help me formulate my own positions because I have a very strong opinion in regards to eating disorders because of my own experiences.
Mabe, Annalise G., K. Jean Forney, and Pamela K. Keel. “Do You ‘Like’ My Photo? Facebook Use Maintains Eating Disorder Risk.” International Journal Of Eating Disorders 47.5 (2014): 516-523 Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
The author of this scholarly journal is Annalise G. Mabe. She wrote about the negative effects social media, specifically Facebook, has impacted the lives of young people. She explains in her writing that signs of approval or “Likes” are a positive aspect of social media but could also approve of negative ideas as well. In this case, body image has a certain criteria and many approve of it: slim, lean, tall, etc. I agree with her that social media is something very powerful and should be used for positive effects and not negative ones. I don’t really have much resistance to her writing. My opinion has not changed on the idea of eating disorders and social media. However, a small change would be portraying women of larger body size as beautiful and seeing approval from people. My questions would be why their opinion of this topic is what it is, how their opinion has evolved over their time of research, and why this topic. These will help me identify where they stand with this topic and how (removed profanity ON ACCIDENT) effective it is for my research.
Critical Response #2
This week’s reading included a short video of an interview with the author Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, How to Mark a Book by Mortimer J. Alder, and Shitty First Drafts by Anne Lamott. The interview of Ray Bradbury and how he fell in love with writing and book really amazed me. (Removed In) Mortimer J. Alder’s essay How to Mark a Book gave me a bit more motivation to continuously mark up the text. Anne Lamott explained in great detail her writing process and how distinct it is. All three resources given for the week were very insightful and gave me a better understanding as to why writers write and how.
In the interview with Ray Bradbury in regards to his book Fahrenheit 451, he explained that he would much rather have the characters speak to him than he speak for them. He feels as though his writing is another human being who needs help expressing what they wish to say, and he does so through his writing. Writing has never been my forte; but as Mr. Bradbury explained his lifelong love for writing, he gave me another point of view. I’ve always imagined writers being naturally good at what they do and never put a second thought into it. He wrote from inspiration and motivation.
“How to Mark a Book” made the idea of writing all over a book as a sign of love and passion not mutilation as Mortimer J. Alder addressed it in his essay. He prefers not to let people touch or read his markings because he sees them as (Removed something) very powerful and sacred. He sees his writing as (Removed something) very personalized such as a diary with every significant event in his life down to the more detailed description. Writing in a book is something Mr. Mortimer J. Alder has strongly encouraged for all his readers.
Anne Lamott started off her essay Shitty First Drafts by explaining to her audience that writers don’t sit at a desk, ideas suddenly come to mind, and they create a masterpiece all in one writing session. She wrote about the realistic side of writing and her distinct process of writing. She decided to provide her writing process in her essay to show how necessary it is for writers to not just write one draft but several. She wants people to fear that one day they won’t have time to edit a first draft and someone will find and judge it. A good writer rewrites is the message she wants her audience to take away from her essay Shitty First Drafts.