My Final Presentation!

Technology!

            This is the first class that I have taken online. I originally choose to take this class online because I needed the flexibility that this class had to offer. I decided that it would be a good fit for me because English is one of the easier subjects for me and it would be easy for me to stay on top of the assignments. Although, this is an “online” class, the one thing I did not account for was how dependent I would become upon my computer! I was surprised with the different kinds of technologies I was expected to utilize from day one.

            One of our first assignments was making a video. Making that video was a completely new experience for me. However, I enjoyed the chance to be creative and it was fun making a video of my life (my kids enjoyed the video too since it was all about them). Making videos is a fun new skill to have and I have already applied it in my everyday life through making more videos that feature my children.

            Another technology that I became familiar with in this course was blogging. I was aware of the idea of blogging, yet I had never made a blog of my own. This was a fun, creative and easy way to share our ideas and keep in contact with our fellow classmates. Lately, I have been toying with the idea of creating a blog about my kids that will detail my daily adventures with them.

            Taking this online class was a great experience for me. I learned new skills and most importantly, I learned how to successfully take an online class. I plan to take more online classes in the fall. Click Here for a website that contains information about the future of the internet and the use of new technologies.

Lessons Learned

Tracy Bosick

English 102

Laura Cline

4/24/12

Lessons Learned

            Through this class I have learned many things and experienced new emotions and ideas. I have stared in the face of mounting deadlines and writer’s block watching as the clock ticked away the seconds. However, I came out on the other side a better writer as well as a better student.

 Initially, I was apprehensive about the books that were listed on our class syllabus. I had seen them advertised on television as trailers to upcoming movies and was not interested in them then. I dreaded the thought of “wasting my time” reading books that I did not want to read, when there are so many books that I have longed to read but have not had the time. However, I was enrolled in the class and I had made up my mind to give it my all, so I proceeded. Somewhere along the line something unexpected happened. I realized that by stepping out of my comfort zone I was able to improve as a writer. I learned that trying something new can be uncomfortable; nonetheless, it is important that you do it because it is that very feeling of agony that led me to the realization that trying a book or two that I would not normally pick can help me to gain a higher understanding of the writing process.

Writing has always come easy for me. I became so comfortable with the writing process that I ceased to grow as a writer. Conversely, while reading “Up in the Air” it was very challenging to have the will to keep reading and develop a thesis from something that I did not care for, being forced to write when the words did not come to me easily made me work harder at developing new ideas for my essays. Thanks again to Mrs. Cline for giving me the opportunity to grow! You have made me a better writer and a better student!

Reitman’s Revival

Upon watching the movie “Up in the Air” it is easy to see that it is vastly different from the book it was scripted after. Director Jason Reitman changed a dry, aimless work of literature into a film with direction and purpose. In the book version of “Up in the Air”, Ryan Bingham is largely alone. He is isolated from his family, lacks any real friends and makes his home in various hotels and airport lounges. Despite the anxiety his family reserves for Ryan’s choice of lifestyle, Ryan of the book seems to be content with his way of life and does not seem to want for any human attachments, “You're awfully isolated the way you live” declares his sister, “Isolated? I'm surrounded”, argues Ryan (Kirn). Ryan’s greatest aspirations involve the prospect of a new job with a company called “Mythtech”, reaching one million frequent flyer miles, and publishing a business novel. Although, Ryan Bingham of the movie also makes his home in “Airworld” he seems to encompass more real human emotions. Throughout the movie, you get the idea that an ocean of feelings is lurking just beneath the cold, calculated surface of the Ryan that is depicted onscreen. Also, the movie version does not leave Ryan Bingham as isolated as the novel. Ryan is almost always accompanied by Alex, his reluctant love interest, or Natalie, an intelligent young woman who was designated to shadow Bingham in order to learn the ways of his company. Overall, the movie far exceeds the book in its ability to give Ryan human emotions and therefore making him a more dynamic character. The movie version makes you actually care about Ryan and therefore, makes you care about the movies messages of hope, and need for human connection. The movie is more successful at telling a compelling, timely tale.

There are a number of reasons why the novel was not as successful as the movie that was released in 2009. The book is slow and focuses primarily on an uncaring Ryan Bingham whose greatest aspiration is reaching one million miles. When the novel “Up in The Air” was published in 2001, pre-recession America cared less about a man who spends his time as a lay-off specialist. The economic landscape of this time was bright and the public did not have much sympathy for a man who spent his days flying around the country doing big corporations uncomfortable dirty work. Simply put, society had a hard time putting themselves in Ryan’s shoes, let alone the shoes of the unfortunate many he was sent to fire. The book could not relate to the prosperous time in which it had been published. Another blow to the books success was the main character itself. Ryan Bingham of the novel is hard to assimilate with, he is a man who wants nothing of human connection, but loves his life of anonymity that he spends in various airports and hotels, “All the things you probably hate about travelling -the recycled air, the artificial lighting, the digital juice dispensers, the cheap sushi- are warm reminders that I'm home.”(Kirn) Maybe if society knew what was in store for our country, starting with the events of September 11, and ultimately resulting in the economic downturn of the recession, it would have paid more attention to this novel.

Conversely, the movie “Up in The Air” was released in 2009. The movie’s driving force is Ryan Bingham’s fight to keep his position as an on the go, in person, career-transition specialist from being grounded by Natalie, who was newly hired by Ryan’s company to implement Skype to do their firing over the internet. The film shines a light on the emotional repercussions of being unemployed.  The movie went on to win a number of awards, largely winning over critics and viewers alike (Fandango). The movies success can be fundamentally accredited to the changes in the economic sector. With the “Great Recession” (Wikipedia) coming to a head in September 2008, viewers of the film released in 2009 could easily see themselves in both Ryan Bingham and the employees that he was charged with firing. In the book the reader is left with the feeling that Ryan Bingham is heartless, he lets go numerous personnel without any hesitation. He recites the same lines of termination time and time again. However, Bingham of the film has undisclosed compassion for the people he is in charge of firing. Ryan’s hidden compassion and sense of humor are evident in the way that Ryan fights against Natalie to keep the company from transitioning to firing personnel over the internet, “He broke up with me over the internet” Natalie tells Ryan of her ex-boyfriend, “That’s kind of like firing someone over the internet” retorts Ryan (Reitman).

The film version of the narrative comes to a head with Ryan finally showing his hidden need for intimacy and connection after having a heart to heart with Jim, his soon to be brother-in-law about marriage. When Jim goes missing prior to Ryan’s sister wedding, Ryan is put in charge of finding Jim and bringing him to the ceremony. It is at this moment in the film, while Ryan is trying to convince Jim of the merits of marriage, that Ryan first realizes how truly isolated his is, “Jim it's Marriage, it's one of the most beautiful things on Earth, it's what people aspire to.”(Reitman) This climactic event of the movie cements the audience’s affection for Ryan and his plight.

            Clearly, a name is one of the few things that the novel “Up in the Air” and the film “Up in the Air” actually share. The film changed a sluggish, seemingly plot less novel that left the reader wondering “what is the point?” into a film that captured the spirit of the economic recession. The film did what the novel could not, make the audience care about Ryan Bingham and in turn make the audience care about the films underlining message of the need for human connection while managing to keep the story relevant and contemporary.

Works Cited:

1.      "Up in The Air Awards." Fandango.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr 2012. <http://www.fandango.com/upintheair_v452695/awards>.

2.      "Late-2000s recession.". Wikipedia, 19April2012. Web. 21 Apr 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late-2000s_recession>.

3.      Kirn, Walter. Up in the Air. New York: Anchor Books, 2001. Print. 

4.      Reitman, Jason, dir. Up in the Air. Dreamworks, 2009. Film.

"Up in The Air"

Upon watching the movie “Up in the Air” it is easy to see that it is vastly different from the book it was scripted after. Director Jason Reitman changed a dry, aimless work of literature into a film with direction and purpose. In the book version of “Up in the Air”, Ryan Bingham is largely alone. He is isolated from his family, lacks any real friends and makes his home in various hotels and airport lounges. Ryan of the book seems to be content with his way of life and does not seem to want for any human attachments, his greatest aspirations involve the prospect of a new job with a company called “Mythtech”, reaching one million frequent flyer miles, and publishing a business novel. Although, Ryan Bingham of the movie also makes his home in “Airworld” he seems to encompass more real human emotions. Throughout the movie, you get the idea that an ocean of feelings is lurking just beneath the cold, calculated surface of the Ryan that is depicted onscreen. Also, the movie version does not leave Ryan Bingham as isolated as the novel. Ryan is almost always accompanied by Alex, his reluctant love interest, or Natalie, an intelligent young woman who was designated to shadow Bingham in order to learn the ways of his company. Overall, the movie far exceeds the book in its ability to give Ryan human emotions and therefore making him a more dynamic character. The movie version makes you actually care about Ryan and therefore, makes you care about the movies messages of hope, and need for human connection. Here is an interesting link that contains information on the effects of social isolation.

up in the air

Mid-Term Check In

March 27, 2012

Tracy Bosick

Laura Cline

English 102

Dear Mrs. Cline,

            First and foremost, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to take your class. Not only have I improved in my reading and writing skills, I have become a more confident student. This is my first semester back in school in almost four years. Before the semester started, I wondered about what being back in school would be like and I wondered what kind of student I would be. Your class has taught me that I have all the skills that I need to be successful as long as I do my best and put everything I have into my assignments. I also really appreciate how thorough you are. Online classes have the potential to lose their integrity; however, the structured way that you present your assignments along with different forms of technology, including, blogs and videos really helps to make your assignments more than homework, but learning experiences.

            As a mom, I would have to say that my biggest challenge is making sure I have the proper amount of time to devote to your class. Homework is almost impossible to do with a two year old and four year old around. I am glad that I have had the discipline this far to study during nap time and stay up to work on homework after they have gone to bed. I can attribute my success to my attitude. I have made this class a priority in my mind, so even if I am tired or I have other things that I would rather be doing, I visualize in my head how satisfied I will be when I have passed this class and am one step closer to becoming a registered nurse.

            My goal for the second half of this class is to stay focused. I believe I have done a good job so far staying on task and completing my homework assignments. I plan to continue to do my best on all assignments given. However, I do believe there are areas in my writing where I can improve. I want to become more confident with in quote citations and literary analysis. Finally, I want to finish this class with an A.

Sincerely,

Tracy Bosick

I had a hard time with this essay, feedback is greatly appreciated!!  Tracy

Methamphetamine, a Blessing and a Curse

Imagine you are seventeen years old. You are the sole provider for your twelve year old brother and your six year old sister. Your mother is mentally ill and unable to provide any support. Your father is a known methamphetamine dealer who is often absent and out of the picture. This is reality for the main character of Daniel Woodrell’s compelling novel “Winter’s Bone”. Ree Dolly lives in the rural area of the Ozarks, located in Missouri. She is struggling to keep her family feed when she learns the horrible truth that her drug dealing father is missing, and even worse, he signed their family home away for his bail. Ree and her family are destine to lose their home if he does not show up for bail, therefore, Ree sets out to find her father and save her family.

“Winter’s Bone” is a captivating story that houses many themes within its pages. This is a story about family bonds, perseverance and most notably drug use. Throughout, this story the reader is confronted with the commonplace use of drugs that occurs in the Ozarks. It is apparent that the characters in Daniel Woodrell’s book are dependent on methamphetamine not only for its pharmaceutical purposes’, but also for the things that the drug can do for their economy. “Winter’s Bone” shows firsthand the negative and positive effects that Methamphetamine use can have on a person and the small town that they call home. This novel details how a small town depends on meth to fuel themselves and their economy as much as they are victims of meth’s devastating consequences.

Methamphetamine is widely known as a devastating, addictive, and life altering drug. However, that wasn’t always the case. Initially, Japanese chemist, Nagayoshi Nagai, first synthesized Meth in 1898. The public rejoiced it as a miracle drug, and “By 1933, Meth was heralded in the United States as a drug on par with Penicillin.” (Methland, 44) Methamphetamine was used to treat conditions such as narcolepsy, weight gain, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, fatigue, alcoholism and hyperactivity. (Methland, 44) This new miracle drug was also used to aid soldiers that were going in to battle. With all the promises being made on the part of meth it is easy to see how so many Americans as well as nations around the world demanded a large supply of this drug.

Now let’s examine the effects that methamphetamine had on the economies of small towns like the author’s hometown of Oelwein, Iowa. Citizens in small towns like the author’s hometown believed that nothing bad could ever happen in their town, and they were right, until the farming crisis hit in the 1980’s. (Homans) People who had been farming, or working for a small factory all their lives suddenly found themselves jobless. The author of “Methland” Nick Redding uses his book to convey the story of a young man named Roland Jarvis.  He became addicted to Meth while working for a meatpacking plant. “Jarvis considered Meth to be his job security” “It made Jarvis into the ideal employee.” (Methland, 50) Although, at the time Jarvis made good money and was receiving full union benefits from his company, he used Meth to make it possible to take on double shifts and work for days on end to try and save up money. (Methland, 50) Then things in small town Oelwein, Iowa began to change when Jarvis’s small meatpacking plant was bought by Gillette (Methland, 51) “Overnight, the union was dismantled, and the wages according to Jarvis and Clay Hallberg, fell from $18 hour to $6.20.” (Methland, 51)  Meth was now not only Jarvis’s addiction, he began to dependent on it to supply for his family. This is just one of the many stories of small towns in American that saw the introduction of Meth labs. The story of Roland Jarvis mimics the story of so many of the characters in “Winters Bone”.

After reading Daniel Woodrell’s “Winter’s Bone” I still had some lingering questions as to why the characters would embark on making meth when they know all too well the negative effects of the life of a meth cooker. “Methland” showed me that the characters of Daniel Woodrell’s novel depended on the manufacturing of meth to keep their economy going when like the example of Roland Jarvis, their towns offered them no other opportunities to provide for themselves. With all the benefits that are promised from meth, it is understandable why some people feel making meth is their only option to survival.

Of course, for all the things that Methamphetamine promise, in my opinion the negative effects far outweigh the positive. Meth has lasting negative effects on the way a person looks, their local economy, and of course their overall health. The cleanliness and safety of their home, the safety of their environment, including, their drinking water, the ability to feel emotion, the ability to care and provide for their families are all at risk once a person becomes addicted to Meth, because, Meth becomes the only thing that matters.

“In our discussion of health risks, we noted the potential for fires, explosions and toxic fumes in the manufacturing of meth.  Many meth cookers have inhaled toxic fumes, incurred serious burns and some have been seriously injured or killed as a result of meth-related explosions.  The injuries and deaths take their toll in human and financial costs to those involved and their families…” (Dobbins)

These aforementioned negative effects are show throughout “Winter’s Bone” in the melted meth labs, dysfunctional families and scarred faces of Woodrells general public. The costs of Meth usage to a community is almost impossible to determine. “Meth users and cookers are also prone to heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage, premature death, and overdose” (Dobbins) and most of these do not have insurance; therefore, the cost of their care falls on the taxpayers. Hospital bills are also incurred by addicts because of their lack of fine motor skills, making addicts prone to accidents while doing task such as driving. “The meth industry also takes a high cost on the environment.  Meth fires, explosions and the dumping of waste products are threats to environmental conditions.” (Dobbins) Illegal dumping of these waste products pollutes the environment while seeping into the soil and effecting water and food supplies.

            I am grateful for the glimpse into the world of Methamphetamine use that Daniel Woodrell has given me. Having no previous knowledge of Meth except for the fact that it is bad for you, it was interesting to see Meth use and production from this point of you. It is easy to see how for the people of Ree Dolly’s world Methamphetamine use and production seems like their only option. However, one might wonder if they have considered if the high that is gained or the money earned from producing Methamphetamine is enough to justify all the negative effects.

Works Cited:

1.         Nick , Reding. Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town. <http://books.google.com/books.

2.         Homans, Charles. "Why Midwestern Small Towns Have Been Ravaged by Meth Addiction." . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar 2012. <http://www.alternet.org

3.         Dobbins, Kenneth. "Costs of Meth." . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar 2012. <http://www5.semo.edu/criminal/medfels/text_meth_cost.htm>.