Mateo's Blog

Having the opportunity to participate in the genre of op/ed is going to be an interesting experience. As professor Flewelling had mentioned on her blog, in high school, most students wrote argumentative papers, usually with the topic already being chosen. This brings up the topics of objectivity and subjectivity. Most of the papers written were from the objective side, having the writer see both sides and making the stay in a neutral position. Now, we have the opportunity to voice our own opinions in the subjective way. What this means for me is that I will be forced to voice my own opinion and that has always been difficult for me. I usually keep to my own thoughts when there is a discussion on certain topics because many times I have been ridiculed for having certain views and that discourages me from further expressing myself. I am hoping these next assignments allow me to better my opinions, having the mentor texts as good reference to create a great op/ed. Now the question at h...

I am from a pit stop off the 101, where there exists a thriving little town. I'm from where all there is to see for miles is bright, colorful vegetation. I am from where the mornings start before the break of dawn and the gusts of wind could possibly make it the second windy city I am from a place not many people have heard of, making it that more special I'm from riding bikes around the block until the lights would go off ( or until my mom came out to get us) I'm from going to church every Saturday and meeting at my ninas house after for coffee and pan dulce I'm from where Friday nights start off at someone's garage and somehow end up at the beach for a bonfire I am from long drives on the winding backroads, needing a place to escape I'm from where hero's have been lost, but not forgotten I am from where my parents first settled down I am from where my family was created I am from Gonzales

The perfect situation does not exist; anything can change the environment in a blink of an eye and its ones duty to try and adapt to it. It won't always be a comfortable situation, which is where mushfaking comes into play. In James Paul Gee's work, he brings in the idea of a discourse being an identity kit, each with its own instructions on how to act. Everyone is apart of a variety of discourses, most of them not being linked in any way, which means learning how to use each one and not letting them cross over. For example, the way someone acts with their friends will not behave in that matter when at a job interview. This example is used a lot, but it is one of the best ways to explain how a discourse works. James describes the situation of the interview, where the two applicants had two different discourses, both not suited for the question asked. Although one response was more formal then the other, the "values" were for the wrong reasons. Being interviewed is...

Being from a small town, never did I know that I would be living on my own in San Diego. All I have ever known or was taught came from my family and friends, making them my support system. Coming from a place where almost everyone knew each other and lived in such a close proximity, to a school that was three times that of the population of my town, was the beginning of a great journey. Those values that were created growing up in Gonzales have helped shaped the person that I am now. From putting family first and caring for those that have stuck with you, to working hard to earn what is rightfully yours, to having an open mind are just some of the values Gonzales taught me. My family at graduation.  Being so close to my family made me appreciate the little things in life. From being able to have dinner with them, to annoying one of my sisters are just some of the things that I first noticed I was missing. But to my surprise, I quickly found a friend group from my dorm which s...