Textual Analysis: An Excerpt

Protest literature is the culmination of social, political, intellectual and economical information that results in the evocation of emotion and inspires change. Written in 1883, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn reflect the American society’s ongoing battle of law and morality. The story’s main character, Huckleberry Finn, and his newfound pal, Jim, seek freedom down the Mississippi. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn  is told from Huck’s point of view and takes place in the south twenty years before the civil war.

Because the story is set before the civil war, readers must note that slavery is still a huge part of the economy at this time. As a child of a low socioeconomic status, Huck spends the majority of his time analyzing the morality of slavery and with it, racism.

Huckleberry Finn grew up in a racist society, and as a result, he too finds himself making derogatory remarks. One of the most remarkable aspects of this work is that the term all is used more frequently than any other word. The word all is extremely inclusive – referring to slaves and civilians. Contrastingly, the word one is frequently used in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. By looking at the most frequently used terms in the text, readers might assume that this novel is an easy one to read; however, the slang as seen in the quote above can be challenging to decipher. The majority of the text is spent with Huckleberry Finn who, as mentioned previously, is of a low socioeconomic status and Jim who is a slave. Jim’s name is mentioned 332 times in the story, so it is clear that he is one of the central characters in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

English for New Media Text

This video doesn't even begin to explain what English for New Media covers. In 30 seconds, I show the Dakota State University campus. ENM is just one of our many awesome majors. To check it out, click here.

This video was created in IMovie.

Presentation Feedback: What I Learned

I think the biggest thing I learned from everyone's presentation is that social media isn't always the most effective new media tool. When we think of new media, our minds go directly to social media. Small companies with Facebook pages don't reach a large volume of people.  I think small companies should have a Facebook page to describe their company, but I think that a website with price points and detailed information is more suitable for some targeted age groups.

Using Media as The Media

Here is my presentation link.

New Media vs Old Media

My nephew, Ellett, with new media.

Pictured above, you will see my nephew entertaining himself on "his" iPad. Yes, my sister has an iPad dedicated for the use of her one-year-old son. It's an old iPad with a crack on the screen and an orange heavy duty case. He often watches Youtube clips of Paw Patrol and Veggie Tails. He also uses the iPad to FaceTime me from time to time, but he likes the end call button a little too much. When I was that age, forms of media differed. Children are using media devices at a much younger age than 20 years ago. 

New Media forms I use:
Social Media
Television
News Websites
Ebooks & Kindle
Youtube

Old Media forms I used:
DVD
VHS
Radio
Textbooks
Newspapers
GPS

Communication 101

I'm Back!

Hello everyone!

I'm going to be reviving this blog again. My previous posts were shared 6 years ago, so forgive me if they sound odd. If you want to learn more about who I am, stayed tuned!

What I have been up to the last six years? I graduated from high school in 2014, and then attended the University of St Thomas in St Paul, MN with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher. In spring of 2015, I transferred to Presentation College. It was then that I discovered that I was not happy with my major. In August of 2015, I moved to Madison, SD and transferred one last time to Dakota State University. I will graduate this spring with a BS in Professional and Technical Communication and a minor in English for New Media.

I have really enjoyed my time in Madison, but I look forward to graduation.

Merry Christmas, Dad!

Came across this video again! We gave my dad a new puppy for Christmas a few years back! His name is Jack Daniels because he likes to lick people. Hard liquor ;)

Where's the Easter Bunny?

This past weekend was Easter, as you well know. My family has some odd and rather interesting Easter traditions. We had an adult Easter egg hunt, with no rules! My sister and my brother both successfully stole all of the eggs that I had scavenged. I lost the hunt and got a constellation prize. :( Each Easter we set three eggs on the dining table, two of which and boiled. Three volunteers smashed the eggs against their head and the person who smashes the raw egg against their head is ridiculed for a whole year. I have managed to smash the raw egg against my head for 3 years running. You could say that I'm a pro at it.

At Easter dinner, we planned another huge family vacation. We have gone on two large family vacations with 20+ people. The first vacation we went on was a Norwegian cruise in the Caribbean. The second vacation was a Carnival cruise in the Mexican Rivera. Though we are indecisive about the location of our next vacation, I'm very excited!

Long time no see!

Hey guys! I'm sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I've been really busy. Since I've last blogged, I've managed to win gold at a volleyball tournament, place 5th in Word Processing in FBLA at our State Leadership Conference, place 7th in the 400m dash and 8th in high jump for track. I've also managed to get sick. I did not go to school today; therefore, I missed today's track meet. I missed track practice and volleyball practice yesterday, as well. I hate missing out on things! I haven't played volleyball in almost two weeks! I'm having withdrawal issues!