The Odd Object Essay - PowerPoint Presentation

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The Odd Object Essay“PostSecret: Not so Secret”

Home Introduction Project Description My Writing Process ENG 110 Objective Lessons Learned References

by Kelly

Giffear

Biochemistry Major, Spanish Minor

from Mantua, New Jersey

English 110 Assignment

Professor Paula PatchSlide2

Introduction

“I’ve hooked up with 3 A.L.E. Agents” Or“PEZ tastes so much better from the dispenser”

What if

you

overheard a student or friend say…

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Introduction Project Description My Writing Process ENG 110 Objective Lessons Learned References

Your reaction depends on which one you heard, right?

Well

PostSecret

is a project that allows anyone to write any secret, regardless of the severity, on a postcard and then publish the postcard.

But what is the deeper meaning?

Is it for self-healing, communication, narcissism, or are there other problems associated with the project?

That was my goal- to explore

PostSecret

on a deeper level.Slide3

Project Description:The Odd Object Essay

Home Introduction Project Description My Writing Process ENG 110 Objective Lessons Learned

References

What?!

The Odd Object essay was

a

challenge

to choose any object and explore the larger meaning behind it. The object could be used as a metaphor or it could help explain a larger issue. It was a very open essay assignment that was designed to sharpen analyzing skills.

My project…

I included the original PostSecret project as well both

Elon

versions of the project. One was done through

The Pendulum

and the other was created by a senior for a leadership project. (examples from

The Pendulum

are above)

Why?!

To inform the

Elon

community (students, faculty, police) of the potential dangers and problems associated with the project that most people do not think of at first.Slide4

My Writing ProcessBiggest challenge- finding a purpose and audience.

[answering the “So what? Who cares?”]I originally wrote the essay with the sources that I found and allowed my findings to guide my writing.Just a few days before the assignment was due I saw website about a PostSecret being used as a healing tool for sexually assaulted victims on The Pendulum. So what?! I had a current topic to work with, and audience to write to (the Elon community).

The product-

a reaction to the article I found.

By editing and researching more on my topic, I gained the confidence to pinpoint what I wanted to discuss in my essay and then complete it.

Strengths

The subjectPostSecret, it is not only well-known but it is integrated in Elon’s campus in multiple ways. This allowed me to create an essay that would draw people’s attention and that someone would care about. The argumentWhen most people think of PostSecret they think of the pretty postcards with ridiculous secrets that they can laugh at.

I wanted my audience to see the potential dangers that accompany the revealing postcards. T

How? Through different examples and opinions, I was able to introduce a new and relevant argument.

Weaknesses

Finding a good audience at first

Quickly making an argument from my research

It took a long time (just up until the essay was due for me to find the right direction that I wanted to take my paper in.

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Introduction

Project Description

My Writing Process

ENG 110 Objective

Lessons Learned

ReferencesSlide5

ENG 110 Objective-“A more sophisticated understanding of the relationship of purpose, audience, and voice, and an awareness that writing expectations and conventions vary within the academy and in professional and public discourse.”

Audience – Elon CommunityWhy? PostSecret has gained global status but I global audience would be very difficult to cater to. I started off general and then narrowed my paper to my audience.Elon has 2 versions of the project so that it where I took my paper. The Elon community should care about what is going on.

Purpose

– To inform Elon of

PostSecret’s

potential dangers.

PostSecret has been said to be therapeutic, but after examining all of the possible effects it could cause more damage.It could ruin author’s reputations and causes dilemma’s like should Elon police take the postcards seriously and investigate certain issues? Voice

– My own!

Since I am a member of the Elon community, I maintained an informal voice that everyone can relate to .

I wanted to connect with my audience and use the same language that they use.

But…

Not all essays can have these freedoms

I chose a more informal style because I saw my essay as a newspaper article and not a scholarly journal for experts

Either way, it was still liberating to not have to follow a lab write-up procedure!

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Introduction

Project Description

My Writing Process

ENG 110 Objective

Lessons Learned

ReferencesSlide6

Lessons LearnedAbout my Writing

I can have fun with my writingBy choosing a subject I likeBy doing research because I want toBy writing a paper that includes my own opinionI can be engaged in writingWhen I care about something I put a lot more effort and work into it.. It can be interestingIf the subject and audience fit together and answer the “Who cares?” “So what?” question.About PostSecretThe multiple ways the postcards are published

The multiple reasons why people create the postcards

I saw emotions such as happiness, fear, sadness, anger, and relief in the postcards

All of the effects (healing or dangerous)

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Introduction Project Description My Writing Process ENG 110 Objective Lessons Learned ReferencesSlide7

References to PostcardsAll postcards were from The Pendulum’s website and can be found at this link:

http://stream.elon.edu/pendulum/postsecret2.pdfFor more Information on PostSecret visit:www.postsecretcommunity.comHome Introduction Project Description My Writing Process

ENG 110 Objective

Lessons Learned

References