The Rationale

In ENGL 373 Women in Literature, I was given the assignment to create a blog to practice writing for public audiences. To be given credit for the blog assignment, a list of minimum requirements was given and if these requirements are met then the actual posts will be evaluated. I have met the criteria for the assignment because I have completed all the minimum requirements and each of my posts summarizes the novel read and analyzes key points that link to the readings and to the theme of my blog.

The first step I took in meeting the criteria for this assignment was to complete all minimum requirements. On my blog Literature and Contemporary Times, I have five blog posts titled "Depression and Alcoholism: A Horrific Combination," "Coming Out in Today's Society," "Doing Hair in Different Cultures," "The Importance of Art," and "Is It Better to See Color or to Be Colorblind?". Each of these posts is 500-750 words with the shortest post being "Is It Better to See Color or to Be Colorblind?" with 501 words. Each post has a link and a multimodal aspect. In "Depression and Alcoholism: A Horrific Combination," I included an image of the cover of The Liar's Club and links to a college drinking fact sheet and UofL's Campus Health psychiatric services. In "Coming Out in Today's Society," there are two videos related to coming out and a photo of the cover of Fun Home. There is also a link to an AIDS crisis timeline. In "Doing Hair in Different Cultures," there are images of both the Americanah book cover and of the author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. There is also a video about a salon for Muslim women and a link to the news article that further explains the incident I mentioned that happened at my high school. In "The Importance of Art," there is a video of a TedTalk and an image of the cover of Station Eleven and a link to an article discussing President Trump's plans to cut funding to the arts. Finally, in "Is It Better to See Color or to Be Colorblind?" there is a video that discusses colorblindness, an image of the cover of The Help, and a link to PBS where the reader can learn more about the Jim Crow era. Because I have five blog posts that all meet the word count and each has a multimodal aspect, I have met the minimum requirements.

In addition to meeting these minimum requirements, my blog also efficiently meets the other aspects of the assignment. Before getting to my key point, I made sure to summarize each of the novels. Each summarization can be found near the image of the book cover. I mentioned the novels' title and author and a short summary of the book. I gave enough information that my readers would know how the novel was connected to my key point but I made sure not to give away the entire book because I wanted my readers to want to know more and pick up the book themselves. After the summary, I dive into my key point. My blog is about taking a theme from each of the books we read for class and discussing a way in which the theme is connected to today's society. In "Depression and Alcoholism; A Horrific Combination," I use Mary Karr's mother and her experiences with depression and alcohol to discuss how the prominence of drinking in college can be detrimental to one's mental health. In "Coming Out in Today's Society," I talk about Alison Bechdel's experience with coming out to her family and compare that to what a young person today might experience when they come out. In "Doing Hair in Different Cultures," first, I talk about how Imfemelu had to go all the way across town to get her hair done and then use that to talk about discrimination I have seen based on hair and getting your hair done when you are a part of another culture. In "The Importance of Art," I talk about how art is important to the Traveling Symphony even after the Georgia Flu and use that to discuss how the arts are taken advantage of today. In "Is It Better to See Color or to Be Colorblind?" I use The Help's theme of racism to discuss what is really means when someone says they "don't see color" and the lack of an effect that statement really has on fixing institutional racism today. In all of my blog posts, the language is engaging, but still academically tight prose. I write in a way that is comfortable and thought-provoking to my readers. I talk about my own experiences but use research as well. By summarizing the novels, analyzing key points, and using engaged but academic prose, as well as meeting the minimum requirements, I have met all the criteria for this assignment and have thoroughly enjoyed writing for a public audience.