Most of my previous blogs have either been me analyzing a specific topic or speaking my mind on something; however, this time, it’ll be a little different. For this post, I’ll be writing a more informative piece explaining my plans for my English summative.
My task for this summative is to make a portfolio that includes four different media outlets we’ve used throughout the course. Each of these media texts should work together to bring light to something interesting or significant I noticed throughout the novel.
My portfolios thesis will be: The infamous view that all men in our society are dominant while women are inferior is explored vigorously and unfairly throughout Lullabies for Little Criminals. The novel depicts women in a negative, stereotypical manner, ultimately degrading them as a whole. Through the perspective of a feminist lens, it becomes evident how men have cultivated the power to restrict and make decisions for a woman in both this novel and in today’s society.
Below, is a brief description of what media texts I plan to use and why I think that specific outlet is best to explain my thesis.
Persuasive Essay
For the first part of my portfolio, I have decided to write a persuasive essay on the different ways women are negatively portrayed through society. I will be exploring how men devalue women in ways that make them look absurd. I think that writing a persuasive essay will be a good idea for me because I believe it’s one of my most potent forms of writing. I also think this types of essay is suitable for my topic because it allows me to use logic as well as emotion to draw from. This topic is very controversial and heavily talked about in today’s society, so I believe using passion, rhetorical questions and imagery will enhance my writing in a way that will display my points in an effective manor.
I will be exploring how men have cultivated power to make decision for women in the novels society and today’s society through a blog post. The reason I choose to do a blog post, is because it’s a great way to get a few but important points across without being very formal. I can talk informally and use specific words styles that other mediums will not let me. Through a blog post, I will be using a conversational tone to make my readers really understand what I’m trying to say while allowing for feedback and comments. This medium will also allow me to use parenthetical citations and detailed images to prove my ideas further. Since i’ll be including a portion about our society today, hyperlinks will enhance my points and backup my observations.
Concept map
I will use the features of a concept map to dive in deeper into how the idea of how patriarchy is used within the novel. (Patriarchy is simply the exploration of how women are inferior to men). I will be using examples and different scenarios to showcase how men and women are not seen to be on the same level. I will also be showing examples of how women are seen to be inferior, as well as showing examples of how men are seen to be dominant. The reason I choose a concept map is that it can get an essential idea across without using long sentences. It’s also very visual so it can be easier to understand and will allow the readers to see a physical connection between two things rather than just thinking about it.
Remix
For my last media text, I’ve decided to create a remix in terms of creating something new from 5-6 original posts. I will rearrange certain elements and use pictures to explain some major points seen in the novel and will display them as a whole. Since I’m doing a digital portfolio, I will post both the original cover and my cover and discuss the differences and what each picture means. I think that a remix will fit into my portfolio well, as I will be able to show and prove my thesis in a different way other than just using words. It will add another dimension to my portfolio and keep readers more interested as it won’t be a block of text, but rather something visual that they can interpret in their own way. I’m also very excited about this media outlets as I’ve never created my own remix before so I’m looking forward to facing a new challenge. I do believe, that this portion will be the trickiest part of my portfolio as I will be attempting to use many different software like illustrator and Photoshop to create my new image. On top of that, I will also be making that imagine into a mosaic so it will be a lot harder to cite those images and make it in a way that will be effective to my portfolio thesis.
Skills Learned
Throughout this course, I’ve learned so much and developed many skills that I didn’t have coming into this class. Starting from the beginning of unit 1 all the way to this post I’m writing right now, I’ve learned how to properly analyzing a text through literary theories as well as learn how important it is to infer something and make connections etc. Over the course of this semester, I’ve learned more about remix’s, blogs and literary theories more than I ever have, including how to properly give credit. I feel like looking from an overview, a major skill that I’ve acquired is time management as well as looking through different lens to see what a text could mean in different ways.
-ZK
ENG4UE Blog 
