Jabari Edwards 8.23.12 Dr. Borrero Engl 1101 My history of writing can be typically described as rushed, and lacking.

I believe its generally because of my standard work habits that definitely inhibit my writing skill and could be better planned if I have prepared more ahead of time. However, my procrastination skills can be considered very hazardous to my grades, and many assignments, especially the ones involving writing will be turned in at the last minute. My opinion of reading and writing is that I find it boring to a degree. There are some stories and pieces of literature that can be interesting when it involves sports, and games. I consider myself a gamer and I like reading reviews about some of the new games coming out. I also like keeping up on some political issues involving students. Topics such as the election, the economy and how it pertains to financial aid, and healthcare issues can get me motivated to get involved in politics. With the election coming up this year, I do what I can to make sure I know what the future would yield if the candidate I voted for would become president for the next four years. Any other subjects such as old history and literature would bore me for quite some time. Another issue I struggle with constantly is fitting the page limit. I feel like I run out of detail when trying to describe events and issues. In my last English class, I was barely able to squeeze in a four page paper over the period of 4 months. It was one of the roughest papers I ever wrote, and I was supposed to make it to five pages somehow. I wasnt able to make the five page limit, and I lost points for failing to meet the page requirement. It gets discouraging whenever I feel that theres a lengthy page requirement, because Im always wondering how Im going to be

able to meet that page requirement without sounding very repetitive in my writing, or having relevant topics that match my paper. Some recent experiences Ive had are portfolios containing all my efforts and documents that Ive had throughout the semester, and combining them into all one file or document, then I analyze what Ive learned throughout the semester and summarize whether I did a good job or a terrible one. Ive learned that my strengths is that I focus during the first few weeks and the last few weeks of the semester. My real weakness is that I lose focus during the middle of the semester, a few weeks before and after the midterm. My consistency flails around during the semester, and I can end up with bad grades after showing promising work. Ive tried to stay motivated and persistent, but it doesnt always end up working out. My most recent success involving writing was last semester, involving a writing portfolio and a multimodal project. My topic on the project was about Youth Voting and the issues in America. I chose this topic because I felt that with the upcoming election happening in a few months, that getting people motivated to try to make a difference in the polls was of the utmost importance. I can describe the paper as being very rushed, and that it was tough to write because I didnt have the right amount of resources, and my persistence faded right around typing out my annotated bibliography. When my annotated bibliography was unfinished, it complicated many problems, such as typing up my first draft. I had many problems typing up that paper, because I didnt have the right sources, or a decent outline for myself to follow. That paper took me about four days of gathering sources and typing the new information that I had accumulated, and also ate into my time for other classes. After turning in my first draft and gathering peer review, the process was much smoother because I had more time and more material to work with .

Your Name: Jabari Edwards Course #: 1101-059 Date: 9.04.12 Project #1: Multi-Modal Literacy Narrative Part 2: Cultural Domain Analysis Instructions (Part 1 Domain Analysis Chart): When introducing the Multi-Modal Literacy Narrative project, we established that your mind is influenced by different cultural/social systems that work both separately and together to shape your ideas, beliefs, and practices as a reader and writer. To analyze these systems, your first task is to complete the domain analysis chart in which you

must reflect on each of the four domains listed below and identify as many practices, ideas/values/beliefs, objects, or significant details from each cultural/social system that you think has influenced your literacy and composition skills.
Home Parents believed school and good grades were the key to success Encouraged to get good grades, not too much discipline Always reminded of how much potential that I have or had Brothers encouraged me to do well, learn from their mistakes Many of them never stayed with the school path Both Mom and Dad had degrees from school Spoke good english with the family. Had a speech impediment and a big tongue when I was young;unable to communicate my feelings Oldest brother was very talented in reading, the other 2, not so much. Oldest brother seldom gave me tips in reading in writing, never picked up the ambition like he was able to. Most memorable tip in case I couldnt think of anything Just free write man, write anything thats on your mind at the moment, and review it after a few moments School Work First Job, Tenders restaurant School wasnt exactly valued More of a social environment Treated like crap, made me wish I had a different job Decent natured people Second Job, Harris teeter some coworkers my age are students as well Different colleges, some go to the same school as me. Used abbreviations to ease the learning process of our job Refrain from curse words at work, puts a bad image on the work if used. First witness of people that didnt go to school and had no plan to go to school

Neighborhood / Community / Peers

 Middle school, Ranson middle Grades werent valued by students Teachers always attempted to stretch us Some teachers eventually gave up due to disruptions Was tough to learn since you would get teased on grades Considered cool if you used curse words or not High School: 2 years North Mecklenburg, 2 years Pine Lake preparatory Higher value of education from stu dents Civics and economics book in 10th grade, first start of Hard english classes First difficult book, The Last of the Mohicans Book was old english, parents had trouble getting me started for the book First book made it difficult to keep up or catch up in class, ended up with a D in that class English classes struggled from 10th grade to 12th grade most English classes would take finished work, not exactly quality work, and grade according.

Went to Grace covenant church Neighbors are generally successful Engineer, another one going for masters in business Prospering environment, caused envy and the want to own the same stuff they do. Volunteering requirement from school Realizing those that had less than me usually didnt have a choice was a motivator Usually dealt with pastors and others when referring to volunteering. Friends were from different walks of life, some from the hood, others from nice parts of life Witnessing my friends talk to their parents and being introduced, friendly styles and proper syntax and pronunciation used.

Instructions (Part 2 Domain Analysis Narrative): Now that you have completed the chart and generated some ideas about the cultural/social systems you engage with, it is time to flesh out those ideas, and analyze/explain how you think each domain has influenced your literacy and composition. For each of the systems listed below, write between 75 and 100 words to explain the major details of each cultural/social system and how the qualities of each system have influenced your literacy and composition (this means you will compose four short analyses total). You may complete your essays below. Simply type your essay next to each of the headers.
1. Home: My home domain was a positive benefit to my life. Many of the values that come from

home, I would consider them to be motivators. It helped to instill discipline in my writing, and make me just free write sometimes, in order to pick out the parts. My oldest brother was very articulate and was able to assist me in writing for poems and papers, with just a few tips.

2. Work: Reflecting on the work environment gave me a rebellious attitude towards some of my

hated assignments, however it did give me a feeling of freedom. There were times at work where I just absolutely hated being there, and just wanted to do something else. It pushes me to move forward in my current assignments. Many of my co-workers though felt that school wasnt for them, and that they would rather do their own thing.
3. School: School was a mix of a rebellious and warm community. It varied mainly between the

students and teachers, with students not wanting to do well in middle school, and eager young students wanting to do well in high school. The teachers were always trying to get us to perform better in our work, and the student influence made me more apathetic, since I was trying to jump into the social aspect of school.
4. Neighborhood / Community / Peers: My church played a big part in my understanding of my-

self and my strengths. Since I volunteered there, I was always recognized by older people that wanted to know more about myself, and always wanted to discuss details of stuff. Your Name: Course #: Date: Project #1: Multi-Modal Literacy Narrative Part 3: Literacy Sponsor Analysis Instructions (Part 1 The Charts): Fill out the chart to describe a sponsor who has shaped your views of literacy. While you need to describe at least four sponsors, keep in mind that each sponsor should have their own chart. Also keep in mind that your responses should be detailed, and should be formulated as full sentences. Sponsor #1
1.) Identify the Sponsor: In the space below, identify a sponsor that you feel has impacted your current views and/or practices of reading, writing, and communication. If the sponsor is a person, give their name; if it is a text, object, or institution, describe what the sponsor is, and if necessary, where it is located. Your Response to Questions 1: Rap music and its different subgenres 1.) Making a Connection: In the space below, describe your relationship with or connection to the sponsor. If they are a person, how you know the person, and if the sponsor is a text, object, or institution, provide context about when or how you interacted with this sponsor.

Your Response to Questions 2: Rap Music has shaped my influence of literacy, in ways that I can always listen to a certain song that can describe my mood at a certain time in my life. The different messages conveyed through the beats, lyrics, and flow give me a different feeling when i play a song, sometimes motivating and other solid songs. 1.) Tracing Experiences: In the space below, briefly describe experiences or memories that you have had with this sponsor related to literacy. While these experiences can be positive or negative, try to identify was many experiences as you can that you feel impacted your current view or literacy. Your Response to Questions 3: Different artists such as 50 cent, Childish Gambino, and Dj Khaled portray different messages, it can be interpreted through their beats, their lyrics, and most importantly, their flow. 1.) Tracing Emotions: In the space below, briefly describe your emotional response to each of the experiences and/or memories you accounted for in question three. Were your experiences happy, sad, discouraging, encouraging, inspiring, terrifying, etc. Describe the emotional response you had or have, and explain why. Your Response to Questions 4: I remembered reading some of the Rapper Tupacs poems, the one specific to me was The Rose hat Grew from Concrete 1.) Ideologies of Literacy: In the space below, consider how this sponsor influenced the way you think about literacy, and briefly describe the ideas, views, and/or beliefs of literacy that you gained from this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 5: It definitely broadened my horizon in music, and made me recognize that since there were so many different sub genres in Rap music, I could make the connection to the literacy genres that theres many accounts of sub genres

Sponsor #2

1.) Identify the Sponsor: In the space below, identify a sponsor that you feel has impacted your current views and/or practices of reading, writing, and communication. If the sponsor is a person, give their name; if it is a text, object, or institution, describe what the sponsor is, and if necessary, where it is located. Your Response to Questions 1: My 10th grade civics and economics teacher, Mr. Duckworth 1.) Making a Connection: In the space below, describe your relationship with or connection to the sponsor. If they are a person, how you know the person, and if the sponsor is a text, object, or institution, provide context about when or how you interacted with this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 2: Personally, I hated Mr. Duckworth as a teacher, I never let it be known between me and him that I hated him so much. 1.) Tracing Experiences: In the space below, briefly describe experiences or memories that you have had with this sponsor related to literacy. While these experiences can be positive or negative, try to identify was many experiences as you can that you feel impacted your current view or literacy. Your Response to Questions 3: The biggest experience that Ive had dealt with the summer assignments. The hardest summer assignment that Ive had was reading this book called The Last of the Mohicans. I tried reading the first fifteen pages, and I gave up, and never wanted to read the book again. My mom even tried to help me read the book, she skimmed a few pages, and wasnt too sure about how to approach the book either. I was stumped for the summer assignment, and I gave up. 1.) Tracing Emotions: In the space below, briefly describe your emotional response to each of the experiences and/or memories you accounted for in question three. Were your experiences happy, sad, discouraging, encouraging, inspiring, terrifying, etc. Describe the emotional response you had or have, and explain why. Your Response to Questions 4: I was mainly angry, frustrated, and upset about reading this book 1.) Ideologies of Literacy: In the space below, consider how this sponsor influenced the way you think about literacy, and briefly describe the ideas, views, and/or beliefs of literacy that you gained from this sponsor.

Your Response to Questions 5: That experience with the book The Last of the Mohicans shaped my influence of literacy by introducing to texts I hated. It also influenced me in school reading because I feared that every book at that grade level and above would be much tougher than that book, and I could barely get past the first twenty pages.

Sponsor #3
1.) Identify the Sponsor: In the space below, identify a sponsor that you feel has impacted your current views and/or practices of reading, writing, and communication. If the sponsor is a person, give their name; if it is a text, object, or institution, describe what the sponsor is, and if necessary, where it is located. Your Response to Questions 1: My 12th grade teacher Mrs. Johnson 1.) Making a Connection: In the space below, describe your relationship with or connection to the sponsor. If they are a person, how you know the person, and if the sponsor is a text, object, or institution, provide context about when or how you interacted with this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 2: Ms. Johnson was my 12th grade english teacher, and was my last english teacher for my High school 1.) Tracing Experiences: In the space below, briefly describe experiences or memories that you have had with this sponsor related to literacy. While these experiences can be positive or negative, try to identify was many experiences as you can that you feel impacted your current view or literacy.

Your Response to Questions 3: Most of the work that Ms. Johnson had for us was a constant, stream of busy work. We did a lot of work in her class, including dictionary definition quizzes. The work piled up over he year, and many of the students, including myself, felt very frustrated and wanted to get a good grade so we wouldnt have to be held back a year. I started to learn more about just finishing assignments to completion in order to keep it. My grade slightly dropped a bit due to this, however I received no Fs because I turned in every assignment.

1.) Tracing Emotions: In the space below, briefly describe your emotional response to each of the experiences and/or memories you accounted for in question three. Were your experiences happy, sad, discouraging, encouraging, inspiring, terrifying, etc. Describe the emotional response you had or have, and explain why. Your Response to Questions 4: I felt frustated, tired, and I was excited once it was nearing the end of the semester. 1.) Ideologies of Literacy: In the space below, consider how this sponsor influenced the way you think about literacy, and briefly describe the ideas, views, and/or beliefs of literacy that you gained from this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 5: I learned that English could be a demanding class, and that my level of work that I was turning in wasnt enough, that I would have to work harder, and at times, bite my tongue and just finish an assignment without putting my own creativity into the assigment.

Sponsor #4

1.) Identify the Sponsor: In the space below, identify a sponsor that you feel has impacted your current views and/or practices of reading, writing, and communication. If the sponsor is a person, give their name; if it is a text, object, or institution, describe what the sponsor is, and if necessary, where it is located. Your Response to Questions 1: My brother Konata 1.) Making a Connection: In the space below, describe your relationship with or connection to the sponsor. If they are a person, how you know the person, and if the sponsor is a text, object, or institution, provide context about when or how you interacted with this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 2: Hes my big brother 1.) Tracing Experiences: In the space below, briefly describe experiences or memories that you have had with this sponsor related to literacy. While these experiences can be positive or negative, try to identify was many experiences as you can that you feel impacted your current view or literacy. Your Response to Questions 3: My big brother was an avid reader, and enjoyed reading. He also knew how to write and convey his feelings into his writing. and He always seemed to know what words to use that were right. 1.) Tracing Emotions: In the space below, briefly describe your emotional response to each of the experiences and/or memories you accounted for in question three. Were your experiences happy, sad, discouraging, encouraging, inspiring, terrifying, etc. Describe the emotional response you had or have, and explain why. Your Response to Questions 4: The advice of him just telling me to free write was encouraging, as it introduced a new tool in my arsenal for helping me draft papers. 1.) Ideologies of Literacy: In the space below, consider how this sponsor influenced the way you think about literacy, and briefly describe the ideas, views, and/or beliefs of literacy that you gained from this sponsor. Your Response to Questions 5: He helped me believe that Literacy isnt very tough to complete, however it does take time and requires some thought before completing

Your Name: Course #: Date: Project #1: Multi-Modal Literacy Narrative Part 3: Literacy Sponsor Analysis Instructions (Part 2 Reflection): Now that you have documented details about each sponsor, I want you to reflect on what you have learned. In the space below, compose a reflection in which you consider some of the following questions and compose a short reflective essay:
Did you learn anything about how you learned to read and write that you

did not know before?

What ideas and beliefs about literacy stood out the most during this ac-

tivity?
Have your feelings about your sponsors remained the same over time,

or have they changed?

If you were to compare one literacy sponsor to another, do you find that

the views and beliefs they have are in agreement with one another, or is there tension between beliefs and values?
What was the most significant discovery that you made while complet-

ing this activity.

I feel that I might not know who my sponsors might be. These might be good sponsors, but Its hard to draw connections from the four sponsors I listed, and that makes it tough for me to decide.

Genretized Narrative Reconstruction Memo: My first ideas were to create poems with the possibility of recording myself reading the poems with tones to analyze. However I was confused in my writing and drafting of poems, that it turned into a mix of three poems, a freestyle poem, a poem with multiple rhyme schemes, and a haiku. The poems can be found below

1.

My first idea for a draft would be a poem or a song. Im an avid fan of music, especially rap music because of the way words can flow and how it rhymes and can paint a picture in your mind. Also many songs can have different connections to people and can match the mood that one could relate to or is currently in. Since I have lots of brothers and sisters, they listen to many different types of music, and they have different experiences they can share with their genres of music. I also used to do a lot of audio engineering volunteer work for a church, and can see what happens when a band of instruments and vocals comes together, it can tell a better story than what simple texts can do.

2.

My second idea for a draft would be to compose a presentation of people that have had good and bad influences in my writing. Mainly its about my teachers influencing my perspective and I could give examples of what I wrote or what I experienced during my time of learning with them.

It could be something that I could present using prezi or another site instead of a powerpoint presentation, because I feel that may be slightly boring. 3. My last idea of a draft would be an essay, to demonstrate the other ideas that I could possibly have. This would be a last resort and I would rather not consider doing this option but rather going to the first two ideas that I mentioned, however if I feel that I am having a lot of trouble with either of the options above, I can always rely on this one again.

Freestyle Writing a poem is hard from scratch Especially when eloquence and words makes me want to take a nap I was in the family room, all confused about what to type Then my big brother came up to me, and said just free write I was sitting here confused, and didnt know what he meant He explained to just keep writing ideas down until your mind is spent Im not sure what he meant, but I did it anyway Because even if I had nothing, I could say I tried Which is better than nothing, although I thought I was wise I began to jot stuff down Thinking this will do me no good I pulled it together and my brothers words started to make some sense I had a good idea per three to five lines and I thought this wasnt so bad after all It was the best idea for starting school every fall

My procrastination

The time is 10:30pm My assignment is due tomorrow Id rather do anything else in the world besides start this paper I get to thinking, hmm, whats new on the World of Warcraft today I jump in and immediately start playing I tell myself Ill stay on for one hour, and one hour only After doing a raid I look at the time after the amount I played It said, 1 A.M?! I swore that I was only procrastinating for an hour or so Alas, thats time that ill never get back Now back to work, I say, I wont get distracted again I stare at the one word written document that says The Im drawing a lot of blanks My mind is clear as the word document Im looking at I thought I grew up and wouldnt do this again Im tired but I cant sleep until this paper is done. I think its time to call another break Time to go get a snack to eat, and something nice to drink A capri sun will do me nicely! Ive spent 4 hours on writing this poem Im so tired I cant even think anymore Im going to write a haiku to even the score! My Procrastination Pt. 2 Jabari, your project is due! I dont feel like it right now Ill do it soon though! Demanding

I did a paper today I have a Vocabulary test due tomorrow Im frustrated from having to do so much work It fills me with slight sorrow Ms. Johnson, my 12th grade teacher said, It's only to prepare you for college I wondered why I would need such excess knowledge Is college really that rough Is two papers a month and 4 tests supposed to be this tough? I tried to keep up I wanted help, I was too shy to ask I pushed everything to the last minute My grades didnt almost let me pass Jabari, she said, You need to keep up with the class or youll fall behind My body and mind felt as if they were on a constant grind I almost thought that I wouldnt make it I started learning to how to create last minute work even if she would take it It didnt matter to me at this point, I wanted to pass I wouldnt be able to dread retaking this class The end of the Year was counting down The relief of me graduating was enough to get rid of my frown.

A Man of God You have a servants heart Jabari I was applauded for serving in the congregation Being able to volunteer for others was a pleasant sensation Many of the elders communicated to me in a very proper dialect I didnt want to fit a stereotype, so I talked in ways that I could gain respect Tried to avoid using slang when needed, and address older people with ma'am or sir Did my best to say it to avoid the words sounding like a slur Shaking people hands with a firm grip

And walked with my pants to my waist so I wouldnt trip I was made fun of outside the church for talking proper They tried to whittle away my hopes for being a doctor At the sanctuary, thats where I began to feel at home The community was very warm, and I was free to roam A Fan of Music Im a fan of music and the way musicians rhyme I wanted to speak like them, just in time The way they say certain words, it captivates me It puts me in the studio with them and feels like were making history together, whether its to the sound of rocking guitars or bass drums, it makes me feel like a superstar I never understood how rappers could say words off beat but when they put it together it sound real sweet like candy, it can definitely come in handy listening to them makes me feel like they understand me.

Genre Defence Jabari Edwards My first ideas for this narrative were reading and writing poems. As I started writing the poems, I was unsure of what types of rhyme schemes to go through with, so I started writing. I felt that I had put down more information that I would be able to fit in an average poem, so I started having a combination of stories and poems. In the stories, I wanted to give a good description of what I was feeling when I was going through those moments of having nothing to write or doing what I could at the time to succeed, as well as having a little fun.

My first poem was. I write the poem basically as a freestyle and make it slightly sloppy, being unable to gather my thoughts and I bring this up and it feels like a internal struggle between myself and focusing to get an assignment done. I described how I was focusing on the task, then I feel bored without a sense of urgency and decide to go play World of Warcraft, which can take up a lot of time if Im not watching the clock. Then when I feel content with playing World of Warcraft, I then look at the the clock, and see how much time I wasted. At the end of the poem, I give up and try to look for the easiest way to get a good grade, so I write a Haiku, which requires less effort than a poem. One of my poems is Demanding. It brings me back to 12th grade when I came close to not graduating simply because I did not keep up and nearly refused to catch up in English class. English became my most hated subject because when paired with other classes, I tend to put English related subjects last on my to-do list, and will often at times, miss critical deadlines because of it, putting me in danger of not getting a very good grade. It pushed me to a point where I would complete low quality work just to get a decent grade, because I learned that lots of low quality work in High school would suffice compared to having high quality work but low amounts of completion. My next poem was a Man of god. I was there to help out with small community events, and I was generously thanked for it. The Demographic was mainly middle aged Caucasians, and many of them thanked me for the time that I took out of my day to help serve them. Many of them had a very extensive vocabulary, and I wanted to be able to give a good impression of myself and be polite as possible, in case they ever wanted to consider me for any special opportunities or events that I could be able to participate in. My outside church community saw a difference when I went to church, in the way I talked and dressed, and continued to tease me for my actions.

My next poem, Music motivates me, is about my love of music and just the lyrics that can flow very well in a song and paint a picture of itself. My favorite type of music is Rap & Hip Hop, and I wanted to demonstrate this within the commas. I made some sentences not flow correctly to portray how some songs dont always rhyme with the beat, but they can flow together with a beat. I listen to a lot of music, and when i understand the lyrics, I tend to say the lyrics verbatim in certain situations that happen in life, such as Lifes a bitch.