Tennis Racket Mishap

I’ve had a passion for tennis since I was a little girl. I remember the first game I ever watched on television featured Anna Kournikova as the odds on favorite. Her beautiful strokes and powerful serve made her my favorite tennis player. To me, it didn’t matter if she won her matches or not because I simply enjoyed watching the intensity she played with. I could tell she played with heart, and she gave it her all on the court. I couldn’t wait to learn and be a “star” just like Anna!

Unfortunately, I was only a seventh grader and my middle school didn’t offer tennis as an intramural sport. I would go to the park and play with my brother every once in a while, but he didn’t really know how to teach me since tennis was a sport that came naturally to him, so we eventually stopped going.

After two years of anxiously waiting, it finally came: my first day of high school! I asked around and found the athletic director, who led me to the tennis coach, Branny. She said tennis try-outs didn’t start until the winter, so I had a few months to hang tight. More waiting?! I couldn’t take it anymore! However, I managed to keep my sanity until January. Much to my surprise, I made the team, but only as an alternate. Since I could only play when I was needed, my parents refused to buy me a racket of my own and I had to settle for an older racket provided by the school. Needless to say, my first season did not go well. I only won half of my games and I was convinced that had I not played with such an outdated racket, I would have been fabulous. As soon as the season ended, I trained with members of the Varsity team year-round so I could obtain that coveted position on Varsity.

The next year at try-outs, I made it! I was number six on the team ladder, just barely making Varsity! But I didn’t care! I was ecstatic! I shared the good news with my parents and they agreed that it was time for me to buy my own racket. I couldn’t wait! Much to my dismay, I only had $30 saved up and good tennis rackets didn’t come cheap. I searched the store with disappointment in my heart. The prices read $80, $100, $150… nothing within my price range. I was at the point of giving up when I saw a sign that made my heart skip: sale. SALE?! A Prince racket that was originally $60 was put on clearance for $30! It was as if the heavens had opened up and sent an answer to my prayers! I handed the money to the cashier and just like that, it was mine! I couldn’t wait to try it out! I felt invincible.

The next day at practice, things weren’t going well. I was losing my ladder match which would drop me down to the JV team and I had come dangerously close to twisting my ankle after a particularly tiring rally. What was going on? Shouldn’t this brand new racket have solved all of my problems? I had become so frustrated that I smashed my racket to the floor, and the unthinkable happened. My shiny Prince caved in and broke into two pieces! I was devastated! Not only did I eventually lose the match, but I also had a lot of explaining to do when I got home. I had no doubt as to why I had gotten such a good deal on the racket of my dreams.

Week 8 Blog Reviews

Ashley- In your post “Breastmilk Just for Babies? Not Anymore,” I thought your opening paragraph was a great way to introduce the rest of your paper! It was definitely a catchy opening that caught my attention right off the bat! With the nature of the prompt, I know it was hard to include your own ideas but I would have liked to read a little more about what you thought on the subject. Overall, your post was very well written, just make sure to put the titles of the essays you cited in quotation marks.

I had a lot of trouble answering the prompt for this assignment, but in your post “Don’t Compare Yourself to Others… Even Animals,” you were able to use the text very well to support your argument in favor of human homosexuality as compared to animals, and you also brought up excellent points to those who might be skeptical of your comparison. I could tell that you really understood the essay and chose the quotes you cited carefully. You have a real strength for backing up your points-of-view with solid evidence. Great job on this post! I hope your essay writing went well!

Susan- I thought you did a wonderful job on your post “More Than Just Reproduction.” You really emphasized the point that not every relationship is the same, so it is unfair to say that love is mainly a scientific attraction. I think the author (as well as some of us in the class) failed to see that, so you did a great job of working that into your essay and using the text, even though it contradicted with much of what you were saying, to your advantage. This would’ve been a strong topic for an essay!

For your post “What’s Natural Nowadays,” your first two paragraphs were very strong. In your final paragraph however, I felt that you kind of went off on a tangent trying to prove your point of what is and is not natural. Overall though, I really enjoyed what you had to write about. You have a creative way of presenting your view on things that I really enjoyed reading this week. My only suggestion is to remember to always include the author’s name in your in-text citations. There were a few times in both posts that you forgot to so this. I hope your essay turned out well!

It's a Natural Attraction (Mother Nature Wouldn't Make a Mistake)

Directed Freewrite p. 340

For many years now, scientists have been in constant argument with religious organizations over how the world came to be. Many who attend church believe that God created the earth, as stated in the first two chapters of Genesis in the Holy Bible. Others believe in the big bang theory; there was a “bang” and BOOM, here we are. Yet others claim we evolved from primates. Whichever theory you choose to accept, most people will agree that humans and animals share similar traits, specifically in terms of sex, coupling, and mating. Could there be a correlation between how animals are attracted to members of the same sex and why men and women become homosexual? To observe this connection, “we must gaze back into our evolutionary past—a past that has grooved and scored our minds as much as our bodies, our strategies for mating as much as our strategies for survival” (Buss 263).

In the animal kingdom, more than 1 million varying classes of species exist (Kluger 338). Of that 1 million, Bruce Bagemihl, a linguist and cognitive scientist, “found same-sex pairings documented in more than 450 different species” (Kluger 338). If you compare 450 to 1 million, it may seem like a useless ratio to support homosexuality in animals, but “as few as 2,000 species” have actually been viewed closely enough to scrutinize their mating patterns (Kluger 338). In relation, while some men and woman are actively public about their sexual orientation, many prefer to remain “inside in the closet,” keeping their private lives secret from co-workers, family, and friends. In this sense, only a small portion of animals and humans allow outside spectators to see them for who they truly are.

Those opposing all forms of homosexuality might argue that for animals, “sex serves many nonsexual purposes, including establishing alliances and appeasing enemies,” attempting to dispute the parallel that we have previously established (Kluger 339). This could be attributed to the notion that humans are living, breathing, and thinkingmachines with a wide range of emotions. Animals, while intelligent, lack the sophisticated degree of thought possessed by humans. If an animal has an instinct to do something, it acts upon it. The same statement could be applied to humans, the difference being that the instinct could come from a psychological aspect as well as a gut feeling or a number of other reasons that are unable to be explained even by scientists. Furthermore, Bagemihl argues that “if homosexuality comes naturally to other creatures, perhaps it’s time to quit getting into such a lather over the fact that it comes naturally to humans too” (Kluger 338).

My Chemical Romance

Biochemistry Unit Writing Assignment #1

According to the Bible, Adam and Eve were the first humans ever to roam on the face of the planet. In order to progress, they were commanded to “multiply and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:28 King James Version). In order to ensure that our genes carry on into the next generation, procreation is a must. However, scientists believe that “we are not just programmed for reproduction: The capacity for loving emotions is also written into our biochemistry” (Brownlee 295). If we view the way we care for others with a strictly scientific point-of-view, what does that mean for those seemingly unexplainable matters of the heart such as falling in love and physical attraction? Can that old saying of "having chemistry" with someone actually be true?

Love has baffled scientists for many years. Currently, they are increasing their efforts to perform research experiments to study how our brain and bodies work together. They have found that “oxytocin, a chemical that fosters the bond between mothers and children, probably helps fuel romantic love as well” (Brownlee 295). In addition, “brain chemicals that blunt pain and induce feelings of euphoria may also make people feel good in the company of lovers” (Brownlee 295). Have we been wrong all these years to suppose that falling in love is just a natural occurrence? We’ve seen movies and read books of men and women going to a witch or wizard in the hopes of obtaining a “love potion” that is specifically targeted for their object of affection. According to the information above, if we are able to bottle such chemicals as oxytocin, we could also produce the same results as any love potion.

We all know that boys are girls are different. We’ve been able to observe these dissimilarities since we were in grade school. Boys prefer the color blue; girls are more inclined to pink. Boys like to play tag and wrestle; girls would rather skip rope and have tea parties. Similarly, men and women also have contrasting views when it comes to relationships. A chemical called vasopressin could explain why forbidden sex is more appealing to more men than women by examining prairie voles. If the rodent is producing stress hormones, it impedes with the oxytocin entering the brain, “keeping a female vole from bonding, and perhaps preventing most women from finding danger sexually exciting. Vasopressin, in contrast, appears to work better in the presence of certain stress hormones, possibly making danger an aphrodisiac for many males” (Brownlee 297). While science can’t provide all of the answers to our burning romantic questions, we are certainly getting closer with every passing day.

Week 7 Blog Reviews

Ashley: I, as I’m sure many of the other girls in the class, could relate to your post “Are You Listening to Me?” on a personal level because I too have been in a long distance relationship. The situations you described between you and your boyfriend were well supported with quotes from the text. I thought you made an interesting point in your concluding paragraph, something I had failed to realize. The essay really is biased because it’s from the point of view of a female. I really hadn’t thought that the perspective from which it was written made a difference because the research and the statistics should be the same, but the way it was used by Tannen skewed it to support a woman’s outlook. Thanks for pointing that out!

Your title of, “Leaving Marriage Alone,” went really well with your post. I was blown away by your writing for this assignment Ashley! You were able to keep an evolutionary perspective as was required and you were also able to use the ideas stated in both essays to support your writing extremely well. Again, your concluding paragraph was the icing on the cake, especially your last sentence. What a great way to end a thought-provoking piece. I think you should DEFINITELY consider this post as the basis for your next essay!

Susan: For your “Directed Freewrite” post, I thought the conflict you chose to write about illustrated well the idea that men and women have different ways of seeing the same situation. Not to be a Negative Nelly, but the prompt asked us to “discuss how your application of some of Tannen’s ideas might have helped to resolve, or at least explain, the conflict” (Tannen 246). You stated in your final paragraph that after reading her essay, you were able to see some of the things that happened in a different light. If you could pinpoint the exact words that made you realize that, and include them in your essay, you can make this post stronger by backing it up with evidence! :)

I thought your title of “Team Monogamy!” was really cute! It sounds like you got the idea from the whole “Team Edward vs. Team Jacob” Twilight craze and I thought you used it in a clever way! This was by far the strongest post I’ve read of yours. I agree with Ashley, you should considering using this piece for your essay. You chose the right quotes that worked with what you were writing about and your own ideas to support those quotes enhanced the piece well. Other than a few quotation errors (the one Ashley pointed out and one on the final paragraph that should be: wholly unreasonable” (Wright 280).) I thought this post was excellent! Keep it up!

Evolution of Relationships

According to divorcestatistics.org, 45 to 50 percent of first marriages end in divorce, and there is a “30 to 50 percent incidence of extramarital affairs” (Buss 262). What could possibly be the cause for such a high rate of changing hearts and infidelity? Charles Darwin offers his explanation that “members of the same sex compete with each other, and the outcome of their contest gives the winner greater sexual access to members of the opposite sex” (Buss 263). The victor must have had outstanding qualities such as brute strength, physical attractiveness, or cunning intellect to win the competition, thus allowing him to find his mate and carry his/her genes on to the next generation. However, procreation between two people is not enough to make a marriage last. Men are “more inclined toward the casual fling… and are less finicky about their sex partners” opting for whoever might come along (in some cases) regardless of their commitment to someone else (Wright 282). Women tend to cheat “around ovulation, when they are most likely to get pregnant” suggesting that if their spouse is infertile, they will find other means to ensure they are able to develop their role as a mother (Wright 283). There is a vast contrast between the genetic makeup of men and women that could offer even more accounts as to why men and women cheat.

From a young age, boys and girls no doubt come across and watch movies such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Hercules. Such movies romanticize the idea of finding your one true love, your eternal soul mate. Nevertheless, a monogamous relationship isn’t for everyone. In some cases “one mate may defect because of the failure of the other to fulfill his or her needs and wants or upon the arrival of someone fresher, more compelling, or more beautiful” (Buss 270). Again, the idea of “survival of the fittest” comes in to play. If a person is unhappy with his or her partner, s/he begins to look around the corner for the next best thing. On the contrary, many people enjoy being steady with just one person and go to great lengths to ensure that both partners are happy. If an outside force, say, another person, tries to break the bonds of that happiness, Buss explains that a “psychological strategy that evolved to combat infidelity was jealousy” (Buss 270).

Now more than ever, it is acceptable for a couple to mate regardless of their ethnic background, culture, or skin color. Who we marry and what their background is can implicate how long a marriage might last. For example, "some cultures have mating systems that are polygynous, allowing men to take multiple wives. Other cultures are polyandrous, allowing women to take multiple husbands. Still others are monogamous, restricting both sexes to one marriage at a time. And others are promiscuous, with a high rate of mate switching" (Buss 274). If we seek a lasting marriage, we would want to attach ourselves with someone who believes in monogamous relationships. However, if we are just looking for someone to have a good time with, we should also look for someone that is looking for someone temporary who won't have to commit.

Are You Just Hearing?

At one point in our lives, I’m sure we have all experienced some of the scenarios involving the opposite sex that are mentioned in Deborah Tannen’s essay, “Sex, Lies, and Conversation.” A frequently occurring incident between my ex-boyfriend and I was that any time we talked, I would dominate most of the conversation and he rarely put any effort into our talks. To make matters worse, I would ask him, “Are you listening to me?” and he would quickly respond with an affirmative yes, but when I asked him to recall what I had just said, he could hardly ever manage to capture even the main idea of what I had been discussing with him. His argument was that he was listening, but he preferred to let me finish my story before making any remarks. Furthermore, since I was putting him on the spot, he had a hard time recollecting what I had just said. I made the dispute that that he could hear what I was telling him, but he just wasn’t listening.

Linguist Lynette Hirschman provided an explanation as to why Andrew seemed like he wasn’t listening when he really might have been. She said, “Women make more listener-noises, such as ‘mhm,’ ‘uhuh,’ and ‘yeah,’ to show ‘I’m with you.’ Men… more often give silent attention” (Tannen 243). Perhaps his way of giving me his undivided attention was by making as minimal noise as possible so I wouldn’t get the impression that he was carrying out other tasks instead of focusing all of his attention on our conversation. In addition, although most women make “listener-noises,” men are expecting them to reciprocate the silence they had previously demonstrated as a sign of respect, and feel that those “mhm’s” and “uhuh’s” are indications of “overreaction or impatience” (Tannen 243).

Another reason for our constant quarrels could’ve had a lot to do with my non-stop chatter to the point where he couldn’t get a word in edgewise. When I finally stopped talking about my current problem with school or with a friend, he would always offer his point-of-view on the matter, which usually differed from the way I saw things. In my mind, he was just trying be difficult by contradicting my thoughts instead of agreeing with me because I was his girlfriend. Tannen believes that, “When most women talk to each other, they assume a conversationalist’s job is to express agreement and support. But many men see their conversational duty as pointing out the other side of an argument” (Tannen 243). If I had had prior knowledge as to how men and women differ in the role of conversationalist, I would’ve been able to understand that it was just in his nature to offer an opposing position, not because he was trying to pick a fight, but to help me understand that my way wasn’t necessarily the right way.

Week 6 Blog Reviews

Ashley: I thought you did a great job on your post “On the Road Again.” The ideas you expressed correlated very well with the essay in the book. You gave excellent examples as to how the three main characters in “Crossroads” related to “real wild women” and how their adventure was similar to that of Thelma and Louise. I noticed on two of your citations when you used (IMDb) that you placed the comma before the citation. I just wanted to remind you that it’s supposed to be after. :)

I found your post “The Disappearing Family” very interesting. I like the connections you made between the family unit and American capitalism. It really is sad to think that the advanced technology we enjoy so much is actually ripping families apart because it creates a barrier of communication and occupies our time, time that could be better spent with our parents and siblings. I really enjoyed reading your posts and I’m so excited to work with you for this unit!

Susan: I enjoyed your post “Wild Men.” The movie/novel you described seems to portray the idea of wild men (in this case boys) extremely well. You did a great job of summarizing the plot and characters, because although I have never even heard of “The Outsiders,” I feel that I have a good sense of what it’s about by the paragraphs that you wrote. In the first paragraph, you mention that the story is told by Ponyboy. It would be more clear if you added something about his “point-of-view” or “perspective.”

Your “Technology Changes the American family” post was very well thought out. My only suggestion is to make sure you put quotes around the essay title and to make it three paragraphs in length.

As a side note, I just wanted to tell you that I am really looking forward to being in your group for this unit, especially since we are both Speech and Hearing Sciences sophomores! I look forward to reading more of your posts!

Heterosexual Idealism

If you compare the ideals of today’s society to the ones held by Americans half a century ago, you would be able to realize just how drastic of a change we have experienced. In the 1950’s, women were expected to be the perfect housewives: a stay-at-home mom that spent her day cleaning and had a flawless meal waiting for her husband and children when they arrived home. The man was the bread winner who cared for and provided for his family. A couple was seen as a union between a man and a woman. Individuals that were attracted to members of the same sex where shunned from society and thought to have a serious psychological disease. Flash forward if you will to the year 2009. Homosexuality has long since been removed from the psychiatric profession’s list of mental illnesses (D’Emilio 226). About six states in the U.S. have legalized same-sex marriages and many other states are pushing for a reform in their legislature. Men and women who choose to lead a life style that doesn’t comply with the standard heterosexual view are better accepted by their peers.

It is evident that “there are more [people who are homosexual] than one hundred years ago, more… than forty years ago” (D’Emilio 234). The expansion of the lesbian/gay/transsexual/bisexual community can be greatly attributed to the influence of the media. Ellen DeGeneres is an outspoken lesbian who has her own talk show. Television shows such as “Will and Grace,” “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and “Queer Folk” have broken the barrier that used to be held up against them because the ideas they expressed were taboo. Pop icons Sir Elton John, Lance Bass and Lady Gaga have led the way for others, celebrity and non-celebrity alike, to come out of the closet and be comfortable with their true sexual identity.

The advancement of technology in modern medicine has allowed for people who are unhappy with their sex to undergo a surgical procedure and easily change that. Women begin the process by taking androgens (male hormone) and men are given estrogen and progesterone (female hormone). Afterwards, surgery is required to make the change final and complete. The procedure is fairly simple and allows the individual who wants the transformation to be done to lead the life that s/he desires. As a result, we can see that more and more people are going through with the surgery. Decades ago, such a radical alteration was only thought about, but never actually thought to be possible.