Dear Professor Pendygraft, Initially when beginning to outline, the amount of freedom of being able to rhetorically analyze any medium was daunting at first. It was not something that I initially thought I would have problem with. Luckily, the next day when I was having …
“An Analysis of Blondie and the Lives of the Bumstead Family,” Kasey Keegan (2016) — Inquiry 2
In 1930, Chic Young created the comic strip Blondie, originally a comic that focused on Blondie Doopadoop – a happy-go-lucky flapper girl and girlfriend to Dagwood Bumstead, the son of a rich industrialist. Even today the comic has continued to be published in newspapers. After …
“Understanding the Evolution of Barbie,” Alexandra Glinos (2016) — Inquiry 2
This year Barbie, known as the number one doll brand in the world, has dramatically reconstructed its image as a company through the production of a diverse line of more realistic dolls. The new line of dolls includes a curvy, tall, and petite Barbie, …
“Malaysian for a Week,” Sara Tyson (2016) — Inquiry 1
Writer’s Letter. Dear Reader, This essay was about my experience in using rhetoric as a way to convince my Malaysian family that I could adopt and perform their culture as well. Being noticeably American, my Malaysian family always excused me for not being able …
“Writing with Super Pencil,” Dylan DuLac (2016) — Inquiry 1
Reflecting on my past years, I vividly remember my first encounter with writing. I was five, old enough to spell, but not quite at the age where words carried substantial meaning. It was a summer afternoon. I picked up the house phone and called my …
“My Secret Journal,” Benjamin Bustria (2016) — Inquiry 1
It was a cold day in November of 2013. The walkways of my campus were frozen, the trees were covered in white, powdery snow, and the air was quiet and still. Few students were out during this time of year so my path to the …
“Fighter,” Ally Serra (2016) — Inquiry 1
The smell of antiseptic nearly overwhelms the flutter of panic I feel in my stomach. I clench my fists and squeeze my eyelids shut as I wait for the needle to penetrate my neck. The next step is to wait for the results. Wishing the …
“The Problem of Badminton Courts at Miami University,” Run Jiang (2016) — Inquiry 3
Writer’s Reflection When I was given the essay assignment that asked me to identify and offer a solution to a problem at Miami University, I considered many different possibilities. These included the increasingly constrained parking areas, inconvenient travel to cities nearby, and so on. Finally, …
“Why everyone is so weird and how come I be the only smart person in the world?,” Nadya Korytnikova (2016) — Inquiry 1
“It is always so easy to give advice and admonish people around me. I often give advice to friends because I always know what is best for them. But even more often I get surprised when they don’t take my advices seriously. How dare people …
“You Can Be A Hero Too,” Luyuan Li (2016) — Inquiry 2
Writer’s Reflection I watched the video “You can be a hero too” for the first time in China when it was repeatedly reposted by my friends through social network. I didn’t take it very seriously at first, but my eyes started to tear without warning …
“Do Something about Alcohol Abuse,” (2016) — Inquiry 3
Dear President Hodge: As a freshman who has been at Miami University for more than half a year, I must say that coming here to study is the best decision that I have ever made. This charming University has changed me a lot during such …
“Shame on Who?,” Diya Yang (2016) — Inquiry 1
“He must be out of his mind!” “How dare he call himself the father of that poor kid?” The object of these insults stood there with a cigarette in hand. No facial expression. No tears. It was a normal day at the end of December. …
“Happy Ending,” Dongni Huang (2015) — Inquiry 4
Check out Huang’s project here: http://www.pixton.com/comic/vyf2bpdi When I was told about this assignment, I felt stressed and challenged because I thought it would be difficult and boring for us to remediate the previous assignment. However, when I knew that we could create a comic, I felt …
“My Journey through English 111,” Adrianne Grebenkin” (2015) — Inquiry 5
For a fully-formatted version of Grebenkin’s text go here: Grebenkin-formatted Writer’s Reflection: The only major difficulty I faced when approaching my Inquiry 5 assignment was trying to devise an idea for my text collage. I wanted it to epitomize my various writing experiences throughout the …
“Am I an Author?,” William James (2015) — Inquiry 5
Am I an Author? My first reaction to this question is one of dismissal. Take a minute to consider. On occasion, the motivation to write seizes me and my mind regurgitates onto the page. More often, I choose to say nothing. Feeling detached from your …