I have changed a great amount my first year at the University of Oklahoma. I believe my experiences these two semesters have shaped me into what I am now. This is not an easily definable change, but I believe it is a positive one. After this semester, I not only understand more about composition, but I understand things about life and my person that I never before imagined existed.

Augusto Boal, the creator of the Theatre of the Oppressed, said, “No-one can see me twice as I am, in each fleeting instant of my life, as all instants are fleeting… as is life. I will never be the same, each second that steals away from me. And similarly, those who see me now will never be the same as themselves in any two successive seconds of the trajectory of their paths through life.”

I never before understood life in this way. Every single experience, whether or not it stand out to us, we remember it, or it is a minute instance, shapes our person. This is an amazing idea, one that I will consider from this moment on. I am a different student than at the beginning of the semester. I have learned so much about writing in this short time. This is a result of my experiences in composition I and II. Thinking about my assignments, the planning I did, actually creating my work, listening to my instructor pass his wisdom onto me, and receiving feedback are among the things that made me who I am now as a writer. Without the exact way these experiences went, I would not be the exact writer that I am. I am truly thankful to understand this concept.

To miscroscope one way that I have changed because of my experiences, I will focus on my works of composition. At the beginning of my first semester, I was all about planning my work out to the smallest of detail. I had such a systematic approach to composition and English as a whole. Although this is not a bad appropoach to take on the subject, I learned that when I approach my work that way, I do not thrive. I may have felt good about my final grade, but I didn’t always get my whole point across. This is important to me because I view writing as an art. After all, it takes your whole self and all of your history and knowledge to create a paper just as it does to create another work of art. When I planned things out to a tee, I would fail to put my emotions into my work. I now understand that to create a paper (or even a blog) that I feel good about, it needs to have me in it. I still plan out my work, but in a different, not easily definable, way. This new way of doing things and this new view on life came as a result of my experiences in composition I and II.

Is frugal living important to you? In no way do I live as resourcefully as I could. I do, however, think about it often.

I think living more frugally would be a wonderful thing. I wish I were able to give up the things I don’t necessarily need. I am already careful about having extras of things I already have—I always have been that way. Except with clothes. And shoes. And makeup. And accessories. I am a young lady, after all. I NEED these things. Okay, I don’t. I realize I have a problem. When my parents or friends try to talk me out of buying things I don’t need but that I HAVE to have, I hit them with, “But I EARNED this money. I serve my country and make good grades and I do this and that to deserve it, and if I wait to buy it, I may not have the money…” They can’t come up with a good enough way to counter those brilliant excuses! About my problem…Is it really a problem? I mean, we work to make money. Why do we want this money? To have the things we need. And WANT. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t live an overly-privileged life. I was given a second-hand car (not by my parents) and it counted as a gift for every holiday for that year. I am putting myself through college. I have to work for what I have. I don’t have a lot of extra things compared to many people my age that I know. Nevertheless, I do spend money on things I don’t need.

Living a completely frugal life would be immensely satisfying. I would be happy to reduce my spending, and my need to “keep up with the Joneses.” It would leave me less stressed, more prepared and wealthier. But how far should this giving things up go exactly? Okay, so I can live without buying anymore shoes for a while, and I don’t need another pair of expensive sunglasses. But beyond the extras like that, what should I do without? I can buy used things like textbooks, furniture, etc from now on. Doing away with the little things like buying bottled water or soda will make a big difference. Comparison shopping will also help a great amount. I can give up going out as much, and instead find cheap entertainment.

Doing these things will allow me to save money and enable me to be well-prepared for my future. What measures do you take to live frugally?

I chose to go 24 hours without my laptop and Facebook. This proved to be a difficult task. Since it is the dawn of finals, I constantly needed to check my syllabi and review online study materials. I live in Adams, so every time I needed to do these things, I had to go to the Walker computer lab. Even when I did go to the computer lab, I did not use Facebook. I also did not read the Facebook notifications that are sent to my Blackberry via email.

I have my OU email synced to an email client on my laptop, so normally when I get a message, I am instantly notified. It was difficult to go without that comfort. It was more than annoying to have to go to the computer lab to check my email throughout the day. I am not really a Facebook junkie, so refraining from it was not too much of a problem.

Although less convenient than simply using my personal laptop, only using the computer lab and abstaining from Facebook turned out to be a good experience. I spent a LOT less time online and in my dorm, which was a nice change. I was motivated to get many things done at once so I would not have to make trips back to Walker. I got to talk with people I know but do not normally see outside of class when I was in the lab. I also had a LOT more free time.

I think Wendell Berry’s opinion in his article "Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer" is understandable. He chooses not to own a computer because it wouldn’t do anything positive for him. He would rather not rely on energy corporations at all. He relies on his wife to type and edit his work, and a computer would interfere with his relationship with her. He doesn’t think that a computer could make him better at what he does. I see his points plainly, but he lives a more frugal life than most people today. If I were able to rely less on technology, I would choose to. I would NOT choose to live without a computer, however. My laptop is a crucial part of my life because of college. I am reliant on it right now, and I would rather not ever go without one simply because they are convenient.

I am glad I spent a day without my laptop and Facebook. The Internet was not readily available to me, so I managed my assignments better, got my work done faster when I did go to the computer lab, spent more time with people than normal, and had much more free time. Abstaining from Facebook allowed me a couple of free hours that I normally spend catching up with friends and their statuses and pictures.

I am OUTRAGEOUSLY thankful for my oh-so-useful laptop, and I am not going without one anytime soon.

The video Digital_Nation elaborates on the fact that people today are constantly centered around technology. The video featured students at prominent schools talking about how they are always on their smart phones and laptops, doing multiple things at once. It made me take a look around and see how true that really is. I cannot think of an instance since I have been in college when I walked into a room and no one had some form of technology in front of them. This is just the way it is now. Many students bring their laptops to lectures and while “listening,” they also check their Facebook, email, and whatever else their lives are based around. I believe those students are hurting themselves by not giving their lectures their full attention.

People everywhere are so into digital communication that texting while driving is as normal as listening to the radio while driving. Digital_Nation showed a study being done about how those who text while driving might as well be driving blindfolded. That discovery was a disturbing one. Since that day, I have not sent or read text messages while driving.

Although this digital age is taking us to great places, it is also becoming a dangerous distraction in our lives.

Let’s face it, children today watch more TV than children of any other generation. They are exposed to a plethora of media everyday, and television is by far the most prominent. Companies selling products that relate to children recognize that fact; they understand that television media is the best method for advertising their products to a young audience. Advertising via television has become extremely competitive. Think of the last commercial that you remember seeing. Chances are, that commercial had an element, or several elements, that were different from other commercials. It stuck out in some way. This is a method that companies use to make their product known. Companies targeting a young audience use that method often, along with other effective methods. They must think of ways to imprint their product into the busy minds of youngsters. Catchy jingles or phrases, pop-culture figures, and intriguing images are frequently used.

The Kellogg Company is amongst those who use these methods as a way of advertising. In order to advertise their Frosted Mini Wheats cereal, they personify the Frosted Mini Wheats pieces. In one commercial, the cereal pieces dressed up in order to help a young boy prepare for his history quiz. The cereal pieces dressed as Christopher Columbus, Lewis and Clark, and Magellan, and gave the child hints as to who they were impersonating. The child guessed (correctly) each of the history figures that the cereal pieces symbolized. The image of human-like, talking frosted wheat pieces are sure to stick in the minds of children. The fact that the cereal was helping the boy with his history lesson, and that the boy got his questions right, also probably helped children keep the cereal in mind. A woman’s voice on the commercial explained that Frosted Mini Wheats cereal will “help keep your kid full and focused.” This spoken part of the advertisement was directed toward parents. The company did its job: children will remember the Frosted Mini Wheats cereal figures, and parents know that the cereal will “help keep them full and focused.” When the children affected by the commercial are at the grocery store with their parents, and they walk into the hard-to-choose-from cereal aisle and come across Frosted Mini Wheats, the child will remember the personified cereal figures in the commercial. The parent will remember that the cereal will keep their kid “full and focused” and may think about the boy doing well in studying for his history quiz. Choosing which cereal they will go home with just got easier.

I strongly believe that this technique, along with others that collaborate with this technique, work very well. When I was younger, it was these methods that drew me into certain products. When I think of commercials that worked effectively when I was younger, in fact, cereal commercials are the only ones that come to mind. Most cereal companies that target young people use these methods.

While I believe this particular commercial is effective for those youngsters who see it, it does not directly apply to me. I actually am a user of this Kellogg’s brand product, but this particular commercial would not directly affect me. I think this has to do with age, and I am sure that if I had seen this commercial when I was younger, it would have stuck in my mind.

A broader reason for an assignment to analyze an advertisement like the above is to learn to be more critical of the product being advertised, and learn not to have the immediate “I want that” response that companies hope for. Another reason to learn to analyze media is to learn exactly how to advertise or persuade effectively. The only way to be able to effectively involved in any type of media, one has to learn the anatomy of media. Lastly, advertisements are arguments. If one knows how to advertise, one knows how to argue. Arguments are what keep this world interesting. Understanding how to hold a steady argument in any media is a huge part of society, and in order to live in today’s society, one must learn to dissect an argument for safety, assemble one to make a living, and understand one to oppose it.