Blogger #1 - Tuba Ahmed - Period 2 - 2/18/2021 - Day A

Blog 1 - Tuba Ahmed - Period 2 - 2/10/21 - Freshman 2021 

 

Aim: How can an exploration of writers’ choices, and the literary devices used, introduce us to the concept of “voice” as it’s used in writing? 

 

Do Now:​ ​QUICKWRITE

Describe all that comes to mind when you think of pizza? Write a paragraph describing pizza and

showing your attitude toward it.

 

In today’s do now, we were asked to describe the first things that come to mind when we think of pizza. Doing this exercise helps us determine our attitudes and takes towards pizza. Even though pizza itself is a regular food, I was surprised to hear the ways my classmates described it and how it was very different from my own paragraph. Some students had a straightforward and factual analysis on a slice of pizza, saying things like “Pizza is an italian dish, but very popular in America” which is a fact. In my paragraph I wrote “When I think of pizza, I immediately think of the flavor and smell.” This exercise showed me how different people can have different ideas when thinking about a simple topic.

 

Notes

We went over crucial key terms that would be used later on during this lesson as well. The terms being diction, syntax, imagery, and tone. Each of these words can help when trying to understand what someone is saying and allowing me as a listener or reader to make inferences. Making inferences is especially important when you have to use context clues to make a connection. 

 

Diction- word choice, is it formal or informal?

Syntax- are sentences simple or complex? Long or short? 

Imagery- are there any words or phrases that create a visual for the reader? 

Tone- how does the speaker feel about the subject?

 

With these words to keep in mind, it makes it easier to determine the opinion of the speaker. 

Class Discussion 

As a class, we analyzed speaker 1’s paragraph using this chart: 

 

Speaker

   Inferences about the speaker (What might you infer about the speaker’s age, status, preferences?)

    Diction

(What word choices does the speaker make? Formal or informal?)

  Syntax

(Are the sentences short, long, simple, complex?)

     Imagery

(What words and phrases include sensory details to create images?)

     Tone

(What can you conclude about the speaker’s attitude toward the subject?)

 

"Eating pizza is rather like embarking on a transcontinental excursion. You embark on the journey without being quite certain of what you will encounter. A well-made pizza contains the aromatic essence of fresh basil, oregano, and garlic that beckons invitingly. Once you bite into a perfectly sliced piece of pizza, your taste buds awaken and celebrate. When properly prepared, pizza is an extraordinary culinary creation."

 

After reading the paragraph above, the class was able to quickly make inferences regarding how the speaker felt towards pizza and what type of person was giving their opinion. We used a specific chart with all the terms that we discussed before, to help us organize our thoughts and make a conclusion about this speaker. After scanning for Diction, syntax, imagery, tone, and inferences of the speaker, we were finally able to make a judgment. We could see that this speaker was using complex sentences with Mature and formal words for description, Which gave us the idea that this speaker may have been older and more educated on a topic like this. Along with that, the speaker used phrases such as “your taste buds awaken and celebrate“ to help paint a picture in the minds of the readers. It was easy to see that the tone had a very positive connotation to it, and was highly praising the taste and quality of pizza. 

 

Breakout Rooms

After doing the first speaker with the entire class, we were split into breakout rooms with our own groups to analyze the next few speakers and their paragraphs. 

 

Speaker 2: ‘It’s yummy. I like it when the cheese is really gooey. My mom makes it for dinner on the weekends. When it’s too hot, I have to wait for it to cool. Mom says if I don’t wait I will burn my tongue. I like the way pizza smells. When I smell pizza cooking it always makes me want to eat it right up!’

• Me and my teammates determined that this statement was written by a child or someone younger than us. The sentences were simple, informal, and plain, which made this paragraph very straightforward. There is some imagery being presented, such as when the speaker says that their mother makes it for them, and how they have to wait before they burn their tongue. However, this imagery was not as advanced as the previous speaker’s descriptions. The tone of this speaker was casual yet maintaining a positive attitude.

 

Speaker 3: ‘As long as not one speck of gross disgusting animal flesh comes anywhere near my pizza, I can eat it. I prefer pizza with mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach. Goat cheese is especially nice too. A thin whole-wheat crust topped with imported cheese and organic vegetables makes a satisfying meal.’

• Me and my teammates were immediately able to see that the person who had written the statement is definitely an older person. to us it was obvious, since their preferences were so specific, especially regarding the type of cheese and crust that they like. They’re speaking informally, almost as if they were speaking to a friend. These sentences are quite simple since her point comes off easily. However her tone sounds quite demanding, maybe even aggressive especially when referring to the animal meat as disgusting. there is some imagery when she’s describing how she likes her pizza by adding specific details, which helps the reader visualize the type of pizza she would want to eat.

 

Speaker 4: ‘Pizza is, like, one of the basic food groups, right? I mean, dude, who doesn’t eat pizza? Me and my friends order it like every day. We usually get pepperoni, and it’s great when they are, like, covering the whole top! Dude, hot steamy pizza dripping with cheese and loaded with pepperoni is awesome’

• My group concluded that this person had to have been a teenager or at least someone around our age. Using words like dude and like very often is a common habit that people around our age, such as myself, have. The speaker is informal, or as Valerie referred to them as being playful. The overall tone is playful and carefree. This person sees pizza as some type of recreational treat. The imagery is obvious where they start describing how the pizza is hot and steaming, and how they order it when out with friends. These sentences are complex but do not have much structure to them. It is safe to say that this speaker enjoys eating pizza, and they express this in a casual way. 

 

Reflection 

The main take away that I got from this lesson was that with the help of diction, syntax, imagery, tone, and inferences, it makes it easier to develop conclusions and put together context clues as a reader. Each of these key terms that we had discussed during the lesson, all played a vital role in helping us understand what type of speaker was giving their opinion on the pizza, and what type of picture was painted for the reader. Pizza is only a simple concept, but it had many takeaways from it, and many different meanings for different people. By listening to how each speaker had described what pizza means to them, we were able to determine how old and what type of attitude this person had. By being able to put together contact clues this can help me analyze many other texts and also help me outside the classroom. In many real world situations, I would have to be able to determine the tone of someone speaking to me and make inferences about how they feel towards a certain topic. with doing this, I would be able to establish better connections with the people around me and even be able to adapt to all types of situations and surroundings.