Desert Island Songs
Taiyo - C.R.E.A.M. by The Wu-Tang Clan
Laura - I'll Be There for You by Bon Jovi
Kandi - Off the Wall by Michael Jackson
Daniel B - God Will Make a Way by Don Moen
Micah - Let it Be by The Beatles
Vanessa - Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood
Nana - Why Don't We Fall in Love by Amerie
Grace - Everything by Lifehouse
Katie - Love Story by Taylor Swift
Daniel H - Going the Distance by Cake
Mikhail - The World is Yours by Nas
Jie - Beautiful by Christina Aguilera
Patrick - Confined by As I Lay Dying
Chimezie -I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash
Sallyn - Ordinary People by John Legend
Robert - Right Here With You by Olivia Newton-John
Susan - Where Were You by Alan Jackson
Mustafa - Dear Mama by Tupac
Alex - I Wanna Love You by The Maine
Fred - Swim by Jack's Mannequin
Kassidy - Arm's Length Away by Sammy Kershaw
Gabby - Crazy by Patsy Cline
Montgomery College Germantown, MD EN 101 Professor DiFabio
Montgomery College
Germantown Campus
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Thanks
My deepest thanks goes out to Gardner Campbell and Bill Kemp, my EN101 professors over a decade ago at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, VA.
They are the true parents of Stranded.
They are the true parents of Stranded.
20 comments:
Alex
I Wanna Love You by The Maine
1. How did you decide what song to pick as your DIS? Explain your though process behind the choice.
The way I decided to pick my DIS was random. I was just in the car having my iPod play through the stereo and my DIS came on. I didn’t know that was going to be my DIS but when we had to decide I really didn’t know any other song to pick. There was really no thought process behind it. I like the song, like every other song on my iPod, and went ahead and chose it. I didn’t want to get to in depth of picking my song because there are so many songs I love and would pick. This happened to be the song I was liking and listening to at the time.
2. Now that the semester is over, do you stand by your choice? Would you change your song knowing what you know now? Why or why not?
Like I stated above, I didn’t want to go through a very in depth process of picking my song because there are so many I like, so I do stand by my choice. I might change my song knowing what I know now just because of some of the essays we had to write. The hardest essay was the documented just because The Maine aren’t a very well known band so there wasn’t that much information on the internet or in magazines about them, and definitely none in books.
3. Which essay did you like the best and why choose from narrative, compare/contrast, analysis, cause/effect, documented.
The essay I liked best was narrative. I love writing narrative essays because you can write a great story from a great memory you had. You don’t have to go do any research or compare and contrast things. You just have to write an essay about something that personally happened to you and be able to tell it from your point of view.
4. Give a good advice to other students just starting EN101.
A good piece of advice to give would be that you need to come prepared to write. This many sound very broad and kind’ve stupid because you should come prepared to write in any class but when I mean come prepared to write I mean COME PREPARED. You write a lot, not just essays but other things. It’s not a bad thing but if you come expecting one or two essays, you’re screwed.
Gabby
“Crazy” by Pasty Cline
Upon thinking about what my DIS should be, I wanted to choose something that had meaning to me. I wanted it to have meaning because it is a lot easier to write about something if it serves a purpose to you. I wanted to also make sure I enjoyed the song and would not get sick of it through the whole semester. Just in case, I decided not to choose a song about my boyfriend because at the beginning of the semester my teacher joked about one of her previous students who decided to do that, then mid way through the school term their relationship ended! So, I began to think of childhood memories and what song to this day was still in my life. It was a nostalgic experience because not only did I come up with the song “Crazy” by Patsy Cline, but I always remembered a lot of great memories.
I am very glad I chose “Crazy” by Patsy Cline. In my life, songs come and go like the changing of season. Songs that I liked a month ago are just another tune. I tend to get sick of songs very quickly, yet for this song I have yet to do so. This is why I believe this was truly the perfect DIS for me. It has meaning and memories connected with it and I would not change it if I had to do this over again. When my mother found out I was writing about Patsy Cline she was absolutely ecstatic and wanted to read my papers right away. Who would have ever thought writing a DIS would bring such warmth and love into my life!
The essay that I enjoyed writing the most was my compare and contrast essay. I had plenty of fun comparing Patsy Cline to Lady Gaga. I decided to do Lady Gaga because she is my favorite female artist, and just as Pasty did in her generation, Gaga is currently on top of the charts. I figured it would be interested to compare how times and the music scene have changed. It is almost humorous to me that I was able to compare and contrast surprising similarities between both women. On the essay I also received the best grade. I believe I did the best because the essay itself was so unique that is was fresh and interesting to read.
As an average writing one of my biggest benefits I have used during EN101 is before I turn in an essay, I always am sure to have someone proof read it. In the past I have proof read my paper myself and did not notice have the mistakes that someone else did. Also, make sure to turn all assignments in on time. It is so important to do things right the first time instead of loosing points and turning assignments in late. EN101 was one of my favorites class I have ever taken in college, and that is surprising to me because I consider English and writing to be my weakest areas. I have learned a lot by attending classes and asking questions. But most of all I have had a tremendous amount of fun with the teacher, the people I have met, and the interesting assignments that were given.
Daniel
'The Distance' by CAKE
1. How did you decide what song to pick as your DIS? Explained you thought process behind the choice.
I had an extremely difficult time making the final call of which song to choose as my desert island song. With the guidance that we were given I made a list that was way too long of all the songs that I felt I would be able to stand were it the last song I was ever able to listen to again. First I crossed out all the songs that I felt may now have been well known or potentially inappropriate for class use. In the end I was left with only two songs remaining on my short list. The two songs were ‘Bicycle Races’ by Queen, and ‘The Distance’ by Cake. In the end I ran out of time and made a snap judgment to go with ‘The Distance’. A choice I almost immediately regretted.
2. Now the semester is over, do you stand by your choice? Would you change your song knowing what you know now? Why or why not?
I can say with a straight face that I didn’t completely understand what our desert island songs were going to be used for at first. Once it became apparent that we would have to write about the same song and/or group for the entire semester I panicked a little. While this is a song that I completely enjoy and love listing too it, it does have one fatal flaw. ‘The Distance’ by Cake is an extremely short song, at just over two minutes long its filled with mostly the chorus and didn’t give me too much to work with. I feel that If I had made a better choice originally that some of the road blocks that stumped me along the way may not have been as hard to get around.
3. Which essay did you like the best and why? Choose from the narrative, compare/contrast, analysis, cause/effect, documented.
I enjoyed writing the compare/contrast essay the most out of our assignments this semester. While initially I was unable to come up with a theme and another song to work with. Once I was over that with my choice of ‘Boll Weevil’ by The Presidents of the United State of America it was a good deal of fun. I choose the concentrate on the ways that they characters in the songs were different from each other and how in the end that made them the same. All of the other assignments started in a similar vain to this one, where I was unable to come up with a theme. I was able to come up with something but I never thought that it was very good, and because of that I wasn’t able to write confidently about it.
4. Give a good piece of advice to other students just starting EN101.
Take a break and put the time in to choose a good song to write about. It’s not only about just choosing a song you like. It would have helped me tremendously has I chosen a song that had some more meat on the bones. Don’t take the peer review sessions for granted, the information that you can get out a single session with another set of eyes reading over your paper are invaluable. My experience in the class has shown that writing a paper then constantly going over and over it can cause me to pass over some simple mistakes. These issues were immediately pointed out for me to correct in the peer review sessions.
Katie
“Love Story” by Taylor Swift
1. When I recieved the assignment about picking a song that I knew a lot about and liked, there was no debate about which song I would choose. I knew right away that I was going to choose “Love Story.” I have loved the song since I first heard it on the radio a couple years ago and have been listening to it since. I knew that we would only be able to stick with the one song that we chose and that every essay that we wrote would be about it, so I made sure that I chose something I would be able to write a lot about. We had time to go home and look over song choices just to make sure that it was the song that we wanted to stick with for the entire year, and just to be sure I looked around at a couple other choices. None of the songs that I looked at stuck out at me like this one did and I’m glad I stuck with it.
2. Now that the semester is over I still stand by the song choice that I made. I would not have changed my song because I knew so much about it and was able to share many facts that I have. I know that when I made my song decision in the beginning of the year that it was the right choice and sitting here now I still feel that I had made the right choice writing that song down. With every essay selection that we were given there were a new variety of subjects that I had to exam about my song or artist and it helped me to learn more about my artist and be able to appreciate her music more. I feel that it was a great decision because I know so much more about her and her music, so now when I hear her songs I can appreciate them for what they are and what she wrote them for.
3. The essay that I liked the most throughout the year was the compare and contrast essay that we wrote about our DIS. I liked this one the most because instead of choosing two different artists and comparing/ contrasting two similar songs I chose to compare/ contrast the same artist, but two different songs. This was really easy for me to write about because it was something that I knew really well and they were really great songs. I chose my DIS song which was a love song and another one of her songs which was a sad song. These two songs both had a variety of compares and contrasts and gave me a lot to work with, so that I was able to get a good grade on the assignment. This essay was probably the essay that I had the most fun with and was more creative with then all the rest.
4. When you are trying to decide which song you would like to choose from it is probably best to pick the first song that pops into your head. If you have a song that instantly pops into your head then that is the one that is destined to be chosen by you. If you choose another song, then you will (not always though- there are some exceptions) have some technical difficulties with it and might have trouble finding all the information that you will need to find throughout the year.
Swim by Jack’s Mannequin
1. I was able to pick my DIS song pretty easily. The song I picked is fairly new and has been stuck in my head. The lyrics were just so up lifting that I couldn’t pass on this song. I decided to pick this piece mostly because of the lyrics when I first chose my DIS.
2. Now that the semester is over, I am glad I picked the song I selected. As time went on throughout the year I was able to learn so much and really made the song even more inspiring. At first the only reason I picked it was of the lyrics and the fact that it was a new song. As I learned more about the artist, I was even more inspired by this song and wanted to learn even more. This song never gets old, and for that reason it is perfect for my DIS.
3. The essay I enjoyed most was the analysis essay. I really found myself going deep into the writing for the first time, wanting to learn more. This essay I was able to write a lot in detail, and my own opinion. There was no right or wrong answer and made me research more on Andrew McMahon to find what kind of guy he really was.
4. When I started English 101 I was not very excited. There was a lot of work and essays to write. I found myself actually doing all the work. If you come to class every day, and keep pace with the teacher, you will be just fine. Don’t fall behind or expect to be able to make up things, it only gets worse that way. My second piece of advice is to ask questions! Make sure your paper is the right way because you can spend so much time and effort but be doing it completely wrong. Make sure before beginning an assignment you fully understand the work.
Laura
“I’ll be there for you” by Bon Jovi
I decided to pick the song “I’ll be there for you” because it was a song where I actually remembered the first time I paid attention to it. It is a song that I remember hearing and thinking that I really enjoyed listening to it and it was something that I would not get tired of listening to. This wasn’t an easy decision for me though as there are many songs that I actually enjoy a lot. For me it all depends on the mood I am in at any given time as to which songs I like the best. Though overall this is one of the songs that in away remind me to appreciate what I have in life. Sometimes I believe it is necessary to step back and take a look at your life, to make sure you live it to the fullest and not take anything for granted.
Now that the semester is over I do still believe that I made a good choice in choosing this song and I do stand by it. I do think that personally using this song at times made doing some of the assignments more difficult. I would have probably chosen a song that would have been a little easier to write about. I would have chosen a song where writing about it would come more naturally to me and not be so forced. It is easier for me to write about something when I have really strong feelings about it and over this past semester I have realized that even though this song is important and meaningful to me the group that sings it really is not. There are other artists like I enjoy more and I believe that if I would have chosen one of the others I would have succeeded a little bit more on the work we have done so far. Though overall this was a good song choice that does mean a lot to me and I did enjoy some of the assignments in regards to this song.
The essay that I like the best was the analysis essay because it was something that came more natural for me. The essay was about what I thought the song was about itself so in that I was able to describe a little as to why the song was important to me. As I stated earlier it is easier for me to write about something when I am more passionate about it, or more engaged. Though I do not believe that this essay was the best grade I received it was the one that I thought I did the best work on from the beginning to the end. I usually have the hardest time getting started on just the simple outline whereas with the analysis essay it was easier for me to complete the full outline, which in turn helped me complete the paper with not so many problems.
A good piece of advice I would give to other students starting EN101 would be to focus on a detailed outline of each paper. There are many pieces of a paper that you will get graded on from your thesis to grammar but if you have a good outline you have a good start. The more detail that you include in the outline the easier it will be for you to right the rough draft. This way you have all the information you need for the basics of the paper and you can focus on other things such as grammar. The overall paper will be better if you start out with good ideas and an expanded outline.
Taiyo
C.R.E.A.M. by the Wu-Tang Clan
1) How did you decide what song to pick as your DIS? Explain your thought process behind the choice.
I was initially having a lot of trouble picking my DIS because I wanted to be sure I had plenty to write about in terms of music and lyrics. After struggling for a bit, I decided that this didn’t need to be as big a deal as I was making it out to be, so I took out my iPod with the intention of putting it on random. As soon as I turned it on my DIS was already cued to play and I recalled fond memories of listening to it with old friends. I realized then that my DIS didn’t have to be an amazing song on its own; just as long as I had plenty to write about.
2) Now that the semester is over, do you stand by your choice? Would you change your song knowing what you know now? Why or why not?
I picked my DIS without very much regard towards the upcoming assignments. My DIS was ideal for some assignments due to the sentimental value it held, but awful for others because of its lack of content. If I were to redo these assignments, I would probably chose an artist whom I would be more familiar with, so writing would come more naturally.
3) Which essay did you like the best and why? Choose from narrative, compare/contrast, analysis, cause/effect, documented.
I liked the narrative the best. I feel as though the narrative had the most room for creativity and the least number of restrictions. Once I got going, writing came very naturally as I was able to picture each event in my head.
4) Give a good piece of advice to other students just starting EN101.
Time management is a big problem area of mine. I have a habit of getting stuck on the smallest detail and what would have taken 5 minutes, ends up taking 5 hours. The outlines might seem silly at first but for someone as distracted as me, they are a godsend. Although a lot of the prep work can seem unnecessary, it valuable stuff that you should put your full effort into.
“Let it Be” by The Beatles
1. How did you decide what song to pick as your DIS? Explain your thought process behind the choice.
Choosing my DIS was not easy at first but through some brainstorming and guidelines given in class I made my decision. The DIS had to be one that defiantly had some history and strong memory’s to go along with. There are plenty of songs that I grew up and had memorable experiences with so I wasn’t sure at first. But as I thought I knew I needed a song by an artist that I was very familiar with because I would most likely be writing about them the rest of the semester. So that thought narrowed my selection by a lot. But my decision finally came in class when we were told that it must be a song that had significant impact in our lives to write of the time when we first heard it. Then I knew exactly what song to use and it was Let it Be by The Beatles. I am still very familiar with them as an artist so the background knowledge I knew would help me during the rest of the semester.
2. Now that the semester is over, do you stand by your choice? Would you change your song knowing what you know now? Why or why not?
With the semester almost over and all of our writing finally done I do in fact stand by my choice. I would not change my song even knowing what I do now. I stand behind my decision because choosing an artist with as much available information as they have defiantly helped me out. As far as decisions go the only one that I would make would be to have tried harder on my writing and pushed myself for more than low C’s.
3. Which essay did you like the best and why? Chose from narrative, compare/contrast, analysis, cause/effect, documented.
Out of all the essays that we wrote the Narrative essay had to have been my favorite of them all. I enjoyed writing this because it was somewhat of a creative writing and the details were left to me. To me it felt less of a formal writing and I could just sit down and write about what I remember and how I remember it. I defiantly could have tried a lot harder and received a much better grade but for the most part I actually enjoyed writing this. It brought back some other old memory’s during that time in my life and for that it was my favorite piece.
4. Give a good piece of advice to other students just starting EN101.
One good piece of advice that I would give to other students beginning English 101 is to apply yourself on the writings as much as possible. I slacked off during the most important part of this class not only because my grade was affected but because I missed out on a lot of practice and experience that I may need in other classes and now may not have. When a writing is assigned I would advice putting in good time toward it and making sure that a quality piece of writing comes out that is fit to the prompt.
Sallyn Ratemo
"Ordinary People" by John Legend
My decision was mainly based on the fact that I have always respected Legend as a musician, songwriter and artist. The song, “Ordinary People” caught my attention from the very first time I heard it. I loved the beat, the lyrics and the song arrangement. What made me love the song even more especially after listening to it more often was the instrumentation. Legend is a brilliant pianist and his vocals are amazing. I still get goose bumps every time I hear this song. These are the main reasons why I chose it as my DIS. I would definitely want to be stuck in an island listening to Legend croon “Ordinary People,” as I figure out how am going to get myself out of the island!
I still stand by my choice. I wasn’t too sure about it though, especially when writing the compare and contrast essay. I didn’t think the song had enough in it to make a good comparison, but that changed once I got down and thoroughly researched. I love this song even more now that I know so much about it and about Legend. I think he is a very talented musician with a beautiful personality.
I liked the analysis essay best. This is partly because I got the best grade in this essay, and also because I generally work best under pressure. The limited time we had to write it just opened me up and ideas came flowing. I prepared thoroughly for it and I don’t think there is much I would change about it if I were to do it over. I also learned a lot about what Legend really meant in his lyrics. I liked the documented essay too, mainly because I haven’t done anything like it before and it is a welcome challenge.
EN101 worked magic on my writing and it will too, on yours if you give it your best shot. All you need to do is attend all classes, do all assignments, and if anything is not clear, ask, ask, ask! It’s wonderful that it is compulsory to take EN101 and I didn’t understand why at first, but now I do. All the best and I hope you enjoy your journey in writing!
When the assignment was first given to me a million songs came to my mind. I thought of all the songs that I have overplayed since a child. And then “Jesus take the wheel” by Carrie Underwood came to my Mind. This song came to my mind for a few reasons. First and most important of them all is it is a spiritual song. The first time I heard this song I spoke to me. My belief in God and Jesus Christ is indescribably enormous and when listening to this song I felt as if he (God) was speaking to me. It was not a well known song to me at the time. But I feel as if it has helped me not just in this class room but as well in my life these past few months.
Now that the semester is over yes, I do stand by my choice. The reason being, every essay we have had to write this song has easily fit in to the assignments. For example, Compare and contrast essay was to choose two songs to compare and contrast. The artist Carrie Underwood is a cross over artist she has both spiritual and country music. The contrast was so good that I got stuck for a while which helped me in the end. English is not my best subject. Yet this essay with the choice of songs I chose had me think. But I understood what I was doing. I would never change my song for the fact that I knew the songs meaning well enough that I could write about it from different point of views.
Although I got no higher than a C in any of them I really liked the narrative essay. I feel as if it was the easiest as well as the one that I understood the most. I was able to write and understand what I wrote. The essay made me realize why I had chosen this particular song. As well I learned more about the meaning of the song and how it related to me. The narrative essay helped me understand what kind of writing style I feel comfortable writing, as well as understand the most. I feel as if I really learned this semester from this piece of writing.
For those who are just starting EN 101, my best piece of advice would be to pay attention. With just paying attention in class and actually doing the assignments I have been able to capture a few key skills that I know will help me later when I take EN 102. The overall class experience was great and easier then what I had expected it would be. The handouts have as well helped explain exactly what is needed and expected from each assignment. None the less plenty of opportunity was given to ask questions if something was not understood. So ask when needed and don’t hold back. There is no such thing as a stupid question. You never know if you might be asking a question that half the class wants to ask but is too shy to do so.
Grace
“Everything” by Lifehouse
I decided to pick “Everything” as my DIS because it means very much to me. The music and the lyrics are truly beautiful and they speak to my heart. I have been listening to this song since I was very young. In a way, I’ve grown up with it. The lyrics have encouraged me through hard times as well as in happier seasons. I knew that if I picked this song I would have plenty of things to write about and I would be able to appreciate the writhing experience more.
Yes, I stand by my choice for my DIS. I would not have changed my song choice even if I knew in advance what this semester would entail. I feel that I have been able to discuss many things that interest me and that really helped my writing. My choice for my DIS allowed me to discuss not only the song and the artist, but also my Christianity and my life experiences.
Out of all of the essays, the narrative was my favorite. I love telling stories! For many years I have been writing short stories (although no one has read them). I think that writing my own stories over the years helped me stay in the format of the essay and enjoy the process.
My advice to students who are beginning EN 101 would be to work hard and have fun writing. If you try to enjoy the process your writing will come from the heart. I have found that when I stop worrying about what others think and just write what I feel, my writing improves greatly.
Jie-Ying
The thought process behind my DIS(Desert Island song was the fact that i needed a song that would be compelling and forceful. The thought process behind it actually started with four songs that I thought had some sort of powerful message behind it. The reason I chose this song was because it talked about society and what every girl thinks from time to time. I wanted to chose a song that would dictate how my life was when I was younger. As of today there are a lot of things that I can relate to when I am listening to her lyrics. Her song helped me through some tough times in my life. When I thought that that all was lost in my life and I wanted to end it, I would always listen to this song and it would give me a pick me up. When I moved to Florida back in 2005 , I realized that the person that I was with didnt really care about me and treated me badly. This song didnt really have any meaning to me until I listened to it 3 or 4 times. This song was a good choice becuase I was able to write about this song.
I do stand by my choice, since the semester is almost ending. I would not change what I know now because , even though there are alot of songs out there there was a really good message attatched to this song, as my late friend Alison Tauber taught me that no matter what the shape or size you cant really let anyone get you down. Her spinal condition left her paralyzed. She passed away a few months ago but her spirit still remained. She taught me how to deal with it and make a bad situation good. This song helped me through tough times.
The essay that I liked the best was the narrative essay , the reason why I liked the essay was becuase I could tell a story and was able to become creative with it. The other reason why I liked this essay was becuase I can use my imagination and not be worried about what it sounded like
My advice to the new students enterning EN101 is always be prepared and always have an extra copy of your essay handy and come prepared for questions, there is no such thing as a stupid question, also pay attention when you are in class.
Robert
“Right Here With You” – Olivia Newton-John
Deciding what to song to pick for my DIS was not an easy choice at first. However, when Professor DiFabio presented the purpose and task of the DIS, I immediately began thinking of that common question: If I was stranded on a desert island and I could have just one thing, what would it be? My mind actually began flooding with different songs. Some songs had deep meaning, some songs just had a good beat, while some songs were just favorites by my favorite artists. However, keeping in mind the purpose after narrowing down to just a few songs, I went back to the task presented and thought about each song (and artist) and how best I would be able to address the purpose of the DIS and be able to complete the task for the semester. Ultimately, I chose a song that had a deep and influential meaning to me, not to mention, it was by my favorite artist Olivia Newton-John – it was a right choice.
As the semester is now ending and I am now leaving this desert island, I completely stand behind my choice of “Right Here With You” by Olivia Newton-John with Delta Goodrem for my DIS. After a semester of exploring this particular song, as well as Olivia, I would not change my choice. Prior to this class, I thought I had a thorough understanding of the meaning behind my DIS and I thought I knew everything there is to know about Olivia. However, being stuck on this desert island, I found out I was wrong. I found such a deeper meaning/purpose of this song. I also found a deeper appreciation for a woman that I have always admired. My choice gave me the perfect opportunity to find out more about myself and my own journey in life.
The essay I liked best to write was actually the documented essay. Aside from the citing, I enjoyed being able to share with others how much I think that Olivia Newton-John is a talented artist. It gave me the opportunity to support my thesis and show that she is truly talented artist. I enjoyed researching the information – it gave me the opportunity to further my knowledge on her breast cancer advocacy, as well as her environmental awareness. By doing this essay, it furthered my appreciation for the work that she has done in those fields and how much of a humanitarian she had become in the last 20 years. On a side note, I think it is actually my best work of the semester.
One good piece of advice that I would like to share with other students just starting EN101 would be to really let your mind be open to opportunities to let your creative juices flow. When I started the semester, I was nervous and a little apprehensive. I had not taken an English class in 20 years. However, Professor DiFabio was a great mentor in giving opportunities to let those juices flow. I think a key thing to getting the juices flowing is to brainstorm, outline and list thoughts. I found that to be essential in getting ideas flowing and to further develop and strengthen any writing.
Kassidy Stough
“An Arm’s Length Away” by Sammy Kershaw
The reason I chose “An Arm’s Length Away” for my desert island song was mainly because we were cautioned to make sure we picked a song we could vividly remember hearing for the first time, otherwise we might struggle with our papers during the semester. When I thought about it, this was really the only song I remembered where I was the first time I heard it and as a bonus it held a special meaning to me. The only reason I hesitated at all was because my song did center around a past relationship, and I didn’t want my papers to come off as mushy diary entries.
Now that the semester is over I do stand by my choice. Once I got over the initial embarrassment of having to write about my love life I actually enjoyed putting that part of my life into words, and it brought up positive old memories. I wouldn’t change my song now that we’ve been through this process because this song played a big part in my past. The only time I struggled was on the documented essay where I couldn’t find a ton of research on my artist.
My favorite essay we completed this semester was the compare/contrast essay. I had trouble thinking of an appropriate song to compare to my DIS, but Professor DiFabio helped me with that. Once that was out of the way, I was able to dive into the assignment. My biggest theme of the essay was comparing my male singers perspective to a female singers perspective regarding the same subject. I would never say a paper is easy, but I was able to complete it without much trouble.
A good piece of advice I can give students starting EN101 is to make sure they pick a song with particular special meaning to them, or else they will not have enough material to work with and writing their papers will seem like an impossible task. I would also recommend filling out all the outlines with as much detail as possible to make their writing process easier. Coming to class on peer review day is also a good idea.
Mustafa
"Dear Mama" by Tupac Shakur
How I decided what song to pick as my DIS was due to the events that have occurred during my life. My mom died in 2004 and that had a huge impact on my life. I felt alone for a long time and was searching for an answer to why she had to die. After being introduced to hip-hop by my two older brothers, I felt I had something to relate to. While listening through several artists I came across “Dear Mama”. At that moment I knew this was a song I will always hold dear to my heart. So to answer the question, I chose “Dear Mama” because of the emotional feelings I felt and the memories I had when listening to it.
Now that the semester is over I still stand by my choice. I think I made a smart move choosing this song because of the popularity of it and its timelessness. I can listen to this song over and over again. It never seems to bore me in any way. It will forever be put on my top 10 list of greatest songs of all time. At times I did get frustrated that I had to write about the song in multiple different forms but I now have better understanding of what it means.
I loved my compare/contrast essay the best because it involved another song. I was tired of writing about “Dear Mama” and was excited to include another song by another one of my favorite artists, Nas. The song is called “Dance” and is also about his mom but in a darker sense. Another reason I enjoyed writing the compare/contrast essay was because of its ease. I felt like comparing two songs about their mothers was easy. It didn’t seem to be abstract or complicated.
Students entering EN101 with Professor DiFabio should be ready to enjoy a new way of looking at the English language with the use of music! My advice for them is to meet the deadlines that are given and to do your work on time. Catching up on work is not fun and will cause a poorly written essay if you’re not one to write fast. But other than that EN101 should be exciting and worth your time.
Susan
“Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning” Alan Jackson
How did I decide what song to pick as my DIS? It was extremely easy for me to choose my DIS. When given the instruction to choose a song which truly meant something to me “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning” came immediately to mind. I have faced many difficult moments in my life, but the attack on our country and people greatly affected me. I have pride in our country and in being an American. Perhaps because I know what this country has to offer, what great a feeling it is to be free. Some people may take advantage of this not realizing what life is like in other countries. So when the Trade Towers and the Pentagon came under attack, along with the plane which crashed in Pennsylvania, I truly felt attacked as a person as well. When I heard this song, it brought tears to my eyes, but also brought some inner peace. I was not alone with my feelings and realized how America came through as a nation and as Americans. We supported each other one hundred percent. I was proud and touched with our response to this horrible attack. Jackson’s words expressed how I felt and put it all into perspective.
Would I change my song choice? Absolutely not! Listening to this song over and over actually made me appreciate it that much more. I was able to look at the song from different angles and still come out with only positive feelings from the song. I was glad to share this song with others who may not have remembered this day as clearly as I did. Perhaps they were to young to remember. If one person could get the feeling of “Country, Community, Family, and God” out of this song, then I would feel as if this choice was not only the right choice but a great choice to share with others.
Which essay did I like the best and why? This is a difficult choice as each essay was different in thought and context. I would have to say my compare and contrast essay was the best essay to write about, even though this was my most difficult essay to write. I compared the tragedy of September 11, 2001 to the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina was an act of nature and although I sympathized with the people of New Orleans at the time, I was not as emotionally affected as I was by the events of 9/11. After going though great pains just to find a song about Hurricane Katrina, it pained me to listen to it. The voice of the person who sang this song expressed it all. The victims of Hurricane Katrina suffered the loss of home and family and experienced the same pain as the family and victims of 9/11. This was a disaster of a different sort, but an attack on our people just the same. While we all sympathized with these victims, I don't believe the true pain and suffering was really understood.
My advice to other students just starting EN101 is to be open -minded. Enjoy the assignments offered; think of it as a challenge. Write your thoughts and your thoughts only, do not write what you may think the professor may want to hear. Most of all enjoy the class, there are lessons to be learned, but it’s great to realize that you are capable of writing; you may be surprised at yourself.
CHIMEZIE
1. How did you decide what song to pick as your DIS? Explain your thought process behind the choice
My choice of song for the DIS was influenced by the impact the song had on me based on its positive spiritual message of hope and optimism. The idea behind this was to let other people know and share in the entire message and positive impact the song had, and possibly benefit from it.
2. Now that the semester is over, do you stand by your choice? Would you change your song knowing what you know now? Why or why not?
I stand by my choice any time any day. I will not change my song especially given what I know now. I am glad I chose the song. It gave me another insight and meaning about life. It had also helped me to have deep knowledge about the person of Johnny Nash.
3. Which essay did you like best and why? Choose from narrative, compare/contrast, analysis, cause/effect, documented.
I liked the analysis essay because it brought out the best in me in terms of ideas and thoughts which helped me improve my writing technique.
4. Give a good piece of advice to other students just starting EN101.
I would advise the new students to take every bit of the writing technique serious and not assume that they know the subject. There are new things to learn about the subject and there are erroneous assumptions that are costly too.
Daniel Besinga
EN101
05-04-10
I decided to select Don Moen as my DIS because of the following reasons. First, he’s a Gospel songwriter and singer who is passionate in what he does. His choie of words is inspiring and uplifting too. He does not only use Bible verses to sing but also constructs his own phrases and transforms them in to worship songs. Second, his lyrics are very clear, which make for easy understanding, and are good sources of worship. Third, his stage performance is fantastic. He gets both the choir and his audience involved, and this makes it lively. Fourth, variety is another aspect of interest. His albums are a blend of songs good for thanksgiving as well as devotion. He considers different denominations in his play style, singing songs that are Catholic inclined, Latino inclined, as well as for the general public.
Now that the semester is over, I strongly adhere to my choice of artist and do not feel like changing my song. Writing and researching about Don Moen has revealed so many things to me, which has made me love him more. Some of such aspects include that of partnering with other Gospel singers to carry on works of mercy, radio and TV shows, all in a bid to provide solutions to the daily problems that mankind faces. As time goes on, he appears to more inspired, releasing albums that are more inspiring. His three-decade long career has been a success to me.
The documented essay is my very best. It gave me an opportunity to make findings about my DIS. By doing this, I realized that Don Moen has a worldwide recognition that I never imagined. His achievements are incredible. His is also a father of a huge family which gives him the needed support.
As an advice to any student starting EN 101, the course is great. It calls for much interaction and assignments. This is vital for your write ups in the future. Just do all assignments and help is always available.
Mikhail Lawrence
"The World is Yours" by NaS
Deciding what song to pick as my DIS was kind of difficult for me. I was debating on whether to pick one of my favorite songs or just a song that I liked that would be easy to write about. My two final choices were “One Love” by NaS and “The World is Yours” also by NaS. I ended up picking the second choice because I vividly remembered my experience in hearing that song for the first time, so I figured that would make it much easier for me to write the narrative essay. Also, my DIS had more of a connection to me compared to that of my other choice, again making easier to write about.
Now that the semester is over, I definitely stand by my choice and would not change my song. This song has always had sentimental value to me in that it sparked my interest in the actual lyrics involved with hip hop music. Also, the documented essay, which in my opinion was the hardest essay, became easier after seeing that there was so much information on NaS. Lastly, I wouldn’t change my song choice because the more I wrote about, analyzed, and researched this song, the more motivated I became.
My favorite essay was the analysis paper for a variety of reasons. For one, I really liked finding the meaning of each individual line in my song and interpreting the message my artist was trying to get across. Secondly, I liked that our paper did not require the actual message of the song, rather our own interpretation and what it meant to us. Lastly, I liked that by analyzing my DIS, I learned more about my artist and what his feelings and emotions were.
My advice for students just starting EN101 would be to start all your essays on time and work on them in an organized fashion. Don’t be a slacker and procrastinator as you will fall behind and find it very difficult to catch up. Once this happens, the fun in EN101 will be gone as you will be constantly stressed out trying to catch up with assignments. Also, I would advise students to proof read all their work a few times before handing in a final copy. If you do this I guarantee you will find a few spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, etc.
Kandi
“Off the Wall” – Michael Jackson
After going back and forth between several choices, I decided that “Off the Wall” would be the way to go. When we were challenged to select a “Desert Island Song” (DIS), I thought about who my musical history really lies with. The choice should have been simple but many songs came flooding in all at once. I finally decided that, although this song had no parallel to being stuck on an island, it’s one that I could enjoy and make work for me. It’s kind of ironic since my excitement over his music was so very long ago. All of that said, my heart gravitated toward a song I have a long history with and with this one, there was no second guessing.
Based on the criterion, my research for “Off the Wall” really broadened my thought process to heights I never knew existed. Although the semester is over, the ability to analyze a song and anything else that may arise will stay with me forever. I really don’t think I could have done better with another DIS and for this reason, I definitely chose wisely. There is no possible way I would change my choice knowing what I do now. I’ve learned a great deal about “Off the Wall” from listening to it, breaking it down, and putting it on paper. Michael Jackson was so creative and with almost any song he sang, there was such character. They really gave you a visual. His songs were like windows to his soul – some just for kicks, others full of life’s experiences, and a bunch in between. Either way, most of his songs were colorful with loads of personality.
Comparing and contrasting is something I had never done before taking EN 101. Positioning each song in front of me, I realized the great abundance of detail (parallels and differences) that was before my eyes. At first, I couldn’t possibly imagine being able to compare the two and I was wracked with confusion thinking that my classmates were are going to leave me “hanging.” That’s how much fear had set in from having to analyze them. Actually, the fear was just being an adult student and feeling out of my league. I‘ve always loved writing regardless of my grammar and punctuation (“ “. Vs “ .“) and when I begin to think, I think really hard! So I snapped out of it and got down to business! It’s funny how something so seemingly small felt like such a hurdle. Let me say this – comparing and contrasting “Off the Wall” and “I Gotta Feeling” made me want to write more, no matter how long it takes me to finalize a paper.
I really don’t think that I am in a place to give advice but if I should say anything to them, it would be to relax, breathe, and just have fun with it - no matter what topics are being covered. You’ll be surprises at how much the mind begins to work for you instead of you working for it! As long as you come prepared with your “learning cap” on, you’ll do fine.
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