Developments of my Blog throughout the Semester

When I first started this blog for my English 225 class, I really didn’t know how to approach it. I had never kept a blog before and didn’t have any idea what I should be blogging about. My first few blog posts were about my identity and the different roles I played depending on my surroundings. I placed a great emphasis on the merging of my social and academic identities in the first two posts I made, and this made me really look within myself and realize what elements I consider a part of my identity. As I read about theories of identity in class, I tried to incorporate these theories into areas that appeal to me, such as my major. I think this is one way my blogs have improved over the semester. I try to take ideas that we discuss in class and apply them to various contexts. For instance, in the post “New Revelations on Identity and Inquiry”, I tie in William James’s theory of identity into biomedical engineering. I discuss how a biomedical engineer has his own self perceptions, as described by James’s self as a source, but how a BME also engages in a number of indirect social interactions that make up his social identity. These social interactions relate to the companies and patients who will be using the products made by biomedical engineers because the engineers need to take the ethos and needs of these recipients into account when making their designs. Another way I tie in theories of identity into my interests is exemplified in my post “The Things We Do When No One Is Looking”, which combines several social identity theories and discusses my views on whether people’s actions are a reflection of their own values, or of how they want to be perceived by society.

Another thing I noticed is that I have used my blog entries to relate theories of identity and elements of argumentation into popular culture and my own opinions. My first few blog posts are quite lengthy, and I usually gave a lot of analysis on a theory of identity or rhetorical technique that we discussed in class, and follow up with a short example of my own. However, some of these ideas have become so engrained in me now that I start thinking of identity and rhetoric during my leisure time! Whether I am watching a TV show or catching up on some news on CNN, something will always trigger an idea that was brought up in English class. For instance, I posted an entry in which I tied in theories of the false self into an episode of Gossip Girl. In another post, I analyzed both sides of an argument about the ramifications of placing a controversial photo of Sarah Palin on the cover of Newsweek.

As the semester progressed, I also realized that my blog posts have become more personal. I tied in the identities I find myself immersed in while I am with different groups of friends to the Organizational Self, and questioned whether being part of a group can lead to a loss of one’s identity. One of my latest posts talks about my anticipation as I approached my first Black Friday, and how this day brings out the worst in some people’s identities. My latest post, Lie to Me, was actually haphazardly written in a blind rage. On that day, I was just about to sit down and write my blog when I became sidetracked and found out that a good friend lied to me. I took out my frustration on my blog entry, and figured the post was something I would probably delete the next day when I regained my rationality. However, I saw that some of my ideas did relate to the scope of the class and therefore decided to keep the post even though it was different and more emotional than my previous posts.

All in all, rereading my blogs has made me realize how my concepts of identity and rhetoric have changed over the semester. The notion of identity can come up in so many places, and English 225 has taught me to use mature reasoning and evidence to validate how a certain theory of identity applies to a situation. I am glad that I am able to apply these theories to pop culture and my own experiences. Even as I leave this class, I am sure that every now and then, I will be having a conversation with a friend or watching TV and be reminded of Mead’s social interaction theory or something of the sort.