Prompt #6

Well, this is my first college writing class. I passed the AP English test in my junior year of high school, so I didn't have to take the first rhetoric course. Before this class, I've never had to write more than a two-page paper. This is why I always feared the day when I would have to write my first multiple page paper for college. I didn't feel prepared, and based on my grade on paper 1.1, I apparently have some hard work ahead of me. In high school, I tried to stay away from the cliched five paragraph essay and just tried to make my writing flow as best as I could. When I think of any kind of academic writing, I think of doing the best I can to follow the prompt and use words that help me sound like I know what I'm talking about, whether I really do or not. When doing this kind of writing, I try to use an interesting opening sentence and a clever, well-worded conclusion. I do this because I like to have a strong beginning and a strong ending to try and make up for any problems that may occur in the body of the paper.

As usual, I like to talk about tattoos. This is mostly because I really want to get one, but I want it to really mean something so it's taking me a while to pick something. I think tattoos are the easiest, and most common (plus one of the most permanent) ways to really say something. Most of the time, there is a specific meaning or story to a tattoo. An example of this can be an experience that changed your life, so you get a picture to signify this, as if to say to the world "This happened and I got through it and look at me now." Another example could be getting a name or picture of a family member that passed away. This is obviously saying that you love(d) this person and you miss them. Although there is always room for interpretation by spectators when it comes to tattoos, there's always a meaning and possibly a message behind the tattoo.

Two semesters ago I took a communications class and one thing that really stuck out to me was that no matter what you say or how you say it, the audience may interpret the message in any way, mostly based on their experiences. I think this goes along with limitations in authorship and writing. Someone can make a bold statement or get a creative tattoo, but it is up to the audience reading or viewing to decipher the message behind it all. As we have all experienced, it's not uncommon for the audience to misinterpret the meaning behind the message. It doesn't really matter what I was trying to say with this statement or tattoo if the true message isn't received by the audience. For this reason, I don't think that authorship and control are equal terms. All one can really do is get their message out as effectively as they can and hope that the meaning is understood.