I always pictured a blog as a sort of diary, just instead of writing it in a notebook with a lock on the outside. A blog is actually very public. It is like giving the whole world the key to your diary. A blog to me simply expresses your feelings and states your opinions. People all over the world write blogs. They write about how their day is, their political ideals, and some write about other useless crap, like Britney Spears, that nobody cares about. How is that any different from an essay? Cynthia Ozick even stated “A genuine essay has no educational, polemical, or sociopolitical use; it is the movement of the free mind at play.” I like the way Ozick put this because teachers make me feel like I have to learn something and instead of writing an essay about my opinion on the subject matter, I have to let my opinions go in one ear and out the other, regurgitating the information they gave me on a piece of paper. I would definitely say the two are pretty much the same thing. I would also say that an essay goes more in depth. I say that an essay goes more into detail and develops a true structure with a beginning, middle, and end. A blog can be random and all over the place. A blog is basically a summary and a blogger doesn’t necessarily have to elaborate on their opinions or prove them to their audience. A blogger can simply state “I hate cheeseburgers, deal,” and they do not have to explain themselves at all. The viewer may want to know “Why do you hate them? Are you a vegetarian?” When writing an essay I believe it is imperative to be thorough when explaining the writer wouldn’t want to leave their audience hanging. Right?
4 comments:
Right on. I liked Ozick's idea of an essay as well. I have yet to see an essay with heart and soul, just intellect and the slight of hand. I don't really care to go on an essay reading expedition either.
I, too, use to think a blog was essentially a public diary. It kind of challenged me to start writing one. I can understand sharing opinions and feelings with classmates. They're the people you go through the day with, why not get to know them? That aside, I never supported blogs because I thought the idea was overly self-centered. That statement was somewhat ironic, I'm the most self-centered person I know LoL.
sweet girl, i like how personal things can get in the blog, and peoples true self can come out.
I agree, I once thought that a blog was like a dairy. I suppose that a blog is more of a journal, you still write and tell your own thoughts as a dairy but without the key and lock. I also agree, that I thought, when writing essays they needed to be detailed. I now find it hard to break the mold that our teachers have shaped about writing. Besides not having any kind of conclusion is, I think the best because it leaves an open door for the reader to freely ponder and not just think on my final words.
First of all, I love your colorful posts. (:
Anyways, I agree with you. When I first got in the class and heard the Teacher man talking about blogs... I immediately thought of Xanga and how it used to be cool before Myspace hit middle school.
I like what Cynthia Ozick said, and I feel you on always feeling like I had to basically write things based on what everyone else thought, instead of my own ideas. That's why I hate essays.
But I especially love your example about cheeseburgers. haha It made me laugh.
<3
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