E- Portfolio Link and Introduction

First off, my name is Naeisha Witcher and this is my e- portfolio. I plan to use it for many different aspects. For instance jobs and internships and add to it along the way. This semester I have learned a lot, rhetorically speaking. I was aware of how what I say academically can affect how an audience would view my writing or speech. But I was not aware of the fact the fact that what I say academically can affect the audience’s view of me and how I portray my viewpoint can subtly change someone else’s viewpoint on something as well. I wrote on topics ranging from world crisis to personal experiences and I feel much better for it. I now have learned the specifics of what each type of writing should be constructed and how my audience should feel each step of the way. It helped to place myself in their position as an audience member because chances are I was one. After listening to a body of work, it helped me to narrow down or expand on what I wanted my audience to recognize the most. 

Moreover, that is what I am attempting to show you in my e- portfolio; my growth. I not only grew as a writer and speaker, but also as a person. I would have to be oblivious to the world not to know that there are issues more important and complex than myself. In my persuasive essay about invisible children, I have much confidence that my audience will become aware of the crisis in Uganda and feel the need to take action not for themselves but for the sufferings of another human. 

To that end, I feel as though there is enough variety in my e- portfolio for any viewer to see what I have gained this semester and what I can improve on. Perfection is not the goal satisfaction of the self is. Although I am content as of now, when I continue to improve and add to my e- portfolio I know I will be much more equipped for the writing world.  


Naeisha's E- Portfolio

No Child By 2015

http://www.one.org/us/actnow/globalfund2010/

How to Have A Baby

  As we already know there are many options for infertile couples to have a child if they biologically cannot. There is adoption, invetro, and surrogates. In the process of using a surrogate, the parents that want the child can combine their egg and sperm in a petri dish and a doctor will implant it into the surrogate. The other way to use a surrogate is to use the father's sperm and the surrogates egg. Yet when the sperm and a female's egg, whether it be the surrogate or the soon to be mother, the question is always asked: Who's child is it?
  In a published article about an older male and female that wanted a child, they went through many trials and tribulations to have a child. The older wife was arthritic and would not be the ideal candidate for adoption agencies. The older husband did not want to adopt because  he is an only child and his parents are dead so he felt a Darwinian obligation to continue his bloodline. After adoption was ruled out the couple tried invetro more than eight times at $8,000 per attempt. After all of the failed efforts, including miscarriages, this couple decided to try invetro. Long story short it worked and in the end everything came down to ethics. It was the husbands egg implanted into not one surrogate but two different surrogates. The question became what is the price of a child? The surrogates received cars and cash and miscellaneous things, but in the end they were cut out of this child's life. It is a business and as much as they promised not to get attached to these children, they did. Was this moral?

Intertwined in the Intersex

  I read an article about someone who is an intersex individual. If I remember right, they were born a female, but the doctor said that their clitoris was too large. So, the doctor medically recommended that their parents remove it. This declaration that the clitoris was too large was spoken on a general scale that every penis and clitoris should be no larger than certain amounts, but as we all know; everyone is different. Later in life this individual became curious about sexuality, naturally. This individual felt secure being called intersex rather than hermaphrodite simply because the term hermaphrodite is used within myths as a magical being. It's offensive because this situation is not a myth it exists and is more common than we think. An intersex child is born every 1 or 2 children out of every 100. This is alarming because there is still not a proper solution as to how intersex children should live their lives. In the case  of the individual previously referred to, their parents agreed to have their inner and outer labia removed. With that being done, this individual, and many others in this situation, cannot experience sex or any pleasure for that matter to any degree. This is upsetting because although their parents thought they made a life saving decision they wound up making a life altering one. This individual has come to terms with what has happened to them many years ago, but has yet to completely understand the ultimatum of have no pleasure or be labeled a misfit. In addition to that, it wasn't even their decision. Their doctor gave their parents information that was not researched far enough. The doctors that were in charge of this procedure many ears ago did not care to factor in pleasure. They considered silence on the issue and simply the ability to have sex success. This issue of intersex is being explored farther but for now is still a mystery to everyone involved..

How About That?

  Have you ever seen a woman recognized for her efforts in 9/11? I haven't. When you think of heroes in 9/11, that's just it you think heroes and not heroines. Women of the emergency services died in 9/11. It's just men that get recognized for it. When women are shown they are displayed as damsels in distress after their spouse died in the fire as a hero. I'm sure you remember the many women feature on television specials, weight loss shows, and Oprah because their spouse died. Even the children of the fallen got pitied attention, especially the children that were born after 9/11 that never got to meet their fathers. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these fallen men aren't heroes because they definitely are it's just that there were no women that was shown as a strong and independent heroine during 9/11. Has anyone thought of the young girls that watched the series of events? I was in fourth grade when this happened, but I still remember the day very clearly. My teacher told us about the situation and we were dismissed. When I got home, it was on television all day and the next. I felt out of place, as a female, and I still do. The message that was sent to young females is that in such devastations, we are useless. This will in effect lower the rate at which females apply for the emergency services. Another example would be the Army. It is much easier for a female to get in than a male. If Im right, as a female I would only have to do 21 push ups while a man has to do 65. Things will never be even at this rate. When I watch the news and they report on the front line, no women are covered, just men. How about that?

Times Are Changing

  It has come to my attention that women are making significant climbs on the corporate ladder. Therefore, we now want the same things just in a different order. For example, lets say twenty years ago it was typical for women to want marriage and a family before a career; that is if career was in the equation at all. Now it has become the norm for women to want a career before marriage and a family. This change happened, I can presume, came after women got more opportunities to do the things we never had before. As role models women have stepped up and taken control. It came out of nowhere actually. Who would have guessed that Oprah Winfrey's career and popularity would have taken such a dramatic turn? There are others but I'll leave you to stick with the women that you think made a huge contribution to the ways things have become.
  This slow climb in the corporate ladder has not only affected women but men as well. It is becoming more common for men to want a family before a career and in some cases to even be a stay at home father. I don't want to make that sound repulsive but I've never seen so many men willing to adopt the domestic role before. It's kind of new to me! That is also not to say that anyone going outside the norm is bizarre, I noticed the change and I think it's kind of nice. I wonder what's next....

Sexy vs. Skanky

  This weeks theme is what is sexy versus what is skanky? As a female you can attempt to be sexy and totally miss. But you have to try really hard to miss sexy and catch skanky. In my opinion there is no mistake, you aim for one and you might miss because everyone does not think sexy is what you do. For example, Heidi Montag was photoed at the beach. She was not photoed playing ball but rather catch a boob. In between getting multiple breast surgeries I guess she thought her old and smaller bikini would be sexy. But she missed it was rather tragic and well... skanky. Her breast fell out of her ten sizes too small bikini and she 'attempted' to catch her boob. There are many examples of sexy versus skanky. But by now you may not realize how tragic the situations are anymore. Here are some more examples: 

1. Reality stars raising money for charity vs. Reality stars making money by doing a porno 

2. Wedding belles vs. Wedding brawls 

3. Throwing a "get over him party" vs. Throwing a hissy fit  

4. Putting your leg on his lap vs. Giving lap dances in public 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you have to be a prude or even a lady at all times. I'm very aware of 'liquid confidence'. But if you're going to shake your head at someone, don't be a hypocrite because someone will also shake their head at you. I'm also very aware that this applies to me as well. I just felt like everyone should be informed of the sexy versus skanky debacle. 

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

 Can you think of a time when you have been physically or verbally disrespected by the opposite gender? I know I can. Here's one example of many: I live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where men, guys, and behaviorally boys will attempt to approach me or any female for that matter. Mostly if you reject him he will ask to be your friend and by friend, actually I'm not quite sure of what he means, but it's not the traditional term of 'friends'. In other cases of rejection, he will lash out. For example, this guy that attempted to talk to me got rejected, but he wouldn't listen. I told him I had to go and he wouldn't leave me alone. At this point my mom did not want me to have anything to do with him because he wasn't doing anything with his life. Lastly, he wouldn't stop touching me and coming closer. When he was talking to me he kept grabbing my butt and even after I told him to stop he would not. This is not the only instance that a situation like this has happened. The use of objectification, verbal or physical, has always been too casual. With that being said, why do some victims never speak up? About half the people that are physically or verbally abused never speak up. This goes for everything ranging from rape to mental abuse. When no one speaks up it only gets worst because the abuser thinks that you welcome it and that they have the right to do whatever they want. Many females and males have experienced something like this, but when did the lines get blurred? Was it really my line to begin with? Was it his line to cross? Whose line is it anyway?   

  

Alpha

    It is common to have males attempt to assert their dominance
in packs. Within these packs the responsibility of their actions are diffused
as compared to being dominant solo. Most commonly, males attempt to assert
their dominance by sexually disrespecting women. By this I mean dog calls,
inappropriate touching or grabbing, and at worst rape and murder. Males allow
this behavior to continue to assert dominance and being the alpha of the pack-
like dogs- and for what?

  Still men are not the only gender that competes for the title of
alpha dog. Women compete with one another but much more subtly. There are two
ways that women can become alpha dog and sad enough their title depends on the
reactions of the opposite sex. The first way females can assert dominance is to
stay quiet with the treatment males distribute. If a female is to display her
disdain for a male's behavior she is now 'stuck- up'. The second way a female
can assert her dominance is to embrace her sexuality as a type of tool. When
females do this they contribute into many manmade stereotypes. Namely, women
are here to please men, but they also gain the approval of men because of such.
How many posters of female rights advocates’ do you see hanging up in an all
male environment? That's right: None.
  Maybe this adoption of dominance rules can be summed up as:
These rules have been around for so long no one can change them. Maybe it is
also as simple as: No one wants to change them. At the end of the day all we
can do is guess because tomorrow these sad cycles of male and female dominance
will still exist.

All Woman

  What exactly does it mean to be a woman? Whatever it means I'm sure that I'm not there, but I can't help but wonder what or if there is a universal definition of 'woman'. Of course I don't mean bilologically or antomacally; I mean culturally. In Asia, women are culturally depicted as petite, slender, and of a general Asian look. In Africa, depending the the locale, the ideal woman is depicted as darker toned, tall, and slender. In America, the stereotype of the ideal woman is blonde hair, blue eyes, fair toned. How can that be true when America is a mix of every culture? The answer is it's not. That may be some people's opinions, but how do you explain a Black woman's curves or an Asian women's eye's? No one culture is more womanly than another. Lacking or having a certain characteristic does not take away from your womanly persona. If anything, once you embrace and accept that this feature represents not only you, but your background you should be all the more proud and therefore womanly.

Freaks

  In the black community, the word 'freak' is used very colloquially. In
general conversation it means a very sexual expressive person. This word is
more so used to describe black females. Yet if we really look at the deep
rooted connotations of this word it was not meant to be a compliment. Back in the
17th to 19th centuries the term freak was attached to actual freak shows. These
freaks shows consisted of anything from bearded women to midgets. In
continuing that definition, after slavery black women had no rights and there
was no equality. Now people find loud outbursts of racism to be quite rare. But
that does not mean racism is gone because a new racism exists. This racism is
silent. This racism argues that there is no racism so laws to protect, help,
and possibly further black women are rejected. In this new racism, black women
are portrayed as bad mothers, welfare queens, and baby machines; hitherto a
modern day freak. These stereotypes are used to portray how freakish black
women are of the American dream. They do not have a husband, a home, and a
career. These women are unwed, have no husband, and are on welfare. They are
deviant of the American dream. The term freak is redefined by blacks to try to
take back control over their attitudes. Freaks used to refer to black women in
the sense that they were also sexually promiscuous and baby machines. Yet with
that knowledge, blacks have contorted the word freak to congratulate ones
sexual expressiveness. Honestly, it's not the worst thing you can call a black
person, but we won't go there, yet. Is it a compliment or is it a slur? It
depends on your disposition, but personally I would rather be called
intelligent.

This I Believe

http://www.zshare.net/audio/86046674b9d9510c/

The Bosom

 
  Everyone is judged physically. It doesn't matter if you are male or female or 10 years old or 20 years old, you are indefinitely judged. Yet as a female I feel as though the judging is more intense. Every aspect of a woman is critiqued. As a woman you are judged from your sexual persona to how feminine you are, period (or not).
  Let’s start with attitudes and mannerisms. As a female we are supposed to be secondary to men. By this I mean, we are supposed to take up less space, be quieter, and corporately inferior. The traditional way of sitting for females is legs crossed or closed with your hands within your lap or very close to your body. Yet, as a male the more space you consume the better. As a man you are encourage to sit legs wide open with your hands and arms extended possible on the chair or couch you're sitting in. As a female you are supposed to be quiet and kind of sweet sounding for men to have the floor. As a man you are loud, full of opinions, and are first to initiate the conversation, very domineering. Lastly, as a female you will never be an equal to a man in the corporate world. You can start the same day as a man with the same position and still make less money. In reality, money is respect, it makes the world go round. Do we get less respect? Is that what that is? We are paid less because we do the things men never can. We bare their children and we get less respect stricter rules for it. Now that, my readers is not fair. 
  Next, we move on to the female body. As you should have learned already, the female body creates develops, produces, feeds, and pleasures on many different levels. Still, we are judged harshly. What can we be judged on? How about how well we fulfill our womanly duties and the stereotypes that were created along the way. Women are judged on their curves, breasts, and butts. This has become second nature for males and females to do sad to say. For males, this criticism is merely for attractive and fertility purposes. Men are drawn to all different types of bodies, but generally if it fails to meet the stereotypes of breasts like Beyonce, figure like Rihanna, or butt like J. Lo, then something are wrong. Can she reproduce? Is she beautiful enough? Men aren't the only ones though; females take great pride in this criticism. In some cases this is attraction, but moreover it is competition. Can she reproduce better than me? She has the hour glass figure all the men chase after and I don't. What's wrong with me? These thoughts are all too common.
  Now I'm not saying that we all need to get along because let's be honestly, that would be boring. What I'm saying is that it has become all too universally accepted to critique the female anatomy, especially when it comes to cultural standards. Is confidence being replaced with a cosmetic knife? I hope not because I like my body. If I have to change that to appease someone else, then maybe just maybe the problem isn't me. It's what the world of beauty standards is coming to. I'm pretty sure you were appeased with your bosoms until someone told you otherwise. Think about the root of your insecurities because chances are they didn't start with you.

Hot Bod

 
  Merriam- Webster defines the term rhetoric as "the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion." In this blog I will discuss issues that bombard women. In particular, I will discuss these issues in a feministic manner. This week the issue is the body.
  In America there are various races: African American, Caucasian, Asian, Native American, Hispanic, and many others. All of the women of these races struggle to grasp what is attractive. In the media, the Caucasian idea of beauty is tall, thin somewhat fragile, fair skinned, sharp nose, and no signs of the average woman. This, as you can imagine is hard to maintain because this is not every Caucasian woman or every woman in general. The media perpetuates the idea of black beauty to be a voluptuous figure, excessive buttocks, and the rest varies from there. Sometimes a natural black woman is 'acceptable' and other times her picture is lightened for the rest of America to relate. The media paints Asian beauty to be a subset of Caucasian beauty, the only difference is the distinctiveness of an Asian's eyes. They're beautiful to me but many Asians beg to differ. As for Hispanics, the media groups them with blacks, voluptuous and not much else. Native Americans again fall to the bottom; they are rarely depicted in the media. I have yet seen a Native American advertise for any hair coloring or lip sticks and that's extremely sexist in itself, but why not?
  The point I'm trying to make is every woman in America is constantly being told what is beautiful about her. Surgery among Asian women to make their look more western or Caucasian should not be the case. Caucasian women tearing themselves apart because they fear that if they are not fragile- figured, then they're fat should not be the case. African American and Hispanic women lowering themselves to ass surgery to have the expected over abundance should also not be the case. Native Americans not being depicted as non- American really should not be the case. How can we fix this? We can't. Everyone will do what they want because they think it is best. Maybe it is best to get an eye surgery because you cannot see that well and to redefine your eyes slightly because it was always your insecurity. But to totally eliminate your culture or over indulge in it is not feasible. Don't change yourself to appease anyone but yourself ladies. Sometimes even that has to come in moderation...