At the beginning of the semester, I had one main goal in mind for WRT 102. I wanted to improve my writing skills. I felt as though I had a strong background in writing but still needed some work. After many edits, questions, lessons, and office hour visits, I feel as though my writing skills are at their prime. I learned so many things in this course, but the thing I feel that improved my writing skills the most were the grammar lessons. Nobody has perfect grammar, but I wanted to get to the point where my grammar was near-perfect. Lesson after lesson, my grammar improved. I learned how to properly use punctuation, what words to use when, how to set up certain sentences, etc; Because of these lessons, I feel I accomplished my goal to improve my writing. Obviously, I am not the perfect writer; however, I feel like I am better than I was at the beginning of the semester. I struggled in this course with the organization of my papers. In nearly all of my papers, I had a struggle with how to organize my main points. After office hour visits, rereading my papers, and many edits, I believe I got my essays to be as organized and coherent as possible. Moving forward, I most enjoyed the rhetorical analysis. Every day I do a mini rhetorical analysis on the music I listen to. It’s almost like a habit, or even a hobby, of mine. Because of this, the rhetorical analysis came so easy to me, besides the organization of it. As for assignments I did not enjoy, I never have been a fan of research papers. I have always liked doing my own thing and having other people back me up, as opposed to other people already knowing and supplying me with information. As I move on from this course, I will use my many grammatical, syntax, and structural techniques to aid me in writing future papers. This will be especially useful when I move on to my other SBC’s that are essay-involved and my major courses in my senior year within my discipline.

My Cover Letter is the first thing the readers will see when they click on WRT 102.72. Below is my cover letter; and the link is right before it.

https://stonybrook.digication.com/benjamin_donofrio/WRT_102.72/

Dear Portfolio Readers,

While writing my papers, I encountered many struggles and influences. First, my Rhetorical Analysis was influenced by my own life and my love for music. A band known as Bastille has always had a special place in my heart, for their music has gotten me through a lot of tough times. So, I felt that their song teaching their audience about learning from their mistakes was a great song to choose from because I have made many mistakes. In writing this essay, I had some struggles with defining their specific message, for the song goes back and forth several times. However, with the help of my peers and professor, I was able to conclude their specific message into my thesis and further explain that message throughout the essay.

Second, my argument paper was influenced by the people around me. Every time the clock “sprung ahead” or “fell back” someone in my life complained or jumped for joy. So, I decided to write my argument about how beneficial Daylight Savings Time is. In writing this essay, I struggled with organization. Since Daylight Savings Time has an unbelievable amount of effects I got a little overwhelmed with information and struggled to organize it in a logical and coherent matter. However, I edited it several times and finally organized it into an easy-to-follow way.

Last, I wrote my research paper. I have always been interested in the medical side of life, so I started with an idea in the medical world. Then I thought about how my parents divorced, so I thought how that could have played a role in my development. Finally, I came to the conclusion of how divorce affects child’s performance in school since I am curious if there is any, and if I would have performed better (or worse) had my parents stayed together. This paper is where I struggled the most. It took a lot of time to find some concrete research on this topic and then it took me even longer to figure out how to incorporate that research without getting too scientific or statistical. Thankfully I managed to organize it in a way that had some statistical and scientific evidence but didn’t make it too complicated to understand by using direct quotes and paraphrased quotes to vary the sharing of information.

Overall, I enjoyed writing these papers. I learned many things about writing, like with grammar, punctuation, citing, etc; and many things about myself, like my writing style, how the best way to write for me is, etc;

I hope you enjoy!

Benjamin Donofrio

I made a few changes to my portfolio!

I added information to my about me section, as well as I made a section describing my influences for each of my essay. Lastly, I went through each of my essays and made edits as to suggestions given by my instructor, Karli. Below is the link to my E-Portfolio!

https://stonybrook.digication.com/benjamin_donofrio/Welcome/

Dear Ms. Jones,

Your essay was very strong and conveyed many wonderful ideas in a logical and coherent matter. Your introduction provided a strong thesis about how society is given a certain ‘ideal body.’ This thesis was then extremely relevant throughout the entire essay. I really enjoyed how you included men as well in this essay because typically females are thought to have been portrayed in a certain way, but men are too. Your introduction to the authors of the sources was strong, which was important in establishing their credibility. Lastly, the conclusion beautifully summed up the entire essay, as opposed to restating the introduction. Your works cited appears to be in an appropriate format, so good job there too!

There are minor changes I would suggest. There are some sentence-level corrections here and there, but besides that, the essay is very well thought-out. Perhaps the paragraphs could be slightly shorter and cut up, but the flow was nice! All in all, that was an excellent paper! Great job!

Have an amazing day,

Ben

In posting my Halloween tweet, I attempted to target many people. At the time, it was around the time many politicians were running for president. I hoped that it would target humor-lovers for in times of stress from politicians. I hoped my audience would like and retweet my tweet, which they in fact did since i got over 150 retweets and 300 likes, my most popular tweet to date. I also hoped they would enjoy the humor of me saying that a Trump sign is as terrifying as a yard with scary decorations specified for Halloween. I decided to post this on Twitter because Twitter is the only place I believe is appropriate for humorous posts. Facebook is where my family is, and some of them would not approve of my political views. Instagram is more polished and isn’t the right place for humor. Snapchat isn’t necessarily the best place to post a long post like I did, so that only leaves twitter! The combination of a series of pictures along with the caption brings the post together. The caption added depth to the set of pictures by explaining that certain presidents can be scary at times, much like a scary halloween decorated yard. I believed this needed to be posted because at the time I was truly terrified of Donald Trump. I was scared he would take the rights away from many people and turn the world cold. So, to cope, I attempted humor in the form of a tweet. I hoped everybody would see the tweet. Even people who like Trump, I would want them to see it because it shows that even I have a voice.:)

Dear National Residence Hall Honorary E-Board,

With an extreme eagerness, I am writing to apply to become a member of the general body. With my extreme organization skills and dedication to work, I feel as though I would be an excellent member.
Not only do I keep everything neat and organized, each in their own special location, I constantly think of ways to make things more organized. In fact, in my nearly six years of volunteering and work, I have always put my organization skills to help the organization in which I was at becoming more organized.
Being a member would not only bring me closer to Stony Brook University, it would bring me closer to NRHH, friends, and even myself. It would bring me great pleasure to put all of my efforts into this wonderful organization, for being a part of a service organization has always been a dream of mine.
Previously, I have held many leadership and community service positions. For example, I volunteered at a local hospital in which my task was to keep track of, organize, and help develop programs for its patients. In doing so, I learned great organization, typing, listening, and communication skills. I also was an editor in my junior and senior year of high school, of which most of the time I led the group to put together a picture-perfect yearbook. Those skills I learned in my years of volunteering stuck with me to this day, and I would multiply those skills by several degrees as a member for NRHH. And it is because of this dedication that I feel that I would be an amazing addition to the NRHH team as this opportunity is not only exciting but also a privilege that would be a life-changing experience.

Sincerely,
Benjamin M Donofrio

Due to recent events in a Florida school, teenagers have had enough. They are starting to speak up for their beliefs and say “enough is enough.” David Leonhardt, a Yale graduate working as a journalist for nearly 20 years, wrote an Op-Ed piece about the recent school walk-outs to stand up against gun violence.
This article describes Leonhardt’s daily commute to work. He noticed many children standing up for themselves, noting the diversity of the brave students. Leonhardt noted their bravery and continued to explain his gratitude for them, tying their beliefs into his and relating them to future political elections.
Leonhardt conveyed his ideas in a few ways. He mainly conveyed his points through the use of facts and emotional appeals. Since the date was March 14, it was going to be an emotional day since that date was famous for being a nation-wide school walkout This alone made the day emotional, but when Leonhardt noticed that “many [students] were carrying signs. They were headed to a gun protest outside the White House,” you could infer that it was going to be a powerful day. He concluded his article by stating the logistics of the event, stating “the students held a 17-minute silence outside the White House yesterday to honor the 17 victims from Parkland, Fla” (Leonhardt). Leonhardt showing this fact about the walkout shows he has a background of why the students are walking out which could help some readers if they are unaware of why so many teenagers are protesting.

Works Cited

Leonhardt, David. “Thank a Teenager.” New York Times, 15 Mar. 2018.

1. My topic is about daylight savings time. DST is either the addition or removal of an hour (spring ahead, fall back) in order to preserve daylight. My position is that daylight savings time is still necessary, for it has many health, economic, and ecological benefits. I chose this topic because I constantly hear my friends complaining about the time differences on daylight savings time and I want to argue that DST is necessary. I think it’s important to discuss this because it has so many benefits that people have no idea of them; they just hate on DST and continue to complain about it. One hour can make a huge difference in society. It may seem as though the addition or removal of an hour, twice a year, would not make a difference; however, that time change makes more than a difference. Starting in World War I, Daylight Savings Time was implemented in Germany to conserve fuel. The United States later followed Germany’s precedents and implemented it twice a year. Every spring an hour is added to the clock and every fall an hour is removed from the clock. The intentions of Daylight Savings Time were well thought out, as the event improves the ecosystem, economy, and one’s health. I will argue all of these relating to the economy, health, and ecosystem for it benefits all of them. For example, DST reduces fuel usage and therefore helps the ecosystem and economy. It aids in sleep and helps with health. I would think of counterarguments saying how not every country uses it and how its main purpose is not needed as much due to the increase of electricity.

In reading Us and Them by David Sedaris, I felt disgusted. First off,  David Sedaris described his childhood. He talked about his experiences in his new home, including his strange neighbors, the Tomkeys. Although Sedaris was just a child, it was still extremely creepy that he stalked his neighbors. This is seen when Sedaris states, “I began peering through the Tomkeys’ windows…I would creep into their yard and hide in the bushes beside their fence,” (Sedaris 1).  This level of creepiness makes me uncomfortable because I would never imagine doing that to someone else, even if I were to be young again.

Regarding the theme, I enjoyed the overall message that Sedaris attempted to convey. I felt as though he made an excellent point in trying to help out others as selflessly and as much as possible. Sedaris conveyed his message by “[tearing] off the wrappers and began cramming the candy bars into [his] mouth,” (Sedaris 1). Sedaris’ purpose for eating all of his candy was so the Tomkey children wouldn’t get any. Then, Sedaris’ mother found him covered in chocolate and was appalled by his acts. I agree with Sedaris here because of the situation. Just because the Tomkeys were not as culturally aware does not mean that they can’t learn. Since Sedaris’ younger self was not aware of that, he took their situation for granted and ultimately caused issues for everyone.

I like the perspective of this story. Seeing this through the eyes of a child, I found it very easy to understand and follow. Also, since the latter part is about candy, it is also interesting to read because of the appeal of candy to myself. Personally, at the age of Sedaris in the story, I can’t relate to what he did. I never really liked candy that much when I was younger, so if I were in a situation like he was, I would have been more than happy to given my candy away. In fact, I probably would have felt bad for the Tomkeys given their situation.

Lastly, my opinion has changed about television after reading this essay. At first I thought it was very odd that the Tomkeys didn’t watch television. However, as I read more, I began to wonder how much better life would be without television. Half of the world’s body issues and life style choices would be gone since there would be no television telling them what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.

Works Cited

Sedaris, David. “Us and Them.” NPR, NPR, www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2004/jun/sedaris/usandthem.html.

Bastille, a widely popular band known for their hit single “Pompeii” consistently bring together powerfully messaged, and lyrically and instrumentally beautiful songs through their use of pathos. In particular, one of their songs “Icarus” tells the story of the famous Roman mythological story “Daedalus and Icarus” which also teaches society about the mistakes we make and how they should learn from them and should be aware of every decision they make. This mythological story is about a father, Daedalus, and his son, Icarus, who attempted to escape an island by making wings made of feathers, held together by wax. While they flew away, Icarus flew too close to the sun and thus melted the wax and unfortunately ended his life shortly. From the instrumental and deep introduction, to the fast paced and upbeat drum in unison with the listener’s heartbeat, the song brings an overall powerful message about learning from past mistakes.

To establish their argument, it is important to know Bastille’s credibility. Bastille is a British band who specializes in alternative style music. Bastille is an alternative band because of their stray from popular, or “pop”, music, implementing lessons into all of their songs. They are composed of four members: Daniel Smith, the main singer, Kyle J Simmons, the guitarist, William Farquarson, the pianist, and Christopher Wood, the drummer. Smith, the main songwriter for the group, gained his education at Leeds University, and obtained a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature. With that degree, Smith certainly knows how to implement metaphors, pathos, and arguments into each and every one of Bastille’s songs.

Beginning with the first ten seconds of the song, Bastille introduces “Icarus” with a singular voice who seems as though he is determined to find his true self based off of his mistakes. The singular up-roaring voice in the beginning, with little background instrumentals, crawls down the listener’s spine immediately. His chilling voice effectively uses pathos to get the audience to listen. This part truly affects the listener’s emotions because of the attention to the main singer. This would be the equivalent to a singular man’s life, but no singular one in particular. Following that, is a drum beating, like the way a human heart does. This causes the audience to feel like they are the man, Icarus, like in the song. The first words of the song are, “look who’s digging their own grave.” Right away, Bastille triggers the listener’s pathos. By saying this, the listener feels as though they should look at their life and question if what they are doing could cause not a death in a physical grave, but a death in a spiritual and overall well-being grave.

More simply, the opening lines scare the listener to reevaluate their life. Bastille continues to explain right after, “that is what they all say, what will you have left?” which references the mindset that people get when making a new decision on their own. They may not notice it, but others might; by making a new decision alone, people are vulnerable. They are vulnerable to mistakes; they are vulnerable to pain; they are vulnerable to judgment. However, other people may see the person’s mistake before they do, for “that is what they all say.” The continuous references to a death, or more appropriately, a poor change in lifestyle due to some burden, continue to chip away at the listener’s emotions.

To succumb this metaphorical death, Bastille metaphorically suggest that their audience fly away from their emotions through their wings. Once they escape this burden on their life, they, with the wings representing new beginnings, would be free forever. However, they did not read the warning label. People can only put in so much effort; birds can only fly so close to the sun. So, according to Bastille, the people as birds flew far too close to the sun. The people did not perform a test flight, their life “has only just begun.” Due to this new beginning, Bastille’s main audience is for younger people encountering a new chapter in their life. That chapter could be anything, but Bastille is trying to get their young audience to realize the importance of looking at all of the consequences and outcomes before encountering a new experience. “Icarus” isn’t targeted towards older people for they have more wisdom and knowledge than younger people. Not once in the song was Daedalus, Icarus’ father, mentioned. Icarus’ father knew the consequences of flying too close to the sun, and he knew what could happen if he abused his power of flight. So, in real life, older people understand the consequences of new opportunities and know how to handle them properly.

Furthermore, many people get into the mindset that nothing bad will ever happen to them, or the ‘you only live once’ mindset. When people obtain this mindset, they do crazy and things they would regret in the future, or would cause harm, such as flying too close to the sun. Next, Bastille tells the listeners that this is what it feels like to make a mistake, or “how it feels to take a fall.” The way Icarus is described as falling in the song is equivalent to when a person realizes they made a mistake. Back to pathos, Icarus is “falling towards an early grave”. This, keeping up with the bird metaphor, is the equivalent of the listener hitting rock bottom after a mistake.

Following the falling of Icarus, or the listener, is an upbeat hum, that is as if Icarus has learned from his mistake. This learning of the mistake causes the listener to think about mistakes they’ve made in their lives, both past and present.  Thinking about mistakes can be very uncomfortable and saddening, but it must be done in order to learn from those mistakes to become a better person. Thinking, also causes the listener to learn how they potentially misused and or abused their power. It even causes the listener to be more cautious in the future.

Once the listener is done realizing who they truly are and what mistakes they have, Bastille suggests they would be “standing on the cliff face” or facing their fears. This “near death” experience such as nearly falling off a cliff causes the listener has finally come to their senses and are ready to admit what they have done wrong in the past and are ready to break free. So, the listener “puts up [their] armor when [they] leave” because they are “certain of who [they] want to be.” The armor representing protection and comfort is put on by the listener in order to protect and comfort the listener in their future endeavors. Once the listener establishes this protection, or armor, they would be ready to take one more “flight.” The song then turns the originally dreary fall into a joyous fall. “THIS IS HOW IT FEELS TO TAKE A FALL” is the joy the listener would receive once they truly accept the mistake they have and uses that in the future to protect them further.

Overall, Bastille beautifully argues Icarus being the equivalent of younger people embarking a new and exciting journey, making many mistakes along the way. However, it is important to understand the main fallacy behind the whole song. Bastille uses scare tactics to influence the listener to be extremely cautious with many decisions they make in life. Literally scaring the listeners to death by “flying towards an early grave”, causes them to not want to make any mistakes. However, as a human being, it is important to make mistakes. Without mistakes, there would be no room for improvement and growth. In fact, without mistakes, there would be little to no advancements in technology the human race has grown up with today.

From the dreary and emotionally stabbing introduction, the conclusion of the song includes an exhausted, but accomplished shout. The drowsiness of the conclusion shout shows that not only has the listener realized their mistakes in the past, they have put exhausting work into doing so. Just like the song ends very abruptly, so does the transition back to life right after a downfall. Confusing as their message may appear to be, it is quite simple. Everybody makes mistakes, just like Icarus flew too close to the sun. But, it is important to not let those mistakes kill one’s self, much like the fall and drowning killed Icarus. If someone were to let those mistakes kill them, then they would end their psychological life early, much like Icarus’ life only just began, only to end abruptly due to his mistake. But, had Icarus listened, or had the listener not let their mistakes affect them, then there would be no need to worry about the past.

Works Cited

Bastille. Icarus, 4 Mar. 2013.

“Bastille | The Official Bastille Website. Visit for the Latest Updates.” Bastille | The Official                    Bastille Website.

Siculus, Diodorus. Daedalus and Icarus. circa 45 B.C.E.