Miss Navajo

I chose to analyze the official website of Miss Navajo Nation. It is a highly prestigious title to hold. Miss Navajo is chosen in a pageant held yearly during the Navajo Nation Fair. One contestant is chosen to represent the Navajo Nation as an ambassador for the people, nation, and culture. She must fluently speak Navajo and have knowledge in every aspect of the Navajo culture, religion, history and government.

When you first go to the web address, an introduction starts to play. The words "Ya'at'eeh shik'ei doo shidine'e" appears, which means Greetings, my family and my people. Then a picture slideshow showcasing former Miss Navajos plays. While this introduction is running, a song that is soft, slow and calming plays. After the introduction is over, you can enter the homepage of the site. The center of the page shows the current title holder, Miss Navajo Nation 2007-2008 Jonathea Tso. It gives a brief introduction of Ms. Tso and displays a newspaper article about her win. On the outer edges of the page, there are various links that directs you around the site. Some of the links include: about us, history, photo album, contestants, news & events, projects, and meetings. On the right side of the page is a list of all the former Miss Navajos and you are able to learn about the past title holders by clicking on their name. The color scheme and theme of the page are very traditional. The red, white, and black are traditional colors and there are different traditional designs and even a picture of a traditional rug. This shows that the Miss Navajo council respects the Navajo culture and is trying to preserve every aspect of it from the teachings, language and even the use of the designs.

The Miss Navajo Nation council is the author of this website. The council consists mainly of former title holders who have had a significant impact on the Navajo Nation and its people during their reign. The audience of this site could be numerous people. People who are of different nationalities who want to learn more about Miss Navajo, the history of the title, and former title holders and contestants. People who are interested in beauty pageants could also be an audience of this site. Also, young Navajo girls who are thinking about running for Miss Navajo. The main purpose of this site is to inform the audience about the Miss Navajo organzition and the title of Miss Navajo. Also, it is used to educate others about an aspect of Navajo culture. In addition, the site is used to show the uniqueness of the pageant and title compared to other pageants that are held. The tone of the site is very traditional and respectable to the Navajo culture.

"Shark Cage"

After looking at everyone's blogs, I chose to analyze Scott's blog. His blog really stood out from the rest and caught my eye. His blog seems to be popular because several other students did analyze his blog as well. The theme of his blog shows his love for the ocean and as he stated, his love of scuba diving. The color scheme of the various blues and greens works well with his theme. When I look at these colors, I am reminded of the ocean. He has pictures of sharks on his blog. The pictures also show his love for scuba diving and the ocean. It also indicates that maybe he likes sharks and may want to see a real shark one day. By the blogs he wrote, he is a nice and polite person who respects all people. His blogs are simple and straight forward and may indicate how he is in person. By his blog page, I think that Scott is a very fun and adventurous person. I get the idea that he likes to try new things and meet new people. Scott is a kool person and I would like to get to know him more this semester.

"Mother Tongue"

In Amy Tan's essay "Mother Tongue," she talks about her mother's so called "broken" English, how her mother's use of language is perceived by others and how growing up with that type of language has impacted her life. Amy Tan is the author of this essay. She is a first generation Asian-American, who was born into a Chinese emmigrant family. She wrote this essay for her mother, who she says she imagines as her audience while she writes. Also, Tan wrote this for people who have grown up with "broken" English or speak different Englishes, especially people with emmigrant parents. The purpose of this essay is to inform the readers about the different struggles that people face due to their lack of "perfect" English. She also wrote this essay to tell these her audience that it is alrite to speak different Englishes.
I have also had personal experiences with speaking various Englishes and I have many older relatives who don't speak English that well. I have seen people, especially non-native people, treat my relatives rudely and with disrespect just because they don't have good communications skills. These relatives grew up speaking just their traditional language and never had a formal education. Most of them never went to school or dropped out at a young age. They had to learn English because their children were being educated and they still needed to communicate with them. After reading this essay, I have noticed that I speak different Englishes, and I think everyone does. When I am around a group a people I speak one kind of English, then when I'm around another group I speak a different kind of English. I think we all speak multiple Englishes and don't even notice it. It is just normal to us because maybe, just like Amy Tan, that was how we grow up and how we always communicate with people.

What is a Blog??

After reading the materials and watching the videos, I now have a better understanding about what a blog really is. Before I thought that a blog was like an online journal, where you could write about whatever you felt like. A blog is like a journal but then it is also more than that. A blog is many things. It's a way to share information with others, express feelings, reflect on experiences, and just to tell the world about yourself. Also, now it has become a tool for many companies to help their empolyees and have them interact with each other. I think that blogs are also a good way to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Personally, I feel that talking in person or over the phone is the best form of communication, but a blog still comes close to that. It is a way for people to find others out there who are going through similar situations and share common ideas, opinions, and interests. I feel that blogs are good ways to express feelings that you just can't seem to tell anyone else. People do have certain feelings and experiences that they keep inside and a blog is a good way to get those things out. They may not want to share that information with others, so that is why on some blog sites you have the option of keeping blogs private. All in all, I think that a blog is just a place where you can write just about anything. Of course, I am against hate blogging. I think it is just dumb for people or groups to post blogs that trash people based on their race, religion, sex, or sexual preference. I am all for blogging about whatever you want, but not at the expense of someone else just to make yourself feel superior.