Rhetorical Blog: "Blake Stone"

“The Biography of Blake Stone” by Jeramey Kraatz is nothing what I expected. I thought it would be about a real person, such as the author’s relative or the author himself. The story is about an 11-year-old boy who joins an AOL chat room and creates an alternate version of himself to have some online fun. The reason for Jeramey Kraatz creating a perfect alter ego hits home, though, because most people at 11 years old are uncomfortable with how they are in real life. In this sense, it makes the story a little more relatable because almost every kid wants to be the real-life “Prince Charming” or “Cinderella” while in middle school. This is especially true for boys who are going through puberty and have changing voices. Going online is the simplest way for “pubescent boys” to create their perfect selves, and Kraatz just took advantage of the opportunity (Kraatz 3).

When I was first reading the description of Blake Stone, I imagined the most beautiful man. The man Kraatz created as Blake is the type of man that every girl wishes to find - he is the man of myths and dreams. The description made it so I could actually picture Blake Stone in my mind (3). Of course, I never thought that I would need to imagine this perfect man in the form of an online creation. Although it is in an online format, the ballroom seems like a beautiful, elegant place taken straight out of a modern-day fairy tale. From the gardens below to the chandelier above, the detailed descriptions make it come alive (4). As the narrative continues and the characters start talking, it makes it seem like we, as readers, are there in the chat room interacting. All of the flirting, dancing, singing, and chatting is right there for us all to read. Just by reading the conversations Blake had with these women in the chat room, I felt like I knew what they wanted, even if I don’t approve of what they were doing on a chat room geared towards kids.

Chat rooms were so prominent in the ‘90s, similar to social networking websites are now, that it doesn’t come as a surprise that an 11-year-old boy in Odessa would join one to break the monotony of middle school life (3). It’s the conversations on the chat room that make it different from most others that boys join. On this “Masquerade Ball” chat room, Kraatz found self-confidence through Blake’s online interactions with these women (4). When “CalendarGAL” kissing Blake on the cheek makes Jeramey feel better, the chat room becomes more than a way to waste time (6). At that moment, it becomes something of a therapy session for Jeramey to become comfortable with his “pudgy, changing body” because he sees Blake as the online version of himself (3). Instead of having real social interaction with his peers talking about sports, Jeramey develops self-confidence by garnering affection from these women online. Chat room interactions seem normal at the time this took place, but to Jeramey, it was like turning into another person who was confident and secure with himself and what he could do.

After reading everything about Blake Stone, I started to recognize some problems that go on every day online. The first thing I noticed was that Jeramey was in the kids’ section of AOL, which is a place that is designed to be safe for pre-teens to have well-regulated and monitored fun. The fact that he was able to jump into a chat room filled with older people who are using it as a way to find legitimate relationships contradicts it being in the kids’ area. Jeramey’s story of Blake and “CalendarGAL” is like all the stories parents warn their kids about when telling them not talk to strangers online. This type of thing happens all too often when boys and girls are online and become easy targets for older women and men to form friendships and try to translate that into actual relationships. The underlying meaning of Jeramey’s essay is about how you should never think the person online is really who they say. If nothing terrible happens, such as stalking or harassment, then it sometimes ends up in disappointment. Although I doubt Jeramey thought he had a chance with a 32-year-old nurse from Georgia, he probably did think that she truly liked him and that is what gave him that self-confidence. When “CalendarGAL” broke down in an email to Blake about how she wanted a real relationship, Jeramey realized that this was not just a game for whoever was the real face behind the screen name (8). The woman who was known as “CalendarGAL” thought Blake was indeed a 22-year-old man who looked as handsome in real life as he did online, and a man who would not want anything to do with “an overweight 30-something woman” (8). This shows yet another problem with chat rooms and social networking sites. They can break people’s hearts and self-esteem by seeming so much like real life.

In Class: Authority List

Things I'm an authority on:

1. knowing who sings country music songs
2. quoting lines from movies that I've seen multiple times
3. watching A Christmas Story for as much of the 24 hours as possible
4. bringing up movie references in conversations
5. getting through traffic
6. taking pictures (especially of nature/landscapes)
7. remembering songs lyrics (especially country music and '90s music)
8. saving money
9. knowing what clothes look good on me
10. keeping secrets
11. packing a suitcase

# 2:

I always watch movies with my dad and we are both huge movie- and TV-buffs. And if it's a movie that we like a lot, we'll watch it over and over again. Most good movies never get old, so we'll continue to watch them. Some of these movies are A Christmas Story, the Back to the Future trilogy, Must Love Dogs, and other random movies. So after watching a movie so many times, it starts to just stick in my head. Once this happens, I find myself referencing lines from those movies without even noticing it. And sometimes, we'll even throw in a few lines from TV shows, such as Seinfeld. Some of the most used lines are "Seinfeld, four," "No soup for you!", and "It stetched all the way to Terahooch." What makes this funny is that my dad and I understand the significance of these lines and references, but not many other people do. A lot of people have seen these movies and TV shows, but not as much as we have. This makes for a lot of inside jokes between my dad and I because it makes sense to us. It is a special connection I have with him and not many others.

In Class: Free Write about Ballenger

Writing as inquiry gives us more perspective on ideas that we may not have known. We write to find out more about ourselves and find our strengths and weaknesses. By the time we have finished prewriting, main writing, and rewriting, we know waht we need to improve. I have to be honest though, I briefly read the chapter, but I don't think I retained much of it. That said, I'm not sure if my idea of "writing as inquiry" is correct. It sounds fun though actually because it makes it sound like as you write, you find out more things. I like to write, so it would be fun to learn while writing. And I'm planning on re-reading the chapter, so I can get the actual definition and idea of writing as inquiry. Again, this is just a thought of what I assume writing as inquiry means.

All About Me

Hi there! I'm Chelsea Katz and a freshman at TCU, studying news/ed journalism as of this time. I'm from Richmond, Texas, which is a fairly small town outside of Houston that most people don't know exists. Also, just as a little clarification, I am not related to the Katz's Deli restaurants in Houston and New York.

I like writing, so I was a kind of excited about coming into this class knowing there would be a lot of writing. And this is my first time to ever use a blog, so I'm already getting something out of the class!

I took a huge college tour during the summer before my senior year going to 6 different states, including Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and Texas (of course). I finally decided to come to TCU after following one of my friends around campus, and falling in love with the campus. Of all the places I visited, I felt most comfortable here at TCU.

If I were made Chancellor of TCU, the first thing I would change would be the amount of places to eat on campus. Although there are a lot of places that accept FrogBucks, we have to travel off-campus to get there. And I know that the BLUU and 1873 have a lot of options, but it would still be nice to have more places to go to for meals.

As for classroom details, I believe a good teacher is one that not only teaches his/her students but also inspires students to continue with their dreams and aspirations - whether the class is in that line of work or not. As for students, a good student is one that doesn't take a class as a joke. A good student tries his/her best for all classes.

If I could have dinner with any three people, it would be a hard decision to narrow it down to only three people. However, if I had to choose, I would pick Michael Jackson, Charlotte Bronte, and Oprah Winfrey. The reason I would choose Michael Jackson is to find out just what kind of person he really was in private. All of the mystery and controversy that surrounded him throughout his life would make for such an interesting conversation, and I have always wondered what rumors are true and which ones are just rumors. Also I would love to attempt to learn some of his signature dances. I would choose Charlotte Bronte because she is the author of my favorite book, Jane Eyre. She would also have such a different perspective on life, during the 19th century, than I have now in the 21st century. I've also been interested in how much her life paralleled her books, so I would love to talk with her about that. Then I would choose Oprah because she is one of the most powerful people in the world. She has the classic "rags-to-riches" story and those types of stories fascinate me. Also, I want to know just how it feels from her perspective to be so powerful.

The three things that I'd like you to know about me might not be that interesting, but here it goes. First, I was the volleyball manager in high school for all four years - all because I wasn't good enough to make the freshman team. It worked though because I was just as much a part of the team as the players. A second thing is that I was in the band in high school and played the clarinet. Between this and volleyball, during fall with volleyball and football games, I was at school from 7 in the morning to sometimes midnight. And although it was high school band, we never marched on the field during half-time. And the last thing you should know about me is that I love country music and everything that goes along with it. I even prefer the rural countryside to the city. That isn't all, but it's enough for now.

Now I need to know about all of you. One thing I'd like to know is where you're from, and if you're from the Houston-area, what high school you attended. Another thing is your favorite book because everyone likes something different - even those who like Twilight are entitled. And lastly, what your favorite sport is, either to play or watch.

As for the course, I did not just choose to take it because it's required. I like to write and as a journalism major it wouldn't be smart to not take this course. I hope this class will include fun writing, instead of the usual research papers everyone is used to from high school. It makes it a little more fun already because we're writing on blogs instead of in a Word document. Speaking of writing, I write a lot every day. I send at least one text message every day and sometimes even a few emails. I also still write thank-you letters to people because it is so much more personal and everyone likes getting a letter in the mail. But my writing doesn't stop there. I try to get out my frustration or bad energy through poetry. That kind of writing serves as my release from whatever is bothering me. I usually feel pretty confident about my writing. The only time I'm apprehensive is when I don't know much at all about the subject or it's a blind-prompt.

I have read and understand the terms of the syllabus.