Crowe the warrior king

     The two people I noticed have a few differences.  I noticed that king did not really care for first drafts very much.  He said "a first draft should take no more than three months."  Sommers on the other hand talked about how experienced writers should keep working on their first draft until it is well off.  Time does not matter.  Sommers also talks about how the revising process is constant; this is not the case with King.

  Discourse Community Paper-

     I began my discourse community paper not sure of what topic I wanted to pick.  There were many communities that I thought would be interesting to research and look into.  I could go to my dad’s work, could look into a hospital setting, or I could look at a court/ law setting.  In the end I decided to look into the law field and find a suitable discourse community in this setting to observe.  I was really excited to look into this discourse community since I hope to someday become a lawyer and go into the law field.  Therefore, I was really happy to look into the discourse community that I would someday get to take part in.  Looking into this discourse community I hoped to learn everything from what the job tasks were in the community to how members of the group communicated.  I hoped to expand my knowledge of the field and group and better my chances of entering the field later on in life.  I remembered a family friend who use to be a lawyer and is currently a judge.  His name is john Trujillo and I decided to interview him and his expertise involving the court setting.  When he was a lawyer he worked under the District Attorney and prosecuted child related crimes.  He did not particularly like this job because of how sad most of his cases were.  After this job he moved on to being a judge in the courtroom.  When I went for my observation I could not observe his court room so instead I stepped in and observed a different court room with a different judge.  However, the discourse community is very similar in every courtroom so it was a successful observation.

     My research methods were very simple and easy to conduct.  My observation was very relaxed and actually fun to conduct which I was not expecting.  I got John Trujillo’s number from my parents and gave him a call.  He was happy to do the interview and catch up with me.  I had not seen him for a very long time.  I met him at a café in the down town mall and we began with small talk.  After a while I began the interview.  He was very happy to answer all my questions except for some that he was not at liberty to answer.  It was a great interview full of food, questions, and catching up.  My observation was even simpler to conduct than the interview.   I showed up at the courthouse on Picacho and Alameda.  I entered the courthouse and had to go through a scanner and security.  After this I was escorted to a courtroom and asked to sit in the corner and just watch quietly.  I was not alone since there were many others observing and taking notes.  After I had a feel for how the discourse community worked I ended my observation and left.  When I got home I summarized my interview and observation and wrote it up on the computer so it would be easier to read.

     There were many goals of the discourse community with links to every member in the group.  To the general public it would seem that the court/ judicial system Is there to deploy justice, retribution, punishment, and rehabilitate.  However, most of these aspects are not deployed in the court stetting; they come after in the correctional system.  The goal of the court system directly is simply to determine guilt/innocence, review facts, and determine punishment.  This discourse community was very interesting since all members are trying to accomplish different tasks which seem contradictive.  However, the end goal was ultimately to give justice.  The judge was trying to operate the courtroom in a lawful manner.  She made sure due process was served and all the laws of the courtroom were observed.  She also determined the punishment the defendant’s client would serve if found guilty.  The defendant lawyer was trying to prove his client was innocent.  The prosecutor was trying to prove the defendant’s client was guilty.  There were also other individuals in the court room who played backseat roles like the police officer and note taker who helped the courtroom run smoothly and as efficient as possible.  In the end even though all members of the discourse community had different objectives; the ultimate goal of the court room was to dispense justice. 

     Judge Trujillo in the interview talked about how there are many means of communication used in the court house.  He began talking about how everybody talks to each other in the courtroom.  He began with how everyone has a special way to talk.  Respectful versions of speech are a must.  He said everyone is respectful when talking to a judge and to the jury.  If a person uses improper versions of speech such as being overly rude or using foul language the judge can find them in contempt of court and put the individual in jail.  This occurs when a judge warns an individual to stop using a certain type of speech or to stop doing something in general, and the individual continues with these prohibited actions.  In regards to communication types used in the courtroom there are many.  Judge Trujillo in his interview said he uses everything from vocal communication to texting and emailing.  He mainly uses vocal communication in the courtroom so everybody in the discourse community can hear his commands and verdicts.  Other members in the courtroom also use vocal communication that way everybody in the courtroom knows what is going on.  In private Judge Trujillo uses mainly emails.  He gets in touch with prosecutors and other members of the discourse community in this manner.  I asked him if he used physical mail very much and he said hardly ever.  The last form of communication he uses are reports.  He does not directly make the reports himself.  He has a writing assistant who writes reports on each defendant that he sees.  They record in the report how the proceedings in the courtroom went and the punishment to be conducted if the defendant was found guilty. 

     When I communicate I use many different forms of communication.  Some are formal and some are informal.  It depends on who I am talking to at the time.  When I asked Judge Trujillo the purposes of the different forms of communication he said “it’s simply to get my message across”.  He also talked about how he normally talks in a professional manner.  I understand this very much since it would look very unprofessional of a person with so much power to talk informal.  He discussed how a judge is a person who has to be seen as unbiased, professional, and intelligent.  If he talked in slang or not formal he would be seen as unfit to perform his job.  When he receives information through some channel of communication it is normally to update him on cases and precedents, get information from his superiors, or to help him communicate with prosecutors on cases.  This slightly confused me.  I did not realize that the judge communicated closely with prosecutors.  He then told me that judges work closely with prosecutors when deciding the punishment an offender and pleas that will be bargained with.

     When it comes to genres used repeatedly by Judge Trujillo he went over email.  He said defending lawyers always are trying to get evidence thrown out of a case based on technicalities.  His textual response back to the lawyer is normally very uniform.  If it fits the criteria required to have evidence thrown out; then he will allow it to thrown out.  If the lawyer is stretching to get evidence thrown out he allows the evidence to be used in court.  It is important that he be uniform and follow the law when it comes to evidence so every defendant can have a fair trial.  The thing I noticed that was good is everybody in the courtroom is affected by the admission or denial of evidence.  If it is allowed the defendant must defend against the evidence.  The prosecutor will attack with the evidence to try and get a conviction.  The judge has to look at the evidence and decide if it is conclusive.  Every member in the courtroom is tied to the evidence in one way or another.

     In the courtroom setting it is amazing how much specialized language there is.  The most common language one thinks of when they think of specialized language is the words objection, sustained, and I will allow it.  These words or phrases are used when the prosecutor steps over the line and begins making statements in the courtroom that violate due process laws.  When this occurs the defendants lawyer steps up and says objection.  The judge then decides to allow the prosecutor to continue with his course of action or to stop the prosecutor in their tracks due to violations of court law.  Another very common phrase used in the courtroom begins at the start of a case.  It is the phrase ‘how do you plead’ and is said by the judge to the defendant directly.  The defendant than says the famous line guilty or not guilty.  As far as short term or acronyms used in the courtroom there are none.  The speech is very formal and uniformly used by every member in the courtroom.

     When it comes to the experienced and inexperienced it is very easy to tell.  The judge is generally the most experienced member in the courtroom.  Judges often start off as lawyers and move on later in life to become judges.  There are also veteran lawyers who are marked by their ability to operate in a courtroom.  They know what they are doing and seem confident.  They are generally well organized and have long records of court cases in their history.  They are generally older.  An experienced lawyer can be a defendant lawyer or a prosecutor so one cannot tell from this.  The young, inexperienced members in the court room generally include new lawyers and their clients.  Clients are always new to the court room setting even if they have a past full of crimes.  They often do not know how the system fully works and rely on guidance from their lawyer.  The green lawyers normally have another more experienced lawyer with them.  This is so they can see how it is done and take part in the process until they become proficient enough to engage in the process by themselves.  They often learn genres, languages, and skills from graduate skill and courtroom guidance given to them by a veteran lawyer.

Observation Notes:

Site: District Court House in las Cruces

Court Room Number: 3

Judge Name: Judge Byrnes

  Notes:

First Offender: Joshua Thompson

Lit trash can on fire at school

Caught by school guard which called police

Currently suspended

Plead guilty

Second Offender : Emanuel

Looked as if only 12 or 13; very young

Had his mother present

Stole from a bakery store

Plead guilty

Third Offender: Mathew Otero

Looked young

Never looked at judge; always talked at the ground

Brought a knife to school and got in a fight

Plead guilty

Fourth Offender:

Did not show

Fifth Offender: Chris

Looked as if in high school

Had many tattoos

Broke into a house

Caught by police in act

Plead guilty

Judge Byrnes

Female

Blonde

Wore a black long Judge dress

Very professional and to the point

Not very  much compassion; just cared about facts

Mainly looked at case and took a plea from the accused.

Interview:  Judge Trujillo

What is your Job?

I am a judge for the city of las cruces

What do you find most interesting about your job?

The type of people that I run into when I hear what they did.  I see all sorts of people from the low to the high

What do you not like about your job?

The number of young kids that I have to hear

Who do you interact with in the court house?

The accused, the bailiff, police officers, and my assistant

What does your assistant do?

She helps me by taking notes and recording what has happened and will happen

How do you communicate to your assistant?

Its straight forward; I just talk to her since she is only a few feet away

Do you care if the accused is present when you talk to your assistant or do you do it privately?

I do it normally in front of the accused.  I make sure they record things I want in the records

Do you stay in touch with the other judges?

We have meetings where I meet with them.  I do not normally socialize with them outside of work

What forms of communication do you use with them?

I often talk to them in person but I also use phone calls and email.

What is the most common task you perform when dealing with the accused?

Well most cases end in a plea deal so I normally just accept pleas.

What is your biggest pet peeve when in the courtroom?

When I see the accused and they are rude. 

What would you say to an accused individual before they enter the courtroom?

Dress up and be respectful.  Do not seem like a know it all.

What would you tell a student looking to go into the field of law?

1) What is your favorite aspect about your job?

2) What Is your most least like aspect about your job?

3) What is your most common form of communication used to reach your subgroups?

4) What language barriers do you run into?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5XiQ1NvHaU

Autoenthography

Jeremy Harlas

        To start my autoenthography I must first talk about what this project has done for me.  At first I was not sure what the point of this project was.  I thought it was silly for me to write and talk at the same time, and then on top of that to record everything that I was saying.  What is the point?  I did not realize what the point was until I began coding and analyzing my transcription.  I started to see patterns emerging that I did not think I even had.  I was seeing patterns that were the result from years of English practice from elementary school all the way up until the present.  Processes that I had subliminally learned from all sorts of people including teachers as well as people close to me such as my mom.  Suddenly the assignment had become exciting since it was teaching me things I had forgotten or simply could not see about myself without the assignment. 

     When I started the assignment I decided to pick the topic of talking about two literary sponsors.  A literary sponsor as told to me by Prof. England is something or someone who has affected your literary development either in a good way or bad way.  The two sponsors I chose were a grade school teacher and my own mother.  Both of these individuals had and still are affecting me in a very positive manner.  They have led me to owning the writing style that I have today.

     My writing style when it comes to college level work I feel is enjoyable and lets me produce quality work most of the time.  I often start in the planning stage which can consist up to a day.  When I first looked at the prompt given to me by Prof. England I simply read it and went about my business for the rest of the morning.  Every now and then it would pop back up in my head and I would think of something important pertaining to the assignment.  I never actually acted on any of this until later that day.  I feel this is how I start most writing assignments; in a very slow fashion.  When I actually sat down later that day I began by making a little bubble chart.  This is always how I plan when it comes to writing.  I start with big points and I branch out with many smaller points that may or may not be helpful.  I make sure I get everything possible on to that planning page. 

The next step I take part in is the actual writing.  When I am in this stage I let it flow out of me as fast as possible but only one paragraph at a time.  I did not realize I did this until I actually looked at my coding and analyzed my paper.  I noticed that I would have the exact paragraph written two and three times repeating.  I was rereading and editing every single paragraph I wrote to make sure it sounded good and there were not spelling or grammar mistakes.   I would often reread the paragraph out loud to myself to make sure that it sounded good.  Sometimes I would reread it a third time just to be sure.  This I realized let me have a fairly clean rough draft that was easy to understand when I finished writing.  An example of these repeating paragraphs found in my transcribed autoenthography is as follows.

     There have been many sponsors for my literacy development throughout the years.  There have been more sponsors than I can even remember.  However, there are two sponsor in particular that if I had to choose I would be pick as the most influential upon me.  The first sponsor would obviously have to be my mom.  She helped me in many ways and is the reason I am the person I am today.  The second sponsor I would like to talk about would be my 11th grade teacher for English.  Her name is Mrs. Chavez and she helped instill a large amount of interest in me for writing when there was little of it before. 

There have been many sponsors for my literacy development throughout the years.  There have been more sponsors than I can even remember.  However, there are two sponsor in particular that if I had to choose I would be pick as the most influential upon me.  The first sponsor would obviously have to be my mom.  She helped me in many ways and is the reason I am the person I am today.  The second sponsor I would like to talk about would be my 11th grade teacher for English.  Her name is Mrs. Chavez and she helped instill a large amount of interest in me for writing when there was little of it before. 

The reason for the different colors is that is how my coding system worked.  Instead of writing repeating paragraph next to a section or drawing a symbol I color coded everything.  The red section was when I was letting it flow out of me and typing whatever I felt should be on the page.  The blue paragraph was when I reread what I wrote.  In these blue paragraphs I checked for parts that were incorrect and needed to be said different.

     The last stage of my writing process was one last reread of the entire project.  This I coded with another color to show final rereading.  In this I did a check for anything that did not seem right.   I checked for any word that I may have missed when I edited the paper paragraph by paragraph.  This last stage I noticed gave me two things.  The first one is it made sure the paper was good and ready to be turned in.  The second is it gave me confidence in my paper.  It made me feel like I could turn it in and know that I was going to receive a good grade.  I did not feel anxious about getting my grade back.  I could wait all day.