Peggy Stoupas

Για σας! The name is Panagiota but I prefer to go by Peggy. I'm a Greek/Canadian girl who

loves to learn about languages, cultures, diverse groups of people, and anything in between. Since I was young, I always loved to learn about new cultures as well as share mine with others and teach them things about it since it has always been a huge part of my life. My culture has always meant so much to me and last summer of 2021 I was able to finally visit my motherland Greece, over 16 years later. When I got there I instantly felt connected to the ground and I could feel the generations of ancestors coursing through my body, guiding me to explore this place that is so dearest to my heart. It's such a tremendous feeling to be able to feel so connected to a place that is a part of one's heritage and to see all these statues of Greek Gods/Goddesses, the monuments built by my ancestors thousands of years ago, and the clear blue oceans that my family back in Canada constantly compare my eyes to, provided me with such a nostalgic feeling as if I lived here lifetimes ago. I realized at the moment when I walked up Mount Olympus where the Gods and Goddesses lived, and saw the Parthenon up close and all of Athens from so high that this is what it feels like to belong somewhere and this is how impactful and tremendous it is to belong to a culture.

My Trip To Greece 2021

Blog Post #1

Topic Ideas

  • Ancient Greece

  • Ancient China

  • Sparta vs Athens

  • Athena vs Poseidon

  • The Positive Impact of Music on the Youth


Blog Post #2

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The Positive Impact of Music on The Youth

Music has been for thousands of years and has been accessible in any way possible from

listening to songs from your favorite artists on your phone to making random with your feet and hands or simply even humming. Music is something that brings joy and happiness when you listen to a song with a powerful and hyper beat and as you continue to listen to the song, it takes control over your body and starts changing the rhythm of your heart. However, music doesn't solely lift your spirit. In fact when you're sad and in dire need of something to calm you, sad songs become comforting and feel as cozy as being under a big, fussy warm blanket in the cold winters, or even feels like you're being hugged by someone when you're about to break down. Music is not just loud noise but instead tranquility, happiness, comfort and so much more.

Blog Post #3

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Thoughts & Ideas I

I struggled a lot with finding a topic that resonated

with me. I switched topics about 3 times and finally came to the realization that this topic that I will currently be writing on is far more interesting and finding multiple and good sources will be fairly easy. Although I need to not overwhelm myself with the large abundance of sources and end up falling off track from my original thought.

Thoughts & Ideas II

As I was searching for sources, I was

surprised to find so many sources on how music helps teach people a new language or catch onto one quicker. After reading some articles, I never realized till now how from young we've been exposed to this idea of 'learning language through music'. If we think about it, since we were born we've learned that we have to row a boat, clean up or that Mary had a little lamb. All of this was for a purpose. This really piqued my interest. I'm thinking of switching around one of my topic sentences on something along the lines of "since infancy, we've learned language, words and its meaning through nursery rhymes".

Blog Entry #4

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Blog Post #5

Thesis

Music has such a strong & positive impact on the youth that allows them to learn languages quicker, create a higher amount of dopamine & serotonin in our systems, and prevent harm to oneself such as suicide.


Topic Sentence


  • - With all the different genres and languages of music out there, it has become easier for people and/or communities who share an interest in the language and culture of a specific genre of music, to immerse themselves in it and learn the languages quicker.


  • - Dopamine & serotonin are drugs that are created by the brain that ultimately create happiness. Oftentimes younger generations listen to music when sad, bored, or even when experiencing anxiety attacks to soothe them and lift them up.


  • - A common mental illness that is happening in this world and that is targeting the youth more than usual is suicide and often times listening to music can really help someone from following through with their thoughts. Younger generations can oftentimes relate more to the music and the lyrics and view the artists of these songs as their saviors and help them cope with their mental illnesses.


Feedback

I changed my essay topic about 2 times now and so the feedback that was provided to me

was from the previous one. My peers provided with ways to make my thesis more interesting. Keeping it short and sweet isn't informative enough, yet being too detailed can be a bore. So presenting your topic with a bit of reasons of why I chose it, really helps the thesis be clear.

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Reflection

Comparing the notes in class on how to

properly write vs how I typically write, I could say that I would need to improve. Overall my writing isn’t terrible but it does need some tweaking. For example, shortening my sentences. I tend to forget to end a sentence when I’m going into details on things. In addition, I tend to forget to add punctuations in proper places within a sentence. Reflecting on that, I think by reviewing my essay a couple of times and paying close attention to certain things, I could do well in the final essay.

Blog Entry #6

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Blog Entry #7

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Thoughts and Ideas III

After receiving the grading criteria for my blog

post, I realized that my blogs are a bit bland and lifeless. Through some constructive criticisms, I realized that I should add some more photos and had the idea of using gifs. Gifs tend to make posts more entertaining and alive. I think using these gifs really makes a good impression on my posts.

Thoughts & Ideas IV

I'm thinking about creating a sort of quote

at the start of my essay that will really help present my topic in my introduction. As for the conclusion, I'll possibly write something that really touches the reader's heart by being able to relate to the entire essay in some calming words. Using symbolism or maybe metaphors to really make the ending persuasive.

Blog Entry #8

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Blog Entry #9

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Thoughts and Ideas V

  • Music is anything but a mistake and life without it would indeed be one.

  • Music is oftentimes taken for granted and we forget to realize just how beautifully impactful it can be.

  • Music is a diamond in the rough or as mesmerizing as Picasso's art.

Blog Entry #10

Peer Review

The peer review really helped to provide me with better ways to formulate long sentences and

the spots where I missed punctuations. As well as how to properly quote the author in the essay. By being mindful of that, I was able to construct my essay better and make it more polished. I also found that reviewing someone else’s essay, helped me realize that I make similar mistakes as others or that the things I lack, others don’t, and vice versa. I feel that without the peer review, my final essay would’ve been worse if I had not tweaked it properly.

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Video Presentation