Notebook Entry #5

3e. First, look at the piece you're currently working on. Who would you say are the most
important figures in it? One way to look at this question is to look at the sources you're using as
voices, or characters. Another way to look at it is by looking at the points of view you're using.
Next, analyze what you've done so far to represent each figure/character/voice. Finally, identify
what you need to do to balance the scales--to represent each figure/character/voice fairly or
accurately.

Response:

When revising my profile, there were many things I noticed I did that in one way or
another supported the important figures I represented in it. In my profile, the most important
figures that I represented were first, Kirsten Thomas, an administrative worker at the
Volunteers of America (VOA) Youth Resource Center. The second most important figure I
focused on was Kirsten Jensen, a DCFS Training Manager, and the third was Michael McKenna, a
detective for the Unified Salt Lake City Police Department. I would say these are my most
important figures because the majority of the information found in the profile is based on the
viewpoints and experiences of Kirsten Thomas, the majority of the information used to support
Ms. Thomas were the observations of Kirsten Jensen, and then the observations of Michael
McKenna were used to balance the perspectives to make it a diverse collection of viewpoints.
To represent each figure, I’ve done a variety of things. For Ms. Thomas, I gave a small
excerpt containing background information on her, and then described some of her work
experience at the Youth Center, and some knowledge she’s gained on the issue of teen
homelessness. Later in my profile I also explained in depth her viewpoints on how we can
further eliminate the issue of homeless youth. To represent the voices of my other important
figures, I gave a very brief explanation of both Ms. Jensen and Detective McKenna, and gave a
sufficient explanation of what could be done to fix the issue of homelessness among teens
from Ms. Jensen’s perspective as a DCFS trainer. I also briefly quoted Detective McKenna and
his thoughts of why homelessness is such an issue in our community.
Now, while my profile balances these 3 main figures seemingly well, there are still some
things that I can do to make them better. For example, I only briefly give information on the
background of Ms. Jensen and Detective McKenna, and to represent these figures more fairly
and accurately, I could give a deeper yet still concise background on these 2 professionals. I
could also give more insight and share more experiences of Detective McKenna within the
profile. The reason to do these two things is because it would help to balance the profile more
by showcasing the different perspectives and viewpoints of all professionals, making the profile
a more diverse work that still adeptly interconnects the ideas and themes of all sides.
 In the end, while I’ve realized that there are many things that I’ve successfully done in
my profile, I realized there are many things that I could still do to make my profile even more
concise and clear at communicating my point, making it an even more professional and
successful piece of work.