Tuesday, June 3, 2008

lying in bed

Read “Lying in Bed” by G.K. Chesterton and write a blog post that analyzes the 4-5 most important strategies used by the author.

rhetorical strategy 1: metaphor
He compares his carpet to turkish delight
"I found the Turkey carpet a mass of unmeaning colours, rather like the Turkish Empire, or like the sweetmeat called Turkish Delight."

rhtorical strategy2: allusion
He makes an allusion to a bible passage verse when discussing his wallpaper
"I could not understand why one arbitrary symbol (a symbol apparently entirely devoid of any religious or philosophical significance) should thus be sprinkled all over my nice walls like a sort of small-pox. The Bible must be referring to wallpapers, I think, when it says, “Use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do.”

rhetorical strategy 3: parallel sentence structure
This sentence has a parallel structure separated by a semicolon
"Especially this is so in matters of hygiene; notably such matters as lying in bed.."
the parallelism is "matters of something"

rhetorical strategy 4: descriptive words
he uses lots of descripritve adjectives to spice up the writing
"rich and mingled colour like some strange fairy rain;"
rich, mangle, and fairy all make the writing much more fun to read

preparing for synthesis question

Read Preparing for the 2007 Synthetic Question and blog a bit (100-200 words) about what you learned from the advice and where the advice seems to fall short.

the article gives a really good job informing us how we should get started. Like how to read and analyze the information give and how to start off wit the thesis. it is helpful advice in that regards. Getting started can sometimes be the hardest part. But, the advice falls short in describing HOW the sources should be included in the essay. It is important not to just plop the quotes in and the article doesn't really give good examples of how to really SYNTHESIZE the sources! It kind of misses the big picture!!!

a modest proposal

Read A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift. In a 300 word blog post: What’s the purpose of this piece? How does the satire serve a rhetorical purpose or put forth an indirect claim? Please excerpt 3 sections and comment more directly on them.

The purpose of this piece is discuss teh numbers of poor and homelsss women with fatherless children.
"I do therefore humbly offer it to publick consideration, that of the hundred and twenty thousand children, already computed,
twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one
fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep,
black cattle, or swine, and my reason is, that these children are
seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded
by our savages, therefore, one male will be sufficient to serve
four females. That the remaining hundred thousand may, at a year
old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune,
through the kingdom, always advising the mother to let them suck
plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump, and
fat for a good table. A child will make two dishes at an
entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone, the
fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned
with a little pepper or salt, will be very good boiled on the
fourth day, especially in winter."
this exerpt from the passage seems like it should be a sarcastic joke, but i can't tell if the author is serious or not. IT seems a bit strange to recommend that people eat children. I don't know what to really think from this passage. It also talks about breeding children like cattle and basically diminished children as not human and on teh same level as teh animals we breed and eat.

hamlet blog

1. Why does Hamlet wait so long to kill Claudius? What are the reasons for his hesitation? How valid are they? How many times does he have the opportunity to attack Claudius? What are his reasons for not doing so?

hamlet has doubts at first that the story he has heard from the ghost is actually true. They are valid doubts because he has no proof that his uncle has killed his father. He has 2 opportunities to kill his uncle. The first time it is because of his doubts and the second because his uncle is praying and if hamlet were to kill his uncle then, he would go to heaven and hamlet wants his uncle to go to hell.

2. Hamlet claims that his madness is feigned, an “antic disposition” which he puts on for his own purposes (I.v.172). Why would Hamlet want to feign madness? How can an appearance of insanity help him achieve his ends? Is he really sane throughout the play, or does he ever cross the line into madness? What about Ophelia’s mad scene? Is it real or feigned? Is there “method in her madness” as well, or is she entirely irrational? Why has she gone mad? (What two reasons do her songs suggest?)

hamlet feigns madness so his uncle doesn't find out that hamlet knows the whole story. This way his uncle will be caught by surprise and hamlet has the advantage. I think he crosses the line into madness when he calls of the wedding and when he kills ophelia's father because he is just blindly attacking and killing anyone that appears to be his uncle. He has "gone mad" with hate. Ophelia's mad scene is real though. She first goes mad when hamlet rejects her in marriage and the then when her father is murdered.

3. Pay attention to the treatment of the women characters Gertrude and Ophelia. Is there any basis for the Freudian interpretation of an Oedipal attraction between Hamlet and his mother? Hamlet does seem obsessed with his mother’s sexuality. How old is Hamlet? How old do you think Gertrude is? Is Hamlet’s disgust at Gertrude’s sexuality justified? To what extent is Gertrude guilty? Was she “in on” her husband’s murder? Has Claudius confided in her since the murder? How does Hamlet’s perception of his mother affect his behavior or attitude toward Ophelia? Why does he tell Ophelia to go to a nunnery? Does Hamlet really love Ophelia? If so, why is he cruel to her?

Hamlet and ophelia kiss and he is obsessed with her sex life with claudious. Hamlet is in his 20s and i think Gertrude is in her late 30s-40. I think it's justified because it creeps him out that his mother is with his uncle/ the man who killed his father. Gertrude is guilty that she is with his uncle. No she was not in on her husband's murder and no claudious has not confided in her since the murder. Because of his mother's incest, Hamlet turns bitter towards women and rejects ophelia He tells her to go to a nunnery and not get married because he wants to bad marriages because he is so creeped out. But he really did love ophelia because after she dies he tells his brother he really did love ophelia. he was cruel because he was bitter.

4. Suicide is an important theme in Hamlet. Discuss how the play treats the idea of suicide morally, religiously, and aesthetically, with particular attention to Hamlet’s two important statements about suicide: the “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt” soliloquy (I.ii.129–158) and the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy (III.i.56–88). Why does Hamlet believe that, although capable of suicide, most human beings choose to live, despite the cruelty, pain, and injustice of the world?

hamlet concludes that people chose to live in pain because of fear for what will come next after death. I think there is also the religious aspect since suicide is a sin and those who commit it will go to hell.

5. Choose a soliloquy in the play to look more closely at. Paraphrase it and then connect it to the larger themes in the play.

I chose the first soliloquoy "o,What a rogue and peasant slave am i!" act 2 scene 2 lines 555 to 635. This soliloquoy is where Hamlet plots how he will catch Claudious and make a final judgment of whether or not he is guilty of murdering his father. HE goes on a rampage about his trap to test Claudious if he reacts guiltily to watching a play that mirrors the murder of his father. This is connected to the larger theme of the play on wether or not: claudious is guilty and hamlet is mad.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

downe essay

Bring home “As he himself puts it” and write a sample paragraph for the following prompt in which you include a quote from the prompt in your response and use the qualities and advice suggested by Graff/Birkenstein.

Downe tried to convince his wife that America is better than england by giving her an anecdotal story in which he actually experienced a better life. "a farmer took me one day in his waggon int o the country, from Hudson, to see a factory, and I dined with him, and he would not have a farthing, and told me I was welcome to come to his house at any time; they had on the table pudding, pyes, and fruit of all kind that was ins season, and preserves, pickles, vegetables, meat, and everything that a person could wish and the servants set down at the same table with their masters." This is a story of great wealth especially in food and the kindness of the people in America to share this wealth. This is something that differs from life in england that is better.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

oppising opinion on social issues

HW: Blog post: Write two paragraphs putting forth an opinion about an important social issue (Gun control, Affirmative Action, Cats are better than Dogs). Choose an issue you care about but write one paragraph according to how you actually feel and the other according to how someone who disagrees might feel. Try to make is so that someone from the outside wouldn’t know which of these you agree with.

opinion: abortion

first opinion: If you were a rape vistim and became pregnant, would you want tobring a baby into the world? Not only is that unfair to you as it is a constant reminder of the traumatic experience, but for a child to know that the only reason for their exsistence is from rape, that is positiviely barbaric! I would certainly not want to be that child and i don't knwo many people that would. Abortion is a clear reason to handle this issue. Prohibiting abortion in this instance is unnecessary and does more harm than good.

vs.

Second opinion: Life, all stages of life, is a precious gift and should be treated as such. As soon as an egg is fertilized, there is life. Destroying this life destroys teh possibility of a future contributing human being. In essence, abortion is murder. And the worst form of murder, murder on the helpless. An embryo clearly has no choice or say in their death and abortion makes the choice for them. Abortion is evil.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Juxtaposing Essay

Women During War Times















There are two images that convey the spirit of the time and the power that women bring to the table. In this case the table is the balance of power both in America and in a global setting. One comes from World War II during a time when 15 million American women were building 8,000 aircraft models monthly. This is an incredible image is also apparent with Rosie in full color and minimal context. Vanessa has more subdued color but an abundance of visual context.

The effect of these images is striking. These women are significant and not to be underestimated. They empower other women, and empower our nation. The sense of nationalism nearly jumps off the image as these two icons show the world what is right about America.

Does Vanessa inspire other women to enlist and become gunners? The answer is undoubtedly yes. She conveys strength, composure, confidence, and importance. She commands respect. She makes women proud to be making a difference where they were forbidden just a few decades earlier. How do our adversaries view this when their view of women suggests they have minimal rights and are not entitled to education or positions of power? This image may have far more effect on the women outside America than those inside. Imagine the feeling of awe to a young Afghan woman who is afraid and confused about becoming the property of an older man in her own life, and then sees that much is possible in a different part of the world for young women

With this background understanding of the two images, the comparison is not yet complete. There are more interesting aspects to explore in each image’s visual rhetoric. Color was used as one way to enhance the messages behind the imagery. The primary colors in Rosie stand for the basic need for women. In the image there are three basic colors, red and blue and yellow, which contribute to our understanding of this basic need. By not complicating the poster with multiple colors and leaving it simple the message comes across loud and clear: your country needs your help. In Vanessa’s photograph the colors are different shades of grey and blue. These bland colors enhance our understanding that she has a tough job with tough decisions. Nothing is black and white and no color dominates the image. This color balance present in the images adds to our understanding in a subconscious way.

Each of the compositions further adds to their impressions. In Rosie, she is dead center with nothing going on behind her; she is the main and only focus of the poster. Once again the image was made simple, which made it effective. Vanessa, however, is overshadowed by the arterial weapon and pushed to the right of the image. This makes it so that the weapon and her job come across as the most important part of her life.
The focus of the painting, where our eyes are drawn to, is a third tool used. When first looking at the Rosie image, my eyes are drawn immediately to the bold words, “We Can Do It!” and then to her determined face. This is effective because her determinedness empowered the words for women as if Rosie is adding to them saying, “You bet we can do it!” In Vanessa’s photograph, my eyes are drawn immediately to the huge weapon and then to her face. The weapon also draws our attention because Vanessa is not the center of the image like Rosie was. Having the weapon first grab our attention and then seeing Vanessa’s face exaggerates the surprise that a woman is manning this heavy, powerful weapon.

The women individually give insight into their message by their stance and facial expressions. The posture of both women in the images is different, but for a reason. Rosie is flexing her arm to show strength and symbolize power. Vanessa, however, is at ease to show that she is comfortable in her job. She looks natural. But a similarity between the two images is the confidence they secrete. Rosie has one eyebrow cocked, which seems to make her say, “Dare to question me?” With her ‘muscle pose,’ set jaw-line, intense stare, and pursed firm lips she oozes confidence in herself. By having her not smile she becomes more powerful and serious to show that helping the war efforts is no light task. Vanessa also displays this same confidence level with her intense stare and set jaw-line. She too is not smiling to show her seriousness and power.

What if the fictional Rosie could meet with Vanessa and talk to each other? Sixty years of cultural differences would make for interesting conversation. They would have much in common through their experiences. Rosie was the first to be recruited for a war effort moving away from the domestic focus. Vanessa is the first to be a female aerial gunner in the US Air Force.

Through the power of the images and the history behind them, the comparison of the two women becomes clear. Their similarities and differences, both through imagery and historical context, enhance the messages they send; Rosie with “We Can do It!” and Vanessa with “I have proved we can do it!” Vanessa is the completion of Rosie’s campaign showing that women can break the stereotypes and fulfill their lives. Both women are symbols of power and strength; they’re just from
different eras in the United States.






Bibliography

“Rosie the Riveter.” Image. County College of Morris. 01 Nov. 2007. 15 Apr. 2008. .


“Vanessa Dobos.” Image. Dave Hayes.edu. 5 Feb. 2006. 21 Apr. 2008. .


Widener, Chuck 2nd Lt. “A new breed of gunner.” Airman. 2003. 21 Apr. 2008. .


“Women in War Jobs - Rosie the Riveter (1942-1945).” Ad Council. 2008. 21 Apr. 2008. .


“WW2 Aircraft Production Numbers.” World War II. 1988. 21 Apr. 2008. .

kennan ap question outline

I. Intro
Thesis
The power we give our country lies in the opinion of the citizens nt in a central government like other countries.
II. Keenan believes that our power is not concentrated:
Different government branches
Small levels governments
Majors and governors
All the way to executive branch
President
III. The opinion of the public has the ability to move officials.
The design of our government is for the government officials to represent the opinions of the people
When congress issues a draft it usually ends wars because it’s wildly unpopular
Vietnam war
IV. I think he’s correct
Britain is very similar
China is very different
Most countries like china
African countries and Asian countries and a little bit of S. America Countries
V. Conclusion
Restate thesis

kennan ap question outline

I. Intro
Thesis
The power we give our country lies in the opinion of the citizens nt in a central government like other countries.
II. Keenan believes that our power is not concentrated:
Different government branches
Small levels governments
Majors and governors
All the way to executive branch
President
III. The opinion of the public has the ability to move officials.
The design of our government is for the government officials to represent the opinions of the people
When congress issues a draft it usually ends wars because it’s wildly unpopular
Vietnam war
IV. I think he’s correct
Britain is very similar
China is very different
Most countries like china
African countries and Asian countries and a little bit of S. America Countries
V. Conclusion
Restate thesis

Friday, April 18, 2008

it's complicated image rhetoric1

We’ll write a short blog post on this using the vocab we received from Ms. Chase.
The photographer of the "it's complicated" images uses a lot of lighting contrast to make his statements. He uses contrast, color, and balance. The contrast comes from the lighting. There is focus of the lighting and how it centered on their faces. Some pictures have the light coming from behind them that makes the person seem like they "can't see the light."
Color actually comes from the lack of color seen in teh photographs. You can, however, see tones in shades of gray, white, and balck. These tones make the pictures more simple so you can really focus on teh subjects. They aren't complicated with a bunch of bright colors.
Balance in the photographs comes from the balance of objects in teh photographs. Some pictures have a lot goiing on in them while others are very simple. The two ommish girls don't have much going on in teh background but the debutante does. It's a difference of livestyles represented by the balance in the photographs.

Defense of poetry

Percy Bysse Shelly’s “Defenese of Poetry.”
For the literature of England, an energetic development of which has ever preceded or accompanied a great and free development of the national will, has arisen as it were from a new birth. In spite of the low - thoughted envy which would undervalue contemporary merit, our own will be a memorable age in intellectual achievements, and we live among such philosophers and poets as surpass beyond comparison any who have appeared since the last national struggle for civil and religious liberty. The most unfailing herald, companion, and follower of the awakening of a great people to work a beneficial change in opinion or institution, is poetry. At such periods there is an accumulation of the power of communicating and receiving intense and impassioned conceptions respecting man and nature. The person in whom this power resides, may often, as far as regards many portions of their nature, have little apparent correspondence with that spirit of good of which they are the ministers. But even whilst they deny and abjure, they are yet compelled to serve, that power which is seated on the throne of their own soul. It is impossible to read the compositions of the most celebrated writers of the present day without being startled with the electric life which burns within their words. They measure the circumference and sound the depths of human nature with a comprehensive and all penetrating spirit, and they are themselves perhaps the most sincerely astonished at its manifestations; for it is less their spirit than the spirit of the age. Poets are the hierophants of an unapprehended inspiration; the mirrors of the gigantic shadows which futurity casts upon the present; the words which express what they understand not; the trumpets which sing to battle, and feel not what they inspire; the influence which is moved not, but moves. Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.
…and summarize, explain the claim, note the strategies, and comment on our opinion of the claim’s validity.
The claim is that poets are underappreciated. They are to inspire and relaly seek teh deper meaning in nature and serve humankind in this fashion.
The strategies used are short statements connected with semicolons and huge analogies. The sentence states witha statments and then supporting statements to the subject of the sentence are done in short statements. "Poets are the hierophants of an unapprehended inspiration; the mirrors of the gigantic shadows which futurity casts upon the present; the words which express what they understand not; the trumpets which sing to battle, and feel not what they inspire; the influence which is moved not, but moves." Poets is the subject and then in each statement that follows there is a metaphor and no subject, just the repetition of 'the.'
I think the claim is valid. poets i think are underappreciated but i don't know what kind of appreciation they really want. There is a lot of life in poetry that is written and it takes skill to move people with words like poets do.

how to talk about a book you haven't read

Write a blog post that uses some of these strategies in responding to either the French Twist essay or Harry Potter and the Ignomious Cop Out by the same author.

I chose to write about "Harry Potter the Ignomious Cup."
In here the author's main point is to convey the ridiculousness of the the Harry Potter books. The fact that he didn't die left eh author feeling a big "gyped." After harry's luck in surviving everything thrown at him, the author felt that he was "owed" harry's death. By letting harry live....."Rowling seems to misunderstand the power of catharsis. It’s not simple reassurance, it’s a primal release." The author believes that the author ignored teh rules of writing.

The rhetorical strategies used are metaphors and humor. "This is roughly the equivalent of Oedipus Rex’s tearing his eyes out, then stumbling across a wise old friend who tells him: “Hey, guess what, buddy? You know how you just killed your dad and slept with your mom, like the oracle predicted? Well, since you did it all with totally innocent love in your heart, it doesn’t count! Go tell your mom to untie that noose! And look, your eyes just grew back! All is well!” teh author compares Harry potter to Oedipus Rex here in ahumoruos way.

fog of war

Please choose and read 2 of the critics and in your own blog post, reflect on the rhetorical purpose, strategies, and effectiveness of the movie. Also refer to the two critics you read (link them!) and explain whether you agree or disagree with what they have to say. Please finish by Thursday because we will use it in class then.

A big strategy used was using pictures with someone talkign behind it. The effectiveness of this was it made it more interesting for the listener and the words had more meaningwith visual aid! Also when the speaker would talk and the scene would be a close up of a negative word, i think that that was most effective.
Another strategy used was to show the speaker not answering certain questions. It shows how political he has become over the years and how certain things are still not talked about. Even though the speaker wasn't in office anymore, he remained political in teh way he talks and answers questions.
I think the movie did an excelent job of conveying just how political war can be where it's so complicated that people still can't talk about the events that happened behind closed white house doors 40 years later.

Liam lacy [Morris] gave him a stage -- and Mr. McNamara took it -- to chart the tragedy of Vietnam and prove that war is too complex, too dangerous for fallible human beings in power to know what they're doing.
I completely agree with what Lacy is saying. He accurately captures a main point behind the movie and effectively conveys that.

Bruce Newman i think hits upon the main movie claim from Mcnamara as well. "It is a profound examination of the troubling proposition that good or well-meaning people can help create horrible and evil events -- and be swept along in the turmoil they unleash."

2nd semester senior

Tell me a story. Create a typical 2nd semester senior and write me a short story about what happens to him/her. Remember to use good storytelling technique: set-up, crisis, resolution. Have the story tell us something interesting/useful about what it means to be a 2nd Semester Senior.

Emily, a second semseter senior, is told in march that there will be an esay due in three weeks. the essay isn't supposed to be a diffficult one, but it will be a couple pages long. So Emily, being the second semseter senior she is, procrastinates. Facebook and bubbleshooter are much more pressing matters than her english essay. Then, teh night before the test comes around. A classmate reminds Emily of the Essay and she responds with @#$@#$^&*^&*#$#. Oh yes, she is a second semester with a sailors vocab, like all second semseter seniors. The essay is due 3rd period. So The DAY OF the essay's due date, in first period Emily frantically types away on her hady dandy laptop. The essay is somewhat compelte and Emily manages to rush off and print it, after scrambling to find a print card, and turn it in. Hooray for Emily
A few weeks later the Essay's are returned and emiliy gets a B. What does it mean to bea second semseter senior? You have acquired almost 4 years of procrastination and BS skills to pump out an essay in a 100 min class period the day it is due. Thank you High School!

family portrait

“Two Family Portraits: The Peales and the Bellellis.” You’ll read it and then complete a 300-4o0 word blog post that analyzes the methods Canaday uses visual rhetoric terminology to analyze the two paintings. Then, you’ll make your own observations on the two paintings and agree/disagree with Canaday’s conclusions.

canaday analyzes the pictures based on a lot of color, line, and balance.
The peales seem like a happy familiy because most of the family membors are touching and the colors are warm: brown, red, yellow, etc. canaday also takes note of a "connection" between the family membors because of the fruit laying accross teh table and teh connecting eyes of the man drawing the portrait of his mother and her grandchild. Canaday also takes note of the slight awkwardness present in the Peales family portrait. The Arm of the grandmother is a "rubber arm" because it continues on too long and the hands of a sister are too large. This shows the difference between American and British painting, according to Canaday.
Teh Bellellis, on teh other hand, is a huge contrast to the peales family portrait. The only physical touch present in teh painting is between teh one daughter and the mother. This, according to Canaday, is to show how they are much closer whereas the girl in between parents seems to be caught in teh middle. Since the father is in exile we cannot see his face ad it seems that the author was more favorable to thefather because of this. the mother seems very austere in posture. the colors in this painting are cool colors like blue, and gray and black.
I definitely agree with Canaday's conclusions. he didn't become an art critic for nothing. I tink he does an excelent job of paying close attention to detial and drawing the analysis part of the paintings. it is like an essay where you set up the quote/painting then put it there, then have to analyze what that means. I think he does a good job of this and a clear example of that is through teh fruit drawn accross the table of teh peales painting. I much prefered that painting myself and the connectison he draws are well done

Thursday, April 10, 2008

the soiling of old glory

The photographs in the essay are wildly powerful. The one of the 19 year old woman and her two year old goddaughter is horrific and i cannot imagine being int eh photographers shoes. I thinkt he essay is wonderfully written in that it does address the problems, but it doesn't really go beyond that. There is no discussion of what can be done and merely addresses teh problems represented in teh photographs. Particularly the busing incident photograph of 1976. It was clearly taken some time ago and i wonder when the essay was writte; if any analysis of how racism has changed, or not changed, since then could be made. I think more could be done on the analysis part but i think the author did a good job taking advantage of the photographs powerful images.

Picture Analysis


The first guy who is refusing to have his picture taken seems to be more embarrassed than the guy who is proud to have his picture taken. It shows a difference in personality between the two men as to whether they have pride in themselves or not. A picture is the quickest way to see into someone’s soul. Maybe the first soldier has something to hide? The both appear to be fairly serious though, especially since they are showing up to a parade in their full soldier uniform.
A lot can be said by looking at/ into the eyes of a person. The solder who wanted to have his picture taken has deep serious eyes that show pride in himself. His lips are pulled tight into a forced smile accentuating his solemness.
Maybe the first soldier was not supposed to be at the parade and was supposed to be working or something. or he was with someone he wasnt supposed to be with. We may never relaly knwo why he would refuse to have his picture taken.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

book review

In reading the book, "In cold blood," I find myself captured by Capote's writing. It skips around a little bit from the story of the two murderers and the story of the people whowere left behind in Holcomb, Kansas. In summary, the book follows the story of two men, Perry and Dick, as they commit the "perfect crime." Dick had received word from a "source" in prison that a family named the Clutters had $10,000 in a safe in heir home in kansas. Dick convinces Perry to join him on his journey to the clutter home where Mr. and Mrs. Clutter lived with their two youngest children, Nancy and Kenyon. When the two men arrive at the home late at night, they find that there is no safe in the room where it "should be"" They wake up the etire family, and finding no money, murder to family so ther are "no survivors." They then leave the state and go down to mexico where they stay until they have no money. Dick and Perry return to the states to replenish their money and it is during this return trip that the are caught.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

The Hijacking of Multiculturalism

The Hijacking of Multiculturalism

When is Barack Obama going to play the race card? “The Toronto Star” published an article on March 8 entitled, "In U.S. politics, race card remains in vogue,” stating, “’the race card’ could still be played.” It claims that racism is part of the American “cultural and historical furniture.” Is multiculturalism defined by such racism and polarized thinking? When Obama’s parents married in 1960, there were still 22 states banning interracial marriages. Then, in 1967, the Supreme Court abolished all “race hygiene” laws. The concept of “race hygiene” is, in essence, the opposite of multiculturalism. There is problem with using the word “multicultural” to describe people of “many different skin colors”, not people of “many different cultures.” When skin color becomes the focal point the concept of multiculturalism has narrowed and become improperly defined by only one aspect: physical appearance.

Frankly I’m impressed Obama hasn’t “played the race card” since media articles are speculating and seem to be using it already . He is focused on appearing Presidential, not on being multicultural. Why does the media try to make it about race? John McCain has a culture but we don’t talk about his culture because he’s an elderly white male.
The United States has been considered the “melting pot” of different cultures for centuries. Yet the KKK, the black panthers, the Black Muslim movement, white supremacists and like groups all advocated for, and still argue for, “racial hygiene” during this same period of multicultural growth in America. There is no shortage of special interest groups that continue to work to hijack the multicultural philosophy that our country was founded on.

Look at the people around you and you will find that just about everyone is “multicultural.” No, not everyone is a mix of different colored skin, but the multitude of the United States population is not 100% of any culture. Being a “pure-bred” is rare in today’s society. In my circle of friends, being a “pure-bred” is neither a blessing nor a curse. I live and socialize in a multicultural setting every day. I find this is not about race and color. It is about their heritage, customs, and family behavior.

I look at myself and see a rich mixture of Dutch, British, Irish, and Scottish customs and family histories. All are European countries, but all have different cultures. So I am multicultural, but that’s not how society views me. To society I am a member of the white majority. Defined as a piece of white bread; I am “bland” by today’s expectation of what multicultural means. I do not have different races in my blood but why is this considered to be an absence of “culture”? Simply put, I believe myself to be multicultural.

In an article titled, “Multicultural backlash,” Rukhsana Khan makes the claim, “Others say that the term ‘multicultural’ is misleading because it is actually used to refer to other cultures in particular to ‘non-white’ cultures and yet each of us comes from a culture.” His point that minority pride is mistaken for multiculturalism is a valid one. We should resist making this mistake.

I made this mistake with a person that looked like me even though I believed I had nothing in common with him. During my sophomore year, my family hosted a foreign exchange student, Henning, from Germany. Exchanging cultural views with him was an extreme eye-opener as he expressed cultural pride every day. He felt proud and superior in America because he was German. It was offensive and I told him so. Did I do this subconsciously as well? Is that why it bothered me so much?

At the beginning of the year Henning and I did not get along. In his view products made in the United States were poor quality and products made in Germany were high quality. This extended to people and sports as well. The outfits he wore were polo shirts, a sweater tied around his neck, and expensive jeans and shoes. He dressed the way he did because he was trained to dress formally for school. Initially he resisted American culture and was uncomfortable in the sweatshirt and jean “combo” that is typical of general population for American teens. Henning expressed his national pride without hesitation.

I didn’t always enjoy Henning’s demeanor but I later respected his cultural dignity. The experience taught me to be more receptive to multiculturalism. What I thought was arrogance I gradually understood to be cultural pride. In my circle of friends I can identify Korean, Turkish, Indian, Egyptian, Japanese, Peruvian, and African American cultures. Henning has made me appreciate these rich cultures as well. It’s about accepting people for their race and culture.

Video

We have one excellent example of multicultural success center in our backyard: the neighborhood of Ballard. Seattle.net posted an article about Ballard’s amazing ability to embrace multiculturalism. The article says:


“Once the domain of Norwegian and Swedish fisherman, Ballard is an increasingly desirable place to live, shop, and experience the [multicultural] music scene and nightlife. This is not to say Ballard has lost its identity. Seattle still has a fishing fleet (located across Salmon Bay at Fisherman’s Terminal) and plenty of Norwegian speaking codgers hanging around coffee shops eager to tell you about the good old days. The Locks are a popular day destination, as is the Nordic Heritage Museum. Ballard is changing, but it has a pretty big reservoir of character.”

Ballard has managed to use its reservoir to benefit from multiculturalism showing the positive effects of accepting many cultures. But, all of this effort could be wasted if the issue is defined skin color and minority pride. It would also be wasted if Ballard became exclusive in favor of only Nordic Heritage.

Even here in and around Shoreline, there are cultural events going virtually unnoticed. From the time I was 1 year old until I was 8 years old, every May 17th I would plant myself with my family on the curb, or rest on the shoulders of my dad, on Greenwood Ave and watch the Norwegian Independence Day Parade , even though we do not hail from the fjords of Norway. The parade itself was multicultural because there were Filipino, Chinese, and Latino community girl drill teams. But, I myself did not remember this cultural experience until my father reminded me of it. In all the efforts made to raise awareness for minority ethnic groups, we could lose the cultures of European nations, which add to the multicultural society we live in. Thankfully all these cultures continue to march and celebrate together each May.

The word multicultural can be abused so easily. It often suffers from a deviation towards referring to minority cultures and not on the wide birth of cultures both of ethnic minority and European majority nations.

If Obama plays “the race card,” multiculturalism will be hijacked by his campaign and the media will celebrate this. It will suffer a blow because we will not be talking about Presidential qualities anymore. We will be talking about race and it will divide people. People will vote on color not on context, further dividing us into exclusion from other cultures. Multiculturalism will be diminished by those seeking to define it as racial pride and preference. We will be once again fighting “racial hygiene” as we saw in the 1960s.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

me talk and kitchen

HW: Read “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “Lost in the Kitchen” in 50 essays. Analyze them for humor. How do the authors use specific details, hyperbole, and writing style to make you laugh (or at least smile?) Write a short blog post analyzing their styles of humor.
Me talk pretty ones day uses extreme humor in her interpretation of what the teacher is sayign in frech. SHe uses made up word spellings to show how she doesn' understandthe language. "Well you should ave been vkjsd more lsdkcds." The teacher says this to a girl in the class in france, but she only heard jibberish because she didn't understand what was being aid. That made me smile. I can relate because soemtimes when i hear a foreign language that is exactly what it osunds like to me.
Lost in kitchen uses exaggeraed truth that makes me smile. "but there is a famous law of physics that goes, 'you cannot watch small cildren and the detroit lions at the same time, and let's face it, the detroit lions are more interesting." Clearly there isn't a physics law taht says this, but it is amusing to think what it would be if men truly had a law for this. He makes use of stereoptypes ina funny way without trying to to belittle anyone. It appears that he is demeanign men more than omen for not helping out in the kitchen, so it seems to balance out He kind of pokes fun of himself.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Rasselas

1 In the beginning of the selection, what complaint does Rassalas have against his sister’s method of argumentation?
He complains that she exaggerates only on the dark events that rarely happen like a car fire
2 Summarize the 2nd paragraph. Why is “calamity” not so bad?
OFten dreading omething is wrose than the acual event. We can be so fearful and anxious for something to happen that when it does, it doesn't eem all that bad. And life will go on, so it's important to keep ploughing forward.
3 Why does Rasselas believe that “marriage is one of the means of happiness?” What is his sister’s response?
Rasselas believes that marriage is dictated by nature and that men and women were made fr each other. HIs sister, however feels different. She sees how opposite some people are and how they argue and she doesn't feel taht marriage is so wonderful.
4 Summarize the 6th paragraph.
Rasselas is bringing up the point that his sister said that being celebate is a fate worse than marriage. So because she doesn't want to mary ut also doesn't want to remain celibate, these two opinions collide and cancel out, makign so that her mind can be clear to hear the "truth" whatever that may be.
5 The Princess’s response (“To the mind, as to the eye, it is difficult to compare with exactness objects vast…:”) is pretty complicated. What is the philosophical point she’s trying to make?
She is trying to make the point that whn we take in the whole picture of something not jsut look at it in sections, it is easier to let our opinions not show. So how her brother looks at marriage and how she looks at marriage are totally different, but if they step back and take look at marriage as a whole, things opinions won't matter.
6 What argument do the two have about marriage? What good does Rasselas see in it and what evil does his sister see?
Rasselas thinks that marriage is sacred by nature because men and women are made for each other. But, his sister believes that men and women are too different and too violent to be married. She doesn't like the arguing and passionate rage that comes with marriage. She sees evil in the arguing and how people are too afraid not to be married.
7 What rhetorical strategies do you see employed by both speakers? Be specific.
I think both speakers use logos. They are bringing up logical situations where marriage is good and where it is bad. Specifically i think there is parallelism in sentence structure used. "While Courts are disturbed with intestine competitions and ambassadors are negotiating in foreign countries" Noun verb, description. the syntax flow is very important to both speakers

In Cold Blood (outside reading book)

I have observed quite a lot about Capotes writing in, In Cold Blood thus far through the novel. Capote's writing is very distinctive in the way he uses description. Capote paints such a clear picture with not only the landscaping, but also the actions of people. He goes into such tiny details to how the eople thought, like hoe Mr. Cluter liked "apple eating weather" and how Mr. Clutter felt about Kansas being perfect if there hwas just an inch more of rain.
I do wonder how he managed to paint such detail of each family members final day(s), however, since they clearly cold not be interviewed. I think it is possible that he used some fiction , especially for Mrs. Clutter. She was so reclusive that it seems impossible to have reconstructed her last day factually.
THe book is well written with respect to detail if not just a bit over detailed in some spots. ther are times when the details become overwhelming and no longer do i have a clear picture in my head, but i am falling asleep. But, regardless of my opinion, i find the book fascinating to read thus far and will continue to!

The Truth About Beauty

Read The Truth about Beauty and analyze it as a definition essay. 250 word blog post. How does she define the word? What claim is she making? What examples does she use to back it up? Is she right? Explain.

The author is defining the word "Beautiful" as Dove does: That it is in everyone, people just need to recognize it. “Every girl deserves to feel good about herself and see how beautiful she really is.” But in addition to this, she claims that most women don't describe themselves as beautifulfor the same reason smart people don't describe themselves as geniuses: they don' feel they qualify. The author uses dove's campaign for the "regular woman" to back her claim. Dove made advertisements that stressed the unrealistic beauty of billboard models. They did this by showing how an "average" woman cbecoemes billboard flawless through touch-ups and heavy make-up. but, she also uses an example of a woman philosopher who would pay any amount of money to gain 15 points to her already above average IQ, not for plastic surgery or hair dye. This example showed now that the woman thought of herself as flawed, jsut that she wihed she had more. I do think she's right. I know very few girls who would consider themselves beautiful, whether out of low self-esteem or humbleness.

Monday, February 25, 2008

CLINTON OBAMA MCCAIN

1. what are the benefits of good rhetoric to a politician? the limits?
In terms of pathos, logo, and ethos, a politician could use these to pull ppl to agree with them. Good rhetoric gets peple to listen to a politicins speech and agree with them. Politicians who know how to use good rhetoric can get voted into office simply on this. Rhetoric apppealing to the values and needs of the ciitizens can be used by politicians to basically get voted into office.
Used to get elected and stay elected
appeal to the people
But, good rhetoric can be used for bad things. Like, manipulating people to believe in something thats false or believe false things about something. Limits to what people will be persuaded to do.
aka : hitler

2. what do you already know about the 3 remaining candidates for President in terms of rhetoric?
obama: uses past speeches info from powerful figure in history (MLK)
uses "we"
personable

clinton: good in debates-relaxed
dodge around questions
answers questions she wanted to be asked not the real one at hand

mcCain: straight talk
scary- no smilehis experience comes through (referencees it)
acknowledge the fact that he isn't funny/ entertaining

why i want a wife

1. What was your first reaction to the article?
My first reactionwas rage at the stereotyping present in the article. I couldn't believe all of the annoying and offensive things said about women.

2. What has changed (if anything) in terms of gender equality in our country? Would Sykes’s criticisms still be relevant today?
Women are becoming more corporate leders and there are less only stay at home moms. In the 50s women tyically ONLY stayed at home, but now its less common. It still happens though, like my mom only stayed at home when i was a kid. So, Sykes criticism would still be slightly relavent today.

3. Do you feel that women are discriminated against in our society and if so how? If not, what has changed?
I feel women aare definitely still discriminated against today because women make less women and are given lower jobs. Since teaching is typically a "woman's job," teachers make very little money. If it was mainly a guys job, they would probably make more. It's changed because now there you do see more women in ceo positions and there are laws protecting gender discrimination.

4. Could an equivalent essay entitled “Why I want a husband” be written? If so, what would it contain and what points would it make?
Yes, but the main thing it would contain is financial reasons for wanting a husband. The point of security through financial support, protection, and also having a husband's last name to promote yourself through society.

feminine mind 2

Read the whole thing and in a 300 word blog post explain whether you agree, disagree, or qualify the main point Mencken is making about sex differences.

i agree ith any of the points that Mencken makes in his piece. I specifically agree with a few and they are as follows:

section 1. "She may envy her husband, true enough, certain of his more soothing prerogatives and sentimentalities. She may envy him his masculine liberty of movement and occupation, his impenetrable complacency, his peasant-like delight in petty vices, his capacity for hiding the
harsh face of reality behind the cloak of romanticism, his general innocence and childishness. But she never envies him his puerile ego; she never envies him his shoddy and preposterous soul."
There are qualities of males that women may envy, but above that she will never envy his ego and soul for she knows it is only troublesome

section 2. ""Human creatures," says George, borrowing from Weininger, "are never entirely male or entirely female; there are no men, there are no women, but only sexual majorities."'
no one is ever entirely male or female but a combination of the both with one side showing more favorably than the other

section 3. "What men, in their egoism, constantly mistake for a deficiency of intelligence in woman is merely an incapacity for mastering that mass of small intellectual tricks, that complex of petty knowledges, that collection of cerebral rubber stamps, which constitutes the chief mental equipment of the average male. "
Males mistake a lack of intelligence in women because she cannot do someone of the tasks an petty accomplishments males can.

I agree with each of these points being made. Mencken, i believe, supports his points well ith examples and does a thorough jo of convincing the audience to see and believe what he does. He has definitely convinced me, but iwas a little biased to begin with ;-)

Feminine mind

1st paragraph graff

The general argument made by H.L.Mencken In his work, "The feminine mind," is that women are smarter and more aware than men. More specifically, Mencken argues that, women posses a higher intelligece and therefore regard men wih pity because of their brutish and arogant ways. He writes, "Women, in truth, are not only intelligent; they have almost a monopoly of certain of the subtler and more utile forms of intelligence." in this passage, Mencken is suggesting that Women are not only more intelligent than men, but contain a more useful forms of intelligence as well, like Gardner theories on multiple intelligences. In conclusion, Mencken's belief is that women are superior to men intelligentally because male arrogance gets in the way.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Listening to khakis article

I liked the article! I think that the writer did a good job getting his points across and i totally agree. I like the folowing quote of..."Needless to say, it came from a men's magazine. "With men, you don't want the fluff," she said. "Women, though, participate a lot more in whatever they are processing. By giving them more cues, you give them something to work with. You don't have to be so literal. With women you can be more allusive, so you can draw them in. They will engage in elaboration, and the more associations they make the easier it is to remember and retrieve later on." He's saying that Women pay more attention to details and And actually like the details but guys don't want any details. It seems like men get bored with details, and i toally agree!

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

creative class dismissed

But first, read this article called, “Creative Class, Dismissed.” about a teacher and her efforts to teach Rousseau. In a short blog post, summarize what Rousseau seems to be saying according to the teacher and how her students react to his argument. Then, compare and contrast that with your understanding of “The Creed of the Priest of Savoy” (Book 4 — scroll down to section 943).

"Rousseau has an overarching thesis that considers people to be good by nature but corrupted by society. My students like that, since it reassures them that it's not entirely their fault every time they do something bad, but rather that some larger social force "made me do it." And Rousseau articulates the longings in my students for more of a reason to live than competing for who's the best looking and smartest, or who ends up with the most toys."
The teacher is statig that Rousseau is explaining human fallicy by showing societies pressure upon them creating and adding to human fallicies.

"Many students tell me that reading Rousseau makes them conscious of the fact that ineluctably fascinating human wrongdoing almost always trumps the dullness of virtue, and that people who cheerily trumpet art (especially that which showcases bad behavior as entertainment) are blind to both art's power and its peril. One of my former seminar members recently wrote me that he was glad he'd read Letter to d'Alembert because he'd learned from it that, in the end, he prefers being miserable and loving art to his earlier childhood state of being happy and ignorant of it. This student was clear, at least: He was choosing art over virtue."
Students feel that they are more aware of their wrongdoings and the actions they commit against the arts.

"Whatever their ultimate opinions, I like to think Rousseau's essay humbles my students just a little, in just the right way, and at just the right moment in their lives. It reminds them that the kind of moral person they are becoming will never, ever hinge on the fact that they're getting a college degree. "
The teacher feels that students are more humbly aware of themselves and their actions from Rousseau's writing.

My understanding of "creed of priest Savvoy" is that the teacher in book 4 is telling students to have conscine on their actions of morality. Rousseaus work deals more with the arts and nature that the creed foes. Both do, however deal with the issue of morality and how best to act upon it.

animal liberation

Read Animal Liberation by Peter Singer in 50 Essays and write a 2-paragraph Graff template post.

the general argument made by singer in his work, "Animal Liberation," is that animals should have equal rights as humans do. More specifically singer argues that animals shouldn't be disregarded when it comes to suffering (in animal testing) because they don't speak english, commujnicate as we do, and have a lower IQ than humans do. He writes that, "behavioral signs and knowledge of the animals biological similarity to ourselves together provide adequate evidence that animals to suffer." In this passage Singer is suggesting that we can tell by the actions of animals (that are similar to our own) and see that animals are suffering because no words are needed. In conclusion, Singers belief is that animals do suffer and shoud be given equal right to humans.

In my view Singer is right becausewords are ot the only awy to let someone know that you're in pain. More spedcifically i believe that language is a tool in letting otghers be aware of ones suffering, but behavioral sogns are a bigger clue. For example, young children (and babies), do not often use words to show that they are in pain, but we know tat they are because of the noises they make and the cringing and anguished actions they exhibit. Although Singer may object that other people may say that animal suffering is less than human suffering, I maintain that this is not so. Therefore i conclude that animals and humans sufer and feel pain in th same way.

socratic dialogue

Write a Socratic dialogue in which you discuss with a Crito-like figure about Animal Rights. Use some of Socrates’s techniques of asking questions and leading his interlocutor to see an issue the way he sees it. He gets Crito to accept a general principle and then shows how his action fulfills that action.

C: why do you fight so hard for these anikmals who cannot speak as we do? There is no reason to believe hey feel as we do when they cannot communicate in our same manner

W: Crito do animals not make sounds of anguish when struck or beaten?

c: they do make sounds

w: are those sounds no painful to the ear?

c: they are

w: humans make paiknful sounds to hear when in pain as well

c: that i agree to

w: the who is to say that animals are in lesser pain becaus they do not speak when the sounds they make are in mirror to tthe sounds we make to let others know we are in pain. no words are needed to let someone know we are in pain. they need simply to look at our face andour eyes and hear the oujnds we make

c: that which you sayis true

w: what then do you have in rebuttle?

c: i have nothing to say

w: then i will continue to fight for these creatures for they too live, breathe, suffer, and die as we do.

exerpt from the coquest of happiness

Questions

1) Explain the first sentence.
a. By todays standards, being happy and being “good” are one in the same. It assumes tat by being “good” you are happy.

2) Explain what Russell means by “In fact the whole antithesis between self and the rest of the world, which is implied in the doctrine of self-denial, disappears as soon as we have any genuine interest in persons or things outside ourselves.”
a. When we become interested not in ourselves but in helping those around us, then the whole conflict between ourselves and the world is useless and therefore disappears. There is no antithesis needed when we give up selfishness of our own accord

3) How effective is Russel’s simile of the billiard ball? Would he be better without it? A different metaphor?
a. I think it’s effective because most people in America that I assume he’s writing to, are accustomed to what a billiard ball is and therefore understand the metaphor. If he was writing to people inrural India he would need a different metaphor. But for the adience and oint to prove I think it works. It gets his point accros efeectively and simply.

4) Explain what Russell means by a “citizen of the universe.”
a. By not forcing one to choose between oneself and the world, a person is no longer limited to being a citizen of a nation but a citizen of the entire universe. They realize and receive a greater glory.

5) How is this essay like/unlike Singer’s Animal Liberation in style, tone, and content?
a. Singe uses more metaphors to explain his meaning I fel. He uses metaphors (references) to ifferent cultural struggles, people’s intlelligences, animal actions all vs. animal rights. I think his tone is much more “this is wrong,” where Russles tone is more, philosophical and “this is how I think it would help people to live.” Style is different with the pathos used in singer’s essay to get people to feel a certain way and then act on their felings. Russle uses more pathos in that it recognizes how people feel when they do certain actions for themselves and not, and then to get people to come together on common ground feelings. Content is widly diffeent because singeris discussing animal rights and their treatment by us, while Russell is trying to get people to feel differently abou how they act of selfishness towards people. Both deal with selfishness and conving someone to fel a different way about each of their subjects, but the more sspecific subjects are different between the pieces and how people are convinced each way.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

dave barry like humor

"it's ok, honey, you're blonde." Man if i had a peso for evey time i heard that, i could own an entire mexican village. Now what does having light hair have to do with intelligence is what a would likw to know?! Now i am aware that Paris hilton, Blonde britney spears and lindsey lohan, and elle woods don't do the blonde community justice. But i am also aware that the rest of us successful, pretty blones have to pay the price for these poor unfortunate souls (2 of which aren't even natural). Dyed blondes are about as natural as a screendoor in a sumarine. But the praise i receive after undestanding the punch line of a joke is quite welcome. It's nice to feel that i have just won the nobelprize weekly, which is the rate at which i fully comprehend other peoples jokes. i mean my jokes, oh theyre awesome!! But other people i guess just really aren't that funny unless theyre male, 6'5" with olive dskin, gorgeous eyes, and a body that could lift a hummer out of a ditch. Now those are funny people! And the blonde charm infused in my dna allows me to grab the attention of tese hilaarious people. i don't need an education. i have flaxen locks attached to my scalp and that justifys everything. But thats not my point! Wait what was my point?

Friday, January 25, 2008

Humor story comparisons

Read “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “Lost in the Kitchen” in 50 essays.

Analyze them for humor. How do the authors use specific details, hyperbole, and writing style to make you laugh (or at least smile?) Write a short blog post analyzing their styles of humor.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

kill 'em crush 'em

ABSENT
borrowed from yi

"The fact that John McMurtry can no longer move his neck without pain or move his arm lends credibility because he has suffered a great deal of personal injury because of the sport that he is criticizing. Therefore, he has had a lot of personal experience and knows what he is talking about.
2. It's interesting to see how many ways that football can be compared to war. The fact that presidents used to compare wars with football games and the fact that football terms mirror war terms convinced me that football wasn't necessarily the safest sport around (aside from the statistics on injuries). This comparison appeals to logos because it shows how football and its destructive aims are comparable to war and how these two things are extremely similar when analyzed thoroughly.
4. These findings support McMurtry's argument against the brutality of football because they show that Americans are starting to break down their society and reflect the violent tendencies of football/war.
5. There is the passage where the author is talking about how he had to suppress his natural desires and tendency and become more violent to play the sport of football.
7. McMurtry's audience is definitely the general American audience who watches and admires the sport of football and violence in general. The audience does not need to know much about football in order to know that there is a great deal of injury and immoral teachings.

Author's conclusion: football and war are alike. both support violence. both are organized. and other liberal Canadian babble about how football is too violent. "

Shipping out

Read Shipping Out and in a 200-300 word blog post analyze the rhetorical strategies Wallace uses to describe luxury cruise lines. What is the author’s attitude towards luxury and how does he signal that in his rhetorical choices?

Wallace uses Pathos in saying "i know, i've been there, listen to me." Through the entire piece, each sentence (but the last paragraph)starts with "I have" and is follwed by some verb (seen, heard, smelled) that is generally related to one of the 5 senses. "I have learned that there are actually intensities of blue beyond very bright blue. I have eaten more and classier food ..." This is an example of the reetition and parallel phrasing used. His use of syntax in these ares is very qualified is not a bit over qualified.
I don't know if his atitude is neggative or positive. He speaks of the good sides to pampering on cruises, but at the end confuses ith his negative tone with how the pampering ideals are presented. "The fact hat adult Americans tend to associate the word "pamper" with a certain other consumer product is not an accident..." makes it seem like he's blaming advertising for spoiling americans. ut, i think over all his tone is positive with all of the pleasant adjectives used and parallel syntax.

killer bee video

Next, watch this movie and in a blog post describe what happens in your best descriptive way (metaphors, sensory language, etc.) in a 300-400 word blog post.

This video, although it didn't quite work, was very interesting. I can see a lot of parallels to the real world even though the story was of bees and birds. The message i took away was that if you want somthing done, then you need to take action on your own. Authority isn't always beneficial and although bad things may come your way, the end result will be worthwhile.

Th pastell pink, spotted flowers dangling in cages are used to in a giant factory. the only honey bee in my view is tired and drooping. The floer is squeezed rithlessly, and the resulting juice set into a glass. The glass filled with the wine-red flower juice passes along a conveyor belt to the bee. The bee throws the liquid down its beak and hiccups. Then he/she throws the liquid back up into the glass. Only this time the liquid is frothing, bubbly golden honey.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Hockenberry accoun of working at Dateline NBC

, I’m going to ask you to characterize his persona by including quotes as you might in a rhetorical analysis essay. Then, how would you summarize in one paragraph what H is claiming about network news. Finally, explain whether you agree, disagree, or qualifyingly agree/disagree and explain in one paragraph what you believe to be true about network news. 300 words blog post
"you don't understand our audience."

"I can say with confidence that Murrow would be outraged not so much by the networks’ greed (Murrow was one of the first news personalities to hire a talent agent) as by the missed opportunity to use technology to help create a nation of engaged citizens bent on preserving their freedom and their connections to the broader world." Hockenberry makes references to sttrong news media historical figures to show that he's well educated and knows what he's talking about.

"This was one in a series of lessons I learned about how television news had lost its most basic journalistic instincts in its search for the audience-driven sweet spot, the “emotional center” of the American people. " This is essentially what the article is about: the lack of educational knowlege presented in media. All thats being presented by the media are stories that kep viewers entertained, its a sidestep of hollywoor. News has become an extension of hollywood films.

Hockenberry is claiming that news media is not focused on bringing about issues that further the development of the citizens, but on keeping the viewers watching like its the next soap opera film of the year. I totally agree because the stories I see are all 30 sec to 1 min long and are the "tear-jerker stories." I feel as though i'm watching a movie.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

arms and the man GROUP discussion

mayuri, cecilia, whitney, paige, lisa

Take a look at the hook and the “I first heard…” paragraph. Why do you think she starts this way? What is intersting to her about the Toughman competition?
I think she starts with "i first heard..." to set the stage for her story. This way the reader knows exactly what he/seh is going to read about without being confused. To Kathy Dobie, what draws her in is the ," cruelty and potential for humiliation--the risk every fighter takes and every skiny girls takes in the ring." She haeard about the contest from her photography er friends in detroit.

Characterize her attitude towards West Virginia? Is it affectionate? Snarky? Condescending? Realistic? What?
Her attitude towards West Virginia is an attempt to be realistic but comes off condescending. It seems a "realistic" place to go to Dobie visit because she has a scewed image of the cruel side to the Toughman Contest, so her attitude comes off condescending. "West Virginia seemed teh perfect place to watch a Toughman Contest: it's very white and deeply working-cass." This fits her image of the contest but seems to have a negative tone to the reader.

In the Clarksburg paragraph she uses all kinds of figurative language? Why? For what purpose?
The figurative language makes Clarksburg seems unique to match the unique contest going on. The figurative language shows the elements of the town to mirror image the contest. Also, the figurative language is used to set the stage and give the reader a picture in their mind of what Dobie is seeing.

Describe how Dobie captures the character of Jerry Thomas. What does she focus on? Why? What is he doing in this story?
She describes his physical features and gives insite to the different elements of Jerry Thomas. She gives details about him that you could notice in the first 10 minutes of talkign with him so that it's an image of what she and other people see. Dobie is giving us a window into her mind/ eyes. She focuses mainly on these physical features and demeanor easily noticed. She includes him because he is basically teh "boss/ big man" of the comptetition. By including Jerry, the reader gains an image of who is behind the contest.

How does Dobie describe the women at the fight? Do they fight differently? Do you find it sterotypical or offensive? How does the author juxtapose the male and female participants?
He describes the women as having "no finesse." The men seem tobe there for teh glory and ego-boost, while the women are there for necessity of the monetary prize to help them with their lives, or simply for teh pleasure. The women fight differently because they don't "run away", but seem to stick together and duke it out in "one spot" until someone wins. The author just smoothly transfers from girl fights to guy fights.

What does Dobie find when she interviews Ferrel and Cogar? Does this fit into her thesis? Would she put them in if they had awesome jobs they loved?
She gfins out that they're only here because, "they had nothing better to do." The believed their lives were worth next to nothing, so might as well! This fits into her thesis as to the differences in why guys and girls fight. I don't think she would put them in if they had jobs they liked because throughout teh story she makes it seem like this is teh best taht's going on there.

Look at the descriptions of the fighting itself. How does the author use sentence structure and detail to capture the fighting?
Dobie uses a lot of detail in teh fights. "In round three, John takes a hit, seems to get tangled in his own feet, whils around, and falls face first into the ropes." THis gives follows her suit of providig with descriptive details to the readers so they don't jsut read about teh fight, they can picture it in their minds and feel liek they are there. She shows instead of tells.
She uses sentence structure taht mirrors teh fighting itself with adjectives liek "whirl" and visual images of the fighting to let the reader visually picture it.

Take a look at the ending. What does the writer leave us with? What point is she trying to make about motivation and the Toughman?
She leaves the reader with questions about society and the struggles of teh world. She gives the reader a sense of the bigger picture out int eh world. Dobie is trying tomake a point about motive in the toughman taht people would rather settle their problems with physical force because it is something tangible that people can deal with on a physical level. Racism is not something that can be dealt with physically, it is an emotional struggle.

To what degree has the author put herself into this story? Where do we see her subjectivity and bias? Is that a good thing?
Grab an effective quote from any section of the piece and discuss why you thought it worked. Be specific.
In teh econd to last paragraph we see the bias of Dobies that she believes taht all people in Clarksurg hate their jobs and lfe. " He's worked hard all day...but can't say he likes his job. Maybe he and his wife aren't getting along." She interviewed two fighters taht hate their lives and now suddenly believes taht all Clarksburg citizens hate their lives. This is jsut her personal bias, so we don't think it's necessarily a good or bad thing. For me personally it would be abad thing to have a negative outlook on the people in the town based on the views of a couple individuals. The author uses her in teh story to show teh reader what she's seeing which gives the reader a window in to her mind.

shotting dad

Read “Shooting Dad” in 50 Essays and analyze it rhetorically. What strategies does she use to tell her story? Alternatively, find a good section from the radio program This American Life to listen to and analyze.

Sarah Vowell uses conversationall language to appear personable to her audience. She describes her childhood in terms easily understood by the general audience. Her use of pathos is exquisite as she comes accross as a normal person that anyone can relate to (women more than men, however). "It has been me experience that in order to impress potential suitors, skip the teen Debussy anecdotes and stick with the always attention-getting line 'My dad makes guns.'" She uses such common but effective language. Vowell does an excelent job of using fun slang words like "goofy" and sentences like "It's just really really cool." Vowell can use educated words and phrases but also casual ones too; there is a perfect balance.

on dumpster diving

Read Lars Eighner’s On Dumpster Diving (in 50 Essays) and evaluate it as a piece of descriptive journalism in a 200-300 word blog post.

Eighner (E) gives a descriptive tail of not only his fascination with dumpsters, but his survival need of them. He informs the reader that he gets his life's ecessities (ecxer for jeans he mentions) from dumpsters. E is careful to use only the best terms to describe dumpsters and the "art" of dumpster diving.
After describing his own dumpster diving life experience, E goes on to describe the route peope take in becoming dumpster dvers themselves, a bit of a generic whats what, and who's who. E gives a tale of a typical dumpster diver and the journey he/she takes to become where they are in life. Not many people willingly choose the life of a dumpster diver, but then embrace their situation as time goes on.
A good quote i think is, "I think of scavenging as the modern form of self-reliance." E has turned his dumpster shyness into openmindedness. And he makes sure to show his patronage to dumpsers by always capitalizing the D on dumpster.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Baldwin/Buckley Persona

Read all of “Why don’t we complain?” and this selection from James Baldwin write a 200-300 word blog post that contrasts the use of persona between Buckley and Baldwin.

I think the purposes of the pieces were extremely different. Buckley seemed to write his for the concern of the greater society and Baldwin for getting his own voice hear about his life. Baldwin's piece is an autobiography while Buckley's is an outreach to society. For this reason the persona was completely different. Buckley is seeming to say "hey look this is what i see, and this is not good." Where as Baldwin is saying, "this is who i am, where i have come from, and how i got where i am today." Because the purposes are completely different for each pieces it shows trough their writing. Baldwin is more interested in getting the audience to feel his life struggle and feel with him so he talks about himself and how he relates to society but not about soceity. Buckley's piece is a cry to society to change their passive ways so he uses anecdotes to get his point accross that he has been there and knows how it feels to not want to complain but in the bigger picture knows that it is unhelpful to have an entire nation of passive people. He doesn't use the entire piece as a story about himself bt rather peppers it with different enecdotal experiences.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

The Edge Annual Question

Alan Alda wrote a blog on how he changed his mind about how he viewed religion and his own personal beliefs on god. He has changed from religious to athiest to agnostic and is still contemplating and struggling with his views and a label for those views. It seems that alda's greatest problem is finding a term to associate himself with. he isn't religious but doesn't really believe he falls under the term atheist, since it's such a strong word, and so more closely associates himself with the term agnostic. i think he will definitely continue adapting his views and "labels."

New Years Question

"What did you change your mind about in 2007." Do a 100 word blog post and then read at least 4 of the responses

I changed my mind about how much time I wanted to spend with my family. I started 2007 with wanting to spend as litle time as possible with my family to the end of 2007 where i spent many weekends sitting at home with my family watching movies and such. I changed my behavior to reflect my wish to be closer to my family. I believe this change in mind and attitude came with my realization that I was going to be leaving and going away to college in a year + less. As i went from junior year to senior year i decided taht i wanted to be spend as much time with my family as was possible since i would never again live under the same roof with both my siblings and my parents, which is very sad!