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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.