Frederick Douglas Has Ovaries! (oh god i hope i can say that)

In Frederick Douglas’ speech “What To The Slave Is The Fourth of July?” another perspective of the Fourth of July is given. This perspective is one of sarcasm and outrage. Douglas recognizes the Declaration of Independence as a document of genius, but points out all of America’s trespasses committed in the past and present. Douglas’ appeal to logos is his use of turning Virginia’s own state laws against the abolitionists. This argument is powerful because how could the abolitionists have argued against their own laws? In his appeal to logos, Douglas also points out the obvious trend of white males owning all, including people. Douglas uses his anger to his advantage when he says, “The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me.” He uses his own ethos to show why he is disparaged by an invitation to a Fourth of July celebration. Why would Frederick Douglas want join in pride with the men that have enslaved other humans? The pathos in this speech is portrayed when Douglas lists all the dehumanizing, torturous assaults against slaves. “What, am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters?”
I think the most important point to take away from this speech is Douglas’ view of how we (then and now) deal with slavery and racism. We treat it with a gentle shower of criticism, or as in most cases do not acknowledge it at all. I share Douglas’ view. I believe sitting in class and discussing America’s problem is step one and the most important step. But what do we do? How can we change what we see as wrong? One answer is most certainly making a powerful speech at an abolitionist event. This is not entirely possible, so why not at school?

Thomas Jefferson's Notes

When I looked at the picture on page 86 I felt pride. I felt pride in the fact that our country had some really powerful, self-actualized leaders. And then I read “Notes on the State of Virginia”.
This piece shocked me on two accounts. One, I did not know Thomas Jefferson was racist. Two, I did not know Abraham Lincoln was racist. I even went online and googled the part about good ol’ Abe wanting to make a colony for African Americans in Central America and unfortunately that is true. My first question is who had the ovaries (gonads, juevos, etc.) to say all men are created equal then put the phrase into effect? In reading NOTSOV I’m inclined to think it wasn’t Jefferson. Jefferson is portrayed as a leader in the civil rights of everyone (all minorities). The question to be addressed is why do we make him out to be a guide for equality when everyone was blinded with racism if he was actually incredibly racist? I think there are many answers to this question. A simple one is he did write The Declaration of Independence, who wouldn’t figure him to honestly believe all men are created equal. Another is he was a founding father for this country, of course all the white males in our government are going to just skip over the part that he actually owned 200 slaves! (I looked this up too). Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving could fall in the same category of this question, or Independence Day for that matter. Hey! I have an idea! Let’s celebrate dining with the Native Americans, whom we will later make practically extinct, and the fact that we refused to pay our taxes. I also believe much is lost in history when it comes to how real we portray actual people. Thomas Jefferson was a human being, not just the writer of The Declaration of Independence. He had feelings, emotions, and a personality that will be lost history books about important documents and events.

Cora Tucker's Success as Compared to Willy Loman's Failure

After I finished the play “Death of a Salesman” I was set in the belief that Willy and his family were to faulted for me to empathize with them. After our discussions in class my belief has changed. I no longer see Willy and his family as weak dishonest people, but a family crushed by one man’s dreams. Hope is what compels us to go on, once Willy lost that he lost himself. I thought Willy did not represent the common man but he does. Willy represents something inside of all of us, our dreams of success. I pointed out the way the family treated one another but I did not take into account that any person that would have been through the utter disappointment of life’s hardships would act in the same way. Also, after having listened to our analysis of DOAS, I think it wasn’t what was in Willy that killed him, but the situation he was living in. Willy believed a Salesman’s job would bring you success, would bring you into a category of infamy and “well-likedness”. It wasn’t that Willy was unskilled but that he put all his work and hope into the dream of being a great salesman. Cora tucker was the opposite. In “Good Noise” she fights for what she believes but she uses what little she has to her advantages. Even though it is not explicitly said I believe that Cora would talk “grassroots” in order to connect with her audience, the poor black low class of Halifax County. Had Cora talked with a different speech, maybe one more articulate and eloquent, she wouldn’t be accomplishing what she wants. Cora wants the lower class people to vote and get involved. In order to reach them she speaks like them. Cora isn’t affluent or even holding a prominent job, but she accomplishes what she wants from life with hard work and dedication. Willy was a hard worker and extremely dedicated but got nothing from life.

Death of a Salesman

Before I had even read the back flap of Death Of A Salesman I believed I would like the main character. I believed I would sympathize with him and all his hardships. I don’t know how I knew that the general gist of the book would be a Death Of An average Salesman, but somehow I just knew. To my surprise Willy Loman disgusted me, as did his sons. Willy Loman believes in order to achieve success you must be “well-liked”. I suppose there is some truth to this but not technically. Technically being well-liked would be a perk to success. It would give you an advantage but not success. This is explicitly portrayed through his son Biff’s failure in math. He had a respectable dream of going on to college on a football scholarship but didn’t understand in order to get there you would need the grades. Biff relies on Bernard to let him cheat even though Bernard warns him this won’t work and offers to help Biff study. I am disgusted with the way the family, including Linda, treats each other and their peers. Linda lets Willy talk to her as though she is worth nothing and still kisses the ground he walks on. Happy seems like a decent enough man except he only wants to keep peace and make everyone happy, even if that means lying or constantly seeking approval from his father. Biff is a cowardly fool. He should have known he needed to pass math. He should not have turned to stealing just because he wasn’t “rich”. He should not let his father constantly criticize him and tell him how to live his life. He’s 31 for goodness sake. Then there is Willy. Willy Loman. The egotistical, negatively patriarchal, ignorant ______(fill in the blank). He is egotistical when all he seems to do is worry about himself and his “following”. Is he well-liked? His pride and dignity blind him when he needs a steady job that he doesn’t have to travel in and pays fifty dollars and he doesn’t take it simply because Charley is he one offering it to him. He is patriarchal in the way he talks to his wife, in the way he favors Biff over Happy, in the way he ignores Happy, and in the way he will never accept Biff for who he is. Most importantly to this plays them, Willy Loman is ignorant. He does not open his eyes to his life. He chooses not to see the way he treats everyone around him. He choose not to see the way his pride gets in the way of attaining a good job. He does not see that what he is doing is causing his own demise.

Presetations Day 2; Utter Disappointment

Haha. I hope I can begin my blog this way. I felt like I was so going to won on this presentation. I thought I wouldn’t need to have anything memorized, i.e. an introduction or conclusion. I bombed. Ok, ok, maybe I didn’t bomb but I definitely left out a few important things I thought I would remember. I don’t think I explained why finding an organization affiliated with a college in some way was so important to me. I know I didn’t give any quotes. It was so disappointing after the rush of presenting had died down. I went over everything I said and kept thinking, “Shoot, I forgot to say that!” But it was nice once I had finished sitting and relaxing and really focusing on everyone else’s presentation. I thought Ethan’s was really good because he was clear. I think a lot of what people had to say was lost on me because they weren’t speaking clearly or the ideas they were trying to get across didn’t flow or make complete sense. I really enjoyed Elise’s introduction. I liked the music a lot and I think it’s awesome she had a personal connection to her presentation.

presentations day 1

The presentations today were all enjoyable. I could tell everyone really felt a connection with their organization. I think everyone was prepared which told me they cared about presenting in front of the class. I think alex’s was great and especially liked his conclusion. “Good Will, Good Cause.” Iesha’s was an innovative idea, offering advanced classes in under-resourced high schools. I had heard of Eli’s before, Dad’s Inc., but Eli seemed well-spoken and like he knew a great deal more than I did though. I liked that I didn’t have to go today because I got to critique everyone else’s presentations then plan not to do that in mine. I learned you don’t want to be monotonous and just be spewing out facts and data. I learned its always good to have a great conclusion and introduction. All in all I feel prepared for my presentation tomorrow.

The Posses Foundation

I have said it a thousand times and I will say it again. “Nickel and Dimed” is the best book to convey the United States’ problems with poverty and classes. The worst part about falling into the impoverished faction is you will not be able to get yourself out of it. The only way out is a college education. How can you hold a minimum wage job and go to college? The only way to prevent to prevent falling into the cycle is get a college education after high school. This is a Susie Sunshine answer to a much bigger problem though. Most of the lower class does not know how to get into a “decent” college, none the less, a college at all. The few answers to the problem are financial aid (difficult to get an adequate amount) and more importantly, scholarship money.
One of the many options for minority scholarships is The Posses Foundation. The gist of The Posses Foundation is they offer ten worthy students scholarships into the same college so that they can depend on each other for moral support. The students go through a rigorous eight month long training program to prepare them for the actual difficulties of college. I’m excited to endorse the Posses Foundation as an outlet for gaining success in America because it hit all the points that I think are important in accomplishing a beneficial life.

What Do We Do Now?

The Question is “Suppose for a moment you agree with Alger. How could interring the “Ragged Dick” myth be possible? In other words, what can we do to put an end to the American Dream.
I sit in class everyday and think to myself almost exactly the same thing. Yes, we all agree poverty in our nation is prevelant. Yes, we all can agree the if somehow you find yourself in poverty circumstance, i.e. lower class, raising yourself to a higher standard is difficult if not nearly impossible. The list of predicaments we as a society have goes on. But at the end of every class I think to myself. Ok, we agree on all these topics…..now what do we do? How could we change any of this? Short of voting when I’m 18, I can never think of anything. I’m underage and underpaid. There is little I can physically do. But there must be something I command myself.
I feel like it is weak and doesn’t do any of the issues justice but I believe we can spread the word. Maybe it would only start in our school. We make a club or organization the deals specifically with current events or politics. Maybe we write a bomb paper and we give it as a speech at morning meeting. But lets go further. What about the newspaper? What about the radio? If we put time and effort into creating worthy articles, papers, speeches, presentations, or even clubs…would we make a difference?
I went into the Wal-Mart today to get groceries with my dad. For the first time ever I consciously thought to be polite. I thought I should be polite while I was in Wal-Mart. I remembered to put the shredded cheese back on the rack when I chose not to buy it. Why do this you ask, why go to the trouble? As I was in the Wal-Mart I was reminded of the book “Nickel and Dimed”. I thought about Ehrenreich and her feet hurting after working so hard for so many hours. I thought about her anger at all the people who would come and let their little children terrorize the racks of the women’s section. I thought… if I worked here, I would hope everyone would do the tiny task of putting their items back where they got them from. Had I never read this book though I wouldn’t have cared. I would NOT HAVE KNOWN Wal-Mart’s employees made such little money for their hard work. We think we can only do so much. One person wrote “Nickel and Dimed”. It touched me enough to make me put my cheese back on the rack. This gesture seems insignificant. Why does it matter if I do such menial task? Wasn’t part of Ehrenreich’s point in her writing the book that we need to see the lower class differently? Not that they are simply stupid, uneducated laborers with easy jobs but that the work they do although it isn’t rocket science makes our life so much easier. Therefore shouldn’t I try to make their life a little easier as well? I believe making speading our knowledge of myths in society will make a difference. It will go further than just me, you and that guy who overheard your speech. I believe he will tell is wife who will go on to tell her friend etc. etc. This is how we end cultural myths.

Ragged Dick, Roger and Me...Which is More Real?

In the documentary “Roger and Me” by Michael Moore the city of Flint Michigan is portrayed as a town with all the life sucked out of it. You can’t get out because no one wants in. Like the poverty in the entire United States, Flint’s poverty is a cycle and there doesn’t seem to be an answer to solve it. On the other end of the spectrum is Horatio Alger’s “Ragged Dick”. “Ragged Dick” (as implied in the name) is the fluffy, all American, rags to riches story. Both show the opposite ends of the spectrum of America’s idea of “the land of opportunity”. Which is more real, you ask. First it depends on how you would define real. I know that you mean which is more likely or possible, but you said real. Do you believe in Karma? If you did bad in another life it will affect your status in this life? Do you believe in chance? By luck you will come across a rich man in dire need, or be born into an affluent family? Believe it or not I think Michael Moore’s documentary and the excerpt form the book go hand in hand. Ragged Dick came across that man in need by chance. It was not because he had worked hard his whole life taking swimming lessons for that moment. By chance the story ends up like that. Flip the coin and you see a whole different world. People stuck in a po-dunk town wanting only a job. But they can’t get it. Dear Mr. President then gives them the fine advice, “Hey, if I were you I’d just move.” But they can’t. No one will buy their house, their family lives there, etc., etc. The American Dream is if you work hard you’ll get what’s coming to you. My point is you get what you by (fill in the blank). Karma, God, Chance. You get born into your lot in life. I think you can work hard and achieve a lot in some circumstances. I don’t dispute that. But I think the American dream isn’t that. It’s that anyone from anywhere can get what they want from life with plenty of hard work. That’s not a “true” statement. From what I have seen it’s been proven false.