Topic 3

The last topic I’ve considered for this I.C. essay is personal. I believe there is something seriously wrong with the way Child Protective Services runs. It has been my personal experience that no one wants to get his or her hands dirty when helping a child. It is probably easier to just write the child off as someone whom cannot be helped. I can’t imagine how many children are turned away from the doors of CPS agencies simply because f the fact that their problems are just not “bad” enough for CPS to step in. This is a topic I am extremely passionate about and actually is something I am considering turning into an occupation. I want to somehow help abused children by either joining the government or making a change within the CPS agency. I could easily write about this topic and form proposals on how to make a change.

Topic 2

Lamags asks, what are you passionate about. Saving the world I answer. How lame is that and yet that is honestly my goal in life. I’m pretty realistic about it considering I don’t think I’ll be able to do it. Question one is down; I want to save the world. I don’t think I could write only about saving the world though. So I’ve questioned what part of our world needs the most saving. Africa came to mind. That is definitely a topic I am passionate about. When I was a child I wondered why the U.S. has people pissing in gold toilets while Africa has millions of people dying of HUNGER and AIDS. Both could be somewhat prevented by other countries and humans. The issue of Darfur only compacts my sympathy toward the country. I first learned of Darfur when I read the book “What is the What?” Ever since I have wanted to do something for Africa. The I.C. could be that something.

topic 1

Upon first hearing the intended goal of the inquiry contract assignment I became incredibly excited. I could write about whatever topic I found interesting. This will be so easy I thought to myself.
Then I sat down and tried to think of a topic I was truly passionate over. I drew a blank. I considered abortion but I found the topic to controversial and an issue I’m a little on the fence about. I have already researched the issue and know it is incredibly complicated. To me there are two factors to take into consideration when deciding whether or not abortion should be legal. The first factor is to Research and decide when life begins in the womb. The other factor is to decide that even if you believe abortion is wrong, should you be making the decision of abortion illegal for everyone else to decide? The whole topic is messy and incredibly complicated. My argument would be weak and I really have no first hand experience with the subject.

An Extraordinary Man

In the article by Studs Terkel, C.P. Ellis overcomes racism and personal prejudices through education and face to face interaction with blacks and other minorities. C.P. Ellis’s story is not typical. My step mom would say “He turned his brain on”. In other words he believed what he was taught without even thinking about it. Then Ellis “turned his brain on”, talked to the kinds of people he was prejudiced against, and questioned his beliefs. Ellis fought for diversity, integration of schools, and a union. Ellis did an extraordinary thing by doing all this. Not many Americans have their brains turned on which is I why I don’t think Ellis’ story could be repeated. It is a personal choice to ponder one’s culture and beliefs. I cannot make anyone believe anything. That is also why I don’t think Ellis’s story could be repeated on a much larger scale. To promote understanding and acceptance of all cultures integrating minorities, people of different religions and sexual orientations is a start. Starting a union for the protection of the working class (which largely consists of minorities) creates opportunity for success for everyone. To implement all these ideas with the goal of diversity will create change albeit small. And that is something worth striving for.

pressure to cover

“Covering” is a concept I had never heard of until Yoshino’s “Pressure to Cover.” The idea of discriminating is not new but the discrimination toward one’s traits associating one with a particular minority is something worth pondering. I agree that the concept of “covering” is prevalent in our country. Penalizing a person for their subtle traits associating said person with a certain group, especially if they are mutable, is discrimination. Yoshino’s “Pressure to Cover” directly ties in with the concept of America’s “melting pot”. The need for assimilation is human nature. We all want to fit in somewhere whether it is a group of friends, or one friend. The idea to have everyone accepting of anyone sounds almost impossible to accomplish. It would be defying a need everyone seems to have. One point in this article is everyone has a characteristic that must be muted in order to look professional. I think the pressure to cover is heaviest on minorities but not exclusive to those groups. Everyone must cover in some way. This is Yoshino’s point in “the mainstream is a myth”. “It is not normal to be completely normal” jumped out at me. Is not everyone different in some loud, obvious way? And who defines normal? I would love to answer with white males but they have their own problems of obesity, alcoholism, and whatever else plagues white males in particular. The need for assimilation or to “fit in” will never be overcome.

Harriet Jacobs Attains her Freedom...

I take my freedom for granted every day I am alive. I do not walk around and consciously enjoy not wearing chains on my wrists and ankles. I do not lie in my bed at night, stretch out, and take a minute to truly enjoy the luxury of space. I am not always grateful for the fact that I have my parents to come home to every night. I do not notice these things because they have never been taken away from me. I have never spent seven years of my life in a coffin-like “garret”. I have never been chained against my will. I have never lost my parents. Harriet Jacobs has survived these horrors and many more. In “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” Harriet Jacobs makes a perilous escape to the Northern States after a life of slavery only to be disillusioned. Linda (Jacobs name in the book) believes the North she will be considered human and therefore free. Upon reaching the North Linda manages to gain a job with Mrs. Bruce, an English woman needing a nurse for her child. During this time the Fugitive Slave Law is passed basically making it much easier to obtain African American people for the purposes of slavery. Linda is then sought after by her old mistress and husband. Linda decides she must go into hiding once again, but Mrs. Bruce (the second) opposes the idea. Mrs. Bruce believes in order to end the trouble she will buy Linda and give Linda her freedom. Linda is troubled with the fact that in order to gain her freedom….she must be bought. Even in the northern states there could be legal documents produced proving her sale. In the end, Linda is bought by Mrs. Bruce (the second) and given her freedom.

The Credibility of Harriet Jacobs

Harriet Jacobs establishes her credibility by being a slave. She sees many torturous acts inflicted on her fellow slaves and speaks of them in the book “Incidents In the Life of a Slave Girl”. A part from the book that epitomizes the value of a slave’s life is the end of chapter twenty, page 95. “As the light increased, I saw snake after snake crawling round us. I had been accustomed to the sight of snakes all my life, but these were larger than any I had ever seen…As evening approached, the number of snakes increased so much that we were continually obliged to thrash them with sticks to keep them from crawling over us.” This event doesn’t sound like anything a human being would ever go through. Its hard to pinpoint one event from the book and say it makes Jacobs credible. Too many haunting stories from the book are told with such descriptive language how can one not believe her? One cannot even begin to understand the horrors of a man eaten by rats before he was dead, a woman drowning herself to escape her master, and Jacobs living in a coffin-like “garret” for seven years. I do not doubt Jacobs credibility nor any of her personal narrative accounts of her fellow slaves lives.

Chapters 1-9, Incidents In the Life of a Slavegirl

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. “
George Santayana
We must always know history as truth to prevent its repeating. As I was reading chapters 1-9 I thought to myself that if most men and women were cruel to their slaves then, would most of us here and now be malicious to our slaves if we had them today? The concept seems so impossible, so sick and wrong, but I believe the answer to this question is yes. “I do not say there are no humane slaveholders…But they are “like angels’ visits-few and far between.”” P 44 We advance in our knowledge of failure. Slavery is one huge failure of the United States of America. We failed both the white and black race in its institution. Linda/Harriet Jacobs says, “I can testify, from my own experience and observation, that slavery is a curse to the whites as well as the blacks. It makes the white fathers cruel and sensual; the sons violent and licentious; it contaminates the daughters, and makes the wives wretched. And as for the colored race, it needs an abler pen than mine to describe the extremity of their sufferings, the depth of their degradation.”
We must also remember this book is fiction because it makes the notion of this could have happened to you more real. As I was reading this book I kept anticipating the fairytale ending, or I kept imagining means of getting the slave (whoever it may be) out of trouble. But because I knew the story was true I had to face the reality of what happened.
Some aspects I noticed of the book were…
-Is Grandmother the heroine and Mr. Flint the antagonist? Which leads me to,
-This is the dilemma of good vs. evil

"...punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation..."

Race- n.
Each of the major divisions of humankind, having distinct physical characteristics
Ism- suffix forming nouns
Denoting a system, principle, or ideological movement; denoting a pathological condition
History is strewn with the massacres and persecutions caused by prejudice. Parrillo addresses some of these events in “Causes of Prejudice”. He explains the psychology behind prejudice feelings and actions, and gives many examples to help shed light on our culture today. One term describing a pathological tendency in prejudice behavior is socialization. The socialization process is when “individuals acquire the values, attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of their culture or subculture, including religion, nationality, and social class.” I am a follower of Aristotle and believe everything I know is presumed. Someone supposes an idea, “proves” it, and we accept the idea as truth. In my mind the socialization process piggybacks this belief. We learn cognitively. Before we can formulate opinions on anything we are taught what to believe. An example would be growing up with a religious background. I was taught there is a god. I was taught who he/she was, what he/she has done, and why he/she existed. It wasn’t until seventh grade that I even heard of the concept of atheism. No god? Yes, there’s one dummy, just like that chair there is blue. I knew there was a god without even thinking about it. I think prejudice can evolve like this. Without realizing it where we grow up, who our parents are, and what kind of financial class we are in will create biased views on the world. It isn’t until we hear an opposing idea that we even notice a belief is actually an opinion. I find it truly sad when I know someone isn’t listening to me. I enjoy a passionate and intellectual argument, but am disappointed when someone will not even hear my idea and think about it. I think part of the problem with socialization is it is scary when someone tells us we’re wrong. It reminds us we are only human. It reminds us we do not know everything and neither did our parents. I also think it is a lot easier to accept something as truth rather than think about it, question it, and educate ourselves on the matter.

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.

Stephen Cruz and The Mexican American Dream

For the longest time Cruz naively believes in the American Dream and believes it is real, it is possible. He then begins to work in white collar America and sees the racial tensions and inequality for every minority. Cruz’s point is he didn’t even know he was being discriminated, just bad people. He also realized that minorities are just as bad o each other as whites are to minorities. In his businesses he could only go so high, and even then it was not because he was wanted for his skill, but for the fact that he was Mexican. Cruz’s narrative here is rhetoric even if not explicit rhetoric. His argument is strong in that it seems as though he is almost just contemplating to himself, baffled at what happened. He doesn’t tell you explicitly what to think or believe about the American dream, in fact he doesn’t even mention the American dream. He is simply telling you what happened, what he has done. Of course, he really is trying to prove a point but he does it in a subtle way. He give you these examples of racism in the job, moving up the ladder only because they needed a minority, tells us how he kept moving up though, questioning what he was doing. he ends the narrative with a punch. He left. He quit and is teaching in Wisconsin. He tells you the American dream is “confused”. He moved up but lost some of himself in the process. His point is different from many of the ones we have already heard in this class. He moved up achieved all he had ever dreamed of achieving and yet it wasn’t what he thought it would be. He makes it sound almost as if he got lucky. Lucky in that they needed a Mexican partner, there he was. He happened to be the most qualified at the moment so they picked him. Cruz makes this personal and uses pathos as a great outlet for his agument.

Chasm Between Classes, Mantsios

I almost laughed after I finished reading Mantsios’s essay and read the blog question. I normally have a set opinion on every topic but I was somewhat baffled by the facts, opinions, and points Mantsios brings up. Ever since I could differentiate my life and the average American’s I have been opinionated on the topic of the chasm between America’s social classes. About a year ago my step mom recapped for me a book she was reading called “The Stakeholder Society”. The gist of the book’s idea is everyone who graduates from high school will receive an eighty thousand grant. No strings attached, spend it how you want grant. Where will the money come from, I asked. A tax would be placed on the upper class of the United States, creating a pool of money that would grow over time. I cannot remember all other important aspects to the book but I know there are many fine points that go along with this idea such as if you go to college I believe that you get more money. I do know that part of the idea is that before you retire you must pay pack the eighty thousand dollars into this pool. This would eventually end the tax on all the affluent Americans because the money you repay would go back into the pool making it possible for new high school graduates to get their part of the stake. I know this book would not end poverty or even come near it but that is not the point the writers of the book are trying to get across. It is an idea focusing on the enrichment of American citizens. They believe their idea would induce Americans to feel like a valued part of society. The whole idea of two people getting together and coming up with this idea for a book fascinates me. It doesn’t solve our problems or come anywhere near it, but it’s a frigging idea! They look at an idea or custom in our culture or society and think, “Something is wrong with that.” That is not an easy thing to do considering a custom is a practice that has been done for a long time. I believe Mantsios is making an analogous point that the gap between classes is great and hard to overcome. The rich are becoming wealthier while the poor are becoming poorer. My position on the topic is unwavering. If you are born into a certain class, it is nearly impossible to move out of it. This is supported by Ehrenreich’s book “Nickel and Dimed”. Read it and try to convince me that poverty level humans can, after years of hard work, become affluent members of society. I don’t believe there is any other way to interpret Mantsios’s data than the rift between classes is incredibly large an attributes to plenty of America’s problems with poverty.

A letter to Jim, Argument

The argument Rebekah Taylor makes in “A Letter To Jim” I well thought out and very personal. It’s a great argument because, as it sounds to the reader, she is very close with Jim and she uses this to her advantage. She first points out the differences in Jim’s and her own beliefs. Jim (like most other meat eaters) believes cruelty to animals is wrong. Rebekah believes hurting an animal in any way, including killing them for food, is wrong. Rebekah doesn’t use much of an ethos or logos argument. She is using pathos to her advantage. She can’t actually (like most other arguments) prove her point, but she can appeal to her audience pathetically. She tells us the story of being a small child and looking into the big, round eyes of a helpless seal and coming to the conclusion she will never eat meat again. She uses this to appeal to Jim’s emotion. I actually thought her point that she decided this when she was five and stuck with it was a good one. She’s is trying to portray that this was not just a childhood decision but one that stuck with her throughout the rest of her life. She also takes Jim’s argument and uses it to her advantage, which is to say if Jim is against cruelty t animals to animals he should be against any kind of cruelty to animals. Her argument is well thought out and she uses all she can to her advantage, I.E. she can’t really prove why cruelty to animals is wrong so she she uses emotional appeal throughout the entire letter

The Impact of a Visual Argument

As we already know I love the pathos argument. I believe it to be the corner of the rhetorical triangle that will have the most impact and affect your reader best. A visual along with your pathos-oriented argument is even better. It is almost subliminal. When someone looks at a picture or photograph they immediately believe whatever to be portrayed as fact. Its right in front of their eyes, how could it be false? Just like so many other things in our culture people don’t immediately look at a visual and question it. It’s not in our nature. I think the visual argument is strong in a negative sense though. Rarely is a visual used to portray fact. It will show something/one that is not typical. It won’t be what is happening to the majority. Or it won’t be what is truly happening in that moment (think tabloids). The visual argument is really ironic because when a person looks at a photograph they think, I’m looking at a snapshot of time it must be true. But if your using a visual, you get to decide what was happening at that moment. You are in control of what the visual is depicting. That is powerful. I think we are becoming a visual society because anyone with a brain has realized the effect of visuals and no if they want to portray something in a biased way they easily can.

Pathos and Ethos and Our Ethics

All parts of the rhetorical triangle are important. I don’t consider then all to be equally important though. Ethos is important because you cannot write a creditable piece without it. The strongest corner of the rhetorical triangle is pathos. Pathos is what will emotionally connect the audience to a piece of writing. This is very important. The pathos geared argument will interact with the audience’s morals and create conflictions within the contradictor. With both corners of the rhetorical triangle we must be trepidatious of their uses though. Ethos must be used in connection with your ethics because how can your audience trust your claims if you do not have credibility in making them. You want to stick to your ethics always because if your reputation for honesty is tarnished your piece will be more easily deflected as false. Pathos is even more important to be used within the standards of ethics. If we “turn the abstractions of logical discourse into a palpable and immediate story” (p75) and it is misleading or based on false “facts” it is completely unethical. Think of politics today. Did you know Bush got Cs in college?

“Confidential college transcripts and test scores obtained by the Washington Post reveal that neither presidential candidate, George W. Bush nor Al Gore, were shining students during their college days at Yale and Harvard, respectively. Although each earned respectable scores on the SAT college admissions test (a total of 1355 of 1600 for Gore and 1206 for Bush), neither did that well in their college courses. Both earned a mix of B and C grades. Bush's lowest marks were a 70 (of 100) in Sociology and a 71 in Economics, while his highest scores were High Passes in History and Japanese”

Bush at Yale
SAT Verbal Score 566 (of 800)
SAT Math Score 640 (of 800)
Undergraduate Transcript
Political Science/Govt classes 73 (of 100) in PS14a
71 (of 100) in PS13b
Pass in PS48


Source: Washington Post
March 19, 2000
http://www.insidepolitics.org/heard/heard32300.html
Unethical pathos arguments are used every day in the news and radio. Pathos is a powerful weapon in an argument, used to mislead is completely unethical and false.

Fifth Grade Finger Grows Back!

Pseudo argument is a tough term to find an example of. The reason behind this is not that I don’t completely understand the term but that I am a seventeen year old kid. How the hell do I know if god exists or not? Or if abortion is murder? Or following that line of thought, if stem cell research is murder? I only know what I feel is right. No argument is based on fact, we live in one big enthymeme. Therefore, it is hard for me to pick a side of an argument and say that they are being fanatical believers. I would have to pick something simple as an example so I will pick a fifth grade argument I once had. It was the middle of class one day when my friend Alex turned and showed me how one of his pinkie fingers was longer than the other. I was amazed. How had it happened I questioned.
“Welp, one day when I was out back of my house I was whittling a stick and I cut off my finger.”
“Wow!” I answered awe apparent in my voice.
“Yep, it grew back.”
Ok, now I may have been in fifth grade but I wasn’t born the day before. I made a face then burst out laughing. I began arguing with him explaining that it was impossible for any appendage on you body to GROW BACK. Alex was insistent however. The finger had grown back he assured me. It was his body, he would know! I was completely beside myself with his idiocy. We were in fifth grade; it was time for him to know this. After fifteen minutes of heated debate I suggest we go ask the teacher. I’ll bet you can guess who was right. After explaining to Alex the science of our bodies and the only possibility of retrieving what had been cut off (going to the hospital and getting it stitched back on) Alex was still adamant that his finger had grown back. I would have to say this is a pseudo argument considering Alex did not even consider the possibility of getting it sewn back on or his skin growing over that spot that once held flesh.

Pathos

I believe pathos to be the strongest argument in today’s culture. It is the strongest of the three parts of the rhetorical triangle. Most of America isn’t highly educated nor is it concerned with politics or the news. An appeal using ethos isn’t going to grab a high school graduate’s attention nor is logos. Not that the high school graduate won’t be able to understand but an emotional appeal is more effective. The pathos argument is going to insinuate its point, but not be obvious about it. The effect is perfect for America because most people won’t realize the argument until they truly consider it which isn’t likely to happen. The pathos argument is incredibly effective on anyone though. How can I argue against some outlandish story that won’t be likely to happen but I have an incredible emotional connection to? The pathos argument does have its downfalls though. The people likely to make changes in America are going to be well read and look at the ethos of a writing piece. Whatever written must be logical to anyone but an educated adult would look for support, or facts backing the piece up. You can’t use only emotion to persuade the experienced reader. Pathos is also an unique part of the triangle because it is triggering your right side of the brain. Instead of using pure logic toward getting you to see their point of view, emotion will create a personal connection to the piece. The best argument would be using all three of the legs of the triangle.

Fears of AP Exam

I didn’t fully understand what the AP English Exam was until I got to University High School. I didn’t know you got college credit. I didn’t know most students in the AP Class were marking their calendars over it. I read the AP Course Description and the fear I initially had was only heightened. I read all the requirements and one the made my heart stop was
“Therefore, occasionally the exam may
contain multiple-choice questions on usage to reflect the link between grammar and
style. The intense concentration on language use in the course enhances students’
ability to use grammatical conventions appropriately and to develop stylistic maturity
in their prose.” P8
I already feel as though my writing is weak, that my sentence structure is terrible. I like my writing to flow and be coherent by I want it to have my own style. I always find this difficult to achieve. I know that they way you use grammar and sentence structure will impact your voice in what you’re writing, but I find it difficult to organize both of those things. I want college credit and I don’t want this year to be a waste. I fear just because I don’t have great syntax and diction it will hold me back. I have an AP Eng Exam guidebook with example questions and when I skimmed it the questions looked difficult but I could answer them correctly.

What Is A Case For Torture

Michael Levin’s “A Case for Torture” is meant to invoke emotion. This is Levin’s deliberate point. He doesn’t have facts and facts galore. He doesn’t even quote a creditable source. He uses extreme situations to tug at your emotions, situations that may, or more likely may not happen. I read this piece and was immediately indignant. Twice in this essay Levin insults those who disagree with him, i.e. me.
“If you caught the terrorist, could you sleep nights knowing that millions died because you couldn’t bring yourself to apply the electrodes?” paragraph 4
“How can we tell 300, or 100, or 10 people who never asked to be put in danger, “ I’m sorry you’ll have to die in agony, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to…” paragraph 5
I know personally the reason I’m against using torture to get answers is not because I can’t bring myself to do something, but because I believe there is always a third way. There is some other way, some other technique that could be used to get answers quickly. I am not an expert on torture or military methods, but I do know there are other options besides torture.
I also resented that he blames part of Hitler’s reign on the fact that Roosevelt refused to kill Hitler based on moral grounds. Did Roosevelt have prior knowledge of the Holocaust? I am not diminishing the Holocaust or the misery that Hitler inflicted on millions, but that had not happened yet.
I have to give Levin credit though because if I put myself into any of the situations mentioned I would hope the government would do anything to save my life. That is the point of the essay though. Levin wants you to become emotionally attached to what he is saying and agree with him. A clever tactic, especially since this was published in Newsweek magazine, a popular magazine with no political ties.

Biotech Foods

In the debate between biotech foods and conventional foods there are many facts you need to know. The argument for labeling biotech foods is mainly we don’t know what the long term effects of the foods are and some of the studies on these foods may be flawed. The argument defending biotech foods is labeling the foods would just confuse consumers and the foods have been tested. However it was not specified whether it was long term. The essays both seemed well thought out and highly noted. I lean heavily toward having our foods labeled though. Turner is right. We don’t know whether or not these biotech foods will have a long term effect. Council writes, “There hasn’t been a single case of an illness caused by biotech foods.” P 41. Well, I’m glad there haven’t been any illnesses, but what about cancers or problems like that? I want to know how much of the food I’ve been eating has been biotech. I hadn’t even heard of this until I read these essays. I think that even if biotech foods aren’t hazardous, we should have the right of knowing when we’re eating them or not. I think that using the argument of “many consumers don’t care to know” is weak. I think they just don’t really know what biotech food is, where problems can arise in eating these foods. I think that if we as a consumer want information about something as important as what we are eating, it should be our right to have it.

Political Cartoon vs. Public Affairs Advocacy Advertisements

When I first opened my political arguments book I opened to page 1 with the political cartoon on it. I did not know what genetically modified meant but I knew whatever it was it looked like it would be beneficial to food and third world countries stricken with poverty. Now after reading part of chapter 2 I understand a little bit better the argument being presented in the political cartoon. The political cartoon is a visual argument, having a strong emotional appeal. As a person whose goal in life is to make a difference in the world, I immediately sided with the author of the cartoon and thought he was making a great point, without even knowing the opposing side’s argument. The political cartoon is a perfect example of an illicit argument. Before I even had considered other possibilities I thought this cartoon was making a great point. Now after reading the other side to the genetically modified food argument I can take a much more educated stance and be able to understand all points of view. The picture on page 24 is both a visual argument and a public affair advertisement. It has emotional appeal and yet it has “an explicit bias and ignores the complexities of the issue by focusing strongly on one view.” I think the political cartoon is less “in your face” and better at tricking you into seeing the authors side. Although the picture did catch my attention and made me feel a little more strongly toward the other’s belief, I was more doubtful of his point.

Implicit and Explicit Arguments

Implicit and Explicit arguments are two different features to an argument. The implicit argument implies the point the source is trying to get across or sometimes does not even make known there is an argument involved in his/her document. The explicit argument is a direct point made known with reasons or evidence backing it up. I believe both are crucial to a captivating argument and each pack a punch. The explicit argument would be used by debaters or lawyers, or especially my step mom. In order to change any rules in my house you have to convince my step mom of your proposal. In order to do that you better be well-read on the topic (why it isn’t all that unhealthy to eat oreos every night after dinner), really believe in what your point is (I would rather be able to eat what I want than stay out thirty minutes later, thus the better choice of an argument would be the food), and listen to my stepmom, the opposing side. I think the implicit argument may be better in my own personal opinion though. The implicit argument gets you to feel something before you can stop yourself. Many times at the beginning of an argument have I heard a different perspective and before I really absorb what that person is about to say, I stop myself and think about why I don’t believe in what their opinion is. The implicit argument is smooth and successful even if the opposing side won’t admit it. The picture in the book caught my attention and immediately I was drawn to the old man and the understanding passing between these two individuals. I then truly looked at the picture, realized its true meaning, and closed my mind of to it’s possibilities. I thought that the suffering and loss these two men must have shared is immeasurable and terrible at the same time. Although the bond between these is like non other, it’s a bond that they shouldn’t have to have none the less.

Red Sky in the Morning

Patricia Hampl’s “Red Sky in the Morning” touches something deeper than just the profoundness of love. True, it is unexpected and therefore meaningful that she happened to stumble upon love that beautiful morning, but the essay is meant to portray something more. The adored woman in the story proclaims, “I could tell you stories” leaving that verb full of possibilities to hang in the air. The statement does not mean she is choosing not to tell Hampl her stories. The statement means, “I could tell you stories- if only stories could tell what I have in me to tell.”P18 The English language is constricting in a certain sense in that some experience are just too big, too full to explain. There are just some stories you can’t do justice to because you can’t express the full meaning behind the story with words. Hampl’s purpose in writing this is to show memories are only memories until we tell them, until we make them a reality to someone else by sharing them. Hampl didn’t realize at the time that a story was happening to her and by telling her story she would make it a reality to many others. It is important for us to tell our stories because by telling our stories we are making it possible for others to experience significant events otherwise unknown to them.

Maggie May

“I need to get those papers from the Tech Ed room.” I remember thinking this in the middle of algebra one class, freshman year. Mr. Cira, my teacher, was laid back enough that I knew if I asked for the bathroom pass I could take it and not have to return within the normal allotted “bathroom” time. I grabbed the pass and began my search for the room that would hold the papers needed in order to get a Wisconsin drivers permit. I finally found the Tech Ed room hidden down a short hallway in the back of my rather large high school. I peeked in searching for who would look like a teacher. I met eyes with a boy in a yellow t-shirt who immediately asked me what I was looking for in a rather dismissive way. I was about to say the teacher’s name when a nerdy, middle-aged man came popping forward asking what was it that I needed. I explained to him how I would be taking his drivers Ed class and that I needed a couple papers from him in order to get my permit. He of coursed him self behind a shelf in search of my documents. A beat later I heard an off-key, throaty rendition of Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May”. I spun in my spot and witnessed a scene I will never forget. Standing up out of his chair, yellow t-shirt was looking me in the eye, hand over heart, serenading to me. I stood frozen, caught by the sudden admiration and attention. I blushed and giggled and fell in love all at the same time. There was a silence after he sang the first line followed by many laughs and guffaws from the class. I quickly took my papers from the teacher and left, without looking the boy in the face. As I walked back to my algebra one room I was so disoriented from the experience and yet so incredibly in the moment. It was exhilarating and unexpected and stunning. The experience touched something in me, someplace only certain people can feel. I am grateful to always have this memory of that boy, whom I later grew to know. He was young and scraggly and giving me something few people get. I was given, only for a moment, the feeling of love, unexpected and unexplainable love.

Class Discussions (up to 8/28)

Personally I think that this is a lot like the previous blog assignment of what I think of my AP English Class. Technically it is different though and I will treat it as such. I enjoy going to third period every day as long as it is my English class. I enjoy dissecting everything we read even if I didn’t enjoy reading it. I like that I am comfortable in throwing out my interpretations of the book, with the knowledge that I will get feed back. I want to hear what my peers have say. I get satisfaction when I hear some one say “oh I never thought of that” to an idea of mine, but more satisfaction when I think it toward another’s idea. I like that when I don’t understand something completely I can ask to have it repeated and generally I get an obliging reiteration. I am pleased with the fact that everyone participates as much as myself because my view is, after all, if I have to be here, why not try a little. I sometimes wish the notes of discussions posted on edline were a little more detailed, but who am I to talk, I never type them. I am not sure if I like the 5 questions. I think they create great discussions but I am unsure as to whether they really help me. I am really excited for this new way of blogging homework because I can see in depth what others are thinking about the class. I hope other class discussions continue in the same way.

Carlos Fuentes

Carlos Fuentes’ “How I Started to Write” touches on all 5 of the BIG AP English questions. The one he uses most interestingly is Style. The way he portrays his life in the essay is so complex and yet I could imagine him perfectly as this hodge-podge of cultures. We are not meant to be told what he wants to express, but by giving us his personal stories we are shown his purpose. The purpose of this essay to me is “cultures are not isolated, and perish when deprived of contact with what is different and challenging”. In simpler terms he is pointing out that culture is not culture if there is nothing to compare it to. It is not culture if it is not different from other customs and traditions. This purpose however is widespread for other ideas. We as human beings are not who we are, are not unique, if we have no one to compare ourselves with. Fuentes has another purpose though. He is trying to convey the importance of language in order to express culture and history. Through this expression we create our own cultural identity. Fuentes love of Argentinean and Latin poets is because of their expression of what their country was, who it came from. Early in the essay Fuentes speaks of America and what it was in his mind and its reality. America was “ the impression of a country identified with its own highest principles: political democracy, economic well-being, and faith in its human resources…” The reality of America was unemployment and starvation caused by the Dust Bowl. Having read the book “The Grapes of Wrath”, this image is all too real to me. Fuentes lived in America in the time of the writing of Mark Twain and John Steinbeck and came to know the truth of America through these authors. His love and connection with words and language only flourished thereafter.

What I Think of My English Class (so far)

My English class is the one period in the day I look forward to going to. I think the entire class always has something interesting and enlightening to say. My favorite moments are the ones when I hear a peer’s idea and a light bulb goes on in my head and I think “Now why didn’t I think of that?”. I think the topics we contemplate and discuss are not considered important in much of our American culture because most people do not have the education or intelligence level we do. I believe this is the reason the topics are brought up. They are brought to our attention because we are the ones who have the power to change what we believe is wrong. We are all going to one of the finest private high schools in one of the largest cities in the Midwest. We will all go on to top colleges and push ourselves to be the best we can be. But there is more importance to our futures than simply that. Do you honestly think the only reason we are expected to do community service is because it looks good on college applications? Do you think we have core values simply because it makes a comfortable and safe environment for us all to work in? We have these expectations for reasons deeper than that. I believe that in the world we live in, we students are given the greatest possibility for great lives, to achieve great things. We are meant to do more with what University and our parents are giving us than just get into prestigious colleges and land prominent jobs. We are meant to help people who cannot help themselves. We will strive for excellence in our lives and come damn near to achieving it. That is what we are meant to do, but there is more significance to it.
In the book “Nickel and Dimed” the scariest fact I came to understand about living the minimum wage life is you can never pull yourself out of it. You are surviving on your wages, not saving for college. We are already ahead of half of the United State and most of us are only seventeen. The futures ahead of us are promising and hold so much possibility. I think only Spiderman’s uncle could say it better. “With great power comes great responsibility.”