Progress 12/7/07

Another person's opinion on animal cruelty was my mom; her grandfather actually went to animal shelters and adopted animals that were going to be put down. Each one of his dogs was named either Oscar or Jack; this made it easier to call all the dogs. This is a good thing that he did, he saved a lot of animals from death, and eventually they would go to a good home. He also bought underfed horses that could not be sold. He gave them food and shelter, and he sold them once they were of the selling condition. This was not uncommon for him, since he did have a rodeo, and he was constantly buying and selling horses. I think that if more people who are able to do this actually did this, then animal cruelty would be a much smaller problem.

Progress 12/6/07

I interviewed a few people on their thoughts about animal creulty. Hunter Arthur said that she thinks that it should be stopped, and that it should be replaced by some other sort of testing if that is the form of testing that is used, because animals are also creatures. She had a personal story that she was nice enough to share with me. When she adopted her dog, she had been abused and abandoned on the side of the road. She was skiddish about everything, and is constantly hiding behind furniture and under beds, to this day. If you start to pet her, she is skiddish and does't like it, almost as if she is expectign to be hit. whenever their maintenance guy comes to their house, he has to take off his hat, and this is because she acts agressive against him. This is a definite sign that the person who abused her was wearing a hat, and she is able to identify that. Dogs can trust only so much, once that trust is broken, then it is hard to obtain it again.

Progress 12/5/07

I have recently found that all states have different laws on animal cruelty, and that an act of animal cruelty depends on the laws of the state. There are 2 types of actions for these laws: intentional acts, and the failure to act. Intentional is basically obvious whether or not the person knew that he was hurting an animal on purpose. This is usually classified as criminal law. The failure to act is where a person does not provide the necessary provisions required for survival including: food, water, healthcare or, shelter. Sometimes a person does not realize that they are abusing an animal in these cases and can hardly afford to feed themselves. Some laws also depend on how an "animal," is defined, as some people can say that they don't know the difference. Well the problem is that animals actually do have feelings; they give everything to their owners, and depend entirely upon them for their survival. All they expect in return is to be taken care of, just like they do for us, they provide people with therapy, love, companionship, fellowship, protection, and they just want the same from us.

Progress 12/4/07

Still going pretty good, and I have decided that I will concentrate my paper mostly on the laws that are formed around animal cruelty. I just found an article on why people commit acts of animal cruelty; my point on this topic will be to expose how we allow these people to own animals. If we can correct the laws, then maybe these people won't have to resort to these extremes. Then again, sometimes it is just a hobby; some people have too many animals, and don't want to give any of them up. They do not realize that they cannot take care of like 30 cats or dogs. People should not be able to commit these acts of cruelty.

Progress 12/3/07

My progress is coming along quite well, earlier on I was watching the new and saw a report about a dog named Gabby. Gabby had been put to sleep at an animal shelter, and 4 days later she was found in the freezer by an employee, and she was still alive. Our animal shelters shoudl be using more efficinet methods of Euthanasia. This is a place where animals are there to find some sort of peace. This animal did not find peace, Gabby was lucky to still be alive.

Tipping Proposal

I really enjoyed reading about Laurel Wilson's policy proposal tha stated that hosts to get tipped, just like the waiters. This essay really made me think about all the hostesses and about how maybe they should be getting a tip. Wilsons did a very good job of setting up his proposal, and he seemed very knowledgeable about his topic. He obviously used logical eviedence to appeal to his audience. This was a proposal that was for a CEO which made it very clean cut and to the point. I like it for that reason, he really got his point across. At the same time, he was able to get all of his necessary information into his proposal. He gives very good reasons, and some solutions to this problem. He also provides information on why this issue needs to be resolved. He mentions that it would make the restaurant more competitive against other restaurants, which would be a good thing since other restaurants do not tip their hosts. I thought that this was a very good point he made. I really didn't have a problem with this essay, if there was anything missing in this essay, I would have to say that it was because this is a very short and to the point essay.

Progress

On thursday night, I was able to sit down with my dad and ask him about his experiences and opinions about animal cruelty. I will not repeat what he said, because I would like to save that for my essay, but he did remind me of the time when I was working at the clinic, and a Pekinese came in. Now, the person who brought this dog in picked him up on the interstate, apparently the owner just didn't care. I suddenly remembered the witness, who saw the dog beign droppoed off, said that he saw the hands of children reaching for the dog. Obviously the dad did not want the dog, and saw it as an opportunity to punish hish children for something they did wrong. About a week later, the owner came in to reclaim the dog, my dad did not want to give the dog back, but it was not his choice, the dog was microchipped. The clinic could have pressed charges but didn't, I will tell you know that if that were me, I would not allow the owner to have the dog back.
It is stories like this that only make me want to stand up for this cause even more.

Research for Inquiry Contract

I have decided to writre my Contract as an advocate for the rights of animals. I feel that i can provide sufficient details of the horrible treatments I have seen. Now, some may know this, but some may not, my dad is a vet, this is probably where I get the passion to protect animals. My evidence would inlcude interviews with my dad, and his colleague Dr. Clayton, in doing so I would be asking them about how they feel on the topic, and if there is anything else they would like to add. I will also be looking at the shw Animal Cops, this is a show where the show animals who have been found in very bad condition. Personally, when I see shows like this, it makes me sick, but when you really look at this, the case is either that the owner just doesn't care, or they are not able to take care of an animal. At the same time, the wounds we see on these innocent souls, are the reflection of the mistakes of someone they trust.

ideas for my inquiry contract

I have given a lot of thought as to what I should write my inquiry project about, and then it just came to me. I should write about the thing that I've grown up around my whole life, animals. My dad is a vet, and as a child I spent most of my time around animals that have been hurt in some form or anther. My topic could be cruelty to animals, meaning that I would talk about how it is the responsibility of the owner to take care of that animal. This would have to include some of the extreme and sad cases that I myself have witnessed the aftermath of.
Human rights are also something that intrigues me. I like this because it is so broad, but that is why I am hesitant towards dong this topic.
I am also very passionate about the war in Iraq, and that would be a good topic for me to do, and would provide sufficient details for this contract. Although this topic tends to be overdone, it is my belief that the only way we can end this war, is for people to speak out. My view on the war is that we set a time to keep our troops over in Iraq, and then we leave, but not until there is a stable system of government. If we can provide this, then at least they will be back on their feet. Some people have very different opinions of the war, and this is understood, so this paper will be based on what I think should be done.
I also am against our dependence on gas guzzling tanks of cars. Yes, I realize that i myself drive an SUV, but even I have made it so that my gas can last longer than that of someone else driving the same car as mine. The way we can become less dependent is to use less gas, and this is hard for us as a nation. But, if a car is driven the way it is supposed to be, then it will use less gas. We could come up with more hybrid SUV's, and they have quite a large selection on the market today.
So, basically my topic could be, against animal cruelty, human rights, war in Iraq, and against our dependence on gas.

Maistream is a Myth

First, I would define mainstream as the in which people have to conform and change they way in which they behave in order for people to acknowledge them as Americans. He describes this behavior as something that is almost expected from these people. This is because they all want to feel like fit into the society, which is mostly, white, Anglo-Saxon, and Protestant. Pleas notice how one of these groups is religious, I just thought it was interesting since a lot of people are constantly trying to escape religious prosecution. They do this because the want to fit in, and in order to do that, I feel that they have to change their characteristics and become something that they aren't. This all stems from the Melting Pot idea that if we all fit in and get along, then there will be less discrimination, which I totally disagree with. Discrimination will always exist as long as people remain different, it is something we can try to control, but no matter how hard we try; it will still be there.
Like me, Yoshino also believes that this is a myth, and that it is inevitable that people will cover up themselves to fit into the mainstream. The myth applies to groups that lay beyond the traditional groups that we think of, the civil rights groups. If we each have our own identities, then it is impossible for this myth to exist. Therefore, if we have no freedom, then we cannot be individuals. Freedom is what allows individuals to be themselves.
I think he writes in a way that allows the reader to think that it's all right to be themselves, and how the courts can sometimes work against people who are different. If you are not part of the mainstream, then you are not treated as an equal, even in the courts. I love how he says that nobody is normal, and that basically the only way a person can be normal is to be themselves.
I personally loved this essay, and he really provided a valid argument, that made me think about the ways people try to fit in. When you really look at a person, you cannot classify them as being normal or not, that is their decision in my opinion.

End of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

In the end of the book, Linda obtains her freedom when Mrs. Bruce, who is the 2nd wife of Mr. Bruce, and Linda worked for her already. Mrs. Bruce was able to hire someone to negotiate with mr. Flint's daughter and her husband, when they came looking for her. In the end, the negotiator was able to buy Linda and her children for $300. mr. Dodge thought this was not a good offer at first, but in the end, he settled when the negotiator told him that Linda would leave the country if the offer was not accepted.
At the end of the book. Linda has some mixed feelings. I think that some of the feelings were that she probably thought she would not be bought, and the fact that she was sold shocked her. Little did she know that it was Mrs. Bruce who bought her, and that she planned to give Linda her freedom. I also think that she didn't like the idea of being sold from one slave owner to another. She also never really liked to consider herself property. She ultimately felt a huge burden lift from her shoulders, and she was no longer afraid. I do think it is ironic how a "sacred" friend gave her freedom, and that it was not a member of her own family.

4th of July good or bad

I think the point that Douglas is trying to get across is that even though the 4th of July means a lot to Americans, it may not mean the same thing for slaves. Slaves were still slaves no matter what, the white man had all the rights, and slaves had none, they were treated as nothing more than property. We may celebrate this holiday, when in fact it did not free all Americans. I love the way he appeals to logos, by using the beliefs of his audience, who do own slaves, against them. It is interesting how he says that a slave may be punished for thinking the thoughts of a free man. The only difference between animals and humans is that we, as humans, have the ability to make our own choices. It is basically saying that we are punishing slaves for doing what a white man can do, and that is think for himself. He also uses the harsh treatment against the white man, which is a very good strategy in trying to sway his audience. Ethos, he uses the declaration of independence saying that all men are created equal. I think a good way to sum this up is to say that this celebration in history meant nothing for a slave until he was free.

Prejudice

The socialization process bascially says that a child will go by the belief's of their parents. I think that this is very true, a lot of poeple do have the same religion as their parents, at least in the early years of their life. When someone goes out on their own, then they will naturally take what they have learned, and form their own beliefs. This is the case most of the time, in my opinion. I think that prejudices start this way, because since our parents are usually the ones socializing the child, then the child is more likely to believe the parent. Think of it this way, if your mom told you not to talk to strangers, would you? No, becasue you know it's bad, that's always the case, parents usually do this in a manner to either make it sound like a minority s bad and that you are better. This absolutley disgusts me, I think it is the job of the parent to provided guidelines on how to make the right choices on their own. How do people think racism begins, it started with one generation, and the child hears about certain groups of people being "bad." That's all it takes for a child to inherit a parent's beliefs. So, it is inevitbe for a child not to grow up with most of their parents' beliefs instilled in them, but that is not to say that they will discover beliefs of their own along the way. The process of socialization does not explain where these ideas descend from, but how they are spread, which is mostly through a parent.

Thomas Jefferson

When many people think of Thomas Jefferson, they usually think of him as the 2nd president and the creator of Declaration of Independence. He was the one who wrote about equality for all men, and that they are all created equal, each having the same rights for freedom and the pursuit of happiness. This is one of our greatest documents, and what shocks me the most is that the founders of this country chose a person that contradicted these beliefs to write it. We get this impression that he is a guy all for freedom, when in fact if you look at his family portrait, you clearly see people of both races. Now, who's to say whether or not they are valid relatives or not, the point is he was promoting freedom while at the same time he contradicted his writings by his actions. I don't think it was uncommon at that time to have slaves, but to have kids and marry a slave during that time period seems to us a little out of the ordinary. I think he believed that people would all have the same rights, but that maybe the timing was off, maybe at that time he could not put forth these details into the Declaration of Independence. But, also when I look at the photo, I tend to think that maybe some of those people who claim to be related to him, might not be. It is very well possible that it could be a hoax, designed to portray Jefferson as someone who was not writing truthfully to his own beliefs. It has always been my philosophy not to judge a person until we get to know them, so in conclusion I would like to say that this picture could bring up controversy, but that we should not judge Thomas Jefferson's character based on this photo alone. We must also look at the way the document and the person who wrote it had an impact on our life.

Cora Tucker vs. Willy Loman

Cora Tucker is a woman who finds happiness in life, whereas Willy does not. Cora is successful. Willy is not successful. Is Cora successful because she is "well-liked?" I think that this idea has some effect on her success, but that depends on how you define success. If you are like Willy, then success is described as being "Well-liked." Cora finds success in the smallest things, and she doesn't need fame and fortune.
But, at the same time, they do want different things; Cora wants her ideas to be heard, while Willy wants to be well liked. They are very different people, and I don't think that they would be able to get along very well if they were put in the same room together. Willy tries to be well liked, but he does this by trying to please others, instead of himself. He relies on his entire image, which is the same image that could destroy him. Cora is not quite as weak as Willy, she seems to be strong-willed, and pushing her ideas towards other people. This causes a lot of people to not agree with her ideas. Despite all of this, I do admire Cora, since she is the one who has succeeded more than WIlly. If Willy had half the strength that Cora did, then he would not have failed at being "Well-liked."

Willy "WELL-LIKED"

When I first read this book, I thought that it was really depressing, and I thought that Willy was a pathetic character. But, when you look beyond the surface of Willy, you find that he is a sad man, and this is all because he wanted to be "Well Liked." Well, I don't believe that other people define you, but that you are defined by your actions, and only you can rely on yourself. THis is exactly what Emerson was talkng about, how you can't depend on other people like Willy did, Willy wanted everyone's approval for himslef and his sons. What he doesn't realize is that if he would focus more on his own actions, and less on what other people think of him, then he could be a better salesman.
Another aspect of this is that he wants to be like another salesman that was very great, and a lot of people came to his funeral. willy will never be that same salesman, especially if he is comparing himslef to that other salesman.
Willy's son Happy is seen in WIlly's eyes as beign "not well liked," and maybe he is, but at least he is not living up to the fake standards of his father like Biff. It is not Biff's fault that Willy sees him as being "Well liked," but is Willy's fault for not seeing how Biff is just a farmhand who can't do math. Even in high school Willy saw Biff as being popular and smart. This is precisley the reason why Biff is so unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Biff's friend Bernard is not very popular in high school, and now he is married and happy, while Biff is not.
I honestly think that Willy is a complicated, yet at the same time a very shallow character, and it was not a surprise for me when I read that he died.

10/8/07 Self-Reliance

What Emerson is saying is that in order to be self-successful, you must first become self-trusted. If you cannot trust yourself, then whom can you trust? If you can't believe in yourself and your decisions, and trust yourself, then you will never get anywhere in life. If you believe you can do it, then you can. Failure is only a possibility if you think you are going to fail. So, essentially he is saying that you are setting yourself up to fail. If you do believe in yourself, then you are setting yourself up for success in other areas of life, and it gives you an idea of what you are capable of.
People will always be there for other people, but just because they believe in you, doesn't mean that they have the ability to push you forward. They just care about you, and support you, but only you are responsible for your destiny. Another note, if you don't believe in yourself, then nobody else will, because they will have no reason to believe in somebody who has no confidence in themselves.
There are things that you can control and things that you can't control. This has to be taken in to consideration, since you can't control what might happen in the future. I believe that self-trust depends on how you look at yourself, and that there won't always be someone there to boost your confidence and put your trust in. Trusting yourself gives you an advantage; it doesn't mean that everything will turn out the way you want it to.

10/10/07 last day of speeches

Today we had had some very well performed speeches. I think that everyone knew their organization well, and was able to sway their audience. My only concern was that a couple of the speeches sounded like all the others, which is not a bad thing since we have a lot of foundations in Indiana like those. There were also a couple of presenters that I thought did very well, and presented a good speech, but by personal preference decided not to donate to them. I only wish that there was a little more diversity in the ways people did their speech. I thought that they all had very good speeches and valid points and data to support these points. Everyone was able to make a rebuttal, and support it. Overall, I think that we all did a good job on getting our points across. I really liked how Maggie made this presentation seem like a business meeting. I thought that it was good how Tina had a PowerPoint, even though it wouldn’t show up on the projector, but she pulled it off very nicely without a visual aid. I would donate to all of these foundations if I could, but I only had $20.

10/9/07 1st day of speeches

Today, I felt like most of the class was prepared for their speech, but weren’t as prepared as they thought they could be. The first speech by Alex M. was very well done, and really set the pace. He knew his topic very well, and was able to include statistics, without bombarding us with a bunch of numbers. He did a wonderful job of representing Goodwill, and even made me want to donate to Goodwill. There were also one or two speeches that were good, but could’ve been better if they practiced it a few more times. I was able to get their purpose, but found myself uninterested in the cause, which was not good. I really liked how Ieysha had a PowerPoint, and it made it very interesting. I also liked how Eli was able to make a connection and share a story from Dads Inc. This was a very good start to the speeches.

Amani

I chose to do my presentation about the Amani foundation. I realize that the money made from this foundation goes toward orphanages in Africa, but I feel an emotional connection to this cause. I feel that I will be able to give a good presentation and provide emotional connections to this cause.
The family started this cause, is a family that I have known since grade school, and my best friends were both adopted. Later on, my bets friends’ aunt adopted a little girl from Africa, and that there family is very big on adoption. I feel that more associations like this one should, and if we had more like this one, we would have less poverty. I feel that this is an association that we can all take something from.
Women make the beads that make the necklaces and bracelets, in African tribes in Kenya. That allows them to get involved, and my friend’s aunt (not the one who adopted the children) paints them, and then my friend’s family puts the jewelry together.
I have gone to events that support this cause, and I feel like a part of this family. I also see two girls who have pulled themselves up from their bootstraps, and have allowed such a big event in their lives to help other children who have had to go through the same things they did. They so this for themselves, their cousins, and for everyone who is touched by this cause.

10/2/07 RA: #9 pg. 284

The simple rags to riches story line that we all know to well, has been used for quite some time to attract audiences by Horatio Alger. We all fall for the idea that hard work can pay off in the end, and it does in some cases, but nonetheless this is a myth. The lesson that we get from this is, according to Dalton, a false one.
There are three messages that Alger portrays. The first one is that each of us is judged solely on his or her own merits. The second one is that we each have a fair opportunity to develop those merits. Finally, the third one is that these merits will out. If these were true, then we wouldn’t have poverty, and everyone would live a perfect lifestyle. Some people do not judge by merits, and we do each have a fair opportunity to develop these merits, but it is harder for some people. The first message is basically saying that life has nothing to do with the aspects of ourselves that we cannot change. The second message Dalton says that neither Alger nor the myth that he writes says that we each start out equal. The third point is unfair, for the simple fact that people do have the chance to make decisions, they want to, but they just don’t know how.
Dalton thinks that this myth should be “interred,” and I agree. The only problem is how do we do this, and is it even possible? I think it is possible, but it is a very hard to reach dream of many people who want to reach it but can’t or don’t know how. Well, Dalton brings up some critical points about black and white folks and the myth. He states that black folks understand this myth as a reality and also know that it is false. This all helps them to cope with “the adverse events of life,” just like in the city of Flint. White people use it as an excuse to put the wretched idea of racism out of their minds, but they want to help get rid of it. In order to get rid of this myth that drives false hope, we must use the lie to the idea to bring up black people, then we as white people need to realize that we too are part of the problem and take action and responsibility. In order to accomplish the abolishment of this myth, we must take into account that hard work and individual merit are very critical in this goal, but it is not the only thing that drives it forward.
I think that in order for a cultural myth to be abolished, action and common sense must be present on all sides of the segregations. No matter what race, no matter what religion, no matter what class type, skin color, gender, or pedigree, we are all responsible for segregation, and we created this myth as a crutch, so it is up to all of us to deal with the reality of this world, quit living in a fantasy land, and get rid of this myth together. It is ironic though, that the people who hate segregation hate this myth, and were the creators of both, and they can’t and don’t want to get rid of it. We created the robbery of peace among people with differences, which is very sad. These are my thoughts on this myth.
Alger also says that we live in a land with unlimited potential, this may have been true when people came to America in search of a better dream, but what was once a dream is now only a tainted memory. All of these statements are nice to think about, but not true, for we live in a land that diminishes our dreams within a split second.

Comparison Documentary-RA 10/1/07

The movie "Roger and Me," gave me a good look at what a small town can look like. I had no idea that there were people to determine what season you were, that is a little odd, and that people actually sell live and dead rabbits out of their own home. What surprised me the most was that they were so ignorant, and I felt so sorry for people who had no idea that they could live a better life. They had no idea of where to go in life, especially after General Motors. It seemed as though the people of Flint, kept using that as an excuse to not move ahead. "Ragged Dick," however was poor, and could hardly make a living, and he still was able to save a boy from drowning when it could have cost him his life. I was shocked when I read that Mr. Rockwell gave him a job, and to find that when Dick got home, someone had broken in. So, I think that good deeds pay off in the end. I like the story of Dick a lot better, a man getting back up on his feet, due to the courtesy of a stranger, and most of all his own bravery. It is not very realistic, no, a man would pay a high price for his child, but only a handful of men would give a person who saved their child a job. I feel that the movie is more realistic, because it shows what can happen to people when they give up. I think that this doesn't happen as much as we think it does, but these are real people and it is a documentary. It is real, and dick's story is less likely to happen in our everyday lives. So, I think that the documentary is more real, due to the fact that it shows what can happen to a town, and the reading is just a story.

RA:#3 pg. 353-357 9/28/07

I think that according to Stephen Cruz, the American dream is not the glimmering dream that everyone thinks it is. Most people coming to this land, who have either crossed borders, like Cruz, or have come from across the globe. They all have one thing in common; they are all looking for a better life.
In this reading, Cruz says that there are stereotypes in this country. One of which is that Mexican people are happy to be around, but at the same time emotional. This was the case when he worked at Proctor and Gamble, and he was only allowed to interview people, and worked very hard. He had 14 job offers, and at that time, he probably thought that it was because he was smart and he earned it. He was wrong. It was not because he was smart, but I think it was because he made the company look good, and he was good just not good enough for management. This made him think that the American wasn’t fair, and businessmen weren’t fair. Was this because some people were still racist? I think yes, but I think that they are only thinking about how to get ahead. I think that this is a very fair assumption to make, since I would feel the same way if I were in his position, cheated out of any chance of success.
Later on in other jobs like Blue Cross, he soon realized that even minorities are just as bad to one another. Yet again, the management did nothing, and it was at this point when he realized that people tend to go by their own rules. I think that this is not always the case in our modern society, but that people in a business do what they can to get ahead. But, at the same time, wouldn’t he be one of these people? I think that this is a curious question, since he can be considered to be one, but at the same time, he is just like them. The only difference is their heritage.
During these jobs, his bosses kept telling him that he had the right “Ingredients” for management, if only he would “fall in line and stay within the fence.” This is going back to that stereotype that Mexicans are emotional, which I think is not very fair, since one man cannot be judged by his race. If I were him, I would’ve quit right there, since I would’ve put in the same workload as everyone else in the business.
He then worked for a consulting firm, which were said to have been saving a lot of businessmen. The main difference about this firm was that there were no minorities, but you had to work in order to get ahead. This is where he finally realized that the American dream was defined by power and fear, and the dream was not to lose. This is what drove him to get to the consulting firm, where he finally got ahead, but then left to become a professor at the University of Wisconsin. I feel that if I were in his position, I would feel his pain, not for a lack of money since he had a lot, but to find out that America still had segregation. This is not only sad, but I feel that it steals away the idea of what America should be, all because a couple of businessmen want to get ahead. What Cruz doesn’t realize is that he was living the stereotypical American dream, making $30,000-$50,000 a year, but that is not the real American dream people think of.
I agree with Cruz, but since we hardly see discrimination, it is hard to know that it exists. But this piece is the perfect example of discrimination, even though it is an outdated piece. I also think that the American dream is hard to achieve for people who have to face discrimination. But, it is harder to achieve it when they see it but have no idea how to get there.

RA:#2 pg. 307-329/25/07

I found the reading to be quite interesting, since the author started this article off by saying that most Americans do not like using the word “class,” to describe how each class describes them and how they describe each class. I think that Mantsios, did this to indicate that there are no set classes in our society today. Is this because our nation consists of mainly middle class citizens? I think it is, and I say this because people who are born into our nation are generally born into a “wellborn,” society.
I also like how Mantsios states that most of our lower class would be considered wealthy in other countries. I think that this is true, because we as a society are more developed than other societies. Our society is not made up of rich people and poor people, and the wealthy are not exploiting the poor, sine they are similar in the way they live, since most of our upper class is considered middle class. I find this very interesting since we assume that our lower class is so poor, while they are still able to survive and live a fairly normal lifestyle than that of other people in poverty. So do classes of society really exist? I think that we are made to think that they do not, but the inevitable truth is that they always will exist, no matter how large or small each class is.
Are we brought up to think that there are no specific classes? I think we are. So, therefore the rich are not exploiting the poor, since they don’t even think that there is hardly a lower class. This is very interesting since we usually are spoon-fed the belief that there are no specific classes, which is why we believe that there are no set classes.
When politicians and commentators denies exploitation, and makes it out to be something that naturally happens. They say that we are socially diverse, but we cannot be diverse if there are no classes that we will indicate. This makes me think that the author is trying to say that the upper class tries not to step on the toes of the poor, but cannot avoid doing so, since they will always be seen as rich, when in fact that upper class of society has more power. Meanwhile we do not have that large of an upper class.
My position is in the middle class, makes me a majority, which gives me an advantage to the poor, and people of other races. But, I am also a woman, and therefore I am a minority among men. This brings me to the conclusion in which our class is mostly determined by our race, not our gender, which is why there is simultaneous discrimination. We cannot escape discrimination no matter what we do; it will always exist, even if we say it does not.
I think that this question can go tow ways, but have the same outcome. If a person takes the question as saying that the rich ignore the poor, and that that we can also take this question as the rich making the poor out to be very bad. In my personal opinion, I think that the rich ignoe the poor, which makes this a bigger issue, which is the main argument the author is trying to get across, but it can be taken both ways.

9/24/07

The argument presented in the sample essay, From “ First Place: A Healing School for Homeless Children, by Marybeth Hamilton, was a strong argument. She is basically arguing that a private school would be more beneficial than a public school.
The author first went on to state how people would oppose to this school, and why. She said that some people would be opposed to a more expensive school, rather than paying nothing to go to a public school. But, the author also says that she understands why this claim would be made, and she also said that this system would help to properly educate students, and helps to reduce the costs of welfare and crime. She acknowledges the fact that First place would be dealing with children that have problems with drugs and crime, but that by placing them in this school would help get them back in line. There is also the argument of the criticism of how the school uses its’ money in social services, instead of putting the money forward towards the school itself. Another issue that she addressed is the fact that a student may not be there for very long, and that s student will receive individual attention that is needed.
Although some people would question the idea of taking students out of a regular classroom, and might cause some alienation among the students. I think that the author presents a good stated reason, which basically states that First Place is a better school suited for children with special needs. I think that her grounds are the evidence that she has provided, which is: money, students, and how the students are taken care of. I think that she provided a good opposition. I think that the way she wrote this argument appealed to her audience, which is most likely, the parents of students. I think that the claim she was trying to get across was: communities should take more actions in their school systems.

Chapter 9 9/20/07

Some people believe that we are becoming a visual society, and I agree with this statement. When you look at how you get basic news and information, you are being sucked into an argument that you may not find morally correct, without knowing it. It is my belief that we also use visuals in power points, and movies, to focus the attention of the audience on the main point. Many fonts are used in many different ways, like Serif fonts, Sans serif fonts, and Specialty fonts.
Serif fonts are used mainly to attract the eye, since it is so easy to read. This is why you will not find it just anywhere, but mainly in the verbal parts of documents. Sans serif fonts are used for display, and are often seen in headings and logos. Specialty fonts are used for decorative effect.
Since these fonts are used in many different situations, it is my belief that since we are attracted to these different display styles we are used to seeing them in the media. I say this because, once again, we use the media in many aspects of our lives’. This is why the media uses these fonts to persuade us to side with them, and we are so used to going along with the media.
So, in an argument, a visual aid is very useful, like the one on page 178 in our textbook. This shows the different aspects of George W. Bush: him on a ranch, greeting a crowd, and delivering a speech at Mount Rushmore. I believe that these photos are supposed to convince us that George W. Bush is someone we can relate to.
Many advertisements use colors, and slogans, and many different ways of using fonts to attract the eyes of a viewer. This is why I believe that a visual argument is more persuasive, since we come across them everyday.

Chapter 7 9/20/07

When using ethos and pathos, an author has responsibilities of making their audience more emotionally engaged. They are able to do this by making a connection with the beliefs’ of their audience, which is important in making an argument. It is very important for the author to be creditable, without this the audience would feel insecure about believing the argument of the author.
In order to appeal to ethos, and present themselves as a trustworthy and knowledgeable source they must make their statements with a sense of care for the audience. This means that they must have knowledge about the issue they are talking about, be fair and not bombard the audience, and share the assumptions of the audience and build a bridge. This allows the author to gain the respect of the audience and further engage their audience in order to have them side with their audience and get their point across in a fair and agreeable way.
They must also take into consideration about how to create pathos, and appeal to the emotions and beliefs of their audience. In doing so, the audience will be able to connect in their own way. In order to do this, the author must use concrete language and use specific details to set off positive feelings within the audience. They must also be sure to use specific examples and illustrations, so that the audience will be able to paint a picture in their mind about the argument. They also support the reasons of the author by giving vital evidence, and they give a your argument more substance and presence. Another way in which to trigger ethos is to use narratives, so that the audience can follow a story that leads up to the argument, and are very good attention grabbers. These are also very risky, in the sense that they cannot be too personal, for if they are, they can backfire on you.
I think that our government uses pathos, by using illustrations, like in trials and court cases, but they often do not use concrete language all the time. In my opinion, I believe that our government tries to create an effective ethos, but is unable to. I say this because when you look at most things you see on the news, you do not get the full story. But, in a courtroom, you are able to hear the arguments of the lawyer’s. Are they always fair? I think that most of the time they are fair in their arguments, but they are making them to just get paid. Lawyers are very knowledgeable about their topics, and know how to argue, but I personally think that they are unable to build a bridge to their audience, since they are getting paid to argue.
Most politicians do care about the issues that they bring up in political debates. They provide good evidence, and know how to appeal to their audience and know what their audience wants. They are also fair in the way they debate, as most politicians realize that they must come to an agreement at some point, but this is not the case with all politicians. In debates, they are not able to create pathos, since they are not able to use power points, but they do use these visual stimulators in other aspects of their careers like: commercials, and posters, and documentaries.
So, in conclusion I believe that there are some aspects of politics that display pathos better than ethos, and some display ethos better than pathos. It is hard to display both of these in an argument, but it is essential that you do.

Pseudo argument in real world 9/19/07

In the real world, I have encountered many situations that care considered pseudo arguments. Pseudo arguments are arguments that are based on opinion by both parties, and that an argument can go on and on. A good example of this is whether dogs are better than cats; there are no facts that can really prove a statement that cannot be countered. Arguments in our government today could to some degree be considered pseudo arguments. The death penalty is a very good example of this, some people say yes the criminal deserves it, and some say no based on their own beliefs and morals. I have had many arguments about political topics, and at some point both people have to agree to disagree, seeing that most of these topics will never have an answer that they can both agree on. There are also debates on which food is better, these opinions can vary, which is because some people like spicy food, and some people like sour food. Basically any situation that really cannot be resolved, because these arguments cannot be measured since both people will have different opinions.

Chapter 4 "Pathos" 9/18/07

In the reading, the word pathos literally means "suffering" or experience." Appeal to pathos acts as a powerful rhetorical device; this is all because it is associated with emotion. This means that it appeals to the emotions of the audience, therefore allowing them to see what the writer sees. Logos and Ethos are used mainly to the credibility of the author and the logical appeal, whereas pathos is used as a "logical discourse." So by pulling on the heartstrings of the author's audience, then the author knows that the audience will make an emotional connection. This allows the audience to gain more insight into the argument, and most likely side with the author's opinion. This is why pathos is a very strong rhetorical device, since it allows the author to gain the audience’s attention. This is very important to most writers today, to appeal to their audience based on whom they are trying to get their opinion to. Most likely an author will use the shock factor to gain the attention of their reader, which is what pathos is, it just makes you stop and think the way the author does. Pathos is based on appealing to an audience, to gain their appreciation of their argument.

Reflections on AP Exams 9/16/07

I do have my worries about the AP Exams, but they are mostly very mild. I think that by the end of this semester we will all be thoroughly prepared to take on the AP Exams. When I saw the multiple choice questions, I will admit that I was thinking about how we will do this, but I realized that we will practice these and it will take time. I wish that we could do some more practice on reflections on the essays, becasue I feel like I overthink the readings. With practice I will gradually get better at this, but I think that we will all have our worries about this test, even though it is not for a grade. I just really hope I am able to get the college credits, for this year. I also think that we should get some more experience with the multiple choice, and that maybe we could spend some time in class talking about each section of the test. i really do not feel that much anxiety toward the exam, which is suprising since I tend to be nervous about tests, and exams. I feel that we will be prepared, but that I should not worry about this wuite yet, since we are already gradually learning about this exam in class, and we will be ready. This is perhaps the reason why I am not nervous, maybe just a little overwhelmed, but nothing serious.

Reflections on class discussion 9/6/07

Yesterday's class discussion brought up quite a lot of issues, which were mostly about the ethical status of torture. A question that was brought up a lot during class was, "Do we want to kill one guilty man, and take away his freedom, to save a whole group of people who are innocent?" I think that this question, will in truth never be answered, I say this because we as humans have a conscience, and we also have the capacity to make our own decisions. We also have the capacity to think through situations, unlike most creatures who do not have the ability to have free will. The point I am tring to make with this is that this question can truly never be answered, since you can't kill a life, and expect one back, you can't save someone in a situations that threaten the lives of innocent people. I like the claim that the author makes about how most mothers would kill the people who took their baby. The question that I would like to ask the author is, "When were the mothers asked these questions?" I ask this becaseu any mother would want to defend an inncoent life in which they created, adn would say that they would kill their baby's captive if they ever found them. I'm not saying that they wouldn't say this during the aftermath, but they could say this due to the fact that it is perfectly natural for a mother to say things like these in the heat of the moment. But would they regret thinking these thoughts of killing another human to save their own child? Maybe they would maybe they wouldn't. The point that I'm trying to get across is that people might think of harming one human to save others, but will they later on think that they wouldn't be any better than the criminal they thought these thoughts about? This is not just in the case of mothers, but of families who have been affected by terrorist attacks, in which they probably would have done anything to save their loved ones during the attack. But would they have thought it to be ethical to take away another person's life in exchange for inncoent lives? I think that most people would think it is ethical, based on the fact that once someone has committed a crime, that they are literally stripped of their rights, and that they also were the ones who signed up for a dangerous act of terrorism Another thought about this article is that he practically predicted that there would be a attack like 9/11,that was creepy, anyone else get
that vibe?

Reading pg. 22-38 9/4/07

In this section of reading we looked at genetically modified foods, and how the media kind of sways you to go with the ideas that they are advertising. This is used to show how the advertisers want you to read this as a "Believer," also what Carl Rogers calls "Empathic listening." This basically means that you see the arument in the eyes of the author, and you see the point they are trying to get across if onlyfor a shosrt time. I think that this chapter shows good examples fo hw we use empathic listening. On pg. 1, this picture in my book shows a cartoon of a person starving on the ground reaching a bowl outward toward what supposedly looks like a typical hippie who is against genetically modified food. he is holding out a piece of corn and is saying that the person doesn't want this and is pulling this food away from a starving person, when he has no food at all. In this picture there are arrows pointing to the corn that says " Drough resistant," and another arrow points to the person saying that he is "Reason resisistant." This is just trying to be funny in a political way, while at the same time is trying to make fun of how thing are overdramatized and how we actually find these statements funny. An ad on pg. 24 is basically showing an author writing about the consequences of issues. She says in this article that genes that can come from any animal are inserted into the food that we eat to make it "gentically modified," and is kind of saying that you could be eating flounder. The result of this could be that animals could get genitcally modified food , and could carry the food to to crops and cross-polinate those crops. She is literally trying to sway us using data and the shock factor of what this could do to the environment. I think that both of these articles are a good way to get an audience's attention, and that it shows how we use empathetic listening, but how we don't show any resistance.

reading pg. 3-14 9/3/07

The difference between implicit and explicit is very clear. An implict argument can be used in the form of a poem or many times in a short story, but it doesn't look like an argument the way that an explicit argument does. Explicit arguments are often used to sway an audience and make them see their point of view and side with their argument. People do this by using evidence supporting their idea. this could be used in petitions and in debates, or elections. On page 5, there is a very good example of an implicit poem, even though it could be used to convince an audience and could be mistaken for an explicit argument. I think that implict ideas could be used to support an explicit idea, and this could be used in our everyday lives, whether we know it or not. They are used in many presentations that we see today, and in teh poems and books that we read The author of "Dulce et Decorum Est," wanted to get her point across that war is in fact very honorable, and "that dying for one's country is sweet and fitting." We may not see this reading the poem at first glance, but that is the feeling that she wants to get across using the poetry. Figure 1.1 on page 6 shows an exampe of an implicit idea, a picture of Arabian refugees. The point of this picture was to show that a picture could also mke an implicit statement by sparking emotions, for example: if a reader were to look at this picture of refugees, they would feel bad for these people because of the way people are portrayed. These types of implicit statements are often seen adn used in newspapers, the news, and in photographs. These two kinds of arguments are very different, but they are both used to prove a point.

reflections on all class discussions

During most of our class discussions I have found new revelations in the reading that I had not noticed before in the readings, when we were discussing it in class. Since we have read the books,"The Great Gatsby," and "Nickel and Dimed," over the summer, I have been more interested in them than I was when I was reading them during the summer. At first I found," The Great Gatsby," to be just a story of a pathetic girl who got herself mixed up with Jay Gatsby, and after our first and second discussion about the book, I soon found that I was actually more sympathetic toward Daisy than Gatsby. This helped me to analyze characters more thoroughly and that maybe the way they act is the only way that they know how to live their lives. I have also found it extremely intriguing to find that some authors like to put an aspect of themselves into their books, just like F. Scottt Fitzgerald did in his book, and I found that talking about some of his work gave me a glance at his life. I have had a lot of "Lightbulb moments," as I affectionately refer to them as, in a lot fo our class discusions and am hoping to have more of these moments.

8/27 Carlos Fuentes

In the artcile, "How i Started to Write," by Carlos Fuentes has a purpose that is very unique in my opinion. As I was reading this article, I noticed that he was a Scorpio, a controlling, yet intense fire sign if the zodiac. The problem with his father was that he wanted his son to be born in Mexico, since he was involved with the Mexican legation, but instead his son was born in Panama City, not under the Eagle and the Serpent. This significane to the story is very relevant if you look back at mexican history when natives were looking for a place to call their own, they found a Eagle holding a serpent, which is what we see on the Mexican flag today. Later on in the story when Carlos Fuentes says that his father's high standard and imagination of Mexico was not real, the little lightbulb went on in my head once again. I realized that the point he was trying to get across was that was that what we hold dear in our imaginations becomes so great in our minds, that when we realize that it is not a reality, our entire world could come crashing down. So, ths can relate to Gatsby, in the sense that he held the image of Diasy in his mind for so long, and lived in the past, just like Fuentes' father's view of Mexico. But, then I read further, and I saw that Fuentes realized that his father's country was real, so maybe his father was making it so great to make his son think that he is part of somethig greater, when in reality, it did the exact opposite. This is all due to a language that is not spoken, btu exists among all people no matter what race. Fuentes ended up realizing that he could dream his own dreams and that human beings share a tradition. I really like the quote,"There is no creation without tradition. No one creates from nothing."

reflections on class discussion 8/24

Based on the class discussion on thursday, I feel that the quote, "I could tell you stories" brings on a whole new meaning. I used to think that it was just a way to break the ice, but when it comes from a middle-aged woman who was making out with a hot young guy in front of a train with a lot of people watching just really makes me think. My first thought was that of the girl on the train "EWW," but at the same time I felt a sort of sympathy for the middle-aged woman. I feel for her because whether we know it or not, we all have had those moments when we wish we could share a story about our lives, but don't, we just keep it bottled up inside. So, bascially this quote opnes up a window into this person's life and invited the other girl into the her life's story, but the reason the middle-aged woman stays quiet after saying the quote is simply because the other girl was not interested. Why? I believe that becasue of her shallowness, that she will never be able to find happiness in another person just ike the woman she was staring at did. Also, the fact that she could have told the story, but the fact that she did not could be because she knew the girl would not understand, especially since she couldn't do her stories justice. I thinkshe knew the girl coudn't relate anyway. The stories also might change over time, because what usually happens is that people forget bits and pieces of the story, and eventually the story does not relate to what that perosn was originally talking about in the first place. I feel that this quote can be interpreted in many ways, these are just my thoughts on this quote.

reflection on class discussion 8/22

The class discussion on Wednesday was very interesting, and was very difficult to understand at the same time. There were times during the class when a little light bulb just came on in my head, and I was like, “wow I get that so much better." One of these moments was when I realized that F. Scott Fitzgerald is literally trying to use Gatsby to portray himself in way. Like Gatsby, Fitzgerald let himself be defined by the people around him, and I think that he has lost that aspect of himself and to me that is sort of depressing. For someone to give in to other people for a lifestyle that is just very interesting for me, but at the same time I feel that we ourselves have experienced similar situations in which we let people define us through fashion trends and social dynamics. I also love the fact that this book makes you really think, I mean when I read it I never thought about the green light being something that we cannot ever reach. Gatsby lives in his past since he knows no other life other than the one other people make him out to be, and he goes along with all the rumors that people, who he doesn't even know, make about him. But is James Gatz pretending to be Jay Gatsby to please Daisy? I think that he is, and that at one point Daisy loved him in the past, but since Gatsby is not the same person I think that she doesn't love him as much. The main problem is that one cannot change the past. Would Fitzgerald be writing these great books if he was the same person as he started out, and wasn't as famous? I believe that this is a possibility, but then again I'm not the same person I was when I was 14 either. So this brings up the question do we live in our past? Subconsciously yes, but there are people who try to change what has happened in the past even though they can't. I think that Jay Gatsby is the kind of character that most people can relate to in a lot of ways, whether you live in the past or not. All good writers try to connect to their readers in one way or another, and I think that Fitzgerald does this magnificently.