....random

I have sooo many papers and projects due in the next week before finals that it is insane. I can not stand it anymore. I need summer so badly because I do not think that I will be able to handle the workload for one more second. This weekend is going to be filled with me constantly writing, or rewriting, papers that need to be turned in on the coming week. But at least I know that when I finally do finish all of these things I will have two somewhat simple tests before I get to go and enjoy myself for 2 whole months!

Blog about something that you believe in

Although it is just a word I have to say that I for one believe in freedom. I think that we as Americans should all believe in this word and that actions that it brings with it I believe that we should fight to keep our freedom and to not let others attack it. One of the virtues of being an American is the right to do things without fear of being persecuted by your government, in my opinion this is freedom. Going into Iraq was a good decision on the Presidents part because we were doing it in order to both keep our freedom and to give people who could not fight for their own freedom the opportunity to obtain it. I will admit that once in Iraq the former President did make mistakes but I also must say I truly believe that we should be their helping others gain the freedoms that we as Americans love and enjoy everyday. 

Random again

So right now I am very bored...and I am watching the movie the Waitress which is a very very good movie although it is kind of sad. My brother came home from IU on Friday which was exciting because to be honest I really do not like to be an only child because my parents constantly watch my every move so it is very nice to have my brother Sawyer home because finally they are not constantly watching me. I am getting very excited to get the AP English exam over because that will be my last AP test and after that I don't have a whole lot of studying for the entire rest of the year which is a positive thing.

I am done!

I finished the APUSH test! Honestly it took a lot of studying and it was very very obnoxious but at the end it was simpler than I thought that it would be. The only remotely hard part was the multiple choice section but I definitely think I got at least 45 right. The essays were easy because I had studied that information before so I knew exactly what to write. Ok Eryn is waiting for me to go glaze the teapots I am off!

Johnny got his gun

When Joe is finally able to communicate with the outside world through his tapping method the doctor basically asked him one question, "What do you want?" It then occurred to him that he did not even know where to begin. Joe frantically began to tap and tap for pages a pages about the various things that he wanted because he had not been able to experience them for the years and years that he was confined to only his mind. Joe said that he wanted to go and he wanted to get out and leave. He claimed that he wanted to go to government locations to discuss the necessity of peace and democracy. He also said that he wanted to be paraded through the famous cathedrals and churches that the famous kings have walked through. Mainly Joe simply wanted his life he wanted to leave the hospital in the condition that he was once in. I think that if I were in that position I would want to go to my home and be surrounded by my friends and family because they would be the people that would take the most time to communicate with me. I also think that I would want to be outside so that I would not have to spend even one more minute stuck in a hospital room and a hospital bed. 

Random 4

I am getting very nervous for the APUSH final because I have not really studied as much as I should yet and well I do not know how I will do because getting a 5 requires knowing a lot of random information that I honestly do not really care about at all. But....Abbey Spearman and I did go to barnes and noble to buy a power pack which is actually quite funny. It comes with notecards, terms, and all of the important dates that we will need to know for the test. It also comes with this note that says in case of emergency and to be honest I am VERY excited to see what is inside. Well I have nothing more to say and I need to go to read Johnny got his gun. 

The March of the Flag

Beveridge believes that Americans are superior to pretty much all other nations in the world. He claims that America has the right to control the rest of the world because we are capable of governing others, and we have demonstrated this through the success of our own nation. He says that we are capable of governing those who can not govern themselves and that it is our right to do this regardless of how far they are from us. Beveridge says that God himself has blessed the American people. The book Johnny got his gun argues against this in some way. In the book Joe goes to war in order to preserve freedom and in some ways fight for democracy. However Joe had no idea why he was fighting and whether or not it was the right thing to do. So how can we take over a country when we do not know whether or not it is the right thing to do or whether or not it will actually help another nation. Beveridge believes that it will because we have everything straightened out however the book argues that we are so unaware of things around us that we are not able to help and we should not take over other nations. 

America the Beautiful

D'souza argues that Americans should constantly be ready to go to war, regardless of their opinion on whether or not there should even be a war, because normally America only goes to war on the side of the "angels" and most of the time, apart from Vietnam, when we believe in something we will win the war regardless of the power of the opposing country. D'souza believes that going to war is a way that America becomes unified and it is because of that unity that America is the nation that it is today. D'souza also states that when all Americans believe in the war that they are fighting then they are successful. In the book Joe does not even know why he is fighting in the war and it is because of this that he can not possibly believe in it.  Joe does not understand the war and according to D'souza it is because of this that he was not as successful when you can not understand something then it is impossible for you to put your heart into it this could be the reason that joe ended up getting injured. 

Resistance to Government

"Johnny got his gun" and the article "Resistance to government" relate to each other because they both involve the idea that the government should not have as much power as they do now. Both the book and the article discuss the idea that people do not feel connected to what is going on in the world (the things that the government takes care of) so they do not know why they may have to do a specific action. This is best portrayed in the book by Joe. Joe is crippled in a state in which he can do nothing but wander if he is dead, thinking, or simply dreaming. He did this to fight against the Germans in WWI. That is all that Joe knew about the war but because the government sent out a draft that made him fight in the war he is now in a place where he will never be able to live in anything but his mind ever again. Should we conform to the wishes of the government when we do not even know what we are fighting for or if we do not even care what we are fighting for?

random 3

On Thursday we are throwing a fundraiser for Luke Messer at my house. Ever since I was younger my mom and dad have held Republican fundraisers are my house because my dad was the head of the Republican Party for the State of Indiana. When I was younger I have to admit that these fundraisers seemed pointless and boring and I would normally lock myself in my room or help the police park cars (I would drive people up to my house on the golfcart). I have to say now that I am older I really like these fundraisers and I am very excited to be having this one for Luke who I have known for a very long time now in Thursday. 

random 2

I really do not know what to write about for this blog except for the fact that I am sick to death of getting ready for AP tests. Obviously it is important because we have worked for the entire year in order to get a good grade on this test but still it does not mean that I am not sick of studying for them. Especially APUSH, we took a whole practice test on Saturday so that could be the reason I am suddenly so bored with these AP tests. I have also come to the conclusion that I should probably start studying for my APUSH test because well it turns out that there is a heck of a lot of random dates that I am going to need to know not to even mention the amount of random terms and people that other Americans have no idea about. Oh well I suppose I should not complain since I chose to take it....and in the end it will all be worth it! well...hopefully. 

Random

I am not very good at coming up with random blogs. But.... I can write about what I am looking forward to this summer. This summer I am going to live in London for an entire month with my best friend who lives in Dallas, Hailey. We are going to be living a the University of Richmond with around 50 other high school juniors or seniors. I am going to be taking a college class for about an hour and a half every day (except for the weekend). I think that I am going to be taking a class that involves me going to different museums around London and looking at the different pieces of art that they have there. Ok that is as much rambling as I can do!

...

The thing that is currently on my mind is what we discussed today in Republican Club. Today we talked about the CNN reporter which went to report on a group of angry citizens who felt as though the government is becoming similar to socialism and how that is impacted them in their daily lives. These people made a point that they were not just republicans but that they were also democrats and they also discussed how it was not just the democrats that were taking their money but that republicans in congress are doing the same thing. The reporter asked one man about his beliefs and when he began to discuss how he felt she would not let him talk and continued to bash him. The reporter then when on to bash the fox news station and how it was not the right place for CNN to be. I found it interesting that a person who choses to report feels the need to alter those who have different opinions around her. She did this in a very rude way, her job is to report and others are supposed to make their decision on the subject matter.

Gender

I think that the main thing that has influenced my idea of what gender is is the media. The media constantly portrays women as bimbos with big boobs and perfect hair. It is unrealistic for all women to be told that they have to look like this if they want to have the perfect boyfriend, the best clothes, or the most amazing friends. The media is constantly telling women that the only way that they can have all of these things is if they look as perfect as the girls on tv or in the magazines do. Realistically, we don't all have the ability to have our hair done on a daily basis, have make up put on us by professionals, have the perfect designer wardrobe, or be retouched by photographers. Many teenage girls understand that it is not realistic to look like the girls in the magazines but I think that it does not stop them from wanting to be like those girls who seem to have the perfect life. Men and women are all characterized by how the media portrays us and until we can get away from that our expectations will never be reached. 

Cofer

Media plays a major role in Cofer's life. Cofer is constantly being held to a high standard during her entire life. In Puerto Rico she was considered beautiful because, although she was different than others, her "white" skin and large eyes were considered interesting. When Cofer moved with her family to America the image of what makes a beautiful women changed. The media america did not want a skinny scrawny girl to be considered beautiful. Instead they wanted voluptuous white women like wonder woman. Cofer, although beautiful in Puerto Rico, was not considered beautiful because she did not resemble wonder woman. It is impossible for anyone to look like Wonder Woman because she is not a true character so for the media to try to force that upon women in America it is insane. Cofer was always being put down because she did not resemble a fictional character. 

Rights

Before recently I have never really thought about gay marriage and whether or not I believed that it should be legal. After reading the various articles and having discussions in class I have somewhat formatted an opinion on the topic. In almost all cases I am incredibly conservative and I am the first to admit that I have a very conservative view of the world. However, I do not believe like some conservatives do that gay or bisexual Americans should not be allowed to get married. I feel like all Americans, regardless of who they fall in love with, should be able to get married. Marriage is more than just a way to express love for someone but as we learned in one of the essays it is a way to be legally bound to the person that you love. It is because of this that I think you should be able to marry whoever it is that you want to marry. I do feel the need to point out that not all conservatives are against gay rights and while some are they do not represent the entire conservative party. 

What is marriage?

# 2 

Wolfson begins his essay about marriage by defining what exactly marriage is. He claims that marriage is a way to show ones dedication to another, the ability to have access to health care and insurance, a social statement, and among other things a relationship between a couple and the government. Wolfson dedicates a lot of his essay to his various definitions of marriage. I think that he does this so that there can be no questions as to what marriage is. I also think that he does this so it stresses the importance of the various meanings of marriage. I found his definition of marriage fair. He described marriage as both an expression of love and a way to allow others (the government included) to see the love that one has for another and to respect that with health forms and insurance. I think that by doing this the importance of marriage is built up and then we he begins to discuss people who are not allowed to get married it makes it seem more unjust. 

It Takes Family

Santorum compares  a single parent household to a plane that only sometimes makes it to its final destination. At the same time he compares a married couples household to a plane that will always make it to there destination. In saying this he is judging the capabilities of a single parent and saying that regardless of the situation the married couple will always have a more successful child than the child of a single parent.He also talks about the fact that any child would choose to live in the home of a married parent over that of a single parent because they will not be successful if they do not live in the married couples house, or it will be more difficult for them to actually become successful. I think that this metaphor is attempting to persuade people that growing up in a single parent home is always worse then growing up in a married couples house. This seems incredibly ridiculous to me. There are just as many troubles in a single parented home as there are in a married couples home. A child will strive to be successful regardless of where they live because it all depends on the child's will. 

Vazquez: Appearances

I think that Vasquez wanted people to believe that Brian and Mickey were gay men because she wanted people to think that this was a problem that only occurred in the gay community. Vazquez believes that by making people believe that the problem only exists in the gay community it will make people feel as though it does not impact there own lives. She finally discloses that these men are straight in order to make people realize that by simply dressing or dancing in a 'gay way' regardless of whether or not you are gay can get you beaten or attacked at any moment of the day. I think that by telling people that antigay crimes impact even heterosexual men and women it makes more people realize the seriousness of the crimes because they feel as though they can be personally affected by the crimes. I think that it is important to address this issue because there is a major problem when people who are gay are being attacked and there is a major problem when people who are not gay are getting attacked simply because they act gay. 

Eustace

I do not think that Eustace Conway was a transcendentalist. A transcendentalist is someone, like Emerson, who believes that nature is alive and that it has its own soul. I think that Eustace is trying to live in Nature, and yes he respected it, but he did not believe that it was the most important and influential thing in the world. I think that Emerson did believe that and that Eustace and he both appreciated nature to the same extent but that they appreciated it for different reasons. 

Gilbert does not think that Eustace Conway is a transcendentalist because she believes that he simply lives in the forest because he believes that is what it takes to be a man of destiny. She believes he lives there to show others you can and because it pleases him but that he does not think that the forest has a soul. 

Nature: Emerson

In his essay "Nature", Ralph Waldo Emerson assesses the idea that what we need to know and learn is provided by the environment that surrounds us. My favorite lines come in the second paragraph of the text, " Undoubtedly we have no questions to ask which are unanswerable. We must trust the perfection of the creation so far, as to believe whatever curiosity the order of things has awakened in our minds, the order of things can satisfy." 

This passage stood out to me because I believed that it did a good job summarizing the piece. Emerson believes that people are influenced greatly by there environment he also believes that the environment is one of the only true ways to get a question answered as it is one of the only things that can answer a question at all. In the above quote he asserts that we are distracted by thinking of science and theories when truly all science should be to prove nature theories. He believes that we have little tendency to use nature because are minds have become so cluttered with other thoughts and other ways to have our questions answered. 

The Last American Man

I think that Elizabeth Gilbert wrote this book to bring attention to the fact that America was based on specific principles of which a man should be a flawless creature that can provide for his family and that can survive with nothing but the wilderness but that in our society today we have almost none of these men left. She praises Eustace because she believes he has become the "last American man". She wants us to understand that Eustace is how the rest of the world should be. While Gilbert does admit he has faults, she constantly stands up for the things that he does which are wrong she does this many times by claiming that he is a true American man like those of the men in the story books. Gilbert constantly compares Eustace to American heroes like Paul Bunyan, Davie Crockett, and Daniel Boone  (One example is found on page 128). By doing this she is trying to convince her readers that Eustace is a man who should not only be praised for choosing to be a true 'American' man but she is claiming that the rest of the world should follow him so that we can get back to the true customs and beliefs of the American people. 

Morals

I think that Richard Wright taught himself his own morals. Richard did not really have adults supervising and teaching him in his life. The article that we read discussed the idea that morals are taught in school and church. Richard was never put into a school for a full year until he was so old that he already had taught himself his morals. Richard went to church but he did not really understand the purpose of going which leads me to believe that he did not get any type of morals from attending church with his grandmother. 

Richard taught himself right from wrong during the book. For example, he knew that letting white people step on him was wrong and he tried to fight that (even though he let them from time to time). Richard also knew that stealing money at the end of chapter one was not acceptable and he attempted to repent and he claimed that he would never do that again. Richard also hurt the cat and from that he learned right from wrong. Richard's experiences in life are what make him learn his own morals.

Realization

At the end of the book Wright has been chewed up by his former friends in the communist party. They have been trying to get him fired from his jobs because they believe that he went against him. Wright knows that in order to get past this he must try to reconcile with the communist party. He attempts to do just this but his former friends will not even talk to him. Wright then goes to a parade where two white communist members throw him out of the march, and black communists members sit there and do nothing. 

At the end of the book Richard realizes that he must give up his dream of bringing unity and equality to the whites and the blacks. He instead believes that he must "build a bridge of words between me and the outside." Richard thinks that the only way that he can help the situation that surrounds him and follows him in every corner is by writing about his experiences and about the emotions that he has gone through. Instead of fighting it he is exposing the issue. 

Artists and Politicians

I agree with Wright that artists and politicians stand at opposite poles. Artists use writing, painting, sculpting, and other artistic things to express their own views about what is going on around them. Wright considers himself to be an artist, as opposed to a politician, because he is trying to get his own ideas out into his communist group. Politicians differ from artists because they are trying to make changes for the entire good of the people, in most cases at least. Wright feels that artists and politicians differ because of their different approaches to dealing with situations. For example artists tend to be very idealistic where as politicians tend to analyze each little bit of information. I think that artists and politicians differ greatly because they have such different views on the same topics. In the end they are fighting for the same goals but the difference is how they choose to fight for that goal. 

Black Boy

 I think that one person can easily influence the actions of a group. If a person is strong enough in their opinions then they will easily be able to persuade an entire group. In Black Boy Richard was persuaded to believe what the people in his 'communist' group believes. He also expressed some of his own opinions and the people believed what it was that he was saying. In my opinion it is easier for a group to influence one person as opposed to a person influencing an entire group because it takes more passion for what you are trying to convince other people about. 

I think that Black Boy is a good example of people being influenced by the ideas of one person. There are various examples of Richard influencing the lives of others and of Richard being influenced by others. 

Response

Pg. 267 Paragraph 

This paragraph shows just how let down Wright felt when he first entered the streets of Chicago. In this paragraph he discusses the idea that he could dream of nothing because he new that it would not come true. I thought that Wright would greatly enjoy Chicago because he was not segregated from the rest of society. However in this paragraph it discusses the notion that Wright being black in America meant that no matter where you were there were things that you can not do and should give up even dreaming about doing. I found that this paragraph was interesting because it showed me another side of Wright that I had not seen. I liked these series of paragraphs for that reason. This paragraph especially stood out to me because it expressed the hard time that black people had during this time period whether they lived in the North or the South.

Black Boy

 I think that the change that Wright sets in motion at the end of part one is definitely a positive one because I think that it will give Wright a chance to be truly happy and to be as successful as the time allows for him to be. Wright had decent jobs in the South but he could not cope, and should not have to cope, with the fact that white men and women are constantly belittling him and trying to make him do things that he does not want to do. Wright believes that in the North things will be different because they give black men and women better opportunities. I think that Wright will be upset by the segregation that they still have in the North but I think that he will be happy because it is not nearly as bad as the South is. Wright wants to move to the North and live with his Aunt. Eventually he is going to bring his brother and ill mother up so that they can be happy in the North as well. I think that this is a positive change because it will allow Wright to finally be happy, or happier,  with the way he is treated in society. 

Subservience

Subservience is definitely a necessary part of living. Subservience is when you obey others without questioning what they are telling you to do or how they are telling you to act. This is shown many times throughout Black Boy because Richard Wright is forced to do what the white people ask him to. For example, Shorty is one of the  few black men that works where Wright works. In order to get a quarter Shorty allows a white man to kick his butt. He did what the white man wanted and because of it he gained a quarter. Another example is when Richard and Harrison fought because the white men told them that they had to. Even though Richard did not want to fight Harrison, because he did not actually have any conflict with him, they fought. I think that this is a necessary part of living because at one point in your life you are going to have to do what someone asks of you regardless of if you want to or not. I think that this was a very prominent characteristic of black people during Wrights time because their society told them this was how they must treat white people. 

Black boy response

Wright says that, "he had begun coping with the white world too late." When he says this he means that up until this point in his life he was able to say what he wanted to the authority figures that he was surrounded by. However, during these chapters he can not do this any more because the authority figures that surrounded him where white. This meant that he had to watch what he said and how he acted because there could be very serious repercussions if one white person felt as though he disrespected them. Wright thinks that he began coping too late because he felt the urge to say what he wanted but when it came down to it he could not do this around the white people. We see this in the two chapters that we read tonight because in these chapters Wright was working in different jobs that required him respecting and listening the every wish that a white person made. This was his first real experience in that world which makes it incredibly important. 

Speech: Wright

 I think that Wright is completely justified in refusing to say the speech that his principal wanted him to say. This who issue begins when Wright is announced the valedictorian of his 9th grade class. When this happens he is told that he is allowed to write a speech to give at the graduation ceremony. Wright obviously loves writing and he was excited about the opportunity that he earned to share his writing. When he went to the principal his principal told him that he had to read the speech that he himself had written because Wright's speech was not going to be good enough. 

I think that Wright was justified in refusing to read the speech that his principal wrote because he worked hard and he eared the right to write and read his own speech to the graduating class and those who came to the ceremony. By reading the principal's speech Wright felt as though that would take away from his experience. This is why Wright was justified in his actions. 

Wright Vs. Uncle Tom

Wright was very angry with Uncle Tom during one of the chapters that we were assigned to read this weekend. He was mad with Uncle Tom because Uncle Tom tried to beat Wright for something that Wright did not do. He felt like the beating that his Uncle Tom wanted to bestow on him was ridiculous because he felt as though he had done nothing to deserve it. 

Wright then began to almost provoke his uncle Tom to beat him by calling him a stranger and how he had no right to lay a hand on him. This is justified because Wright only met his Uncle Tom one week prier to this event. I think that it was acceptable for Wright to fight off his uncle because he did nothing wrong to deserve a beating. His uncle continued to try to attack him because he felt that he was justified in doing so. This was the first time that Wright resisted a beating, when the event took place, and later did not receive a beating for his action.

Black Boy response 4

Wright feels gratified after he shares his writing because he finally has something that makes him proud of himself. Throughout his entire life Wright was put down by friends, family members, and people who judged him based on his outward appearance. The world in which he lives is one where it is difficult to be an individual because you are expected to fit into the culture that the society has created for you based on what you look like. Wright writes about a young Indian girl who decides to kill herself by silently drowning in a river. He feels as though he can not share this with his family because he knows that they will look down on him because of his writing. Instead of talking to his family, Wright runs over to his neighbors house and he decides to read his short story to her. After he finishes the story the girl is confused and does not seem to comprehend the point of writing the story. Wright tells her that he wrote the story because he wanted to. She still does not understand this. Wright feels gratified about this because it makes him feel a large sense of self value and he finally feels like he has something of his own that he can be proud of and that makes him happy. 

Black Boy response 3

When his mother becomes ill, Richard grows up. Richard quickly realizes that his mother can not support or care for he and his brother any more it is because of this that Richard not only obtains a series of various small jobs to pay for small portions of food but that he also writes to his grandmother for help so that she can help to take care of his sickly mother. During this time Richard realizes just how alone he is in the world. Because he is the eldest, although still a small child, he assumes the role of the provider in the family. When his grandmother finally comes they have to beg for money from his family. Although Richard dislikes this he knows that he must comply with the wishes of his grandmother. One thing that Richard won't do is accept food to him that is offered from his neighbors before his grandmother arrives. I think that because his mother became ill Richard grew up because he realized how he needs to take care of the family. Richard did things that he did not like because he knew that it would benefit himself and his brother, like staying with his uncle to be close to his mother. This proves that he grew up from the illness that his mother had. 

Wright and racism

Wright treated Jewish people with the same disrespect that members of his culture were treated on a daily basis. Wright and his friends felt as thought it was ok and natural to taunt Jewish children and adults with hurtful songs that were meant to bring them and their culture down. Wright blaims his dislike of the Jewish people on his cultural heritage yet he is hurt when he learns that white people treat colored the way that he treats Jewish people. 

We first see that Wright has to deal with the way he and his family are treated by white people  in chapter 2. Although he can not fully comprehend its meaning his uncle was killed by racism and it seems like that does not even ring a bell in his head when he is taunting the various Jewish people in his neighborhood. Wright has experienced various forms of racism in his life by this point in time in the book and he has yet to comprehend the meaning and hurtfulness that racism can bring to the cultures involved. He still needs to learn why this is wrong and I think that throughout the book he will begin to understand he is like the Jewish people himself. 

Hunger: Wright

Wright's hunger is an issue that this book discusses many times in the first chapter. Although Wright is literally hunger because his mother can not make enough money to get a lot of food for him and his brother the hunger that Wright is trying to portray is more of a longing. Wright is 'hungry' for a change in his life. Wright wants someone who will take care of him and be kind to him regardless of the things that he does. Wright's father abandoned him and his mother and brother at an early age when they first arrived in Memphis and times became increasingly harder when this happened. 

Wright is also hungry for a drastic change in his life because he wants to be more then he is heading for. It is obvious that Wright enjoys learning and is a very intelligent kid but he does not have the ability to attend school on a daily basis and reach his full potential.  I think that Wright's hunger comes from his want to change the course of his life and his want to have a figure in his life who truly takes care of him and who has the means to take care of him. 

Against School

School is boring. All day we sit in class listening to various teachers talk about subjects that we probably will not think about the second after we graduate. Even though these two statements are true, and as much as I do not want to admit it, we need school. There will always be the subjects that students are bored in and that they have no interest in ever thinking about but there is always that one subject that a student falls in love with and wants to study for the rest of his or her life. 

I disagree that we do not need to go to school. It is important to learn things even if you find them boring because it expands the way you think about ideas and problems. Education is meant to expand the minds of students. Going to school teaches students about things that they would never be able to understand on their own. It is very important to go to school for that very purpose. Students are going to be the next generation and because of that we need to be aware of all the subjects that we learn in school. I completely disagree with Gatto that it is not necessary to go to school simply because students should learn all that school has to offer them. 

Nonacademic Education

Yes I value the nonacademic education that I have received at Orchard and that I am receiving at University. In my opinion a nonacademic education is a way for students to understand more about their personal interests as opposed to what they are forced to learn during the average class schedule. I think that it is more rewarding to learn based on your own interests as opposed to what the administration makes you learn.  When students grow up and get jobs they are hopefully going to choose a job that interests them. Because of this I think that it is important for students to be able to choose what classes they want to take. Not all of us are going to be scientists or mathematicians  so why should we have to suffer through math or science classes when we would enjoy a nonacademic course like choir or art more. I value the nonacademic education that I am receiving because it allows me to understand what I like and what I don't like. Having a nonacademic education also enables me to figure out what kind of career that I want to have when I am older because I get to explore my own interests. 

In class rhetoric

  I thought that the presentations of rhetoric today in class were very interesting and many people chose subjects that I would never have thought of. Personally I enjoyed Erin's presentation because it was about advertisements on the front of the various stores. Erin showed an advertisement that was about American Eagle. This advertisement showed American Eagle clothing on people who were incredibly happy. This was interesting because you do not think about the message that is being put into your head when you look at various advertising. I also thought that Sammie's example if rhetoric was interesting because it focused mainly on art in the various small towns. I also found it interesting that the art that she showed was the work of her aunt. I also enjoyed Ian's presentation because I thought that his idea of showing a school bus with various designs was an imaginative idea. I thought that this project was very entertaining because it made me think about the use of rhetoric that convinces me to purchase things or to go places without my knowledge on a daily basis. 

Framing Class

According to Kendall, the media does not reflect our society but it depicts society as two distinct groupings of people. The first of these two groups is the wealthy and the other group is the rest of the American people. By doing this instead of representing every socio-economic group in America the media creates perception of not only what America is like but of what the American people are like. According to Kendall, and our society, the only way to get ahead in life is by associating yourself with the wealthy and powerful. This thought is shown in the media on a daily basis and Americans have come to believe this to be true. 

I agree with Kendall that the media distort our perceptions of inequality because the media makes it so that we can only see the wealthy and everyone else. The media has seperated Americans into two different groups and now we can not break free of those bonds. Now, we believe that being wealthy is the only point to life and Americans are striving for wealth more then ever. 

I think that watching tv makes people want to spend their money because they see material things and they want to purchase them so that they can live the way that the 'wealthy' do but what they do not realize is that the tv is scripted. People are striving to be wealthy because the television shows them that if they become wealthy then nothing is out of their reach. 

rhetoric on the town!

This weekend we were supposed to take different pictures of places around the town that we feel showed some sort of rhetoric. The three places that I visited were Clay Terrace, West Clay, and Broad Ripple. I found that each of these three places had very obvious examples of rhetoric simply based on their distinct appearances. 

Clay Terrace and West Clay were very similar to each other when it comes to an audience. They both were designed to be incredibly clean, polished, and similar in style. Both of these places are locations around Carmel. Carmel, Indiana is supposed to be the location of the wealthy and middle class people that live in Indiana. Because of this the architects of these two locations made everything in both of these places perfectly polished and shaped. West Clay is its own small town inside of carmel it is a village in which every house looks the exact same. Some would say that West Clay is similar to Stepford. Clay Terrace is an outdoor mall that is similar to West Clay in that all of the buildings are made of brick so that they all look the same and follow the same theme. 

Broad Ripple, on the other hand, was designed to appeal to an edgy younger audience as opposed to the upper-middle class Carmel was designed for. Broad ripple is somewhat arty and edgy and you can see this from the various bars, nightclubs, and small boutiques that line the short little town. 

Gitlin

According to Gitlin, the streams of rhetoric that pours out of America and into all of the other countries throughout the world impacts their societies greatly. Gitlin believes that our culture and our ways of communication through the media has become a source of "global lingua franca" (global trade). He believes that our culture going into other cultures has brought the young together to share the dreams that many of the young people in America share. It sounds as though Gitlin believes that our culture going into other cultures makes other cultures become similar to our own because they are now learning how we learn and they are thinking in the same way that we were taught to think within our own culture. 

Gitlin states, " Sampling American goods, images, and sounds they affiliate with an empire of informality. Consuming a commodity, wearing a slogan, you affiliate with disaffiliation." This only furthers his point because it proves that when our goods and media flow into other countries it has a major impact on the people within that country because many times the things we do are incredibly different that the things that people within that country do. I agree with Gitlin because our culture is one of freedom and it seems that the logos, magazines, and pictures that we release would have an impact on the other cultures because many do not get to experience life as we do and our culture would serve as an outlet so that they could feel free. 

Two ways a woman can get hurt: Engaging the text #2

Kilbourne believes that it is incredibly dangerous to portray both men and women as sex objects for a variety of reasons. By depicting both men and women as sex objects in the media people begin to truly believe that thinking of all men and all women in this way is acceptable. For men, it is not as big of deal because men are naturally stronger then many women and therefor they do not have to worry about the physical repercussions of them being depicted as sex objects. However, the main problem with men being depicted this way is that they begin to feel as if they have to fit the perfectly chiseled body and the manly persona. 

However, according Kilbourne the thought of women being depicted as sex objects is more troubling then men. This is true because women are depicted as being open to sex in every way. It is because of this that men begin to get the idea that they can take advantage of women. In many cases this had lead to violence like rape because the men feel as though it is ok to treat women the way the media tells them they can. I agree that it is more troubling for women to be depicted as sex objects simply because it is easier for them to be physically harmed. It is important for the media to change the way that it depicts women, and men for that matter, and I think that if they do this then there will be a drastic change in the way that men and women relate to one another. 

Superbowl

This years superbowl commercials were not as funny, in my opinion, as last years superbowl commercials. However, they all continued to show the same few themes. The first of these themes is that almost all of the commercials before, during, and right after the game seem to be completely directed toward men. We addressed this in class and of course it came true.  I found that the commercials related to beer were more directed toward men which makes sense because everyone knows that many men love to watch the game and drink beer. It is one of the common ideas of our society. The second major theme was the success story which we also talked about in class. This was in many of the commercials during the superbowl because it is about winning and beating out the other team. Obviously this is a major theme during the superbowl because the superbowl is in fact a sports game. I was not very impressed with the commercials during this years game and I felt like they were not nearly as funny, let alone original, as the previous superbowl games. 

The Bias of language, The Bias of pictures

This essay was similar to what we have discussed in class in that it discussed how important writing is when attempting to make a point. According to the essay writing is more important than pictures because it can convey exactly what you are attempting to say. The essay also mentions how important it is for you to be clear in what you are saying. This is true because if you can not clearly get your point across then it can be misrepresented. 

I thought that one of the most interesting points that the article made regarded the 1st basic idea. This idea talked about how turned around someone's words can actually get. It also said to be careful not to accept and completely believe what you see on the news stations because in most cases what is being said and represented is not the "absolute truth". In class we have discussed truth and that made it interesting to here this perspective on the subject. 

The article also brought up a lot of new ideas. One of the largest new perspectives on language involved the relationship of reading/writing with video/pictures. This was an incredibly interesting aspect of the essay because instead of the "a picture is worth a thousand words" the article stated " words are worth a thousand pictures". I thought this was an interesting view and I began to believe it because words can impact a person and represent a clearer view in the long run. 

disaster reaction

The reaction to the earthquake in San Francisco was similar to the reaction during the recent disasters that America has faced. During the San Francisco earthquake the city came together and worked together to solve the situation. Instead of mass chaos the city people helped each other. This was the case in New York during 911. In the beginning the entire city came together in hopes of helping those in need after the devastating terrorist attack. However during Hurricane Katrina, there was a lot of looting because of the lack of supplies for the victims. Eventually, the rest of America went to New Orleans and helped the people by bringing various supplies. 

I think that the reactions are similar because it all involves helping others and cities uniting so that they can successfully grow again. However there was some difference because today we have the technology to get rid of fire quicker. This allows us to not have quite as much damage as they did when that specific earthquake hit San Francisco. 

Reaction to disaster