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.