Influence

Posters and billboards always can jog my memory about a subject, but it never brings my attention to an issue ive never thought about before because i am aware of big issues already. What it does do is getting me thinking about something that i wasnt thinking about at the time, such as smoking or abortion. Then it takes my mind on a tangent about something about the subject. Like when i see an abortion poster i think about a family friend who is my age and is pregnant and i thank God she doesnt get an abortion.

Comments About Readings

I think this woman needs to quit being so paranoid and come back to reality. Obviously she has either had an encounter or been in a relationship with one of this "men." Because of this she thinks she is an expert in all men and their mannerisms. That is totally unfair and wrong, sure there are men who are vulgar and crude, but a generalization like saying all men are like this is wrong. Also this girl has no clue who designed this shirt, she only believes it was a man because of my previous statement. However, I would ask her, is there not one woman out there who likes to show of her body and flaunt on her own accord? If she were to answer no, then she is ignorant and the conversation would be over. The fact is there are plenty of women out there who demine the gender all by themselves without any help from men. A woman could just as easily designed this shirt as a man could have.

Car Culture

All the articles under Car Culture were very interesting. In the first article about the Hummers and Priuses I thought it was very interesting that the movie stars and singers that make millions and millions of dollars still drive around in the cheap little Priuses. It would be very hard for me to do that. Although I dont know if I neccessarily believe that everyone of those stars only owns a Prius. I doubt if they own hummers but im sure they own other gas guzzeling cars. Its a nice thought though that stars like that are making an effort.
I thought the car described in the article about female designers was pretty cool. The lady who they interviewed didnt really think it was anything special, but then she also said shes looking for a new mercedes and was going to spend a lot of money. She seemed very stuck up. It was also surprising to hear that women are worth much more then women to the automotive industry.
The article about the young girl who got an escalade for her birthday really pissed me off. That girl said she apprciated everything she got but thats a load of crap. She just gets handed anything she wants and doesn't think twice about it. Also the car she got is really cool and everthing but is one of the worst for enviornment and what not.
I definitely agreed with the article about christmas lights. Christmas lights are just an all around good thing, they are the sign of the season and bring joy to people. They also do provide a boost in the economy with high revenue and jobs. Christmas lights should be on every house in the country during christmas time, they are an all around good thing.

Mac or PC?

I honestly dont give two shakes about what kind of computer I use. If I can get on to the internet and type a paper im good to go. I might be a little more comfortable using a PC because thats what I use 95% of the time. Commercials tell me how Mac us a lot better but PC works just fine for me. But like I said I dont really care either way.

"For Happy Gilmore, anything!"

This is a quote that I always think about and ill never forget. Its from the movie Happy Gilmore obviously. Ill never forget this line because I probably have seen Happy Gilmore at least 200 times. My friends and I love all funny movies and this is one of our favorites, so were always quoting from it, and this line is one we always say.

Short Writing Assignment #2

Introduction


On the surface "Ducks On A Pond," by Mark Sibley-Jones may just look like your average story about a grandfather and his grandson. However underneath there is so much more. The reader must look at the relationship between the grandfather, Mixson, and nature. The reader must also look at the connections that are between the narrator and Mixson. Finally the reader will have to look at the vocabulary and language the two men use. After analyzing these three things you will see why this paper argues that this short story is telling us to live in and enjoy the now.

Short Writing Assignment #1

Topic Proposal:

1.) The text I have chosen is "Ducks on a Pond."

2.) I believe the texts main point is that no matter what happens in the past, you need to enjoy everything, even the little things in the present.

3.) Pg. 256, the bottom of the page. "I wanted to steer the converstion back to baseball but it was difficult to keep Mixson on track. The park offered too many distrations. He soon turned his attention away from the family of ducks to a woodpecker fixated on an oak. Once more the diversion halted our progress. While the old man speculated on the number of times the bird could drill the tree in one minute.."

4.) The way it said the park offered to many distractions. For me it symbolized how the majority of the popultion today is in way to much of a hurry. This elderly gentleman likes to stop and notice every little thing around him. Also, they way he speculated about the woodpecker. Whens the last time that anyone stopped and was in awe of what a woodpecker can do rather then just being annoyed by the sound it makes. Finally in the first sentece when he says he was trying to steer the conversation one way but it was difficult to keep him on track. This is like a metaphor for how the old man feels about life. The narrator wants to steer him back to the old days, but Mixson just wants to keep driving forward.

5.) My passage doesnt have significant rhyme, rhythm, or alliteration.

6.) It contributes greatly to the message, because the author gives us a living example of how everyone should be.

Thesis: This paper will argue that, no matter previous experience, live and enjoy the now.

Handout #3

Character
by Taslima Nasrim

You’re a girl
and you’d better not forget
that when you step over the threshold of your house
men will look askance at you.
When you keep on walking down the lane
men will follow you and whistle.
When you cross the lane and step onto the main road
men will revile you and call you a loose woman.

If you’ve got no character
you’ll turn back,
and if not
you’ll keep going
as you’re going now.


2.) My first reaction to this poem was that the author was trying to say its hard to be a woman. I think she was saying just as much if not more about men then about women. I thought she was trying to say that women always have to be acting their best and proper because someone is always there watching and judging you.

3.) When girls are in the house they will look down at you. When you're outside they will whistle, call you names, and bring attention to you. If you dont have character you'll let it get to you, but if you do then you'll keep going and living each day.

4.) The narrator is a mom or some sort of older female figure. The narrarator is speaking to a younger girl, perhaps a daughter.

5.) I think it means for women not to get distracted on the ways of the world and always stay proper.


Music had alot to do with the story "Sonny's Blues," because thats what Sonny could use to escape from the world. That was his love and passion, and in the end, thats what brought him and his older brother together.

Comments/Questions/Notes

The story "Sonny's Blues" was good but depressing in a lot of ways. For starters its about a brother who has an addiction to herion. That alone is depressing enough. The more depressing theme in this story is the relationship between the two brothers. From the time they were young the Sonny and his older brother never had a real close reltionship. A part of the story that pissed me off was the way the older brother was so close minded and strict about Sonny's life. Its my feeling that Sonny's older brother is somewhat to blame for Sonnys poor decisions. When Sonny expressed to his brother his want to get out of Harlem and do something big with his life, all his brother could say was thats not a good idea, you need to stay here. If Sonny would have gotten out of Harlem there is a good chance he wouldnt have become a herion addict. The only real uplifting part of the story was the very end when both brothers were in the bar and Sonny was playing. Finally his older brother understood what drove Sonny and his passion, and they finally kind of conected.


"Videotape" is pretty disturbing. I tried to put myself into the girl who was videotaping shoes. I couldnt imagine sitting there not doing anything just rolling my camera and all of a suddent, someone your watching gets shot in the neck. I have never seen anybody get killed, and I'm not sure how I would react. Im pretty sure the girl that was videotaping might have some problems when she grows up, she'll probably have to go see a shrink.