Progress over the weekend

I have finished my expository draft today. It feels really good to get out of the way for this week. I have about five sources to support and use as rebuttal for my paper. My writing feels good to me, and I think that I gave good information for both sides of the argument. Break is coming up, and we have to do our final of our expository during it. I feel confident in being able to get that essay done within the first couple weeks of break and have it out of the way. The rest of this week is devoted to studying for finals and getting prepared. The final should be alright. Break will be really relaxing, and it is needed.

Progress for Wednesday

Tonight’s progress was slow due to the music concert, basketball practice, and studying of other subjects. However, I did manage to search for sources that non-electronic. I think my best sources will be interviews, but books and magazines will help as well. My draft, expository essay has been started tonight. I have down a starting paragraph with a thesis statement. I am still gathering sources to accommodate both sides of the topic. I still find it challenging to find good sources against my viewpoint, but I will manage. The draft essay should be finished by the end of this weekend, and I will stick to that deadline. Next week is very busy and hectic. I need to get this essay out of the way before the start of the week. I will update more tomorrow on my progress.

Progress for Tuesday night

Researching tonight I found trouble in finding actual sources that are against my claim. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles website is a source, but I need to find a source that has more of an opinion on the issue. Also, I need search for the same type of source that supports my claim. I don’t believe it will be hard for me to find these supporting and non-supporting sources, but it will take a good amount of time. As I stated I plan on starting my expository essay tomorrow. Tomorrow night will be spent searching deeper into my topic and drafting my essay. I still have faith in being able to present a well thought out essay with a lot support. I guess I’ll just have to see how far I get tomorrow night.

Progress Monday Night

My progress tonight involved me looking up other state’s requirements for obtaining a driver’s licenses. I checked out five sites for different states. The states I looked up were Florida, Iowa, Ohio, Illinois, and Kentucky. All five of these states stated at the turning of 16 years old, you could obtain a driver’s license if you have taken a driver learner course. Like most states I have looked at, these are learner licenses. It means that they are probationary and can be taken away quite easily. I am not challenging this statement. I believe learner programs are great and should be mandatory. This week I plan on starting my second essay by Wednesday and getting deeper into my topic. I am looking forward to finishing my essay this weekend.

More Progress

Well, I have started to write my two-page proposal on the topic of driver’s licenses, and why we must wait the one month and one day after we turn sixteen as well as why we should wait 3 months after that to be allowed to take people under the age of 21 with us. I think several people are on my side about this topic. I believe that I will have a good amount of factual support to base my argument on and be able to persuade people in the final paper we will write. This topic affects the majority of my peers and myself. Although I am past this stage in my life, I want to correct it for the future drivers of the state. This should be an interesting journey with this topic as we proceed.

Progress on topics

I have made some progress tonight on both of my topics. I searched the bureau of motor vehicles’ website. There I found the terms for getting your driver’s license. I agree with the regulations for sixteen year-olds that have not had driver training. It states that anyone over sixteen who has not taken a driver training course must wait 180 days to get their license. That seems reasonable. As for the other topic about weighting AP course, I have found that most public schools do weight their honors courses. I think the AP courses should be counted as honors classes and should more credit than regular classes. I am going to continue to research these two, but I think I am heading more towards the driver’s license issue.

potential ideas

I have a couple ideas for my inquiry contract. I wanted to think of topics that have affected or are currently affecting me. The first thing that came to my mind was the amount of time you have to wait after you turn sixteen to get your license. I never have understood why you must wait a month and one day after your birthday, and then you must wait three months after that to take anyone with you who is younger than 21. I have some good solutions in mind for this idea. The next thing I thought about was the credit AP students receive for their classes. I think that our classes need to be weighted. Students take AP courses as a challenge and it should be treated like an honors course. AP grades should be worth more than regular class grades. I have solutions for this one as well. I think I will be able to discuss these fairly easy, and I have a good background of information.

Tips for the Host= no

I believe that the proposal to pay hosts a tip is a good solution, but I do not feel that hosts deserve a tip. The hosts I have encountered don’t really do much more than take you to your table, and they give you a menu. I have never witnessed a host clean table, or actually do something, like a server, that catered to me. Tips are only needed when a service has been done for you. Servers work harder than hosts, and I think it would be hard to convince an audience to tip hosts. The author may have a point that hosts need a higher salary. However, I think servers would have a problem with giving up their tips for the host.

C.P. Ellis

Ellis’ story does show a credible way of overcoming misunderstanding and hatred between races. Of course there were tough times and a lot of people at first did not want to get involved. However, Ellis and Ann realized that they were not that much different. Their children suffered the same hardships and so did they. Ellis described that only real reason people had joined the Klan was that low-income whites needed someone to hate and blame for their hardships. Black people seemed their only target. I do not think the solution would work on a large scale. It is a lot harder to persuade a larger group compared to a town. There would be a lot more opposition on a larger scale and it would overshadow the supporters.

Yoshino and mainstreamers

Yoshino feels that the term “mainstream” is a myth, because those who are considered mainstream are not truly mainstream. They too lack “an expression of their full humanity. The so-called mainstreamers do not experience the rights that minorities and gays are always urging to receive. These people are just being “obstacles” against the minorities and gays. I think his reasoning for this topic well represented. Why should someone receive rights that other people can not. Everyone, no matter their race or sexual preference, is lacking the same right to express themselves fully. My definition of mainstream is the practices of the majority in a certain area. The mainstream is considered the “normal” or “ideal” person of that region. This may not feel right to people, but it is what society has decided on throughout history.

Freedom at a Price

Linda wants her freedom badly. Dr. Flint’s daughter and her husband, Mr. Dodge, have come to take Linda back. She was never released from the daughter’s custody, so she is technically still property of Mrs. Flint Dodge. Linda and her daughter are sent away to avoid confrontation with Mr. Dodge. Mrs. Bruce hires a man to negotiate the freedom of Linda and her children. Mr. Dodge agrees to $300 for her freedom and her children’s. This angers Linda because she was sold like property. Even in New York, slavery still existed to her. A bill of sale was posted proving she had been sold. Linda did not hate Mrs. Bruce for buying her freedom, but yet she hated the Dodges for demanding a payment to release her. She loves her freedom, but yet she still has the feeling of being owned by someone.

Credibility through honesty

“When they told me my new-born babe was a girl, my heart was heavier than it had ever been before. Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women. Superadded to the burden common to all, they have wrongs, and sufferings, and mortifications peculiarly their own.” Jacobs is establishing credibility by telling the tales of he life as a female slave. The entire novel shows her honesty, and the credibility is created through that. Jacobs wants to show that male slaves had a bad life, but women other things they dealt with on top of the punishments males received. The novel shows the mental and sexual torture she is put through. In addition, she is physically beaten by her master like most slaves were. True stories of someone’s life are enough to make something credible. Truth equals credibility, and that is what this entire novel is about.

Slave girl ch. 1-9

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl has been quite intriguing so far. The novel had to be truth because it is based on history and actual events. If the book were fiction, then the events could not have the meaning that they possess. The editor was right in not cleaning up any of the story in terms of language or content because that is what gives the novel its power and relativity to the time period. The language of the narrator shows the level of education and expresses the true feelings of that person. Content in any novel should never be changed. Altering it would not allow the events to have the same amount of meaning. The exact details are always good. This novel is telling the life of one girl’s struggles in slavery and how she is overcoming it day by day. I look forward to the rest of it.

Frederick Douglass: 4th of July

Frederick Douglass, being asked to speak at a Fourth of July celebration, feels it is somewhat of a mockery to him and the blacks of America. Fourth of July doesn’t have the same meaning to slaves and blacks as it does to white Americans. While the white people see this as a celebration, the blacks see it as the start of the terrible injustices they have faced. The day does not represent freedom to the blacks; rather it represents the beginnings of enslavement and torture. The declaration of Independence did not give freedom to the black man; it gave freedom to only the white man. Douglass wonders how he is so supposed to be joyous on this day and speak to the people when this is the day he lost his freedom. Frederick appeals to logos in his speech. He tries to reason with his audience to show them why he does not believe his is the right person to speak at the Fourth of July Celebration. Douglass states, “There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour (Fourth of July).” Our day of celebration is their day of enslavement.

Socialization Process

Parrillo states some very obvious things in his writings about prejudice in America. However, he does make good points on the topic. His description of the socialization process is how “individuals acquire the values, attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of their culture or subculture, including religion, nationality, and social class”. Parrillo believes that people obtain these from their parents’ expectations, economic competition, and the social norm of a group. I do believe that a lot of prejudices and beliefs are formed in these manners. As a child, you are brought up to be a certain way and you believe that way is right, because your parents have said it is. Also, being threatened in your position at work in a group can make you try and find the worst in your opponent. As for the social norm, people do tend to side with their peers or what the majority view. People get a lot of their views from what is instilled in them at an early age. Their positions may change, but it usually unlikely.

Thomas Jefferson and Slavery

Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States, was no doubt a great man of his time and he helped in the shaping of America today. As far as the issue of slavery goes, Jefferson wasn’t quite sure where his position was at. Jefferson owned slaves for many years and yet he was always trying to abolish slavery in his political positions. To me that sounds ridiculous that he wanted to get rid of slavery, but he owned slaves. Another thing about him was that he fathered children with on of his slaves, Sally. As shown in our book on page 82, you can see the black descendants of Jefferson. Of course Jefferson denied all claims of this considering that for one having children out of wedlock was morally wrong and second Jefferson’s entire campaign about releasing the slaves also stated that they should not be able to “mix” with the whites. My explanations of these differences are all because of politics. Jefferson felt one way about slavery when he was by himself, but when he was in the public eye he had to act a certain way to gain approval. I do not disagree that Jefferson was one of the greatest men to lead our nation to greatness, but I believe when it came to slavery Jefferson didn’t know what he wanted.

Cora Tucker vs. Willy Loman

Cora Tucker has traits that Willy Loman needs to acquire. When you look at Willy, you see how he collapses and can not go on when he is not “well liked” by clients any more. He loses hope and feels he can’t succeed any more. Cora does not do this and this is where she succeeds and Willy fails. Cora does not care what the people think about her and she pushes forward to accomplish her goals. She gains her reputation and “well likeness” from accomplishing the tasks she is after. Her successes gain that respect from both her fans and her enemies. They respect her for her knowledge of political issues. Cora Tucker is an example of the American Dream. Her success from being a poor, black woman to a major factor in politics shows that it is possible to achieve your goals no matter your status. Willy should take notes on how Cora lives her life.

Willy's idea of success

Willy Loman is an older man that is losing his ability to comprehend the present. He lives his life in flashbacks and is “lost” through most of the play. However, he does seem to know what he wants in his life and how he is supposed to achieve it. Willy believes that individual opportunity is not based on others. Your success comes from being “well liked”. Willy talks about this thing of being well liked through the play. He believed that Charley, who was successful, was not well like and the same went for Bernard. This puzzled him, because it went against what he had believed his entire life. However, his son, Biff, was the person Willy wanted him to be. He had been well liked and was successful, in the beginning. Willy based success of this and tried to put it into his life. Willy wanted nothing more than to be well liked. If this became true about him, then success would come.

Wednesday's Speeches

The speeches today varied in quality, but much like yesterday they were good. I give kudos to Nick Martin and his appeal to emotion and evidence. His involvement in the Big Brothers and Sisters organization helped his speech greatly. His introduction was good and he was very knowledgeable about his facts. I do not remember any other major points in today’s speeches that well. However, I do think that everyone did a nice job and this is a skill that you will need in the future. I personally believe that it should be necessary for everyone to take a speech class in high school. You can really benefit from it. Businesses will expect you to be able to give presentations in that specific work field. Again, nice job to those people who went today. You all were knew what you wanted to get across to the class to persuade them and you accomplished that.

Tuesday's Speeches

Today’s speeches were quite good today. For the most part everyone was clear and knowledgeable about his or her topics. I felt that the introductions were strong and caught the audience’s attention. Kudos to Kendal on her introduction. I was hooked right away on her speech when she started out by talking about the abuse that goes in on homes around the world. Good job. Visual aids are also a great thing. They can however, hinder your speech. Ieysha used her aids very well in her speech. They added immensely to your already wondrous speech. Again, Good job. Eli, Alex, and Mei-Mei related their topics to the audience quite well and it showed through their use of success stories. These are great ways to express emotion into your speech and you guys did this greatly. Everyone did a nice job and the only complaint I have is posture. To me leaning on the podium or sitting down are good practices of giving speeches. Other than that, great job to everybody.

Emerson Essay

Ralph Waldo Emerson believes that a man’s success is dependent upon how hard he is willing to work at it. It is up to him and no one else. He must not rely on the people around him to achieve his goal. I completely agree with Mr. Emerson. People need to realize that they can not just ride the “coat tails” of someone and expect for them to lead them to success. Hard work and determination can get you anywhere. Of course this is not going to be easy. Most things in life are not. However, the concept that you must gain success on your own is that simple. If achieving success was simple, then people would not be in the terrible situations they are in today. Poverty would be non-existent and everyone who live happy, enjoyable lives. If people cared enough about themselves and wanted to get out of their situations they would have everything they need to do so.

Horatios Alger

I agree with Dalton that the Alger myth should be interred. However, it would not be easy at all to accomplish this task. The Alger myth is very old and has been around for generations. Myths are spread throughout the world and most likely people everywhere have heard of them in some sort of form. The best ways to denounce myths are by using experiments that show it is not possible and broadcasting it to everyone. This would express that the American Dream is completely false. Most people would not need this, because they would come to terms in their own lives what the American Dream really is. To challenge a myth you would basically do the same thing. Mythbusters, the show, is a great example of how they disprove myths. They use reliable experiments and can easily disprove or confirm the myth. By making it a TV show, it then meets that world wide broadcasting medium. The only thing left is for people to believe the results. Stubbornness could be the death of proving or disproving myths.

Reality

The documentary on the layoffs in Flint, Michigan showed the extremes that people resort to when they are faced with hardships. Crime rate skyrocketed and people started creating their own professions (for example the lady who sold rabbits). In the reading Dick’s life was changed forever by one simple act of bravery. Between the two, the documentary is the one that is the most realistic. Yes, it is always possible for the example in the reading to happen and it does. However, the documentary shows multiple people who were fired and what they decide to do after being laid off. Many of our poor are the result of being laid off from a job and they then decide to not move on with their lives. It is the sad truth that people just give up when life becomes tough. This is reality and something needs to be done about it.

Stephen Cruz

Stephen Cruz’s essay is written very well and states his perspective on the American Dream. To Mr. Cruz the problem with the American Dream is that it “is not governed by education, opportunity, and hard work, but by power and fear”. The problem is that the higher up you go in an organization; you lose more of the dream. You must “fall in line” to succeed and achieve that ultimate dream. I personally believe that this is not completely true. People in the world can achieve their American Dream with hard work and determination. Being smart and using your brain to out think and outwit your competition to obtain your goal is required. You do not however have to sink to the level of following a certain path that the upper management supposedly requires. You use your own strategies to succeed. Achieving your goal is not as hard as Cruz makes it seem.

Class in America-2003

I think the essay on “Class in America—2003” exposed the class situations in America to everyone. However, I don’t believe the essay makes a case that the rich are exploiting the poor. Also, I don’t think that the essay really talks about how the rich exploit the poor. The essay to me takes off the blindfold expose that there are social classes and they are very different. Poverty exists just like the rich exist. Society, however, forgets about the poor and ignores that they exist, because if you do not deal with it on a day-to-day basis then it doesn’t affect your life. The relationship between the three social classes is becoming increasingly distant. According to the essay, the class that controls and owns the major enterprises is the one who decides how well the other two classes will succeed. I personally still believe that no matter what class you are, you still can obtain your dream. Hard work will accomplish anything and I know this from experience.

First Place: "A Healing School for Homeless Children"

The essay about First Place, a community shelter that helps homeless children prepare to reenter to public schools and gets their family back on their feet, was very persuasive to me. The support for the student’s claims was very good and she did well proving negative statements about the program wrong. This refutation strategy in her essay was done well and she still stayed in the classical sense by conceding to some of the opposing views. The audience, which this was written to, was neutral. The student’s claim is that First Place should receive more funding. The reason is that it could help more children and families reach self-sufficiency. Grounds consist of how well the children do once they are introduced into a public school and the family as a whole gets along after First Place. The argument’s warrant is that First Place helps children and families reach self-sufficiency. The backing is that programs that help homeless families get on their feet are successful and benefit the community. The rebuttal was shown through her essay and she disproved those claims. To qualify the claim we should say that First place should receive more funding from the community and the city. This is my analization of this essay.

visual arguments and being persuasive

Visual arguments provide an easier way to get your point across. They give specific examples in a way that you can see what you are trying to get across. A picture, drawing, or video can say a lot things without using any words. The one question that boggles my mind is whether or not visual arguments are more persuasive. I don’t believe they are more persuasive. I think both forms of argument are useful and are equally persuasive. Having a picture in front of you can be easier in visualizing why a view is better, but with your imagination a stated view can be just as persuasive. We have become society, however, that relies on visuals. TV commercial, billboards, and pictures are everywhere and have become a major part in our lives. It may seem that they are more persuasive, but only seem that way because people don’t use written arguments very often anymore. We are technological society and it is easier to send a picture than write up an argument.

pathos and ethos

Ethos and pathos are extremely essential in an argument that is trying to persuade a view. Authors need to involve ethos and pathos to engage their audience. You to write or express you view in a style that suits the audience. If you appeal to their needs and wants, then you can get you point across easier. The author’s responsibilities include using the right wording, language, and use tools that will build their argument. An author must be willing to be courteous to other opinions. As for our government or media, I would say that for the most part they live up to these expectations. Of course there are a few cases that don’t show the quality that is needed, but the majority of them do. They use knowledgeable facts to create credibility to their statements and they accept that people are not going to have the same views they do. Applying the certain things you must have to be credible and reliable in an argument connects the gap between the view and the audience.

Pseudo-argument

My pseudo-argument happened in Spanish last week when we had a debate between dogs and cats. My position in the argument was that cats were better than dogs. Cats are more independent than dogs and do not require as much care. It costs less to have a cat. Cats do not have to be walked, be picked up after, or need constant attention. It is hard to defend either one of these views. Cats can be better than dogs and dogs can be better than cats. It all depends on what the topic is. I could hold a position for either of the two. There is not one right answer to this argument. You are comparing two completely different things that both have good qualities. That is why they are called pseudo-arguments. It is because you can defend both side and not come to a final conclusion that one is better than the other.

Pathos in Argument

Pathos or the Greek word for suffering or experience has a great impact in the core of an argument. As a reader you must be able to understand and feel what the writer has written for you. You want to be engaged in the writer’s emotions and feelings to better comprehend what he wants you (the reader) to get from the passage. Pathos allows people to get to know their imagination and makes the audience appreciate the conflict in a more in-depth enjoyment. This is the audience section of the triangle. Writers want to have the reader involved in their writing and to do so they must engage you at the beginning of their story. Pathos addresses the readers’ wants and appeals to their emotions. It is the most important thing in an argument that is trying to persuade a view. You must relate to the audience to get them to agree with you.

AP English Exam

After reading the course description section for AP English this year, I feel good overall about it. I am not scared by the exam, but I do believe it will be very challenging. The sample multiple-choice section seemed to be all right for me. I do not think I will do poorly on this section. I like having a list of possible answers then choosing the best one from the list. It is probably why I like math, because their can only be one correct answer. As for the essay section, I am little more worried about it. I don’t think I do as well on essays as I do for multiple-choice questions. This can be a problem considering that the essays count for 55% of the exam. However, I feel that I will score high on the exam. I will do my best and hope for a 5 on it.

Torture

I believe that torture should be legalized and allowed in certain situations. Michael Levin makes some really good points in the handout from class. It is better to torture or kill a few people, then to let hundreds or thousands of innocent civilians die. Torturing people is not done to just humiliate certain people. It is a form of obtaining needed information from criminals who refuse to release that needed info.

Levin gives examples in the handout of why we should use the torture method, but he also explains that torture is barbaric and we should not stoop to that level. I do believe that torture is inhumane, but it is necessary for specific situations. As Levin states, “Mass murder is far more barbaric. If you caught the terrorist, could sleep nights knowing that millions died because you couldn’t bring yourself to apply the electrodes.”

People die everyday in this world. If one person must die or be harmed, so that others will survive action must be taken. Torture is needed in our judicial system. We must use any method necessary to save the lives of the innocent.

Genres in Arguments

In our book, “Writing Arguments”, there are two different examples of the same view on genetically engineered foods. The two of express the same feelings about this topic. They both believe that “GE” foods are bad. Even though they are alike there are two differences between them. They are genre and topic.

The first example is a political cartoon. A “hippie” is shown with an ear of genetically altered corn. He is waving it in the face of a starved tribal boy. He states that the boy does not want the corn, because it has been genetically engineered. This represents a visual argument. There is only one side to it and the topic is directed to GE food all together. The other example is the advertisement of a tomato can. There is writing on the can about labeling foods correctly and then below is a paragraph on properly labeling GE foods. This is a public affairs advocacy advertisement. The topic is narrowed down from genetically engineered foods to how they should have labels on them to warn customers.

Genre is a major part of arguments. The style in which you present your opinions can decide whether people will take your side or not. Factual support is must in these scenarios. Usually cartoons will not be taken seriously.

Explicit vs. Implicit

Arguments do not always have to have hatred involved in them. In fact most arguing is quite enjoyable and stimulates us to think critically. Arguing helps people persuade the audience towards a way of thinking or to bring them into agreance on a topic.

There are two types of arguments. One is explicit and the other is implicit. Explicit arguments consist of direct claims that are aided by evidence and reason. Implicit arguments are completely different. They are usually short stories, poems, or photographs. Implicit arguments express their opinions in a more emotional way instead of direct facts. Examples of this type presented in our text are the Veterans Day Photograph and the poem by Wilfred Owen. All though these two are implicit, they express their point of view in completely different mediums.

In the picture you can feel the compassion between the soldier and the veteran, even though there are no words. The poem explains the scene of a mustard gas attack and a soldier dying in pain. Explicit tells you details and is right to the point. Implicit lets you decide the point of view from the piece. There are no stated facts or “explicit” statements. There is no commonality between the two arguments except they both are out to get a point across.

Worst Summer

It was like any other June, summer night in my hometown of Lebanon. The day had been extremely hot and everything went on as it had any other day. However, that night would turn out to be a night I would never forget.

My grandparents had come over for dinner that night. We all had finished our meals and decided it was cooler in the basement, so we went downstairs to watch TV. By now it was about 10:00 and my grandparents we thinking about leaving when we heard what sounded like the roar of a freight train. My grandparents decided they probably should stay until the storm was over. About that time the power went out and the wind picked up at amazing speeds. The rain was hitting the windows so violently that seemed like they were going to break.

After about twenty minutes, or so, everything calmed down, but the power stayed off. We all went upstairs and my grandparents headed home. My family and I decide to go out on our front porch and try to see if there was any damage. We could only see a few branches lying on the wet grass. Everything seemed to be all right, so we went back inside. I decided to go to our office to look our side window to see that side of the house. When I looked out the greenhouses seemed to be slanted. So, I told my dad to come and see. He looked out and saw the same thing I did. My dad then went outside, got in his truck, and drove out to the greenhouses. The next thing I remember is the blaring horn of the truck. We all ran out of the house to see what was wrong, but I knew. The greenhouses had fallen and my family’s source of income was gone. The entire tomato crop was destroyed. This event changed my family’s life forever. Mom had to go back to work and my dad found a new profession. Memories of this always remind me to strive to become a successful person. I don’t want to be in that position ever again.

Class Discussion 3

Our discussions in class have been very in depth and challenging at times. Most of our discussions have been about handouts from the previous night in which we usually try to answer the Big 5 questions, persona, evidence, audience, purpose and style, about them and then relate them to the Great Gatsby. I thoroughly enjoy our conversations on these handouts and the relation they have to the World.

Today’s discussion about Carlos Fuentes and his life in becoming a writer worked well with me. The whole concept of isolating culture would “kill” it, in a sense, was good. Another statement made by Carlos was the whole idea that you cannot create something out of nothing. This is true, because we see it fail with Gatsby. He tried to recreate himself and not accept his past (making something out of nothing). Without that foundation, you will fail in this process. You must accept your past even if you don’t like it. This is your life and you cannot change past. Your past must be that foundation for your new beginning.

Big 5 and Fuentes

The handout, “How I Started to Write: The Art of the Personal Essay”, is a great piece of writing. It is a great story on the life of Carlos Fuentes, a Mexican novelist. He shows great admiration for his works and in his biography tells his great adventures in becoming a novelist. As I was reading the handout I was asked to write about one of the big five questions, purpose, persona, evidence, audience, and style, from class. Persona is one that sticks right out there for me. This reading sort of blends with Nickel and Dimed. This novel is written in first person, being that it is a biography about Carlos Fuentes. All of the writings are from his personal experiences and things he has done. He knows how to explain those experiences, because he has witnessed them first hand. Carlos is telling the audience how he has lived his life and what has challenged and became of his life.

Class Discussion 2

The discussion we had Friday was based on the handout from “Red Sky in the Morning”. We talked about the phrase “I could tell you stories” and how we interpret it. Some of our interpretations included: Lying (using it as a filler), trauma, or the person is just a gossiper. People usually use this phrase if they have had many events happen to them on a certain subject. In the hand out we saw this used when the woman who got on the bus told the narrator she could tell her stories about how her husband had been mistake for her son. We then moved on to the quote from the hand out “A story, we sense, is the only possible habitation for the burden or our witnessing”. Stories are the ways of communicating the important times in our lives. It is “our responsibility to do this. You can see this in Gatsby by comparing Nick as the person who is responsible for telling the story of Gatsby’s life.

Class discussion

Yesterday's discussion was exactly what I signed up for in this class. I really enjoyed how we went majorly in depth in regards to Gatsby, Daisy, and Fitzgerald about how they are perceived by others and the actual person they are. Emotional Bankruptcy were two great words Ms. LaMags put up to describe how we change ourselves to appear what we think people want us to be. The “Crack Up” was also a great part of our discussion to help us understand the reasons why we act the way we do. Fitzgerald’s perception of his life before being famous and after shows us how we can be brought down by trying to be something we are not truly. His whole concept of not being an “I” anymore really hit me on this subject. Appearance verses reality plays a major role here.