The commercial for The Independent Magazine can be viewed on Gary or Sabrina's blog
http://gethestudent.blogspot.com/2009/04/read-independent-magazine.html or http://theyellowcanary.blogspot.com/2009/04/civil-liberties.html
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
America The Beautiful!
Reading the essay, America the Beautiful, I was very enlightened to the history of the world and how religion has impacted government, society, and lifestyles of people. Even the morals of nations. The idea of freedom giving an individual the choice to have morals or to just to conform to morals that are forced. When it comes to defending your morals, the ones in your heart are of greater value than the ones that your community forces on you.
D'Souza writes about the lack of moral self confidence that America has, and then goes onto give examples when America has absolute moral self confidence such as the passengers on Flight 93, the firefighters and police personnel in New York who rushed into a burning building to save lives, thinking nothing of their own. When we need to have moral self confidence in America it is there, in a diversity of religious and moral backgrounds and belief. But in the absence of tragedy we seem to be hyper sensitive to individual moral self confidence.
The Muslim history in this text gives perspective to the forced morality which is imposed on people of the Islamic world has perhaps squelched their creativity, as very few inventions or advances come from the middle east in recent years. They do offer the world oil, but there was a time when the Arab world offered many more contributions such as number system which replaced Roman numerals and lended itself to arithmetic much better, also coffee, cotton calico and other things were invented in the early years of Muslim history. One other distintion this article makes is the true context of the Muslim concept of jihad, which is now the cutting edge that they are known for.
The American way of life thrives on individual freedom, and ability to create and improve one's own life. This is the basis of American values. The United States does have religious pockets of predominant religions, however they do not take political or government leadership and impose the religion upon others, rather they all have to operate within the laws of this great nation. In America, the beauty is that we have freedom of religion, and religious leaders often exist harmoniously side by side and occasionally take up a common cause to make a better place for everyone.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
50 Questions
1. When did the 10 commandments first become visible in public areas?
2. Does the 10 Commandments posted in public pose a public safety hazard?
3. How many lawsuits have been filed over the 10 Commandments being placed in public areas?
4. Do the 10 Commandments, being a tenet of many different religions,and represents the morals of many people and faiths, really bring up a seperation of church and state issue?
5. Has anyone ever been hurt by seeing the 10 commandments in a public area or a court house?
6. Has the ACLU brought awareness of the 10 commandments to a higher level in the United States?
7. Are the 10 Commandments displayed in public places in other countries?
8. Are the 10 Commandments banned in other countries? Which ones?
9. What were the circumstances of the first court case involving the 10 commandments?
10. How many states are currently being challenged for having a 10 commandments monument?
11. Were the 10 commandments offensive to anyone before television media told us that it was?
12. What do the public opinion polls reveal about how Americans feel about having a monument of the 10 commandments in a public place?
13. WHat is the cost for legal fees for the public to defend the free speech aspect of the 10 commandments monuments.
14. Do the courts have to answer this question separately in every, city, state and county to see if it is constitutional in some cities and not others?
15. Are religious civil liberties less valuable than Atheist civil liberties?
16. Which state has had the most law suits over the 10 commandments?
17. When did the 10 commandments first become controversial?
18. Are there other occasions in history that the 10 commandments were not allowed to be displayed?
19. Who first brought the complaint to court and what were the damages?
20. Should the court allow 5 of the 10 Commandments to be displayed for a compromise?
21. What type of displays have been challenged, were they equal, or is there more added which adds to the public objection?
22. What does covet mean?
23. Are the 10 Commandments part of our legal history?
24. Should the 10 Commandments be displayed in schools, and civic buildings?
25. Should public leaders be allowed to speak of God or Prayer in public speeches?
26. Is there a different context in which the 10 commandments are displayed which could be acceptable to all people?
27. Why is the 10 commandments monument such a big deal?
28. Were the monuments already there or did they start sprouting up all over the place after litigation processes began?
29. How many organizations are funding the legal battles for the public right to display the 10 commandments?
30. How many organizations are funding the legal battles to ban the 10 commandments displays on public buildings?
31. WHat is the purpose of a court decision on this issue anyway since it is always appealed?
32. Are the 10 commandments necassary?
33. Have the 10 commandments monuments ever done anyone any good?
34. Do any of our US laws or State laws look similar to any of the 10 commandments?
35. Are Lawyers getting richer from the 10 commandments controversy?
36. Are Religious leaders jumping on the bandwagon to make money from the 10 commandments controversy?
37. How much money does it cost the tax payers to remove the 10 commandments displays? How much of that is renovation cost, and how much is court cost?
38. Does the 10 commandments displayed make society a better place, reducing crime etc?
39. Was there a time when there was a movement to display the 10 commandments? Was there a controversy regarding their being displayed in the first place?
40. Who funded the dispays, Public or Private?
41. Are the 10 commandments the basis for civil laws as well as religious laws in other governments?
42. How does the display of the 10 commandments reflect the history of the United States?
43. Where was the most recent monument of the 10 commandments placed? How long ago?
44. Is it more tolerant to see a 10 commandment display or is it more tolerant to remove one?
45. Is the ACLU making money on these constitutional legal battles>
46. Are cities removing 10 commandment displays to divert liability to a lawsuit in reference to recent cases?
47. Is ousting the 10 commandments considered a good cause by many American Citizens?
48. Are there 10 commandment displays in other languages in the Untied States?
49. Are there any remaining public monuments of the 10 commandments in Kentucky or Texas?
50. What will the future be for historic monuments that have 10 commandments displayed on them?
2. Does the 10 Commandments posted in public pose a public safety hazard?
3. How many lawsuits have been filed over the 10 Commandments being placed in public areas?
4. Do the 10 Commandments, being a tenet of many different religions,and represents the morals of many people and faiths, really bring up a seperation of church and state issue?
5. Has anyone ever been hurt by seeing the 10 commandments in a public area or a court house?
6. Has the ACLU brought awareness of the 10 commandments to a higher level in the United States?
7. Are the 10 Commandments displayed in public places in other countries?
8. Are the 10 Commandments banned in other countries? Which ones?
9. What were the circumstances of the first court case involving the 10 commandments?
10. How many states are currently being challenged for having a 10 commandments monument?
11. Were the 10 commandments offensive to anyone before television media told us that it was?
12. What do the public opinion polls reveal about how Americans feel about having a monument of the 10 commandments in a public place?
13. WHat is the cost for legal fees for the public to defend the free speech aspect of the 10 commandments monuments.
14. Do the courts have to answer this question separately in every, city, state and county to see if it is constitutional in some cities and not others?
15. Are religious civil liberties less valuable than Atheist civil liberties?
16. Which state has had the most law suits over the 10 commandments?
17. When did the 10 commandments first become controversial?
18. Are there other occasions in history that the 10 commandments were not allowed to be displayed?
19. Who first brought the complaint to court and what were the damages?
20. Should the court allow 5 of the 10 Commandments to be displayed for a compromise?
21. What type of displays have been challenged, were they equal, or is there more added which adds to the public objection?
22. What does covet mean?
23. Are the 10 Commandments part of our legal history?
24. Should the 10 Commandments be displayed in schools, and civic buildings?
25. Should public leaders be allowed to speak of God or Prayer in public speeches?
26. Is there a different context in which the 10 commandments are displayed which could be acceptable to all people?
27. Why is the 10 commandments monument such a big deal?
28. Were the monuments already there or did they start sprouting up all over the place after litigation processes began?
29. How many organizations are funding the legal battles for the public right to display the 10 commandments?
30. How many organizations are funding the legal battles to ban the 10 commandments displays on public buildings?
31. WHat is the purpose of a court decision on this issue anyway since it is always appealed?
32. Are the 10 commandments necassary?
33. Have the 10 commandments monuments ever done anyone any good?
34. Do any of our US laws or State laws look similar to any of the 10 commandments?
35. Are Lawyers getting richer from the 10 commandments controversy?
36. Are Religious leaders jumping on the bandwagon to make money from the 10 commandments controversy?
37. How much money does it cost the tax payers to remove the 10 commandments displays? How much of that is renovation cost, and how much is court cost?
38. Does the 10 commandments displayed make society a better place, reducing crime etc?
39. Was there a time when there was a movement to display the 10 commandments? Was there a controversy regarding their being displayed in the first place?
40. Who funded the dispays, Public or Private?
41. Are the 10 commandments the basis for civil laws as well as religious laws in other governments?
42. How does the display of the 10 commandments reflect the history of the United States?
43. Where was the most recent monument of the 10 commandments placed? How long ago?
44. Is it more tolerant to see a 10 commandment display or is it more tolerant to remove one?
45. Is the ACLU making money on these constitutional legal battles>
46. Are cities removing 10 commandment displays to divert liability to a lawsuit in reference to recent cases?
47. Is ousting the 10 commandments considered a good cause by many American Citizens?
48. Are there 10 commandment displays in other languages in the Untied States?
49. Are there any remaining public monuments of the 10 commandments in Kentucky or Texas?
50. What will the future be for historic monuments that have 10 commandments displayed on them?
Grammar Post March 11, 2009
The / is called a Virgule. Also known by other names such as, Slant, Slash, Solidus. Virgule separates extended dates like 2008/09 school year.
Virgule represents "per" as in mi./sec (miles per second).
Virgule stands for the word or as in boy/girl.
Virgule separates lines of poetry.
And of course Virgule is used by computer users as you know.
For more information about Virgule go here
http://essayinfo.com/sguides/virgule.php
Virgule represents "per" as in mi./sec (miles per second).
Virgule stands for the word or as in boy/girl.
Virgule separates lines of poetry.
And of course Virgule is used by computer users as you know.
For more information about Virgule go here
http://essayinfo.com/sguides/virgule.php
Saturday, March 7, 2009
"Two Ways a Woman Can get Hurt":Advertising and Violence By Jean Kilbourne
In this essay by Jean Kilbourne, many points are brought up about how advertising about products by using women in a visibly vulnerable situations, has become accepted and more common. Speaking of word economy, the pictures were worth 1,000 words and that was definatly utlized in the essay to make a point. Her analysis of the advertising was insightful and informative. Certainly some of the advertisements are cultural abuse due to the fact that what they are showing is criminal in nature, however I think that advertisers choose to sell their products this way because the public does have an appetite to see these types of images due to to popularity of these things in movies as well as in the porn industry. Putting porn into advertising is a sure way to get their product noticed either way, such as the Calvin Klein ads that were pulled, leading to more attention in the media and resulting in higher sales. The gender reversal test which Kilbourne applies to some of the advertising shows the slant against women very effectively.
Poetry Reading by David Lee
Before attending this Poetry reading I had no idea what to expect. I didn't know what a Poet Laureate was either. David Lee was introduced with a long resume of experience including baseball player, and military service along with writer and college professor. I had to look up what Poet Laureate means. According to wikipedia it is a government appointment, and so David Lee was the first one to be appointed by the State of Utah to write poetry about the state. He read some of that poetry which described the beauty and culture and history of the desert, the rain, the mountains. He said he liked to speak to other writers in his writing, and he also introduced his writing with a background and other sources such as music refernces or Bible references. As he read his poetry he used hand gestures to emphasize the imagery. He has a warm southern way and talks like Andy Griffith. My very favorite poem that he read was a narrative poem "House made of Time".
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Comma vs semicolon
A comma links two independant clauses with a conjunction following the first independant clause. A semicolon links two independant clauses without a conjuction.
Independant clauses could be independant sentences. A semi colon is a comma PLUS a dot above. So you can remember to use it similarly to a comma, but it has a little more power, you don't need to use conjuction. The semi colon is used in cases where you prefer the reader to make the connection rather than the writer such as in humor.
Semicolon can also be used with a transition such as- in addition to, however, otherwise, and therefore. For more insights on the uses of commas and semicolons look here.
Independant clauses could be independant sentences. A semi colon is a comma PLUS a dot above. So you can remember to use it similarly to a comma, but it has a little more power, you don't need to use conjuction. The semi colon is used in cases where you prefer the reader to make the connection rather than the writer such as in humor.
Semicolon can also be used with a transition such as- in addition to, however, otherwise, and therefore. For more insights on the uses of commas and semicolons look here.
Roots of Debate in Education....
In Deorah Tannen's essay titled: The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue the qualities and drawbacks of debate in the academic setting are examined. She starts off by criticizing the technique of classroom debate, showing that only a few are realy participating and that it is easy for teachers to set up. She then goes into a historical picture of how this technique became prevalent in an academic setting while pointing out that women have not had the advantage of it. The article ends up with a plethora of examples of how in a broader academic setting,such as in academic publishing, it is still the easy way for a few to get academic recognition and tenure.
I was suprised to learn that in Europe the debate or challenge is a compliment to the teacher and they welcome it. It reminds me of the cultural difference of saying Yes Sir or Yes Ma'am in the South as an accepted way of showing respect and is expected while here it is considered rude or sassy to call anyone Ma'am or Sir.
Tannen really argues her point to the very end, mostly against the debate, but the tone of how the cards are stacked against women in the arena of academic debate comes through her writing very strong. The debate issue is saturated with men vs women throughout her writing which I think has a strong case for women learn in a different way than men. She points out that males are more active as youngsters and thrive in a 'fighting to learn' environment. The "show and tell" example, while I couln't see the connection to debate, did seem to have a strong suggestion that females might learn better in a relational value based learning envirornment.
I believe that critical analysis is present in this essay. She does point out that in some cases the debate is a useful tool in learning and in teaching although much of the information in her essay I believe makes an unintended point.
I was suprised to learn that in Europe the debate or challenge is a compliment to the teacher and they welcome it. It reminds me of the cultural difference of saying Yes Sir or Yes Ma'am in the South as an accepted way of showing respect and is expected while here it is considered rude or sassy to call anyone Ma'am or Sir.
Tannen really argues her point to the very end, mostly against the debate, but the tone of how the cards are stacked against women in the arena of academic debate comes through her writing very strong. The debate issue is saturated with men vs women throughout her writing which I think has a strong case for women learn in a different way than men. She points out that males are more active as youngsters and thrive in a 'fighting to learn' environment. The "show and tell" example, while I couln't see the connection to debate, did seem to have a strong suggestion that females might learn better in a relational value based learning envirornment.
I believe that critical analysis is present in this essay. She does point out that in some cases the debate is a useful tool in learning and in teaching although much of the information in her essay I believe makes an unintended point.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Modifiers
A Modifier can describe something. Adjective modify nouns and pro nouns.
Adverbs modify verbs and usually end in ly.
According to this:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/modifiers.htm
"Modifiers are like teenagers, they fall in love with whatever they are next to. Make sure they're next to something they ought to modify."
That sounds like good advice, which actually might be just as useful as a parent, as it is in writing.
Adverbs modify verbs and usually end in ly.
According to this:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/modifiers.htm
"Modifiers are like teenagers, they fall in love with whatever they are next to. Make sure they're next to something they ought to modify."
That sounds like good advice, which actually might be just as useful as a parent, as it is in writing.
Rhetoric about Education
In John Taylor Gatto's essay Against School, the rhetoric devices of Logos, Ethos, and Pathos are employed. Gatto first sets up the logos with the authority to splatter his opinions all over you by saying he has taught for thirty years. However, by the end of his essay you have to wonder if he taught anything at all within the system he describes. He claims that he 'had to defy custom, and even bend the law' to help kids break out of the trap of boredom that our education system has set up for them, but he did not explain that claim. Instead he goes on about losing his job because of a medical leave, utilizing the logical fallacy of shifting the issue. Gatto describes our Education system's purpose in Ad Hominem fashion of extending childhood. Gatto also uses the logical fallacy of card stacking when describing the alternative of homeschooling with an especial affinity for that "Unschooling" method. His false analogy of the great minds developing in an unschooled world is very much a false analogy when you consider the great minds tht have developed in our public education system as well. He also failed to mention those disasters of unschooling experiements which are just seriously uneducated as well. Against School, begins by establishing authority by association to the school system, but the authority is non existant in regards to the homeschooling system. He mentions a few statistics without backing up their origin, such as two million happy homeschoolers. The hasty generalization fails to link happy with educated other than the handful of historical famous people who happened to find an education anyway, while the article does give dates about the beginnings of the 'school system's teeth' getting into the United States around 1905-1915, dates that do not correspond with the Unschooled great minds he refers to. The failure to recognize the great ones who have come above the school system leaves this rhetoric looking very empty and not very persuasive.
Conversely, in I Just Wanna Be Average by Mike Rose, The rhetoric is more powerful. He shows instead of telling his authority of his topic. Using the device of Pathos, carefully taking you through his own history he clearly shows the failure of the school system's testing methods, and balances with the unlikely and accidental built in recovery device in the compulsory school's ineffecient overworked, underpaid, seriously flawed educational system. His rhetoric is more effective because it is balanced between failure and success. Without coming right out and telling the reader, he makes a brilliant point that the system only has half a chance of success if there is a dedicated, passionate, committed, hard working human in the process. Education doesn't happen in a system, it happens in a person. While Gatto talks about "introducing students to competent adults," Rose does introduce you to a competent adult. When Gatto is telling you his theories about what would work and what doesn't, Rose is helping you create your own theory. Rose tells a success story while Gatto complains on and on.
Both of these versions of rhetoric seem to have a similar message, but the approach and effectiveness of each are very different. Gatto's "simple and glorious solution" to let them manage themselves, is the logical fallacy of begging the question. When it comes to Rose rhetoric at least I the reader came up with my own logical fallacy which is if there are only one in 30 teachers that are competent, then let all students have at least 30 teachers.
Conversely, in I Just Wanna Be Average by Mike Rose, The rhetoric is more powerful. He shows instead of telling his authority of his topic. Using the device of Pathos, carefully taking you through his own history he clearly shows the failure of the school system's testing methods, and balances with the unlikely and accidental built in recovery device in the compulsory school's ineffecient overworked, underpaid, seriously flawed educational system. His rhetoric is more effective because it is balanced between failure and success. Without coming right out and telling the reader, he makes a brilliant point that the system only has half a chance of success if there is a dedicated, passionate, committed, hard working human in the process. Education doesn't happen in a system, it happens in a person. While Gatto talks about "introducing students to competent adults," Rose does introduce you to a competent adult. When Gatto is telling you his theories about what would work and what doesn't, Rose is helping you create your own theory. Rose tells a success story while Gatto complains on and on.
Both of these versions of rhetoric seem to have a similar message, but the approach and effectiveness of each are very different. Gatto's "simple and glorious solution" to let them manage themselves, is the logical fallacy of begging the question. When it comes to Rose rhetoric at least I the reader came up with my own logical fallacy which is if there are only one in 30 teachers that are competent, then let all students have at least 30 teachers.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Idiot Nation
In the Essay Idiot Nation by Michael Moore I was surprised by his honesty of his personal experiences. Not only did he come right out and say he didn't care for school and didn't have great personal experience in school. His basic attitude about school was interesting, he seemed to be passionate about education system and yet unwilling to participate. From a young age, first grade, he wanted to buck the system. His advice about what kids can do to improve educational opportunities didn't have any real reform value. I am not sure how he expected his advice to make a difference. On the one hand he implores his reader to be more grateful to the teachers who are attempting to make a difference in this world at a very low paying job, and on the other hand he arrogantly describes his winning a school board president election and how he thanklessly fired a devoted educator. I wonder if Michael Moore's teachers had been paid more, would he have been able to get an education. An education that would have helped him become a decent president of the school board.
I also found his report of his school visits to be real interesting. He reports that he had seen janitorial closets being used as classrooms. He did fail to mention where he saw this happening or how wide spread it is. Many of the examples he gave of the shambles our educational system is in is not the average experience of the average American school. It does lead the reader to wonder if that stuff happens in a place that has an 18 year old school board president.
In contrast to Michael Moore assessment of schools in America, it isn't uncommon to hear people comment on how smart kids are now. Our next generation has many different kind of things to learn. The internet is better than a library and is in most schools and most homes. It is a preferred tool to books on many topics and I am sure there are educational funds directed toward computers now that used to be directed toward libraries before Nixon's time. Corporate America is a huge influence on our society and gets into the schools as much as it gets into our legislation.
The essay Idiot Nation is as interesting in style which actually speaks better than does the content.
I also found his report of his school visits to be real interesting. He reports that he had seen janitorial closets being used as classrooms. He did fail to mention where he saw this happening or how wide spread it is. Many of the examples he gave of the shambles our educational system is in is not the average experience of the average American school. It does lead the reader to wonder if that stuff happens in a place that has an 18 year old school board president.
In contrast to Michael Moore assessment of schools in America, it isn't uncommon to hear people comment on how smart kids are now. Our next generation has many different kind of things to learn. The internet is better than a library and is in most schools and most homes. It is a preferred tool to books on many topics and I am sure there are educational funds directed toward computers now that used to be directed toward libraries before Nixon's time. Corporate America is a huge influence on our society and gets into the schools as much as it gets into our legislation.
The essay Idiot Nation is as interesting in style which actually speaks better than does the content.
Ain't
When I was very young, I remember my brother telling me "Ain't ain't a word and you ain't supposed to say it", however, I found out that it ain't true.
Ain't is a word. It is considered non standard or slang. I can have different meanings and be used in different was. Are not, is not, have not, has not, did not, do not..... Also considered a cousin to the words won't, shan't, don't and can't. I found some interesting information about this word (which is not considered grammatically correct in fancy places) here:
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Features/Columns/?article=ErrorsThatArent
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aint
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Features/Columns/?article=ErrorsThatArent
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aint
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
What we miss about the 1950's is the TV shows
As I read through the two essays about life in the 1950's titled "Looking for Work": By Gary Soto, p. 26and"What We Really Miss About the 1950's": By Stephanie Coontz, p. 31, I felt like I got a little trip back in time.
The experience in Looking for work was enjoyable. I felt like I lived a day in the life of a real live person, and had their memories and saw the silliness of the TV shows that affected just one person. Gary Soto shows how people really did want to live like the families in TV shows, yet his own experience would have also made a great TV show. As he went through the neighborhood he takes the reader up close an personal to show how life really worked. People struggled, neighborhoods were a place where people's children grew up with the influence of those around them. His neighborhood was not like the TV shows, and yet there was a feeling of security in their neighborhood. It was a community that took care of each other and shared common values and back grounds. His neighborhood was "working people" and I find it natural for children to mimick the adults. His looking for work was an adventure as well as a way of life to earn all the fun he would have as his parents didn't provide a closet full of toys. His fun was being industrious. It is interesting that he wanted to look like the families on television and yet when dinner time came around he was no better dressed than his brother for dinner. His reasons that he stated for the dressing for dinner was to have a better life and yet he still pursued the better life in a more practical way. By looking for work. I makes me wonder if his parents did a lot of looking for work. I imagine that the 1950's were a struggling time for minority families.
The other essay By Stephanie Coontz is less conversational and filled with quotes, examples and facts. Her interpretation of the facts is also very much a part of her writing. I like how she compares the 1950's to other time periods. The piece starts out with a poll that said more Americans chose the 1950's as the best time for children to grow up. My own interpretation of that fact would be very simply that is because there were so many children who did grow up in that decade. I wonder if the poll had a balanced sample. As the essay progresses and points out some facts of other time periods that were in many ways ideal it caused me to wonder further about the poll. I did like reading the information about the pop culture, television shows, the psychological insights of the 1950's which most likely influenced everything else. I think that the advancement of the technology that became available to Americans during the 1950's may have been one of the most exciting things about that decade, television in the homes of so many families being one of them. As the examples in the text pointed out the family unit was something that everyone strived for and perhaps that influenced the media and then the media influenced the families. The good economy and the advances in technology I think changed the definition of middle class. The book also points out that with or without post secondary education the money was still pretty good during that time period. And yet there were problems in that decade such as people retreating from social activism, the economy benefiting from social spending programs such as the long term mortgage backed by the government. In the hindsight of today it seems that some of that prosperity seems to have been borrowed from future generations. Stephanie Coontz points out that the response of the 1950's tranquility is the 1960's protests. I believe that she sums that up very well. I liked her style. And yet I think she and Gary Soto essentially say the same things in very different ways. They both refer heavily to the TV shows of the 1950's, the influence that had on society. The analogy of the beer ads I think was very precise. One thing that is especially interesting about the reference to the television shows is that the 1950's would be the first generation to grow up with that.
The experience in Looking for work was enjoyable. I felt like I lived a day in the life of a real live person, and had their memories and saw the silliness of the TV shows that affected just one person. Gary Soto shows how people really did want to live like the families in TV shows, yet his own experience would have also made a great TV show. As he went through the neighborhood he takes the reader up close an personal to show how life really worked. People struggled, neighborhoods were a place where people's children grew up with the influence of those around them. His neighborhood was not like the TV shows, and yet there was a feeling of security in their neighborhood. It was a community that took care of each other and shared common values and back grounds. His neighborhood was "working people" and I find it natural for children to mimick the adults. His looking for work was an adventure as well as a way of life to earn all the fun he would have as his parents didn't provide a closet full of toys. His fun was being industrious. It is interesting that he wanted to look like the families on television and yet when dinner time came around he was no better dressed than his brother for dinner. His reasons that he stated for the dressing for dinner was to have a better life and yet he still pursued the better life in a more practical way. By looking for work. I makes me wonder if his parents did a lot of looking for work. I imagine that the 1950's were a struggling time for minority families.
The other essay By Stephanie Coontz is less conversational and filled with quotes, examples and facts. Her interpretation of the facts is also very much a part of her writing. I like how she compares the 1950's to other time periods. The piece starts out with a poll that said more Americans chose the 1950's as the best time for children to grow up. My own interpretation of that fact would be very simply that is because there were so many children who did grow up in that decade. I wonder if the poll had a balanced sample. As the essay progresses and points out some facts of other time periods that were in many ways ideal it caused me to wonder further about the poll. I did like reading the information about the pop culture, television shows, the psychological insights of the 1950's which most likely influenced everything else. I think that the advancement of the technology that became available to Americans during the 1950's may have been one of the most exciting things about that decade, television in the homes of so many families being one of them. As the examples in the text pointed out the family unit was something that everyone strived for and perhaps that influenced the media and then the media influenced the families. The good economy and the advances in technology I think changed the definition of middle class. The book also points out that with or without post secondary education the money was still pretty good during that time period. And yet there were problems in that decade such as people retreating from social activism, the economy benefiting from social spending programs such as the long term mortgage backed by the government. In the hindsight of today it seems that some of that prosperity seems to have been borrowed from future generations. Stephanie Coontz points out that the response of the 1950's tranquility is the 1960's protests. I believe that she sums that up very well. I liked her style. And yet I think she and Gary Soto essentially say the same things in very different ways. They both refer heavily to the TV shows of the 1950's, the influence that had on society. The analogy of the beer ads I think was very precise. One thing that is especially interesting about the reference to the television shows is that the 1950's would be the first generation to grow up with that.
Grammar Post - dashes
I didn't realize there was a fancy name for the dashes used to indicate a range in periods of time. They would be called En Dashes. Like 2008-09 school year. En Dashes are also used when combining open compounds, such as Utah-Nevada border.
Then there are Em Dashes in informal writing indicating a change of thought or interruption. Em Dashes may replace commas, semicolons, colons and parenthesis.
You can find more information here
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/dashes-grammar.aspx
Then there are Em Dashes in informal writing indicating a change of thought or interruption. Em Dashes may replace commas, semicolons, colons and parenthesis.
You can find more information here
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/dashes-grammar.aspx
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Misplaced Modifer
After living in the south for one third of my life, my grammar has really struggled. I tend to write the same way that I talk. A misplaced modifier is when the words appear somewhat backward to logical order. For example in the sentence.... I put the pie in the fridge that I baked. I didn't bake the fridge. The sentence should say.... I put the pie that I baked in the fridge. Here is a great source of information about misplaced modifiers
http://winrow.wordpress.com/2006/05/29/need-to-know-grammar-misplaced-modifiers/
http://winrow.wordpress.com/2006/05/29/need-to-know-grammar-misplaced-modifiers/
Text Introduction
What does it mean to me to be an American Citizen?
Upon reading the introduction to our text, Rereading America, I have had several reflections about what it means to me to be an American Citizen. I have always had great pride in being a US citizen, and gratitude for our freedom, prosperity, opportunity, technology, our rich heritage as well as our collective efforts to make this whole world a better place. America has been a "Promised Land" to many who have come here with hopes and dreams, to make a better life for them selves.
It is apparent to me that my feelings as well as anyone's feelings on this topic is an individual thing, that not everyone else shares. Some have a greater feeling that way, while others do not. As I ponder what it means to be a US citizen, a certain memory stands out in my mind from my own life. I had the opportunity to attend an Immigration Naturalization ceremony where 97 new citizens were to be sworn in. Two individuals there stand out especially. One man, who was from Mexico was dressed in a tuxedo for the occasion while others wore casual business attire. Another man left, he was from the middle east and part of the process was to renounce loyalty to the former country which he was not willing to do.
How might this text challenge or complicate my opinions?
I liked the examples in the text of how writing and reading go hand in hand. That will certainly challenge my thoughts and therefore my opinions. I felt that the text showed in examples of writing, how each individual experiences American culture uniquely. In being shown many diverse viewpoints of controversial topics not only do I believe my ideas and opinions will be challenged and complicated but also perhaps created. I look forward to reading Rereading America.
Upon reading the introduction to our text, Rereading America, I have had several reflections about what it means to me to be an American Citizen. I have always had great pride in being a US citizen, and gratitude for our freedom, prosperity, opportunity, technology, our rich heritage as well as our collective efforts to make this whole world a better place. America has been a "Promised Land" to many who have come here with hopes and dreams, to make a better life for them selves.
It is apparent to me that my feelings as well as anyone's feelings on this topic is an individual thing, that not everyone else shares. Some have a greater feeling that way, while others do not. As I ponder what it means to be a US citizen, a certain memory stands out in my mind from my own life. I had the opportunity to attend an Immigration Naturalization ceremony where 97 new citizens were to be sworn in. Two individuals there stand out especially. One man, who was from Mexico was dressed in a tuxedo for the occasion while others wore casual business attire. Another man left, he was from the middle east and part of the process was to renounce loyalty to the former country which he was not willing to do.
How might this text challenge or complicate my opinions?
I liked the examples in the text of how writing and reading go hand in hand. That will certainly challenge my thoughts and therefore my opinions. I felt that the text showed in examples of writing, how each individual experiences American culture uniquely. In being shown many diverse viewpoints of controversial topics not only do I believe my ideas and opinions will be challenged and complicated but also perhaps created. I look forward to reading Rereading America.
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