Qing Ji: Different Attitudes to Using Pencils

In Different Attitudes to Using Pencils the writer, Qing Ji, explains different cultural ideas between Americans and the Chinese. Qing Ji is a foreign exchange student from China that comes over and attends an American High School in Indiana. Qing is amazed to find the difference in writing utensils. In China Qing was always forced to write in pen for all formal writings and was only ever allowed to use a pencil when filling out multiple question answer sheets. In America however, students were allowed to write with pretty much anything they wanted. Almost all students seemed to write in pencil. This was shocking to Qing Ji and took him much getting used to. Upon returning to China he seemed to realize the huge cultural differences between his own country and America. He seemed to keep the underlying question within the back of his mind as to what was a better country to live in. In America he could be surrounded by an unending amount of individualism or China’s emphasize on the importance of rules. Qing Ji seemed to come to the conclusion that China and America should not worry about each other’s weaknesses, yet should focus on each other’s strengths to rid their own countries of their own weaknesses.

"Public Space"

In Staple’s essay he focuses on past experiences in his life. He talks about his hardships as a young black man in an unfriendly world. He depicted events from when he lived in Chicago. As a young black man, walking on the streets of Chicago at night, Staples was not seen as a normal citizen walking. A white woman nearly ran away from him at night out of fear he was one of the typical Chicago muggers. She seemed to of based her opinions solely on the color of his skin.
In public spaces I do not think people see me as a threat. Being an average sized teenage girl, I have never really come in contact with anyone being afraid of me. I do not seem to see anyone in public ever altering their public space when around me. Also, when I think about being in public I cannot seem to recall any times where I felt the need to alter my public space. I do not believe there is a reason to be scared of people and alter your public space around them. The only reason I would feel this to ever be necessary is if I came in contact with someone with a gun or any other type of weapon in which I was threatened or frightened by.
I do not think that race is a big issue in our society anymore. Over the past years I believe that Americans have begun to truly except everyone as equals. Although there are still a few people that seem to unfortunately have issues with the color of one’s skin, most of those problems I believe to continue to remain in the past. Some of my best guy friends are black and I have never seen people to have a problem with it. A black man was just elected as the new president of the United States. Overall, I believe America continues to remain a place of cultural change and much diversity. I believe most of our issues of race and inequality lie in the past, and only continuous change and improvement are in store for the future of the United States.

Sequence 4 Project

My rankings of preferences for the format of the sequence 4 project are:
1. Photo Essay
2. Website
3. Wiki
4. Movie
5. Graphic Story

5 Things I might be able to write about are:
1. The life of a college student
2. Global Warming
3. The right to Abortion
4. biography of a famous person
5. Eating disorders

2 Questions I have about this project are:
1. How am I suppose to decided what my project should be about?
2. What kind of structure should I use in completing my project?

Baca's "Past Present"

In Baca’s “Past Present” narrative he uses two different kinds of writing, narrative and persuasive. He blends these two types of writing together in order to make his story to what I believe to be much more effective. Baca used narrative essay in the entire beginning of his story. He used narrative essay to explain his own personal experience in jail. In his story he was the writer of a film that required him to return to jail for a month of filming. The entire time he kept thinking about and referring in detail to the hardships and problems he faced when he was in jail nearly twelve years before. He said, “While my mind told me I was free, my spirit snarled as if I was a prisoner again, and I couldn’t shake the feeling.” Eventually in the story Baca started incorporating persuasive essay into his writing. He used this technique to show his hate for prison. Although most people in the world already know the horrors and terrible background around prison, Baca’s strong anti-views of it seem to bring one to even have a stronger passion against it. He used his personal experiences to convince the reader of how terrible prison is. He ended his story saying “I was struck with pity for those who had to stay, and with simple compassion, too, for myself: for the pain I had endured in this month, and for that eighteen-year-old kid I once was, who had been confined behind walls like these and had survived, but who would never entirely be free of the demons he met behind bars.” He said this to show readers a lasting impression on what his life was and is like now. I found Baca’s story to be very effective. The way he blended his use of narrative and persuasive essays was very effective in influencing me into his beliefs and thoughts. He made me feel sympathetic for him having to revisit prison unwillingly and on different terms.

"Sanitized Reality"

“You just won the Super Bowl. What’re you going to do now?” asked a reporter.
“I’m going to Disney World,” said the athlete of the winning Super Bowl team.
Disney World is a famous amusement park full of games, rides, princesses, and cartoon animals. Disney World is one of the most famous attractions for children and families. Its popularity grows to lengths of attracting professional athletes. In this article however, Salamone and Salamone possess a completely opposite view of this popular attraction. They believe Disney World to be a place of “sanitized reality.” People go there to escape the realities of their lives. They go there to escape the everyday norms that bring stress into their lives. Spending a day at Disney World means a day without paying taxes, a day without going to work, a day without doing chores at home, and a day without so many everyday tasks that people do not look forward to in their lives. Although children are thought to be the main prey of Disney World promoters, Salamone and Salamone believe adults take advantage of the idea in order to escape the realities of their own lives.

In the United States today there are many other cases that could be considered of “sanitized reality.” The life of a movie star’s child would be an example of “sanitized reality.” The child’s life could consist of getting everything they wanted, and basically never having to work for any of it. They would have no real grasp of reality and what real life is suppose to be like. They would never learn the true value of a dollar, nor would they understand the concept of working for their own money. All they would ever know and understand is getting everything they wanted and asked for.

Rhetorical Analysis of John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address

On Friday, January 20, 1961 President John F. Kennedy was sworn into office. During this time period Americans were looking for a light. They were looking for someone to help lead them out of their economic hardships, away from their fears of another possible tragic war, and to deal with their racial issues ever so prominent during this time period. Americans seemed to find any everlasting light and hope with this new president. Barely beating Nixon in the election with one of the closest elections to date, this forty-three year old man is still the youngest man to ever gain presidential office.

Kennedy starts his speech using diction to show his accomplishment in winning the presidential election. He not only shows this through his celebration of winning but also shows it through his celebration in belief of freedom gained through his election. In his inaugural address Kennedy hit on several key points of American’s concerns. He uses an anaphora of “to” in order to address all of the different people he is addressing his speech towards. He later uses an anaphora of “let both sides” to show a combination and unification of all of America and the world.

Midway through his speech he made a powerful statement saying “Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.” He uses this bold use of antithesis to express his multiply views on what he thinks his country can accomplish. Together, with the election of him as president, and the support of the citizens of his country, he believes America can only accomplish great things.

Towards the end of his speech Kennedy used a series of anaphora of words in two of his final statements to hype up his audience and warrant his main idea and plans during his presidency with them. He said, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” Kennedy uses these statements to help inspire Americans to continue to support and contribute to their country in order to help make America the best is can be. He also tries inspiring and encouraging the world that uniting together can help them to achieve world freedom of men, unification of all countries, and world peace.

Link to text of speech: http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html

Link to audio of speech: http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset+Tree/Asset+Viewers/Audio+Video+Asset+Viewer.htm?guid={98A70DC5-1114-498C-B637-D0C441B57E0B}&type=Audio

Blog Response #3

Out of all the selected readings from Writing and Place, the piece in which I thought used the thickest description effectively was “The Science of Shopping” by Malcolm Gladwell. I enjoyed this piece extremely due to its topic, shopping and fashion. It also seemed like the most descriptive because of the author’s use of massively detailed descriptions. He not only told a story but he made the effort for the reader to feel like they were present. For example, “There is a girl emerging from the changing room wearing her first pair. There she is glancing at her reflection in the mirror, then turning to see herself from the back.” Gladwell’s sentences made me feel as if I was sitting next to Paco watching the security tapes with him. Not only is the author descriptive to help one to visualize the story but he also uses thick description when explaining Paco’s intense way of thinking. “He knows the faster you walk the more your peripheral vision narrows, so you become unable to pick up visual cues as quickly as someone who is just ambling along.” This sentence shows Paco’s deep thoughts about behind the thinking of shoppers. He seems to know all the tricks and reasons on why shoppers shop they way they do.
In “The Church Uptown” by Ian McGuinness there are several different effective techniques used. Although I do not agree with all the author says about St. Mary’s, I do find a refreshing and insight on the local church. Ian talks about the past history of the church. All the information that he provided helped me to better understand the churches past. He made the church seem very interesting. However he also seemed to “down-talk” the church which I believe to be a very ineffective technique. Although it the church may not be in the best location in relation to everything positioned uptown, it is a beautiful landmark that represents a large part of Oxford’s past. Overall, I enjoyed Ian’s story of the church and want to visit it.