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“America: The Multinational Society” Article Reaction

An article called America: The Multinational Society by Ishmael Reed is about the different cultures that are found in America. People from all over the world have immigrated to America making the country the cultural place it is today. The speaker gives the reader many logistics about the different cultures that have come to America for years and years. The author gets straight to the point of his main idea about how cultural America is. In the essay, I found a comparison between the cultural country and a bouillabaisse. The bouillabassie represents how America has become richer and thicker due to the amount of people moving to America from different areas around the world. I like how the speaker gave the audience a lot of logistics and was straight to the point with the topic.

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“Celebrity Bodies” Article Reaction

The article called Celebrity Bodies by Daniel Harris is about the lifestyle of a model. Harris talks about how models have awful diets such as iceburg lettuce and a glass of water for lunch or three grapes for breakfast and six grapes for binges. He also talks about the image that Americans dream of living; a sentence from the article says, “ Hollywood didn’t create fat, anxious Americans; fat, anxious Americans created Hollywood”. The speaker does a great job of giving enough research inform people about the struggles of being a model. Within the amount of logic found in the article, the speaker adds pathos to the article so the audience can have sympathy for models. The speaker also did well with the structure and flow of the article.

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“What The Bagel Man Saw” Article Reaction

What the Bagel Man Saw by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt is an article about a man named Paul F. who created a business of delivering bagels. Paul was a research analyst before he began his business. He would always bring bagels to work to share with his coworkers. He noticed how the demand for the amount of bagels he brings increased and that was when he decided to sell bagels. What I found very interesting about the article was how Paul recorded statistics about his bagel company and how much he was selling. He continued his research by analyzing the percentage of people who would actually pay for the bagels and the percentage of people who would commit a white collared crime and not pay for a bagel. I really like how the author formatted the article and added humor to the article to make the story more interesting.

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“Religions & The Meeting of Civilizations” Article Reaction

An article by Bernard Lewis called I’m Right, You’re Wrong, Go To Hell, is about the clash of civilizations in a more present time. The mention of civilizations leads most peopl eto think of ancient civilizations, but Lewis is talking about religious civilizations. Although Lewis gave some good information, he only breifly talks about his main idea of tolerence. He claims that Christians have an intolerence to other religions and compares the concept to people saying English is the superior language. I believe that it’s hard to find factual evidence about what different religions say and believe as a whole. He tries to give facts about the different religions as a whole when people have their different opinions.

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“The American Dream” Article Reaction

An article by Fareed Zakaria called How to Restore the American Dream, is about how the American dream is not what it use to be. Zakaria begins the article by talking about his life growing up in India and wanting to experience the American dream. When he moved to America for college, he realized that the American dream is not what it looked or seemed like. He goes on to talk about the American economy and how the American companies that have become global have more employees outside of the country. The rest of the article is about how the American dream should be restored. I didnt quite understand this article at first because of what I have learned about the American dream and how the concept was just an image that only Americans could obtain.

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This I Believe Essay

 God is real, and God is very much alive; I truly believe this. Being born and raised in a Christian household definitely had an influence on my belief, but my choice to attend a Christian summer camp changed my life. I was inspired to become a counselor because of the influence my counselors had on me. I realized that humans don’t appear for several decades just to disappear. I became aware of how unique and different every single human on earth is. I bet everyone is curious about the reason why the world was made and why we are here. Yes, many creation stories exist, but no one has a clear answer as to why the human race was created and the reason for our existence. Although I can’t provide scientific evidence about my beliefs, my faith in God is purely from what I’ve learned and how I’ve seen God do wonders.

    When I was old enough, I applied to work at the same summer camp that I’ve grown up going to. I’ve watched kids have a light bulb switch on in their heads when they realize have a purpose; tears in their eyes when they realize they have someone that would never and will leave them in the dust and has been there all along. I’ve been there before. A room full of campers and counselors, shooting their hands, reaching out to God and proclaiming their love for God is a heartwarming sight that is one of a kind. Preachers that exclaim how powerful and mighty God is with unbelievable stories makes me in awe and realize, God really is a badass.

    I’ve experienced the joy of leading my own campers to an eternal life with Christ. My first time leading a kid to Christ is a joy I’ve never experienced beforehand. My dream of being a mentor like the ones that impacted my life as a camper comes to life, inspiring me to excel and determined to do my best as a leader and sister in Christ. The heavy discussions I had with 4th and 5th grades about a God and a life we don’t know all the answers to blew my mind. These kids shocked me with their interest and left knowing more and having more to say.

    I’ve seen God shine a light in the midst of a tragedy. I remember this past summer, the total cost of expenses the camp had to pay added up to a hundred thousand dollars. The full time staff were unsure of how to raise enough money to pay for the expenses. Meanwhile, the landowners of the camp had a close friend of theirs pass away; he loved the mission that the camp was implemented to give the campers a life changing experience. Without any knowledge of the debt the camp was in, he had a hundred thousand dollars saved in his will to give to the camp. To say I was shocked is an understatement. Chills shot through my body because of how powerful God is. It’s not science that makes me believe; it's the miracles that seem beyond possible that strengthen my faith.

    I respect that not everyone believes in God. I can’t tell anybody their opinions are wrong when they don’t know what is or isn’t true. I’m doubtful at times, but I’m constantly reminded of how unique everyone is. I may not be able to convince everyone that God is real, but hopefully the concept might lead someone to ponder. Every single human was made in the image of God, his masterpiece. I believe the diversity and the environment that covers every nook and cranny of the Earth is what makes me believe that God is surely alive. Saint Augustine once said, “God loves each of us as if there were one of us.”

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MLKJ Letter Rhetorical Essay

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter known as the Letter from Birmingham Jail in response to a letter published by eight clergymen in the local newspaper scrutinizing King. King gives examples of the government’s lack of cooperation in taking action to the needs of African Americans and his own experiences as a African American, living in America, to strengthen his opinion.

    King establishes credibility by providing plenty of his own experiences of the treatment he has received throughout his lifetime. King played a massive role in the civil rights movement as an inspirational activist. King speaks for the African American community throughout his letter of the sickening treatment they receive. King exclaims the the abundance of broken promises which leaves the community no choice but to express their concerns in a public, nonviolent matter. He displays his frustration about the constant effort African Americans bring about to promote their freedom by using pacing of the violence, abuse, and foul language which sparks their desire to fight for justice (paragraph 14). The pacing in the letter includes a use of commas and semicolons to emphasize the rage that African Americans feel and passion they hold to gain freedom. King uses commas to speed up the pace of his writing and make the reader on edge. The audience can sense King’s anger and impatience by the extensive tirade expressing the reality for African Americans.

    King establishes emotion with the credibility of his own experiences. He says, “All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality’”, implying that he is a witness to what segregation can do to the soul. King expresses how the African American community is desperate to have the equal rights they deserve and how they shouldn’t have to fight for it. King declares how tired the community is of losing loved ones to violence and being treated as inhuman.

    King uses all his credible experiences and information in logical ways to prove that these clergymen are wrong. He references the Bible to explain how Christians don’t reciprocate the love that God teaches everyone to show. King asks in his letter to the clergymen, “So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists will we be. Will we be extremists for hate or love?” (paragraph 31). King includes snippets of stories from the Bible to compare the similarities of history then and now. For example, King shows love to his enemies knowing he is hated by white people just like Jesus asks his followers to do. King also uses logical thinking when planning marches and events to gain the most publicity. King explains the planning of the demonstration in Birmingham regarding the broken promises they were given (paragraph 9). He kept postponing the demonstration in order to have more publicity so people know what African Americans are fighting for.

  Overall, Kings’ lengthy letter has the purpose to express how passionate King and many other African Americans are passionate about fighting for what is unjust. The amount of knowledge and credibility King inputs into his letter presents a powerful piece of literature that will continue to be carried through history. His wisdom made him an inspirational leader who impacted the lives of many people. Kings’ influence on history continues to inspire people to stand up for what’s right. Kings’ wisdom found in the letter brought about change in the thoughts and lives of people.

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James Baldwin Speech

James Baldwin, an influential civil rights movement activist gave a compelling speech, A Talk to Teachers, to a group of schoolteachers in 1963. Baldwin’s speech is a proclamation about the American society and the brainwashed humanity of a society who is reared to believe that white people are superior than African Americans. Through the literary techniques Baldwin uses such as imagery, repetition, and juxtaposition, the audience becomes knowledgeable about the reality of inequality.

Baldwin establishes credibility by relating with African Americans with his own experiences. He switches from first to third person in the eighth paragraph to illustrate his past as a little boy and then relieving his understanding and relation to the boy he describes. In an example for the eighth paragraph, he says, “Every street boy — and I was a street boy, so I know — looking at the society which has produced him [...], understands that this structure is operated for someone else’s benefit — not for his”. This quote from Baldwin’s speech shows how he not only switches the point of view to grab the audience’s attention, he uses pacing to keep the audience engaged

    In the third paragraph, Baldwin emphasizes the presentable image America shows of a land of freedom and the reality of living in a “free” country as an African American. The reality for an African American is not having the opportunity to obtain “liberty and justice for all” because of the color of their skin. Baldwin explains in this same paragraph how society brainwashes white people to think they’re superior and brainwashes African Americans to think that they’re non human. He expresses this brainwashing by saying , “But on the other hand he is also assured by his country and his countrymen that he has never contributed anything to civilization — that his past is nothing more than a record he of humiliations gladly endured. [...], that the value he has as a black man is proven by one thing and one thing only — his devotion to white people”. He establishes the logic of his understanding by expressing how society has taught African Americans false information to meet society’s standards. He expresses this same concept throughtout his speech because he was once a child who was brainwashed by society.

    In the fourth paragraph, Baldwin establishes emotion expressing the hardships African Americans experience daily. He says, “He is aware that this is some reason why, if he sits down in the front of the bus, his father or mother slaps him and drags him to the back of the bus”. Baldwin uses imagery to show how African Americans have to go against their own beliefs to stay safe. He puts the audience in the shoes of a parent to think about the idea of punishing their own child over a law they disagree with to show emotion.

    Baldwin’s purpose was to express the importance of teaching African American children about their history and their true identity. He puts himself in the shoes of a teacher and expresses what he would teach African American children. He uses repetition of “I would teach” and “I would try” as a way to show his passion of African American children learning the truth about who they are and the lies the society feeds these children. He wants teachers to teach the first generation the truth so society’s standards would change.

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Emigration Photographs

Aleida Rodriguez wrote “My Mother in Two Photographs, Among Other Things” to illustrate how emigration has a major effect on families. The passage is narrated by a woman who’s name is unknown. The author’s sentence structure and detailed wording leaves the reader to ponder what the author wants the audience to know. Aleida uses a various amount of writing techniques such as imagery to build a strong passage.

The passage starts with the narrator describing a photograph. In the picture, the narrator's mother and father are together. In the second sentence, the authors says, “Here she’s smiling, though not broadly. Her children are gone, but her mother’s there, telling her aguántate, cálmate, as they sit over cafe.” The author is building the story by telling the audience that the narrator’s mother is away from her children. The grandmother is telling the mother to hold on and stay calm while they’re sitting over coffee. The author includes this sentence to show the grandmother giving comfort to her daughter during a hard time. The author doesn’t say where, but the mother’s children are somewhere away from home. The passage then moves on to talk about the narrator’s parents. Since the children aren’t home, the author describes their absence by that the parents are alone together like they’re newlyweds again. The author hints to the reader that the two could be having marriage struggles when in the passage, the mother finds a kitchen towel with a lipstick stains leading her to believe that her husband is cheating.

The passage switches and the narrator’s talking about her mother in a separate picture. The author writes, “In this photograph, a coffee-dark V shows through the collar of her dress, evidence of the enforced labor in the cane fields since the revolution.” This sentence illustrates that the mother has been working long and hard everyday in the cane fields. The paragraph ends with the mention of the narrator’s grandmother and her shadow. The answer of what happened to the grandmother is answer in the next paragraph where the author writes, “Grandmother left so abruptly, left my mother in mid-sentence, fingering the legendary length of fabric her mother had once transformed into the Miracle of the Three Dresses.” The author tells us that the grandmother abruptly passed away. The auother hints that The Miracle of the Three Dresses represents the mothers’ three children.

The passage then talks about the narrator’s brother living with a foster family. When the kids emigrated, they all lived with foster families until they were reunited with their parents. The reader learns that the brother is put into a mental institution for chasing the foster mother with a knife and the older sister is living the life in front of a camera. The next paragraph starts with, “In the newspaper photo above the caption ‘Family of Cuban Expatriates Reunited Here,’ I am the only one gazing at the camera, my face twisted into a complex curiosity.” This tells the reader that the kids have been reunited with their parents. The long experience of emigrating and being separated from her parents for two years has drastically changed her life.

In conclusion, the whole passage is telling the audience about how emigration affected the narrator in the story. The purpose of the passage was to make the reader understand how emigration can greatly affect a family like it did in this story. The wording and imagery within the story illustrates an emotional story about one out of many families who’ve experience emigration.

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Warner Brother Letter Précis

In 1947, Groucho Marx from the Marx Brothers wrote a letter to the Warner Brothers regarding the legal notice the Marx Brothers received.  The notice was sent because the movie title of an upcoming Marx Brothers movie, A Night in Casablanca, is too similar to a Warner Brothers movie, Casablanca, according to the company. In response to the notice, Groucho goes on a rant about why the notice is absurd. This letter to the Warner Brothers is a great narration of a piece of literature that clearly reveals the ethos, pathos, and logos to the reader.

The ethos in the letter to the Warner Brothers is the credibility of the Warner Brothers and the Marx Brothers. The Warner Brothers have produced a multitude of popular movies and the Marx Brothers are notorious comedians.

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Santa Ana Essay Précis

Joan Didion wrote an essay about the Santa Ana winds in Los Angeles, California and how the winds are affecting human behavior. The writer mentions the effect the winds have on the behavior at the end of the first paragraph, “To live with the Santa Ana is to accept, consciously or unconsciously, a deeply mechanistic view of human behavior.” The ethos would be the credibility of the writer because she has experienced how the Santa Ana winds affect people. The logos of the essay is she begins the essay by talking about what the winds do and how the tension starts to affect the community. Then she talks about her past when she first moved to Los Angeles and when she first heard and experienced the winds. The subject of the essay is about the Santa Ana winds and the effect it has on the people. The pathos is the sinister and abnormal scene of the winds and the way people react. The essay is a way for people to learn and be aware about the winds. The purpose of the essay is to inform everyone about the Santa Ana winds because numerous people may not know about natural circumstances that occur not only in Los Angeles, but around the world.

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Diction & Syntax

In any piece of literature, you’ll find that the speaker uses diction and syntax to enhance the writing. Diction is the word choice the speaker uses and syntax is the arrangement of the words in a piece of literature. Diction and syntax in literature can help construct the tone in a writing piece. A great example of literature with diction and syntax is Queen Elizabeth’s “Speech to the Troops at Tilbury”. The context of this speech was to help motivate her troops as they go off to the Spanish. In the speech, she was humble and encourage her people that everyone is in this together. She states “I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king” as a way to reassure everyone that she is strong. Overall, the words she uses and the way she arranges the words made a powerful and motivation speech.

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Doritos Superbowl Commercial Précis

For the 2016 SuperBowl, Doritos showcased a commercial where the soon to be father is eating Doritos while the soon to be mother is getting an ultrasound. The ethos in the commercial is the credibility of Doritos and the SuperBowl because they’re both well known. The father notices on the sonogram that their baby is reaching for the dorito in the father’s hand. The father decides to wave the chip in his hand while watching the baby following the chip for his own entertainment. The logos of the doctor's office setting and that every parent can relate to the process of having a child is established to bring humor. The mother gets annoyed with the father and snatches the chip out of his hand and throws it out of the room. This caused the mother to go into labor because the baby really wanted the chip. The purpose of this commercial is to get people to buy their products because they’re irresistible. The company is saying that if the baby really wanted that dorito, then everyone should want to eat them. This commercial is targeted towards parents, children, and people who enjoy watching the Super Bowl.

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Waves Rhetorical Précis

Waves by Dean Lewis was published in 2016. The song is about how life is uncertain and constantly changing. The singer/songwriter goes on to express how he misses his past when everything was “set in stone”. The song has numerous metaphors to compare his life to. For example, in the very beginning of the song, he says “There is a swelling storm and I’m caught up in the middle of it all and it takes control of the person that I thought I was, the boy I used to know”. He calls his life a swelling storm that he’s stuck in while being surrounded by struggles and challenges. The metaphors as well as the emotion in his voice emphasizes how broken he is and how he wants to go back to when he was happy. This song is targeted towards people who understand what it’s like to deal with struggles in life and can connect with him.

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Brother Bonding Article Reaction

“Teen Greets His Little Brother Everyday After School in Costume and it’s the Best Thing Ever”, an article written by Sonja Heller, is about a seventeen year old senior named Noah Tingle picking up his younger brother, Max Tingle, at the bus stop everyday after school wearing different costumes. Noah dressed up in many different costumes like Santa and Chewbacca. Max found this very embarrassing at first, but eventually the brothers began to grow a strong bond and created unforgettable memories. When their mother decides to film Max’s reactions about Noah’s costume and posted it on Facebook, the brothers caught people's attention. Noah’s reason for wearing costumes when he picks up Max is to help them grow closer to each other before Noah leaves for college and to spend more time with Max.

The message this article portrays is to spend more time with your family as possible. I relate to Noah from this article because I’m a senior in high school and have a younger sibling as well. This article teaches me to spend the time I have available with my family before I leave for college so I have memories to bring with me. So don’t take the time you have with family for granted because you’ll have missed opportunities to bond and make valuable memories.

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Lou Gehrig Speech Reaction

If you don’t know who Lou Gehrig is, he’s a famous New York Giants baseball player from the early nineteen hundreds. In the summer of 1939, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a neurological disease that has no cure. The diagnosis prevented Gehrig from continuing his career in baseball. On July 4, 1939, Gehrig gave a powerful speech on an Appreciation Day that was held in his honor. In his speech, he thanks his family, teammates, coaches, and fans for their love and support and highlights some of his accomplishments. Although he stops pursuing his passion, he saw himself as the luckiest man alive. At the end of his speech, Gehrig said “So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I have an awful lot to live for!”

Gehrig’s speech gives a hidden message to everyone who hears or reads the speech. Instead of being negative about an illness that is ending his career, he is celebratory and grateful for the opportunities he has been given. The message the speech portrays is that in life, everyone will experience a time where their talents will be shining in a spotlight and that can abruptly end without notice. Throughout a lifetime, everyone will finish the end to one chapter and jump to the next chapter in life. An example of this type of event would be a highschool student graduating and transitioning to college. Another message the speech gives is how our lives shouldn’t be within our comfort zones. When someone is at a place where they feel comfortable with where their life is at, that means it’s time to move forward on a different path. Gehrig was most definitely in his comfort zone spending nineteen years playing baseball and his being diagnosed with ALS means that he will end this chapter of his life and travel a different path. Living our lives outside of our comfort zones creates a positive impact on our lives because stepping outside of our comfort zones will lead us to learn new skills and experience fairly life changing.