Saturday, September 13, 2014

week 7

"Why We Crave Horror Movies " By Stephen King

     Although I completely disagree with Stephen King's essay "Why We Crave Horror Movies". I do admire his style of writing he uses humor by using a joke a "sick " one but a joke anyway and sarcasm  that appeals to the reader and makes it easy to understand his point of view. Through his use of creepy and grim visuals which he is known for the reader can connect to him through imagination.
     He draws us in with his attention-grabbing first line "I think we're all mentally ill" (King). He then goes on to describe people talking to themselves, making faces, and having fears so we as readers can correlate his claim. He is saying we watch horror movies to keep the sanity under control "well fed, but under control"(King).
     As I have said not everyone likes or craves horror movies or thrill rides, bodies being cut up, dead people being fed raw meat it is not their thing and to claim we all do is an opinion not a fact.
     Some people are not adventurous at all, and not only that but if a person does fall under one of the categories he describes doesn't mean a person's mental status should be questioned. Some people are fearful but we do not know their reasoning. People sometimes talk to themselves so they can evaluate a thought or make faces for fun, does that make them mentally ill.
     I am not crazy about horror movies. I do watch them but for pure entertainment, he maybe right when it comes to some people on why they watch horror movies , but not for me. I do not have a dark side and I do not have to "keep the gators fed" in my world.


week 7

Revision Study

     This story about an Asian boy name Jay who is 18 , and he believes his only goal in life is to be a party boy he thinks he is really good at at it. He spends a lot of money on clothes from foreign countries , he drinks and smokes only the best liquors and cigarettes and gets the best looking girls. What do you expect from an 18 year old boy he is not mature enough yet and when you have money that is disposable you will use it to your hearts content.
     His essay though is written in his Asian style of the American language. His use of grammar is incorrect, he mixes the past and present use of words incorrectly he states he was  built instead I am built . He uses run on sentences, incorrect use of commas, and punctuation marks. His conclusion has nothing to do with his opening statement he proceeds to tell us of a new story line about his night of being drunk and  his money stolen.
     He would benefit from a English course so he could learn the proper use of grammar, how to write a sentence and punctuation then he could rewrite his essay.


week 7

"Digging" By Seamus Heaney

    " Digging "by Seamus Heaney,where he writes about the conflict in his mind about the decision to take up writing as a career. His family have been farmers for generations, and for him, in such an environment, to choose pen over spade as a tool, involves a big decision and soul searching.
     The poem reflects an internal struggle as he comes to terms with his career that of a poet, and breaks with the family tradition of farming. He attempts to connect to the past and continue the tradition, but you get a sense of independence and resolution from his tone.
     Heaney was perhaps embarrassed or afraid to express his vocation to be a poet. There must have been tension,since his father and forefathers had been farmers.Heaney substitutes a "spade for a Squat pen" had to be a tough hurdle to jump.
     The imagine of his father for twenty years"stooping in rhythm for potato drills"(Heaney line 8). He admits there is an enjoyment of being a farmer, he recalls his grandfather "cut more turf in a day than any another man on Toner's bog" (Heaney lines 16-18). Shows how he admired and respected his father and grandfather.
     He portrays the hard work of the farmer with pride, though his roots in life are farming " But I've no spade to follow men like them" (Heaney line 28). He has pride for his family traditions but he must follow his own path. He chooses "the squat pen as his spade" , he is determined to "dig with it".
     
   

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Students Who Push Burgers

Students Who Push Burgers by Walter S. Minot

     Minot a professor of English,has observed that the quality of his students' work suffers when they take jobs to pay for luxury items. He describes the situation as they buy what their parents won't buy for them, and the parents convince themselves that the kids are learning the value of money.
     He feels students should not work while going to school,instead they should be focusing on their academics. Minot brings up many valid points throughout the essay such as working 30hrs a week, class load of 15hrs a week, coming home after working at night leaves little time for studying.
     He tries to convince the  reader that the decline in educational performance is because of students working or spending their money on fun things or rewarding themselves. Minot states"they worked so that they could spend $60-$100 a week on designer jeans,rock concerts,stereo and video systems, and , of course, cars". He also tries to say  the American economic decline is due to American students working part time where as the Japanese and the European students do not so they will out preform us.
     He neglects to state working part or full time is rewarding or even necessary in order to obtain their education. He doesn't give one example how students can mange their time for studies or any self control over their money. This gives a negative outlook on those students who work.
     In conclusion, yes working will take away time from studies, but in most cases students who work use their time  thoroughly and are more disciplined than their counterparts because they do not have countless hours at their disposal to waste. If a student worked 40hrs weekly I can see where it could be become difficult but students on a 20-30 hr work week have time to study and enjoy their leisure time as well.

Musee Des Beau Arts Pre writing

 the subject of this poem is human indifference he saw the painting  by  breughel  landscape with t he fall icarus when he visited  the art museum he then began to think about human suffering and no one cares "the old masters" elderly who are suffering and no cares about them. They have nothing to do but wait for a birth of maybe a grand child to give them some life  because everyone goes about their business even the dogs and horses .he then uses Brueghel's iscarus as an example you have this disaster happening of a child falling out of the sky and how the people closest to the fall do nothing to help you have a man ploughing he may have heard the splash,the forsake cry, but it was not important to him so he ignored it. he uses the line white legs disappearing into the green water, and the ship that was sailing had to see him falling out of the sky but again kept right on sailing like it was no big deal. the tone he uses in the poem is serious no one in this poem smiles or is happy

this 2 stanza poem starts out saying how apathy towards life doesn't change even in the most horrible of circumstances as a boy falling out of the sky if it does not concern one personally then there is no interest what happens to others

musée des beaux arts

"Musee des Beaux Arts" by W.H.Auden

      The poem Musee Des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden is a poem about human indifference it sets the tone for a serious mood right from the beginning with the line  " About suffering they were never wrong,The Old Masters : how well they understood It's  human position " that people  often turn a blind eye to one another's suffering ( Auden lines 1-3).It uses analysis of one art form (painting) by another (poetry) to make a statement about peoples lack of interest in the suffering of others. You have an event as miraculous as birth or as tragic in the painting of Icarus falling to his death.
     This poem is in two stanzas, the first stanza deals with real life how life goes on the elders waiting for the miraculous birth but the children did not want it to happen.  To some people birth is a miracle but they are waiting for a life miracle that will not happen.
     The second stanza deals with the painting and the death of Icarus,and the actual indifference of human beings. Auden states "the ploughman may Have heard the splash,forsaken cry,But for him it was not an important failure"(Auden lines 17-19). He didn't care he needed to plough his field so he just kept working.
    He continues in the second stanza how people in an expensive sailboat are on the water when Icarus fell into the sea head first it had to be a sight a boy falling out of the sky, but they had a destination to get to and did nothing to help and sailed right on by.
     From the start of the poem to the end it shows how people just go on their daily lives even with the miracle of a birth to a tragedy such as death if it doesn't involve them who cares.
   

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Letter to Administrators

     The strength of this letter is telling the administrators why community service should not be a requirement but on a voluntary basis only. The weakness is their letter is over written with a lot repetitive sentences, misspelled words, sarcasm to faculty members.
     They portray themselves as child like, thinking only of themselves not the community around them. Their examples for not doing community service include athletics,watching television,social activities, and dating. In one sentence they explain how their job is to get an education but they go on about how their social life is very important.
     As I continued to read  I noticed  "their" in class that should be  "they are" in class,
" their" are many should read "there are" many,they use "waist "of time in stead of "waste", "an" the faculty should be "and ". There are fragmented sentences, punctuation errors, and their grammar is not used correctly.
     Instead of writing a well thought out letter to the faculty explaining the pros and cons of making community service a requirement, they wrote a rude and arrogant letter and that is not the way to make a sound argument.

Children need to play,not compete

Children need to play, Not compete
     By Jessica Statsky

     The essay Children need to play,Not compete by Jessica Statsky argues the non -necessity of competitive sports in children ages 6-12.She is totally against it. She warned over the past decade parents were paying too much attention to the results of the game , not if their children were having fun. Some parents go as far as using their child to live their sports dream causing  them  stress and anxiety trying to live up to their expectations . In her essay she said "all organized sports activities" were bad for rearing children. She would like the sports system to be re-vamped as enjoyable exercise activity regardless of one's ability or physical characteristics.
     Her concerns about life long injuries in tackle football, arm injuries in baseball bring up a good point how the children will be effected as they grow. Her main concern I felt was the psychological  damage and anxiety such demands were causing the children.
     The fun is being taken out by the demand to win. If one child is not as athletic as the next he or she may sit the bench and not get much playing time causing lack of self esteem. Parents and coaches forget they are children and start putting demands on them physically and mentally at a young age how winning is the only option.
     She feels as you grow in life there is plenty of time to learn the win and lose theory but not at such a young age and thru the demands of competitive sports.