Blog #8: Response to "Conspiracy Theories 101" by Stanley Fish

     In Fish's essay, he discusses what he believes is academic freedom, which is that academic freedom is "the freedom to do an academic job without external inference." I have had teachers that adhere to this definition; however, I have also had teachers that have not followed this definition.
     One teacher that adhered to this definition taught one of my favorite classes I have taken thus far. He would present views of both sides of the story, allowing a class discussion on every one's sides and opinions on things while he would give back up information for both sides. He would then present his own opinion, but he would say it in such a way that was not impeding on the beliefs of others in the room; he didn't force his views on us. I felt that this class was very effective and I got a lot out of the semester. I was able to see views from both sides with supporting details and make my own opinion about the matter.
      On the other hand, I have had teachers who do not adhere to this definition; some only fully stating their view or some that don't share theirs at all. In the classes with the teacher only sharing their opinion and side, I had a hard time with the classes. I would either disagree with their points or I would feel violated that he was trying to inflict his opinions on me without hearing the other side. I also had a hard time with the classes where the teacher didn't give any opinion at all. I felt that they were just indifferent on the situation, making me feel indifferent, feeling as if the situation didn't matter.
     I feel that this academic freedom definition should be kept in all classes world wide. It is important to hear the views of your professors, but only in a way where it can lead into an intellectual discussion in the classroom and promote stabilizing an opinion of their own. The professor should not inflict their opinions onto their students, but present it in a way that is effective. A lack of this academic freedom causes a class to become less effective, and simply more boring.

Blog #7: Response to "Just Walk On By" by Brent Staples

     In this essay Brent Staples explains his feelings on how others perceive him. Being a black man large in stature, many view him as a threat. This is not an uncommon thing in today's society and many innocent citizens face the same problem. It has become a growing problem in today's society where someones appearance can determine how someone perceives and reacts to them.
     In today's society, appearance determines how someone perceives and acts around another person. For example, if one were to see someone walking down the street at night in a suit, they wouldn't think if that person as a threat, yet if the person were wearing a beanie and a hoodie, one might feel nervous. This has also happened with people with many tattoos and piercings. These people could be the nicest people in the world yet because of their appearance, many perceive them as someone they aren't.
     This has also been shown with the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11. Ever since that incident, many people have perceived Arab American's as "threats" or "terrorists." This is an awful assumption that has effected the lives of many Arab Americans, all because of one incident.
    Judging others by appearance has become a grand problem in today's society, effecting the lives of many innocent people. We should not judge others on solely on appearance, but by their actions and personality as well. Like many people have always said "You cannot judge a book by it's cover."

Blog #6: Responding to "Fire and Ice"

When I first read the poem "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost, I thought it was about the world being destroyed by either fire or ice. There is always a big debate on whether the world with be fired down or if we'll have an "ice age." However, after reading the background of the poem, I found that there was more meaning to it - fire represents desire and ice represents hate. After reading the poem again, it became more clear that Robert Frost is stating his opinion that desire could ruin the world, yet hatred could do the same amount of damage.  He doesn't necessarily pick a side, he just simply states his ideas that both can greatly ruin relationships and if the world is caught up in these negative traits, the world could be destroyed. I found that Robert Frost makes a very good point. I have seen relationships be destroyed by someone who puts their own desires before others,. On the other hand, I have also seen hatred consume a person, breaking the care and love that comes with relationships. This is a growing problem in our society. People are becoming more selfish, only focusing on what they want, and they are also becoming more bitter and hateful. If these traits keep consuming our society, an abundance of relationships would shatter and chaos would ensue, causing the world to be destroyed emotionally. Although this poem is concise, it is well written and portrays a larger meaning with such few words. I thought this poem was very effective and compelling, making me wonder if desire and hate could consume our society to the point of destruction.

Blog #5: Responding to the "Journal" Assignment

     Living with two older brothers, I have heard an abundance of racial, sexist, or ethnic jokes that have gone too far. When the jokes started to become more frequent, I would get upset and yell at them to stop making such detrimental jokes. However, whenever I would yell and get upset, they would just laugh and the jokes would become more frequent. Overtime, I have learned that if I don't say anything at all, it doesn't challenge them to bother me with more jokes and they stop at only a few. Their jokes continue today and I have learned to push them aside and ignore them. However, after reading "Don't Just Stand There" by Diane Cole, I have learned that I could have handled the situation more effectively and ended the problem years ago. In the essay, she discusses how getting angry doesn't solve the problem and can sometimes make it worse. Instead of yelling at my brothers, I now know that it would be more effective to talk to each of them in private and explain how the jokes are hurtful to me and make me feel uncomfortable. Even though my brothers act tough, I know each of them are quite sensitive and if I approach them in this way, they will take what I say to heart and stop the jokes. I wish I would have known this when the jokes started to happen; I could have stopped the many hurtful jokes that have been said over many years.

     I feel that many people in today's society are placed in the same situation I was in with my brothers. When first hearing a racial, sexist, or ethnic joke, it can take someone off guard and they'll take offense, but after a while, society becomes immune to the hurtful jokes said. They tend to ignore the jokes, and some may even give in to the jokes because they think it is the "norm." This essay put into perspective how hurtful and demeaning these jokes, or slurs, can be and I feel it is important for society to realize this growing problem. Diane explains how to handle this clearly and everyone should read and understand her essay, for the world would be a better place if they did.

Blog #4: Responding to "Untouchables" by Jonathan Kozol

1. According to Kozol, what are the prevailing attitudes toward the homeless?

While reading this essay, I began to notice the negative ways that people view the homeless and it made me realize how often I have seen this in my life. Whenever you see a homeless person on the street you tend to have a sense of sympathy towards them yet you try to avoid them. People are afraid of the homeless because they think they are diseased and scary, keeping a good distance from them. We here many stories of how some homeless people take drastic measures to get money or like, the incident of Elizabeth Smart, they go crazy and kidnap children. I think it's stories like these that build up this fear in society towards homeless people, creating a generalization that all homeless people are "bad" and "scary."

2. In paragraph 38, Kozol says that we are afraid of homeless children. What are we afraid of?

In paragraph 38 it talks about how people in society are scared of homeless children and how Kozol doesn't know the exact reason. The reason might be because they are sick and may carry disease but I think that it is more than that. As humans, we seem to go to the extremes, believing that if the child is raised in a homeless environment that they might be homeless their whole lives. Society's minds begin to wander and they start to believe that one day these children will be the ones causing crime on the streets. People fail to understand that these children, are just like any other innocent child. It is not that they chose to be apart of this lifestyle, it just happened. Little do people know that these "homeless children" have the potential to be successful if they are raised in the right environment. They forget that these kids are simply just kids.

3. Are any examples particularly moving? Which ones? Why do they affect you the way they do?

There were many examples in this essay that were very moving and changed my viewpoint on the situation of homeless people. One example that really set me into viewpoint when he told the story of the man who was set on fire while sleeping on the park bench. Not only was I emotionally drawn back at the fact that someone would do such a thing, but also the fact that people walked by and watched this happen and didn't inform anybody. They just watched the man burn. This took me back and kind of made me realize how people genuinely believe that homeless people are not people. They think that they are some unwanted species. It made me more sympathetic to homeless people and changed my viewpoint on the situation.

4. Has your perception of the homeless changed as a result of reading "Untouchables"? Explain.

My viewpoint of the homeless has changed after reading "Untouchables." Like most people, I would have a sense of sympathy towards them yet I would keep my distance and avoid them. I have realized that like the people in the essay, I have treated them like they are not human beings. Yes I still believe that some homeless people could try harder to make some money. Yes I still believe that some homeless people could have prevented being homeless. However, reading this essay has made me realize that not all homeless people are the same. It made me realize that not all homeless people are like Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper. I have become more sympathetic to the homeless and have this urge to help them in every way that I can. They author must have done his job right because he has changed my view on the homeless situation here in America.

Blog #3: My Narrative Essay Will Be About...

    My narrative essay will be about a time when I was a little girl and disobeyed my mom by not wearing shoes. It was the summer between the third and second grade and I was playing at my friends house after a long day of softball. We were going over to feed the neighbors dog and I decided not to put on shoes because it was only the house next door. I ended up stepping on a piece of glass which left my foot bleeding and sore. When I went to the doctor, it didn't seem that anything was inside my foot but we came to find out that the piece of glass remained in my foot for five years and I didn't get it removed until the ninth grade.
    This experience is something I will always remember and has taught me very valuable lessons. One thing it has taught me is to always wear my shoes outside, no matter where I am going. I now have this sense of paranoia about not wearing shoes outside and will not leave the house without them. Another lesson that this experience has taught me is that it is important to go to the doctor. After this all happened, I was too scared and nervous to go to the doctor so we didn't end up going to the doctor til about two weeks later when my foot got infected, causing more pain. It taught me that sometimes I don't always know everything and need to seek help from others. Lastly, it also taught me to fix my problems in the beginning and not wait to get them all figured out. If I would have gone to the doctor in the first place, I wouldn't have had to live with the piece of glass in my foot for an additional five years, causing much discomfort throughout those years.
    This experience has really made an impact on who I am today and taught me many lessons. I feel that this is one of the most influential, formative experiences I have had throughout my life and has shaped me into the person I am today.

Blog #2: Responding to Chapters 4 & 5

    While reading chapters 4 and 5 in Patterns for a Purpose, I began to learn a few things about writing that I didn't seem to realize before. In the beginning of chapter four, it talks about the importance of description. It emphasizes the importance of description and the way that something is written can change the way a reader interprets the words and creates a vision. I have always known the importance of description when writing a story but I never really focused on the topic when writing a formal essay. In the book, it talks about how using description to show your ideas and points can change and impact the way the reader vies your words. The book also states how often description is used outside the classroom. It listed many ways that description is used in work and the community and it made me realize that description isn't just used when writing a story.

    The book continued to go into depth about description and how to achieve a successful description. I began to learn about dominant impressions, supporting details, and the process for writing description. Before reading this section I didn't even know there was a process for writing a description. Whenever someone would tell me to write a description, I would always find myself getting lost. I wouldn't know where to start or where to even take my description. These chapters about description have really helped me as a writer and know more about writing descriptions. I now know what to focus on and how to make it successful. Without reading these chapters, I would have continued to be a blind, confused student writing  completely average descriptions.