Discussion #8

A.) Fortunately for me, I spoke the same language at home that I did at school. There was no difference for me and I am thankful for that. However, I had a best friend who moved from Mexico when he was young and had to develop English as a second language. It was difficult, but he was brilliant and it came to him quickly. When I asked him what he spoke at home, he said that with his mother, he spoke English. But when his father or other family members called, he would go back to his Spanish speaking roots. However, we did not look down on children that spoke another language at our school. We were amused and we welcomed it and asked him to speak his first language sometimes.

B.) In the career field I have chosen, I may have to speak a small amount of other languages for certain clients. However, I am sure that my first language and the language I speak at home is sufficient for my career.

C.) I honestly do not think a certain language will make you "belong" in the career field chosen. The only reason it would, is if a client only speaks one language that you can not speak.

2A.) For the first part of this question, I will say yes. A family does change as the children grow up. Normally. When you are younger, your family seems closer and more bonded together. As you age, it just seems like everyone got bored with trying to make the family close. Secondly, you do have to sacrifice to be successful in anything. Whether it is athletics, family, or school. You do sacrifice the smallest thing, to the biggest.

2B.) The way I understand the question, I will answer this: I think you can not have intamcy with language academically. Language is supposed to be a home based fulfillment. Academics ruin it.

2C.) In the end, I believe Richard just thought it was more of a burden. I don't think he appreciated losing the sentimental values of his first language.

Discussion #7

     For Robert D. King's article titled "Should English Be The Law?", King's purpose was to inform people about America's history and ask the simple question of: Should English be the law? His attitude throughout the article was very informative and professional. He never seemed as if he was being condescending or negative about any of his thoughts. Robert King is a professor of Asian studies at University of Texas in Austin. He has written many journals already about language uses and he is very trilingual himself. He is reaching out to an audience of the general public. There was no certain people that he was writing for except maybe people who read Atlantic Monthly, where it was first published. The purpose of the audience is to question themselves if English should be the law in America. The attitude of the audience is open-minded, yet skiddish of what this article may entail. The audience, like myself, is probably worried about what the author's tone will be like throughout this piece. The audience could be very closed minded Americans who only think everyone in America should speak English. The text was a very long article, probably typed up online using Microsoft Word and you can read the article by opening up a magazine. I read the article at night in my bedroom with a very quiet and calm community.

Self Respect

1.) Well, Didion uses allusions to literature to help give us a better idea or personal evidence to link her thesis to. However, the audience she is approaching may not know or have read any of the literature she uses for examples. That makes it more alienating than helpful. When we discussed this in class, many said it was hard to get through because of examples she used. They did not understand how it tied in because of the simple fact that they have not read the book. Didion assumed that her audience would all know exactly what books she was referring to. That is not the case.

2.) At one point Didion says "... people with self-respect exhibit a certain toughness, a kind of moral nerve ..." Along with what was stated in the question about committing adultery. I think a lot of people who read this can agree to her statements. This doesn't mean they would commit the actions or portray the persona themselves, but they can agree that it is general knowledge. When Didion does say that people who commit adultery have "courage in their mistakes" and "character", I take that to mean that if they are doing it, they must think it is okay. If not, they should not be doing it.

3.) Well, to have self-respect you must learn it. I believe that is what Didion is saying. That you have the ability down deep inside of you, but must learn to bring it out and use it. That can also apply to writing skills and habit of mind. I think anyone who is a freshman in college has the ability to write correctly. The problem is disciplining yourself to do that. You have to have a certain state of mind that you can do something. Self-respect, I guess, is what I am trying to say. That fits in perfectly. You need to believe that you can write well, and you just need to develop the habit of it.

Discussion #5

1.)

Who: Acadiana People
What: French language
When: Now
Where: Louisiana
Why: Keeping the French heritage and language alive

2.)

Sentence 1 M: She is giving the main idea.
Sentence 2 E: She evaluates another's idea on speaking your native language and your ancestor's.
Sentence 3 A: She analyzes Grace Cho's study.
Sentence 4 L: She links speaking heritage language with relationship with those past ancestors.

The way she constructed thoses sentences were perfect and I would have done the same thing. As a reader, it was easily understood.

3.)

•  Reminds reader of the chronology (time period) covered in this particular treatment of the topic or subject matter.
• Reminds us of Acadians' small requests in life.
• Uses powerful quotes that prove what some people think about their culture.
• Closes with satisfaction that a program has helped bring heritage back into Acadiana.

4.)

Between paragraphs two and three, she uses sort of a sequence of events methods to bridge the two paragraphs together. See, they arrived in Louisiana at the end of paragraph two and then she says "Upon reaching Louisiana" so it's sort of like the "First, Second, Then, Last" tactic we talked about in class.

Between paragraphs 4 and 5, she uses a contrasting to link the paragraphs. She states a sentence about culture still thriving in Louisiana and then in the next paragraph uses the word "However" which is somewhat like a contradiction.

Sentence Revised: Acadians' culture is probably the most important argument for the importance of French immersion in Louisiana today, both now and in the past.

Discussion #4 Questions

1.) When I read this passage, I see that it is not only meant for an audience of women, but for men too. Men sometimes get pushed over by family or close loved ones to do things they don't want to do. The most common example in television, books, and every day life is father/son relationships. Take the chick flick "Cinderella Story" for example. The son, Austin, wanted to be a writer and go to Princeton, but his father had other plans. His dad wanted him to be a football player for USC (I think) and he pushed him everyday. It wasn't until the end where the son stood up and said he was going to do what he wanted. He finally gained a sense of "responsibility" for himself and realized the most important person in his life was himself. And that he needed to please himself before anyone else. As for minorities and lower class people in a University, they also tend to lose respect in themselves when they let others get in their head. Others will put people down based on things like money and race and that makes others lose responsibility to themselves.

2.) When students enter a classroom, they are agreeing to be open to learn, listen, and take what they learn to another level by applying it to whatever goal they are aiming for. It is more likely that students actually stay true to that agreement in Universities or small colleges. In high school, most students are forced to be there and do not want to learn so the universal agreement that students are supposed to have are not put into action, for lack of a better phrase. Teachers are there, high school or college, to teach. No matter what level they are on, their agreement is to mold the students' mind  and make them prepared for whatever is next in their lives. For high school teachers, that is college, and for professors, that is the career the students have chosen. It is ethical for students to be educated more with each year they are in some type of learning environment and it is ethical for teachers to make sure they are succeeding and that is how intellectual and ethical connects.

On a side note, I love that Rich used a quote from Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre. It is one of my absolute favorites.

Discussion #3 Questions 1-3

1.) Usually, when I get an assignment, I re-read over the directions for days before I begin. Mostly, because I want to be sure I get a clear understanding of what I am about to write. When I first start, I refer back to the sheet that the assignment directions are one every few seconds. I look back and forth from the paper to my notebook so much I get dizzy. I just want to be on the right track. After I begin, I rarely look back at the paper, because I am so into what I am writing that I don't want to lose concentration. However, after I am done, I look over the assignment more times than I can count.
        I think you could benefit from re-reading the assignment after you are done. Mostly because you can make sure you hit all of the right points that your paper is supposed to make. That is a very important part of a paper. You read through answering the questions that could be displayed for you in the description of the assignment.

2.) For your personal argument essay, you could "Consider the Evidence" by making up scenarios based on personal experiences. Or you could relate to people on something that you believe everyone has experienced once in their life. Just because you do not use outside sources like books, internet, or television, does not mean you cannot show evidence. There are more meanings of evidence than written facts.

3.) The most helpful part for me in the "Academic Writing is an Analysis" section was explaining that you should not do all of it in your head. I tend to do that, because I hate to brainstorm. I hate jumbling everything in a web, list, or unorganized frenzy. I just like to think it out in my head and go from there, but some things like analysis are meant to be written out and not jumbled in your brain. Something that I believe we need to go over in class would probably be  more detailed instructions of what an analysis paper is.

Discussion #2 Question 2 and 3

2.) Malcolm X related education and freedom to be similar to each other. From what I gathered, he was educated while being in prison. It was his freedom, in a way, I believe. The quote from Bell Hooks, I believe, is similiar to Malcolm X's thoughts on the subject. He says "Learning is a place where paradise can be created." And when I think of paradise, I think of freedom.

3.) To be honest, I love writing more than anything. I have always wanted to write a novel and it is one of my main life goals. So, if I was in prison, that would be something I would pursue. I would write everyday and when I got out, the first thing I would want to do was find a publisher who would take the time to read my novel. I like to write about things that mean something to someone, but also, I like to write for my own pleasure. The characters and situations I create in my head, I get so attached to. If I was just learning to read and write, I would write about that as encouragement to people to reach out and help those in need of education who can not recieve it.