1. My initial reaction was that the story was going to be based in the country and just talk about the different people in it. As I read it, I didn’t really keep in mind the title, therefore my impressions about country people didn’t really change.
2. It was sad that she had it “blown” off. The fact that is wasn’t really her fault for losing her leg, and she had to deal with it most of her life made the whole idea kinda depressing.
3. Mrs. Freeman seems to work for Mrs. Hopewell. It is funny because Freeman works for Hopewell, and isn’t so free, and Hopewell is really hope-well. She always was trying to be polite. The name change from Joy to Hulga suggests that Mrs. Hopewell’s daughter wants to be different and wants an ugly name because that is what she thinks of herself.
4. They say that nothing is perfect, that is life, other people have their opinions too, everybody is different, and it takes all kinds to make the world. Mrs. Hopewell always comments first, and then Mrs. Freeman comments after and speaks of herself in comparison to what they are discussing.
5. I think Hulga learns that she is just like other people, after having met the Bible salesman. Hulga learns that she may be a little different, but she has similarities to relating to people.
6. O’Conner seems to admire Mrs. Freeman and satirizes Mrs. Hopewell.
7. The values of life and death, O’Conner suggests that people may believe in different religious things but life and death are all the same.
8. A Good Man is Hard to Find…?
9. I’m not sure where the satire was. Characters who think too seriously of themselves, or are just trying too hard or too little can be justifiably satirized.
June 5, 2008
For my memorization assignment, I chose two poems, one by Edgar A. Guest and the other by Berton Braley. They are both generally about the process of going after some sort of aspiration and achieving it.
The first poem, It Couldn’t Be Done, begins with a quick story of peoples’ underestimation of success, and then how one person goes against all odds and accomplishes something everyone thought was impossible. It ends with final inspirational words about the times, throughout life, when there will be many people who say certain things are unattainable, but if you want something bad enough, then you can do it.
The second poem, Success, is about the drive of desiring something so much to do everything in one’s power to achieve it. Then, if truly willing to do everything, success will come their way.
I saved these two pieces because they enlighten people to not only try their best, but dare to dream and follow their hearts. With critics all around, and the world becoming more and more competitive in every area, it is easy for a person to stop dreaming and setting goals and get knocked down into an underachieving mess.
When I read these poems my mind fills with all of the opportunities I have and the possible ways I can start to fulfill them. I want people to hear these and hopefully become motivated and excited about all of the endless possibilities in front of them. I also want them to realize that success isn’t handed out, and while the process may be difficult, the outcomes are often worth the struggle.
May 25, 2008
It couldn’t be done
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, as he did it.
Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one we know has done it”;
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That cannot be done, and you’ll do it.
Edgar Guest
Success (A shortened version)
If you want a thing bad enough
To go out and fight for it,
Work day and night for it,
Give up your time and your peace for it
If only desire of it
Makes you quite mad enough
Never to tire of it,
If you’ll simply go after that thing that you want,
With all your capacity,
Strength and sagacity,
If neither cold poverty, famished and gaunt,
Nor sickness nor pain
Of body or brain
Can turn you away from the thing that you want,
If dogged and grim you besiege and beset it,
You’ll get it!
Berton Braley
315 Words
May 25, 2008
Looking at the many book covers for Fahrenheit 451, images of books, a man made of literature, firemen and fire are all reoccurring. I have not read the book, but from what I have heard, it is about the control and destruction of books and literature. Firemen are hired to search for and destroy books by burning them (hence 451- the degrees that books burn). The firemen on each book look dark and powerful, on the hunt and able to destroy anything that they please. On several covers, there are books with flames or burning of pages, which speaks for itself in that the story is about getting rid of books. Then, on a couple of covers, there are bird-type figures, so maybe that has something to do with birds or a symbol of freedom or something. The book cover that speaks to me the most is the one that says read & destroy on the cover with flames, a fireman, and fire in the background. This directly shows me what the idea of the book is about. I also like the statement it has, since it relates to what the story is. The most interesting and confusing cover is the last one with the weird figures of the bird, man and dog-looking thing along with houses in the background and fire around it. I’m not really sure what the figures are representing besides the man, so it caught my attention and makes me want to know what the book has inside of it to have such a weird cover.
May 19, 2008
There is nothing better than the smell of just baked cookies and then pulling them freshly out of the oven. It surely is my favorite, since I absolutely love everything with sugar in it. Of course I’m not speaking of home-made cookies, I am speaking about store bought goodness.
Store bought pre-packaged cookies are the way of the future. It is less of a mess, quick, easy and the cookies come out perfectly circular. Who wouldn’t want that? But before you can jump into the new fad, you have to go to the nearest store to purchase a pack of unbaked cookies. (The pre-cut are the most convenient.)
When home from the store, take a trip over to the oven and pre-heat it to the correct temperature as said on the label of the cookies. Then you are going to want to take out your baking pans and start to break apart the cookies. Place them onto the cookie sheet and once the temperature is set to go, place them into the oven and set the timer. I always set the timer for one minute before the lowest amount of time that the package recommends. (That way the cookies are then perfectly chewy after cooling down.)
While the cookies are baking, it gives you about eight minutes to read a magazine, dye your hair, pet the dog or do whatever business you may need to attend to. If you were to be making cookies from a home-made recipe, you would probably be washing the dishes from the mess you have made, but not with pre-made.
When the timer finally rings, prepare the place for where you will set the cookies to cool. Then, putting on your oven mitts, open the oven and take out the fresh baked cookies. Mmm. Grab your hand spatula and place them onto the space you have set up for them to cool. Allow the cookies to cool and use this time to decide what you will be doing with them…you could give them to someone as a present, save them for lunch, or do like I would and eat them all the same day. All that is left to do is wash the pan you have used and enjoy your perfectly circular, amazingly good, no-mess cookies!
May 7, 2008
Eighner thoroughly explains how to dumpster dive along with possible situations and also adds personal stories throughout his essay. His piece is divided into these parts:
- Opening: a background of Dumpsters and his obsession
- The word scavenging and how that fits more appropriately
- His background and how he got into dumpster diving
- Eating in dumpsters and methods
- Canned foods
- Food poisoning and old food
- Dry foods, raw and candy
- Personal story on leftover pizzas
- Students and dumpsters near them
- Opened things, dairy products, drinks, meats
- Home cooked and ethnic foods
- Dysentery
- Learning to scavenge, strategies of dumpster diving
- Finding good dumpsters and creating a routine
- Can scroungers
- Business dumpsters-not personal ones
- Important documents found in dumpsters
- Stories from people who dump
- Vermin and other gross things-fire ants
- Ways to get in
- His experience and happiness along with his closing
May 6, 2008
Points made in the argument:
- Places around the world take naps
- Sleep is relaxing and helps the person become more productive
- If more people napped, then napping would be ok
- Best thinking comes while napping
The author starts with a short description, and then transitions into how napping is viewed. She then explains napping and its pros to people everywhere. She could improve it by supporting her points of napping in the afternoon is good for you by using sources.
I definitely agree with her, I love naps and always feel refreshed and better than before when I wake up. Sometimes without naps, I just continue feeling tired and get nothing done. If naps are done around the world, and they really are ok to do, I think Americans should start taking more naps.
May 5, 2008
What’s the worst that could happen?…the Global Warming warning video…
- The speaker starts with the worst that could happen statement-saying people use that for many situations oftentimes not realizing the worst.
- His topic is global warming, and uses the worst that could happen, then goes into scenarios.
The Argument: His argument is Global Warming- is it happening or not, and the actions that could prevent or damage shown with his “fool proof” 4 block diagram. He uses human involvement and explains that our future will fall into one of the four categories he presents. At the end, urging that his method is completely “the only way,” he tells people to spread his video and the word to change public policy, and make demand for column A results.
The Hole:…? The possible hole that I think I found was that the speaker’s method is saying whether people should act or not on a subject that has as much confusion as global warming. His method used with this type of fear and guessable solutions could tie into all different kinds of problems. However, the argument overall seemed strong, and the speaker was very confident in everything that was said.
April 30, 2008
anthropomorphized: to ascribe human form or attributes to (an animal, plant, material object, etc.). <dictionary.com>
2. The humans are depicted as crazy people that are causing their own problems.
4. The parallelism shows that first we start messing with the food, and then we become harmful to people. (It states that if things are not done, then more rash conditions are likely to occur.)
5. It stands as a “think about this” ending statement. I think the author is being serious, for the outcome of genetically altering food is our own fault along with allowing it to become a bigger issue.
6. The commentaries are more of informational blurbs when read straight through. It is much more serious without the cartoons, but although the cartoons do not distract completely from the serious tone, it adds a lighter jokey feel to it.
April 30, 2008
The angel in the house is a “pure” woman who does the womanly things that are expected of her (cooking, cleaning…etc.), a woman who questions no one and ignores her own inner thoughts. Not one person would have thought that a woman, who is delicate and pure, could truly fend for herself. This idea of a woman, which was prevalent throughout Virginia Woolf’s time, has slowly vanished over the years. However, no one can ignore the fact that men were always looked at as the ones who should “bring home the bacon” and put food on the table. I still hear men today present that they are “old fashioned” and strictly believe that they should pay for dinner, or be the true caretakers of the family. Although men and women are closer than ever in equality at the workplace, the idea of the angel in the house continues to linger. Why else is there feminists protesting for women’s rights, and headstrong guys who think “man power” is the only way? While women have gained strength in paving the road to their own futures, there is still interference when placing a woman vs. a man and determining who the dominant figure is. When looking at women’s roles, people still connect them with cooking, while men are out working to make the money. This stereotype has been common throughout history, and no matter if the angel in the house is dead or not, it will continue to haunt men and women through time.
April 27, 2008
