What Really Ails America

I loved this essay!!! It is so good and so true!

I wish more people, myself included, would get it together enough to stand up and fight without backing down. I would love to write something with this much passion and intensity.

I loved the word choices, and the comparison to other countries. It is not at all suprising to me to learn that other countries are not looking at us for a moral compass. This essay truly shows why.

The Meanings of Words

I could not agree more with Naylor about language being subjective. We use words according to how we want them to be interpreted and how we have interpreted and interacted with them in the past.

I cannot remember the first time I heard the word n****r, but I do recall when I came to the understanding what that meant and how offensive it was. I was in seventh grade, and had my first biracial friend. My father, being the redneck he is, asked my mother if the dad was the "n" word or the mom. My mother told him that he was under no circumstances to ever say that in front of me again, seeing how she did not want me to repeat it. I being the curious kid that I was looked it up in the dictionary and when its definition didn't satisfy me, I asked my 17 year old sister who gladly filled me in. I was appauled that my father could feel that way about another person for no reason except the color of their skin.

It is so interesting that that word is acceptable in African American communities, but so not acceptable for caucasions to say.

Whose Cannon is it Anyway?

I was disappointed because I was hopeful that it would be about THE Cannon, as in the Bible.



Overall I did not like this essay at all. I hated the first sentence. I thought that Gates used too scholarly of language. I also could not figure out who Gates thought his intended audience was.

He threw in poorly placed, and poorly backed up statistics along with red herring stories that diverted from the intentions of the essay. This was just so not my favorite essay.

PS- Copy Riane

Dr. Henson,
Several of my posts are as comments as well.

P.S.

Dr. Henson,

I also wanted to let you know that the rest of my posts are back at the beginning of this plog, and a few of them (maybe 3) occur in comments on other blogs.

The End.

The Men We Carry in Our Minds

This essay is about the whole "the grass is greener on the other side" problem. We all have the stereotypical "man" and "woman" in our minds. It is not our fault--experience creates this. If I have had certain experiences with men, I am going to assume that that is how men are. The same goes with women. It's the same way that many racial stereotypes are perpetuated--through assumptions and misunderstandings.

I think the best thing we can do is realize our own ignorance. I too, do not have a great relationship with my dad, and this has hurt my spiritual life in the past. Treating God as if he is my father doesn't appeal to me. I don't know how to even begin to make that kind of relationship work. But God is the consummate father, and I do not need to judge him by human standards--I just need to let him love me.

Just as I cannot judge God on basis of my father, neither can I judge other men on basis of my father. Same with women and my mother, dogs by my dogs, etc.

How It Feels To Be Colored Me

I loved this essay. Hurston's attitude is positive and her tone is humorous. She tweaks the language to bring a smile to the reader's face, even in a controversial topic. I almost laughed out loud when she was talking about how she is constantly reminded that she is the granddaughter of slaves, and she responds that: "The operation was successful and the patient is doing very well, thank you."

Hurtston is neither overly aware or unaware of her color. She simply is. Sometimes, her heritage shines through. The throbbing scene she describes of listening to jazz with a white man exemplifies this. But above all, she is human, and that is what matters--she accepts and celebrates her culture, but she is not tied down by it.

The Meanings of a Word

I thought that Naylor handled an ugly topic tastefully and intelligently. I cannot decide when and where the word "nigger" is appropriate in the Black community. As a Caucasian, this word is taboo in my vocabulary--too many racists (both white and other racists) have used this term to demean and degrade blacks.

But Naylor makes a great point--if the black community takes that ugly word and makes it their own, then the word loses its power. There is no need to ignore that the word exists. It does, and it is disgusting. But if a positive spin can be put on a negative word, then it ought to be.

What Really Ails America

I thought this essay was great. Maybe it's just partially because it stings my pride, but I hate the view of America that the world has. And it's our fault. American media exemplifies all of the negative American stereotypes--that we are greedy, lazy, selfish and amoral. And the sad truth is that the we are beginning to mirror our media, and vice-versa.

I could talk about a lot of the positive aspects of this essay, but I thought that the conclusion was the strongest. His sentence length variety is perfect--he follows up one long sentence with three brief ones: "Do not surrender. Get mad. Get in the fight."

I loved that. It actually made me want to do something. I think that's the mark of good writing.

The Mystery of Zen

I agree with previous posts about this essay--I just didn't get it. I like that he emphasized the pursuit of knowledge and the exploration of other religions (for knowledge, not to denounce our own beliefs), but Zen is a topic I cannot understand.

He references the book "Zen in the Art of Archery." I was in a coffee shop once, and picked this book up. I must have been really bored, because I read through quite a bit of it. The concept was interesting, but not only do I not understand Zen, but I also feel like everything about it is a stretch. The author of "Zen in the Art of Archery" was truly trying to come to a universal understanding of the world and God through archery.

Again, the idea of thought and of meditation that Zen exemplifies appeals to me. Other than that, I just don't get it.

Sex, Lies, and Advertising

I agree wholeheartedly with the points that Steinem makes in this article. While I didn't want to read it in its entirety (it was long!), I think that the length was one of the strong points: Steinem is sure to make her point over and over, and she supports it. If not, I'm afraid it may have just sounded like an un-intelligent essay that was whining, "Seeeeriously, women are smart! I promise! Just ... I promise!"

I'm glad she went on.

I believe that we CAN "do better than this," and I hate that magazines that target women perpetuate so many negative stereotypes--both about women physically and mentally. Sure, I may be interested in reading summer smoothie recipes, but make a magazine that challenges my intellect and serves a purpose.

Anyway, that's why I don't read women's magazines. Thanks to Steinem for challenging the industry.

Why We Crave Horror Movies

I agree with King for the most part. I may not have his bent for horror (nor his skill in scaring), but I think he is on target when he says that we all have a smidgen of insanity in us. I don't think he means to imply that we all share the mentalities of serial killers and rapists--rather, I think he means to say that when we experiences moments of rage, anger, or even a bit of craziness, we have spent a second in the mind of a serial killer. The difference, of course, is that there is a difference between complete insanity (and acting upon it), and moments of anger, etc.

What King is writing about--though he doesn't know it--is our inclination to sin. The Bible tells us that when we have hatred in our heart, we have committed murder. I think King is hinting towards a similar idea--he just doesn't know it's Biblical.

Personally, I think King is a great horror writer. When it comes to horror movies, etc., I can't handle them. I'm a big, big wimp, and I think my bent towards insanity (at least in watching it) is rather small. Good news for me!

Salvation

This essay (if I may be so extreme) broke my heart. I love Langston Hughes, first of all. I think he has such a mastery of the English language that he can be simple and powerful at the same time. His description of the desire to hear and feel Jesus in his soul (like he was told he was), but failing, describes the let-down of many children (and adults).

I myself never had that life-rocking conversion experience that I heard so many people talk about, and it made me wonder about everyone who said that they felt free and light when they "accepted" Jesus. I wondered if they were lying, I wondered if they were kidding themselves, I wondered if I had just done it wrong.

It's taken quite a few struggles of faith to realize that what I felt when I was saved is not what matters, and whether others were lying when they said that they felt like they were light and free doesn't matter either. What matters is the reality of Christ, not the reality of the conversion experience.

What saddens me is the way that Hughes ends his essay--he leads me to believe that this disillusion of his childhood has carried on to his adulthood. Perhaps it was the heartbreak of childhood, or perhaps it was the hypocrisy he saw. Either way, when he says, "I didn't believe there was a Jesus any more, since he didn't come to help me," I can't help but believe that he wonders that today.

The Value of Philosophy

I was not stunned by Russell's essay, but I did appreciate it. Meg, I know this will sound wimpy because you're a philosophy all-star, but I've taken my Gen. Ed. Philosophy course this semester and I absolutely love it. Prior to this class, I appreciate those who cared about philosophy, but didn't really see the value. I don't know what it was--maybe Ken Schenck is just a great professor--but the study of philosophy is now intriguing to me. I think that, at best, philosophy is an optimistic realization that we can know very few things for sure--but that we should seek to discover truth.

Russell commended this search for knowledge in his essay. Philosophy, he claims, is about knowledge and its search. Philosophy is more about questions than answers, and while that may seem disconcerting sometimes, I think that it is what our minds are made to do: question.

The Rival Conceptions of God

C.S. Lewis is brillian, let me just begin with that. The points he made in this essay really helped clarify some questions I've had about my faith--and helped me form new questions of my own. I liked that he pointed out that in order for Christianity to be true, not all other religions have to be completely untrue. Certainly, they may not lead to heaven, but many tenets of religions agree, and there are certain aspects and behaviors from other religions that we could adopt.

Another point I liked was how he addressed the question of "if God is good, why has the world gone wrong?" He replies that we cannot even have a concept in our mind of morality, rightness, and justice if a supreme being did not create us with a bent towards perfection.

Thanks, C.S. Lewis. You're a genius.

The Men We Carry in Our Minds

291 – The Men We Carry in Our Minds – Scott Russell Sanders

Scott reflects back on childhood memories and observations of men working at a prison, on farms, and in the military. He uses deductive reasoning to move from the whole (men) to the parts (types of work and the lack of, home lives-women and children, etc.) and how it affected their lives in the process. He described his father’s progress from a laborer to a white-collar worker. Men’s so-called life privileges baffled him, and he found women’s grievances of life puzzling. If I read this correctly, at some point he became confused thinking that women had better lives than men and made a switch, certainly not the ending I was expecting.

How It Feels to be Colored Me

255 – How It Feels To Be Colored Me – Zora Neale Hurston

Zora feels complete just as she is—colored—but not tragically colored. Her world changes in new places; but she is still she, not a race, just an American living to survive. Her prose is very poetic and metaphoric. Although she is treated differently in the white world, she is living in the present—unlike the white folk around her that reflect her back to slavery. She allows her imagination to take her places that she will never see and where color is not a factor. She is comfortable in her own skin and recognizes the opportunity that others miss by denying themselves the “pleasure of her company” (page 258).

Red, White, and Beer

189 – Red, White, and Beer – Dave Barry

Dave has a very strange sense of humor. I knew a David Barry as a teenager; it sounds like something he would write. I knew the title was strange, but the essay is not what I anticipated. I never thought of beer as patriotic, but then I never acquired a taste for it either.

Sex, Lies, and Advertising

168 – Sex, Lies, And Advertising – Gloria Steinem

Gloria explains many ways to control the media through advertising and the difficulty involved in getting advertisers to take women’s magazines seriously. Apparently, advertisers believe that only men make important purchases, and women should be shopping and cooking because they are not technically inclined. Racial, ethnic, and sexual preferences are also causes for advertising discrimination. Many advertisers believed the articles should relate to the ads, while others believed their ads would not meet the proper audience. It seemed to be a vicious circle of cause and effect and overanalyzes, which eventually led the magazine to a reader focused product with no advertisements.

She reflects back to the early 20th century when husbands were the revenue source for magazines, and there were no advertisers. The magazine consisted of information to assist women to be better wives, mothers, and homemakers. However, the magazines turned toward the image of a catalog, due to the invention of clothing patterns and the mass manufacture of household items, which led to manufacturers placing demands on the type of stories adjacent to their products or in the overall magazine (page 183).

She began by presenting a problem, gave examples of advertising problems (maybe too many), and then reflected on its origin. She concludes with a proposition for women to take control of their magazines by making their opinion known to editors, publishers, advertisers, and each other.

Why We Crave Horror Movies

150 – Why We Crave Horror Movies – Stephen King

Stephen gives a brief description of human need for fear induced through media and amusement rides. He uses metaphors to describe our psychic and sanity (or lack of) and to explain why we refrain from doing mean things to others because we prefer praise over punishment. Therefore, viewing these scenes gives us an out from causing harm to others, which explains why horror movies need to be “reactionary, anarchistic, and revolutionary” (page 152). Personally, I prefer action and comedy over horror any day and feel no need to be scared for personal pleasure.

What Really Ails America

137 – What Really Ails America – William J. Bennett

William takes a very real problem with America, discusses reasons for it, and proposes a possible solution to correct it. Some would view his reasoning and solution as factual and agree, while others would disagree and fight against his solution. The fact is American morals are in a downward spiral and until steps are taken to correct them, America will continue to be a society in decline (page 137). He ends by telling us to get mad, fight, and never surrender (page 141).

Truth abides in his reasons and solution. This moral decline should not surprise us, as God warned us of its coming. Removal of prayer from schools probably began the spiral. Society lacks understanding of the true meaning of “division of church and state” and has removed the Ten Commandments from many government buildings. Displacements of many priorities have occurred; however, the NCLB act continues to improve the education system. As Christians, we need to continue to build God’s kingdom; those who choose against it will enter into the worst downward spiral imaginable. Unfortunately for them, it will be too late and truth will be their demise.

The Value of Philosophy

121 – The Value of Philosophy – Bertrand Russell

Bertrand takes the subject of philosophy and deduces it from the whole into parts, explaining how sciences, such as astronomy, psychology, and others, began as philosophy, but have become their own disciplines (deductive reasoning). Then, he describes the importance of philosophy from the parts back to the whole in the value of its own discipline (inductive reasoning). He uses descriptive language to passionately explain the value of philosophy, which is obviously dear to his heart. He explains that although some independent disciplines have sprouted from philosophy, it is still its own entity and has value.

The Mystery of Zen

98 – The Mystery of Zen – Gilbert Highet

Gilbert defines the mystery of Zen through descriptive situational plots to make the point that learning Zen is a process, not immediate knowledge. Intellectual study cannot produce understanding, it is a process learned through osmosis. He compares and contrasts Zen to Buddhism, describing similarities and differences. The topic is deep, but attainable and understandable through time.

The Rival Conceptions of God

95 – The Rival Conceptions of God – C.S. Lewis

Lewis defines two theories of God and then searches for truth in each. He compares and contrasts the good/bad with cancer/doctors, Pantheism/Christianity, and just/unjust. He began as an atheistic and found fault in that theory. After studying his findings, he became a Christian. His writing is deep with much thought and research to understand and converse on his topic.

Salvation

87 – Salvation – Langston Hughes

Langston describes a cause and effect situation and confirms Marius’ theory on metaphors. Use of metaphors requires much care, especially with children. His aunt described salvation in a way that no child could understand, leaving him waiting and watching for Jesus to come and change his soul. Since he was literally waiting on Jesus, he was not moving from the bench. His final decision to move was only to conclude the process set before him by the church. The aunt and the church were wrong in their attempt to force salvation. It had no effect on Langston, other than further confusion.

The Meanings of a Word

61 – The Meanings of a Word – Gloria Naylor

Cruelty—humans’ way of using words for degradation. Gloria descriptively explains this concept from inside and outside her culture. Some words, utilized by certain cultures, maintain their original meaning. However, what one uses for harm, another uses for worth. This essay could help many people understand appropriate use of words and is a good concept for education of the human race.

How to Tame a Wild Tongue

54 – How to Tame a Wild Tongue – Gloria Anzaldua

Gloria’s language is conversational, depicting descriptive, cultural language differences and how they have affected her throughout her life. She describes many cases of how her language difference affects different situations, such as the rude teacher that told her to go back to Mexico, if she cannot speak English properly. Sometimes we need to listen more than we speak to learn the needs of others, since proper pronunciation of her name is a normal desire. There are many varieties of the Spanish language, as well as many accents and dialects of English; sadly, they are less acceptable between cultures. This is both a blessing and a curse because the company she keeps determines her speech and language. She literally has to control her tongue for acceptance, forcing her to speak eight dialects for the accommodation of others. This is an insult to her identity; “until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself…my tongue will be illegitimate.” Her desire to express herself freely in all situations makes her unacceptable in many. My lack of the Spanish language makes parts of the essay unreadable, but that is my deficiency not hers, which is part of the point she is trying to make.

Whose Canon is it, anyway?

34 – Whose Canon is it, anyway? – Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Henry is very intellectual in the narrative representation of his essay. I never realized that there were “canons” other than the Biblical canons I had learned about previously. He has an obvious passion and drive for literature and curriculum, how they change through time and circumstance, and how they affect and vary within cultures.

I enjoyed his father’s favorite story about Father Devine and the judge (great humor) and can relate to his story about stage fright as a young boy. Public performances can be very intimidating. Thankfully through many years of intimidation, I have come to where I can manage public speaking fairly well.

The Meanings of a Word

This essay begins with the idea that context is everything: "Words themselves are innocuous; it is the consensus that gives them true power." As the author goes on to describe an experience she had in the third grade, she addresses an issue that I have heard many my age ask: "Why when they call each other niggers it's okay, but when we do, it's offensive?" She goes on to explain a language tool that I believe many of us use today. It's not so complicated. I could call my best and worst friend an idiot, and it means two entirely different things. I could call the girls in my residence hall idiots for pulling a prank and a group of learning disabled students idiots because they appear to lack the kind of intelligence I have. Again, "it is the consensus that gives them true power." This essay is not a debate about whether the spoken word is better than the written word, but that the written word seems robbed of the context that is understood in the middle of dialogue. This point is confirmed in Naylor's statement: "Whatever we manage to capture in even the most transcendent passages falls far short of the richness of life."

The Men We Carry in Our Minds

Pondering the ideal man, I automatically look at my father. My relationship with him has not been so great. He tried to make me a man, but thankful a counselor informed me that I had the wrong perceptions of what a man is. My dad tried to get me to do things that I didn't enjoy doing, like hunting, fishing, and the like. He made me feel like I was less than a man or a girl because I did not want to participate in these activites. My counselor has helped me notice my activeness in searching for male relationship that I did not have with my father. From listening to my counselor and evaluating the decisions I have made, I come to see the importance of a father figure in leading his son to manhood. It is also important not to give the son false ideas about what it means to be a man. I'm pretty sure that Adam was a man, before the Fall, and he didn't hunt nor fish.

How It Feels to Be Colored Me

I think that Hurston has a good perspective on things. I know that I grown annoyed hearing people distinguish people by race. Many (black and white) refer to men who are black a "black man," while the white man is just referred to as "man." This kind of upsets me. When will we be able to look at people without looking at their skin? I appreicated Hurston's words, "But I am not tragically colored." She also noted, "I do not always feel colored." Anyone have any other thoughts? I'm interested in any thoughts concerning Hurston's perspective on race.

The Death of the Moth – Virginia Woolf

The Death of the Moth – Virginia Woolf

This descriptive essay of the life of a moth has both interesting and boring parts. The author seems somewhat cruel to not help him, but instead determines to view its cycle and struggle for life. There is no guarantee that if she had helped that he could have lived longer, but a moth’s life is short, so I guess that is her point.

Coming to an Awareness of Language – Malcolm X

Coming to an Awareness of Language – Malcolm X

This essay is interesting in that it takes a common, illiterate criminal with poor handwriting from a bad neighborhood and turns him into a self-educated man. The author’s writing technique opens the story from his past as one not for inaction and uses that as his excuse for writing, just something to do. He could not write well and could not understand what he read, so he took action and acquired a dictionary. From that one tool, and his pen and paper, he entered a world unknown to him. The dictionary helped him read and write and changed who he was, allowing freedom even in prison.

In the beginning, I did not care for the man he was, but learned to appreciate him throughout the essay for his desire and dedication to learn on his own and better him. He could have just done his time, but instead, he did something worthwhile with his time. He ended up with more freedom from self-education than through reentering the outside world, and became a better person in the process. This is a well-written expressive essay using his personal experience of imprisonment to better him. He developed it through narration and description organized in chronological order.

The Value of Philosophy

Man, I wish so badly that I could open my mind to this concept of philosophy as Meg and Elijah have. I wish this essay would have interested me, but over all it did not. I realize that is a huge disappointment to you Megan, and for that I am sorry, but I just hate philosophy. Perhaps that is a bold statement, and maybe not exactly how I want to get my point across but I don't know how else to word how I feel. I love questioning important things on a deeper level, and finding out what I believe for my self, but I do not like questioning such questions as "how do we know a chair is a chair?". In the general education philosophy class we have to take, I was asked that question and at that point I turned my mind off. I don't question the reality of a chair or a table or if the sky is real or if I really make my own decisions or if some one makes them for me. I have faith without a need for "proof" and I believe a chair is a chair because when I sit down, it provides me with all the things I need from a chair, case closed.

I guess I just don't understand why this way of thinking is so bad, or why in the essay he makes his way of thinking superior to mine. I feel like his way of thinking and living life is a waste of time, too much concentration on minor details, I feel as if he misses the whole picture. But that is his choice and there can be value found in that. But from his stand point, there is no value in my way of thinking.

The essay leads me to believe that a philosopher has no conviction for areas of black and white, only gray. How does one live like that? With no firm belief in any thing except that there are no absolute answers? I am not trying to knock philosophy, I realize it is vital to human existence, I just don't get it and I did not like this essay. I don't think my way of thinking is any less or better than his way of thinking, it's just different, but if I were to ask him how he felt toward me, based on the essay, I can bet he would belittle my knowledge and patronize my way of thinking.

But in his mind, there are no absolutes, so how can his way be better than mine?

This may make you guys mad, and that is not my intention, I just don't understand it. Maybe some day a light bulb will go off and I will understand it.

Until then, I will stick with my way of thinking!

Jillian

What Really Ails America

Perhaps I could give a giant "Amen" to this entire essay. America is in trouble. I kind of reflect on today's chapel message, in which the speaker noted: Atheism is really in opposition to God; attacking God. We need God in America again. We need God in our schools, too! Bennett quoted Plato's view of education: that good education makes good men, and good men act nobly.
I agree with Bennett, when he talks of us "saying one thing and doing another." This has to stop!

America is acting like God does not exist, therefore some of us are doing anything and everything they want. I also agree with Bennett that Americans are sloth. "The slothful heart is steeped in the worldy and carnal, hates the spiritual and wants to be free from its demands." This statment reflects the idea that many are in rebellious pursiut of the Holy God. We better wake up; as indivduals and as a community, or Humpty Dumpty will soon be our nick-name.

The Value of Philosophy

Well naturally this essay was of utmost interest to me. First of all because I love philosophy and second because Bertand Russell is one of the best modern/post modernist. I have read several other essays by him, and they are all very interesting.

My favorite statement of the this essay is, "Philosophy, like all other studies, aims primarily at knowledge. The knowledge it aims at is the kind of knowledge that gives unity..." I love this statement because as a Philosopher that is our whole objective and consequently what my whole life has come to be about. I want unity and consistancy in all the different areas of my life and I search and wonder through things philosophically to get to a place where things just gel together. Everyone whether they accept it or not is a philosopher. We have to critically examine what we believe and why in every area of our lives. So, the value of philosophy is extraordinarily high.

While philosophy may not establish the answers themselves, it gives a field in which answers can be discovered through. And I completely agree with Russell when he says that philosophy is to be studied for the questions' sake not the answers. I just love this essay!

The Mystery of Zen

Can someone tell me the mystery of understanding the Mystery of Zen. I'm not going to lie to you: I do not read something, where the reader does not catch my attention. I stopped reading half-way through it with the question: Did Herrigel join the Zen religion or what? From my understanding of the essay, from what I have read of it, I think I received this thought: "For one to understand something fully (or better), one must experience it." Could this be a good observation from the essay or am I just a crazy guy who read to much into it?

Salvation

WOW.

Thats what come to mind when i read this. WOW. How true this is of so many churches? We want people to be saved, but we don't explain the reality of salvation to them. Hughes's essay was very moving, and although written some time ago, applicable to present day.

The last sentence of the essay was disturbing and intriguing. Immediately I searched on the internet to see if he ever found Christ. Unfortunately I came across his poem, "Goodbye Christ". In this poem he tells Christ goodbye, he tells him that He has done enough damage and to just leave, we don't need Him anymore.

I wonder if Christ would have been presented to Him differently that night, how different his writing would have been. Maybe he would have written poetry about how segregation, slavery and war broke God's heart instead of telling Christ He had done enough damage, and just to leave. It is a shame Langston Hughes never discovered how much he and Christ had in common; they both hated the evils of this world, they both fought for a revolution and they both impact this world long after they were gone.

We have to be careful how we present Christ to others, one bad experience can ruin it all.

What a shame.

Jillian

How to Tame A Wild Tongue

I agree with Riane, I expected something completely different from this essay. I expected the routine essay from the Christian viewpoint about how to control what we say. Needless to say, I was wrong.

The opening of the essay was phenomenal. In the opening she even leads the reader, at least me, to believe that the essay will follow the tradition it's title foreshadows. She basically quotes scripture and than directs the essay a completely different way. Her technique at the beginning was very effective.

As I read further into the essay I became confused and frustrated with her method of writing. She lost me in her switch of dialect between Spanish and English. In a few paragraphs I could barely understand what she was trying to say. When she stopped explaining all the different types of Spanish she speaks I slowly began to see the point she was trying to make. What she has to say, is great, if the reader continues to make themselves read the essay. In my opinion she has shut her self off to a whole group of readers who may pick up her material.

What is so ironic to me, is that the point of the essay is to express her frustrations with those who don't appreciate and respect her language. This would mainly include full blooded Americans. But the essay is not written so they can understand, it is written in a way that only those who speak her language(s) and agree with her viewpoints can understand. This would be fine, but she just lost the audience she was trying to reach. Most full blooded American won't read far enough to understand what she is saying.

She does have a point, Americans need to respect her language and the culture she comes from. But if her aspirations are to become a writer within the American culture, than she has to adapt to her audience. We don't understand her dialect and writing technique, so how can we understand her and believe what she has to say? It would be just like me, moving to Mexico, trying to get Mexicans to understand and respect my culture, and writing with many confusing English transitions. I would make a fool out of myself and no one would understand what I was saying.

She has undertaken a huge job, but I believe she could be effective, if she wrote to Americans in a way that we understood. Once she has established that ground and gained respect, maybe then she could switch back and forth between her Spanish and English roots. Maybe then her readers would listen.

The Death of a Moth

This essay was surprisingly interesting . The title, as boring as it sounded, intrigued me for some reason. I guess I was trying to figure out what the author was going to say, immediately I thought about how insignificant a moth is and wondered who would waste their time writing about a nasty bug? But that is just what the article in a way poked fun at. Just as Elijah said, a moth seems so insignificant yet so full of life. The essay brought the journey of a bug to life. Perhaphs the author was trying to shed light on how we as humans take life for granted and the moth, as pointless as he is, lived his life to the fullest. He was trapped inside a small room of four walls, and he explored it all. He fluttered from side to side, with the vibrancy of life running through his veins. Maybe this was not the authors point, and maybe I am generalizing, but that is how the essay spoke to me. Also, perhaps she was showing how short life is, or how much death is a part of life. There are many ways to go and many ideas can be perceived, but overall I am so impressed and inspired by the way Virginia Wolf captures the reader in a story about a moth. That is when you know you have become a successful writer, when you can write about an insect and still, readers will love what you wrote.

Someday, I hope to master that talent.

Jillian

How To Tame a Wild Tongue

This essay wasn't what I expected. I guess I expect most essays that reference the taming of the tongue to have some Proverbical (not a real word) influence; in other words, I think of the Christian ideal of taming the tongue. When I realized that this essay was instead about Anzaldua's struggle with language prejudice, I was surprised.

The next emotion I felt was frustration. Aesthetically, her combination of English and Spanish looked nice on paper, but she lost me in transition. I don't speak a word of Spanish, and I had no idea when her English thoughts following the Spanish ones were translations or independent thoughts.

However, as I read on, I began to appreciate her technique. Her entire essay focuses on her different codes--they way she speaks and combines different dialects and languages depending on her audience. Sometimes she does it for comfort, sometimes for familiarity, sometimes out of habit, and sometimes to avoid judgment. As an English-speaking Chicago native, I don't have to put this much effort into my speech. I don't have a noticeable accent I need to disguise. I speak my brand of English at school, at work, with friends, in meetings, and in interviews. I don't need to code switch.

Because of this, I cannot appreciate the experiences of Anzulda. But I do appreciate her technique in the essay--sure, I was confused by her intermingling of Spanish and English. But that is her language and that is her norm. That is her code that her culture speaks, and it does not have to be changed to suit my (ignorant, Spanish-lacking) needs.

Whose Canon is it Anyway?

This essay intrigued me. I thought the comments it made on education and "black literature" were insightful and well-written. Sadly, it reinforced my ignorant whiteness, as many of these issues were ones I had not considered before.

There were a couple of quotes that I thought were excellent, and I wondered what you all thought about them. The first, on page 36, pokes fun at the futility of many academic battles. It reads, "We pay homage to the marginalized and demonized, and it feels almost as if we've righted an actual injustice. (Academic battles are so fierce--the received wisdom has it--because so little is truly at stake). I always think of the folk tale about the fellow who killed seven with one blow: flies, not giants" (36).

What do you think about this? Are we wasting so much time arguing and "solving" issues in debate that we've forgotten about the issues themselves?

I'm afraid we might have.

I had more quotes I enjoyed, but I think I'll stick with this for now.

Why We Crave Horror Movies

Fist of all Stephen King is one sick person. I cannot believe that some one would actually believe something that sick. I do not agree that we all have some sort of insanity in us or that some people solve these cravings through watching nasty movies that portray mutilation of other people. To me that is completely disgusting and very disturbing. King believes we are all a little mentally insane and although I agree that we all have some sort of evil in us I can not agree that it is mental insanity. If I agreed with this view point, does that mean I would agree that I share the same issues as a serial killer or rapist? Does that mean I have just controlled my insanity better? Does thats mean the insanity of a mass murder lies within all of us? And if those desires are not solved with horrific images does that mean I will turn out the same way? I have trouble believing all of this especially as a Christian.
I firmly believe Stephen King is mentally insane and possessed. Everything he promotes and produces is demonic and evil. I believe there are people who dot share these same disturbing qualities, but by no means is it accurate to say we all are insane.
I do agree that most people crave some sort of scary, thrilling experiences. Some meet that desire through a scary movie, others are satisfied with a scary ride or daring experience that has the chance to turn out badly. Whatever that feeling and desire is, I don’t believe it makes us all mentally insane.

Any Comments?? Anyone else really disturbed by this essay?

Jill

The Rival Conceptions of God

I couldn’t agree more with what C.S. Lewis said about truth being found in other religions. As Christians we are so quick to see only our way. Now, don’t get me wrong I am in no way saying that other religions are correct, because salvation through Jesus Christ is the only way, however other religions do hold bits and pieces of truth. It is important for us to see and acknowledge those pieces of truth so we understand where other religions are coming from and we know how to best relate to them.
I enjoyed his contrast between pantheism and Christianity. I have never thought that deeply on the idea of how the world was created, it all just makes sense to me. I have never needed an explanation to see the truth. However it is great to see how we differ so much and what others believe about the creation of the world.
Overall I thought this was a very strong essay, written with conviction and insight.

Anyone agree? Disagree?

Jill

Virginia Woolf: The Death of the Moth

I wonder if this essay could reflect any kind of principles we could learn from Ecclesiastes. I hardly find anyone giving a sermon or message on Ecclesiastes. Woolf points out the life of a moth and how that life is so full of energy, yet it seems useless.

Q: Is there a message in this essay that humans should apply to their own lives?

Malcolm X: Coming to An Awareness of Language

I'm not sure how we are suppopse to start or begin to discuss our stories, but is are some thoughts and a question that I pondered about our first essay:

I really liked how Malcolm compared the dictorionary to an encyclopedia. Although, he was in prison, I loved how Malcolm expressed that he felt free, because he had a dictionary.


Q: What would you say that Malcolm X had concluded about Language?

Share your thoughts with me. I'd really like to hear what you have to say about this essay. There are some more important points I think Malcolm is making about language, but I just cannot put my hand or head on it.

Reading comments

Hi group,

This begins the reading blog, so I look forward to learning what essays you've read so far and what you think about them.