Where are you going, Where have you been? -Blog Response

Blog Response: Where are you going, Where have you been?

Connie’s mother is a very strange lady as well as her father. Yes, he works but why can’t he give his daughters a bit of time?  As far as the mother why does she criticize Connie so much and compare her to her sister June?  The story is a bit strange and confusing. The main thing I understood was Connie’s mother always criticized and compared her to June. I do not think a mother should do that. She should take in consideration the feelings of each and every one of her children. She should not give preference to just one. There has to equality between all her children. Although Connie does not pay much mind to the criticism and comparison that is always drawn with her and her sister, June, I think deep down it does bother her.  She just does not show it.  The ending of the story wasn’t that great either. It just stops and leaves you like huh? It gives you the impression that the author had nothing else to say. If it was meant to give the illusion of mystery it didn’t at least for me.

“A Modest Proposal” Article and Story- Blog Response

Blog Response: “A Modest Proposal” – Article and Story

I did not like the story “A Modest Proposal.” The Dr. Jonathan Swift confused me or maybe I did not understand where he was coming from. At first he was talking about protecting children and babies of female beggars and then about selling each infant to make a profit and how much they weighed at birth and how much they would weigh at the age of six and then they will be able to work for their own living. It was just as confusing to me as what I just previously wrote. Honestly I did not finish reading the story because I was extremely confused.

“A Modest Proposal” by Daniel L. is the most sickening article I have ever read or came across. How could a person say that about illegal immigrants? Who does he think he is? He is not in the shoes of illegal immigrants to know what it feels like or how it feels like to leave family behind so that they can have a better future. Not once did Daniel L. ever mention that he understands where these undocumented people are coming. As far as undocumented workers so-called STEALING jobs away from natural citizens… I strongly DISAGREE with this. Undocumented workers do not have the right to be in this country because of UNITED STATE LAWS I understand! But has anyone ever thought of the main reasons why they decide to make the difficult decision of crossing the border in the first place? No I don’t think so. Many immigrants who come to the United States through the Mexican border whether they are Mexicans or not come to this country to be better. They do not purposely intend to take jobs away. Many natural citizens of the United States, with the exception of a few, would be embarrassed to worker the jobs undocumented workers do such as cleaning toilets, cleaning other people’s house etc, for a leaving. Some illegal immigrants work 3 or 4 jobs just to make ends meet. I feel that some citizens of the United States that have the necessary documents to work in the United States do not take advantage of the job opportunities that there are and that they as natural citizens have. So Daniel L. is wrong for saying that undocumented workers take jobs away. And if they so-called do take jobs away from “true native and natural citizens” it is because they are willing to do what others that have the opportunity to do so… don’t!

No one has the right to take someone else’s life without punishment. One of Daniel L’s proposal of euthanizing any workers who are sick (Undocumented workers which he says bring illness and diseases) would simply not go through because again no one has the right to take someone else’s life !

Daniel L. also mentioned the 13^th and 14^th Amendments. Daniel L. they were established for a reason and I do not think they will ever be changed or modified to your desire.

Both articles of “Modest Proposals” sound more like “Irrational and Extreme Proposals”

This is just my opinion.

“I Have a Dream” and “Imagine” – Blog Response

Blog Response: “I Have a Dream” – “Imagine”

          “Imagine” by John Lennon is very moving. You can picture Lennon wanting and perhaps wanting to try to make the world like in the words he wrote. I could only imagine if the world and everything and everyone in it was like that. Everything would be peace and tranquility. Everyone would get along. You would think that since the time John Lennon was alive until now things might have changed. But the reality is that although, some things have changed there is still people in this world that want to make it an ugly and dreadful experience for others. Furthermore, “I Have a Dream, the inspirational and persuasive speech that Martin Luther King Jr. wrote and publically presented is just as moving as “Imagine” by John Lennon. Both gentlemen unknowingly had the same aspirations as to what the world and the people that inhabit it should act like and be like towards one another. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of freedom and equality for his people.  He hoped that   if “American is a great nation, this must come true” (MLKJr.   463). He was referring to Negroes and Whites one day holding hands and “Letting Freedom Ring.”

          My personal take on both readings is that the world should be at peace and have tranquility for the sake of every inhabitant. Everyone should feel safe in the place where they will be from birth until death.  I could only imagine through John Lennon’s words how different the world would be as mentioned in “Imagine.”

“Modern Love” – Blog Response

Blog Response: “Modern Love”

     Germs, Germs, Germs that is what the girl in “Modern Love was so paranoid about.

     Being afraid of something is in everyone’s nature. The something can be as invisible as germs, or as visible as spiders or tarantulas. I think that being so self-conscious as to what you are afraid of makes you even more afraid of it.  In my personal experience when I was younger my grandmother used to say that everyone needs some type of bacteria/germs in their system. She said that not all germs are bad germs. I agree with her now because I believe the over usage of sanitizer, cleaners and such makes a person more vulnerable  to getting sick. They can potentially be killing the bacteria that the body needs.  What I mean is that somehow the sanitizer are causing more damage than fixing the problem. Others may not agree with me. By no means am I saying that you should not wash your hands, use soap, use sanitizer etc. I just feel that the exaggerated over usage some people do is not so necessary.

     The girl from “Modern Love” should probably read this blog entry and take it in consideration.

“Love is a Fallacy” – Blog Response

Blog Response : ” Love is a Fallacy”

         In “Love is a Fallacy” the narrator perceives himself to be an eye candy, and the only thing he is missing a beautiful, charming, smart girl who can make him look good. The perfect candidate was Petey’s girlfriend, Polly. Petey is the narrator’s friend. Polly is the perfect girl; beautiful, charming, but the only attribute she was missing was smartness. The only way to get Polly from Petey was trading a raccoon coat for her. A raccoon coat was the top trend. Once the deal was made and the trade was in effect, the narrator set a task for him to make Polly smart. Teach her to be smart that is. In the end, Polly was either pretending not to be smart or he really did teach her to be smart. Either way Polly was more interested in going back to Petey; the guy she was originally with. After all, he did have the raccoon coat!

        No one should use anyone for their own benefit.  Using someone for one’s own benefit makes him or her look like a selfish and self-centered person, like the narrator of “Love is a Fallacy.”  Unlike the narrator, a person is supposed to care about the other person’s feelings when getting into a relationship. A relationship is about two people that care and love each other for who they are as an individual. Neither person should want to purposely change the other to be how the other wants them to be. An individual should be accepted for who and how they are.  That is why their partner fell in love in the first place right?

Stephen King’s “Why We Crave Horror Movies” – Blog Response

BLOG RESPONSE: Stephen King – “Why We Crave Horror Movies”

Response Questions:

• My experiences with horror films as a child were not all that bad. I was not scared of watching them or don’t recall being scared. But this changed when I got older. For instance, when I was about 12 or 13 I could not watch any Jason movies. They absolutely terrified me especially the sound effects that play when Jason is about to appear. Currently, do not care much for horror movies meaning I do not get scared.  You could say I kind of enjoy watching them because of the thrill and anxiety it brings me.

 

• Stephen King says, “We’re all mentally ill.” and Later adds “sanity becomes a matter of degree.” I think that he means  that everyone is crazy in their own way. The craziness may come out when certain situations occur. Or maybe he is trying to say that we all are crazy and so show it more than others… some can control it and some just cannot help but act on their craziness. Stephen King has his mind set on believing that mental illness lives inside of us and is just waiting for the opportune moment to get out.

Response- “The Library Card”

Richard Wright’s desire and excitement to learn to read is greatly expressed through “The Library Card.”  He wanted to learn more about H.L Mencken, and the only way to this was to get a book from the library. As a boy of the most inferior class (back then) Richard was not allowed to get books from the library for himself.

It is disappointing to know that there was once a time that the easiest thing to do such as, getting a library book, was highly restricted to people of another race. This makes me appreciate all the freedoms that I have today.

I cannot imagine how people like Richard Wright must have felt?

“A block away from the library I opened one of the books and read a title: A Book of Prefaces.”I liked this part; I can imagine his face of excitement of having the books in his hands and at the same time the look of a scared boy worrying about getting caught.

 Estefanny J.

First day of Cl…

First day of Class.

January 26, 2012. Today was the First day of Comp & Lit 1.

I am taking the class at the Peekskill Extension. 

I am not a writer at all; I was placed in the Basic Writing II course last semester because I did not get the passing number of an 8 on the placement essay.

I am absolutely terrified of sitting in a quiet room full of student with their heads down and writing an essay. It feels like everyone is trying to think at the same time, and ideas are just floating around the room like butterflies not wanting to be caught and I cannot catch any!

When it came time to take the first exit exam of BWII; I was so terrified that I only wrote the introduction and two sentences of the first paragraph (got a 6 but still not enough to pass.)  My mind was blank I could not think, so I gave up. The second time around, for the final exit exam I felt confident. I have no idea what changed in me that I felt right on point, and I just started writing  (I had a little trouble in the thesis, though.)

 I was so nervous to check the grades on MyWCC. When I finally built up enough courage to check I saw an “A” but, I just could not believe it. I would check every week to see if it was a mistake. It was not a mistake because today I made it through the First Day of Composition and Literature 101! =]