Six-word Memoir

                Clean. Think I'm done. Clean more.

My Bucket List

1. Middlesex
by Jeffrey Eugenides
Well this very odd book about the life of an intersexual happens to be a Pulitzer Prize winner. I've never read anything similar to this book, and therefore have no idea what it would be like in an intersexual person's shoes. I enjoy reading and learning about people, and their thoughts and actions, and in turn the reasons for those thoughts and actions.

2. Caleb's Crossing
by Geraldine Brooks
Caleb's Crossing is about the privilege of education, which is a subject I enjoyed reading about last year. Plus, it doesn't hurt that this book is written by a Pulitzer Prize winning author. Also, I am really lacking in historical background knowledge, and that is something I will probably need.

3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
I read the first few pages of this book and I already liked how close I get to be inside the main character's mind. He happens to be going through the trials of high school, so it's one of those coming-of-age books. What draws me to this one is how the main character analyzes every situation, and not just the typical obvious ones, he's in. I also do this, analyze every little detail to every little situation.

4. Going Bovine
by Libba Bray
This book is about a boy with a disease and also quite the imagination. I feel like I have never really given fantasy-type books a chance before completely not considering them as choices. So I found this fantasy book, that also has other aspects im interested in, such as diseases. This book is also a winner of the Printz award.

5. Water for Elephants
by Sara Gruen
This story of a man and an elephant in a circus is told by the man, and he's old. I like old people a lot, and from reading the first few pages the fact that he's telling the story and he's old shows very much. Also, I have heard quite a few positive things about this book from people all over school. So if everyone's talking about it, it has to be pretty good. One person in particular is Ms. Pickett (the drama teacher one), and for some reason I feel if she finds it really interesting, I should trust that it is.

6. The Help
by Kathryn Stockett
I have read many books about the slave times, including Beloved, The Color Purple, etc.., and I have to say they've all earned a place on Tabitha's List of Books I Love and Remember. I imagine the reason for these books all being so great in my opinion is not only because they were good books, but also because they are about a subject I really enjoy reading about. Perhaps this could be my new favorite African American read.

7. The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
It seems everyone has read The Hunger Games series, and I am left behind because I have not. I have seen the movie, though, and I did like it. But I feel there is a lot of information that I missed, which made it a little on the confusing side, and I'd like to find that information by reading the book. Also, the different kind of world Suzanne Collins created is very intriguing to me.

8. A Doll's House
by Henrik Ibsen
We had to read The Awakening last year. Many hated it, but surprisingly I did not. Actually I really enjoyed it. Who knows, I may be a femenist at heart. So, I decided I would like to read another book similar to it. Which according to Amazon, A Doll's house is a lot like The Awakening and is a very nice classic as well.

9. My Sister's Keeper
by Jodi Picoult
Obviously I have seen the movie, and I've got say, movies don't usually make me cry but this one sure can. It's probably the saddest movie I've ever seen, and I'm hoping that the book holds up to its stereotype of being even better. I'm expecting to shed quite a few tears onto the pages. I've also heard that Picoult's books are similar to lifetime movies, and boy am I a fan of LMN!

10. Girl with a Pearl Earring
by Tracy Chevalier
The whole reason I am interested in reading this book is because of it's title and the picture on the cover, or I guess really the painting. The painting is beautiful, to say the least. I want to see how Chevalier brings the girl in the painting to life. Also, I have this really weird obsession with pearl earrings..

"Rebel Without a Cause": Review

Opening in 1955, "Rebel Without a Cause" was created to portray the violence and restlessness of the youth of that time. With screenwriters Stewart Stern and Irving Shulman, and Nicholas Ray as the director and a screenwriter, each actor/actress was crafted with some sort of rebellion that usually stemmed from their lack of a decent "father-figure".

The movie begins with drunk Jim Stark (James Dean). With a father that has yet to find his manhood and stop from being bossed around by his controlling wife, Jim feels he has to act out, but also stand up and stick up for his father which usually gets him in trouble with the other judgmental teens around him. His mother forces them to move and start over fresh every time an incident is formed because of Jim, and that is where Jim is at now. At his new town Jim is already into trouble.

Jim then notices a tough-on-the-outside but needy on the inside girl. This girl, Judy (Natalie Wood), is neglected by her father who doesn't show her the love and attention she yearns for. This results in her falling for, or following anyone who will show her the least bit of affection. So since she's already apart of the "cool crowd", where she is going out with a top dog named Buzz (Corey Allen), Judy has no reason to show Jim the time of day and snubs him off just like the rest of her crowd, to keep her crowd liking her.

Sal Mineo (John "Plato" Crawford) and Jim also cross paths. Sal is a strange, unordinary boy to say the least. Although he is around the same age as Jim and the rest of the teens, in his middle to late teen years, he is still portrayed as if he is still a "boy" from his unnatural obsession with Jim as his father-figure. This is brought about from his own father's abandonment of him.

Soon, the tension between Jim and Buzz turns into violence, and later fatality. In one of the main conflicts, the game of life or death called "chicken", Buzz loses his life. And not a second after, Judy falls for Jim.

Jim feels he should turn himself in, and hopes for some stern guidence to do so from his father. But yet again, his father fails and listens and agrees with his wife for Jim not to turn himself in. Of course Jim refuses to listen, and runs away with Sal and Judy.

Carrying knives with them, Buzz's old gang is out for Jim though, and finds them, leading to the big finale. Having shot one of the guys after them, Sal is scared and Jim trys to calm him and resolve the issue, with Judy on his tail. With the cops and parents surrounding them, Sal is unable to be soothed and is shot by a police officer. Through his dad's inability to be a man and Sal's search for one Jim becomes a man. Through his son's assertiveness and Sal's death, Jim's dad starts to show signs of being a man himself.

Although most of the traits of each character were believable to have portrayed a teen in that time period, the ease of brutal violence to take place right away under frivilous situations was not realistic. Severe violence and fatality from teenage conflicts can happen, but it does not reflect the overall way that teenage dramas are dealt with. "Rebel Without a Cause" did provide characters with depth, by allowing it's audience to know a lot of the characters backgrounds to the reason they acted the way they did.

This movie showed close to the absolute worst of what could happen when parents are absent from their roles, and teens decide to take the world upon themselves. With over-exaggerated conflicts and acting that add to the drama of the movie, the audience could be affected in a sympatheic way and maybe feel the need to act. But this exaggeration could also add a cheesy feel, and will most likely, to the audience because of it's unrealisticness.

A Better Place: An Analysis of "Ideas Mate, and We're Better for It" by John F. Stossel

                Stossel’s bluntly inspirational column “Ideas Mate, and We’re Better for It” compels the reader to think more optimistically about making a difference for the better, which can be done just by having thought-provoking communication between individuals. The strategy of Stossel’s argument changes throughout the piece. The author shifts from figurative language, to ethos, to pathos and logos.

                Stossel’s column begins with several uses of figurative language. He starts off with a joke about an “idea [walking] into a bar”, meeting another idea, and having a “new idea” become “born” from the two. Not only is this an allusion to the popular “bar joke”, it’s also a use of personification, allowing an idea to have human like qualities such as walking and being born. By kicking off his argument with a joke, the reader is much more open to reading on. Also towards the beginning he goes on to write about how “ideas” can “mate” or have “sex”. This part of the writing is also crafted with personification. When he uses it this time though, he applies it more bluntly to catch the reader’s attention.

                The author then shifts to proving his argument, although very subtly, through ethos. Stossel writes that no matter how “stupid” a group of people may be, if they “communicate” they can “achieve a lot more”. The author shows the reader the key to making a difference, instead of just leaving them guessing. This builds to his ethos by demonstrating that he cares enough to thoroughly explain the way to accomplish the betterment of the world. He then leads on to the mentioning of a “great economist” who “stood virtually alone” with his idea that the “mixing of ideas” was a good thing. This warns the reader that even if he combines his ideas with someone else, it might not always be accepted right away. This also implies that there are not any worthless ideas.

                Stossel then ends his column on a note of pathos and logos. The author provides a quote from the great economist; the economist writes about how when he was a kid the older generation was made of “pessimists” and rambled on about how the “future” was “bleak”. This is Ridley’s, the great economist’s, personal story of growing up with pessimists. Through his attitude towards this subject, the reader gathers that being pessimistic did not solve on problem. The author then pulls into Gates’ view that “worrying” can “drive a solution”, but argues that “optimistic people” such as “Steve Jobs” and “Archimedes in ancient Greece” were people who achieved solutions. Stossel changes his perspective to past historical events and people to argue his point. With the addition of these facts, Stossel successfully refutes his counter-argument.

                The author packs his column with various rhetorical devices such as ethos, pathos, logos, and figurative language to convey his viewpoint and in turn fulfill his overall purpose. Showing that he means business about his argument of optimism over pessimism, his writing is sharp and to the point. Letting his audience know that making the world a better place is as easy as sharing ideas inspires the reader to follow his message.

Kill 'Em! Crush 'Em! Eat 'Em Raw!

1. John McMurtry's essay begins with a personal anecdote about the results of playing sports- especially football- since childhood. When he can no longer ignore his physical condition, he seeks treatment and is hospitalized. How does the anecdote lend credibility to his argument?

The anecdote lends credibility to his argument by letting the reader know that he's been there, and has dealt with the good and the bad of playing sports. The reader can imply that McMurtry had a great passion for the sport by the amount of time it took before he'd finally quit in order to be treated. This shows that McMurtry has felt a love for football. But this anecdote also shows that he has felt the destructive effects of such a contact sport, which allows him to argue his point.

2. Paragraph 5-7 compare and contrast football and war. Is this comparison convincing? How does the comparison appeal to logos?

The comparison is convincing because he not only compares them, but also contrasts them. The fact that McMurtry appeals to logos, and backs up his argument with plenty of facts from his own experience and also from reliable sources, also makes this comparison more convincing. He alludes to famous people that are associated with war, that are also associated with sports. He also pulls in specific quotes from sources and provides the names of the sources, incase his reader wanted to check up on his logic.

4. In paragraph 14, McMurtry cites a Harvard study showing that some of the more brutal characteristics of football players are valued in the business world. How do the study's findings support McMurtry's argument against the brutality of football?

The study's findings support McMurtry's argument against the brutality of football by proving that the football players on the top football teams are the most brutal of them all. The study also supports his argument by showing that if high school football players know that a more brutal characteristic is valued in professional football, then they will feel as if they have to work to gain that characteristic in order to make it in their football careers. If the business world values a more brutal characteristic in football players, then more football players will be chosen with that characteristic. If more football players are chosen with that characteristic, then more of the teams are going to be made up of those type of football players. If more teams are made up of those players, then there is a higher chance of brutality in every single game of football.


8. McMurtry characterizes General George Patton and President Richard Nixon as "jock-loving... media stars" (para. 6). Think of contemporary media stars who associate themselves with football or other sports. Does the association enhance or tarnish their image?


President Obama and his wife are major media stars that are very well known for their participation in and support for sports and physical education. President Obama's interest in sports such as basketball brings him more down to earth for his American public. His interest enhances his image by making him more relatable to people of not as high power. First Lady Obama campaigns for physical education through T.V. shows and commercials, in order for the people of America to live healthier lives. Her main audience is children, which must also include the parents of these children. Her association also enhances her image, especially through the children's parents perspectives, because it shows she has a concern for the well-beings of the children of America, which are also the future of America.

Education

Are millions of average thinking people better than a few basic and a few genius spread throughout the world. With the polices we have in school today, although no child is left behind, many students don't reach near their full potentials. So what we end up with is a majority of average thinkers, and then still some who are not even average, more like basic or below. In paragraph 10, Emerson writes about schools having to "lower [their flags] and reef [their] sails" in order to "wait for the dull sailors". These "dull sailors" that we have in many of our schools today aren't students who are incapable of learning and becoming the "potential genius" they are born to be, let alone just don't care about or have the desire to learn and further themselves. Because of the lack of desire to learn and succeed in many students, many other students who are trying to reach their full potential are being held back. In schools today, teachers teach "for large classes instead of individuals". This sort of laziness, that has planted it's bottom in our school systems, is a great barrier for the next generations of genuises, who may potentially have the power to change the world, to overcome.

Kobalt Analysis

Our world runs on advertisements. They are present just about anywhere you go: on T.V., billboards, the radio, in stores, etc. Mechanics, do-it-yourself people, and others are always looking for sturdy tools that will last a good amount of time. Kobalts' tools ad applies to all three of the persuasive techniques to get someone out there to by their products.


To add credibility to their ad, Kobalt gifts their customers with a lifetime hassle-free guarantee. By providing their customers with this, their company shows that they have enough belief in their own products to allow that sort of option. In order for a potential customer to believe in a product themselves, they must first know that the company believes in their own product. Another way ethos is involved in this ad, is how the picture included of a father watching and helping his son work on his car alludes to the fact that his son is probably using the same set of tools that his father had used in his day. This shows that the tools do last a lifetime, by showing that they have already lasted two generations.


In this add, the bonding between father and son, while using their tools, shows pathos. They are doing an activity that mostly all men enjoy, and also getting a little father/son bonding in at the same time. These tools are also said to be very reliable, which in some situations is a very important thing to have. Say a loved one had there car break down on the side of the road, tough reliable tools would be a very nice thing to have in the car with them. With the tools, and of course a few skills, they might not be stranded on the side of the road as long.

Kobalt tools are only available at Lowe's. This fact adds to the logos of the advertisement. By making this known, that they are only available at one particular store, makes these tools almost seem kind of special in a way. Also if a person decides to purchase some Kobalt tools, they know for sure that they will also be receiving a lifetime hassle-free guarantee. The guarantee is a promised feature in the package deal.

By using ethos, pathos, and logos, Kobalts' ad effectively and heavily persuades readers to buy their tools.