"Staking a Claim" Activity

1. "SUV owners should be required to pay an energy surcharge." arguable
2. "Charter schools are an alternative to public schools." verifiable; Charter schools are a better alternative than public schools. 
3.  "Ronald Reagan was the most charismatic president of the twentieth century." arguable
4. "Requiring students to wear uniforms improves school spirit." arguable
5. "The terms global warming and climate change describe different perspectives on this complex issue." verifiable; Global warming and climate change are not related.
6. "Students graduating from college today can expect to have more debt than any previous generation." verifiable; Students should not attend college because it puts them in debt.
7. "People who read novels are more likely to attend sports events and movies than those who do not." verifiable; People who read novels enjoy sports more than those who do not. 
8. "Print newspapers will not survive another decade." arguable
9. "The competition among countries to become a site for the Olympic Games is fierce." verifiable; There is more competition for nations to become a site for the Olympic Games than there is to win the games. 
10. "Plagiarism is a serious problem in today's schools." verifiable; Plagiarism is hazardous because it prohibits the natural discourse of education. 

Fast Food Activity

Domini dismissed the fast food movement as being short sighted or elitist when she stated:

1. "For instance, in Greece, burgers and pizza are supplanting the traditional healthy Mediterranean diet of fish, olive oil, and vegetables." (the author is implying that fast food is not healthy).

2. "Another area of concern is fast food packaging, which causes forest destruction and a creates a lot of waste." (Not only is fast food unhealthy, Domini does not hesitate to point out its negative effects on the environment).

Domini finds common ground and promotes dialogue with her audience through means of acknowledgement. She sympathizes with the consumer's position by admitting, "Although we favor local, organic food, we recognize it isn't available in every community, and is often prices above the means of the average household. Many of us live more than 100 miles from a working farm." She also goes on to say that, "While my heart will always be with Slow Food, I recognize the fast-food industry can improve and that some companies are ahead of others on that path." Dominic's consideration of non-slow food buyers grants her credibility as a person who is trying to improve fast food conditions and not just disregard her opponents' view. It changes the argument form her attack on fast food to the ways in which we can all improve it.

The Inheritance of Tools Analysis

1. Sander's most engaging example of powerful diction is when his thumb swelled after getting the call about his father's death. This is symbolic and powerful because it physically affects his and unconsciously captivates the reader.
2. A) "My cobbled-together guitars might have been alien spaceships, my barns might have been models of Aztec temples"

B) " If you're going to cut a piece of wood, you owe it to the tree to cut to the tree to cut it straight."

3. The gerbil section to the conclusion shows the growth of him and his daughter as the time passes, each thought overlapping the other like a timeline. 

4. The gerbil section's significance is that he chose to save his daughter by toughening up in spite of hearing the tragic news about his father's death. 

5. The grand events are connected to his father's death. He cannot save everybody, not even his father, but is capable of saving his daughter. 

6. The author's descriptions of the tools' timelessness shows the familiarity with which they are used and passed down. 

7. The final sentence is effective because it links to earlier memories he'd mentioned of his father. 

E.B White Analysis

1. White's attitude in the opening paragraphs connotes a sense of wistful longing. He is trying to tell a  story in the form of a flashback. The simple imagery he uses also creates a childish feel.
2. White uses details in paragraphs 1-6 to show that everything has remained the same since the last time he visited the lake. The man feels as though time has not passed when he describes that "there had been no years between the ducking of this dragonfly and the other one--the one that was part of memory."
3.
A)"...the hills that the sun set behind"-personification; provided more vivid imagery for the reader.
B)"the years were a mirage and their were no years"-metaphor; shows the extent of the year's duplicity.
C)" I would be in the middle of some simple act, I would be picking up a bait box...or I would be saying something..."-parallelism; emphasizes the simplicity of his act
D) "This was the American family at play"-cultural allusion; compares the people in front of him to a typical American family.
4. "... the water felt thin and clear and unsubstantial"-appeals to the sense of touch; the precision with which he recalls this memory may support his claim that time had not really passed at all.
5. He uses polysyndeton to gradually build up excitement, then brings us back to present time by switching verb tenses.
6. The specificy of details give readers a glimpse into his outlook on the lake as an adult. It also foreshadows a dent in time because there are motorboats that didn't used to be there when he was a child( or were, gutless obviously)
7. Ending the sentence with "and" adds suspense that is open to interpretation.
8. The final image of the essay is bittersweet. Seeing his own son do the things he used to do as he struggles with health problems brings him back to reality by marking the end of a chapter.
9. The large amount of "and"s used in this story adds to the flashback effect, as if all his memories as quickly flashing by of him. It builds up suspense.

Hunger Memory Reading Response

Rodriguez is constantly exotified because of his ethnic origins. He finds it hard to assimilate into a culture that constantly seeks to exploit him , as demonstrated by having been suggested to become a model. Not only to his looks play a role in this difficulty, but also his language. He presents that American assimilation is measured by a person's conformity to one cultural identity and abandonment of all others. For example, he points out his Spanish-yet-English-pronunciated name and refers to his story as an "American story". The author compares his identity to that of a Shakespeare's character, Caliban, who transcends his limitations by stealing Prospero's language. In the same way, Rodriguez exceeds the limitations hurled upon him by his language and uses that as a platform to launch his message regarding the importance of education and its vitality in bridging the gap between two different cultures. His success as a writer and speaker also validates this message.

Politics and the English Language: Questions on Rhetoric and Style

Politics and the English Language: Questions on Rhetoric and Style

1. Orwell's thesis is both stated and implied. His thesis is that a cause and effect are closely linked. A bad cause can spiral into a bad effect.

2. Orwell's analogy of the cause and effect of alcohol abuse to the demise of language in paragraph two is effective because It shows a chain reaction, in which the person is drinking alcohol hopes to demolish their problems but actually ends up creating more. 4. In some types of writing, “particularly in art criticism and literary criticism,” you can find a long passage which is “almost completely lacking in meaning,” for they do not “point to any discoverable object.” They will use words that are opposite of each other or contradict each other, by using these they are being “consciously dishonest.”

3. Paragraph 5: “But in between these two classes there is a huge dump of worn-out metaphors which have lost all evocative power.” compares metaphors to a dump; “dump” implies an disorganization. Orwell says that the metaphors are “worn-out”, or lack originality and effectiveness.

Paragraph 4: “phrases tacked together like the sections of a prefabricated henhouse.” ; compares phrases to sections of a prefabricated henhouse; effective because it creates a vivid picture and is comical. Building a henhouse does not require strenuous effort and the word "prefabricated" implies unoriginality.

Paragraph 12: “[T]he writer knows more or less what he wants to say, but an accumulation of stale phrases chokes him like tea leaves blocking a sink.” compares stale phrases to tea leaves; effective due to its originality and does a nice job of translating the writer's inability to effectively communicate because of his gaudy metaphors.

Simile: compares the choking to tea leaves blocking a sink.

Paragraph 15: “A mass of Latin words falls upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outlines and covering up all the details." compares Latin words to soft snow;effective because it conveys that Latin words prevent the writer from delivering his message, effortlessly holding a negative connotation.

Paragraph 16: “[H]e... feels, presumably, that he has something new to say – and yet his words, like cavalry horses answering the bugle, group themselves automatically into the familiar dreary pattern.” Simile: compares words to cavalry horses; effective because both cavalry horses and words are powerful.

4) A newly invented metaphor assists thought by evoking a visual image, while on the other hand a metaphor which is technically "dead" has in effect reverted to being an ordinary word and can generally be used without loss of vividness. But in between these two classes there is a huge dump of worn out metaphors which have lost all evocative power and are merely used because they save people the trouble of inventing phrases for themselves. Many of these are used without knowledge of their meaning, and incompatible metaphors are frequently mixed, a sure sign that the writer is not interested in what he is saying. Some metaphors now current have been twisted out of their original meaning without those who use them even being aware of the fact.

It was difficult to understand what Orwell was trying to say without using examples. Without examples, these phrases are a jumble of words that I have to come up with my own visuals for in order to follow along and not die of boredom.

5. Orwell's footnote is used as citation of his evidence, or like background information. He chose to place it at the end because putting in his text would most likely distract the reader from the essay's main purpose

6. Orwell establishes credibility by using examples and metaphors. They help the reader understand the point he is trying to make and assert his knowledge on the subject, providing more credibility.

7. The organization of this essay is coherent with a lengthy gradual build. He begins by getting his point across then elaborates on how a writer can achieve certain objectives while simultaneously telling them what not to do.

8. Orwell’s purpose is to inform his readers about the “bad habits” of writing in politics and the effects of those bad habits. Through many examples he explains the power of language and how it is controlled by small things, like word diction and simplicity. The historical context of post – World War II is one such example, reminding us of Hitler's manipulative language that heavily contributed to his large following.

9. Orwell consistently uses an informative/formal tone in his essay. From explaining his beliefs into arguing for them, he maintains a professional voice in order to attain credibility and effectiveness.

10.

1) Never use the passive where you can use the active. Orwell does exactly that in the first sentence of his essay, "Most people who bother with the matter at all would admit that the English language is in a bad way, but it is generally assumed that we cannot by conscious action do anything about it."

There  is unnecessary wording that does not help deliver the content of this essay.

2)Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.    Orwell contradicts this by using not one but many metaphors and similes, including the "collapse of  civilization."

3)Never use a long word where a short one will do. Strangely, Orwell's entire essay is wordy, so

he could have used his own advice and cut some words out.

4)Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous; In paragraph 16, he says, "...and for certain you will find that I have again and again committed the very faults I am protesting."

Education the Emerson Way Questions

Questions for Discussions
1. Emerson's defining characteristics on his view of an ideal education include  guidance way of education, teachers that pay individual attention to students and inspire students to think for themselves by giving them encouragement for their thoughts.

3. Emerson believes that it is better to teach the child arithmetic and Latin grammar because certain things require accurate performance. Sometimes, the power of performance is more important than knowledge.

5. Emerson criticizes school as a bureaucratic institution because it is repetitive,uninspiring, and fail to encourage students to become so meting great.  Teachers are not the advocate of geniuses but are more like systematic tutors. It is more difficult to possess qualities like individuality and brilliance within such an organized structure.

Questions for Rhetoric and Style
1. Emerson  means that  nature loves similarities with slight variations, but not the same thing repetitively.

3.  Emerson's purpose in developing this long explanation is to explain the process of earning and what it means to be educated. He uses an example of his friend Sir Charles Fellow, who tells the reader of his own accomplishments and how he accomplished them.

5. The natural method Emerson refers to is the method of using your peers to learn from each other and have fun.

8.This is very ironic because Emerson had spent the entire essay talking about education reforms, yet he later states that they will probably not change anything.

9. He believes the guiding hand of a mother or a female will let the child growing his thinking because it is less harsh whereas the male's hand is generally more imposing.

10. Inflicting fear into children when they do something wrong is worse than letting them continue to do so.

11. Emerson shifts among pronouns to resonate and connect with the audience he is speaking to.

12. Emerson's exudes a tone of frustration. Throughout the essay, Emerson points out his discrepancy with the education system and explains what and why it should be changed.