"Cowboys" by Ehrlich

Ehrlich describes cowboys as the gentler, more compassionate male figures in society.  She says that they are tough, silent and serene on the outside, but on the inside posess a tender heart.  She says they have a certain shyness towards women and don't know how to express their feelings, but they do have the same emotions as one can tell from the lamb and the cowboys reaction.  The cowboys are also chilvarous and radiate that southern hospitality.  They know how to get the job done without complaining.  Ehrlich's tone in her essay conveys her admiration for cowboys and the respect she thinks they deserve.  By the end of the essay, one feels that the cowboy is amiable and compassionate.  This tone helps her to completely unveil the cowboy without painting him in a negative light.  The loving language helps ehrlich describe her main idea and purpose for the essay, that is, to make readers understand that the majority of men may appear tough and emotionless on the outside, but underneath, they contain feelings just as strong as women.  They just don't always know how to show it.

Sante's Secrecy

Sante's argument about secrecy and his examples of breakdowns of secrets (i.e. Soviet Union, the internet, and the media) tell us that our society today needs secrets to survive.  We also need to find out secrets, for it makes us feel empowered to have knowledge others don't.  Secrecy is an important aspect in American society.  We use it to feel safe and guarded, putting our trust in them, which can lead to catastrophe when a secret is shared, no longer making a secret but a public fact for all to know.  That's basically what the internet does today.  Media and the technological world has violated our privacy and our ability to keep secrets.  Some secrets we've kept our whole lives can be shared in an instant to millions of people.  Because of Facebook, Myspace and other social networks, people feel the need to share every aspect of their lives, having no regard for secrecy.

On Morals and Ethics in School

The issue of morals and ethics being taught in schools, along with religion, is constant controversy.  I believe that certain morales like "Don't steal", "Don't cheat", "Do to others what you would have done unto you", should be taught in school because they apply there.  Don't steal another kids lunch money, Don't cheat on a test, and Don't bully if you wouldn't want someone else bullying you.  They are simple ideals that apply everywhere every day.  Other than that, I feel most morals and ethics should be taught at home and come from the parents first.  It's their job, not the schools, to prepare their child for life outside of school.  But I do feel, if the parents are not taking responsibility and educating their children, then someone else (i.e. a teacher) can step in to try to better prepare them for what lies ahead.  I also believe that respect towards other people and their cultures is important.  There should never be a 6th grader who is more racist than a middle-aged man.  It's not fair to the child because at that age, it would seem like brainwashing by a parent.  But everyone is entitled to a free education and no one should feel like they don't deserve because  a classmate won't stop muttering degrading names under their breath.

"Great" Films

What constitutes a great film?  There are many different criteria associated with films, but it is the individuals opinion on what really makes a film memorable and "great."  To me, a great film means having a highly praised director.  It means having someone behind the lens who really knows what they're doing, has a keen eye for imagining things, and has a sense of creativity that goes beyond what a couple actors and props could ever do.  A great director has the capability of making a great film.  Take for example, George Lucas and "Star Wars."  The movies themselves are not very high-tech compared to, say, Avatar, but they began a new era of films, inspiring many other well-known directors today.  A "classic" is also another term for a great film, meaning another crucial element would be the plot of the film.  If there is no story, there's no film.  A movie has to captivate it's audience, not bore it to death.  Movies like "Forest Gump", "Casablanca" and "Titanic" moved their audiences.  Even though all 3 were filmed in different scopes and view points, they all struck a chord in the hearts of America.  A great film is one that is well directed, involves an interesting storyline, and impacts the culture and society of that era.

Metacognition Questions

Culminating Writers Profile
1.  Since the start of this school year, my expectations as a write have been to improve in my vocabulary and to form more complex sentences.  With the out of class essays, i feel i have enough time to revise and improve my essays, but I hope to be able to write as well as i do out of class during a timed write.
2.  Using creative strategies to draw the reader in and anecdotal leads are my strengths as a writer.  There's always room for improvement but I enjoy those aspects of writing so I am better at them then other organizing techniques.
3.  My writing weaknesses are composing a well structured essay under a timed situation.  I can write an okay essay with the amount of time we're given, but i want to write fluently, even when i only have 45 min.

Evaluating Your Writing Process
1.  If I had time to revise my essay one more time, i probably would have talked more about the history of "common sense" and maybe eliminated the quote at the end.
2.  As I received peer feedback, the easiest thing to improve upon was the sentence structure and how to provide more emphasis on my main points.
3.  The biggest problem I had with revising this essay was figuring out ways to remove all of the "to be" verbs and still make the sentence flow.

Evaluating Your Success
1.  My most successful large-scale revision in this essay was my concluding paragraph and taking out all of the "you"s and "we"s.
2.  In my essay, I was able to successfully incorporate descriptive, narrative, and illustrative language through the use of an anecdotal lead.  I feel like i captured the readers attention and drew them in with certain words and emphatic sentences.
3.  My best success considering my audience would have been the use of the story at the beginning and referring back to the story to really solidify my point.

Being Honest With Self
1.  At first, I was intimidated by the prompt because it was something I had never written about before.  I wasn't sure how to organize my essay and really understand how to "define" a term.
2.  From what we read and talked about, I thought using my own personal experience would be a good key element to have.
3.  The example papers that I read used strong examples and stories to define their term and I felt that method really connects with the reader.
4.  I learned a lot of new ways to revise sentences so I wouldn't have as many "to be" verbs.
5.  I definitely see myself as a stronger writer compared to where i was at before I started this course.  I feel more confident in my ability to write in different types of structures, but i still need a lot of work in trying to accomplish what I did after 7 drafts in, say, 3 or 4.

"Nobodiness"

Nobodiness, as King describes it, is the feeling of being completely ignored, to be invisible, to have no authority whatsoever.  He says that to feel the sense of "nobodiness" is to have no respect given to one because they don't "deserve" it.  When King mentions his daughter asking about the amusement park and not being able to experience it because of her skin color, the depressing thoughts of loneliness, injustice, and "nobodiness" flash through her mind.  She thinks she's not good enough or her enjoyment isn't valued as much before her feelings turn to anger and bitterness.  Also, when King talks about the women of color and not being respected enough to even have the courtesy of being referred to as "Mrs".  Usually they would be called that by people of lower ranks, but according to society at that time, there wasn't anyone inferior to them, making the women feel like "nobody", like they don't matter at all.  The sense of worthlessness and "nobodiness" was very common during the times of segregation.

Tuesdays With Morrie - Material Items

In Tuesdays with Morrie, Morries talks to Mitch about the way our society lives today and what standards we base our lives off of.  He says that we shouldn't "buy into society" but live independently and the way we want to.  Morrie also says that we should not center our lives around material possesions, but around people and human relationships.  The items we buy can only last for so long, but the connection with a person can last a lifetime.

I definately feel like Morrie's words and wisdom have altered my outlook on life.  Now, instead of just hearing the cliche "live your life to the fullest" and letting it run through one ear and out the other, I'm actually listening.  I heard what Morrie had to say and I am convinced of it.  I want to put aside all the pointless objects that have held my affection for so long and listen to the world and people around me.

The Sensible Thing To Do

Staying up until the early hours of the morning, willing herself to study more. I must pass this test, she thought, this chance might never come again, I cannot fail.  Through thirty-two ounces of coffee and more than a few Excedrines, she contiued to cram everything from Shakespeare's plays to the String Theory to Spanish Culture into her brain.  Very shortly, she would hear the alarm's deafening ring and jolt from her trance.  Like an apathetic corpse, she dressed herself, and gathered all she would need for the test. 

But, already, she was running late.

I can't be late. That's not allowed... but what to do. A shortcut? Perfect.  The only shortcut she could remeber required her to take the back streets by the tracks.  The reputation of that path, though, shouted Danger! and gangs.  She knew it was not safe.  She read the newspaper.  Stories of mugging, kidnapping, rape, even murder, blared through the speakers of her television. Yet, she needed to take this test to prove to everyone, and to herself, that she could pass it.  She decided to risk it.

The following morning, news of another attack by a group of young gang members made the front page.  The victim died alone after being stripped of all belongings and a gunshot in the chest.  Their target: a young girl, on her way to her final SAT.

Nothing could have saved her, except herself and the choices she made.  From the outside, she seemed smart, intelligent.  And maybe by the way of books she was.  But there's more to life than just the facts we read.  Life requires us to have commen sense, which is our ability to make decisions based on our surroundings and what we belive is right. 

Maybe if she didn't stay up so late studying, she might have had more energy to get ready.  Maybe she wouldn't have needed to take that shortcut.  Maybe she'd still be alive.  All the decisions one makes in life can be traced back to another, in a continual chain-of-events pattern.  If a choice is made, but the conscience mind is not involved, one cannot possibly find a solution that they know to be right and logical. Common sense provides the basis for all choices.

In my family, my parents believe in teaching my sister and i many different life lessons, through their mistakes and the mistakes of others.  The central theme of the lessons never change, in some form or another involving common sense.  They believe that the majority of decisions gone wrong are because of irrational and unsensible emotions.  Having strong opinions and feelings about something doesn't necessarily cause a problem, only when we let those emotions take control over our logical, resoning side do we find ourselves in trouble. 

Through school, I've learned what it means to be smart, to be able to comprehend what the teachers' ask, to answer questions, to earn high test scores. But through life, I've learned what it means to have common sense, to have the whole package and to be able to survive in the outside world.  And who knows,  maybe the next choice in our lives decides the path we take.  But which one do you follow?  Will you choose the deceiving shortcut and walk along the dangerous tracks filled with uncertainty?  Or will you decide to go the logical route filled with security, that may be longer but worth while in the end? The answers right in front of you.  All you have to do is use your common sense.

The Kite Runner Argument

In Khaled Hosseini's novel, The Kite Runner, the argument of cultural differences is very prominent.  Throughout the book, Hosseini compares before- and after-taliban Afghanistan to the United States to show the reader the cultural shock Amir might have experienced.  He also has another argument within this one, but comparing just the two Afghanistans and how the Taliban changed them.  He argues for the old Afghanistan, such a serene place of homliness and community, that it really did exist at one time.  That it wasn't always as bad as it is now.  But then in comparison to the United States, Afghanistan seems so small and dirty.  Though life in the U.S. was a difficult adjustment for the main characters, Hosseini argues that it was definately better than the Afghanistan they left behind.

Belching - compliment or insult?

500 years ago, after enjoying a delectible feast, the head of house would greatfully belch in return for the wonderful meal.  It was a sign of appreaciation and the common courtesy of those medival days.  The louder a person burped, the more they enjoyed the food, making the host feel satisfied and welcoming.  If a guest did not burp, they were considered to be rude and would most likely not welcomed back into that home.

In the 21st century, though, burping is thought of as gross, disgusting, rude, unpleasant, dirty, etc.  Parents always tell their children to not burp at the dinner table because it's impolite, especially when over at another person's house.  My parents didn't care if i did it at home, as long as i knew that it was unexceptable to do anywhere else.

I think that burping should still be considered a notion of thanks and fullfillment and not a sign of imaturity and disrespect. It's just another way of saying how great a meal was and it lets the host/hostness know you want to come back for more. :)

Box Man reflection - numero uno

In the essay, the Box Man has chosen a life of solitude.  He lives by himself, but is perfectly content with that.  He has found peace within himself and does not have to find solace through anyone else.  Lonliness is something entirely different. To be lonely, one must long for something they do not have and feel empty without, just as the "soup lady" and "cat lady" did in the essay.  The Box Man does not long for anything or anyone.  He is satisfied with being alone and has chosen to ignore all those who attempt to "salvage" him.

For the majority of us in Vacaville, we see homeless people as drunks or addicts, who could get a job if they really wanted to but chose to be lazy.  That's the typical stereotype.  But when we look at "The Box Man", the author is telling us never to assume anything.  That homeless person we see on the street corner every day might very well be happy with sleeping under a shady tree in the park, away from the noisey commuters.  We should never assume anything about anyone just based on their appearances or the lifestyle they've chosen.

Compare and Contrast

Similar to the homeless man and the two woman in "The Box Man", one can compare my pet gecko to my mother at work.  My gecko's name is Sahara and she resides in my room, atop my dresser inside a large, glass tank.  My mom works at Buckingham inside what is known as "The Fishbowl".  It's the second office area and has a giant wall of glass for students to come up and get their late passes from my mom.  Both my mom and Sahara are trapped in a bubble, or cage, all day long, Sahara hearing the constant chirping of live crickets (which drives me crazy) and my mom having to listen to the phone ring with sorry excuses.  They both see the outside world from behind glass, almost like they have no control over what goes on.  Sahara has her daily routine: sleep inside a rock, then in a log, and then eat and repeat; as well as my mom: write passes, enter them in a log, and then eat and repeat.  My mother and pet gecko are two very different things, but when put together, they both lead very similar lives, although they may not even realize it.

The Kite Runner

"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini, tells the heart-breaking story of young boy's life and coming of age during a Taliban-ridden Afghanistan.  Amir, the troubled narrator, grows up in a household with only a father who never seems to be satisfied.  Amir longs only for the attention of his father and to please him, but he doesn't know how.  Their servants, Ali and his son Hassan, play a huge role in Amir's life, although he may not realize it until later.  He shared a strange brotherhood with Hassan.  They were such good companions, but only when it was convienent for Amir.  Forced to move away from the only home he has, Amir faces challenges most have never known to exist and he must make decisions that will completely alter his life.  This powerful and captivating book tells of the cruelty and horrors of modern Afghanistan, and yet, in the midst of all the hurt, a touching story of love and redemption is born.

Blog #2 - Nonfiction Readings

Usually I spend my time reading fictional books, but I have read a few that fall into the nonfiction category.  For example, I have read a biography on Wilma Rudolph, The Diary of Anne Frank (along with every other student who had Mrs. Ball), and many, many articles from National Geographic and Smithsonian.

In the biography on Wilma Rudolph, she talked about her struggles with Polio as a young girl and how she overcame it to become an olypic athlete.  The themes of persistance and determination were constant throughout her life.  The Diary of Anne Frank is the journal kept by a young girl during the German invasion of Poland.  She experiences all the usuall teenage emotions while in hiding, from rebellion towards her parents to her first love.  But on top of all of those, she lives with fear every day for she never knows which one will be her last. 

The National Geographic and Smithsonian articles varied by topics, but all had something to do with nature.  I've read reports on certain species being on the brink of extinction, why that is and what we're doing to prevent it.  I've also come across articles of adventurers, hiking their way across the Himilayas or to the peak of Mount Everest.  They talked about how the cold, bitter nights and lack of oxygen made the journey difficult, but in the end it was worth it.

For the majority of nonfiction pieces i've read, the main theme has been that persistence pays off, and with a little hard work and determination, anything is possible.

About ME.

The name's Dosker.  Jordan Dosker.
5'7". Blond, Blue eyes and a million freckles.  Who am I exactly?
I'm a girl who loves music and plays the Euphonium in band.
I'm on the tennis and badminton teams at my high school.
I adore my friends and love to just chill.
I want to work in the biology or humanitarian field when I'm older. I'm not entirely sure of specific details yet...
That's all of course my cover for the awesome dective/hero work I do at the local underground agency.
But let's get down to business now.
My mission in life:
Help save people from the horrors of our world today like forced labor, genocide and human trafficking.

*que 007, mission impossible, and the spiderman theme song all in one.