Iris/ Glory Box/ Ghetto Heaven

Iris

I’d step away from my future to feel you
Because I know that you’ll be there to embrace
You’re my Heaven on Earth and above
I don’t want to die in this moment

All my senses are of yours in this instance
And all I need to survive is your well being
One of these days our lives shall end
Tonight please stay beside me

Shielding myself from judgmental eyes
No one understands the being of my life
Things are made to be of imperfection
See me through the clouds of my storm

Don’t try to sympathize when you have no sympathy for me
There can never be blatant honesty in your empathy
Everything is surreal to good to be true
You need the obvious to be stated just to remind you of reality

Shielding myself from judgmental eyes
No one understands the being of my life
Things are made to be of imperfection
See me through the clouds of my storm

Shielding myself from judgmental eyes
No one understands the being of my life
Things are made to be of imperfection
See me through the clouds of my storm

Shielding myself from judgmental eyes
No one understands the being of my life
Things are made to be of imperfection
See me through the clouds of my storm

See me through the clouds of my storm
See me through the clouds of my storm
See me through the clouds of my storm

Even though the lyrics were changed the meaning remained the same throughout the entire piece. In the original piece the tone is very romantic like. It give off the feeling that this person really needs their significant other in their life. In my piece, it is more focused about becoming one, and possibly losing yourself while loving the other person.

Glory Box

Drone with childhood actions
I’m ready to stop my grownup games
I’m ready to fall in love
The other women can flirt all day
I’ve been playing the tease long enough

I need..

I demand a reason to give you my heart
I need a reason to stop being a girl
I just want to grow up

From now on I’m free to be a woman
Looking at myself in a new light
In my new mindset
Anything is possible to achieve
Watch me make the unimaginable possible

I demand a reason to give you my heart
I need a reason to stop being a girl
I just want to grow up

Remain the man that my woman needs
When things get hard look at what I’ve achieved
Show compassion of your feminine side
It’s ok to shed your emotions

I demand a reason to give you my heart
I need a reason to stop being a girl
I just want to grow up

This is a new chapter in my permanent life

Watch me make the unimaginable possible

Although the sentences are changed, the meaning remains the same. In the original piece it is more of a questioning of becoming a woman. In my version of the song it is more demanding. She wants to become a woman, and she wants to grow up, and she won’t settle for less.

Ghetto Heaven

Looking for my diamond in the rough through the rough
Young girl catching my eye with they tender body's
Diverting my attention away from the path of forever terminology
I got my soul on salvation
I want my people to escape the rags of poor
Mother of my child is now a ghost
No worries sweet child I’m your guardian angel
Staying in tune with the vibes of nature
The Lord is always guarding us
Children look up to a generation for role models
Never mistake the wisdom of a man that’s lost his way
Even though tragedy strikes our nation can get worse
I walk through life with God forever there to save me
I feel like I just need to kill these feelings
I wasn’t put on this Earth to kill
I want people to remember my name with pride
I want to be greater than the material things
He found his diamond in the rough through within him and God

Sweetness of the rough
Committed to the sweetness of the rough
Sweetness of the rough
Committed to the sweetness of the rough
Ghetto…

Happiness doesn’t derive from the accompany of love
Women be dependant on your own don’t rely on a man
I empathize with you that men can be your rock
Taking care of your material things, and treating you as such
I remember a friend who didn’t know about love
His man wasn’t able to love her because the problem derived within himself
He loved her from a distance and claimed that the love was felt
You cannot find true love until you find yourself
Mistakes are just solutions that teach you to become a better person
Do not turn from love because of the wrongs of one man
To get the love a woman needs, you must be willing to wait
At this point of time your patience shall be rewarded
When going through hard times its best to have people around you
Sweet angel he’s now a ghost, but I don’t mind losing your father you’re worth more
You have more value than anything priceless
To be the great person you have become he had to leave…let him go
I’m not ignorant to the fact that he’s left us alone without his love
Find your peace within yourself and God

My heart is with my baby
As my baby’s heart is with me
I’ lonely in the peace I have found in myself
In an instant I need my time of sweet roughness
Time for my peace of sweet roughness
Peace of roughness, peace of roughness
I’m in need of peace
I’m ready for my place of peace, ohhhhhh….

The words I’m speaking our bigger than my being
Music is what makes my soul happy
Having to deal with wanna bee’s and the girls with no clue
There are times in my life that are hard to get through
Choosing words to influence people around the world
I love doing something of my passion to support my family
Remaining to take care of your brothers who are in trouble
Reminding everyone of the messages our ancestors wanted to influence us
It’s hard to live up to the wisdom of our ancestors
I recognized how I wanted to build my success… the honest way
I didn’t want to sell out, because music is my art
I hope to didn’t take the easy way out, and hoped for the best
No matter from what walk of life we all have to go through it
Going through the hard times in life without music is unfathomable
It’s like trying to rely on multiple people
Find your place of peace in this music and God
Find your place of peace and God
Find your place of peace and God

Both the original, and my version resemble each other greatly, however in my version it is more explanatory. In the original versions, things are said more for the sake of the flow, and not for the sense of comprehension. In my piece the tone is set for a change to arise. It’s a problem solution type of story line, problems are stated with the repetitive solution that you must find piece within yourself.

*Yea this wan't fun* Comparison Analysis

1) Total number of words: 538
2) Total number of sentences: 39
3) Longest sentence in number of words: 32
4) Shortest sentence in number of words: 7
5) Average Sentence Length: 22
6) Number of sentences with more than 10 words over the average: 17
7) Percentage of sentences with more than 10 words over the average: 15
8) Sentences with more than five words under the average: 20%
9) Percentage of sentences with more than 5 words under the average: 80%
10) Paragraph Length
Longest paragraph in number of words: 74
Shortest paragraph in number of words: 34
Average paragraph in number of words: 52.6

Private Businesses Shed 250,000 Jobs in November
Federal Report Finds Economic Activity Fell in Most Every Industry
By Neil Irwin and Howard SchneiderWashington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, December 3, 2008; 2:47 PM

Business conditions weakened across the United States and in almost every industry in recent weeks, according to a Federal Reserve report released today. And a pair of other reports indicated that private employers shed jobs at an accelerating rate and the nation's service sector contracted sharply in November.
Together, the reports are strong evidence that the recession is deepening as winter approaches. Stocks were up moderately in early afternoon trading, with the Dow Jones industrial average up less than one percent, or 39 points.
The Fed's "beige book," a compilation of anecdotal reports from businesses across the nation published roughly every six weeks, found that "overall economic activity weakened across all Federal Reserve districts since the last report."
The report amounted to a catalogue of misery across almost all sectors of the economy. Consumer spending weakened almost across the board, especially for vehicles. Tourism activity was "relatively slow." Manufacturing "declined noticeably" since the Fed's last report. Services business "generally contracted in most districts."
Part of the problem was that lenders have continued to restrict credit. "Credit standards rose across the nation," the beige book said, "with several districts noting increases in loan delinquencies and defaults, especially in the real estate sector."
One bright spot is that price pressures have been dropping, especially for energy, food, and raw materials. The same is true of retail prices. "A number of district reports mentioned that retailers were widely discounting prices in anticipation of a slow holiday sales season," the document said.
In its monthly employment report, payroll processors estimated that private businesses shed 250,000 jobs in November on a seasonally adjusted basis. It was the biggest drop in seven years and "offers evidence that the labor market continues to weaken," ADP said in its monthly payroll survey.
Based on data from nearly 400,000 companies, the report showed employment declines across the board as large, medium and small companies all shed jobs, and employment contracted in all sectors of the economy.
The ADP report sets the stage for the government's next monthly jobs report, due out Friday. Analysts expect that report to show another spike in unemployment and job losses that may approach 300,000.
The numbers from the ADP report are "terrible," wrote Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist with the High Frequency Economics consulting firm, in an analysis of the employment numbers.
With payrolls deteriorating in both the manufacturing and service sectors "there is nowhere to hide," he said.
A separate study by the Institute of Supply Management showed that economic activity in the service sector fell to the lowest level since its index for the sector was first reported more than a decade ago. The ISM surveys businesses for information on hiring, new orders and other data that are formed into an overall index. A reading greater than 50 indicates a sector is expanding. The reading for November was 37.3, compared to 44.4 in October.
Even usually positive news -- a rise in worker productivity -- took on a dark hue. The value of hourly worker output increased by 1.3 percent from July through September, a larger increase than originally estimated, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But that upward revision came only because employers cut back workers hours, leaving fewer employees to produce goods and services.

1) Total number of words: 940
2) Total number of sentences: 37
3) Longest sentence in number of words: 57
4) Shortest sentence in number of words: 11
5) Average Sentence Length: 18.3
6) Number of sentences with more than 10 words over the average: 15
7) Percentage of sentences with more than 10 words over the average: 75.3%
8) Sentences with more than five words under the average: 22
9) Percentage of sentences with more than 5 words under the average: 25%
10) Paragraph Length
Longest paragraph in number of words: 506
Shortest paragraph in number of words: 434
Average paragraph in number of words: 202.3
I am a person who truly appreciates a beautiful and creative piece of literature muchlike a poem. The Author To her Book, is by far one of the most well thought out,compelling, and analytical poems I have read by far. Understanding the poem requiresdeep thought and understanding which really appealed to my logic. The Author to HerBook is a poem that tells about a young woman’s relationship with her father, mother,and the streets of which she will soon be forced to live. Throughout the entire poem she isexplaining to readers how she feels it is her fault that her father left, leaving her motherfor poor. “Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain, who after birth my side remain”.(Lines 1 and 2). Here she is saying that as an infant her brain was feeble, basically sayingshe did not have much knowledge and was not capable of doing anything stupid oroffensive to her family, this is why her father remained at her side. In lines 8 and 9 sherefers to herself as a brat, which she explains as being the reason her father would notreturn home, even for her mother’s call. She didn’t feel her father was fit for light, so shechose to view him in the dark therefore masquerading the scars which she metaphoricallyused his face to display them. “I washed thy face, but more defects I saw, and rubbing offa spot still made a flaw.” The young girl is stating that her father has so many flaws andproblems, that by removing one in turn you are surfacing another; if she could mend hisscars she would, but she knows that deep inside the scar must be internal. “I stretched thyjoints to make thee even feet, yet still thou run’st more hobbling than is meet.”Apparently she is stating that she has been bending over backwards to keep her fatherfrom running away from her again, by stretching his joints she is saying that she is tryingto better the problems that exist, it’s kind of like putting someone’s head on strait, youdon’t actually physically do it. “In critic’s hands beware thou dost not come, and take thyway where thou art known; if for thy father asked; say thou art known; and for mymother, she alas is poor, which caused her thus to send me out the door.” This is one ofthe most powerful lines within the poem. This is the ending where she is no longerreflecting on her past. She is stating that her father is ashamed to be critiqued by his peersand neighbors, and flees to a place where he will not be known leaving behind his wifeand daughter. Her mother is poor, and has no job, and cannot afford to maintain herdaughter. Deciding that her daughter is old enough to fend for herself, she forces herchild, life, soul, and offspring into the cold night.This poem is short, however is very powerful, and well written. One very well usedliterary device used throughout the entire poem, is foreshadowing. Reading the poem theevents that are occurring are not happening as the reader in reading along, she isforeshadowing on past events so that the readers will understand her better at the endingwhen she reveals what actually ends up happening in her life. Thus the title The Author toHer Book. She is narrating her own life; she is the author to her own life. Everyone has alife, just like everyone’s life is different; this is much like a book. Everyday we write anew page in our lives, and hope that one day we’ve written it well enough that the mostimportant reader who receives the final copy finds that we have written it well. I guessmetaphorically speaking God is our Editor in Chief and gets the final word. The dictionused in this poem was excellent, and gave the reader a clue of what time period the eventstook place. I would say sometime during the Middle Ages, when everyone spoke brokenEnglish. I came to this conclusion by the word choices such as thy and may’st, and thefact that she referred to her clothes as rags. According to the caste system the lowestpeople wore “rags”, while purple and the finest colors and fabrics were reserved forroyalty. The tone of the piece is sympathetic, which correlates to the appeal to ouremotions. You can’t help but feel bad for the young woman whose father has left her life,and who feels it is all her fault, and whose mother made her leave their home. I know thatshe is a young woman, because her mother decided it would be ok to leave at her age.Surely she wouldn’t put a three year old out, and surely a three year old wouldn’t be ableto speak with great emotion and understanding, also she had already reflected on theyounger years of her life. This makes the author very credible although this poem is apiece of fiction, but based off of true emotions, it is more believable to have a youngwoman narrate her story, then have a three year old narrate her life, when three year oldhas not received much education to even know what’s a narrator. Overall I felt that thiswas a great piece of literature, and I recommend it for anyone looking for somethingstimulating, and beautifully written to read

*BLOG ON Y BRIANA BLOGS ABOUT MY BLOGGING ON OTHERS BLOGGING*

CAUSE IM MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS MS. LADY THTS Y! =)

Literary Response Chpt 3

African Americans endured the hardships of feeling like the worthless minority. W.E.B. Dubois strived for equality, and in order to develop black consciousness. Imagine that you were the outcast of your school. Everyone treated you highly unfairly and would abuse you verbally, and mentally. One day the principle makes an announcement that no one is allowed to disturb you anymore. Yes the abuse may stop, however you have entered a new place where discrimination exists. Discrimination is not abuse, but it can be very hurtful. To stand up and be the outcast voice of the “normal” majority takes a special strength and courage that most people to not obtain. In chapter three Dubois talks more about the effects after the abolition of slavery. He begins to commemorate the courage and strength, of Booker T Washington. In a time when the development of a new independent Negro race was forming, Washington was there to be the advocate, and leader. Firstly, Mr. Washington felt the need to have the Southern states in their favor. There is power in numbers. The Caucasian race made up a nice percentage of the population, and this is what they used to their advantage in superiority. It is easier to break someone down when they are alone and weak, than it is to try to break down a man who had the support of all his fellow brothers (Americans). “In all things purely social we can be as separate as the five fingers, and yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress”. Here he is using a hand as a metaphor for our nation. Our nation is basically a hand, and it is not fully functional until all the limbs are working together. He is saying regardless of personal opinion, our nation will be a hand and it would be best to work together, thus making the journey more bearable. In order to progress as a nation we must work as one. Washington is famously noted for being a great orator for the Negro race, with his use of vivid imagery, stories, and analytical tendencies which encourage you to think for a deeper meaning. “Today he stands as the one recognized spokesman of his ten million fellows, and one of the most notable figures in a nation of seventy millions.” (Dubois 81)

Without our notable leaders, our Black nation as we know it would not be in existence. If not for Mr. Washington, Mr. Turner, Gabriel, and Vesey; we would not have the same sense of pride that they had instilled within us. “The influence of all of these attitudes at various times can be traced in the history of the American Negro, an in the evolution of his successive leaders”. (Dubois 84) The overall thought of this chapter, is that every nation needs a leader. For change to arise it is up to someone to have the strength to stand alone, because in the beginning it is more than likely that you will be standing alone. All of the leaders appealed to their audience’s emotions, by basking in their pain with them. You never heard a Negro leader say, “I watched you all in the field today. It looked like you were all in discomfort.” You did however hear leaders say “I’ve tilled the same plows as you. I’ve seen my family sold off to family. I know how it feels to have the White man looks down upon you like the dirt you are which he feels he can trek over”. This is what makes a good leader, when you can take a situation, where you explain your experiences living through it, and finally offering solutions of survival. Each leader had some sort of plan or some sort of intention to lead the group to point “B”. Never have you heard of a leader leading just to lead without some sort of goal in mind. Mr. Washington had a plan throughout his entire career: Firstly, he wanted to make Negro artisans business men, meaning he wanted African Americans to have a greater sense of accomplishment in knowing that they are more than just the manual labor they can perform with their hands. Secondly, he wanted Negroes to have self respect. Before you can expect anyone to respect you, you must first respect yourself. Finally, He wanted schools for the youth, and colleges for the older of age. Education is something our nation strives on, and every American deserves that right.

Thanks to our brave African American leaders we can continue to live the life in which they envisioned for us. Without the planning of these strong leaders the ending result could have been unimaginable. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” (Dubois 95)

The Souls of Black Folk

W.E.B. Dubois is a man thought of to be a racial activist. He is famous for his pursuit of social justice, and his creatively written pieces of literature. Dubois is widely known for his popular book titled The Souls of Black Folk. This book is widely important to the African American race, as it displays the problems that surface within, and around the race. Dubois strategically made this book universal to everyone, by telling his personal encounters, and makes sure to describe the characters of different racial background who were involved. In the beginning he tells his story from the view of an innocent child. He recalls an instance when he purchased cards for his class, and was having a great encounter passing them to his friends and classmates. When he tries to befriend a tall girl who does not resemble him, he begins to learn the difference in race. She denies his cards, and could not understand why at first, but soon learns that it is because of his darker color skin. By telling the story through the innocence of a child, we see just how drastically society can influence the views of a person. A child sees differences, but they accept the person as another human being. It isn’t until the child is expressed to the judgmental views of society do they start to infer their own opinions on racial status. Being young, they are naïve meaning they cannot make their own opinions, meaning they are under the influence of their pro slavery parents. Eyes know no discrimination, only humans do.

In the beginning passage, he states “Between me and the other world there is ever an unmasked question.” When he is speaking about the other world, he is referring to the Caucasian race. This is what he refers to as double consciousness, where one views them through the eye of another. He is hidden behind the veil of his race. “He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of opportunity closed roughly in his face.” (Dubois 45/46) Here Dubois is stating how the veil he wears condemns him to a life of discrimination, and cruelty. He refers to the veil as being a curse; a man cannot be both a Negro and a man. This is a simple, but great detail on the way African Americans were treated, and why. By making the veil a metaphor for skin, he is logically stating that our skin color is what causes our oppression. However veils are made to be things of beauty. Traditionally brides wear veils on the day of their wedding, as a symbol of elegance and beauty. Indian and belly dancers often use the finest cloths to create stunning pieces of wardrobe among them being the essential veil. Had Dubois not have liked the skin color of African Americans, he would have referred them to something else, something less elegant, and appealing. The tone of the first passages is patience, and an overall sense of wanting to be accepted.

“To be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships.” (Dubois 51) In the years to pass, the discrimination against African Americans is still in existence. The black race continues to be the race that is “poor” in a society of the wealthy. Traditionally the wealthy held the most rank in society, and also had the bigger voice. Being a Negro you had no voice to begin with, with the added factor of being the minority, with having hate groups against you. He questions the morality of America by asking if America will become poor, if it replaced brutal dyspeptic blundering with light-hearted Negro humanity. Meaning being humane to our dark money makers, will not kill America’s economy. Logically Dubois is making substantial points in persuading people to see the downside side of slavery by showing it through his eyes.

Blog on Sidney's Blogging

Thanks Sid for blogging! We understand that Ms. Brown has a life, and we respect her other obligations, and yes we should pay attention to get the homework, but still I have a short attention span. So thanks for blogging!=)

Booker T Washington

African American in the 1800s were overlooked, and held no rank in society. Booker T Washington was a figure that many negroes looked up to, because of his articulation, intelligence, and his realistic views of the white man. Mr. Washington was chosen to give his address at The Atlantic Exposition. Here he spoke out against the defense of African Americans, and the future they would have to look forward to. “The wisest among my race understand that the agitation of my questions of social equality is the extremist folly, and that progressing the enjoyment of all privileges that will come to us must be the result of severe and constant struggle rather than of artificial forcing.” (Washington) Here he specifying that change will not come without hard work, and patience. Change must be worked for, not forced. Mr. Washington knew who is general audience would be, but also made sure that his white listeners were also well engaged. He made his speech universal, but personable. This speech is one of the most important African American delivered speeches in history.

To make his speech personable, Washington the story of a ship lost at sea, who befriends a friendly vessel. The captain of the lost vessel falls miserably of thirst, and calls out to the friendly vessel for compassion. The friendly vessel tells the captain repeatedly to drop a bucket, and reluctantly the captain obliges to discover that his bucket has been filled with purified water. This story tells the lesson that you must trust your neighbor, in order to rely on them for change. The story also encouraged the audience to see beyond the color, and dip into their compassion for their fellow man. By purposely omitting race from the story, it evokes the feeling of just two people who are intended on helping one another. Through repetition Washington was able to take this story, and apply it two different aspects of his speech. “ Casting down your bucket among my people. Helping and encouraging as you are doing on these grounds.”(Washington)

While speaking to his African American race, he is aware that many are consumed with working with their hands, and are not daily being stimulate by the mind. He refers to this as being one of the greatest dangers they will have to overcome. When the Southern states come into freedom, it is feared that they will neglect the fact that they do have the intelligence that should be exercised. They are more than just sixteen million hands. “ No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.” (Washington) Here Washington is stating that whites are not superior to blacks, simply because they speak eloquently, and have no need to carry out the act of a horse. Washington is stating, before a nation can move on, it must first look past rank, and occupation and look towards the persons capabilities. This is also a reference to the Caucasian audience members, as of the emotion they should look forward to when freedom arrives. “There is no defense or security for any of us except the highest intelligence and development of all.” (Washington) Here he is stating that at the end of the day, the only thing that will save you is yourself. How well you can save yourself lies within how much effort you put into becoming an intellectual well rounded person. There are many appeals to logos in Mr. Washington’s address. He is very well spoken, and uses logical terms, and situations to encourage the audience into a different way of thinking, or a different mindset. He uses appeals to similes and metaphors to assist him in furthering his thesis of the change that is soon to come. In the light of the change, we must look at the person for who they are, and not for their jobs or their skin color.

Booker T Washington recieved a standing ovation at the conclusion of his speech. It is needless to say that at the closing of the day he sparked within each audience member an ember of change. With that ember, they will would soon come together to create a flame that was sparked by common interest of the same goals.

The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Gilman was born in the 1860’s which was a time when women still did not hold many rights or rank in society. In the 1880’s, she began writing poems of her opinions on women’s suffrage, she even took up the defense for prostitutes. She soon became well known for her writings that spoke out against the way the world views women. One of her most infamous works is a piece titled The Yellow Wallpaper. The story is about a nameless narrator, and her husband names John, whom is also her physician. They move into this mansion, which she describes to be haunted, and states, “that there is something queer about it”. John disregards these comments from his wife, because he has diagnosed her with a condition. Towards the progression of the story, she states that she is sick; however her husband does not tend to believe her. The constant reference to her sickness throughout the story provides a reasonable explanation for the events that are soon to occur. One day she enters a bedroom and described the room of having bars on the windows, but what bothers her most is this yellow wallpaper, that holds a formless pattern, which she finds revolting. This is the beginning to her insanity. Her husband tried to keep her mind at peace by removing her journals, so she does not have much to think about, but she soon begins to hold a journal in secret, where she begins to record her thought on the wallpaper. It isn’t much later that the form of a woman begins to take shape in the wallpaper. The narrator then begins to see the woman roaming around the house. Finally she concludes that she is the roaming woman, and has a mental breakdown. Her own mind led her to her own insanity.

In order to strike an emotion with her audience, Gilman relied on various literary devices, and appealed to the audience’s ethos, and pathos mean of thinking. Irony was a literary device that was commonly used throughout the piece. From the beginning, it was inevitable to know that the author would driver herself to her insanity. However if she had it would most likely be assumed that she would kill herself, not her husband. It does not blatantly state that her husband passed, however it does state, “But he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him every night!” The man that was controlled her is now the man that she roams over. Metaphorically the wallpaper could have been her husband. The wallpaper held and bound the woman, to the point where she needed to do anything to escape. When she was finally “freed” from the wall, meaning when she began to roam about the house, this was the symbolism for women in that time period. When a person roams, it means that they are wandering aimlessly. One reason a person would wander aimlessly, is if they had no purpose to walk with a sense of pride, and stature. Have you ever seen a president roam? As the woman roamed around the house this is how the narrator felt internally. In her eyes her husband was this man that condemned her and only told her what to do. In the closing statements, she continues to roam over him, for she does not know another way of life.

In this piece the author greatly appealed to the audience’s emotions. When someone is going insane, it is similar to a conflict within you. These conflicts occur internally, and usually begin to take a toll on your emotions. This is how the feeling of anxiety, and nervousness began to arouse in the narrator. Gilman portrayed the narrator to be a vulnerable woman with wants of one day becoming the equal of a man. In this portrayal, her audience she is sending this message to, are the women who feel that they must roam daily, because they feel inferior to a man, or because they are under a man and condemned to a life of inferiority. In addition, Gilman made this a strong piece by her strong use of imagery. The story was told in a way that you could attain a mental picture, and relate that to the inner feelings of the narrator. Gilman could spend a page alone describing something as minute as a wall with wallpaper, while most people could just simply state, “it’s a wall with paper, and it’s ugly.” I truly admire how an author can create something so elaborate with their words. Gilman’s style of writing is very romantic. Romantic writing is a very descriptive way of writing something that does not have a significant meaning or role. This is a talent that Gilman will remain infamous for producing.

APA bibliographies

BBB. "Criminal Law." Law Info. 1995. 14 Nov. 2008 http://www.lawinfo.com/criminal.html Let’s say you take your friend’s car for a joy ride, and instead of laughing with you, they decide to press charges against you. Does this make you a criminal? Perhaps not, but you will need a lawyer. In this type of situation you will most likely seek out the help of a civil law attorney. A civil attorney basically represents you when you have committed a minor crime, which usually occurs between two people, over one’s property. Since this is a minor crime, you may not be charged with a heavy sentence such as 20 years in jail, but you will however be charged with a misdemeanor. A misdemeanor is basically a charge that is not as serious as a criminal charge. The repercussion of a misdemeanor could be anything between community service, or some sort of fine that you may choose to challenge in court. Now, let’s say you rob a bank, killing three people; however you did not have the intent to kill anyone. All you wanted was the money, but in that moment these people got in the way. In this case you would be charged with a civil lawsuit, thus you will be requiring a civil law attorney. Basically their duties are to represent their clients who are being tried by the government. In this certain scenario, you could be charged with actus reus, which means the process of acting out the crime, and possibly unintentional homicide, considering you unintentionally took the lives of people. What lacks from the argument, is the process by which the defendant will be charged. Meaning what’s step one in the trial. This argument is presented on the basis to inform people about the profession of law attorneys. The information provided, not only helps clients decide if they need a criminal law attorney, but this article also helps people who are interested in studying law, and would like to seek further information on a certain branch of this profession. The argument could be presented stronger b y appealing to a broader audience. Meaning including more information, not only on what civil law attorney do, but also the resources you could you use of which to attain one.

BBB. "Should I plead guilty even if innocent" Law Info. 1995. 14 Nov. 2008 http://www.lawinfo.com/fuseaction/client.lawarea/categoryid/61.
So you’re sitting in court, and the outcome looks bleak. Maybe if you just plead guilty right away, whatever the sentence may be would be lightened. This sort of thinking is a false inference. Leave the debates of innocent or guilty to your attorneys, this is why you hired them. Some would say the number one rule of law would be, until evidence of guilt is brought against you, your character is innocent. A well rounded, intellectual criminal law attorney will be able to find ways in which the evidence counted against you, would not be enough to prosecute you. The article presents the argument that one should not plead guilty against oneself. However I do feel that the argument could have been stronger by presenting more information on the subject. This article instilled within me the drive to succeed in my career of a defense attorney. It’s always easy to point the finger at someone and jus blatantly state that they are guilty, but it takes a true attorney to have the mindset and skill to take that guilty man and argue against hardcore facts that he is innocent. Too many innocent people are condemned to a life in jail or a sentenced to death wrongfully, because they did not have the attorney of skill to debate and stand up for their innocence. It is too often that we see this occurring in federal courts across the nation.

BBB. "Personal Injury." Law Info. 1995. 14 Nov. 2008 http://www.lawinfo.com/personal-injury.html.
4 Say you’re driving home one night and you notice a car following close behind you. This is also known as tailgating. You proceed to create a space cushion, but the driver of the other vehicle persists on remaining close to you. You have you little six year old sister in the front seat with you, and you hope that everything will be alright. Suddenly the car behind you speeds up and runs into the back of your vehicle, which causes you to leave the road colliding into a wall, where you break your arm, and your little sister becomes mentally impaired. You discover that the driver of the other vehicle was a nineteen year old frat boy who had a very high alcohol content. This is an example of a personal injury claim. Every scenario requires an attorney which specializes in that particular field. A personal injury attorney represents you when you have been injured on behalf of another party. This claim may only be made if you are not the party at fault. A personal injury attorney directs you in the various options that you could go about your case. They also help in obtaining the appropriate monetary worth of the injury. Before taking any legal action a police report should be filed, and names and insurance agencies should be exchanged. In some instances minor instances could be handled among the parties, for example if the vehicle that is at fault apologizes, and offers to pay for the damages. In this instance a personal injury attorney most likely will not be needed. On the other hand failure to cooperate on the part of the one whom is at fault could result in something bigger than intended. This article made me empathetic to those whom harm has come to. A strong argument, by using a fatal car accident as an example. This is valuable information that many people need to know. The argument could have been stronger by also appealing to those who have caused the accident. This article inspired me to take an interest in the rights of those who have been wrongfully injured.

BBB. "Personal Injury." Law Info. 1995. 14 Nov. 2008 http://www.lawinfo.com/personal-injury.html.
Basically personal injury is the harm of an individual, because of the carelessness of another. A common use of a personal injury attorney is to help you determine how much compensation should be received. It is often rather difficult to put a dollar amount upon an injury. For example, if a loved one has passed, obviously they are unable to attend court; therefore you will be representing the case on behalf of your family. You can never put a price on a life, but in this situation you will have to settle on a price to compensate you on behalf of the person which has been lost. In these type of situations things could get a little tricky, because emotions tend to get in the way, which could complicate the case itself. A skill a good personal injury attorney should attain is the skill of remaining unbiased. You must remember that the amount settled, is not the amount of the person’s life. I found this article interesting, because it discussed the dispute of how much money should be attained. The argument could have been stronger by giving estimates of what different accidents could cost. This article filled me with empathy, and I truly want to help people with my career.

BBB, comp. "What Does Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) Govern?" Law Info. 1995. 14 Nov. 2008 http://http://www.lawinfo.com/copyright-and-notice.html.
You walk into your boss’s office Monday morning, with the best attitude in the world. You knew you had been doing a commendable job, and you have been with your company for 10 years. You discuss the matter with your boss, and he fully agrees that you have been doing an excellent job, however when you ask for a promotion, his mood quickly changes and frankly you don’t have the slightest clue why. It could have been because you were Mexican, or because you are the oldest member of the team, or because you are a female. All of these are forms of discrimination which goes against The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). This act governs fairness in the workplace. Meaning you cannot discriminate against someone because of their race, age, or sex. This is a form of business law. A business lawyer helps govern and make sure that this act is up kept in the workplace. Business lawyers thoroughly know all acts and codes pertaining to the workplace, so if there is a complaint to be filed these are the people who are the best to represent you. This article interested me, because not only am I interested in the field of law, but also the field of business, so for me this article was a happy medium. This article contained a strong argument over the rights of people in the workplace. It contained exampled pertaining to each filed of discrimination. What lacked from the argument, was the deeper law aspect of it, but other than that this was a very thou rough, and helpful article.

BBB. "What Does The Civil Rights Act Of 1964 (Title Vii) Govern?" Law Info. 1995. 14 Nov. 2008 http://resources.lawinfo.com/en/legal-faqs/business-law/federal/what-does-the-civil-rights-act-of-1964-title.html.
Business law often governs the freedoms of many other regulations in the workplace. There are numerous acts that should be learned and practiced daily by those who want to know their rights, and also attorneys who need 2 be up on all the acts and codes. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 makes sure that those who are impaired physically or mentally have the same rights as those who are in the same profession, as long as the profession is within reason. Meaning that a man who could not see would not be discriminated against by being told he could not have the job, because it requires for you to watch when the light comes on. The LMRA was created to upkeep peace upon the people of the workplace. These acts prove just how much laws enable to have the workplace move so smoothly. The fair labor acts, were created to keep child labor to a minimum. They also set the standard for equal monetary fairness. I found this article interesting, because it basically gave you general ideas of how acts in the workplace were to be governed. This piece could have been stronger, if examples were created to accompany each law, to make the piece seem more personable, and appealing.

BBB. "Under What Circumstances Should I Hire A Lawyer?" Law Info. 1995. 14 Nov. 2008 http://resources.lawinfo.com/en/legal-faqs/legal-tips/federal/under-what-circumstances-should-i-hire-a-lawy.html.
7 Many people neglect to hire an attorney, whether it is do to laziness, or due to the costly expense of a lawyer. Some people also make the mistake of just hiring an attorney. Despite how good that is, it’s always best to find an attorney that specializes in the field that pertains to your situation. Law is a very broad field to enter into. There are many areas of interest that require special degrees to be attained for their field. Although the top number one criminal defense attorney may be the best in their field, does not mean that they know all they should know about real estate. Your main goal to hire a real estate attorney would be to make sure your finances are safe. They also shield their clients from accidentally signing contracts and other documents pertaining to the settlement, which could result in the client being taken advantage of in the end. The moral to this lesson is never sign anything when your attorney is not present. This is why attorneys are almost always present when businesses conduct closings. A closing is when a business or any other property is sold to another party, where the both meet and sign a contract on the agreement.


BBB. "Real Estate Law." Law Info. 1995. 14 Nov. 2008 http://www.lawinfo.com/fuseaction/client.lawarea/categoryid/35.
Every one who owns real estate has the right to their privacy, and their freedom. Real estate is a very complex issue to take to court, because real estate is commercial property that is processed through the government. A real estate case should never be attempted alone, there are many legal documents that must be filed, and many complicated terminologies that will be used, which go beyond a mediocre meaning. Real estate cases are broad but not limited to: nosy neighbors, landlords, selling property, and foreclosure. Real estate brokers are people who you may also refer to for your legal needs. Their main purpose is to distribute property, and assist in the process, so you may ask them advice on topics pertaining to real estate, but don’t have them be your primary source of information. This is a very strong argument; it listed the ABCs or the fundamentals of the meaning of real estate law and the instances of which it is practiced. The article did interest me, however it did not inspire to take a career I the field of real estate law. I’m not exactly sure the main reason, but this field did not strike an interest with me. What could have made this argument stronger is perhaps if numerous arguments were broken down, they would be a little more easily understood, which would in turn be digested better by the reader.

Blankshain, M, & McCluggage, M (2003). Defeating Class Certification: Showing How You Will Present Your Defense At Trial Is Crucial. Wildman Harrold, Retrieved November 14, 2008, from http://library.findlaw.com/2003/Feb/20/132558.html.

3 If you kill a man just for the fun of it, and you were proud of yourself, admit it, it was a job well done. However you did not think of the repercussion that would be brought up against you. You have just enough money saved in the bank to purchase a highly trained professional to represent your case, but you would rather pocket your money for that new sports car. You walk into court that day and they eat you alive. You don’t know the first thing about law, nor do you comprehend the terms of law being used at and against you. Should’ve hired that layer yes? Not only in this situation, but in any case in general. The first thing to do when you find yourself in legal trouble would be to go seek help from a professional. The sooner the better, meaning it is not wise to wait a week before your trial to try to start seeking representation. You need to seek help immediately, because the sooner you meet with your lawyer, the sooner they begin setting up a relationship with you the client, and also they have more time to prepare for the case, and gain the understanding that will help you both. In court both the client and lawyer’s representations are on the line; therefore help your attorney by seeking them out as soon as possible. This argument, is very strong, however it could have been stronger in the aspect that is could have stated what would happened if an attorney was not sought out at the appropriate time. This argument motivated me to be prepared for anything meaning, no matter how late a client approaches me, I must be prepared to handle it by staying on top of the current legal system.

Reuters, Thomas, comp. "Islamic Family Law." Islamic Family Law. 1999. State Department. 14 Nov. 2008 http://http://library.findlaw.com/1999/mar/11/127816.html.
In foreign countries, law is very closely tied into the formal union of marriage. Marriage is a commitment to another person, and under the Islamic family law, it is treated just as such. In Islam the proposal and marriage is basically the production of the contract, and the acceptance of it. This contract outlaws the need for any religious ceremonies, such as the traditional wedding to be conducted. For the marriage to be formally and legally binding, the partied involved must have two witnesses present to witness the signing. Both parties must consent to the marriage, for it to be considered a legal binding. The contract also makes any children born automatically the religion of the mother, and they automatically originate from where their father resides. Being from the place of their father, this requires the children to gain permission from their father upon leaving the country of Islam. The Islamic contract of marriage is not one that is complicated, which requires a year just for a separation, marriage in Islam can easily be broken without the assistance of a lawyer, or the court. This article was helpful, because I have considered studying law abroad. Law is practiced differently everywhere in the world, and this article was very appealing to me. The argument could have been stronger, had more of the positive side of marriage had been expressed. Predominately this article expressed the downfall of marriage and the rights that women did not hold. Women were condemned to a life where they had no voice, and where their children no longer belonged to them. This article inspired me to want to establish a better law system in foreign countries.

BLOG ON MS.BROWNS BLOGGING

Ok I have decided to blog about Ms. Brown's blogging. Where are the blogs?!?!?! I don't know about anyone else, but I have the attention span of a 4 year old, and the memory capcacity of a 70 year old, with very selective hearing. So it's needless to say that I need those blog postings.
=( If anyone else feels this way blog about her blogging, and we'll see if that changes everything. Ms. Brown we love you dearly and everything, but to put it nicely...you're slipping up...I NEED THOSE BLOGS!!!

Kate Chopin Biography Response

Kate Chopin is the author of The Story of an Hour, written in the 1890s. She was born the third of five children in St. Louis, Missouri in 1850. Out of the five she was the only child to live past the age of twenty-five, which is still very young. To go through that many deaths of people that have a special place in your heart, is bound to take a drastic effect on a person. Kate also lost her father at the age of five and a half, as a result of his train crossing a collapsed bridge. She dispersed from the Sacred Heart Academy and left to live with her widowed mother, grandmother, and great grandmother for two years. Growing up in the Civil War, this was a time when women still did not play a much significant role in contributing to not only economic, but the academic advances of society. Chopin grew up around independent, intelligent woman, and went on to be the top of her class at the Sacred Heart Academy. Being a woman of intelligence in that time, it was fairly easy to argue the logic behind the theory of religion. Chopin’s grandmother died three days before Christmas, the same year her dear friend Kitty was banished from the colony. In addition her father had passed on All Saints Day. This left a major doubt of religion in the mind of Chopin.

Kate married Oscar, a man similar to herself; in the aspect his background included the French Catholic religion. He truly loved his wife, and was inspired by her intelligence, unlike most husbands of this time period he chose not to silence his wife, but to embrace her unheard freedom. Most men silenced their wives, and confined them to rooms like a china doll confined to a shelf neglectfully becoming darker from the dust of the passing days. Kate proved herself to be a strong woman, after bearing seven children, and moving back to Oscar’s old home, where he died of swamp fever. Kate was left to take over the general store, and plantation. She was truly a fearless independent woman, who soon sold her business, and entered the world of writing, where she supported her family through her talent, through the release of her first successful novel, At Fault.

Kate Chopin was among the strong independent intellectual women of her time. One of her most popular works, is titled “The Story of an Hour”, although it is not lengthy, it is a powerfully impacting story. Kate Chopin’s biography heavily reflects her style of writing. She basically described the life of a woman growing up in her time period. Including the emotions of insanity up until the point of which freedom will soon be drawn. The main character is a woman who is oppressed by her husband, as wives of that time period were confined. Every woman who dwelt under their husbands, felt the want to break free to get their freedom, or probably even hoped that they would just one day drop dead. In this story Chopin gives her character that opportunity. Her character realizes that her husband has passed, and immediately this sensation takes over her body and she begins to cry uncontrollably. At first note, it can be inferred that she is crying, because she dearly loved her husband, however how can you love the one that oppressed you. Did slaves love their masters, simply because they sheltered them? To say that this woman’s “joy” over her husband’s death is selfish is a false inference and the pain of such an event must be felt first hand before being concluded. Through her literature Kate was able to give females the voice they didn’t rightfully own. Their thoughts were condemned to their minds, this is most likely why the main character goes through a lot of her emotions internally, and also shows them in a pathotical sense, rather than an ethological one. Kate gave women the voice that was forever shadowed, and we appreciate her for the voice we have today.

The Story of an Hour [Questions]

1) “Veiled hints that revealed in half concealing.” I chose this phrase, because I really like the elaborate wording, to describe something so minute. Instead of describing them as secrets, they are termed as veiled hints, which in turn is very poetic, and helps add to the suspenseful tone.

2) “As a child who cried itself to sleep to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.” This quote appealed to her inner feeling of vulnerability. Like an infant, they are helpless and very often cry themselves to sleep. When they “cry in their dreams” in a sense of speaking they are taking their innocence into sleep with them. I feel the author is saying that she cannot escape her problems through her dreams, because your dreams are the essence of your life.

3) “Free, free, free”. This phrase is very impacting, but yet comes off as a lighthearted joyous emotion. The feeling of oppression has left her and she is now free to be her own person. Although simple this simplistic phrase carries much meaning, and importance.

4) “She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat t back with her will.” This phrase foreshadows the ending to the story. Here she is recognizing that something is going to come upon her, but her want for freedom is what keeps her striving to stay alive.

5) “They said she died of heart disease-- of the joy that kills.” This phrase is the closing of the story. It was very impact to relate a medical problem as the joy that kills; I felt that it was ironic, because joy is not something that is supposed to lead your downfall. In the end she was killed by
the overwhelming excitement of her joy.

Questions:
1) Why did she die when she saw her husband?
2) Why was her death, the joy that kills?
3) When the character was saying “free, free, free” was she saying that she is being freed from her body?
4)Why was the story mainly focused on the character’s actions, more than the emotions.

Disturbia *L0v3 thiis M0vi3*

In Disturbia directed by D.J. Caruso, a young boy named Kale played by Shia LaBeouf is placed on house arrest, after starting an altercation with his teacher when a smart remark about his deceased father has erupted. The beginning of the movie is basically an introduction, or the foundation for the rest of the picture. The events predominately revolve around Kale and the antics he performs while on house arrest. In the beginning Kale’s neighbor Robert Turner, although a minor character at the start of the movie, greatly caught my attention. Kale watched Robert Turner out of his window, and forms the accusation that Robert is a Texan murderer; and sets out to solve this case. In the beginning we find Robert cutting his grass, and remaining to himself, this gives the impression, that he is a hard worker that chooses to be left alone. This added an authentic appeal, because most middle aged men reach a point in their life when they are ready to keep to themselves, and work alone. Mainly Turner lingered within his garden, or his garage, where it became apparent he was a violent man, when he snapped a rabbit’s neck in his garden, and when animal skulls were found in his garage. This added to the sense that Turner was violent, and willing and ready to kill which added to the thought of the audience, that he could truly be the killer. The evidence displayed set Robert up to be the main antagonist.

Ain't I a Woman Comparison

In 50 Essays, Sojourner Truth’s Ain’t I a Woman, the speech was greatly edited. Even the title was changed to be grammatically correct. The 50 Essays book focuses more so on grammatical accuracy, than historical accuracy. When they took away the historical accurateness, they took away her personality. Ms. Truth did not speak as a proper woman who wanted to speak out against women’s rights; she spoke as an uneducated African American woman who came to “tell it like it is”, while at the same time maintaining her grace, and dignity. The original speech is more believable, and relatable. The way you speak resembles the embodiment of who you are as a person. In her original dialect, it is as if she knows that she is uneducated, but she is not ashamed of it. She is here to deliver a message, and despite what you feel about her she’s going to accomplish her mission. By masking her speech in the 50 Essays book, they basically masked her roots, and took away the sense of pride that was felt as she spoke. To get up an speak out against a controversial topic as an African American woman, with inadequate speech techniques, but yet you bring the audience to their feet, gives a sense of pride not just for African Americans, but people who are shy or have their own obstacle(s) to overcome. It also masked her roots in the sense that you were not able to tell where she came from. It decreased knowledge of her background. The only clue that we could use from where she originated would be either the description, or the description of how she looked, which the main clue would be her skin color.

Devices in Slavery Douglas/Jacobs..(did u hate this as much as i did UGH)

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl moved me being a young African American female. The stories from Harriet Jacobs were very moving and affective the way they were written. The events took place in the 1820s, as she grew up on a plantation yearning for her freedom. The preface and autobiography gave a greater meaning to the story. They allowed the reader to establish a relationship with the narrator through an appeal to ethos. It’s hard to strike compassion for a person that is unknown to a you, versus someone in which you have in a sense watched “grow up”, as you read the passages. The better you understand their struggle the more you become connected to the story; meaning the author has captured your attention. By capturing your attention through the character, the author is appealing to pathos. Establishing an emotional bond with the characters allowing for growth in both the characters and the audience. While reading the childhood, and the lover, I couldn’t help but to reflect on how I would feel in those situations. Thus causing me to grow in a sense of speaking with the characters.

Jacob’s told her story to the audience in one of the most moving ways, by telling her own story. By being honest and by telling of your actual events creates a sense of trust and credibility within the author. However during the preface to Harriet Jacobs, in the introduction by the editor it was stated, “At her request, I have revised her manuscript; but such changes as I have made have been mainly for purpose of condensation and orderly arrangement.” This contributes to the honesty of the author by admitting yes the manuscript was revised, but kept true to its original nature. The audience is anyone who chooses to relate to the story of a young slave girl growing up without parents, one day being denied of her true love. The book was aimed at African Americans of the modern age, under the inference that African Americans in that time period were not privileged in reading or writing.“ While I was with her, she taught me to read and spell; and for this privilege, which so rarely falls to the lot of a slave.”(Childhood) Similar to the writing of Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglas, attempts to make a connection with his audience. However his approach is in the form of a narrative, meaning he is directly telling is own story. While in Jacobs account, she tells her story, but then pauses to indirectly acknowledge the audience “"Reader, did you ever hate?" (Jacobs) In both stories, Douglas and Jacobs lose their mothers at a young age, striking a similar emotion within their audiences. Likewise references to the skin were made. “My mother was a darker complexion than either my grandmother or grandfather. My father was a white man.”(Douglas) “In complexion my parents were a light shade of brownish yellow, and were termed mulattos” (Jacobs). This leaves the belief that your skin color determined your social status in life. The storied may be different, but the plot is all the same. Jacobs and Douglas are two distinguished authors, with similar styles contrasting them.

In both prefaces, under slight research, it is proven that both authors are white. In a way it’s sort of ironic that white people are writing the prefaces to stories about slavery, and oppression. It is also ironic that they had such close relationships with Douglas and Jacobs when it was shameful to befriend a person of color. The fact that there are white authors contributing ideas to a sensitive African American topic is a loss of appeal in ethos. African Americans were giving the opportunity to bond over the shaping of their culture, but then slapped in the face when the white authors put in their two cents; even if it was just in the preface. It would be awkward for a white author to try to relate and establish a relationship with an audience whose ancestors they once inflicted pain upon. It’s plausible, that white authors were used to attract an audience to the book. People of color had to money to purchase the publication, let alone have the money to publish it, or the skill to read the manuscript. Therefore it had to be sent with the advertisement of someone not of color.

Poets Corner

I chose the Negro spiritual titled Old Man River, best sung by Paul Robeson; a famous negro spiritual singer of the 1930s. I think my version of the spiritual brings upon a different tone. The song Old Man River is about a man named river who throughout troubles continues to roll along. It appears to be that nothing can stop him. The Mississippi River is symbolically Old Man River, symbolizing the freedom of the water floating to safety. Being translucent so that any obstacles or blockages are quite easily “rolled” over by this strong river. In my version however, the Old Man River faces hardships and doesn’t go through them easily. This creates a variation of the tone.

Been out here long, the whole long day
Wipe your brow
Keep your spirits up an don’t them sway
Your Massa’s cumin
That rivers slowing
Getting weary
A lynchins nearin
Will my river keep rollin along?

Self Reliance...ugh

Firstly, I would like to start by saying that I was very unhappy to read this monstrous packet called an essay. Self reliance was the title of my fiend. I sat and stared at it and thought, groaning internally (because Ms. Brown won’t let us groan any other way) I wondered how many words it takes to tell someone to rely in them self. Regardless of how I felt, the reality of the situation is, many people on this earth feel unfulfilled, so they turn to hazards to feel that void. Everyone has their insecurities, and that sense of self that always seems to contradict them. In this sense the author of self reliance is sending out a message that people should accept themselves for who they are despite the outcome. At the end of the day you only have yourself, not saying that you are alone, but ultimately you can only fully rely on yourself. It’s nice if you have people in your life who are willing to share in your burden, but what if those people weren’t there? Who would you rely on? If the answer is “I don’t know”, then I highly recommend you sit down and force yourself to read this “little essay” title Self reliance.

Ralph Emerson is an author that I can automatically tell is very colorful, in getting across his message to his audience. The second sentence really stands out, “The soul always hears an admonition in such lines, let the subject be what it may.”(Emerson) Basically this sentence is saying that despite what your brain hears, or how well it can comprehend the matter at hand, the soul is always going to hear a flaw. This is your inner self doubting your decision. Most people can’t rely on themselves and/or don’t trust themselves enough when their first minds tell them correctly. “Nothing is at last sacred, but the integrity of your own mind” (Emerson) The soul should be thought of as your inner self. If your inner self is always in contradiction with everything else, there should be a raise for concern. Logos is a very strong device which is colorfully used broadly and often throughout the entire piece of literature. The logical analogies being used are mainly appealing to an audience who are of knowledgeable distinction. “Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.”(Emerson) This is a wise piece of knowledgeable information to everyone scholars and diversity alike. To be a man you must be your own man. Despite the popular belief that is you set the trend you are the man. A real man won’t try to encourage people, or most aimed at our youth, but a real man encourages others to be their own people as well. Take a look around your environment, and see how many girls you can spot with kinky twists, or how many guys you can spot with Js or fusions. Not to say they don’t purchase these things, because of their personal taste; but most likely it’s for acceptance. Furthermore, this is a point that Emerson argues against, to be self reliant you must first be self distinctive.

“There is a mortifying experience in particular, which does not fail to wreak itself also in the general history; I mean the “foolish face of praise”, the forced smile which we put on in company where we do not feel at ease in answer to conversations which does not interest us.” (Emerson) This is a pathological appeal very well used in order to strike a common emotion within the average person. Everyone has those interests when they feel they can’t be themselves, so they put on a fake facade in hopes of being accepting. Wearing a mask or “foolish face of praise” to disclose how you truly feel inside is a commonly used fight or flight response mechanism. Everyone has that vulnerable feeling that they don’t belong or don’t feel their knowledgeable on what’s current, but instead of sticking true to your inner self, you put on a show for the rest of the world. And for what? When you actually think about it most of the people you associate with now, you probably won’t even remember their last name in twenty years from now. So why lower yourself today, when you’re only going to have yourself for tomorrow? Don’t lower yourself for another is an overall message. Your purpose on earth is not to please people who come into your life; however they should see fitting to please you, for wanting to stay within your life. “A great man is coming to eat at my house. I do not wish to please him; I wish that he should please me.”(Emerson) Playing off of a common human emotion was a very smart tactic on the part of Emerson.

Emerson thoroughly presents a well thought out argument throughout the entire text. The overall goal of the essay was to inspire, but to also point out his point of view while relating to his audience in a way that would appeal them in his favor. The basis of the text revolved solely around self. This word was repeated several times throughout the passages. If self was omitted his argument would suffer, and become weak. Self is the ultimate message and goal. Without self there is no sense in ones belief. The core of who you are has a person would be non existent. And you will be condemned to a life as a conformist.

The Slave's Dream

Slavery has always been a compelling topic for me. I can’t even begin to fathom how one in that position would feel, or maintain the willingness to live. This poem is written simplistically, but yet ardently gets a more in depth point of view across to the readers. Strategically it appeals to the audience in a way that’s comprehensible, eliminating the need for further pondering of understanding. The Slave’s Dream is the story of a slave whom we meet while he seems to be in a peaceful sleep. The readers are invited into the slave’s dream where we uncover parts of his life, until unfortunately death overtakes him. Upon reading the title I was very inclined to read this poem. I was under the interpretation that the title suggested a slave breaking out of slavery which ultimately was every slave’s dream. “Beside the ungathered rice he lay, His sickle in his hand; His breast was bare, his matted hair was buried in the sand” (lines 1-4). This is a very important line in the poem; it establishes to the readers that the slave is sleep, and also a man. A sense of foreshadow is also softly noted here. The fact that the slave lay next to ungathered rice, with his tool still in hand gives off the sense that something must have corrupted his work. Would he really risk not completing his work to bear the disapproval of his master? A sense of time is also suggested hear, the fact that his head was buried in the hair suggests that his head has been resting in the same spot for quite a while. Could a person really sleep comfortably inhaling hot sand, with a heavy tool in hand? Maybe a dead man could. “Beneath the palm trees on the plain once more a king he strode” (lines 9-10) This line suggests that this young man was once a prestigious person against his people. As if once of rank, and stripped of it he must one day return to his rightful place, even if it’s only in his dreams. Ironically, within the poem before he leaves the plantation, he kisses he wife and children, leaving them behind forever. This gesture was slightly confusing he moved toward freedom, however left his wife in children condemned in a life full of suffering and pain. What kind of man would leave his wife and children behind while he fled for freedom? “His bridle reigns were golden chains, and with a martial clank, at each leap he could feel his scabbard of steel, smiting his stallion’s flank.”(lines 21-24) Here it is inferred that he is passing his feeling of oppression onto another being. Instead of reigns he has golden chains, the type that at one point restrained him; however the chains are golden they are not rusty ordinary chains. Perhaps this suggests a bright future for those still to be freed from their chains. Gold is the color of hope and power. A feeling that is instilled when freedom is achieved. “ That he started in his sleep and smiled At their
tempestuous glee. He did not feel the driver's whip, Nor the burning heat of day; For Death had illumined the Land of Sleep, And his lifeless body lay A worn-out fetter,
that the soul Had broken and thrown away!” (closing lines) Here it is suggested that the slave was aware that death was near, but could only smile and embrace the new life where he would no longer suffer. In this place he could not feel the whip of his oppressor.
The final line is one that is truly inspiring. It wasn’t his strength that broke out of his fetter, but his soul. Suggesting that you are only as strong as your soul.


The author of The Slave’s Dream wants the audience to feel a sense of compassion towards the slave. You can’t help, but feel empathetic towards a man stripped of his pride, forced under the authority of someone only referred to as master, to show your inferiority to him. This poem although mainly about the strife originating in the African American community is also focused to a broad audience. Anyone can read this poem and understand the message behind the author’s appeal to logic therefore influencing his appeal to his audience. No, not every race was forced into slavery, but empathy sees no color. The author appeals to the emotions and self-interest of the audience by making the text colorfully come to life. “Beside some hidden stream; And it passed, like a glorious roll of drums, Through the triumph of his dream.” (lines 34-35) This simple stream had colorfully turned into an orchestra the way it was described by the author, the river symbolized the overflowing freedom that the slave wished to achieve by the end of his journey. Throughout the journey of the book, the sand from which the book started soon became a symbol. When the poem started the slave’s head was engulfed within the hot sand, and when he cried his tears returned to the sand. The sand represents his master, it had power over him engulfing his head, and his vital signs for life. When he cried he returned a tear back to the sand, which could be interpreted as a sign of weakness. It is said he who over powers you controls you. “ When you cry you feed someone else’s joy, this is why you must learn to swallow your own tears.”(The Joy Luck Club)

Gettysburg Address response. [did anyone else fall asleep?]

1) Lincoln one of the most powerful orators wrote a speech, titled the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln covered many topics pertaining to the nation, but failed to include topics in which would seem imperative enough to include.

• Lincoln did not mention any presidents that preceded his term. Our nation did not result in the way it was stated in the Gettysburg address on its own. Meaning we did not become a nation no longer holding its freedom and equal rights overnight. It was stated that our nation was created free and equal, but at the end of the day I wonder; what happened? Perhaps he did not want to offend or slander his forefathers, or perhaps he did not believe it was their doing. A nation is only as strong as its leader.

2) Lincoln’s closing sentence of the Gettysburg Address was one of the most effective and mind altering. He is stating that as a nation we must bind together, to complete the unfinished task of fighting a war that should have never started. Despite the fact that it was trivial, Lincoln does not want it to be that the men died in vain. Was this to better his reputation? It was stated previously that the nation was conceived in liberty where all men were created equal. If that’s truly the case; what are we fighting for? Being president it would be easily inferred that Lincoln had the authority and power to end it, but to save face he stated that their lives were not taken in vain. This closing sentence is supporting Lincoln’s earlier statements on the war. Basically America was born free, and men will/should die to keep it that way. Overall this speech most likely gave a comforted outlook to the audience. They were told that their government by, for, and about them would never perish abolishing the idea in their minds of dictatorships and oligarchies. In addition, I’m sure it was comforting to know that people were willing to shed their blood for them so that they would continue to have the opportunity to remain free.


3) The Declaration of Independence, and the Gettysburg Address reflect each other, but differ greatly. Both revolve around the nation’s independence status. The Declaration of Independence was written to declare that all 13 colonies would bind together in the hopes of creating a united nation. Overall its purpose was to discuss the separation of the colonies from England in the hopes of becoming independent. Meanwhile the Gettysburg Address was written to discuss the Civil War, and how it would make America the united nation it was born to be. The way these two documents were written, portray different meanings. The Gettysburg address was written in reflection of the point of view of the soldiers that dies fighting for America’s independence; while The Declaration of Independence was more from the perspective of the government attempting to unify the nation.


4) A speech that comes to my mind now, is Obama’s democratic nominee acceptance speech. Unlike Lincoln’s it was not short and sweet, but maintaining the powerful effect. Obama’s speech was long, but was filled with topics aimed at his audience in a way that would keep them awake, and interested. Both Lincoln and Obama are outstanding orators, who are highly intelligent. Both care about the feelings of the people, and both ultimately want equality for everyone. Even if it’s jus everyone equally receives health care the overall point is everyone should receive equal rights despite where they originated, or their social status.

links to literary notes

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/romanticism.html
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
http://www.enotes.com/gothic-literature/gothic-literature-an-overview

Desiree's Baby link

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/DesiBaby.shtml#2

Custom House Questions

1) I believe the primary purpose for the Custom House introduction of the Scarlet Letter, was to establish the fundamentals of the book. Fundamentals create the basic knowledge of the book. Throughout the book it will continue to expand on what was already established to the readers in the book’s introduction. In the introduction we learn about the nameless narrator, the custom house, and the time period for which it was set. Personally I enjoy prefaces and introductions to book, because I attain a better understanding of the literature that I will soon be reading. Prefaces are written exactly for this reason. This is also to the author’s advantage, by establishing the common facts before hand, it eliminates the need to have to re explain what was already stated before the story began. This gives the author time to focus solely on the proceeding literature disabling the need for the author to backtrack.

The preface for The Scarlet Letter is one I have to admit I did not enjoy reading. Despite the fact of my love for prefaces, this one read as a history book. The custom house in my opinion came off as just a sad doom and gloom place made solely for prisoners and or Goths. “It was sorrowful to think how many days and weeks and months and years of toil had been wasted on these musty papers, which were now only an encumbrance on earth, and were hidden away in this forgotten corner, never more to be glanced at by human eyes.”(Hawthorne 27) I do however applaud Hawthorne for the visual that was placed within my head as I read his descriptions. As sad as they may have been they were descriptive, vibrant, and mentally stimulating. This is what I call art in text.

2) The Scarlet Letter was written in a way that the writer’s opinions could be expressed through the narrator. Perhaps this is why he is nameless; by giving the narrator a name he is giving him his own identity. This is usually why authors name their characters, when the characters have their own identity they can stand freely from their authors’. Perhaps Hawthorne does not want his character to stand freely, at least not at this time. I believe the change that occurs happens whilst the narrator reads over the newly found document titled The Scarlet Letter. Upon discovering The Scarlet Letter, the introduction becomes more concise, meaning as an audience we were able to catch our breath if you will from reading so much detail of the custom house if only for a moment. I feel that the purpose for him being more concise is because he wanted to make sure his audience would be able to clearly follow along with what he had to say, which infers that it is important.

“I must not be understood as affirming, that, in the dressing up of the tale, and imagining the motives and modes of passion that influenced the characters who figure in it.”(Hawthorne 32) Here Hawthorne is stating that the Story of The Scarlet Letter will be rewritten, however it will be kept closely to the original document as possible. Despite his Puritan ancestors’ beliefs in writing, the narrator proceeds to write with encouragement from the ghost of Mr. Surveyor Pue. “But, I charge you, in this matter of old Mistress Prynne, give to your predecessor’s memory the credit which will be rightfully due!” (Hawthorne 33). Instead of the readers reading the story as is, we will be reading it as the narrator re writes it, so technically it will be a story within a story. A change such as this needs to be acknowledged to the readers. It’s only in the readers’ best interest.

3) The changing of facts will change the basis of the book. Prior to the discovery of this document, we were given a plethora of descriptive facts of the custom house, and its history. From these descriptive facts, I assumed that the entire book will be based around events and people of the custom house. After realizing the change that will be made my opinion differed, now I feel that the book will be based around the narrator rewriting the book, instead of life at the custom house. In a way this change somewhat angers me. The introduction was solely based on the background information of the custom house, if the book will not be solely based around the custom house; what was the purpose of retaining useless information? I would have much rather read an introduction on Ms. Hester Prynne, and Mr. Surveyor Pue.

Despite the fact that pointless information was read, it is a relief to know the main point of the story. If the two segments are divided into before the discovery of the document and after, you will notice that it is a little more comprehendible after the discovery of the document. This could possibly mean that the book will flow more easily knowing that it won’t read like a textbook (before the discovery of the document). Before the document, the book was mainly based on giving facts and historical knowledge and not so much of getting into the thoughts and actions of the narrator. After discovering the document the narrator, became more personable. Readers could see that he was sensitive to how people felt about his writing, and also how much thought and care went into rewriting the document.

Vocab exercise #5 10pts

1) Abase: base,abs 14) Ascend: send, sea

2)Abate: tab, bat 15) Ascetic: sit, sat
3)Abstruse: set, rust 16) Audacity: city, audit
4) Abyss: bass, bay 17) Augury: rug, gray
5) Acuity: cut, cat 18) Auspicious: sap, cup
6) Affinity: fan, niffty 19) Austere: stare, set
7) Alacrity: clay, cry 20) Balm: lab, bam
8) Alchemist: chemist, chest 21) benevolence: love, been
9) Alloy: all, yall 22) Benign: begin, bin
10) Amendable: men, able 23) Betoken: token, bet
11) Antipathy: path, tip 24) Blighted: light, bed
12) Append: pend, pan 25) Buoyant: but, you
13) Arduoud: sour, sad

Stupid Time Consuming Puzzle

Across
1. changing gold to iron
2. close relationships that occur naturally
3. Mrs. Griggs set out to __ her squad to humiliate
7. kindness and generocity
9. used for good judgement
11. being excessively bold
13. add in a supplemtary manner
15. not causing harm
16. capable of floating
18. cheerful and peppy
20. feeling animocity
21. Destiny's Child did this long ago from under the stage

Down
1. following good advice
3. strict and stern
4. mixing metals
5. complex or complicate much like math
6. to give a sign of
8. something that gives relief
10. The floods in South Holland finally did __
12. very difficult task
13. omen or prophecy
14. destroyed or caused by decline
17. to be favorable
18. bottomless hole
19. leading a self denial life

De Vaca pic analysis

I came across this picture on the internet courtesy of Mendota Dakota.com, and once again Ms. Brown for letting us use the internet. I chose this picture with the Native Americans in mind. Throughout history, it seems as if they can never get a break. Someone’s either trying to take over their land, or turn them into slaves. The visual illustrates four Native American men holding weapons with facial expressions that seem to say “enough is enough”. The text under the pictures is absolutely true. The “Natives” have been fighting terrorism the longest, and had little to no weapons to defend themselves. This gets me to think about our government, we have so much modern technology, and even a plethora of weapons. Why is it that we handle terrorism so badly? We are still fighting a battle that occurred seven years ago with little efforts to show for it? I probably would understand this better if we at least had some results to show for it. I am in no means criticizing our government, I am just merely pointing out a flaw. Native Americans do not receive enough recognition for their strength and courage. Imagine what would have happened seven years ago, we become attacked with large crafts, and our only means of protection are arrows and spears, with little to no medical attention for those that become injured. This picture merely is a “what if” picture. What if the Native Americans had a better mean of protection? What if there weren’t any terrorists? Then just maybe therer wouldn’t be broken tribes and they wouldn’t make up such a small number in the American population.

Anne Bradstreet biography summary

When I think about Anne Bradstreet I think of a very talented knowledgeable woman
who has taken literature to an entirely new level. After reading two of her poems: To My
Dear and Loving Husband, and my favorite The Author to Her Book, I was very intrigued
and fascinated that a person could write with such emotion and color in only a twenty-
four line poem, because of her style of writing, I have found a new appreciation in
literature. Anne is a true inspiration to women young and old who have dreams of
becoming an author. The fact that the poem was written in the 1670s is very inspirational,
this was during a time where as a woman you didn’t have much of a voice. In my opinion
Anne is one of the most influential authors in America. Her writing style is one that is
very logical, and beautiful. Reading one of her pieces you can tell that much thought and
patience went into making a beautiful piece of art. Literature is art in letters. It captivates
the eye, and stimulates the mind. I hope that I can do her justice with my own writing,
because she has paved the way for me.
Born to her parents Dudley and Dorothy York in 1612 no one knew the impact that
she would one day have on literature. Growing up in Northampton, England her parents
made sure that they raised a well educated young woman. Two years after she married
twenty-five year old Simon Bradford at the young age of sixteen, her family immigrated
to America. They were transported on one of the first ships that transported the Puritans.
This ship was called the Arabella. Throughout the harsh journey many lives were lost do
to the unbearable climates, and poor living conditions. Anne found this three month
journey very difficult, but passed the time by tutoring various subjects such as history and
literature. Upon docking Thomas Dudley and John Winthrop organized a government to
help pull the people through such hard times, however Anne turned to her faith in God,
believing in her heart that He would remain by her side. With poor living conditions
Anne attained smallpox, which made her grow very ill, however she was determined to
pull through making a house for herself and her eight children. Anne’s husband came into
land and social standing, which greatly helped them in the hard time when their house
was burned by a fire, causing them to lose everything. Anne’s husband was very involved
in politics which enabled him from being home often. This resulted in Anne remaining
alone for large quantities of time for days. As on the boat she passed the time by teaching,
and passing on her knowledge and wisdom. She taught her children just as her parents
had educated her when she was young. It wasn’t long before Anne discovered a love and
talent for poetry. She shared it only with close friends and family for it was forbidden for
a woman to be intellectual. Anne Hutchinson, one of her dearest friends was banished
from their colony when speaking out against religious beliefs. John Woodbridge, her
brother in law secretly transported her poetry back to England without her permission
where it was published into a book titled The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung up in America,
By a Gentlewoman of Those Parts. This was the last poem of hers to be published while
she was alive. After the publication she contracted tuberculosis and proceeded her
daughter Dorothy in death in September 16, 1672 at the age of 60. We can find comfort
that she died at the birthplace of her poems, in Andover, Massachusetts. “I am obnoxious
to each carping tongue/ Who says my hand a needle better fits,/ A poet's pen all scorn I
should thus wrong/ For such despite they cast on female wits. . . .”(quote by Anne
Bradstreet)
http://www.annebradstreet.com/anne_bradstreet_bio_001.htm-link

The Author to Her Book response

I am a person who truly appreciates a beautiful and creative piece of literature much
like a poem. The Author To her Book, is by far one of the most well thought out,
compelling, and analytical poems I have read by far. Understanding the poem requires
deep thought and understanding which really appealed to my logic. The Author to Her
Book is a poem that tells about a young woman’s relationship with her father, mother,
and the streets of which she will soon be forced to live. Throughout the entire poem she is
explaining to readers how she feels it is her fault that her father left, leaving her mother
for poor. “Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain, who after birth my side remain”.
(Lines 1 and 2). Here she is saying that as an infant her brain was feeble, basically saying
she did not have much knowledge and was not capable of doing anything stupid or
offensive to her family, this is why her father remained at her side. In lines 8 and 9 she
refers to herself as a brat, which she explains as being the reason her father would not
return home, even for her mother’s call. She didn’t feel her father was fit for light, so she
chose to view him in the dark therefore masquerading the scars which she metaphorically
used his face to display them. “I washed thy face, but more defects I saw, and rubbing off
a spot still made a flaw.” The young girl is stating that her father has so many flaws and
problems, that by removing one in turn you are surfacing another; if she could mend his
scars she would, but she knows that deep inside the scar must be internal. “I stretched thy
joints to make thee even feet, yet still thou run’st more hobbling than is meet.”
Apparently she is stating that she has been bending over backwards to keep her father
from running away from her again, by stretching his joints she is saying that she is trying
to better the problems that exist, it’s kind of like putting someone’s head on strait, you
don’t actually physically do it. “In critic’s hands beware thou dost not come, and take thy
way where thou art known; if for thy father asked; say thou art known; and for my
mother, she alas is poor, which caused her thus to send me out the door.” This is one of
the most powerful lines within the poem. This is the ending where she is no longer
reflecting on her past. She is stating that her father is ashamed to be critiqued by his peers
and neighbors, and flees to a place where he will not be known leaving behind his wife
and daughter. Her mother is poor, and has no job, and cannot afford to maintain her
daughter. Deciding that her daughter is old enough to fend for herself, she forces her
child, life, soul, and offspring into the cold night.

This poem is short, however is very powerful, and well written. One very well used
literary device used throughout the entire poem, is foreshadowing. Reading the poem the
events that are occurring are not happening as the reader in reading along, she is
foreshadowing on past events so that the readers will understand her better at the ending
when she reveals what actually ends up happening in her life. Thus the title The Author to
Her Book. She is narrating her own life; she is the author to her own life. Everyone has a
life, just like everyone’s life is different; this is much like a book. Everyday we write a
new page in our lives, and hope that one day we’ve written it well enough that the most
important reader who receives the final copy finds that we have written it well. I guess
metaphorically speaking God is our Editor in Chief and gets the final word. The diction
used in this poem was excellent, and gave the reader a clue of what time period the events
took place. I would say sometime during the Middle Ages, when everyone spoke broken
English. I came to this conclusion by the word choices such as thy and may’st, and the
fact that she referred to her clothes as rags. According to the caste system the lowest
people wore “rags”, while purple and the finest colors and fabrics were reserved for
royalty. The tone of the piece is sympathetic, which correlates to the appeal to our
emotions. You can’t help but feel bad for the young woman whose father has left her life,
and who feels it is all her fault, and whose mother made her leave their home. I know that
she is a young woman, because her mother decided it would be ok to leave at her age.
Surely she wouldn’t put a three year old out, and surely a three year old wouldn’t be able
to speak with great emotion and understanding, also she had already reflected on the
younger years of her life. This makes the author very credible although this poem is a
piece of fiction, but based off of true emotions, it is more believable to have a young
woman narrate her story, then have a three year old narrate her life, when three year old
has not received much education to even know what’s a narrator. Overall I felt that this
was a great piece of literature, and I recommend it for anyone looking for something
stimulating, and beautifully written to read.