An Alien in the Foreign


In David Sedaris' 'Me Talk Pretty One Day', the story is told of a man who travels to France to take a language class.  He is already scared to begin with, and is then thrown into a foreign country with its social and linguistic norms.  He exclaims that "...it's everybody into the language pool, sink or swim." (219)  He feels so out-of-place that he even resists going shopping or out because "...those things were out of the question, as they involved having to speak..." (221)


He is then introduced to his language class where the teacher is the opposite of what we would have expected.  Perhaps there is extreme satire in the teacher's character or perhaps she is being rude for a purpose.  She seems to motivate her students by acting rude and insulting.  Her diction and mockery makes her students fear her and her class, which helps them work harder than they probably would have if she was easygoing.


Sedaris says things like "...we would now be scolded for..." (221) which illustrates the idea that they are consistently ridiculed for even the simplest of things.  And quite harshly at that.  He says later in his memoir, "The teacher's reaction led me to believe that these mistakes were capital crimes in the country of France." (220)  He and the other students were shamed for not being completely fluent in the language.


Gabby brought up an interesting point in class.  She said that it was interesting that the author could speak publically and write flawlessly in English but had the hardest time even constructing a single sentence when he visited France.

Why Rush Childhood?



In Leon Botstein's 'Let Teenagers Try Adulthood', the idea of teenagers growing up quickly is discussed.  He believes that since society forces teens to do "grown-up" things while we are still young, the school system should develop to meet these levels as well.  If children are getting pregnant before they become adults then shouldn't they as well be able to make responsible decisions like where to work and how to do it?


Absolutely not.  The immature teenager in me wants to agree with his comments on lowering the graduation age to sixteen.  However, I myself am a sixteen years old and have no clue what I want to do in the future.  I hate to admit it, but staying in school until I am eighteen is probably the only way for me to find out what my true passion is.


I enjoy mathematics.  I tend to do well in them and I like the idea that all problems have an exact answer; there is no room for interpretation.  As I take higher level math classes at my school, I am starting to realize that not all math comes easily to me.  I am often very confused and am starting to think that things like imaginary solutions and complex conjugates are not what I want to continue to do in my life.  By staying in high school and taking the assigned classes, I am able to be subjected to the basics which is, in turn, helping me further explore my interests.


"Stay young as long as you can, cause when you grow old you can't get it back."

Analysis of Slang in America

1. Slang is  not particularly in America, it probably just feels like that to us because we live in America and are constantly surrounded by people that speak English.
2. The opening paragraph states that the English language is actually very diverse.  It is a "combiner" and a "conqueror".  This paragraph lays the foundation for the rest of the ideas to follow because the majority then discusses examples of slang and how it has become second nature to us.  Because of the fact that we are so uniform to our language yet so lazy at the same time, slang has become the social norm.
3. lawless- contrary to or without regard for law
germinal- being in the earliest stage of development
perennial- lasting for a long time
Slang is not uniform to a set law of how it should be done.  It revolves around the people and their needs and preferences.  It is also not scripted.  Slang is just known and accepted by everyone that speaks English.  A modern example of slang that applies to the definition that Whitman describes is "yolo".  This word was more popular in the beginning of 2014 when singer/songwriter Drake used it in one of his songs.  "Yolo" was never taught in grade school nor does it appear in a dictionary.  It is not a proper noun nor a verb.  It simply means "you only live once".  Even though it was never properly taught to anyone, it still become globally known and extremely popular among young people.
4. Whitman uses two metaphors in the second paragraph; "Slang... is the lawless germinal element..." and "Slang... is the wholesome fermentation or eructation of those processes eternally active in language..."  I believe that the first is more effective because it proves that slang is almost foolish and absurd.  It is not necessary in society yet we considerate it be.
5. To make his perspective "plainer" by using easy and simple phrases to explain what he means.  He also includes examples of slang to allow us to understand more clearly.
6. According the Whitman, the relationship between slang and mythology is that both have unknown origins.  As mythology pertains to gods and mythical creatures, slang has no exact beginning.
7. I believe these examples illustrate a single point.  Slang changes no matter where in the world you may go.  It is the simplest form of every language.
8. I think the argument about humorists undercuts Whitman's essay.  Although he is trying to make a point about others and their relations with slang, his original opinion is about American slang being ridiculously unnecessary.
9. The overall tone of this essay is serious.  He also seems to be very passionate about this topic.  Whitman addresses his opinion on slang in America and then backs it up with examples and evidence.  In the last paragraph, Whitman refers to slang as "...the start of fancy, imagination and humor..."  He speaks very highly and almost proudly of American slang.
10. From what I have previously read by him, Whitman tends to use short, simple phrases.  He likes these phrases to have deep meaning that must be deeply analyzed.  Although there were short phrases, they were not always very simple.  His passion about the subject seemed to elongate each sentence in order to comment and praise more fully the language and composition of American slang.
11. Whitman's definition is that many slang words have been stripped of literal meaning in order to become something completely different, exactly what they are not.  A common example of this is the phrase "to hang out".  Literally, that would look more like animals hanging from trees.  People use it, instead, to refer to spending time with friends.
12. As a young adult, I use slang very often with friends and even family.  It has become a great part of my typical, everyday life.  Although adults tend to think that we do it to feel cool or just because we are lazy, it is actually just how the world is.  Everyone uses slang, they just don't realize how often they do.

A Bilingual Tongue

"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan is about a woman whose mother is originally from China.  English is not her mother's native language and that plays a very big role in her life.


A few paragraphs in, Tan includes a direct quotation from the foreign tongue of her mother.  By doing this, se is able to show the reader the lack of "strength" of her mother's English.  If she were to paraphrase instead, the whole idea of her essay would have been weakened.  The literal example helps us to realize that her mother really was a poor English speaker, and that must have truly made it hard on the family.


Tan then switches the blame around and criticizes herself for using "carefully wrought grammatical phrases, burdened... with nominalized forms, past perfect tenses, conditional phrases...".  She wants us to know that she feels she must use all of those to be the most perfect professional writer.  If someone were to tell us that they were an author or journalist then we would most likely expect to see words and phrases that are so meticulously thought up and produced.  She then goes on to say how much she enjoys speaking in the most simplest terms, not only for just her mother.  Even with her own husband she does not seem to use such intense language.  The process she goes through to write for the average American is not normal for her and she is not completely comfortable with having to be so many different people to please everyone.

Forever Cast As Foreign

In "The 'F Word'" by Firoozeh Dumas, Americans tend to judge others by their names.  If they are different in any obvious way, they will treat them as an outcast.  Firoozeh, originally from Iran, moved to America when she was young and she tells of her struggles regarding her name.


Dumas uses humor throughout her memoir to add a sense of sarcasm.  She begins by saying that "...nobody without a mask and a cape has a z in his name."  She does this to issue the fact that yes, she knows that her name is unique.  She creates unity with the Americans by explaining that she understands where they come from by acting indifferent or confused.  She then switches the table and states that "...this would be a richer country if all Americans could do a little tongue aerobics and learn to pronounce..."  This is humorous in the fact that Americans like to stick to simplicity, even when choosing names, and she sees this.


A few paragraphs later, Dumas uses an analogy of a spice cabinet when referring to Americans and the foreign sounds that they refuse to learn.  She says that "having a foreign name in this land of Joes and Marys is a pain in the spice cabinet."


Dumas explains that her most hardships where in the time of grade school.  She reveals that her "name, Firoozeh... In America... means 'Unpronounceable' or "I'm Not Going to Talk to You Because I Cannot Possibly Learn Your Name..."  The humor comes in this statement when she reports that her name is the equivalent of the almost "I'm too embarrassed to mess up your name so I won' try".


Later in her life, she encountered different situations.  She says, "Usually, if I'm waiting to be called by someone who doesn't know me, I will respond to just about any name starting with an F."  She later refers back to this statement with sarcastic humor by saying "I am highly accommodating."  The fact that she feels she has to accommodate according to the typical American person is quite amusing.


By including humor, Dumas can take stress off of the idea that she might actually be upset that people separate her from society over something so dull.  It also helps the reader feel more connected to the author eve if they have absolutely nothing in common.  Dumas tended to criticize the American population inconspicuously throughout this memoir.  By adding humor, it all became less cruel.

This I Believe


It's one thing to work and make a living and its another to work too much that it takes over your life.  Humans should have a balance between working and living so that pay can still be made but hours are not lost with family and friends.

I believe that people should work to live, not live to work.  The absence of this reason results in an unbalanced lifestyle, with the complete focus on one's source of income- their job.

People tend to be obsessed with their job because receiving their pay at the end of the week is gratifying.  Hardworking people are admired in our society and we strive to be placed under these same economical and social statuses.  However,  the act of working hard is not measured in pay nor in hours worked.  We have no sense of when it is reasonable to stop and rest.

As a result, we may sometimes feel that our idea of working hard isn't hard enough.  This causes us to work harder than ever, sometimes keeping us blind to the fact that we are taking time away from other values in our life.

Many people measure their pride in their success.  As adults, many would consider their jobs their main source of happiness- except when they are in the midst of a conflict at work, when then they are then predominantly frustrated or upset.

A couple years ago, I realized the difference between the lives of my mother and father.  My mother constantly stresses over work, letting her pessimistic attitude affect her time at home.  My dad is the complete opposite.  He has a well-paying job and works very hard to keep it, but he rarely ever brings his work life into the house.  This leads him to constantly have an optimistic attitude and time for more fun activities.

This past summer, I was supposed to take a trip to Florida.  My mother ended up calling the trip off because there was a problem with her job.  She had to go in extra hours and work late into the night trying to resolve it.  I rarely ever got to see her.  She let her job take time and fun away from her family.

Although I am still a student and do not have a full-time job to concentrate on, I am very fond of dancing.  I have classes nearly ever night and I often go home after a practice and continue working on the steps.  Instead of doing homework or getting ready for the next day, I am so focused on conquering the moves that I let it appropriate all of my free time.

As I grow older, I tell myself that I want to try my best to stray away from the idea of living to work.  There is more to life than self-brought up ideas of success and there are more ways to succeed than just at work.

The True Meaning of "Home"

"Where we love is home- home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."
Oliver Wendell Holmes

The literal definition of a home, according to dictionary.com is "a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household." Over the past few weeks, while discussing the idea of a community, I now know this to be false. A home does not always have to be someone's house. A home is truly where someone feels as though they belong; that when everything seems to be going wrong they can go there, like home plate.

Luckily enough for me, I have the privilege of having two places to call my home. One is in Rhode Island, with my mom, and the other in Massachusetts, with my dad. With the stress of the day, I often look to these places for comfort not only in the lived-in appeal with my belongings, but also because of the others living there. Community plays a huge role in feeling at home. To be surrounded by people that care about you and can make you laugh is always the real factor.

Another important factor is whether or not the environment is safe. A home should be a place of safety. There should be no doubt that there is any danger whatsoever. Also, acceptance, which is probably the biggest factor. To feel at home should mean that there is no reason to try and impress anyone. You should be loved for who you are and what you become.

Advocacy vs. Activism

"The civil-rights movement was a high risk activism." (The Language of Composition, 350)  Activism is the practice of vigorous involvement as a means of achieving political or other goals.  This was most commonly known during the civil rights movement during protests like boycotts and sit-ins.


The opposition, advocacy, is the act of pleading for that that causes activism.  Support and recommendation are the foundation of this idea.


When both work in conjunction, the ideas being protested are more socially balanced between doing nothing and doing everything.

Feminism and Sexism

"When a man gives his opinion, he's a man.  When a woman gives her opinion, she's a *****"
-Bette Davis




To be a feminist is simply to feel a passion for the fight to the equality of women.  I wouldn't consider myself a feminist but I definitely feel strongly about this situation.


I was appalled after reading "Bad Feminist", an essay by Roxane Gay.  The opening paragraph was filled with society's thoughts and views regarding women.  "The right way to be a woman is to be thin, to wear make up... to be charming, polite, and unobtrusive... to bear children and stay home to raise them without complaint... to be modest, chaste, pious, and submissive." She ends the paragraph by saying that any woman who fails to meet each and every one of these requirements is a "bad woman".  This. Is. Absurd.


Women live their lives in the struggle to meet these requirements and ones alike.  Little do we want to admit that to be all of these and more is just too unobtainable and impossible.


Just like their are "rules" about how to be a proper women, there are also "rules" about how to be a proper feminist.  They must "...unilaterally decry the objectification of women, not cater to male gaze, hate men... focus on career...".  These rules, however, are as false as the ones for being a good woman.  There is not right or wrong way to be a woman and there is no right or wrong way to be a feminist.


Roxane Gay continues to announce in her article that she is ununiformed to these standards that society has set.  She states that her favorite color is pink, she reads Vogue magazines, loves dresses, and shaves her legs.  Although these things seem rather obvious to us, these are the things that feminists tend to struggle with.  They want to stick up for their beliefs yet they are still just women.  They are still human.  They do not want to fit into the box that society tries to tell them to be in.


She also states that because of all of these things, that she is a bad feminist.  She is not, in fact, a bad feminist at all.  She believes in what she believes in and she chooses not to stay in this same box.  I admire her determination and courage.


As mentioned in a previous blog post, the idea of SCHWAMP is extremely prevalent in these circumstances.  The rich, white men tend to have power- especially over women.  They like to tell us what to do and how to do it but we are independent as well.  But we have opinions and we have knowledge.


Let us not shy away from feminism due to its label.  We deserve equality with men.  There is no reason why we should not.

Women and Film

Why can't women be their own hero?


In the article "Disney and the Female Imagination", by Deborah Ross, the issue of gender inequality is related to certain Disney classics.


The mind of a child is naïve to the opinions of anyone or anything it may come in contact with.  Movies, a common form of entertainment, are shown to children just to entertain them.  Little do we know that these same movies might actually be lowering their drive to have uniqueness and individuality, especially in girls.


In 1951, Alice in Wonderland was released as a family adventure.  Though Alice was adventurous and confident, her whole story revolved around the one thought that she wanted to escape the boredom of reality.  At the end of the movie, Alice gives up hope of ever going back home.  She sits down and "waits to be rescued".  When she is finally home, she makes it clear to herself and her audience that "Writing a story... is much safer than living one."  This closes off a child's imagination in fear of doing the wrong thing.


Another popular Disney movie, The Little Mermaid, is also unfair to the powerful woman.  Ariel is so blown away by this one man and his life that she is willing to give up all she has to be part of it, literally- her voice, legs, and current life.  Once again we also see this idea that a woman is not particularly happy with her own life.  She envies the life of this man and tells herself that without it, she can no longer be happy.  Ross made a very interesting point regarding this movie.  She said that "Yes, she gets her legs, she makes her stand, she marches- but only down the aisle, to marry some guy named Eric"


Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991, tells of a beautiful woman who is longing for someone that understands her unique senses.  Although many could argue that she was unique in her ways and that I have no right to comment on any sexism, it is clear that she is despised in her town.  Everyone thinks of her as weird and strange but because of her beauty, they are more excepting of her.  Towards the end of the movie, a male character and a beast fight for the possession of Belle as a bride.  It comes shocking to me that a children's movie supports the idea that men are superior to women, so much that they can battle for possession.  Why can't the woman's own voice be heard in this situation?


Other Disney movies show women who fantasize about a different life, one that is nothing like their own.  Others show that dreams are dangerous especially any act on them, and have little relevance to everyday life.  I think we may sometimes forget the impact we have on the younger generations.  We mean no harm by showing them a simple movie but there are twists behind most.  Anyone and anything has complete "Invasion and control of children's imagination".  We have to make sure that these are not harmful in any way.

Just a Poem...

These times know not of happiness.


Any and every ounce of joy is merely a show for those who do not understand or even attempt to comprehend.


The fakeness of it all is sickening.  Outsiders have no knowledge other than what they think they see.  But what they see is not true.


Their own versions of happiness are ultimately the absence of it and they know not of what they should desire.


They know not of happiness.


We all know not of happiness.

John Oliver and The Power of Persuasion

John Oliver, comedian, commentator, and actor, is globally known for many of his appearances on a variety of shows.  On a recent episode of Last Week Tonight, Oliver shared his thoughts on standardized testing in schools.  He uses comedic commentary to grasp the attention of the listeners and uses facts and statistics as examples and evidence to support his claim that standardized testing is not necessary, even inhumane and emotionless.  He tends to sly away from an exact, hardcore stance on the subject, however.  He leads the audience on by being so comical but then takes multiple stances, sometimes even mocking those of others.  Yes, he does persuade as I myself felt the want to take his side but it was not because of a strong argument.  Since he mocked others in some form, it made me feel almost obligated to take his side in fear of also being one of the people that he were to mock.  He never acknowledged a counterargument in common regards to strengthening his opinion.  Instead he made comical any examples of the opposite stance.  Although he did succeed in persuading his audience that standardized testing did no good, his argument was actually quite weak.  His former popularity and humorous background has earned him respect that can be hard to overlook in order to see true logic and reason.


There are three things that make a strong persuasive piece.  Pathos is an appeal to an audience member's emotion.  By making the audience care about what you are trying to persuade them of, they are more likely to have interest and want to hop on the back of your bandwagon.  Oliver creates a connection with each one of his audience members due to the fact that most probably either are parents of children who take these tests or once had to take them themselves.  Either way, the subject directly relates to them and affects them in some way.  Perhaps they agree with Oliver's opinion to begin with and now are finding further evidence to back their stance.  Or perhaps they have never thought of this to be a problem until now.  Ethos deals with whether or not the speaker is truly credible for what they say.  As I mentioned above, John Oliver is already well known for his comedic takes on serious topics.  He is known by name and respected due to his Emmy-winning writing award.  Anything he says or does will be seen or heard- and listened to.  Logos is an appeal to logic; being able to persuade someone using reason.  Although many may not agree with me when I say this, I do not think that Oliver appealed to the logos section of a good persuasive essay.  Maybe it is because I have never seen any of his episodes, or maybe I'm just being a total fun sponge but I found his satirical takes on news and current events to be quite unprofessional and even in some cases, insulting.

The Power of Introverts

Susan Cain, informational speaker on the subject of introversion, tells us that we are born into a culture where society tends to favor the man of action over the man of contemplation.  Society is one large, indirect battle between these two mindsets.  Both have its perks, although introversion tends to be looked down upon.  It is told to us that the most normal person would be considered an extrovert; that they have the ideal persona.  For the approximately 33% to 50% of society who would consider themselves to be introverts, they are left feeling like outcasts.

To clarify, introversion isn't necessarily the act of shyness or fear of humiliation.  It is instead the idea that certain people think the best or feel at their best when they are alone.  Extroverts, however, are the complete opposite.  They tend to feed off of being around others and the contrasting opinions of others.

Having to live in a culture of personality and individuality is not welcoming to an introvert.  For those who like to organize their thoughts and ruminate about the world around them, they are being forced out of their comfort zone.  This causes introverts to pretend to be what they are not.

Some of the most creative people in history were once introverts.  To name a few; Albert Einstein; Charles Darwin; J.K Rowling; Mahatma Ghandi; Eleanor Roosevelt; Dr. Seuss; Mother Teresa.  While extroverts like to speak their minds and often say whatever they think of, introverts give themselves time to gather their thoughts before, if even, speaking out to everyone else.  Susan Cain stresses that this is completely normal but sometimes it is necessary for an introvert to open up.  The world needs the ideas of an introvert.

Cain makes an interesting point in the middle of her speech.  It happens more often than not that groups tend to follow the opinion of the most dominant person in the room, the extrovert.  But we fail to take into consideration that there is no correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.  Just because someone feels comfortable enough to share their idea with the group doesn't mean that the introvert who is just sitting there, keeping their mouth shut, doesn't have an even better idea.

There are perks to being an introvert.  They tend to be entirely loyal, focused, self-disciplined, and patient.  They live and breathe the concept of "harmony over controversy".  Privacy and freedom are desired and the most crafty ideas are the affects of the deepest of thoughts.

Solitude is crucial for self reflection and self discovery.  Susan Cain closes her speech by calling out to all introverts to have the courage to "speak softly".  No matter whether you are an introvert or not, be sure to embrace it because the world needs you.  It needs your voice to be heard no matter how loudly or softly you wish to speak.
                                                                        - - - - - - -

A question was asked in class today:  Is everything you see/hear meant to be either argumentative or persuasive?

In response to this, I would argue the affirmative.  Although not always direct, everything is always done for a purpose, whether to inform or entertain, etc.  Even if just to inform, the author usually sticks his or her opinion somewhere in the content of their work.  This can cause the reader to have a change of mind, therefore doing the same as an argumentative or persuasive topic would have done.

SCWAMP for The Great Gatsby

S- Gatsby is straight.  He is deadly in love with a woman named Daisy Buchanan.  All of the relationships in this movie are heterosexual.
C- Although it is uncertain to name Gatsby's religion, certain Christian qualities are exemplified in his lifetime.  They are not positive qualities, though.  Gatsby constantly struggles with jealousy and there are instances of adultery and murder from other characters.
W- Gatsby is a white man.  All of the main characters are also white.
A- Gatsby is quite able-bodied.  He has no physical handicapps but has a questionable emotional and mental wellbeing,  He has trust issues and depression towards anything that doesn't go his way.
M- Gatsby is a man in the 70s.  The male race as a whole is dominant over the women.  They have the last say in what is to be done.  There are multiple instances where they even abuse the ladies who fail to listen.
P- Gatsby owns a mansion on the wealthy part of town.  He is very rich and has a lot of power because of it.  He throws extravagant parties weekly and is very well-known.  Almost all of the other characters as well are very wealthy.  Most don't work because they have been born in to their wealth. They have expensive houses and expensive cars.

Who Am I...

I am a girl.


I am a daughter, sister, and friend and I am happy.  But I am confused.  I know not of what I am to become for my thoughts of success are all that motivate the persuit of my wildest dreams.  I will grow to do great things but I will struggle to do them with ease.  Life is a journey and my journey is not simple.  But I am strong.  I will push through the pain and the sorrow if it means anything of what I will become.  I am willing to not take the road less traveled but to shape my own path in the grounds of history.  I will leap across the largest puddle and I will dig deeper than anyone has ever done before.  I want to be more than alive.  I want to live.