Kate Shindle- "Miss America:More Than a Beauty Queen?"

In Kate Shindle's article "Miss America: More than a Beaty Queen?", there is a slight tone of hostility that Shindle feels towards people who view the nationwide Miss America Pageant as merely a beauty contest. Because Shindle participated and won the crown herself, she adds credible insight on the beauty queen bimbo. People tend to associate or quickly judge these girls as being beautiful but dumb with no real purpose. However, Shindle's artcile serves to demonstrate that these pageant girls are intelligent and know what they are doing to impact the world in a positive way. By using the title of "Miss America" doors will open to speak about serious world dilemas. Shindle confirms, "I helped raise an estimated $20 million to $30 million for HIV/AIDS organizations worldwide, lobbied legislators for more funding and better health-education progams[...]"(614). It is ironic to think that a society that places value on appearance, will discriminate someone who has won the title of national beauty and reducing her intellectual value. According to Shindle, "Though I was on the dean's list at Northwestern [University], suddenly people didn't assume I had a brain" (615). Much like, Stephanie Coontz article "the Way We Wish We Were" about the stereotypes we place on America's families in the past and in the future. For instance, many people have believed that the 1950s was a golden era, especially when it came to the ideal family and household. What people deny to see is that the 50s decade was far from perfect, which "drove thousands of women to therapists, tranquilizers, or alcohol when they actually tried to live up to it" (677). Stereotypes can dominate the entire perseption of a culture, person, or time period. Ultimately, watching the "Miss America" is due to vanity on the audiences part and the program is played for entertainment, yet I still would have to agree with Shindle when she promotes for the show to display more of the interview segment of the pageant in order to break away from the pretty girl in the crown stigma (616)and not forget that this pageant is also a large contributor and advocate for educational scholarships.

Stephanie Coontz-"The Way We Wish We Were"

Stephanie Coontz's "The Way We Wish We Were" was a good insight on the types of stereotypes we placed on family. We percieve the 1950s to be "the golden age" and the birth of the "greatest generation". But in reality high standards of the '50s "drove thousands of women to therapists, tranquilizers, or alcohol when they actually tried to live up to it" (677). There are many stereotypes we percieve when it comes to the ideal family and much of it comes from the media's portrayal and the inconsistant data and studies does not help to clarify any misunderstandings, instead it confuses people. In one way or another every family is dysfunctional and nowhere near perfect but almost every family strives to have a strong moral structure that can guide them through the vast regulations of society; "although two -thirds of respondents [...] wanted 'more traditional standards of family life' the same percentage rejected the idea that 'women should return to their traditional role' "(689). Coontz also explains that "lack of perspectives where families have come from and how their evolution connects to other social trends tends to encourage contradictory claims and wild exaggeration about where the fanily is going" (686). It is difficult for one to form his or her own opinion on subjects were there are ambigous facts. Coontz mentions, "what these polls reveal is women's growing dissatisfaction with tha failure of employers[...] to pioneer arrangements that make it possible to combine work and family life. These polls do not suggest that women are actually going to stop working[...]"(687). History has shown that society is always changing there are certain periods were there seems to be a common beliefs and then there are periods were society belives in the opposite of what they previously believed.

The article's purpose is to show that it is not critical to follow or live by social analytical polls and surveys because they are not as accurate as we think and we can not control things that occur outside the family despite the shape of our families. Perhaps there was never really a "traditional family" or "family values" because people and their families are always changing.

David Brooks-"One Nation Slightly Divisible"

The article “One Nation Slightly Divisible” by David Brooks was mainly about the distinct lifestyles that two obvious classes live in, though in the same state or country. Brooks describes Franklin County as a completely different world from Montgomery County. Franklin County is considered Red America and Montgomery County is considered Blue America; both refer to the 2000 presidential election. It is not necessarily a negative aspect that there are such deep differences between Red and Blue America. Red America lives by the simple things in life, rugged, humble, small, close community while Blue America is busy, independent, individualistic, sophisticated, and incredibly modern. I found this article to be very true, however in some ways biased toward Franklin County because it was depicted as a city on a hill, which does not really exist.

First, Brooks analyzes the types of jobs people have, specifically men who work outdoors and men who work indoors in Franklin County. He states “[…] hair cut […] as a mullet […] to show how hard they work, so they will often have a gigantic wad of keys hanging from a belt loop, a tape measure strapped to the belt, a pocket knife on a string […]” (584). This makes all these men sound like the same repair man. But he then remarks that men who work indoors wear “[…] slacks, which they bought at a dry-goods store, best known for its appliance department, and a short sleeved white Van Heusen shirt[…] Their image projects not ‘I work hard but ‘I am a devoted family man’” (585). Later, he compares how Blue America people drive to work;"people who went to business school or law school need a lot of headroom. They buy humongous sport-utility vehicles that practically have cathedral ceilings" (585). Brooks goes on to say, "Small-headroom people tend to have been liberal arts majors and have liberal arts jobs. They get passive aggressive pleasure from demostrating how modest and environmentally sensitive their living containers are. They hate people with SUVs[...}" (585). I can identify with this quote because I mayself am a liberal arts major and I do not like enormously unnecessary cars.

There is a misunderstanding for Blue America individuals that Red America individuals are uneducated people who do not know any better or anything going in the real world, which not true. This article serves to show that though people in Red America have humbler living styles they know what is important and vital to their lives and it works for them. The same goes for Red America's misunderstanding of Blue America, not all Blue Americans have excess money to throw around to buy cars or selfish persons who do not get involved with their community. Blue Americans strive to bring in diversity, encourage self-sufficiency, and are not conventional. "in Montgomery County[...] average house hold income is $100,365 [...]In Franklin County [...] the average is $51,872"(586). I do not completely agree with this data because I consider my family and I to be part of Blue America but my family does not make no where near $100,000. Brooks does not include as much about the middle ground people, which is a critical group because not everything can be as binary as Red and Blue America and at the same time defeats the purpose of his article. The statements Brooks make tend to be hasty generalizations because he is only sampling what he sees within two counties.

Yet the most touching and interesting to see in this article was the fact that when tragedy strikes, all differences are set aside and nearly every American is willing to help their fellow citizen. Such as Brooks mentions with the attacks of 9/11, "the old hostillity came to seem sort of a sibling rivalry, which means nothing when the family is itself is under threat" (587). I found this to be hopeful, however, it is rather depressing that it takes a tragedy time and time again for people to come together. For instance, a similar situation happened a few years ago when a Hurrican Katrina struck all of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Florida. Countless volunteers living in near by areas and other states flew in to help with rescue and relief efforts, giving food and shelter to those whose homes were under massacered by the storm. At the end of the day people have come to realize that we are all the same, we all have the same hopes and worries.

Margaret Atwood- "A Letter to America"

This essay "A Letter to America" by Margaret Atwood had a creative format in which it was written as a letter for the authorities and ordinary citizens of America to demostrate that at one point in our history we had ideals about a fair nation of peace and freedom but somehow has lost its way and become too involed in our millitary and engaged in much political and business fraud. In this sense Atwood describes she is embarrased with what America has done especially because many people and countries have aspired to American ideals. Tis article also reminded me of Churchill's essay in which America has the tendency to "[...] grab stuff other people produce, at our gunboat-diplomacy prices[...]" (5) or "gutting the Constitution" (5),meaning underhandedly putting aside the private rights of citizens in order to so called keep the nation "safe". Even Atwood asks, "[...] when did you get so scared? You didn't used to be so easily frightened" (5). However, at the end of the essay Atwood still has hope for this nation yet and I agree with her indefinately. If America would stop trying to control everything for one-minute we could take a step back and regain our dignity, respect, and values that we have always srtived for.

Wrd Chruchill- "Crimes Against Humanity"

Ward Churhill's "Crimes Against Humanity" brings to light the subtle racism involved in sports and in law, that is still present in America today. He critisizes America's hypocracy in at first a sarcastic tone. Throughtout the essay, towards the end, his tone becomes aggressive and insists that America should admit that creating sports teams with Native American derogatory names and Indian chants with no meaning but to "have fun" at encouraging their teams while insulting Native American people. I did not really notice how these types of descrimination exist in such a popular aspect such as sports teams. Chruchill states, "a substantial number of American Indians have protested that the use of native names, images [...] racist practice" (535). I felt that team names such as the "[...] Cleveland Indians,Washington Redskins, and Kansas City Cheifs" (535), were virtually the same as giving team names like " the Wisconsin 'Wetbacks' and Batlimore 'Beaners' " (537), or cheer "[...] players and cheerleaders, garbed in leopard skins and wearing fake bones on their noses" (536) is incredibly offensive to people that belong to certain races and ethnicities that are depicted in these stereotypes. I agree that there are not as many Native Americans to speak out against these stereotypes targeted at them, mainly because of the diseases and slaughter of the early twentieth century that drastically decreased their population and shockingly in years as recent as 1990, a " 'field test' of Hepititis A vaccine, also HIV correlated is being conducted on Indian reservations in the Northern plains region", although by law this experimentation was at the time prohibited. Churchill maybe one of the few voices for the excluded Indian tribes, in history we have Cesar Chavez that spoke for immigrant Hispanic workers and Martin Luther King Jr. that spoke of civil rights for African Americans, and yet there are leaders we do not mention or have yet to see for other countless minority groups and unspoken issues. Also, Churchill mentions " 'assimilation' " (541), which was forced upon Native Americans in order for them to conform to the pressures of society. Even by today's standards there is a degree of assimilation for nealry every minority group in order to gain acceptance or measure up to the dominant culuture's lifestyle.

It is also interesting to see the connection that Churchill makes between the Jewish Holocoust in 1940s Germany, to America's 1800s genocide of Natives. America's reputation as world peacemaker is a facade because we do not like to admit our faults in history to the world and yet we force upon our authority to other wrong doers. I agree that America had the right idea in going into Germany to free genocide victims and punish those who committed those hainess crimes but we cannot forget that we are not the leaders of innocence.

Serena Nanda-"Arranging a Marraige in India"

Serena Nanda's "Arranging a Marraige in India" brought new insight on how American's percieve arranged marraiges. The families in India chose the most suitable mate for their son or daughter; this ensures a secure future and well being for the couple. Much like the author, I was confused to know that some people in this culture accept that their husbands or wives are chosen for them. " '[...] I must let my parents chose a boy for me. My marraige is too important to be arranged by such an inexperienced person as myself' "(142). It is good to take into consideration how people who experience this actually feel about it but I still feel that the person one marries or forms a meaninigful commitment to should be of their choosing. A person can not be experienced unless they experience something for themselves. This article reminds me of Roiphe's "A Tale of Two Divorces" when she states that she has come to be in favor of arranged marraiges although there are still negative aspects of that. Nanda mentions that though it is a more secure way to be engaged the issue of an illegal dowry and competitive in-laws which can later have emotional and even fatal consequences. Ultimately, it is equally diffucult for one's parents to find a suitable spouse for their children as it is for the child themselves to find who they feel they belong with. Instead of an individual supporting the family of their spouse, they are free to create a family of their own.

Laura Bohannan-"Shakespeare in the Bush"

This article, "Shakepeare in the Bush" by Laura Bohannan shows the differences between American beliefs and the beliefs of Tiv of West Africa. The author decided to use Shakespear's Hamlet to demostrate the concept of the story is universal. However, as the author is telling the story she is interrupted several times by the villagers who misunderstand the story. These interruptions give insight to the villagers' culture. For instance, Bohannan recalls, " 'But a chief must have many wives! How else can he brew beer and prepare food for all his guests?' " (219). This culture encourages women to serve her husband, to cook and serve others. Also, in this culture women are completely dependent on the men." 'Who will hoe your farms for you will you have no husband?' " (219). Women are persuaded to marry in order to secure their living standards. Though interestingly, the author was encouraged to participate in storytelling and drinking with the men and elders of the village. The villagers were wise and welcoming to her and in a way treated her as one of them. Yet in some cultures a woman is to be proper and not engage in the same activities as men for she must have self-control and be preoccupied with other things.

Maxine Hong Kingston-"No Name Woman"

The artice by Maxine Hong Kingston had a depressing tone, beside the circumstances of the story, the description of what happen to Kingston's aunt was cruel not only on the part of the villagers but the rejection from her family as well. In an event that should have been a joyous occassion, there was slaughter and vandalism. Kingston states, "On the night the baby was to be born, villagers raided our house[...] Like a great saw [...] files of people began to zigzag across our land tearing the rice" (392). This story serves as a cautionary tail for Kingston because she is still young at this point and her mother is retelling the disgrace that her father's sister brought to the family. In a the Chinese culture, family ties are more sacred and everyone is to conform with the norms. Kingston's aunt, was married and when her husband left on a trip, in a moment of weakness commited adultery and as a result she became pregnant. One can only assume that the biological father of this child was portrayed as a cruel man who did not want anything to do with the child or woman. Kingston believes "The other man, after all, was not that different from her husband. They both gave orders:she followed" (394).Later, her aunt commits suicide as well as kills the child she was baring by throwing herself in the outside well. In such a society as in many others, women have a tremendous pressure to follow the orders of society and if any thing is out of the ordinary or out of place they must be the ones to resume responsibility for it. Soiciety expects women to have a sense of self-control. In earlier years, woman had to subdue themselves to their family or husband's wishes. In this story Kingston's aunt submitts to the shame she has brought to her family once they notice that she is with child. So, in a way women become molded by their surroundings and the people they are closest to. Much like Kingston's mother was telling this story to her as a warning; if she somehow were to betray her family by dishonor she would suffer the consequences with tragedy and be denied of her existance in the family.

Anne Roiphe-"A Tale of Two Divorces"

"A Tale of Two Divorces" by Anne Roiphe was alarming. I felt great sorrow for her mother, as she retold the failure of her parents marraige. It bothered me that there was a point in which her mother was willing to leave her father because of his abusiveness, yet then submitted herself to pardon him, and not leave him. Roiphe did the same when she was on ithe verge of divorce; she tried to find excuses for her husband's immoral actions. She explains, "my husband had other women and I thought it was an artist's privelege[...]" (208). Or when she states that her husband"went on binges and used up all our money. I thought it was poetic[...] I was always apologizing" (208). Perhaps there was a point in which these women allowed themselves to be naive and let the men in their lives to endulge in the stereotype of male superiority, where he is a womanizer, drinks excessively, critisizes his wife, and expects his house to be in perfect condition. I do, however, admire Roiphe for her strength in leaving that unhealthy relationship while she still could. This is why she refers to divorce as "an emergency escape hatch" (212). If a person is in a relationship that is truly distructive, then it is best for that person to distance themselves from that relationship, in order to save themselves from further misery and insecurity.

The most disturbing point of this article is that there is an instant bitterness that comes from a divorce. Roiphe has become skeptical about marraige. She mentions "if we are able to marraige as largely an economic, child-rearing institution[...] we might be better off" (211). I disagree with her statement because it completely defies the purpose of marraige. I believe marraige is all of those aspects such as managing money, taking care of children, and individual ambition; but I firmly believe that because Roiphe has been through the pain of a divorce, she is critisizing marraige in this way. Marraige also incorporates the ability for two people who love each other to grow with each other, take time to know each other, learn from each other, console and support one another, and deal with each other through good times and bad times, work through obstacles, with their faults and perfections, in other words "for better and for worse." It seemed that in Roiphe's experiences women were the only ones supporting the men's bad habits. Though, as Roiphe includes that briefly the women's movement gave some relief to "isolated women who were off adventure bound [...] unwilling to be sole caretakers" (209). This also relates to the Paco Underhill article "Shop Like a Man", which he states that women were subserviant to men and even picked out their underwear. Also, Underhill's article contrasts Roiphe's article, when he states that men are now being more involved in the home, where as before, in Roiphe's article the men were more distant.

An interesting thought was how the children are effected after a divorce. "I wish this weren't so [...] leaving ugly deep scars across our children's psyches[...]" (210). As a child, who has experienced a parents divorce, I believe that the age of the child, when the parents divorce, has much to do with the effect it has on them. The younger the child, to a certain extent has less of an effect. If the parents divorce when the child is older it would be harder for the child to put trust in future relationships. Personally, I do not feel that my parents' divorce, when I was four years old, has any connection to the relationships that I develop in my life. My mother was also in a similar situation as Roiphe's mother, and I don't see my self with any scars.

Paco Underhill-"Shop Like a Man"

Paco Underhill’s “Shop Like a Man” demonstrates the simple fact that overall men are more simpler and more spontaneous shoppers than women. I found it incredibly true that women enjoy shopping more frequently than men, and they also enjoy taking their time to browse and purchase. "A woman in a store with a man, she will spend less time there than when she's alone,or with another woman, or with children" (191).For example, when it comes to shopping for groceries women are usually the one with the shopping list. When a woman shops for clothing, she more than likely tries an item or five on, and if it fits, at a good price, and she can find something to match it she will take it. I thought it was alarming that men would not shop at all unless it was out of necessity. Men usually accompany women to a clothing or grocery store, and if there are children, he would be the one to get unnecessary items in the cart. “Throw in a couple of kids in with Dad and you’ve got a lethal combination; he’s notoriously bad at saying no […]” (189).
I also saw a small relation to the Dave Barry article “Guys vs. Men”, when Underhill mentions to “giving him a vehicle to commandeer […] emphasizes the potential for guyness in the experience” (189). It seems that guys need to be entertained while spending time shopping.Whether it is watching the big screen in the electronics department or pushing the shopping cart, guys need to feel they should be occupied with something. Underhill's article also relates to Barry's article when he states that men by more computer devices or something with more "power" that sounds cool or superior.

I thought it was interesting was that Underhill discussed the shifting social aspects of men being more involved in shopping for things as groceries and their own underwear. If you are an able-bodied adult, you should be able to get your own underwear in your correct size. Women today are marrying at a later age and/or more focused with their careers, so they rearrange certain priorities. Simultaneously, men are becoming more involved in the household and family interactions.

Tannen&Pipher Comparison

In Deborah Tannen's article about debate and dialogue she focuses at a certain point on the differences between the comfort level of arguementation between genders. Women and girls prefer to discuss ideas instead of argue or attack the idea. Men and boys tend to participate in debates more frequently than girls, at a young age they are taught to compete. However, later Tannen state that girls can defend there ideas argumentattively as well, and can be very competitive. "Clealry, women can learn to perform in advesarial ways. Anyone who doubts this oneed only to attend an academic conference in ithe field of women's studies or feminist studies[...]" (240). It is best to think that most women prefer discussion that does not mean they can not debate.

In Piphers article it shows women as victims of academic neglect. "In classes, boys are twice as likely to be seen as role models, five times as likely to recieve teachers's attention[...]" (279). Women are guided by society to take subject that have more to do with discussion and building relaionships with others. It is implied that the academic acheivements of girls are supposed to be inferior to those of boys.

Both artciles show that women are steered by social groups such as, the education system, to be social. Girls have a tendency to be concerned with other issues such as acceptance or beig preoccupied with other thoughts. Both articles also imply that women are taught not to question or challenge authrity, therefore, are not as inclined to speak out against it.

Dave Barry-"Guys vs. Men"

Dave Barry's 'Guys vs. Men" article is a clever and humerous way to show the degree of maturity to what it is to be a "man" and what it is to be a "guy". A man has more responsibility, maturity, and a sense of contol, who knows when to be serious and can show respect. A guy may have less responlsibilities, more fun loving, competitive in meaningless activities, a bit insensitive and is more relaxed. The role of a man is part of the identity as is the guy. Barry notices that even men in their late thirties have a side of them who are just guys. "These are middle-aged guys, suppossedly adults, and they're out there bragginig about thier performance in a stupid juvenile footrace" (406). This article reminds me of a the phrase "there's a kid inside everyone." Meaning, no matter how serious or professional one has to be, inside ourselves is some who wants to have fun once in while and not be so tied down to our commitments.

Barry briefly mentions the difference in guys and women. Women are portrayed to be constantly thinking "She'll be sound asleep in bed, and suddenly at 2 a.m., she'll be awakened by an urgent thought: The blue-green sofa needs to go perpendicular[...] Right now" (405). He compares "every so often a guy will wake up to discover[...] he now lives in an entirely different house"(405). Guys, on the other hand, simply do not think about things that maybe considered urgent as women might.

There is no real equivalent to a "guy" in a female version, which I think is interesting. It maybe because in society girls are viewed to mature faster than boys and therefore always maintain a level of maturity. However, when you use the term, "man" and the term, "woman" they are powerful. They imply a position of maturity and sense of control not only of themselves but also their surroundings or tasks.

Andrew Sullivan-"What are Homosexuals for?"

Sullivan's article was mainly about the struggles of not being able to find or fit his identity in society as a homosexual. Being gay or lesbian is also considered another minority label placed upon a group of people. It is at first hard for individuals to be who they are and feel what they feel among the common culture, and are at many times saddened by the fact that they can not enjoy the same day-to-day life experiences as heterosexuals. For Sullivan, one of the greatest disadvantages about homosexuality is the lack of the ability to procreate. Sullivan states "the lack of children is something that some homosexuals regard as a curse; and it is the thing which heterosexuals most pity(and some envy) about their homosexual acquaintances" ( 387). However, Sullivan takes an optimistic approach and notes that even though homosexuals can not have children, the way a heterosexual couple can, they can still contribute in their careers and spare time to the well-being of society, as much as anyone else.

Another point that I thought was very moving, was that throughout this article Sullivan keeps in mind that no matter what your sexual orientation is, we are all still human. "[...] I am not at a loss to know that they are different experiences: equally human, but radically different" (385).

In the end, people are people, everyone performs a role a certain way around certain people, in certain situations. According to Sullivan "Or perhaps there role is to have no role at all" (389). There is no predestined way to be who we are or who we want to be. Society should incorporate individuals not inhibit them.

Malcom X-Learning To Read

The "Learning to Read" by article was powerful, incredibly bold. Given the fact that there is so much history and mistreatment in the history behind the piece. The article was written in an almost subtle way at first, as a narrative "It was because of my letters that I happened to stumble upon starting to acquire some type of home made education" (223). It begins very calm beginning on how and why he started reading. Then as he utilizes this story to open up to his point "If I weren't out here everyday battling, I could spend the rest of my life reading[...]" (231). He is saying that through the angst of adversity there should be no reason why anybody should not recieve an education, even if they have to teach themselves. I also believe that this is why the article was more appealing to me was because it was full of achievement on your own merits, the whole triumph over adversity.

However, during some pparts of the essay, there was an immense amount of resentment toward the "white man", which Malcom X had every right to express. It is depressing to know that the knowledge he learned through reading was the atrocities the "'white devils' " commited. Also, this is merely a biased portion of history, it is true that every culture has events that there are not proud of. Yet he keeps in mind that without reading he would not have gained all this knowledge and he could support the points he was making in his letters and speeches.

Mary Pipher-"Academic Selves"

To be honest I did not enjoy Piphers article as much, though I thought it was an interesting topic, the way it was written pretty much bored me. I feel that she was mainly stating just facts, yet at the same time getting across her opinion , there was not really any emotion to appeal to the audience. However, I was never in a position were I felt that I was being "shortchanged". Obviously, in my classes there were always other students that were smarter than me, both boys and girls. Personally, I ex cell in reading and writing and I am not as proficient in math. But this article made me wonder, (and I relate this to sociology), that maybe women are steered to English subjects and boys are steered to technical subjects. With that said, the appraisal between the genders does amaze me. An accomplishment of any kind is nonetheless an accomplishment. There should not be a difference in the level of praise. Yet I can agree that girls tend to be more internal thinkers. "Because their success is is attributed to good luck or hard work and failure to lack of ability, with every failure, girls' confidence is eroded" (280). Not to say that girls are victims of their feelings, it is just that society has trained them to be more multi-taskers and not only do but think about many things at one time. Though, everyone is different; some people can multi-task and others can not. The main idea is that socialization does play a big part in how boys and girls are tracked into certain behaviors whether we realize it or not. At a young age boys are taught more technical career asprations some thet may not involve as much emotional connection and grils tend to be manuevered toward careers that deal with emotions, thoughts, and peer relationships, of course that is a generalization.

I also think the whole idea of being afraid to be successful is insulting. There are so many opportunities that can open because of success in academics whether they are big or small. I was very troubled when I read "'All I care about is my friends. grades don't matter to me' "(281). It bothered me, not the fact that a young girl said that but that any one could say that; education should not be taken for granted regardless of gender. No one should be afraid of academic achievement.

Gannon-English 99: Literacy Among the Ruins

This article was in some ways humerous. For example in the beginning, othe professor believes his new job is going to be like one in a movie, which is not always the case. "I used Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting as my goal and I was very close" (215). Over all, the article was tragic. Meaning, the professor felt pitty for the students and by the end of the article so did I.

I have not been in such a segregated class myself, though I have been in a pre-baccalauerate ccourse that was on a Pass/Fail basis for math not English. However, I have seen classes that have certain groups that stay together in a section of the class and you can always single out the students who take the course seriously. That does not mean that any of these students are dumb,by reading this article it only showed how some students need more help and specific instruction to demonstrate and develope how well they can write. It seems to me that the students had incredible potential to write not only about the topics in their current lives but other broader topics. All they would need is to learn how to further elaborate and describe their ideas. I do agree that English is not something to be learned, it's somethinig you learn how to do, by practice.

Mori-School

"No one should have power that is unjustified and unjustifiable, regardless of how convinient or effecient it may seem for smooth runninig of the classroom, the educatioinal sysytem, or the country"(263). Here, it seems that Mori has some resentment toward the Japanese method of teaching. She notes that her American teachers told her the exact mistakes she made, that helped her become successful. On the other hand, Japanese teachers were not specific at all and expected students to gain knowledge by catching their own mistakes. However, it is not to say that either American or Japanese is better than the other, they are just different techniques which both are effective. Japanese emphasize self-discipline, detail, and obedience of authority, while Americans focus on self-motivation, overall concepts, and questioning.

In some cases it is best to learn from trial and error because a person can not always depend on ithe instructor to correct them, and it is more beneficial to learn by observation. Yet it is also advantageous to have a more experienced or educated individual to help point out our faults so we can see what to improve. For some, it helps to have a teacher tell them what mistakes they are making because they did not realize them before, to understand it from another perspective. For others it helps them to be more independent and know what they are expected to do by discovering it for themselves. I, myself, can agree with both methods I can understand things better when an instructor can further discuss it, or elaborate on it; but I can comprehend things easily and learn them easily when I can see on my own what works and what doesn't.

Another point Mori brought up in her artcile, that stood out was when she stated "most Americans take college for granted"(254). I do not believe entirely. Of course there may be some people who do take college for granted but I think that the majority of college students know the importance of it and what a privelege it is to be there. It is not just a place where we can just get up and decide to go one day. It is a process of planning, goal setting and securing money for that particular purpose. There are countless factor that can effect people from going back to college. This notion of the "real world" is composed of things such as, careers, public places, day-to-day people and circumstances, families, and economic situations, without school restraints, that is, what school or college can not always prepare you for. College is a preperatory stage, it is much part of the "real world", because you learn to interact with others differently, learn to strategize in new situations, and learn not only knowledge but things about yourself. However, the outside world is really considered the natural, expected and unexpected roads in life.

Sokolove- Football is for Suckers

Personally, I am not a big football fan, so this article wasn't that appealing to me. However, I do enjoy watching it live, though it is very rare. Anyway, this article was a good example of the rewards of traditional aggressive competition, not opnlpy on the field but with universities as well. It is not enough to have the label of "the best" but to have the best paychecks is essentially what these big league football teams are about. Though, it was nice in this article, to have a glimpse into the personal life of football players, not only about there academic struggles but their family lives. There seemed to be some favoritism with the U.S.F players making them seem like mild-mannered Olympians. How do we know that football players in the other "big time" football leagues are not in the same situations, such as being a young athletic star managing grades and a family. However, compared the opther universities, it seems that U.S.F has kept a clean image while breaking into mainstream college football scene.

Readings: Chenney/Tannen

First off, I thought these readings were inetresting. In the Chenney article, Politics in the Schoolroom, when she mentioned the National History Standards neglected the good in American history and the bad in another countries history. I was upset to think that an organization would allow children to be taught that. I believe that history should tell both sides, that is, mention both negative and positive aspects of what's being taught, I don't see where the problem is in that. Also, the segment about how girls are being "shortchanged" and meritocracy. There should be some preperation in schools on on meritocracy because that is essentially how American capitalism works. We are tolled that we all have the opportunity to succeed but our success is usually measured by the our salary and things we own. Though material things are not all that measures success our society is revolved around competition.

Second, Tannen's article, The Roots of Debate in Education and Hope of Dialogue, I found that I can agree with reasonable arguementation and understanding to listen. For example, when people are taking part in senseless argueing I personally don't want to listen or I feel they don't know how to argue because they are trying to prove the other person wrong instead of giving them reasons why they're right.

Kagan-What is a Liberal Education?

I agree very much with Kagan for the most part and had a very similar perspective with Newman. I agree in the sense that he believes a liberal education is a little bit of everything and it is a necessity to be effective in the social world and to make any kind of impact in the community you must know how to go about doing it. In earlier times a liberal education was not only a variety in knowledge but it was a tool to find truth, which was very much tied into religion, which also focused on values. However, he states that now, since the university and students are so diverse, sometimes these values are forgotten.

Kagan also implies that a liberal education is supposed to free your mind, challenge your set beliefs without compromising your morals, understand these beliefs, and make a change within yourself. He gives the impression that you can go to college to gain mastery in your feild but at the same time gain some type of background on various subjects, concepts, in order to relate to people and communicate with them. "Most important of all, we must provide our children with an education shaped by the purpose of creating citizens of a free society who will love liberty, who will understan discipline and sacrifice needed to preserve it, and who will be eager to do so". This quote sums up most of it, saying that for future generations beginninig now we have to maintain a productive, caring, educated, and prosperous society we must revisit what are morals are as well as what our goals are.

Newman and Lee Readings 9/11/07

In Newman's "The Idea of a University", the major point I got from it was the idea of a well rounded person. An educated person shouldn't only have to be limited to their own particular feild of study but should also have a broad understanding of the world around them. "He is at home in any society, he has common ground in any class..."(pg.55) . A person must be able to socialize, learn from their experience, learn from others, and carry on a conversation pretty much with anyone. The university is simply a tool that is there to provide us with educators and certain facilities, but it is the job of the student to take advantage of the opportunities that the university offers.

The Lee artcile to me was a reminder that college may not be for everyone, however, a person can still be successful without a college degree. And by success I not only mean making alot of money but also being happy with your job. Lee's son found success somewhere where most people don't. It seemed that her son just slacked off in college and wasn't really there to learn. "But he went because all his friends were going, because it sounded like fun..." (pg.503 pargraph 6). I believe that these types of decisions are made by the type of person you are and the person you want to be, and learning to mature. Though if a person does decide that college is right for them, that opens other opportunities such as meeting new people/networking, perfecting their major, potential salary earnings or going to places they may have never been before. Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to any decision especially when deciding what is the next step in your life.