Thanksgiving is the time where many thank their family, friends and others for helping them, or being nice, or just being meaningful to them. I am thankful for a particular classmate, Sandy Wu. Sandy and I both attended the Academic Center at school, so we knew each other at the beginning of this year. It was nice seeing another familiar face in a scary, new class with mostly people older than me. Together we are working on the Indian storytelling project, and I do most of the writing and explanation, while she does the art. Although her constant carping and frustration with my writing can be annoying, she's still a great partner to have and is very helpful.
Word Count: 118
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Short Stories Responses
Aleister Martensen
The University Days response is very accurate. Thurber just seems to sort of give up and accept "what's coming to him" you could say. Thurber does not do anything to excel in his classes and is lacking enthusiasm. Thurber complains about his classes being difficult, but if he applied himself more it seems to me like he would do well. I think he needs to find the value of trying hard and working towards a goal in his schooling.
Briana Popa
I completely agree with you on University Days. I think Thurber set his goals at this naively high level which ultimately threw him off when he realized things would not be as he expected. I think once he got into these harder classes such as Botany he expected to breeze right through them, like maybe he had before in high school, etc. However, he was met with a brick wall that was the limits of his skills and I think the first time he was ever required to do much of anything in school or work towards a goal. It seems like he was unprepared for the University and that was his worst mistake.
The University Days response is very accurate. Thurber just seems to sort of give up and accept "what's coming to him" you could say. Thurber does not do anything to excel in his classes and is lacking enthusiasm. Thurber complains about his classes being difficult, but if he applied himself more it seems to me like he would do well. I think he needs to find the value of trying hard and working towards a goal in his schooling.
Briana Popa
I completely agree with you on University Days. I think Thurber set his goals at this naively high level which ultimately threw him off when he realized things would not be as he expected. I think once he got into these harder classes such as Botany he expected to breeze right through them, like maybe he had before in high school, etc. However, he was met with a brick wall that was the limits of his skills and I think the first time he was ever required to do much of anything in school or work towards a goal. It seems like he was unprepared for the University and that was his worst mistake.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Short Stories Questions
An Account of Experience with Discrimination-
1. The person was raised when they were young and for much of their life in a community that believed blacks were a "lesser race", and many of them were also slaves. They were brought up this way and that's how they lived and acted their whole lives every day, so it was a very awkward and hard transition for many people and slaveholders to make, but also a hard transition for slaves. The laws may change in a year, but a community can take a lifetime to alter. Cultural beliefs don't vanish like paper or laws, they hang around in the backs of people's heads, similar to the slow transition in modern times to be more accepting of Mexican culture for instance, whom are now the discriminated against.
2. It gives a direct relationship and a personal experience. This is Sojourner Truth telling the reader how she felt and experienced racism and discrimination, which tells the reader first hand about her experiences on "the front lines" so to speak. A reporter or biographical author, etc. simply is giving a summary or status of a situation and experience with no connection or not a real personal connection to the story. A reader feels more empathy or reaction when an author is or had actually experienced what they are writing and I think it is very important to have a direct connection with your writing.
University Days
1. Thurber the way I see him is kind of a goof. He doesn't act correctly in class, he never understands what he's doing, he can't get the simple things done, and he just messes up all the time. But the way the author constructs his story, you feel sorry for him, and feel like even though he's always messing up, Thurber is really a good guy and smart too. I think in his story Thurber just wasn't really the strict and "stream-lined" student his teachers expected and maybe Thurber just wasn't cut out for that kind of education. When they did their marching drills, or look through their microscopes, etc. Thurber couldn't function like the other students and he somewhat failed in the eyes of his university I think. But, the university I think didn't live up to Thurber's expectations because they weren't the easy and nice classes he expected. I think Thurber just wasn't prepared in his mentality to handle this and was still growing really. These mentalities meant Thurber never exactly fit in or did his work correctly, but he almost did. Eventually he succeeds after he's really tried and worked hard, he finishes his classes and graduates, which I think is the theme of the story.
1. The person was raised when they were young and for much of their life in a community that believed blacks were a "lesser race", and many of them were also slaves. They were brought up this way and that's how they lived and acted their whole lives every day, so it was a very awkward and hard transition for many people and slaveholders to make, but also a hard transition for slaves. The laws may change in a year, but a community can take a lifetime to alter. Cultural beliefs don't vanish like paper or laws, they hang around in the backs of people's heads, similar to the slow transition in modern times to be more accepting of Mexican culture for instance, whom are now the discriminated against.
2. It gives a direct relationship and a personal experience. This is Sojourner Truth telling the reader how she felt and experienced racism and discrimination, which tells the reader first hand about her experiences on "the front lines" so to speak. A reporter or biographical author, etc. simply is giving a summary or status of a situation and experience with no connection or not a real personal connection to the story. A reader feels more empathy or reaction when an author is or had actually experienced what they are writing and I think it is very important to have a direct connection with your writing.
University Days
1. Thurber the way I see him is kind of a goof. He doesn't act correctly in class, he never understands what he's doing, he can't get the simple things done, and he just messes up all the time. But the way the author constructs his story, you feel sorry for him, and feel like even though he's always messing up, Thurber is really a good guy and smart too. I think in his story Thurber just wasn't really the strict and "stream-lined" student his teachers expected and maybe Thurber just wasn't cut out for that kind of education. When they did their marching drills, or look through their microscopes, etc. Thurber couldn't function like the other students and he somewhat failed in the eyes of his university I think. But, the university I think didn't live up to Thurber's expectations because they weren't the easy and nice classes he expected. I think Thurber just wasn't prepared in his mentality to handle this and was still growing really. These mentalities meant Thurber never exactly fit in or did his work correctly, but he almost did. Eventually he succeeds after he's really tried and worked hard, he finishes his classes and graduates, which I think is the theme of the story.
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