America the Beautiful

America the Beautiful: What We're Fighting For by Dinesh D'Souza could easily be my favorite piece of writing we have read this semester. D'Souza flawlessly combines a serious topic with satire, making this an enjoyable read. 

D'Souza made so many interesting points, things I've never thought of. The first thing that jumped out at me was on pg. 769 where he wrote about how Americans can't win something if they have no idea why they're fighting. And later on he mentions that Americans cannot succeed if they don't believe they are fighting for good. The only thing I would add to that is to say that not only do we have to know what we're fighting for, we have to be united in what we're fighting for. 

 Another thing he wrote about that I found fascinating is why the fundamental Islamic world hates western culture. He wrote that American culture "allows for the shaping of your own life" and in contrast Islam relies heavily upon Allah to predict the path their life takes. Fundamentalists believe that western culture is perverting the ways of Islam. They hope that by removing American troops they'll be able to eliminate western influence and hold true to the Koran. 

I really enjoyed this piece. I enjoyed it so much I made my parents read it. They loved it too:)

Research Modes

 Proposition/opposition pieces allow the write to write both views of what is usually a controversial issue. The first half is usually written for argument A and the second portion is usually to argue point B. In the conclusion the writer expresses what viewpoint they take. 

A descriptive piece should create a vivid image of a person, place or an idea. This form of writing relies more heavily on detail that draws on all of the senses. This enables the reader to tap into the writers sense. 

Click here for more modes of writing.

After talking with Chelsea, I decided I'll most likely write my research paper in the descriptive mode of writing

Constitution Research

Websites:

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50 Questions About the Constitution

1. Why was it written?

2. How long did it take to write it?

3. Where was it written?

4. Who wrote the actual document?

5. Who approved it?

6. Who signed it?

7. Was it debated?

8. Which country was the first to recognize it?

9. Is this the oldest/youngest constitution?

10. How many Americans have actually read it?

11. Do we still uphold what it?

12. What influenced it?

13. How many languages has it been translated into?

14. Why is it important?

15. Why is it unimportant?

16. Who does it affect?

17. Is it effective?

18. Is it still relevant to modern society?

19. What kind of pen was it written with?

20. Did the writer get writer's cramp?

21. How many drafts were written?

22. Is it the most famous document in the world?

23. Are there any spelling mistakes?

24. What was omitted?

25. Why was it omitted?

26. Did the founding father's regret omitting anything?

27. Which other countries have been affected by it?

28. How is it being preserved?

29. Is there a map on the back?

30. How many presidents actually knew what it said?

31. Is it overlooked in today's government?

32. Where is it today?

33. Did the founding fathers know the change it would bring worldwide?

34. How would they react to what we've done with it today?

35. How big is it?

36. How many words does it have?

37. Monetarily, how much is it worth?

38. Are there any urban legends about it?

39. Has it ever been stolen?

40. Who was the oldest person to sign it?

41. How specific is it?

42. Was it meant for open interpretation?

43. How were the signers chosen?

44. Who was the youngest person to sign it?

45. Could it have been generated in any other land?

46. Which building was it signed in?

47. Did any of the signers return to live in Europe?

48. Did John Locke's ideology have an impact on it?

49. How many signers were there?

50. How long did it take England to find out it was written?

Grammar: Thesaurus

A thesaurus is not a dinosaur. If it was it would be a pretty conceded dinosaur. THEsaurus. I think thesaurus usage is overlooked by most students especially in academic writing. I have found that writing with the use of a thesaurus has immensely affected my writing. I now find that I can't even write a paper without a thesaurus, because I'm constantly trying to think of ways to jazz up my papers. The simplest way to lure a reader is through interesting word choice.

If you're still convinced the thesaurus is a dinosaur click here.

Breather Assignment Topic

I picked a song by, the eccentric musical mastermind, Sufjan Stevens entitled the "The Upper Peninsula" off of his album Greetings from Michigan. 

Serving in Florida and Framing Class

I never cease to be amazed by the content of this text book. Wow. The readings this week were amazing! Both authors brought light to issues that are usually acknowledged with a shrug and a sigh of "That's life." I think sometimes we take our liberties for granted and don't fully understand the capacity we are endowed with as American citizens. 

The first piece entitled Serving in Florida by Barbara Ehrenreich gave the reader amazing insight into the life of someone trying to attain the American dream under seemingly impossible conditions. I think the reason this piece is so effective is because of the mass amount of imagery Ehrenreich uses to describe virtually everything. I could actually visualize myself in every setting she described. I thought this was an interesting experiment. One that I personally would not want to embark on. I think the reason Ehrenreich decided to conduct such a ludicrous experiment was because she could. Nearing the end of the piece Ehrenreich says "I had gone into this venture in the spirit of science[...]but somewhere along the line, in the tunnel vision imposed by long shifts and relentless concentration, it became a test of myself, and clearly I have failed." The most important thing Ehrenreich accomplished through writing this piece is to allow the reader to question the remains (if any) of someone who has spent their life chasing the dollar. 

The second piece, Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption by Diana Kendall was genius in it's purest form. Research has actually proven that TV is an excellent form of mind programming, which is just an ornate way of saying mind control. TV is effective because of the hypnotic state it lulls us into, this causes our right brain to take over, completely diminishing our cognitive and analytical thinking. It's no surprise that class framing has been found lurking in media, we were so mesmerized by Ryan Seacrests dazzling smile to even notice, or care. Kendall nicely summarizes her thoughts in the last paragraph by saying "Some analysts believe that the media amuse and lull  audiences rather than stimulating them to think, but we must not become complacent, thinking that everthing is all right as our society and world become increasingly divided between the 'haves' and 'have nots.'" The frightening reality is we are complacent.