Black Boy Capítulo cuatro

After reading the fourth chapter in Black Boy, and having time to thnk about the question, why Richard felt gratified after sharing his writing, I concluded that I still don't really know. The only things that I could think of is that when you share something that you've created with someone, and you see that they may not understand, but are at least pondering and thinking about it, then that is gratifying. They are considering the work you created worthwhile. I think Richard is also proud of the fact that this was a piece of literature that he made up and it was still bomb.com (Maggie).We already know from previous chapter that Richard was enchanted by the stories Ella told him about, and how he kind of forgot about the real world and merged into a fictional one. After going through so much with his childhood and the religious pressures that were being put upon him during this time, he kind of just wrote something that got him away from this world, and became a part of that fictional one and in result he created a work of art that he enjoyed and had love for. Other than that, I'm stumped on why else he could have been gratified. I think there may be a tie in with the whole chapter having to do with religion and how it was being forced upon him; I don't think it lacks importance.

Black Boy Capítulo tres

Chapter three of Black Boy was very interesting. We were presented the question of what Wright's response was to his mother's paralysis. I thought that maybe Richard's fright of the "ghost" in the bedroom may have been heightened by the fact that he was scared of death because his mother was so close to it. He was afraid she would die, and maybe the thought of dying and death made him even more frightened of the idea that this boy had died in his room. Wright talks about how his mother's paralysis set the tone for him emotionally, how he associated her suffering with many negative things such as hunger, ignorance, poverty, and helplessness. He grew somber in spirit and began to examine things that should have been joyous more closely. But overall, this experience made him more observative, grown-up, skeptical, and critical.

Black Boy Capítulo dos

After reading the second chapter of Black Boy, Lamags wanted us to answer the question of why Wright doesn't like the Jewish community, and why he believes that it is his cultural heritage to dislike them. I think one of the large aspects of the problem is the fact that there is a religious association with the prejudice. Wright's grandmother was an impassioned religious woman who enforced religion in their home. Now religion in the black community is strongly believed in and practiced. By not only going to church, but by listening to his grandmother, Wright is getting both sources to tell him that it was the Jews who killed Jesus. Since religion is an important part of the black culture, it is accepted and believed what the Bible says. In scripture, it says that it was the Jews who turned their backs on Jesus and had him crucified. With this association with Jews killing Christ, Wright believed that this applied to all jews, which have them a negative connotation. This is the reason Wright isn't kind to the Jewish shopkeeper. This is the only parallel that I could draw from the question, but I am probably missing out on something important, but I don't know what it is.

Black Boy Capítulo uno

After reading the first chapter of Black Boy our class was presented with the question asking why Richard was hungry. In this point of the book, Richard’s father has left he and his family. His father was the family’s only source of income; making him the breadwinner. Without him, Richard’s remaining family consisting of his mother, and younger brother, didn’t have any money. And as we all know, without money there is no food. Richard’s mother doesn’t have a job, and can’t provide food for her children. Richard had more or less had food in his presence whenever he needed it before his father left, and now that he is gone there is nothing to eat. So he is really feeling the intensity of hunger. This results in the family becoming entrenched deeper and deeper into poverty. With this poverty and no food to eat, the family goes hungry.

No school!

After reading the article against school, I have to agree with many of the points the author made. I think people are capable of being educated individuals without going to school. The author uses the example of historical figures within American culture who never, or received a small amount, of schooling. They were some of the greatest minds in American history. Though I was homeschooled, I have been around a lot of public schools, or have a lot of friends who have gone, or are currently attending, a public school. What i've observed is that many of the teachers aren't doing their jobs. They don't have the students best interest in mind and aren't challenging them. Many of my friends are bored with their classes and hate going to a place where they're being taught at. They aren't really learning the material, only memorizing it enough to pass a test. So why are they being forced to attend a schooling system where it's not really benefitting them? They could be out in the world learning about how to deal with people, difficult situations, being exposed to different cultures and ideas. But in our society today I think it's almost impossible to get anywhere without an education through the schooling system we've set up in our country. People are looked down upon for not attending college. They are considered lazy or not intelligent enough. But sometimes not everyone is going to be good at school, so why force it?

Gettin Dat Edjamacation Homie!

I strongly feel like I learn so much outside of school then in the actual school. Well, not all the time, but most times. Like in my AP English class I am always learning something new because I'm presented with many new ideas from different people. Not necessarily different culturally, but mentally and demographically. Not to be a suck up, but Lamags basically teaches us how to view things in our world critically, interpreting ideas that the media or anyone has. i can't look at a commercial, ad, or anything without thinking HHWLT (How the Hell Would Lamags Think?). And I think that is important because I can actually apply what I've learned from class and use it in the real world. But that doesn't happen with every class. That's why I feel I learn more doing non-academic activities. I'm out in the real world, dealing with real people, being influenced by all of these different ideas, attitudes, and mentalities. I think that sports is also more meaningful because they really do teach teamwork, and getting along with other people, even when you don't like them. (Even though our team is like all BFF's...kinda). And I think that's an important aspect to have because you may be working somewhere that you love and there is that one annoying person that you are forced to work with all the time, but you can learn to be cordial for the greater goal of the whole company.

Las presentaciones numero dos

everyone that presented today did a very good job and their presentations were very insightful. I like Eli (Puppy)'s presentation and how he talked about Costco. They stress the idea of their consumers buying their products in bulk. It definitely is a better deal for your dollar because you get more and pay less (man shouldn't I be a saleswoman...ha ha..jay kay?). it also appeals to larger families. I wasn't kidding when I said my friend is one of 12 and they shop there because they get to buy a lot for less in order to feed many people.
Shifting gears, Ethan's presentation was really good as well (no matter how lengthy). I lov4ed what he said about the Keystone Mall. They definitely target a specific type of people that they want at their mall. When I'm there I also feel like I have to be quite and like dress up if I go there. The movie theatre there is like really really nice. You can buy the regular popcorn and candy and junkfood, but you can also purchase like hummus, pita chips, and and VitaminWater. As far as in the mall, Ethan brought up a good point about the walkways. It's just interesting because I never would have thought about the width in which a walkway was made, but it's so true. They probably don't want a ton of people there, but a minimal amount of consumers who got dough. They play this relaxing music throughout the store that kind of demands quiet. The end.

Presentación numero uno

First of all I liked doing this project. Seeing all the presentations today was really cool. Most of the images that people chose were just ordinary pictures, but they sent either an explicit or implicit rhetorical strategy. Kendal's presentation was really good. I liked her pictures about West Clay. Even though I personally think West Clay is really cute, I can understand how people can perceive it as creepy because of it's pleasantville/stepford wives feel to it. But besides the fact, West Clay is full of rhetorical strategies. It really targets a specific audience. For starters the houses in the neighborhood are obviously really expensive. Everything is neat, put together, and trim. And I think that's the kind of people they want in their neighborhood; people who can afford their houses as well as keep up the clean cut image of their community. That's the other important factor to the rhetorical strategies West Clay uses. They emphasize a strong sense of community. The houses are really close together and the shops are within walking distance. The neighborhood makes it seem like it's really safe for your kids to roam without having to worry about them. The type of shops that are in the neighborhood are important as well. There's a spa, some nice restaurants, even a place to exercise. There also used to be a grocery store, so that families wouldn't have to go far to get groceries. Probably helps save gas as well. Most of the other presentations today were great as well!

Las Presentaciones

I thought that overall most of the presentations were really thought out, original, and appealed to the class as an audience. I think my favorite commercial was Christina, Tony, Eli, and Jordan's. First of all, putting Eli in the first seen was hilarious. I laughed so hard. But basically all the characters in the commercials were really funny; Tony was a great spokesperson/salesman. I liked how they chose hats as their product to advertise because most do wear hats. I felt I could relate to the very first scene with Eli because he said his head was cold, and God knows it's cold here in Indiana so I understood what he meant by it being cold outside and in need of a hat to wear. I also thought that showing different scenarios of when you would need a hat because it made me as a viewer think "gosh well a hat can go with everything", and make me want to buy a hat for any occasion. the viewer is also bombarded with the name of the store ( i forgot what it was) like a million times, so the if someone actually saw this one T.V. and it aired frequently, then they would become familiar with the name and it would become ingrained in their minds. Great commercial kids!

Party Barn Article

This article was interesting. It's crazy how they like said they say their brand is a state of mind and try to make it the customers state of mind. That's kind of scary, like i never would have thought about that before...a store like getting into your mind to make you come back and buy their products. With the statistics the article gives you about how much money Pottery Barn makes, it's evident that people like their stuff. The example the article gives about the newly wed couple who is searching for a bed and buys one from Pottery Barn, and then like buys the end tables, quilt, and candlesticks because they all match with the style of their house. It's kind of alarming to see how much power and control one company has over an individual and like makes them want to come back for everything else that may match their other pieces of furniture. I guess that is a part of big business though, if the quality is great and top of the line, then people are going to come back no matter how pricey it is. If they can't get it right then and there they will always law-a-way it, or at least save up to get that desired item.

ARE YOU TRYING TO SEEL ME SOMETHING HOMIE?

Usually the places where I shop for clothing (Wal-Mart, Target, Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, Good Williams, D.E.M.O, etc) attempt to lure me in to buy things ALWAYS have HUGE sale signs. And the signs are usually in bright colors so that they stand out in the store. They also try and send their goonies out after me to "make sure I'm finding everything okay", but in reality they try to form this like tight little in store employee/customer bond where they show me where their sale stuff is. They also try and put their like sale items in the very front of the store, so that when you walk in you see the cute, cheap clothing. Sometimes I shop at Hollister and they usually try to sell their perfume by attacking me with its scent (which ever way works best for you buddy). I shop at Kroger and Wal-Mart for my food, and Kroger has a Kroger Plus Card so that you can get discounts on certain products. When I'm in the store i usually look for stuff that has the sign of the card so that I know i'm going to get a discount and will by the product.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBAAAAAAAAAAAL?

So I watched the Super Bowl, well not really, my mom just called me downstairs for the commercials. The first commercial I watched was an AT&T commercial. Basically there was this dad who was away traveling on like business or something, and his little daughter and wife were at home. He would send them picture messages of something of the cool sites he was passing. Finally at the end of the commercial the dad returns home from his trip and the little girl meets him at the door and they hug. This commercial appealed to pathos by showing the young daughter and like how she seemed to miss her dad. So when I watched it I was like awww. But I think the logic of the commercial was that you can still keep in contact with your loved ones even if your away.
The other commercial I watched was a salesgenie.com. It was a cartoon about this distressed man who was being ferociously yelled at by his boss about not being able to boost his sales up. So the man types in his computer geniesales.com and it helps him to boost his sales. At the end of the commercial he's getting an award at this award ceremony with a lot of people. This commercial drew me in because it was a cartoon and so it made me want to watch it. And then I think the logic behind the commercial was that if you use this website and boost your sales then you could possibly be awarded. I don't know I think that's what it meant or something along those lines, but I actually don't really understand the point of it. Confusion. Kay Bye!

El debate de Ingles

The debate our class had over Jean Kilbourne's Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt, was interesting. I definantely got a perspective of some of my fellow classmates' vantage point of Killbourne's arguement. I understood a certain point about how Kilbourne doesn't really talk about how men are also exploited and objectified. I actually kind of agree with what he was saying because Kilbourne doesn't really acknowledge men and how they are objectified, she focus's on that for like a sentence. But I don't think that was the point of her argument, so that's where I have to disagree with that. She was saying that though men are objectified, women are more than men. Ads portray men overpowering women a lot more with slogans and pictures that encourage violence through physical abuse and rape.
Another point was made about how none of this even mattered and that these ads don't influence people what so ever. But that's not true, the true examples Kilbourne used about the girl's legs being rubbed to check and see if she was shaving, and the girl who was held down by boys who simulated sex. Maybe if people don't sit there and stare at the ads for like an hour doesn't mean they are being affected by it. When a person sees something over and over sometimes they think it might be okay. There was an ad that Kilbourne used about this guy who had all these girl's on him. Like even though someone might not think about it, a lot of guys that I know are like this. They either cheat all the time or have this idea of being a player to be like a real man.
I felt that this debate was important to have, but at the same time people need to stop getting so hostile during them. I was like well dang! I kind of got tired of the subject towards the end because people kept reiterating the same points.