Essay 5

Looking Back
Writing has never been something that has come easy to me. Ever since I could remember I have struggled to piece together a coherent paper. All through high school and my first year of college I really struggled to write. Even today I dread writing papers, but after taking this class I feel like my writing has improved a lot. This class has helped me recognize my skills as a writer, as well as the areas I need to improve on. In this essay I will discuss my strengths and weaknesses as a reader, writer and critical thinker, as well as discuss my experience in this class and what I have gotten out of taking this class.
Before taking this class I would have said I have zero skills in reading, writing and critical thinking. Now I think a little differently about myself. I have realized that my skill as a writer is being creative and relating the writing to my life. I was only able to achieve this by being a critical thinker. I would read the stories assigned with an objective mindset. Critically thinking about the stories in an unbiased way truly allowed me to elaborate on how these stories that seemed so distant could truly relate to my life. I’ve also become better at reading a story and talking about how I feel, instead of re-telling the story. Before this class I had a tendency to summarize what I had read instead of telling about how it impacted me. Now I am able to read a story with a critical mindset, and answer the questions being asked correctly.
Although I have improved tremendously this last semester as a reader, writer and critical thinker, I still think there are a few areas I struggle with. Something I believe I can continue to improve on is writing my essays more fluidly and freely. I tend to get into a pattern of writing that is very rigid and boring, when I could be writing my essays a little more colorfully. Although I mentioned I’ve improved on reading stories and thinking about them critically, I think I could get even better at that. Sometimes I forget to read stories with an open mind and I make biases on them. I need to remember to keep an open mind while reading stories so I can give the best response possible in my essays. Overall, I think the number of things I need to improve on has decreased since I’ve taken this class.
I really enjoyed this class this semester. I liked how we got a good amount of notice before an essay was due. This gave me time to manage my schedule and find the right amount of time to write a good essay. I also really appreciated how we got more time to write an essay if we didn’t get it in on-time. One of my biggest problems in life is procrastination, so this leniency helped me a lot and I appreciated getting a second chance. I wouldn’t change anything about the course, I thought it was well put together and I got a lot out of it.

Essay 4

Family Loyalties
One of the most beautiful things about the world is that every different part of the world has a different culture. Different cultures are wonderful, and something in one culture can mean something completely different in another culture. However like all wonderful things, culture has its drawbacks as well. In the Japanese culture they have something called filial piety, which means that the children of a family are to help pay off the family’s debt before they can pursue their own dreams. Here in America, this sort of tradition would be frowned upon. As Americans we believe in “for each his own” and that people should be responsible for their own debt and that we should be free to follow whatever dream we please. In the book, All I Asking For Is My Body by Milton Murayama, Toshio and Kiyoshi do not get to pursue their dreams. Their parents have an extreme amount of debt, and their Japanese decent means that they believe in filial piety. In this essay I will discuss Toshio and Kiyoshi’s outlooks on filial piety as well as why I think Toshio and Kiyoshi should and should not be responsible in helping their family get out of debt.
Toshio and Kiyoshi are the oldest two sons out of five children in their family. As the oldest sons, they are held mainly responsible for helping the family pay off their large debt. Kiyoshi is more soft-spoken and feels obliged to help his family get out of debt. Toshio has a whole different perspective on the matter. He feels like he should be able to follow his dreams and that the family debt is not his debt so he should not have to work to pay it off. The two boys are pulled from school and asked to work on a plantation to make money. The labor is grueling, and day by day the boy’s lives slip away from them. Toshio is upset because he wanted to go to school, but he is forced to work to pay off his parent’s debt. Kiyoshi is more obedient in the matter. He wants to be a good son, and he keeps his inner conflicts silent. Although the two boys have completely different perspectives on the matter, I do not think either of them is wrong in how they feel. I believe they both have valid points.
Siding with Toshio first, I believe he should be angry that he is forced to quit school to make money for his parents. There is a fine line between helping pay the debt, and doing all the work to pay off the debt. I believe that Toshio and Kiyoshi’s parents take advantage of their children. They know their children are younger and more capable of doing more intense labor, and they push and take advantage of their sons. I can understand if a family wants help in paying the bills, but the sons should not be the only ones responsible in doing the work. Also, Toshio and Kiyoshi’s parents expect their children to pay off debt that was accumulated before their sons were even born. I think this is absolutely unjust. I could understand if the parents wanted help paying off the debt that they accumulated while the boys were young, but forcing them to work to pay off debt that started before they were even brought into this world is just plain wrong. I think Toshio has a valid point in being upset and not wanting to help his parents because the parents are going about this issue unfairly. They are using guilt to force their kids to put aside their own goals and ambitions and work towards something that will not even benefit their life in the long run. For this reasons I side with Toshio on this matter.
However, Kiyoshi takes a stance on the extreme opposite side of the issue. He feels indebted to his parents and that he should help pay off the debt in any way possible. I believe that what he doing is correct too. Our parents spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on us during the time in our life where we are too young to provide for ourselves. They feed us, bathe us and put a roof over our heads. I can understand why Kiyoshi feels he should do what he can to pay off his parent’s debt. He feels like they have done so much for him thus far in life and the least he can do to repay them is to help pay off the debt. If our parents do so much for us when we are children, it is only fair that we repay them when we grow old enough to do so.
After taking into account both boys’ arguments, I think I would side with Toshio. Although I think he could find a small way to help with his parent’s debt, I understand his perspective better. One reason I think I agree with Toshio is because of the culture I grew up in. My parents gave me everything I needed to succeed thus far, however they would never pressure me to pay them back. Although I get the occasional nagging from my father to get a job, my parents do not pressure me and guilt trip me about the debt they have. Granted the American culture is much different than the Japanese culture, I think everyone should be able to pursue their dreams and should not be held back by debt that isn’t even theirs. Toshio is strong willed and I believe that he is doing the right thing by being upset about having to quit school to pay off debt. He should not be asked to stop pursuing his dreams because his parents cannot pay off their debt themselves. The only loophole I find in this is that his parents may have been asked to pay off their parents’ debt when they were Toshio and Kiyoshi’s age. In that case, I could understand why Kiyoshi feels indebted to his parents and I could understand why their parents put so much pressure on them to help pay it.
Overall I would say no, Toshio and Kiyoshi should not be responsible for paying the family’s debt. Everyone should be able to follow their dreams and Kiyoshi and Toshio are no exception. I believe the guilt their parents are placing on them is unfair. I understand that the Japanese culture is much different, but that does not mean that I agree with it. I do see where Toshio and Kiyoshi’s parents are coming from but I believe that they are taking the culture a little too far and distorting it to their advantage. Although Kiyoshi is correct in his actions as well, I would side with Toshio and say that they should not be responsible for paying off the family’s debt.

Essay 4 draft

Should Toshio and Kiyoshi be responsible for their family's debt?

Toshio and Kiyoshi both come from the Japanese culture and Their families pay attention to tradition very much. They say you must be loyal and devoted to your family, in other words to be filial; which means to be a good son. A way to be a good son is to live on your parents plantation, work all day, and bring home money to them to pay off their parents debts or their own debt. I believe that it is not their responsibility to work all day to pay off someone else's debt. I feel like the parents are basically using their kids physically because they can not work as hard as them, so they are using them to work. I just don't think that is right, especially when you feel like you have to set aside your dreams and put your own life on hold. Toshio's parents are in debt because of themselves, and Toshio doesn't really believe in following the rules for being a good son. Toshio does not believes that in order to be a good son you have to pay your parents debt. Kiyoshi's family is in debt because of his grandfather. Kiyoshi is known as a good son and follows the tradition of their culture. He joined the military and was able to give his family the money to pay off their parents debt. I just really feel like the person who made the debt should be the one who has to work to pay it off!

All I Asking For Is My Body Part 3 Dialogue

What is the meaning of the title?

In the japanese culture they say you must be loyal and devoted to your family, in other words to be filial; which means to be a good son. The way to do this is to live with your parents and work everyday on that planation bascially as a slave to make money and bring it home to your parents so they can use it to pay off their parents debt! This is a tradition passed down from generation to generation. And this is what kiyo has to go through because his parents don't believe in breaking tradition.

I think the title of this book has a couple meanings. I believe that when he says, "All i want is my body" he is referring to freedom! I feel like he wants to make his own decisons in life, which he does not get to do, he wants to move out of his parents house and go to school, and start a family.But i also believe that he is talking about his own body, because it seems like that is all he has left! Mainly because he is physically worn out, working long hours and getting paid really nothing! I just couldnt even imagine putting my dreams behind me to work all day and try to pay off his parents debt!

Smoke Signals

Forgiveness
Forgiveness is something that comes easy to some and hard to others. Most people struggle with the thought of forgiving someone, especially when they don’t ask for forgiveness. In the movie “Smoke Signals”, Victor’s father Arnold leaves his family when Victor is still a young boy. Victor is enraged that his father has left the family and his absence shapes the person that Victor becomes. Before Victor’s father leaves, his father is very abusive towards his wife and son, and is very dependent on alcohol. Victor resents his father and is embarrassed by his outbursts of drunken domestic violence. Then, eight years since Victor has seen his father, he finds out that he has died. As he embarks on a journey to Arizona to pick up his father’s remains, he learns that forgiveness is about more than just forgiving the person that hurt you most. Forgiveness is important in the movie “Smoke Signals” because it brings Victor closer to his old friend Thomas which in turn lets him learn about his father’s other side, and sets himself free from all the pain he has been holding in for so long.
When Victor hears of his father’s death, he knows he needs to find a way to get to Arizona to pick up his father’s body and belongings. However, Victor does not have enough money to do so. His friend Thomas Builds-the-Fire has enough money to make the trip there, and he wants to go along for the ride. Victor is hesitant to let Thomas come because he does not get along with Thomas anymore and does not want to be seen with him. However, the fact that Victor lets Thomas come changes Victor forever. On the trip there Victor learns about another side of his father that he never saw before. This open ups the door for forgiveness. Thomas’s stories show Victor that his father wasn’t all bad, and make him feels like forgiving him will be the next step to getting over his death. Thomas’s stories are important, because they help Victor forgive his father. Victor and Thomas’s new friendship is important for forgiveness because it helps Victor get over the fire that happened when they were young. Deep down Victor blames Thomas for his father’s downfall because he did not start abusing his wife and drinking heavily until after the fire. Victor lets his guard down and begins to form a new friendship with Thomas, which shows that with forgiveness comes friendship.
Thomas’s stories about Victor’s father give Victor insight to another side of his father that he never knew. Thomas portrays Arnold as a kind man with good intentions, but Victor remembers him as a monster that beat his wife and liked drinking and his truck more than his son. As Thomas describes the day that he walked to Spokane Falls looking for a sign, and realizing that Arnold was his sign, Victor sees his father in a whole new light. Perhaps the most symbolic part of the movie that displays Victor’s forgiveness towards his father is when he gives Thomas half of his father’s ashes. This shows that Victor is ready to forgive his father’s years of abuse and help put him to rest with the one person that knew the side of his father that he wishes he knew. The forgiveness of his father and of his friend help Victor connect deeply with Thomas and with himself.
Last but not least, forgiveness is important in this story because it gives Victor a chance to set himself free. His father’s abuse and then absence turned Victor into a tightly-wound, closed-off individual. The fact that his father was very loving one minute and very abusive the other makes Victor skeptical to trust anyone or anything. As he learns about his father, he begins to forgive himself as well. Going to his father’s residence and finding a family photo really makes Victor re-evaluate his father. He realizes that his father’s biggest downfall was cowardice, and that it was not that he didn’t love him and his mother, but that he could not fix the damage he already created. This makes Victor realize that he does not want to be the same way, and he does not want to create damage that he cannot fix. In the same moment he forgives his father, his life changes for the better. He realizes that he cannot be bitter about it any longer, and that his father was not a bad man after all. His father just got caught too far down the wrong path, and this makes Victor stops in his tracks and turn around forever.
Overall, Victor’s road to forgiveness was a long process, and one that was put off for too long. However, since he waited so long to grant forgiveness of his father it is more meaningful when it actually happens. Victor’s forgiveness brings him closer to someone who used to be a close friend, Thomas, and lets him see another side to his father. Ultimately, forgiveness is important in this story because it lets Victor finally become the person he was destined to be. As he lets go of all the anger and resentment, he finally grows as a person and sees things in a less convoluted light.

All I Asking For Is My Body, Part 2 Dialogue

Why Does Kiyoshi believe Obaban is a substitute for his mom?
I think that Kiyoshi believes Obaban is a substitute for his mom because his mother is very superstitious. I think that he feels like Obaban is living the life that his own mother should be living. Kiyoshi's mother had so many different superstitions, like only scooping out the rice twice from the bowl and putting it into the individual bowl, because she believed that double scooping protected the family from seeing a second mother, and that means that your first mother wont die or run away or leave. she also believed that number 4 was bad luck because it is pronounced "shi," which meant four or death.This brings up when her husband turned 42 she was very worried because 42 was pronounced "shi-ni" which had the same sound as "shi-ni-iku" which means to go to die. But the father didn't believe in any of those superstitions. One of her main superstitions were, that she thought she was a substitute for someone else's sin.
Kiyoshi's mother is in the hospital due to fainting and is sick from having all her teeth pulled out. So Kiyoshi decides to go get Obaban whom is a very close family friend. While Kiyoshi's mother is in the hospital father is home taking care of chores and all that stuff. After a while with mother still being sick in the hospital, father shows up at Kiyoshi's school to tell him something. Kyioshi is very nervous at this point because his father never comes to his school and is worried that the news might be about his mother. Come to find out that it wasn't his mother it was Obaban who died of a stroke! At that moment he was so happy because he believed that Obaban was the substitute for his mothers death. Crazy!

Rules for Writers Chapter 17!!

This week I choose to write about chapter 17. Its title is Choose appropriate language. This caught my eye because I know im my own writing I use slang, and not the write use of language. It says when your writing in in a particular genre such as; reports, informal essays, memos, and so on, you should look at examples by experts in that field. A main point that they talked about was staying away from “jargons.” Which is a specialized language used among members of a trade, profession, or group. Jargon is mainly used to impress readers not to inform them. They are often hard to read and very wordy. They talked about avoiding invented words (also called neologisms) these are words that are to recently created to be part of standard English. For example, Bling and techno babble are invented words that might not last, and printout and flextime are no longer invented words, because hey have become standard English. Stay away from slang, regional expressions and nonstandard English. Slang is informal and used by teenagers, hip hop artists, or football fans. Some slang words are; cool, neat, duh, phat, awesome, and sweet. Chapter 17 talked about avoiding sexist language, which stereotypes or demeans men or women. Using nonsexist language is a matter of courtesy or respect. Also I learned to revise language that may offend groups of people, or negative stereotypes like; “drives like a teenager” or haggard as an old crone.” avoid these types of writing habits to stay positive.
I learned some very helpful tips in this chapter became like I said before I know for a fact that I use slang words when I write. And I learned a lot of ways to stay away from that so this is definitely help me with my future writing.

Rules for Writers Chapter 16

This week i read chapter 16, it's title was wordy sentences. This caught my eye because, i feel like i can really learn from this chapter. I thikn i use to many words in one simgle sentence. The first thing they talked about tightening uo wordy sentences. The right way to tighten up a sentence is to, tighten it up without a loss of meaning. They said that there is know need to say same thing twice (redundancies.) Also to avoid repetition of words, because it seems awkward. Antoher good point tjhey talked aboutis cutting out inflated phrases for example; "in my opinion", "i think that", and so on. You can reduce inflated words to a concise word, make the sentences more compact. Its good to simplify the structure, like strengthingthe verb in the sentence. Talked about watching out for colorlessverbs at beginning of your sentences like; is, are, was, and were.
I just really think this chapter will help me and im glad i choose to read it and learn about it. i feel like my sentences are sometimes confusing and need to be tighened up, and now that i read this i have good tips to keep in mind!

All I Asking For Is My Body, Part I

All I Asking For Is My Body, is told by a 4th grade boy named Kiyoshi Oyama. He is Japanese, and lives in Pepelau, Hawaii. Kiyoshi speaks many languages including English. He has an older brother who is 3 years older than him, and is in 7th grade. To different family members, friends, being at school , or rough housing around with his brother; Kiyoshi uses all different languages to speak to them. To his parnets he speaks formal Japanese, in school he speaks formal English, he speaks pidgin when he is talking to his friends, and he speaks pidgin Japanese when he is playing around with his brother saying inappropriate comments so his grandparenst dont understand what he is saying. Kiyoshis family grew up very poor, not afording shoes, bikes, or even a simple toy. But that wasnt important to them, they were proud of the way they were brought up and how they spent their money. A good example of this is when Kiyoshi would always hang out with his friend Makoto, and be at his house all the time. Makoto's family has money and can aford a car, bikes, and even extra money for Makoto to treat his friends. Kiyoshi's mother does not like how that makes her son look. She ordered him to not go over his house anymore becasue poeple may start to see him as a hoitobo (which is a baggar) or a chorimbo ( which is lower than a baggar.) People may think this becasue Kiyoshi goes over to Makoto's house to eat corned beef, onions and other food not made in his own home. Where Kiyoshi's family eats three times a day, and eats fish and rice. There was also an incident where Kiyoshi's father had a say in why he could not hang out with Makoto. I guess it was Makoto's idea to take coconuts which were not theirs and to sell them at the market. When Kiyoshi's father found this out he said that was stealing and to be smart and basically not be a follower. So then on Kiyoshi was not allowed to hang out with his friend Makoto.

“This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”

The biggest difference from the movie and the written version would be in the opening of the movie, which was the fire scene, because in the written version thst scene was not in it. i really liked how the movie started with their childhood; it gave me very good information, and shows good details on how the boys grew up. i think that the scene and how Arnold couldn't save his friends from the fire was a big impact in the movie. It gave him guilt and i think led him in thr wrong way to becoming an alcoholic. Who also left his wife and son at a very young age. I just think that in the written version without that scene i wouldn't have really understood the movie. that scene made it way more dramatic, and you could feel the heartbreak in the movie where you couldn't feel it in the written version. With that fire it changed those boys' life's dramatically. they both had to grow up with no father figure and both had many of the same problems but dealt with them in different ways.
Another difference to me bewteen the movie and the written version was how they so differently protruded Victor and Thomas's relationship. in the movie Victor was annoyedand didnt understand Thomas and in the written version it didn't seem like their relationship was that bad. In the movie they took a bus ride, which they would of had to be around each other for a long time and got a chance to talk about their feelings and time to start a bond an a understanding of each other. While in the written version they took a plane, which wouldn't give them barley anytime to bond and start a relationship.So i really would prefer the movie over the written version becasuse it gave me a clearer understanding of the story.

Smoke Signal

The movie Smoke Signal is about two boys named Victor and Thomas, who are very similar in a lot of ways in which they have no idea. Victors father Joseph actually saved Thomas when he was little from a burning down house where Thomas parents actually died because they did not get out in time. Even though Joseph was a hero in that situation, he was very abusive to victors mother, was an alcoholic and left his family when victor was very young. After victor hearing that his father had passed away from a heart attack he had to go to Arizona to get his fathers ashes. He had no money and no way to get there until he thought about Thomas. So Thomas agreed and wanted to go on the road trip. Prior to this road trip these two boys did not have a strong relationship. Victor was very to himself while Thomas was very outgoing , friendly and loved to tell stories. Victor thought that Thomas was very annoying and weird. But through out the road trip and being together so much they began to understand each other and became friends. In the end victor even gives Thomas some of his fathers ashes and I think that was a huge part in the story because that was very thoughtful and brave to me what victor had done. Thomas was very thankful for victor doing that because of what victors father did for him! I really like how they became friends because I know how they is when you really are annoyed by someone and you don’t even know them. And than when you get the chance to really be around that person and get to know them your whole idea of them and relationship can change I like that!!

Rules for Writers..Chapter 51

This week I read chapter 51, which was about managing information and avoiding plagiarism. They were talking about being a good researcher, and a good record keeper. They talked about different ways of managing information, having a working bibliography, good source of materials, taking notes and not plagiarizing (which is stealing from your sources.) They talked about making a good bibliography, which should contain more sources than you will actually use in your work cited. When looking for web sources, for example sometimes all of the information will not be on the main home page, but you shouldn’t include any information that is not on it itself. A good way of keeping track of your source materials is photocopying them or printing them out. When taking notes you really need to make sure not to unintentionally plagiarize. A good tip for that is to resist not to look at the source as you take notes, except when you are quoting. They talked about summarizing without plagiarizing, which is like reducing a whole chapter to a short paragraph , or reducing a short paragraph to a single sentence., but writing it in your own words. Paraphrasing without plagiarizing they talked about. They talked about using quotation marks, which is a very good way to avoid plagiarism. Quotation is the EXACT same words form the source, even the punctuation and capitalization.
I really feel like this is a good chapter to focus on or read on your won because a lot of students don’t know how important it is not to plagiarize. I also think that when students do they sometimes do know that they are really doing it. After reading his chapter it actually really helped me. I thought the point they made about writing some sentences summarizing key points of the source will help you out with the bibliography and remembering information.

Response to Mr. Harvey

In this story Mr. Harvey was an English teacher for Lovey and her other classmates. They were located in Hawaii where all the students speak pidgin; which is a English/Hawaiian Creole mix. Mr. Harvey teaches the 5th grade which Lovey is in. He is a very strict teacher and has very unpleasant teaching styles, most of the time in a verbally abusive way to the students. He talks to his students as if they were brought up was wrong and they can never change. He says how they talk is low class and very uneducated. This makes Lovey and guaranteed the other students very ashamed of how they grew up. Lovey is ashamed of where they live, her background, and most of all her family, because of the comments that Mr. Harvey has made to her, making her feel very small and below other students. She talks about wishing her name would be Betty Smith or Debbie Cole, because these were hoalies, which she wishes she was. Hoalie is a term Hawaiians use for white people. One day in class they all have to stand up and say their name and what they want to do when They get older in standard English in front of the class. Jerry gets up and is very nervous and talks very slow but gets through it, now its Loveys turn and Mr. Harvey is rushing her telling her to “cut the crap and stop playing these goddamn plantation games.” Lovey gets up and says “ my name is Lovey…I going be what I like be and nobody better say nothing about it or I kill um.” Mr. Harvey was furious. He tells the class all of them were terrible and they will never stop practicing till they are perfect little Americans. He says “…you need me more than I need you.” Right there he just puts the students down and makes them feel like they are nothing. But in the end Lovey deep down really does think that Mr. Harvey doesn’t try to be mean to them and really wants them to be Americans.
My responses to Mr. Harvey are very negative because I feel like I have had to deal with teachers like him in my past school years. I must say I was a very rebellious kid in high school and had to transfer to a continuation school. Being at that continuation school for 3 years really made me grow up. I had to deal with teachers that already thought we were bad and worthless kids. But dealing with that really made me a stronger person and I feel like this story really relates to me in a lot of ways.

Rules for Writers Chapter 48

Chapter 48 was talking about different argumentative tactics, which are called logical fallacies. They talked about stereotyping. And that we see what we want to see, because we notice evidence confirming our own opinions. They talked a lot about the truth. Analogies are points that are similar between two things that are different. They gave a lot of examples having to do with lawyers and different court systems. There is a reasonable and unreasonable analogy and it’s hard to tell the difference between them to. They talked about causes and effects and how they are so complex. They talked about making assumptions which it is a claim that is taken to be true without proof. All arguments are based on assumptions. But also there are problems with assumptions, like failing to spell out and prove a claim that is controversial. I really like how they gave examples of each thing and each reasoning’s, because it helped me understand it way more. They talked about legitimate and unfair emotional appeals. They have that there is no problem in appealing to readers emotions. All arguments have a lot of issues having to do with emotional issues. They talked about arguments we see in the media they try to win our sympathy rather than our intelligent agreement. After that they talked about opposing views, views of other people, and how to quote opposing views. I learned that when dealing with an argument you need to give both sides of the argument a fair and totally representation also I learned that you need to have very good support and evidence to support your topic.

“Shooting Dad” Dialogue

What is the significance of the title? “Shooting Dad”

In this story I feel as though there are a couple different reasons why the title is what it is. This story is written by a young girl whose passion is art. While her father repairs and builds guns for a living being a gunsmith. Her father always tried to share his passion with his two daughters but only one shared his passion which was the author’s twin sister. While her sister loved to shoot guns, the author has only shot a gun once and that was at age SIX...When her father thought it was time to show the girls how to shoot. He thought as it of trusting them and now thought of them as “big girls.” Her father thinking this, she remembered the experience had only made her feel small, she even said “…it kicked little me back to the ground like a bully, like a foe.” So there is one reason why I think the title is named “shooting dad” it refers to her father and his passion for life.
Later in her years realizing that they will never come to an agreement about their different passions. She decided that she would try to start being a better daughter. She never really understood the reason or what it was about shooting and guns that her dad saw. She decided to spend a little bit of time with her father doing something he liked to do. Her father’s most recent tool that he has been working on for two years was nineteenth-century cannon. This was his biggest project ever because it had a lot to do with his history. The cannon was pretty small as long as a baseball bat and as wide as a coffee can. It was pretty heavy weighing about 110 pounds. She thought that this would be the perfect time to support her dad in something he cared about so much and not even participate in the project. She called him up and told him that she wanted to go with him and as no surprise he thought she was just messing with him. And later that day they were headed to Montana to the Bridger Mountains to shoot off his cannon.
The first Explosion went off and she couldn’t believe it she thought it was really cool. She right away ran to get her tape recorder and helped her father out in her own special way. That whole time they were bonding she was noticing little things about her father where they are so similar and she really liked it. At the end of the story her father explains to his family that when he dies he wants to be cremated and for his family to shoot his ashes from the cannon off the mountain on the opening day of hunting season, and that will be his final goodbye! So right there I think is a very important part where you can tell why the title is called “Shooting Dad.”

Rules for Writers Chapter 47

In this weeks reading we read chapter 47. The first thing they talked about was coming up with a good reasonable argument. People may disagree on some questions, but that is how it is always going to go. When your making a good argument your goal is not just to win the debate, or for you to get the last word in. Your goal is to bring new ideas and add information into the debate, and to explain your own understanding of the truth about the subject that your doing your debate on. There are different ways people view arguments, in a social way and a intellectual way. You need to get your research before you start to prepare for your debate, you need to make sure that you know that the audience doesn’t already agree with you or is on your side. Because you’re the one who needs to make up their minds by what you say. In the introduction you need to state your position on the issue, you need to establish your credibility, which shows them a common ground between you and the audience so your argument is believable. You want to add persuasive sentences through out your argument. Those sentence will help a lot and will strengthen your case. They talked about different ways of stating facts, examples, statistics, and expert opinions. By doing that it will really help your debate. After all this they talk about the opposing arguments. Which to me might be the most important part of your case. You really need to make sure you attempt to review the opposing arguments and counter them because this will help out your side by maybe proving them wrong. You will need to establish your purpose, demonstrate the significance of the issue your debating over, and doing so will strengthen your case!! I remember taking a debate class and it was in the summer so it was a very short class, and we didnt get to learn that much at all. But if i used these tips when i was getting ready for my debate it probably would of helped me out alot. When they were talking about using statistics and expert examples and stuff like, it really does make a different and does strengthen your debate!

“Coming Home Again” Dialogue

Why does the author's mother regret sending him off to a boarding school?
In the story “Coming Home Again” by Chang-rae Lee being a young boy at age fifteen was sent away to boarding school to get a good high school education. Being away for four years and completing his high school education was a proud moment for his mother. As a child he would always be in the kitchen with her, he knew he could not help make the food because she would always shoo them away and it was not the place for him she always had said. He would stay there anyways right by her hip watching her prepare and make the food they were about to eat. I really think she never realized how much she really liked him bothering her in the kitchen until he was gone. I think that she was scared that if he stayed with her and didn’t move away for school that he would not like her. And Change-rae knew that wasn’t the case at all.
While he as gone his mother got very ill and was fighting cancer. When he got back his mother told him that she thinks she made a mistake by sending him away to boarding school. Change-rae wanted to know why it was a mistake and she told him because she didn’t know she was going to die. So I think that is one of the reasons why she regrets sending him away. She didn’t know she was going to die so soon. And her sending him away they lost four years that they could of spent together. After so many months of pain and fighting this illness I really think she realized how much she really missed her only son, and since he was gone for so long she would remember him as that little fifteen year old boy who admired her in that kitchen.

Writing Topic: Rules for Writers chapter 46

Chapter 46 teaches us about the word texts, which means a variety of different works. They talk about annotating, active reading, making a brief outline, summarizing, and analyzing. It teaches us how to engage with our work by writing down questions or thoughts in the margin or in your notebook. This helps you to remember what your thinking , other than letting it slip away. Tells us to read and than re read again to discover the meaning or what your reading. After you do all that you should try to sketch a brief outline of the text. While doing this pay attention to the texts thesis and the topic sentences. Summarizing you want to state the main ideas or key points very simple and briefly. Analyzing you want to examine an image as a whole and break it down so it makes sense overall.
This chapter helped me out because when I read I never really understand what I just read? So I would have to reread it a couple times. Now I learned that it is easier to just write your thought and questions in the margins so you can come back and find the meaning of it and understand what your reading. Trying to make an outline will also help me so I can put things in order and understand it better. So these tips will really help me and I will try them next time I read!

Rules for Writers, Chapters 2 and 3

Chapters two and three really focused on organization and the beginning steps of the writing process. With writing a paper you start with organizing for rough draft. A rough draft is all your materials your using before you even start to write. Such as; your outlines, lists, or free writes etc. On our rough draft you don’t need to worry about it being perfect, this is the time when you can be messy and throwing your information different places to see where it fits. In chapter two they talked about your introduction, which is where your thesis is introduced. Next comes the body of your paper., Which includes the support for your thesis. And lastly comes the conclusion , where the reader should really understand your main points of your paper with out repeating things. After all this its time for revision. They introduce this in Chapter 3. Proofreading is done slow while looking for typos and mistakes. Also having a couple different people read your essay will help because they will find errors that you didn’t. A well proofread essay shows that you value and respect your own writing.
In my past English classes, the writing process was always hard for me to get. I could always come up with so many ideas but I never really known how to put them together right and develop a good paper. When I was reading about how your rough draft doesn’t have to be perfect really helped me because that is what I always tried to do, I know now that it can be messy and I don’t have to be so hard on my self and be so critical. I hope by using this tips I have read will really help my writing skills and I will keep them in mind on my future essays!

My Dad :)

If I could write about anyone in the world, it would be my Dad, Russell Poole. Every kid growing up looked at their dad as if he was superman, my dad would top them all. There is nothing my dad cant do, and I would trust in him with all my heart and he continued to never let me down. He’s tall, big and looks like a Harley Davidson biker , which may make him look intimidating, but once you get to know him he is the nicest man you will ever meet. Through all the hard times in my life, he was always there for me and always cared. No matter what the situation, he always had my back in whatever I did, even if he did not always agree. Which was usually the case, which made me appreciate him even more!

Growing up, Soccer has always been a passion of mine. Since my dad loves my passion for the game and saw how much pride I took in it, he would turn his schedule around from working everyday he could to support on his own four kids and a grandson, to somehow making it to every single game I have ever played. In the game I love looking up and seeing him with his huge tripod camera rooting me on! Here I am now, playing College ball and he still chooses to attend my games. He’s my #1 fan and my best friend; I couldn’t go a day with out seeing him. Their's a special bond between a father and a daughter, and to have such a close relationship with him had changed my throughout the years. I’ve noticed qualities I have gotten from him and I feel so proud to know I an turning out to be half the person he is.

Introduction

Hello Class,
My name is Niki Poole, I've been a resident in petaluma my whole life. After this year it will be my third year at the JC. I take classes at both, the Santa Rosa and Petaluma campus. I'm not sure about my major yet, but it will probably have to do with sports or kids, becasue that is what I enjoy. My first two years at the JC I played for the women's soccer team. My second year playing for them we made it all the way to the championship game and lost in double over time, it was insane! I actually got All-American that year, which I am very proud of. Earlier last semester I was the assistant coach for the girls at the JC, that was an awesome experience. As you can tell soccer is my life!!
I'm working on getting my GE done so I can transfer after summer, so I can play soccer again, and move on to a four year college. I have taken English 100 before but not online so I'm going to try my hardest to stay focused and on top of it, because I really need this class to transfer. Since English is not a very strong subject for me, I would like to come out of this class with better writing skills and have more confidence in my own writing. Good Luck and I cant wait to read everybody's blogs!