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.