Blog #9 assignment

A topic that's been on the news the past few weeks is the law passed in Arizona targeting immigrants. Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona signed the nation's toughest bill on illegal immigration into law. Its aim is to identify, prosecute and deport illegal immigrants. This law has been criticized by President Obama and opposed by millions of people. I deeply oppose this law because I believe everyone is created equal, no matter where they're from or what social class they rank in. Many people believe these hard-working immigrants are criminals. They are not here to take anyone else's jobs. They're working jobs Americans don't want to do. We should support an amnesty for immigrants who come to this country for a better life. They shouldn't be stopped at random in the street just because they look illegal. They, as many others, have families to look out for and support as well. This country is made up of immigrants and without them, I don't think the economy would strive the way it has. This is America, land of the free and land of opportunity.

"Assignment #8--Poems."

"Tell all the truth but tell it slant" by Emily Dickinson can be analyzed with a reader-response criticism. Reader-response criticism focuses on the readers and their experience with a piece of literary work. In this case, I've been familiar with telling nothing but the truth. I think a lot of people have been in a situation where they had to tell nothing but the truth. It's hard for someone to do that because it can affect them in one way or another. Other people can't handle the truth. They're told things they don't want to hear or that might hurt them.

Although this poem is short, it clearly sends a message. For example, "Success in Circuit lies" means that a person tries to avoid telling the truth, just going around in circles telling only lies. "The Truth's superb surprise" means how someone may react to hearing the truth about something. Some people take it in a good way but for others it takes time to accept the truth. In my opinion, "As Lightning to the Children eased" means that the truth should be told straight but with ease. Something can't be explained clear and direct because it can affect another person.

This poem tells the truth on how the truth should be said. Reader's can learn from it and tell nothing but the truth.

Blog #7 assignment

Freddy Urgiles
4/30/10
Dr. Luke Vasileiou
ENG 102

The Things They Carried

People are raised a certain way, but throughout time, they change. Certain events in their life, positive or negative, lead them to some type of transformation. This was the case for First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, who seemed confused most of the time throughout the story “The Things They Carried”. He had illusions in his head which he knew would never become true. He was always thinking about unnecessary things that set his mind off of war. He faced reality and started acting the way he was supposed to, with bravery and determination.
“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien starts off with First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross exchanging letters with a girl named Martha whom he makes believe is in love with him. The letters were mostly chatty, elusive to the matter of love (O’Brien, 392). In his head, he created images of Martha and himself taking camping trips into the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The letters were signed ‘Love, Martha’, but Cross understood it was only a way of signing and not a true feeling. He always wondered if Martha was a virgin and kept photographs of her in his wallet. Martha had sent him a good - luck charm, a simple pebble that weighed an ounce at most. She had found it on the Jersey shoreline, precisely where the land touched water at high tide, where things came together but also separated (O’Brien, 395). Jimmy Cross loved Martha so much. He was filled with jealousy just to think Martha was with another man. He found her poems to be romantic and always imagined the both of them in a beautiful paradise. He wandered most of the time and had difficulty keeping his attention on the war. He would yell at his soldiers to stay aware, but he himself went away into daydreams. Everywhere he went, he found himself thinking about Martha. He was just a kid at war, in love (O’Brien,397).
An unfortunate event made Jimmy Cross realize what was going on. One of his men, Ted Lavender, was shot in the head. He died on the spot, without anyone being able to do anything. A chopper came and took Lavender away. Cross led his men into the village of Than Khe, where they burned everything and shot anything they saw. Kiowa was explaining how Lavender died, which made Cross tremble. He tried not to cry. He was ashamed and hated himself. He loved Martha more than he loved his men and had failed them. As a consequence, Ted Lavender died, and this was something Cross felt guilty for.
This event led Jimmy Cross to change his way of acting during war. He seemed more focused and determined. Although he always had Martha on his mind, he tried to do his job as hard as he can. He kept digging holes, where he sat and just sat watching the night. His men noticed how much he cared about the situation and how hurt he was. Lavender’s death really affected him to the point where he burned Martha’s letters and photographs. He realized it was only a gesture. Stupid he thought. Sentimental, too. (O’Brien, 402). Even without her pictures, Cross created images in his head about her. He knew she didn’t love him and her virginity wasn’t an issue anymore. He hated her but loved her the same way.
Jimmy Cross knew he was a soldier after all. He took out his maps and started planning the day’s march. He shook his head hard, as if he wanted all of these memories to get out of his head. He finally faced reality, he loved Martha, but hated her as well. He didn’t want to fantasize anymore. He shut down his daydreams and recognized the war zone wasn’t a place for poems or midterm exams, but a place where his men died because of carelessness and gross stupidity. He felt sad about the whole Martha situation, but was now determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence as First Lieutenant. He knew that wouldn’t bring Lavender back, but he would behave as the officer he is. He made sure everything was done right and in place. He spoke plainly to his men, accepting the blame for Lavender’s death. He was a man about it. He was direct with his men, telling them they had to get themselves together, keep their in the game, and maintain it neatly and in good working order. He would not show laxity. He would show strength, distancing himself from all the problems. He reminded himself his obligation was not to love, but to lead.
We learned that Jimmy Cross was always thinking about a girl during wartime. He would fantasize about her, which made him unaware of what was going on in war. He learned to let go and faced reality, she didn’t feel anything towards him. After Ted Lavender’s death, he was pushed to become a better person, act as the officer he was. These events made him change by him being more focused, more aware of what was going on. He was the leader of the group and had to show bravery and determination.

Blog #6 assignment

I was excited about this class from the beginning and so far i'm satisfied with how it works. I enjoy the idea of having to write blogs, where we get to share our thoughts and ideas with the rest of the class. We receive criticism to understand what we should improve on and what our strong points are. Personally, I get to learn new things from reading my classmates' blogs and get ideas on how I should write. I prefer having blogs than papers because they seem more exciting and easier. We get to speak our mind. Doing group work also helps because we get to share our ideas and discuss them. I think my notes, the blogs, and group work helped me get a good grade on the midterm. I feel good about this class and look forward to reading more stories. Thanks to Prof. Luke for doing a great job in making sure the class understands the assignments and keeping a limit on the workload (hahaha).

Assignment #5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVrRI2cH3TI&feature=related

First and foremost, I chose this song because I like the 'Bachata' genre and the group that sings it, Aventura. They are the most famous bachata group right now, with their songs reaching high levels and breaking records. I also chose this song because I always see or hear about people being heartbroken. They either get cheated on or the person they like doesn't realize what they feel for them. I can't say I experienced it, but it sucks to see what humans do to each other. People fall in love and end up heartbroken. This song talks about a guy who proposes to his girlfriend but she turns him down. Ever since, he doesn't want to know anything about love, anything related to it. He doesn't understand cupid, saying he mismatched his couple. He doesn't want any dates, staying away from moments that can hurt him. At the end, he says goodbye to love, saying he doesn't need it in his life.

I believe a lot of people think they can't find love and eventually "give up". Just because ONE person failed, it doesn't mean the rest will. People just have to be themselves and be sure of what they want. Things don't come to us, we have to look for them. I believe everyone has love in one way or another, either from their significant other or family. Regardless who you receive love from, you're still loved.

P.S. For the guys who don't understand, sorry! I'll try to find a translation ...

"Assignment #4--Criticism."

"The Chrysanthemums" focuses on gender criticism. Henry Allen has a ranch with a garden in it, which his wife, Elisa Allen, spends most of her time on. He ignores her most of the time, thus leading her to think of the flowers in the garden as her children. She puts a lot of time and effort in them, leading her husband to telling her she has a gift with things. Although he doesn't pay much attention to her, he stills acknowledges her work and congratulates her. His actions lead her to meet new people. A man on a wagon came by the ranch to buy a few things. Elisa always had her gardening gloves on, but this time she took them off. That's a symbol of her wanting to meet new people, seeing her husband denigrates her. She and the man seem to flirt a little. The man seemed to have left a good impression, making Elisa stand in front of her fence, watching him leave and uttering a few words. She snaps out of it, making sure no one is around listening to what she had said. This shows her interest in him because he makes her feel good about herself. Her husband doesn't do that, leading her to explore new things.

Blog #3 Assignment : Option A

"The Things They Carried" had many interesting characters. My personal favorite was Kiowa, who was a devout Baptist. He carried an illustrated New Testament that had been presented to him by his father who taught Sunday school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He also carried his distrust of a white man, his grandfather's old hunting hatchet, as a hedge against bad times. He also carried a pair of moccasins for silence. He seems to be a flat character, not having feelings someone might expect. He describes Ted Lavender's death as watching a rock fall. He describes every event but not feeling any grief at all. It's as if he expects death any minute, being he's in the middle of a war and is experiencing the deaths of his partners. He wishes he had the sympathy Jimmy Cross had, but he just couldn't change his way of being. It's ironic how religious he is, yet doesn't feel any grief for the death of his friend.