Sentence-Level Improvement Activities

Appositives 

1)       The Sacramento River, The main source of surface water in a state where distrust of centralized governmental authority has historically passed for an ethic, has its headwaters in the far northern ranges of Siskiyou County.

2)       An expression of frustrated rage, rap music tries to be outrageous in order to provoke strong reactions.

3)     The first scene of the opera Die Walkure, the second of the four operas making up Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle, takes place in the house of Hunding, a fierce warlord.

4)     As Baranczak point out, Milosz-noble prize winning poet-rejects symbols in favor of metonymy and synecdoche, those figures of speech which represent a whole by a thing allied to it or by part of it.

5)     Cotton Mather was an exception, one who so fully accepted and magnified the outlook of his locality that he has entered folklore as the archetypal puritan, not only a villainous figure in the pages of Hawthorne, William Carlos Williams and Robert Lowell, but an object of parody even to his fellow townsmen in 18th Century Boston.

1)     Deep in the coke trade's shadow, marijuana has become one of the largest cash crops in the United States.

Marijuana is the dowdy green matron of the drug scene.

Deep in the Coke trade's shadow, marijuana, the dowdy green matron of the drug scene, has become one of the largest cash crops in the United States.

2)     Prosecutors applied tough felony laws to these (pregnant) women.

The laws were designed for drug dealers, not drug users.

3)     Serotonin acts as a chemical messenger between neurons.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter.

Neurons are the nerve cells of the brain.

Serotonin, a neurotransmitter, acts as a chemical messenger between neurons, which are the nerve cells of the brain.

4)     Malawi's cash crops were unchanged, though their value on the world market continued to fluctuate.

The cash crops are peanuts, tea, coffee, sugarcane, and tobacco.

Malawi's cash crops- peanuts, tea, coffee, sugarcane, and tobacco- remain unchanged eventhough their value on the world market continues to fluctuate.

5)     Trainspotting is the most hyped film of the summer.

Trainspotting is a techno-color trip through Scotland's junkie underbelly.

Trainspotting, a techno-color trip through Scotland's junkie underbelly, is the most hyped movie of the summer.

6)     Dr. Laurie Gage has spent hours in the tank helping feed and medicate the beaked whales.

Dr. Laurie Gage is one of the few women who are exotic animal vets.

Dr. Laurie Gage, one of the few women who are exotic animal vets, has spent hours in the tank helping feed and medicate the beaked whales.

7)     Now clean for four-and-a-half years, Dave Navarro had used heroin while a member of Jane's Addiction.

Dave Navarro is the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Jane's Addiction is an influential first-wave alternative band.

Now clean for four and a half years, Dave Navarro -the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers- had used heroine while a member of the influential first-wave alternative band Janes Addiction.1)       The Sacramento River, The main source of surface water in a state where distrust of centralized governmental authority has historically passed for an ethic, has its headwaters in the far northern ranges of Siskiyou County.

2)       An expression of frustrated rage, rap music tries to be outrageous in order to provoke strong reactions.

3)     The first scene of the opera Die Walkure, the second of the four operas making up Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle, takes place in the house of Hunding, a fierce warlord.

4)     As Baranczak point out, Milosz-noble prize winning poet-rejects symbols in favor of metonymy and synecdoche, those figures of speech which represent a whole by a thing allied to it or by part of it.

5)     Cotton Mather was an exception, one who so fully accepted and magnified the outlook of his locality that he has entered folklore as the archetypal puritan, not only a villainous figure in the pages of Hawthorne, William Carlos Williams and Robert Lowell, but an object of parody even to his fellow townsmen in 18th Century Boston.

1)     Deep in the coke trade's shadow, marijuana has become one of the largest cash crops in the United States.

Marijuana is the dowdy green matron of the drug scene.

Deep in the Coke trade's shadow, marijuana, the dowdy green matron of the drug scene, has become one of the largest cash crops in the United States.

2)     Prosecutors applied tough felony laws to these (pregnant) women.

The laws were designed for drug dealers, not drug users.

3)     Serotonin acts as a chemical messenger between neurons.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter.

Neurons are the nerve cells of the brain.

Serotonin, a neurotransmitter, acts as a chemical messenger between neurons, which are the nerve cells of the brain.

4)     Malawi's cash crops were unchanged, though their value on the world market continued to fluctuate.

The cash crops are peanuts, tea, coffee, sugarcane, and tobacco.

Malawi's cash crops- peanuts, tea, coffee, sugarcane, and tobacco- remain unchanged eventhough their value on the world market continues to fluctuate.

5)     Trainspotting is the most hyped film of the summer.

Trainspotting is a techno-color trip through Scotland's junkie underbelly.

Trainspotting, a techno-color trip through Scotland's junkie underbelly, is the most hyped movie of the summer.

6)     Dr. Laurie Gage has spent hours in the tank helping feed and medicate the beaked whales.

Dr. Laurie Gage is one of the few women who are exotic animal vets.

Dr. Laurie Gage, one of the few women who are exotic animal vets, has spent hours in the tank helping feed and medicate the beaked whales.

7)     Now clean for four-and-a-half years, Dave Navarro had used heroin while a member of Jane's Addiction.

Dave Navarro is the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Jane's Addiction is an influential first-wave alternative band.

Now clean for four and a half years, Dave Navarro -the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers- had used heroine while a member of the influential first-wave alternative band Janes Addiction.

Verbal Phrases

1)   Fleeing their war-torn home near Kirkuk, Iraq, a Kurdish family clings to life in the ruins of Panjwin, on the border with Iran.

2)   Lacking an alternative homeland of any kind, Kurds can emigrate, but they can't escape.

3)   By the time I arrived, many of the former inhabitants, finding life insupportable in the refugee camps over the border, had returned to squat in the ruins of Qalat Dizah.

4)   A few days later, passing the war-scarred settlement of Rawanduz on our way back to the Turkish border, I saw other evidence of Kurdish enterprise.

5)   For months I would travel among them, trying to make sense of where this ancient people fit in the modern world.

6)   The afternoon's serenity is regularly broken by fighter jets screaming overhead, one after another, buzzing the city before returning to their Turkish Air Force base.

Exercise:              Combine the following sentences using verbals.

1)   She banged on the side of the bus. She tried to get the driver's attention.

Trying to get the driver's attention, she banged on the side of the bus.

2)   When the driver stopped the bus, Christine showed him her Fast Pass. She assured him he would be rewarded in a future life.

When the driver stopped the bus Christine showed him her Fast Pass, assuring him he would be rewarded in a future life

3)   Across the aisle, a crumpled woman began to doze off. She was reading the National Enquirer. She was eating a hot dog with relish. Next to her, a businessman shoved his briefcase between them. He protected himself from accusations of sexual harassment or, possibly, cooties.

Across the aisle, a crumpled woman began to doze off while reading the National Enquirer and eating a hot dog with relish. Next to her, a businessman shoved his briefcase between them, protecting himself from accusations of sexual harassment or, possibly, cooties.

4)   A teenager swung from the handrails above her. The teenager periodically bonked her on the head with his backpack.

A teenager, swinging from the handrails above the woman, periodically bonked her on the head with his backpack.

5)   Christine closed her eyes. She held her breath. She repeated the words, "I am almost home. I am almost home."

Christine closed her eyes and held her breath while repeating the words, "I am almost home. I am almost home."

6)   A woman on the street suddenly darted into traffic. She chased after her suicidal dog.

A woman on the street suddenly darted into traffic chasing after her suicidal dog.

7)   The driver slammed on his brakes. The driver encouraged us to hold on, but the dozing woman and the swinging boy both flew forward with yelps and cries.

The driver slammed on his brakes, encouraging us to hold on, but the dozing woman and the swinging boy both flew forward with yelps and cries.

8)   The hot dog broke free from its mustardy bun. The hot dog rolled into the aisle. It left a trail of relish behind it.

The hot dog broke free from its mustardy bun, rolling into the aisle leaving a trail of relish behind it.

Exercise: Use -ed verbals to combine the following sets of sentences.

1)   Charles was frightened by the noise he'd heard. He was pale as a ghost.

 Charles, frightened by the noise he'd heard, was as pale as a ghost.

2)   Karyn was stranded on a desert island. She tried to make the best of it.

 Karyn, standed on a deserted island, tried to make the best of it.

3)   Jon is attuned to nature. He spends weekends on the beach, communing with the gulls.

 Jon, attuned to nature, spends weekends on the beach, communing with the gulls

4)   The turkey was stuffed with bread and celery. It was roasted a golden brown.

The turkey, stuffed with bread and celery, was roasted a golden brown.

Contrast and Concession

1)Ronald Reagan was one of the most popular presidents in American history.

He had very lit tle knowledge of the details about issues the government must deal with.

 ANTI: Ronald Reagan was one of the most popular presidents in American history. However,  he had very little knowledge of the details about issues the government must deal with.

 PRO:  Ronald Reagan was one of the most popular presidents in American history. Even though he had very little knowledge of the details about issues the government must deal with.

2)     He consistently made glaring mistakes in his press conferences that had to be corrected afterward.

He was well liked personally by most newsreporters on the White House beat.

ANTI: He was well liked personally by most newsreporters on the White House beat. Yet he consistently made glaring mistakes in his press conferences that had to be corrected afterward.

PRO:  Athough He consistently made glaring mistakes in his press conferences that had to be corrected afterward, he was well liked personally by most newsreporters on the White House beat.

Exercise:  Combine each pair of sentences as if you were writing a paper supporting television. Then combine them as if you were writing a paper supporting newspapers.

1)     Television offers entertainment in more abundance and greater diversity than any medium in history.

Most television programs are superficial and mindless.

ANTI : Television offers entertainment in more abundance and greater diversity than any medium in history; however,  most television programs are superficial and mindless.

PRO: While most television programs are superficial and mindless, television offers entertainment in more abundance and greater diversity than any medium in history.

 2)     Cable channels are quite expensive to subscribe to.

They offer movies and other programs unavailable on network channels.

Newspapers give a much more complete account of the news than does television.

They are more prone to political bias than TV.

PRO Newspaper: Although they are more prone to political bias than TV, newspapers give a much more complete account of the news than does television. Even though they offer movies and other programs unavailable on network channels, Cable channels are quite expensive to subscribe to.

PRO TV : Cable channels are quite expensive to subscribe to; however, they offer movies and other programs unavailable on network channels. Although newspapers give a much more complete account of the news than does television, they are more prone to political bias than TV.

Immigration Policy (Second In-Class Essay)

We have all heard of the saying, “We must help ourselves before we help others.” Basically, in order to help others, we must be fully capable in our own mind and body before we advise others, in case we advise them to their demise. Though the beginnings of immigration reform were initiated between U.S. President, George W. Bush and Mexican President, Vincente Fox, things came to a standstill after the tragedies of September 11, 2001 that resulted in thousands of deaths. As our country began to build up in economic strength and morale, the housing market bubble crashed and created one of the deepest recessions the U.S. has faced since the Great Depression of the 1930’s.

The editors of the Contra Costa Times published the article “Revamp Immigration” in which they call upon the United States to integrate a “guest-worker” system that would aid the Mexican government in boosting their economy. Although our nation is especially known for its opportunities of success and prosperity, we are at a time in our economy in which we must focus on our own economic wealth. A major factor in improving our economic health is immigration control. Due to mass legal and illegal immigration, our already weak economy is simply not capable of supporting its own citizens and the citizens of other countries that are undocumented. The CCT’s article, “Revamp Immigration”, is full fallacies in which they wrongly-accuse the U.S. as both the solution and the problem of their fiscal health.

The article provides background for us in which they speak of the United States’ and Mexico’s Presidents coming together to work on immigration control between their countries. In this section, the CCT makes a misstep in logic behind the reasoning to why the U.S. no longer supports immigration. They propose that due to the events of 9/11, the U.S. began to “view all foreigners as potential terrorists”, evident in the fact that the “Immigration and Naturalization Service became part of the Department of Homeland Security”. In combination with President Fox’s public opposition to the “[U.S.’s ]war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq”, talks of relations were “put on the backburner”. First, the United States still accepts people from every country to legally emigrate so there is no prejudice against foreigners. Second, “viewing all foreigners as potential terrorists”, is going a bit extreme. Our nation had been attacked in which thousands of Americans had been killed because another country hated the U.S. for having dissimilar religious beliefs. By combining the INS and the Department of Homeland Security, we are simply exercising our right to limit the influx of immigration in order to do thorough background checks on whoever comes to our country to ensure our people’s safety. If we are not confident in ensuring our own citizen’s safety, how are we expected to take on increased amount of lives for a work-program and guarantee their safety as well? By implementing the “solution” of a guest-worker program, we will have only created another problem by failing to maintain our guests’ well-being.

The CCT tries to appeal to pity by implying that “if the big-rig victims had reached their destinations safely [instead of suffocating to death, then] they would have found jobs in the United States in a variety of industries that depend on undocumented workers.” It is a gross attempt to try to distract people from the actual problem but they also lie to us and create a false dichotomy. The CTT tries to tell us American industries will go without the employees they need to “harvest our food, clean our offices at night, fix our hotel beds, and work in the kitchens of some of our fanciest restaurants.” By saying these “various industries” specifically “depend on undocumented workers”, the CTT only gives us one option and denies the solution of having documented, or legal citizens work in these industries. The actual problem of the “variety of industries that depend on undocumented workers” is the fact that these industries should not be employing undocumented workers in the first place. As of October 2012, our current unemployment rate is at 7.9% which documents the rates at which American citizens who are looking for a job and cannot find one. It is not that “jobs go begging because no one else will do them”, it is because tax-paying Americans are not able to compete with the low-wages and long hours that undocumented workers are willing to work for. It is unethical and wrong for a government to financially help another country’s citizens when such a large portion of their own population is unemployed and without medical benefits.

While the article tries to set up the premise of undocumented workers doing jobs that no one else will do, their second premise goes off on a tangent that “Mexican workers sen[d] up to $10 billion back to their families, according to a 2002 report. These two statements may try to imply that in working unwanted jobs, undocumented workers were able to create enough growth in the economy to live off of and send back to family members abroad as well. Sending money to back to family members in Mexico does not stimulate U.S. economic growth, if anything it depletes from the overall money supply which results in a decrease in the country GDP and overall standard of living.

The editors say that “both countries would benefit” from a “‘guest-worker’ system that allows hard-working people to legally cross the border without becoming permanent residents” but in actuality the U.S. hurts more than it benefits. Studies have shown that a third of immigrants are without a high school diploma so many of those coming to work would be working low-paying labor jobs. In these jobs, workers will hardly make enough to be required to pay taxes and would even be qualified for a low-income tax return of up to $3,500 per person. While workers have “sent up to $10 billion back” home, it doesn't even cover half of the $24 billion state deficit that is mainly caused by the education system being overcrowded with immigrant children- and it costs $7,000 a year to educate just one child! Besides, how are we going to keep track of the people on a guest-worker visa and ensure that they will leave the country when necessary? They will do anything it takes to stay in the country even if it makes staying illegally.

During the U.S’s shining moment we became known to other countries, especially ones experiencing high levels of poverty, as a country to achieve our dreams. During the Clinton administration, unemployment rates were as low as 3.9%. Before the decline of the housing market, everybody was able to own a home because they were able to secure loans. Things like this made the American dream shine so much more brightly however things are not as glamorous anymore. It’s not that we don’t want to be able to help our neighbors in their time of need, our high unemployment rate, and overcrowded education system just cannot support any more people. Besides, creating a guest-worker program is not a solution to the problem of immigration, it is a solution for Mexico’s not being able to create “the millions of jobs it needs to lift..people out of poverty. People who aren’t able to get into the guest-worker program will illegally cross the border in stuffy big-rigs anyways. This is not a solution but rather a mere band-aid to a scraped and broken leg.


Response
    
    In this section I learned about many different types of fallacies and then applying it to texts when I read. It was enjoyable to look closely at a writer's piece to find that his points were certain kinds of fallacies. 

   In learning how to identify fallacies, I was able to become a better writer by analyzing my own points and the evidence supporting it. After understanding the standard form of argumentation, I was able to look at my essay to make sure that one piece of evidence in addition to another piece of evidence would support my main point. What I found was that my paragraphs were slightly off-balance in that the evidence and the main point would not align very well. I now understand that it is the difference between my own understanding of my essay versus what the reader is actually reading. 

Hope- A Compelling Force (First Out-of-Class Essay)

Everybody in the world has seen or heard one of Hollywood’s productions, scandals, or celebrities; more than that, in this day and age, people realize how strong of an influence Hollywood  has upon the world.  As people moved here after for opportunities at a better life after The Dust Bowl, and the Great Depression, the state of California had realized that people had moved here because they had believed that California had more and better opportunities at health, jobs, and raising families. Based in Southern California, Hollywood has capitalized upon the still-growing, always sunny California weather. Images of California circulated around the world showcasing long, lean, tan and gorgeous celebrities living in the lap of luxury, leisure, and fame. People around the world received the impression that if they too moved to California, that they too can rise to fame from nothing, just like their favorite celebrities. In this day and age now though, people understand how sad and pitiful Hollywood is now however this hasn’t prevented them from still migrating to our overpopulated and smoggy state.

One must wonder how the Red Hot Chili Peppers, a well-known band whose beginnings were established in California, can write a song that is so negative about the place that has made them so famous. However, just like the rest of the people who immigrate to California, they recognize and are willing to bear the consequences of failure because the hope of making it big is so powerful. Their song, “Californication” portrays our real-life situation in which Hollywood’s influence is so powerful that we accept their ideas as our own and even go as far as move to California to become someone that we are not in order to gain fame and fortune.  Once Californication creeps into your mind, it will “try to steal your mind’s elation”. Whatever happiness you had will be replaced by Hollywood’s depiction of happiness with whatever is in trend.

The beginning of the song demonstrates how influential Hollywood can be from “Pyschic spies from China. . little girls from Sweden/ Dream of silver screen quotations.” No matter what country, Hollywood has somehow touched upon it with its glamorous and representation of California. Even young innocent girls who do not even speak the English language are captured by the beautiful actors and actresses on screens that their first phrases in English are actually movie quotations.

Hollywood would not be able to achieve its success and infamy if it were not for the celebrities. Not only are the celebrities famous for their talents on the big screen, they are more well-known worldwide for the luxurious life that tends to accompany fame hand-in-hand. The Red Hot Chili Peppers understand this influence extends anywhere from mundane as brand endorsements to plastic surgery in the name of “beauty” to even politics.

As people all around the world are continually exposed to the media there is ultimately a point in which everyone tends to follow similar ideas. Among these culturally-accepted ideas is Hollywood beauty. What people don’t realize is that is their beloved idols of beauty actually “Pay [their] surgeon very well/ To break the spell of aging”. It is impossible for everyday people to keep up with this type of “beauty” because celebrities in a way, are cheating time. This doesn’t stop young innocent people around the world from continually trying to emulate their celebrities though, however it does create a culture that believes that there should be more importance upon focusing on physical beauty instead of inner beauty.

In the lines “ Celebrity skin is this your chin/ or is that war you’re waging”, the band mocks the fact that these people who are sometimes nothing more than a pretty face is able to influence an entire country in the name of politics. In 2008, during the presidential campaigns, Hollywood was able to influence the entire youth of the United States to vote with the Democratic party by campaigning with Rock the Vote, a non-profit organization. In 2008, we all saw how influential Hollywood can be on the youth as there were astounding statistics which showed just how many young people took action in registering to vote for their futures.

While the dream to become rich and famous is all too enticing, we all must not forget to remember the dire consequences that can come from failure. Those who seek this set-produced dream of money, fame, and romance must be careful or else you will face the consequences such as being a “teenage bride with a baby inside”. While California is known for its dreamers and failures, the band still understands that “destruction leads to a very rough road but it also breeds creation”. While California holds a dream for everybody, those who don’t make it will always have an opportunity to create a new path for themselves.

Though a deadly disease once it gets under your skin, there is no cure for it, even “tidal waves [cannot] save the world.] Once it is in your mind you simply cannot keep it out, it takes tremendous effort and strength because it has so much influence in the world. Saying you are “sicker than the rest, there is no test, but this is what you’re craving” indicates that even those infected would not even see it themselves because it has assimilated so much into your mind that you don’t even know where your own wants start and where Hollywood’s ends. The only clue is closely looking at what it is that you desire and why it is that you desire it so much.


Reflection

During this unit, I learned that everybody had their own, yet eerily similar version of the Californian dream. I always knew that there was the American Dream of which people come in hopes of a better life but it wasn't until this section that I realized the impact of the California Dream. In this section, I learned how damaging the California Dream is for those who have already achieved it and also for those who dream of it. It becomes a constant need for more despite what you already have.

As a reader, I’ve learned that there is a proper method in reading my texts and this method ultimately makes me a better writer as well. Among many things to read, I would first skim the piece of work that my essay would be based off in a manner of enjoyment. Then I would go over it a couple more times to find what I wanted and and then to note what I really needed for my paper. It was from this chapter that I really learned how to read texts closely for multiple times.

California's Culture of Multiculturalism (Third Out-of-Class Essay)

' California, one of the most beautiful states, is world- known for its iconic Golden Gate Bridge and  amazing weather all year-round. The Golden Gate Bridge, located in the bay of San Francisco, California, symbolizes its city as one of the most known liberal, diverse artistic, urban cityfilled with people of all colors from all around the world. San Francisco’s diversity and liberalness owes itself to the mass-immigrations going as far back as the Gold Rush in the 1840’s. It is the diversity of people we have today that attracts even more people from around the world to immigrate over. In Southern, California, there is Hollywood, home of the beautiful, rich, and famous that represents the easy life everyone dreams of. Up North, there is silicon valley, home of the worlds biggest companies. To many, it all seems that California presents itself as a place with limitless opportunities. For people in other states or countries, California’s healthy warm weather, abundance of opportunity, and diverse communities sounds like a perfect place to start anew on their own or with their families. They believe that since there are so many different communities that they will be able to find help among their communities in finding housing,and employment. What is isn’t shown on T.V., is the unglamourous real-life difficulties that immigrants face when they have arrived and settled in. A major downside of California’s mass diversity are the huge language barriers. These language barriers, cause people to stereotype one another as a half-attempt at getting to know one another which in turn divides us even greater. cause even greater cultural barriers.

Recent literary works have gained wide popularity, featuring the Californian culture of multiculturalism we live in. The phrase sounds ironic, but irony is the only way to describe the state that we live in, Among the literary works, the ones that have gained notable attention are Ang Lee’s 2004 film, Crash; novel, American Son by Brian Roly Ascalon; and performance troupe Bordertown’s play, Culture Clash in America. These literary works present to us the negative consequences that come with living in such a diverse community. Though all three works are portrayed through different mediums, they have the same goal- to  help us open our eyes and recognize the world that we have created for ourselves. It is that our stereotypes of one another that  pulls us even farther in trying to understanding another person’s culture and living peaceably side-by-side with one another; it divides us even further, eventually causing us to disassociate with the fact that these other people are human beings as well, going through the exact same problems as we try to juggle life as well.

The movie, Crash has interweaving stories of seven characters, all of different backgrounds. The beginning scene shows us a car accident between two female drivers. One is an Asian woman, and the other is Ria, a latina LAPD detective and partner of African-American detective, Graham Waters. The Asian woman accuses Ria of “blak[ing] too fast” saying that “Mexicans no know how to drive” threatening to call immigration on Ria. Ria responds, “I’m sorry you no see my ‘blake’ lights” and suggested that “maybe if [the asian woman could] see over steering wheel, [she] ‘blake’ too!” condescendingly mimicking the Asian woman with purposely incorrect grammar. Out of frustration and the heat of the moment, both women resort to accusing each other based on known stereotypes of each other that have nothing to do with the accident itself, creating more frustration, tension, and going as far as imprinting further negative impressions on each other’s culture. It is only through the use of film that allows us to fully immerse ourselves in the moment of action; seeing every minute facial movement and hearing vocal intonations of professional actors, and extensive Hollywood sets and filming techniques make us feel like a real car accident had occurred and these women are really angry at each other. In the middle of the movie, we find out that Detective Ria and her partner, Detective Waters have more than just partners, they are part-time lovers as well. In one scene, Detective Waters tells his mother on a phone call, that he was with a  white woman. After he gets off the phone, Detective Ria points out that her father is Puerto Rican and her mother, El Salvadorean. It shows us how we can still stereotype and be ignorant of the people around us. Stereotypes are too often used in place of our trying to get to know one another which only negatively impacts us even further because we start to believe that we know each other well enough already. At the end of the movie, the story weaves back to the Asian woman from the beginning of the movie. We find out that her reason for driving so badly and being so rude and racist to Detective Ria was because her husband was in the hospital. It makes us wonder why we resort to racist thoughts when we are angry in presence of other cultures. Detective Ria is not a character that is racist, but if she had known that the other  woman was on her way to the emergency room to see her husband then she might have acted differently.

In Culture Clash in America, the theatre troupe plays on the same theme of language in their unique way, showing us how . The beginning of act one begins with a dark stage, and a male’s voice yells out “Halt! Halt!” and there are “panicked voices [heard] in Spanish”. The man yells, “Alto! Alto! Hold still.” and two men are saying “Señor, no somos Mexicanos, está equivocado. Por favor. .” (9) but the man ignores their pleas, and command them to get down and place their hands behind their back while he calls in reinforcements. The beginning of the next act, also begins in total darkness. A man’s voice is heard yelling, “Alto! Alto!”, and all across the stage there are “panicked voices in English. . [as Americans yell,] ‘Run! Run!’” (39) The scene continues in the same manner except that the roles are now reversed. The beauty of a play is its ability to combine comedy and irony, that like film, gives us the benefit of visuals, yet it also allows for moments inside a character’s mind as a novel does during introspective monologues. Looking at the irony of the acts being reversed, we laugh, not only because we assumed that the same situation was occurring in the first few moments of the second act as was the first, but mostly because there is no real-life application of the second act as much as there is truth behind the first. And that is the beauty of the play, if we laughed the first time, and again the second time, our second round of laughter was pointed back at ourselves. Who are we to chuckle in  the darkness of the first act, but more importantly, at a situation that involved families traveling for hundreds of miles in horrible conditions, in hopes of making it past armed militia towards a chance at a better life?

In Roley’s novel, American  Son,  the story is told in a first-person narrative by Gabe, a half-filipino, half-white teenage boy living with his foreign-born single mother, and an older brother that trains and sells trained attack dogs as another source of income for the family. Unlike the other two mediums, Roley’s novel allows us to walk inside Gabe’s shoes and mind as he tries to understand his place in the world. In the beginning of each chapter, Benito, Gabe’s uncle, sends his sister, Iks, a letter from the Philippines. In the letters, he is constantly asking his sister to move back because she is having such a difficult time working two jobs to support her two boys. However, she refuses to move back because she believes that America will hold much better opportunity for her boys through being educated in America. Ika is so persistent in staying in the U.S. even though she doesn’t feel like she doesn’t belong there because she doesn’t speak English very well. When Ika goes to pick up Gabe from school, she accidentally hits another womans car and as the woman yells at Ika, she can only hang her head “like a bedraggled little sparrow” and say sorry (177) The woman continues to abuse her when she finds out that Ika does not have insurance saying, “ The idiots they let send their kids to school here. . People who can’t afford insurance should ride the bus.” (178) It is hard enough for a teenager to cope with living in a new world where he feels like he doesn’t belong. His mother, who is supposed to set an example, is not able to do so because she is not confident in this new place either. The woman, like many other people are very insensitive to the difficulties of other people’s lives. While she was complaining about how having her car being ruined would make her life more difficult because she had to go to the dealership, she ignored the fact that someone else was having troubles too.

If we all took the time to get to know our neighbors better, we could live in peace. Our neighbors, though different in their ways and speech are not much different than us. They have their problems in life. They have to juggle work, their families, friends, along with lifes everyday problems. If we could be more compassionate towards one another we wouldn’t live in a society that resorts to prejudices and racism. Our diverse community could prosper and achieve so much if we became more tolerant of one another.


Reflection
  This was one of my favorite sections other than the section of identifying and argumentation of fallacies. I learned from many different perspectives of what it was really like to live in multicultural California. I realized what it was like for people to move their entire lives to try to have a better life even though they knew that there would be a long tough road for them to get there.

As a writer, I learned how to identify similarities between more than two works of literature. This was my first experience in having to have more than three literary works to work from. I felt like this essay was not very strong. I had an idea of where I wanted to go but it was very difficult to articulate and organize all these sources into a big paper. Though it was long and difficult, I am still glad to have had the first-time experience anyways.

Letter to Myself

Future Self,

English class was never an enjoyable subject for me, it made me apprehensive and tense. I always believed that because all of my experiences with English classes have been dull and boring. It just felt like it was a never-ending writing process of random readings. However, this class was different; the material for this class was really interesting to read because all our assignments revolved around one subject- California. Because everything that I read felt like it mattered, I became more involved in the class. My active reading skills are better, my essay structure has improved, but most importantly I learned how to think critically.

A couple quarters ago, I took an English 1B class but ended up having to drop it because of time constraints. I stayed in the class long enough to write one paper and the material to write my essay on was horribly boring. I couldn’t relate to it nor understand the purpose of being in that class. In this class however, all of our reading material surrounded ideas of California, the dream it represents, and the problems that diversity represented. As a Californian, I was intrigued to read all the material and my interest led to actual learning instead of just doing.
When I read, I usually only read for fun, along with the occasional news. In taking this class, I learned that reading in between the lines was important in order to write an essay- I needed to critically think. Instead of just reading the material once and trying to write my essay, I would read the material once, and then go over it again with my essay prompt in mind. Knowing what I was looking for, I would go through the reading to look for certain passages I found were intriguing and that I could use in my essay. After writing a thesis, I would go back and read through the material again to underline what I would finally use in my writing.
Though my essay structure has improved, I would say that it is not where I would want it to be. In all of my other English classes, I was only required to write and prove my thesis through pure opinion. So for this class, it was much more difficult to make that transition and learn how to read and write in a new style.
I think the most important thing I took from this class was learning to identify fallacies in arguments. Now, everything I read I can’t help but pick it apart to find whether or not it’s argument is a strong one. I could say that it is unconscious but I don’t stop myself from doing it either.
This class has made me unafraid of writing because I now view it as a challenging puzzle. I read news with a careful eye because I want to make sure that I’m able to identify if what I’m reading is credible or not. I know I have a lot more ways to go in improving my English writing, but at least now I will enjoy doing it instead of just doing it because I have. So I hope that you will continue on your journey of learning and that you should always remember to find interest in whatever you do. Everything holds interest, you have just got to look for it. Life will be much more enjoyable and the end result will be much more satisfying. I hope our journey will be a great one!

First In-Class Essay

Everyone from around the world has a certain stereotype of California, it is a stereotype that is full of beautifully tanned people riding up and down the sunny coasts in a red convertible. Though there are slight variations to the stereotype, it is does not differ by much. To those who can't get this fantasyland out of their heads, the thought of moving to the state of health, prosperity and freedom is intoxicating. However, the dreams that people have of California are just that- dreams. The upheld ideal of an always sunny and prosperous California is just a fantasy that is nothing more than an ugly nightmare hiding beneath the surface. The world sees the allure of Hollywood glamour but it is the residents who recognize the true ugliness of the failed dreams of a mixed-mutt culture of pretending to be prized show-dogs.

Nathaniel West's, “The Day of the Locusts” tells a short story of Tod Hackett, who has only been in Hollywood, California, for only three months, has already recognized California for what it really is, a sham. Everywhere Tod goes, he sees people and objects in the city pretending to be more grand than they actually are. West realizes that though full of appearances, California does hold a vast array of opportunities for those looking to be successful. At the same time, West understands how horrible it is for these dreams to fail as well.

Throughout West's essay, there is a constant rhythm of motion. Throughout the entire essay there is not a moment where the main character actually stops or rests. Even when Tod Hackett takes a moment to watch night fall, his environment does not rest as “the edges of the trees burn with a pale violet light and their centers. . turned from deep purple to black.” Even those who “loitered on the corners or stood with their backs to the shop windows. . [would] stare at everyone who passed” while “others moved rapidly, darting into stores and cocktail bars.” (334) As part of the California dream is prosperity, the connotation of hard work and success go hand-in-hand. West mocks even those that are idle to pretend to be in a constant state of action even though it is unnecessary.

While on his way walking home Tod sees a “fat lady in.. [a] yachting cap. . going shopping, not boating; [a] man in [a] Norfolk jacket. . returning, not from a mountain, but an insurance office.” As he walks further into the valley it is apparent that as an artist, Tod is offended by the distasteful houses however he “blames [the] shape on the materials used. . [as] he notices that they were all of plaster, lath, and paper. . [instead of] steel, stone, and brick.” West gives Tod's thoughts a sense of forgiveness, while it must have all seemed to be too much for Tod when he first moved out to California, after three months of living there seems to not faze Tod anymore due working on the Hollywood set.







Summary and Response

"The Queen of California" by Garci Rodriguez Ordonez de Montalvo

The Queen of California
This passage is about the first written reference to "California"  the
novel The Adventures of Esplandián written in 1510 by the Spanish
writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. He describes the island as a place
populated by black Amazons with a beautiful queen, Calafia, who wanted
to discover the world. The island had griffins whom the amazons
captured at a young age and brought up, feeding them with men they
captured and their sons. Calafia begins to ignite desire to explore
among her best warriors by showing them the rewards and challenging
them to not live as brutes as their ancestors did.

It's remarkable that in 1510 Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo depicted
California with such accuracy. Although California is not an island
and does not contain Amazons or Griffins, his depiction of the women
and the desires of the people on the" island" ring true today. I have
run into many people who observed that the women here in California
were very independent and wanting to live as men for example wanting
to have sexual relations the way men do. Calafia inspires her warriors
to embark on an expedition by telling them that their grandparent were
"buried alive" and without "fame and glory" they lived as brutes. One
of the reasons I love living in California is because its a place for
the dreamers. It is not just in Hollywood that people seek the fame
and glory all over the state in all different professions,
Californians aspire to not live life as their grandparents did to be
courageous and seek fame and glory. Nowadays people move to California
from all over the world coming to Hollywood in search of fame.




"A People, A Place, A Dream" by James Rawls

Although the California dream is undefinable due to the fact that
there are many versions to it that are constantly changing, California
is the land of opportunity and success.  It's reputation of  gorgeous
sunny weather is said to be  reflected in the health of its
inhabitants, the visions of romance and freedom attracted many to
California. With so much promise, great expectations and rise in the
population people began to see the reality of failure. The state
became the example for a place filled with immorality, drug and
alcohol abuse, suicide, murders and an example to the rest of the
country about what lack of adherence to tradition can cause.
California began to limit the growth realising the downfalls that came
with being the most populous state. With its focus on the environment,
and building and using clean renewable energy California's past
reputation is still ongoing as a place for opportunity and success. It
is the third richest state in the country and personal income in the
state is 13% higher than the national average.
Response
This article absolutely echoes my thoughts on California, the state is
filled with people after success and opportunities whether it be in
the bright lights in Hollywood or the engineering community of silicon
valley. When I travel out of state I realize there is  a stigma about
California and its mostly that the weather is beautiful but the people
are immoral and everyone is a movie star. Its easy to see that this
hasn't changed from what people have thought and felt in the past. I
do understand that when the expectations are higher in life so is the
let down and that can cause disappointment and negative feelings about
California that lead one to believe its not a place of opportunity and
success. However I do not agree I believe that being able to live in a
state where achieving the best and the highest goals and living a good
life is the standard , sets you up for success. After all if you cant
achieve what you cant conceive then even with all the immorality the
fact that innovation, vision,  imagination, ambition and dreams are
encouraged is the reason why our state is so successful.


"New Perspective on the Dream" by Denise Spooner

Since post world war II there has been a large number of people
immigrating from the Midwest into California in search of freedom and
to escape the restrictiveness of their own communities . In the
Midwestern towns people relied heavily on each which built tight knit
towns ,this  however  caused the towns and communities to view anyone
or anything different as a threat. People were judged based on class,
ethnicity and religious identification, with differences in any of
these causing discrimination against those belonging to the minority
group. Immigrants from the Midwest viewed southern California as an
escape from the judgement they felt limited expression. Although many
of the migrants associated California with more freedom especially
post world war II there was evidence that some communities had more
freedom in certain areas such as Iowa and freedom in dress. However
there was also the lure of the tale from poor to riches and fame that
was enticing for the immigrants.


When anyone mentions the Midwest the first thing that comes
to my mind is everything the article talked about. I picture small
towns and communities in the middle of nowhere where there is  little
to do and everyone knows each other. Although I find this type of
community to be quite charming when depicted in novels or in movies, I
realise that the closest I have been to having this type of community
was in middle school and high school. Although there are benefits to
having such an environment there are more fall backs. Lack of privacy
, judgement and formation of cliques or social classifications.
Although California isn't free of these ailments there is a social
stigma that encourages individuality and independence.


“Under the Wire” by Francisco Jimenez

The story is about a family from Mexico who have a nice, quiet and settled life in Mexico but then decides to move immigrate to up North in hopes of a better life. Their journey is long, especially for the children. When they arrive at a camp to find work, they find out that they wouldn’t be able to work for another two weeks until the fruit was ready for harvest. They were told that they would find work right away but they must wait to work because they needed the funds for California. The two young boys play near the railroad tracks and one day, the conductor drops off a sack of fruit and candy for the boys and they both believe that it comes from California.

I found that this story was more than just what was literally being told. It shows us how much people are willing to move their entire lives at the chance of better opportunities. How the parents have to wait for work also parallels to how they also have to wait for opportunities in America as well because they are not legal. The sack of fruit and candy that the boys believe comes from California represents what they all believe California can provide. Not only can California provide the necessities for survival, the oranges and apples, but you can have luxuries as well, the candies.