Farewell

Farewell

Well here I go for my final blog. This week has been interesting. My car windshield had three big rocks through it. When I came home to it, I was in a state of shock. Obviously I made somebody mad. So this week has been a little crazy for me. As we reach this point in the class it is bittersweet. I am looking forward to the break but I will miss the experience.  Wow I cannot believe it is over. Things still have not changed. I did not read the due date for this assignment and I automatically assumed that it was still due Friday. You would think that by now I would know to read through everything thoroughly. I have been told so many times; read everything all the way do not just skip stuff. Well, apparently I still do not understand. So I apologize for this being late. It kind of sucks that my final blog has to be late. I can't even turn in my final blog on time. Well I hope to keep on blogging. I feel that it is a way for me to practice my writing skills. I think that once out of this class I will use it for personal purposes and see how it goes. I encourage you all to do the same. I think that you will enjoy the benefits that blogging has for you. I think for me that blogging was my favorite part of the class. I enjoyed it. I did not think that I would but I did. I also enjoyed getting to know my classmates. Since we were unable to meet face to face in a class setting, I felt that the blogs gave us the means to get to know each other just a little bit more. I felt like I was able to connect with some people through these blogs. I am also grateful that I do not have to retake this class. I passed, though I guess it is not over. So as I bid say my goodbyes I would like everyone to know that I truly did enjoy this class and it really was great getting to know some of you. I would also like to give a special thank you to my group. Thank you for all the time and effort you put out into revising my essays. It was extremely helpful. So to my fellow classmates Goodbye! Enjoy your holidays! Be safe! And have a wonderful break. Maybe I will actually be able to meet some of you face to face in other classes is future semesters. Cue cheesy quote, "The end is really only the beginning." I feel that even though this is the end of the class that it is the beginning of being able to use the knowledge that we have gained from this class. We now can go out and use this knowledge and be intelligent people with well built language skills. So Goodbye and use your skills wisely.

What? I actually thought critically?

Well this has definitely been a long week. As the fall semester comes to an end I am busily getting ready for finals. As I get ready for finals I am glad that I have already finished my Research project. It was a big assignment. It sounded scarier than it actually was. I was not excited to do it until I actually started it. Once I started I became very interested in it. This week I was also able to stop by and visit our teacher Ms Gross. She was very helpful and I wish that I would have gone in there to see her ten weeks ago. So our blog assignment this week was to reflect on what we learned about our writing skills through our Research paper. This paper actually helped me realized the writing skills that I had learned due to other assignments in this class. I realized how the blogs actually helped. I always thought that the blogs were just a sort of fun assignment where there was no actual purpose. I thought oh yeah this is cool but I am not benefiting from this. But when I was writing my research paper I would notice that I would like get a thought on the prompt then I would be able to give details and talk about it for a while. I was able to expand on one thought. I developed this skill from the blogging. I also saw my grammar skills developing stronger after the other essays that we had to type. My knowledge on the MLA format has definitely increased. I never knew that there were so many details to the format. This research paper has actually helped me realize the writing skills that I did not know I had. I think that my final draft will be a very strong paper. The other thing that I learned was how helpful our peers are. I probably have one of the best peer revisers in my group. She has helped me improve my writing skills way more than anything else I think. Her genuine advice has definitely improved many of my papers and it has especially helped me with this research paper. I think that the main purpose of this research paper to me was to learn and practice the new and improving writing skills that I have developed through this class. I think that it was such good practice and will help me in the future because I have had this experience. I feel that not only my writing skills improved but also my thinking skills. I feel that my thought process has improved greatly. I can now think critically, which is ironic. Is this not the purpose of the class?

Too Full To Think

Happy After Thanksgiving!! I hope you all had a good one. For this week's blog we were supposed to vent about our Research Project--how is it coming along? What do we need to do to complete it? How do we plan to accomplish this? What areas of difficulty are we encountering? How we might overcome these obstacles? Honestly I am pretty sure that it is coming along just as any other Research project is coming. This is definitely not my favorite assignment of the class. I also feel like I ate too much food on Thanksgiving to even start to think about how my project is going. My whole week has just been thrown off schedule and things have just been not going as planned. We did not even have turkey for thanksgiving. We had prime rib, which do not get me wrong it was delicious but it is throwing me off. You are always supposed to have turkey for thanksgiving. I had this whole week off at my one job, which was supposed to give me time to work on my research project. Do you think that I worked on it, no? I chose to relax and do other things. On top of that I also woke up at 2:30 am to go "Black Friday" shopping with my mom so my brain is not functioning, as it should. So yeah my research project is coming along I guess. I am almost done. I made the mistake of waiting until the last minute to start my project. I did not reread the section I chose until Monday. I think that this was the worst assignment to procrastinate on. I am not motivated to do this assignment and I have no interest in it. The essay on Bullshit and Doublespeak was easier for me to write on. Not because it was a shorter assignment but because I was interested in it. The topic intrigued me. The Rlit book does not catch my interest. I have tried to get into the book but I have found it to be extremely difficult. I think that my most difficult obstacle for this assignment is going to be creating five pages of information. I now have probably only two. That is a serious problem. All I have to do know is try to expand on my ideas and add more information to my research project. I at this time only have five sources so I am hoping to maybe find more sources to give me some more information. As you can tell I am running just a little behind. I need to do some catching up. As I type this blog all I am able to sit here and do is think about how behind I am on this research project and how I really need to get cracking down on it. I also am sitting here thinking about how I really do not want to work on it because I am tired because I decided to be a crazy person and went shopping at the wee hours of the morning. So my plan to overcome this obstacle is to go take maybe a two-hour nap, hopefully get some energy back and attempt to finish this project by tonight or early tomorrow.

idk

There is a major difference between the language in out conversations through email and our language in our ordinary conversations that we have face to face or through the phone anything where we actually speak words. I feel that it is a different scenario for every person. Some business people have very professional emails and they use correct and specific grammar and mechanics. Then when it comes to their ordinary conversations that they have face to face with others maybe they are not so professional. They may not use correct grammar and mechanics with their language. They often may even use slang. On the other hand some people use such correct grammar and mechanics in their ordinary conversation but if you were to see their emails they are not as well written. It is almost like they do not even know how to use grammar. But I truly believe that the situation varies between people individually. Some people use correct grammar and mechanics in both their emails and ordinary conversations. And there are some people who are not so correct in both ordinary conversation and emails, some to the point where they almost seem illiterate. I do not think that the problem is that we do not know how to speak but that we are lazy. For me I try to use correct grammar in my speech in ordinary conversations but when it comes to my emails I could care less. The problem that I find with that is when it is time to write an email to a teacher it is hard to remember "Oh yeah" I have to use correct grammar. It has also made it difficult to write papers. I find myself in a habit that has become extremely difficult to break. I have started to try to stop abbreviating everything and I have tried to touch up on my skills in grammar and mechanics. I also do not think that the problem is necessary in emails but in our generation it is all the stuff we type on facebook or myspace and other social networks. We get in such a habit of typing such things as LOL or JK that it becomes a part of our language. I have at times found myself saying LOL or JK in a conversation that I am having with someone face to face and I think to myself wow did I really just say that. I think that the real problem is that people just do not care anymore. I think that most people think, "Oh it is not affecting me". When really it is. We need to start using our skills in everything or we are going to look stupid I think. Look at the difference. You could say "...because I am going to go, do you want to go?" or "cuz Im gonna go, u wanna go?" I think we are all in the habit of the latter but it looks so much better the first way. It really was not that hard and I think that we should all try to practice our conversation skills not only through our ordinary conversations but also the ones that we have through email, facebook, or myspace.

editorial cartoons

When having to choose a topic for this week I was not motivated. I was not sure where to even start. I think that this affect is because I am at the beach and while at the beach I am sitting here doing homework. So I decided to open up the book and start. When I saw the topic of editorial cartoons also known as political cartoons, I was intrigued. The first thing that comes to my mind was year 2004 when I was in eighth grade. This was the year that all of us knew we were about to start American History. We all had heard stories from previous students and how they did not like the class. We all knew it was going to be a difficult class with a difficult teacher. So as I braved the class there was one thing that I did enjoy doing. Every week she would give us a magazine and at the end of each magazine there was always a political cartoon that we had to evaluate and answer questions on. I always liked that because it made me think and I found a chance to think critically on our world. They were typically on things that had happened in the past, but they were still enjoyable. As an eighth grade student I found that they were a great tool to help teach us stuff in regards to history. I think that they serve a great purpose as a tool for teachers to use in a class room.

                I chose to answer prompt number six on page 366 in the Exploring Language book. The editorial cartoon can also be known as political criticism. They support and criticize political views through satire means. It is a way to communicate visually instead of verbally. They always tend to leave a strong impression whether it is a humorous one or not. They use powerful symbols and metaphors. As a communication medium they are a way to get a message across but in a easy let down way. To me I relate this to when people will say something but then they add a just kidding at the end of their statement. They are trying to get a message across without getting people hurt too much. I think that the editorial cartoons can be looked at in the same way. It is like saying their message then adding a just kidding at the end, knowing that it eased up the tension but that the message was loud and clear. I also believe that they are bad. I think that this makes people look at our problems in our government less seriously. When you look at our government now and all of its issues, it is a serious problem. One that should not be taken lightly. When people look at the cartoons people think that our problems are not that serious and they think that it is funny. I do not know if editorial cartoons are the best idea but personally I like them. I do find them entertaining.

Is there an equation for that?

            In this class my writing has improved. I feel like it has improved through the blog assignments and Exploring Language assignments. The blog has helped me be very expressive in my writing. I think that my writings are not as boring as they use to be. I have been able to put more thought and details into my writings. The blog writing assignments have been the most beneficial. I am not only learning how to express myself better but also learning to respond to a prompt and being organized in doing it. The Exploring Language assignments have helped me with my critical thinking skills. I have found that the questions make me think more than I thought they were going to require me to. I thought they were going to be easy questions about the previous essay but they actually made me stop and think. I think this has become helpful because I can now use the skills that I am developing from these assignments when writing essays in this class or any class in the future. I have also find the Peer draft revising extremely beneficial. I do not know if it is just that I was very lucky and one of the students in my group is extremely helpful, organized and intelligent.  She takes the serious time to read my essay through and gives wonderful comments that are beneficial to me. I also try to take the time to revise other's essays but I do not feel that I am that much helps since I too need to still develop skills. Another thing that I have enjoyed in this class is responding to other student's blogs. I do not know if it is much help to improving my writing skills but I enjoy it so I guess you can consider it good practice. So I feel like any writing is actually beneficial to me since I could probably use any practice that I can get. As far as my essays go I do not feel like I am getting improvement from them. I feel like I am struggling with them and since We have only done two so far and are working on our third one I have not had much time from improvement. I understand that they are great tools for me to use but I feel overall I have not made any improvements yet. I am hoping to see a change in that after this third essay. I am aiming to make any improvements I can. I have always been a math person. I always was able to use critical thinking skills for solving problems in that manner but when asked to write an essay about it I would much rather write an equation for it. So though I feel I am improving I still feel that I have a great need for improvement. I am hoping that by the end of this class I have found an answer to my problem.....Hey maybe there is an equation for it.

CENSORED

CENSORED

            In "Letting Words Fly", John McWhater points out that taboo language simply reflects our social mores. Social mores that I feel are declining with each decade. When asked do I feel that we should be able to use taboo language uncensored in the media, my feelings go both ways. I feel very strongly that taboo language should be censored, but that is just my personal opinion and I know that the whole world does not revolve around me. I just would rather not here such language especially as often as it is put out there in various forms of media. I believe there is a strong conservative population that feels the way I do. There are many organizations that focus on censoring language in the media and protecting our children. There are also many groups that fight to protect a persons right to free speech and not be censored. These groups would argue that people have the right to express themselves and people who might be offended by such language can choose not to listen and therefore not be offended. So I guess socially it should be allowed. I think that it should be done in a respectful manner. Those using taboo language should make sure it is in their rating and under parental guidance. I still think that it should be our utmost goal to protect the children and what they hear. I do think that what we do censor and what we do not censor is inconsistent. We should censor things in a consistently regulated manner. For example we can allow people to speak freely and say whatever they desire but make sure that the audience knows and is aware. They can then make the decision whether or not they are going to watch it or let their children watch it. You listen to our culture's music today and it has f-word, s-word, b-word, and h-word in almost every sentence. Yes they censor it out only enough so it is not the actual work but you can still tell what the word is supposed to be. Yes we have people that are against this language but we have more that accept it. It is in our culture. In the 1960's the morals were higher than what we have today. I do not know why language is being fussed over when you watch any television show and in at least one episode someone is practically naked and two people might as well be having sex. In most television shows the story lines revolve around sex. So I do not think that the language should be such a big deal but that we have bigger issues to work out. In Conclusion, I do not think that the true root of the problem is our media. They only do and will go as far as the public approves and allows. If such material did not sell it would not be a problem. If people did not make such an issue out of what was being said then things would not be censored. So technically the decision is on you. You call the shot what are you going to do about it?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERNCE?

            I personally have not been insulted due to my race or ethnicity. I have been insulted based on my sex though. I have been told that it is a man's world and that I will never be able to do what men can do. Though all three have not personally affected me, I have been exposed to them.

            The comment I hate is when some one from a different ethnic background says, " Oh it is because I'm (e.g. Black)". I am not racist. I do not want to be accused of it.

            I think that the media makes the insults and comments worse. They exaggerate things. They do not ever show the whole truth. The news is the worst at this. For example the incident with the cops. Where a white cop was beating a black person. When they showed the incident to the world everyone automatically assumed that it was because he was black and that the cop beat him for that reason. That may not have been the case but that is how the new perceived it and that is how they shared it with the community. Maybe it was because he was black or maybe the cop was just having a bad day. Or maybe the victim said something or did something that only him and the cop know. There are many explanations for what happened that day. People see this incident on the news and now some people are like see they are racist and that leads for other communities to hate white people because if one is racist we all are. Which is not true, I understand that yes people are racist but the media enlarges the problem and makes it worse. For example I see the news talk about maybe a bank robbery and just because the criminal is black lets say, I do not sit there and think that all black people are criminals. People are becoming so accustom to the racial thing that all you hear is insults on the news so then that becomes a part of your life. I also think that when things that are fiction such as TV, books, movies and music, add racial scenes it does not help the situation. For example if they have a little Mexican girl in the movie that is hated because she is not white. That just gives us the idea that it is normal and that it is life.

            In think that the problem with prejudice is becoming more irreversible everyday. If we want to be able to fix the problem we need to stop filling our minds with the garbage in the media. If we keep going at the rate we are going we are never going to be able to solve this problem.

            In conclusion I have been exposed to the prejudicial insults. I think that it is ridiculous. I think that people need to think about what they are going to say before they say it. If people would fix themselves before they tried to fix others the problem would be able to solve.

Why not have both?

            When asked which is more important, Happiness or self-respect, that is a tough decision. If asked which is going to be better at the moment it would be happiness, if in the long run self-respect would be the answer. Happiness is defined as the state of well being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy, a pleasurable or satisfying experience. Self-respect is defined as a proper respect for oneself as a human being, regard for one's own standing or position.

            For me personally I think that self-respect is more important than happiness. If you do not have respect for yourself how can you ever be happy? To me happy is a temporary feeling. Self-respect is a lifestyle. To gain true happiness I think you have to love and respect yourself. If you do not respect yourself then all you will find is false happiness.

            I see so many girls who want that happiness in a boyfriend and that lifestyle that they lose respect for themselves settle for whatever and are happy, for now. They are happy until they realize that the boy was just using them or only wanted one thing. They then are not happy and have lost all self-respect.

            Personally I have had to make this decision whether I want to be happy or keep respect for myself. As most girls, I want that someone who is going to make me special. That would make me happy. Like I think every girl should have, I have standards. I have respect for myself and feel like I should not settle for anything less. I am not going to go out there and lose respect for myself just to be happy. I am not going to settle for happiness when it is not guaranteed to last forever. I have seen so many people who lose respect for themselves for somebody else (specifically a boy) because they are happy. Then when they are left and heartbroken, they are not happy. This is because they gave away their self-respect to someone and no they are left with nothing. To where if you respect yourself when you do not have happiness at least you have the respect for yourself to lean on.

            So as I sit here with respect for myself, I may not be happy now. I keep in mind that I am not happy now but I have respect for myself and wait and I know that one day I will be able to be genuinely happy because I have respect for myself and I am not willing to lose that. I also feel like if you cannot respect yourself how can you respect anyone else. I keep my head high and remember that Happiness is only temporary. It comes and goes. One day you could be happy and another you could be sad. Self-respect lasts a lifetime.

In conclusion, I have come to find that you cannot truly experience happiness if you do not respect yourself. I have respect for myself and that makes me happy. So to answer the question I feel like respect for yourself is way more important than happiness but why not have both?

Actions speak louder than words

Nonverbal behavior depends on many different factors. I always rely on nonverbal cues when communicating with others. I think that they are more important than the actual words coming out of your mouth. The words are the message but the nonverbal cues define the meaning of the message. For example, someone could say, " You are so stupid." This could mean you are dumb, or funny. It could be hateful, mean, hurtful, or playful. The only way you can tell how it is meant is by the tone of his voice, his facial expressions, gestures and mannerisms. They make up the conversation. Without them the conversation would be just words and you would not know the meaning behind them. People depend on the nonverbal cues more than they do the actual words that are used in the conversation.

            I have this guy that I work with at one of my jobs he always has a major attitude. He would always make rude comments to me. They would be about doing my job and how I should be doing it and just other comments like that. The thing was that I was not doing anything wrong. It was not necessarily what he was saying but how he said it. His tone was rude. You could tell by the way that he was walking and holding himself. So I would get mad because it was hurtful the way that he would do it. Then one day he asked me why I took offense to everything he said. My response was that it was not necessarily what he said but how he said it. Apparently he did not mean for it to be hurtful but he walks around with a major attitude and I do not think that he knows how that affects communication with other people. Then there is this other guy at work who makes some of the same comments but I never become mad. He will say stuff like get to work or that is stupid stuff like that but he would have a smile on his face and laugh. His facial expressions, tone, gestures, and mannerisms all made me feel like he was just being playful so it was never a problem. We would then just joke around. Unlike the other guy he did not have a major attitude. From the same set of words but two totally different nonverbal behaviors you have two extremely different conversations. They both had different endings.

            I think that nonverbal behavior is the same across the board with both genders but I do think that in some situations it is influenced by your sex. I think that male's nonverbal behavior is more dependent on gestures and mannerisms. For females I think that it is more in the tone and facial expressions.

            In conclusion I think the words verbally spoken are important but not nearly as important as the words spoken by your nonverbal behavior. As you can tell by my story that nonverbal behavior changes the meaning of the message. This brings me back to the phrase, "Actions speak louder than words."

Cue Fanatic!!

I am a nonverbal cue fanatic. Whenever I am in a conversation I talk more with my body than I do with my words. I am known to give off vibes from my body language.

            Even when I am on the phone I use my hands to talk. My friend would always ask me why I talk with my hands so much. There was one time where I would move my entire body while talking. To me it added the importance of the subject I was talking about.

            I also wear my emotions all across my face. I would verbally say one thing and my face could say a whole different thing. When people would ask how I was doing I would say good, but they could always tell by my facial expressions whether or not I really was. I was never able to lie because people could always tell by my facial expressions and body language.

            One time I was playing taboo and I was trying to get my partner to guess the word. I did not know what word to use. I started to just use my body language, facial expressions, and hands. She finally guessed the word. The other team was shocked that we got it.

            I believe that mental attitude affects more than just communication.  If you have a bad attitude about something, you are going to send a bad vibe to other people. The attitude affects how you feel about things and how you portray things to people. People always can tell my attitude on things. I am constantly told to lose the attitude that I have.

            I think that dress style is something that communicates so much. You can always figure out what people are like by the way that they dress. You can tell whether they are wealthy or not. If a very important person was about to give an important speech and he walks in wearing sandals, shorts, and a t-shirt, would he be creditable. Would you listen to what he had to say? He could have given a very nice speech and communicated well through his speech but you are not going to listen to a word of it because his dress style sends off a whole different vibe.

            I think that a major issue in Teenage girls is dress style. The message they send to other people especially boys. They wear these mini skirts and low cut tops and then try to be taken seriously. You hear girls say why do boys think I am so "easy". They may not act like it but the way they dress portrays a whole different message. I went through a phase where I was like why are boys treating me like this then I realized I was portraying a message to boys by the way I dressed.

            In conclusion, you communicate with more than just words. Your body language can change your whole message. You also communicate through your facial expressions, dress style, and mental attitude.

English? spanlish? Frenglish?

I did some research on what people thought about English as a lingua Franca online. Also how they felt as English being the primary language of science, technology, and commerce. I never thought too much on it but I found many debates people have had on it.

            People need a common language to communicate subjects such as science, technology, business, and academics. This common language is referred to as a "lingua franca". This term describes a language serving as a regular means of communication between different groups.

            People feel that it would be a bold move and do not really agree with it. Some people think that English should not be the primary language in America or even globally. But then there are those people who think yes English should be the primary language.

            My personal opinion goes both ways. I feel that globally the lingua franca should be the language spoke most of the people. We should take a poll and find out which language is speaking dominantly. Whether it is English, Spanish or any other language, it should be the one that is more common.

            People say that English is not a language but a bunch of different languages put together. Yes English is a language that derives from many different languages, but you think that it would give us a better reason to have it as the primary language since it is a combination of others. English has Latin, French, Spanish, and many other languages in it. I think that it would be best if English were the lingua franca.

            Another topic that is brought up is English as the official language in America. I think that we should have an official language and that it should be English. I do not hate other languages, in fact I enjoy learning other languages, but I believe that it is the most common. English is a very common language so I believe that we should keep it that way so that we can have an official language. You here people call America a melting pot. America is where all different kinds of culture are blended together. America does not really have it's own root but many roots from many different places. Now did we not just say that about the English language? That it was a combination of many different languages. So if America is a melting pot why not have a melting pot as a language too. It makes sense to me. If we are going to accept the melting pot we should not pick Spanish, French, or any other language as our official language because that would go against our theory of accepting everything else and everyone else.

            As for technology, science, and commerce, I think that the primary language should be the easiest language. I do understand that English is very difficult to learn. I have talked to many different people who have English as their second language and they said that English is very complicated. So if it is complicated then let's make something else the primary language. To me though it sounds like the best option.

Prompt #3 Essay hints

In chapter two the authors are helping us and giving us hints on our own writings. The one that was most helpful to me was Patricia T, O'Conner. She wrote Saying is Believing. In her essay she had thirteen main points that are common problems in our essays. It is exactly what I needed as she says it is "to guide you through the writing blunders many students make". O'Conner says, "the simplest and clearest writing had the greatest power to delight, surprise, inform, and move the reader." I find this very helpful. I find myself many times putting too much thought into an essay. I do not stick to just one topic and I go off on tangents in my paper. It could be confusing and too much for the reader. I found five rules to be especially helpful.

            Rule number two states: Stop when you've said it. I find that I continue and continue sentences. If I have a thought I run with it until I cannot run any farther with it. This rule shows me that I need to say it and then stop do not keep going on.

             Rule number five says: Be direct. I find myself beating around the bush trying to say stuff. When what I really need to do is just say it. In this rule I like the point where she says, "As in geometry, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line."             Rule number six reads: Don't make yourself the center of the universe. Apparently I like being the center of attention in my papers too. I always want to say how I feel. I want to give my opinion and tell you what I think and make you understand why I think what I think. I need to use fewer first person pronouns.

            Rule number nine states: Watch out for pronounitis. I have pronounitis. I could write a sentence such as: She told him about it and that they did that. It is such a good example of lack of communication. O'Conner says, "Don't let the reader guess."

            Rule number twelve says: Put your ideas in order. I will write down a thought then think of another one write that down then think about something else to a previous thought then write it down. When I write an essay I have to write out an outline first because if I don't then I am all over the place in my essay with my ideas. I could take her advice and go through my essay after I write it and rearrange my ideas where they are in order.

            In conclusion, this essay was the most helpful to me out of all the ones in chapter two. The other rules were: Say what you have to say, Don't belabor the obvious, Don't tie yourself in knots to avoid repeating a word, Put descriptions close to what the describe, Put the doer closer to what's being done, Make sure there's a time and place for everything, imagine what you're writing, read with a felonious mind. I loved all of the principles. I felt like they were direct and easy to understand. I enjoyed reading this essay and feel like it is going to be helpful in all the other essays that I intend to write.

He had a Dream, Do I?

When prompted to think about Martin Luther King Jr.'s most famous speech, which is "I Have a Dream", all I think about is change. This was definitely an example of "language that inspired change". His speech is all about change and leaving the past and starting a new future. The African American race was treated so poorly that they all saw no bright future ahead of them and had no hope for change. That all changed when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech. He gave them a sense of freedom. They all felt a need for change but this speech gave the means for change. He found a way to reach his audience where every single person of every race heard it.


Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech on the Lincoln Memorial. This memorial represented freedom and unity. This was honored through Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, where his whole speech was about unity between races and the freedom of the African Americans. I do not think that he could have picked a better place to deliver his speech. I think that this location served its purpose very well and gave a deeper meaning to his speech and spoke to his audience.

In his speech he prompted many changes towards civil rights and the way people viewed them. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his speech, " is not an end, but a beginning", prompting that this is not the end to anything but that we are just starting something new. The start of something new is change. Martin Luther King Jr. also stated, " The Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny." This proves that he was talking to both Whites and African Americans. Both needed to have a change of heart, which he was planting the seed for. The fact that he mentioned that white people were there meant that change had already started and he was reaching their hearts. In his speech he said "Knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed." This helped everyone believe that change not only could happen but also would happen. I think that everybody knew change could happen but did not know that it would happen. This speech helped everybody have hope that it actually would happen. When hope is felt, change is possible. With no hope felt nobody is going to have the means for change.

I believe that if I were there while Martin Luther King Jr. was delivering his speech, "I have a dream" I would have been moved. His speech was well written and well communicated. If I were a White person in that time I would have been touched and set up for change. His speech reached so many people and still affects us today. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech is still felt today as we go through out our lives. The fact that we still feel his speech now, many years later, means that it did in fact inspire change. I start to think about myself and what would I stand up for and be willing to speak on. If given the opportunity would I be able to inspire change or would I even be heard?

Let Language set you free

Helen Keller writes that the acquisition of language "set her free." I agree. I feel that language provides us with a sense of independence and freedom. I agree with Leonard Michaels who wrote the essay My Yiddish. He states that we sometimes focus intently on language. We can express ourselves through our language. We can show our intellectual level, and our personality.


The first amendment in our constitution is the freedom of speech. We have been given the freedom to express ourselves through our language. I think that sometime people take it for granted. We will sometime keep our mouths shut in order to not express ourselves. When you have the opportunity let language be your expressive means. I also think that we can over use this right. Sometimes since we think that we can say whatever we want, we say things that hurt other people. There is a fine line between expressing yourself and hurting others. We sometimes just do not think and it becomes an unconscious activity where is does not really express who we are because we are not consciously doing the speaking.

I think that language can also be a barrier to our freedom. When there are many different languages it makes it difficult to communicate with others. For example imagine being a person who only spoke Spanish who came to America for freedom. You hear about these kinds of stories all the time. Just imagine thinking you are going to be free then coming here and not being able to really express yourself because you don't speak English. The freedom you once thought you were going to find is not there due to a lack of being able to communicate. Fortunately people are becoming bilingual which opens many paths of freedom.

Language is unique and different to every person. I look at my friends and yes we all speak the same language but we speak differently. Some people speak politically correct. Some use slang. One thing I noticed is that we all have our own little catch phrases that express us. I hear my friends saying "low key", "For sure", "ight", "right", or "all bad". Just their little phrases that make them who they are, they each are different I think it is expressive. They can show you that they have a personality and they are not like everyone else. I think that if we all spoke the same way that life would be boring. Some of my personal catch phrases are "for real" and "bad news". These are just little quirks about me that make me unique with my language.

In conclusion, I think that, yes, language does provide us with freedom. Language is unique. It was not the same for Helen Keller as it was for Malcolm X. They both used language very differently. Even though Helen Keller had many boundaries set on her she still found her own language that set her free. So do not let boundaries hold you back. Find your language and roll with it. Let it set you free.

What is critical thinking?

What is critical thinking to me? This is a question I think critically on. To me thinking critically is the ability to analyze and evaluate something. I also believe it to be personal. I use the ability to think critically in all aspects of my life. Sometimes I am known to think too critically in situations. To me thinking critically means to think with reason, to be able not just to react but also to be able to rationalize your reactions. Critical thinking is controlled by one's own self. You decide how you think. You need to take time and be sensible when you think critically.


When I think critically about anything I look over all other meaning, purposes, and reasons. I try to not just assume that my first thought is the correct or right one. My personal habits when it comes to thinking critically are that I have to write everything down. I need to be able to visualize it. I believe that critical thinking equals analyzing.

I analyze almost every aspect of my life. I analyze work, music, books, and my emotions. I always am trying to figure out why things are the way they are. I for one do not analyze politics. I have never found interest in them and think that there are so many lies that I would not even know where to start with them.

I almost always analyze the media. The media is a fascinating thing to analyze. There are so many problems with our media that you can find yourself in an overload of information. The media is also so influential. I find that being because we as humans do not think critically on what the media is really saying we just take it in and automatically accept it. If we would analyze more what they say we would not be as influenced as we are now.

When it comes to academic work it goes both ways for me. Most of the time I think critically on my work but sometimes I am lazy and I do not think critically. I find that usually when I take an assignment I find out all directions and then I figure out what the assignment is about. I will try to pin point some point of interest to help me become enthusiastic about it. I will then typically form a thought out plan and then start the assignment. Other times I will just meet the requirements and call it good, and put absolutely no thought into it at all. At the moment I am taking ballroom dancing. My instructor has told me that I am thinking too critically about what I am doing and that I need to just relax and let it happen. Sometimes things are simple where you do not need to think critically.

In conclusion, I am hoping that by the end of this class I will have a better understanding of critical thinking in general. I also hope to learn other method to think critically and analyze situations.