AIB

“ If this war is truly worth fighting, then the burdens of doing so should fall on all Americans.”

This quote stood out to me because I feel it really supported what the author was saying throughout the essay about the privilaged and the working class. I know this first hand because my mother is a member of the military.

I feel the main idea the author states in the story is family members of government officials in earlier wars participated, and now there are few officials today that have family members involved.  In supporting his thesis, he is explaining that none of the congressmen and professional athletes today are sharing the burden of the war. They are telling us to be involved and participate, but they themselves are not volunteering to help out our country.  They also don’t want their own kids and family members to do join the war on terror. Civilian politians are directing us to go to Iraq, but don’t want their families to fight. The author is saying that back in the earlier wars higher authorities; for instance, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s sons and Lyndon B. Johnson’s son-in-laws, participated and went to war, including their family members. One thing that stood out to me was the fact that three generations of Bushes have gone from serving in WW2, to Vietnam, to none of the current extended family serving in the war in Iraq. I found that very interesting on how patriotism has changed.

Evidence:

-The driver was a middle aged woman

-A parked car is stuck between a boat and the concrete.

-The car is a white Honda, Civic

-Their is damage on the left side of the vehicle

A conclusion I came to was that the driver may have thought the car was in reverse when leaving the parking lot, but it may have been still in drive, so the consequence was the car driving into the boat.

“That first encounter, and those that followed, signified that a vast, unnerving gulf lay between nightime pedestrians-particularly women-and me.

I chose this quote because I feel that is it a very strong statement; it’s about his experiences and how they have effected him. The writer feels that strangers, particularly women, may be afraid of him just because he is a black man. I can relate to being nervous at night and always being cautious of who is around me, but people have to realize that black men are not to blame for every bad experience when it comes to crimes and violence.

I feel the thesis is in the second paragraph and it states: “It was in the echo of that terrified woman’s footfalls that I first began to know the unwieldy inheritance I’d come to-the ability to alter public space in ugly ways.” I think this because it tells us when he started to notice he was being treated differently because he was a black man. The writer supports this by telling what happened during this first experince and how it effected him. He also supports it by sharing more examples of what happened to him; for instance, when he was mistaken for a burglar when rushing to his office to hand his boss his deadline story, when people assumed he was a criminal/mugger because of his race.

I was paired up with George Caspers for my interview last Thursday. It was a great experience and I loved learning about what happened in his day and age. He was very thoughtful and welcoming to my being there and asking him questions. He told me about his jobs throughout his life, so I’m choosing to do my essay one of his past jobs; his experience working for Motorola.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to do a second interview because his wife, Olive, didn’t want another interview with her partner so, she doesn’t really want her husband to do a second one either. She feels we have enough information, so I might have to change my topic if I’m unable to schedule another meeting.  So here are the questions for my potential second interview:

1. What year did you start working at Motorola?

2. How did you get/find out about the job?

3. What did your job consist of? What were your duties?

4. How many hours did you work per week?

5. How much did you get paid? How much was a raise? 

6. What was the transister? What was its purpose?

7. How did the transister change things?

8. How did you prove/test the transister? Was it successful?

9. Has the transister evolved over time?

10. Did you like working there? How long did you stay with that company?

1. What is your full name?

2. When were you born?

3. Were/are you married?

4. Where did you grow up and how was your way of living?

5. Did/do you have any brothers and sisters? How many?

6. What was education like in your day? Did you go to college?

7. What was your first job and what kind of work was included?

8. How did you get from one place to another?

9. What was one of your best memories as a child?

10. Do you have any children or grandchildren? 

My grandma, Elizabeth Pederson, has experienced many things throughout her life, but there is one thing that I will never be able to experience. My grandma had to go through a lot to get to school everyday, so getting to school wasn’t an easy joy ride. My great grandma and my grandma had to walk a path along the St. Louis River from the old rock quarry which was on the opposite side of the river in Jay Cooke Park to get to their boat. From there my great grandma would paddle down the river to Highway 23.  Next my grandma had to walk down Highway 23 in from Fond Du Lac to Gary New Duluth to catch the bus to Denfeld High School.  When my grandma told me this story I couldn’t believe it; I would never be able to do that everyday to get to school. It’s crazy how times have changed because all I have to do is jump in my car, drive, and then I’m there. My grandma had to go through much more to get places because she had no choice and because her mom and dad couldn’t afford any other form of transportation, especially when they had to raise a total of six kids.    

“One of the chief arguments opponents have against same-sex marriage is that marriage is designed first and foremost to produce and shelter children.”

Many people assume that only straight couples can raise and bear children; which isn’t exactly true. I don’t feel that your sexual orientation affects your child in the degree that a lot of people are thinking. Not every child that is raised by a gay/lesbian couple will turn out gay. As long as you have a stable job/home, I see no problem with gays living their lives the way they want; if they choose to have kid(s) that is their decision, not ours. I believe that you’re in charge of your own life and the choices you choose to make; everyone deserves to be happy. It wouldn’t be my choice of lifestyle , but I have no reason to judge their life decisions.

“Every issue of playboy, every lewd poster, and even the Victoria’s Secret catalog transform real women into ornaments, valued exclusively for their outward appearance”

This quote really stood out to me because it is something we have to live and deal with everyday. People are constantly worrying about their looks and appearances; whether its your clothes, hair, or the shape of your body. To be considered attractive you must be thin, tall, and beautiful. It seems like that’s all that matters now. An example of this would be America’s Next Top Model. I’ve watched all eight seasons so far and it does settle a lot on beauty, but they have broadened their minds by accepting plus size and shorter girls. When you look at a Victoria’s Secret Catalog all you see are very skinny girls because most people don’t find plus size girls attractive. In order to sell a magazine they have to sell what appeals to America and around the globe, and that is being thin and in shape. I do feel they put out an image that you have to be skinny and have a  “perfect body.”  Noboby should change who they are for anyone else; you still need to be an individual and be happy the way you are. Kids now a days are wanting to be thin like the models in magazines and on television. I saw on Tyra that kids even want to start dieting and not eating to be thin; starting at age 6! It’s absoluetly ridiculous to see kids thinking they have to change themselves in order to be accepted. That brings me to say that I have to disagree with  Amy L. Beck, we need diversity to keep our individuality. I didn’t like the mind set she had about the image of women, especially saying we would all be respected and loved if we all looked like models. I find that very shallow and impossible. We need to start focusing on what we want for ourselves and not what the world and media want for us.

If I had to choose I superhero to compare myself to, I would pick superman (Clark Kent). He’s always willing to help out his friends and family, just as I am. Another thing we have in common is how close we are to our families. He always looks out for his parent(s) and alway offers a helping hand. My family also means the world to me and I try to help them out as much as possible. For instance, mowing the lawn for my mom and shoveling/snowblowing snow in the winter. Clark always puts others first and never takes things for granted. I too try to put others first and do the right thing. I have to admit that there are two things that I’m jealous of , it’s his ability to fly and his x-ray vision. I wish we shared that in comparison.

“But as a seventh grader struggling to make the cut in a tough Atlanta grammar school, all it took was a dare. I chose this quote because it shows how far some people will go to fit in. Another reason I chose this quote is because a lot of people can relate to the situation. For example, I felt the ‘need’ to fit in in high school and I occasionally thought of going out of my confort zone just to be accepted and fit in.

I enjoyed reading this essay and I feel its important because at some point in your life you have to deal with peer pressure and the wanting to fit in. I feel that personal experience is helpful to a reader and it helps them stay engaged. I think the writer’s point is that no matter who you are, how smart, or how average, you can always be a victim of peer pressure.