My Blog

Thesis Statements: Travel

Classification:  Aggravated travelers and workers in air travel cause unpleasant airport experiences.

Cause/Effect:  All of the recent issues with air travel have scared me to fly a lot like I used to.

Persuasion:  With the numerous unfortunate events that have ocurred in air travel, passengers should try their best to minimize the long lines in airports.

“They don’t think it’s fair that they’re judged according to their performance, not their desires or “potential.”  This passage caught my attention because it is so true of many students around the world today.  I think our generation has gotten caught up in the technology era where almost everything is done for them at a touch of a button.  Then when grades come around, they expect to receive the grade they want, not necessarily what they deserve.

Thesis: “In the last few years, however, some students have developed a disgruntled consumer approach.”

I honestly had trouble finding the thesis, but I think this is as close as it gets.  An example of how Kurt Wiesenfeld supported his thesis is how the day after the grades are posted, numerous students come to him and want him to up their grade just because they want a better mark.  Some act as if their life will end if they don’t receive an “A.”

“Expanding the military to meet addditional responsibilities is a matter of structural change: If we bulid it, they will come.  And bulid it we must.”  I think this qoute really explains the whole situation on the military and not being expanded enough.  I do believe that if Congress and the Pentagon spend more money to bulid the military that more volunteers will come.  This way, a draft won’t be needed.

Thesis: “Imposing a draft on the military I served in would harm it greviously for years.”

An example of how Nathaniel Fick supports his thesis is when he says that the US needs to build up the military in order for more volunteers to come forward.  With a stronger military, obviously people will be more willing to dedicate themsleves to the service.

“Such episodes are not uncommon.  Black men trade tales like this all the time.”  This quote from “Just Walk on By” by Brent Staples is referring to the stories black men share about being mistaken for a theives, rapists, murderers, etc.  It really grabbed my attention because I never thought that these kinds of stories would be commonly shared by blacks.  Of course I know that racism still exists and that blacks are not treated fairly in some situations, but it never occurred to me that they would actually discuss this frequently.  I think that the writer’s thesis is how many people, mostly white women, react to blacks who just look like they could be a robber, for example, without having any real reason to believe that way.  An example of this is when a young woman feared Staples and eventually ran away from him when the two of them were just walking down the street.  The way that the young woman saw Staples was a tall, young black man with “billowing hair” wearing baggy clothing.

Evidence

-woman is smiling and holding keys

-damaged car stuck in between boat and ledge

-accident scene is located adjacent to a parking lot

Conclusions

-The woman is the driver of the car.

-The car was accidently driven off of the ledge.

     I came to the conclusion that this woman in the picture was parking her car when she accidently pushed the gas pedal, causing her car to land wedged in between a boat and the ledge of the dock.

I have chosen to interview my mom.  I think she is such an interesting person, and I believe that I will learn a lot more about her history by choosing her for this assignment.  Even though I know her very well, I often wonder about all the things in her life that happened before I existed.

I haven’t exactly chosen a topic to write about yet, so here are some generic questions:

1. What is one specific event that happened in your past that remains vivid in your mind? Why does it remain that way?

2.  What moment in your past would you take back and re-do? Why?

3.  What do you consider to be the most important part of your life?

4.  What’s your take on how society has changed from 50 years ago?

5.  What is a life lesson you learned when you were young that you have kept with you?

Growing up, I have always thought of my dad’s mother as my favorite grandma.  I always thought she was nicer or something.  She is very religious and very kind.  My grandpa died two years ago, and during his illness, I was always so sad to see her the way she was.  I guess I wanted her to be happy, the way she always was before.  I honestly don’t have much else to say about my grandma’s experiences, since I don’t know many of them at all.

I am responding to “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan.  A quote that really grabbed my attention was “I was ashamed of her English.  I believe that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say.  That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect.  And I had plenty of empirical evidence to support me. . . “  I chose this quote because I feel that it is a huge statement and realization of Amy Tan.  She didn’t realize when she was young that her mom did have important things to say, even if she couldn’t communicate them perfectly.  It is very important to the whole essay as well.  If Amy had never made this realization, today she would not have the same perspective and surely wouldn’t have written this essay.  It also relates to how she hears her mother clearly now.  I believe that the writer’s thesis is how she uses different types of English such as how she speaks with her mother, her husband, and how she speaks when she gives speeches to large groups of people.  An example of how Amy Tan supports her thesis is when she is giving a speech to a large group of people about her book, The Joy Luck Club, and she sees her mom in the room.  She realizes that she uses totally different language in her speeches.  She was using perfect English, something her mother probably didn’t understand too well.  But to Amy, her mother made complete sense and was very clear.

I am responding to “The Purpose of Education” by Martin Luther King Jr. To tell you the truth, this whole essay really grabbed my attention, but I guess I will have to choose just one thing. A quote that stood out to me is “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” I found this passage important because it brought my attention to a point that I have never considered before. I know I have learned of real, well educated people being very biased or prejudiced against a certain issue, but the thought that the combination of character and education earlier in their life could actually change the kind of person they grow up to be never entered my mind. I think it’s kind of sad that more people these days don’t make this realizaton.
While reading this essay, I got the idea that the thesis is about how a lot of young people who are in school just think they need an education to further themselves in the race for power and nobility. They forget that they need to learn how to think for themselves and that they need to have morals in their lives. I believe the writer supports his thesis by giving an example of a so-called “educated” person, Eugene Talmadge. King went on to explain how Mr Talmadge was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a prestigious academic honor society. Maybe Eugene Talmadge was an extremeley intelligent man, but he obviously wasn’t well-educated enough to realize that all ethnic races are equal.

I am responding to “Desecration? Dedication!” The quote that most received my attention was “The problem is that most native-born citizens probably can’t pass the test. Americans are remarkably casual about their citizenship, not voting in sufficient numbers, not following the critical political issues.” I believe that this quote is very important to this essay, because it pretty much sums up the reality that US citizens face. We, as US citizens, take our citizenship and freedom for granted. We sometimes don’t realize how much better off we are than if we were to live in another country. I actually took the citizenship test in school a few years ago and failed miserably. It goes to show that foreign people have to know more about our country to become a citizen than we have to know just to take a political position and vote. I think the writer’s point in writing this essay was to compare how much is expected of people wanting US citizenship and how much is expected of gay or lesbian couples. If someone is gay or lesbian, then people will expect that their relationship is more stable or “true.”