My Thoughts on "The Deer at Providencia"

          

“The Deer at Providencia”(1982), by Annie Dillard, is a literary narrative which explores the concept of suffering.  Dillard’s wish in the narrative is to figure out why suffering exist in nature.  Dillard develops her essay by describing events in which suffering has taken place.  Her intended purpose  is to make humans examine the existence of suffering in the world.

     Dillard’s essay was a difficult for me to follow.  Though I understood the point she was trying to make the reader grasp, I was a little lost while reading her narrative.  She uses alot of subtle imagery throughout  the text that made it difficult for me to catch.  When Dillard breaks off from the image of the deer suffering in the Amazon and trys to link it with a burn victim in Boston, she completely lost me.

     The beginning of the text was very descriptive and graphic when descriping the state of the deer.  Towards the end, the tone of the story seems to become more general, and not as precise.  The text seems to be very subtle and abstract.  Trying to constantly find the hidden message made it hard to grasp the effect the writer was trying to convey.  

    

My Thoughts on "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society"

  

                                                           

      "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society"(1985), by Jonathan Kozol, is an informative essay which explores the cost illiteracy can have on humankind, Kozol idea is that a society which suffers from illiteracy can not continue to sustain itself on a first class level.  Kozol develops his essay by using a variety of personal examples from others on how not being literate can have extremely negative consequences on a person's life.  Kozol intended purpose is to remind others of the threat illiteracy is to a society.  Kozol's intended audience are literate Americans.


     Kozol's essay speaks on a lot of social issues that can effect everyone, even those who are lliterate.  When you live in a democratic society,  the decisions and votes of others can have serious effects on your life.  The American standard of living will continue to decrease if we do not try to help those who are illiterate.  Illeteracy has long lasting consequences for everyone, even those who are literate.


     Kozol's essay is very organized and precise.  He uses the language in his essay to make others appreciate the fact that they are literate.  Most of the tone in the story is meant to make the reader show more sympathy towards the illiterate.  He starts his essay by first showing the affect illiteracy can have on daily activities like paying bills, writing checks, and reading signs, he then shows how illiteracy can have deadly repercussions.  Kozol ultimately shows that illiteracy traps a person in a narrow life, and society bears the burden of its effects.

                    


     "Black Men in Public Spaces(1986)," is a narrative essay written by Brent Staples which explores the phenomenon of racial profiling.  Staples uses personal incidents in his life in which he has been racially profiled by others as a criminal because of his race.  The authors intended purpose is make others more aware of their own social prejudices against others.  Staple's intended audience is everyone, he mentions how all races, classes, and sexes seem to hold these stereotypes.


      While I understand the point that the writer is trying to make in his essay, I could not help but come to the understanding that we all are profiled to some degree.  Whether it is based on a person's race, religion, sex, or age, there are always negative connotations associated with some aspects of a person's life.  Profiling seems unavoidable, it has existed since probably the dawn of time.  All groups of people seem to hold prejudice and stereotypes of others who are outside of their "group."


     Staples focuses on his own personal experiences with racial profiling on blacks.  The text begins when he is a young college student and experiences his first case of racial profiling.  He writes about how he becomes sort of familiar with other people's perception on him.  Because of this, he tries to make himself less threatening to others.  Though he writes on the topic of racial profilling, he does not really seem to use words like racial, prejudice, or stereotype in the text, that would make others believe he was painting himself as a victim. 


    
    

Thirty Eight Who Saw Murder Didn't Call The Police: A Shocking Story

"Thirty Eight Who Saw Murder Didn't Call The Police", which was written by Martin Gansberg, is an unfortunate and shocking story about a woman who was stalked from her workplace back to her home. She worked at a local bar and was the target of a man's fatal attack. She was stabbed multiple times by this stalker and was brutally murdered. During the first of his stabs, she yelled out desperately for help, but to no avail. The THIRTY-EIGHT people who lived in the same apartment building did not react and brushed it off as a simple argument between a couple.

When I read this story, I was shocked. How in the world could 38 different people not dial 911, or even check to see what was happening? Any one of those 38 people could have saved her life. She could still be walking around among us today. But no, they decided to ignore it and continue with what they were doing inside their homes. This event represents how many Americans are used to such situations and brush it off like it was nothing. Violence and crime are so common in that area that they did not even care to help out.

I believe Gansberg wrote this story to get people to take action. He wanted justice for this woman and wanted this kind of crime to end. People should be more aware of their surroundings. If you hear screams for help, go help them or call the authorities. It does not hurt to dial 911 in an emergency situation.

Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain,”(1998) is an informative essay written by Jessica Mitford, which explains the American embalming procedure.  Mitford develops the essay by explaining step by step the embalming process undertakers perform on deceased bodies.  Mitford’s purpose is to explain to others what goes on behind the scenes before a funeral is held.  Her intended audience is everyone, since we all will eventually have to experience some kind of burial process.

    As a self-admitting necrophobe, reading Mitford’s essay was a bit much to process and take in.  I literally felt sick while reading.  The embalming process to me has no logic. I have never had the desire to be buried or experience the embalming procedure.  It is not like the person who is dead knows what is going on anyway.  I try to avoid anything having to do with death, so having to read an assay based on corpses was quite morbid.

     The text reminds me why I try to avoid anything having to do with death.  I do not think I could ever partake in a career where dealing with dead bodies was a necessity . I really did not enjoy having to read this story, and I hope I will not have to in the immediate future.

My Response to How to Mark A Book

            

    Mortimer Adler’s essay, “How to Mark a Book”, (1940) defines a clear and logical way of marking up a book that will help a person not only have a book to read but have a book they respect and understand inside-out. Adler’s essay is merely made up of self-examined ideas and the thought process of humans while reading. The sole purpose of this essay was to not only inform his audiences but to also teach them in order to later have a new found respect for whatever they may read in the future. The intended audiences of the essay are people who are in a more mature stage of studies.

            I automatically connected with Alder’s idea because I’m one of the many college students who try to find a variety of ways to better understand any material I may be studying. The way he explained the art of marking a book helped me see the passion and pure knowledge of how much help this could provide a person. I was personally drawn towards this because it gave me a general idea on how to study to where I will not only just read over the context but I will have a full knowledge of whatever I’m studying. Although people may use different study methods, I do believe that they all fall back to Adler’s idea of marking the book and seeing its true soul.

            They way Mortimer Adler brought this essay together was ingenious. Every explanation not only helps one understand it but it will stick with them after reading. Like most people, I’m one who reads and, in the end, has to go back and read again to gain any kind of knowledge. Adler states in paragraph four, “I am arguing that book, too, must be absorbed in your bloodstream to do you any good.” What Adler clearly means is, until one takes the literature and really makes it a part of themselves, they will never fully acknowledge the true meaning behind it.

That's How I Roll

      "That's How I Roll" was written by Ginny Donaldson for her English 1101 class in 2009. This informative essay describes how and why slang is created and used. Many phrases, such as "That's How I Roll", are used throughout the United States. This kind of slang is widespread and is mutually understood by most Americans. Donaldson poses a question. Why and how is slang created?

      Donaldson uses sources, such as the Urban Dictionary, Google, and Buzzle, to describe her thoughts on this subject. Slang seems to develop everyday. Once new slang is created, most of the old slang becomes obsolete and forgotten. Some slang stays longer than others because they are "sticky" or well-remembered. Radical, hip, and gnarly are examples of slang words that are rarely used now but were commonly used years ago. New slang pops up from many places, such as the Internet or everyday conversation.

      This essay reminds me how I use slang everyday and don't even realize it. Most people feel the same way. Slang phrases are used so often that they receive a spot in the official dictionaries. Throughout any regular day, people like me will use slang words and phrases so much that it becomes part of everyday language. Each day, new slang is added to our repertoire.