“The Ways We Lie”
Evaluate the success of Ericsson’s essay, considering especially how effectively her evidence supports her generalizations. Are there important categories she overlooks, exceptions she neglects to account for, gaps in definitions or examples? Offer specific evidence for your own view, whether positive or negative.
“Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the Extinction of Dinosaurs”
Gould proposes several causes and the same effect. Why do you think considering various possible causes for a particular effect is important in scientific inquiry? How does the same thing apply in everyday life? Think of a situation that affects you directly—your breakup with a close friend, a course you are having particular difficulties with, a problem you face at school, something you have recently become interested in (or lost interest in), or the like. Then, write down all the causes you can think of for this situation.
“No Name Woman”
Most of us have heard family stories that left lasting impressions—ghost stories like Kingston’s , biographies of ancestors, explanations for traditions, family superstitions, and so on. Write about a family story you remember vividly from your childhood.
“Once More to the Lake”
White strongly evokes the lake camp as a place that was important to him as a child. What place or places were most important to you as a child? Describe the place now as a teenager. Your description should draw on your childhood memories, making them as vivid as possible for the reader, but you should also consider how your point of view toward the place differs now.
“The Clan of One-Breasted Women”
Evaluate “The Clan of One-Breasted Women” as an argument, focusing on the author’s use of appeals (rational, emotional, and ethical). How well do you think she succeeds?
Contribute a thoughtful, well-written blog that fosters cross-communication and response among our AP Language community. (This one is quiz-grade status.)
In “Once More to the Lake” E.B. White describes revisiting a place that was important to him as a child and the transfer of roles as his son assumes the role of the eager child and he assumes the role of being the responsible parent as they have experiences almost exactly like the ones that White had undergone as a child. As a child, my two favorite places were my backyard and the park that was within walking distance of my house. My backyard encompassed a vast wooded area that surrounded a pond that was shared with the neighbors. The landscape gently sloped down towards the lake, which seemed like the centerpiece of the backyard. I spent countless days exploring my backyard and reading books in the green shade of the trees cooled by an arbitrary breeze that was ever-present due to the pond. I also remember fishing for the first time on a dock that jutted into the pond and the almost sacrosanct feeling of serenity that accompanied each fishing trip on the dock. Another memorable experience that I remember is trying to catch frogs with some friends, an endeavor that ended in defeat as the frogs were too fast and we were too clumsy. The other location where I spent my childhood was the neighborhood park. The park was within walking distance of my house and I used to walk there often and just swing on the swing set or look at the clouds while lying with my back against the cool grass. Looking back, I envy the abundance of free time that I had in my childhood and feel that this inactivity was what made my childhood so relaxed and unpressured. The park was also the place where I first learned how to ride a bike and learned how to play tennis. Unfortunately, revisiting the places that were important to me during my childhood is all but impossible as they exist up north in a town that I left for Augusta in the eighth grade. Even so, the locations remain alive in my memory and every so often I find myself visiting them in my dreams, bitter-sweet reminders of places abandoned but never forgotten.
ReplyDelete"The Ways We Lie"
ReplyDeleteBy using the sergeant in Vietnam who honorably tries to save a family from horror, Ericsson illustrates to readers how lying has its pitfalls and triumphs. Additionally, by giving daily examples of work attire, she expresses that lying is not only completed by word of mouth but by even display. With historically accurate examples such as Father James Porter, she conveys the hidden secrets many religious institutions try to embed in us. Such as the story from the Bible, in which only Adam and Eve are known to most Christians. Each of these serve to highlight the different features of classification Ericsson wishes to portray. By giving the dictionary definition of lying, she makes the words seem unreal, dry, and even inhuman. Although her categories depict an array of methods in which we lie, she overlooks the cruelest form of them all: Lying to purpose deceit or harm. Often times we encounter individuals in our life who are malevolent and wicked. These types of lies, are too taking a drastic toll on our society’s cultural cancer. Moreover, “Groupthink” envelops many of her other categories, wrapping it into one. To enhance “Groupthink” she may need to include examples of how it plays out in our daily lives. “Dismissal” and “Delusion” overlap, and could be compacted into one category, for if one is under delusion, he or she is dismissing reality.
Ericsson marvelously identifies the kinds of lies we as human beings all tell at one time or another by defining each particular form of lying and then providing a specific example pertaining to that specific false statement. The personal connection at the beginning of Ericsson’s essay allows the reader to better familiarize himself with what a lie is. Also near the beginning the reader is provided with comfort knowing that the essay will not be a negative “calling out” against liars because the author admits to being a liar herself.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Ericsson’s day (which consisted of being harassed by the bank, being pregnant while caring for her other child, and being late to a business meeting) consisted of lies comes as no surprise towards the reader. You cannot please everybody in your path and sometimes the truth can hurt. Because she told the bank that her deposit was already in the mail it relieved her from a fine she would have to pay. The excuse that the traffic was bad is a perfect way of excusing herself rather than appearing to be not incredibly punctual. If she had told her partner that her day was just as bad as his, he might have been more distraught than he was in the first place. The little lies she told kept her out of trouble and kept the people she associated with content. I agree with her statement that a LITTLE lie couldn’t hurt anything. After the story of a day in which the author lies she similarly recounts another day of her life but this time incorporates the truth. The truth, which previously was covered by a small lie, did come out and did cause her a fee from the bank, friends getting their feelings hurt and her partner keeling over her travails. “There must be some merit to lying” especially when it covers up the bad and portrays the good (what people want to hear.)
The order of which each lie is defined in was ordered from the simplest of lies to the worst of lies. Beginning with the white lie, we learn that when telling a white lie one assumes the truth will cause more damage than what actually is to be stated. Ericsson told white lies to cover up the truth that did not appear good or worth explaining. Facades, which are used to seduce others into an illusion, follow white lies. This could be detrimental to human society if many people were appearing as someone who they really weren’t. The ways of lying continue to be listed and their definitions follow as each is revealed. Ericsson did a fine job in organizing her facts.
I am not certain if it is appropriate to agree with lying, however, I personally understand why the author says it is not easy to completely eliminate lying from our lives. When I try to tell the complete truth and nothing but the truth I find myself offending others or not making much sense of what I am trying to dictate. It is true that our culture has become accepting of lies. We do not even realize that some forms of lying are actual lies. Sarcasm and stereotypes are popular among adolescents, but if those are considered lying how are we to fully put trust in each other? “When will we stand up and declare out right to trust?” That is an excellent question, but no matter how hard society tries it will be nearly impossible to end lying once and for all. It is safe to assume that some lies (because of the impossibility to end lies all together) are acceptable in society. Of course we can take into consideration that the lies cannot be corrosive and biting but rather simply gestures of covering the truth and making the perception more positive and uplifting to those being lied to. If people have the power to lie they should do so responsibly.
In "The Ways We Lie," Ericsson uses specific evidence that effectively demonstrates her generalizations on the different types of lies we tell and why we tell them. I specifically liked her example of "the sergeant in Vietnam who knew one of his men was killed in action but listed him as missing" but in doing so, the "family kept their hopes alive, unable to move on to a new life." She used the sergeant as an example of the white lie which fits perfectly because he thought he was doing the best thing for the family, when in truth, he was doing more harm than good, and really, it was not his decision to make. Her example on lies involving people who ignore the plain facts was a very good case because the people knew that Father Porter had been molesting children, and yet they still kept him as a priest. Ericsson included many different types of lies, some I had never even thought of such as groupthink and stereotypes and clichés. It never occurred to me that stereotyping and clichés were ways that we not only lie to other people, but also lie to ourselves in trying to categorize people in groups. The quotes that Ericsson uses below each transition is very clever and helps make her point even more powerful. We all lie because that is human nature, and Ericsson justifies why we do so. Ericsson overlooks the lies that we tell just for fun, no matter what the reason is. The most obvious example is “rumors” or typical teenage drama that people experience throughout their lives at some point or another. She overlooks the lies we tell for fun, though, because they do not support what she is trying to accomplish; you cannot justify telling lies for the fun of it. I agree with her to a certain extent, that some lying is justified, but there is a point when it is unnecessary and the truth is better.
ReplyDeleteIn his essay Gould describes a variety of causes that all can lead to the same event, in this case he refers to the extinction of the dinosaurs. He mentions that they died either because of sex, drugs, or disasters. By this, he actually means they were exterminated by, either a global temperature increase, an overdose of chemicals from plants, or a meteor striking the earth. The point that Gould conveys is that there can be multiple reasons for an event to occur, whether they be gradual such as the temperature increase or chemical overdose, or spontaneous such as the meteor striking the planet.Granted there is still debate over how the dinosaurs really died, this does not mean they died of only one cause. This idea that there can be multiple causes to one event can be applied to situations in everyday life as well. One example of that is my interest in tennis. I started playing when I was about twelve yet I never had any initial interest in it. My mom would always watch the major tournaments on TV and that year I decided to watch the US Open with her. I quickly picked up the basic rules from watching the tournaments on TV and I felt compelled to try actually playing the sport. So, one day I asked my mom if I could play tennis and from that moment on I took to the sport very quickly. As you can see, there were multiple causes that allowed me to become interested in tennis. There was the spontaneous reason of me deciding to watch the US open with my mom as well as a gradual love for the game that came with the hours of practice I began to put into it. Now, because there can be multiple causes for someone to gain an interest in something, there can also be multiple causes for someone to lose interest with something.Take high school for example and teenagers who often “like” a different person every week. If someone decides to like someone new then clearly they lost interest in who they were previously enthralled with. There can be multiple reasons why they would lose interest in the person. There can be spontaneous causes such as a fight or other event that instantly causes their feelings to shift about the person, or they can simply grow closer to a different person over time. In this case, whether it is gradual or instant, both causes lead to the same effect. So whether it is on a larger scale such as what truly killed the dinosaurs, or much more trivial things, such as a gain or loss of interest in a sport or person, there can always be more than one cause that leads to the same effect.
ReplyDeleteIn examining an event, scientifically or otherwise, we must always remember to look at the many possible causes for the event occurring. This is supported by the claims of thousands of statisticians who will yell their mantra of "Correlation does not equal causation," from the mountaintops until we all learn better. Looking at the correlation between, in Gould's essay, the extinction of dinosaurs and the rise of flowering plants would be like saying that because there is a correlation between people being named Evan and people having blue walls, all people with blue walls must be named Evan. Unless all the possible causes of an effect are examined, foolish assumptions can be made, and easily disproved.
ReplyDeleteIn my life, there is one monolithic obsession that has dawned on me recently. This factor controls every last action I take and thought that passes through my hairy head. This monolith is of course my obsession with my weight and physical appearance, with my opinion always being negative. There are many possible causes to this obsession, and I do not know quite enough about psychology to make an accurate assumption, so I will address each possible cause equally. The first is the actions of my mother. My mother spends an average of 25 hours a week inside a gym or running at the canal, and seeing this from birth could have entrenched in my brain the fact that working oneself excessively and having a lower than what is generally considered healthy body mass index is normal and worthwhile. The second could be the diet of my mother during her pregnancy. Recent studies have shown that mothers who dine on large quantities of fruits and vegetables while pregnant will give birth to children that not only enjoy eating these foods, but also enjoy exercise and activity. My mother's most typical maternal craving was grapes, and her most frequent meal during those nine months was salad. The third possible cause for my obsession could be mental disorder. The first few years of cognitive life I had on this planet were spent, in a large proportion, inside the offices of psychiatrists and other specialists that threw complex hypotheses to my parents to wrangle with, none of which were ever fully addressed, since the opinions of the doctors countered each other.
In both the scientific field and real life, there is always room for error when considering situations and solutions. We are physically incapable of taking into account every single factor that is present, hence why we repeat experiments again and again to assure that the results are as accurate as it can be. However, despite our arduous work, there is still no way to guarantee 100% accuracy without rounding. We can only attempt to consider all possibilities when drawing conclusions to evaluate how something happens. In a very similar way, we should also apply this principle to life. By doing so, we are acknowledging tolerance as we hypothesize a multitude of possible causes. We also learn by extending our approach to different situations to take into account the diversity of the population. For instance, I often ask myself, “Well, what if…?” to consider what another person might think. One topic that I often consider is my grades vary so much. I’ve theorized that it depends on these factors: personal work ethic, parents, friends, teachers, and how the school operates in general. In terms of work ethic, I find myself frequently cramming in assignments and studying on the day of the due date or test day. While I still produce quality work the majority of the time, I have come to the conclusion that this is ultimately my downfall that has led to shabby grades. My parents are also a factor. I have noticed that my own parents are not as encouraging as others may be, but the sheer thought that I might disappoint them has ultimately nurtured me to become dissatisfied with inadequate grades. However, when I do make substantial grades, they do try to acknowledge my accomplishments by taking me out to dinner or something similar. One of the most encompassing influences on my grades includes my friends. When I hang out with friends that aren’t exceptionally worried about their grades, it tends to have a negative impact on my grades because I get distracted by their carefree antics. When I hang out with friends that are in the top 5% of my class, though, they often motivate me to keep up with my work. The same applies to teachers. I admire teachers who take it personally when I am not doing as well as I should. I do not, however, admire teachers that refuse to teach on the simple principle of “Oh, you should have already learned this.” Nor do I like teachers who blame Power Period for taking up 2 weeks of teaching time, yet also waste days in class, which brings me to the subject of how the school itself functions. While some Power Period rotations seem like a waste of time, I do like using it as a study hall and an opportunity to do club activities. This, I believe, has led to varying results in accompaniment with my work ethic.
ReplyDelete"The Clan of One-Breasted Women" can be seen as an argument through the use of appeals. Williams first appeals to logic by mentioning the common causes of breast cancer at the beginning of the story. She then appeals to rationality when discussing that the Mormons did not often get cancer, and she poses the question wondering if her family is an anomaly, or if so-called "bad genes" were present. Williams argues that such a claim that she and her family are genetically vulnerable to the disease is false because she reasons that she lives in a community of individuals whom do not normally get cancer; the fact that only she could just get the disease is not plausible.
ReplyDeleteThe following paragraphs are an emotional appeal giving background information about the women in her family who had cancer. Williams then details the sight of an atomic bomb going off; she says that it was like a dream. The backgroundserves as the prime component of leg two of the argument: the women being subjected to the experience of having cancer must have something to do with that cloud, or those who created the cloud.
More emotional appeals are presented when considering paragraph 19 and the case of Irene Allen. Allen, like Williams, suffered from breast cancer as result of radiation poisoning supposedly resulting from the atomic tests being conducted in neighboring Nevada. Unlike the logical and rational appeals at first, the emotional appeals are not quite as effective because, for them to work, the reader must be into the work at hand. The other two kinds of appeals are merely stating what is and making any able-minded reader believe and side with the speaker. While the argument was only partially effective at first, I caught on and sided with Williams because I felt similarly.
As E.B. White describes in "Once More to the Lake," one's perception of a place or object evolves as one grows and matures. In his essay, White attempts to compare and contrast his current views of a serene lake with those which he held as a child. One of White's purposes is to illustrate the transformation of perspectives depending on the transformation of the individual. This maturation is key to our growth as people. If we do not change ourselves or our viewpoints, then the world will become a static setting punctuated with a homogeneous population. It is this maturation of viewpoints which fosters individuality as well as originality. If such growth was not present, the world would lose much of its meaning as we, an entire society, slip into a monotonous, dry routine characterized by blind conformity rather than the inspiring creativity that fosters individuality and innovation.
ReplyDeleteEven in my own life, there are ample examples of an ever-changing point-of-view. As a child, one of the most influencing places for me was my own home. From a young age, I saw my home almost as a prison. Looming in the distance, this two-story edifice, sent chills down my small spine. The tall walls seemed to almost swallow me in their all-encompassing grasp. Although the windows let in ample light, I always felt as if my house was a place of darkness. Never did I feel like I was at home regardless of the title that was given to the building. To me, my house was a trap. It was a method for me to dwindle away my precious childhood. I always desired to roam the outside world looking for adventure, yet I was trapped inside this building. Even inside, I reaped minimal enjoyment; I was constantly pressured to study and read in the hope that I would one day become a successful individual. I would always get into arguments with my brother, and to me, the house represented not a place of comfort, but a place of discomfort. As I have grown, however, my views towards this once strange building have changed considerably. Now, I see my house as a home. It is my sanctuary from the turmoil of the environment in which I live. It is a place of relaxation. When people ask me what I am doing after school, I often reply with "Nothing, just chilling at home." My house is the place where I can forget all my worries. Once I step through the door and the cool air from within hits my face, I forget all my troubles and let myself be taken to a world far away from reality. Home is a place where I can kick back with some good food, relax, and watch some basketball. No longer do I feel the same pressure to constantly study. Even though, I still argue with my siblings, I now understand that we argue not from animosity, but simply as way to connect with each other. My house has transformed from a metaphorical prison to a private sanctuary where I can ease myself of the burdens of everyday life. It is transformations in perspective such as this which make life worthwhile. What is the point in living a life in which everything is the same? You would simply get lost in the fatal boredom which stems from unchanging perspectives.
I’m sure it’s safe to say that almost every teenager had experienced dreary and long life-lessons given by their parents. Similarly, my parents have done their fair share of vapid and somewhat awkward lectures. However, perhaps because my father repeated this story for many times, it left a dominant impression in my memory. The truth is that my father was once an inmate. Yes, at the age of 17, he became a prisoner in the Vietnamese confinement. He wasn’t a thief, a murderer, nor did he hurt anyone. So why was he taken into prison? Because he wanted to better his life. Born in 1959, he spent almost his entire childhood and youth living under the shadow of the war. Two meals a week was considered luxury. Civilians didn’t die from bullets, they were killed by diseases and starvation. And that was the fate of his toddler sister and two brothers. My father never got his high school diploma, simply because school was only an option for children of filthy rich politicians. His family moved around a lot to avoid guns and bombings, “But the best place we’ve ever stayed at was in a farm, right next to a pigsty,” he said.
ReplyDeleteA precious chance came when the communists took over Saigon. South Vietnamese fearfully tried every possible way to escape the doomed country. That was when my father knew he had to leave, and his mother urged him to do so. For a better future, and to escape possible death, he stepped onto the shabby boat for escapees. For almost 4 weeks, he lived inside a wooden barrel with live shrimps as his only nutrient. When the boat almost escaped communist’s supervision, it was caught by a Vietcong soldier. “Most women were raped and thrown out of the boat while men were slaughtered. But, perhaps god pitied me, I was only thrown into jail.” So for ten years, he was labeled “prisoner.” He told me this story not because he wants pity or sympathy, but it is for me to realize the simple sweetness that I tend to forget. So the next time your parents begin with, “When I was your age…” Listen to them because underneath those words could really be a past of sorrow and pain.
Continued...
ReplyDelete“We lie. We all do. We exaggerate, we minimize, we avoid confrontation, we spare people’s feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets, we justify lying...Sure I lie, but it doesn’t hurt anything. Or does it?”
The question she proposes after stating the obvious marks her thesis. The act of lying that all of us do, without malicious intent, can have its harmful side effects, but it is embedded in who we are, from birth. Ericsson thinks that living without lying is paralyzing. “Telling the truth all the time is nearly impossible. It means living with some serious consequences: The bank charges me $60 in overdraft fees…” Her entire selection illustrates the vast range of variety in which we lie, meaning that no matter where we turn, a lie awaits our pursuit.
By using an anecdote to her life, she conveys the full reality of lying. By doing so, readers can envision their personal lie of the day, which they may have failed to recognize before. Also, by stating that none of her lies did “she feel the least bit guilty about,” tells the readers that she is human like the rest of us, not biased on lying, for she does it too.
In her conclusion, she emphasizes the fact that lying has consumed our culture and that it will continue to unless we decide that we must stand for something and be willing to accept and handle the truth. By relating back to her initial anecdote, she further heightens her message that we are all human and that we cannot help but lie. Additionally, the questions she proposes force readers to rethink their choices in life, whether that may include politics, relationships, or power.
The purpose of Ericsson’s piece is to convey the influence lying has on our lives. She depicts many forms of which we deceive, whether we may be aware of it or not. Our good intentions often lead us to lying, she states, but in the end she questions if it is good after all?
In a house with three brothers my aunt knew better than to leave food on the counter where someone could easily steal it. She learned this from a past experience when she baked a batch of cookies and soon found them gone, three hours before a cookie exchange. This was not going to happen again! My aunt had just finished baking a batch of cookies for a party, but she still needed to get ready. So she decided to hind them, but where should she hide them? She ended up putting them in the dryer; the daily drying had been done so why not? It wasn’t like anyone was going to use the dryer again tonight, but she was wrong. My uncle, who just happened to be going to the same party decided that his kakis were too wrinkly to wear. He threw them in the dryer and pressed, quick dry hoping that would do the trick. After the button had been pressed and the loud dryer started roaring, my uncle heard thumping from upstairs. It was my aunt running down the stairs yelling; for once again her cookies had been ruined by one of her brothers. This story has stayed in my family for years and it is told every time someone bakes for the family. I can remember sitting in my grandmothers dinning room waiting for desert to come and having to sit through that story once again. To take the story even further, whether it is cookies, brownies, or cake we still store them in the dryer until it is time to cut the first slice or take the first bite!
ReplyDelete"Once More to the Lake"
ReplyDeleteThe last time I visited my grandparents' house was in November. The chill of northeastern winter had crept into the sleepy farm town of Kutztown, Pennsylvania, but the first snow had yet to make its arrival. I sat on the old porch swing, it's red paint worn and chipped away in places from age and the romping of six grandchildren. The back yard sloped gently down ward. At the bottom of the slope is a large tree from which an ancient tire swing hangs. I remembered times during the summer when I was small and my father would push me back and forth in the swing while my Nana pined for any picture she could get of my smiling face.
The same slope was where I went sledding for the first time. I ended up in a bush in the neighbors yard. That was my last time sledding until next winter.
Near the porch swing is the garden hose, carefully coiled up against the side of the house like a bright green serpent huddled against the cold. One summer day one of the cousins brought a bag of water balloons to the house. In a matter of no time my male cousins had all of them filled and placed carefully in a bucket on the porch. Being a typical five year old girl, I had no interest in participating in a water balloon fight with the boys. Instead, I picked out a pink water balloon and Nana drew a happy face on it with a magic marker. This was no longer just a water balloon, it was my make-shift pet of some sort and I loved it as much as a five year old could love a water balloon. Sadly, my pet met a tragic end. I'd left it sitting on the porch swing for only a moment, only for it to be grabbed and thrown by one of the boys. I was heart broken and angry. My Nana stifled my sobs by handing me the end of the garden hose with a wink and a smile. Soon I was gleefully running around the backyard, taking my vengeance on the boys by spraying them with the hose.
As I sat there on the porch swing, I realized that this might be one of the last trips I would have to make here with my family. My grandfather has been sick ever since I can remember and my Nana's health has be failing her recently as well. Would my next visit to my grandparents house be a happy one?
When making scientific conclusions it is important to avoid an insular mindset towards the causes of a certain effect. To only accept one (unproven) cause would be blatant neglect of a possible answer to the hypothesis in which you are attempting to explore. In the same way, life provides us with challenges and obstacles that will result in a certain effect. However, there can be a wide range of possibilities to why an effect takes place, aformentioned, the cause. It is paramount that we analyze the causes behind our happenings so that we can perhaps avoid them if they were negative, or continue to elicit them if they were positive.
ReplyDeletePriorities are difficult to balance in my life. Getting older, I attain more and more responsibility as well as the responsibilities that I adopt through my extracurricular activities. Each day presents new struggles as I continually immerse myself into different ventures. Music lessons, band practice, studying, church, bible study, club meetings, recycling, the gym, and homework make up my week, many of these items occurring twice or more a week. These after school activities take place after the eight (or more) hours I spend at school. As you can see, I as well as many other sedulous students have a lot of responsibilities. Also, I recently started to date my girlfriend. Although we are on the same course of study, it is still a serious time commitment. With all these commitments it is difficult to arrive to all of them on time and provide my best efforts. Often times I think that I am stretching myself too thin. A cause of this is obviously over scheduling. To solve this issue I will analyze which parts of my schedule are less important and subsequently reduce the time spent participating in those respective activities. Another cause could be that I am too nice. I like to think of myself as an amiable person. Because of this, I often cannot say no to favors that I may not be able to handle. I really like to help people and I believe that helping others provides self-improvement. Being honest, I will admit that I sometimes lack the responsibility needed to complete my arduous week. This often results in stress and shortcomings. However, I am constantly looking for improvements and a way to refine my current agenda. In any reform, it is vital to consider the different vantage points to why a problem exists in order to find the most efficient and effective solution.
"No Name Woman"
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother is a typical old-southern baptist where believing in the spiritual world after you die is taught. She would tell our family that even when she was a little girl her mother would tell her to always respect the dead and their spirit whether dead or alive you still can communicate in a negative or positive way with someone who is living whether it be a family member or friend. We all have that one cousin or family member that just listens to the rules but lives by their own boundaries in the long run. Well, it was a typical Sunday after church at my grandmother's church. My cousin dared the younger kids, including myself, to race down to the graveyard. The sheer thought gave me the creeps but I had reassurance because I knew my grandfather was there. He was like my spiritual guardian having past the same exact time I was born into this world. Once at the graveyard, that particular rowdy cousin begins to play hop-scotch on the gravestone heads. Everyone immediately began to warn him of his fate if our advice was not rendered. He stopped to tell us, "What makes ya'll the bosses of me?", while 'accidentally' stepping into a fire ant ant bed. Every since that incident happened to my cousin that day, I learned a lesson for him--To ALWAYS respect the dead. I don't know if it was sheer coincidence or purposeful warning but I knew it scared me to never playing on the headstones of graves...ever. However, a side story in correlation with this one. It was night of thunder and rain once when I spent the night at my grandmother's. Now, my grandfather passed away a while ago but she (grandma) tells countless stories of how she still can feel that he is still present in their home. This particular night she was telling me and my aunt one of those stories. Me being bold I question if he's really there still in the house or is it just strong reoccurring memories. As soon as I asked that question, my grandmother's locked front door plus the latched screen door began to open as if someone was entering. I immediately was shaken that I had witnessed such an experience that it change my beliefs in the afterlife drastically. I will never question the existence of spirits..ever again.
In the essay “No Name Woman,” Kingston’s mother told her the story of her Aunt’s tragic and short life every time she had to “warn” her about life. It allowed them to learn from her mistakes, and use it as an example of what not to do in life. While teaching my brother and I, my mother also used a similar method. Instead of presenting us with someone else’s bad example to learn from, she would scare us by explaining the unpleasant consequences of doing “bad things” and asked us what we would feel like being “bad kids.” We were young so the thought of being considered bad if we did not do what was right terrified us because then we would not get gifts from Santa Claus.
ReplyDeleteMy mother also knew that my brother and I both loved our grandfather more than anyone else; we would always choose him as our favorite. This is why she would always tell us that if we did something bad he would be “very disappointed”. Those two words always come to mind before we decided to do any mischief and just the thought of the guilt we would feel disappointing someone we looked up to would stop us from continuing on with what we were about to do. So any time our mom would want us to listen to what she was saying or teaching us, she would simply ask two questions, “Do you want to be called bad kids? Do you really want to disappoint your grandpa?” To this day I still do not understand how such simple questions worked so effectively but that was all that my mom needed to say.
Sorry this is late. I thought the post had showed up last night, but I must have had some technical difficulties.
ReplyDeleteWilliams, the author of “The Clan of One-Breasted Women,” argues that one must speak out, voicing beliefs and ideas to help better the futures of others. Specifically, she declares that speaking your mind can better the health and wellbeing of others. Blind acceptance of social norms is never considered to be acceptable, as you need to constantly challenge the world and its ways. She adds an appeal to ethos when she expresses how cancer has ravaged her family, including herself. Williams has had to endure the tragedy of losing seven members of her family, including her thirty-nine year old mother, as a result of the blind acceptance of the government’s nuclear testing, the effects of which were believed to be harmless. The communities in Utah believed the government’s reassurances of the lack of side effects from nuclear testing because they were swayed by optimism, wanting to believe that it was true, and feared being labeled “communists.” Anyone who spoke out would have been condemned by the other citizens, who, ironically, would benefit from this courage. Pathos is introduced into the story when she describes her mother’s courage in the last few days of her life and how the family mourned her death. The painful and horrific diction of “burns” and “blisters” furthers develops reader’s anguish at the government and deeply rooted sympathy for the victims. Through the mention of the “nearly twelve hundred plaintiffs seeking compensation…for cancers caused by nuclear testing,” Williams gives a sense of the magnitude of the result of the silence of the communities, constructing an appeal to logos. Howard L. Andrews, an expert on the effects of radioactivity, has discovered that it takes fourteen years for the devastating effects of radiation to become apparent. Fourteen years had passed between the mom’s experience with nuclear testing and her death. When a citizen does not speak up about an injustice, the rest of the country loses. To be an active citizen, one must question the foundations of our government that may be unconstitional, or, in this case, deadly.