Author Archives: ROSALIA FLORES

The article I chose was “Here’s what to know about the dangers that go along with hosting Thanksgiving amid surging coronavirus infections: What’s safe? What’s not?”. The article spoke about different ways to keep you and your family safe during this celebration and how to prevent any more spreading or dangers of infection. The central idea was just listing the different things we must do in order to celebrate but still keep safe. What I think this article was effective in was clarity. The material was very straightforward and easy to understand, in bullet point form. But I feel like something it was non effective in was capturing the necessity of it. Yes at the end there was some explanation but there are a lot of people who still don’t even believe this virus exists so I feel like a few bullet points can look non alarming. I also think we should enforce virtual celebrations due to the fact that the older generation will be isolated during these times and I’m not sure if it makes sense to have a Thanksgiving that way. And it is just too difficult for families to enforce social distance, there are often even children at these holidays so it almost impossible to keep everyone at a distance.

One major takeaway I have had from watching the election and its outcome is that, you can’t really ever underestimate anything-ever. I myself have household member with completely opposing views as mine, and it was very interesting to see reactions and how much it could impact people as the election unfolded. I can’t lie, I found the CNN headlines almost hilarious at how direct they were without any sugar coating about the events. The memes about Nevada definitely lightened up the mood but at the same time kept everyone at edge. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about Nevada this much in my life as I have now. What I think I will remember the most though about the 2020 elections, was walking outside on Saturday and seeing the intense joy and celebration of New Yorkers. It was a very intense and unmatchable energy that is just truly unforgettable. Although my generation knows and has expressed several times that Biden wasn’t our choice but is merely something that we settled for in the time being, it was a very impactful moment.

First Interviewee:

Fabiola Flores 15

Questions:

What do you think of the upcoming elections? Who do you think should/will win?

What do you think of our system of government?

What do you believe our generation has to make a difference?

“I think the elections right now are definitely kinda complicated because of the pandemic but I do know that even though I can’t vote yet, a lot of new 18 year olds are now voting so that will definitely change things. I’m not sure who will win since last time it was pretty shocking so I’m not sure what to expect. But I would want Biden to win for sake of the all the people that are being negatively effected by his decision making”

“I think our system of government could be better. There are a lot of flaws and injustices that have to be fixed maybe even things we don’t know about”

“I believe our generation is really different than others and as we grow older we will be in some positions of power and start changing things for the better”

Lohori Chakrborty 18

“I think these upcoming elections are extremely important, it’s important that you vote too so we can get the cheeto out asap because we won’t last any longer”

“Our system of government is literally founded upon white supremacy and racism. We live in a systemic racism that lowers your chances the moment you a born a person of color. It is not only unfair but ridiculous that we still have to deal with this in 2020. And people like Trump, not just him but people in congress, support these ideals and keep us in this form in order to remain in power.”

“Our generation is definitely gonna try our hardest to get rid of this and make steps towards it. We might not be able to accomplish everything but most of us are pretty educated and we together have subconsciously come together to start this revolution, now somewhat figurative but soon very literal. We are tired of all of this so we are going to put it to an end”

Christy Lin 18

“These upcoming elections are vital so that the U.S doesn’t completely fall apart. Our generation has started to become more politically active though so I’m sure we will get the results that we need. Trump has done more damage than any good a person could try saying he did. I don’t like Biden either but it’s the only way we will get a chance to repair and then elect Bernie or AOC after him”

“Our system is corrupt, everyone knows that, and if you deny it, you are just a part of it too. Centuries of oppression has made it impossible for people of color to advance, a lot of us aren’t even treated as human beings. From the racism in the medical field to the segregated funding of school, redlining and our whitewashed education system.”

“I feel like our generation has what it takes to change this because we are definitely tired of it and we are just different than the past generations. We are radical, very organized and we always try to research and be educated on issues.”

Three specific things that stood out to me within all the readings was that, Gen Z are likely to be the most educated generation, the most digitally native, and politically active. The reason why is because as a person from this generation I can say that this is correct. Since we grew up in such a divided and negative world full of hatred and injustice, it’s almost as if we all subconsciously unified and realized that we are the ones that will create a reform and change this..no matter how many don’t like it or oppose it. I feel like these articles do capture some of the essence of our generation, but it does fail to really shine light on the power and ruthlessness that we contain. That most of us, are willing to give up our lives to justice because our parents, most of which are baby boomers or generation X have also gone through bad periods and a bad system. With the difference that instead of fixing it, just passed it on. And with the knowledge we now have, we do not wish to pass it on, we will fix it. After reading these articles I do feel a little more confident in my generation, like although we do spend a lot of time on social media or don’t know how to socialize properly due to gaslighting and narcissisms/trauma from our traumatized and closed up parents, we still have it in us.

Three things I learned from this essay were that we as individuals all have judgmental tendencies  especially in our subconscious minds, that the use of ethos logos pathos are extremely important in order to truly persuade the target audience and that emotional appeals can come in many forms other than words but also images or humor. These three things I found very significant to me because they are all details I hadn’t thought about beforehand. I wouldn’t consider myself a very judgmental person but when I saw the questions the author was asking and how it all came to mind in almost a second, I realized that I do too also do these things and ask these quick subconscious questions as well.  Further into the essay the author then states “US happiness peaked in the 1950s, when people saw as many advertisements in their lifetime as the average American sees in one year (Leonard).” This quote is significant to me because it really demonstrates how ads have not only deterioted our mental health over the years but how a toxic media that goes against the people has been created and is upheld as the new norm. In conclusions one way in which this essay will affect the rhetoical analysis of the paper I currently working on is by firmyl encouraging me to deeper analyze the use of emotions,pathos, within the speech as it has been reitereated and proven to be one of the most important factors in persuasion and effectiveness of speech. The use of emotional appeal is vital for the success of a speech, essay or any piece of writing whos purpose is to captivate the attention of the audience and in the end persuade them to believe or take part in a certain action, therefore I will be reinforcing the analyzation of emotional appeal used within the speech I am analyzing.

This post caught my attention as I was scrolling because although I would love to see more professionalism on both sides, I can’t help but laugh at how each situation is being handled and being taken advantage of as a marketing strategy. With “Would you just shut up man” becoming the famous line of the debate to mike pence with a fly on his head becoming a whole meme it’s just really funny.

• Orwell’s thesis states that the English language has been corrupted by foolish thoughts, and foolish thoughts and foolish language has bounced off each other for centuries creating this very sloppy language. He does state though that there is a way to reverse this damage. By following the very simple rules in order to avoid over describing/over explaining and vague dry words.
• The quotation from this essay that I found very significant was when Orwell stated “ You cannot speak any of the necessary dialects, and when you make a stupid remark its stupidity will be obvious, even to yourself. Political language – and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists – is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” This part is important it sort of exposes the reason why our language has become this poor or why our thoughts have been shaped this way forming foolish thoughts and transferring it to writing.
• One of Orwell’s examples of writing that disturb him was “
  

  While freely conceding that the Soviet régime exhibits certain features which the humanitarian may be inclined to deplore, we must, I think, agree that a certain curtailment of the right to political opposition is an unavoidable concomitant of transitional periods, and that the rigours which the Russian people have been called upon to undergo have been amply justified in the sphere of concrete achievement.”

  And this is on the basis of dishonesty and insincerity. And the reason why this is so repulsive is because our language and writing has come to the point where it is insincere the fore we use many words in an attempt to cover it up but instead, makes it look somewhat foolish and obvious. I myself do also make the mistake of using this method and it is also something I do not like since the tone can get confusing or just sound as he said, insincere.

• Language use and politics intersect for me in today’s society when it comes to the pro life pro choice debate. I am a Catholic myself and I would consider myself pro life, but not in the same way you would think. Due to the fact that the phrase pro life has been completely misunderstood and been used to cover up a different purpose. Because the people fighting for “pro life” are not indeed pro life. They are pro birth. Because how could you expect a broken system to force women to have children, sometimes from their abusers, in a country and world that makes having children an expensive burden and where so many children end up in abusive families or the broken foster care system and then do NOTHING about it?That is called, pro birth. Not pro life. I consider myself pro life because I believe I should fight for your life despite your race gender or way of thinking. That you deserve a quality LIFE despite your actions because you are a human. And that we should form a government to support women MORE, make them completely equal as they should be, create and fund more programs to help financially and educate minorities and the poor, all of this and more in order to reduce the need for abortions. But in a broken system like this? I can not force somebody to follow my religion while being oppressed by a system designed to keep the rich, rich, and making everything, including raising a child(financially, socially, etc)extremely difficult. So as a pro lifer, I must be aware of the quality of everyone’s life, not just mine and my beliefs.

In the essay “What we Deserve” by Angie Cruz, she speaks about her mothers life, her struggle, how it has affected herself and her family, and how it is still an issue today. Cruz organizes her essay in a format in which the whole story is connected to that singular photo. She goes into detail, about the deeper meaning of every detail in this photo, and why it is so important. The central issues she speaks about is immigration and the difficulties and suffering it comes with. Cruz’s mother was forced to marry at the age of 15 in order to have the ability to come to the United States and give herself and her family more opportunities. She refers back to the photo and points out how young her mother was and her expression. She was 11 and was surrounded by her brothers and parents, but the expression on her face was deeper than it seemed. By the time she was that age she had already known her fate, and to any child, this is tragic. To be separated from ones family in hopes of a better future. And it’s these things that happened to her mother and many other young girls that allows Cruz to connect her personal life and experience to politics. Cruz’s mother was separated from her family, knowingly, and was doing it in hopes of gaining opportunities in America. Cruz knows first hand from her mother, what it’s like to be an immigrant, raise children as an immigrant, and the struggle. So now with awful things occurring such as the separation of families at the border and being held in detention center, it is very clear that Cruz does not tolerate such actions and is at a constant fight for social equality. To free these people, since her mother knows first hand what it is like to be separated from your family with the promise of perhaps gaining a better living. In the text Cruz states about her mother’s expression in the photo “I am looking at the eyes of a child who understands she has no choice in the matter. My mother has said that poverty and the will to survive gives you no choice.” This displays how sometimes many people against immigrants tend to say that they shouldn’t of put their children at risk in the first place or that they should of tried to make a living in their own country. But the reality is that, there is no choice. These people, these families, these children, do not have a choice. And this is a very important piece to me because it something many fail to understand. That we aren’t here to take away someones job or recolonize. We are human beings, children, that want to stay alive.