ENG 2100: The Known and Unknown

Your final project for this course will have three parts: an annotated bibliography, a research summary, and a creative presentation to the class. We will discuss the timeline and specifics of each part of the project in greater detail over the next few weeks, but it is time to begin thinking about your topic!

Because the theme for our course is so incredibly broad (The Known and the Unknown,) you have a lot of latitude in choosing a research topic. Here are some questions/thoughts that may help you generate ideas: Is there a field or subject that you are obsessed with? How can you turn your private obsession into a credible research topic? Is there something that you are an “expert” in that you suspect the rest of us know very little about? This would be a great time to share your wisdom with the class and to deepen your existing knowledge through research. Is there something going on in your family or community that you are concerned about? Again, this is a great opportunity to research something that you are genuinely interested in. When I conceived of the theme for the course, one thing I was thinking about was all of the things that make up our everyday experience that nonetheless remain invisible or unknown to us. (How/where/by whom do the subways get cleaned? How are bodies prepared for burial in the U.S.? What actually happens to people who are deported from the United States?)

In coming up with possible topics, keep in mind the following:

-Your topic should be something that you are truly interested in.
-It should be something that you will be able to research, using the resources available to us through the Baruch Library in addition to other forms of research and exploration.
-You should be able to come up with a question you wish to explore in relation to your subject. The question should be open-ended (not yes/no), and it should be a question that you can’t answer without doing some research.
-You may NOT recycle work you’ve done for any other course, either here at Baruch or in high school. Should that happen, you will receive an F for the project.

By Friday, November 17th, please post THREE possible research topics to our class blog (as independent posts).  For each proposed topic, write a few sentences describing what it is you are thinking about exploring and suggesting a question you would be asking about that topic.   All three of these ideas should be things that genuinely interest you!!!

As a college freshman, I am expected to join clubs, attend tutoring, participate in Starr events, study for exams, and complete homework. While adapting to Baruch’s environment, I met several obstacles, for example, managing my time correctly. For some reason, this semester made me value time more than before. Those spare 30 minutes between classes can be used to read a play for theater class, print your essay, visit the writing center, or do some math problems in MathLab.It was very difficult for me at the beginning of the school year to organize my time, and I am currently not the best at it. After three months of college, I found several useful resources that have helped me manage my time. Google Calendar has become my most used application because it helps me meet deadlines and maximize my time.Not only does it helps me keep track with my school assignments such as homework and projects, but even doctor appointments and birthdays, which are difficult to keep in mind while in college. I feel that in college we have a good amount of freedom, and it can potentially cause us to get sidetracked. This first semester has taught me how to prioritize and use my time wisely.

“A Rose for Emily,” written by William Faulkner, is a short story set after the Civil War. It is about a woman who tries to defeat time. She faces depression right after her strict dad dies and her sweetheart dumps her. As a consequence, she poisons Homer Barron, her ex-boyfriend, and keeps his body in her room for many years. People from the town notice the changes: Emily gets fat and very grey hair, she refuses to pay her taxes, and a very bad smell comes from her house. At the age of 74, she dies and the whole town goes to her funeral at her home. Next, they find the dead body in her room. Emily tries to beat time because she is stuck in the past. She keeps a dead body in her room which is a heavy pressure she was holding on her back.
Emily, the main character, is under her dominating father’s control. In the beginning of the reading, the townspeople mention that they have an image of Emily’s father over protecting her like a guard. “We had long thought of them as a tableau, Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip…”(Faulkner 2). This quote uses imagery to show Emily’s dad personality: restrictive and vigilant. Emily’s strict father creates conflict to the story, which promotes horror.

Faulkner shows that Emily also has some mental illness. In the story, the narrator states that she killed her boyfriend and kept his body in her room for many years. “The man himself lay in the bed for a long while we just stood here, looking down at the profound and fleshless grin”(Faulkner 5). This quote means that Homer had been murdered by Emily and left in her room for a long time and no one has realized it. Emily’s mental illness leads to suspense in the story’s conclusion.

Lastly, “A Rose for Emily” uses the theme of isolation to create a feeling of horror in the story. Emily isolated herself from the community. By the end of the reading, the town’s people open a sealed off room in her house which wasn’t seen for a long time. “Already we knew that there was one room in that region above the stairs which no one had seen in forty years”(Faulkner 4). This quote is a metaphor for Emily’s attempt to escape the passage of time. In other words, Emily wants to go back in time when her dad was alive and when she was happy with her husband because she doesn’t want to move on.

The Wire is an amazing, complex, and detailed television series that demonstrates the issues that poison the modern day city. Greed, corruption, and incompetence are at the epicenter of the problems associated with the modern day city. These poisons cycle themselves as they are deeply ingrained into America’s capitalistic society. People want to make their lives better but, not all have the opportunity to do that; such is the way with American capitalism. The Wire attempts to display the deep-seated issues present in modern-day society that inhibit the darkest corners of our nation on screen to witness. It demonstrates the: plight of African-American communities, socioeconomic issues, wealth disparity, corruption in public entities (Elected officials, police department, education, the court system etc.), and finally the war on drugs and how it has shaped entire institutions.  However one motif that is familiar in our world as well as anyone else’s is money.

Set in Baltimore, Maryland in 2002-2008, a mostly African-American city left behind by systemic and institutional racism that no one dare admit, no acknowledgement must mean it does not exist, correct? Contrary to this belief, the city does exist and the inhabitants will never be forgotten no matter how hard someone may choose to ignore the ugly and gritty reality. The characters fend for themselves by any means necessary. The average person generally wants three things: a good life for themselves, a good life for their families, and something to leave behind. These ideals are seen in many characters and those that want that life will go about it however they must. Money is the driving factor in Capitalism. With money comes, greed; with greed comes, corruption.

Money is widely spread throughout the show and the consensus seems to be that those who have it, want more for themselves and those who need it, want enough to acquire what they deem as necessary. Those that had it and wanted more were not limited to the drug dealers of the show that preyed on society. It extended to all of the politicians, police officers, news reporters and just about every character on the show. Greed is an evil in all of us. No matter how much we have we desire more; we will never be content. The extent to how much that greed drives us is relative to us all. Some may only want an even more comfortable life relative to what they are accustomed to, some may want to be recognized for the contributions they have given, or some simply want more prestige and with that comes more money. Currency dictates characters’ courses of action. Some are killed simply for money, some betrayed, some bought out to keep silent, and some are content with where they are in their lives. Most are not content and drives them to commit actions that they will later on regret. Some actions include: murdering of family, Blackmail, robbery, and much more.

The Wire explores multiple dynamics that are present in the capitalistic societies. The driving force of capitalism being money and many other items present in capitalism occupy lesser roles. The Wire discusses so many topics that demonstrate why urban cities are so widely spread in terms of wealth and income and why certain individuals decide to bend the law. The Wire is a phenomenal show with deep characterization. It is a show that has so many layers that exemplify we do what we do. It is a show everyone needs to watch, I recommend it highly. Especially you, Mersal, get on that.

Most of us have parents that weren’t born here. Perhaps many themselves weren’t born here either. How much can one yearn to leave this country? To leave this place in which drams of education and wealth have blossomed throughout generations of immigrants and children? What if the time to leave is right around the corner and you have no decision in the outcome? My parents await patiently for the time in which I’ll accept that. Yet, how can  they ask of me to willingly leave when my whole future, education, friends, and overall life exist here and not in another country? I don’t know if it’s selfish or not, but I never know how to respond when they suddenly question if I’m ready to move or not. It hurts because I know that they’re ready, but I’m not. I’m holding them back. They won’t let me forget that and I don’t feel capable or strong enough to blame them. I can withstand another house, but not another country. It’s true that the majority of my family isn’t even living in New York, in exception to a few uncles/aunts and cousins. However, it is not a simple thing to love somebody you’ve barely met for the sole reason that you share the same blood with them. They can’t ask anyone to do that, but that’s my personal perspective. I always struggle with making decisions and I don’t want to be afraid of what will happen in the future, yet everyone always is, and that’s fine. There’s nothing inhumane about it. So for now, I want to be allowed to be selfish and continue staying here for as much as I can without pushing myself to think about leaving.

Everyone has watched Finding Nemeo, if you didn’t, go watch it. What I find interesting about this movies and most animal animated Pixar or Disney movies is that the plot is already depressing. It would be even more depressing if humans were actually playing the role. For example, in Finding Nemo, Nemo’s mother and siblings were violently murdered.  The father was left with his physically disabled son to take care of. One day Nemo got lost trying to prove to others that he was brave. Then gets kidnapped and the father has to find him with the help of a woman with short term memory loss.

This movie would have been 10 times more darker if it was a live action movie. I think the reason why Disney uses animal or toys as actual characters, is so that it is still considered fun and friendly for kids. It just looks and feels more innocent. When some Disney movies get really intense, the comic relief takes over, becasue of the small childeren watching.

The good thing about Disney movies is that it teaches morals, just like Fables. It’s when animals are used to show a story with important morals. A young child would rather watch and listen to cute animals talk, than watchuing full grown adults, because of their frame of reference.

They reveal how Apple sidestepped a 2013 crackdown on its controversial Irish tax practices by actively shopping around for a tax haven.
It then moved the firm holding most of its untaxed offshore cash, now $252bn, to the Channel Island of Jersey.
Apple said the new structure had not lowered its taxes.
It said it remained the world’s largest taxpayer, paying about $35bn (£26bn) in corporation tax over the past three years, that it had followed the law and its changes “did not reduce our tax payments in any country”.

Up until 2014, the tech company had been exploiting a loophole in tax laws in the US and the Republic of Ireland known as the “double Irish”.
This allowed Apple to funnel all its sales outside of the Americas – currently about 55% of its revenue – through Irish subsidiaries that were effectively stateless for taxation purposes, and so incurred hardly any tax.
Instead of paying Irish corporation tax of 12.5%, or the US rate of 35%, Apple’s avoidance structure helped it reduce its tax rate on profits outside of the US to the extent that its foreign tax payments rarely amounted to more than 5% of its foreign profits, and in some years dipped below 2%.
The European Commission calculated the rate of tax for one of Apple’s Irish companies for one year had been just 0.005%.

Apple came under pressure in 2013 in the US Senate, when CEO Tim Cook was forced to defend its tax system.
Angry that the US was missing out on a huge amount of tax, then-Senator Carl Levin told him: “You shifted that golden goose to Ireland. You shifted it to three companies that do not pay taxes in Ireland. These are the crown jewels of Apple Inc. Folks, it’s not right.”
Mr Cook responded defiantly: “We pay all the taxes we owe, every single dollar. We do not depend on tax gimmicks… We do not stash money on some Caribbean island.”

Personally, I don’t blame apple for doing what they are doing, it is obvious. If I was part of Apple I would want and do the same thing, pay little in taxes using loopholes, then offshore the rest

for more information on this, refer to the following article

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41889787

Heart pumping excitement infused the packed Emerson lecture hall each time a motion was delivered. Oo’s, laughs, and a mixture of eagerness filled the cramped space. This atmosphere defines an aspect of the annual Harvard APDA tournament that I attended on the 6th and 7th of October, for the first time.
If you’re not aware, APDA stands for the American Parliamentary Debate Association and it is an intercollegiate debating experience in which teams largely from the East Coast area part-take in. This association is student-run and it is categorized by weekly debates at participating colleges such as Yale, Harvard, CUNY, and so on.
Before attending this trip with the CUNY Parliamentary Debate team by chance, I had no knowledge of the APDA or that it even existed, however, I have learned so much through this experience.
While observing the competition, I noticed how much more the students articulated and presented their argument as teams were getting eliminated from the competition.Their lack of filler words and rate of speaking evoked a sense of confidence and through this, I learned more about how to be an effective public speaker. What shocked me most was the fact that the teams were only given 15 minutes to both get to their assigned room to debate, and to pull their thoughts together to present it after the motion/prompt was given. I was actually quite fond of this debate style because instead of focusing on in-depth research and ‘hard facts,’ it focused more on an argumentative style and being able to handle the challenges as they come. This tournament debating style is called the American Parliamentary Debate.
After the debates were done for the day (around nine in the evening), I explored the area around Harvard University along with some other students that I became acquainted with through the trip, just to get a feel of what the area was like. It was interesting to compare how Massachusetts operated during the night, which was quite different from how it is in the city that never sleeps. Fun fact, the majority of the stores surrounding Harvard advocated for the university through merchandise and post cards. Also, instead of calling it a ‘MetroCard’ as in New York City, it is called a ‘CharlieCard’ in Massachusetts.
I encourage each and every one of you reading this blog post to step outside of your comfort zone and explore the opportunities that are present through CUNY to expand your knowledge and interests, who knows, maybe you might end up in Cambridge, Massachusetts like I did.

For more information on the APDA check out their website:
http://apdaweb.org

Hi Everyone,

As promised, I have posted your assignment for the Kafka Essay.  You can find the complete assignment above under the “assignments” tab at the top of the page.  Keep in mind that these are broad topics.  In order to be successful, you will need to narrow your focus, formulate a question to guide your thinking and writing, and ultimately (later, not now!) come up with a thesis or claim that you are making about the text.

We will discuss strategies for executing an assignment like this in class on Monday. Between now and then, please identify two possible topics (from the list of seven) that you might be interest in pursuing and begin doing some thinking about how those topics could be fruitfully developed.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Professor Sylvor

When I was born, my mom was married to my dad. Technically speaking, he is my step-dad. So, since the day I was born until they got a divorce, I thought I was Puerto Rican and Cambodian. I was either 10 or 11 when they told me I was Black and Cambodian. My mom, siblings, and I moved to Yonkers after their divorce. It was tough on my mom since she’s a single mom providing for three kids and herself. With no man in the house, I was forced to grow up earlier than I should have. A few years later, we moved in with my grandmother, my mom’s mother. Life got a bit easier since my mom had some type of help. I tried to help my mother in any way possible, but I knew it wasn’t enough. We ended up moving out of my grandmother’s apartment and moved into an apartment across the street. I was in freshman year of high school at the time. Unfortunately, things got harder for us. My mom was pregnant with another baby and I had just started my sophomore year when I found out. I wasn’t too happy with this annoucement because we was going through a tough time. My mom and I got into an argument over the phone while I was walking home from school and I had said something so messed up. I said to my mom, “Why have another baby knowing that we’re not financially stable?” It took me awhile to realize what I said. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. She is dealing with a lot,” I thought to myself. Growing up with a single mother isn’t an easy task, it’s doable, but not easy. Today, I gave up my social life so my mom can work overtime and make her money. With the mindset of an adult, I now understand what my mom was going though. For those of you with a single parent, appreciate everything that they do because at the end of the day, they are doing things for your sake.