Author: m.jacobs1

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05/5/16

Remix Pitch-Michal Jacobs

For my remix project, I am planning on making a 3D shadow box. In the shadow box, I want to put images representing my family’s dedication to the Jewish traditions, holidays, and religious observances. The shadow box will depict Jewish immigration from Europe starting at the turn of the century and will show how my family became more involved in establishing an Orthodox life through their involvement with Jewish organizations, schools, synagogues and Israel related organizations. I will include personal photos, treasured pieces passed down through my family, and any other family and religious meaningful artifacts I find.

03/31/16

Research Based Argument Proposal- Argument and Proposal

 

America is definitely a melting pot of different peoples and cultures since freedom was established on July 4, 1776. Although I cannot trace my family routes in Eastern Europe at that time, I do know that my ancestors from five generations back immigrated to this country in search of religious freedom. This is evident in most families today and it is safe to say that many come to this land of opportunity to seek a better life in all respects. My great great grandparents, who were Hasidic Jews, immigrated by boat to Ellis Island at the turn of the century. Life in Europe was ripe with Anti-Semitism and there were many pogroms aimed at Jews because of their religious differences, which clashed with the local government. One might envision the last scene of Fiddler on the Roof, where Tevye and his family leave Anatafka in Czarist Russia to escape death. This might seem melodramatic, theatrical, and unrealistic, but in fact if a member of your family had been living in America already, you had a connection for immigration.

Because it was so difficult to practice Judaism freely in Europe, there was a great appreciation once they arrived in America. One of the benefits to this newfound freedom was the choice to maintain and enjoy our Jewish heritage and culture. Because many Jewish groups came over in a lot of the same transports, families came together and extended families remained close, which created strong family ties and religious practices. My great grandparents became founders of their synagogue Sons of Israel in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. They were also active in many Jewish organizations, such as Bnei Brith and Hadassah. This devotion to their religious affiliation was monumental and instilled in their children and their grandchildren and presently in their great great great grandchildren the importance of practicing our religious Orthodox Judaism freely and happily.

I am writing this for all peoples who enjoy religious freedom today, even though they have been through the trials and tribulations of Anti-Semitism, racism, or any forms of discrimination, for those to be able to appreciate the opportunities given to us, here in America. I am also validating and affirming the importance of my traditions, which would not have been made possible if it were not for the dedication of my ancestors and their strong desire to pass these customs and traditions down for so long. Had my ancestors been able to read this, they would get great pleasure in knowing, it was because of them, we have been able to attain tremendous dedication to their beliefs for at least four generations later, and hopefully for many future generations to come.

03/24/16

Literacy Narrative

I was born to a family that is fourth generation American on both sides, English as a first language in the homes with routes going back to the 1800’s living in New York City. One set of my grandparents are both public school teachers, so there was a strong emphasis on education my entire life. That being said, there was no question that I would complete my higher education and hopefully post graduate, as well. Growing up in New York and New Jersey as an Orthodox Jew, I attended a dual curriculum private Jewish schools, that included a secular and religious education. My day consisted of class from 8 am-6 pm with 10 courses,  including mandatory second language classes. My parents both received bachelors degrees from local colleges and started their own small businesses. During their college years, they both held different internships and several jobs to pay their way through school. Their work ethic is an extremely important principal in my upbringing and has paved the way for me to take an interest in business and benefit from my family’s business knowledge and experience. All of my siblings, except my younger brother (still in high school), have received college and graduate degrees and now all hold jobs and are professionals in their fields. Having such a strong oriented family background with an emphasis on education, it is important for me to reach impressive educational and professional goals as well.

03/23/16

“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan

Amy Tan describes a situation where her mother speaks perfect English to some, but may come across differently to others. It kind of reminded me of what a metaphor is, where it could be words without a meaning, but with practice or in certain context it could make perfect sense. Tan is describing that there are different ways to do things and there is not necessarily only one correct way. Amy’s mother may speak English and some people may understand her but even if others don’t, it doesn’t make the way she speaks, wrong. Amy’s audience probably connects to many people in similar situations as her mother to make them feel there are other people in the same situation and they should not be discriminated against because of a language barrier. Especially in this case of her mother, she does not even feel that barrier exists. Mother Tongue shows that this piece could also be made for her mother to read because it is written in a simple language to understand. Sometimes I think people view people with language barriers as “stupid”. People may view others that way because they might not understand something simple or rather obvious, but it is not the concept that makes it difficult for them, it may just be the wording or language, where they might simply not understand what is being asked of them. When Amy’s mother was discriminated against when needed medical supervision, doctors might have had this view about her, but when they spoke to Amy and realized Amy and in fact her mother as well are not clueless in the slightest, they were promised the CAT scan would be found and a conference call would be held immediately, where beforehand they thought they could get away with telling her mother they lost it.

English has always been my first language and is always spoken in my house because my parents grew up in America, but I do have a story that this article reminded me of. My grandparents are also from America and speak English, however my grandmother is from Brooklyn and has a strong accent. My mom is from Miami and does not have an accent, but for some reason, any time my mom picks up the phone and speaks to my grandmother she speaks back in a Brooklyn accent with her and naturally copies it back. This represents how people adapt to different languages and base their responses off who they are talking to.

03/13/16

Acts of Revision- A Guide for Writers

Something I heavily resonated in this piece of writing were some aspects on the theme of acts of revision. Often times, I feel editors are a little bit too general in marking their comments and might simply write a one word comment, such as “Awk”, referring to an awkward phrase or something in that context. I think if an editor is so general in that sense and is there to help a writer work on corrections, they need to be more specific in their explanation. Marking a paragraph, or even a simple sentence as “Awk” does not allow me as a writer to make those corrections because I do not know how. What about my sentence do you not understand? Is it the wording or the overall message or content? I think an editor needs to be more clear and us as writers need to “ask the responder for further explanation” as the article briefly puts it. When the people in my writer’s group respond to my paper and have suggestions for me on what to edit, I intend to question them on exactly what they mean in terms of any correction they would like me to make that I am unclear of, otherwise there would be no point of making those suggestions in the first place.

03/1/16

Responding to Other’s Writing

Responding-Really Responding-to Other Students’ Writing by Richard Straub taught me a lot about writing and editing a paper. This article also showed a sense of not judging a book by its cover. Just like you should not look at a book or really anything in particular and make a full judgement about it, so too you should know every aspect of a person’s writing before making an edit. The article describes that if you were to edit someone’s paper, you would not want to change it as if it were your own. This is due to the fact that you might not understand the goal or background of the assignment. The teacher for example, could have been looking for something in particular to emphasize on, that the reader might not know about. I think therefore as an editor, it might be helpful to give your input on someone else’s work and make comments, but you might not necessarily want to change something, with or without approval. I think this assignment also brought up the fact that you also need to have a good balance of criticism but at an appropriate time and done the right way. This is similar to what we discussed in class when voicing our opinions on being in a hybrid class. A lot of our work is done online and we respond to other people’s work. This was seen in a positive light, but at the same time did have some negative aspects to it as well because you have to make sure your writing does not come off as harsh to the author. Body language is hard to get a sense of when reading, because there is no physical emotion connected to it as well and therefore when making any edit or suggestion you need to make sure it is appropriate and done only in an uplifting way.

02/28/16

Shitty First Drafts

Shitty First Drafts by Anne Lamott reassured me that it was not just me. I have done similar to what Anne has done a tremendous amount of times in a bunch of my classes. I could resonate with this article because even trying to write right now, I could not originally think to write anything down, but I just started typing and let my ideas flow. By doing this, it allows my imagination to shine through and allows my creative side be almost like a free spirit, going in whichever direction it wants to take me.

In my sophomore year of high school, I had an English teacher that in every class she began by putting a quote on the board. Each kid in the class would have to jot down their first thoughts on what the quote meant or what they thought of it. Even if the quote was difficult to understand or in my mind was so confusing that it was more like a bunch of words put together without a meaning to it, we were instructed to just write anything about it, and no one was allowed to have a blank piece of paper. I think this little daily activity actually taught me a few things about writing. When a few kids in the class would read theirs out loud, often their interpretations of the same quote would be very different, which was pretty cool to see. It showed me how creative people were with their ideas. This activity also taught me that sometimes in your writing you might not have an idea off the bat that you want to stick with, but when you just put anything down it allows your brain and mind to start thinking and will lead you in new directions, once you put something down. It might take a few tries to get it right, but you have to start from somewhere, otherwise you will never have anything other than a real shitty first draft.

02/25/16

Rhetorical Analysis Project Pitch

The Shawshank Redemption is a book by Stephen King, which was later turned into one of the most iconic movies of all time. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), the main character is wrongfully accused of a crime and is imprisoned for many years. Andy’s means of survival is to develop his plan of escape and to seek out revenge against those who wronged him in the prison system. He is befriended by Red (Morgan Freeman) and even after his escape, the two meet up for their little share of paradise.

02/21/16

Baldwin- Rhetorical Analysis

The importance of James Baldwin’s letter to his nephew, James, can be viewed as a brutal reality about the state of Black Civil Rights in 1963, the year he wrote this letter. The exigence that spurs this speech is the continuous racism that plagues Black society for the last 100 years, creating the negative blockade for young Black Americans that struggle with these issues. Baldwin seems to direct his lecture, specifically to his nephew, and he addresses him many times personally, giving references of immediate family members to give grounds to his claim. It seems as if in the beginning that his nephew is the primary audience, however, the author intends this piece to be a reminder, as well as a source of inspiration for him and the future generations. Baldwin gives this letter an appropriate title, My Dungeon Shook-Letter to My Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation, in remembrance of how America was built on freedoms and how ironically, the freedoms did not apply to all. I think Baldwin tries to give an explanation as to why racism continued in the United States. Even though there is no justification for the horrific acts, it seems as if he comes to terms with the past, even to the point of accepting the reality of it, but yet does not want racism to hold permanence. Baldwin faced the constraints of a prejudice society, which certainly influenced his writings as a poet and an author. In this personal testimony, he is particularly nostalgic and emotional, as he remembers the past to give guidance for the future. The restrictions he experienced are a constant reminder of how society can force a complex of inferiorities and Baldwin realizes this is a dangerous hole for his nephew to fall right into. In theory, equality for all is the belief that many of has have, but Baldwin is certain that this celebration of freedom has not yet been a reality.

02/16/16

Apple’s 1984 Superbowl Ad

The context of this ad during the 1984 Super Bowl came from the classic novel by George Orwell”1984″ in which he predicted a very haunting and chilling picture of the world . The creators of this commercial staged this daunting scenario of the men/prisoners as the exigence setting up a desperate need for a solution to this oppression. This zombie/mindless society is controlled by the dictator on the screen. It is important to take in all the symbolism and reference to any and all past historic reference to any oppressive society that has tormented its people. This is of course intended for us in a free America as the audience to visualize what our life would be like without any creative or independent possibilities. All of the language used, the volume at which the sound is directed to the audience is indicative of some dire situation. This is characterized as a constraint directed at the audience to persuade all who are watching that they are indeed in this situation and that this is the way of life and will always be. However, as we see the girl (who represents Apple computers- freedom, strength, and hope) throw her weapon and destroy the evil oppressor, we fully understand the message given here.

The images given to the audience surely appeal to the intellectual side or the logos reasoning of the audience. There is understanding that by possessing the instrument of the computer, man is completely free to think, explore, and create. Life is not black and white, it is full of color and imagination. Another artistic appeal is make the audience get involved with the rhetorical analysis is the pathos/emotional appeal. Surely it is difficult to watch the solemn and emotionless demeanor of the men marching, watching the abusive language of the man on the screen, the colorless and emptiness of life as it is represented. It is truly a manipulative method which is effective in a 60 second commercial message. As the screen is destroyed , there is raw emotion on the faces of the subjects who now realize their lives can now begin. How effective is this message, that our lives can now be enriched and self-determined with the creation of the Apple Computer.

02/16/16

Backpacks vs. Briefcases by Laura Caroll

“Media is one of the most important places where this kind of analysis needs to happen.” This sentence is a pivotal theme presently in our social media frenzy. The author validates that rhetorical analysis is extremely important in everything that is were are subjected to in the media. Whether it is advertisements, academic sites, pop culture, politics, religious and cultural programs, blogs, tweets and music, how it is presented and way we can discern the information can be helpful or harmful. Consumers need to be knowledable about the facts, take from many sources that are reputable, entertain different ideas and views before making an informed decision. The material that is out in front of us has to be meaningful and have a value to us or it will be discounted. Today more than ever, there is tremendous exposure to all because of social media and while this is viewed as a benefit to the present audiences, it is extremely fast paced and requires more skill to keep up with all the information being presented. I believe that in order to make an informed decision about any subject matter, that rhetorical analysis is extremely important. Our opinions have to be informed opinions because it affects everything we do whether it is buying a food item in the grocery store or choosing the best car insurance. It’s crucial to how we interact with others and lead our daily lives. More importantly, it will create our future programs help solve many social programs and curtail recurrent problems. It is important to learn from the past and move on towards achieving greater accomplishments. One way to do that is to fully understand the process of rhetorical analysis and apply it to everything we can.

02/16/16

Letter to my Nephew

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin had a very interesting suggestion for the other James, his namesake and nephew. It was very hard for James to tell his nephew what he thinks about his past as he wrote this letter to him for the fifth time. Rather than teaching his nephew to strive for a greater good, James informed his nephew that he is inferior because he is of color. I find this to be a discouraging message interesting in the sense that James told his nephew there is nothing wrong with his past and he should get accustomed to it because times have not changed and races will never be of equal rights. James is trying to convince his nephew that he is living in pretty similar circumstances of his ancestors picking the cotton and building railroads and it is not as different today that people claim it to be. He tells James he is born in unfortunate circumstances, but he should not try to change it. The only positive thing that got them through those hard trembling times was the love that surrounded them and bonded them as a family. That is the most important part and reason for survival and the reason to continue on and be strong for him and his family’s future. James degradingly tells his nephew that because he is Black society sets low standards for him and determines his limits, making him have to live in a world where white people must accept him. This is because James believes the past still stands and isn’t really the past, for it is more similar today than most people are able to realize and admit to. James at the end, assures his nephew to do good and that he has ancestors that have been very accomplished and in fact, he too, has the capability to go a far way, against many odds.

02/16/16

What is Rhetoric?

I found it interesting how there are many categories and meanings and even subcategories of what a rhetoric is. I wouldn’t thing that a word I would consider to be fairly simple and easy to understand would have such a deep meaning behind it with many different approaches and opinions regarding many aspects. Aristotle introduced me to many new forms of rhetoric like that of value, in specific with audience. For example, in attempt to connecting to an audience, a singer would try to display emotion to connect to them, so they would be able to feel the power of their emotion and connect to their music. Rhetorical appeals of credibility was something I learned I already strongly value, because it occurs much more often than we think. It is very true that who speaks matters because a listener would value that opinion more or less depending on that speaker and the audience would value the author depending on their credibility and how valued their opinion is to them.

02/16/16

Everybody’s A Critic

The Oscars recently were scrutinized for racial homogeneity of the nominations this year and therefore actors declined their invitations for the show. The Oscars according to this author are stupid anyway besides that, and should be ignored for other reasons as well. Scott believes that an Oscar is not determined by how great a film is because sometimes the best films don’t win or aren’t even nominated at all. This shows that we shouldn’t be listening to the members of the association that make the Oscar decisions, or the box office, so it is hard to determine these winners. In today’s day and age with the changing and prevalence of social media, everyone is a critic with each their own power of their words being broadcasted to the public. Technology is competing with crtics on the internet that may show you things similar to what you have just viewed, where they already know your taste and what you like.The back and forth comments are on the internet make a live conversation of opinion and thoughts on a certain issue, and therefore the internet has the power to make everyone a critic and give each person their own voice to be heard. People have the right to their own opinion and things could get messy while being a critic, because everyone likes different things, and that is where it gets complicated. It makes more sense for a critic to give a reasoning behind their opinion so you could really get a sense on why their opinion is as it is. Even if someone were to dislike a certain movie, others may love it and that is why everyone is entitled to their own opinion and deserves for their voice to be heard and be broadcasted on millions of screens. Whether you want to listen to other voices out there is your choice, but you still could have your own freedom of speech, all of us, as our own critics, as least to ourselves.

02/16/16

Ben Carson compares some refugees to ‘rapid’ dogs

Ben Carson compared terrorists trying to sneak into the country to a roaming around dog. Carson has said these refugees are as if a dog were to be walking around your neighborhood without an owner, which obviously would never be seen as a good thing. Carson said obviously any normal parent’s job would be to protect their family against this stray dog and hide the kids and try to get help from an animal care program. This roaming dog is said to be the same thing as allowing these refugees into the country without a space for them. It could also be very dangerous as they could be up to no good and want nothing other than to come into our country and destroy us. According to Carson, the security and safety of the American people should be the number one priority and therefore careful screening should be done to all those entering the United States. This is similar to a roaming dog that would not be willingly adopted by most families, where they are not sure of the well-being of that animal.

02/16/16

The Egg and the Sperm

Male and female, even today in society are argued almost to be as an inferior and superior sex. Even before being conceived, men are treated as the dominant sex with having more positive attributes. This is seen in the article where it is looked down upon for a woman to go through menstruation and it being considered a failure and a shedding of lining resulting in blood from a non-fertilized egg only occurring once per month. Women’s organs are also seen as old and wiped out, and eventually are deemed useless by them dying out. Men’s reproduction capabilities are seen as a tremendous capability of strength and power, because they are able to produce millions of sperm each day. When describing the reproduction process, the egg and sperm are already associated with words and qualities stereotyped as feminine and masculine, such as “the egg doesn’t move or journey, but is transported along the fallopian tube” and the sperm as mentioned “can burrow through the egg coat and penetrate it”, aggressive phrasing to prove the masculinity. These stereotypes of the egg and sperm would later be deemed to just be a myth and aren’t actually in fact the real way in which the organs act, but rather contradict the truth, in which the sperm is seen to be weak. Because of this research and study of the egg and sperm, rather than referring to these reproductive organs as aggressors and weaklings, they are just known to be different. Humans being given stereotypes shouldn’t force them to become who they are and fit into a certain mold and criteria. Humans should be free and natural to become other than what society makes them out to be before and after birth.

02/3/16

Lakoff and Johnson Response

A metaphor is known to be “a figure of speech that identifies something as being the same as some unrelated thing for rhetorical effect, thus highlighting the similarities between the two.” In my imagination a metaphor is just something that goes together in association with each other, but one that society has possibly constructed it to be, just by association and popularity of use. In Chapter 1 of “Metaphors We Live By”, Lakoff and Johnson believe that “The essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another.”

The metaphorical example of “time is money” is something in my head that is not even a metaphor, but has come by to really mean and prove to be in and of itself its definition. The way a worker could be paid not even by the work he has accomplished throughout his day, but rather by time, shows the essence and importance of the time, because that is considered the actual value of his work.

Something interesting about metaphors is that they have different meanings and understandings that have to be adjusted for who, what, where and when you are talking. A metaphor has the capability of meaning nothing to someone, but making complete sense to someone else. This is seen in the article that the actual words of “Please sit in the apple juice seat”, are just a group of words without meaning or understanding, however the setting describes that of which people are about to sit for breakfast with only one of four seats containing a glass of apple juice, thus allowing it to be “The apple juice seat.” Had one not been at the table to differentiate that seat between the others, those words would seem null, This allows us as readers be able to see and understand the actual power of a metaphorical phrase.

02/2/16

Michal Jacobs-Introductions

Hi everyone! My name is Michal Jacobs, I am from New Jersey, but recently moved to New York City to be closer to Baruch College, which allows me to explore and be my adventurous self. Other than my family and puppy, some other things that are important to me are sports, specifically basketball, which I play and watch as often as I can, and binge watching my favorite shows. At first, usually I could be a little shy, but pretty soon after you will probably have heard enough of my voice. My entire life, I have gone to a private school in New Jersey and took a gap year after high school, which was my favorite year of my life, so coming from a small private school to Baruch College has been a big adjustment for me, but I do love it and can’t wait to continue all of my courses. Looking forward!

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https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/michaljacobs/