For my multimedia project i will be making a video on how technology is affecting our learning abilities. I will provide facts from the past and present. I was also thinking of drawing our my storyboard, but I’m not quite sure yet. Im still brain storming on how to combine my thesis into my video. So far i’ve come up with, drawing out a computer and zooming into the scree to start off the video. Im excited for this project, It’s challenging but i like getting creative.
On my research based argument, I will be writing about the effects technology is creating not only within the educational system but english language. As a foreigner, I am aware of the lack of technological advantages latin american countries have, leading to a completely different learning strategy. Is technology helping us or is it damaging us? My parents always complain how easy we have it. Back in their days, when they were working towards their degree, computers didn’t exist, not to mention, the internet. Having to go to libraries, and dealing with index cards, was the only way to get through a research paper. They both managed to finish their degree, with a much stronger understanding of different topics, than our generation learns today.
“Do whatever you want to do, but be the best at what you chose” are the words my parents always repeated since I can remember. My mother is a professional geographer back home, and my father is an agricultural engineer. Due to their high level of education, they always drilled into my siblings head and I the importance of education. They say we have to succeed and reach a higher level of education than them. Being raised in a hispanic family is a great thing but the abundance of judgement by not only your immediate family but your aunts, uncles and cousins, can get overwhelming. In my hometown, Colombia, there are only two social classes. There is the”higher class” whom own businesses, farms, and have professional degrees, and there is the “lower class” whose more of the working class, and sadly, can’t really afford education. This is the sad reality of not only my country, but a lot of Latin American countries. For this same reason, education within my family is not an option, is mandatory. Political issues forced my family leave a comfortable lifestyle and migrate to the U.S as refugees. The sacrifices my parents have made for my siblings and I are enormous, and the only way to pay them back is by becoming “a somebody” as my mother says, in this competitive society. These are my mothers words: “You don’t want to become part of the mass, you have to be different, you have to stand out”. The generation we live in has become extremely competitive, and making a difference is the only way to be noticed. The more languages you know, the more doors will open for you. The more people you know, the higher chance of becoming “a somebody”. This generation is all about strategies, and finding your way around your field. Education at the end of the day, is necessary and will fill us in with knowledge and culture you won’t gather in the street.
Amy Tan is a writer whose family migrated to California from China in the late 1940’s. Being raised in a house with immigrant parents whose english was not their first language, made a noticeable imprint in her life. In her short writing, “Mother Tongue”, Tan describes the different “Englishes” she has been exposed to. She speaks of the english used at home as “broken” or “fractured” (77) english, but comes to realize that those terms are not the best way to describe the language spoken at home. She argues the english used between her mother and her is just “simple”(80) english. The fact that her mother doesn’t fully construct her sentences, doesn’t mean she lacks knowledge. In fact, Tan’s mother is a successful business woman, who understands everything but its not capable of deliberately express herself in a “proper” American English, but in a Chinese English. The title “Mother Tongue” refers to not only her mothers “simple” english that is understood clearly within her household, but she also refers to mother tongue as to each individuals personal use of language. Each person lives life differently, as well as uses language differently. We all have our own habits and lifestyles and sometimes use some phrases that won’t be understood outside of the family nucleus. Giving importance to the tone and languages used in different scenarios, Tan describes her relationship through language with her mother. The purpose is to make this fact stand out. Language is used to communicate, but there’s not only one proper form of communication. Being raised in a family whose english was the second language, Tan notices where her strengths and weakness in education were. She mentioned not having any trouble with math and science due to these subjects being universal, unlike english, always being her weakness. Amy Tan wants to make her audience such as immigrants and Americans and her mother (since her goal was to allow her mother read her book and understand it), aware that no matter how “broken” a language can be spoken, as long as its understood, it should not be considered “broken”. She argues that there should be no limitations or discrimination for those who speak “simple” english. Tan speaks of the “simple” english spoken at home being helpful within her carrier. As a writer Tan says, she wants to bring a different approach. She uses her mother and the language they speak amongst each other to “capture her mothers intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms if her speech and of her thoughts.” (80)
My experience with english is similar to Amy Tan’s experience, except i learned the language when i was 10 years old while she was born in California. I definitely speak better than my parents “simple” english, but they can still defend themselves in a conversation. There are definitely a few different “englishes” I use. At home i mostly speak english with my siblings, which ends up being a mixture of english and spanish, something i would never do outside my house. At work i use very proper english, even though my accent won’t allow me to pronounce every word correctly, and with friends its a more informal language.
Who would have thought that the start of a paper, book, or any writing would be so difficult for not only students but also experienced writers. Anne Lamott expresses the process she goes through during her “Shitty First Drafts” and how she goes about when writing them. Not only she gets ideas from her every day life, but also from people who surround her. Lamott mentions that every good read, no matter who the writer is, came after a couple of written draft pages. The first draft is what she likes to call a child’s draft or what her friend calls “the down draft” where she just writes anything on her mind, in order to figure out what she wants her topic to be about. The second draft is “the up-draft” to get her ideas more clear and the third draft is what her friend calls “the dental draft” where you analyze every sentence to make a terrific well written piece.
Anne Lamott’s writing give me a sense of comfort and encouragement. I’ve always had difficulties writing an essay or project for school forcing me to always brain storm first, then write a couple of bullet point ideas and then proceeding into writing my first draft page. This strategy might take longer than it would take a native speaker, but knowing that even well-known writers have to go through various draft pages to make a final piece, give me some peace of mind.
Separation of different ethnic groups have cause controversy through out the world. Religion, being one of the main reasons and causes of discrimination, is not as obvious as any physical characteristic, such as skin color, face features, or even language. James Baldwin writes “Letter to my Nephew on the One hundredth anniversary of the emancipation” to warn his nephew of the unfairness him and his family have gone through for being of a different color, for being African American. Even after the emancipation proclamation, on its one hundredth year anniversary, inequality and racism still exists.
In “Letter to My Nephew”, Baldwin warns his nephew, Who’s name is also James, of the issues happening in the United states. The moral destruction of African Americans by the country men, such as white men, had been happening since Baldwin’s father was around. He was a witness of his terrible life. Baldwin mentions that there is no bigger destruction than one who believes in what others think of them. He argues that the color of their skin should not prevent them from becoming “tough and philosophical concerning destruction and death.” James Baldwin writes this letter because he wants the best for his nephew. With examples of Ethos Pathos and Logos, Baldwin makes a strong and powerful argument and persuades his nephew and many other people believe in themselves.
As mentioned previously, Baldwin seems to be a thoughtful person, filled with love and even if he should be resented by the reality he has lived, he only speaks with love towards his country men and most importantly, his family. Baldwin gives examples of his father having a terrible life. He mentions his father was defeated even before he passed. An example of ethos, Baldwin uses in his argument is: ” you can only be destroyed by believing that you really are what the white world calls a nigger.” As an African American, Baldwin refused to believe the idea society had of them because he had seen his father deteriorate in the eyes of the country men. He mentions this was the mistake many Africans did, which lead them to self-destruction. His voice is strong and determined, as well as worried for his people.
Baldwin uses pathos rhetoric by describing emotions such as love and affection towards his nephew. He says: “I tell you this because I love you, and please don’t ever forget it.” Baldwin is aiming for sympathy, for humanity, he wants and is asking for fairness and equality. He not only wants the best for his nephew, but he wishes the best for his own people, those who suffer from discrimination.
Inequality has sadly been part of our culture for centuries. Even today, our freedom and equality is limited. In “Letter to my Nephew”, James Baldwin fills this letter with emotions and life lessons. Baldwin wanted to make his nephew, James, aware of the reality his whole family had to gone through over the years. His grandfather in particularly , lived with the believe of what white people saw him as “a negro”(7). Refusing to see another family member fail and fall into this idea, Baldwin suggests a different and better life for James. Becoming a “strong, tough and philosophical” (8) man, would give him value to make himself worthy in the eyes of those who only see the color of his skin. Baldwin mentions that the idea of the life he is supposed to have (in the eyes of white americans) should not make him live by it, he should not feel inferior to anybody, because he is smart and capable of being who he choses to be. Baldwin describes the white Americans to be afraid of losing their identity if they get involved with African Americans, without realizing the narrowness and unfairness they are creating.
James Baldwin’s letter to his nephew, also shows his acceptance towards the white americans, even after the treatment they offer. He says with love everything is possible. With love from your close family, anybody could over come a loveless world. They were not at fault of growing in Harlem, thats what destiny had for them, but that should not scare or limit them. They have to over come these obstacles in order to be accepted, matter fact, Baldwin mentions that the white will never accept them, but them, as the bigger person, should accept the white and love them. He uses the word “integration in order to make America what America must become”.
Through out the years African Americans have been accepted, however, there is always a few segments that still live with that resentment because of different situations still occurring.
Technology has rapidly expanded through out the world and our lives. This did not happen much too long ago. In fact, its so recent that some of our parents don’ t have a clue on how to use our gadgets. The 1984 Apple’s Superbowl Ad represents the idea of a new era, of a technological era. The ad shows a group of “hypnotized” soldiers marching into a room with a big screen where a big “brother-like” figure speaks. A woman wearing orange shorts and a white tank top later runs into the room with a big hammer and swings it towards the screen where the man was speaking, creating a cold, bright explosion introducing the new innovation, Macintosh. The hypnotized soldiers represent the society/consumers who seem to be controlled by this voice and the ideas he was speaking of. The woman running towards the screen represents Macintosh and the power and force they were coming into the market with. When the woman swings the hammer towards the screen, an enormous explosion was created and thats when the minds of the consumers were freed and open to the new revolutionary product.
I have identified a couple of rhetorical theorems through out my analysis of the Superbowl ad. The argument being the most important theorem of my analysis was the idea of a revolutionary product. A completely new piece of technology that would be life changing for the world and its humanity. The purpose, which is connected to the argument, was to wake the consumers from those dominating absorbing companies, such as IBM, and show them an entirely new world of technology. The athletic woman who was nothing like the “hypnotized” soldiers is a contrast of emotions and values. This image represents the Pathos theorem by allowing us to see the woman break in to an empty emotionless community, and giving them life and value with her idea. I captured the Logos Theorem after the explosion on the screen happened and the man’s voice started mentioning the fact that 1984 would not feel like 1984, because of the fact that such a powerful and advanced tool was coming to the market. The ethos theorem is shown when after the woman had such courage of destroying this controlling system in order to give a new idea a chance.
Have you ever had someone tell you “you write how you speak” and that being a bad thing? Well the reading “What is rhetoric?” has definitely made me understand what my English professors meant by that statement. This particular sentences from What is rhetoric, “a writer needs to reflect on the elements of the rhetorical situations, ask questions, and consider how they influence one another” gave me a clear view on what my mistake as a writer is. As logical as it sounds, now that its brought to my attention, that’s exactly what i’m missing in all of my writing. The four common rhetorical appeals mentioned on page 42, informed me of the different ways we use rhetoric. As a sales person, I could definitely use the rhetorical appeals of value, reason, credibility and rhetorical appeals of style to my advantage. Rhetoric is not only used in writing but also at work, “but also to invent your own responses to the world”.
The variety of art and talent in today’s society has risen and it’s easily criticized by many. The article “Everyone’s a Critic. And that’s How it Should Be” written by A.O Scott states the different ideas of criticism now a days. Scott starts by speaking of the well known awards ceremony “The Oscars”. His idea of the Oscars is not quite positive since he writes in his article the amount of unfair nominations, stating: “The best film in any given year is almost guaranteed to be one that didn’t win or one that wasn’t nominated”. I completely agree with Scott in this argument due to the non rewarded work that Leonardo DiCaprio has done for years among a lot of other films or actors. On the other hand Scott also states the fact that everyone has a different perspective of things, as well as different criticism. We won’t all agree on a specific idea, but we have the freedom to speak our mind.
A.O Scott mentions the amount of control social media has achieved over the past few years. This generation revolves around the “trend” created by the internet. He worries about people caring more about what the reviews written online on a movie, product or even a person are in order to get an idea on how to proceed. This is making Scotts job as a critic less meaningful and more competitive. On the contrary, all of these online reviews are made by a segmented market group which would bring the audience closest to their desired decision. At the end of the day this is the best way to obtain your ideas.
Scott mentions how “the days of the all powerful critics are over” (2) because of social media and sadly this is a true statement. Times have changed, and we have to learn to adapt and find different ways to keep up and stay on top of our game.
The Egg And The Sperm
The roles of men and women in our society have always been a topic of controversy. Men are seen as powerful and dominant while females are seen as the passive house wives. This is not only part of our regular sociocultural life, but its also perceived the same way in the human reproductive system according to Emily Martin’s article, “The Egg and The Sperm”. She focuses on exposing the gender stereotypes behind the “scientific language of biology”. Martin also emphasize on her research, the functions and characteristics of both the egg and the sperm.
Emily Martin argues that both the eggs and the sperm have an important role in the fertilization process, but it is not seen in such way even after all the research done by biologists. The egg is described to behave “femininely”(489) and the sperm behaves “masculinely” (489). The given characteristics of the egg is large, calm, and inferior, who is waiting to be trapped or “rescued” (490) by the sperm, while the sperm is described as being small, powerful and energetic giving the sperm stronger traits through out the whole process. However, the egg is criticized and consider wasteful and less worthy than sperm due to the nature of women analogy. Women are born with all the germ cells she would ever need. The fact that “the egg slowly sit on the shelf, slowly degenerating and aging like overstock inventory” (487) creates a wasteful image of the egg. On the other hand, millions of new sperm cells are produced each day, once again, giving the sperm a better role. This is another form of representing what i stated in my introduction, the stereotypes between genders.
Through out her research, Emily Martin states a newer discovery on the topic. The sperm is not the one who now penetrates the egg since its not as powerful as they once though. It comes to show that the eggs outer shell (the zona) is designed to trap the sperm forcing it past its surface. Even after this discovery, the egg is still seen as an “aggressive sperm catcher” (493). In reality, neither the egg nor the sperm can do their labor without the help of the other. It is unfair that the egg is seen as a waste, since the sperm cant really do much without the function of the egg, but i also believe that this shouldn’t be compared to our sociocultural problems. Emily Martin wants to grow awareness on the metaphors such as “the aggressive sperm catcher” used in science and the wrong imagery they create.
The first three chapters of the book “Metaphors We Live By” by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson state the hidden reality of metaphors in our conventional lives. Poetry and literature works are known for their figurative and metaphorically language, distracting our attention to the use of metaphors we use on our daily lives. A metaphor is the comparison of one thing to another without the use of like or as. This is what I have learned in literature class, never thinking of the actual use I have of metaphors in real life. Lakoff and Johnson have found that we use metaphors not only in language but through our daily actions and our everyday thoughts. One of the examples they state in their book is “Argument is war” not exactly referring to an actual war with weapons but the action of an argument. Human nature is to always try and win against their opponent, trying to make valid and strong points in order to have full control of the argument. Another metaphor we constantly use, especially in the USA, is “Time is money”. I personally use and agree with this metaphor since every minute counts towards your goals. These metaphors can’t be taken literal but the majority of individuals will understand it because it’s pretty much part of the English language or part of our culture. Lakoff and Johnson realized that we have fallen into such “conventional way of thinking” and speaking that we let these unrealistic metaphors seem normal. For example I use the metaphor “You snooze, you lose” meaning if you don’t work hard enough for what you want, you will be left behind empty handed. From now on I will definitely pay more attention to my speech and take advantage of the beauty of our metaphoric language. This was an excellent read to start the semester. We were able to learn about something we actually use on our daily basis.
Hey guys, I’m Diana and it’s my first semester at Baruch. I recently graduated from City Tech in Brooklyn. My nationality is Colombian, so yes English is my second language. I arrived when I was nine years old, to a small town in New Jersey called Bogota. Coincidently Bogota happens to be the capital of Colombia, so that was pretty interesting to me. Little did I know, it was a completely different world from the Bogota I was familiar with. I did not know a word of English, and unfortunately New Jersey had no ESL classes (just like the video we watched yesterday in class). It was hard at first, but somehow I got used to it. A year later I moved to Astoria, Queens were the Hispanic community was a lot wider, making it easier for me to make friends and get a hold of the language. I learned pretty fast and grew to love this country.
I consider myself an active person. I’m outdoorsy and enjoy rock climbing, hiking, rollerblading on my free time as well as running and working out. I love to draw and design but I’m in school for Marketing. I believe business is the way to go in this competitive world. This is a little introduction of myself and i’m looking forward to getting to know some valuable people in Baruch. Best of luck for everyone.