JUSTIN GONG – English 2100 x 90: Fall 2020

ENG 240

ENG 240-Historical Rhetoric

By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze how historical power has been disguised through the use of grammar, vocabulary use, and context. Language has forever been the tool to influence the masses and still continues to be. By looking through many different presidential terms and legislature that were put into effect, we can see how people in power have gained the approval of the public and media to further their agenda. This will help students become better writes and be able to create their own thesis and to effectively portray it to others.

Syllabus

Some of the texts we will look at:
- Citizen-Consumers Wanted: Revitalizing the American Dream in the Face of Economic Recessions
  - This text tells of how the government plays a strong role in defining the old and new cultures and essentially writing the narrative. It is shown through the different presidential terms, how each incumbent would use consumerism as an answer to social inequality to change the perception of the people.
- How the American Dream Has Changed Over Time

This text will teach students how an example idea such as “The American Dream” has changed through governmental influence. This looks at specific administrations and their role through their time in office to shape their policies to be accepted by American citizens.

Projects/Assignments

Articles will be assigned for reading twice a week
There will be 3 papers that will look at specific administrations and laws and you will analyze and explain multiple ways they phrase and appeal to pathos.
Midterm will be picking a law or president of your own and explaining why that administration was so influential and how.
Final paper will be you creating your own law for part 1 and then for part 2, explaining how this law is persuasive and will minimize the criticism set against it.

All Star Blog

The Curious Grammar of Police Shootings

This post was my favorite as I believe that I was able to adequately describe the various effects of language. The article itself was very powerful, so it was only right that I used more impactful words to do the family of the victims some justice. To continue, it is important to write and self reflect on the silenced narratives as they too are unheard by the media. To take news channels and reporters at face value nowadays, is dangerous. There are many different people who are willing to shape their stories to benefit either themselves or a certain side. Hence, I think that my analysis was able to accurately pinpoint and reflect some even if a little, of the pain of the victims.

This article was very enlightening to read as it brought up a new aspect of news articles I haven’t considered before. When reading about police shootings, it seems very black and white since in theory, you were either correct in shooting them or not right? Balko introduces the idea that despite the justifications, the police always seem to be portrayed as the good guys. While it isn’t blatantly said, the wording used undermines the events and the purpose of the article making it lackluster at best. If Long Soldier maintained this type of writing style, it would have caused many sympathizers of “Everything is in the language that we use” to have a nonchalant attitude towards her article instead. To not use the needed grammar only signifies to reader that this story is not important or newsworthy to add literal effect. This heavily adds insult to injury to the victim’s family as their story is being poorly misrepresented by the media in an effort to soften the blow on affected communities. It is the responsibility of these various medias to educate the public of the ironies throughout our system of the very people sworn to protect us, committing murder. We can further extend this irony to whether the same people who are supposed to “educate” us, are actually misleading us.

Case for Reparations

Responsibility is to be accountable for something that is within your own power. This definition does not provide a timestamp for which responsibility ceases to exist or expire. Reparations should be no different as slavery was a driving factor for the United State’s economy during the 18th century to the beginning of the Civil War that would fuel global industrialization. The fruits of this labor is still seen today as America is one of if not the emblem, of economic power and trade. This is also thanks to as Coates mentioned, to many deals that we have made and still keep even though all participants involved are deceased. While we may not be able to compensate those who lost their lives, the responsibility does shift. Generations before us have ignored this call for justice but reparations in some form is due. We may see this problem as distant as we are not at fault, but to see the disparity between black people and other races would hold the humanity within ourselves accountable. Hence, yes, you can be responsible for something that isn’t directly your fault.

History Repeats Itself

This just as the article where it compares the incarceration system to the Jim Crow laws relays the message of how these power structures have never disappeared but renamed themselves. Coate makes this case through giving different but interrelated perspectives giving insights from slaves who had to undergo slavery. Through this, we are able to see the pain and anxiety slave families felt of fear of being separated from their family. Coates then leads us to see the rate whites were exploiting blacks, slaves being responsible for millions of the United State’s revenue. Slave trading actually being an industry within itself. Then, Coates brings us to showing us modern day redlining within Chicago while explicitly having the same laws, but the same implications. I thought that redlining has now evolved in Chicago, the strategy of these white home owners aiming to be insufferable to live with. It is surprising that these blatant acts of discrimination are unnoticed and unpunished hence, history repeating itself.

The American Dream

Question: Is the American Dream just a dream?

My question entails whether the American Dream really is attainable for everyone and if is luck is on our side. I believe that this idea has been a long held goal especially to immigrant families to arrive in America. While everyone has their own version of the “American Dream”, I plan to focus on what the word symbolizes, being stability. I also would like the reader to eventually realize this idea stretches beyond financial wellbeing, and should incorporate some aspects of their wants and needs. For evidence, I hope to use statistics to show the barriers that prevent certain people from climbing this ladder such as the minimum wage and gaps seen between race and gender.

Doubts: I am not completely sure if this question is too broad still and whether I should apply it to a certain group particularly. The reason I didn’t make it about a specific type of people is because this idea is applied to everyone. Like everyone has their own “American Dream” so it would be too exclusionary to just talk about some of it. But I don’t know, maybe it has to be more specific to explain a group’s point of view better. Still on the fence.

Same Story, Different Title

This quote shows just as how Jim Crow has historically denied Black Americans the basic human rights, so do the new laws “redesigned” as apart of our incarceration system. Alexander to support her thesis compares historically oppressive systems to how we imprison Black people today. To this point, there are many similarities seen where the inherent discrimination is shown in the statistics of imprisonment and the consequences after being released. Specifically, even after having done the time ex inmates no longer see the basic rights such as “employment, house, and public benefits”. From this it is insane to expect class elevation and more widely, the American Dream from these impossible circumstances. Therefore, Alexander is portraying how structures as the incarceration system are the methods of creating a caste-like society.

Critic Analysis

A view that Armond White had from National Review on “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” had on the movie was the fact that Mile Morales, or Spider Man, “damages self-awareness and judgement and distorts individuality” of Black youth. Throughout the movie, Miles would make irrational decisions where he would stubbornly prioritize his personal needs over the safety of the world . This would be shown in instances where he broke the “goober” while attempting to glide off a building and again later, where he needlessly endangers his mentor in helping him to access another one of these devices. Miles also throughout the movie attempts to fit in with his environment whether in school or being Spider-Man. Because of this, it can be said that the individuality he is supposed to represent in being a minority and a teenager is lost through this journey. While Mile’s questionable morals and lack of individuality hold some merit, the overarching goal of Black representation and aspirations in my opinion, shadow this. One of the important lessons Armond misses is the scene and lesson in the movie that directly says, anyone can wear the suit. Audiences especially Black youth can reflect this in their own lives where you don’t have to necessarily be a superhero or model from a movie to see this growth. It is especially important during these times when most actors and actresses are indeed not Black and do not have to deal with lack of assimilation that they too can wear the cape. As you can see, this lesson of self strength or being self reliable is one Black youth from all over the world need, when facing the challenges of the cruel dangerous world today.

Review:

https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/12/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-movie-review-political-deceptions/

“A Model Minority”

“The valorization of Asian Americans as a model minority who have made it on their own cultural steam only to be victimized by the “reverse discrimination” of race-conscious programs allows White opinionmakers to lambast such programs without appearing racist- or to reassert their racial privileges while abiding by the norms of colorblindness.”

I found the article to be very analytical in looking inside the engines of yesterday and today’s society. This quote served to exemplify the repeated message of Asian Americans while being worshipped as citizens who model the same values as Whites, still being treated as outcasts or “aliens”. This was an interesting point as Whites would use this tactic of essentially building up a race then knocking it down to maintain control and turn what was a White vs minorities battle to White vs Asian vs Black. Through this, it would be easy to keep Asians in check as they were under the idea of how they weren’t being persecuted so nothing is wrong. This double standard however still blocked them from having any sort of political power as they were still considered different. Prior to reading the article, I was not conscious of this ongoing repression of Asian Americans, but I find myself taking a second look at history and discovering the ideologies of White politicians shadowed before.

Luxury-Jon Bellion

Notes:

Continues to hold light throughout the video 0:30
Woman represent lust and sexual desire 1:01
Goblin represents greed/fortune 1:53
Spider represents fear, insecurity, and doubt 2:36
Spider is also a common fear of people 2:36
Drops candle, could represent momentary lapse 1:23
He ages in the second scene of the video 2:20
Scenery is different 2:20
This change could represent unfamiliarity with new home 2:20
Candle illuminates the creatures around him 3:03
Ends with lights surrounding him 3:49
Could represent religion and self enlightenment as solution 3:25
Could also represent family and friends 3:25
Still resembles the same person throughout the video, not changing much in terms of looks 0-4:26

I discovered this song many years ago but has stuck with me for many years as it truly is one of my favorite songs. One of the reasons coincidentally was the symbolism shown both in the animation and lyrics of the video. The song while falling under the categories of pop has some aspects of rap shown in the pace of the lyrics. The song although showing his own battles with the pleasures that come with fame and fortune can be applied to audiences of all ages as we all go through our own battles between doing what feels good rather than what is healthy. This is especially prevalent in today’s culture where society bases happiness off of clothes, money, and tangible items. This is shown from the start of the video, how the main character has his purity or soul intact within the candle being held. The candle represents his gift and how we are all born with our own talents that help us succeed in life. In the next scenes, he encounters creatures that resemble a tall woman, a goblin, and spiders. Starting with the woman, this represents the lust and sexual desire where people often come into your life when they see you advancing in life. The green creatures in the next scene symbolize both fortune and greed for when we think about green, we automatically think of wealth. This represents the importance people place on wealth, many times placing it above all else. And the last challenge is shown by large spiders interpreted as fear or doubt, casted on him both by himself and others due to the uncertainty of succeeding in such a tough industry. While these are the challenges in his life, we can see these in our own too except in private. At the point where we believe the main character to be swallowed by the temptations and creatures, he comes out with the candle, surrounded by other tinier candles . These are his solutions to luxury, being family and friends that keep him normal and intact. Often times, we see many famous celebrities changing completely once getting a taste of fame and fortune. It is important to see that these vices aren’t the end goal and through conversations with people you’ve spent your life with, that you can keep your sanity. Writing this I find that this is especially true in quarantine where conversations with family and friends help me stay, me. These connections usually take a step down when you’re busy in life but they are in turn what also holds you down.