My impression of this class is a very positive one. I liked the class itself and the instructor was very responsible and professional. It was an interesting semester. I enjoyed the class discussions and the assignments. Hopefully, I have improved on my writing.

I decided to write about the story of 911 from the Longman Reader. This was a very tragic incident in the history of the US and it affected the entire nation in one way or another. It was sad how the man was risking his own life for his fellow co-workers. Luckily he survived to tell his heroic story.

For today's blog I decided to write about the class presentations. on their reports. I especially enjoyed the one on Global Warming and the electrical accidents. These reports help us understand dangers in the world and help us take precautions on how to avoid them.

I chose to blog about "the Whale Rider". It was a very interesting film. It was different from the movies I'm used to seeing yet it was still very entertaining. I liked how Paika kept trying to impress her grandfather regardless of how angry he was at her being a girl.

For my research paper, I decided to write about innuendos, racism, violence, and subliminal messages found in Disney movies. I chose this topic because it is something that has always interested me, and I feel that more people should become aware of this. I feel that this is a very controversial subject because some people believe that there is no such thing and that all of this is just our minds playing tricks on us. So I decided to write about it to prove those people wrong.

This blog is on the short story by Sammy Sosa. It is a very sad story but it also motivates people to work hard for what they want because regardless of your situation, you can always reach your goals. It's a very nice story about surviving poverty.

I chose to write about the text "why we crave horror movies", by Stephen King. He is one of my favorite authors and one of the authors that know the horror genres best. He clearly understands the reasons as to why we enjoy watching horror flicks so much regardless of how terrified we may become. I watch horror movies because it helps me get into the minds of criminals and that is something I want to study.

The story "Shooting an Elephant" was very interesting because it shows how people are capable of anything just to spare their own reputations. It was ironic how no matter how hard he tried to impress the crowd by killing the elephant, he just couldn't and he made himself seem a bigger fool. It was a very tragic story, but it had a good moral point.

The Poem Cafe was a little bit nice. However, it could have been better organized. Some of the acts were not completed because the poets or bandmembers either left early or never showed up. I especially liked the poem about the woman that looked beautifully dressed thanks to her man. I also enjoyed the poem that Ms. Welsh recited with her daughter. It was nicely coordinated. One of the parts that I really disliked was the rap by Yogi. I don't relate that to any sort of poetry and I think it was just done for promotional reasons. Overall, the event was inspirational, but it needs work with organization.

For this blog, I chose to write about the Spike Lee Story on art and money in movies. I find this article funny because I can relate it to something I realized a few days ago in a movie forum online. Someone on this forum proposed the question of whether or not they believe that the forum was created for fans of the hit movie "Saw" or, did "Saw" become such a great hit because of all the feedback on the "advertising" website. Some movies just don't have the publicity that others have because of lack of budget. I think advertising plays a big role on whether or not the movie is a success. I agree with Spike when he mentions that marketing helps movies get a bigger audience.

For my research paper, I decided to write about subliminal messages and innuendos in movies not specifically made for adults. Take Disney movies for example: the Walt Disney company has been sued numerous times for discreetly displaying sexual content and drug references in their cartoons. Some of these have been said to be rumors or just our minds playing games with us. Some people have also suggested that we see and hear these subliminal messages because we want to see them or because we are told what to look for. However, I beg to differ. I believe these things are put into the movies intentionally.

Advertising, Sex & Lies

I chose to blog on the essay written by Gloria Steinem: “Sex, Lies, and Advertising.” I found this essay very interesting, because it’s something that’s going on at the moment in society. Advertising is used in a very sexist manner. For example, the way car advertisements are only found in men’s magazines or how household products are presented in commercials by women. In addition, advertisement is used in a very subtle manner. In the article, the author mentions how, in magazines, an advertisement of a certain product is shown and a few pages later, you see the product being used in an article. This, discreetly, gets us thinking of ways that this product may be useful to us, causing us to want to buy it. This is a big issue in modern society, and I agree with the author that these advertising techniques need to be changed.

My reaction to “And Then I Went to School”…

I enjoyed this story mostly because I can relate to it. I don’t relate to it in the sense that I had to fit in to a community with a different language, but because of the fact that I went through many different high schools. Each time I transferred to a different school, I would compare it to the last and find that I missed a lot about the old one: the people, the classes, and the system altogether. Every time that I started at a new school, until I became accustomed, I was disappointed because I would compare it to the last and would only see the negative aspects of the new one. I liked the way the story used vivid details to compare his experience in school and his life at home. It lets us get a feel of just how much he missed his home.

Sexism & Language

The essay on sexism and language is the article that mostly caught my attention because of the fact that I, along with the rest of society, deal with sexist language everyday.

In my opinion, it is inappropriate to compare women to food or animals. Whether it be positive or negative connotations that we receive, most of the comparisons used are rude and un-called for.

Take calling a woman a "fox" or a "kitten" for example; those names imply that a woman has sex appeal and/or good looks and they are merely being judged based on that alone. You would never hear a woman be called a "dolphin" because of her intelligence and ability to follow instructions profusely. You'll also never hear a woman be compared to a whale for her great parenting skills and amazing maternal instincts. They are usually compare to such animals if they are heavy-set or overweight. Woman are mostly compare to things based on their appearance or attitude alone.

These unpleasant comparisons are directed towards men as well. When men are called "ducks", it implies that they are un-masculine. If they are filthy or harassing towards women, they are considered "pigs". The word "dog" is usually applied to men if they sleep around with different women and treat each of them with disregard.

I think it's interesting how we live in a society that has come to accept this language and how we have separated neutral words into to categories: feminine and masculine. Adjectives are examples of such words. For instance, we may consider a woman beautiful if she has a nice appearance, yet we would rather regard to man's good looks as handsome.

This article may help people realize how sexism is beginning to grow more in society and that we need to put a stop to it so that men and woman may be treated equally and with respect.