Immigrants in our own land

For this blog post I chose to talk about “Immigrants in our own land”. I felt like I connected well with this poem since I could just clearly scratch out the true underlying meaning. The title itself gives you a good clue of what to expect. When I read the title the first time I was thinking to myself, “I wonder if this poem talks about the Indians being placed on reservations”. When I read the poem the first time, I was kind of close but not quite, although I did enjoy reading and translating the underlying meaning as I read along.

In my previous English 102 class I read more than a handful of poems, but very few were about racism and ethnicity. As sad as the true meaning of the poems like these are, they are quite intriguing. A poem like this is almost an entire history lesson within itself.  I had a bitter taste towards poems and analysis’s in the beginning, but since I have learned to appreciate the art in these poems, I have grown much to liking them.

In the beginning of the poem, Baca starts out with, ”We are born with dreams in our hearts, looking for better days ahead. At the gates we are given papers, our old clothes are taken, and we are given overalls like mechanics wear. We are given shots and doctors ask questions”.  This is the intro that gave me the initial hint that this poem was possibly talking about Indians being placed on reservations and being put to work. Although as I kept reading on it was including all races, whites, blacks, Chicanos (Spanish), and Indians. All in all this is a great poem and I recommend it to all.

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/179708

Summary vs. Analysis

Summary….analysis. What a dilemma this is. I have argued in the past with many English instructors that there is no difference. However there is, shocking! I had an English instructor who finally laid this dilemma to rest. Here is the example he set to me. This is how he explained a summary to me. When writing a summary you write your paper as if you were building a brick wall. Your wall won’t stand unless you place all the bricks in the right places. The same goes with a summary. The story will not make sense unless you recite it in the order it happened. A good way to keep track of this is to write down a chronological time line.

Now to the confusion. The infamous analysis. Here is the difference. Instead of “reciting” a story in a chronological manner, you are instead describing hidden underlying meanings of the story. For example say you come across a poem that could be two sentences. Ok?? How are you supposed to analyze that into three pages? Simple. In poems especially there are usually always some form of hidden underlying meaning the reader doesn’t always catch the first time reading. This is why poems are confusing when read the first time. So you should break down the story or poem line by line, verse per verse…etc. In whichever way it helps you break it down to translate the poem. This is how you should analyze.

This instructor also gave me a good example to go by when writing analysis’s. He told me to think of these papers like a construction site, or a house halfway through construction. Imagine yourself walking though this house and looking at all the different projects that still need to be done in the house. Now you can apply this to a paper. Break the paper down and take it piece by piece and translate it. What does this paper need to make it understand? How should I make sense of this? And so on.

Here is a good book you can choose to summarize on since it is so simple

http://pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/

Here is a good poem to analyze.

DULCE EST DECORUM EST

http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owen1.html

Nobakov

What does Nobakov think makes a good readers? :

Nobakov believes that a good reader is one with an imagination to create the story in the book into a reality and surround it around you, in other words putting you into the book. He makes a good comparison when he mentions looking at a painting. When you look at a painting, what do you do? You step back and look at its entirety or the “big picture”. Reading a book should transform your perception on reality and be enjoyable. And that’s exactly what Nobakov believes. 

What do you believe are the characteristics of a good writer? :

I like what Nobakov said about being a good writer but I would like to add a few of my own opinions. The concept of writing could be related to persistence. Just like anything else, muscle for example. You either use it or lose it. I believe with writing there is a certain “touch” and art to it. You should be sharp with your imagination and tune it occasionally.

Do you consider yourself a good reader? :

I feel that if one is a good reader they have to enjoy the book to be able to get “into” the book. When I read a book that is really good and juicy, I am completely lost in it and it is as if nothing else around me exists. Now we can agree that everyone will come across books for school that they aren’t going to enjoy and absolutely abhor reading, they won’t apply themselves to the book as easily to a book they enjoy.

 

Intro Vid

4th Blog Entry: Effective commercials

In this final blog I would like to talk about the effectiveness of commercials. I choose to talk about male enhancement. The reason for this is not to pick a ridiculous topic just because this is the last blog, but rather the concept of this subject. Male enhancement caught the eyes of millions of men when Viagra was patented in 1996 and introduced in 1998. The potential for this new drug at the time was unknown (to consumers) but becomes the most popular male enhancement product today. 

A brief history lesson behind this drug:

Sildenafil was created by chemists working for Pfizer, at their facility in England. It was initially created to be used as a treatment for high blood pressure. During clinical trials, however, it was noted that the drug was very effective in inducing marked penile erections. Therefore, Pfizer quickly decided to market it as a drug to treat erectile dysfunction. Pfizer obtained a patent in 1996, and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on March 27, 1998. It was the first oral treatment approved by the FDA for the purposes of treating erectile dysfunction. It was offered for sale in the United States later in that same year under the brand name Viagra. Although available only by prescription, it was advertised directly to consumers by use of television commercials and print ads. The advertising blitz was very successful, and Viagra, or "the little blue pill," became a household name. (http://www.ehow.com/about_4615949_was-viagra-invented.html)

Now to the main point…

The reason for picking said subject is the effectiveness of the commercials are so strong that most men would buy the product regardless of any possible side effects. Viagra could bluff and tell men it would make them as giant as a rocket and still have millions of consumers buy their product. Easy enough right?

Think Male enhancement is only for men? Believe it or not it also draws in the female crowd. Watch this.

Products like Viagra, Enzyte, etc...have very effective advertising. Like many advertisers, they are selling a product that men want to believe in and for this reason...the products will fly of the shelves.



Second Blog Entry: Source Checking

For my second blog entry I would like to talk about sources and their credibility. First off when you should be looking up an bit of information and want to know whether or not that source is legit, you should take a look at the overall setup of that very page. Is it well designed? Sloppy? Look at the website name. Is it a well know or famous name? Such as New York Times, MSN, NBC, CNN, and so on. It should take a little common sense to scan the page first for these few ringers to determine whether or not that source is phony.  

Here is a short list to remember as your looking through websites to help you:

Who?

Who is the author?  What are his/her credentials?

 What?

What information is available from this resource?

 Where?

Where did the author(s) get the information?  Are citations provided?

 When?

When was the resource produced?  (For books, check the copyright date.  For articles, check the publication date.  For websites, look for a "created on" or "last updated on" date.)

 Why?

Why does this resource exist?  Is the purpose to entertain, persuade, inform, etc.?  Is the resource biased?

 How?

How comprehensive is the resource?   Does it go into the depth you need?

http://plagiarism.umf.maine.edu/valid.html

3rd Blog Entry: Schools and Technology

     For my third blog post I would like to touch popular culture in modern schools today, and how it might improve education. Technology for example is widely being integrated into school systems as a main source of education for teachers.  According to (http://www.blogger.com/www.edtechactionnetwork.org) computers in classrooms improve learning and achievement among urban, suburban and rural students of all ages and abilities and aids all students to meet high standards. This website also tells us various reasons why most schools push for technology in their classrooms. “As schools strive to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, technology makes a difference in improving test scores and helping students reach performance goals. Technology also engages students in learning; improves attendance, decreases dropout rates, increases graduation     rates and facilitates parent involvement.} (http://www.blogger.com/www.edtechactionnetwork.org)

    
 I’ve included a video here to enhance my point:

With technology included in schools education can be much more effective for kids at an earlier age. Kids will learn much more information sooner versus kids who went to school with no technology. Studies show more effectiveness in kids education, test scores, achievement, and satisfaction with technology.