Sexism In Language

Yes I agree that there is sexism in the English Language, and I think it will always be there. Men have invented everything women have wanted and plus. Men invented the English Language, so having many play-on words were bound to happen. I think the author should just accept how language is, and how it will always be and to stop complaining and to go wash some dishes.

The Lie Detector

In his writing, Lie Detector, Lewis Thomas writes how the Lie Detector (the machine) is a new great tool that can recognize if one is telling a lie by monitoring the heart beat, skin conductivity and other means. Thomas, thus concludes, through scientific means, that lying is biologically incorrect. That our body changes whenever we tell a lie. And thus we humans naturally have a compulsion to be moral.
I agree that we are biologically made not to lie. But I also disagree, because Lie Detectors are not 100% and trained CIA and other agencies can be trained to lie and not be detected. Maybe 99% of the population biologically has a response to lying and maybe 1% of the population who is superior and illicit no response when lying. Any person trained to beat the Lie Detector test is somewhat superior to a person who is not trained to beat it. Thomas did not speak on this technique (beating the Lie Detector) and was probably not aware of it.

Why We Crave Horror Movies

Yes I do agree in Stephen King's premise that we are all insane, somewhat. I agree with him in that he is telling the reader that we do have a weird lust for "sick" or "anti-civilization" things, that need to be released from within us, an example watching horror films. We like seeing nasty things in horror movies, we like being scared, we like seeing gore, we like seeing people get killed and what not on film. And I agree with King that this behavior does seem insane, but the truth is, that desire for gore and violence is within us. And I would think so especially since we are so civilized, the violent instinct within us (due to evolution and survival of the fittest) is dumbed down and never comes out.

My Wood

Foster's Essay "My Wood" is really about building an empire, because like an empire, owning and gaining property is like building and maintaining an empire in the sense that you have to conquer more, learn how to conquer, and learn how to not get struck-back (pushed back by the mass) and protect it. The author addresses each problem/challenge of having a property and in each is a fruit rich of knowledge on building an empire. First, "it makes me heavy", responsibility. Second, "it makes me feel it ought to be larger", greed. Third, "restlessness", boredom which may lead to more greed. Fourth, "blackberries", protecting your empire. Very quick watered down, but heavy stuff.

Fable for Tomorrow

The first attack on Rachel Carson are, calling her hysterical, unqualified and her sayings as junk science.
This point is misguided because, even though it seemed hysterical and against what was probably said and mainly known about pesticides, ignorance was at hand in here.
Secondly, the old attack on Carson, saying that we (Americans) followed what she said for us to do (research pesticides [probably implying to stop using them]), insects and disease would take over mankind, like in the Stone Age or of something of that magnitude.

Grant and Lee: A Study In Contrasts

The author Catton focuses mainly in Grant's and Lee's Personality and what they believed in.
While they were both very different in to what they believed in, they have very similar unifying qualities. They were strong men, they were marvelous fighters, and their fighting qualities were very alike. They also had "the great virtue of utter tenacity and fidelity". They would both fight to the finish on their feet. And they both were quick thinkers, and able to think faster than their enemies.

Neat People vs. Sloppy People

Britt's essay is a very fun read, from the get-go it gives a twist on what one would think a neat and a sloppy person would be or is, she gives her view on things on this in her essay "Neat People vs Sloppy People". One would think that a neat person would be someone who is very hard-working or of something in that nature, as I do. But Suzanne Britt, describes neat people as lazy instead of calling sloppy people lazy, seeming very contradictory, one would think that a lazy person would be sloppy and not giving effort with her example being that neat people are lazier and do not waste time collecting family heirlooms and birthday cards, newspaper, etc. She has a different outlook on things, that makes a lot of sense if looked from her perspective (a realist in my opinion). She favors neat people of course, because she has a very condescending tone when talking about the sloppy people such as them not ever doing anything and just putting big time consuming tasks such as cleaning out the desk or planning to read all the back issues of the New Yorker. And if you would assume that the author shared the same cultural values as in the United States (where she is from) you would definitely agree that she favors neat people since it is mainly about results here.

How To Give Orders Like A Man

Considering Tannen's Essay... I think Direct Communication is more effective because you always know what to do. Indirect Communication can be interpreted wrong, for example, a superior says "Its cold", does the subordinate give him/her a jacket, lower the temperature of the room, or just nod in approval? This is a problem, especially if you are dealing with people you just met. It also takes up a lot of time, trying to figure out what your superior is trying to hint at.
Of course it might not be enjoyable being told what to do all the time directly, but that should motivate one to move out of the position of being told what-to-do to a position of telling people what-to-do.

Why Don't We Complain?

Five Issues that our society has ceased to complain about, or complain to little about are listed as follows:
1- Old people who drive very slow... they should be rammed off the road. They are responsible for many deaths and accidents on the street.
2- Fast-food restaurants serving fast-food SLOW... the Tacobell on NW 57th avenue in Miami Lakes is a candidate of this problem.
3- Babies in Church or Low-Volume Places (Library/Movie Theatre)... Leave them home or don't bring them at ALL!
4- Teachers with Stank Breathe... BRUSH YOUR TEETH! USE LISTERINE! SWALLOW ALTOIDS! Reminds me of my Algebra 1 teacher in the 7th Grade.
5- PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN ALL THE TIME... These are the people that have no social skills and only complain about something so they can have something to talk about in their miserable waste-of-oxygen space-taking corpse-rotting lives. If I became a powerful politician, these people would become STERILIZED after a certain amount of strikes.

Marrying Absurd

How does the author describe the act of marrying in Las Vegas? Read the title! ABSURD! The author describes the act of marriage in Las Vegas as just a routine everyday go to work kind of thing; very commercialized. My personal opinion of the Vegas wedding is... seems like fun for a week or two, then divorce and off your separate ways with no guilt or bad feelings attached. The author's opinion, is, she thinks it's ridiculous and absurd. She thinks this way by describing the marriage by describing the advertisements in a negative manner, just describing them word for word and listing them all, and how show she describes the after party with the stepfather who feels awkward.

The Death of the Moth

Woolf incorporates symbolism in her essay by describing the things that the moth in the story with human-like characteristics. One could say that the moth was a symbol for a useless human who one would “pity for him”. The way the moth moved could be a symbol of struggle and life of a human-being by “dancing and zigzagging to show us the true nature of life”. And also when the author writes “Also, when there was nobody to care or to know, this gigantic effort on the part of an insignificant little moth, against a power of such magnitude, to retain what no one else valued or desired to keep, moved on strangely”, could be a symbol for perseverance, something that many people have lost or forgotten. The message of Woolf’s essay is maybe that, no matter how much work you do in life, how much strength it seems you have, how much you advance in life, with a move of a pencil (symbol for something that can cause death easily), your life can be ended quickly.

The Way To Rainy Mountain

Momaday uses descriptive language in “The Way to Rainy Mountain” by giving nature human life-like qualities. Momaday used metaphors and personifications to describe much of the nature he saw, such as, “the streaming foliage seems almost to writhe in fire”. Or a metaphor in this case, “yellow grasshoppers are everywhere in the tall grass, popping up like corn to sting the flesh”. An example of a personification might be that of, of the Crows, “who gave them the culture and religion of the Plains”. Momaday, the narrator, then finds his grandmother’s grave in Rainy Mountain along there with ancestral names on dark stones, she was buried in holy ground.

A Hanging

In my opinion, I believe the message in "A Hanging", is that, no matter how cruel something may seem, there can be two sides of it, one comical and one very solemn. I believe there are two epiphanies for the narrator in this story; the first is, taking life from a healthy human-being, the second epiphany is, no matter how horrible something may seem, it can turn around to be very comical.
The first epiphany, dealing with the horror of taking life, is demonstrated (triggered) by the author when he is in shock of the humanness of the prisoner, when he is walking to be hanged by evading the puddle of water in his path.
The second epiphany, dealing with the comical side of taking life, is not much of an epiphany, but, it is a realization to a degree of magnitude. The story of one of the fellow guard members is an example of this "epiphany". He makes the story of a prisoner who was to be hanged who was very trouble-some, that had to be taken by 6 men to be hanged, and the narrator, surprisingly, laughed out loud. And the story ends, with a very relaxed everyday-chore kind of tone.

Salvation

In "Salvation", the lesson learned, is somewhat a realistic but sad lesson. The narrator learned the sad truth about Adults, that all they say is not true and literal. The example being, the narrator in "Salvation" waiting to see Jesus Christ, and then not seeing him after being told that he would see it, if he stood up in the church.

A Chase

In "A Chase", the narrator learns the lesson of one she already believed in, in totality. In other words, she learns a real life example of what she thought and believed in. In "A Chase" the narrator talks about how in football -while relating to life- you have to give every drop of your energy into the game, or in this case, your life. And the narrator learned that life is exciting and great, when you live by that rule, she learned this through the "Chase" with an Adult, who gave his all to catch her after an act of misbehavior on her part.

Mena And I

The other one, the one called Mena, the one everyone always talks about. I walk through the streets of miami lakes, I see this blue fountain of water next to the Tony Roma's; I know of Mena through his Driver's License in my wallet or his twelfth-grade senior picture. I love winning against others in Halo 3 online, racing other cars on the red light, the taste of Cuban coffee, and being with very fun people, he is like me, but he has these similarities to appear Almighty.

I, Josue Mena, identify myself as a simple Man, with basic biological needs. I can say I am this, or that, but I will always fundamentally be a simple Man. I am a brother, a son, a cousin, a grandson, a nephew, a half-brother, a student, a gallant, a friend, a fighter, a racer, a fisherman, an array of many other things and other things to become.

But I will always simply be that, A Man.