Jonathan Swift

“A Modest Proposal”
Jonathan Swift

Swift utilizes satire and irony to get his points across. He proposes that we should eat babies in order to help the impoverished society of Ireland. This was a crude way of getting his point across, yet it gained my attention. I found myself fully engulfed while reading though this piece. This is an excellent example of how satire can be used to gain the attention of your readers and get your points across.

Langston Hughes

“Salvation”
Langston Hughes

Hughes talked about the “emotional atmosphere” that is often created in church. This is something that bothers me very deeply. When I go to church, I feel like I came to a show. The pastor has a message eloquently prepared. The music plays at the right moments. It is almost like going to a promotional banquet for some product that someone is trying to sell me. This over stimulated service is not the real world. I feel like Christians go to church on Sunday for their emotional high and then leave it at the church doorsteps. Instead, we should be serving our community and showing people Christ’s love. That is what Christianity is really about, and the emotions evoked from doing this are 100% genuine. I think our churches have completely lost where our focus should primarily be.

C.S. Lewis

“The Rival Conceptions of God”
C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis talks about how many world religions have common truths. Even though some religions are wrong, many of them have common ground with Christianity. It is important to know the differences between them. If we are going to show God’s love to the world, we need to be knowledgeable about other religions. Coming from the perspective that they are wrong is not a good way to go about it. Instead, we should start with common ground.

Bell Hooks

“Keeping Close to Home: Class & Education”
Bell Hooks

The message I felt that Bell Hooks was trying to get across is that we should not abandon our community ties. We should be proud of the background that we came from. At the same time, we need to nurture those relationships with people that are different. She spoke specifically about education and how her community looks at it. She talked about the idea that she has to straddle two different worlds. The culture that she came from does not value education, and the educated community that she now works in does not value the uneducated sections of society. She does not want to loose her identity in both. Instead of education being something that divides communities and cultures, it should bring them together.

Shelby Steele

“The Recoloring of Campus Life”
Shelby Steele

Steele writes about the racial tension between minorities and the dominant white population on college campuses. He goes in depth with explanations on why this occurs. He blames both sides for the tension. He states that we need to settle our differences instead of letting them get in the way. I feel like this is a lot easier said than done. The issue that he talks about is a very complex one. The social boundaries that our society has created will not come down easily. We cannot tell people to simply set aside their differences and expect everything to be perfect. Race relations are something that has come a long way, but the only thing that will fix it is the love of Christ.

Niccolo’ Machiavelli

“The Qualities of the Prince”
Niccolo’ Machiavelli

Machiavelli focuses on the way a prince should conduct himself. If found it hard to glean anything from this essay considering I’m not a prince. Despite this fact, I did find it interesting and entertaining to read.

Machiavelli’s thoughts were well plotted throughout his piece, and he did an excellent job at expressing his points. His clear and concise writing style made it easy for me to follow.

Mike Rose

“I Just Wanna Be Average”
Mike Rose

Reading this essay reminded me of all the kids out there that are not living up to their full potential. Many kids struggle in school, but they are not stupid. Their learning styles may differ from the format that their teachers utilize. Mike was not afraid of learning growing up. He was constantly learning and trying new things, yet he struggled in school and eventually ended up in vocational classes.

Mike appeared to be someone that did not care throughout his years as a student. When Mike was having trouble learning, he would tune out and ignore the curriculum in self-defeat. Mike was not stupid; he just needed help. This is what happens to a lot of kids today. They just need the proper adjustments made with their learning.

Michael Snider

“The Intimacy of Blogs”
Michael Snider

Blogs are growing rapidly in popularity. People utilize them as an avenue to express their thoughts and feelings. It is often looked at as a form of therapy. I find this interesting because people are sharing their thoughts and feelings with hundreds of people they do not know. What makes people want to share their thoughts with individuals they will never meet? Is it primarily for the purpose of getting things off their chest, or is it for personal gratification? Relationships are frequently formed on through blogs. How rewarding can these relationships really be? Snider brought up an interesting topic.

Russell Baker

“Work in Corporate America”
Russell Baker

Bake brought up an interesting point. He wrote his piece from the standpoint that corporate America is basically wasting its time with unproductive work. He stated that corporate America is making junk unlike our forefathers. I tend to disagree with Baker’s perspective because that is a big statement to make. I’m sure there are many individuals and companies in America that are not working at their full potential, but there are many hard working people in America. As our country advances in technology, we have to shift our mindset. Running papers around is still a vital part of productivity in our country, and I do not think we should look down on those that do this for a living.

Henry Thoreau

“Civil Disobedience”
Henry Thoreau

I believe the main point that Thoreau was trying to get across is that we need to establish a better government. He spoke about getting away from the majority rule and becoming centered on making better laws. The ethical responsibilities that the government holds should not be placed in the hands of the majority.
Thoreau made a very interesting point. The majority is not always right. If a country were corrupt, the majority would still be wrong. The average is not always right. Therefore, our laws should be strictly based off of moral principles. This is a tough thing to do when we have taken God out of our government. I do not know what how we should go about doing this.

E.B. White

“The Meaning of Democracy”
E.B. White

The author did a great job at utilizing analogies. This was a creative way of getting his point across. It is unusual to see a piece written in this format, but it was enjoyable. These analogies broke up the monotony. I was engaged due to the fact that it was out of the norm. I found this essay to be an enjoyable read.

Sojourner Truth

“Ain’t I a Woman?”
Sojourner Truth

The content of this essay is emotionally charged. When reading it, I could not help but empathize for the women that lived in this time period and more specifically, the African American women. African American women suffered through great injustice and discrimination.
The author of this essay frequently failed to use correct English. Despite the negative connotations that are normally associated with this, I feel like it added to the piece. This misuse helps the reader to picture and understand the context that this is written in.

Jesse Jackson

“Who Makes the Clothes We Wear?”
Jesse Jackson

Jesse Jackson did an excellent job at gaining my attention from the very beginning of her essay. She did this by raising a very good question. She asked if I would by a T-shirt that was made by sweatshop workers. By asking this thought provoking question, she created and excellent attention getter. This also set the tone for the rest of the essay.
The topic of the essay is something that I never really thought about before. Where do my morals lie in this situation? I feel very deeply for the underprivileged workers in other countries that have to work day and night for scraps. Is it my moral responsibility to research what companies utilize this type of labor before purchasing products, or is it only my responsibility to not by from the stores that I hear about? These are tough questions to answer. I feel like I should not support stores that use sweatshop labor, but I doubt that I will go to the extent of researching them before shopping there.

Maya Angelou

“Graduation”
Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou did a great job at utilizing sensory details. I found it easy to picture what was going on in my mind because her writing style was so detailed. This heightened my enjoyment while reading. I find it frustrating when I struggle to imagine what is going on while I’m reading. When this is not an issue, I know the writer has done his or her job. Maya definitely did her job.

Frederick Douglass

“Learning to Read and Write”
Frederick Douglass

I really enjoyed reading this essay. It was interesting to see how difficult it was to become educated as a slave. Not only was it hard to access knowledge, people did not want you to have knowledge. This makes me have an enormous amount of respect for Frederick Douglass. There are not many people that would strive for something to the extent that he did.
Frederick did a great job at telling his story. The narrative format that he utilized made it fun to read, and it also held my attention. Douglas used many sensory details throughout his essay as well. This also contributed to maintaining my attention. I felt it was a well-written essay.

Michael Snider

“Intimacy of Blogs”
Michael Snider

What is it that makes people willing to share their lives with complete strangers, people they have never met face to face? Why are things normally kept in a diary displayed for the world to see?
If Michael Snider’s purpose in writing the essay was to make the audience question the motives of those who keep a journal for all to read, his essay accomplished that purpose. Even his title made me wonder. Intimacy, honestly, makes me think of a bedroom or a marriage, something sacred, closed-off, and highly-personal. When I think of blogs, I think of the internet, a huge data wasteland, cold and devoid of personal interactions. It was strange to think that the two can combine. I find it hard to believe that genuine relationships can be formed by staring at a screen miles apart. I wouldn’t be able to trust people because of the ability for that person to create an alternate persona. They can be whoever they want on the internet, and no one will ever know.
However, I guess I should get used to friendships being formed this way. People who have never spoke to each other are becoming Facebook friends. Couples are being created through Match.com. Apparently, online relationships can be meaningful.

Russell Baker

“Work in Corporate America”
Russell Baker

In his essay, Baker added interest to his topic by beginning and ending with a perspective of a child. He discussed what a child might think about his parent’s work and how that child might be confused by the jargon-filled description and with no tangible results. Since children are seen as truthful and not calloused to the world, it helped the reader to imagine corporate America with a fresh mindset. In seeing the confusion of the child, the reader questions whether work in corporate America is appropriate and necessary.

In reading the child’s perspective, I wondered how many people are being paid to do nothing. I wondered if people get any satisfaction from “selling space” or “analyzing systems”. Do they feel that they are making a difference without any tangible results?

Viewing the topic as a child made the author’s point simply and was a catalyst for questioning corporate work.

Henry David Thoreau

“Civil Disobedience”
Henry David Thoreau

As I was reading this essay, I thought about one of E.B. White’s confusing similes- “Democracy is the sneaking suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.” If White meant this as a positive attribute of democracy, Thoreau would disagree. Thoreau thought that many times the majority is wrong and should not be the basis of laws. Letting the majority make laws does not insure the legitimacy of those laws. Thus, Thoreau believed that when the laws are not consistent with what is right, people should disregard them.
I was interested in this concept at first. After all, God-decreed morals should come before man-made laws. However, people do not hold the same set of morals, and a government where people simply disregarded rules they didn’t agree with would be an anarchy. Although the majority may not always be right, I cannot think of another way to create laws to which most agree. Our form of democracy is flawed, but it is better than the alternatives.

Overall, I think that Henry David Thoreau and I would get along.

Jonathan Swift

“A Modest Proposal”
Jonathan Swift

I read this essay before I went to bed one night, and alone in my dorm room, I was disturbed. Swift begins by describing the poor in Ireland, especially the plight of women who cannot support their children. I followed his dialogue and tried to anticipate his coming points, but I was thrown off by his suggestion to sell babies as food. Perhaps it was because I read the essay late at night or that I was unfamiliar with the time period or the author, but I couldn’t discern what Swift actually meant by writing this. I couldn’t believe that he truly wanted to “stew, roast, bake or boil” children, but he provided so much argument for his point, along with statistics of how the whole nation would benefit, that I couldn’t be sure if he was using irony.

My reading of this essay reminded me of the danger of using irony. It is very easily misunderstood, confusing the reader and preventing the author’s message from reaching the audience. Irony is less dangerous when spoken because inflection helps clarify the actual meaning, but words on a page lack the clarification necessary to understand the humor.

By the way, I understand he was being ironic now. I don’t think he actually wants to eat baby meat.

E.B. White

“The Meaning of Democracy”
E.B. White

In class I told the group how I was confused by this essay, and that statement is still true. My experiences thus far are apparently too different from White’s and his audience’s to understand the meaning behind his figurative language. His opening statements about the War Board asking for writing makes me think that he believes their request is silly. This leads me to believe that he thinks government as a whole is frivolous; when they should focus on the war at hand, they are asking writers to answer a question. Some of his metaphors paint democracy in a positive light- “cream in the rationed coffee”, “mustard” and “feeling of vitality”. Possibly he thinks that democracy is a good thing, allowing each person to achieve happiness. Some of his metaphors contrast those positive images- “dent”, “recurrent suspicion”, and “an idea which hasn’t been disproved yet”. Maybe he thinks democracy is ruining the nation and that it is poised for failure.

I would not feel confident in summarizing White’s views of democracy even though I read the essay twice. His figurative language has lost its ability to impact the reader because he or she cannot relate. I wish someone who understands would write a new version using figurative language I understand, or that this person would at least explain it to me.

C.S. Lewis

“The Rival Conceptions of God”
C.S. Lewis

It’s easy for me to blindly reject other religions. I don’t have to take them seriously. I don’t have to listen to their beliefs. I don’t have to know about them. I don’t have to care about people that believe in them.
Unfortunately, it shouldn’t be that easy for a Christian to deal with other religions. I agree with Lewis about how each religion contains some truth, some coming closer than others to the ultimate Truth of Christ. It’s difficult to force myself to look closely and discern what non-Christians have right, when it is obvious what they have wrong. By examining other religions, we are forced to learn about them and then find common ground.
This essay reminded me of Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill, where he related the Greek temple of the unknown god to the Christian God. This sermon was so powerful for the Greeks because they understood and recognized the power of this unknown God.
Being able to relate with those who believe in other things is a powerful tool for missions, if we can see the good in other faiths. It’s important to recognize the validity in their beliefs so that they might recognize the validity in ours. I liked the essay because it reminded me of this.

Langston Hughes

“Salvation”
Langston Hughes

I spent a November weekend at Anderson University each year of high school. Youth groups gathered for ICYC, Indiana Christian Youth Conference. My pastor was on the planning committee so we got great seats and always knew what was planned. My junior year there was a big emphasis placed on overseas missions. We raised money for a hospital in Turkey and heard from missionaries who worked in Cambodia, Mexico, and Zambia. On the final night, there was an altar call for anyone feeling called to overseas missions. Many people rushed to the front, but I stayed in my seat. I felt compassion for the suffering in other nations, but I felt that my place was in a classroom in America. Although the speakers certainly tried to make me feel called to missions, I was led a different way. So I kept on sitting even though everyone else was making a life-altering decision.
I wonder if the youth that dedicated themselves to missions even remember that they came forward that night. As they left that intense weekend, did they still feel called? It seems like their commitment came hastily and with little thought to what God was planning for their lives. They felt pressure and were swept away with emotions. As I read this essay, I remembered that huge crowd of “future missionaries” and the pressure I felt to conform to the mass. Asking Christ into your life or deciding to be a missionary are huge life decisions. Yes, emotions play a role, but careful thought should play a greater role. Weighty decisions require more than peer pressure and emotions. Christ wants us to fully mean our promises to Him.

Frederick Douglas

“Learning to Read and Write”
Frederick Douglas

This essay reminded me of the power of education. Although this reading wasn’t for an education class, it impacted the future teacher in me. I want to become a teacher to impact my students and cultivate a passion for learning in them. I want to show them that knowledge is important, not only to pass classes, earn a degree, and get a good job, but because it is empowering. Being able to think clearly, discern, and communicate gives life purpose and prevents one from being fooled. Being informed is paramount. Simply knowing how to read was enough to cause Douglas to work for his freedom when he otherwise would have lived as a slave with no thought to how different his life could be. It is important to remember that my future lessons as a teacher and my classes currently are more than just something to get through. Education can and does change lives.

Maya Angelou

“Graduation”
Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is a master story-teller. Once I start reading something of hers, I am pulled into her story. Her inclusion of concrete details, beautiful phrases, and conjuring of vivid images makes me able to imagine everything she says although her stories occur in a world different from mine. Her imagery is original and not cliché. I especially love “Years of withdrawal were brushed aside and left behind, as hanging ropes of parasitical moss,” and “With that his voice nearly faded, thin, away. Like a river diminishing to a stream and then to a trickle.” Her colorful wording made the story unique.

Although written beautifully, I admire Maya Angelou’s ability to create meaning and a message through her stories. Thus her tales are more than fluff. The substance is in her message and intentions for sharing the story. I hope that I will learn to tell stories like she can. I want to share more than my experience; I want to share what those experiences taught me.

Mike Rose

“‘I Just Wanna Be Average’”
Mike Rose

My mom teaches vocational classes. Her students learn how to create resumes and fill out applications so they look professional. She talks about work place safety and insurance plans. Her responsibility is to help her pupils transition smoothly into the work place, since they will not be attending college. Her students are the lowest achievers in the school. Many come from broken homes; some already live on their own and have children. She must fight for funding for her students; administration denies her students the funds and attention they deserve. Often times it seems that the school has given up on these students, choosing to instead focus on students who they feel have potential.

Honestly, it’s hard for me to find compassion for my mom’s students when I hear of how they flunk a class, lose a job, or mess up their life in general. I don’t understand why they can’t get it together. Often times I am like the administration; I write them off for failures.

While reading this essay and hearing of the author’s negative experience in a vocational program, I wondered what would happen if classes geared at students heading out into the work force, like my mom’s, were eliminated. Would these low-end kids be challenged and inspired if they were not simply stuck into vocational classes?

bell hooks

“keeping close to home: class and education”
bell hooks

Perhaps it is because I have no personal connection or emotional bond to the subject of the essay, but I thought this essay was difficult to comprehend. I couldn’t make sense of what the author was trying to say. I caught bits and pieces about how her family didn’t acknowledge the importance of her education, how academic African Americans feel like they must disown their slang to be intelligent, and how she still greets black people on the streets because she feels a connection to them. All of these components did not form a solid message for me. What am I supposed to get out of this essay? Can I not understand it because it is written to an African-American audience?

Shelby Steele

“The Recoloring of Campus Life”
Shelby Steele

Steele has a unique perspective in his essay, a perspective that I, as a white middle-class student, have difficulty relating to and understanding. From my comprehension of the reading, he blames campus racial tension on blacks feeling inferior and whites feeling that minorities are complaining, using their genetic traits to gain the upper hand. He makes his points in a logical fashion that reveals thoughtfulness and recognition of the complexities of the situation.

Although the author is credible, I don’t understand his naming “the black inferiority complex” as a primary reason for racial fighting. Everyone has insecurities. Personally, I feel like I am not intelligent enough and have not experienced enough to contribute anything to some class discussions. I am only a little farm girl. What makes the inferiorities felt by African-Americans that much greater to spur fighting? I feel that this failure to acknowledge the inferiority complexes in each person was the largest defect in the author’s rational.

Jesse Jackson

“Who Makes the Clothes We Wear?”
Jesse Jackson

Oh, Jesse Jackson. Once again, he is indignant about a social plight. I can’t help rolling my eyes.

He is so impassioned that his writing and speaking lose credibility. Although he makes interesting points and is well researched, his fervor makes the logic behind points difficult for readers to trust. By demonizing Nike and pleading for the impoverished, his case relies on an emotional response from the reader, a weak argument strategy. I would respond more positively to his views if he included more logic, reduced the number of rhetorical questions used, and stopped the dramatics. Even simply conceding that Nike’s use of cheap labor makes good business sense would help me to take him seriously. This piece makes him seem like a fanatic, causing me question his discernment and ultimately, to dismiss his argument.

This essay does remind me of the importance of writer’s voice. I must use many concrete examples instead of vague inferences and use logic instead of emotion if I want to successfully convince and convict my readers.

Sojourner Truth

“Ain’t I a Woman?”
Sojourner Truth

I wish I was there when “old Sojourner” delivered this speech. I want to see her become flushed with passion over the injustices done to her, yet remain composed and wise. I want to see the crowd become speechless after this black woman speaks against the ways of society with so much insight. It is amazing to me that Sojourner did not have any formal education and would not have been considered intellectual. She was just a common slave, used to bear children and work the field. Yet, in her speech, there is evidence of understanding beyond her education. She saw the big picture; she understood what others couldn’t fathom. Although I’ve been in school all of my life, I don’t think I am as wise as Sojourner, but I wish I was. The world needs whatever understanding she possessed.

Machiavelli

“The Qualities of the Prince”
Niccolò Machiavelli

Machiavelli presents his thoughts logically and clearly. Dividing the text with bold phrases makes following his transitions between points easy, and the mini titles help in referencing the essay because the reader can locate the distinct sections easily. His organization evidences the great amount of thought he put into his writing. The ideas are well-developed, objections have been anticipated, and the reader is left with the sense that Machiavelli knows what he is talking about. His seems knowledgeable and trustworthy. I believe that the way he develops his points and subsequently orders those points makes him seem credible.

Hi Group,

We're finally getting to the blog portion of this semester's syllabus. I'm sorry it has taken so long to get it going, but here it is. Please begin a conversation about the essays you've read so far. I look forward to reading what you have to say about them.