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.