Op-Ed Piece

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/opinion/saving-a-soldier-encouraging-terror.html?ref=opinion

The article I found was called "Saving a Soldier, Encouraging Terror" and it was about how Israel is trading prisoners that they are holding captive for Israelis that have been captured. In one case, Israel released 1027 Palestinian prisoners for its own Sergeant Shalit. The author, Walter Reich, feels that Israel is just welcoming more kidnappings and abuductions because other countries and groups of people know that they will be able to get much more in return for the person's release. The reason Israel is doing this is because they want to make their people feel more devoted to their country because their country is doing everything in its power to keep people "safe" and return people back to Israel.

I really enjoyed how this piece was written because the author interlaced his opinion through his story without it blatantly impacting the amount of facts in this article. He used a large amount of logic to ration his opinion which contrasted interestingly with the overwhelming pathos in this article. The examples that he used were very specific, which made him much more believable, and he obviously had done extensive research in addition to his viewing of Israeli conditions in person. Between the arguments of parents being happy to finally see their abducted kids returning and Israel trying to help its people, Reich weaved more logic about how these actions will only welcome more abductions. I feel that through his logic and interlacing of opinion, Reich was able to compose a truly eloquent piece of journalism that was an interesting viewpoint at Israel's attempt to better itself.

To Hear or Not To Hear?

                Throughout the documentary Sound and Fury, many different people gave their opinions and reasoning for why a child should or should not get a cochlear implants. After watching this film, I feel that cochlear implants are positive concepts that should at the very least be considered for all children born deaf.

                I know that I am not a part of the deaf Discourse, so people may think that my opinion shouldn't be considered as much, but I have an aunt who works at a school with many deaf children, so I have had some experiences with the deaf culture. I have also always found American Sign Language to be a very interesting and unique way of communication, so that would be sad to lose if all deaf people became hearing. I think that if a child was to get a cochlear implant, they would still be able to retain their culture and language without transferring completely to the hearing world.

                Many of the arguments for getting a child a cochlear implant were very logical. In addition to the emotion and ethics that this decision calls for, the logic is probably the most important. Since the implant is a surgical procedure, it should not be taken lightly. There has been plenty of proof that most deaf people, especially when implanted as children, regain a significant enough amount of hearing for the surgery to be worth it. Even when people aren’t deliberately discriminating against the deaf, there are going to be many opportunities the deaf will miss out on.

                Deaf people can generally only communicate with others who are deaf. According to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, less than 500,000 people in the U.S. are completely deaf in both ears. Since this is such a small portion of the millions of people in our country, deaf people have a hard time finding people that they can relate to outside of deaf family members. School is harder because the child either has to find a deaf school (which generally does not produce a quality education) or a personal translator to interpret for them in a normal class. In addition, communication problems can make finding work and moving up in ranking much more difficult, if possible at all.

                Almost all the people in the film remembered or thought about how deaf people are teased. Growing up is hard enough with being constantly tormented for something a child can’t help. These are just a few of the reasons arguing for a cochlear implant.

                Why wouldn’t parents want their children to gain so many more of these opportunities? As it was portrayed in the movie, people might feel that the child will lose their deaf culture and look down upon other deaf people. The thing is, the cochlear implant does not make the person hearing, it only makes it possible to hear at certain times with the use of the implant. I think that a child should learn how to speak normally, then they can learn sign language when they’re older if they so choose. I think that people will be interested in their true heritage, and then they will know what to do (signing and deaf culture) if their hearing ever goes away again.

                I personally felt that some of the reasons relatives give in the film against the cochlear implant were more selfish than anything. They argued that the child wouldn’t like them anymore and that they were ashamed of the deaf culture. This seems like these relatives only want the kid to be deaf so that they had more people to talk to and relate to, even if it was harder for the kid in the long run.

                I feel that the cochlear implant is almost always the right choice for a child (unless some other medical reason says otherwise) because of the better future it offers them.  Al l the logic points towards cochlear implants being positive, while the arguments against the implant always seem to be personally emotions selfishly getting in the way.

Fear of Crossing Those Awful, Treacherous, High, Deathly Bridges

The first thing of thought of was my fear of crossing over a bridge. I am able to do it, mostly because I've been forced to in my life, but I'm freaking out the whole time. I don't know when or why this fear started, but I have plenty of examples to back up my fear.
My mom worked for the Wisconsin DOT (Department of Transportation) literally since I was born until this past year, and she therefore was very informed about means of transportation such as bridges. I remember very clearly when the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapsed in August of 2007 that killed 13 people. This incident scared me even more because it showed that a major bridge collapse can occur close to home. I also remember that my mom would come home from work and would tell me about the bridges in Wisconsin that needed to be inspected and possibly changed.
All bridges are are a tiny piece of concrete stretched over a great expanse of water or land. I constantly think, when will it collapse? Will I make it across? every time I go across a bridge. When I'm driving on a bridge, I speed so that I can get over it as fast as possible.
Worse still is biking over a bridge. You can't go as fast as you want most of the time, and one bad turn of the handles can throw you off the edge to your death. This summer I did a charity bike ride and the finish was in Sturgeon Bay. They changed the route this year and made us go over the Sturgeon Bay Bridge. As my luck would have it, the bridge was letting boats through at the time and I was forced to stay on the bridge for almost five minutes, caged in by other bikes and a ton of cars. I was freaking out the whole time and literally peddaled as fast as possible to get off of that death trap.
I feel like I must have been pushed off a bridge in a past life or something, because I honestly cannot pinpoint where my fear of bridges began. No tragic event happened to me, and nothing near my home.
I guess my only option is to simply build a bridge and get over it.

"Doot do do do do doot doot! Livin' in the USA"

The song that I chose to represent American life today was the song "Livin' In The USA" by The Steve Miller Band. Even though this song was released in 1990, I feel that it still fits America's lifestyle today. The song is generally upbeat with a pretty simple instrumental progression throughout the whole thing. My favorite lines from this song are:
"I see a yellow man, a brown man
A white man, a red man
Lookin' for Uncle Sam
To give you a helpin' hand
But everybody's kickin' sand
Even politicians
We're living in a plastic land
Somebody give me a hand, yeah" (http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/steve+miller+band/livin+in+the+usa_20249173.html)

Everyone needs help from their neighbors but everyone is causing problems at the same time, it says. "We're living in a plastic land" is true because we're using more plastic than ever, but at the same time trying to reduce our environmental footprint. 

A few other lines that I really like are:
"Come on try it, you can buy it, you can leave it next week, yeah
Somebody give me a cheeseburger"

This shows America’s tendency to buy things and deal with them later. And of course the cheeseburger needs to earn a line. An example of our obesity and health issues, the cheeseburger is probably one of the more symbolic items for our country.

YouTube Clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxj14ynrSKw&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

How Does One Write?

How do I write?

            To me writing can be done anywhere, at any time. If you’re suddenly inspired with a story or an experience, write it down! For schoolwork though, it seems easier to write if it’s in the same spot with the same setting each time.

            When I get home after sports or whatever I have that night, I will generally leave any writing portion of my homework for last. After finishing Spanish translations and math problems, I will eventually sit down and write. In my room, I have a white, wooden desk with a chair that has a seat made of bungee cords. I always move whatever is on my desk to my bed so that I can spread out across my desk. I am also one of those people who cannot work when it is quiet, no matter how hard I try. If it has to be pure silence (like in class sometimes), I always have a song running through my head, making it hard to concentrate. At home I usually open my window so I can hear the noises from the street. Even if it’s cold, I’ll put on a sweater and shut the blinds so that the wind doesn’t come through as much. Otherwise I’ll pick a playlist on my iPod and just let it run while I work.

Finally I’ll sit down, push some lead through a mechanical pencil and write. More often then not, the first sheet of writing goes in the trash. It’s like anything else; I think you need to warm up before you can really do a fine job. If I’m unable to have these ideal conditions to write in, I can still write anywhere. Whether it’s on the bus home from a soccer game, or happily in my cozy room, I feel that good writing can occur anywhere, it just might not be as easy to get out right away.

Inaugural Words Over Time

After going through a good amount of the lists of the most common inaugural words, there was one aspect that stood out to me. The earliest inaugural addresses contain words such as "government", "people", "country", "citizen", and "right". These addresses generally do not contain words such as "war" and "economy". These presidents seemed to focus more on the people and their role in the country rather than on the more political and economic aspects of the nation.

The more recent presidents used words such as "nation", "work", "world", "America", "American", and "responsibility". Based on these words alone, these presidents chose to focus on America's responsibility to the world, rather than to its own people.

The other thing that I noticed was how the inaugural speeches of presidents who were elected two or more times differed. Generally, the president had one word that was well used in each of his speeches, but the rest changed. These presidents also seemed to use the same word a smaller amount of times in his second or later speech, which makes me think that they assumed people already knew them, so that didn't have to give as much of an inaugural address.

This website was a very unique tool to use because it allowed us to analyze speeches without having to read the actual speech itself. Going by the most used words was interesting because it basically gave you a one or two word description of the president and his goals for his term.

Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett

            Almost everyone nowadays knows or has known someone who went through a battle with cancer. Truth and Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett is the story of Ann’s friendship with Lucy Grealy, a fellow author and poet who struggled with cancer for almost all of her life, and how Lucy impacted her forever.

Lucy Grealy was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma when she was under 10 years old and struggled with its impacts throughout the remainder of her life. Her jawbone was removed, and she struggled with the negative body image that it gave her forever. She also had difficulty speaking and swallowing because her remaining facial bone was too fragile to hold more than the six teeth that cancer left her with. This led to her going through many more surgeries on her body so that she could look and hopefully feel “beautiful.” Lucy wrote her own book, Autobiography of a Face, that told this story of her cancer. On the other hand, Ann Patchett wrote Truth & Beauty about the parts of their lives that they shared and their relationship behind Lucy’s cancer treatments.

Both Ann and Lucy attended the same college, Sarah Lawrence, at the same time, but they never became close. After they were both accepted into the esteemed Iowa Writers Workshop, they became roommates and their friendship began to blossom.

This memoir follows the lives of Lucy and Ann through the life they went through together. In addition, Ann also included the letters that they sent each other when they were separated. The theme of this book appeared to me about, as the title suggests, real beauty and what it entails. Lucy Grealy struggled throughout her life with people judging her solely on her looks. From getting plastic surgery to trying any means of getting more than six teeth, Lucy was always one step behind her disease. This part of the book was so powerful that I had to pause a few times because the emotion was so strong. Is there a point where you can’t win? Should Lucy just give up on beating her disease because of all the pain the surgeries are causing her as well as her family and friends?

Lucy was constantly looking for Ann’s reassurance on these matters of love and beauty, relentlessly asking Ann questions to boost her confidence. ‘Do you love me, Ann? Do you love me the most? Do you think I’m pretty? Do you think I’m talented?’ Ann was always there for her, keeping her sane and helping her mentally, physically, and financially.

During her life, Lucy keeps stacking up her medical and school bills, constantly going more and more in debt but never paying any of it back.  This leads Ann to describe their relationship using an ant and a grasshopper metaphor where Lucy was the carefree grasshopper, always having fun and doing things last minute, while Ann was the ant who kept moving forward at the same steady pace, always following the beaten path to ensure security. The two struggle to become commended authors throughout the book until Lucy publishes her novel, Autobiography of a Face and Ann eventually publishes The Patron Saint of Liars. From that point, Lucy seems to become more independent and Ann is in less of her life.

Ultimately, fame is not enough for Lucy, and she becomes dependent on OxyContin, which was prescribed to her after her final reconstructive surgery, just like she had earlier in the story with codeine. She also resorts to cutting herself with razor blades, drinking, and taking any pills she could find to cope with the pain she felt inside. Lucy felt that fame because of her face was worth nothing; what she really needed was someone who truly loved her. She found this in Ann who was consistently at her bedside and trying to convince her to give up her drug and alcohol habits. This part was also extremely full of feeling. It was hard for me to understand at first what Ann was getting out of the relationship where she was basically the parent to Lucy’s antics. Conversely, by this point, Ann has painted this picture of Lucy as a lovable, vibrant woman with so much talent to offer the world. I felt that I was right alongside Ann next to the hospital bed, telling Lucy to never give up and to keep on fighting.

By the end of the book, Ann starts hearing from Lucy less and less. Ann tries to convince Lucy to go into a drug rehabilitation program, but Lucy’s health gradually diminishes further and she becomes even more addicted to heroin.

On December 18, 2002, Ann gets a call telling her that Lucy had died of a heroin overdose at the age of 39. The last few pages convey to us that Ann still has Lucy in her dreams and heart, and that she still cannot believe that Lucy is really gone. Ann closes the book with two exceptionally powerful lines: “The sheer force of Lucy’s life convinced me that she would live no matter what. That was my mistake.”

This book really spoke to me because I have known multiple people who have struggled with cancer for years and in the end lost the fight. I felt that it was amazing that even with all the stress and problems that Lucy brought her, Ann was always there, the one unwavering supporter in Lucy’s life. This memoir truly demonstrates the power of friendship and how one person can impact your life forever.

Mary Wollstonecraft on the Rights of Women

            Throughout this article’s entirety, Mary Wollstonecraft is challenging the stereotypical place in society that women held in her era (the mid to late 1700s). She starts off by speaking of how a woman’s only role is to be beautiful and that their character “governs by obeying”. Much later in the article, Wollstonecraft comes back to that point by stating that “women who have distinguished themselves have neither been the most beautiful nor the most gentle of their sex”. I feel that she makes a fair point on this aspect---many of the most notable women do not follow the stereotypes of females; they take a different view that some would consider to be like a man.

            On that note, Wollstonecraft combats any rebuttal by saying that women “have been drawn out of their sphere by false refinement, and not by an endeavour to acquire masculine qualities.” I believe that this was one of her best points. Those skeptical of these thoughts may say that women are trying to be like men, which makes men the ideal. False. Women are pushing their society’s boundaries because of the role thrust upon them, not because they are trying to be like men.

            Another matter that Wollstonecraft discusses is the role that education plays on the lives of women. She claims that women receive “only a disorderly kind of education” and that “learning is with them, in general, only a secondary thing” because women are taught that their goal is to serve a husband. Perhaps the reason for a woman’s gentleness is because “they dwell on effects”, Wollstonecraft ponders.

            The biggest “issue” that Wollstonecraft claims threatens a woman from changing her place in society is love. The love that she speaks of is passion, not the friendship that blossoms into a romantic interest, the passion that is said to be able to distract a woman from any other goal.

At one point, Wollstonecraft references Rousseau who states that “a woman should never, for a moment, feel herself independent, that she should be governed by fear to exercise her natural cunning.” This notion seems completely absurd to me. Why should a woman not be allowed to assert her independence in the world? Later, this point is brought back. Why should a woman only seek to please? “Whether she be loved or neglected, her first wish should be to make herself respectable,” Wollstonecraft states. I agree with her that this is how happiness should be attained. Without being happy with herself, a man’s love will never last, Wollstonecraft pronounces.

This article brings to attention all the strides that women have made since Mary Wollstonecraft was alive. Women can now vote, hold political offices, and we even had a woman make it further than ever before in the United States presidential race. Even though women have many more opportunities, there is still a large portion of people that still hold opinions of women that are far inferior to the thoughts of men. However subtle these opinions are, I’m sure that just about everyone would agree that this is the truth.

I personally believe that women will always, or at least for a very long time, be considered by some to be inferior to men. The history is too deeply rooted to be completely swayed in a short segment of time from one pole to another. Though I feel that this will not be a painless journey, I’m sure that if men and women work together and treat each other as equals, the trip will not be fruitless.

Is Google Making Us Stupid?

            When I first began to read this article, all my thoughts were skeptical. Just like most of today’s teenagers, I use Google and the internet often. But how can simply looking up a fact here and there and searching for a little extra information impact my entire thinking process? After reading the article, I feel that Nicholas Carr’s thoughts about this, backed up by many sources, are sadly very true.

            The part that really made me feel like he was right was when he spoke of how “…[his] concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages…. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text.” In today’s fast-paced world, we all want to just do whatever we need to do so that we are done.  Before the internet became commonplace, people would be able to sit down and read a large novel because they enjoyed it. Now, people just skim and hope for a decent summary because they can’t concentrate long enough.

            In this day and age, many aspects of everyday life are run by some form of the internet. No longer are we basing our internet use on things that are already here, we are basing new things on the internet and its capabilities. The internet is changing the natural process of human thought into an automated, almost machine-like algorithm, intent on multi-tasking if necessary to get the job done. Ironically enough, I had just put a fresh CD in my computer to give myself a little bit of white noise before embarking on this article. Halfway through, I turned the music off after realizing that I was just like another statistic in this story.

            Later in the article, Carr discusses how the Google founders feel about what it is becoming. Larry Page, one of the founders, stated that they are trying to make Google into something smarter and more powerful than people, which seems like a frightening concept to me.

            This article really opened my eyes to how much of an impact the internet is having, not only on how we find information, but how we process and utilize that information. The next time I head to the search box for some quick info, I’m really going to be thinking a lot harder than normal!

Translating Skunk Dreams

This article by Louise Erdrich for The Georgia Review made me think very in depth about the message the author was trying to convey. Although hard to understand in some of the more vague parts, I felt that Erdrich was trying to put into words the thought that the skunk was the perfect example of how to live fearlessly.

The story begins with Erdrich describing the night she spent on a football field where a skunk comes and sleeps right next to her. A little while after the skunk falls asleep, Erdrich begins to speculate about the skunk's dreams. Is he dreaming of casserole, dogs, garbage, the plot of Moby Dick, or anything even related to humans or skunks? Erdrich states that “We don’t know about the dreams of any other biota, and even much about our own.” This leaves the reader to hypothesize about dreams and how little we know about their meaning.

When she returns to the story about the skunk, she dives in to the meaning of a skunk’s scent. The stink is more than just an unpleasant stench, she believes, it is a symbol of the skunk and its independence. By letting its presence be known in such a simple way, it is almost like a skunk is liberating itself by alerting people to its presence.

Erdrich then explores the journey she herself has taken, from becoming what she calls “urbanized” in New Hampshire to realizing that what she loves is the outdoors and the freedom it holds for her. The deeper meaning behind these memories seems lost to me though. It’s not until she conquers the fear of going inside the fence around the hunting park that the story seems to connect with its beginning.

While contemplating the risks and benefits of getting inside the park, she returns to the mystery of dreams and speaks of Adam Phillips, a psychotherapist who believes that dreams are simply a person’s desires without obstacles. I agree with this statement in a way: without obstacles, a desire is more easily grasped. At the same time, there are still consequences which makes it possible for a dream to not turn out as expected.

At the end of the article, Erdrich says that “We should take comfort from the skunk, an arrogant creature so pleased with its own devices that it never runs from harm, just turns its back in total confidence.” I feel that through this statement, Erdrich gets her point across that, by having one undesirable aspect (the skunk’s stench), the skunk is able to be pleased enough with its other characteristics that it feels almost invincible. True, skunks are not big or strong, feared or admired, but they are able to be one of the most proud creatures by simply living fearlessly and, as the cliché goes, living their lives to the fullest. 

Talk of the Town

These two articles by John Updike and Susan Sontag both illustrate the horrors of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and how the people and government responded.

The first article interpreted the attacks on the twin towers from Updike’s own perspective. He describes the scene in such a way that the reader feels as if they too are looking out the window onto the horrifying sight and feeling the realization as sharp as a knife to America’s core. He further goes on to question America’s policy about freedom for all. “Can we afford the openness that lets future kamikaze pilots, say, enroll in Florida flying schools?” he asks. Almost ten years later, we are still questioning our openness. Obviously we have imposed measures such as stricter airline checks and background checks on people, but are those enough? My favorite part of this article though, was a piece of the last sentence: “…but New York looked glorious.” This demonstrates that through all America went through on that appalling day, we were still able to stand strong and protect our country’s rights for our people.

The subsequent article by Susan Sontag was also about the attacks but took a more political approach to the matter. She starts out by debating what makes an attack cowardly or courageous. One thought that struck a chord was that she claimed that kamikaze pilots should not be considered cowardly; those who kill “beyond the range of retaliation, high in the sky” are the cowards. Sontag then goes on to talk about the fact that “everything is not O.K.” and that our then-President Bush was not dealing with the matter appropriately. I agreed with her most when she said, “the public is not being asked to bear much of the burden of reality.” The government is just telling the people to sit back, relax, and just wait for them to sort it out. I also agree with Sontag that this is not the idea of democracy. As she says, we are constantly told that everything is fine, and that America is as strong as ever. No one doubts that America is strong, but is sheer strength all that our country has?

A Look At Me

Hmm, how do I describe myself? Friends, family, interests and goals would be my definition.

Let's start with family and friends. I live with my mom and dad, Ann and Brian; two younger brothers, Chris and Andrew; and my dog, Luke. We share a brown house with blue shutters and all love to spend time outdoors. In addition to my immediate family, I am also close with more of my extended family. No one lives less than 100 miles away, but our bonds stretch over the distance, keeping in touch through snail mail if necessary. Even though family plays a large role in my life, my friends are the ones that keep me sane. I would not define myself as having a very select group of friends or being in a clique; I would say that I am generally friends with everyone, and I love to meet new people. "Random" would be the word to describe our activities as they include everything from spontaneous bike rides to baking cookies at 2 AM to jumping on trampolines and going to concerts.

The most time consuming part of my life would definitely be my interests. Music and sports are my two main interests. I love singing no matter the time or place, acting in plays or musicals, playing instruments, and listening to every sort of music, though I am an 80s music fan above all. Tennis, soccer, biking, running, and recently rowing are all my favorite sports. Though I wouldn't say that I am an especially competitive athlete, I always have a great time, especially with my friends who also play. My other great interest is travel. My family has been very fortunate to be able to travel around the world, whether it be Australia, Germany, Hawaii, or Alaska (coming up in July!). I love experiencing new places and learning about different cultures.

The next way to define me would be my goals. I am one of those people who has never had much success with long-term planning, so I am constantly setting smaller goals for myself. The only long-term plan I am set on is going to college, but I have no idea where or for what! My one idea for college is to get out of the Midwest region. I love new adventures, so I really hope to go somewhere where experiences and lifestyle are different.

So whether it be drinking pina coladas or getting caught in the rain, the definition of me is endless and I'm really looking forward to sharing my thoughts and experiences aloud through this blog!