Slumming

This is a perfect example for how materialistic our world has become. I found this story to be very disturbing, but it was a different look at two extremes. Mr. and Mrs. Keyes not only disgusted me for what they had done, but they surprisingly were inspiring as well. What I didn't understand was the fact that the couple was not afraid to drop out of their rich reality to play the part of homeless, but they wouldn't help out the girl that was murdered. They were so apprehensive to have their public image destroyed for the sake of another girls life, and then they tuned out the reality of this in the end. The dream of living the life of someone less fortunate proved to be very irresponsible and I was hoping it would have changed the main characters in the end. I found the irony of the names for benefits very humorous. "A dinner dance for massive head trauma." "A cocktail party and silent auction for irritable bowel syndrome." In a way, I found these inappropriate names coincidentally relative to the faulty reality that this high class society has created. I was surprised in the end that the Mrs. Keyes still continued to cut herself out of the news that could have saved another girl's life or even ended the lives of her and her husband. I guess the charade is over.

Vanished

I found this article very interesting and it some what related to the article All My Life For Sale in my opinion because it was a new perspective to personal identity. Ratliff pointed out the difficulty of running away in our modern world full of technology advancement. I imagine it was much more difficult for police detectives to track criminals on the run in the 60s and 70s, and now you can pretty much track anyone, criminal or not, on social networking sites. The thing I found the most interesting is the variety of people that took part in finding Evan Ratliff. The whole idea of starting over with a new life and unknown identity is quite frightening actually, but it really brings out a great point of the power of technology. Not only is technology is a big factor in his hiding scheme, it's the people that came together to work as a team to find him. The many blogs and groups created on the internet shows how something so unique can cause a big uproar. Many people were in it for the money, but a lot of people were actually in it for the challenenge of the hunt. Once the easy task of using the internet and technology in general for the answer was stripped, it made finding him more exciting and difficult.

Why I Am A Writer

I think just about anyone can call themselves a writer. We all have our own unique ways to send out our message. Whether it's a story written on paper or little bits of thought cataloged on a social networking site or even drawings on a cave wall, it's still our own forms of expression. I would call myself a writer because I am capable of typing out this blog with my personal thoughts and words. I use a language that is universal to where I originate from of course, and I try my best to follow the norms of proper spelling and grammar. I would justify the published authors as being better writers since they have more of a talent and drive to write, but I would still call myself a writer. I would have called myself a writer when I was filling out little hand crafted booklets in elementary school about my pets and favorite food. Writing is not only just the representation of a language, it represents telling a story which most of us have been capable of ever since we were very young.

Literacy and Voice Questions - In Class

1. Well, of course in order to be literate you need to be able to understand what you read and write. However, being "technologically and digitally" literate involves a lot more. If someone doesn't know how to use a computer, they might be considered to be stupid by some people, but they might be brilliant in other areas.

In order to be able to text, you need to be able to to understand "text speak" like "idk", "idc", "ttyl", "omg", and all of the other crazy things people come up with to save time and energy.

Not only should you have a basic grasp on that, but to be technologically literate you should be able to operate and maneuver around a computer. So much of our lives are connected with the Internet that you almost have to be able to understand how it works.

4. So many people use other people's words and ideas on Facebook instead of coming up with our own way of saying how we feel. People post videos, lyrics, movie quotes, or quotes from other people (scholars) who actually can put together their own ideas.

It is difficult to create an original voice just for yourself.

We do think it is possible to use your own voice, but it isn't easy, and it isn't common.

5. People definitely view other people's voices as more authentic than others - and sometimes more authentic than our own. By using someone else's words, we are deeming their thoughts more credible than our own, so we use them in order to appear theway we want to Facebook or on other sites.

6. It is really hard to get around using something from someone. Pretty much everything we say has come from something else. No idea is completely original - chances are, someone has thought about the same thing before. Not to mention, it is must more convenient to copy and paste a chorus that explains how you feel instead of making your own "status."

Obama's Edits - Response.

We think that Obama's edits helped the speech sound more personable. He made it apply to everyone - Democrats and Republicans. We think that he wanted to help his audience feel a sense of unity. Some worked with Ted Kennedy and knew what he stood for, and Obama's goal was to simply remind them of that. The matter was something that both Republicans and Democrats agreed on and worked together toward.

The blogger says pretty much the same thing:

"He drew individuals, members of Congress generally, and the American people as active agents into a joint national project of compassion and positive action."

Obama also spoke in first person throughout his speech saying things like, "I know," "us" and "we" making himself sound credible and relatable.

He thinks that through Obama's edits, he gave his audience a sense of "YEAH! We can do this!" Obama mentioned that hard work should pay off and the blogger felt that Obama gave a feeling of hope when he said, "the government has to step in and deliver on that promise."

So as a group, we agree with the blogger.

Thoughts and Questions on A&P

1. We have decided that the end feels more frustrating than anything else. Sammy now has to find another job on his own, and start over somewhere else. When he said, "I quit," I'm sure he felt liberated and relieved that he was finally done with that place, but once he got outside and looked back I feel like he regretted his decision.

3. This story really shows Sammy's personality, and therefore, his identity. Throughout the story we get to read his thoughts and see what he's thinking. He ends up quitting his job because he was upset that his boss embarrassed the girls in the store. I feel like he wanted to impress them and be the person they might want him to be, but it didn't work. Once he got outside of the store, he realized that he now has to find a new identity and a new place of work because he just threw his job away for a girl he will probably never see again.

5. As a group, we have decided that we would not have made the same decision. Even though he tried to be the hero, it didn't work out for him. It was a stupid decision that he couldn't take back. Keeping a job and trying to keep your boss happy (even when they are stupid) is a little more important than a scantily clad girl and her friends. They shouldn't have been going around town in just their bikinis anyway - it was in the 1960's, for goodness sake. Hahahahah.

A&P

The author was right on the money with this story. I laughed while reading the entire thing because I too can relate to everything he described. After reading his trivial, but detailed, descriptions of the characters in his story, I realized that I do the same while I am at work. I'm one of those "people watchers" when I'm out in large crowds. I am especially fond of the fact that the author even included the clever little nicknames while continuing the story. One part that stood out to me the most was the line pertaining to the customers not reacting to a bomb being dropped while shopping. All attention was on the girls that were scantily clad while shopping, but if something huge and drastic were to occur, it wouldn't stop them from getting their applesauce. I laughed the most at the first paragraph because I have dealt with many a "Salem" witch in my time working three years of retail. Not only is the author spot on about the "register watching" that this particular woman happened to be wrapped up in, but her reaction to his mistake couldn't be any more correct. This story really made me look at my own job in a different perspective. I am constantly observing the odd variety of customers I see daily, and I am always hearing their life stories while ringing them up. Honestly, it's like working retail brings on a whole new breed of human. What I can't understand is who actually wakes up in the morning and decides they would like to get free life counseling after they purchase a gallon of milk? The author goes on to explain the group of girls that seem to be what takes the story to it's prime. It's interesting how vivid his description is and how the descriptions of the girls continues until the end. I would say the main character was a stubborn, but courageous superhero without a cause since the girls ended up not even getting what they wanted when they left the store. Overall, the story was humorous and placed a very descriptive image in my mind while I was reading.