Essay Six

Riley Kovatch

English 1A

Servais

12/03/08

Cell Phone Use Effects Us All

Human beings are not solitary creatures; we are animals who seek company and companionship from others within the species. Without interaction, we never would have learned anything beyond what instinct mandates. People need each other to learn language, education, etiquette, and every thing else that is part of this world. But how much interaction is too much? Modern technology allows us to contact any person, at any time, as long as they have the necessary gadgets. Emails, cell phone calls, and text messages are all examples of ways people can instantly communicate. Computer communication has become very prominent in our society, but is still far overshadowed by the use of cellular telephones. Cell phones have taken the world by storm, planting themselves in the pockets of whoever can afford them. They are used by a large number of people, from seven year old children, who can barely read the screen, to seventy year old seniors who can barely read the screen. Cell phones have drastically changed the world as we know it.
Text messaging is a growing venue of communication amongst everyone in the wireless community. It is easy to type a couple words in, hit send, and not have to worry about the face to face awkwardness that actual interaction creates. These short messages are good for many things, like when one only needs to tell somebody a couple words, or does not have time to make a call, they can send a quick text. As with many things on this earth, the good aspects of cellular phones are equaled, or possibly surpassed by the negative. Although the casual uses of texting are acceptable, text messages are “being used as very important instruments to overcome the uncertainty teenagers usually feel when they want to confront someone with romantic intentions” (Clonen, 3). This is the part that is extremely scary. Adolescents are learning to deal with their emotional troubles via text messaging. The face to face interaction in awkward situations such as breaking up, asking someone out, and arguing, is slowly becoming obsolete. Experiencing these types of situations is critical to the emotional and social development of young minds, and if they become a thing of the past, people will not be able to deal with each other.
Nowadays, people are able to contact anybody they know, at any given time.

Research proposal

For the final project I am going to write about the pro's and cons of the use of cell phones, and how their popularity has changed our society

Plagiarism Blog Assignment Nov 19

I think the UVa's honor code is not too harsh, plagiarism should not be acceptable and expulsion is a proper punishment. In this case though, I believe that the expulsion was unjust. The girl was expelled for eight words. Eight measley words. If it had been an important sentence, paragraph, or even a page of someone else's work, then expulsion seems perfectly appropriate. But her sentence is simply written and uses common wording, so it would not be unlikely that she could have written the same exact sentence never having seen the other person's work. In this case, she did use the other writer's wording, but being only eight words, common ones at that, expulsion seems way too harsh. This example reminds me of the scene in the Disney movie Aladdin when Princess Jasmin takes an apple and the man almost cuts off her hand. Yes stealing is wrong but a hand for an apple? A little extreme if you ask me. These students should have been dealt with fairly, like on campus students would have been. They should have been given the chance to come before the student council and have a trial. This expulsion is unjust.

Essay #5 rough draft

Title

Do not lie, commandment number nine of the big ten. These laws, decreed by the God of the Bible, are often strewn aside and disregarded. Lying is a huge part of people’s lives, every day the truth is watered down to where there is no trace of the original flavor. But can you imagine what a world of complete honesty would be like? It might be peaceful and accepting, but then again, it could be brutal and bitter. Lies surround us everyday, and there are several ways to perceive the deception.
In her essay “The Ways We Lie,” Stephanie Ericsson claims that the truth comes with consequences, she is correct. The golden truth stands above anything else in the measuring of character, but what’s so bad about telling a few lies and settling with silver? The answer is not too much. It is okay to lie every now and then if the intention is good. Here’s a scenario: you ran over your daughter’s beloved kitten, but instead of telling little Suzy that you killed her kitty, you tell her that Mittens ran away. This deceptive path protects both parties from being hurt; Suzy thinks that her cat ran away, and will not hate you for killing her pet; it seems that everyone wins here. If the truth were to be told, grief and pain would be experienced, a little lie can prevent all of that. Lying also makes our lives easier. Instead of having to own up to every mistake, or openly blow off a good friend, we have the paradoxical ability to protect them by betraying them. “I have homework” always sounds a lot better than “I don’t want to hang out with you today.” Writing this feels awful, because telling someone this kind of thing is wrong, but it is true that it cushions the situation, and is very frequently used by some people. The consequences of lying are not good, but the repercussions of the truth can be worse.
Is it possible to never lie? Let’s find out. It is very possible to never lie, but it would be a narrow and possibly dangerous path. One would need to be extremely cautious with their words and actions if they were actually intent on the truth. There are many ways to lie, such as: by omission, stereotypes and clichés, white lies, and the flat out lie. To not give in to any of these four categories would be very difficult, but certainly feasible.

Male and Female Ideals in the US

1. What are the masculine and feminine ideals in the U.S.? Where does knowledge of both ideals come from?

The ideals of both sexes have been affected and influenced by many things, it is hard to find the one root of ideals for either sex. I believe that the largest influence on male and female roles in our society come from history. Also, the media has a very large part in the physical ideals of this nations' people. Historically speaking, men have been the bread winners of the family, they are expected to keep food on the table and support the family. Today men still strive to support their families, a man who cannot do this may feel like he is not fulfilling his duty. The media provides an image of men that is hard for the regular Joe to achieve. The ideal guy we see on TV is tall, stylish, wealthy, handsome, and muscular to boot. Any of these attributes can not be achieved overnight, some physically can not ever be attained. The media does a great job of skewing what a man really is giving it's viewers an impossible goal. According to history, women are supposed to have children and maintain the household. In the last one hundred years, the role of women has changed drastically. Women have broken away from the domestic housewife stereotype and are an equal part of society. Women work alongside men, and even above them, potentially making more money than their husband, being the principle money maker of the family. The media is especially harsh on women. The only women that appear on television are very thin, fit, and beautiful. The emphasis on being thin and being pretty is constantly forced onto women of our country, and all this pressure has led some girls to have eating disorders and other problems.

Blog assignment 11/5/08

Response to presidential election.

I was not surprised at the outcome of this presidential election. Although there was much skepticism about the outcome, I was sure Obama would win. This country has been facing multiple problems over the last decade and the American citizens are tired of them, they are ready for, not to sound cliche, change. I think Barack Obama will be a good president because he has solutions and again, changes to fix the problems we are in. A historical figure, being the first African American president of the United States and an intelligent and strong leader, Barack Obama will be good for our country.

Essay 4 first draft

Lester vs. Kovatch
The world we live in is not perfect; it is filled with sin, discrepancy, and disagreement. So much that even little things are disagreed upon and disputed about. The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, is littered with controversy. The ending is argued about, the inequality of women faces criticism, and last but not least, the ever present inclusion of racism creates disdain for this ‘American classic.’ In his essay ‘Morality and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ Julius Lester claims that the novel is demeaning and insulting to black history, and I disagree with him.
Twain compares Huck’s physical entrapment by his father, to the legal enslavement of Jim. No matter how horrible it is for a child to be held captive by his own father, it is not close to being comparable with the ownership of one human being over another. Huck is in a terrible situation, yet in society, this fourteen year old boy would be considered, whereas Jim would not. Huck is at least free to do as he pleases (to a certain extent). Jim is a grown man, and is not granted the freedom of choice that is a human right. He has to do what he is told, and cannot complain about it. This example demonstrates the backwards thinking of our nation’s past. Today a young boy is given no more freedom than his/her parents grant, whereas a grown man is able to do as he pleases. The role of master and slave in the novel are polar opposites from the roles of youth and adults in the present day. This life is excruciating and degrading for the enslaved peoples. By making this comparison, “Twain did not take slavery, and therefore black people, seriously.” In other words, Lester believes that because of this unjust comparison, Twain was wholeheartedly ignorant to the hardship of the everyday struggle of a slave.
Twain did not purposefully parallel the enslavement of Jim with Huck’s captivity. It is true that being legally enslaved is far worse than being held prisoner, but Twain writes nothing about the two being connected. It is horrible for a young boy to be held captive by his own father, worrying every moment that he will be beaten senseless in a fit of drunken rage. Lester takes the two forms of entrapment and twists them to make his claim that Mark Twain is a racist. Claiming this is a stretch and has barely any credibility because the two are so loosely related.
The novel is unrealistic about the lives of slaves. This is first seen when Jim escapes and does not immediately make a break for freedom. After meeting up with Huck, this odd duo heads south, where slavery is worse. Any slave, even the most uneducated and ignorant, would know that north is equivalent to freedom, and south is where the heart of slavery resides. This point is rarely brought up, but is completely valid. Also, Jim would have known that Illinois was a free state, and instead of trying to make it all the way to Cairo, would have simply headed for the Illinois state line. An enslaved human being would know every venue of escape and all possibilities of freedom within one hundred miles, Jim not knowing the above points is frankly impossible. All these obvious flaws in Twain’s logic prove that his view of black reality was seriously twisted.
The perspective from which Huckleberry Finn was written allows the limited view of a fourteen year old to be accepted by readers. The perspective permits a certain heir of insensitivity towards slavery, and the author must be held accountable for choosing this point of view. Mark Twain exposes his true colors and disregard for the lives of slaves by writing from Huck’s perspective. Huckleberry has no idea of the horror of being property. Slavery is so engrained into his lifestyle that when it comes time to free Jim, he feels like he is stealing an object from somebody. To add to this argument, when Tom Sawyer so eagerly offers to help Huck free their captured friend, Huck reacts by thinking “Tom Sawyer fell, considerable, in my estimation. Only I couldn’t believe it. Tom Sawyer a nigger stealer!” (Twain, 210) No matter how innocent these boys are in the fictional world, the author behind their creation is fully responsible for their wrongs in the real world.
The novel is written from the perspective of a fourteen year old boy, but this in no way implies that the author is insensitive towards the black race. If I were to write a book that took place in the sixteenth century, where women were not as valued in society, and the female characters were not represented as strongly as the males, would that make me a sexist? I think not. Mark Twain chose this perspective to enrich his novel with a sense of adolescent adventure, and the irresistible whisper of mischief into a young boy’s ear. The main character is young, so naturally some details will be skewed and reality may not be perceived wholly, but this does not directly reflect on the author’s way of life and personal beliefs.
The point that Mark Twain is a racist, or at least that his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a racist text is heavily debated. Julius Lester believes it is with all of his heart. In his essay he points out all of the major character and plot flaws that are often overlooked, but completely valid. Maybe my friend has forgotten what the word fiction means; according to merriamwebster.com, fiction is an invented story. So whether or not Mr. Lester or I am correct does not really matter, because what we are arguing over is simply a made up story.

Essay #4 first post

Julius Lester argues in his essay ' Morality and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' that Twain's novel is demeaning and insulting to black history. He claims that there are serious, and obvious flaws in the novel that have been overlooked, and if taken into consideration, obviously show that Mark Twain was a racist. Julius Lester argues many valid points, but I believe that calling Mark Twain a racist for writing a book taking place in the slave times is a stretch. I argue the point of historical realism. That's how it was in those times, and choosing to write about it does not make twain a racist. If I were to write a book about the fifteenth century, and in it women were considered lower in society, would you call me prejudice against women? Twain is not a racist, he did not sugar coat the fact the society was prejudice, and for including the truth in his novel, I applaude him.

Words of an O.G.

So gangsta i eat cereal without the milk