Margaret Atwood - A Letter to America

This article discusses America and its faults from a Candian point of view. Atwood, who was born in Canada and moved to America to attend school at Harvard University, basically discusses the negative aspects of America and how it has changed over the years. The article is set in a negative tone, with Atwood bashing many of the situations in our society. SHe states that we're "gutting the Constitution", "running up a record level of debt", and "torching the American economy". She states that we are gutting our Constitution by allowing "your mail to be spied on , your private records to be searched" etc. Although she makes a good point that we have become a scared nation, I believe that we have reason to be. We have experienced so much with 9/11 and the invasion of our lives, that there is justification in our terror and therefore some of our freedoms must be taken away. I agree with her when she says that we are "running up a record level of debt". Increasing our debt is something that could be prevented by our government, and has not been implemented. I also agree with the fact that we rely on other countries to provide the production of goods,l and that this could lead to "a few megarich King Midases, with the rest being serfs, oth inside and outside your country." Atwoods concerns about America are definitely valid, although she was not born in America. She takes ideas about American culture that she never actually experienced, and compares to present day America. Her opinions are some what devalued because of the fact that she did not grow up in America. Although this needs to be taken into consideration, I still believe that Atwood has firm arguement that proves a point even if her facts did not come from personal experiences.

Ward Churchill - Crimes Against Humanity

This article discusses the descrimintation against Native Americans. Churchill compares descrimination against Native Americans to extreme imaginary cases of descrimination against other races / nationalities. He says that naming a sports team after a certain race is discriminatory, even if it is not recognized by society. One of the many teams that provides a reference to Native Americans includes the RedSkins. Although Native Americans might recognize this name as discriminatory, others do not recognize that. My interpretation of the name is not descriminatory - to me it conveys and strong and conquering image. But, as Churchill suggests, I would definitely interpret a name such as the "Fresno Fags" or the "Wisconsin Wetbacks" as descriminatory. There would be no doubt in my mind that those names were insulting to the people pertaining to that group. This article made me wonder why I would recognize names such as these as descriminatory, but not the Red Skins. Maybe it's because the subject of Native Americans and our kicking them out of their homelands has long since passed, and there are new issues of today such as sexual orientation. But on the other hand, race is still something that is very controversial today. So why is the race of Native Americans not considered when recognizing descriminatory terms? It should be. This article definitely made me conclude that our society should be more attentive to descriminatory terms, and not disregaurd them under any circumstance.

Maxine Hong Kingston - No Name Woman

This article discusses a girl whose mother tells her a terrible story about her aunt. Up until the tim that her mother informed her, she had no idea that she had even had an aunt. Her mother tells her how her aunt had gotten pregnant, and was tortured by the village because of it. This led to her suicide, along with the child. I found this story to be very disturbing. Although I don't think suicide is right or necessary, I do understand her aunt's reasons for doing so. She was ready to give birth at a time where the men had been working for a long time, and the people were not at peace. She was tortured for becoming pregnant with a man other than her husband, and this was looked down upon in her culture. I feel that her aunt may have felt trapped, and did not have an option with her pregnancy. She had most likely been forced to have sex, and in the Chinese culture women did what men said to do. If I were her, i would have been terrified of the men and the way society ran. Being put in such a situation is unfortunate. Kingston goes on to describe her vision of her aunt, and how she must have been beautiful and outgoing. She sort of gives two sides of her aunt - a beautiful woman who obeyed rules, and a woman who put herself out there sexually. Although Kingston did not know any details about her aunt other than her suicide, she probably had a decent guess. The fact that her father denied ever having a sister must have made Kingston feel low. Her mother told her the story to inform her how to not act, but I think this story would discourage me. I would feel negative about women in general, and this would make me feel like less of a woman. Although the moral behind telling her daughter about the story may have been wrong, it ended up informing Kingston about her long lost aunt. If I were her, I would be terrified by the story, but glad to know everything about my family, rather than hearing a lie my entire life.

Anne Roiphe - A Tale of Two Divorces

This article discusses two cases in which a divorce was necessary. One of the cases was in need of a divorce, but it never occurred - this case was about Roiphe's parents. She talks about how her mother was treated terribly by her father - he cheated on her, told her he wasn't beautiful, and asked how anyone could love her. Anne watched her mother in misery as she grew up, wondering why her mother didn't divorce. Her mother asked her for advice about whether or not she should leave her father, but Anne's word wasn't enough. Her mother died before she got a chance to liberate herself from the negative relationship. I feel that this is unfortunate situation. I have sympathy for Anne's mother, because I watched my mother go through a divorce and i know how hard it was for her. She felt depressed and lonely, and that is probably what Anna's mother was afriad of feeling. But it seemed to me that she may have felt more lonely when she was married than if she left her husband. She probably reasoned that leaving her husband would cause further grief, but I think that it would have liberated her and effected her positively. The second case of divorce involved Roiphe herself. She had believed that she married a man the complete opposite of her father. She ended up realizing that her husband was more like her father than not, and that she had turned into her mother to a certain degree. Anne made the choice to divorce her husband - a choice she claimed to have bettered her chilren's lives. I believe that divorce, when necessary, may not be as negative as it seems. Of course it is heartbreaking, especially to the kids, but in the future it usually is something that becomes beneficial to the family. I know that if my parents had stayed together, my life may have been more negative. When a relationship gets to the point where fighting occurs on a daily basis, being seperate from that person is necessary for the well being of yourself, and your children. As a child that experienced their parents divorcing, I definitely did not enjoy the experience, but I know that the choice my parents made was for the better of all of our lives.

Underhill - Shop Like a Man

This article discusses the different ways in which each gender shops. It talks about how women leisurely shop and enjoy inspecting every item available to them. Men, on the other hand, are quick about it. They go into the store, find something they want, and buy it. There is no analyzation of the product, or even a glance at the price tag. I find this to be humerously true because I have witnessed my dad doing exactly this. He is the kind of shopper who gets what he needs and leaves. I remember my sister and I asked him if he would take us shopping. We browsed through clothes at a leisurely pace, enjoying our time. When I looked over, my dad was pacing around, with an anxious look on his face. He obviously would have preferred giving us money and leting us shop on our own. I find it interesting when Underhill says that men feel a thrill by paying. Working at a retail store, I noticed as well that when men and women are shopping together, the man always insists to pay for the items. He is always stubborn about it and wips out his wallet before the woman can state an argument. I agree with Underhill's conclusion that this is because it makes the man feel like the providor. Even if he is not the one bringing in the most money between the couple, he will still feel proud by paying for his wife. That is the only part of the shopping experience that he enjoys. I like that idea that Underhill suggests about making shopping fun for both genders. If there were a section in a store that was labeled in a male manner, I believe the man would enjoy the shopping experience much more. I know my dad would get all fired up about a grill and lighter fluid.

Comparing the Mary Pipher article to the Deborah Tannen article

When studying the similarities between the article by Mary Pipher and the article by Deborah Tannen, I realized that they both discussed education and the different approaches used. Tannen refers back to when she lived in China, and how the approach of debate was much more laid back. The Chinese approach involved integration and understanding of other people's view points. She compared this to the American approach, where debate is much more intense and barbaric. This is somewhat like the Pipher article because it discusses the different approaches of education. Pipher discusses how genders are treated differently in education. She states that boys are expected to be role models and that they receive more attention than a girl. This relates to the Tannen article because weather it involves cultures or genders, education has many approaches. Being in a certain culture or being a certain gender defines how you will be educated. If you are in a Chinese culture, you will be treated with a laid back approach. If you are of a female gender, you will be treated with less expectations. Each culture and gender have pros and cons to them. Being a boy might seem like the better gender in an education, but it might put more pressure on them to succeed. Girls, on the other hand, will not have such pressure - which might lead to an even greater success. People in China may be more considerate of other people's opinions than people from America. This may be an advantage, because it can create a further understanding of every point of view. Americans may also have an advantage because they know how to defend themselves in an argument. Each culture and/or gender can be seen as a positive in the educational system. It depends on how you look at the situation, and weather or not you can utilize the educational tactics to the fullest extent.

Dave Barry - Guys vs. Men

While reading this article, I found many aspects to be humorous. Barry talks about the difference between a guy and a man. The guy is someone who finds interest in "neat stuff". A guy will buy a computer that is at the highest level of technology, even if he will not use it. Guys are obsessed with cars, electronics, and "neat stuff". When Barry compares guys' fixation with technology to women's' fixation with moving furniture, he makes a good point. Women have a completely different idea of things that are "neat" than guys do. A woman might be obsessed with decorating a house, while a man is obsessed with a truck. This draws a specific line between the two genders. Another aspect of this article that intrigued me was the use of the term "guy" when comparing of guys to men. When you look at the female, there is no equivalent to "guy". There are the words gal or chick. These are not equivalent to guy. I noticed that there is a clear line between a man and a guy. In contrast, there is not definite difference between a chick and a woman. A girl may become more mature with age, but the characteristics that Barry states about guys are much more defined than the characteristics of chicks. This article did a very good job of differentiating guys and men. I was impressed with the amount of characteristics that define a guy, and separate them from men.

Learning to Read - Malcom X

This article talks about the learning experiences of Malcom X. He was only educated up until the 8th grade, so when he tried to read as an adult, he was not able to. He attempted to read, but only understood a couple words out of the whole context. He became angry when he could not write letters and express what he felt, so he decided to do something about it. "I became increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what I wanted to convey in letters that I worte, especially those to Mr. Elijah Muhammad." During his time in jail, Malcom studied the dictionary. I feel that this is a great tactic in homemade education. Understanding every single word in the english language is the first step to reading. I also think that the fact the he wrote out the entire dictionary is what helped his writing to improve. Witht Malcom's new understanding of reading, he was able to explore the many books offered in the prison's library. He explored black history, forcing him to cope with the harsh realities of the treatment of his own race. I think that if I were Malcom, I would be dissappointed to know such a terrible history, but at the same time I would be happy that I was informed. Malcom must have felt so awakened, realizing that if he had never learned how to read, he would never have known the history of his own people. I know that I am amazed every time I read something new, because it increases my knowledge of so many subjects. The power of reading and writing is what educates the people of today. Because Malcom taught himself to read and write, he is - in my eyes - an educator. He was able to teach himself everything there is to know about reading and writing, and this allowed him to further his own knowledge.

Academic Selves - Mary Pipher

This article discusses the difference in treatment towards different genders. Pipher addresses that "In classes, boys are twice as likely to be seen as role models, five times as likely to receive teachers' attention and twelve times as likely to speak up in class." This fact shows that boys dominate the classroom in the average school. Although Pipher's facts seem valid, I disagree. In my school, girls are the ones who speak up in class and participate. The boys may receive more attention from the teachers, but that is because they are disruptive. It is necessary for teachers to pay more attention to boys because they often disorganize the classroom by saying comments and remarks that rile up the kids. But for the most part, the girls were the ones who competed against one another for the best grades. The girls were always very excited for the group projects, and the boys would expect the girls to do all the work. Although this is how my school was, many other schools differ. In Pipher's case, she states that the boys are the the main role models. She says that "boys tend to be portrayed as clever, brave, creative, and resourceful, while girls are depicted as kind, dependent and docile." The qualities that Pipher says that girls portray are definitely positive, but they are somewhat derogatory. These qualities perpetuate the stereotype of women - that women are passive and very dependent on men. I say the portrayal of women cannot be changed at once, but can in time. As long as women stay independent, tough, and brave, then we can break the stereotype that we are meek, little women who need men to survive.