Compare and Contrast: Marriages

Comparing and contrasting is useful to make a decision. It gives you distinct similarities and differences between two topics, and is usually straightforward. 
The essay I chose to write about is comparing and contrasting arranged marriages vs. marriages from love. 

I'm not too sure that I agree with Sapra. I felt like she focused too much on how great arranged marriages were, and not enough on marriages based on love. I understand that she supports arranged marriage, but telling me how great it is instead of explaining all the points of each topic doesn't convince me. On page 289 of "I'm Happy with an Arranged Marriage", Sapra gives a few examples of women who are happy with their arranged marriages. The point that stood out to me the most was that they were all happy with children. I think the main reason why I don't agree with arranged marriage is because you are strongly encouraged to live up to your family's expectations. From what Sapra wrote, I know that a woman has to marry a wealthier man and have children. I believe in the phrase, "follow your heart." A lot of couples do not want children, and some are just not able to. I enjoy seeing people travel with their loves and live in the moment, not worrying if their families approve or not.  If you have to spend the rest of your life with someone, I think you should be able to choose. Your family is not getting married, you are. Although I do not agree that arranged marriages are the better option, Sapra does bring up valid points. She stresses the importance of family during the process of choosing a husband. Even people who are on their own choosing their spouses ask their families for advice. Your family just wants what is best for you in the long run. 

Lies

I totally agree with Ericsson when she says that lies have become almost the norm in today's society. If somebody said that they don't lie very often, well they would be lying. I think she organized her essay very well. There are so many different types of lies and she made it easy to distinguish between each of them. 

There are probably other types of lies that Ericsson forgot to mention, but she gave the basis for each lie. In my opinion, other types of lies come from combinations of those that she listed. I think the most common lie that people tell are white lies. White lies are small, easy to tell, and essentially harmless. What people don't realize is that their white lies will add up and create a big problem in the future. Maybe some of us have been caught in a string of white lies and had no choice but to take the heat for it. 

I think Ericsson wrote this essay to show people how lies have become a normal part of our lives. There's so many types that people may not even know they are lying. She wanted to make a point that we should really be conscious of how many lies we tell. As common as they are, we should cut down on how frequently we lie.  

How in the World Do You Get a Skunk Out of a Bottle?

Connors' essay is titled with a question because that is the same question he asked himself when faced with this situation. If a skunk came wobbling up to me with a jar over its head, I would definitely be asking myself how to get that jar off. 

I think Connors wrote this essay to let people know that animals, no matter what kind, need our help when they have run into a problem. For example, this poor skunk who is usually feared because of its terrible spraying was completely helpless. The jar was cutting off its oxygen and it was slowly suffocating. The skunk had no choice but to walk towards the nearest person to help. 

I also think he wanted to make a point that we need to be careful where we throw our garbage. Animals will accidentally wander into it and get stuck and injured. If Connors wasn't there, the skunk was probably going to die. There's countless incidents of animals being caught in various things that humans threw away. For example, dolphins and sea lions become trapped in shopping bags and plastic bottle holders. The same goes for smaller animals on land as well. Squirrels, raccoons, and others can be suffocated or poisoned by the waste we carelessly throw away. We need to be conscious of how we dispose of our waste so animals can be free to roam around in a clean and safe environment. 

Clothing Ads

I have received many clothing magazines in the mail. I always look through them to see if anything catches my eye. What I don't understand is why companies such as Urban Outfitters put models in the weirdest locations, doing the weirdest things. Not that I have anything against the clothing store, I just think their marketing strategy is odd. Almost all of the photos are taken in some remote location, like a junkyard or the desert. The models are usually wearing mismatched clothes, have long, dirty hair, and seem to not have a care in the world. 

I think Urban Outfitters wants to be the ultimate "hipster" store, but it has to realize that not everyone who shops there wants to be a hipster. I certainly don't. I shop at Urban Outfitters every time I'm at the mall and sometimes I feel very awkward walking into the store. It's almost as if they only want people who look like hipsters to shop there. 

My point is that Urban Outfitters and other clothing stores as well try too hard to cater to one group of people. I think if they realized how many people want to shop at their stores but feel unwelcome, then they would try to use a different marketing strategy or even different pictures altogether. I love clothing magazines, but the outrageous locations and situations in the pictures should be toned down. 

Depression in College Students

I thought Steiner wrote a very well organized essay on the subject of college depression. Her thesis was very clear, in my opinion, that students should always seek help from a counselor if they are feeling all the stress being thrown onto them. The way she supported her thesis made me realize that depression is a very real thing and it can happen to anyone, even people who seem to have everything. 
I liked how much information she gave in her essay. She gave an in-depth explanation of what depression is, what the symptoms were, and what the consequences and effects are. I'm glad she included where to seek help in her essay, as many students reading this would probably need that information. 
I can definitely relate to this article because I felt very overwhelmed with stress when school first started. I eventually got over it by going to my older friends who have been in college for a few years and asking them how to handle everything in an easy way. If I didn't have my friends, I probably would have had a breakdown by now. 
If I were to write an essay on this topic, I don't think I would change the format very much. I thought Steiner's essay was written very well and was easy to understand. I would also include examples of real people (If i had any examples) and explain the most important points about depression. 

Hidden Intellectualism

"Making students' nonacademic interests an object of academic study is useful, then, for getting students' attention and overcoming their boredom and alienation." I believe this is the thesis in Gerald Graff's Hidden Intellectualism. 

I totally agree with his argument because many students, including myself, have a hard time in school when learning about mundane or difficult topics. Graff does a good job of giving examples supporting his thesis and showing the reader why this would be a good idea. I agree when he says school is like a competition with the countless standardized tests. Some students might be very intelligent but nervous test takers. This, including the fact that these tests include very long, boring reading passages, is not something we should use to measure our intelligence. 

I believe that ideal intelligence is to have a combination of book smarts and street smarts. You can't go a day without talking to somebody about a big media story or what happened in the last football game. But you should be book smart as well, because without the basic understanding of literature, math, science, etc. you can't understand what happened in that football game. 
I think book smarts and street smarts are equally important in today's society, as you will be well-rounded and able to talk to anyone, about many different topics. 

Dialogue Between Radley and David

Radley: I don't think it is right that the government is forcing restaurants and schools to "go healthy." This just makes people unenthusiastic about eating healthy.

David: We need places to have healthy alternatives so teenagers don't automatically go for the quickest fast food meal. it is the cheapest food they can find and they won't care if it is unhealthy or not. To teenagers, it is just food. If healthy food places were put in areas near schools or a workplace, people would have more incentive to eat healthy. It will be of easy access and will be better for them.

Radley: That is true, but these places are going to be more expensive because of the ingredients and the organic nature. People go to fast food restaurants because they are cheap. Unfortunately, all of the fast food will eventually catch up to them and they will have health issues. But don't worry, there is medical attention reserved for them, coming out of taxpayers' pockets.

David: Wouldn't it be a good thing to have healthy food restaurants and stores then? if more people ate at these places, and if the cost was lowered, the amount of money being used for obesity medication would decrease.

Radley: You may be right. as long as people are under the impression that they will not be paying for obesity medication or if there is no medical attention, they will continue to eat healthy and live an active lifestyle. 


After reading both of the arguments, I agree and disagree with both of them. I disagree with the phrase, "don't blame the eater" because it is nobody else's fault except the eater's. It's not like somebody else is telling them what to eat or how much they should eat. And if you eat fast food every single day, it is almost common sense that when you put unhealthy food into your body quite frequently, you will become highly susceptible to health problems. I disagree when Radley says there should be absolutely no medical attention for obesity. There should always be some kind of medical help no matter what issues you are having. I could possibly agree with him more if he revised his claim by saying there should be less healthcare for obese people. It still gives the incentive to exercise and eat healthy.


Thesis: Everyone is responsible for their own food choices, and you can't always rely on the government and medical attention to treat someone for being obese. Being healthy and making healthy choices it ultimately better in the long-run for you as well as others around you. 

Shooting an Elephant

After reading George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant," I truly felt bad for him. He hated being a police officer in Burma, as he was constantly laughed at and insulted by the natives. It was very clear that he felt terrible after shooting the elephant, but he had to do it for the sake of the town's safety. I thought the story was very well written and descriptive. He showed the other side of imperialism, according to the Indians. He gave a different definition of imperialism in that it is all about pleasing the weaker country. 

Orwell shot the elephant because he did not want to be thought of as a coward or as a joke. He was laughed at and ridiculed by the Indians many times and couldn't let that happen again. His main intention was to either scare the elephant with the sound of the rifle or to leave it alone until the owner came back to town. When he looked behind him and saw all of the eager faces, he knew the elephant would have to be shot. After Orwell shot it the first time, you could tell that he regretted what he had done. I think every other shot was to just put the elephant out of its misery. 

Imperialism is when a strong nation takes over a weaker nation and dominates its economic, political, and cultural life. Orwell says that imperialism is not about the benefit of the stronger country. Yes the strong country has access to the weak country's natural resources, but at what cost? The stronger will constantly have to please the weaker so no riots and uprisings occur. Orwell actually shooting the elephant was an example of how imperialism works, as defined in this story. Orwell, from the powerful Britain, was trying to please the weaker Indians. If he didn't shoot the elephant, the Indians might have gotten angry and acted out harshly. 

Extra Credit

I had trouble agreeing with President Obama on his decision to use military force against Syria. I understand that what is happening to innocent people in Syria is terrible, but that doesn't mean our military has to get involved. From reading the article in the Washington Post, it is evident that Syria is currently an extremely unstable country. If Assad can kill thousands of Syrians without hesitation, who knows what he would do to American soldiers. He is already using chemical weapons against his own people, who is to say he wouldn't use these weapons against us?

 I understand that Obama is making this decision with the best interest in mind, but it seems too dangerous. American citizens will not be able to handle going into another war after just ending one. If we put our military into Syria, we would not only be battling Syria but also Russia. Great Britain has already disagreed to take action, and I think that was the right thing to do. I think it is very risky to retaliate with force on such an unstable country. When listening to the speech, I thought I heard President Obama contradict himself. If I heard correctly, his opinion changed from the beginning to the end of the speech regarding the option of sending American military troops over to Syria. At the end of the speech, it sounded like he no longer wanted to take military action. In conclusion, I think it is in America's best interest to stay out of Syria for now, and wait until they are absolutely needed.

The Olive Tree

"Olive tree." The name that belongs to the fair skinned girl of Irish, Scottish and German descent, but with the dark hair of an Italian. The girl who only grew an inch since sixth grade. Who looks just like her mother and grandmothers. The left-handed girl with a freckle in her right eye. The peculiar girl who loves odd colors and drives a light green Fiat 500. 

In a biblical sense, this name is a symbol of fruitfulness, beauty, and dignity. Whenever I think of an olive tree, I imagine a full, beautiful tree swaying in the wind on a hill in Italy. "Olive tree" is translated to Olivia in English. The name was actually coined by Shakespeare when he was in need of a name for a female character. 

When I hear the name "Olivia" in public, a mother is usually calling for her young daughter, since the name has shot up in popularity these past years. Young girls also find a small, pink pig on television with the same name quite entertaining.

My name is Olivia. I am that one of a kind girl with a passion for all that is unique. To be short and sweet, I am the olive tree swaying in the wind on a tall, grassy hill. 

Response to "The Sanctuary of School"

When reading a narrative, I always hope to get a reaction out of it. A proper narrative should have a lot of relatable material in it with a strong message. 

I thought "The Sanctuary of School" was a well written narrative. From the first few sentences, I could tell the author put a lot of emotion into her writing. I could imagine myself watching the little girl struggle to be seen at home and sneaking out to go to school early. I agree with her opinion on the preservation of art in public schools. She knows how it feels to be a child who doesn't have a home life and uses school as her escape. 

In this narrative, the author addresses the issue of public school budget cuts. For the past few years, public schools have been losing their art, music, and other creative activity programs due to budget cuts. On page 87 from paragraphs 19-21, she explains how art is an escape for some children who struggle at home. Extra activities in school give children the happiness that they might not have at home. "Babysitting" is the wrong term to describe creative activities after school. They are meant to broaden children's minds and to let them express their individuality. If activities like art were taken away, some children would become invisible, not knowing how to express themselves. 
Barry's usage of the word "light" in her narrative was symbolic. I think light stands for hope, and that hope is "as far away as stars" in some children's lives. For children in struggling homes, hope is not something they have confidence in. Children can feel like they will be living the same limited life with no way out.