All I Asking For Is My Body - Part III

Choose a quote from the book and share your critical thinking in response.

“Oya ga ko wo shippai sase ta kana?” (Has the parent made the child fail?) ~ (Murayama 89)

     Kiyoshi’s father feels guilty for putting his debt burdens on his sons, just as his own father (Kiyoshi’s grandfather) had done to him. He feels as though his children may not have a brighter future if they must continue to work long hard hours, paycheck to paycheck to pay off the family’s debt. And because of these debts, Tosh and Kiyoshi must help the family pay it off but will fail to have a debt free future.

     Kiyoshi’s father does not want to present himself the same way as his own father; passing the debt generations down and having no success to paying off the debt. He portrays himself as a much stronger and supportive man in the family and must tend to them during sick times and illnesses. Those times are when he is held back from going out to sea to catch fish to sell; it’s the family’s bread maker (income). Just as Kiyoshi’s father had said, fishing is a gamble, twelve hours of work a day and lose money. This would be the very reason debts are difficult to pay off. Knowing he’s the one who provides for the family, it’s hurtful to him that the children have to be there to take care of the stress and burden after they (the parents) are gone.

     I can relate my parent’s to Kiyoshi’s father. Growing up in a small Podunk town with no jobs available, both my parents had to go mushroom hunting during the summer and fall seasons. What they find is what they sell. And just like fish, the better the quality the better the pay out. The hard part is they must drive two hours every single day to the mountain forest, and put in ten to eleven hours of almost non-stop walking and trailing to hunt for the right mushrooms to sell. And just like Kiyoshi’s father, we must use money made from prior day’s work to purchase gas, food, and seasonal tires every so often to manage the dirt roads in the mountains; it takes money to make money. My parents were never in debt, but because there were no jobs for them, they had to find ways to maintain a normal living life for us by going out of their way and do farming and hunting jobs seasonally. I would sometimes go out to the mountains with them just so I can help them pay for bills. I started helping my parents out since I was 9 years old until I graduated high school. I felt that because they are my parents who have supported me all my life, I must in return help them do the hard labor to keep a roof over our head. 

All I Asking For Is My Body - Part II

Why does Kiyoshi believe Obaban is a substitute for his mom?

     During his mother’s illness, Kiyoshi had brought up (bachi) or retribution; in other words, revenge or karma. He felt his family had done nothing bad enough to deserve punishment. Kiyoshi’s mother is a very superstitious woman. she explained to him that a person who did something wrong during a lifetime does not necessarily have to be the one who gets punished for their mistakes, but a close family member may suffer as a substitute in the wrongdoer’s place.
     According to the conversation Obaban had with Kiyoshi, she explained to him that if his mother believed enough in the superstition of a being a substitute she can be relieved of the punishment only if she can find another substitute. It so happened coincidently that Obaban had passed suddenly the next day, which made Kiyoshi believe that his mother had pass the substitution on to Obaban. “But Obaban was the logical substitute, she was old and lived a full life, Mr.Kitano and Anshan who was about thirty wouldn’t miss her that much” (Murayama 23). Kiyoshi felt guilty for feeling happy about Obaban’s death. Because he believed so much that Obaban was his mother’s substitute, it was the only way it would keep his mother well.
     I enjoyed this part of reading in the book. It reminded me very much of my own mother and grandmother. I’ve never heard of so much superstitious talk any more than anyone other than my own mother and grandmother. It must have something to do with both being so religious. In our language, karma or retribution is called mai. Though they do not speak in the same sense about bachi/mai as Kiyoshi, I was always reminded that anything I do wrong, any kind of punishment will come back at me. And I have always felt that was true only because I do not believe that bad luck falls on you alone, it has a sister called karma.

Rules for Writers: Chapter 42

Italics are slant font style used to distinguish certain words from others. Underlining usually is intended for the same purpose therefore it should not be used in the same text; in simple words anything that is already underlined should not be italicized, vice versa.

Words that should be italicized are titles of books, magazines, foreign words in an English sentence, films, and other media works. It is not necessary to italicize titles from short stories and songs, instead quotation marks can be used.

I don’t normally use italics forms to distinguish titles and such, instead I always used parenthesis. I intend to learn the proper use of italicizing and underline. Possibly make it a habitual thing when it comes to titles of movies and books.

Extra Credit: Writing about Film

     When writing about film, it is to analyze and not summarize. As you analyze, break the movie parts down and discuss each parts individually to capture the main points of those scenes. Focus on the topic and write good thesis statement, it is also important to familiarize yourself with the key terms involved in filming. Also when analyzing and writing your paper, show that you understand the history of the film. Every film has originated from a historical event; it’s reason for why, how, and when it was made.

Furthermore, when you view the movie, it is smart to make some annotations. Do not write you paper as a review. You do not want to retell the story to someone who has already seen it. They want to know your evaluation of the movie. You don’t have to limit the film discussion. You are basically a movie critic because you are either criticizing or providing your critical thinking. Post what the director is trying to do, not just about the camera angles and lights and directions of the shadow.

Don’t forget to cite your sources that are used. Originally most film critics will cite their sources using the citation method of the MLA (Modern Language Association). Maintain the rightful credit to its sources.

Essay 3

Susie Keobounleuang

Lauren Servais

English 100

04/21/2011

The Power of Media

Media plays a big role in all of our lives. We are influenced by the many entertainments that surround us. In some ways, it pieces us together and makes us become who we are and why we are as we appear to be; it invents our personality and lifestyle. We sometimes become bored with ourselves or have low self-esteem, so therefore we view the media for inspiration. We gain desire to be just like an idol or to have hopes for what we don’t have in our own lives, and to believe that one day maybe we can have the same.

In the chapter “Happy Endings” from the book Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers, media had played an important role for Lovey, especially when she watched Shirley Temple movies. Lovey envied Shirley Temple for her happy endings and tears of joy. Shirley was like her idol, her hero, her reason for tears every Sunday. “We weren’t good enough for the kind of love that Shirley had every Sunday, the kind of love that makes the bottom lip quiver and mothers rush through crowds to hug you at the end of the movie” (Yamanaka 4).  Lovey wanted those same happy feelings for herself in her reality.  She felt that being the person she had grown to become wasn’t good enough to be worthy of the same love Shirley received. At this point in reading, it appeared that she was a young girl with low self-esteem, and watching someone else being happy was something she looked forward to for well-being.  

Another occasion concerning Lovey and comparing herself to the media was when she was getting her hair permed by her mother. In hopes of having her hair to look like an angel, it turned out the opposite; horrific. It was not like Farrah Fawcett nor Angie Dickinson, or Shirley Temple’s for that matter. The end result turned out to look like an Oompah Lompah’s hair from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

“Everyone laughs now, including my mother, who made me into a home permanent wave monster. My father shakes his head but I see him laughing too” (Yamanaka 62). Being teased about looking like something or someone she didn’t hope for made herself feel even worst. Who wouldn’t feel that way right? No one wants to look like a hideous orange little person with green hair. She would have hoped to look like Shirley Temple, with perfect curly hair, pink cheeks, big bright eyes, and pouty lips.

It seems as though Lovey’s life was shaped by the media in seeing what she wanted to be like or look like, and what she did not want or wanted to have. She was influenced by what she had seen in watching movies and other Entertainment such as The Checkers and Pogo Show where she wished she was the Merry UnBirthday girl so she can be in the spotlight. The media had soared her imagination beyond her reality.

When I was a young girl, I can describe myself very much like Lovey. Although I wasn’t someone with low self-esteem, I always wanted to look like my favorite celebrity or Idol that I had seen from watching television. I would shop for the coolest and most updated styles around and wear makeup so that I can look older; everyone always told me I looked like I was only twelve when really I was fifteen. I felt that if I could look like a celebrity and dress like one I can hang with the cool kids and be popular just like them.

One of my favorite old time movies that influenced me to try to act and talk like I was cool was the movie Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone. I bet most girls can agree that they probably didn’t start using the word “Whatever”, “As if”, or “Loser” as often as they did before they got to see the movie. Dancing was also one of my favorite things to do. I use to watch all the popular music videos and the dance moves. I would dance in front of the mirror the same time as the video plays just so I know I got it down right. I would practice until we had a school dance so all the kids would think that my dancing was the best.

The Media is a powerful influence to the human mind. Television is like an entertainment and educational tool because the mind is still learning, especially if it’s something newly introduced. It can originate the personality or change a lifestyle. Either it’s a positive or a negative effect; it all depends on the choices made. It can be the reasoning of how our lives are shaped. Imaging a world without television and other media entertainment, how will we live like today? 

"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona"

     “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” is a written story version of “Smoke Signals”. Both screenplay and book was by the author Sherman Alexie. In the book, the author was still able to portray the characters of both Thomas and Victor in the same image as it was in the movie; two young men very different personalities, perspectives, and lives. Through their long journey and tension they learned from one another.

     The book provided some details we didn’t see in the movie. In the written story version, there were several details and scene slightly different from the movie, for instance, the fate of Thomas’s parents was not like the movie. Before Victor went to the trading post he met up with the tribal council, which was not shown in the movie. The cash out amount was one hundred dollars instead of forty, Thomas was at the door step before Victor accepted his deal, they rode on an airplane instead of a bus, victor didn’t insult the gymnast, and there was no Suzy Song; which probably made the story much shorter as these scenes with Suzy from the movie was cut out from the written version.

     As mentioned, though the narration was slightly different, I am glad to have seen the movie first because I was able to picture the scenes, the faces of the characters, and the drama and humor in the stories. Also, the transitioning of the past and future would have been difficult to guess if the book was read first. It is important as both a viewer and reader to envision those types of details equally in the movie and book. It’s amazing how a whole movie can be written in nine pages. I felt like I was watching it over again only in minutes of reading.

Rules for Writers: Chapter 57 - Citing sources; avoid plagiarism

     Together a research paper is a combination of your thoughts and ideas along with your other sources. In order to be fairly decent in writing an honest paper, sources should be credited to the writers that you borrowed information from. If borrowed information is not cited, then the role of plagiarism is committed, which means it is copied and stolen without crediting the original writer.

     There are three different ways to commit plagiarism that is failing to cite borrowed ideas and quotations, failing to summarize and paraphrase information in your own words, and lastly failing to enclose barrowed sources in quotations marks. (Hacker 480). I also consider that even if summaries in your own words are too close to the original written language it should still be cited.

     All summaries, paraphrases, quotations, statistics, and other certain facts must be cited. Usually it is acceptable to not cite information that is repeated several times. If it appears to be specific information shown only a few times, then such information should be cited. It is recommended to cite using the author-date system.

     The system are as followed: last names of the authors along with the date of publication in parentheses, cited materials is followed by page numbers in parentheses, and at the end of the paper, alphabetize your list of references. This gives complete information about where sources are found. (Hacker 480)

     I agree that it is important to cite information or quotations borrowed from other writers. It fairly gives rightful credit to those sources. Since I have been writing and typing in this class, I have tried to keep it a habit, a good habit that is, to maintain fairness for any future writings and prevent any plagiarism in my part. 

Movie Dialogue: Smoke Signals

What do you think about the relationship between Thomas and Victor?

     The relationship between Thomas and Victor is funny and interesting because they totally have two different personalities. Victor is a big tough guy who thinks and acts like any other Indians; strong posture and is supposedly brave and fearless. Thomas is no typical Indian you see at a reservation. He is a nerdy looking Indian with big thick glasses and two sides of braided hair who was raised by his grandmother and loved to tell stories. Most of the stories were probably made up, but he calmly told it with details and passion and liked to keep his eyes closed as he does so.

 Although they never became best of friends, Thomas and Victor pretty much grew up and went to school together on the reservation. It seems as though Thomas desired to become friends with Victor, however he was always annoyed with Thomas because he comes up with random subjects. He especially brought up random subjects about Arnold a lot who is Victor’s father that left him 10 years earlier. The way Thomas spoked and expressed his humor to Victor sometimes built up his anger and annoyance, for instance, the scene where Victor was at the store and Thomas came up to him to apologize about the loss of his father, “I heard it on the wind. I heard it from the birds. I felt it in the sunlight. And your mom was just in here cryin’” (Smoke Signals 1998). I thought that was pretty hilarious, but I can see where that can build up fire on someone.

Eventually later in the movie, Victor learned to have patience with Thomas and was able to share some laughter with him. I think by Thomas coming along on the road trip helped Victor surpass the emotional thoughts of the loss of his father. Learning from the death of Arnold brought them closer. It also meant a lot to Thomas that Victor shared some of his father’s ashes with him. Thomas didn’t have any parents to look up to growing up, and in some ways Arnold was a guide to him at times. Maybe he secretly felt like he owed it to him since he was the cause of his parent’s death.

I enjoyed this movie a lot. I thought it was pretty entertaining. I watched it late at night when everyone went to sleep in the house so that I can watch it in peace and no distraction. I didn’t understand the significance of the title “Smoke Signals”, I wasn’t sure what to expect of the movie, I thought that it would have been something similar to the Sherman Alexie’s story “Superman and Me” and how to act like a regular Indian. I’m still a little fuzzy on the title. Maybe someone else can explain the significance to me. But I would recommend this movie to anyone that is interested.

Rules for Writers: Chapter 48

We evaluate arguments for logic and fairness. Some arguments can be unfair or fallacious; meaning untrue, misleading, or deceptive. It is also known has hasty generalization because it is based on insufficient evidence. Stereotyping is also considered hasty generalization because we tend to use our own opinion from noticeable evidence. Some arguments can be both fallacious and unfair together.

We must distinguish between a reasonable and fallacious argument to maintain the logic and fairness to the case. Therefore we test inductive reasoning, which does not give us the complete truth but a probable conclusion supported by evidence found. Analogies can be drawn out to point out the similarities of the point of the argument whether it’s reasonable or unreasonable. We must then weigh out the options and suggest as many alternatives that can be provided to fairly argue a case.

There are many different strategies to create an argument. Whether it’s fallacious or unfair, it may still sound logic and reasonable. This is why it is important to research and provide evidence. You must also prepare for the opposing views that may not look at the situation the same way. As for me, I am good at being reasonable, but I still lose in an argument because I don’t have the proper evidence to support myself. The other opponent can come up with something fallacious, but I wouldn’t know if the generalization was hasty because it seemed to be supported with factual evidence.

"Happy Endings, Obituary, Oompah Lompah"

What’s the significance of Shirley Temple? What meaning does she hold for Lovey?

     Lovey watched Shirley Temple movies with Jerry every Sunday before church, although they never get the chance to see the ending so they would make up their own ending during Sunday school. “Shirley Temple sob-talked the best, and I used to wish I was just like her, with perfect blond ringlets and pink cheeks and pout lips, bright eyes and a happy ending every Sunday and crying’ cause of being happy, I mean real happy, so someone watching can cry too.” (Yamanaka 4.) Lovey admired the character of Shirley Temple. It was almost like she envied her because all her movies had happy endings. It would make her cry.

     Lovey had an image of her own happy ending. She would come up with a sad story or scene about her and Jerry lost in New York and an ending with tears of joy. They both felt like they weren’t good enough for the same kind of love Shirley had in all her movies. Both Lovey and Jerry perhaps didn’t feel that same kind of love from their family and it’s probably why they looked up to Shirley’s movies, which exaggerates a lot of emotions in the ending with tears of joy. Something you wouldn’t often see in reality. The type of happiness Lovey wanted in her reality.

     When I was younger, I use to watch all of Shirley Temple’s movie collection. Something about her character would catch my attention; an innocent little girl with short spiral curls, pouty lips, and alluring bright eyes. Even if I watched all her movies a thousand times, I would still continue to watch it like it was the first time, waiting to see what was going to happen next. To me it never got old. I think in some ways, just like Lovey and Jerry, I loved watching her movies because of her happy endings and tears of joy. They were the type of movies that deserved a good cry. Shirley Temple movies were the only classic movies that had a young child so talented, it’s unforgettable.

Rules for Writers: Chapter 47

     An argument in an essay will require some research before it becomes a debatable issue. Collecting sources will help to familiarize yourself with the topic so that you know what your aims are and why you are trying to convince the reader. The purpose is to get your point across the reader so that they know you understand the subject, and are looking for a solution to solve a problem.

     There are three different types of tone to the argument; it is aggressive, passive, or assertive tone. Aggressive tone will make your argument sound forceful. Passive tone usually doesn’t make a statement clear, the message given is an either/or. Assertive is more likely the best option because you want to present your argument to be directly on point and still respect others. The best way to consider the tone should depend on how controversial the subject is and how you want to take a stand.

     In the introduction, your thesis statement should present how you will take a stand in regards to your debatable issue. “Do not assume that your audience already agrees with you; instead, envision skeptical readers who, like a panel of jurors, will make up their minds after listening to all sides of the argument.” (Diana Hacker 360.) This is a great tip to keep your mind open about the argument. You never know how many people will agree or disagree with you. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It’s best to think of an opposing point of view so that you can be fair-minded and are providing views on both sides.

     Along with your argument, you must support your claim with evidence by providing examples, illustrations, statistics, and other facts. Arguments are most supported with statistics and facts because it is information that is based on numeric facts and percentages or information that has been verified. You can also strengthen the source of your argument by paraphrasing or quoting an opinion from an expert because they are more experienced or familiar with the subject alone.

     It is important to cite your sources you use to develop information, and evidence for your argument. This gives credit to the rightful person, books, and other sources. Your work cited page should be at the end of your essay in MLA style. Also, any quotes or paraphrasing should provide author’s name and page numbers to maintain its full credibility.

     If I am ever to create an argument in an essay, I would definitely find my sources through books and online researches. I want to be able to know what I can back myself up with. I will support my evidence base on facts, statistics, and maybe personal experiences. Personal experiences can be use as a great example as well. I think I would use my argument in an assertive manner. I like to understand both views. However, I am someone who also likes to get the point across. I am naturally that kind of person anyways, so why not approach in the same way as I am writing.

Extra Credit: Writing About Literature

Purdue’s Online Writing Lab on “Writing About Literature” is about writing to create a debatable thesis. It is important to invest some time to research about the topic before we can create an argument. The best ways to start your research is through the internet because it provides great sources of biographies, analyses, and summaries. In addition, the library could also be your next source for information pertaining to your topic.

The thesis statement should specify details providing examples from your prospect; the argument should illustrate your point or judgment. Using examples from our reading “Shooting Dad”, a good thesis would be: Sarah and her father have conflicts in their relationship because they are different. We can create a debate on the subject because specific examples and evidence can be given on what, how, and why. A good argument must provide some proof.

When writing is complete, information on where your sources are found should be done in MLA format. The work cited page should be in the last page of the essay. The type of sources that should be listed is titles of books, poems, plays, and internet URL sites. Any quotes or paraphrasing should provide page numbers and the author’s name. Examples of MLA format: (Sarah 433.) this gives credit to the author and where sources are found.

This information opened up ideas for me on how to create a debatable thesis and how to support my argument. I believe that if I can continue to support my thesis, the readers will most likely understand my topic of writing. I want to make sure most questions are answered and supported with evidence. Maybe if I created an outline of the main point for each paragraph, I should ask myself questions about it so that I know what type of evidence to provide.

Essay 2

As I read “Coming Home Again”, Chang-rae Lee’s character reminded me of myself in some ways.  I felt like I was him standing in the kitchen.  Lee’s mother’s role very much reminded me of my own mother as well.  The comparison to this story has nothing to do with sickness and death, but about changes. I have lived in and out of home several times that I formed gaps in my life. I lost quality time with my mother, who’s taught me everything, because I wanted to live far away and attend other schools.

According to Lee, his mother had regretted him leaving because he didn’t get to bond with her throughout her sickness or learn to do things the way she did, for instance cooking.  As for my mother, she agreed to let me move away and not knowing when I would be ready to return. She was worried that I would forget the things I have learned from her and loose the bond we had as a mother and daughter where we spent our days in the kitchen cooking as a family. I could understand that she had responsibilities to teach me and my sisters how to take care and support ourselves if anything should happen. My mother was scared to let us in to the world alone.
          Throughout my teenage years, I use to feel like doing things the way my mother did was like a chore instead of a lesson. She would never quite force anything on me, but she would try to influence me to think and perceive things the way she did. And if I didn’t, sure enough the disappointment in her face made me feel like I just ran over road kill.  It was important to my mother that I stayed close by her side; she wanted to be my teacher.  

After being gone for two years, I decided to return home. I thought that things would still be the same but I had come to realize that there had been some changes. My mother wasn’t quite the same anymore. It was difficult to engage in a conversation while we were cooking in the kitchen, like old times, without her lecturing about something. My mother became stricter than I remembered. I didn’t quite understand what had caused her to be so different. I then continued to observe the way everyone in the house hold goes about their day. I had come to realize that there has been lack of family quality time. And because all my sisters have grown up, they were involved in other things, and my mother was experiencing loneliness.

I believe that if I had stayed and continue to bond with my mother, she wouldn’t have to experience that sort of loneliness. I think the feeling must have made her angry inside, and no one wanted to follow her rules anymore. Before I left, we were pretty close. We would cook together, grocery shop, bargain shop, and so much more. She once told me that I was her only friend because I would do the things she did, go where she went, and always talk to her. The result of me leaving could have been a part of the reason for her changes.

Fortunately things have gotten better. I continued to be the daughter she last remembered before she had sent me off to another city. I knew my mother regretted me leaving. It must have been a great deal of pain to let me reside in another city far from her, not knowing how I would deal with life. It was hard for her the first time when my oldest half sister left us to be miles away and to only come see us once a year. Maybe she felt like me leaving was reliving the moment my sister left.

Considering I am a mother myself, I am already too attached to my son. At this time he is still very young, I feel like I cannot be away from him more than 24 hours without worrying about him or having to call in and check up. It’s a natural thing for a mother to feel this way, it is unconditional love. I could now understand that was probably how my mother was feeling. The way I see it now, imagine how it will be when my son gets much older. I don’t know how I would really feel if I ever let him leave, whether the bond between me and him will change, or if I have taught him well enough before he goes off on his own. Though the time has not yet come, I would like to prepare myself for the future. I will remind him that home is only one call away, and to always keep in touch so that the bond is not lost.

The Insufficiency Of Honesty

Integrity is highly thought to be just another way to describe the word “honesty”, possibly because the word itself may not live up to its meaning without the action of being honest. According to Carter, “one cannot have integrity without being honest, but one can certainly be honest and yet have little integrity”. I agree with this statement because in order to be someone with high integrity, you must not only be honest but you must do what is considered right. Because you may be an honest person, you still must know from right and wrong to have integrity. Yes, it is that you must trust your instinct to the fairness and righteousness, regardless how you feel about your own beliefs. You can be an honest person, especially about your feelings towards something and be committed to your beliefs, but the question is if the action being committed is considered right, fair, and true.  

I have seen many people who have valued the thought of being honest most of the time whether it does any good or harm, as long as they didn’t carry a burden or guilt for lying. However, they sometimes fail to remember if being honest is right. Sometimes people don’t need to tell everything, or disclose information any more than they should. They forget about sparing feelings, even if it was not intentionally, especially if it has to do with responsibilities. 
     For example, you were in class taking a test, and your friend copies off your answers, you know it’s wrong and you studied all night to prepare for this test while your friend didn’t and he will receive as good of a credit for it as you, except without the hard studying. At the end of the class, you tell your teacher that your friend had copied off your test because you knew it was being honest and the right thing to do, but your friend gets in trouble for it, and to top it off this person probably doesn’t want to talk to you anymore. The other option could have been to tell your friend ahead of time prior to taking the test that you are not okay with it. It would save having to tell the teacher about your friend.

I always believed that anybody who often shows trustworthiness and integrity is thought to be a respectable character. They are known to give good answers, be fair, and make right decisions; someone you can rely on for honesty. I do not doubt that it is hard work, I’m sure it is. It just takes a lot of consideration to have correct moral judgment. Benefits of integrity is that it gives the feeling to be satisfied for having done something right, become a good inspirations to others, and gain trust and respect. The consequences of integrity is that you can get into trouble or be punished for it, loose other people’s trust and respect, or feel guilty for getting other people in trouble. In other words, you win some, you lose some.

Rules for Writers: Chapter 4

      A paragraph is a unit or a group of sentences that supports a main idea. The way a paragraph is created all depends on what the writer wants to do, either narrate, describe, process, classify, illustrate, or use other reasons to create a paragraph.
To narrate means to tell a story chronologically from start to finish. Describing is specifying details of person, place, thing, or senses. Processing is chronologically explain how something is made or done. Classification is to group items into categories. And So on there is always a reason how a writer wants to use the paragraph.
Paragraphs should be well developed, and organize. It should not be too short nor too long. It frustrates reader by putting effort to maintain their attention or interest in the reading. It is best to try to keep a paragraph between one to two hundred words or at least five sentences long.
When writing an essay there should always be an introduction and a conclusion. Topic sentence normally comes first in the paragraph before continuing with other ideas. Readers expect to learn the main point early in the paragraph because it generally gives them the idea what they will be reading about.
      Developing the main idea all depends on the writer‘s purpose for their audience. The point should be clear to readers, and relate to each other. The following paragraph should have facts supporting specific details for the topic sentence. New paragraphs are usually created when the writer wants to add new ideas, or connected ideas stating new facts.
Paragraphs should be coherent, meaning it should be logic, consistent, and similar in length; sticking together forming its unification. Sentences that are unnecessary can ruin the unity of a paragraph and should either be deleted or moved into another paragraph.


There are so many ways to start a paragraph. It all depends on the subject and what the reason is for, either describe or narrate a story. Every paragraph will have its reason for the readers attention. When I create a paragraph I would like to give details or ideas that the reader should know. I think that everyone should ask themselves as they write “what does the reader need to know?” or “what examples can be provided?” I think it will avoid useless facts that are unnecessary to the readers.

"Shooting Dad"

What is the significance of the title?


Sarah and her father argued and disagreed a lot with each other because they had many differences, one was that they believed in separate political parties; she never mentioned who was the Democrat and who was the Republican although it was pretty obvious.
Sarah’s father was a gunsmith, with an obsession and passion for firearm. He spent years inventing and building guns. Sarah did not agree nor liked the idea of guns or any kind of firearms for that matter. She had realized that when she was six years old when one day her father had taken both her and her twin sister Amy, who calls herself “the loneliest twin in history”(21), to the backyard to shoot a pistol. Sarah didn’t experience it too well, at least not as well as Amy who was also much more like her father. Since that day, Sarah decided that she did not like guns or any sort of firearms.
One day Sarah’s father finished building a cannon that took him two years. It was considered his most “ambitious project”(22) he’s ever done compared to all the other guns he built. It was a replica of the Big Horn Gun, as Sarah mentioned, which has a whole special meaning and significance to the American history and the family history according to her father when he speaks of her great-grandfather John Vowell. 
Sarah decided she wanted to go out to Montana to watch her father shoot off the cannon. It was strange to him to hear that she wanted to go because she had never taken interest in his work before. As they spent the day out in the mountains, Sarah realized how much she was just like her father despite their differences, she described them both “smart-alecky loners with goofy projects and weird equipments".(439) 
Her father had an idea of what he wanted done to his ashes after he dies. Sarah had volunteered to be the one to do it. The Idea was to burn his ashes, pack it into paper bags, go to the mountains on opening day of the hunting season together with the family along dragging the cannon, plunge his bags of ashes into the barrel, point into the hills and shoot his remains so he could take his last hunting trip. 


Sarah Vowell wrote this unique story about her childhood. As I read the story, I found it very intriguing and eager to find out why Sarah had titled her story “Shooting Dad”. At first I thought it could be that Sarah and her father argued so much because of their differences, and waiting to see if she may have shot her father, but the end totally made sense as to why she had given its title. Because of the title, it held my attention as I read the story, waiting to see if her father was going to be shot. It simply was about her father wanting his ashes shot out of the cannon when he dies. It shows how much he had loved firearms. Guns was basically his life. Especially to want his remains spread into the hills to make him feel like he is hunting for the last time. It's funny because my husband has told me to do exactly just that if he should pass. He loves outdoor sports, especially hunting because of the adrenaline feeling when he shoots his shotgun. 

Rules for Writers: Chapter 3

     This chapter is about revising your work. Revise means to alter something already written or printed, in order to make  corrections, improve, or update. Every writer does this to make more of sense to their writing. Global matter is a first step for revising. This is when you are going over the purpose, organization, focus, and overall work. In this process you kind of have to look and read it as an audience’s perspective. Continue to check if you’ve accomplishing the purpose in which you want to persuade, inform, or entertain the readers. Focus on clearly stating the thesis; organize paragraphs so that your ideas are in order.

     Next is the editing process. This is when you look for mistakes; improve sentence structures, grammar, word choice, punctuations, and other obvious mistakes. You can make these corrections as you type. Some writers like to print out a hard copy, make corrections on it, and then go back to their computers and work on their editing. Sometimes I like to let someone else edit my work for me because the person may have better editing skills than I do. It’s also the closest thing to another audience’s point of view, and what makes sense to them will make sense to others.

     The final step is to proofread your work. This is the most important process of completing your final draft. Proofreading is a kind of reading where you must read slowly and carefully to look for misspelled words or typos. You would probably need to proofread your work several times to make sure it makes sense, and that the paragraphs are in proper order. This process is crucial because this is your overall work being reviewed.

     My favorite part about writing is proofreading. I catch many flaws when I’m rereading my writing. I try to make the most sense of my work as I can and editing it as well. Even when I completely submitted my work, I tend to proofread several times over and over again. And still I can catch some of my mistakes I didn’t notice before. This is why it is important to follow these steps when writing; revise, edit, and proofread.

Coming Home Again

Why does his mother regret allowing him to attend boarding school?

Lee's mother regretted letting him go to boarding school because she thought that they could have had more time to connect if he stayed close to home. She felt that it was a "big mistake". Lee asked her why she let him go, and she replied that she didn't know that she was going to die. She also felt that it was better for him that he wasn't around because he may not have liked being in her presence for all the time he could have been home. He suggested that he may have liked her even more, but she disagreed. The years he was away at boarding school was more precious to her as her illness progressed.

      If Lee stayed home instead of going to boarding school, I think he would have been able to bond with his sick mother. He could have been home to care for her, learn the things she wanted him to learn, like cooking the way she does. Most of the conversations happened in the kitchen and cooking was a big part of the narration, so cooking must have been a big thing for them.

     In my family, we cook a lot especially during gatherings. A lot of conversations happen during that time as well. I don’t know why when we’re cooking or eating we make most of our conversations, discussions, and decisions during the time we are in the kitchen or dining area. I guess it somehow brings us together and put aside unimportant things and discuss certain matters as a family.

Rules for Writers: Chapter 2

     To start out by rough drafting, you must focus your attention on the ideas and details your putting out and how it will be organized. Gather all your materials such as an outline of notes, diagrams, freewrites, or any other note taking materials you have created. Rough drafts are meant to be messy; not perfect. Ideas will gradually develop as you write.

     There are three main parts to a writing; the introduction, thesis, and conclusion. The most important part of the writing is the Introduction. In most types of writings, the thesis is introduced in the first paragraph; which is the main point you are writing about.

     As you begin your thesis, you must think about what your readers need to know In order to understand your thoughts in sequence as you create your paragraphs. Sentences should provide examples, facts, descriptions, or questions leading to the thesis. You must think of ways to keep your readers interested in reading about the topic by sparking curiosity or other reasons for the reader to continue reading. The body of the essay containing some main points or central ideas develops support for the thesis.

     Finally the conclusion will close the ending of the essay. Conclusions should have details and examples to support the introduction. It is also important to know how to well end the writing. It should have significance to the main ideas so the reader understands the whole general idea of the writing.

     Reading This chapter provides a brief description on how to summarize ideas and organize them in to a rough draft from start to finish. I tend to use the same ideas as the chapter describes, but normally I get stuck on the introduction. It’s hard to keep moving when I feel like I haven’t even accomplish my first paragraph. But I understand we develop more thoughts as we keep writing to have a better idea on how the introduction should be introduced.

Essay 1

                                                                   Fun in the Sun

This is a picture of my five year old son, Jayden, who's standing behind his six year old cousin, Brandon with the beach ball in front of him. They both are very active, intelligent children, full of energy, excitement, and are always finding ways to laugh and smile. They are the kind of little boys that can redefine boredom. There is nothing that you could do to keep them from exploring new adventure or find a mess to make even messier. These two are more like brothers than they are cousins. They are partners in crime.

This photo was taken last summer at Doran Beach, located south of Bodega Bay. The beach stretches out about two miles long, and is a great place to have a picnic, swim, fly kites, and simply just lie under the sun. My family and I decided to go to the beach that day because it was awfully scorching hot in Santa Rosa, and the air conditioner at home was broken.

I can recall the day vividly; it was a nice warm day, the sun was bright, the wind had blown lightly, the seagulls flew over our heads squawking, and we could see the ocean water waves hitting the shores. The sound of the ocean was relieving; it was the perfect day getaway from the busy noise of traffic.

Jayden and Brandon were so excited to be at the beach that day. To them it was better than Chuck E. Cheese, probably because there was more space to run around, and fewer kids to share with. The first thing they did was removed their beach shirts and ran to the shore with water guns shooting at each other, running from the waves, splashing water, chase and whack each other with seaweeds, and attempted to build sand castles before the waves took over. I remember being nervous about the boys going too far into the water and the waves would take them in. I made sure I stayed near and kept a good eye on them both. I couldn’t stop laughing when the two, buried my cousin’s pet dog, Honey, into the sand with only her head sticking out, barking, and helplessly trying to maneuver her way out.
          We spent hours at the beach, watching the children play, fight, and laugh at each other. Family time is important for children as young as Jayden and Brandon. They learn how to play, share, bond, and create memories. It’s hard to get family together when we all have busy lives, so days like these are rare. My older sister and I want to make family time available as often as possible. 
          This image is one that I want to keep forever; it portrays the closeness, and happiness the boys have. When they grow older, I want them both to be able to look back and know they were lucky to have the chance to take advantage of their childhood, what it felt like to be a kid, and how the love from family can provide a wonderful feeling. The memories that these boys can create together will help them grow stronger and learn. I believe that children who are raised from a good family make them who they are when they grow up. We come from a big family and together we all value the idea of to sticking together, trust each other, and to always remember that there is no one better to turn to than your own family.

"The Ways We Lie"

    Stephanie Ericsson portrayed the different types of lies we make. She provided great examples of these lies, some we probably didn’t even know were considered lies. No matter what kind of lies they are, they all had common meanings; false statement or action to deceive, or withholding truth.

    Omission is one of my most frequently used types of lie. This is when most truth is spoken but certain main facts are left out that can totally change the way we view or look at the story. Such facts can make a big difference in a situation and affect a person’s life or the way they live. Lies like these are to prevent hurt feelings; the way we like to look at it, “what they don’t know won’t hurt them”. It is true, “The cruelest lies are often told in silence”. Omission can be easily used in a combination of other lies all together.

  

  I can recall a time when my husband and I made some financial arrangements. As usual I’m the one who’s in charge of making sure all bills were taken care of. When he asked me if the bills were paid or any that remained unpaid, I assured him that it was ALL paid. I had failed to mention to him that there was also a major bill due on my behalf. I didn’t want him to know about it because it would be a great deal of stress on the both of us, and I thought I can take care of it without him knowing. It was important that this bill was to be paid immediately; I withdrew about nine hundred dollars out of our joint account. Hoping to replace the funds without my husband finding out failed. I procrastinated, and he had the time to check up on the balance. He was not happy at all and I do not blame him. The argument lasted all night, no sleep, just a stream of guilt. That was my consequence. I thought maybe if I told him everything before, he may have been more supportive about it.

    It can be difficult to get through a day without hiding some truths. We can ask ourselves, “Why do we lie?” Reasons behind this are usually because we don’t want to face consequences so we tend to avoid speaking the truth. We all lie in our own little ways to exaggerate, spare feelings, and avoid confrontations. This habit becomes so natural to us; we forget it’s even considered a lie and probably the reason why we still think ourselves as honest people. It’s like a disease and will always be a part of us no matter what shape, size, age, or gender. Lies are within us all. 

Chapter 1: The Writing Process

     This chapter explains about the writing process. It is broken down into steps on how to begin writing your first draft. Before you decide to start on your draft, you must plan ahead.  Generate, and jot down ideas and where you will get your sources of information. Ideas can start from personal experiences, interviews, informative reading sources, and observations. Ask questions; what will the subject be about? Or what do you want to know more about? This is a great way to conduct the purpose for your writing and how to catch the reader’s attention.  

     It is important to know what you’re writing about and why the audience should be interested. The purpose of the writing can either be to persuade, entertain, inform, argue, and so on. Only the audience themselves can find your writing either useful or pointless, and whether it affects them in a positive or a negative way.

     After collecting all your information, it is helpful to create and sketch an outline, which will organize your ideas and separate them in different paragraphs. After writing your draft, it is important to have your writing reviewed. Reviewers can help you edit your work and offer advice throughout your writing process. No writing is perfect the first time, which is why the editing process is critical prior to your final draft.

     These simple steps are how I usually form my writing. I like to find my information sources from readings, and also from my own personal experiences as well as others. I will continue to use these steps because it’s the only way I know how to write a paper. I had a great English class in high school and have acquired many writing skills from it. It’s been so long I have forgotten so much, but at least I haven’t forgotten how to begin a first paragraph. I hope that the further more I read through these chapters, it will refresh my memories, and be better at writing.

The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me

      In this modern day and age, having educations is truly a life saver and it is very important. It opens opportunities for careers, and to make better money. It is also a way to get by in life and to learn how to be and do things independtly. Without acquiring the knowledge and education, people will end up struggling, and life experiences would be their only teacher. People will always struggle in life and have many downfalls, but many who chooses the right path will least be the unfortunate. The educated ones are in their own “paragraph”, a fence that keeps them in a group, like how Alexie would probably describe this.

     Alexie grew up with books stashed all over his house. He learned how to read on his own just by looking at pictures on a Superman comic. The illustrations from the comic book helped him understand the plots of the story. His father loved books, so from then he had loved books also.

     Indian children were expected to be “stupid” or fail, but Alexie was very different from his classmates because he was smart and knew how to read. It was dangerous to be smart because it was feared and ridiculed by both Indians and non-indians. Indians who failed were more likely to be accepted by other Indians.

     Alexie visited schools as often as possible and taught the children creative writing. He became an influence on many Indian children he taught. They are now writing poems, short stories, and novels. They are saving their own lives. Alexie saved himself by being well educated and becoming a great writer. Growing up, he defended himself from being bullied by his other classmates. He wanted to achieve and be better than what was expected for young Indians.

     All my life I have always been taught about the benefits of getting an education and where it can take me. I use to think that there is always a way for people to get by, even if they didn’t finish or go to school. For some it may be true, but many people aren’t so lucky.

     I can almost relate to Alexie’s situation with his other Indian peers. As I was growing up, I have seen many young people of my ethincity who chose to be “street” smart rather than education smart. But in the end, they have ended up in the same place they started and no where to go because of the lack of knowledge and resource that could have been gained from simply just learning how to read and write. When your young, you don’t realize what is important nor understand what real responsibilties are and what is priority to upkeep the living responsibilty in a household. Many rely on their parents to pay bills and put food on the table and to only watch them struggle.  

     I believe knowledge is power, a ticket to a better life. It doesn’t take a genius to be a better person but only the time, energy, and motivation to thrive and succeed.

Rules for Writers: Chapter 46

   The topic of chapter 46 is about reading actively, meaning to annotate and engage in what you are reading. When annotating you are highlighting, underlining, circling words and sentences, asking questions, or taking notes to capture main ideas or key points. After reading an outline should be created to sum up all the main ideas. Then summarize it. Summaries should be kept short. This helps make judgments on what is important. Afterwards, analyze and observe the text. This opens up the point the author is trying to make.

   I plan to use this information in everything I read. Sometimes I get confused when I read a paragraph from a book or an article off a newspaper and yet I'm still not understanding it. The chapter mentions about rereading helps discover what we don't notice when reading the first time. This is true. I find myself reading paragraphs after paragraphs several times to understand the point. The information read in this chapter will be helpful. I will continue to make notes, highlight sentences or underline words I am not familiar with that I can later search in a dictionary. Outlining the annotations is a great source in understanding the points of articles as well and I will definitely follow these steps. In doing so I believe it well help me sum up main points of my readings.

Freewriting Exercise

   Freewrite is like conscious thoughts written out loud for ten minutes. It's basically raw materials; no editing, no spell checking, and no stopping at writing. The technique collects your initial thoughts and ideas on a topic. Kind of like a source of brainstorming but not quite. You can write randomly from subject to subject even when you can't think of anything to write about, at least until you get back on subject. I don't think it is the same as automatic writing. Automatic writing is which a person is writing without conscious thoughts of what they are writing. But I can agree that it has it's similarity.

   Freewriting is a way for you to be more comfortable about writing and discover topics to write about. The benefits of the exercise helps you get better and reduce time spent editing and eventually make better rough drafts in future writings. Practicing regularly will also help words come out more easily. It will gradually pour out of your thoughts or feelings. People are always concerned about making mistakes and tend to edit their grammars, punctuations, and perform spell check. Because there is no feedbacks or evaluations provided, you can't fail. There is no wrong way of writing in freewriting. If so, correct me if I'm wrong.

   I never heard of freewriting, but it sounds interesting and fun. Kind of reminds me of third grade, when spelling, grammars and punctuations wasn't as serious than the following years. Writing was just writing and no one knew the meaning of creating paragraphs. What I find interesting is that people actually use this technique or exercise to improve on their formal writings. Though the article speaks about being "careless", it's kind of hard when you try not to think about being careless about how you are writing and trying to keep the topic on mind at the same time. It's funny how that work, you would think that it would be easy without stopping and wanting to edit your work. I look forward to working on this exercise more often. I think I can benefit from it in many ways.

Autobiography Introduction

     My name is Susie Keobounleuang and I am Laotian. I was born in Modesto, California and lived there until my seventh year. My family and I later moved to a very small town called Weed, which is an hour and a half away from the border of northern California, with a population of approximately 3,300. I’m a middle child of five children consisting of all girls; no boys. My father has always wanted a son, instead he was blessed with four of us girls except my oldest whose a half-sister. Growing up in a house with no boys, we had to work as hard as one.

     During the fall seasons we use to go to the forest and chop up loads of fire woods to prepare for the winter, go fishing, yard maintenance, take out the garbage, and any normal chores a male in the family would do. At the same time we also had to learn to do traditional chores that were expected for young Laotian girls such as cleaning, cooking, provide hospitality for guest and obey orders from elders. I can pretty much say my parents had the benefits of having both "sons" and daughters.

 Both my parents felt that violence happens more often in big cities with a larger population, and moving away from Modesto would save us a lot of common troubles and worries that are encountered on a regular daily basis.
     Weed is so isolated it takes thirty minutes to go to Wal-Mart, an hour to a mall, and we shared one grocery store. I would like to describe it as a quiet setting very much on the country side. This is where I was raised for twelve years of my life. A true Podunk town.

     Living in such a small town would have not taken me very far, so I decided to moved out of Weed in August of 2003; the summer I graduated from high school, while my family stayed behind. I came to Santa Rosa to live with my relative so I could find a decent paying job and further my college education.
     A few months after residing here, I found a job at Redwood Toxicology Laboratory. We run lab test to detect drugs in urine, saliva, and blood. The company provides services for all types of clients such as rehab facilities, probation, court, schools, employment, and many more. I worked as a data entry tech for five years then transferred to the GC/MS department as a lab administrative assistant for another two years. I have been there for over seven years and still plan to continue my employment there. At this point I know I want to be in the medical field but I'm still undecided as to what exactly I want to spend my life doing. I am trying to get back on track with school. I took a break for a couple of years to focus on work and dedicate my time to family.

    I am taking this English class simply because I love the subject even though I may not be the best at it, but I try. And also because I need to fulfill my prerequisites. The best thing about this course is that its online and this will help me get my work done anytime through out the day. I like to work in fast pace and definitely need to be a little more patient. I tend to put things aside and forget what goes on in my surroundings. If I start losing track of my studies I begin to procrastinate, so I do prefer to try and get work done early.

    The time I spent in Santa Rosa, I met my husband here as well through a close friend. He is very supportive of me in anything I do and that is important to me. We both share several common interest and I am happy to have him in my life. Together we have a five year old son named Jayden who is in Kindergarten and loves to say “I did a good job!” I can honestly say he makes me proud everyday.

Four and a half months ago my husband and I decided to finally tie the knots after being in a committed relationship of over seven years. We had a great big traditional american and Laotian wedding ceremony and shared it with over three hundred guests.
    Things don't always seem to happen in order for me. Normally some people would expect college education first, second comes career, then comes marriage along with a baby carriage. Not for me. But either way I am happy just the way things turned out. I learned to grow and change as time went by. I may make mistakes sometimes, but I don't necessarily regret any of them because it makes me who I am today and the knowledge I have gained from such experiences.