Dennis Carlson; "Gayness, Multiculturalism and Community"
Author's Argument:
Carlson argues that the gay community does not do enough to be shown and revealed. Since they do not speak up they are invisible or even "the child sitting in the back of the class not talking."
Quotes:
1. "Nevertheless, normalizing texts systematically exclude and neglect the culture of those outside the norm for the purpose of ratifying or legitimating the dominant culture as the only significant culture worth studying."
Carlson is explaining that with textbooks in schools showing what the ideal life is in a community it is hard for someone that is gay to come out because this is dug into their head for so long. The dominant sexual community in the world is straight and with the gay community not being as big as the straight community it is hard to feel accepted. The generation of people that is alive now is the generation that I believe fully-accepts the gay community. Previous generations before us have struggled to accept them and will in many cases never accept them because they saw in school that being gay was wrong and that a man and a woman is the lifestyle that everyone has to live out. The older generations were raised to know man and woman were only suppose to be in a relationship, but since some teachers talk about gays from the past it is in a way easier for a person that is gay to come out.
2. "To the extent that gayness is recognized in the curriculum, it is likely to be in the health curriculum, where it is associated with disease."
Carlson points out that even though being gay has been seen as a lifestyle some still consider it a disease. When a person that is gay finally comes out to their family in some cases the family will believe that it is a lie, they also think what did we do wrong as parents, or even if it is a disease. Older generations of people will in fact believe that being gay is a disease. When they were growing up it was man and woman, now with man and man and woman and woman it is not acceptable. It is as if someone gets a disease that is considered "one in a million" and being gay is considered part of that "one in a million" epidemic. In a health class this may just be one of the diseases that a teacher speaks about, but to those that are gay they do not see it as a disease they see it as a lifestyle that is full of pain and joy.
3. "Popular culture may represent identity, but identity also is represented in corporeal form, as individuals actively 'live' their identities and make these identities visible i their everyday relations with others."
Carlson points out that in today's society there is a lot of "monkey see, monkey do." What I mean by that statement is that people of today live out their lives as they see famous people living. If something is the latest trend then they follow the trend that was made instead of branching out and starting their own trend. This is stopping people from becoming what Carlson would say is "visible" because he says that if you are gay and do not come out then you are going to stay invisible forever, until you finally do come out. With people not coming out and expressing themselves I believe that Carlson would say that they are never going to be seen and will forever stay in the shadows. If you do come out then you will be live, vibrant, and full of color.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
Carlson touched on many different sections on how it is to be gay living in a society as there is today. Being gay in today's society I believe is easier for those people that are gay than it was ten years ago. Carlson also touches on how being gay is not shown as an acceptable lifestyle through education and especially in textbooks. Teachers have spoken about homosexual lifestyles in class that I have been in, but in all my years of reading a textbook I have never encountered a section where is says that being gay is acceptable. People live out their lives the way that they want to. Whether it is being gay, straight or bi-sexual. The generation of today as grown to accept the gay community because there are so many that are apart of our generation. It is the earlier generations that have the issues with people being gay. I believe that later generations will have no problems or concerns at all when it comes to being gay. Even though i say that now that does not mean that all people are going to accept the gay community because there will always be a select few or group that discriminates against gays even though it is wrong.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Talking Point #2
Richard Rodriguez; "Aria"
Author's Argument:
Rodriguez argues that there are some children in the world and also people that don't like change, but changes need to be made whether it is for the better of the person or worse of the person.
Quotes:
1. "I would have evaded-and for how long could I have afforded to delay?-learning the great lesson of school, that I had a public identity."
People in this world try to avoid doing some tasks for as long as they can. In this case the narrator was trying to avoid talking in class for as long as possible. The narrator also didn't want to learn a different language because they were so comfortable to speaking their primary language that if they spoke another language it would only interfere with their primary language and maybe forget it. Change is hard and changes needed to be made in this case because without change the narrator wouldn't be able to succeed in the United States and in other places in the world because English is important in this world. Change is hard, but in many cases change needs to be made and here a change needed to be made for the better of the narrator.
2. "What they understood was that I needed to speak a public language. So their voices would search me out, asking me questions."
When a child has a problem in a classroom it is in many ways the teacher's responsibility to help that child get the help that they need so that they are able to get the help that they need. The narrator was struggling to speak English and was afraid to answer questions or even speak in the classroom. The teachers knew that and in order for the narrator's English to improve the teachers pushed him to the point where he/she decided to talk. The teachers then saw that the problem was bigger than they thought and in that case they brought the problem to the attention of the parents. The parents then decided that it was time to do something about it. Many children and also people need examples to do things. With the narrators parents now pushing it for their children to speak English they will see their family speaking English so it might push them to also speak it.
3. "After dinner each night, the family gathered to practice 'our' English."
Many times children are able to take things that they use at home and use them in the world. In this case the parents were teaching their children the English language. With the parents taking it upon themselves to teach their children the language and forcing them to use it in the household it will help them communicate in this country where English is the primary language and it is also the "language of the world." Children and also adults get worried and embarrassed when they mess something up but especially when they don't say something correctly. If the children see that not only are they struggling to speak but also the parents then they won't feel as bad about talking and will use the language more offend. Once the child can get pass using it in the household they can then take on the task of using it outside of the household.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
This article touches on a lot of points that are still in effect today. There are children in many places that have been taught one language and one language only. Even though that they might have been born in the United States doesn't mean that their first language is going to be English. If a person that comes from a Spanish family who speaks Spanish primary they will speak Spanish until English is brought into their life. You can see this is schools today in the United States. With more and more Spanish people immigrating to the United States there are more Spanish speaking people and even though the child is going to school where English is spoken once they leave the school Spanish is spoken all the way up to when they need to return to school. It is hard to breaks habits that a person might get into and breaking the language barrier to speak another language is a tough one.
Author's Argument:
Rodriguez argues that there are some children in the world and also people that don't like change, but changes need to be made whether it is for the better of the person or worse of the person.
Quotes:
1. "I would have evaded-and for how long could I have afforded to delay?-learning the great lesson of school, that I had a public identity."
People in this world try to avoid doing some tasks for as long as they can. In this case the narrator was trying to avoid talking in class for as long as possible. The narrator also didn't want to learn a different language because they were so comfortable to speaking their primary language that if they spoke another language it would only interfere with their primary language and maybe forget it. Change is hard and changes needed to be made in this case because without change the narrator wouldn't be able to succeed in the United States and in other places in the world because English is important in this world. Change is hard, but in many cases change needs to be made and here a change needed to be made for the better of the narrator.
2. "What they understood was that I needed to speak a public language. So their voices would search me out, asking me questions."
When a child has a problem in a classroom it is in many ways the teacher's responsibility to help that child get the help that they need so that they are able to get the help that they need. The narrator was struggling to speak English and was afraid to answer questions or even speak in the classroom. The teachers knew that and in order for the narrator's English to improve the teachers pushed him to the point where he/she decided to talk. The teachers then saw that the problem was bigger than they thought and in that case they brought the problem to the attention of the parents. The parents then decided that it was time to do something about it. Many children and also people need examples to do things. With the narrators parents now pushing it for their children to speak English they will see their family speaking English so it might push them to also speak it.
3. "After dinner each night, the family gathered to practice 'our' English."
Many times children are able to take things that they use at home and use them in the world. In this case the parents were teaching their children the English language. With the parents taking it upon themselves to teach their children the language and forcing them to use it in the household it will help them communicate in this country where English is the primary language and it is also the "language of the world." Children and also adults get worried and embarrassed when they mess something up but especially when they don't say something correctly. If the children see that not only are they struggling to speak but also the parents then they won't feel as bad about talking and will use the language more offend. Once the child can get pass using it in the household they can then take on the task of using it outside of the household.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
This article touches on a lot of points that are still in effect today. There are children in many places that have been taught one language and one language only. Even though that they might have been born in the United States doesn't mean that their first language is going to be English. If a person that comes from a Spanish family who speaks Spanish primary they will speak Spanish until English is brought into their life. You can see this is schools today in the United States. With more and more Spanish people immigrating to the United States there are more Spanish speaking people and even though the child is going to school where English is spoken once they leave the school Spanish is spoken all the way up to when they need to return to school. It is hard to breaks habits that a person might get into and breaking the language barrier to speak another language is a tough one.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Talking Point #1
Jonathan Kozol; "Amzing Grace"
Author's Argument:
Kozol argues that the government, the middle class, and the upper class are at fault because they don't do enough to help the poor in the United States.
Quotes:
1. "He has a package of cookies and removes one. He breaks it in half, returns half to the package, and munches on the other half as we are walking."
When people are as poor as the people that are talked about in "Amazing Grace" nothing is taken for granted. This quote is an example of how things aren't taken for granted. A man has a full cookie in his pocket. He is hungry so he takes the cookie out breaks it in half, puts one half away, and eats the other half. I believe that the reason that he did this was because he might not eat again after he finishes this cookie. Once the cookie is gone the man might not eat again for who knows how long. Even though it is only a cookie and it isn't a full meal it is still something in your stomach and even just a half a cookie can ease the stomach when it is hungry.
2. "The point is that they put a lot of things into our neighborhood that no one wants,' she says. 'The waste incinerator is just one more lovely way of showing their affection.'"
Every now and then the government asks permission to place things in neighborhoods. In this case the government wanted to place a waste incinerator in the suburbs on New York City and the middle and upper class people didn't want it in their neighborhood so the government placed in in the South Bronx. With the waste incinerator it brought many illnesses and disease into the area and many men, women, and children got sick from it. The middle and upper class people would then ask questions such as "why are the children so sick?" "Why doesn't the government do anything about it?" That is all because the more "privileged" people put this terrorizing machine in an area that was somewhat healthy until the waste incinerator was put in. Sometimes people don't realize what they are going until it is actually done.
3. "Evil exists. he says, not flinching at the word. 'I believe that what the rich have done to the poor people in this city is something that a preacher could call evil. Somebody has power. Pretending that they don't so they don't need to use it to help people-that is my idea of evil.'"
There is always going to be evil that exists in the world. In this case, Kozol believes that the rich people are doing evil onto the poor people. I can see where he is coming from with this because the ric people were the ones that decided that the waste incinerator was going to go into the South Bronx. With them placing that there of course the poor is going to view them as evil. When people are poor or even down and out they turn to religion for answers. When a poor person hears things from a preacher of course they are going to believe it because they believe that they speak the truth and only the truth.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
This read for me was easy because it was more of a story and it wasn't an opinion so it was repetitive. This text compared to the other texts I think was the easiest out of them all to read. Out of this story I learned that the South Bronx isn't an easy place to live. It is just like any other area in Rhode Island that has areas like this. Even though many of those areas are in Providence many of us are able to grasp and understand this because we either live it or see it everyday. People being poor and sick is common now and there are people out there that feel bad for them, but then there are people that don't care at all that people are out there dying. All those people say is they put themselves in this situation, but it shouldn't matter. They are people too and they needed to be cared for just like anyone else.
Bernard Goldberg; "Jonathan Kozol"
Author Argument:
Goldberg argues that there are many young people in the country today that don't feel proud to be American anymore. He also states that teachers in schools are to blame because how they are teaching the material from the text book.
Quotes:
1. "One boy says he'd just as soon live in Canada."
This goes to show that many people just to escaping as a solution to living in a country like they do. When a country is as bad as it is many people have turned to running away or escaping because if they leave the country that will solve all of their problems. What many of these people don't realize is that even thought you might be going to another country that country might just have the same problems as we do, so in the end they might end up with the same problems there as they have here.
2. "...They take care not to offend America's past enemies, but don't seem to worry about offending Americans..."
Teacher's nowadays have to be very care with the things that they say. There are many different ways that people says things now that many people take offense of. In the classroom when a teacher is discussing a certain topic and it has to do with either race or gender they have to be ready for a student at anytime to come at them with a defensive statement But when it comes times to talk about their own people in this case, Americans, teachers feel free to bash them as much as they want without thinking if it would offend someone. Just because someone is a certain race, religion, gender, or ethnicity doesn't give you the right to bash that group of people.
3. "that one is working for a purpose and that that purpose is a great deal more profound and more important than the selfish pleasure of an individual reward."
Some people live out their lives doing things that will please them and don't think or even react to what other people have to say. Then you have other people that do very little for themselves and do many other things for the people that they are surrounded by, such as family and friends. When you ask a father or mother what they are working for 9 times out of 10 they will say that they are working for their family or that they are working for their significant other. It all has an effect on how people live out their lives. There is always a reason as to why people do things and hopefully it isn't for the wrong reasons of self-satisfaction.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
This was an easy read and I was able to grasp the concepts that were given to us. One reason why I find that it was easy to read was because a lot of the issues that were brought up I can relate to because I heard them in previous conversations. This reading occurring to the other reading was the easiest reading so far because once again I was able to relate to it. When I am able to relate things to one another that is when I am at my best learning. Out of this article i feel that there are people in society that are cautious to what they say about other groups of people, but when it relates to their own group of people they don't even think twice sometimes about putting them down or bashing them. I just find it hard to believe that people don't think about some of the things that they say. That is why some people aren't afraid to say things about a certain group of people because they hear other people saying things so they think that they can do it too, but that is the way life is so we just grow from it.
Author's Argument:
Kozol argues that the government, the middle class, and the upper class are at fault because they don't do enough to help the poor in the United States.
Quotes:
1. "He has a package of cookies and removes one. He breaks it in half, returns half to the package, and munches on the other half as we are walking."
When people are as poor as the people that are talked about in "Amazing Grace" nothing is taken for granted. This quote is an example of how things aren't taken for granted. A man has a full cookie in his pocket. He is hungry so he takes the cookie out breaks it in half, puts one half away, and eats the other half. I believe that the reason that he did this was because he might not eat again after he finishes this cookie. Once the cookie is gone the man might not eat again for who knows how long. Even though it is only a cookie and it isn't a full meal it is still something in your stomach and even just a half a cookie can ease the stomach when it is hungry.
2. "The point is that they put a lot of things into our neighborhood that no one wants,' she says. 'The waste incinerator is just one more lovely way of showing their affection.'"
Every now and then the government asks permission to place things in neighborhoods. In this case the government wanted to place a waste incinerator in the suburbs on New York City and the middle and upper class people didn't want it in their neighborhood so the government placed in in the South Bronx. With the waste incinerator it brought many illnesses and disease into the area and many men, women, and children got sick from it. The middle and upper class people would then ask questions such as "why are the children so sick?" "Why doesn't the government do anything about it?" That is all because the more "privileged" people put this terrorizing machine in an area that was somewhat healthy until the waste incinerator was put in. Sometimes people don't realize what they are going until it is actually done.
3. "Evil exists. he says, not flinching at the word. 'I believe that what the rich have done to the poor people in this city is something that a preacher could call evil. Somebody has power. Pretending that they don't so they don't need to use it to help people-that is my idea of evil.'"
There is always going to be evil that exists in the world. In this case, Kozol believes that the rich people are doing evil onto the poor people. I can see where he is coming from with this because the ric people were the ones that decided that the waste incinerator was going to go into the South Bronx. With them placing that there of course the poor is going to view them as evil. When people are poor or even down and out they turn to religion for answers. When a poor person hears things from a preacher of course they are going to believe it because they believe that they speak the truth and only the truth.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
This read for me was easy because it was more of a story and it wasn't an opinion so it was repetitive. This text compared to the other texts I think was the easiest out of them all to read. Out of this story I learned that the South Bronx isn't an easy place to live. It is just like any other area in Rhode Island that has areas like this. Even though many of those areas are in Providence many of us are able to grasp and understand this because we either live it or see it everyday. People being poor and sick is common now and there are people out there that feel bad for them, but then there are people that don't care at all that people are out there dying. All those people say is they put themselves in this situation, but it shouldn't matter. They are people too and they needed to be cared for just like anyone else.
Bernard Goldberg; "Jonathan Kozol"
Author Argument:
Goldberg argues that there are many young people in the country today that don't feel proud to be American anymore. He also states that teachers in schools are to blame because how they are teaching the material from the text book.
Quotes:
1. "One boy says he'd just as soon live in Canada."
This goes to show that many people just to escaping as a solution to living in a country like they do. When a country is as bad as it is many people have turned to running away or escaping because if they leave the country that will solve all of their problems. What many of these people don't realize is that even thought you might be going to another country that country might just have the same problems as we do, so in the end they might end up with the same problems there as they have here.
2. "...They take care not to offend America's past enemies, but don't seem to worry about offending Americans..."
Teacher's nowadays have to be very care with the things that they say. There are many different ways that people says things now that many people take offense of. In the classroom when a teacher is discussing a certain topic and it has to do with either race or gender they have to be ready for a student at anytime to come at them with a defensive statement But when it comes times to talk about their own people in this case, Americans, teachers feel free to bash them as much as they want without thinking if it would offend someone. Just because someone is a certain race, religion, gender, or ethnicity doesn't give you the right to bash that group of people.
3. "that one is working for a purpose and that that purpose is a great deal more profound and more important than the selfish pleasure of an individual reward."
Some people live out their lives doing things that will please them and don't think or even react to what other people have to say. Then you have other people that do very little for themselves and do many other things for the people that they are surrounded by, such as family and friends. When you ask a father or mother what they are working for 9 times out of 10 they will say that they are working for their family or that they are working for their significant other. It all has an effect on how people live out their lives. There is always a reason as to why people do things and hopefully it isn't for the wrong reasons of self-satisfaction.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
This was an easy read and I was able to grasp the concepts that were given to us. One reason why I find that it was easy to read was because a lot of the issues that were brought up I can relate to because I heard them in previous conversations. This reading occurring to the other reading was the easiest reading so far because once again I was able to relate to it. When I am able to relate things to one another that is when I am at my best learning. Out of this article i feel that there are people in society that are cautious to what they say about other groups of people, but when it relates to their own group of people they don't even think twice sometimes about putting them down or bashing them. I just find it hard to believe that people don't think about some of the things that they say. That is why some people aren't afraid to say things about a certain group of people because they hear other people saying things so they think that they can do it too, but that is the way life is so we just grow from it.
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