Editorial: Common Sense on Nutrition

      No matter what people say, the human race is obsessed with food. We are obsessed with eating it, dieting on it, cooking it, buying it, and working it off. Days that are not revolved around when meals happen are few and far between. Since food is so important to us, shouldn’t we be more concerned with what we are eating? What we put into our bodies to function off of? This editorial in the Dallas News is focused around child nutrition. The author uses imagery, diction, and details to prove his or her point that Congress made an awful decision to not pass new USDA regulations for school lunches.

      Throughout the editorial, the author uses imagery to enhance their point. Instead of just saying, “no one would eat pizza” they say, “no one would eat sauce-drenched pizza” to put an overpowering image in the reader’s head. He or she used the phrase “sugary soft drinks” to put an image in the reader’s head of an opaque liquid engrossed with sugar particles. The author could have instead said “a refreshing, cold soft drink” which would have made the reader crave a refreshing soda instead of cringe at the idea. When describing things they are trying to portray as disgusting, the author uses un-sexy descriptions. For example, they use the phrase “a wedge of dough, cheese, and red sauce” to describe pizza, putting it in a negative light.

         At the same time, the author uses diction to further hook the reader. For one, the author includes many phrases that one would use when talking about weight and body image for other uses throughout the editorial. He or she says things like, “the state is ahead of the curve” and “to shape up students eating habits.” These puns bring the essay full circle and make the overall idea of nutrition ever more prevalent by using negative connotations. When talking about negative things, like childhood obesity and diabetes, the author uses powerful descriptive words to make the awful consequences even more grotesque. “Rampant obesity” and “fatten up little bodies” are just two examples of the common occurrence. Sarcasm is included in this piece as well. The author makes remarks such as “pizza sauce is a vegetable if the regulations call it one” to show how ridiculous the current USDA regulations are.

       

      The author includes many important details to make their point. He or she uses some astonishing facts that leave the reader in awe and most definitely on his side of the argument. The author tells the audience “two tablespoons of tomato paste qualify as a vegetable under current regulations.” A fact that I am sure the majority of the public does not know but one that many would have a problem with. They also use details such as talking about a Congress man/women at their own home feeding their own children. Would a member of congress “in the sanctity of his or her own home [point] to a piece of pizza and [refer to it as vegetables]?” This scenario makes the reader disgusted at Congress’ decision; a feeling they may not have gotten without that important detail.

     This editorial about Congress’ poor choice in not passing the new USDA regulations for nutrition in elementary schools used diction, imagery, and detail to enhance the point. Once one reads through it, they will most likely be convinced that a change needs to be made to help the innocent children. 

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20111117-editorial-common-sense-on-nutrition1.ece 

Open Prompt #1- 2010 Form B

2010, Form B. “You can leave home all you want, but home will never leave you.” —Sonsyrea Tate

Sonsyrea Tate’s statement suggests that “home” may be conceived of as a dwelling, a place, or a state of mind. It may have positive or negative associations, but in either case, it may have a considerable influence on an individual. Choose a novel or play in which a central character leaves home yet finds that home remains significant. Write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the importance of “home” to this character and the reasons for its continuing influence. Explain how the character’s idea of home illuminates the larger meaning of the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

               Home is where the heart is and one’s heart is where their love it. In Mr. Gatsby’s case, home is with Daisy. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald perfectly illuminates Sonsyrea Tate’s statement that “You can leave home all you want, but home will never leave you.”  Mr. Gatsby’s tale is one of longing for his heart, his home, and his love.

             Gatsby was forced to leave his love behind when he was shipped off to war. As they both go on living their separate lives Gatsby discovers that his happiness lies in Daisy’s hands. Consequently, his life revolves around finding Daisy again. By throwing big parties hoping she will come, attempting to intrude on her marriage, and searching for her with every step he takes, he circulates every moment around returning to his home; his Daisy.  He knows that he will not be happy if he is not with Daisy; he knows that Daisy is his home. That overwhelming want to live his life with her makes it impossible for him to quit. With his desperate search, Gatsby proves that one will do just about anything to return to their home. Although one’s home differs from person to person, the longing one has to find it is overwhelming.

           Fitzgerald is a mastermind at disguising symbols, motifs, and messages throughout his words. Mr. Gatsby’s struggles throughout the story emulate the larger meaning of the novel. They make every scene a new chance, keeping the reader at the edge of their seat. The fact that throughout the whole story the mission is to re-spark the fire between Daisy and Gatsby makes the tone one of suspense, excitement, and curiosity. Being with Gatsby on his journey to win Daisy over forces the reader to feel some level of remorse for the poor soul who just wants his love back; his home back. Therefore, the ending, where Gatsby is found dead in his pool, makes the reader cringe with sadness and disgust, a reaction one may not have if they were not walking along side Gatsby on his mission.

     The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald reflects Sonsyrea Tate’s statement perfectly. His longing for Daisy is what made the story what it was. He knew his home was Daisy. Gatsby would not stop his fight until he made it back home.

         

Response to Course Material (September 9th)

          I will start this post off by saying the terms test was by far one of the most frustrating tests I have taken.  Normally, memorizing terms is one of my strong suits but these words were abnormally difficult. The fact that the worlds were extremely long, impossible to pronounce, and many had very similar definitions made memorizing them difficult.  But I am confident that with practice I will have them down pat by the AP test. I just need to really try to just concentrate on looking for them in literature and using them when I write. I need to not take the easy way out and actually take time to understand them. Maybe seeing them in actual literature will help my brain process them better then just trying to embed flash cards into my memory.

           The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing was my favorite part of the summer assignment. I thought the book was very informative and truly will improve my future writing. I loved the layout of the book: very clear and straightforward. I thought it was ironic how our other assigned reading, How to Read Literature Like A Professor, did not exactly follow the guidelines from The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing.  Although it was pompous, I felt that Foster actually had some very insightful views on literature. I feel as if I can open a book and actually know what’s going on in it. I wish I would have known Foster’s information before reading books like The Great Gatsby, Huckleberry Finn, and How to Kill A Mockingbird in previous literature classes.  I will (hopefully) no longer be naïve while reading books, poems, and other literary works. I now know what I should be looking for to enhance my understanding while reading literature. That newfound knowledge will allow me to fully comprehend the author’s message.

             Last year, I absolutely hated the forum posts we had to do. Now, I thank Ms.Dockus for preparing me for this class. I actually feel confident with forum posts and they no longer seem like tedious work to me. On the other hand, understanding poems is not quite as familiar.  I continue to struggle with poems. Understanding their themes, tone, and meter’s is very difficult for me. I hope it gets easier with practice because right now I feel like a fish out of water when reading a poem. 

Me Talk Pretty One Day

       David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day is a capturing piece. But, even David Sedaris, an accomplished, well-known writer, falls victim to “collegiate pompous style” (Harvey 1). Many rules described in The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing by Michael Harvey were abused by David Sedaris in Me Talk Pretty One Day. In a great majority of his piece he is not concise and he uses commas incorrectly, But, at the same time, he does an impeccable job incorporating punch lines into this humorous piece and effectively using tricolon.

        David Sedaris simply did not “use process of elimination” to “add remarkable grace to [his] prose” and “make [his] prose easier to read and understand” (Harvey 1). In merely the first paragraph he describes “Festyland” as “a far-flung amusement park that advertises with billboards picturing a cartoon stegosaurus sitting in a canoe and eating what appears to be a ham sandwich” (Sedaris 11). This wordy description is in desperate need of “a hefty reduction in the total number of words” (Harvey 4). Again, later in the piece, Sedaris says “things they liked and disliked in this world” instead of simply minimizing the number of words and saying “things they liked and disliked” (12). This revision simply “[cuts] the fat” from an unnecessarily wordy sentence (Harvey 9).

        In Me Talk Pretty One Day, Sedaris faults with his use of commas. Repeatedly, he used a comma when connecting only two phrases with “and”. He writes, “her rabbity mouth huffed for breath, and she stared” when really he should say, “her rabbity mouth huffed for breath and she stared” (Sedaris 12). Michael Harvey stresses using commas correctly for, “defying today’s punctuation rules is perceived by readers as a sign of ignorance or carelessness” (Harvey 34). He defies the rules yet again by using an unnecessary comma to connect two phrases. Instead of saying “placed her hands on the young woman’s desk and leaned close” he puts an awkward, grammatically incorrect comma in-between “desk” and “and” (Sedaris 12).

          On the other hand, Sedaris does an impeccable job “[using] the punch line technique to set up a joke, [or] to deliver a memorable phrase’ (Harvey 28). He has a way of capturing the reader, even forcing them to crack a smile while reading his deviously funny punch lines. Take for example one of the sassy  lines of his peculiar teacher: “And do you love the little war” (Sedaris 12)? Whether or not you detest the story or are captured by it, it’s hard not to giggle. David Sedaris does a phenomenal job incorporating humor, following Michael Harvey’s guidelines.

           Tricolon appears numerous times throughout Me Talk Pretty One Day. This strategy of a list compiled of three things “[tends to feel] balanced and complete” (Harvey 53). David Sedaris uses this method almost everything he lists something. He writes about Anna, the girl who, “worked as a seamstress, enjoyed quiet times with friends, and hated the mosquito” (Sedaris 12). Describing things he himself detests he said three things: “blood sausage, intestinal pates, brain pudding” (Sedaris 13). And once again, when he tells things he loves he says, “IBM typewriters, the French word for bruise, and my electric floor waxer” (Sedaris 13). All of these examples show how perfectly Sedaris incorporated the tricolon method stressed in The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing.

            Me Talk Pretty One Day is a perfect example of a piece of writing that follows the rules The Nuts of Bolts of College Writing and disobeys them at the same time. The reader is bound to crack a smile at David Sedaris’ punch lines but may find the placement of commas awkward at the same time. His wordiness may be excessive at some points but he does a perfect job with his lists. By the end, the reader will turn the final page feeling quite satisfied.  

Poetry Goals (2nd Entry)

Poetry Study Goals:

-understand themes easier/better

-be able to easily tell what kind of poem it is (sonnet, lyric, elegy, etc.)

-know what ALL the literary devices are and how they are used

-be able to differentiate the different meters

-understand transitions and why/how they are used

      I found that while taking the tests I always struggled when they asked what the theme of the poem was or what kind of poem it was. That frustrates me because I know understanding the theme will help me understand the whole poem. It is also frustrating that I couldn’t answer what kind of poem it was since that seems like an easy thing to understand once learning the definitions for each type. Since there are so many literary devices it is hard to know them all. But, it is a challenge I am willing to accept since I know understanding each type will not only enhance my understanding of poetry but it will help me be a better poet. The same goes for understanding transitions and meters; it will allow me to correctly answer the questions but also read and understand the poems correctly. 

Diagnostic Test Response (1st Entry)

         Surprisingly, the diagnostic test questions sounded very familiar to me. Some seemed to come straight out of the reading section of the ACT while others reminded me of APUSH test questions but about literature instead of history. The questions proved that in order to succeed in AP Literature I need to enhance my understanding of literary terms. Also, I need to learn how to easily figure out what the theme of a piece is. The fact that many of the answers were easily found in the passages made me feel confident and comfortable. Overall, the test was about what I thought it would be; some questions harder then others but all do-able with some practice.