All I Asking For Is MY Body- Part II

Why do Kiyoshi's parents have so many children?

I believe that Kiyoshi's parents had so many children due to there culture, I dont think that it was planned when his mother would get pregnant, just like he says in the book, she did not know anything about rubbers. I think that she knew that she could possibly get pregnant but, I think that her thought process was if it happens its meant to be that way. 

I also think that they had a lot of children for the future. I think that when people think of having children, they think of raising them, they think of them small, but I think this family, and many others in the world, think of the future, then they are old they are going to have a bunch of children to take of them, and I believe that they also think that not all of them are going to turn out to be just how they want them to be, so if you have many children some of them are bound to take care of you when you age. I think that if they were to of had all girls, they would of kept trying until they had a boy, its just culture. 

Another reason could be that when Kiyoshi's parents age, they know that there children will help pay off there debt that they have, they will be able to work and help out when needed; and eventually take out there household and take care of them sense they cared for them as children. I think that it depends on the families, and past and present, today I think that people would love to have more children but with the cost of living, its just not possible if you want to give them everything that you want to give. But then there are still families today that are in the same mind set from the olden days, and do not want to be lonely when they are old. In my family I have 3 sisters, I am not sure why my parents didn't go for the boy  but I am thinking that they had the thought process of raising 3 girls, not that we would care for them when they are elderly and sick. As for my husband's mother, she had 6 children, and says that she would of had more if she could have, her reasoning for having so many children is not wanting to be lonely when she is old, and not wanting to have an empty house on holidays. To to each is own really but that is my theory as to of why Kiyoshi's parents had many children.

All I am asking for is my body, Part I, Dialogue.

Who is Makot?  Do you feel sorry for him?  What are your thoughts about him and the way he copes with his parents? 




Makot is a young boy who is full of adventure. He lives in a Filipino camp with his parents, he is in the 7th grade, but only played with children that were younger than he was, it was known around the town that he only played with kids that were smaller that he was because he was a sissy and liked to boss the little kids around and mold them how he wanted them, Makot had money to spend, so he would buy the smaller kids fun chow, candy and always take them to the movies. I think this is why all the smaller kids would play with Makot because he would always buy them stuff and at lunch time he would always bring them to his house and make them yummy food, that the smaller kids did not have at home. But in return the smaller kids where always doing the dirty work for Makot, like stealing coconuts and mangos and them selling them to buy a rifle. I think that part of the story is kind of weird because Makot has money to spend, so if he really wanted to he could of got all of the money that he needed to purchase the rifle, but instead he told the smaller kids that they needed five more dollars, so they stole the fruit and sold it. Maybe it was just his way on being in control and bossing the smaller kids around? Either way I think since Makot was in charge of these little kids it made him feel superior. In control. I think that he loved that feeling so that is why he played with the smaller kids, and since money was not an issue to him, it was an easy way to real in the children. 

Yes I do feel sorry for Makot, I feel that there is obviously something going on in his home life that makes him the way that he is, I am not sure what his father does for a living or his mother but I dont think that it can be anything good. It has created a reputation for Makot and I dont think that he parents care or maybe they do not know because they are never home, and if and when they are I dont think they give Makot the attention that he is seeking. Seems like they just hand him money and that seems to do the trick. But I do think that in future reading something is going to happen to make Makot realize that money is not happiness and he needs to find himself for who he really is.


My thoughts on Makot are that is he is a sad boy inside that just wants to be liked and wants to have friends around him at all times, no matter the cost, because that is not a issue. He is almost buying friendship, but he is blinded by that because that is all that he is seeking, attention. In time I think that something is going to happen to make he realize that he cant buy happiness. I think that he will eventually notice or talk to someone about his home life and explain why he does what he does and why his home life is the way that it is. He is just a boy who wants people around him because he is lonely and his parents are never around. 


I think that Makot copes with his parents by taking there money, and surrounding himself with little kids, it makes him feel like he is in control and has authority, its what is laking at home so he makes it up with the small children. He feels good about what he is doing because he is feeding his friends and taking them out and buying them treats. I think its his way of living and wishing that his parents did it for him, so he does it for others. 

Chapter 65 Dialogue

The chapter that I choose to write about this week is chapter 65. I choose this chapter because it talks about types of sentences. Example: sentence structures, simple sentences,compound sentences,complex sentences. I have difficulty with run on sentences and sometimes my choice of words to place in a sentence, so I thought that would be a good chapter for me to look at.

According to this chapter sentence structures contains two varieties: independent and subordinate. Independent clauses contains a subject and a predicate. This books states that it either stands alone or could stand alone. (that is a little confusing to me) A subordinate clause also contains a subject and predicate, but also functions  within a sentence as an adjective, noun, or an adverb; the book states that it could not stand alone.

One thing that stood out to me in this chapter was compound sentences. The book says that a compound sentence is composed of two or more independent clauses with no subordinate clauses. Independent clauses are usually joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction, example; and, but, nor, for, so, yet. or with a semicolon. So when reading this, I noticed that I am more of an independent type of sentence writer. I am very comma happy and always placing words, just as the ones above. Here is an example of an  independent clause.  One arrow is easily broken, but you cant break a bundle of ten.

Another thing that I liked about this chapter is sentence purpose. This section talks about how writers use declarative sentences to make a statement, imperative sentences to issue requests or commands, interrogative sentences to ask questions and exclamatory sentences to make exclamations. I was not aware of the detail that sentence structure entailed. I knew that is was about making a statement or issuing commands, but I was not aware of subordinate clauses and how they are classified according to there function.

In the future I will for sure look at this chapter when I am stuck on my sentences and not sure how to identify my sentence structures.

Essay #3 Smoke Signals

Emily Lopez

April 21, 2011

L. Servias

English 100

                                                                 Essay #3

What kind of person are you without integrity? Can you still be considered a loyal and truth worthy person. Are they still an honest person? In the movie Smoke Signals, Victor’s father, Arnold Joseph is a person of no integrity; he is a lair with no respect for himself or anyone else. He was an angry man most of his life; he lived as a drunk, abusive husband and father. I am not sure that Arnold knew that integrity was, but he certainly did not have it inside of him. I do not even believe that he was an honest person. He was always so focused on drinking and being selfish that I don’t think he knew what honesty was until he fled to Phoenix.

            I believe that Arnold’s first mistake was being a drunk; it created him to be an abusive drunk, carless father and deadbeat husband. With that said the night that the he light the house on fire, he was partying and was drunk. He wanted the people who lived in the home to come out and party some more, he had a torch in his hand and was waving it all around their house, and it eventually caught fire. Inside that house were a family, a mother, father and a baby boy names Thomas. Arnold rescued Thomas from the fire, and he was praised for rescuing Thomas, but little did anyone know that Arnold started the fire. Arnold never admitted to starting the fire, he lived his life without telling anyone until he went to Phoenix and meet a woman named Suzy Song, whom he gained trust with and told her all of his secrets. He had no integrity; I am not sure how he slept at night with that huge guilt on his shoulders. He may have not intentionally light the house on fire but that fact is that it was his fault and he did not admit to the horrible tragedy.

            Another reason why I think that Arnold lived with no integrity is because I feel that he was not up front and honest about leaving his family, he was selfish and just up and left his wife and son. I think he did this because of all the guilt that he lived with on the reservation. He could just not take the pain anymore, so he thought by up and leaving to Phoenix it would all just go away. He damaged his son and hurt his wife by leaving. His son yearned for a relationship with his father and he never got it due to his drinking and damaging him by being abusive. I think that any person who can leave their family has no integrity.

            Lastly I think that by Arnold leaving to Arizona and never coming back for his son is a huge sing that this man did not have integrity. I am not even sure how he lived there and lead a life daily without feeling so guilty. He knew that his son wanted him around and knew that he had a huge secret about burning down Thomas; house and yet he still was able to live a life in Phoenix. I am not sure how he lived as long as he did.

            In conclusion, I think that by the end of the movie Victor realizes that his father may have not intentionally set Thomas’ house on fire, but he understood that he did not mean it, and when I say that I mean that Victor now knew that his father lived a life with no integrity. He was not an honest man, he just knew that he lead an angry life and that is all that his father knew, he grew up on a reservation that did not hold any boundaries. I think that Victor is now at peace and will continue to live his life knowing that he did all that he could to get closure by traveling to Arizona to get his father. 

Smoke Signals Dialogue

Question: Are you more impressed with the film or the story? Why?

I thought that both the movie and the reading were good; but I have to say that I overall I liked the story better. I think that it was a little more focused on Thomas and Victor's relationship and it did not make Victor look or seem so bitter and hateful and did not make Thomas look like such a nerd that everyone hated, in the reading it mentioned it but not so drastic. The reading did not go into detail about Victor's father being alcoholic or the abuse that Victor encountered as a child. As for Thomas, the way that his parents died was vastly different as well, in the movie they died in a fire caused by Victor's father, whereas in the story the father died in the war and his mother while giving birth to Thomas.

I also like the story more because when I read it, I liked how it reflected on the memories that Thomas and Victor had a children, and when you read the memories, it seems like Victor is happy about the memories that he and Thomas had, and that Victor understands that when he was young he was not a good person to Thomas. He even mentions that he is sorry for some of his actions. After reading the story I think that Victor really wanted to hang out and be friends with Thomas once again and truly felt sorry for the way he was as a child/teen. In the movie, by the end, I thought to myself that Victor was coming around and was starting to feel bad for how he was towards Thomas. I guess I just liked how I got more closure in the reading than the film.

All in all, I think that they were both interesting, books and stories are usually always better than a film in my opinion, so I am not surprised that that I like the story better.

Smoke Signals

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

I would have to say that I think of Thomas a Victors relationship as brothers. I mean in a weird kind of way I suppose. I say this because they are not "real" brothers to begin with, Victor's father rescued Thomas from a burning house, that his parents did not survive, so he lived and grew up with Victor and his family.

I think that Victor and Thomas off set each other, they there opposites. Thomas was more optimistic and I thought that Victor was more negative. I think that Thomas was this way because he looked at himself as lucky to be alive and not caught in the fire, he thought of his life more as a second chance, where as Victor was cold and just not a truly happy person. I think he was like this because of how he grew up, his father was an alcoholic and was abusive. It did not make it any better for Victor when his father left the reservation when he was 12, he was left with violent memories that made him negative and cold. I think that if Thomas was on the same thinking path as Victor that they would of not had the same relationship and that by the end of the movie that Thomas would not have somewhat rubbed off of Victor.

Since they were opposites, I think that its what helped them throughout there journey to Arizona, Thomas was a positive thinker and Victor was always dwelling on the bad memories that he encountered as a child, whereas Thomas was just happy to actually be alive. This made them close in a odd way.

All in all I think that this movie was moving. It was also motivational to people that have had rough lives and think in a negative way because of what they have encountered in there childhood, it just goes to show that positivity can go a long way and thankfully Thomas stuck by Victor as a friend and a brother or who knows where he would be or how he would end up. I think that this movie was a great learning tool for me to remember to tell myself to think and be more positive about my childhood and the memories that I have maybe are not are harsh as I thought.

Chapter 50 Dialogue

I chose to write a dialogue this week on chapter 50. It is about evaluating sources. I chose this because sources are a very important piece of writing a paper. Before you even begin to write your paper, you have to think of the sources that your are going to use and that will support your writing. Also how the sources will support your thesis.

One of the main points that caught my eye in this chapter was, how to determine how a source will contribute to your writing- this section provided bullet points on how sources can have various functions in a paper. My two favorites were- provide background information or context for your topic, and lend authority to your argument. These two bullet point stuck out to me most because, they are the most difficult for me when I can writing a paper. I tend to sometimes think that the reader will automatically agree with what I writing, so therefore I tend to not go into much detail of the opposing view. I tend to not lend any authority to an argument. It is just difficult for me. As for background information, everyone knows that they need it for there essay, but for some topics its not a easy task. It is also hard to but what you read into words as well.

Another main point that stuck out to me was- read with an open mind and critical eye. I love this. This states that you need to read with an open mind, and not let your personal beliefs prevent your from listening to new ideas or opposing view points. This is basically saying not to judge, that is what really stuck out to me in the paragraph, I tend to be open mined but I think that is when I only agree with that I have read, I tend to sometimes not think about the opposing view point if I do not agree. I also like how the book said that when your reading critically your are not necessarily judging an authors work harshly, you are examining the assumptions, I like that, it doesn't sound so hard.

In the future I will use this chapter with the main ideas that have stood out to me, especially the part when I read about how to read with an open mind and a critical eye. It teaches you how to be alert for signs of bias and assessing the authors argument without assuming or being to harsh on the writing. I tend to think one way sometimes when I read others writings, and now that I have read this chapter it has given me the ability to not judge or assume before I have read the whole writing.

"Happy Endings" Dialogue

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

I believe that the significance of Shirley Temple in this story is happiness. Lovey strives for happiness in her life, the kind of happiness that Shirley had at the end of her shows every Sunday. Since Lovey and Jerry had to attend Sunday School, they were not able to see the end of her shows, instead they would make up there own endings while in Sunday School. I think that Shirley's happiness in the story would make Lovey yearn for her own happiness, she was missing it in her life so this made her eager to want to watch her show and also write out her own endings of the shows. 

I think that Lovey lives through Shirley. Not only through the happy endings to the shows, but because she is cute, likable, smart and most of all Shirley was important. She is everything that Lovey wants to be. Jerry made Lovey feel important, I think he went along with making the happy endings to the stories because he knew how much Lovey was into Shirley Temple. He was a great friend to her. Lovey wished for a life like Shirley Temple, so with her not able to watch the end of her shows, she makes up her own and in reality I think that these endings that she makes up are really what she wishes for in her own life. 

Chapter 48

While reading chapter 48, I found that there is a couple of main ideas that stuck out to me. One of them was Generalizing- this subject is very broad but it breaks it down in the chapter. Overall generalizing is when we are engaged  in inductive reasoning. This reasoning deals with probability, not certainty.
One fallacy of generalizing is called hasty- this is when a conclusion is based on insufficient or unrepresented evidence.
Another fallacy of generalizing is stereotypes- this is still apart of hasty generalizing but has a different meaning. This fallacy is very common, that is because of human tendencies. We perceive selectively. The book states that we tend to see what we want to see, we form evidence from our own opinions and we fail to notice the evidence on the opposing side. I do this all the time, and its usually without notice, I then justify my thoughts and what I think that I heard to make my opinion be the one that is correct, not thinking about the opposing side, at the time, in my mind, it does not matter.

The other main idea that stuck out to me was- Judge how fairly a writer handles opposing views. This is when a writer deals with opposing views, some writers also address the arguments of the opposition fairly, conceding points when necessary and courting others all in a civil spirit. The books states that others will will do almost anything to win an argument. I can personally relate to this, if I feel passionate about something that I have to debate. I stereotype when I have to do this.

When reading this chapter, I have to admit that it was a little hard to concentrate on the topics. I am not to sure why but overall I found the information valuable. I think that in my future writing I will use the information on generalizing. Because the topic is so broad, this chapter breaks down the generalizing fallacies. This will help me in my next essay or writing when I have a topic that is very broad and hard to break down. The stereotyping portion of the chapter will defiantly help me, because I tend to do that often.

Rules for Writers Chapter 47

When I read Chapter 47 I found that there was a good amount of main ideas. But there was a few that stuck out to me personally.

One of them was, constructing reasonable arguments.  This is when you take a stand on a debatable issue. I personally liked reading about this subject in the chapter, because I can relate to this in my own writing. When I read what this topic was all about, I noticed that I am too passive. I am not a confrontational person, therefore, I can admit that I am wrong and I do not have to have the last word. The goal in constructing reasonable arguments not simply not to win or have the last word. You are just trying to understand and explain the truth about what it is that you you are writing about. You propose a solution to the problem or issue without being combative. The best part about this subject is that you are trying to convince your readers to reconsider there opinions by simply giving your viewpoint on the matter.

Another main idea that I found interesting in this chapter was; view you audience as a panel of jurors. This is when you do not assume that you audience already agrees with you. I thought that this was a great example on how to remember that when you have an audience to not assume that they are already going to be on your side. You have to let them make up there own minds on your reading before a decision is made of wether they agree with you or not.

Lastly, the main idea for this subject is. support your claims with specific evidence. This means you will need to support your central claim and any subordinate claims with evidence,facts,stats,examples, illustrations,expert opinions etc... This is true, and I found that out early on in my writing. I wrote a paper with all of these facts and ended up with a low grade per I did not have specific evidence, I did not cite or support my paper. So I can personally relate to this subject and I now know the importance of having all of your information that you provide in a paper to be supported by facts,stats, examples etc.. The documentation gives you credit and shows your readers that you know what you are talking about and that its is correct and true. It also give your creditability.

As I was reading the chapter, I noticed a tip that I just wanted to mention, I think that for me personally it will be helpful in the future. It entailed that a "good way to test a thesis while drafting and revising is to imagine a counterargument. If you cannot think of an opposing point of view, rethink your thesis." (pg.362) I am always looking for a good way to think of to see if my thesis is good enough, I believe that this is a fantastic way to see if your thesis is worth placing in your paper. I will defiantly use this tip in the future.

I will also use the anticipating and countering objections in the future writing, I will go to this as a tool when the following questions arise. "could a reasonable person draw a different conclusion from your facts and examples"? Or "Might a reader question your assumptions"?  You have to show yourself as a reasonable and well informed writer, and by looking at these tool sheet, it allows you to ask yourself these questions and make necessary the changes in order to have a strong paper.

"The Insufficiency of Honesty"

Is Integrity a process, outcome or something else?

I chose this question to write about because it is the first thing that came to mind after reading this short story. I believe that integrity is a process. I think this because I believe that everyone starts out with a clean slate, and you have a choice to have integrity or not, like the author says, it does not mean honesty. People have the misconception that if you are honest that you also carry integrity. They are totally two different things. Just by telling the truth does not mean that you believe it is the truth, that is where the integrity comes into play. So therefore, this is why I believe that it is a process. I think that there are three steps. Step one is believing in what comes out of your mouth, step two is to be honest about what you are going to say or do and step three is integrity, it being something that you believe in, its the truth and it feels good to say or do it!

Half of the time people only have one of the steps correct, they tell the truth about something, yet they do not believe in what they are saying, they are simply justifying the truth and not thinking anything about integrity. It is basically knowing the difference between right and wrong and being able to following the process of the three steps to earn integrity. I like the example that Cater uses when referring to a man who cheats on his wife thirty-five years prior in there marriage and when he is on his death bed and decides that he wants to come clean and tell her the truth about what he did in the past. This man clearly had no integrity from the beginning. To be able to carry on for many years after into his marriage with dishonesty he never respected his wife from the moment that he cheated, even if he did not want to hurt her, if anything he left her with a huge burden after his death and great uncertainty about there marriage.

Lastly, I would just like to add that since integrity is a process, I believe that you earn it by believing in yourself. You have to know the difference between right and wrong before you can earn integrity and even honesty in some respects. I also believe in karma, it think that it plays a huge role in integrity, what comes around goes around and if you know that you are saying or doing something that is not right it is going to come back to you in some way, shape or form. Being honest is only going to get you so far in life before you have to answer to questions that make question your own personal beliefs.

Essay #2 Father Like Daughter

Emily Lopez

L. Servais

March 8, 2011

English 100

                                                           Father like Daughter

When I was a small child I always yearned for a father that shared the same interests as I did. All I ever wanted was his presence. When he was around all I wanted was his undivided attention, but that rarely ever happened. He was always gone fishing or hunting; it seemed like one of the seasons was always present. When he was home he was either gutting fish, or skinning a deer. This was my father’s passion. I on the other hand, was disgusted with what his hobbies entailed. I was interested in singing and dancing and role-playing as a Nurse. In my mind, all of these things that I loved to do as a child sounded normal to me, but not to my father. He was not interested in any of the things that I loved as a child. He was always to consumed with his very own passion, hunting and fishing.   Whenever I bothered him with my interests he would always tell me “not right now hun, I am busy, maybe later.” Later never came. After a while I got tired of asking him to play or listen to me, and in time we drifted apart. 

When reading the short story “Shooting Dad” I found a connection to Sarah Vowell . Although Sarah and her father’s passion are different from my father and I, I felt a connection. I understood her pain, and madness. It was a love and hate relationship that her and her father shared. For example; “Dad and I started bickering earnest when I was fourteen, after the 1984 Democratic National Convention. I was so excited when Walter Mondale chose Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate that I taped the front page of the newspaper with her picture on it the refrigerator door…Somehow, that picture ended up in the trash all the way across the room.” (Pg. 434) This demonstrates that her and her father both carry a passion for politics’, yet they did not agree on political parties. Over time this made them grow apart, they were not able to converse about elections without an argument. I can relate to this quote because when I was a child I would write down a song and I would place it anywhere I could think of, in hopes that maybe my father would read it and ask me to sing it or perform it. Instead I would get yelled at for leaving things around the house, and be threatened that if my prized possession piece of paper was not picked up, it would be thrown away. I just remember being crushed; I think that Sarah felt the same way. Even though her and her father did not agree on the Democratic National Convention’s running mate, he had to go the extra mile and throw the picture away. Just to show her that he did not agree with her. As a child you begin to think that your not liked and sometimes not loved.  Or that something is wrong with the way that you think. I began to think this as a teenager; I always wondered how or why my father and I thought so differently. How could he not want me to sing for him? As goes for Sarah, even though they did not agree on the parties, I believe she would of liked to be able to converse about political events, but it was not possible without an argument.

            As the years went by and I grew from a teenager to a young adult, my new obsession became college.  My father’s infatuation stayed the same, hunting and fishing. This time I was so used to him being gone, I rarely spoke to him on the phone and never really saw him. I still continued on with what I loved, which is school. I am eager to graduate college and become a nurse, this does not interest my father, and I feel that he could careless. Which in some ways I do not understand, as a child I was always role -playing that I was a nurse. I always wanted to help anytime anyone was hurt. Yet he shows no interest that I am carrying on my excitement of role-playing into reality.  Sarah’s father did not show any appeal to her love for art either, he was to consumed with his obsession, he was always in his shop manufacturing firearms. For example;  “ There were years and years where he would hid out by himself in a garage making rifle barrels and I holed up in my room reading…and we were incapable of having a conversation that didn’t end in an argument.” (Pg.434) It is painful to not have your father involved with something that you are passionate about, yet I am not sure why it hurts me so. It should be expected that he would not be interested in my schooling due to the fact that he was not interested in my role-playing as a child. Just like Sarah with her art, he father was not at all interested in her passion for art as a child, why would he be interested in it now with her as an adult, is the question I ask.   

I believe, as we get older we start to realize that our parents are not going to be around forever. You have to consider whether the bad feelings and problems that build up over the years are worth the distance between father and daughter.  Although I have not had the same kind of closure that Sarah has had in the story, I would now like to open the door to my father and allow myself to show him that I may not be interested in his fishing or hunting, but I would not mind having a conversation about his next trip. I think that it may possibly give him a peace of mind and maybe it will create a new start to our relationship that is greatly needed. I just have to understand that our interests in life are vastly different, and if something where to happen to my father, at least I can say that I tried to engage in conversation with him about his hobbies. It would give me the closure that I need to put this all behind me. Reading this story helped me realize that it’s possible that my father and I are alike in some ways also; we are both very passionate people and strive to do our best with what we believe our passion is. Sarah got the closure that she needed to move on in her life, when she went to the mountain with her father to shoot off the cannon. Clearly, she was not going because she was fascinated with cannon’s, but to show her father that she cared and loved him for whom he was. When she was there with her father she came to the realization that they are the same person, just in a different way.  “I look over at my fathers cannon, then down at my microphone, and I think Oh. My God. My dad and I are the same person. Were both smart- alecky loners with goofy projects and equipment.” (Pg. 439) This example shows that she had matured and realized that she and her father are more alike than she had ever imagined. I think that this scared Sarah in a way because she did not notice growing up how much they were alike, yet in such a different way. Sarah now had the closure that she needed to forgive her father for the detached childhood that she grew up with. 

"Shooting Dad" Dialogue

What is the significance of the title?

I think the significance of the title is made very clearly at the end of this dialogue. " I will go to the mountains with my mother, sister and the cannon. I will plunge his remains into the barrel and point it into a hill so that he doesn't take anyone with him. I will light the fuse. But I will not cover my ears. Because when I blow what used to be my dad into the earth, I want it to hurt." (pg. 440)

When reading this dialogue, I noticed that the girl and her father were total opposites, they did not really agree on anything, she thought of him as an indifferent gunsmith and crazy republican, where as she thought of herself as a passionate music lover and democrat. Throughout her younger years she was always bothered by her fathers devotion to his gun collection and his obsession to make ammo, where as her twin sister found it fascinating. If anyone was an outcast in the family I would have to say that I think it was the narrator. She never really understood why her father was so passionate about his guns, but she thought one day that if she was ever going to try and understand him and his hobby that this was her chance, since she hated everything about guns, she found out that her father had been working on a project for a couple of years, he was making a cannon, she thought that if she was ever going to understand her fathers love for what he does that this was her time, she thought that this was a great opportunity because it was not a gun, and as she says in the writing it was "... a completely ceremonial object. Unwieldy and impractical. " (pg. 439) When she first called him and told him that she wanted to watch him shoot off the cannon, he was shocked, this is because she was never interested in any of his work before. They went up to the mountains in Montana and light off the small cannon. The narrator was intrigued, in a way that she never really thought of before. She thought that it was really neat and her father thought so too.

When the two hikers come about and see how the cannon is used, they noticed that she has a tape recorder and a microphone, which is called a shotgun mike. This is when she realizes that her and her father are the now the same person, just in different ways. She states "We're both smart-alecky loners with goofy projects and weird equipment. And since this whole target practice outing was my idea, I was no longer at his adversary" (pg. 439) This is when she realizes that her and her father both carry a passion and just because they are different projects that they care about does not mean that they cannot be close and not carry a relationship. At this point I think that all of the dislike that she had for her father growing up as a child began to vanish and she begin to appreciate her father for who he was, and not judge him on the acts of his projects.

With the last paragraph in the dialogue it captivates the the meaning of the writing. I believe that she is stating that she is "shooting dad" for who he was in her younger years, and will put his remains in a cannon as a new found bond that they established together. She is saying that will respect his love for is  projects and also not be covering her ears when the sounds goes off because she wants it to hurt, meaning the pain that she felt as a child when she was in her "hole", when her and her father had no communication. This would be her would be her closure.

Rulers for Writers. Chapter 4

While going through chapter for I found some interesting points, some that I have never heard of and some that I knew about but did not know the technical terms for.

One of the main points in this chapter I believe was, focusing on the main point, I knew about this before I got into chapter four, but I was not aware of how technical it can get. As we all know the main point should be clear to readers, and all of the sentences in the paragraphs should relate. What helps people stay on point is a good topic sentence, one that they can always refer back to if they feel like they have lost there train of thought or do not know what to write next. I like how it says on page 40, " A paragraph's main point, acts as a signpost pointing in two directions: backwards towards the thesis of the essay and forward toward the body of the of the paragraph" That is so clear to me, if you are on point, you should be able to refer to this sentence and have it be able to help guide you into what you are trying to make clear in your next sentence. The chapter also states how if you do not have a supportive topic sentence it can destroy the unity of your paragraph, once you have gone off topic of your main point, you will need to go back and either delete or move around some sentences into other paragraphs. Although when this does occur its most likely that you need more evidence to support your topic sentence or adjust your topic sentences accordingly to what you are trying to but with your evidence.

Another thing that I found interesting was developing the main point, I sometimes struggle with this, I try to make such a strong point for my main idea that I tend not to think past the main topic sentence, then after that I am stuck with trying to figure of the rest of the body for my essay. Here it says that short paragraphs are fine, especially if it functions as a transition point, which I never thought about, I think that this would work good for me. But I think that I would have to be careful not to make it to brief, so that its not inadequate and does not weaken my essay.

Another main point that I found in this chapter is to make your paragraphs coherent. This is when your sentences and paragraphs flow from one to another. There are no gaps, bumps or shifts. (pg..50) The book says that this can be improved by the ties of old information to new information, For example technical details are as follows: linking ideas clearly, repeating key words, using parallel structures, maintaing consistency, and providing transitions. All of these details will make a successful essay and help you stay on track with no shifts, gaps, or bumps. I like how the chapter gave me common transitions, its a great resource for my future writings.

This chapter was very informational. I liked it, I will use this chapter when I am going to write my next essay and have it help me develop a strong main point that carries evidence that is well supported. I will now know how and if my topic sentence is strong my being able to refer back to page forty, with the sentence that I have quoted above. I will also use this chapter when I get stuck on how to make my sentences flow and not have any gaps in my sentences structure. All of the details that it provides I think will help me get my points across smoothly.

Rules for Writers Chapter 3

In chapter three, I felt that there were two major main ideas.

One of them was about global revising and to think big. When you think about revising, some might think that they need to change a word or two, or change the one sentence. But when reading the information that chapter three provided, I learned that it is a big focus, overall its a strategy; meaning that you need to make improvements on the purpose, organization and the content. It like the essay as a whole. You could end up rearranging entire sentences, you may not even have the same sentences in your final draft that you had it in your rough draft. This is the importance of revising, making sure that you have all of the useful information in your essay that you want to give to your audience. You want to make sure that your making the main points stand out and that they are clear. The checklist that is provided for global revising is a great tool. It will keep you on track and help you pull out the main points that your striving to get on paper.

Another main point in the chapter is proofreading. It is the final and most important part of the preparation of your essay. Like the book says proofreading is a special kind of reading, slow and methodical. You want to make sure that you are checking for all misspelled words, omitted words, or word endings. These kinds of errors can be hard to locate due to the fact that you have been over your own essay so many times that it makes since to you and therefore you might not catch one of these kinds of errors. A solution could be to read the essay out loud, proof read your sentences in reverse order. Anything that will take your attention away from reading your essay like you would normally. Proofreading is crucial, and if you do not take the time to do it, you could ultimately pay the price by your grade.

From now on I will use the checklist to revise my essays. I will check off each category to make sure that I am on point and that I have my audiences attention, Its a great way to stay on track. I will also use the proofreading strategies that it offers, such as reading my essays aloud and using the reverse sentence order. I usually always proofread my essay's but I would do it a different way, I would just read them quietly to myself and check for the over use of commas and other punctuation. I would just rely on spell check for grammar, but I will not use it for sentence structure as well.

"Coming Home Again" Dialogue

What's the importance of food in this essay?

I chose this question to write about because I feel that it is one of the main points of the story.

I feel that food is of importance in this essay because its the one thing that brought the boy and his mother together and created a bond; it brought there whole family together. Its was the one time in the day that they would all gather and be able to converse about there day.

When the boy was young he was always curious about what his mother had cooking in the
kitchen. Cooking was his calling, but his mother did not want to see that in his younger years, she did not think that cooking was for men. She thought it was for women, I think that was there culture; men in the field and women in the home. After a while she would allow him to watch her cook and ask questions about the meals that she would prepare, the boy would never write anything down, he would memorize what she did by memory. She would answer his questions, even if at time she thought that they were silly. I believe the deep inside she loved the fact that her child was so interested in her cooking and that it made them have some kind of special relationship.

Now that his mother had cancer, he took on the responsibility of the cooking in the home when he came home from school, it saved there family in a way, I think this because if it was not for the boy now a man, taking on the cooking who knows what state the family would be in, would they all live together? Would they even have a relationship at all?
 Since he prepared all of the meals, even though his mother could not swallow the food, only taste it, it made her happy that her son would cook the meals that she used to make, it gave her a reason for living, she was proud and possibly did not feel so guilty after so many years of sending her son off to boarding school. I think that it was almost like a relief that he was so intriged by her cooking and took on her legacy.

 Her son was her whole life, he is the reason that she lived, and she even told him so. So the importance of food in this essay his that it gave his mother and the boy a purpose; and later on in there lives, peace. She passed knowing that her son was going to prepare her meals for as long as he could, and he made sure that is was aware of that before she passed away.

Rules for Writers Chapter 2

Reading this chapter really helped me with the rough draft portion of my essay. It was easy to refer to on such things as the thesis and how to organize my thought process for putting my essay together. Especially the checklist that it provides. I really tried to use that as I was putting my essay together.

I think that one of the main ideas that this chapter provides is, the information about a thesis. I had a hard time starting my essay, I wrote most of the body and conclusion before I started the introduction. I was trying to go for a strong main point to get a great thesis and by reading this chapter it helped me by letting me know that I should start off with a few sentences to engage the reader and establish a purpose and then go for my main point. Also that an effective thesis is a central idea that requires supporting evidence. This knowledge helped me form my introduction and gave a way to come up with my thesis.

Another main idea in this chapter was the checklist that it provided. It was a small breakdown of all essential information that you need to have a strong essay. One: Purpose and Audience, that is key, you want to be able to have you audiences attention and you want to make sure they know the purpose of your essay. Two: Focus, this was a great tool for me, because I can sometimes wonder off topic but when I referred to this checklist it kept my mind on track. Three: Organizing and Preparing, this helped me gather all of my information and put it all together and have it makes sense to the reader. Four: Content. I think that this portion of the checklist will be helpful with my final essay. Five: Point of View. Making sure that your purpose is for the audience and that you are not distracting the main points in the essay.

In my future writings I will definitely use the checklist, its helps me stay on track and stay focused. I will also refer to this book for thesis information if I am stuck in trying to come up with a strong sentence.

"The Ways We Lie" Dialogue.

Is it possible to tell lies and still be an honest person?

This is actually a hard question to answer I think. Its like a double standard. To answer this question in my honest opinion without analyzing it, I would have to say no, you cannot be a lair and then consider yourself an "honest" person. How is that even possible. 

When I analyze this question, I think well yes, you can lie and still be an honest person, I lie daily, there not lies that will necessarily harm anyone, but the fact is that I am lying. I consider myself a very honest person, and I think that I am that way because I am a huge believer in karma, so if I do something that I know is not right or I know that it is a huge lie that could have some repercussions than I think that karma will get me back in time. Like I said I lie probably more than once a day, rather it be at work and I have a drug rep that wants to meet and talk to the doctor about meds, I lie to the rep and tell them that the doctor is either n available or that the doctor is to behind to meet with anyone at this time. I do this because its what I have been told to do by the physicians. I do not tell them the truth that we have all the samples of the meds that we need and there is no point to talk to any doctor at this time, if I were to tell them that we probably would loose that rep and possibly not have that med sample avaible to the patients. 

Another way that I lie is to my child, I know that sounds horrible, but its true. She will ask me something like "Mom are you scared at night, because Daddy is not here cause he has to work late" I feel obligated to lie. I feel that I cannot tell her yes, Lylia, mommy is terrified at night because Daddy works nights. I feel that if anything I have to lie and say no silly, why would I be scared. I have you here, and our house is safe. There is nothing to be scared about. When I tell her this I think it reassures her not to be scared that her dad is gone to work at night, maybe she feels scared that he is not here at night, and if I admit to her that I am scared to, she is not going feel safe. I would rather lie to her than to have her feel any type of fear. 

So yes I think that it is okay to lie, to a certain extent. I do not think that it is okay to tell a lie that is going to cause harm to anyone. I also do not think it is okay to lie to make something sound better than it really is, I think that its pointless and in time you will just not be trusted. To deceive someone by lying is messing with emotions and breaking trust that you may never get back. 

Essay #1 rough draft. Baby Natalia

Emily Lopez

L. Servais

English 100

February 9, 2011

                                                            Baby Natalia

                        One of the happiest moments in a women’s life is being able to bring a child into the world. The image I’ve chosen to write about will allow you to understand how meaningful it is to be able to carry a child and the feeling of knowing that there is a life inside of you. There is something indescribable about becoming a parent, weather it is your first child or your third. Especially for me, conceiving a child was not as easy as one would think.

                        When you look at this image you see a, 2D seventeen-week old fetus. When I look at this image I see hope, excitement, and prayers answered. When I first found out that I was finally pregnant, I was only three weeks along. I knew that it was way to early to see a doctor. The possibility of miscarriage was huge for me and that worried me. Getting pregnant was not an easy task for me. I was constantly having miscarriages and the reason why was unclear. The explanation my doctor came up with was that I had cysts on my ovaries month after month that were not allowing the egg to travel. Another possibility was that I was too active. I was an avid gym attendee, I worked out at least five times a week, not just on the stair master, but I was involved in very intense fitness training classes. My extreme workouts may have kept my fetus from being able to stick to my uterus, so my exercise routine had to be put on hold immediately. I tested everyday for a week. When the first two solid lines came up I was in shock. The lines were faint and they meant I was pregnant. The lines just kept getting darker as the week went by. I was so excited there was actually a fetus inside of me. I was beyond words. I thought that I was imagining things. It was almost unreal. It finally hit me. I was pregnant.

                        I knew that I still had a long road ahead of me, even if the test was positive. I was hopeful this time around, I knew that there was a lot that I was going to have to give up for this pregnancy and I was willing to do it. This included no exercise for the first trimester, rest as much as possible, and try not to let stress get in my way. Now all of those things seemed nearly impossible, but that all changed when I seen the ultrasound of my baby, I saw her heart beating so strong, her anatomy was perfect, she was moving around inside of me so freely. All of the sudden this image was all that mattered I was going to be a mother of a healthy baby girl, that had fought to stay attached to me. She was meant to be my child.  Knowing that my husband and I had created this little life and were able to see her was so emotional. We started to wonder whose traits she would inherit and who she would look like.

                       When I look at this picture, it reassures me that my prayers have been answered. Anyone who has had issues with conceiving would understand the meaning that this picture holds. Its not just a baby, it’s a life that God wanted my husband and I to have. He has given us the opportunity to share a special bond of raising this child together as parents. This photo is very motivating to me, it reminds me on a bad day, when I am feeling selfish and overweight, that its okay not pressure myself with exercise. It allows me to be okay with taking the time to lay down and put my feet up. It makes me feel stress free to know, my baby is healthy and growing strong. At this point in time that is all the matters me.

                        Sometimes I have to look at this picture to remind myself that I am really carrying a baby. Its not butterflies that I feel in my belly, this baby bump is not there from not going to the gym and this back pain is truly real. I am carrying a life that will bring so many memories to our lives, such happiness that we cannot wait to embrace upon. It amazes me that just by looking at this photo, I feel a connection to my baby. Knowing that she will soon be born into this world is a great feeling.

                        I will always keep this picture of my child as a reminder of the memories that I have encountered throughout my pregnancy. Knowing that this pregnancy at one point could have never been. My hopes to be able to tell her once is she old enough the obstacles that we went through to bring her into this world and the spiritual meaning of her first ultrasound photo. Even though I have had some complications with my pregnancy, I would do it all over again, I cannot express enough the joy that I feel to becoming a mother. All of the pain and concerns are worth every minute of it. You almost forget what you have gone through because you become so infatuated with the realization that you are going to be a parent.

                       

                         

Rules for Writers: Chapter 1

Chapter one is mainly about how to start a writing and how to get the attention of the reader. It also states how to sketch out a plan to start your writing, I think that it gives very good tips on how to do this. For example; listening to music, jot down inspirations and ask your own questions. People use these tactics everyday, but as for using it as a brainstorm for a writing, I don't think so. This book gives a lot of useful information on how to get in gear and get to the core of what your ideas really are.

This chapter also talks about how to conduct writings on interviews and questionnaires, I thought that was very informational, usually you are always thinking of new ways to be creative and this paragraph offers some good tips on what to do, like to tape record an interview, so that you do not miss any main points, this way you would be able to pick through and get the key points of an interview. Also it says to keep questions simple, I usually always try to make them harder just because I thought it sounded better but this paragraph states a good point, simple, deadlines, and you will get a more reasonable reply!

Audience was another thing that was important in this reading, you don't realize it but its one of the most important things in writing, you want to make sure that when your writing something that you know what kind of audience you are trying to captivate.

Another main idea of this chapter that I really liked and I know that I will now use in my thought process of writing is the purpose of writing tools that the books offers. I like how it says that your purpose will be dictated by your specific writing situation. That sentence is key to me personally. I believe that when you write, you are always in certain situations, and your in a certain mood each time you sit down to write, that is why you can write about one topic daily and each time your in a different situation or mood, and therefore the writing has a different meaning each time. I will use the purpose guidelines from now on in my writings.

"The Joy of reading and Writing: Superman and Me

Why is a "smart indian"dangerous?
In this reading I found that "indian smart"is dangerous because he is not a statistic to his culture, he was not like all of the other kids that were not going to amount to much. Alexie had a hopes and dreams for himself and was not going to let anyone destroy his dream of becoming the person that he wanted to become, a writer and a book reader like his father.

Dangerous to whom? How could it be dangerous to be smart?
He was dangerous to his own people, and also to the non- indian people. I think that he was dangerous to his own people because of the potential he knew that he had and I think that it put fear into his class mates. They always wanted him to be quite and sit back and watch like them and it was something that he was not willing to do.
I think that he was also dangerous to the non-indian people because he would not keep quite, he was curious and eager to learn, he did not want to be thought of as stupid, because to non-indian people, indians were expected to be stupid, it was nothing out of the ordinary but Alexie was not one of those indians, he wanted to make sure that they knew this, and with his courageousness he made it dangerous to be smart.

What does it mean to be smart in contemporary U.S. society? What do people need to know and/or be able to do? And where is this learned?
I think that in today's world, the meaning of being smart is simply to have a college degree. It can be in anything, seems like if you do not have a college education these days, you are looked at differently and considered "stupid" or "ignorant". In my personal opinion I do not agree with this, I think that there are plenty of smart people in the U.S. that do not have a college degree, who earn millions of dollars a year, and there are also very smart people out there that have not even completed elementary school but yet they are more street smart more than the person with a PhD. I think that it just depends on the way that you live your life and the career path that you go down.
People need to know that they can go to school and they can learn and become successful at any given time in life. I think that for a lot of people now a days,  they loose hope too soon and give up to quick. We need to get the message out there that its not to late to learn and become what you have always dreamed of. I think people also need to know that there are so many resources out there to help them. On another note I think that people also need to realize that just because you do not go to school and get an education does not mean that you are stupid, a lot people get training on the job and become very successful.
I believe that a lot of judgement on the meaning of smart is started in the home, with parents that either are successful themselves and its is important to them for there children to go to college, or parents that would like for there children to just be able to get a good job and earn a good living, and graduate high school. Both of these options in my opinion make for a smart person with high potential, I just think in todays world people are more or less frowned upon if there is not a college degree to go along with great job experience.

How is education a means to save ones life? How is Alexie attempting to save the lives of students he works with? How did Alexie save his own life?

Education can save someones life is many ways. I think that it gives people hope and it inspires them to want to become a better person, it creates confidence because it is something that no one can take away from you.  No matter what you came from or how you grow up, education is something personal and gives you meaning to yourself.
Alexie is attempting to save lives of the students that he works with by visiting there schools frequently, telling his story, letting it be known that they can become anyone or anything that they want to be, he has them writing poetry, short stories, novels. They also read his books, he tries to get through to them that they are not arrogant or worthless, they are human and writing is not a bad thing its there outlet.
Alexie saved his own life by not giving up, he would not be quite, he was eager to learn and her took that eagerness and ran with it. He read books until he fell asleep at night, he wanted to become someone in life and he did that by not letting anyone tell him that he was stupid, he knew that the more reading that he did, the more educated he would become, and he was right and he is now proving that to the world by speaking out about it.

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

" I didn't have the vocabulary to say "paragraph" but I realized that a paragraph was a fence that held words. The words inside a paragraph worked together for a common purpose, they had a specific reason for being inside the same fence. This knowledge delighted me" Pg 12.

I chose this quote because I think that it is very powerful to the meaning of his story. He started out not knowing a thing. For a long time he imagined the stories in his head, he made up the stories by the pictures in the books or just made up his own theory of what the book was about. Over time he learned to read and would put the pictures together to understand the meaning of the books. When he says that the words in a paragraph were in a fence, it goes to show that he would break up the words that he was familiar with, and the pictures made sense to him and then he would piece it all together and come up with stories about what he thought he was reading. Then he finishes this quote with this delighted him, That is acknowledgment great! His imagination fascinated him, and that is all that mattered, he did not need from anyone else, he had the confidence that most didn't, and with this he is now a succssful writer.

Come up with your own question/topic on the reading.
Who do you think Alexie would of become in life if his father was not a book reader?

Rules for Writers. Chapter 46

I found this reading interesting, I think this because I did not know all of the in's and outs of a summary or how to sketch out an outline. I know that summarized something before and I have also looked over a reading or looked for topic sentences but I did not know the complete understandings of what I was doing.

I think that the main idea of the reading was understanding what you are really getting into as you read a text. (essays,periodicals,reports,books etc.) I think that anyone can read a text but once they are done they may not be able to summarize or analyze what they have read, and in this reading I think that it really explains how to process what you have read. There is a lot of important information within this chapter because it fully explains how to outline text key points, annotate a text, or how to demonstrate critical thinking. 

One of the main things in this reading that stood out to me was an explanation of sketching a brief outline of a text. The book really helped me understand how to do this. I have always been all over the place with picking out the thesis, and the main idea of a reading, especially if it is a more lengthy reading. I found that a thesis is usually always found in the introduction; and the topic sentence is usually at the beginning of the paragraphs. Another thing that I liked was how it says that outlines do not simply trace out the author's ideas by paragraph, instead, it sums up the articles central points. 

In my future writing, I plan to try and analyze my critical thinking, I have always had to summarize what I read. Analyzing a reading is a bit different, it looks at how the texts makes a point rather than answers questions about the text you read, I think that this would help me due to the fact that I have trouble with mains points and thesis'. With the guidelines that the book has offered for analyzing a text I think that it will definitely help become more aware of some of the struggles that I am having when I write.

Emily

"Freewriting Exercises" Dialogue

What is a free write?
Before I read the article on free writing, I had my own thought of what I thought a free write was. I was not totally off, I had an idea of what it was, only I edited my free writes all the time to make them sound better. Then when I read this article I realized that I was not following the free writing rules. Which are way better than what I thought the rules originally were.

A free write is automatic writing. I like another word that the writer chose, it is also known as babbling. It is also an effective way to become a better writer, in many ways. One of them is that there are no rules, besides never stop writing, and you do not get any feedback, also you do not have to feel like you are going to be judged on how well you wrote your thoughts or expressions. It is just simply what is on your mind, your point of view or your opinion.

How is it meant to facilitate a better writer?
I think that free writing is meant to make a better writer by having no editing, no crossing out, or no wondering how to spell something etc. I also think that free writing makes for a better writer by using it to find out what subjects you want to write about, it allows your mind to become free and not think of what would sound good, it just allows you write whatever is really on your mind without hesitation. I think it really helps a person get to the root of what they want to write about.

What did you find surprising or illuminating about the reading?
I think what surprised me most about this reading is that, I do it all the time, just with my own rules, if that makes any sense? I am always writing my thoughts down on paper, because I am usually always so busy with life; that if I don't write my thoughts down I will forget, but I always edit what I wrote, where as when I read this article I found out that there is no editing, crossing out or wondering how to spell something. I also liked the idea of a free writing diary. I think that it is a great way to relive stress or any thoughts that you might have on your mind before you go to bed at night. Its almost like getting something off our chest without having to tell someone and have the fear of the feedback. you are not judged on what you really think for feel about something.

Emily

Emily's Blog- Getting Started #1

Hello, my name is Emily Lopez. I live and work in Santa Rosa. I am married and have a daughter named Lylia, who is five; and I am currently 6 months pregnant with another little girl. I work at Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation as a patient service representative. I have worked there for a little over a year.

     My educational goal is to finish all of my prerequisites and transfer to a four year college and earn a Bachelor's degree, I would like to become a Trauma Nurse. I have had this goal for sometime now, but I am determined to complete my goal and be successful in life. 

     In this class, I am hoping to become a better writer, I love to write, but sometimes I cannot fit my words into the correct sentences. I would also like to learn correct punctuation. I like to get my work done early if I can, if its not done I feel that its hanging over my head. I like to pace myself in almost everything that I do, I know that sometimes its not possible with life being so busy, but I try to make things as less stressful as I can. 

   A few things that the class should know about me is that I love English, I like to free write, I am excited to have the opportunity to take this English class online. As I said before I am 6 months pregnant, so I will be giving birth while enrolled in this class, I wanted to be able to still take a class during my pregnancy so that I would not fall behind in my prerequisites. I also love to just hang with my family and friends, watch sports and chill when I can. 

Thanks for taking the time to read a little about me. I look forward to chatting with everyone!

Emily L.