A Unique Style

     “How to write with style”, by Kurt Vonnegut was very enjoyable to read. Many people fear the idea of having to write a story or essay, however, Vonnegut’s passion is to make people feel at ease when it comes to writing. When people write they tend to complicate their writing by using big words or showing off their grammatical skills. Vonnegut appeals to his readers by using the rhetorical appeal “Pathos. Vonnegut’s believes it is important to “write accurately” (Vonnegut, 1980 pg.67). The most important part of writing is the style a writer uses. Vonnegut believes a writer will be a more successful writer if they write the way they speak, writes simple phrases, and writes about something they are passionate about.

       Vonnegut tone in “How to write with style” is very inspirational and positive.  He encourages people to express their thoughts in writing the way they speak. He states, “all these varieties of speech are beautiful, just as the varieties of butterflies are beautiful” (Vonnegut, 1980 pg.67).I believes it helps personalize the story if people write the way they speak. Sometimes reading something with no playfulness in tone or vocabulary can just feel like you are reading a boring report. I think Vonnegut makes a very strong point when he says, “I myself find that I trust my own writing most, and others seem to trust it most, too, when I sound most like the person from Indianapolis, which is what I am” (Vonnegut, 1980 Pg.67). If an author changes his/hers speech, it is difficult to believe what he or she is saying, or to feel connected to the reader.

                The best advice to the reader from Vonnegut is to, keep things simple. There is nothing worse than reading some piece of literature, and needing to refer to your dictionary every two seconds. I find it really frustrating when people make thoughts too complex.  Reading should be relaxing and fun, not homework. Vonnegut states, “William Shakespeare and James Joyce wrote sentences which were almost childlike when their subjects were most profound” (Vonnegut, 1980 pg.66). Even though, some of the best authors wrote in simplistic form, many of us still feel our writing is inadequate if it is not complicated.

                You can feel the passion in Vonnegut tone when he says, “find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about “(Vonnegut, 1980 pg. 66). It is painstakingly obvious when someone is writing about a topic that they have no interest in. If only students had more choices of topics they could write about. I truly believe students would produce much better grades if they could write what they were passionate about.

                Every English student should start class with reading “How to write with style”. I found the advice given in this literature to be extremely useful as an English student.  I believe sometimes people focus too much on the grammatical rules, and they lose their creative flow in the process. The eight writing tips given from Vonnegut in “How to write with style; are going to help me write in years to come.

Do you believe students would be penalized if they wrote in English that was different from the English we use here in Canada?

The Face of a Terrorist

When I starting reading, “Kamikaze Pilots”, written by Yuki Tanaka I thought that Tanaka was going to dive into the minds of suicide bombers. I was anticipated to read about the personal stories of these bombers. I wanted to know why so many educated young men would agree to end their own lives for their country. The statistics were staggering. It was difficult to determine which rhetorical strategy Tanaka used in this story. Tanaka used a very logical approach to discussing the difference between heroism and terrorism. It was very apparent to me that Tanaka believed that kamikaze pilots were not much different from the terrorist we know today. 

                Yuki’s tone was educational as he redefines terrorism. In the very first chapter of this story I could easily see the similarities with today’s terrorist and the Kamikaze pilots.  Unfortunately, it is most often the young educated men that have so much to live for that applied to for a position of a Navy Air Cadet.  In 1943 “all healthy males university and college students of humanities, and Social Science, who were 20 years of age or older was introduced.”(Tanaka, 2008, pg. 294). When I read through the statistics of many men who sacrificed their lives, I generalized the idea that such large numbers of men would not agree to the insanity of suicide attacks.  Terrorist are usually a smaller group of people who are extremist.  As I read further into “kamikaze Pilots”, I started to see some association with suicide bombers. Basically, “terrorist suicide bombers”, and Kamikaze Pilots die for many of the same reason. Tanaka states, “The concept of killing the enemy, as opposed to fighting for “country” was simply lacking in their thinking.”(Tanaka, 2008, pg.297).These bombers thought that they were true heroes because their actions were warranted by their government, whereas, suicide terrorist act upon the beliefs of organizations.  It is stated that “Ritualized violence and brutality as exemplified by suicide attack may constitute the most negative manifestation of human being’s desire to let one’s own people live by sacrificing one’s own life.” (Tanaka, 2008, pg. 299).  The only difference between Kamikaze Pilots and suicide bombers is one is brainwash to die for their country and the other is brainwash to die for their religious beliefs.

                After reading “Kamikaze Pilots”, I have a different perception on what defines a suicide bomber. I think it would be easy to accuse Tanaka of dishonoring the men who have died to protect their country; however, his message was not meant to dishonor, but to illustrate a different kind of terrorism that occurs in our Wars today.

Do you believe that Kamikaze Pilot's have the same mentality as the suicide bombers we hear about today?

The Power Of Outsourcing

               “30 Turtles” written by Thomas Friedman sheds new light into outsourcing. A large number of people believe that outsourcing takes jobs away from their own people; however, most fail to recognize the positive affects it has on people in other parts of the world. Outsourcing in India builds self esteem, liberates women, and the ability to provide for themselves and their family.  After reading “30 Turtles”, it is apparent that the employees in the call centers in India are not exploited children working for long hours for a few pennies. Call centers in India are not sweat shops.  Thomas appeals to his readers by using the rhetorical strategy “Pathos.”

               When reading “30 Turtles” you can feel the emotion in Thomas’s voice as he discusses outsourcing in India and how it has changed the life for the better for many people. Thomas’s tone is positive as he describes the people that work in a Call Center. The men and women that are employed in these call centers, are people with educations that enjoy helping customers with problems, such as technical problems. One employee say’s, “his day is made when an Americans calls in with a problem and is actually happy to hear an Indian voice” (Friedman, 2008, pg.177).  Another employee says, “What she got out of the work is self confidence” (p.177).  These so call sweat shop overseas builds self esteem and confidence to so many young educated men and women that would have no other options.

               Many women in India marry because there is no other option, therefore, countries outsourcing in India liberate these women by giving them employment.  The women that work at these call centers are “using the job to get M.B.A.’s and other degrees on the side” (Friedman, 2008 pg.177).  Thomas’s non-economical approach illustrates the importance to rethink outsourcing as a way to save the dignity of many women.

               Most westerner’s believe that the people working in these call centers are making little to no money for these jobs, however, the amount of money they make helps support their entire family.  Thomas states “Most of them live at home and turn over part of their salaries to their parents, so their whole family benefits” (Friedman, 2008 pg.176). These people become self sufficient and live a satisfying life. It is said that “Many have credit cards and have become real consumers, including U.S. goods, for the first time” (p.176).

               After reading “30 Turtles” the reader is left wondering if maybe the world spends too much time complaining about the negative economic impacts on their country they outsource. When perhaps we should appreciate the benefits that outsourcing has on our youth and youth around the world. It gives youths options, builds self confidence, and perhaps even saves lives.

               Do you think Canada introduced the ‘training wage’ to help build confidence in our youth, as outsourcing has done for youths in other countries?