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?

The Demise of a Wise Man

The “Code Breaker”, written by Jim Holt searches for answers that led Alan Turing to suicide or a victim or murder.  Holt wants his readers to question the faith of Turing; for it is difficult to believe that such a practical wise man would want to end his life. When I first started to read “Code Breaker”, I thought I was reading about another war criminal who committed suicide by ingesting cyanide. The only twist to this story was the fact that the so called war criminal was homosexual. It became apparent to me that Holt was perhaps trying to find just cause in his death by revealing all facts no matter how eccentric they may be. Holt appeals to the readers through, eccentricity, logic, and reason, which instils doubt to the cause of death into the mind of the reader.

                 Holt begins painting a very gloom lonely picture of Turing’s life, therefore viewing Turing’s suicide as no mystery.  The demons inside Turing led him down a path of isolation. Holt states, “Alan was a good-looking boy, dreamy, rather clumsy, hopelessly untidy, and not very popular with his classmates” (Holt, 2008 pg. 339). Could the reason for his suicide be a combination of era and homosexuality? Holt sustains his admirable and mysterist tone throughout “Code Breaker” as he describes Turing’s personal challenges.  Although, Turing appeared to be composed and had everything going for him, I still believe he wanted to live a more honest life. According to Holt, Turing “convinced himself that he was in love with her after their night-shift code-breaking.  Having convincing himself that he was in love with her, he proposed marriage, and was eagerly accepted, even after he divulged his “homosexual tendencies” to her. But he later decided it wouldn’t work and broke off the engagement” ( Pg. 342).

                It was Turing success which initiates questions to his mental state at the time of his death. He had succeeded at breaking the codes of Enigma, which was considered to be impossible. Holt states, “Command refused to believe that the Enigma could have been broken, suspecting espionage and treachery” (Holt, 2008 pg.342). Not only did Turing save “countless lives” (pg.346), he simplified life for generations to come, by creating the “Turing Machine”.

                Holt captivates the reader by creating mystery to Turing death, while he searches for reason. At times Turing’s life seemed lonely and undesirable, although at the time of his death his life seemed to be on the mend, and going in a positive direction. No one in Turing’s life would have suspected such a dismal end to his life. Even Turing’s mother “insisted that her son must have accidently ingested something from something from one of the chemical experiments he conducted at home” (Holt, 2008, pg. 346).

                Was Turing murdered for being too wise? Or were the signs of Turing’s unhappiness that led to his tragic end.  Maybe part of his success was because he had no other passion in his life. Turing already accomplished everything he set out to accomplish, so perhaps there was nothing left holding him back from letting go of his loneliness.

               

                Do you believe Turing’s suicide was related to his homosexuality?

The Silent Victim

“Women Confronting War” by, Jennifer Turpin explores the challenges civilian women encounter during war. Turpin, who now holds an associated faculty position at the European University Center for Peace studies; gives the reader specific facts about the violent acts that occur against women during time of war. While the men are fighting to be heroes, the women are left in the battlefield having to overcome death, rape, and poverty. Turpin uses logical appeal to announce the overlooked victims of war, the women. Women not only fight for freedom but fight each day for their lives and the lives of their children.

               Turpin utilizes her knowledge as she captivates her readers with the horrendous statistics of women casualties.  When hearing about the casualties of war, women are seldom mentioned, probably because “many people assume that women are unlikely to die in wars, since so few women serve in the armed forces worldwide” (Turpin, pg325). It is difficult not to be lured into story and curious as you read the overwhelming statistics, “While 50 percent of World War II casualties were civilians, in the 1980s this figure rose to 80 percent, and the 1990 it was a staggering 90 percent” (Turpin, pg. 325).  It is difficult to believe these overwhelming numbers if Turpin did not prove to be a credible source.

               The research unraveled in this story, paints a gloomy picture to the suffering surviving women face. It makes you wonder if survival is the women’s worst demise.  Turpins educational tone does not change as she tells the facts of wartime rape. Unfortunately, women were being victimized for being women. Both young and old were raped. Turpin states, “Everyone heard everything, all of the screams” (Turpin, pg. 326). It is not apparent to why rapes occur during war, however, “ethnic cleansing” (Turpin, pg.  326) seems to be just an excuse. After reading the facts, I believe rape occurs during war, because it is tolerated.

               Most often forgotten, are the ones who are left behind. It is the women and children that are left to survive with nothing. It was said that, “By the year of 1992 more than 46 million people has lost their home; about 36 million of these were women and children” (Turpin, pg. 325). Refugees are often victimized again by being led into prostitution. Women who are known as the peacemakers are the prey for all crimes against humanity during time of war.

               After reading “Women Confronting War”, I am left wondering why the soldiers who are fighting for their country had no way to protect wives and children. Turpin reveals the chilling facts of the many women and children who suffer in our wars. Women are silent victims that were not heard until the story of “Women Confronting War.”

What can be done to prevent violence against women during time of war?

              

              

In Search of Reason

                It was shortly after a flurry of mass school shootings, that the media publicized their interpretation to why these events transpired. While violence is prevalent in our society, mass killings seem somewhat unusual.  In the essay “There are no lessons to be learned from Littletown”, by Gary Kleck, he evaluates the many excuses to why such travesties occur. It was pertinent for the media to diagnose the situation that caused the  massacres in Littletown, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Arkansas, so potentially these would become isolated incidents. It would become a hopeless cause, as so many variables came in to place. Kleck illustrates the complexity of finding the reason behind these isolated  horrific crimes. There are many factors to why these massacres take place such as; security, gun control regulations, neglectful parenting, and the list goes on. Kleck states, “In a typical commentary, a writer would diagnose one or more key problems that supposedly contributed to the killings, and then prescribe on more solution.”

               

There have been many discussions about gun security in schools and for at home. Metal detectors have been put into some schools, however this would not have deterred the armed adolescents from shooting past security on his way into the school. It would seem logical that parents would lock up their guns to prevent access to their children; unfortunately not all parents are logical. Lack of security can definitely be a factor, but all security measures have their flaws.  

            It is speculated that stiffer gun regulations would have prevented these massacres, and that perhaps background checks should be more extensive. Although, perpetrators like the one related to the Littletown murders would have passed a background check, because “killers who plan their murders over a long period of time are the people least likely to be blocked from getting a gun by a background check.”  It is also apparent that the killers are resourceful at getting what they need, regardless of the laws that are in place.

It is also unknown  how the parents of the perpetrator could have missed any sign that their son was about to commit this horrific crime, however, it is difficult to know what is happening in the minds of teenagers.  In most families today both parents work, and are preoccupied with the chores of daily life. Society and the media will always search for the answers close to home; however, parents are searching for the same answers.

                There are many unknown answers even Kleck a professor of Criminology searches for the reasons, so hopefully these tragic events will never reoccur. Kleck’s “purpose of the essay is not to sort out which diagnoses are correct. Many of them are plausible, and some are probably even accurate.” Only the perpetrator knows why he committed the crime, and every perpetrator has evolved from different circumstances.

Do you believe that these school shootings would be prevented by putting the same gun regulations in place that we have in Canada?

               

Media Madness

Media Madness

It is astounding to read the statistics on the violence that is occurring, especially by our children. “Aggression: The Impact of Media Violence”, by Sessile Bok theorizes about how we perceive what we see on the television, and how viewers are affected.  While television has been link to a variety of societal problems, it is producing a more violent generation from desensitization, tolerance, and denial. Bok is concerned that the violence by our young will only get progressively worse; unless we change the filth young viewers are exposed to from their televisions.

Each year the violence that we witness on our television intensifies.  It is becoming difficult to find programs to watch that are not violent, even sports are becoming increasingly violent. People are interested in watching something that has a certain amount of bloodshed. When you watch a horror film from the past, it is almost comical.  We are being desensitized to violent acts like shootings; shootings are not quite gory enough. Now movies contain images of people getting tortured causing the most possible pain to their victims and most us don’t even cringe. Even when you watch the news, the camera zooms in on the blood scattered on the ground. We are lowering our standards to what is permissible to pass through our television screens “this is lowering of barriers may be assisted by the failure of empathy that comes with the growing desensitization, and intensified to the extent that the viewers develop an appetite for violence-something that may lead to still greater desire for violent programs and, in turn, even greater desensitization.”

                We as society are becoming more tolerant to what is acceptable for our young to watch on the television, and what video games they are allowed to play. There are people who have trust in our laws to protect us against things that our detrimental, however, sometimes we are failed “ Think of a film as a product, something created and brought to market, not too dissimilar from breast implants. Though the law has yet to declare movies to be products, it is only a small step away.” Even though the laws are not protecting us from this television madness, we can still filter what we allow are children to watch at home.

                In order for change to take place society has to come to the conclusion that television is causing an increase in violence.  Society is addicted to the entertainment to get from their televisions, therefore, why would they want to take that fun away. People don’t see the long term consequences to their fun, because there is no solid evidence that watching the TV creates violent monsters, “Nevertheless, the evidence indicates that if hypothetically, television technology had never been developed, there would today be 10,000 fewer homicides each year in the United States, 70,000 fewer rapes, and 700,000 fewer injurious assaults. Violent crime would be half of what it now is.” The evidence is change in society from what it was before the introduction of television, and that cannot be denied.

                Reading “Aggression: The Impact of Media Violence”, has made me more conscious of what my children and I are expose to from the media, and the long term affects.  Every reader of this article should be more aware of the dangers of television, and stop allowing the violence to enter their home.

               

                Do believe violent sports like UFC are too violent for young viewers?