Menzel Photos Response

By going through the pictures, I've became more aware that people will basically eat anything they can eat. Most of the pictures also show how a whole family will have to ration what they eat, so that they're able to eat a small amount of food for one week. Some people only have access to certain types of foods, and that's what their meals consist of. Some countries will even serve bugs, because that's what they have an abundance of. In some places, all they have is rice, potatoes, and other veggies, and that's what their diets consist of. As an American, I'm blessed to have such a large variety of food to choose from.

Extra Credit 9/26/11

The Cooking Ape

Even though, I'm sure Wrangham's theory has caused controversy, because most people believe humans were created by a "higher power", God, most of the reviews I found were fairly neutral. In the article I read by Simon Ings, he's acceptable to Wrangham's point of view. He can identify and understand with where Wrangham is coming from. Ing believes that Wrangham does a good job of stating his theory, then giving legitimate reasoning for where his thoughts came from, such as stating how humans got their teeth, jawlines, and eating habits. Ing believes that Wrangham's thoughts are "compelling" and accurate.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/6250132/Catching-Fire-How-Cooking-Made-Us-Human-by-Richard-Wrangham-review.html

Responses 9/26/11

The Cooking Ape - Prompt #1

1. Wrangham mentions that by cooking food, our calorie intake has increased and that has helped the evolution of primates into humans. He also states that the difference between a primate's mouth, and ours, is that our mouth has been changed so that we're able to chew things that have been cooked. Wrangham also states that there's a correlation between the male roles of thousands of years ago, to their roles now. They rely on someone else to cook their meals for them, so that they're able to eat. He thinks that the first cooked meals were made by those less superior, but then eaten by those that were actually in charge; survival of the fittest.

The Pleasures of Eating - Prompt # 3

1. Since most of us live on campus, we can't necessarily grow our own food, but we can look for fruits to eat, or ask what's in certain things we eat before we choose to buy them.
2. As a college student, I do have cups of noodles, macaroni and cheese, and easy meals I can prepare like that, and that's basically the only way I'm able to make my own food. But by making my own cup of noodles, I am more conscious of what I am eating.
3. In the Russell House, we can probably ask people where the food is coming from that we eat. I'm sure someone would have to know the origin of it.
4. I guess if we really wanted to, we could find local farm's market, and purchase more fruits or veggies that we didn't have to cook, so we could easily eat them.
5. We could stuff up online about what's added into our food that we're eating.
6. We could also look up online about farming and gardening.
7. Be more aware of the things around us.

9/20/11

• Did I elaborate enough on each of my points?
• Are my thoughts well developed and easy to understand?
• Did I repeat things when I shouldn't have and did I stay on topic?
• Did I give enough information from the text to support what I was trying to say?

By creating a story-based piece, Kahn is able to get his points across in a way that is easy to read, follow, and understand. Most of Kahn's sentences are fairly short and to the point. He rarely uses sentences with multiple parts to them, and his vocabulary stays basic. "A man gunned down on a busy street. No identifying witnesses; no suspects. In this, James Wise's murder was typical". (Kahn, 58) This is a perfect example of how concise Kahn makes things. By putting his thoughts and words into short, little parts, he's able to build imagery and create an imagine of the things that are occurring, in our minds. His short sentences aren't the only thing helping create pictures in our minds, his actual words are, too. "A prisoner in his own home", "electronically shackled", "wail of police sirens", and "haunt the city", all are very loaded phrases. Not only are his sentences broken down, but the entire text is as well. Kahn does an amazing job at breaking down the text into different sections that makes the entire piece easier to understand. By breaking the text up, he's giving us time to collect our thoughts on what we just read before we start reading the next part.

SWA #7 The Story of a Snitch

Title: Snitches Get Stitches; Punishment for Talking
Thesis: Jeremy Kahn explicitly makes his point that giving up information to the police automatically makes you a snitch, and snitches do get harmed, through the use of strong pathos, engaging style, and concise points.

I. Kahn's approach to using pathos through his piece is very cunning but direct.
      A. Curious
          1. story starts off describing this man's life, and you instantly are questioning what he did to end up being "cooped up, a prisoner in his own home"
          2. Dowery turning around and finding two men following him raises flags in my mind
     B. Sympathetic
          1. knowing he was shot
          2. knowing that some people are now being patronized because they gave information to the cops
          3. Kahn mentions Dowery knowing that his friends were being shot
     C. Fearful
          1. What's going to happen to Dowery?
          2. "Why would you talk to the police? All you are doing is putting a label on yourself" (Kahn, 59)
II. By creating a story based piece, Kahn is able to get his point across in a way that's easy to read, follow, and understand.
     A. Short sentences
          1. Kahn's short sentences makes things curt and precise.
          2. "A man gunned down on a busy street. No identifying witnesses; no suspects. In this, James Wise's murder was typical." (Kahn, 58). < Use of short sentences made the image of what was happening, clear.
     B. Sections broken down into stories
          1. By breaking things down into chunks, it was easier to understand, and read.
          2. Gave you time to digest what you just read
     C. Imagery
          1. "a prisoner in his own home" pg. 55
          2. "electronically shackled to his house" pg. 57
          3. "wail of police sirens" pg. 57
          4. "haunt the city" pg. 59
III. It is made clear from the beginning, by Kahn, that those getting killed on the streets for giving information is a common and realistic thing.
     A. Ethos
          1. He's credible because he's a journalist who's ideas have been published in many papers/magazines; if they didn't find it relevant or true, they wouldn't have published it.
          2. He gives facts about the events that happened; dates, names, etc.
     B. Persuasiveness/Audience
          1. targeting an audience that's not familiar with gang activities, and crimes
          2. could be interpreted differently by those who live in an environment that Kahn describes, they could agree, or find what he says no true
Conclusion: Although, Kahn could have explored the ideas of how people who do give the police information has effected things in a positive manner, he does an excellent job of catching people's attention and making them aware of what's going on in a clear and interesting way.

Carolina Reader 9/13/11

The Story of a Snitch by Jeremy Kahn, pg. 55
- The argument that the author is making that if you are a criminal and end up giving information to the police about other crimes, you're labeled as a snitch. Often, bad things happen to snitches, and no one really comes forward, because no one wants to be killed or harmed for giving police information that they need to solve crimes.
- The strategies the author uses to portray his points, is by telling stories to give examples. Kahn talks about John Dowery Jr. and the story of his life and shooting, in order to let the readers know what happens to snitches.
- Kahn establishes ethos by giving full details about what happened. Kahn is able to give dates, and times, which makes him seem like he fully knows what he is talking about. He gives facts, and then explains them, fully. He also uses quotes and other resources to validate what he is saying. Kahn's appeal to pathos is definitely centered around making us feel sorry for the position that some people get themselves into. It's definitely sad that you can end up getting hurt by doing what you feel like is the right thing. He definitely wants us to feel sympathetic and understanding towards Dowery's decision to tell what happened, because he mentions how Dowery feels when he saw and knew his friend had been killed.

Memoirs of a Woman Doctor by Nawal el-Saadawi, pg. 275
- This passage is about a young girl who starts turning into a young woman, and how she doesn't like, and tries to reject those changes.
- The author's argument is built off of her story of her life. She tells what is happening to her, and how it makes her feel. She gives examples and then explains them. She also compares herself to her brother and how she doesn't like how he's treated in relation to how she's treated. She despises the fact that he's basically free to do whatever he wants, while she cannot.
- The author's ethos are established by the fact that she's telling about something that happened in her life. This makes her credible because it actually happened to her. Her pathos are created because she wants us to feel bad that she doesn't feel as free as her brother. She wants us to be empathetic to the fact that she feel oppressed, and held back. She also uses very loaded words to get her points across, such as "an animal immobilizing its prey", "shameful", "woman's bloody tale", etc.

Womb For Rent - For A Price

1. Ellen Goodman starts her writing off by making it seem as though some people are getting involved into "baby production" as a job. She points out that for some women in foreign countries, being a surrogate mother can make them a decade's worth of income in 9 short months. Towards the end of her piece, Goodman starts to touch on more of the ethical views of this "free market approach to baby-making". What if it's dangerous? What rights do the birth mother have? What should the children be told? And if we can't sell into slavery, or sell our children, then what gives us the right to sell our sperm/embryos?

2. Goodman's appeal to pathos include trying to make us feel bad for those who are so poor that they can help a woman out by being a  surrogate mother, and end up making a ton of much needed money for it. By mentioning the woman who saved her money for her son's heart operation, she's wanting us to feel sympathetic to these ladies. By using the quote, "We give them a baby and they give us much-needed money. It's good for them and for us", Goodman is helping us to understand where they are coming from.

3. Kairos; What motivated the author to produce this piece? I think the author was motivated to write this, to open our insights on some of the people that get involved in surrogacy. I think Goodman is also wanting to raise questions in our mind as to the roles these women play in the family/children's lives.

4. What strikes me as memorable about this piece, is the questions Goodman raises at the end. She's right by saying that slavery is illegal, and selling our children is illegal, but surrogacy could fall into that category, so why is it legal? Yes, there are some people who need it and use it positively, but like everything, some people will corrupt the system. It also does make me question the fact that there is a such thing as open adoptions for women who give their children up for adoption, but is there the same thing for if you are a surrogate mother?

Catharine Beecher

I think it's funny that even though Catharine Beecher writes about what a woman's role in a family should be, she was never a wife or a mother. It seems like she is good at giving advice on what other people should do, but she never really followed any of it herself. I do acknowledge the fact that her mother passed away when she was younger and she was left to help take care of her younger siblings, but there is a difference in taking care of your siblings and actually having children of your own. She was a strong activist in women's education, however, and did stress the fact that women should have a wide range on knowledge. But even though she supported education/teaching, she didn't believe in women suffrage.

On The Preservation Of A Good Temper In A Housekeeper

1. Based on the passage, "housekeeper" is being used to represent the woman of the house. According to Beecher, an "equable and cheerful temper" is important because the 'housekeeper' needs to be able to lead by example, and needs to set a calm environment for the children to be able to follow.

2. Beecher's list of considerations include;
     - A woman with a big family should regard her duties as "dignified, important, and difficult.
     - A woman must hold her duties to a high level and must be "elevated above petty temptations".
     - A woman needs to be prepared for her plans to be disrupted, so that when they are, she will be prepared for it.
     - A woman needs to make her plans/arrangement around her family.
     - A woman, not only should create a neat and orderly environment, but also one that's comfortable for her children to grow up in.
     - A woman should maintiain a calm tone of voice no matter what the situation is.

3. Beecher creates an assumption that there are different types of housework available in her story at the end of the passage about the girl who was cooking in the kitchen. The girl who is having to cook in the kitchen plays a different role that what the 'mistress' does. These assumptions complicate Beecher's definition of a "housekeeper", because I originally felt like she was labeling the women of the house as a housekeeper, but towards the end of the passage, she makes it clear that everyone is not the same.