All I Asking For Is My Body, Part II, Dialogue

Why do Kiyoshi's parents have so many children?

I think that one of the reasons that Kiyoshi’s parents had so many children was because having a big family was in there culture. It was ok to have a big family and to have at least one son so that the first son will work, help support the family and help to put the little siblings through school. I think that if Kiyoshi’s parents had all girls they would keep trying until they get that one boy. 

Another reason why I think that Kiyoshi’s parents had so many children was because they did not know about birth control or condoms. Kiyoshi said, “Now she knew nothing of rubbers, when I knew of them when I was in the third grade. We’d find the used ones, all stinking and rotten at the beach or at the school yard, but the only place that sold them was the drugstore in Pepelau.” I would like to say that Kiyoshi’s parents would have used condoms if they knew what they were.

 I think that Kiyoshi’s mother was a little ashamed when she got pregnant with Jyun. She was afraid to tell her sons that she was pregnant. She even asked Kiyo if he was ashamed to have an old mother giving birth. When Kiyoshi’s mother was in the hospital, she stated, “Someday when you get married, you should learn how the haoles do it, how they have so few children. You should not have more than three children. It’s too hard.” That statement tells me that she did not really want to have another baby let alone plan to have another child. It just happened and there was no alternative back then like there is now.

Writing topic: Sentence Structure

The chapter that I reviewed was the chapter on sentence structure and the challenges that multilingual students have when writing sentences. In the English sentence there has to be a link between the subject and its complement.  A complement is nouns or adjectives that rename or describe the subject.  An example is, Natalie smart. Natalie is smart. In every sentence a verb and a subject must be included. Some languages like Spanish or Japanese do not require a subject in every sentence, however, the English language does. Most of the time the subject shows before the verb but it does not always happen that way.

Another important rule is to not use both a noun and a pronoun to perform the same grammatical function in a sentence. In a sentence there is no need to repeat the subject in its own sentence. For example, the dentist she told me to floss. She is a pronoun and can’t repeat the subject which is the dentist. Also, repeating an object or an adverb in an adjective sentence. An adjective sentence is a sentence that starts with relative pronouns or relative adverbs like who, whom, whose, where, or when.  This is an example of a sentence that would not work.

 The dog ran under the car that it was parked on the street.

In that sentence the pronoun is that is the subject of the adjective sentence, so it which is a pronoun cannot be used as the subject.

The last rule that I felt that was important to learn is distinguishing between present and past participles used as adjectives. The way to distinguish between present and past participles is the present participles usually end in ing. I.e. confusing, speaking, and boring. Past participles usually end in ed, i.e. confused, spoken, bored. Both past and present can be used as adjectives.

What I can do to utilize this information is to apply it. I know now how to distinguish between past and present participles, so now when I write I will make sure that when I am talking about the past I will make sure that I use participles that end in ed. I will also make sure that I use a subject in every sentence. I am not bilingual so I don’t have the same challenges with English like someone that is bilingual might have. I put my daughter in a language academy charter school so she can learn English and Spanish at an early age. Spanish and English are very different languages, and some things that she learns in Spanish she will apply in English also. The information in this chapter is great for myself and for when I have to teach others.

What role does forgiveness play in Smoke Signals? 

In the movie Smoke Signals, Victor was a character that carried a lot of hurt and anger with him. The anger Victor felt came from the way Victor was treated by his father. Victor’s father, Arnold, ran out on his family and Victor was devastated. When Arnold died, Victor did not want to go into the trailer and get his father’s belonging. Victor was so angry that he couldn’t allow himself to obtain his father’s possessions and ashes, until he forgave his father. Arnold did not have to be alive for Victor to forgive him. Victor forgiving his father was more for Victor and not his father. It was for Victor to heal from the past wounds and move forward and grow. That is what forgiveness is all about. It is about not allowing oneself to be the victim anymore.

Forgiveness is an essential part of life. It is important in family, friends, love and even in strangers.  For example, when someone cuts you off on the road, holding the frustration, revenge and anger in won’t be good for yourself. It will result in negative energy that stays with you. That negative energy can sometimes be displaced on an innocent friend, family member or loved one. Forgiving someone does not mean that you condone what they did, but rather accepting the situation, moving forward and allowing yourself to heal.  It is possible to forgive another person and not talk to them. For example, in a relationship if your significant other has an affair, just because you forgave that person does not mean that you still have to stay with that person. You can forgive them and let them go, because it is not for them. It is for you. It is simply accepting the situation for what it is, being able to put it behind you.

Not being able to forgive someone is a personal battle. There is no way to make peace with yourself until you forgive. Even in major situations like murder. Some might say that in a murder situation, it is ok to not forgive. I think that especially in a major situation like that it is important to forgive.

Forgiveness is part of a healing process.  There are extreme cases in which some people might not be able to forgive an individual for what they have done or even when an individual cannot forgive themselves for their actions.  For those that cannot find the strength to forgive others, healing has not been able to take place.  In Victor’s case, the anger and resentment he felt towards his father was something Victor held onto for so long, even after his father’s passing.  Victor’s issues with his father could have been seen as the source of his attitude and mistreatment towards people, especially Thomas.  Victor was holding on to the hurt he felt from his father leaving and channeled the energy into violence and negative energy.  The victims of his rage never deserved what the way Victor treated them, but that was Victors way of not dealing with the bigger issue he was dealing with; abandonment.

When Victor forgave his father it helped him to realize how he was treating Thomas. He apologized to Thomas about the car accident, and then he apologized for all of the accidents from the past. I think that when you bring yourself to come to forgive, it changes you. When Victor gave Thomas half the ashes, he proved that he was a better person at that moment then he was before they took the trip. That is a major reason why it is important to give yourself the peace of mind and freedom of no burden and stress. It is necessary to free yourself of the little weight that sits on your shoulders from tension that is held in. It is good to move forward. Change is constant and very crucial element in the process of healing through forgiveness. By Victor forgiving his father was able to free himself from the control of his father.

It is not easy to forgive someone. It is a process and it has to be worked at even after making the change. There has to be a commitment to staying dedicated. For Thomas, it seemed like it was easy for him to forgive. There were many times when Thomas could have held a grudge for example when Victor beat him up or the many times when he was treated as an outcast. However, Thomas had the spirit of a child.  That kind of spirit is very unique and definitely contributed Thomas being able to forgive people better than most.

Forgiveness was a significant role in Smoke Signals. It showed that the importance of forgiveness. It showed what not being able to forgive someone does to a person. In the movie, Arnold accidentally started the fire. He never could forgive himself from what he did. He held onto that tough situation and letting it eat at him all the while. Arnold turned to alcohol and he tried to run away from the issue. It eventually killed him. That was an extreme situation of what can happen if you don’t give yourself the opportunity to heal and forgive. On the other hand, the movie explains through Victor forgiving his father the relief of what forgiveness can do. Forgiveness played a huge role in Smoke Signals.

One thing that I thought to be different from the film was how the character of Thomas was more examined. In the film, most of the flashbacks were about Victor whereas in the film we saw more of Thomas. It was interesting to see how intuitive Thomas is. The story explained how Thomas would just show up at exactly the right time and answer all of Victor's questions, without Victor even saying anything. It was like Thomas felt victor's worries and could read his mind. 

 I thought from the movie that Thomas was spirited and had positive vibes but the story was confirmation of his intuitive nature. This did not change the meaning or my perspective of the characters for me. It was good to hear more from Thomas and his explanation of things. For example, his story about when Victor's dad took him to Dennys. It just so happen that they ran into each other when Thomas was on a spiritual adventure. It wasn't like Victor's dad picked Thomas up and took him out to eat. 

Rules for Writers Chapter 52 Writing MLA Papers

When writing a paper in MLA style you have to form a tentative thesis. A thesis is one sentence statement of your main idea. Then you want to organize your evidence. Make sure that your evidence supports your thesis.  The body of the paper will be for your evidence, so that you can explain terms, provide background information and examples that support your claim.
When writing an essay you want to make sure that all of your sources are cited so that you will avoid plagiarism. Any phrase that is borrowed must be cited. The only information that does not need to be cited was anything that is common knowledge. There is different ways to cite sources depending on whether the source comes from a book or whether it is an electronic source. At the end of the paper you have to make a list of the work cited. It has to be an alphabetical order.
I will use this style of writing when I do my essays for now on. I will make sure that all of my work that I actually cite in my essay will be cited to prevent plagiarism. I will make sure that only the work that I cite will be placed on the work cited page at the end of my essay. The last paper I turned in, I put all of my sources on the work cited page even though some of the sources I didn't use in my essay. Now I know better. 

Smoke Signals

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

Thomas has this free spirit that I enjoyed watching. He thinks of Victor as his brother and considers Victor's dad Arnold to be like a father to him. Thoma's spirit was so open and free that he didn't get too bothered all of those times that Victor beat him up or bullied him around. What I think that Thomas didn't realize was how hurt Victor was inside. Thomas constantly talked positive about Arnold and that bothered Victor. 
Victor was a little jealous of Thomas, I think that is why he always picked on him. Thomas was saved by the fire by Arnold and Victor wanted to be the child that was saved. Victor didn't like to hear the stories about his father because he didn't experience the stories like Thomas did. He saw a different side of his dad. He experienced an alcoholic father that would slap him and his mother around. 
Victor eventually understood why his father treated Thomas like a son and was so great to him. Victor's father was responsible for killing Thomas's parents. He started the fire. It makes since that he tried his best to be like a father figure to Thomas. Once Victor figured out that his dad killed Thoma's parents, he knew that his dad was doing everything in his power to try and make up for what he did. When Victor gave half of his father's ashes to Thomas, that was his way of saying that my dad was your dad too. 
Their relationship needed work in the beginning  because of the misunderstanding and grudge that Victor held towards Thomas. Once those misunderstandings where cleared up, their relationship is destined for greatness.

Happy Endings," Obituary," and "Oompah Loompah

 "What is your response to Harvey?"

Harvey has good intentions. He seems like a passionate teacher that wants the students to be the best they can be. I do understand why he wants his students to learn to talk proper English. Talking in pidgin is not professional in the corporate world and it will only get you so far. However, the way he speaks to the students can be adjusted. When he stated, "cut the crap, stop playing these goddamn plantation games," did not sit right  with me. I felt that he was impatient and rude. The students need to feel comfortable.

Harvey has to understand that these students talk the way they talk because that is who they are. Pidgin is their comfort zone. It's their family, culture, home and everything that reminds them of where they come from. To me it sounds like Harvey doesn't like who the students are in general and wants them to be more like him. American. I think that  Harvey has to ask himself, is there a way to teach these students to speak proper English without making them feel dumb and small. Without making them feel like the American way is the only way and right way. Why does he get to say that the American way of talking is the correct way anyway. The students feel small because of how Harvey speaks to them. He seems to get agitated and that anger and negative energy won't get through to the students. I actually understand if the students rebel against him and his way of teaching.

My response to Harvey would be to stop being so impatient, stop acting like the bully and make your students feel comfortable and excited about learning English. Make them feel like they are learning an additional language and not trying to change their language and who they are. You have to understand where these kids are coming from and not belittle them. If you get so upset because the children are not catching on as fast as you would like, change your teaching style or get a new job. You say, "you need me more than I need you," but the kids actually don't need you if that is the way you are going to be.

Rules for Writers Chapter 48

This topic was about evaluating arguments. When evaluating arguments you have to look to see if it is fair or not, if there is logic and if there is reasonable, relevant evidence that supports the argument. Knowing between reasonable and fallacious argument tactics is key. Fallacies are not true and misguided. Logical fallacies is a number of reasonable argumentative tactics.
Generalizing happens all the time. This is when we make a conclusion from an arrange of facts but it is not certain. It deals with what is probable. Hasty generalization is when a conclusion is based on evidence that is insufficient. In order to avoid from hasty generalization you have to make sure that the evidence is representative, sufficient and relevant.
Drawing analogies can be helpful in an argument to make your case. An analogy is when the writer points out what is similar between two things that are otherwise different. Lawyers use this as a strategy all the time. They will bring up a previous case that was won and attempt to show how that case is similar to the current one.
Deducing conclusion is when we put all of the given information together to see if it is true. A conclusion is when all of that information is true. The premise and all supporting content must be true in order for the conclusion is to be true. With all of the information that is given to make a conclusion, you have to decide whether the information is legitimate or unfair emotional appeals. Some arguments can get emotional. It is alright to use an emotional argument as a tactic. However, you have to look out for unfair emotional appeals that will try to make you feel sympathy.
I will make sure that when I evaluate arguments I will not untrue and misguided information. I want all of my statements to be true and proven so that my argument captures the audience that I am trying to reach and sides with me. Another thing that I will make sure I do when I evaluate an argument is make sure that I mention the opposing parties view. I want my audience to gain some kind of respect for me so that they will believe in my argument. I want to state the opposing parties view point so that I can put all of the information on the table so that the audience can really understand why my views are better.

Writing topic: Writing about fiction

To write about fiction, you have to really understand what you are reading. Reading closely allows you to actively and critically engage in what you are reading. There steps that you can use to actively read your text. The first step is highlighting your text. Don't over use the highlighter, only highlight key phrases. When you highlight something, make sure that you are making notes in the margin. Another step is annotating the text. Write any comments, questions or critical thoughts in the margin. Keeping a notebook to do freewrites is also a step when reading closely.

Avoid the following pitfalls when writing about fiction. Plot summary syndrome is when you recall the story in details. Right answer roulette is when the writer attempts to guess the "right answer" instead of applying critical thinking and ideas. The everything is subjective shuffle is another pitfall. It is the need to have prove each idea to specifics of the text. The how can you write 500 words about one short story blues. This is when you just write the essay without applying critical thinking or ideas to the text. This will lead to repeating the same ideas in different words.

When developing your thesis, use your notes. Write about your questions and ideas and answer them. Once you have found your answers to the questions, you have your thesis. You can use activities to help with drafting your essay. Review, freewrites, research and evaluation is a way to prepare yourself when doing a draft essay. Technieques such as inserting quotes, summarizing and paraphrasing can be used when writing the essay. Quotes are used to make an important point on the thesis, paraphrasing is putting the author's text in your own words, and summarizing is summing up the large text into smaller sentences.

I plan on taking good notes when I read. I find that it is helpful and allows me to get the true meaning out of the stories I read. I also plan on using quotes more often. I will use only quotes that will give strong support to my thesis. When I write, I am going to put more critical thinking into my work. I tend to be the victim if pitfalls. Specifically, the right answer roulette. I have to understand that there is no right answer and I have to make sure that I express my thoughts, ideas and critical thinking questions.

Rules for Writers Chapter 47

In chapter 47 it discussed arguments. When writing an argument you are taking a stand on an issue. You have to do some research to see if the argument is in a social or intellectual context. Social arguments will be conducted in public places with groups that both have competitive arguments. In intellectual debates, specific field specialist help contribute by refining other viewpoints. Understanding the context of the argument will be an advantage.

You have to imagine your audience as a panal of jurors that has a variety of opinions. You can't ever assume that your audience is automatically on your side with the issue. Knowing your audience and who you are trying to reach.

In the introduction of the argument, you want your claim to be obvious and clear.  You want to use that opportunity to connect with the audience and show them why they need to consider your issue. In the body of the argument, that is used to show evidence that supports your essay. Using statistics, facts, and experts opinion are all examples of evidence that will back up your claim. Facts and stats are good to use because they are known to have been verified. When using expert opinions, you have to make sure that the expert has credentials and is in fact an expert in that field.
It is always good to research opposing claims so that you can be prepared. Having opposing arguments in your argument shows that you are examining both sides and that you are a well informed reader.

When I write an essay I will definitely make sure that I have strong evidence that supports my claims. My evidence will be facts and stats because I want to have the satisfaction of knowing that my premises are strong and true. I will put opposing arguments in my essay after my thesis is clearly states but before my supported argument. The reason why I want the opposing viewpoints in my arguments is because I want my readers to know that I am reasonable and that I have did my homework and looked at all sides. In my introduction, I want to catch the audience and clearly state my claim. By the time that I am done with my introduction, I would like my readers to be fully engaged and be seriously considering my claim statement.

Essay two

Family plays a huge role in shaping a person’s identity. It starts with experiences while growing up that a person either agrees with or disagrees with that will shape a person’s identity. For example, if a child constantly sees his parent’s fighting, that child can either grow up to never want to fight in front of their children or can become distant and not even want to get in a relationship in fears of being like their parents. A person can also go to a certain college and have goals of being a doctor just because their father and grandfather did just that. That is another example of how family contributes to the characteristics of identity. Some things are not controllable for example a person’s I.Q. or body shape. Family genetics that are passed down also helps shape a person’s identity.

In the Joy’s of Reading and Writing this character experienced while growing up that he lived in poverty, in fear and that he, as an Indian boy, probably would not amount to anything. His father loved books and because he loved his father he wanted to like books as well. He became very smart, good reader and determined to be different.

His identity was definitely shaped by his family. He actually learned from his family in the sense that he didn’t want to be like them. He didn’t want to end up like them and he wanted to break the barrier of what was expected of a “typical Indian boy.” He wanted to be smart and achieve something in life. He didn’t want to have a minimum wage job like his parents. His father was the one that introduced him to books shall I say and because of that he became the person he is.

In the story, Shooting Dad Sarah’s father in particular was a Republican and an advocate for guns. He had strong beliefs and would stand up for what he believed in. He would not hold back just because someone else didn’t agree with his belief or way of thinking. Guns would lie around the house, around the kids like newspaper.

 Sarah’s identity was shaped by her family experience and just like the character in the Joy’s of Reading and Writing became somewhat opposite of her family. She was the opposite in the sense that she didn’t believe in the same political views and guns as her family. She grew up to not like guns at all and to be against the idea of having them lying around the house. However, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. She was actually like her father when it came to standing up for what she believed in and speaking her mind. Also, being passionate about projects and hobbies that she was into was another characteristic that was something that she took from her parents.

In the story Coming Again, his mother taught him how to cook. Although she wanted him to grow up and not be in the kitchen so much, the kitchen was the place where he felt comfortable. He watched his mother cook and found that was something he enjoyed as well. Just like the rest of the characters the experiences and actions that occurs around him, he learns from and applies to his life. For example, eating around the table with family was really important to them. That was the time for family bonding. He will then grow up and do the same with his children or not, either way his family initially shaped his personality.

 Personality is a result of the interaction with family and the environment that family has created. A person grows up to learn to be like family or learns from family. Whichever the case may be initially family shapes a person’s identity.