What to Bring?

  In just a few month, I will be going to go to college. Seeing as it is a foreign country, I will have to decide what to bring, and how much I can bring in order for me to be able to pack the things into 2 large luggage, 1 backpack, and 1 computer bag.
  The following is a list of clothes and other accessories that I own (approximately):

• 35 pairs of socks
• 15 pairs of shoes
• 11 hoodies
• 40+ T-shirts
• 20+ shorts
• 25 jackets/coats
• 2 suit jackets
• 4 suit pants
• 2 suit dresses
• 6 dress shirts
• 25+ pants
• 3 scarfs
• 11 tank tops
• 7 work out shirts
• 5 work out shorts
• 7 belts
• 2 laptops
• 1 iPod nano
• 1 electronic dictionary
• 2 cellphones
• 7 rings
• 10+ necklaces
• 8 bracelets
• 1 blanket
• 1 pillow
• 10+ pencils
• 10+ pens
• 1 pencil box
• 100+ novels
• 50+ notebooks

  As you can see from the long, long list above, I have a lot of stuff, and I realize that I have way more things than I actually need. However, I have these things because I want them, and I feel the need for them, even though it's not true.
  From the above list, I can already decide some of the things that I will be bring to the US. I will definitely bring an ample amount of clothing, most likely my hoodies and pants, as well as some socks and shoes, a few T-shirts, jackets/coats, perhaps 1 suit set, 1 scarf, my tank tops, and 1 belt. Also, I will definitely bring my blanket and pillow.
  For accessories, I will only bring the ones that I really like. I will definitely bring all the stationary that I will use, and will also buy a larger supply of them and bring them to the US since stationary is cheaper here than in America. Finally, I will definitely bring my electronics: 1 of my cell phones, 1 of my computers, and my iPod and electronic dictionary.

Satire

  The above picture is a satire. What can this weird, alien looking picture be a satire of, you ask? Well the answer is, this is us - sometime in the future.

  There has been many speculations concerning how the human kind, the homo sapiens, will be evolving. How did someone - someone unknown - come up with a picture like this? The answer is that this someone hypothesized the effects of smart phones on the human kind.

  Well, let's analyze this picture one step at a time. The first satirical part of the picture is the forefinger of this creature. It is extra long, and the tip of this finger is extra thick. Why? This is because it is the finger used to operate the smart phone. The same may be true for the thumb.

  Now, let's concentrate on the face. Our pupils will become enlarged since operating the smart phone requires us to use our eyes for a long, intensive period of time. Our ears will degenerate since we only need to listen to our earphones, and not other sounds of significance. We will have a multifiltered respiratory system because the air will be so polluted by what we do that we have to develop counter mechanisms ourselves.

  The next is our body. We will have a significantly larger body mass that comes from not doing anything at all, and seen from the picture. Our leg and arm muscles will become weak and atrophied because we no longer use them.

  So let's SOAPStone this satire. The subject of this satire is a futuristic view of human beings as a result of the constant presence and overuse of smart phones. Will be devolve because of our evolution and constant creations of new technology?

  The occasion of the satire, or under what context or time this satire was created, is our overuse of smart phones. The time is of course present day, in a modern, advanced, technological society.

  The audience may vary. The largest target group is of course people who depend on smart phones a lot, or people who allocate a large amount of time using or playing on smart phones. Other audiences may be those who have yet started to use smart phones. I would say, in general, everyone in society today is part of the audience for this satire.

  There may be many purposes for this satire. The first purpose is to warn people the possible effects of the overuse and dependency of smart phones through sarcasm and irony. The second is to perhaps laugh at and scorn the world for the overuse of smart phones.

  The speaker of this satire, as mentioned before, is unknown. I believe that it is mostly likely a scientist who is out to warn the global public of a possibly terrible phenomenon, or one who is out to laugh at and scorn the world for the overuse of smart phones, which are the possible purposes of the satire.

  The tone of the picture can be described as dark and gloomy, as if it were a premonition of an impending doom for human being. Perhaps it is true, perhaps it is not. But we never know, and it would be wise to take things into consideration before we chuck them out of our minds into the waste basket.

Response to "Gang Rape Shatters Family's Dreams"

http://taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2013/02/04/2003554208

  Reading this heart-wrenching article only reminds me, once again, of just how lucky I am. I have a comfortable environment to grow up in. I am treated by my family on an equal basis as my family. I have education. I have money to purchase what I want, things that are luxuries to many families in countries such as India. I have the freedom to do what I want, like, or desire. And most important of all, I am alive, and I still have many opportunities ahead in my life.

  This article also identifies and emphasizes one of the world's most important issue: the inequality between the genders. Even as time moves forward to a more equal and fair world and society, there are still nations where this problem is prominent and salient, and is affecting the lives of many families. Because of these deep-rooted social ideas, even those individuals and families who wish to change are pressured to keep their opinions to themselves, or are forced to give up their dreams and hopes because of situations such as the one in the article "Gang rape shatters family's dreams".

  Currently, there are many organizations, one notable one the United Nations, that are trying to fight for women's rights and improve gender equality. Even though there is no one country where men and women are 100 percent equal to each other in all aspects, I hope that the efforts of these organizations to empower women would one day pay off, and cases such as the one in the article would not happen again.

An Inconvenient Truth Analysis

Your assignment is to do a rhetorical analysis of a documentary film. That is, analyze the purpose of the film, the audience to whom it is geared, and the strategies that are used to reach that audience.

Documentary: An Inconvenient Truth (featuring Al Gore)

Thesis: The purpose of Al Gore's presentations on global warming is to bring attention to the public that global warming is an actual condition that is currently in progress, and to show that if something wasn't done to stop the situation, Earth would one day be destroyed.

I. As a previous presidential candidate, Al Gore already has a certain ethos built up; his continued work on global warming and his efforts to persuade both the scientific and non-scientific communities even after he wan't elected for president showed that he is earnestly concerned with the issue of global warming.

II. The other way for Al Gore to boost up his ethos in the documentary is by using anecdotes of his own life; by saying that he is concerned with global warming not because of the hopes for getting elected to be president but because he himself is concerned with the issue due to his own life experiences, he gives off the impression that he is sincere and earnest. Within the anecdote, Al Gore uses the appeal to pity: he shows just what he and his family had been through to make his audience sympathize with him and his cause.

III. Al Gore's logos is boosted up by the theories that he presented, along with statistical information as evidence to back up his point that global warming is now becoming a crucial problem; the statistical information comes from sources with strong ethos, and are presented in easily understood graphics and charts.

IV. The documentary itself plays on the audience's pathos by using a heavy, dramatic tone during the narration, which creates a mood that is serious and heart moving. Al Gore's presentation plays on his audience's pathos by images showing how wonderful nature used to be and how it is destroyed now. He emphasizes this by using juxtaposition, a compare and contrast of then and now.

V. In order to keep the audience focused and entertained, Al Gore uses a strong and effective persuasion technique: humor. First, he uses his personal experiences to make some jokes, such as the fact that he was once a presidential candidate. Second, Al Gore shows an ironic video (similar graphics to the Simpsons, but a different story) to show an exaggeration that may be somewhat related to reality. Finally, Al Gore uses the lift (something to rise him up and down) to physically entertain his audience as well as to make a point on how high the statistics were going to be on a graph.

Conclusion: Al Gore uses the ethos, logos, and pathos elements as well as other persuasion techniques such as humor in order to convey his concerns about the vitality of solving global warming and persuade his audience that decisive actions must be taken.

A Random Act of Kindness

Describe the situation of a random act of kindness that you have seen or done. What happened? Why do you think the person (or you) did what he/she (or you) did? What was the motivation?

• During my trip to Singapore just last week, on Friday, November 23, I did a very random act of kindness. I was walking on Orchard Road, one of the main streets in Singapore, with my classmate, Vivien. The two of us had went shopping and were very hyper and excited (though we didn't buy anything, I must add). On our way back to our hotel, we were suddenly stopped by two young males who were holding a clipboard and several works of art. One of them stepped forward to us and immediately started talking about how they were gathering money for the those who had lost their hands. He described to us that those people are now working hard and creating art works through other means, and showed us a few of the sample works. Because of their accent, Vivien and I didn't understood them very well. When the two young males learned that we spoke Chinese, they started to communicate with us using Chinese. I guess I was too caught up by the fact that we were in Singapore, that we just had a great time shopping, and that I still had some extra money to spare; I agreed to donate money for these people without thinking much about it. Vivien was reluctant at first, since she was low on cash, but in the end, she relented. We both donated 10 SGD. After we did the act of kindness and the two males had left, I realized that I regretted it. I had no idea whether they were really going to give the money to those who need it, or if they were just people cheating money from oblivious tourists. The act was just to make me feel good, but I realized it was not worth it. I feel sorry for making Vivien donate with me when she didn't have that much money to spare.

Haven't I Seen You Before?

Think of a popular movie, TV characters, or singer. Then without naming that person you're describing write a paragraph or two of about 250 words in your writing notebook, detailing their personality and their physical appearance. Once you are done, get at least three people in the class who aren't that familiar with your musical or viewing habits to try to guess who that person is that you're describing. Have them write their guess on the comments page.

• She is from a good and well off family. Her behavior can be described as proper and ladylike, as these characteristics are that of her time. However, she is a bit rash and impulsive, and is quick to come to conclusions, especially when it concerns her family and herself, and a specific "gentleman" that she doesn't particularly like. To further elaborate her rash and impulsive behavior that results her to conclude quickly, here is an example. When her sisters romance met an obstacle, she immediately thought that it was the gentleman's fault. The reason for her dislike of the gentleman is another one of her personality characteristics: she takes first impressions seriously. The gentleman had offended her  by insulting her appearance, resulting in her being upset, and this implanted a negative impression of the gentleman into her mind. On a side note, even though the gentleman had insulted her appearance, she actually has classic face features that give her a feeling of nobility. It is a trait shared by her siblings, who are all girls. Though she is proper and ladylike, she is considered to have a boyish trait in her compared to her siblings. She is not that mindful of her appearance, and frequently gets her dress dirty. This can be attributed to her carefree attitude towards life, and this is why her father loves her so much.

Condescend

Ten sentences using "condescend" (or its part of speeches)

1. She stared him down in condescension.

2. He snarled out an insult in a condescending tone.

3. Would you be so kind as to condescend to tell me the answer?

4. He threw the papers onto her desk in a condescending manner.

5. Would you condescend to agree with our decision?

6. Don't be condescending when you interact with your boss, or you'll be fired.

7. His opinion came across as condescending instead of as critical.

8. You don't have the right to use that condescending attitude when talking to me!

9. People who tend to have condescending views of others are usually isolated.

10. Why do you look upon the world with such a condescending point of view?