Upon reading this the Jim Crow essay by Richard Wright, one of the most prominent things that I took away from it was how well the author managed to capture the life style of an African-American during the 1930's. Wright fully explains just how horrific it was to be in the south during these times through his use of personal experiences as well as stories about other African-Americans.
Although most people know that racist acts were frequent and unpunished for far too long in much of America, Wright connects the reader to the essay by using his own life as an example. One strong instance of this is when he talks about how he was beaten and forced out of his job just for forgetting the Mr. before a white man's name (although it sounds as if he didn't even forget it actually).
Despite having learned much about this already in school, I'm still astounded at how long African-Americans were treated as second rate citizens if even citizens at all. One thing that caught my attention in this essay though was that Wright didn't even realize he was treated any different than white people until in his teen years when he was hit by the broken bottle. I had always been under the impression that African-Americans in that time were brought fearful of white people even when very young.
My personal reaction to this essay was that I though it was very strongly written and demanded a reaction from the reader. After reading, I gained a new appreciation for the hardships that African-Americans faced and felt angry about how severely they were discriminated against during the early to mid 1900's. The amount of punishment they endured without any repercussions for the attacker makes me sick.
After having reflected on all of this, I think that this article does a fantastic job of showing the reader exactly how corrupt and blinded America was at one of its darkest moments in history. The way Wright doesn't sugarcoat the atrocities of that time and incorporates his own life experiences into the essay make it an exceptional read.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Talk of the Town Essays
After reading the two essays by John Updike and Susan Sontag, the most striking thing I noticed was the difference in what the author took out of 9/11. It was like day and night reading the two papers. Their opinions can be summarized as the following: Updike took a more standard, remorseful look at the twin tower bombings while Sontag expressed a "we had this coming to us" attitude which borderline defended the terrorists.
Some examples of that support my opinions of Updike's writing are laced throughout his essay. He takes a very dramatic approach to 9/11 by recounting where he was, what he was doing, etc. Then later on in the essay he attempts to inspire some nationalism in the reader by saying things such as "this is a country worth fighting for". When these aspects of his paper are analyzed along with his overall attitude during the essay, it becomes clear that Updike falls in with the majority of Americans after 9/11- horrified by the bombings but also very patriotic.
While Updike may be the voice of the majority, Sontag most certainly is not. Her essay practically stood up for the terrorists through the manner in which the essay was written as well as the actual writing in the paper. Although this isn't to say she necessarily approved of the bombings, just that she understood them. An example of this is when Sontag talks about how the terrorists are not cowards, and America is actually the coward since they bomb countries such as Iraq where retalliation is impossible for the Iraqi people. Near the end of her power, she hints at what she thinks America needs to be. Sontag states "Who doubts that America is strong? But that's not all America has to be". I believe she is saying that America needs to not just be a military force, but a force that will realize the consequences of their actions and make decisions accordingly. With this in mind, It's clear that Sontag is less concerned with the actual affects of the bombing and more concerned with the why.
So which paper did a better job of capturing 9/11 and the events of that day? Well it really depends what the reader is looking for. Updike's essay was brilliant in the way that it described the bombings and took the reader back in time to that day. You could almost hear the crash of the planes through the paper and feel the shivers down your spine. Sontag's essay on the other hand provides valuable information as to how America can improve and learn from the bombings. She firmly backs her opinions with valid arguments and makes the reader think.
In my completely subjective view, I enjoyed Sontag's paper more simply because it was a more unconvential view of 9/11 that left the reader believing that change needs to be made. Any paper that can accomplish that is a successful paper in my mind. If I had one critique about the essay, it would be that I thought she was rather cold in her writing. Sontag offered no condolences for the victims nor sadness of any kind. In my opinion this is a flaw because empathy is a key factor in writing. Sontag would have done well to sympathize with her audience in the beginning to capture their attention. Then she could have gone into her main point. As it stands, the first time I read the paper I felt almost angry at how blunt she was. Despite this, Sontag wrote a fantastic paper providing a unique view on 9/11.
With all the information presented, there is no doubt that Updike and Sontag both wrote two vastly different yet elegant papers that entrance the reader and take them deep into the events of September 11.
Some examples of that support my opinions of Updike's writing are laced throughout his essay. He takes a very dramatic approach to 9/11 by recounting where he was, what he was doing, etc. Then later on in the essay he attempts to inspire some nationalism in the reader by saying things such as "this is a country worth fighting for". When these aspects of his paper are analyzed along with his overall attitude during the essay, it becomes clear that Updike falls in with the majority of Americans after 9/11- horrified by the bombings but also very patriotic.
While Updike may be the voice of the majority, Sontag most certainly is not. Her essay practically stood up for the terrorists through the manner in which the essay was written as well as the actual writing in the paper. Although this isn't to say she necessarily approved of the bombings, just that she understood them. An example of this is when Sontag talks about how the terrorists are not cowards, and America is actually the coward since they bomb countries such as Iraq where retalliation is impossible for the Iraqi people. Near the end of her power, she hints at what she thinks America needs to be. Sontag states "Who doubts that America is strong? But that's not all America has to be". I believe she is saying that America needs to not just be a military force, but a force that will realize the consequences of their actions and make decisions accordingly. With this in mind, It's clear that Sontag is less concerned with the actual affects of the bombing and more concerned with the why.
So which paper did a better job of capturing 9/11 and the events of that day? Well it really depends what the reader is looking for. Updike's essay was brilliant in the way that it described the bombings and took the reader back in time to that day. You could almost hear the crash of the planes through the paper and feel the shivers down your spine. Sontag's essay on the other hand provides valuable information as to how America can improve and learn from the bombings. She firmly backs her opinions with valid arguments and makes the reader think.
In my completely subjective view, I enjoyed Sontag's paper more simply because it was a more unconvential view of 9/11 that left the reader believing that change needs to be made. Any paper that can accomplish that is a successful paper in my mind. If I had one critique about the essay, it would be that I thought she was rather cold in her writing. Sontag offered no condolences for the victims nor sadness of any kind. In my opinion this is a flaw because empathy is a key factor in writing. Sontag would have done well to sympathize with her audience in the beginning to capture their attention. Then she could have gone into her main point. As it stands, the first time I read the paper I felt almost angry at how blunt she was. Despite this, Sontag wrote a fantastic paper providing a unique view on 9/11.
With all the information presented, there is no doubt that Updike and Sontag both wrote two vastly different yet elegant papers that entrance the reader and take them deep into the events of September 11.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Introduction
Hello everybody and welcome to my AP Compostion blog. My name is Will Bacon and I will be a Junior at MHS next year. Regarding school, I think of myself as a hard-working, determined student who always strives to excel in class. My favorite classes would have to be the various english or science classes that I have taken, and of course gym because who doesn't like gym?
Outside of Academics my hobbies include playing tennis, soccer, or cards, and going boating, four-wheeling, or snowmobiling. Last year I was a part of the tennis and soccer team at the varsity and JV level respectively. Other than this I also occasionally play basketball with my friends, but I will be the first to say that I'm far from a super-star at that sport.
This summer I have had the pleasure of being able to do nearly every one of these hobbies except for snowmobiling of course. As I write this, I am in Montana-a place my family and I visit every summer-enjoying the weather (despite being unseasonably warm), scenic views, and playing Pinochle, a card game that my family particularly relishes. The other day we went for a ride on the four-wheelers that ended up being a 50 mile, 6 hour excursion after we lost our way among the many mountainous trails.
Besides hobbies, I have a passion for traveling as well. Throughout my life I have visited numerous states in the U.S. such as Montana, Arizona, Minnesota, Wyoming, Illinois, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, Virginia, Texas, S. Dakota, and N. Dakota. I have traveled to a myriad of countries outside of the U.S. as well including Italy, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria (briefly), Mexico, and The Vatican. My favorite part about traveling is observing the differences in culture and lifestyle that each country presents. For example, in Rome I noticed how absurd the traffic is there. Drivers there are absolutely nuts going over curbs, through alleys with inches of space on either side, and nearly crashing into eachother! All you can hear is the squelch of brakes and the honking of horns. If you compare that to a place like Montana where traffic is seldom and open spaces are bountiful, there is a massive difference.
I hope you learned a little bit about me through this post, and I look forward to meeting all of you this upcoming school-year.
Outside of Academics my hobbies include playing tennis, soccer, or cards, and going boating, four-wheeling, or snowmobiling. Last year I was a part of the tennis and soccer team at the varsity and JV level respectively. Other than this I also occasionally play basketball with my friends, but I will be the first to say that I'm far from a super-star at that sport.
This summer I have had the pleasure of being able to do nearly every one of these hobbies except for snowmobiling of course. As I write this, I am in Montana-a place my family and I visit every summer-enjoying the weather (despite being unseasonably warm), scenic views, and playing Pinochle, a card game that my family particularly relishes. The other day we went for a ride on the four-wheelers that ended up being a 50 mile, 6 hour excursion after we lost our way among the many mountainous trails.
Besides hobbies, I have a passion for traveling as well. Throughout my life I have visited numerous states in the U.S. such as Montana, Arizona, Minnesota, Wyoming, Illinois, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, Virginia, Texas, S. Dakota, and N. Dakota. I have traveled to a myriad of countries outside of the U.S. as well including Italy, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria (briefly), Mexico, and The Vatican. My favorite part about traveling is observing the differences in culture and lifestyle that each country presents. For example, in Rome I noticed how absurd the traffic is there. Drivers there are absolutely nuts going over curbs, through alleys with inches of space on either side, and nearly crashing into eachother! All you can hear is the squelch of brakes and the honking of horns. If you compare that to a place like Montana where traffic is seldom and open spaces are bountiful, there is a massive difference.
I hope you learned a little bit about me through this post, and I look forward to meeting all of you this upcoming school-year.
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