Bonus #12: Response to Aly Bonus 8 by Kathleen Paxtor

First of all, props to you Aly for getting it together this semester. I really wish I would have gotten a better routine so I wasn’t stuck writing papers at 1 a.m. I really like how you tried out a new system and explained it. It seemed like it really worked well for you. It made me think that I should incorporate this into my next semester classes because I usually live on the motto “living life day by day” and it really does screw me over many times. I love that with this system you have more time to hang out with friends and family and relax which I think is super important. Trying to balance school, friend, family, work, and a social life are almost impossible but you seem to have it figured out. Good luck on your Law School Admission Test! I too understand what you mean with having huge ambitions and getting carried away. Growing up in a poor family and becoming a first generation college student makes me feel like I have to do a lot to make my parents proud. I plan on going to Medical School and becoming a Pediatrician. Medical school is really hard to get into and I really wish I would have had better time management throughout my school years. I think that not really knowing what I was getting myself into with college in general was terrifying because I had no one to guide me I had to figure it out all on my own and now that I have I feel like it was too late. When I first read your bonus I became really interested in your system because these next few remaining semesters really count. I need shadowing hours, community service, study for my actual classes as well as the MCAT, work, church, gym, and family time; I feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day to do everything I need to. You inspired me to really think about how I manage my time, I would too love to be stress free and sleep more. I sleep on average 4-5 hours a day and sometimes it really gets to me. Next semester I plan on removing myself from all social media by deleting my apps and Netflix if I see that my grades are slipping. I too will make sure I plan my homework 3 days ahead so I don’t fall behind. Congratulation on making healthy life choices too! I recently have as well and it only adds more things to do on my schedule. I have to work in meal prepping and gym time which reduces my sleep/free time but it will all be worth it. I have lost 40 pounds since January 12 so that is one thing that I have going for me so far lol. But either way thank you for sharing this new system and I hope that everything works out in your favor—if I ever need a lawyer I will know who to call.

Response to Brandon's Bonus 8 by Kyra Moore.

I think that most college students can agree with majority of the sentiments stated in this bonus. I know a lot of college students who also experience burnout, especially as this semester comes to a close. College is arguably one of the most trying times in a person’s life. More times than not, we have to juggle school, extracurricular activities, applying for professional development opportunities, applying to scholarships, church (if applicable), family issues, maintaining a social life, trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle and the list goes on. College is where people from all walks of life gather in the name of one thing- education. I have respect for each and every college student, it is not easy by any means but I feel that it is definitely worth it. To every college student reading this, you have my unconditional respect. I am extremely proud that we have all made it thus far- however it is that we got here. Do not let societal constraints nor the opinions of others define you nor your success. Your journey in life is very specific to you and you only. While we all know that it is going to be tough and become overbearing at times, it is my hope that you find the strength to carry on as I know that we all can. It is absolutely okay to be a wreck, what matters most is that we do to remedy the things that are a wreck in our lives. Any stride towards success in adverse times is a magnanimous one.

My favorite part of the post was the actual layout of how Brandon planned to better his “body, ethic, and spirit.” I also greatly appreciated the acknowledgement of how these steps can be taken one at a time- “though it’s not necessary that every step betters each virtue all together, like a toddler its best to take it one step at a time.”

I am an avid planner as it pertains to how to efficiently execute all of the assignments that I have to complete, but never an avid planner as it pertains how to efficiently execute life. I think that myself, and other college students as well, would greatly benefit from doing this type of planning. It could potentially make the load that is getting your life together seem substantially lighter. In light of it being finals season, I think that I may implement this strategy fairly soon, especially in the summertime.

In addition, I am also striving towards some of the same goals presented in this blog post. I too am “trying” to live a healthier lifestyle. The time consuming apparatus that is college makes this fairly difficult I must say. Convenient eating, which is ideal as a college student, more times than not promotes me to make unhealthy food decisions. Currently, I am researching how to eat more clean on a college student budget. I plan to implement these tactics over the summer and have them carry on to next school year. Wish me luck!

Overall, this was a very enjoyable and refreshing read nonetheless. I have gathered some tips for life and found comfort in this read.

Response to Kyra's Bonus 9 - Kenneth Butcher

I was in a similar position whilst thinking about the question of "who has the right?". I've always thought about it in passing but I was never really able to nail down a solid position as to how I felt about it, or at least one I could commit to that held up to all matter of scrutiny. So I figured I'd be lazy cop out of it for this post and do a little goal post shifting in order to come at it from a different perspective.

First I want to start off by saying that I mostly agree with the stance you arrived at of the reason who having the right to write and or talk about being the people with first hand experience and if people want to write about it second hand that it would be important for them to approach the topic with reverence. However I think there should be a place at the table for people who don't want to come at a topic they have second hand information with reverence even come at it with malice if they want, and that place should be at a (proverbial) seat shackled with a need to uphold the tenants of the burden of proof. And this is where I'd like to pivot the responsibility from the person commenting on something as a Secondary source to the individual(s) reading said secondary source. I think in there case, as an assumed, attentive reader they should approach secondary sources (and even some primary sources depending on the situation) with a health does of skepticism.

That being said, specific examples like the ones you stated involving skewed social dynamics of power on a larger scale i.e things like oppressor and victim dynamics or institutional racism should be approached a little bit differently because of the added factor of social power. In that case remedys, not short of uplifting the first hand accounts of marginalized people in situations where said accounts might be consciously or subconsciously suppressed is important and could lead to some very good and well needed insight. While I like the Sherman Alexie example too, although it is slightly predicated on the notion that given the opportunity to approach a topic from a place of reverence and just general inquisition to acquire information, that most people will choose to do that. Which I personally don't find to be true. So I believe the most intuitive way to account for these people would be the aforementioned; saddling them with the burden of proof coupled with a health dose of skepticism from all of the readers in order to see if their claims and account can stand up to scrutiny. I believe this method this method is the most conducive to health discourse and will be better for general relations in the long run.

Blog Post 4: Group C, The Outsider Looking In(Resubmission): Marrakesh –Rob D

The Marrakesh essay is written in 1939 by author George Orwell, real name Eric Author Blair. (http://orwell.ru/library/articles/marrakech/english/e_mar). Orwell was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. One specific objective of Orwell’s writing is political awareness in order to persuade the political culture. He wrote the Marrakesh essay when he was on a retreat to the warm climate of Marrakesh Africa, due to an illness. Orwell was a critic, therefore when he visited Marrakesh, he analyzed the people and environment of Marrakesh which led to the production of the Marrakesh essay. The entire essay Merrakech highlighted several negative aspects of the environment. Orwell had an objective to gain political attention therefore he used negativity of the evniorment for propaganda.

 

Marrakech is an essay about Orwell’s take on how blacks and Jews was affected in Marrakesh Africa during World War II. His main view on the matter was discrimination due to poverty. Throughout the essay Orwell describes the environment with respect to  the terrain and the people themselves within Marrakesh. Orwell expresses detail about the layout of the terrain and relating it to the citizens. He describes, because of the level of discrimination, the citizens of Marrakesh were practically invisible. He states, “ All people who work with their hands are partly invisible, and the more important the work they do, the less visible they are.” Because of their dark complexion, Orwell relates them to the terrain. This is how he derived them as being invisible. In parallel, the term “invisible” was used to express how the citizens of Marrakesh were ignored and dehumanized by the powers of Marrakesh.

Orwell also describe how the citizens of Marrakesh were military. He uses a scenario of an encounter with a worker from the Arab Navy and describes how they were deprived also. Orwell was feeding a gazelle bread when he observes the worker in surprise that he was, in the workers eyes, wasting usable food.After being asked by the worker, Orwell turns to the worker and gives him a piece bread. The worker quickly  takes the food and put it in a hidden place. Another encounter was a African solider who was marching and gave Orwell a “shy wide-eyed Negro look.” The solider apparently gave a look of being in the presents of a superior being. Orwell concludes the essay by stating that, “But there is one thought which every white man thinks when he sees a black army marching past. ‘How much longer can we go on kidding these people? How long before they tum their guns in the other direction? ‘It was curious, really. Every white man there has this thought stowed somewhere or other in his mind.”

Because of the context of the essay Merrakech, Orwell wrote the essay to grab attention of politicians. He uses every aspect of the environment negitively  to create propaganda. According to the Journal of Strategic Security, the article, "All Propaganda is Dangerous, but Some are More Dangerous than Others: George Orwell and the Use of Literature as Propaganda,"  Orwell produced a paper called Animal Farm, which the the author states that Orwell uses "this paper aims to illustrate the fickle nature of literary works as propaganda"(https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1483%26context%3Djss&ved=2ahUKEwjhl4_SmPraAhXG7oMKHZi8DuQQFjACegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw0VL4pgkzbj1rZg5W99_Zxr). This is relative to the Marrakech essay because of his negative descriptions corralled to negative context in this essay.

The essay Marrakech is a prime example how someone can look from the outside in and degrade the living conditions of other people. In some situations people make inaccurate judgments based on his or her own life experiences. Although the citizens of Marrakesh suffered from below standard living conditions, the author viewed them in a wrongfully manner. It seems as the author was haughty and it reflected in the context that he wrote the Marrakesh essay. Although it may have seem that the author had a positive objective when he wrote the essay, it is evident he was an outsider looking in as thoughtfully superior. I seem as if  Orwell was exploding the citizens of Marrakesh as a tool of propaganda.
 

Blog Post 4C Montaya Mccloud For Colored Girls X Abortions

As Stated by Anne Lamott, “If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal. So, you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer, you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary act—truth is always subversive”. In 1975 an African American feminist named Ntozake Shange from New Jersey created a chorepoem called  "For colored girls who have considered suicide/When the rainbow is enuf " . The piece consists of a group of 20 poems about how to help African American women survive in society with pain due to racism and sexual anger. Centuries Later in 2010, Tyler Perry's remade a Drama called "Forcolored girls " which won Several NAACP Awards. The film was based on a group of all African American women in New York who lived in the same Harlem apartment building. The women go through several trials and tribulations which make the film relatable to all women in one way or another. There are several emotional scenes which make people realize how hard women have to work to make it in life. Within the storyline of this film each woman deals with a different conflict such as rape, infidelity, love and abandonment. I am going to focus on if the writer has the right to Remake the film and write it in his own perspective considering that he is a male and African American.

African American Women always receive the same background stories from authors. The woman is shown as over aggressive and either on drugs, hypersexual, or very uneducated. Women are shown in shows as hypersexual in shows consistently(Yuri). Women are shown in shows as hypersexual in shows that they have jobs that require a high education background such as Shonda Rimes television show Scandal, and Mara Brock Akil show Being Mary jane. The uneducated and aggressive African American women are shown in family movies such as Moonlight, and the television show Empire. This shows viewers and other African American people that media categorizes African American women into two groups Highly educated and promiscuous, or aggressive and uneducated. This stereotype does not set a positive image for African American women in society. This stereotype does not set a positive image for African American women in society.

 African American directors have created a high percentage of the movies which use stereotypes of African americans to be successful in the media industry(Yuri). Tyler Perry should respected Ntozake Shange Legendary feministic ways who came up with the chorepoem in the first place.  Ntozake Shange should have all rights to it under any circumstance. No one likes when they take a great amount of time and put their passion toward a piece of art, that in their eyes it is great, and someone chooses to change, or rearrange it to fit their personal ideology.

Works city Tyler Perry  "For Colored Girls" New York :Tyler Perry Studios, Lions Gate 2010

The ethics of abortion : women's rights, human life, and the question of justice / Christopher Kaczor 2015

Understanding abortion : from mixed feelings to rational thought / Stephen D. Schwarz ; with Kiki Latimer 2012

price, Yuri Horton and Raagen. "Edge." 1 june 1999. Portrayal of Minorities in the Film, Media and Entertainment Industries. Ethics of Development in a Global Environment (EDGE) . 2017 1 4. <https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace/portrayal.htm>.