ENG 001: Language and Writing

WP3

2007-12-10T13:26:00.000-06:00

Craig Morgan, “Redneck Yacht Club”: The video consists of Craig and all of his friends of a variety of water vehicles including: Jet-ski’s, Bass boats, Pontoons, and just your typically ski-boats. The videos cut in and out of clips of a bunch of people getting together on what appears to be either a large lake, or a river. It shows them having a good time playing music, swimming, fishing, and just enjoying the summer fun. The way he presents this song and the way he shows the different aspects of the “yacht club” really brings me back to when I lived in Nebraska City in my younger days.
As a child, from the time I was born up until the age of 15, if it was summer I was on the river. My father, Stuart, had a very nice ski boat that, not only my family, but many of our friends would go out on in their boats also. We also went out North on the Missouri River from the dock. We had a couple of secret “sand bars” as we called them that no one else knew about, that we could frequently visit. In one of them, my favorite was a large hill on the back side with a large tree over-looking the bay in which the sand bar was nestled. Attached to the tree was a long ski rope that, when swung on, stretched out over the cove and one if they wanted could drop safely into the water below.
We spent many nights on the river. Many of each I soon will not forget. It was a very special time in my life, and in was almost a tradition by the time I was older. It seems as if Craig Morgan also shared some moments like these. They were significant enough for him to write a song about it. I would have to, but I’m afraid my song wouldn’t turn out as well. I think I will just stick to the swinging from ropes.

Nickelback, “Hero”: The video only contains two members of the band playing the song in front of a very simple background and the version is in acoustic. I believe the band performed the song this way for a reason. They did this for its simplicity. Without distractions, this focuses on the lyrics and this is what really caught my attention. Growing up, many of my family members and friends were in the military whether it was Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines they were all my heroes. Long before 9/11 the military has kept us free and has made the United States a great place to live. No other place on earth would I rather be. After the tragedy of the World Trade Centers, I am older now and have decided to fulfill my dream of joining the military so that I can be someone’s hero. Although there are many Americans against the war I do not shutter away and am still proud to serve them although they make speak ignorantly at times the lyrics in the song reassure me. There is a point in the song where they say “Someone told me love will ALL save us. Bout how can that be, look what love gave us. A world full of killing, and blood-spilling, that world never came.” To me not only is this saying a lot of people believe in peace and love, but you have to look at where it has got us. This is why I truly believe you do sometimes have to fight for things you believe in and makes me proud to someday serve the people of the United States.

Bucky Covington, “It’s Good To Be Us”: The video starts off with Bucky at the starting line of what appears to be a Motocross track, or a Dirt bike track for those who are lingo deficient. This video shows many people on their “bikes” flying through the air and racing around the track having a good time. This is a scene that I have had many experiences with.
When I was a young boy every night before bed, I would pray for a dirt bike of my own. I never got one until I was around 15 years old, but I prayed every night up until the day I received it.
It wasn’t brand new, but it wasn’t very old either. It was a 1993 Kawasaki Big Wheel ’80. It had all the aftermarket parts on it and a high performance engine in it. Too much for me to handle at first but that didn’t scare me. I rode that thing every chance I got to along with my dad and my brother on their quads. It was the most fun I could ever have had every weekend. I rode and rode until I couldn’t ride anymore. I worked on perfecting the wheelie and getting air off jumps. It was the coolest thing to me at that time that I ever accomplished. Looking back now, I still wish I were little enough to ride it, but its not all so bad. Now I have moved on to bigger and better things. Being older I can know have the “pleasure” of doing more important things in life, like going to college and looking towards the future.

Sawyer Brown, “The Nebraska Song”: This video and song are a collaboration of the Nebraska QB, Brooke Berringer, and his impact he had on the football program and the entire state. This video basically gives a biography of Brooke and tells about through song, but the thought of Brooke is not what is sparked when I watch this video. Just some of the lyrics, and watching some of the highlights bring me back.
When I was around 7, the earliest I can remember, my grandfather was the equipment manager for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Because of this fact I was always down at the stadium with him. I remember being on the field, watching them practice, standing there as the wind blew over me as they ran past going for the tackle or touchdown and remembering how much I admired them and how much I wanted to be like them. I always dreamed of playing at Nebraska and the lyrics in this song clearly point out my feelings. “It’s been my dream all my life to play football on this field.” That simple line of the song really sums up my ultimate dream for about 2/3 of my life.Although I never did fulfill my dream to play their I realize that it’s not all so bad. I got to play football at Nebraska Wesleyan for a short while and I am happy with that. I guess playing college ball to me was all that mattered.

Brad Paisley, “When I Get Where I’m Going”: This song, to me, is very powerful and this is because of the strong lyrics it possesses. Not only does it address my beliefs of Christianity, but also expresses his imagination of what it might be like to meet up with family members that have previously passed.
As I referred to in the response above, my Grandpa was associated with Nebraska football for over 30 years. He was my biggest role model going up. Every time I played a sport he would get me wristbands or cleats and I would be the kid on the team with all the cool gear, especially in football. He inspired me to be the best I could be in football. I would play hard every game in hopes of making it to Nebraska, and most of all making him proud. He came to almost everyone on my football games up until high school.
It was in my sophomore year of high school that my grandpa, recently being divorced of my grandmother, took his own life. I took this very badly. Not only did my grandpa not see me get to play any football game on Varsity, but he also never got to see me get my 4 Year Full Tuition Scholarship from the Army either. This is where the lyrics really connect to me. For example, “I’m gonna walk with my granddaddy, and he’ll match me step for step, and I’ll tell him how much I missed him, every minute since he left.” So when I finally get where I’m going, I hope I do walk with my grandpa for a while. I really want to talk to him and find out why he did what he did, but most of all, I want to know if he was ever proud of me.

Kenny Chesney, “Who You’ d be Today”: This video shows these two friends together throughout different stages of their life. It starts out with them playing basketball, then moving on to join the military together. It shows how, of the two friends, one was killed at much too young of an age and how his best friend misses him so much.
When I first saw this video, I could have sworn the video was made for me. I had a friend named Kennie Powell. He was my first best friend I made when I moved to Lincoln in the 6th grade. We were inseparable. For four years Kennie and me were joined at the hip. Kennie and I would play basketball together and football together. We did everything together. We would discuss our dreams and much like the boys in the video, we both dreamed of being in the military. While I wanted to be in the Army, Kennie wanted to be a pilot in the Navy. We would have these arguments of who was better and why. I am now living out this dream of mine, but my best friend is not. He is no longer with us. He died on November 1st due to suicide in my sophomore year in High School. We had drifted apart since freshmen year. He started hanging out with the wrong people and my parents did not want me being a part of that. As hard as it was, I had to stop hanging out with him. After taking his life, I felt as if I could have prevented it. If I wouldn’t have listened to my parents I could have changed him and he would still be here living out his dreams like me.
Now, a few years have passed and the lyrics of the song really relate to my thoughts and me.
“It ain't fair you died too young, like a story that had just begun. The death tore the pages all away. God knows how I miss you. All the hell that I've been through just knowing no one could take your place. Sometimes I wonder who you'd be today. Would you see the world? Would you chase your dreams? Settle down with a family I wonder, what would you name your babies? Some days the sky's so blue. I feel like I can talk to you.”
Although time has passed since his death, I do think of him quite frequently and wonder what he would be today.

311 “Love Song”: This song, originally written by The Cure, expresses the love of a couple and the singer tells this person about how, basically, whatever happens that person will always love them. This video shows the band playing in a club and cuts in and out of clips from the move 50 First Dates. This song is a very popular song in my soundtrack of life becomes it sums of my love for my girlfriend, Jen.
Everyone has serious relationships, whether good and still together, or bad and broken up. Everyone has had that first person that they have “fallen” for and in my case; Jen is the one for me.
We have been dating for over a year now and our relationship has been very good. I am truly blessed to have someone care about me so much, and for me to care about another the way I feel for her. This song does an excellent job telling the story of my love for her. The lyrics in the chorus do a very good job of this. “However far away, I will always love you. However long I stay, I will always love you. Whatever words I say, I will always love you. I will always love you.” This is a very good and very true way of expressing love. All these factors matter in a relationship. The distance between the people, the overall length of the relationship, and the words they express toward one another. In all these areas I try my best to make my relationship with Jen last as long as possible because I would like to stay with her forever.
This song carries a lot of weight not only because of its powerful lyrics but also because it’s the first song I dedicated to her.

Atreyu, “Becoming the Bull”: This video starts off with empty streets, and some litter blowing around. People running, from what the song describes to be the bull soon flood the screen. This is what the song is about. People are always running from something and the band describes that, today they are going to become the bull. This song is how I try to live my life.
Days don’t always intend to go the way you plan them. In fact, most having you scrambling to get things done, or worrying about something. Some of my days, like many others in this world, have days like this, but quite frankly I get sick of running. I like to grab the bull by the horns as the song states and be the dominator of my own day. Have things running from me for once. The lyrics really describe my feelings quite well. “Grab the bull by the horns the old adage goes. Decisions have to be made.” In this world there are so many things that can depict what a person may go through during their everyday life and there is one sentence that I really like from this song. “There is so much to stake. I stumble I lose my place. Pride and arrogance surrounded by sin. Destiny takes its hold. Fight it or let it go. But I choose how the day will end.” This does the best describing my overall life mentality and how I like to approach things. Even though what you are going to face in life is uncertain I like to wake up thinking the same thing everyday. “Today I Become the Bull.”

WP2

2007-11-11T21:58:00.000-06:00

How does one go about choosing a college? What types of effects do the campus’s surroundings have on you? Does it make you feel comfortable, connected, disconnected, uneasy, do they have activities that interest you or make you feel like being uninvolved wouldn’t be a big deal. A video created by the University of Nebraska Kearney did this. The video is an attempt to visually portray the outlined objective of the school which is that UNK is, “an affordable student centered regional hub of intellectual, cultural, and artist excellence that has been a prominent part of Nebraska’s higher education landscape for more than a century”. This statement was found at the University of Nebraska-Kearney’s website in the “About UNK” section. The makers of the video added content in a way that would appeal to a prospective college student’s emotions and establish the University’s credibility. This essay will examine the video and describe the different tools of rhetoric used including the excessive use of pathos appeals.

The video uses the rhetorical strategy of illustration (Envision 2 p39) to show how their University can have a substantial impact on a person’s experience in college and life afterwards. It does this by including different visual representations, such as pictures, of various aspects of college life. These aspects include: academics, athletics, and social events. The pictures in the video were careful chosen because they help portray a certain image. This image is that of a happy, comfortable, academic experience at a well rounded University. None of the pictures are of students that appear unhappy, stressed or partying. This is a casual rhetorical strategy of logical fallacies because we all know these are common experiences in college life. Most students are unhappy at some point, for example being homesick, and we all know that a large number of students like to party, but this video portray everyone smiling and studying hard. Including this logical fallacy makes the colleges appear very academically focused and would definitely help ease a prospective student’s parent’s apprehensions about paying for their child to study there.

The video opens with a picture of a traditional style building behind a cascading water fountain that is surrounded by green space and lush vegetation. This picture sets the tone for the rest of the video. The picture was most likely chosen because it captures the true beauty the campus has to offer. The creators use this to captivate its audience because quite frankly, who wants to go to a college that doesn’t offer a beautiful landscape. Beautiful scenery gives people the feeling of peacefulness and tranquility which are dispositions that foster learning and academic success. The video not only opens with a beautiful picture, but also utilizes a song called Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by the band Green Day.

This song is a mellow pop-punk song that is filled with deeply contemplative, heart tugging lyrics that emphasize the importance of making the best of your life. These are all examples of pathos appeals because they appeal to student’s emotions which are a major influence involved in making decisions.
Another example of pathos appeals in the video are scenes where students are helping others move into their dorms.

This relates to the pathos because it portrays the students that attend the University as friendly and ready to lend a hand, as opposed to students who attempt to make you feel unwanted or like an outsider. The students helping each other move in are all smiling and seem to be happy to be assisting their “new friend”. The video is also flooded with various scenes of activities where the students can get involved and have a good time. One of these activities is shown in the form of a dunking tank and students participating in a fundraiser. This shows that students there aren’t always busy with studies and have time to take a break from studying to just enjoy the philanthropies and activities campus has to offer. This is an important appeal to students and parents because it gives the impression that the University of Nebraska-Kearney is a school that is involved with its students and that is active in the community.

There are also multiple scenes of a white haired, elderly, professors and visibly engaged students. This utilizes the ethos appeal by showing the University’s credibility of having experienced professors and determined students. Had they have showed students sleeping on their desks the picture would not have intrigued the audiences interest in wanting to have attended this University. The picture also wouldn’t have been as affective in gaining the parent’s trust in its credibility if they had taken a picture of a younger professor wearing jeans and sitting on a desk. Don’t get me wrong, some of my favorite teachers are younger professors, but a typical parent would be more inclined to send their child to a University that depicts their professors as “old and wise” rather than “young and inventive”. More examples of ethos appeal are multiple scenes showing resources that promote academic success. Some of the scenes include the campus library, student union, and outdoor study areas. The study areas are landscaped in a fashion that is perfect for academic progression or just socializing. All these scenes build the reputation of UNK as being a credible and trustworthy establishment for learning opportunity.

To show the diversity of the school, half way through the video the music changes from the pop-punk song Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), to classical piano music. Along with the change in music comes a change in scenery. Viewers are now shown images of the athletic features of the school and the aspects of school spirit and pride. These images were included in the video to appeal to the emotions of prospective students who enjoy athletics. Students who enjoy sports will be attracted to the University of Nebraska-Kearney after seeing these clips of successful teams and rowdy fans.

The video concludes by changing the music back to Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) and clips of campus and active students. Ending the video with this song leaves viewers with the pathos appeal that the University of Nebraska-Kearney is a fun, inviting campus and will provide its students with an academic career that will be “The Time of Their Life”.

Best Video

2007-11-11T21:17:00.000-06:00

The video Human Soldiers is a military video about all the different branches. The video basically shows clips and “highlights” if you will from the different branches.
The videos music is done by Rob Zombie. The song is called More Human than Human and the meaning behind the song in this instance is not very important. The song is just a rock song that gets me pumped up and with me being in the military it just makes the video that much better.
The video starts out with M1A1 Abram tanks flying down the road until the music starts to play; it then goes into an AC-130 locking onto enemy personnel and sending them to meet their maker. It shows the explosion going off which makes it even more exciting.

It also shows a lot of weapons in the video. It shows tons of Apaches, Blackhawk’s and other aircraft just letting of hellfire’s and different types of missiles.
It also shows some video of what we are actually doing over Iraq and not so of the things you see on the news.

I guess the main reason I love this video so much is because I look up to the people I see in it. I think it would be so much fun to fly an apache or a fighter jet, or possibly drive a tank, send in mortars and other types of combat arms operations.

I know some people won’t understand what is so interesting about anything in this video and won’t understand why it is done. The reason is because, well, the aren’t in the military and if they don’t think its interesting now they probably will never think its cool and that’s ok because I’m sure whatever they are going to do with their lives in going to be much more thrilling than flying a fighter jet at 1000 mph.

Free Write

2007-10-17T23:04:00.000-05:00

Everybody has those weeks if you know what I mean. Well in my instance I have been having one of those months.
So many things are going on in my life right now it is hard to concentrate and completely dedicate myself to one thing. So much homework is being issued, I bombed the last Chem. Test and now I have a 10 page paper due in LAS in two weeks. Not only that but I need to pass my APFT, Army Physical Fitness Test, in order to get my scholarship to pay for school or else my career here at Wesleyan is done for. Sounds like a lot of stress to me and that is exactly what I’m feeling. STRESSED OUT.
It’s times like this in your life when I think you really find out if you are who you think you are. You either are weak minded, let the stress get to you and let it intensify or you stride on and get things done. As much as I know I'm the kind of person who won’t let it get to me, I don’t think I have been doing the best job of non procrastination. Being a freshmen in college is definitely a complete 180 transition compared to being in high school. There are so many things you have to do and so many things that can distract you from doing things that need to be done. I was thinking it is time for a break. And what do you know this coming up in the next few days is, you guessed it, a break. Just what I needed. So I decided that I need to get some serenity from all this chaos. I’m going out of town to do whatever it is I want to do. The only bad thing is when I come back and am welcomed by the Lincoln skyline I know it is inevitable that I also will soon be welcomed by the stress once more.

Nebraskans dropping land lines in favor of cell phones

2007-10-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

To sum this article up very simply, it is about a family of four who, a few years back, dropped their landlines and all acquired cell phones.
This article really does not surprise me in the least. America is becoming more and more mobile, literally. It is getting tough for families to have a landline because our society moves at such a fast pace people are barely ever home.
I believe that a lot of it also has to do with massive improvements of technology. People can check there email, surf the web, and even watch television on their phones now. Who needs an old fashioned landline when they can have a cell phone with all these accessories and possess the same function of the cell phone at the same or less price? It seems like a no brainer to me.
There also may be some adverse affects to all these people changing to cell phones and dropping landlines. Landline companies have to turn to alternate terms for collecting business. Things like providing high-speed broadband internet connection are almost a must for all landline providers.
Another thing that people may have to be aware of is, with all the business the cell phone companies are getting, they can then raise the prices without fear of people leaving there company and switching to someone else because chances are they other cell phone companies are doing the same thing.
The Journal Star reports that there are more than 1.1 million cell phones in Nebraska alone. That is almost as much as the entire population of Nebraska and the numbers are only escalating. If things keep moving in the way they are now, I believe that 50 years from now, a large number of the population will not even remember the usage of landlines

Free Write

2007-10-08T22:20:00.000-05:00

This weekend I was able to go to Greenlief Army Training Site for my Army ROTC class. We were able to incorporate a lot of things into our activities out there, which and to the enjoyment and the excitement that lasted the entire weekend.
We started the weekend off by using our M16 to zero in, which means your weapon will be accurate at 300m. After the zeroing exercise, we got to throw grenades and eventually move onto the firing range and shoot pop-up silhouettes. Shooting the M16 rifle was very exciting for me because I had never shot one before this training event, but I soon realized that the fun had only just began.
We soon loaded up and were bused out to our campsites. This was the most primitive camping that I have ever been a part of. We had no lights, no type of shelter; we just simply slept in our sleeping bags on the ground out in the weeds. It actually wasn’t that bad and I surprisingly enjoyed the entire primitive camping ordeal but that is not to say I didn’t obtain a mild case of bug bites but I was bound and determined to not let that get my morale down. We got only four hours of sleep that night because we had to guard our base from “enemy.”
The next day was the longest day of the weekend for sure. We were up at 4:45 and didn’t go to bed until midnight. Sounds terrible I know but the day was full of activity and the hours seemed to fly past. We executed missions all day. The mission types included: Ambush, Hostage, Movement to Contact, Negotiations, and Recon. Later that night we moved to Land Navigation.
We were given points on a global coordinate grid and had to find them throughout the entire training site and then had to do it again at night with the aid of night type of light. It was extremely hard and the fact that the course was some of the hard navigating the other students had seen, didn’t help my cause any.
Tomorrow was the last and shortest day. We learned how to conduct missions in urban terrain and how to clear rooms etc. We ended with a bang by having to crawl about 200-300 meters through an underground tunnel that was dark, cold, and not to forget the tunnel rats.
Overall some would read this and not understand why it was fun, but I guess its one of those things where you just had to be there.

Observation & Reflection- Pioneers Park

2007-10-08T17:23:00.000-05:00

As I approach a trail at Pioneers Park, shortly after leaving the parking lot, I discover that I am no longer within the boundaries of a tall grass prairie surrounding the parking lot borders, but find myself under a tall canopy of Cottonwood trees. The rather scorching September sun of Nebraska isn’t beating down on me constantly as it was on the walk over, but still tries to take its shot by penetrating down through the opening between the lush tree swarmed landscapes.
The sounds of lively bugs make a constant buzz throughout the brush and the Wild Gooseberry bushes. It makes me think of the city. Only this time, instead of hearing honking and the sounds of engines roaring, you hear the persistent clatter of wildlife and wind making the leaves of the cottonwood wipe against each other making a commotion almost as if they are communicating to each other that a visitor is walking around. The difference between the city and the wilderness that is most evident to me in this standpoint. It was nice for once not to have to glance around and see honking horns, exhaust pouring out of exhaust pipes, people yelling or dozing off and leaving other drivers sit at the green light. It was so peaceful in fact I had forgotten that town was only in the distant horizon.
I continue to walk down the paved path. Vivid purple and exotically colored plants cover each side of the trail. I stop to attempt to put in writing what I am experiencing and soon notice a roli poli crawling across my foot, a Red butterfly temporarily lands on my shoulder, but soon commences in flight once more to chase his fellow butterflies just inches above the purple flowers where the honey bees are busy at work pollinating the flowers. It was almost as if you stopped, the environment would attempt to make you part of it. This was clearly the case as I stumbled upon an abandoned cabin.
The age of the ancient wooden structure is astonishing. It appears to be fenced in by a thick layer of flowers and a semi-transparent haze of honey bees can be seen hovering just above the tops of the bushes.
The smells the park was producing were most intriguing. Who ever thought the smell of pine trees, and the fresh breeze could ever be so soothing. The wind was blowing particularly hard that day and a smell came over me that couldn’t be mistaken. Water. As I follow the path, which has now turned to mulch and dirt, I finally navigate my way through the thick trees, and come to an opening.
I am immediately blinded by the sun, which didn’t seem to forget about me while I was in the trees, and I discover a small pond. With the perimeter of the pond covered by moss and green algae, there was still plenty of the pond that was visible. Untouched by the human hand, the water was extremely still, almost representing glass. The only breaks in the seemingly ripples water were the sticks and logs that were sporadically sticking up through the surface. Every now and then a small group of duck s would swoop down and lightly brush the water with the tips of the feather. They landed for a moment, but were soon in flight again once they noticed I was standing in the front of the opening. I began to walk again and herd Elk calling in the distance. I stop and look up the path, which has a subtle upgrade to it. Thinking I am done for the day, I recall the things that I’ve experienced. I then am suddenly awakened from my day dream by another scream from the distant Elk, and I realize I must push on.
I continue to walk atop the paved path, hearing the fallen leaves crunch beneath my feet as I walk. I see two deer skulls beside the path. They are placed in such a manner that they had to have been deliberately placed there. They were menacing and seemed to have given me a subliminal message saying don’t continue down the path, but that couldn’t be the case for I notice people off in the distant. Well, actually, just one older woman.
I walk up to her, being sure to make noise as no to startle her. My original intent was not to question her, but I was curious as to why she alone, was out here minding her own. She looked at me and said only one word. Medicine. She comes out every day and has her very own “thinking spot,” she put it. The nature provided the serenity and the feel of well being that if anything was troubling her she would come out here and just think. I found this very peculiar because that was how I felt the instance I got out of my car. I jotted down the conversation and soon after I looked up and the woman and disappeared off behind the old cabin. I thought nothing of it to myself and started to walk on.
As I continue to venture up the trail, I am soon greeted by a vast prairie filled with bison. A truly magnificent site, I try not to get side tracked and continue down the trial. The wind is still blowing and the tall grass resembles water as the wind creates waves in each individual blade of prairie grass. As I walk, I think about the diversity that I have all ready experienced. The things I’ve experienced thus far have included prairie, lush vegetation, a deciduous forest, and now even more vast grassland. Just as I’m imagining all these things, it appears I thought to soon. I now have come to a small wetland. I look around and realize that where I am now standing is the back side of the lake that I observed earlier.
Now, that I’m out in the open, smells overwhelm me. The fresh scent of the prairie breeze, plants, the smell of pine from the thick trees, and the somewhat unpleasant scent of bison manure temporarily numb my sense of smell. I am quickly brought back to reality and a fish jumps in the pond next to me. I continue you walk in what seems to be a giant circle around the pond, occasionally breaking the bond between foot and ground to venture across a boardwalk that helps you track over the water but not on it.
It isn’t as warm now and as I look to the sky, I notice that clouds are moving in and rather quickly. I began to jog back across the trail and to the parking lot.
When I reach my car, I climb into the driver’s seat and began to reflect on my adventure that I have just underwent. So many things to experience in so little time, although as I glance at my clock it reads 6:30, and indicates to me that was seemed to be a short evening afternoon hike turned out to be a two and a half hour expedition.
The things that the park did for me in just that relative short period of time were remarkable. The things that I experienced were unlike anything I could have pictured. I have been in the woods plenty times in my life, but when you actually stop and take notice of what's going on around you, the things you experience are unpredictable much like the weather I encountered.
From the city to the country you never quite realize everything there is to take in regardless of how difficult some try. Whether it is the difference between the buzzing of bugs to honking horns, to tall buildings blocking your view or a dense canopy of cottonwoods, the difference are astounding. For me, the outdoors definitely gives me a different feeling than being entrapped in the concrete jungle we call downtown. Although the things you experience are all of that you yourself make, from spending time in the park, I have found out more about myself and what it feels like to just have peace for a moment even if for just moment, the impact with stay with you as long as you let it.

Post 2 Newspaper Article

2007-09-12T17:30:00.000-05:00

Nebraska Distributes $7 Million in Homeland Security
By The Associated Press

‘More than 7 million federal dollars will be distributed in Nebraska as part of the Homeland Security grant program.It’s much less than last year, when the state got more than 21 million dollars.Much of the money will be used to help build a statewide communications system so emergency personnel and law enforcement can talk to each other across the state.
The grant money is meant to help state and local agencies better prepare for a terrorist attack. The money falls into two categories — overall state funding and special accounts for certain urban areas.The state decides how the grant money is disbursed after federal Homeland Security officials determine how much money Nebraska receives.’- Lincoln Journal Star

This article struck me in many ways. I was first taken back by the fact the Nebraska was to be given so much money for Homeland Security. So I thought.
To anyone else the sound of 7 million dollars is a lot right? Not in today’s society. We as Americans have heard about so many large figures due to our nation’s wealth. In the billions at times, yet no matter how much we hear and think that are minds can grasp the concept of that much money we can’t. What could someone do with 7 million? They could turn their lives around and still have money left over to not have to work the rest of their lives. According to the Journal Star, who or where they get their opinions from is unknown; 7 million is a puny and almost worthless amount as it struck me compared to the 21 million the state received last year.
Think about people that have the misfortune of living in poverty. Whether it be in third world countries around the world or even right here in the United States. It frustrates me how greedy and spoiled such a great country like the United States has the possibility of being. We have become so blinded, as a population, to the reality of what’s going on around us. Whether it’s 7 or 21 million, it came off to me, like it wasn’t good enough. It really troubles me how we are so unsatisfied with 7 million dollars to our state where some people, in our very own country, are happy just to be warm, have clothes on their backs, and have somewhere to stay at night. And what was the money spent for? It was spent on Homeland Security against terrorist attacks, which brings me to my next point.
The world has become so dependent on defending itself against terrorist’s and everything they stand for and I personally advocate all that money being spent on defending our country, although the real question should be what are we protecting ourselves from? Aren’t there plenty of “terrorists” in our own country?
Our country puts out so much money for the military, but some people argue there are other problems to be dealt with. This is true but you must have priorities. Some say the homeless number is too great, the unemployed population is escalating to fast. Fact of the matter is you have to deal with the biggest situation first. Some may ask, well, what is the biggest situation? It’s difficult to put your finger on anyone problem that must be taken care of. Some of the many problems could be crime, unemployment, scandals, homelessness, the War, our Economy. I guess my main point is before making a hasty opinion about the topics at hand, what would you do with the dispersion considering the facts?

Post 1 Discourse Surrounding The Essay

2007-09-05T14:10:00.000-05:00

“In reading an essay, I want to feel that I’m communing with a real person, and a person who cares about what he or she is writing. The words sound sentimental and trite, but the qualities are rare. For me, the ideal essay is not an assignment, to be dispatched efficiently and intelligently, but an exploration, a questioning, introspection. I want to see a piece of the essayist. I want to see a mind at work, imagining, spinning, struggling to grasp, and I won’t either. When you care about something, you continually grapple with it, because it is alive in you. It thrashes and moves, like all living things. When I’m reading a good essay, I feel that I’m going on a journey. The essayist is searching for something and taking me along. That something could be a particular idea, an unraveling of identity, a meaning in the wallow of observation and facts. The facts are important but never enough. An essay, for me, must go past the facts of the essayists own history, the personal memoir, are insufficient alone. Then facts of personal history provide anchor, but the essayist then swings in a wide arc on his anchor line, testing and pulling hard.”
-Alan Lightman

The quote that Alan Lightman made on his perspective of an essay is very interesting and original. When I first read the quote I thought for a second that I personally may have subconsciously written this because how Lightman feels about essays is extremely compatible to the way I view them as well.

When I am given an essay to write, I always write them more fluently and with more emotion when the topic to be written on is something I personally care for. Also, when writing about something I enjoy my mind tends to wander and my ideas on the subject begin to become more elaborate in nature. My views start to become more universal and almost persuasive and what I’m expressing seems to be relative to other people’s ideas. My writing starts to relate to my audience.

One thing about essay s being written in a non-concrete form is you really get to experience the essay and the writer. Like Lightman said, an essay becomes more enjoyable when you feel like the essay your reading is sentimental and imaginative. Essays in my view are to be unconventional, and give the reader a new experience every time someone reads your work, because no one wants to sit down to read an essay and become bored with the format or the concrete writing style, you want to keep the audience entertain and that’s the concept I believe Alan Lightman is attempting to portray.

My opinion and response to the quote is completely compliant to the views that Lightman is trying to express. Concrete and unimaginative essays are a bore to read. No essay is unreadable; it is just simply more pleasant to read an essay that has a more innovative composition.

Test Post

2007-08-31T14:30:00.000-05:00

First for ENG 001: Section 07.