Blog #16

In Alfred Lubrano's article "The Shock of Education: How College Corrupts" its about that posive and negative's of going to college. I dont feel that going to college has changed much. I work more now then I did when i was in High School. I never really hung out wiht my family but we are all still close. I still hang out wiht a few on the people I graduated with, but most of them are away so its kind of hard.

blog # 16

Alfred Lubrano tells us many disadvantages on going to college affecting you and your family's relationship. I feel like this is very true. I am a full time employee, and go to school on the side also. I have such a busy schedule with work, school, and studying that where it limits the time where I can see my family, friends, and boyfriend. In the positive side, going to school raises my education level and my goal to finish school and start a good career. Sometimes the people I love get mad that that cant see me as much, but there is nothing i can do about it, because I have to put myself first.

Blog Post #16

Alfred Lubrano chose an interesting title for his passage presented in Signs of Life in the USA, which is "The Shock of Education: How College Corrupts." When leaving Highschool and going to college, you must move on in every way. You will part from friends and family as you grow. College opens a new world of ideas, a world of loyalty to friends and family, money making, marrying, personal fufillment, social obligation, and the pursuit of knowledge. Lubrano explains that theres a positive side, and negative side to this. So much will change between a parent and child, in the years of college. Every bit of learning takes you further from your parents. Although you are setting yourself up for growing up and real life at the same time. Lubrano basically explains the "dark side" of the American Story.

Blog Post # 17- Posting my topic for essay #5

The artifact of culture I decided to write about, for the fifth essay, is "The Statue of Liberty" (It might change). The reason I chose to discuss "The Statue of Liberty" because it is a symbol of freedom to many of those immigrants who had already or currently are migrated from their country to the USA. I believe "The Statue of Liberty" grant many immigrants freedom and does effect American culture in many positive or negative ways. When I look at The Statue of Liberty, it makes me stare at it for a while, is very appealing, and the structure of it makes me have an enthusiastic attiude.

Blog #15

I feel thats its pretty much the same as what Brookds wrote in his article "american Paradox" in 2001. There are still red and blue states. they have different ways of life. The red states are more live off the land kinda of people, and they dont rush life. The blue states are fast paced and rely alot of "chain" stores.

Post Blog # 16- Journal Entry on page 426

When a person is about to attend college or is currently attending, there are many effects- either positive or negative. When I attended Suffolk Count Community College in the fall of 2006, it was a very different atmosphere for me than my own high school. Friends and family are very significant when enrolling into a college because being able to meet more friends show that you want to continue getting to know more of them. I lived with my family because I do not dorm, but for those who do, they perhaps will call home everyday, when they have time, or even visit them. Attending Suffolk County Community College did have an effect on my relationship with my family and high school friends.
During college, being with the family changed completely than that of high school. In college, I am home less often, always tend to be doing work either in-bewween classes, or prior to the start of classes, and have less time to "help" at home. My fmaily is still in a good relationship with me and wish me to keep up the wonderful work. My parents, especially, always ask me if I am doing well in my classes, always look after me, and sometimes pay attention to see if I am doing all the work. My sister is always there for me if I need help in doing homework, especially English. College made my family focus more on how well I am doing in the classes, asking for help if needed, and being able to take my time and understanding the materials the professors teaches.
The first day I entered Suffolk County Community College, I realized that there were many of my high shcool friends who graduated with me in June 2006. I know all of the high school friends; however, being able to introduce myself to new friends was very simple. I still meet new buddies and go on with my life; on the other hand, I still have several high school buddies that are nice. I would try to introduce the new friends to my old friends and discuss variety of topics. Over the three semesters, I met many great friends here at Suffolk County Community College and still looking forward to remain friends with my high school ones.
There were many effects- either positive or negative- that influenced me when I attended college in the fall of 2006. College is a time when one cannot forget thier old friends; in that, they could remember all the fun times they had together. One who is outgoing, like me, tends to introduce themselves to new people. College also affect how one can dorm and live by the campus, while on the other hand, one can commute. I, however, commute to and from Suffolk County Community College and still have a close relationship with my family. I also meet new friends from my campus and sometimes introduce them to my old ones (high school friends).

BLOG POST # 15

David Brooks wrote an article about the presidential election and how it's divided into the red state and blue state. The red state seems to embrace spriritual religiosity, a small town version of communal conformity, social populism, and puritanism, whereas the blue states tend to be more secular, anti-puritan, and commercially oriented. Of course, most people in the red states can exeplify blue state traits, vice versa. Americans are basically becoming divided, and Brooks wanted to figure out which state Americans fir into. He uses examples such as stores that we have more of in the blue states and red states. i believe that the red and blue states still exist. We live our lives by migrating through the many different cliques associted with the activities we enjoy and the goals we have set for ourselves. We choose which set of standards to live by, and when. I believe the gap is only going to grow in the future.

blog #15

There are many ethnic and economic patterns between the red and blue states. One is that blue America is mostly diverse while red America is predominately white. With economic patterns, blue America is more educational then red. Red America has lower income and are more likely to be farmers.

Post Blog # 15- David Brooks- Page 396

David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times and a commentatot on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. He states that the red-blue state divide still exists after the 2004 presidential election. David travelled around roads to see whether Americans were so hopelessly culturally divided after all, and realize that the feared divide may not go so deep after all.
The red-blue state , in my opinion, still remains (exists) after the 2004 presidential election. Brooks states that he wanted to discover whether or not Americans were divided either into "blue states," or "red states." Red and blue states are everywhere he says; however, many places are consider either blue or red America. The author also mentions that there are many examples that distinguishes between the red and blue states. For instance, he found out that red America may have fewer Starbucks and Potttery Barn outlets then does blue America. He uses examples and place them where he thinks they belong too. Another example he mentions is that in Red America, churches are everywhere, whereas in Blue America, Thai restuarants are everywhere. This shows that the red-blue state divide still exists. We form what he called a "cafteria nation."If it becomes too big, then itform into cliques, and when they become too big, subcliques occur. The red-blue state still affects many locations, people, and the way we name different stores.
After the 2004 presidential election, the red-blue cultural divided, and many democraties and republicans come up with many arguments. In today's society, I still do believe that hte red-blue state divide still exists after the 2004 presidential election. The divide, I think, became larger because many people have different reasons for voting and it depends on which topic is being discussed. I also believe it will grow bigger in the future and as a result, many people would focus on the real world more (how things are happening). People would have a better understanding on the society and what is important in our own lives.

Post #14

While reading "Creating and Comparing Myth in Twenteith- Cantury Science Fiction: Star Trek and Star Wars" by Lincoln Geraghty I was very interested. I have never really watched Star Wars or Star Trek so reading this and finding out what their point was by creating these shows was very interesting. "Star Wars was showing the battle between good and evilm young heroes and ancient sorcery. While Star Trek has a strong functional parallel with older myths, becuase it is fururistic setting entails a more serious king of truth claim" ( Page 198-199)

Blog # 14

I chose a passage from page 301 in Signs of Life,"The Hollywood Sign", stating " Why come up with something new when you can be sure of a hit by rehashing an existing hit?". I find this passage to be very interesting. The author explains how remaking The Grinch was basically an easy way out to making a hit in the box office. I never really looked at the movie remakes before in this way, and it does make a lot of sense. It is a very smart idea for the producer to come up with this idea, and to throw a famous actor, Jim Carry, that America loves also in the movie to make it double the hit it was when it first was originated.

Blog Post #14

I found that a paragraph from the passage "Creating and Comparing Myth in the twentieth century Science Fiction" was very interesting. This is mostly because I have really never watched Star Wars or Star Trek. I found out that Star Wars trilogy created by George Lucas was an attempt to bring back hope to a nation when it seemed in short supply in 1977. Georges vision was to "ressurect the myths and legends that had once defined society but had since been forgotten because people had more pressing social problemsto deal with." The economy was in pretty bad shape, as they just finished the Vietnam War. America was in need of something that would inspire people to speak to their concerns and at the same time "offer some timeless wisdom."

Blog post #13

Robert Ray is a professor and director of film and media studies at the University of Florida. "The Thematic Paradiam" talks about the different contrasts in heros, such as the official hero and the outlawed heros. Cartoon television series such as the Simpsons and South Park feature characters that don't exactly fit Rays categories of a hero. If i invented a third hero to go along with these it would be someone like the guys from beavus and butthead. That's the first show that comes to my mind. These two boys who are complete loosers who mostly hang out around their house all day making fun of people on television. When they go out in public they do the same thing. These two characters really have no feelings, it's kind of weird!

Blog #13

The Simpson's and South Park have heroes, but they are practically a good/bad hero. These hero's don't really categorize into Ray's type of Hero. These characters are hero's, but in a miner way. Even though they do bad, at the end they also do whats right. If I invented a third type of hero to fit Ray's interpretation of a bad American Hero, He would be clumsy, stubborn, sensitive, and very amuse by making fun of others. The hero would have a lot of flaws, but he would still do whats right in the end, like saving a life.

Post Blog # 14- Choosing a passage or idea

The passage I chose to do that interests me made me realize what was interested about it, and learn new things I never heard of. When reading that passage, I discovered new things I never knew before, found it was appealing, was interested, and of course real fact. The reading itself appears to present factual things that I did not know of and it may follow in the next paragraph explaining what I found interested about this specific reading, and which passage or idea i chose to do.
The passage I decided to present that I found interesting was found in the beginning of section three (3), on page 197 to the top of page 198. The passage starts off with "The two science fiction phenomena- Star Trek and Star Wars- appear to have the same basic creative foundations: both were designed to speak to Americans in need of social and moral guidance........This trend is not unique to Star Wars, but marks "the stirrings of a postmodern pastiche influence that has increasingly characterized our science fiction films." (Paragraph Two on pg 197 all the way to the very top of 198). The reason I found this reading (passage) interesting because I found out some wonderful facts that I never knew or heard of. I found out that I never knew that Star Wars and Star Trek both were designed to speak to Americans in need of social and moral gudiance. It is interesting that these two movies tend to appear to have the same basic creative foundations. They are of course many differences between these moives. That fact that Star Trek had been screened on television and film for 35 yrs is a long time, and Star Wars had been restricted and the fact it has many epidoses that are made as movies. Star Trek's series are able to change American own popular taste. On the other hand, Star Wars relies more on ancient myth and how American problems are being linked to today's society. They also show great themes that I never thought of. It is interesting what I read because now I know it, and had analyze it, the fact I did not know before.
The two of them also have similarties, for which they both had take history and myth, then transformed them into a new package. They both show post-modern(ism) in that there are many different versions to watch and they both make fun of things in the past (the movie's perpsective change). The movies , Star Trek and Star Wars, both look back at the past to make us (the viewers) learn about the present. Fredric Jameson said a quote that he believe we are unable to focus on one's own present, and instead still think about the past. Myths and history change, such as when viewing Star Wars and Star Trek own versions; postmodernism occurs as a result. What I also found interesting was when the passage mentions "Star Trek is romantcizing about a history that has scientific and historical grounding in reality." That statement is interested. The fact that postmodern occurs, and how Star Wars and Star Trek shows it is characterizing our science fiction films, and how it is occuring in the two movies/episodes.
When I read this specific passage/idea, I found many interesting things between Star Wars and Star Trek that I had not knew/heard of. Now I have some idea about how these two ficitonal films/myths are still "presented" in today's society, in addition, how they are still being shown, the fact they there are many different versions and episode of them.

Blog Post # 13- Question #5 from Page 316

There are many cartoon television series, such as The Simpsons and South Park. What I was thinking that "invent a third type of hero to accommodate such characters" could be Tom and Jerry (Since it is a cartoon show, and have characters that do not easily fit Ray's Categories of hero). Others may include Adventures of Hucleberry Finn, Blue's Clue, Alex in Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, Aladin, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Cinderella. All these cartoons shows rarely show categories of hero; instead, they are just cartoon shows that show action, fighting, and even comedy.
Some cartoon television series that readily fit Ray's categories of hero may include Spiderman, Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, Shrek, Harry Potter, and even The Chronicles of Narina: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. All these "cartoon" series demonstrate hero in many ways, how it is performed, and what is being done to keep heroism alive. Hero is a good thing because it shows someones fight until they accomplished what they need to do, and shows friendship, love, and the ability to perform mutli- tasks.
Happy Easter everyone... Hope you all eat great food, and had enjoyed your spring break.

Post #12

I feel that the part of my essay that needs the most work is the conclusion. I have never been really strong with that. I hope to learn how to do that better in the class so that it will be easier to write the conclusion.