"Less is More"

I thought this article was very interesting. When first passed out this passage I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The lady speaking seems to be someone who has lived a very productive life. By this I mean she has had her share of rough and happy patches and has seen what it is like to not always be on top. The poem on the cross stitch is something all of America and the world should live by. She was completely right when she inferred that the world is ungrateful for the possessions they have. People take everything for granted and don't realize what they have. It would be very interesting to listen to the talk she was going to have with her son. I think if the world was to hear this talk, it would change a lot of people. I also agree with her when she said that to help the environment would be to take away some of our many new gadgets. Having an iPhone myself, I realize it is much a want and not a need. Although our society focuses on things like these and addresses people based on what others have, the world should put all these new technologies aside even for a day and realize what they really do have and what really matters.

Black Men and Public Space

When first starting this passage I had mixed understandings as to what it would be about. It was somewhat close to what I was thinking. I think Brent Staples hits this passage perfectly. This man's occurrences on the street are exactly what happen. People perceive black men with an attitude of hatred and fear. Whether people know them or not, they categorize black people based on their ethnicity. When Staples describes the man's walks at night and the people's reactions to him, it portrays the man as a murderer and violent person. Even though this is what the world has become and we can't help the situation, it is a sad state that Americans judge people based on color. Without knowing everyone personally people begin to place every person from a particular cultural group in the same category. Even though this is not fair and not the way the world should be, it is the way the human mind works to generalize people. I think Brent Staples's story was written very well and portrayed this man's life in a way to come across to people to influence their thinking.

Americans Entitled to Cheap Gas-Right?

I think this lady nailed this story. I agreed with everything she said. Everything she talked about is still what is going on now except with even higher gas prices. I wonder if the lady that said she would sell her Blazer if gas went up to $2.75 did. She said that the survey said people are not concerned with the gas mileage when buying new cars, but are more concerned with the number of cup holders. To an extent I think this is still true, but people now are taking gas way more into consideration. With the gas prices continuing to rise, people are jumping to buy hybrid cars and more gas friendly vehicles. With our economy situation it makes me wonder if gas prices will ever go down back to a somewhat normal and average price.

"The Last Stop"

I think this story was written very well. He made what he was writing about very vivible to his readers. All the reactions he had to things are the same reactions I owuld have had. When he was in the parlor and would not get any closer to the body because he did not want to see it, I would have been the same way. The description of what the room where they embalmed the bodies smelled like was very realistic and I could imagine exactly what it would be like and smell like. I liked the way he observed the actions of Mr. Deaver al throughout the obseration. I also liked it when he would interview him and see Mr. Deaver's perspective.

"At Ole Miss, the Tailgaters Never Lose"

I really enjoyed reading this story. It was entertaining and related close to home so it kept your attention and made you want to read more. In paragraph ten when they discuss the dress of the people it reminded me of what I actually see at the Auburn tailgates. You see the girls that are trying way to hard to be cute in that hot weather and then you see the one who look like they just rolled out of bed. Also I liked paragraph 21 talking about the red cups. It completely describes how tailgates really are. All you see are red solo cups whether they have water or beer in them. Wherever I am whenever I see these cups it reminds me of tailgating or parties. When the people started yelling the cheer back to the boy in paragraphs 16-17 it reminded me of when we're sitting in the student section at an Auburn football screaming at the top of our lungs back at the cheerleaders. Overall this passage is amusing to read and keeps the reader interested throughout its entirety.

Saira Shah, Longing to Belong

Saira goes through experiences that I cannot imagine going through. Her entire wedding experience would be a huge struggle for me. From having to have an arranged marriage to it lasting for fourteen days, Saira must have been a lot stronger than I am. By standing up for herself, Saira proved that she did not have to do anything she did not want.
This story to me showed independence women can demonstrate in the real world. They do not always have to be in the shadows of their husbands or families. They can stand up and fight for themselves. When people go through hard-hitting times they feel as though they cannot believe in themselves if no one is there backing them up. In this case, Saira had the comforts of her aunt by her side. Even though it went against traditions in her family, Saira stood strong on what she believed.
The rituals Saira's family goes through are extremely tough and completely different from anything that I or my family does. If my family did these same rituals it would make life so much harder.

First One!

Hi. This is a blog I am going to use for my English 1100 class.