As the semester comes to a close...

I have learned so much from this class, and so much about myself and life in the process! I had fun with all of you, and I am surely going to keep in touch with the friends I've made here. This was so much more than an English class to me, this was quite the experience. From coming in the first day and being so nervous and seeing there were already cliques, and now we all talk and some of us even hang out outside of school. I'm going to miss all of you so much! And I do hope when we see each other these next semesters, we won't be strangers. For the few who haven't heard me talking about this the past few months, I will be going to England this summer! I'm hopefully going to post pictures and blogs here telling you about my experiences in a foreign country, and hopefully some of you will read them! This has been hands down my favorite class since I've been at Southwestern, and I hope we do keep in touch. I have high hopes for all of you, and know you're going to be great. This is not a goodbye, but a see you later!!! :)

Hunger Games racism tweets

When this was first brought to my attention, I was utterly in shock! Though I have not seen the movie yet, I was so fascinated by this outright racism. The characters Rue and Thresh are described in the book as having "dark brown skin" but some bigoted fans would object to that. A few quotes I've found were "Why does rue have to be black not gonna lie kinda ruined the movie." Another, "Why did the producer make all the good characters black?" And, "Why is Rue a little black girl? Stick to the book, dude." Even typing those words makes me cringe. This is BLATANT racism, and it's NOT okay. There are thousands more tweets just like that, and it makes me wonder, has America really changed that much in the views of color?

http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/hunger-games-fans-have-racist-debate-over-stars-playing-rue-thresh-2012263


Above is the link of where I started looking this up. Check it out, let me know how you guys feel!Sorry I couldn't get it to be clickable, so just copy and paste into your browser.

Alienation-The Fear

This week in class, we went over the theme Alienation. We looked at 2 songs, The Clash's "Lost in the Supermarket" and Lily Allen's "The Fear." Although both songs were really good, I chose more to talk about "The Fear." I think everyone can relate to the song, because in the back of everyone's mind, they wonder what it would be like to be rich and famous. But Lily tells the other half of the story. The side that people don't understand or get to see. In the song, she says, "And I am a weapon of massive consumption, And it's not my fault, its how I'm programmed to function." I think this represents that we are all being consumed by the media, and that's a problem. This song has so much more depth, so I urge you to take a listen if you haven't already.

KONY 2012

If you were not in class on Wednesday, you really missed out. It was not in the lesson plan, but we decided to watch the Kony 2012 video. Joseph Kony is a man in Uganda who is responsible for thousands and thousands of abductions, kills, and other unspeakable crimes. Invisible Children is the foundation presidented on getting the message across that this is going on, and we can do something to help. This video was one of the most intense I have seen in a while. I was tearing up at a couple scenes. If you have no watched this video, take the time to do so now. We can help. And also take the time to see all the rhetoric techniques used in this video.

What's working and what's not

In class this week, we all got a chance to voice our opinions about what's working and what's not. It was a little crazy hearing all the good and bad going on. I DEFINITELY have to agree with not the fact that we have "a lot" of homework, but the fact that we need more time to complete the assignments. I know I heard a lot of classmates saying that they are taking 12+ units! It's hard to manage all the homework and studying taking all those classes. There were some really good things said about the class, like how we're slowly but surely becoming friends. And how there is a high level of respect between us. I hope as time goes by, we shy away from those "cliques" and get closer with everyone :)

Our First Essay!

Whew! We did it. The whole process of writing this first essay was so nerve wrecking for me. Since it was the first essay, and being new to Prof. Aronson, I wasn't quite sure of what his expectations were. I'm sure everyone who is new to Prof. Aronson can relate to the nervousness. I learned a lot from this essay. I learned that ALL Adele songs are really deep, and that she uses so many different rhetoric techniques, like smiles, metaphors, and analogy's. I also learned from this essay that rhetoric is everywhere in our lives! Just look around, you'll find it :)

To my grandmother

This poem is dedicated to my grandmother, who always believed in my baking capabilities, and taught me most of the things I know about baking. RIP grandma.

Chocolate chip cookies,
                                         "soft and moist"                                      

Red Velvet cake,

"Decadent and delicious"

Peanut Butter and Chocolate cupcakes,
"So sweet and creamy"
Lemon bars with powdered sugar,
"So tart"

Grandma, you were and forever will be my inspiration for baking. I love you.