The Veil is a cartoon that illustrates the conflict between her ethnic and religious identity. She is in a conflict about finding her identity, because she grew up Persian and is living in contemporary Iran which is the Islamic Republic. She doesn’t know how she should view herself because she feels Persian but she is forced to obey Islamic Rule.

The pictures of men are examples of how the stereotype of men has been viewed over time. Men are pictured to be strong and to have a good self image. They are pictured to be confident and self driven.

The pictures by Nancy Burson go beyond gender typing to see the shared aspects of men and women. Where many try to see the differences of men and women, She intentionally obscures features that tend to me male or tend to be female.

Gender Training talks about how one learns what makes people female and what makes people male and whether it is done by nature or nurture. That genetics play a larger role in gender development But this genetic role is reinforced by nurture. Social roles are as gender is involved is started to merge together. Where Women are starting to join the army and so on.

Examining Difference is about how we react to racial and ethnic differences. Many authors have sited the assimilation of the different ethnic groups in the American culture as a melting pot, historically groups such the Irish,Italians, Germans have seen this assimilation relatively easy. For groups identified through skin color, such as African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian have found acceptance to be more difficult because of there skin color. Discrimination based on skin color is breaking down gradually.

How to Live by Annie Dillard talks about how group identity shapes your life and how you view the world. What you value, what music you listen to, what drinks you like, is all determined by what group your in and all this is done subconsciously. She points this out because she suggests that a wider view will allow us to change a perceptiveness of the world and our place in it.

The pictures and articals located on pages 454-465 are artistic expressions of foreign view of American culture. How American problems impact the rest of the world. That the use of drugs in the cities and suburbs results in blood shed in Colombia. How the destruction of 9/11 effects people in Pakistan. American consumption results in toxic waste in China. All examples of the unitended consequences of American cultural, economic, and political expansion.

A Touchy Subject by Paul Fussel is an article exploring the nature of economic and social class in America. In America everybody is  born equal but that is last instant that it is true. Classes are not suppose to exist in the American Society, Therefore the discussion of classes in America becomes a sensitive subject. The author asserts that just because the issue of class is a uncomfortable subject, that does not mean we should not study it.

The Fascination of the Miniature by Steven Millhauser observes why the miniature brings attention to the human eye. Miniature is not the same as small, it is the smaller version of something larger. A bottle cap is small but it is not miniature. The artist formatted the essay so that even the size of the paper is miniature. This is to catch the readers attention and to bring in visual support to the artist’s claim.

From the Introduction to A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson is an essay about the world at the atomic level. When humans only live for 650,00 hours and the world is 3.8 billion years old, it sure makes our lives look insignificant on the scale of the universe. There has been billions and billions of life forms on earth but 99.99 percent of them have been wiped out. The average species lasts only four million years. What makes us up is no different then what makes up the rest of the universe. The universe, where things not alive, can create things alive.

Reflections On A Mote Of Dust by Carl Sagan compares magnitudes by making the world the size of dot. The world we live in, compared to the whole universe, is minute. Its only a pebble in the land of rocks. We are the only ones around, so only we can change our future. We are so eager to snatch our lives away from each other in a place where all life struggles like an endangered species.

The Bullet going through the Apple is a picture of motion frozen in time. I know that all pictures are frozen in time but what makes this picture so special is at the speed at which the photo was taken. To the naked eye, a bullet is invisible so this picture illustrating a process that is normally unseen and forming it into a beautiful picture. Where the shadow is resting along the blue back ground. The apple getting ripped open showing that the appearance of something on the outside is not always the same on the inside. Where something with so much color can be white and pure on the inside.

The picture of the computer on a chip of silicon evokes images of a city with its buildings, roads, and houses. Roads are not so different then wires. They take things from point A to point B. Computer chips hold memory, and buildings  hold people. If a concept is good at the large scale why wouldn’t it work at the small scale? In this case, these two things that seemed different actually had a lot in common.Their differences are just a matter of scale.

A Matter of Scale by K.C. Cole is an observation about size and scale and how natural forces act on each one differently. Fleas can surpass superhuman feats by jumping 100 times their own height. A rat can be thrown from the empire state building and survive because air resistance reduces its terminal velocity Sometimes a change of scale really does make a difference. Depending on the property size really does make a difference. We are dependent on the truth of this phenomena for all our devices that function at the atomic level.

The Man Up of Blocks picture is made up of a bunch of smaller images that come together to make an illusion of a man. There are  no smooth lines but the human eye perceives the collection of straight lines to be smooth from our prior knowledge of a face. By this technique the artist highlighted the construction of a whole from smaller constituent parts.  From the shadows on the forehead to the facial features, like the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

On Photography by Susan Sontag is a personal narrative about photography. Photography not used as art but as amusement. To be able to look at a picture and get happiness from it. When a person takes a picture it means something to them. Pictures are always taken to capture something. Memories will always be retrieved by looking at a picture. The act of photography is widely  used by the public and in the family settings. It is awkward to be on a trip for pleasure and not to bring a camera.

On Photography by Susan Sontag is a personal narrative about photography. Photography not used as a fine art but as vehicle to capture moments in time. The image captures a slice of our experience and becomes a nexus for our memories. All the emotions and connections between and among the photographer and the subject is projected onto the image at the focal point of the lens. In the future when we gaze upon the recorded image the memories of that moment fill our consciousness and restore that fleeting instant. The memories are personal pleasure not public consumption.

“Picture Perfect” by Babetle Hines is a personal reflection on the qualities of a collection of short image sequences captured inside a photo-booth. Though the subjects of these sequences are decades removed from us we can still recognize the emotions and spirit of the moment. In the photo-booth there is no photographer to enforce his choice of instant capture. In the photo-booth there is only the subject and the camera.

“The Photograph” by N. Scott Momaday is personal narrative about the views on oneself. How you view the world, can only be seen by yourself. If you never fly then you will never see how a hawk views the world. By taking the picture of the old women, the women realized how others view her. By taking a picture you broaden the views of others

I Sand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen is about a single mother not being able to take care of her daughter. She is young and unexperienced and is overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being a single mother. Her daughter(Emily) spent most of her young life in daycare and when she was older she was sent off to a clinic. The lack of attention that was given to Emily made her lack in self confidence . When she became older she became a comedian at her highschool. The story ends with this quote “That she is more than this dress on the ironing board, helpless before the iron.”

Once More to the Lake by E.B. White is a personal narrative full of description. White talks about how the father and son relationship is strong and repetitive. The Father takes his son to a lake in Maine, where his father once took him. The trip brings back memories for the father, and how much he is acting like his father once did. His life is now being replayed through his son. This was my favorite personal narrative because I enjoy how the author uses a descriptive style to contrast a point.

No Place Like Home by David Guterson is about a neighborhood that is based off a false sense of security. I think the author is saying that ignorance is bliss and only the wealthy can have bliss. Even though this neighborhood has a gate, neighborhood watch and its own police force its still not safe. The community is called Green Vally. The marketing logo is a G and V that is intertwined to make an optical illusion of two leaves and a plant stem. So this plant stem and leaves is the illusion of safety and the reality is that its a G and V.

Homeplace by Scott Russell Sanders is a personal narrative  about “rooting yourself in ideas rather than places”. The Millers invested so much time in there land that even though 3 tornados destroyed there property they are still living there. Should you buy a new car just because your car is old, even though it works great? For them they didn’t see anything wrong living there and rebuilding was just apart of there life. Novelist Salman Rushdie left his native land of India for England. Where there he wrote Imaginary Homelands. It is about migrant sensibility. He goes on to talk about how if you understand your homeplace you can better understand other diverse places. The overall out look of the author is that people are to focused on superficial ideas not the deeper meaning of objects.

This class is mandatory because every student must learn how to format and master the ability to put your thoughts into words. Ideas without the ability to what communicate them are nothing. Each field of study has its own standards and conventions and professors expect students to learn and to conform to these standards. Professors will ask for there papers to be in certain formats and this class will teach you how to identify and distinguish the difference of each one and how to properly write a formal essay.

2. What do you plan to get out of this class?

Writing has always been a challenge for me and I hope to get everything out of this class that I can. I hope to improve my skill in exchanging ideas between classmates and professors.  Where ever my school career takes me I will need to write effectively.  I plan on spending  many nights in the writing center and in the library. I hope this class improves me as a writer and as a student.

3. Writing is not my activity of choice. I have never gone home and written in my journal or chosen to write in my own time. I hope writing becomes easier for me as I go through college like many other things that become easier the more times you do them. I look at writing as I look at running its hard and when its over I am glad its done. I consider  writing one of my greatest personal challenges, I have struggled with it in the past and will continue to struggle through this class. Although my writing has improved I expect it will always be a challenge.

4. My experience of writing is only been what has been required by my teachers. I took AP english my senior year. This was my hardest class. I wrote more essays in this one class then I did in my entire  high school career. I feel like I improved during that time but it was unpleasant. I hope you will understand my difficulties  and help me to further my writing. If you can give me as much feedback as possible that would be great. I am here to learn.