"Even a Fiuscrzsa Ticiwelmun Knows That a Typewriter is Feminine."

Language can be a difficult topic to wrap your mind around. Isn't it odd how ten people can say the same exact thing ten different ways? Isn't it strange that we may understand one of those people, but not the others, even though they are all saying that one same thing? Language is an incredible device, but it poses a few problems and creates some borders between people. Yes, one can learn a new language, but not everyone has time, and learning a new language can be incredibly difficult! (All of those who can speak more than one language fluently, I applaud you). In Me Talk Pretty One Day David Sedaris explores the challenges he faced while taking a French class. He describes how awful his teacher was, and how she would often tease the students whenever they misspoke. Some of the details in the article are likely exaggerated, but it got the message across: not knowing the language of the country you are in will often get you looked down upon.

When someone is in a country where they don't know the native language, it leaves them feeling out of place and inadequate. Being able to communicate is very important in any human society. Those who cannot communicate properly may be treated like children, or even worse, made fun of because they cannot speak and be understood.

Despite the negative focus of the article, it ends on a good note. The author realizes that when the teacher jokes at his broken French, he understands every word of her cruelty. After this realization he is filled with confidence because even though her teaching method is tough and unforgiving, he is still learning the language.

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Let Teenagers Try Adulthood

High school is something that one might have seen as the "big leagues" when they were younger. It is often romanticized in popular culture as the best four years of your life. However, once you get there it quickly becomes obvious that high school is NOT going be the way you see it in the movies. 

The article Let Teenagers Try Adulthood discusses our flawed education system, specifically high school. Before I even start on the content of the article I'd like to mention the title. It sounds almost as if it is a challenge. Let Teenagers Try Adulthood. They might fail or even sabotage their future because of this new system, but let them try anyway. Saying it that way probably makes it seem as though I dislike this article, but that is not entirely true. The article brings up good points and suggests some decent ideas for change in the system. The problem is that there is no way to change the school system so that it works properly, and accommodates the wants and needs of the students. This is because every person is different, and therefore matures at their own pace. The article mentions that students should be focusing their studies at a younger age and before they go to college. The problem is that most fifteen and sixteen year olds do not know what they want to do with their lives. There will be a situation where an unsure child is forced to choose what they want, only to regret it later in life. By then however, it will be too late because they had to choose their path before they were ready. Children and adolescents cannot grow up by force, most of them need some time.

Yes, the current school system is full of holes, and could probably use an update. The issue is that this update is that one that requires you to restart your computer so you keep putting it off until you have absolutely no choice but to do it.

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"Slang in America" Walt Whitman

1. According to Walt Whitman, American slang is a kind of language all its own. In order to understand it, you need to learn what it means, just like any other language. The difference is that not all English speakers understand all English slang. I believe that slang is the same way today.
2. Whitman lays the foundation for an essay on language, by first defining it. He describes what  language is, how it changes, and how important it is. From here he can go on and discuss the idea of slang.
3. By saying “lawless” he means to say that slang follows no rules, and is simply used in any way by its speaker. “Below all sentences” and “behind all poetry” means that slang is a hidden language in all forms of speech. It supports the words it hides behind. The last piece means that slang will always come back, and always be present in our speech. It gives language force.
4. One of the metaphors compares slang to “wholesome fermentation”. He also calls slang a “lawless germinal element”. Both are equally effective in their own ways.
5. Whitman makes his perspective simpler by using shorter sentences, as well as more easily understood words. He also gives examples of slang to explain what he means.
6. According to Whitman, slang is what gave start to old mythologies.
7. All of the examples given primarily support the point that slang is unique to different areas, an that slang is focused around the people who speak it.
8. Whitman claims that the laborers of America are more fun to be around that the “American humorists”.  I believe this statement strengthens his point of how slang and humor intertwine, and how the American people use slang.
9. The tone is intelligible, informational, and even passionate. Whitman shows that he knows much about the topic, and is passionate about describing his thoughts to the reader. The last paragraph really shows how fascinated Whitman is by including exclamation points.
10. In Whitman’s poems he often uses slang, and most of his work is free verse. Also, Whitman was a traveler and likely visited most of the places mentioned in the essay. He probably heard slang from across the country first-hand.
11. One word that has a slang meaning is “wicked”, often used in New England. It’s literal meaning is evil, but as a slang term it means something closer to awesome or amazing. The term has escaped its literal meaning and become something else.
12. What Dalzell says is true. Slang is a language used primarily by youth, I know this because I myself use slang language often.  

Mother Tongue

In Mother Tongue by Amy Tan, it is discussed how much language influences our lives. Tan talks specifically about her mother who speaks what can only be described as "broken" English. Her mothers English is difficult for some to understand, but to Tan it is easily understandable. AT one point in the essay Tan includes a direct quote from her mother. The quote is relatively long, but Tan includes the entirety of it. She does this because the focus of her writing is her mothers speech. She want to show the reader how her mother speaks by including this specific example. If she had shortened or edited it, the piece would not have the same effect on the reader. By reading the quote it becomes obvious just how "broken" her mothers English is.
A few times in the essay, Tan criticizes herself. She does not like to use the term "broken" or "limited English", but lacks any other way to say it. At another point she criticizes her past work and how proper her English was written. Tan used impressive words, and perfect grammar, to the point that it became slightly pretentious. I believe that Tan may have done this in an attempt to impress the reader.  Her origin may cause some to automatically expect her to speak unimpressive English. She wanted to prove them wrong. However, in doing this she found that her writing lost its humanity. The English in which she wrote was so impeccable, that it became something difficult to read. For this reason, she looks back on her previous work with criticism.
In the last few paragraphs Tan discusses how she realized that she wanted her work to be readable. So rather than hold it to the highest of standards, she instead writes with her mother in mind. Tan decided that she would write english in a way that her mother could understand and read.

Where's Your Home?

The word "home" often carries a different meaning depending on who you ask. Some may simply state that home is where you live, or your house. Others might say that home is where you're from, or where you grew up, and you'll always get that one person that says something like "home is where the heart is" (such beautiful poetry). The point is, "home" does not have much of a solid definition.
I believe that home is wherever one feels most comfortable. Home is the place where you can escape from the rest of the world to feel more at ease. For me "home" is my room, which doesn't seem like much of a home to some, but it perfectly fits my definition. My room is the epitome of comfort for myself, and I will briefly explain why. Somehow, I managed to get the biggest bedroom in the house (my parents are still upset about the missed opportunity). I have worked hard to make my room a comfortable place with a positive atmosphere. Plants on the windowsill, a bookcase full of books, a collection of small glass bottles, a wall covered in drawings, my computer and laptop, and lots of pillows on my bed. These are the things that make my room more of a home. Whenever I am feeling stressed I can always retreat to my "home" to recover. This is how I define home.
Some people believe that where you are born is your home. Although this may be true for some, I don't believe it is always the case. Some people are born in one country, but find themselves living in another. Often times they will considered the country where they live to be home. Others do indeed consider their place of origin to be their home. One may live in America, but recognize Africa as home. Home is wherever you choose it to be. Sometimes it is where you live, other times it's where you feel the most comfortable. Home can be where you are loved an welcomed. It can be a place you made, or a place you found. It all comes down to one's own definition of home.

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Activism

In the article "Small Change Why the Revolution Will Not be Tweeted" the author, Malcolm Gladwell, talks about activism and how social media has changed it. After reading the article I have come to some personal conclusions and opinions on the topic. The biggest question being asked is whether or not activism is effective on social media. It cannot be denied that social media is one of the fastest ways to spread information, and get one's voice heard.  However, it cannot replace real world activism. Social media is simply too unorganized, or loosely grouped. People come together under a common cause, but fall apart when it comes to specifics on how this or that should be.
Seeing real world activism is far more powerful than reading about it on a screen. When we see real people standing up for what they believe in, or fighting for change we are inspired to do the same. Seeing is believing and images can be more powerful than words. A video of protestors is likely to get more attention than an article. Social media's best use would be to assist in the spread of real world activism. Showing videos, sharing articles, and keeping everyone up to date on activism in real life is social medias most powerful tool.
In the end, I believe that real world activism will always be above social media activism. Social media can serve has it's purposes, maybe this isn't one of them.

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Feminism: What's not to Like?

Feminism is a difficult topic for me to write about. Not because I find it uncomfortable or disagree with it's ideals, but rather because I have so many thoughts on the subject that that they often get jumbled. I struggle to gather my thoughts and piece them together because I will say something and then find an argument against it that leads to another idea, and I lose track of what I am supposed to be writing about. For that reason I apologize if this ends up sounding more like one continuous thought.

The article "Bad Feminist" focuses primarily on the issue of defining feminism. Particularly how to be a feminist. The author brought up some good points, and gave valid opinions. Being a feminist is sometimes described as "angry men-hating women" when that is not always the case. Feminism has been stereotyped and looked down upon because it's meaning has been warped into something that it wasn't meant to be. The idea behind feminism is that it was supposed to be a fight for equality between genders. It just so happens that women are the primary victims of the inequality and so the name "feminism" was adopted. The problem is that some people have made feminism to be a strange culture that hats men and wants women to have more power than them. I will not deny that some feminists think this way (unfortunately probably more than just "some") instead of the way of equality.

The strangest thing about feminism is that people fight against it, mostly men, but women as well. I can understand people being against the all-the-power-to-the-women destroy-all-men way of thinking, but why would anyone fight for inequality? Are the women afraid of change? Do they not want to define themselves as feminists because of the meaning that title carries? Do men simply want women to stay on the bottom? Are they afraid that if there is equality, they will be treated the way they treat women?

One of my favorite parts of the article was when the author was talking about liking pink, and long dresses, and rap music, even if it sometimes dehumanizes women. Some feminists believe that liking "girly" things or liking things that don't seem to like women is wrong and going against feminism. If there are things that you like, then you are allowed to like them! It is never "bad feminism" to enjoy something that brings you happiness. Just because something is stereotypically "female" does not mean that you should hate it because of it's stereotype. Why is it seen as "bad feminism" or even weakness to like something THAT REPRESENTS FEMININITY? In my opinion there is only one way to be a "bad feminist" and that is to fight against equality.

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You Can (Not) Be Imaginative

I'm not sure how to respond to that article. This is probably because I love Disney (even if its mostly just for the animation). When the author of the article spoke about Alice in Wonderland and how they believe that it discourages imagination, I was awestruck. I adore Alice in Wonderland. It is a fascinating, creative, and beautiful story. For me it provides a constant reminder to always be more imaginative because the mind is infinitely creative. This article dumbed down my favorite story to foolishness that is supposedly telling girls to avoid creativity. (I will admit that the books are better than Disney's movie).

While the article didn't hit the bullseye, it didn't entirely miss the mark either. Disney is an imperfect studio that often gets some facts wrong, or changes the point of a story completely. Even though the author makes a few decent points, and backs them up with sufficient evidence, she seems to take these movies a little too seriously. Her point is that these animated films are changing young girls' perspective on life, but what little girl is going to look at a Disney movie with such critique? The evidence that the author provides is so subtle that it likely has no effect on children. For Alice in Wonderland, she states that at the end of the movie Alice becomes afraid of her imagination and wants to go home. Well sometimes imagination is and sometimes you do want to go home, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be creative. Look at how much fun Alice has in the beginning of the story, and how by the very end she stands up to the Queen (and avoids decapitation).

Perhaps I am including too many personal feelings into this, but if we look at everything through too critical of a lens then aren't we killing our own imagination?

The one idea that I do agree with is that Disney (as well as other production companies) should not be   sending the message that girls only have one option in life; MARRIAGE. Why is it that the movie always ends when the female protagonist gets married? It's because some people are convinced that a girls adventure ends when she is married, and so the movie should end there too. Not everyone gets married, and for those who do it is not The End. Young girls are likely to watch these movies and think that because their favorite characters always get married, then they should too. (For some reason I never felt this way. Instead I always imagined myself as the male protagonists rather than the females. I suppose that could be another topic for discussion because some children will associate with their favorite characters instead of the ones that match their gender.) By refusing to show girls that they have options, you take away bits and pieces of their imagination.

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This Probably Should Have Been Done a Few Days Ago

It didn't take me a long time to realize that I am horrendously lazy. That sounds like an awful way to start a blog and a likely intro to self-depreciation, but it has been weighing on my mind and i have to write something. So here it is.

Right now it is 9:02 PM on Wednesday night and tomorrow this very blog is due. That may not seem like a big deal if you think about how homework is usually assigned the day before it is due, but this was not assigned today. It wasn't even assigned yesterday. This blog was assigned on Thursday of last week. The fact that I am sitting here typing this now and not a few days ago is what gave me the idea to write about my problem. Why would I wait so long to start this when I was told about it nearly a week ago? Did I think maybe if I don't do it, it will just go away? No. Do I find the subject boring and therefore lack motivation? Also no. After thinking for a while I realized that there is no decent reason for my procrastination, except for the undeniable fact that I am lazy.

I have a good amount of free time. Now that tennis season is over I will have even more, but will I use it wisely? No. This is the source of the problem. Time management is something that I (and I'm sure plenty of others) struggle with. * When managing my time I will usually put the things that I want to do first, and the things that I don't want to do last. The problem with this system is that most of the things that I don't want to do are things that need to get done. I almost always end up wasting my time and finishing my work much later than expected. This actually wouldn't be so much of a problem on its own, but my procrastinating leads to stress and that stress leads to panicking. I bring these things upon myself and I could fix them if I had a little more self-discipline, but I just cannot stop myself from waiting for the last minute to start a job that needs to get done. I'm told that this will change with maturity, and I certainly hope that's true.

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* -Perhaps you noticed this little star in paragraph three. I wanted to mention that at this point I stopped writing and read my book for about 30 minutes. I procrastinated my post about procrastinating.

Standardized Testing (John Oliver)

In my personal opinion, standardized tests are one of the worst things to ever happen to the American school system. Based on the video, John Oliver probably feels the same way. Standardized tests have played a huge part in my generations life. When I attended public school in Massachusetts, all students were required to take a standardized test called MCAS (often referred to by students as the "Massachusetts Child Abuse System" because we were never told what it actually stood for). Doing well on the MCAS was the students and teachers goal. Oliver talked about this in the video; how students and teachers work towards nothing but these "important" standardized tests at the end of the year. Almost everything taught and learned in school is done in preparation of these tests, but why? It could be argued that they are play an important role in determining ones future, but the same question can be asked again-- why? Why is it that a single test has such a huge impact on the future of someone's life? These tests are considered to be so important that students stress about them to the point of break downs, depression, crying, and as mentioned in Oliver's video, vomiting. The tests were designed to help students in getting a better education, but they are really doing more harm than good.

John Oliver is obviously opinionated in his video, and works throughout the video to persuade the viewers to agree with his opinion. He does this by providing facts, giving examples, and even using humor to get the audience on his side. Oliver uses ethos, pathos, and logos to assist in the persuasion of the views. He makes the idea of standardized testing seem nonsensical by stating numerous counterarguments, and then giving reasons why those arguments won't work. For example he states that the test is not only for students but also teachers. The test will show how much the students are learning from the teachers based on scoring. Then Oliver shows a video of a teacher who received a poor rating because the predicted score for one of his students was higher than what she was capable of getting on the test. Oliver later appeals to the emotion of the crowd. He talks about the pressure that is put on students, and how that pressure leads to stress and sometimes break downs. He then proves his point by showing a video of a girl giving a speech on standardized tests. She talks about how her future should not be so swayed by a single test. The girl struggles to speak a she obviously fights back tears. The audience sympathizes with the girl, and realizes just how stressful these tests can be.

Oliver also uses humor to get the viewers on his side. While watching the video a crowd in the background can often be heard laughing and cheering. However, Oliver doesn't abuse the use of humor. He gets a laugh while proving a point, for example he compares the formula used to create standardized tests, to the formula used to impregnate cows. The statement is humorous, but also makes a point of the ridiculousness of standardized tests. Oliver also doesn't overuse humor. He will say something humorous (perhaps to keep a light mood) but then he changes back to a serious tone. This ensures that he is taken seriously.

I enjoyed this video to the point where I had my parents watch it with me. John Oliver makes some impressive points to persuade the audience to agree with him. I often found myself thinking I hope this isn't the end of the video because I wanted to hear more. The video provides further evidence that something needs to change when it comes to standardized tests. Now we just have to ask ourselves when.

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Sorry I'm Late...

I am almost always late to the party. Sometimes the last one there. This is usually because I choose to. I often think to myself "if I show up later I won't have to be there as long, and won't have to socialize too much.". This isn't because I hate people, or because I believe I am wasting my time talking. I try to avoid social interaction because I find it to be physically exhausting, and unenjoyable.  I have been this way all my life, and at some point I decided to figure out why I struggled to interact with other people while my mom and brother seemed to enjoy it. I found that what I was experiencing could be because I was introverted.

Being shy and being introverted are sometimes used interchangeably, but in reality they are slightly different. When a person is shy they are often quiet, easily embarrassed, and do not like to voice their opinions, usually out of fear of disapproval. Introverts may experience these same symptoms, but in addition they are also physically affected by social interaction. Introverts are not positively stimulated by interaction with other people, and become worn out by simple conversations. In contrast, extroverts are stimulated by social interaction and can gain energy though simple conversation. I  find this to be completely fascinating because I have no idea what being an extrovert would feel like as I have only ever had an introverted perspective. Instead of socializing, introverts find other activities to be stimulating. For example, I have found that after reading, drawing, or simply being left to my own thoughts, I gain energy. Sometimes such activities will better my mood as well. These results can then be compared to how I feel after a two hour party. (Allow me to explain how almost every party or social gathering goes for me in these next few sentences.) For the first 15-20 minutes I am able to introduce myself, laugh, and make light conversation. After that period of time I am usually a little tired, and will likely get something to eat or drink and sit by myself on the couch or at the table. This is were problems occur. People will see me sitting alone and think that I am lonely, when in reality I just don't have the energy to talk much anymore. Then I get people coming up to me and trying to make a conversation, and I truly want to talk to them because I know that they are being nice, but I can't hold onto the topic for more than about two minutes and they eventually leave. If others continue to come up to me I usually retreat to en empty room (the bathroom is always nice, no one will bother you there). I attempt to spend the remaining time at the party in relative or absolute solitude. The end result is me going home and falling asleep almost instantly. 

That may have seemed like an unnecessary explanation, but I believe it is relatable to those who are introverts, and a good way to describe what being introverted feels like. To extroverts, it probably sounds pathetic that someone would leave the company of others in favor of a bathroom, but this is one of the only ways that introverts can cope with an extremely extroverted society. Over time, society has decided that an extroverted personality is more desirable than an introverted one. However, it is not realized that introverts are often the thinkers and creators of the world. This is not to say that extroverts are unintelligent, rather they spend more time socializing than thinking. For example, I would say that approximately 10%-15% of what I think about is vocalized, and only 45%* of my day is socializing (*this is when I am in school). I keep most thoughts to myself, and will often think about a topic long after it's discussion has ended. After asking my mother (who considers herself extroverted) she says that she vocalizes 60%-75% of her thoughts. I was shocked when she said this. "How could anyone share this much?" I thought. She also brought up another good point. She said that she shares more with those closer to her, for example friends and family. I would have to agree with her on this, and say that around very close friends and family I probably share around 30-40% of my thoughts, but certainly not any more than that. 

Being introverted is a fascinating thing to be.

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Show Me The SCWAMP

I am not sure why I chose Avengers. I guess it fits SCWAMP, and I couldn't think of anything else :

Straightness: The directors make the straightness of the characters incredibly obvious throughout the two films. With the conclusion of Age of Ultron, almost all male characters now have female love interests.
Christianity: I'm not entirely sure on this one, but I get the feeling that Captain America is a Godly man.
Whiteness: All of the main characters are white. (With the exception of Hulk)
Able-bodied: They are super heroes, they are more than able-bodied. The only character I can think of with any impairment is Nick Fury, who cannot see out of one eye.
Maleness: The characters are primarily male. In the above image there are just two women, both pushed off near the sides.
Property-holder: Tony Stark lives in a tower in New York, Thor is the ruler of a city, and Clint lives on a farm. The others I am not sure about.

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About the Author

The name's Allison Dube, though most people just call me by my last name. I'm a junior at Saint Rays in Pawtucket. I really love plants, candles, the way books smell, and altoids. I want to be an artist or animator when I'm grown, and I almost always carry around a sketchbook. That's about it. 

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