That's How I Roll

Ginny Donaldson's, "That's How I Roll," 12/3/2009, explains how slang words and phrases are here one day and gone the next and how some slang words or phrases "stick" or stay for a period of time. The author takes the slang phrase "That's how I roll" and tries to find the meaning and origin. The writer finds the meaning of the slang phrase on google.com but never end up finding the origin. Donaldson came up with the theory that though different slang phrases and terms may "stick" or "not stick" they are all as important as the rest and that the "stickiness" depends on how much we use the slang phrase or term.

How to Mark a Book

Mortimer Adler, nonfiction, "How to Mark a Book" (1940); asserts that writing in a book is the only way to understand it and to truly own it. Adler explains in understanding and owning a book you need to make it a part of yourself, you need to write in it. Adler's purpose is to show how important writing in a book is in order to truly show our possession of a piece of literature. Adler reaches out to those who have had relationships with books, whether it's owning, reading, or borrowing them.
I agree with Adler's assertion. Last year in my english class I was given an assignment to read and write my thoughts in a book. The teacher told us to mark it up as best as we could, write every thought that came to mind. After I was done not only was I proud but also I will never forget how much more I understood from writing in the book. I had sticky notes after every chapter, different color highlighters to represent writing techniques, and pen marks everywhere. Adler gives different examples of why we should write in our books. He says that writing keeps us active, awake, and most importantly helps us to comprehend what we are reading. Adler says "writing helps you remember the thoughts you had, or the thoughts the author expressed."
Adler expresses his opinions by showing the reader different types of people, and how their actions represent their true understanding of books. He explains his points and furthers the readers understanding by supporting his claims. Before you read the story the books tells you to think about your reading habits and how you comprehend what you read. Throughout the essay Adler explains things in different ways so the audience, no matter what their reading habits are can understand his claim. He uses devices such a similes and he also creates a picture for the reader. This picture can relate to everyone and is an effective persuasive technique. Adler concludes that writing in a book can help show the reader that "the soul of a book can be separated from its body."

Spanglish

Janice Castro, Dan Cook, and Christina Garcia's, Spanglish (07/11/1988), is an article that explains how spanglish is now part of the American culture. Spanglish is the spanish language mixed with a little of the english language. The writers shows how the mixture of the  languages come into the home of spanish speaking families and how spanish has become so important in the United States. They wrote that more high school and college students are choosing spanish as an elective and that spanish children bring spanglish into their homes. They also explain how businesses in America try to use spanglish and misinterpret it. We believe that learning spanish is very important for breaking barriers in communities, businesses, and the world.

A Lasting Impression

Debra Anderton’s “A Lasting Impression” is a short story of a mother, Dorothy, and her love for her family and the hardships she had had to go through and then her expected tragedy. The story is told through the words of one of the daughters, Debra. She informs us on Dorothy’s background, stating that she grew up in poverty with 9 other younger siblings, and even went as far as ending her education just to support her family. Dorothy even struggled with her own kids as a widow. She soon remarried though, but to an abusive man. All the stress in her life finally led Dorothy to an alcoholic lifestyle. For years she battled with this disease until Debra finally pronounced to her mother that she needed help. Instead of seeking professional though, Dorothy decided to try and quit on her own. Soon enough, she died. Debra explains that no matter what, her mother has impacted her in the most positive ways, even with her own children now. The overall theme is that we witness someone we love go through the many hardships in life so that we can learn from those hardships to better our own lives.

This Battle Will Not Be Lost

Sandi Millwood, This Battle Will Not Be Lost (9-12-08), narrative, explains that love, determination, and will can defeat anything. Millwood writes of a mother that tells her personal experience with her daughter. The mother explains how one day she woke up to find her daughter not breathing. She is rushed to the hospital while the mother waits anxiously for the doctors to tell her something. Millwood describes, "my hands were sweaty and uncontrollable tears streamed down my face." The doctors tell the mother that her daughter has a tumor the size of a grapefruit and it is cancer, they rush her into surgery and thankfully she lives. The mother personally describes the struggles of her daughter having to do chemotherapy and losing her hair. This mother daughter relationship shows in the end if you fight you can do anything. With the love and strength of their relationship the finally defeat cancer, and the daughter is a survivor. Millwood conveys strength and determination through this story and captures the readers with an emotional theme, this makes the readers thirsty for more.

A Man In The Woods

Andrew White, Man in the Woods (3.5.2010), narrative, explains that by sharing, respecting, and being friendly to  all who enter Bankhead's woods, those men break loose from any false impression they may give at first glance by their humble actions. He does this by telling a story of how he and his sister would take food and water to the men that lived in small shacks in the woods of Bankhead. They describe the setting as cold, dirty and barely livable, contrary to the men who live in that environment who are friendly, appreciative and don’t complain about any situation. Andrew White does this in order to inform the reader that you cannot judge a person’s character based on their living conditions, and know that everyone deserves respect. I believe White’s intended audience was anyone who inaccurately passed judgement on another individual. 

“His smile and generosity survives even in the coldest winter. His heart stays warm when his body shivers...” -p.39

Reading this story touched me because I knew that there are really people out their who despite their condition, manage to smile and not turn a bitter back to the rest of the world but instead smile just because they got the please to be apart of it.