ENGLISH 213 w/ J. WASSERMAN

The actual link to the podcast. (sorry i screwed it up)

Earth Day Podcast

A time to Reflect…

FIrst semester with J. Wass was an enjoyable one if I dare say. I enjoyed most of the books we read and the light homework load.  I did not like the blogs, however.  I think the due dates are too complicated to adhere to, or I would like to be warned when one is due.  I think it would be nice to have an independent reading book that didn’t have to do with what wer’e doing in class, because I didn’t enjoy Night that much and none of the other books on the list sounded appealing.  The way to get us to read is to let us read what we want.  I read so much more when its something I enjoy. 

Racism blog #3

When I hear people make racist comments I get really grossed out and offended.  I don’ think there very funny.  A common statement aftr I call someone out on their lame joke, is “Oh I’m just kidding, I’m seriously not racist!”  But after a few times of hearing this I have trouble believing them.  I hate when people in positions of power, for example, a banker will serve a white person first, because they don’t like minorities.

Satire blog #3

I think people had a hard time accepting the book in the late 1800s and early 1900s because it showed them what was wrong with their current way of life.  It made them feel uncomfortable to acknowledge that this had been their country a mere 20 years ago.  Presently, people want to ban the book because of its being racist or difficult to understand.  But in the past it was more of an issue of satire.

Satire blog #2 or 3, I can’t remember

A clear example of satire in Huck Finn in the beginning of the book is when Pap rants about the corrupt government and “niggers.”  It shows even a man who nobody respects still has an opinion that he is superior to black people.  Even though nobody cares what Pap thinks he still drunkenly voices his opinion.  My question is;

How can an idea like racism become a way of American life so easily?

Slave Narrative # 2

After reading some of the slave narratives I had a better understanding of slavery.  I think one of the worst aspects of it is being torn apart from your family.  Also, women were treated horribly.  They were expected to perform sexual favors for their masters.  That is disgusting.  I really admire people like Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Sojunor Truth for the courage they had to stick up for their liberty.  I can’t even begin to fathom what it would be like to be taken away from my family and be sold to an old perv who expects me to treat him with respect but he treats me like dirt.  

Even when a slave gained freedom it still would be really difficult for them to excel in the real world because they are so damaged.  It is ingrained in their head that they are worthless.  Also they would still have a really hard time being treated equally. 

I can’t believe people have the gall to say Huck Finn should be banned because it is “anti-white.”  Despicable.   

Slave Narrative #1

So my understanding of slavery before reading the slave narratives was simple.  I understood blacks were treated atrociously and it was an evil.  I have always thought it was a cruel unfathomable piece of history.  It has always interested me. I have always had a tough time understanding where white people got the idea that they were the superior race.  I always wondered what womens roles were.

Racism Blog #2

I really hate racism.  I think a lot of people try to deny that racism is present in society, but it definitley is.  Because we live in a very sophisticated, wealthy town it may not seem as prominent to us, but it does exist.  In other areas of the country it is soaring.  Some interesting facts I read based on a CNN poll were,

Story Highlights

“• Poll shows most Americans consider racism a problem
• Blacks more than twice as likely to call racism a “very serious” problem
• Almost half of whites and blacks say they know someone who is racist
• Only a few of either race say they are racially biased themselves “

Iraq Continuation

I enjoy having class discussions on current events.  I found Baker’s report to be very dense and difficult to read.  The report sounds to me like a reasonable change for Iraq.  Because I am very liberal, I may think immediatley and irrationally to remove the troops NOW!  But realistically that may be even worse in the long run.  The Baker report suggested a gradual withdrawal of the troops and support from the Iraqi governement.  I think having Iraq’s support would make a very big difference.   What I liked about the Baker Report was its honesty; that they didn’t force that the idea would be successful but it would be a long hard road ahead of us. 

SATIRE Blog # 1

Hello.

I think that satire is funny sometimes.  It usually doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable though.  I am not too familiar with many satires.  The most recent one I saw was Borat.  I did not think the one from The Onion were particularly funny or clever that you showed us the other day.  The Onion does generally have funny stuff.  I didn’t think they made sense.  I prefer ones that blatantly say something about the messed up politics of the USA.  I like straightforward satire however.  I think satiret that you have to investigate isn’t funny and by the time you’ve figured out the meaning to some of them you’re too frustrated to laugh.  To blog more about satire I feel as though I need to read a few more to form a better opinion.