French Voices Active, Passive and Pronominal

Analysis of Joel L. Swerdlow’s 2001 Essay, “Changing America

In Joel L. Swerdlow’s 2001 essay, â€Å"Changing America,† he writes about the current cultural differences among kids in high school. He goes on to talk about how you can gather a large variety of kids, coming from all over the world, yet they still somehow manage to develop the same â€Å"American Teenager† attitude toward life. The essay talks about how people used to view America as a â€Å"melting pot† of nations, and how over time that view is starting to change. America was founded on change. Past revolutions were fought to make new ways in which to live life in this country. Our families all came to America, at one point, to feed into this definition of being an American. The term melting pot in my mind means structure, meaning what we, as†¦show more content†¦There is also the teenagers own personal struggles; friends, grades, money, dating and even college. At this time in their lives these are the big hurdles that need to be jumped. In Swerdlow’s essay he mentions that the non white kids fight to hold on to their own individuality. However, when asked what they do on their own time, they list the same things that the â€Å"white† kids do. This is an example that teenagers are all interested in the same activities, even though there will always be different ways of getting those certain things completed. High school is an important time for developing a sense of who you are as a person. Each kid who starts out high school will usually asks themselves what they are there to accomplish. For the most part, many set personal goals for themselves and strive to achieve above and beyond. However, some are just there for the experience and to see where it takes them. It’s apparent that some kids have an easier time and don’t have to struggle with their high school career. For example, some of the students have followed strong academic paths that have prepared them for this time in their lives, where as others have struggled with educational influences and feel unprepared or lost. Swerdlow mentions that the students, who attend J.E.B. Stuart, are given many chances to improve their educational foundation in order to

Deaf Culture Paper Free Essays

To better appreciate what Deaf culture is, let’s go to an opposing view and take a look at what Deaf culture is not. There are those who insist there is no such thing as Deaf culture. Some people will argue that deafness is nothing more than a disability, a disability that must be fixed. We will write a custom essay sample on Deaf Culture Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now Getting this disability â€Å"fixed† may involve repeated visits to an audiologist, getting fitted for hearing aids, attending numerous speech therapy sessions, or even undergoing surgery to get a cochlear implant. This is what’s called the pathological approach to deafness. It focuses on what’s wrong–the inability to hear–and utilizes numerous technological and therapeutic strategies to solve the problem. The success of this approach varies from individual to individual. For many hard of hearing or late-deafened people, technology may be a welcomed addition that allows them to continue functioning in the world of their choice. â€Å"Deafness is a disability that is so unique, its very nature causes a culture to emerge from it. Participation in this culture is voluntary. † There have been numerous Deaf publications over the years, such as Silent News, DeafNation, SIGNews, Deaf Life, and more. There are also catalogs chock full of books written by Deaf authors covering a wide range of topics. Some of these books include fascinating accounts of Deaf history and folklore. We’ve been blessed with numerous Deaf performing artists such as Clayton Valli, Patrick Graybill, Bernard Bragg, Mary Beth Miller, Freda Norman, Gil Eastman, Peter Cook, C. J. Jones, Nathie Marbury, Evelyn Zola, The Wild Zappers, Rathskellar, and many more. In hearing culture, it is rude to stare. However, in Deaf culture, staring is necessary. If you break eye contact while a person is signing to you, you are incredibly rude. That’s like plugging your ears when someone is speaking to you. In hearing culture, facial expression is very limited. If you move your face or body a lot while you are talking, you can be seen as â€Å"weird† (and nobody wants to be weird). However, in Deaf culture, facial expression and body movement is required for ASL. It’s part of ASL grammar. It’s OK to be â€Å"weird† in Deaf culture†¦ it’s normal! And absolutely necessary. In hearing culture, you normally introduce yourself by your first name only. Deaf people, however, introduce themselves by their full names, and sometimes even what city they’re from or what school they went to. By city, I mean the city you grew up in, not what city you are currently residing in. And by school I usually mean a residential school you attended. The Deaf community is very small, and Deaf people like to find those specific commonalities with each other. Men are more likely to develop hearing loss or complete deafness than women. About 20% of Americans have reported some degree of hearing loss. 2-3 children out of 1,000 are born deaf every year. 9/10 children with a degree of hearing loss are born from hearing parents. 1 out of 5 people who’d benefit from hearing aids; actually wear them. About 4,000 cases of sudden deafness occur each year. 10-15 percent of sudden deafness patients know how they lost their hearing. How to cite Deaf Culture Paper, Essay examples

Obasan Book Report Essay Example For Students

Obasan Book Report Essay Obasan Book ReportI decided to read the novel by Joy Kogawa entitled Obasan.The novel was written in 1981 and told the details of how the Japanese were discriminated against during World War 2.The authors main purpose was to educated the reader on how hard life really was for her family and other Japanese Canadians living in British Columbia, and especially in Vancouver.Joy Kogawa tried to show how ignorant British Columbians really were, and that we still do not fully understand what really happened during the war.She also tries to teach Canadians the culture of the Japanese. The novel starts in the seventies with Naomi a teacher in Northern Alberta finding out that her uncle has died.When Naomi returns home to console her Aunt Obasan, she begins to relive the difficulties of her life.She recounts the struggle against the government and themselves while trying to stay in Vancouver.Naomi is very small at the time of the war and did not really fully understand what was happening to her race.The novel recounts the struggle of Naomis Aunt Emily to ensure that her family would be together in whatever place they were sent to.Aunt Emily wanted to head east to Toronto, but was unable to get the documentation for the entire family which included her sister children, who she was taking care of.The novel discuses the camps that the Japanese families were sent to in Hastings Park during the war.It described the treatment the families received while there, including the lack of food and the smell of manure.Naomi during this time was being sexually molested by her next door neighbor and did not tell anybody about this.Naomi seems resentful during the novel, as she comes across as a quiet little girl, who does not seem to interact with many people. Aunt Emily finally finds a place in Slocan for the family to go live, but just before they leave finds out her and her immediate family could go to Toronto.This leaves Aunt Emily going to Toronto and everybody else moving to Toronto.In the end almost everybody ends up dying. The novel had many strengths and weaknesses.One strength that really got to me is the great detail in how the Japanese were treated, though they were Canadian citizens.Obasan also taught me a lot about the Japanese culture and background.I enjoyed learning that it was custom to take a bath with your family when you were younger.I also learned that the government took away the vehicles of the Japanese and auctioned them off, which really shocked me.Joy Kogawa also brought in a good insight about what the Japanese Canadians were really feeling and going through during these tough times. On the flip side there were also many weaknesses in the book Obasan.One major weakness was the failure to distinguish between present time and the past.There were to many times that I did not realize that Naomi had switched into a flashback or vice versa.This left me rereading many pages over.I also did not like the way that the novel would drag on.It sometimes failed to have much to do with the rest of the story, and is to wordy.I believe the story could have been told in about one hundred and eighty pages instead of the two hundred and fifty pages.I think that the novel could have also gone into a little more detail about the living conditions at Hastings Park, and also a political aspect of why this was happening to these people. All and all I would have to say this novel helped me a lot in understanding what happened during the Second World War.Before reading this novel, I would have to admit that I really did not even know this happened in Canada, which is really sad.I did know though that the Japanese in the United States were sent from the west coast, but did not realize that it reached the west coast of Canada.Obasan is a very good novel for anybody who did not know what happened during the Second World War.I would recommend this novel to all Canadians, but especially to British Columbians.Obasan was on the most part well written and gives an excellent account of the