What the Future Holds

Chapter Ten: Write your reactions to any of the ideas about the future presented in this chapter.

What the Future Holds: It was amazing to me to discover that my most favorite movies were once stories written by H.G Wells. The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, and The Time Machine. “The future has always been the object of speculation, hope and fear. What the future holds, how technology will affect humans, how we will destroy or build ideal societies.” (Sounds Idea, pg. 822). I found that some of these authors that wrote about the future, had a very opened mind. Some of them were not so far off others were really pushing it. I am not interested with the future, I am more interested with the past. Reading the excerpt by H.G Wells, Forecasting the future he states that, “the past is just material for future guessing.” (Wells, 1916). I couldn’t agree more. (Word Count: 134)

Suspicious Minds

Chapter Nine: Write an entry that reveals how the mind can and cannot be trusted.

Suspicious Minds: For me, after watching a scary movie by myself, in a new home, that is not so familiar to me. My mind wanders. I begin to see things in the dark corners, see shadows or things move. I would even hear the faintness of things that I normally would not pay attention to. I have to tell myself not to pay any mind to these things, because these are merely fixations of my imagination. Your mind will play tricks on you. I would however pay close attention to what I am seeing if I get a strong gut feeling, you know the “woman intuition.” Not every mind is suspicious. (Word Count: 109)

Hip-Hop

Chapter Eight: Do you agree with Chang that hip-hop has come to be the way an entire generation sees their world? Does that make it more or less, as the caller suggests, “mainstream”?

Hip-Hop: I believe that Chang has concluded that hip-hop is seen as the entire generation because it is something the people can relate to. Many of the people are from working social classes. People can easily relate to them, many of the people are from working social classes. People as Chang, may see it as a “Hip-Hop” generation but the people in these social classes are living it because that is their reality. NOT because of what some rapper said,. If you do a background check on half of the rappers that claim to “keep it real” have probably came from the working or lower social class. The fact is that now, people are actually voicing out the problems publically. I do believe it is becoming “mainstream” because working class is now the majority in our society. (Word Count: 136)

Doing what is Right

Chapter Seven: What is the importance of environmental awareness and/or environmental activism?

Doing what is Right: I believe that environmental awareness and environmental activism is a good thing. I think that we do need people in our society who cares about our environment. Personally speaking, I am a mother, a wife, a full-time employee, and a full-time student. I honestly do not have enough hours in my day to fully commit to become an environmental activist. I do, however, teach my son not to waste anything, to always recycle and to take care of “Mama Earth.” Overall, environmental awareness and/or environmental activism is very important. (Word Count: 89)

Foucault and Prisons

Chapter Six: Foucault claims that there is a reluctance to be rid of the prison system. Why do you think this is so, given its failures described by Foucault.

Foucault and Prisons: Foucault believes that there is a lot of inmates that are heading back into prisons once they’re being released. I firmly believe in capital punishment. I firmly believe that we the people are incarcerating people that should not be incarcerated. This is causing prisons to be full and overcrowded. I was watching, “First Time Offenders” and they gave this guy sixty days in prison because of unpaid child support. He was laid off his job three months prior to his arrest, but was all caught up with his payments and fell short ONLY because of him being laid off. He had a clean record and no speeding tickets. I do believe that if the court systems incarcerate someone over petty charges, you will always find someone to put in jail. However, if you only incarcerate a felon offender and put an end to it, or even sentence him to death, recidivism, would be eliminated. To exclude prisons all together, no, never. (Word Count: 161)

The Things They Carried

Chapter Five: Write about your reactions to any of the war stories present in Chapter Five.

The Things They Carried: I found this story very interesting. Not that the others were not interesting, this one just caught my interest. I chose this one because everyone carries baggage. Both physical and emotionally. Women carry their purse, with lord only knows what is in their purses. Some men carry wallets, other keep things in their pockets. We all carry something on a day-to-day basis. When you go to war you are not allowed to bring most of your favorite things. In the excerpt, LT. Jimmy Cross, physically carried letters and a photo of a woman named Martha. She would write to him but never mentioned war in any of the letters. Ted Lavender, carried tranquilizers to calm his nerves. Ironically he was the nervous wreck, and his last name happen to be “lavender” which is the aroma used to calm people down. Kiowa carried a bible that his father gave him, he was a devoted Baptist. These people carried these items because it took their mind of reality. (Word Count: 166)

Motherly Love

Chapter Four: Take a story from your life or the life of someone close to you that reflects an important theme about love or hate and tell the story in a way that reveals the theme?

Motherly Love: When you are younger, you are raised to tell your parents, “I love you.” My mother, grandparents, aunt, raised me and uncle, so “I love you” was said often. It was not until the day that I found out I was pregnant with my first child when I realized how much the word LOVE means. August 31^st, 2009. A day that I will not ever forget. This was not a “puppy love” kind of love, nor was it a, “okay mom, I love you” kind of love. This kind of love was something indescribable. I have never felt this way before. I have never seen or held this little person I was so desperately in love with. The morning of April 17, 2010 at 4:03am. I gave birth to a little boy in a dim hospital room, when the doctor picked him up the lights surrounded his little body, kind of like the way you envision an angel. This love is something that cannot be measured. The way a mother loves her child is something that will remain a mystery for all eternity. I am expecting a little girl; she is due June 23, 2012. God is granting me another little angel. I am truly blessed. (Word Count: 206)