A Thousand Languages

     Each person may have a specific language associated with them because of their culture, such as Enlgish or French, however, we do not necessarily only have one language. What exactly do I mean by this, you ask? Well, how we portray how we speak varies from who we may be with or what setting we are in. I would not speak to my mother the way that I speak to my friends. I would not speak to my boss the way that I speak to a little kid that I am babysitting. The words of my mouth would be drastically different at a funeral compared to a football game. The "languages" we speak are portrayed differently to different people.
     In "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan describes the different words she used when talking to her mother compared to speaking to large group in more formal session. She and her mother have their own language in which others may not be able to understand no matter no matter how "broken" her mothers English may or may not be. Also, Tan has a connection with the groups she has discussions with that her mother may not understand.
     The use of words a person uses can help relay how a situation or connection between the speakers exist. Whether it be strict and critical words between a boss and coworker or the consoling words between a bride-to-be and the mother of the bride, the "languages" are different. Although, we technically may only speak one language, how we portray them varies from situation to situation, from people to people.
    

Bravo to the Use of Figurative Language

     Kate Chopin's short story, "The Storm," and Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery," are both very desciptive reads that relate to a point in history. Both authors do well at creating a mental image for the reader of the people and events that take place in the story. "The Storm" tells a story about the Creol Culter which were descendants of the Spanish and French settlers. "The Lottery" depicts a story that relates to the harsh tactics used during the Holocaust in Germany. Both short stories are fictional, however, they require background knowledge on historical people and events. Also, each story contains figurative language including an ongoing metaphor and irony.
     Although severl comparisons are apparent, the storylines of each short story are nothing alike. In "The Storm," Chopin describes the relationship of two lovers. She uses a rain storm as an extended metaphor. It reaches it's climax when the two lovers are together sexually, then dies down when the man writes to his wife and the woman goes back with her children. Everything seems "calm" when the storm dies down. "The Lottery" does not even include a bit of romance in it. In it a town village draws a slip of paper to decide who to stone to death. It is quite ironic because when most people think of the lottery they think of money which brings happiness. In Jackson's short story, winning the lottery is the last thing you want.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

     For most people, our biggest critic is ourselves. We criticize every little aspect we deem wrong about our ourselves- physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, etc. In Alice Walkers, Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self, she was full of joy and energy until she was hurt and lost self-confidence in herself. Walker was a young girl who had a future to pursue anything she dreamed. However, she let one physical aspect of herself hender her full potential to succeed.
     Just like Alice Walker, people hender their ability to succeed by their own thoughts and lack confidence. Most of us want to achieve our own high levels of expectations for ourselves, but we can not because half of our body, mentally or physically, is telling us that we can not do it. The henderance is "the other dancer" in our lives. It is twirling and leaping around in our mind telling us that there is no way we will accomplish anything. The other half of us wants to push forward and go beyond our wildest dreams.
     In order to gain more self-confidence, we have to sto comparing ourselves to others. God made each and every one of us in his own liking. We are to be what He created us to be, not what the magazines, television, and radio tells us to be. All in all, we can not let our own thoughts limit what we can achieve. We have to throw those thoughts away and act to the upmost of our ability.

Expensis are Necessary to Move Forward

     Currently, the members of the Pocahontas City Council are proposing the idea of a revitalized park with a new indoor swimming pool, an ampitheater, and, overall, a more family-friendly waterpark. Also, they are hoping to add an indoor track around our Community Center, along with concession and restroom facilities for the soccer complex. The overall cost is estimated to to be 6-7 million dollars. The main problem with the addition of these facilities is the cost. The state and federal government will not allow the city to receive very many grants for this type of addition to our community, which means paying for it will be totally dependent on the citizens of the community.
     I spoke with the mayor of Pocahontas, Frank Bigger, about the issue concerning the cost for this project. He said that the City Council has discussed several different ways to pay for it, which are all based around increasing taxes. A couple that he mentioned were adding a one cent sales tax to all groceries purchased or removal of the hamburger tax, while increasing the hotel tax. The sales tax may be what henders people from voting for this new project. Taxes are a typical issue people are concerned about because many people want to keep their hard-earned money.  However, those same people recognize that they alone cannot build the facilities they want to provide for their children and grandchildren so they struggle with the desire to keep their money and spend it on objects they know would benefit their families or give it to their local governments to better their communities for their families in a more lasting manner.
     However, I believe that the new facilities would be a great idea. The sales tax would not deeply hurt the citizens, and it would only be in effect for a seven year period. Ultimately, the new facilites would open new jobs for people, provide more tourism for Pocahontas, and a safer place for all ages to spend time together with their friends and families.

Don't be to Quick to Judge

     In Judith Cofer's short story, "The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria," she describes the disrespect put forth towards Latin American Women. Throughout her childhood and later into her adulthood, she experienced different occasions and heard about how other people, especially men, reacted towards Latin American women in provocative and rude ways. Cofer writes to other Latin American women that can relate to her, while trying to make an impact on culturally different people who look down upon Latin Americans. To make her point, she begins with her childhood and how she was taught to act by other women around her. Also, she gives background information on her culture. Finally, she tells of personal experiences that she has dealt with to back-up her accusations of how disrespectful people are to Latin American women.
     Just as Cofer explains, I have heard stories and I have seen the disrespect shown to Latin American women. Often, men look at women in sexual ways. With the extra tight clothing often worn by Latin American women, because of cultural wants, those women are often looked at even more provocatively. I have read a book series about the Latin American culture, and the women were treated rudely and disrespectfully. In general, women are usually looked upon as being at a lower standard then women, which I found very wrong. There have been many women in history to make positives influences on America. All people should take a moment to think about their actions and words before they proceed to allow themselves to stop from offering someone whether physically or emotionally.

Oh My My, Obama.. WHY??

     Why should I be expected to read and know about Obama Care when the men and women in Congress, who are suppossed to read what they are passing BEFORE they pass it, did not even read it. The piece of legislation was over 2000 pages long. Clearly, that should be overturned before even being considered.
     Obama Care is a national healthcare system that is trying to make health insurance more affordable for Americans while trying to keep healthcare expenses down. The main purpise is to provide healthcare for every United States citizen, which is remotely impossible. The US government is already broke. It is multi-trillion dollars in debt. We cannnot expect them to run a healthcare system to support every single person in America, while being that much in debt. A private business, such as Walmart, that knows how to make money, rather than spend it all uncontrollably and ridiculously, should try to run a healthcare system.
     One of the only positive sides that I can agree with about Obama Care is that a person cannot be kicked off insurance coverage because of how poor their health gets. That is helpful to people who experience severe diseases or other health problems. However, the negative aspects of Obama Care greatly outnumber the positive aspects. First, it raises the costs of healthcare for small businesses. Also, it raises the cost of taxes for people. Third, the government cannot force someone to buy insurance by implying that they will be penalized, by paying more taxes, if they do not buy health insurance. Obviously, Obama Care is NOT and NEVER will be a good healthcare system to support the citizens of the United States.
      Clearly, I am more than against Obama Care. I am not opposed to helping the poor, however, why should we be expected to raise our taxes to support all of the people who are "disabled" when they are abusing the standards to receive health insurance. And again, I am only sixteen years old.. Why should I be expected to read and know about Obama Care when the men and women in Congress did not even read it before they passed it?

The Struggle To Find Yourself

     Elizabeth Wong illustrates the progression of her childhood as she dealt with the desire to be an "All American Girl," while she was truly Chinese. She and her brother were strongly intent on learning the English language, however, her mother did not want them to forget their Chinese heritage. As Wong tells of her dislikeness of going to Chinese School she describes the Chinese culture that was displayed in the school mixed with the old, schoolhouse aroma that she could hardly bare compared to the American schools' smells. As the narrative continues, Wong is hoping to connect with America because she wants to be American herself. However, even though she is eventually set free from Chinese school and dismissed into American life she realizes she is still truly Chinese. She always will be no matter how much she prefers American life to Chinese life.
     What amazes me is that Wong's family was so intense and determined to learn the English language. Many times, we as Americans take the freedoms and liberites that we have in the United States for granted. We do not realize how bad other people from distant countries want to come to America and live as we do. Cleary, Wong and her brother, especially, wanted to experience the American life and knew that to do so they would have to learn the English language. It became a huge priority in their daily life.