About Me
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Booker T Washington Lit Response " i didnt do it right :^[ "
Booker T. Washington did a very good job in representing free blacks in the United States after the Civil War. Washington’s ability to give great speeches and write excellent articles and narratives were what made him such a great man. It can be determined that there were hints of rhetoric in his papers. Upon reading “The Awakening of the Negro” one could see the hints of rhetoric. If one read “The Awakening of the Negro”, they would be able to establish Washington’s use of logos, and one would also be able to identify the audience Washington was trying to appeal to.
In “The Awakening of the Negro”, Washington talks about how educated Blacks, return to the Black Belt of the South and help out the areas that are in need of assistance. Washington explains how these leaders, or educated Blacks are trained at various Universities. Washington’s logos, logic , or sense of reasoning, help him realize that by training these young, black, students correctly, they can uplift the Blacks in the South, therefore causing the south to prosper from this sudden change from the Blacks of the South. Washington gives examples of how Blacks have traveled where the need is great and change things around. He even talks about his own personal experiences involving a change in the Negro. In describing his own experiences, he talks about two Black schools, Tuskegee and Hampton University. Once the reader establishes Washington’s logos, they can understand who this article was aimed to appeal to.
Washington’s tries to appeal to young, Southern, Blacks who are eager to learn and want to help or uplift the struggling black communities in the South. Washington starts the article off by giving examples of how blacks were being educated when Washington was a mere boy. He then tells the story of how his eagerness to learn and work lead him to Hampton. This may have been an attempt to promote or advertise Hampton University, and if this was the case, it would support the claim that this article was intended for young, southern, blacks who were interested in education and change. Later on in the article, Washington states how Tuskegee, helps students. He points out that the school teaches students and prepares them for the world of work by giving them hands-on experience in about 25 industries. This would appeal to, young, southern, blacks who were interested in education, work, and a change for southern blacks. It is clear that Washington’s article is aimed for southern blacks, but some may question whether it is aimed for young blacks interested in education, work, or change. Well in the article Washington talks a lot about guiding, or training and about how years or time must pass in order to see a dramatic change in the South. He even gives examples of how change occurred in just couple of months. Most of the changes occurred when schools were built, but it wasn’t a sudden change. Months had to pass in order for people to see how things had changed for blacks in school. One last and most obvious thing that helped establish who the audience was, was Washington’s constant praise of Southern Blacks who wanted education, work and change.
Rhetoric is evident in all types of literature. A great man like Booker T. Washington, couldn’t hide from rhetoric. His article, “The Awakening of the Negro” contained rhetoric, and Logos and his Audience were discussed in this Lit response.
In “The Awakening of the Negro”, Washington talks about how educated Blacks, return to the Black Belt of the South and help out the areas that are in need of assistance. Washington explains how these leaders, or educated Blacks are trained at various Universities. Washington’s logos, logic , or sense of reasoning, help him realize that by training these young, black, students correctly, they can uplift the Blacks in the South, therefore causing the south to prosper from this sudden change from the Blacks of the South. Washington gives examples of how Blacks have traveled where the need is great and change things around. He even talks about his own personal experiences involving a change in the Negro. In describing his own experiences, he talks about two Black schools, Tuskegee and Hampton University. Once the reader establishes Washington’s logos, they can understand who this article was aimed to appeal to.
Washington’s tries to appeal to young, Southern, Blacks who are eager to learn and want to help or uplift the struggling black communities in the South. Washington starts the article off by giving examples of how blacks were being educated when Washington was a mere boy. He then tells the story of how his eagerness to learn and work lead him to Hampton. This may have been an attempt to promote or advertise Hampton University, and if this was the case, it would support the claim that this article was intended for young, southern, blacks who were interested in education and change. Later on in the article, Washington states how Tuskegee, helps students. He points out that the school teaches students and prepares them for the world of work by giving them hands-on experience in about 25 industries. This would appeal to, young, southern, blacks who were interested in education, work, and a change for southern blacks. It is clear that Washington’s article is aimed for southern blacks, but some may question whether it is aimed for young blacks interested in education, work, or change. Well in the article Washington talks a lot about guiding, or training and about how years or time must pass in order to see a dramatic change in the South. He even gives examples of how change occurred in just couple of months. Most of the changes occurred when schools were built, but it wasn’t a sudden change. Months had to pass in order for people to see how things had changed for blacks in school. One last and most obvious thing that helped establish who the audience was, was Washington’s constant praise of Southern Blacks who wanted education, work and change.
Rhetoric is evident in all types of literature. A great man like Booker T. Washington, couldn’t hide from rhetoric. His article, “The Awakening of the Negro” contained rhetoric, and Logos and his Audience were discussed in this Lit response.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Mello Yello Wallpapa
Realism is a style in literature that attempts to show the world as it really is. Charlotte Perkins Gilman tries to create a sense of realism in her story called, The Yellow Wall Paper. This story deals with the narrator and her husband, John, who rent a mansion so that the narrator can recuperate from her sickness or depression. The takes place after the civil war, in late 1800s. Gilman uses realism to show how women are still being held back and how they still do not have full equality.
Gilman appeals to female reader because her story, for one involves, a woman, and two, women at this time have been suffering from an illness similar to the one that the narrator suffered from in the story. This story does seem like a real story. It is written like a journal or diary, in which the narrator expresses her feelings and gives vivid details of her surroundings. Because this story seems real, it is determined that the author uses realism as the writing style for her story.
Now the question is, how Gilman uses realism to show how women are still being held back and how they still do not have full equality. Well for starters the fact that the narrator isn’t able to leave the room wit out her husband shows that she is basically being imprisoned. She cannot do anything without the consent of her husband. It seems as though everything in society has changed except the rights of women. John doesn’t even listen to his wife. Sometimes it seems as though he doesn’t even care. In the story the narrator says, “John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases are serious. I’m glad my case is not serious.” How is her case not serious? That’s his wife. The narrator even says, “John does not know how much I really suffer.” This is sad but it just shows how women were treated like crap. Writing is the only way a woman can fully express herself. This is the case for the narrator, she must write in secret, not letting anyone see it. This show how a woman’s voice is not equal to a man’s, a woman must write in secret and contain her true feeling on a “dead piece of paper”, while a man is able to speak freely.
Gilman uses realism to point the unjust treatment of women, and how they are imprisoned. Towards the end of the story the Narrator rips up the yellow wall paper which has stimulated her mind for past 3 months. By the narrator ripping up the horrid yellow wallpaper and escaping from prison which John has imprisoned her, Gilman symbolizes how woman must break free from the barriers that hold woman back, and fight for their rights.
Gilman appeals to female reader because her story, for one involves, a woman, and two, women at this time have been suffering from an illness similar to the one that the narrator suffered from in the story. This story does seem like a real story. It is written like a journal or diary, in which the narrator expresses her feelings and gives vivid details of her surroundings. Because this story seems real, it is determined that the author uses realism as the writing style for her story.
Now the question is, how Gilman uses realism to show how women are still being held back and how they still do not have full equality. Well for starters the fact that the narrator isn’t able to leave the room wit out her husband shows that she is basically being imprisoned. She cannot do anything without the consent of her husband. It seems as though everything in society has changed except the rights of women. John doesn’t even listen to his wife. Sometimes it seems as though he doesn’t even care. In the story the narrator says, “John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases are serious. I’m glad my case is not serious.” How is her case not serious? That’s his wife. The narrator even says, “John does not know how much I really suffer.” This is sad but it just shows how women were treated like crap. Writing is the only way a woman can fully express herself. This is the case for the narrator, she must write in secret, not letting anyone see it. This show how a woman’s voice is not equal to a man’s, a woman must write in secret and contain her true feeling on a “dead piece of paper”, while a man is able to speak freely.
Gilman uses realism to point the unjust treatment of women, and how they are imprisoned. Towards the end of the story the Narrator rips up the yellow wall paper which has stimulated her mind for past 3 months. By the narrator ripping up the horrid yellow wallpaper and escaping from prison which John has imprisoned her, Gilman symbolizes how woman must break free from the barriers that hold woman back, and fight for their rights.
Monday, November 17, 2008
BIBLIOGRAPHY ANNOTATIONS (lawyer)
LAW ANNOTATIONS
"Unbundled" Approach Would Help Poor. (2003, December). USA Today , pp. 17-17.
This article says that the legal profession should change the way it handles personal civil legal counsel to potential clients by broadening the type s of services available, particularly for low, or poor, to moderate income people. This was suggested during a 2003 report by the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Delivery of Legal Services in Chicago Ill. In the report it stresses the importance of recingizing a continum of legal needs. The article also brings out that technology such as the internet, could help potiential clients get access to attorneys and justice. It is stated in the article that the “Report on the Public Hearing On Access To Justice” cites “unbundled” legal services as a n inportant tool in matching people of moderate means with the legal assistance they require. Unbuddling is when attorneys provide some of their services for a case. The article doesn’t really talk about what resorces are currently available to potential clients. This article is important to me because I would like to be laywer who helps out clients who may not have enough money to afford a big time lawyer from a law firm.
Appin, R. (1997, March 08). DNA--One Weapon Against Frameup or Mistaken Identity. New York New Amsterdam News , pp. 18-18.
DNA is mostly used in medicine and science. Now DNA technology is being used in crimainal investigations. DNA was key in the O.J. Simpson trial. Two of O.J.’s former defense attorneys, Barry Scheck and Peter Nuefield, were two well known DNA experts in the legal community. This article discusses how DNA is changing many past and present outcomes of criminal trials. Scheck and Neufield had to fight long andlong and hard to get DNA technology accepted in criminal cases. It is stated that African American males were the main recipients of the DNA project. Some feel that DNA testing should be made a standard practice in criminal cases. DNA is much more credible than an eye witness. There have been many examples of how DNA confirmed a convited felon’s innocence. This project has changed the lives of many people. The article didn’t mention any other people who tried to fight for DNA testing in criminal cases. As a lawyer I would want to have the technology and resources to prove someone innocent or guilty and DNA evidence is is that piece of evidence I would be most reliable thing to use.
Hewit, B., Arias, R., Clark, C., Benet, L., Dodd, J., Harrington, M., et al. (2005, March 21). The Gloves Come Off. People , pp. 91-95.
The article reports on the trial of pop king Michael Jackson. The trial has only been going on two weeks and its getting to the heart of the case against 46 year old Michael Jackson. At this point in the trial, the court has heard from the sister, and the brother of the accuser. Prosecutor Thomas Sneddon, who led a failed investigation in1993 against Jackson, along with the children who testified, painted an image of Jackson as a freaky man; a man who gave the children wine, which he called “Jesus Juice”, surfed porno sites with them and molested the accuser, who was recovering from many types of cancers. The article also brings out how Jay Leno is somehow involved with the case. Leno is supposed to testify because in 2000, the accuser called Leno, but Leno hung up, suspecting that the mother was using the boy to get money to cover medical expenses. The defense is even considering letting Michael Jackson testify. The article states that if Michael Jackson were to take the stand, it would make the courtroom an even more bizarre theater. The accuser’s mother, who is portrayed as a greedy manipulator by the defense, is a key person in the Michael Jackson case. The article notes who the most important people are in the case and asks who the real victim and victimizer are. This article was good but it would have been better if it would have gave more background information on the accuser’s mother and gave some info on some of the other scams she may have tried to pull. Reading about an actual trial is good for me because it gives me the heads up on how things go in a trial. The fact that is a bizarre trial is even better because I may have to defend or prosecute a person who is considered odd.
Holmes, T. E., & Richardson, N. M. (2005, August). Blacks Underrepresented in Legal. Black Enterprise , pp. 38-38.
This article deals with facts and figures. It reports and sums up the results of the report “ Miles to Go: Progress of Minorities in the Legal Profession”, which was created in 2005 by the American Bar Association. The article pionts out that Blacks remain largely underrepresented in high paying jobs, and that the number of African American students enrolled in law school has fallen to a 12 year low.The report looks at the most recent data available from academic, governtment and professional sources and looks at the careers of lawyers from different racial and ethnic groups. Even though blacks make up 3.9 percent of all lawyers, the percentage of blacks entering the legal profession is lower than Hispanics and Asian americans. The percentage of law school students enrolling in law school has dropped from 7.4 percent to 6.6 percent. The article also brings out how there is a low percentage of African Americans that are partners in a private practice and that only 9.1 percent of general counsel are minorities. It is noted that blacks have better in securingpartnerships than other minorities. Blacks are more likely to be employed by the federal government than other minorities. The article even list some of the reasons for blacks failure to advance to the highest levels of law practices. This article failed to list the names of the sources from which the data and staticts were collected. As an african American male it hurts me to see these numbers that prove that the balck man is not represented in the Legal system. This article inspires me to change things by becoming a successful black lawyer, who works for a powerful law firm or has his own pratice.
Ladinsky, J. (1963, February). Careers of Lawyers, Law Practice, and Legal Institutions. American Sociological Review , pp. 47-54.
This paper talked brought together data on early socialization surroundings of lawyers and the social agencies through which they move in life with speculations about how these social contexts effect the legal system. The article is an analysis of processes and effects of self-selection and recruitment in the allocation of the lawyer labor supply. The article begins by defining solo and firm lawyers. After Ladinsky defines the lawyers, he then describes how they are different and alike in some ways. As stated before an analysis was taken for this article. This analysis was based on a sample of 207 Detroit area Lawyers, 100 solos and 107 firm lawyers. Ladinsky gave detailed info on the actual group that was analyzed and how they were analyzed. Ladinsky sums up his analysis in 3 data tables titled: 1. Social origins, 2. Education, and 3. Work History. It is stated in the article that the first table, Social origins, supported “the conclusion that solo lawyers are “minority lawyers”- they come more often than firm lawyers from working-class and entrepreneurial families of minority religion and ethnic status. The second table, Education, showed that firm lawyers have received a much better education than solo lawyers. The third and final table, Work history, showed that solo lawyers have more work experience than firm lawyers, and they are more likely to have experienced marginal law work, upward, mobility, and somewhat disorderly work histories. The author of the article later talks about how the interpretation of the date was done and some of the major forces that were involved. The two major forces that operate in the social allocation process are: personal self-selection and organizational recruitment. Ladinsky gives a brief definition of the two and explains their role in the interpretation of the data. This article shows how social backgrounds have a lot to do with the careers of lawyers and legal institutions. The only flaw in this article was that it went over and talked about some things that seemed irrelevant to the main point. The analysis of the data helped me predict what type of lawyer I may become in the future.
Maddox Jr., A. H. (2007, December 13). Quid pro quo and the Jena 6. New York New Amsterdam News , pp. 12-13.
This Article presents the author’s comments on issues concerning a law suit involving the Jena 6, which implied a group of some black teenagers that beat school student Justin Barker. The Author argues about the absence of legal representation during the practice of law among the African American community. The author expresses his feelings in a very detailed manner. His tone seems to imply that he is somewhat angry with many legal officials and so-called supporters of the students involved with the Jena 6 case. And by supporters I mean Civil rights leader. The Author regrets over the failure of the appeals court to present sufficient evidence to sustain the charges against Mychal Bell, a student who was involved in the Jena 6 case. Maddox mentions some other factors in this case that give off the sense that there has been some foul play in Jena, Louisiana. The author makes a strong statement in saying that Jena, Louisiana is back to its Jim Crow ways. He points out that the Civil Rights Leaders have taken the wrong action in fighting for justice for the students involved with Jena 6. Maddox feels that the Civil Rights Leader have taken unnecessary actions in this case, and that their motives for coming to Jena, LA may not have been so righteous and just as many people think. Many of the people who fought for Mychal Bell have sold him out. Maddox points out the ugliness of the Jena 6 case, from whites and blacks. He feels that blacks have become political pawns and economic squatters, and that we, as blacks, have no economic relationship with the land and no political relationship with the government. The only thing that is wrong in this article is that most of what is said by Maddox hasn’t been proven in the article. This article helped me realize that corruption and racism really do still exist in the Legal System. This does not scare it just lets me know that I will have a major challenge to overcome when I pursue my career in law.
Maddox Jr., A. H. (2008, June 26). White Prosecuters Destroying Black Life. New York
New Amsterdam News , pp. 12-40.
The author reflects on the uncertainty of the life of African Americans in the United States. The author comments on how African Americans are being treated by white Americans in term of legal prosecutions. Everyone is presumed to know the law. There are many people especially African American who don’t fully know the law. This article gives a very fine example of how blacks do not fully know the law. Maddox states that Race plays a significant role in prosecutions. The author added that enslaved African Americans had no access to the code provision entitled “An Act to Encourage the Baptizing of Negro, Indian, and Mulatto Slaves,” which is only intended for the protection of white men from paternity lawsuits. The author feels that black parents have duties, but no rights, and that a black child is prison bait. He talks about how white prosecutors are lying and waiting for the Black parent who believes,”if you spare the rod, you will spoil the child.” Maddox continues to talk about how blacks are not treated equal to whites in the legal system. Maddox does not include more than one example to support his claims about the treatment of blacks. Racism is clearly evident in the Legal system but if I pursue a career in law I cannot let it affect me, I have to fight for my rights and dreams.
Murr, A., & Riccitello, R. (2004, June 14). A Question of Timing. Newsweek , pp. 8-8.
The Article focuses on the California murder trial of Scott Peterson, the man who killed his pregnant wife, Laci. The articles talks about how this Case deals with a lot of forensic evidence. It also talks about how the defense says that Scott had nothing to do with the murders because hopefully autopsy reports will show the age of Conner at the time of Laci’s disappearance will prove that the baby was born after she disappeared. The Article gives detailed information on how the victims were killed and what happened to the victims while they were in the ocean. This article isn’t very long and it doesn’t contain a whole lot of other legal information. This article shows how Forensics is becoming a contributor in solving crimes like this.
Shover, N. (1973, Decemer). The Civil Justice Process as Societal Reactions. Social Forces , pp. 253-258.
In this article the author suggests that the societal reactions perspective, originally developed in studies of deviant social behavior and the reactions to such behavior is admirably suited to this requirement. Shover clarifies the close fit between the focal concerns of the perspective and empirical problems in legal society. He argues for the applicability of the societal-reactions approach to deviance to an analysis of the civil justice process. He talks a lot about the study of deviant behavior and social processes. Maddox examines 3 different levels of interactional process at which its consequences may be examined: collective rulemaking, intrapersonal relations, and organizational processing. About midway in the article Shover defines and explains the Civil Justice Process, collective rulemaking, intrapersonal relations and the organizational processing. Shover feels that a worthy goal for those who are doing research in the sociology of law is the generation of proportions and theories of the most general sort of possible at any given time. He believes that the use of the social-reactions approach may be especially fruitful in the moving toward this goal. There seem to be a lot of references for this article and most of the information stated in the article seems to be the statements of other people, not Shover. This article is related to criminal law, a field of law that I am interested in going in.
Wood, A. L. (1956, July). Informal Relations in the Practice of Criminal Law. The American Journal of Socialogy , pp. 48-55.
This article focuses on the informal relations in the practice of criminal law. It starts off with a brief description of the frame of reference of Informal relations in the practice of criminal law, and the definition of formal and informal structure of a group. Wood also describes informal patterns and gives a definition of a criminal lawyer. The author writes about how both criminal and civil lawyers partake in community and political activities. It is learned that although both criminal and civil lawyers partake in a wide range of community and political organizations, there are characteristic differences between them. Many criminal lawyers partake in political activities while civil lawyers usually are involved with community activities. Wood moves on to discuss lawyers’ relations with government officials. In the practice of criminal law, lawyers have an extraordinary dependence on government agencies. In civil law the lawyers do not depend on government agencies. It turns out that relationships between attorneys and government officials is beneficial for both parties. Lawyers have friendly relationships with the police, district attorney, and other government officials. Wood lets the reader know that not all criminal lawyers are involved with government officials, but most are. The author describes the systems of informal relations. In some cities criminal lawyers do not build relationships with government officials instead there are cliques of lawyers and the political machine. Lawyers form cliques with other members of the bar. Cliques aren’t very big the usually consist of 1-3 members. Cliques are beneficial to a lawyers practice. Cliques are essential for lawyers, especially solos. The maximum development of an informal system of relationships occurs in an area controlled by a political machine. Political machines are helpful for criminal lawyers. The author then talks about the institutional strains and informal relations. Wood says that the three situations of strain resulting in informal evasions of the formal system are the starting of a practice and the obtaining clients, the adversary system of justice, and the rendering of service. Wood goes into depth with these three situations and then he concludes his article. There were times in this article were the author seemed to stray away from his main point, but overall this very good article. This Article contained a lot of information on the practice of criminal law. The information in this article was very informative and now I know some of the things I need to do to become a successful criminal lawyer.
"Unbundled" Approach Would Help Poor. (2003, December). USA Today , pp. 17-17.
This article says that the legal profession should change the way it handles personal civil legal counsel to potential clients by broadening the type s of services available, particularly for low, or poor, to moderate income people. This was suggested during a 2003 report by the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Delivery of Legal Services in Chicago Ill. In the report it stresses the importance of recingizing a continum of legal needs. The article also brings out that technology such as the internet, could help potiential clients get access to attorneys and justice. It is stated in the article that the “Report on the Public Hearing On Access To Justice” cites “unbundled” legal services as a n inportant tool in matching people of moderate means with the legal assistance they require. Unbuddling is when attorneys provide some of their services for a case. The article doesn’t really talk about what resorces are currently available to potential clients. This article is important to me because I would like to be laywer who helps out clients who may not have enough money to afford a big time lawyer from a law firm.
Appin, R. (1997, March 08). DNA--One Weapon Against Frameup or Mistaken Identity. New York New Amsterdam News , pp. 18-18.
DNA is mostly used in medicine and science. Now DNA technology is being used in crimainal investigations. DNA was key in the O.J. Simpson trial. Two of O.J.’s former defense attorneys, Barry Scheck and Peter Nuefield, were two well known DNA experts in the legal community. This article discusses how DNA is changing many past and present outcomes of criminal trials. Scheck and Neufield had to fight long andlong and hard to get DNA technology accepted in criminal cases. It is stated that African American males were the main recipients of the DNA project. Some feel that DNA testing should be made a standard practice in criminal cases. DNA is much more credible than an eye witness. There have been many examples of how DNA confirmed a convited felon’s innocence. This project has changed the lives of many people. The article didn’t mention any other people who tried to fight for DNA testing in criminal cases. As a lawyer I would want to have the technology and resources to prove someone innocent or guilty and DNA evidence is is that piece of evidence I would be most reliable thing to use.
Hewit, B., Arias, R., Clark, C., Benet, L., Dodd, J., Harrington, M., et al. (2005, March 21). The Gloves Come Off. People , pp. 91-95.
The article reports on the trial of pop king Michael Jackson. The trial has only been going on two weeks and its getting to the heart of the case against 46 year old Michael Jackson. At this point in the trial, the court has heard from the sister, and the brother of the accuser. Prosecutor Thomas Sneddon, who led a failed investigation in1993 against Jackson, along with the children who testified, painted an image of Jackson as a freaky man; a man who gave the children wine, which he called “Jesus Juice”, surfed porno sites with them and molested the accuser, who was recovering from many types of cancers. The article also brings out how Jay Leno is somehow involved with the case. Leno is supposed to testify because in 2000, the accuser called Leno, but Leno hung up, suspecting that the mother was using the boy to get money to cover medical expenses. The defense is even considering letting Michael Jackson testify. The article states that if Michael Jackson were to take the stand, it would make the courtroom an even more bizarre theater. The accuser’s mother, who is portrayed as a greedy manipulator by the defense, is a key person in the Michael Jackson case. The article notes who the most important people are in the case and asks who the real victim and victimizer are. This article was good but it would have been better if it would have gave more background information on the accuser’s mother and gave some info on some of the other scams she may have tried to pull. Reading about an actual trial is good for me because it gives me the heads up on how things go in a trial. The fact that is a bizarre trial is even better because I may have to defend or prosecute a person who is considered odd.
Holmes, T. E., & Richardson, N. M. (2005, August). Blacks Underrepresented in Legal. Black Enterprise , pp. 38-38.
This article deals with facts and figures. It reports and sums up the results of the report “ Miles to Go: Progress of Minorities in the Legal Profession”, which was created in 2005 by the American Bar Association. The article pionts out that Blacks remain largely underrepresented in high paying jobs, and that the number of African American students enrolled in law school has fallen to a 12 year low.The report looks at the most recent data available from academic, governtment and professional sources and looks at the careers of lawyers from different racial and ethnic groups. Even though blacks make up 3.9 percent of all lawyers, the percentage of blacks entering the legal profession is lower than Hispanics and Asian americans. The percentage of law school students enrolling in law school has dropped from 7.4 percent to 6.6 percent. The article also brings out how there is a low percentage of African Americans that are partners in a private practice and that only 9.1 percent of general counsel are minorities. It is noted that blacks have better in securingpartnerships than other minorities. Blacks are more likely to be employed by the federal government than other minorities. The article even list some of the reasons for blacks failure to advance to the highest levels of law practices. This article failed to list the names of the sources from which the data and staticts were collected. As an african American male it hurts me to see these numbers that prove that the balck man is not represented in the Legal system. This article inspires me to change things by becoming a successful black lawyer, who works for a powerful law firm or has his own pratice.
Ladinsky, J. (1963, February). Careers of Lawyers, Law Practice, and Legal Institutions. American Sociological Review , pp. 47-54.
This paper talked brought together data on early socialization surroundings of lawyers and the social agencies through which they move in life with speculations about how these social contexts effect the legal system. The article is an analysis of processes and effects of self-selection and recruitment in the allocation of the lawyer labor supply. The article begins by defining solo and firm lawyers. After Ladinsky defines the lawyers, he then describes how they are different and alike in some ways. As stated before an analysis was taken for this article. This analysis was based on a sample of 207 Detroit area Lawyers, 100 solos and 107 firm lawyers. Ladinsky gave detailed info on the actual group that was analyzed and how they were analyzed. Ladinsky sums up his analysis in 3 data tables titled: 1. Social origins, 2. Education, and 3. Work History. It is stated in the article that the first table, Social origins, supported “the conclusion that solo lawyers are “minority lawyers”- they come more often than firm lawyers from working-class and entrepreneurial families of minority religion and ethnic status. The second table, Education, showed that firm lawyers have received a much better education than solo lawyers. The third and final table, Work history, showed that solo lawyers have more work experience than firm lawyers, and they are more likely to have experienced marginal law work, upward, mobility, and somewhat disorderly work histories. The author of the article later talks about how the interpretation of the date was done and some of the major forces that were involved. The two major forces that operate in the social allocation process are: personal self-selection and organizational recruitment. Ladinsky gives a brief definition of the two and explains their role in the interpretation of the data. This article shows how social backgrounds have a lot to do with the careers of lawyers and legal institutions. The only flaw in this article was that it went over and talked about some things that seemed irrelevant to the main point. The analysis of the data helped me predict what type of lawyer I may become in the future.
Maddox Jr., A. H. (2007, December 13). Quid pro quo and the Jena 6. New York New Amsterdam News , pp. 12-13.
This Article presents the author’s comments on issues concerning a law suit involving the Jena 6, which implied a group of some black teenagers that beat school student Justin Barker. The Author argues about the absence of legal representation during the practice of law among the African American community. The author expresses his feelings in a very detailed manner. His tone seems to imply that he is somewhat angry with many legal officials and so-called supporters of the students involved with the Jena 6 case. And by supporters I mean Civil rights leader. The Author regrets over the failure of the appeals court to present sufficient evidence to sustain the charges against Mychal Bell, a student who was involved in the Jena 6 case. Maddox mentions some other factors in this case that give off the sense that there has been some foul play in Jena, Louisiana. The author makes a strong statement in saying that Jena, Louisiana is back to its Jim Crow ways. He points out that the Civil Rights Leaders have taken the wrong action in fighting for justice for the students involved with Jena 6. Maddox feels that the Civil Rights Leader have taken unnecessary actions in this case, and that their motives for coming to Jena, LA may not have been so righteous and just as many people think. Many of the people who fought for Mychal Bell have sold him out. Maddox points out the ugliness of the Jena 6 case, from whites and blacks. He feels that blacks have become political pawns and economic squatters, and that we, as blacks, have no economic relationship with the land and no political relationship with the government. The only thing that is wrong in this article is that most of what is said by Maddox hasn’t been proven in the article. This article helped me realize that corruption and racism really do still exist in the Legal System. This does not scare it just lets me know that I will have a major challenge to overcome when I pursue my career in law.
Maddox Jr., A. H. (2008, June 26). White Prosecuters Destroying Black Life. New York
New Amsterdam News , pp. 12-40.
The author reflects on the uncertainty of the life of African Americans in the United States. The author comments on how African Americans are being treated by white Americans in term of legal prosecutions. Everyone is presumed to know the law. There are many people especially African American who don’t fully know the law. This article gives a very fine example of how blacks do not fully know the law. Maddox states that Race plays a significant role in prosecutions. The author added that enslaved African Americans had no access to the code provision entitled “An Act to Encourage the Baptizing of Negro, Indian, and Mulatto Slaves,” which is only intended for the protection of white men from paternity lawsuits. The author feels that black parents have duties, but no rights, and that a black child is prison bait. He talks about how white prosecutors are lying and waiting for the Black parent who believes,”if you spare the rod, you will spoil the child.” Maddox continues to talk about how blacks are not treated equal to whites in the legal system. Maddox does not include more than one example to support his claims about the treatment of blacks. Racism is clearly evident in the Legal system but if I pursue a career in law I cannot let it affect me, I have to fight for my rights and dreams.
Murr, A., & Riccitello, R. (2004, June 14). A Question of Timing. Newsweek , pp. 8-8.
The Article focuses on the California murder trial of Scott Peterson, the man who killed his pregnant wife, Laci. The articles talks about how this Case deals with a lot of forensic evidence. It also talks about how the defense says that Scott had nothing to do with the murders because hopefully autopsy reports will show the age of Conner at the time of Laci’s disappearance will prove that the baby was born after she disappeared. The Article gives detailed information on how the victims were killed and what happened to the victims while they were in the ocean. This article isn’t very long and it doesn’t contain a whole lot of other legal information. This article shows how Forensics is becoming a contributor in solving crimes like this.
Shover, N. (1973, Decemer). The Civil Justice Process as Societal Reactions. Social Forces , pp. 253-258.
In this article the author suggests that the societal reactions perspective, originally developed in studies of deviant social behavior and the reactions to such behavior is admirably suited to this requirement. Shover clarifies the close fit between the focal concerns of the perspective and empirical problems in legal society. He argues for the applicability of the societal-reactions approach to deviance to an analysis of the civil justice process. He talks a lot about the study of deviant behavior and social processes. Maddox examines 3 different levels of interactional process at which its consequences may be examined: collective rulemaking, intrapersonal relations, and organizational processing. About midway in the article Shover defines and explains the Civil Justice Process, collective rulemaking, intrapersonal relations and the organizational processing. Shover feels that a worthy goal for those who are doing research in the sociology of law is the generation of proportions and theories of the most general sort of possible at any given time. He believes that the use of the social-reactions approach may be especially fruitful in the moving toward this goal. There seem to be a lot of references for this article and most of the information stated in the article seems to be the statements of other people, not Shover. This article is related to criminal law, a field of law that I am interested in going in.
Wood, A. L. (1956, July). Informal Relations in the Practice of Criminal Law. The American Journal of Socialogy , pp. 48-55.
This article focuses on the informal relations in the practice of criminal law. It starts off with a brief description of the frame of reference of Informal relations in the practice of criminal law, and the definition of formal and informal structure of a group. Wood also describes informal patterns and gives a definition of a criminal lawyer. The author writes about how both criminal and civil lawyers partake in community and political activities. It is learned that although both criminal and civil lawyers partake in a wide range of community and political organizations, there are characteristic differences between them. Many criminal lawyers partake in political activities while civil lawyers usually are involved with community activities. Wood moves on to discuss lawyers’ relations with government officials. In the practice of criminal law, lawyers have an extraordinary dependence on government agencies. In civil law the lawyers do not depend on government agencies. It turns out that relationships between attorneys and government officials is beneficial for both parties. Lawyers have friendly relationships with the police, district attorney, and other government officials. Wood lets the reader know that not all criminal lawyers are involved with government officials, but most are. The author describes the systems of informal relations. In some cities criminal lawyers do not build relationships with government officials instead there are cliques of lawyers and the political machine. Lawyers form cliques with other members of the bar. Cliques aren’t very big the usually consist of 1-3 members. Cliques are beneficial to a lawyers practice. Cliques are essential for lawyers, especially solos. The maximum development of an informal system of relationships occurs in an area controlled by a political machine. Political machines are helpful for criminal lawyers. The author then talks about the institutional strains and informal relations. Wood says that the three situations of strain resulting in informal evasions of the formal system are the starting of a practice and the obtaining clients, the adversary system of justice, and the rendering of service. Wood goes into depth with these three situations and then he concludes his article. There were times in this article were the author seemed to stray away from his main point, but overall this very good article. This Article contained a lot of information on the practice of criminal law. The information in this article was very informative and now I know some of the things I need to do to become a successful criminal lawyer.
APA Bibliographies *LAWYER*
"Unbundled" Approach Would Help Poor. (2003, December). USA Today , pp. 17-17.
Appin, R. (1997, March 08). DNA--One Weapon Against Frameup or Mistaken Identity.
New York Mew Amsterdam News , pp. 18-18.
Hewit, B., Arias, R., Clark, C., Benet, L., Dodd, J., Harrington, M., et al. (2005, March 21). The Gloves Come Off. People , pp. 91-95.
Holmes, T. E., & Richardson, N. M. (2005, August). Blacks Underrepresented in Legal. Black Enterprise , pp. 38-38.
Ladinsky, J. (1963, February). Careers of Lawyers, Law Practice, and Legal Institutions. American Sociological Review , pp. 47-54.
Maddox Jr., A. H. (2007, December 13). Quid pro quo and the Jena 6. New York New Amsterdam News , pp. 12-13.
Maddox Jr., A. H. (2008, June 26). White Prosecuters Destroying Black Life. New York New Amsterdam News , pp. 12-40.
Murr, A., & Riccitello, R. (2004, June 14). A Question of Timing. Newsweek , pp. 8-8.
Shover, N. (1973, Decemer). The Civil Justice Process as Societal Reactions. Social Forces , pp. 253-258.
Wood, A. L. (1956, July). Informal Relations in the Practice of Criminal Law. The American Journal of Socialogy , pp. 48-55.
Appin, R. (1997, March 08). DNA--One Weapon Against Frameup or Mistaken Identity.
New York Mew Amsterdam News , pp. 18-18.
Hewit, B., Arias, R., Clark, C., Benet, L., Dodd, J., Harrington, M., et al. (2005, March 21). The Gloves Come Off. People , pp. 91-95.
Holmes, T. E., & Richardson, N. M. (2005, August). Blacks Underrepresented in Legal. Black Enterprise , pp. 38-38.
Ladinsky, J. (1963, February). Careers of Lawyers, Law Practice, and Legal Institutions. American Sociological Review , pp. 47-54.
Maddox Jr., A. H. (2007, December 13). Quid pro quo and the Jena 6. New York New Amsterdam News , pp. 12-13.
Maddox Jr., A. H. (2008, June 26). White Prosecuters Destroying Black Life. New York New Amsterdam News , pp. 12-40.
Murr, A., & Riccitello, R. (2004, June 14). A Question of Timing. Newsweek , pp. 8-8.
Shover, N. (1973, Decemer). The Civil Justice Process as Societal Reactions. Social Forces , pp. 253-258.
Wood, A. L. (1956, July). Informal Relations in the Practice of Criminal Law. The American Journal of Socialogy , pp. 48-55.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sojourner Truth A'nt I a Woman
Sojourner Truth’s “Aren’t I a Woman?” speech still sends the same message in all there copies. The Version in the 50 essays book is the easiest to understand and read and it’s obviously a little diluted, but the reader can still get the big picture of the speech. The other two versions of Gage’s account of the convention contain much more detail and the original version of Truth’s speech. The extra details and original diction of Truth’s speech really enhance the overall story. The Pathos is stronger and the reader can create a vivid image of the convention at which the story takes place. The speech is written different but it’s not that hard to read or understand; it’s actually more exciting and fun to read than the speech written in the 50 essays book. One thing that stood out the most was that Sojourner’s speech had a different title in all three accounts. (Aren’t I a Woman?, Ain’t I A Woman?, A’nt I a Woman?)
Friday, October 24, 2008
Arent I woman response
Sojourner Truth was a powerful speaker and a very important African American women of the 1800s. In Truths “Aren’t I a woman” speech there is one part of rhetoric that just slaps the reader in the face. That part of rhetoric, is Pathos. In the speech Truth is clearly trying to make the audience feel a certain way and she does a marvelous job of persuading the audience.
Now Truths audience is already on her side but she wins them over even more with this strong speech. Right off the back Truth makes the audience feel sympathy towards her. At the beginning of the excerpt, Truth talks about how she isn’t treated like a lady and she goes on repeating “aren’t I a woman.” When someone is hurt so bad and they convey their massage to and huge audience, the audience is going to feel that same pain. When reading this, the reader will feel that same pain. The Pathos is Clearly established from the get go in Truth’s Speech and as it goes on she just adds more wood to this emotional fire. Her references to “women’s rights or Negroes’ rights” really gets her audience into the speech. The audience is riled up already and Truth feeds off the vibe. In the speech Truth uses examples of things to justify that women have rights. She even refers to God and Jesus. “Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman. Man had nothing to do with him.” By saying this Truth feels that woman are actually higher than man. The pathos has changed; now the audience, well most of the audience, feels empowered and important. Not saying that they weren’t important from the beginning, its just that Truth helps these individuals realize that they are important and that they deserve to be treated better.
The strong emotions felt in Truth’s speech help her get the point across to her audience. Its was like she buttered them up and got them all rowdy and just threw the information at them. And this worked for Truth. The reader can determine that pathos is clearly evident and that it helps Truth transfer her message.
Now Truths audience is already on her side but she wins them over even more with this strong speech. Right off the back Truth makes the audience feel sympathy towards her. At the beginning of the excerpt, Truth talks about how she isn’t treated like a lady and she goes on repeating “aren’t I a woman.” When someone is hurt so bad and they convey their massage to and huge audience, the audience is going to feel that same pain. When reading this, the reader will feel that same pain. The Pathos is Clearly established from the get go in Truth’s Speech and as it goes on she just adds more wood to this emotional fire. Her references to “women’s rights or Negroes’ rights” really gets her audience into the speech. The audience is riled up already and Truth feeds off the vibe. In the speech Truth uses examples of things to justify that women have rights. She even refers to God and Jesus. “Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman. Man had nothing to do with him.” By saying this Truth feels that woman are actually higher than man. The pathos has changed; now the audience, well most of the audience, feels empowered and important. Not saying that they weren’t important from the beginning, its just that Truth helps these individuals realize that they are important and that they deserve to be treated better.
The strong emotions felt in Truth’s speech help her get the point across to her audience. Its was like she buttered them up and got them all rowdy and just threw the information at them. And this worked for Truth. The reader can determine that pathos is clearly evident and that it helps Truth transfer her message.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Slave Narratives
African American’s have had to fight and prove the white man wrong in just
about everything. In the end African Americans have succeeded at just about
everything except being president but that’s likely to change in the next few
months. The fight for African Americans right to express themselves through
literature was fought around the same time as the Civil War. Popular writings by
African Americans in the 19th century were slave narratives. William Craft,
Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Jacobs were early writers that wrote popular narratives. Rhetoric Devices were present in these stories. Well they weren’t present in the actual narrative but in the Prefaces that were written by white men. Strange that white men had a lot to do with the popular slave narratives. In the analysis of the two prefaces of Frederick Douglass’s Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Ethos was the rhetoric device that stood out the most in both pieces.
Before the ethos was completely established, the reader could infer that Wendell Phillips, the author of the first preface, was trying to attract a northern white male audience that knew slavery was inhumane but didn’t join anti-slavery groups that tried to fight for the cause. Wendell establishes his ethos and Douglass’s in this preface. Wendell starts the preface off by saying “My Dear Friend”. By starting his letter off like this he quickly establishes that he is a long time friend of Douglass. Wendell then starts to establish Douglass’s credibility, by noting the fact that he was a slave and that he is from the part of the United States where “slavery appears with its fairest features.” A few lines down Wendell gives Douglass’s narrative a big two thumbs when he says, “we have known you long, and can put the most entire confidence in your truth, candor, and sincerity. Everyone who has heard you speak has felt, and, I am confident, every one who reads your book will feel persuaded that you give them a fair specimen of the whole truth. No one-sided portrait.” Wendell has clearly established Douglass’s ethos and even a little pathos with his reference to feelings.
William Lloyd Garrison gives a writes a nice lengthy preface compared to Wendell. Garrison starts off with how he came to be associated with Douglass, just as Wendell established how he was friends with Douglass. Garrison meets Douglas at an anti-slavery convention Nantucket. Garrison proves that he is against slavery just like Douglass and this make him the perfect candidate to judge Douglass’s writings. Garrison tried to appeal to the same audience as Wendell, but Garrison may have tried to attract people in the south also. Garrison lets the readers know that Douglass was a fugitive slave and that in his many speeches Douglass proceeds “to narrate some of the facts in his own history as a slave”. Just like Wendell, Garrison helps establish Douglass’s ethos. Garrison praises and acknowledges Douglass’s ability to persuade and grasp the audience’s attention throughout the preface. Towards the end Garrison somewhat questions Douglass’s credibility by saying, “Mr. DOUGLASS has frankly disclosed the place of his birth, the names of those who claimed ownership in his body and soul, and the names also of those who committed the crimes which he has alleged against them. His statements, therefore, may easily be disproved, if they are untrue.” This was kind of puzzling that he said this, it gave the impression that maybe Garrison, deep down, didn’t trust or believe Douglass’s story. If this was true then maybe everything that was stated in the preface up to this point was just a big pile of crap. All of this may not have been a bowl of crap because at the end of Garrison’s preface he continues to praise Douglass’s narrative.
Both of these white men some to support Douglass and his attempt to let the public know what happens in the life of a slave. In reality Douglass needs the backing of white men because around this time White men are the only ones that have a say-so in pretty much all matters. It’s kind of bad that this black man had to depend on whites to get his story thru to other whites, but hey Wendell and Garrison did their job and help Establish the credibility or ethos that was needed to Help Douglass.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Self-Reliance Response
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self reliance is a very compelling piece of literature. Emerson’s use of rhetoric in this piece is amazing; this thing has just about everything in it. Emerson’s Self-Reliance deals with, well, being Self-Reliant. . By reading Self Reliance, one can determine it was written for males, mainly adults and those entering manhood. One can infer this throw Emerson’s repetition of the words ‘his’, ‘he’, ‘man’ and ‘men’ .The purpose of Self-Reliance, is to help readers realize that they need to think for themselves and trust themselves. In the Emerson’s essay he says, “ Man is timid and apologetic he is no longer upright; he dares not say ‘I think’, ‘I am’, but quotes some sage.” This statement supports the previous stated purpose of Self Reliance. Emerson also establishes Ethos by quoting phrases and by referring to people whose credibility is already firmly
The authors strong use of diction helps the reader to determine the time at which the essay was written and the author’s pathos. The spelling of certain words help the reader understand when this piece was written. Words like thee, thou, and thy let the reader know that this was written before the 2oth century. The spelling of words also helped. When common words like today, parlor, and tomorrow are spelled like to-day, parlour, and to-morrow, the reader will realize that this was written long ago. Self Reliance seems to sound like something that was intended to empower its audience. Throughout the text, there are many phrases and words that give the reader the sense that this piece of literature was meant to fire up or motivate them.
The author’s use of figurative language really stands out in Self Reliance. His use of metaphors, similes, analogies, etc. is unbelievable. At the beginning Emerson quotes Epilogue to Beaumont and Fletcher's Honest Man's Fortune, the quote reads,
"Ne te quaesiveris extra."
"Man is his own star; and the soul that can
Render an honest and a perfect man,
Commands all light, all influence, all fate;
Nothing to him falls early or too late.
Our acts our angels are, or good or ill,
Our fatal shadows that walk by us still."
“Man is his own star, and the soul that can Render an honest and perfect man.”, that deep, that’s really deep. Emerson used a lot of personification in Self Reliance. “malice and vanity wear the coat of philanthropy”, “truth is handsomer than affection and love”, “Nature is not slow to equip us in prison-uniform”, “prayer looks abroad and ask for some…”. The best use of figurative language was when Emerson was talking about society. “Society never advances. It recedes as fast on one side as it gains on the other…. it is barbarous, it is civilized, it is Christianized, it is rich, it is scientific; but this change is not amelioration.” “Society is a wave. The wave moves onward, but the water of which it is composed does not.” This metaphor is deep, and its meaning it is important. There were other metaphors in Self Reliance; “Rage is decorous and prudent”, “virtues are penances”, “envy is ignorance, imitation is suicide”. There is some much figurative language in Emerson’s writing that is somewhat hard to point out just a few good ones because the whole writing is good.
As stated before Rhetoric is clearly evident in Emerson’s work, but some parts of rhetoric stand out more than others. Self Reliance is a Rhetoric gol mine just like Anne Bradstreets poems. His writings prove that the use of rhetoric is important to help one get his or her point across.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Desiree's Baby by Kate Choplin
Desiree's Baby
As the day was pleasant, Madame Valmonde drove over to L'Abri to see Desiree and the baby. It made her laugh to think of Desiree with a baby. Why, it seemed but yesterday that Desiree was little more than a baby herself; when Monsieur in riding through the gateway of Valmonde had found her lying asleep in the shadow of the big stone pillar. The little one awoke in his arms and began to cry for "Dada." That was as much as she could do or say. Some people thought she might have strayed there of her own accord, for she was of the toddling age. The prevailing belief was that she had been purposely left by a party of Texans, whose canvas-covered wagon, late in the day, had crossed the ferry that Coton Mais kept, just below the plantation. In time Madame Valmonde abandoned every speculation but the one that Desiree had been sent to her by a beneficent Providence to be the child of her affection, seeing that she was without child of the flesh. For the girl grew to be beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere - the idol of Valmonde. It was no wonder, when she stood one day against the stone pillar in whose shadow she had lain asleep, eighteen years before, that Armand Aubigny riding by and seeing her there, had fallen in love with her. That was the way all the Aubignys fell in love, as if struck by a pistol shot. The wonder was that he had not loved her before; for he had known her since his father brought him home from Paris, a boy of eight, after his mother died there. The passion that awoke in him that day, when he saw her at the gate, swept along like an avalanche, or like a prairie fire, or like anything that drives headlong over all obstacles. Monsieur Valmonde grew practical and wanted things well considered: that is, the girl's obscure origin. Armand looked into her eyes and did not care. He was reminded that she was nameless. What did it matter about a name when he could give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana? He ordered the corbeille from Paris, and contained himself with what patience he could until it arrived; then they were married.
Madame Valmonde had not seen Desiree and the baby for four weeks. When she reached L'Abri she shuddered at the first sight of it, as she always did. It was a sad looking place, which for many years had not known the gentle presence of a mistress, old Monsieur Aubigny having married and buried his wife in France, and she having loved her own land too well ever to leave it. The roof came down steep and black like a cowl, reaching out beyond the wide galleries that encircled the yellow stuccoed house. Big, solemn oaks grew close to it, and their thick-leaved, far-reaching branches shadowed it like a pall. Young Aubigny's rule was a strict one, too, and under it his negroes had forgotten how to be gay, as they had been during the old master's easy-going and indulgent lifetime. The young mother was recovering slowly, and lay full length, in her soft white muslins and laces, upon a couch. The baby was beside her, upon her arm, where he had fallen asleep, at her breast. The yellow nurse woman sat beside a window fanning herself. Madame Valmonde bent her portly figure over Desiree and kissed her, holding her an instant tenderly in her arms. Then she turned to the child. "This is not the baby!" she exclaimed, in startled tones. French was the language spoken at Valmonde in those days. "I knew you would be astonished," laughed Desiree, "at the way he has grown. The little cochon de lait! Look at his legs, mamma, and his hands and fingernails - real finger-nails. Zandrine had to cut them this morning. Isn't it true, Zandrine?" The woman bowed her turbaned head majestically, "Mais si, Madame." "And the way he cries," went on Desiree, "is deafening. Armand heard him the other day as far away as La Blanche's cabin." Madame Valmonde had never removed her eyes from the child. She lifted it and walked with it over to the window that was lightest. She scanned the baby narrowly, then looked as searchingly at Zandrine, whose face was turned to gaze across the fields. "Yes, the child has grown, has changed," said Madame Valmonde, slowly, as she replaced it beside its mother. "What does Armand say?" Desiree's face became suffused with a glow that was happiness itself.
Oh, Armand is the proudest father in the parish, I believe, chiefly because it is a boy, to bear his name; though he says not - that he would have loved a girl as well. But I know it isn't true. I know he says that to please me. And mamma," she added, drawing Madame Valmonde's head down to her, and speaking in a whisper, "he hasn't punished one of them - not one of them - since baby is born. Even Negrillon, who pretended to have burnt his leg that he might rest from work - he only laughed, and said Negrillon was a great scamp. Oh, mamma, I'm so happy; it frightens me." What Desiree said was true. Marriage, and later the birth of his son had softened Armand Aubigny's imperious and exacting nature greatly. This was what made the gentle Desiree so happy, for she loved him desperately. When he frowned she trembled, but loved him. When he smiled, she asked no greater blessing of God. But Armand's dark, handsome face had not often been disfigured by frowns since the day he fell in love with her. When the baby was about three months old, Desiree awoke one day to the conviction that there was something in the air menacing her peace. It was at first too subtle to grasp. It had only been a disquieting suggestion; an air of mystery among the blacks; unexpected visits from far-off neighbors who could hardly account for their coming. Then a strange, an awful change in her husband's manner, which she dared not ask him to explain. When he spoke to her, it was with averted eyes, from which the old love-light seemed to have gone out. He absented himself from home; and when there, avoided her presence and that of her child, without excuse. And the very spirit of Satan seemed suddenly to take hold of him in his dealings with the slaves. Desiree was miserable enough to die. She sat in her room, one hot afternoon, in her peignoir, listlessly drawing through her fingers the strands of her long, silky brown hair that hung about her shoulders. The baby, half naked, lay asleep upon her own great mahogany bed, that was like a sumptuous throne, with its satin-lined half-canopy. One of La Blanche's little quadroon boys - half naked too - stood fanning the child slowly with a fan of peacock feathers. Desiree's eyes had been fixed absently and sadly upon the baby, while she was striving to penetrate the threatening mist that she felt closing about her. She looked from her child to the boy who stood beside him, and back again; over and over. "Ah!" It was a cry that she could not help; which she was not conscious of having uttered. The blood turned like ice in her veins, and a clammy moisture gathered upon her face.
She tried to speak to the little quadroon boy; but no sound would come, at first. When he heard his name uttered, he looked up, and his mistress was pointing to the door. He laid aside the great, soft fan, and obediently stole away, over the polished floor, on his bare tiptoes. She stayed motionless, with gaze riveted upon her child, and her face the picture of fright. Presently her husband entered the room, and without noticing her, went to a table and began to search among some papers which covered it. "Armand," she called to him, in a voice which must have stabbed him, if he was human. But he did not notice. "Armand," she said again. Then she rose and tottered towards him. "Armand," she panted once more, clutching his arm, "look at our child. What does it mean? Tell me." He coldly but gently loosened her fingers from about his arm and thrust the hand away from him. "Tell me what it means!" she cried despairingly. "It means," he answered lightly, "that the child is not white; it means that you are not white." A quick conception of all that this accusation meant for her nerved her with unwonted courage to deny it. "It is a lie; it is not true, I am white! Look at my hair, it is brown; and my eyes are gray, Armand, you know they are gray. And my skin is fair," seizing his wrist. "Look at my hand; whiter than yours, Armand," she laughed hysterically. "As white as La Blanche's," he returned cruelly; and went away leaving her alone with their child. When she could hold a pen in her hand, she sent a despairing letter to Madame Valmonde. "My mother, they tell me I am not white. Armand has told me I am not white. For God's sake tell them it is not true. You must know it is not true. I shall die. I must die. I cannot be so unhappy, and live." The answer that came was brief: "My own Desiree: Come home to Valmonde; back to your mother who loves you. Come with your child." When the letter reached Desiree she went with it to her husband's study, and laid it open upon the desk before which he sat. She was like a stone image: silent, white, motionless after she placed it there.
In silence he ran his cold eyes over the written words. He said nothing. "Shall I go, Armand?" she asked in tones sharp with agonized suspense. "Yes, go." "Do you want me to go?" "Yes, I want you to go." He thought Almighty God had dealt cruelly and unjustly with him; and felt, somehow, that he was paying Him back in kind when he stabbed thus into his wife's soul. Moreover he no longer loved her, because of the unconscious injury she had brought upon his home and his name. She turned away like one stunned by a blow, and walked slowly towards the door, hoping he would call her back. "Good-by, Armand," she moaned. He did not answer her. That was his last blow at fate. Desiree went in search of her child. Zandrine was pacing the sombre gallery with it. She took the little one from the nurse's arms with no word of explanation, and descending the steps, walked away, under the live-oak branches. It was an October afternoon; the sun was just sinking. Out in the still fields the negroes were picking cotton. Desiree had not changed the thin white garment nor the slippers which she wore. Her hair was uncovered and the sun's rays brought a golden gleam from its brown meshes. She did not take the broad, beaten road which led to the far-off plantation of Valmonde. She walked across a deserted field, where the stubble bruised her tender feet, so delicately shod, and tore her thin gown to shreds. She disappeared among the reeds and willows that grew thick along the banks of the deep, sluggish bayou; and she did not come back again. Some weeks later there was a curious scene enacted at L'Abri. In the centre of the smoothly swept back yard was a great bonfire. Armand Aubigny sat in the wide hallway that commanded a view of the spectacle; and it was he who dealt out to a half dozen negroes the material which kept this fire ablaze. A graceful cradle of willow, with all its dainty furbishings, was laid upon the pyre, which had already been fed with the richness of a priceless layette. Then there were silk gowns, and velvet and satin ones added to these; laces, too, and embroideries; bonnets and gloves; for the corbeille had been of rare quality.
The last thing to go was a tiny bundle of letters; innocent little scribblings that Desiree had sent to him during the days of their espousal. There was the remnant of one back in the drawer from which he took them. But it was not Desiree's; it was part of an old letter from his mother to his father. He read it. She was thanking God for the blessing of her husband's love:-- "But above all," she wrote, "night and day, I thank the good God for having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know that his mother, who adores him, belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery."
Monday, September 15, 2008
A Rhetoric Explosion
Where is the best place to find rhetoric? This is a question that many students may ask, it can’t truly be answered but one thing is certain when one has to analyze poetry, they have hit a landmine of rhetoric. Take early American poet Anne Bradstreet. Yes a woman, someone has hit the rhetoric jackpot, especially with Mrs. Bradstreet. Anne Bradstreet was one of the earliest feminist of America; she was alive during the 17th century, a time when women pretty much had no say in anything. Two of her poems; The Author to Her Book and To My Dear and Loving Husband, contained much rhetoric that was just waiting to be analyzed.
The first poem that was analyzed was To My Dear and Loving Husband. Right of the back repetition was noticed in the first three lines of the poem. The word If and ever were the first two words of the first three lines. Another thing that is significant is the syntax. There is clearly a rhyming pattern, at least at first. The poem seems to have an aabbccdeff pattern. Why is this pattern broken up? The two words that break up this pattern are recompense and quench. Diction also plays a huge role in this poem. First off, the author uses words like thee, doth, nor, and thy. These words let the readers know that this poem was written in an older time period, maybe the 15th, 16th, or 17th century. Imagery is also present. In the poem there is line that reads “Or all the riches that the East doth hold.” The author uses compares her and her husband’s love to the riches that are in the world, riches like gold and silver, or money and wealth in general. Another use of figurative language that Anne Bradstreet uses is in line 8 when she says “My love is such that rivers cannot quench.” What does she mean by quench, is she thirsty for more love or is her love like a fire that can’t be put out by even this large amount of water. One last thing that stood out in this poem was the end. In the last two lines the rhyming pattern seems to be broken again, the lines read,
“Then while we live, in love let's so persevere
that when we live no more, we may live ever.”
At first glance one may believe that these words don’t rhyme at all, but one must not forget to take account in that this poem was written in a different time period, and words may have sounded different back then. This poem was loaded with rhetoric; this shows that the author was very well educated especially for a woman.
The second poem that was analyzed was Anne Bradstreet’s poem titled The Author and Her Book. Once again diction helps the reader understand that the poem was written in an earlier time period. Words like thou, thy, thence, and thee support this claim. Bradstreet seems to have a knack for rhyming patters with a twist at the end, this poems pattern is; aabbccccddeeffgghhiijkjkll. This poem seems to contain a lot of metaphors too. The first line of the poem contains a metaphor, this line reads:
“Thou ill-form'd offspring of my feeble brain,”
After seeing the word offspring one may have believed that Bradstreet was talking about one of her children, but after careful analysis one can understand that the author is actually referring to her poem as being from her. Her poems are like her children. Once this is taken into account the poem is much easier to understand. For example in lines 10-14, which read,
“Thy visage was so irksome in my sight;
Yet being mine own, at length affection would
Thy blemishes amend, if so I could:
I wash'd thy face, but more defects I saw,
And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw.”
By washing thy face, Bradstreet means that she fixed the poems till they were clean or perfected. The metaphors in this poem are amazing, but wait, there is one more metaphor, and guess where it is. Once again Anne Bradstreet has left the readers with a twist at the end, the last two lines of the poem read,
“And for thy mother, she alas is poor, Which caus'd her thus to send thee out of door”
At first glance it seems that Anne Bradstreet is poor and in need of money, so in order to save money she had to get rid of her child. This is not what these two lines mean at all. Anne Bradstreet is not poor at all she is actually quite well off. The reader must take into account that the author is not talking about an actual child but the poem itself. Sometimes, back when this poem was written, women used to get their literary work publish in order to make a little cash, this is what Anne was saying in her poem.
Anne Bradstreets poems showed how poetry can contain huge amounts of rhetoric. Her poems contained almost every type of rhetoric there is. Anne Bradstreet was a gifted poet who is well respected for her skill.
who is this Anne Chic?
Anne Bradstreet was born in 1612 to Thomas Dudley. At age 16 she married her “childhood” sweetheart Simon Bradstreet, who was 25 years old. Simon was close to Anne’s father and in 1630 Mr. Dudley and his family, including Simon and Anne, sailed to America. Anne was well tutored in Literature and history, and also Greek, Latin, French, Hebrew, and of course English. Anne’s Father and husband were heavily involved in the early government of Massachusetts, and both eventually became governor of Massachusetts. By her family being involved in politics, Anne had it better than most women. Anne was allowed to use her brain to the fullest extent and show her charm and intelligence, while other women were punished for showing such independence. Ann Hutchinson was a friend of Anne’s, Ann Hutchinson’s fiery spirit led to her death unlike Anne, whose spirit led to profit and praise. Anne who mainly wrote poetry for herself, her family, and friends took her poetry seriously. Anne was originally known historically for her husbands, her work appealed to many 20th century feminist, because of them Anne Bradstreet, a pious mother of 8, was finally recognized as the poetic genius she was.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Man who is not a Man, but a Thing/Savage
Who or what the heck is this. This thing is Cabeza de Vaca. In his narrative Cabeza describes how he was captive and was forced to follow the same customs as the Indian tribes he was "forced" to lived with. This picture of this savage like man shows how Cabeza went from being a somewhat famous Spaniard to looking like a wild Indian man. One word that is mentioned many times is hunger. In the picture the man looks very scrawny and small, his size could mean that he doesn’t eat well and according to Cabeza, some of the Indian tribes which he stayed with went days or weeks without eating. Cabeza talks about how the Indians live a hard life and by looking at this man’s face one can tell that his life has been rough. Not every attribute gained has been a bad one; living with various tribes of Indians has made Cabeza stronger and a hard worker. Towards the end of the narrative, Cabeza says that the Christians (who are actually another group of Spainards) didn’t even know who he was, they couldn’t tell him apart from the natives until he started to speak in his native tongue. At the beginning Cabeza refer s to the natives and their customs as ignorant and barbarous, but in the end he refers to them as a generous group of people who live tough lives but still find away to rely on another. Not only has Cabeza de Vaca learned from the Indians, he has become one just like in the picture.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Me and English, no English and I, or is it English and Me?
English hurts me more than football im sorry but its true. I dont hate it, i just wish it would leave me alone for the next 2, no 6 years. i'm sorry teacher but this is how i feel about english. I'll try my best to pass this class.
ps. even writting this is hurting my head
B-E-A-UTIFUL Caribbean Island
My rhetorical analysis of Christopher Columbus’s letters dealt with his first voyage in which he discovered the New World. In this analysis, the first letter was described as having a positive tone and diction was used to support that. Columbus used words like beautiful and marvelous to describe the landscape of the Caribbean islands. This picture helps create the image of the beautiful landscape. Columbus was awed by this beauty which he fell upon. The picture shows how green the land was. This was important because in the analysis the word cultivation was highlighted. All of this unused land that the Columbus discovered turned out to be very valuable not only for the Spanish, but for the whole world. The beautiful flowers and trees can also be seen. If Columbus had a camera back then it would have been a lot easier for Luis de Sentinel to understand what Columbus was trying to say because he could see the landscape, but instead Columbus had to use imagery and diction to help Luis de Sentinel visualize the landscape. If this was what Columbus saw in the Caribbean it was no wonder that his letter had a positive tone ,unlike his other letters, because discovering such a beautiful and marvelous land would please anyone.
Rhetoric and Columbus Letters
Eric Hayes
AP English III
Period 2
Christopher Columbus
AP English III
Period 2
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus is famous, as we all know, for accidentally “discovering” the New World. After this “discovery” Columbus set out on 4 more voyages, between 1492 and 1502, to the New World. Throughout is voyages, Columbus sent letters too many people. After some these letters one can analyze rhetoric strategies to understand the letters in a deeper meaning. Let’s examine two of Columbus’s letters.
The first letter that was read was written on Columbus’s first voyage and it was to Luis de Sentinel, a former merchant and court official since 1478 who had supported Columbus’s proposal to the Spanish Crown for his first voyage. The letter was written at sea in February 15, 1493. Ethos is established right away because this was a letter that was published across Europe and the words that are written in it are the words of Columbus, the sender. This letter is about the islands and the Indians Columbus encountered in the Caribbean. Diction is also key in understanding the letter. One can infer that the letter is a positive one that has a good vibe. When Columbus uses words like hamlets, and Divine Majesty one can infer that the letter was written a long time ago. The words “marvelous” and “beautiful” were used a couple times which meant that Columbus was dazzled and impressed by something in the Caribbean. He was dazzled by the rich land of the Caribbean islands. One word that somewhat stood out was cultivate. This may seem unimportant but after seeing this word in the letter one could understand that this letter was no written just to tell Luis de Sentinel about the beauty of the islands, it was written to let Luis de Sentinel that these islands would be very profitable and that they need to be colonized. Columbus finishes the letter by saying “Espanola is a marvel.”
The second letter that was read was written to Ferdinand and Isabella regarding Columbus’s 4th voyage. He wrote it in Jamaica on July 7, 1503. Once again Ethos is established because this letter was also published across Europe and the words are those of Columbus. In the first line of the letter the word weeping is present; this meant that the letter was to be somewhat depressing. The letter lets the reader know that in this voyage Columbus was shipwrecked near Panama. During this time Columbus fears he has many enemies that are out to destroy and make him look bad. After his shipwreck Columbus feels that the voyage was dangerous and unprofitable just as some of the others were. Once again the diction lets the reader know the vibe or tone of the letter and this letter has a negative vibe. There were many negative words that stuck out, some of words included: inexplicable, ruined, wept, mercy upon me, cruelty, and expectation of death. A lot of people criticized Columbus which left him feeling down. In this letter Columbus lets the Crown know that he is upset because he and his 2 brothers were taken prisoner , thrown into a ship, covered in feathers, stripped naked and was very ill treated , and all this was done without being tried and or condemned. He wants to know that this was not done under royal command and he wants his honor restored, his losses returned and repaid, and that whoever did this to him be severely punished. The word weep was seen many times throughout the letter. This meant the Columbus was sad and hurt and he wanted the reader to feel sorry for him, this is the Pathos of the letter. The emotion felt was sadness. In the end Columbus finished his letter by asking Ferdinand and Isabella to send a ship to come get him because he wanted to come home and make pilgrimage to Rome.
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