"A Bullet for your Arsenal"

In Susana Rodriguez's article I thought a striking point she made was how advertising companies have the knowledge to make visually appealing images. She uses the old I pod Ad to describe how the Ad is used to draw your attention of a mystery silhouette rocking out to music and a vivid neon background to draw the most attention. Then she comapres the new I pod Ads that have amped up colors using swirling chromatics to visually italicize, bold, and underline just how hard the silhouettes are jamming to their handheld idols. She says the newer Ads have gotten sneaky playing with the consumers "emotions and perceptions". I think that's very important to companies because you want the most attention from the audience your trying to market to. Also, I find it helpful that she looks at an image's composition, or layout to help develop even more of a  meaning.

Banksy's Outdoor Graffiti

The features of these genres are both political messages. In the first graffiti art a small girl is frightened by a rat, which he uses as a symbol for the government. In the second graffiti art he draws Abe Lincoln on an abandoned building and portrays him as homeless. Bansky produced both of these images. From looking at some of his artwork I can tell that he takes political messages seriously. Bansky's audience is just the general public, his graffiti is meant to announce his opinion and in the example his opinion on politics and government. I personally think its hard to understand the actual message of the second graffiti of Abraham Lincoln because the first one is pretty straight forward that people are afraid of the government. I think hes trying to say the government isn't beneficial to anyone, it just causes poverty.

Language Awareness in the classroom

I interviewed Steph Pepin about her spoken language in her family. I learned that even though she lives in Niles her Grandma from her mom's side came straight from Poland and knows both english and polish as well as her mom. I asked her about how she speaks around her house to her parents and siblings. I found it interesting that she speaks a little polish and with her brother some spanish, since they both took spanish in high school and her dad is part Puerto Rican and Polish, I thought it was really cool she has so much culture in her family.Steph's boyfriend also speaks polish.

On Critiquing and changing genres

I think the most important thing I learned from reading the article "Critiquing and changing articles" is knowing when to use an appropriate genre for a specific situation. It's important because if you don't want to lose the audience your trying to capture by not using a genre that's suitable for something, like a billboard, you don't want to use a lot of words and no pictures. The successfulness of any message is based upon the genre that is used by the creator.

"From Outside, In

The meaning behind Mellix's title is that the language she spoke was different from the standard English people in her community would speak and even some relatives from the north. At  first she would try and hide the black English she and her family spoke, to sound more proper to others. But over the years from school she developed the more standard way of English and speaks it openly but feels like shes betraying her "blackness".

She would use black English around her family and some friends. but would use standard English when talking to white people around her community. Even when her family from the north came to visit she would have to try and think about what to say before talking. She felt as if her sense of doubleness was something menacing and a built in enemy.

For Mellix to speaking standard English to a white person was very important because she wanted to come across as someone who knows their language and can use it properly.  Blacks who spoke standard English sought it to be difficult because they felt embarrassed and judged if they talked in their black English especially in public, so they would always turn to using standard English.

The strategies Mellix's parents used to teach her standard English were when writing letters to relatives to use standard English and keep the sentences short and brief. I see the that power of language is based off the language you know and where your using it. If a person is using standard English, whether it be in writing or talking they are seen as more educated and powerful compared to others using another language where its considered a minority.

The transformation Mellix experienced in her college composition class was becoming a better user of standard English. At first her professor would tell her to use better words but by the end she was using a wider range of vocabulary and her sentences were full of detail and in correct grammar. She felt as if she were betraying her blackness, to balance she had to imagine herself apart of the culture and the language. While she saw it as a challenge she discovered the new possibilities with the use of a powerful language.

working outside with my dad

Even though my dad is now 57 I still picture him a lot younger than he really is. His jet black hair is now going gray, he says its because he has to deal with me but he just doesn't want to admit that's what happens when you get old. He even has to wear glasses 24/7 now. He is a very serious and stern man especially with important matters but other times he can be goofy and even a little immature. I can see now where I get my personality from.I've always admired my dad for how smart he is, he does a lot of crossword puzzles so you can never win at games like scrabble. Before becoming a dentist he wanted to be a chemistry major, that takes a lot of hard work and dedication, it has definitely paid off for him.

My dad and I have always been close. I was definitely a daddy's girls, always wanting to help him around the house. On Sunday's during the summer and fall when I was in grade school I'd be outside helping him mow the lawn. I was too young to do it by myself so he'd be right beside me holding onto the metal bar, his hands covering mine. I remember the smell of the fresh cut grass and the smell of burning leaves. My dad would have on his usual gray sweatpants and gray sweatshirt, I guess he never cared it looked like he was wearing a jumpsuit. Most kids wouldn't find this activity fun but I look it as a way my dad and I bonded, something special between him and I. I don't remember ever talking because the lawn mower was loud and overpowering but we didn't need to. We had a routine of how we cut the grass and it never changed.

Why and when we speak spanish in public

What makes this writing so powerful is that the author wrote it as if she were talking to you face to face. Its very relate able and personable that everyone reading it can understand. What is especially valuable about this type of genre is that it can say a very important message to many people who are reading the article. It's very informal and the writer says exactly whats on her mind. Marquez explains that her family hasnt adopted english as their official family language because they want to stay true to their culture. If i were standing next to a group of popele speaking spanish I wouldnt consider it rude but more curious as to what theyre talking about and if they were talking about something they didnt want anyone to understand. I think i the US government has steered clear from an official language because theres so much diversity in the US it wouldnt be fair to have a national language when there are so many people from all over the world. I don't think there is a need for one because everyone recgonizes english as the most commonly used language.