blog 7

Satire is a way to make a point by ridiculing your subject. You present an issue and then present it in such a manner that its point seems ridiculous. To be effective you must make it clear that you are ridiculing your subject because it can look like your supporting it if you don’t. I think the Colbert Report and the Daily Show are good examples of satire. They present political issues in a way that make some points seem wrong or ridiculous and that use jokes, emphasis and sarcasm to great effect. By presenting it in such a manner they make political points clear why at the same time appearing comedic.

blog 6

Jim is something that is hard to define. I’m not sure how much of him is a stereotype meant to destroy traditional views and how much is mark twains own racist views. I’m not sure what to think of him as a character and it’s made all the harder by the fact that I can only understand a little of what he says. Whether or not he’s a minstrel I think is something only twain knows though I think he may very well be. As for whether or not he contributing to double consciousness I think he does because he show a very different view then what I believe many people perceive.

blog#5

Sex, race and gender roles are still relevant today. In television you will see more of various groups of people in different shows then before but to say that we no longer have discrimination is wrong. I think much of television still depict traditional roles for men and women. There is still the tendency towards the traditional family roles with mother and father and such. You never see really large families with lots of kids or extended family living together. Women are still often view as objects of desire, or men being highly predator, and though they see to be making fun of it they are still reinforcing the double standard. I think while we have advance greatly as a society we are still only taking baby steps and that it will take at least 300 hundred years to eliminate most forms of discrimination if it can be done at all.

Essay#3

For the past year and a half, since I finished high school, I have been taking care of my grandmother. I have been responsible for her food mailing her bills, and all other need. In a sense I have been responsible for her life. This has made me think of many things, life, age, the changing world and its affect on us. Most of all it has made me aware of the value of the simple things and the great responsibility of being responsible for another life.
My grandmother is 88 years old and has hardly left the house in the past ten years. A few years ago my grandfather passed away. They had been married for nearly seventy years. For a number of years before that my mother had been living there to take care of them sense grandpa mind was going. Until just a few year or so before my graduation my mother had still been living their and until I moved in had still been stopping by a few days a week to take care of things.
At the point I moved in grandma was even more withdrawn then before. She doesn’t really go out for anything except a few trips to the doctors. She never was an outgoing person I am told and with grandpa death and the ever changing world, she would rather stay at home. I don’t think she’s really depressed but rather she is old, doesn’t want really be all that involved anymore and wants to spend the rest of her life where she comfortable.
I moved in the weekend after my graduation. I set up in what use to be my grandfathers room and which my cousin had lived in for a time. We work out an agreement in which I am paid fifty dollars a week, I get to live there free of charge and she pays for my groceries along with her own. After that I spent the rest of the summer settling in and falling into a routine.
I have a set of chores that I do regularly. They are fairly normal; take out the garbage, clean the house and such. I also have to make sure she pays her bill, eat regularly and in general be responsible for her well being. I think it’s a fairly simple job but I know a professional live in care taker would cost more then her whole income so I think this works out well for both of us.

Blog #4

The ad sends the message that it is not okay to be over weight. It also implies that bad eating habits and a stationary life style. At the same time it may be implying that people should be thin. These and other ads can have a strong affect on young minds. While obesity is a growing problem that we must deal with it is the other extreme we also have to avoid. Children are being told that thin is better, so while others are over eating fast food the rest are starving themselves. What we need to do is start aiming children towards health weight levels and tries to take away the pressure to be any certain body type. Children should be encouraged to develop naturally.