Myself

My life starts out living at home with my grandmother, my mother, and two older siblings. My childhood was as typical as a regular childhood get. I played in the streets with my friends, I got into trouble sometimes, and just tried to make the best out of life that I could. I was an introverted student while attending my first school (Alton Elementary). Even if at times I was very shy and found it hard to make friends, I always got my work done and earned the prizes and rewards that came with them. At times I felt inferior because one of my older siblings who were only a year older than I made better grades than I and it seemed as if they gave more praise to her. Now, when I graduated from elementary and went on to middle school, I found that I would have to break out of my shell and become a little more extroverted because in middle school it required a little more communication not only between students but teachers; however, that does not mean that I just became really outgoing because I still kind of kept to myself at times and made the grades that I knew I could. High School was a different story. I thought I was going to go up, but I actually went down. I had made so many fake friends that I actually kind of went back to being introverted. When I look back, I could say that was a good thing because I learned to never let anyone hold me back and I ended up graduating in the top 10% of my class which I can say is an accomplishment, because if I wasn’t I probably would not be at The University of Memphis right about now.

Thinking About My Movie

For my research paper on Malcolm X, I have found sources not only from books, but I have also found information from the movie made by Spike Lee, a documentary with the actual Malcolm X, movie reviews and I also found a couple of clips on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENHP89mLWOY and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izy6BiCV3Nw&feature=related where Malcolm was being interviewed on a show called “The City Desk”. Even though there were some bits of information left out of the movie, I think that Spike lee did a very good job. After looking at the movie, I found that the biggest source to help with producing the movie came from none other than Malcolm’s wife Betty Shabazz herself. Betty was probably the best source to help out with this movie because she was actually there and witnessed those events when they actually happened. Going off the subject for a moment, I learned that towards the end of the movie when the men assassinated Malcolm X that during the middle of the shoot when they captured the assassins they had to re-shoot the scene several times because the actors became really emotionally involved and acted as if Malcolm really did die and beat the actor who portrayed the assassin. At the end, I would say that there were a few positive and negative arguments that I felt I could sum up on Malcolm X. As for the source found in the book, it gave me a little more detail and clarity on Malcolm. One part of the book that I felt was not emphasized better in the movie was when Malcolm met Dr. King. This meeting was critical because it really gives people an insight on the differences between the motives and ideas of Malcolm and Dr. King. Dr. King’s idea was that if a race of people were to attack and shun another race of people, we should just turn the other cheek, try to get on with our lives and try to solve racial problems with nonviolent protests and marches; Malcolm X on the other hand, he felt that if a race of people were to attack and shun another race of people that that race should fight back. In short, you could say that Malcolm’s point was that you should fight violence with violence which is why he and Dr. King really did not become good friends because of their different views and opinions. With the movie reviews, they pretty much filled in the gaps with a couple of the negative facts that the movie left out such as Malcolm’s other life outside of the nation like his other wives and children. The interview with Malcolm I found on Youtube.com was a little helpful because some of the answers Malcolm gave the hosts of the show actually added on to my opinion that Malcolm might have been a little prejudice. One of the arguments that I came up with after looking at the information was that joining the Nation of Islam was one of the best choices that Malcolm made. The reason as to why is because after joining the Nation Malcolm’s life turned for the better because he stopped selling drugs, stealing and gave his life a more positive direction. Malcolm became one of the most notarized members of the nation and sort of became an inspiration to African Americans if not in United States but also in other countries. Another argument that I depicted from my sources was that leaving the Nation of Islam was the best choice Malcolm made toward the end of his life. After listening to Malcolm’s speeches and the teachings that he were given, it would seem that the Nation nearly turned Malcolm prejudice. Malcolm spoke out about how white people were evil and should not be trusted by the blacks and that blacks should separate themselves from whites. That information is kind of supported because some of the people not only in the movie, but also in the interviews kind of came to the same conclusion about that situation. The corruption that was going on behind the Nation such as making profits off of the members and indulging themselves with the riches is what finally woke Malcolm up from his dream and what was really going on with the Nation which gave him the motive to leave. There is an argument within my previous argument that I feel I could speak on which was that Malcolm might have been a prejudice towards white people. As I stated before, Malcolm spoke out against white people claiming that they were evil, like to deceive others and that blacks should try to separate themselves from them. The last argument that I felt that I could make about Malcolm was that he was one of the most influential people during that era of history. When I watched the movie and compared it with the book, I learned that everyone from regular citizens to the police and the government all said that it was amazing that one man could have so much power over the thoughts and views of people and also how quickly his name became well known throughout the country. The hardest of the arguments that I think might be hard to prove would be that Malcolm was one of the most influential people during that era and the reason is because no one really knows how anyone felt toward Malcolm because even though he was regarded heavily, there were some people not only in the Nation, but also on the outside who hated him because of his status so that means Malcolm might not had been as popular as everyone thought. The easiest that I would say could be proven was that leaving the Nation was the best choice he made because it was made clear that that the Nation was doing some dirty business behind the curtain and even Elijah Muhammad told Malcolm himself what deceptive deals were going on which was reason enough for Malcolm to leave. The one that I like best was the reason as to why Malcolm left the Nation of Islam and if I were to find resources on it, I would have to find a book that gives more detailed look at the conflict between Malcolm the Nation which led to his leaving and his demise. I will probably go back and dig up some more information because I think there are some key points I could have missed and I could make an argument out of them.

More About Me

Do I read and write even when no one tells me to? That is a question I had to really think about. I would have to say I am half and half on that particular area. I like to read books that capture my interest from the cover to the first few pages that I read; however; that does not mean I just really like to read books or rather that opinion of mine applies to every book that I see in the store or library. A majority of the books that I have read have been mainly because it was necessary for school. Even though I don’t like to read the books, I find that sometimes the stories be a little more interesting than I actually thought. The last book that I actually read that no one told me to was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire back in the seventh grade, but even then I did not really want to read it. The only reason I actually started to read the books was because I got some good feedback from my sister on how good the Harry Potter books were. When it comes to writing, I would have to say that I am half and half in this area also. Writing has not really been an appealing nature to me, which is why the major I am going into does not have a lot of writing, but rather math; however, I do feel the need to write when I am reading something and I feel that I should jot down my ideas of what a word or a phrase means. The book that I have recently started to focus on writing down my ideas is the Bible because it has some really inspirational passages and it talks about problems that we deal with in our everyday life and how we should handle them. The books that I mainly like to read are religious, fiction, and sometimes non fiction books. I really started to read religious books this year (mainly being the bible) because I found that a majority of the things that I have read in the book, I can associate it with my life and what is going on which furthers my interest in knowing what it is all about. Fiction books were what actually got me started to read. The first fiction book that I ever read was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The reason why I like to read fiction books is because they incorporate action with non-realistic creatures or people which add a little bit more excitement to the story. Now, as for non-fiction books, the storyline has to be really interesting in order for me to read it. I really started to read non-fiction books when I was in high school. Even though I was required to read them, I found that I really enjoyed them because some of the problems that the main characters were facing were that not only teenagers, but also most adults deal with today. One of my favorite non-fiction books that I read was black like me. The book was about a white man who conducted a social experiment where he switched his skin from a white to black pigment color back and forth for about a month or two and tried to see the differences in treatment of an African American compared to a white person. At the end of the experiment, he concluded that African Americans were given worse service than whites and it gave him a different view on the lives of what people of another race go through after his two months of racial abuse. On the other hand, at times I really do not like to read books. One of the reasons that I don’t sometimes like to read books is because sometimes when I read books, the author puts in too much detail and goes off of the main point of the story. A good example of this would be this book my class read in the 10th grade (I can’t remember the name) but the book was so boring that even my teacher nearly fell asleep. To tell the truth, I really can’t say what made me more or less of a reader, but I will say that the Harry Potter books had a little bit of influence because I really started to read books after I read those back in 7th grade. The only pleasant memory I have of someone reading to me was when I was little and my mama read me the Dr. Seuss children books. On the other hand, I really can’t say that I have had pleasant moments writing, because I have yet to write about something that just excites me or just to motivate me to write more. Am I an active reader? That is a question that I also have to say I am two sided on. I have never really been an active reader in the past because I just liked to read the books and finish them without even thinking about writing down my own thoughts; however, there is only one book that I read and have just started to take notes this semester which is The Bible. The Bible has been the only book that I can say that I am an active reader towards. Whenever I read the bible, I underline or mark a passage that I don’t understand and I meet with a friend of mine in my Bible Study and he helps me to break it down to better understand. I think it does help me to own the text because I gain a little bit more understanding of what the Bible means. In the end, I can say that when it comes to reading and writing, I am probably more enthusiastic when it comes to reading, but I would say that I am mediocre when it comes to writing because it is not really my strong points.

A Moment to Philosophize

This semester to me was actually better than last semester. One of the reasons why I say that is because I think I am doing a little bit better in my classes this semester than the last. Another good thing that came out of this semester was that I got out more and met many new people who I think will be there to help if I ever need a hand. The way I met all of these people were through a campus program called “Campus Outreach” and it is a group of Christians who meet up every Thursday and have a group Bible Study. One of the classes that I would have to say that I have learned the most out of in this semester was my Psychology class. I like to think logically about certain aspects in life and that actually makes the class a little bit easier. I have learned about how mental retardation can be caused in new born children, how some of today’s superstitions are created through random experiences, and many other countless subjects. Probably the biggest thing that I have learned in my Psychology class is to basically how to think. How to think is one of the most important assets you can learn in Psychology, because without it you are likely to fail the class. The next class that I have learned a good lesson from is my computer technology class. Even though I have a computer myself, I only knew the basics of how to use and work some its programs. My computer class has taught me how to format and edit my work in programs such as Microsoft Word 2007, Excel 2007, and PowerPoint 2007. Usually it takes me about an hour or two to finish up my work on my computer’s Office 2007 programs because it has more advanced formatting options, but with the help of my computer class I have minimized it down to at least thirty minutes to an hour. I really learned a little bit more in my class this semester which is really necessary because my major requires quite a few math classes. I used to have a huge problem with fractions, but I have learned this semester how to factor them out better which will probably be a big help in the future. In my other computer class, which is just a basic lecture class, I have gotten a better look at what classes that I do need to take in order to advance though my major and I also learned that my hope scholarship is cut off after 120 hours which was a surprise. For my last class which is English, I have learned how to extract different meanings and arguments from magazine advertisements, to the movies that I watch. What I am most frustrated by is when all of the homework that I have to do from all of my classes is due in the same week which puts pressure on me. I know that homework is good to help give me a better clarity on how to do the assignment, but sometimes the teachers give me too much and I don’t have the time to relax or do anything. Another thing that frustrates me is when a teacher teaches something and when it is time to take a test there are some items on there that the teacher did not go over. The last thing that frustrates me, which I just found out this semester, is when I have a class and it should not have been made an attendee class. My Psychology class is not really even class because all we do is type up a three-hundred word essay and then we leave. If that is the point, in my opinion it should have been an online class. What I think could have done better this semester was organize my schedule better because I threw myself off too many times. Another thing that I think could make my semester better would be to get involved more in the campus, because even though I am apart of the campus outreach program, I feel like I could do a little bit more. What I wish I would have known at the beginning of the semester that I know now is how much work that I would have had to do because I would have probably been able to prepare myself beforehand and been a little more organized. The second and last thing I wish I would have known earlier this semester was the work that I would have been working on because it probably would not have taken me as long to do all of it. What I hope to gain from my classes is the knowledge that I will hopefully be able to apply in the real world when I graduate and start my career. Also, with that knowledge I hope that I will be able to help anyone that not only is majoring in the same field that I am or if they are just struggling with a random elective class. In my opinion, I wish to have both because you can’t have one without the other. If you graduate and get your degree with out taking in some of the knowledge that you learned, that could hurt you in the future, because you may need to type a résumé or use some complex math skills and you will not know how to do it because you did not take in the knowledge that you needed. Second, you can’t get a degree without a good education. If you are not getting the proper teaching out of the classes, you can’t hope to get a degree because you are not being taught well enough. To me, getting an education means to get the knowledge that you need to advance and become successful in your life. I define educated as being a person with a broad range of knowledge and skills that help them through life. Curiosity plays a role in education because no one can do everything alone, which is why it is important for students to ask questions about certain subjects such as how to use certain formulas in math problems or how to write a essay in MLA format. If a student never asks for help they could fail the course.

Movie Review Blog

A majority of the arguments from the Jesse James movie review actually come from the reviewers rather than the New York Times. For example, when I read the first movie reviewer’s comment, he said that the movie was not good at all because there was too much dialogue and not enough action. To put it in short, he meant to say that this movie was not really a western because western movies are suppose to be about all action, but unfortunately the movie did not live up to that. However, other reviewers disagree with that statement. The third reviewer goes against that statement when he says, “In its main design, screenplay, and execution, and the movie is far above a formulaic western”. What I think the point the reviewer was trying to make was that many people expected the movie to be just a regular run and gun shoot out western, but instead they moved the story into a different direction to give the audience a better insight on what was really going on with the characters. Also, there was one argument that I did find in the New York Times review and that was towards the end when they said that Jesse James was actually a psychotic racist according to historical record, but in the movie they did not portray him as that at all. When it comes down in the end, I think the people who gave the negative reviews would try to make us think that the movie is a unrealistic portrayal and should not have been made, however, the people with the positive reviews would probably try to sway us to think that the movie is just much more than a simple shoot up western, but rather a story full of violence, drama, and pain that tries push the word western to an entirely different level. After reading the two reviews done by Anthony Lane, I think that he linked those two movies together because he said that they both give off a sort of unrealistic touch. For example, in his review of the movie The Kingdom, he tells of how Jennifer Garner was sent over to Saudi Arabia as a forensic scientist and was analyzing dead Muslim bodies. However, Lane considered that as unrealistic because women are not allowed to touch the bodies of male Muslims in Saudi Arabia. The last thing that he goes into saying about The Kingdom was that the military acting was really not up to par except for one person and that the movie had a lot of senseless violence. As for his review for the Jesse James story, he explains how they gave a dumb down version of Jesse James and a time consuming amount of dialogue. After reading the three reviews, I would have to say that a review on one movie is better because there are minimal arguments to try and recognize rather than trying to read two reviews and comparing the movies to see which is better. I would say that utilizing two movies for a single review would add to an author’s argument because the two movies would obviously have a common argument that the author could find to compare the two.

Yellow Paper

After reading the story, what I guess what the story is trying to convey is that the only thing that the woman wanted was just a little independence. From the beginning, she describes how controlling her husband is and how he barely lets her do anything. However, towards the middle all the way to the end of the story, she finds that she has a little more independence to herself than she actually does. Her husband moved her into a playroom in the top of the house because she felt that she should have her own independence. That al so says what the message of the story is which is that everyone wants to have a sense of independence about them. This message can be plainly seen by reading the essay because of how she talked of how her husband always try to keep her from achieving or doing something for herself because he always had someone or he himself was their to help her whenever the narrator was sick or needed help with something around the house. At the end of the story, I would say that she was able to at least make a independent decision which was how ugly the wallpaper was in the room she was in and tore it down without the consent of her husband or anyone else. One of the symbolisms’s that i caught while reading the text was when she used the phrase, “The lines on the patterns of the wall committed suicide” which just basically means that the lines on the patterns on the wall had no form to them at all, but they just split off in all directions. The other thing that I found symbolic was the description in the beginning of the article by which she is describing the old house as an ancestral hall. The meaning of this phrase is that many people beforehand probably did and what affects that they had on the house. The last symbolic interaction that I noticed was how she used a certain number of different metaphors as a metaphor a way to describe how feeling was. My guess was that maybe using the moon and describing it as just something plain and to keep in bars was just a reflection of her life because when it came down to it, she really had no control over life. It was the thoughts and ideas of her husband and others that made her feel less independent and like she was trapped within her own life. What seemed odd about the story was that the way she starts off telling it you would think that it is a horror story because of the descriptions of the old raggedy house and her concern about spirits that could lurk in the house, but it actually turns into talking about her own personal experiences within the house. Using the horror approach beforehand probably was used as like a metaphor as to describe her own displeasure able and horrifying experiences that she considers that she had in the house.

Movie Article Blog

There were actually two versions of the Malcolm X movie that I actually viewed. The first version was more of a low budget documentary type of movie and the second version was a big theatrical blockbuster reenactment of his life. After reading the article on how most movies are made, I could say that the low budget documentary version was more of a straightforward movie meaning they had no type of little extras or special effects thrown in. The movie was narrated the whole way through from the time Malcolm was born all the way up to the point where he was killed. Another part that I read from the movie article that applied to this one was how most movies don’t really have a moral or meaning to it. Seeing as how it was a documentary movie, I could see why there was no moral because the narrator was just giving the audience an insight on who Malcolm X was and what type of person he was. Another thing that I thought about after watching the documentary was the part in the article where it talked about who made the movie. After watching the documentary it really made me think about that, because you really can’t just say who made the documentary, because in the end its all nothing but random footage taken from when Malcol/m was alive. That scenario kind of conflicts with what the author described in the article on how every movie has a director, because there really is no need for a director since there is no acting involving. The only people involved with this documentary were mainly writers for the narrator and producers to help promote the documentary. Now, when it comes to the Spike Lee version of Malcolm X, It can be said that it is more of a theatrical blockbuster. Spike Lee’s movies have always had some sort of meaningful morale to them. One of the facts that were stated about movies in the article was how they like to express some sort of form of enthusiasm, nightmares, and prejudices. This movie helps to express some of those things mainly because of the way it was directed and wrote. Spike Lee is a director who likes to make movies that are based on the struggle of African Americans in America and how they should learn to better themselves in order to prosper in today’s society. Throughout the movie, the pain that was expressed through the director’s vision was put into effect on Malcolm’s life. They put a strong emphasis on how he grew up and the trials and tribulations he went through to become the political activist that he was. I think putting emphasis on something like that actually coincides to the main point of what the moral of the movie is. I think that goes into the fact of how somebody who could mess up their life that badly and wind up in prison could rise back on there feet and become one of the most famous people in American History. In the end, when I think about it, I don’t think that the movie was meant to be a huge blockbuster like some of the movies that are made around action and suspense. This movie was made to put emphasis on one of America’s greatest political activists and not to spice it up in order to please the eyes of diehard blockbuster movie fans. That Idea is thrown into the last page of the article as to where it says, “If luxury and energy were all we communicated in movies, it would be a disturbing and discouraging thought”. That is true in a sense, because if all movies were made without putting the straight facts on how a real event occurred, everyone in the country would be completely ignorant about what actually happened in the past. All in all, I can say that the article related to my movie experience because it made me think of the direction that the movies were going in especially in the Spike Lee version. The article helped me to understand what type of person the director of the movie could be by just watching what type of acting was involved and also what type of values were put in to help people understand what the director and the rest of the crew were trying to get out. As for how to use the article as a source I would say that I would use it to help describe what kind of movie I was watching and it could help me to decide whether what type of meanings or values that the movie was trying to instill within the audience. Probably the biggest part of the article that could be used as a source would be to tell whether or not a movie actually stood by what actually happened, or if it just went all out and threw in things to pump the movie up a little.

Blog #4

The argument that I got from the Evolution of Beauty advertisement was that you have to be beautiful in order to be posted on any of their products, because the woman in the video originally was a regular woman, but they transformed her and used a computer to make her look better than she was. On the Playstation 3 vs. Wii video, I think the argument was that the Playstation 3 would be set for a more intelligent audience, but the Wii would be set for a younger more immature audience. I think the argument with the cinnamon toast crunch video was a little falsified towards the end, because it said that the cereal is made with no artificial flavors, however the little girl said that the cereal tasted almost as if it was homemade which means that it must have been made with a little bit of artificial flavoring. The argument for the Calvin Klein commercial would be that it advertises that if you wear Obsession cologne, women would fall in love with you. That is a farfetched thought because no one can just fall in love that easily. The Evolution of Beauty argument is manipulative because it tries to say that if you buy their product, you could look even more beautiful, which would probably make more women go out and buy their products. On the Playstation 3 vs. Wii commercial, it shows manipulation by using a half naked woman to describe the Nintendo Wii using sexual metaphors which would make the male crowd pay more attention to her and probably go out and by the system. The cereal commercial shows manipulation by telling how healthier the cereal is and what good it can do. The Calvin Klein commercial shows manipulation by showing that just wearing that fragrance can help a man get a girl, which would probably make a male go out and buy it. I don’t think that the commercials are really harmful because they don’t show anything explicit within the commercial or about the products. However, the only thing that I consider bad was the half naked woman because she is trying to appeal to a younger crowd who should not be exposed to that much flesh. The arguments do describe the products, but they really don’t go into to much detail into about what the products can really do. The only product that actually stuck out was the Obsession cologne, because they just told how the product could help a man get closer to a woman, but they didn’t really go into how the product is or even if it is expensive or not. I found an ad for a budlight beer commercial at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH28LNbHGbo. The commercial is actually kind of confusing because they really don’t make any kind of point of why people should by the beer. The commercial just starts by a man saying a greeting gesture was out and everyone just started slapping each other. It would have made more sense if they made it like the beer was so good it made you slap somebody, but the commercial doesn’t tell anything about the beer at all.

Blog 3

In my opinion, the structures that the authors of the articles start off with are in factual detail. Even though the introductions of the three articles start off with detailed facts, the argument point that can be taken out of context is about equality and recognition for all people and genders. For example, in Booker T. Washington’s article, he says, “It is a recognition that will do more to cement the friendship of the two races than any other occurrence since the dawn of our freedom”. What he meant when he said that is that if the two races stopped bickering and began to see each other as equals that would bring about a more prosperous country and society. However, there is a part in Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address that I think contradicts the idea of equality. That idea was when he said that “Our fore fathers brought upon this new continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal”. From my point of view, that is both wrong and right because even though they believed that, not everyone else whom lived back during that time did seeing as how they treated people of other races like they were nothing and not even equals. That opinion of mine kind of coincides with the article of women’s rights by Stanton. Stanton argued that even though women lived in the country, they were not receiving the same rights as other citizens which he thought they should. Besides all of that, what I think that these authors are trying to convince the listener of is that all people should be able to receive the same equal rights as any other citizen. This argument can easily be figured out like I said before by just reading the introductions. The article that I found the most moving was the one done by Booker T. Washington. I liked that one the most because I could understand what he was talking about when he went on to say how better the world would be if people of different races came to respect each others as equals. Every race has contributed something to help this world a better place; however, it is because the color of a person’s skin of why people can’t come to respect each other which I feel is very stupid. To tell the truth, I really did not find any of the arguments just surprising because the idea of equality and recognition for race and genders is something that I have heard about much before. The only thing that I can say about these arguments is that they kind of go into what I think how people should treat each other and not alienate each other. It was one thing that made me thinks and question and that was within Booker T. Washington’s article when he said, “Cast it down, making friends in every manly of the people of all races, by whom you are surrounded. I question that because when I look at the world today, making friends with people of other races is a lot easier said than done. There is so much racism in the world today it’s almost impossible to make friends with people of other races. But don’t get me wrong I do have friends with people of other races and if people could work on friendships like that, we could probably eventually learn to get along with each other better.