TOW #14

The author of this article eloquently uses personal anecdotes when speaking of the White Resentment on the Night Shift at Walmart. Author Tracie McMillan shares with her audience how rapidly the world is changing. She shares that in 2008, her small county in Michigan was all for Barack Obama being the next President of the United States. She mentioned that the whole state of Michigan was in fact a democratic state. Later in the next election, she told the audience that her incredibly small county in northern Michigan was still democratic but only by a small margin.

McMillan then mentions that in the most recent election, the whole state was red. Even more so, the whole county was red. That puzzled her because the people in Trump's cabinet are fighting to lower the minimum wage. She was very confused because the minimum wage was what she and all of her other co workers worked for everyday. Members of the Trump administration proclaimed that 10 dollars an hour was way to high, but Walmart workers barely make nine dollars an hour. But then, the realization hit her. Donald Trump's presidency was focused around appealing to the uneducated, poor, white man. The people who work at Walmart fit the standard because she mentioned that most of her colleagues only had high school diplomas and a few of them did not even graduate high school.

This was very eye opening to me because it made me wonder why so many people voted for Barack Obama. I mean he did have a strong base from the African American community, but why did the white people vote for him? He was not appealing to the poor man, yet he was not appealing to the rich man either. This shows that rhetoric in the way that leader's speak really can impact the way people respond; because with President Obama, he is very charismatic and warm hearted, but President Elect Trump is very blunt and sarcastic. Tracie McMillan shows the audience how the poor white men felt throughout this election.

TOW #12 - Violence Can Mark Children Forever, Featuring David Beckham

World renowned soccer player, David Beckham, has never been shy about his many tattoos. I was never interested in what they meant or how many he had, but when UNICEF released a commercial starring David Beckham's body as a canvass, I became interested.

The commercial advocates for children that receive abuse; whether is physical or verbal, the commercial's slogan was,

"Violence Can Mark Children Forever." In this, they use the analogy that violence and abuse will stick with the child forever, just like a tattoo does. In this advertisement, they also use dark imagery to show the audience that abuse can engrave horrible things into children's minds. Because UNICEF is using David Beckham's body as a sketchpad, you can see live drawings of various images. For example, one that was especially scary to me was a young girl that had been messaging a boy via a dating application. Then the audience is taken to a scene where the same girl is standing waiting for someone. In the distance, you see a young boy waiting but that same young boy turns into a man, that takes the girl away. That was really eye opening to me because in today's society, social media and social networking is extremely prevalent. That scares me because you never truly know who is hiding behind the computer screen.

I think the producer did achieve his purpose because he made his audience feel sympathy for the children. Without a doubt, this may have struck a nerve for many that might have suffered child abuse and for those who have seen others go through child abuse. I also really liked this commercial because they weren't asking for donations, but they have asked for awareness. At the end of the commercial David Beckham repeats for the second time, "Violence Can Mark Children Forever," which will stick in the back of my mind forever.

TOW #11 - Patrick Henry

The infamous Patrick Henry; one of the most revolutionary orators in the history of the world. His most famous speech was presented to the members of the House of Representatives on March 23, 1775. Although his primary audience was his fellow house members, I believe that he was directly addressing King George. During 1775 the American colonists were enraged with how the British oppressed them. From paying unnecessary and outrageous taxes during the sugar act, the tea act, and the Townshend acts to housing soldiers in their own homes, one can understand how upset the colonists must have felt.

Patrick Henry was a patriot who was not known to bridle his tongue, which makes his tone so important and influential. Within the first paragraph, Henry states, “… I shall not speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve.” He is saying to his audience that he is restraining himself so he doesn’t offend anyone in the house that is a loyalist. He continues to say, “Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear or giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly things.” In this Patrick Henry is saying that he feels as though that his is betraying his country and God because he is holding back on what he truly wants to say. He goes on to use metaphoric language when he tells his audience of who or what guides him, “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. This helps him prove his purpose that the colonists need to speak up, and that they need to unite instead of fighting for different causes. Throughout the hole speech, Henry tries to refrain from unleashing his true thoughts, but I find it ironic that his last line was, “but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” By the end of his speech, he has let his words flow off of his tongue freely. This speech was not just an informative one, but a battle cry. A battle cry to his fellow patriots and some loyalist, to help show them that the colonist would rather die than be in bondage by the British.

TOW #10 - White Nationalists Celebrate 'an Awakening' After Donald Trump's Victory

In today's society, people all around the world get their daily dosage of the news from social media applications like twitter, snapchat, and instagram. Its very upsetting that even in the twenty first century, Americans still have their own terrorist groups like the KKK and other white supremacy groups. I haven't really seen much of them before the recent election but now I can feel their presence among America. Authors Alan Rapperport and Noah Weiland of the New York Times use a warning tone to tell Americans that the terror groups of the 1960s are back. " For years, they have lurked in the web’s dark corners, masking themselves with cartoon images and writing screeds about the demise of white culture under ominous pseudonyms," the authors from the New York Times describe these white domination enthusiasts as monsters by using dark words such as "lurked, ominous, and masking." The writers purpose for writing "White Nationalist Celebrate 'an Awakening' After Donald Trump's Victory" is to make Americans (especially minorities0 aware that these groups aren't nightmares of the past. I chose to read this article because my older sister goes to the Ohio State University and during our weekly FaceTime call she told me, "The KKK was spotted in Louisville." My family just moved from Fort Knox, Kentucky which is only about thirty minuets from Louisville. When she asked me this I thought, 'of course they were, Kentucky is a southern state.' But then that got me very curious to see if there were any other kkk spotting in America. To my surprise the KKK has been spotted in Louisiana, Indiana, Texas, Connecticut, and Georgia just since Donald Trump has been chosen to be the president elect. I think that its good that these groups are starting to show themselves more because then, I won't have to guess who is plotting behind my back. I think that the authors did reach their purpose because it is bringing awareness to people across America.

IRB #2 - Founding Brothers

Historian and author, Joseph J. Ellis, takes his audience behind the scenes of what really happened during the 1700s. This biography explains what type of relationship the founding brothers had and how especially vital it was for them to be allies instead of enemies. I chose to read this book because my older sister read it and she said that it really helped her to make connections in her AP United States History class. In APUSH, we are discussing the founding fathers and what their roles were, so I am very excited to finish this book because I believe that it will help me better understand the content that I am learning in my other classes.

TOW #9 - Anti - Trump Protests Stretch

This week I have chosen to write my blog on a more serious topic, the United States President Elect; Donald Trump. Yes I realize that my voice doesn't really matter in this election because I am not old enough to vote, but I am old enough to know how the world works. I am old enough to know that America has made an enormous mistake. People like me have realized that this election can set us up for our future or our failure. In response to the new President Elect, people across the nation have reacted by taking to the streets and peacefully protesting. CNN authors Ralph Ellis, Khushbu Shah and Azadeh Ansari, have shown that people are protesting in major cities like Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and even Donald Trump's hometown New York City. In this article the authors use a concerning tone, even though they are not supposed to be biased. In my opinion, this article's purpose was to inform the American public that young people actually care about what could happen in the future. Protesters walk through the streets holding signs and chanting "Not my president." This makes me kind of upset though. It makes me wonder, if so many people are against Donald Trump, then where were they in the polls? The majority of states where red, rather than blue and thousands of people are protesting. Then, you have the people in the Republican Party that say, "when Obama was elected we didn't say anything," but yes they did protest and it was disgusting. If you look at the picture on the right you will understand what I am talking about. In my opinion, this article was very effective because it really woke up my inner activist. It showed me that I am not alone and my thoughts actually do matter.

TOW #8 - IRB

I finished The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls quicker than I expected so it was really hard for me to find another book that I actually wanted to read. Then I thought, I could use a little more help in AP United States History; why not read a book on the founding fathers? My IRB book is called Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis. Ellis's other works pertain to American history, some of which including: His Excellency: George Washington, American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, and First Family: Abigail and John. As you can probably see, Joseph J. Ellis is a Historian and graduate from Yale and the College of William and Mary. He is also the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History.

The Beginning of the book introduces some household names, like George Washington, Aaron Burr, John Quincy Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. Along with those well known names, Ellis also mentions some of the people "behind the scenes," like John Jay, Nathaniel Pendleton, Thomas Scott, and Edward Coles, to mention a few. I believe that Ellis's purpose so far is to show who the Revolutionary Generation was and to show who really built our nation.

Once I started to read the first chapter I was instantly excited. I would consider myself a big fan of "Hamilton: An American Musical," and the first chapter just happens to be titled: The Duel. In this duel, Vice President Aaron Burr shoots Alexander Hamilton because Hamilton did not endorse Burr in his presidential race against Thomas Jefferson. Ellis helps to connect with his audience by using an informative tone. Unlike the author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss, Ellis does not use a sarcastic or humorous tone with his audience but more of a serious tone to explain how important this duel was to the foundation of American History. In my opinion, this book can help students in history classes because Ellis thoroughly explains the events.

TOW #7 - The Science of Sleepy Teenagers"

Almost everyday I come into school extremely tired. So many teenagers and high school students do. According to Slate author, Russell Foster, “school schedules make them grouchy, impulsive, and humorless." According to the article “The Science of Sleepy Teenagers,” teenagers need about nine hours of sleep a night in order to be alert throughout the day. The national statics show that the average American teenager goes to sleep at midnight. So why does our school start at 7:30 if teenagers need approximately nine hours of sleep per night? Many scientist have noticed that if people do not get enough sleep in their youth, it can lead to poor health in the future; like metabolic changes, insensitivity, low glucose in the blood, and diabetes. Russell Foster I think is trying to inform people that the teens of the world need sleep.
Without it we physically cannot function. According to this article, "all in all, a tired adolescent is a grumpy, moody, insensitive, angry, and stressed one." This shows that these poor sleeping schedules may promote the likelihood of smoking and drinking caffeinated drinks. Schools around the world are starting to notice the horrible effects that sleep deprivation can have on teenagers. A school in Newcastle, U.K., moved its start time to 10 a.m., which showed signs of a higher morale in students at the school.
An important rhetorical strategy is tone because the author of this article writes using a very informative voice. He lists a plethora of facts throughout this piece which helps convince his audience that teenagers should not be going to school so early in the morning. In my opinion, I can believe that Russell Foster achieved his purpose because this explains the reason why teenagers are still "half asleep" when they come to school in the morning. I think this essay will influence specifically the teachers because students aren't always sleeping in their classes because they are bored, but because they are exhausted.

TOW #6 - Don't Dress Your Age

In the New York Times article, “Don’t Dress Down,” author Julia Baird preaches to women, trying to persuade us to dress as we wish. Julia Baird is actually an Australian journalist for The New York Times, broadcaster, and author so she is able to write to women in Australia and The United States. Baird’s purpose for sharing this with her audience is because she was “old shamed.” She retells an anecdote from when she was looking for a vintage dress and her former husband said in her ear: “You know, there comes a day when wearing old-lady dresses is no longer ironic.” Not only was that a rude thing to say to her, but it made her feel old. She was only 36 at the time so she wasn’t even middle aged. She uses a metaphor to express how she felt that she was dressing, “And apparently not even a lamb dressed as mutton, but fast approaching mutton dressing as jerky.” So what exactly does it mean to “dress your age?” How does someone dress at 16, or 21, or 42? Women are criticized for wearing things that make them look "too young" or "too old," so where is the happy medium? The media and popular culture are one of many reasons as to why women feel so discouraged when they step out of their homes. Once you turn 40, you should use "plenty" of conditioner and avoid getting your haircut into a bob, according to a fashion writer in The Telegraph. A Daily Mail survey showed that women a quarter of 50 year old women and up are afraid it wear high heels. Titles like "Are You a Middle-Aged Fashionista Who Just Doesn't Know When to Quit?" are very crestfallen, because women deserve to feel good and look good. Julia Baird did reach her purpose, in my opinion, because she advised her readers that whenever someone tries to "old shame" them, just brush it off because women merit the right to appreciate and love themselves.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/opinion/sunday/dont-dress-your-age.html?_r=0

TOW #5- "The Allegory Of the Long Spoons"

When I was on snapchat I saw a video that really opened my eyes. It showed six people sitting around a platform that held a bowl of soup. But what made this more interesting was that the platform that the soup was on was surrounded by an abyss that would "lead to your doom." The audience then sees the six people in black and white, the only color coming from the soup. They are all sitting on the edge and are trying to get some of the soup, but because their spoons are so long, they cannot reach their mouths. After a man accidentally spills soup on another, a fight breaks out and the people end up with five spoons instead of six. After a few moments of silence, we see another spoon into view, trying to feed the man whose spoon broke. Once the man gets a small taste of the soup, the images around them are no longer black in white. The space around them is bursting with vivid color. After some research, I found that this story was an ancient Jewish parable. The parable is supposed to show the difference between Heaven and Hell. In Heaven the people there eat at long tables and feed each other with long spoons and are always full. Whereas the people in Hell only try to feed themselves, which leads the audience to believe that people in Hell are starving. This parable is most often told at church sermons. In my opinion, this piece conveys dramatic irony. I believe that because the people in the audience know how the problem could be solved, but the people in the actual piece do not. Although the original artist is not knows, I think his purpose was to get more people to follow Judaism because if they weren't active in their faith, they would end up going to Hell. The author, in my opinion, achieved his purpose because Judaism is one of the oldest Abrahamic religions and is still practiced all over the world. Without this, then maybe the Jewish church wouldn't exist.

TOW #4 - IRB Review The Glass Castle

I finished reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and it was a very frustrating book to read. Don’t get me wrong, Jeannette Walls is a very talented author, I just felt that the people in her book were lazy. Jeannette never really had a chance to be a kid. Her father was a drunk and her mother was “free spirited.” Her mother never really paid any much attention to Jeannette or her siblings because she wanted them to learn on their own. In some ways that could be beneficial, but in other ways it can be very harmful. Since Jeannette had to take care of herself, she set herself on fire at three years old while making hot dogs. Something that I found very sad was that Jeannette shared that she liked staying in the hospital because she never received that kind of attention at home. Her father on the other hand was well liked by Jeannette. On several occasions, Jeannette called herself “his biggest supporter,” because one day when he found enough gold, he would make them a dream house. But instead of actually looking for gold, he spent his money on alcohol. This book is obviously made up of many powerful anecdotes. I remember that during one of the many Wall's family moves, Jeannette's father grabbed the family cat and threw him out of the window. After, her mother scolded Jeannette and replied, "Don't be so sentimental"(Walls 18). This really shocked me because this shows the tone that her parents had with Jeannette and it definitely was not a loving tone. Another important device that was used in this book is imagery. Not only does Jeannette convey imagery to create a setting, but she uses it to express her emotions and feelings. On the first page of the book, she tells her audience about her mother "dumpster diving." She describes her mother's appearance and makes it easier for her audience to visualize what her life was life. Although this book frustrated me at the beginning, it made me see how strong Jeannette was and the things that she had to overcome.

TOW #3 - What is Cultural Appropriation and Why is it Wrong?

Vanessa Hudgens appropriating the Hindu culture.

While watching snapchat stories yesterday, I saw something that made me extremely upset. A Caucasian girl wearing cornrows. Why does that make me upset? It makes me upset because it is one of the many ways that people can appropriate my African heritage, which is better known as cultural appropriation. Now what is cultural appropriation? According to Race Relations Expert, Nadra Kareem Nittle, “it typically involves members of a dominant group exploiting the culture of less privileged groups - often with little understanding of the latter’s history, experience, and traditions.” In this article, Nadra Kareem Nittle’s purpose is to educate and explain to American teens why cultural appropriation is wrong.

Cultural appropriation is used often by artist in the music industry. To name a few, figures like Gwen Stefani has been accused of using cultural appropriation due to her obsession with the Harajuku culture from Japan. Another artist is Miley Cyrus. At the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, Miley stunned the audience and people at home by "twerking." Twerking is a dance style that traces back to the African American community. In her music video "We Can't Stop," she is seen twerking again but this time uses black women as her background. "On stage as well as in her video, she used the tedious trope of having black women as her backing singers, there only to be fondled by her and to admire her wiggling derriere," said Hadley Freeman, writer of The Guardian. I agree with Freeman because not only is Miley Cyrus making an imitation of black music, but she is using black women as sex objects. Cultural appropriation can range from music to wearing traditional or ceremonial attire as a fashion statement.

So why did I get so upset when I saw the Caucasian girl wearing cornrows in her hair? I was upset because I begged my mom not to give me cornrows because the other little girls told me that they were ugly; but now they are suddenly fashionable? I am upset because black features are praised, but only when they are not on black women.

http://racerelations.about.com/od/diversitymatters/fl/What-Is-Cultural-Appropriation-and-Why-Is-It-Wrong.htm

TOW #2 - Tim Kaine, American Dad, Makes His Pitch to Millennials

Author for The New Yorker, Ben Wallace, shared that last Thursday, Senator Tim Kaine traveled to New Jersey to speak to Millennials and try to convince us to vote for Hillary Clinton. During his speech, he showed Donald Trump’s book, Crippled America, and his and Hillary Clinton’s book, Stronger Together. “We’re both smiling,” he pointed out. Trump, he said, had contrived to look both condescending and sour in his, “sitting in a penthouse, looking like he’s sucking on six lemons.” As recent polls have stated, it shows Millennials voting for Green Party candidate Jill Stein or Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson. In my opinion, I feel that this election is a joke and will lead up to the worst four years in America’s history. No one wants Hillary because she is a “liar” and “untrustworthy,” but no one wants Donald Trump because… well, he’s Donald Trump. Gary Johnson and Jill Stein are great candidates but us Millennials know most of our information from social media. Donald Trump has 11.6 million followers on twitter and Hillary Clinton has 8.8 million followers. Gary Johnson and Jill Stein do not even reach 1 million followers, which leads me to think that even if millennials voted for Jill Stein or Gary Johnson, there wouldn’t be enough votes for them to win because they are not as well known as the Democratic and Republican candidate. I think the author of this article is trying to explain why Tim Kaine and Hillary Clinton need the Millennial vote. Tim Kaine knows that there are more Millennials voting than Baby Boomers, or those in Generation X.

I frankly do not know how I feel about Tim Kaine. Before Hillary Clinton chose a running mate, she was talking all about diversity. The twittersphere was suspecting that she would pick someone other than a straight white male. But, her running mate ended up being exactly that. Tim Kaine seems to have had a successful run as Virginia’s senator, but to us millennials, he just doesn't seem to be enough. I just think that we were a bit disappointed with her selection because we were hoping for more diversity, perhaps a Vice President that was a person of color. I do believe that the author reached his purpose because, although I can’t vote, it made me realize that if millennials do not vote for Hillary Clinton, then we will end up with Donald Trump as president, which makes me cringe even thinking about his presidency.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/benjamin-wallace-wells/tim-kaine-americas-dad-makes-his-pitch-to-millennials

TOW #1 "I Hate Them Too."

It’s that time of the year again, when the whole nation is mourning. Americans and people all around the world remember the tragedy that occurred on September 11th, 2001. The well known terror group, Al-Qaeda, committed 3 terrorist attacks. One on the Pentagon in Washington D.C., the second crashed in Pennsylvania, and the third at the World Trade Center in New York City, New York. Just 5 days after 9/11 MSNBC’s Daryl Cagle released this cartoon to the American public. In the cartoon above, we see two children. They both carry a sack lunch in an identical bag and wear the same shoes, but one child is different than the other. All though they don’t look the same, they are the same on the inside. One of which is dressed as the “typical american boy.” The other child is seen in traditional Islamic apparel. Because the attacks were committed by an islamic extremist group, it made many Americans have a prejudice against muslims. This political cartoon in a prime example. The little boy is giving the girl a disgusted stare while she says simply, “I hate them too.” Americans always say “Never Forget” when speaking about 9/11. I believe that Americans haven’t forgotten but they certainly haven’t forgiven. I’m not saying that what Al-Qaeda did wasn’t completely awful, but I am saying that not all muslims are bad. Islam is a religion that revolves around peace. “In Arabic, the word ‘Islam’ means submission or surrender – however, it was derived from the root word ‘salam’. From this root word, you can also derive the words peace and safety.” (muslimvoice.org) I think the author's purpose for drawing this political cartoon was to show that after September 11th 2001, all Americans were grieving. All races, religions, and ethnicities were mourning. From my point of view I believe that Daryl Cagle achieved his purpose. He did make me and others realize that all Americans were affected by this brutal terror attack, including Muslim Americans. Some Americans do not realize the prejudices and dilemmas that Muslims and Muslim Americans face everyday just because Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups put the islamic faith in a bad light; but if more people around the world would see this cartoons and cartoons similar to this one, then maybe islamophobia would not be such a problem in the world.

IRB Intro Post #1

In 2005 Jeannette Walls published The Glass Castle. This book shows how her and her siblings were neglected by their parents and were forced to look out for each other. I chose this book because Jeannette Walls tells the story of her struggle and her eventual prosperity. The Glass Castle helps readers find that if you work hard, you will always get the result that you want in the end.

Bop - Langston Hughes Analysis

“Bop” - Langston Hughes Analysis

“A dark man shall see dark days. Bop comes out of them dark days.” (Hughes 191.)

Langston Hughes is considered by many to be one of the best African American poets of the 1940s. Some of his most illustrious works include: Still Here, Crystal Stair, Justice, and Mother To Son. Hughes was also one of the first poets to introduce jazz poetry into his writings. He showcases some of the jazz poetry in “Bop”. In Langston Hughes’s “Bop”, he brilliantly writes about a problem that was rampant in the 1940s and is still seen today – police brutality among racial groups.

This dialogue begins with somewhat clueless Hughes and his friend Simple listening to some Bee-Bop music. Hughes explains to Simple that he does not like Bee-Bop music because it sounds like “nonsense.” Simple tells Hughes that Be-Bop holds significance to colored people because it represents the racial injustices that African Americans face. “ ‘In some parts of this American country as soon as the polices see me they say, ‘Boy, what are you doing in the neighborhood?’” (Hughes 191)

Simple uses alliteration when he says where the “Bop” in Be-Bop comes from. “Every time a cop hits a Negro with his billy club, that old club says, ‘Bop! Bop! … Be-Bop! … Mop! … Bop!” (Hughes 191) Hughes no longer thinks this music is nonsense if what Simple says is true.

Simple opens Hughes eyes that white people do not like Be-Bop because they will not get beaten just for being white. Simple also explains that Be-Bop music is not for everyone. “Bop comes out of the dark days… Folks who ain’t suffered much cannot play Bop, neither appreciate it. They think Bop is nonsense – like you.” (Hughes 191.)

In conclusion, I can state that Langston Hughes chose to write about a controversial topic in his time; a topic that could probably get him killed; a topic that got people of his race killed. In my opinion, Hughes’s 1949 audience listened to what he had to say. As one can see, police brutality still goes on in our generation, but has gradually improved since 1949.

How it Feels To Be Colored Me - Zora Neale Hurst Analysis

How It Feels to Be Colored Me- Zora Neale Hurston Analysis

“We are all alike, on the inside.” - Mark Twain

In How It Feels To Be Colored Me, author Zora Neale Hurst effectively uses anecdotes to share times of her childhood with her 1928 audience. Neale Hurst is an African American author that was praised for her writing by Alice Walker and has published more than fifty pieces of work. Some of her most popular works include: Their Eyes Were Watching God, Mules and Men, and Dust Tracks on a Road.

When Zora was a little girl, she grew up in Eatonville, Florida, a town that was predominately black.  Zora knew that she was different from the white people that were driving through her town, but she didn’t exactly know what made her so different. To everyone in the small town of Eatonville, she was “everyone’s Zora” because of her welcoming personality.

It was not until she relocated to Jacksonville, when she realized she was not “everyone’s Zora,” but now was better known as She knew that she is unlike her peers because she was colored. But, within the first paragraph of her essay she blows an African American stereotype out of the water by using sarcasm. “… I am the only Negro in the United States whose grandfather on the mother’s side was not an Indian chief.” This is a stereotype that many African Americans say, because many are unaware of their roots and heritage due to slavery.

In conclusion, I can infer that Hurst’s purpose for this essay is simple. She wants to project the fact that we are all the same. The only time we realize that we as human beings notice our race is when we are alone. Zora explains this more by saying “I do not always feel colored… I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background.” In my opinion, Zora reaches her purpose. This essay spoke to me greatly because it ensures me that other people know that we are all the same underneath our skin.

“I feel like a brown bag of miscellany propped against a wall. Against a wall in company with other bags, white, red, and yellow. Pour out the contents, and there is discovered a jumble of small things priceless and worthless.”

Corn-pone Opinions - Mark Twain Analysis

Corn-pone Opinions - Mark Twain Analysis

“Fads are the kiss of death. When the fad goes away, you go with it.” - Conway Twitty

Author Mark Twain, who is well known for various writings such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Prince and the Pauper, exhibited anecdotes in Corn-Pone Opinions to share a story that stayed in his memory, even into old age. He begins his tale by telling his audience about a friend that he had at the age of fifteen. His friend was an intelligent black slave that worked near his Missourian home. Twain spoke of how his friend would give sermons outside of his window while he was doing his master’s work. Although his mother did not want him to listen to the man, Twain explains that he believed that the man was “one of the greatest orators in the United States.” One of the man's teachings stuck with him for fifty years; “You tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, en I’ll tell you what his ‘pinions is.”

This essay’s argument revolves around the thought of public opinion. Twain uses allusion when he mentions the hoop skirt. He uses this as an example of public opinion. He explains that at first everyone thinks the hoop skirt is an outrageous and insane idea, but then when one person starts to wear the hoop skirt, others start to adopt the hoop skirt even though they thought it was a crazy idea. Twain also uses hypophora to get his audience to understand that our society is made up of people that follow, rather than lead. “Why? Was the resentment reasoned out? Was the acceptance reasoned out? No.”(Twain 2.)

I strongly believe that Mark Twain achieved his goal. He led his audience in the 1900s to think about the way humans naturally conform and even makes audiences today realize that humans conform to fads and trends easily, even if the trends were thought to be outrageous.