Interview Activity

My participant for the interview activity was Hilary. Currently she is undecided for her major, but she would like to become a criminal justice major. When asked why she wants to become a criminal justice major she responded "I want to become a criminal justice major so that I can help other people". In order to make this possible her two short term goals are to do well in college by getting good grades and graduating. After graduating the area of criminal justice she would like to become a part of is a probation officer so that she can help those people. As for the distant future, she is not quite sure what she wants to be doing, but she knows that the only thing she wants for sure is to have a steady job. Although I got some good information from her I think that I need to add more depth to my questions so that I can get answers with more information, rather than a sentence or two.

Finding Your Own Voice

Defining my voice in writing is getting my point across, and making it known how I feel about a particular issue.  I would say that up until last year I would silence myself in my writing, however my english teacher changed that for me last year.  He told us to truly write how we felt and do not write what you think the teacher wants to hear.  It really helped me to find my voice because I now feel more comfortable voicing my opinion even though it might not always be the most popular answer, or the most politically correct answer.

I really like this quote and I noticed it while reading.  What I think Lamott is saying is that it is important to write something new because that way it is informative and people will want to read it.  Every student is always told how they should write throughout their school career, but it is important to voice your opinion even if somebody tells you that you shouldn't. Your individual voice is what makes your paper unique.

A Lesbian's Struggles Response

To be a visible minority there are a lot of that group. A good example is African American and Hispanics.  They are a minority, but there is still a good amount of them that they can still be with people of their same race.  An invisible minority is a minority that you cannot tell from looking at a person.  Such as a person who is gay, you may not be able to tell, but they are still a "minority".

To stick to your own kind means to hang out with people of your own race and not expanding your horizon.  I think some people stick with their own kind because it is easier.  They already have similarities, so it makes it easier for them to become friends.  Also, you wont feel like an outcast if you are with people of your same ethnicity. 

Her main identity struggle is that she doesn't feel like she belongs because she is the only person of her race in her school.  So she tries to fit in with the rest of the students and in a way she disowns her own heritage to became more assimilated.  But in the end, everyone thought that she should be proud of her culture, so she gives it a chance


I do not tone down any of my identity.  I am a mixture of many races and I think that my entire family has become a part of the "American Culture".  I am proud of who I am and where my family has come from so I don't feel the need to tone down any aspect of my life.

Sexism

I think that a lot of guys perpetuate sexism just by commenting about girls.  Many times if you are with your with your guy friends you'll be like that girl is hot, or that girls is gross, and it's not fair to just judge people like that.  Many times I will talk over women, to make myself heard over them.  Also something I do a lot is judge girls by gender roles.  Like if they are playing video games I'll say oh they're such a guy.  I plan on overcoming these sexist ways by being less judgmental.

American Dream

The Author's American dream was to become the president of the United States of America.  He believed that being gay would get in the way of having his dream come true.  He came from a very conservative family, and did not want to tell them that he was gay because he thought that they would not be accepting of him, so he didn't tell anyone for a long time.  He even tried to kill himself.  However, he realizes the most powerful thing, that by fighting for his rights he is living the American dream.

I think that this is a very powerful quote.  Everyone needs to realize that a "true American" is not just a rich white man.  There is not one single right or wrong way to be a true American.  To me being an American means being diverse and different.  No one should ever have to change themselves for anyone because the only person you have to make happy is yourself.  Because everyone's American dream is Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

racism: white guilt

How I think that we can define and change white guilt:
Get information: Get to know people for who they really are. If people became more aware, then they would also become more understanding and really be able to get informed by people of different cultures.
Do something what: Get to actually know people, and don't judge a book by its cover.  Make friends with people from other cultures and backgrounds and you will feel more diverse and will be more understanding.
Listen: There are many guest speakers who talk openly about their ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. I once went and saw a speaker who was doing a speech about quanza.  I found it very interesting because it helped me see where that person came from.
Talk: Talk to anybody who feels compfortable telling you about themselves.  Also get to know people out of your normal group of friends. If you become friends with people of other cultures you will become wiser and more caring.
Back to the past: I think the easiest way to go back to the past is by research and reading.  Pick up books about different ethnicites and discover what they went through to become who they are today. I think that it would be a good way to learn about their traditions and customs, and also a good way to find out how those traditions came about.
Finding our heros and sheros: Heros can be different to anyone based upon their beliefs.  Personally, my parents are my heros because I think that growning up they taught me to be very accepting of everybody.  I think that they set a great example for me as to how to be accepting.

Paraphrase.

Many students overuse direct quotations when writing research papers. Only around 1/10 of the final paper should be direct quotations, so paraphrase when reading sources. (James, 1976).