Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Blog Response Due 10/27

In "Past Present," Jimmy Santiago Baca does a phenomenal job blending two forms of writing, narrative and persuasive.  At first you are given the impression that the passage will be strictly narrative, but he implements his opinions into the story and effectively persuades the reader.  The narrative part of the passage is Baca explaining how he returns to the prison that he was held in previously to shoot a film he was creating.  Going back to that dreadful place made Baca remember the horrible aspects of prison life.  While explaining this, he effectively expresses his belief that prisoners are treated unfairly and are not given a shot to live a free life.  He expresses his opinion by saying "that these cons should tear the fucking walls down and allow no one to dehumanize them in this way."  I believe that this implementation of persuasive thoughts produce a very effective essay.  I honestly do not believe that any part of the story has any ineffective attempts to persuade.  His personal experience gives the reader a unique view on prison life and its poor qualities.  He negatively portrays the cells in the prison as "so small that a man cannot bend or stretch without bruising himself against some obstacle."  Overall, Jimmy Santiago Baca put together an easy to read short story that effectively shows the true nature of prison life and the parts of their lives that the general public does not see.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Images of Main Street - Due 10/15

1.  In "Images of Main Street: Disney World and the American Adventure", Virginia and Frank Salamone effectively describe how Disney World is a "sanitized reality."  In this "sanitized reality," adults and children alike are sent into another world where everything seems too good to be true.  Adults become nostalgic of their childhood and children are amazed by the cheeriness and magical nature of Main Street.  Disney effectively implements several features into the park and  Main Street in order to evoke the feelings of a "sanitized reality" into their visitors.  One way they evoke these feelings is by keeping the park clean and by the upbeat personalities of their employees.  When people enter Disney World, they are greeted with happy people and well-constructed buildings.  There are buildings meant to represent a different time period in the past, which are meant to evoke "memories of an America that never was but that many wish would be again."  Visitors to the park are intentionally led to believe that Disney World represents America and all of its values.  They want to believe that it is a reflection of our country.  It is meant to give visitors the feeling that America is basic and wholesome.  Although that is far from the truth, visitors can enjoy the optimistic nature of the park for at least a day or two, giving them a much-needed break from the mundane nature of the real world.  

2.  There are plenty of other examples of "sanitized realities" in the United States.  Obviously, some are not as effective as Disney World.  But many other theme parks do a pretty effective job of giving visitors an escape from the real world for a short period of time.  An example of such a place would be the many Six Flags amusement parks around the country.  Most of these theme parks have the theme of super heros and famous comic book characters.  Young children enter these parks and are amazed by the power of the roller-coasters, most of which are named after a different super hero.  Adults and children go on rides such as Batman, The Hulk, Superman, and others.  Adults often are nostalgic about the characters, many of whom were the subjects of comic books in their early childhoods.  Visitors to the park have an escape for a period of time where they can feel as if a world exists where there are superheroes to protect the streets and keep everyone safe.  Obviously, this is not true.  But Six Flags does a great job advertising their popular heroes in order to attract innocent children and nostalgic parents alike into their "sanitized reality."