No Stars Over Bethlehem- This song is the first song told from the point of view of the priest presiding over Kezia’s execution. In this first song the listener can clearly see that he has doubts in organized religion. In the beginning of the song the priest states he will “burn all the lives of the sacred illuminati” and he goes on to say: “When St. Michael sized means to find an end to justify”. I believe he is referencing the book of Daniel Chapter 12 where a great angel speaks of the world and the Antichrist, the angel states: "At that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people." The priest is questioning organized religion and he wonders how St. Michael the protectorate of the people could justify protecting them when they are so corrupt that they would allow for the execution of a fellow human being, Kezia. The priest then calls for a crusade against those who corrupted his religion or as he states “a crusade in which to die where lead locusts pierce the heart of men and tie the tongues of those who lie”. In the next few lines of the song the priest speaks of the way that the church has twisted God’s words to supply a mean for their own motives when he states “Someone plunged a dagger deep into God's chest and When he groaned it laid our entire civilization to rest When he pulled out the dagger and marveled at the pain he could create We stuck another in his back to seal creation's fate”. Finally he sarcastically states: “Amen to the fools and the Cossacks and the pulpits Amen to the people who think there's still a way to help us”, in this quote he “thanks” people of high ranking church positions for the current position the church is in and he “wishes luck” to those who are still trying to aid the church in its sad state.
Heretics and Killers- This is the second song written from the point of view of the priest. In this song he dines at the prison with Kezia along with the prison guards including the guard who will become her shooter and who will be the focus of tracks 4-6. In this song he has a period of introspection and he notices that even though he is a priest, representative of honesty and good values, he is now dining with “heathens” and thus he feels he is sinking to their level. He then states, “In wine there's truth but in silence there's surrender” which in itself is a very interesting line because wine in the Catholic religion symbolizes the blood of Christ and of Christ is a very positive symbol in Catholicism. However in the Bible silence has very negative connotations for example Judas denied he knew Jesus “three times before the cock crowed” and kept silent his friendship with him. The priest sees his silence as condoning the actions of the prison guards, mainly their practice of execution. The priest then states, “I built a temple in his life and used God to seal the pillars” which displays how much of his life is based on his religion. Now he is beginning to question the religion that he has dedicated his life to and he wonders how he could possibly continue to read from the bible and repeat the words in it like a “parrot” when he does not truly believe what he preaches. He ends by calling the Bible “a textbook Of my crying, lying, dying history” displaying how he has lost faith in his religion and now sees the Bible as a symbol of his past which is now worthless to him.
Divinity Within- This is the final song told from the priest’s point of view. The setting of this song takes place during the walk out to the prison yard where the execution of Kezia is set to take place and ends just before the execution of Kezia. In this song the priest walks alongside Kezia leading her to the “makeshift valley of death”. While he walks her to her death he remembers her face the night before when he had dinner with her and the prison guards (during the song Heretics and Killers). Primarily the image that haunts him is of her crying while eating her last meal or as he puts it: “Last night I saw you dine with lovers and human tears But glanced at me in ways that brought to life my sleeping fears”. When he recalls her last meal he hopes that she will metaphorically “bite [his] neck” and “peel away the aging skin” which while being somewhat disgusting imagery refers to his hope of being cleansed of the religion he once believed, through peeling away his aging skin he will become a new person, one free of religion. The song ends just before Kezia’s execution where the priest looks for some sort of closure when he asks Kezia her final words.
Bury the Hatchet- This is the first song told from the point of view of the prison guard. Its primary purpose is to display his feeling of the “justice” deals via his abuse and execution of the prisoners. The listener also finds out about his history in the military “serving abroad” and due to his time in the military he believes that God is cold and cruel and the only justice in the world is justice dealt by people like him. In addition to this very cold cruel front that the guard puts on for the prisoners we see that he only carries out his job dutifully because of the paycheck he receives and because without a paycheck and a sense of duty to carry out he has no purpose. He shows this feeling when he states: “It all means nothing if I forget why I'm here to serve and protect my fist over fist mind under matter career”. In the next few verses he states how he carries out his gruesome work “carving x’s” in the eyes of those who have committed crimes. He ends the song stating that despite his cruel outward appearance he “has compassion” and he’s “just been trained to disregard the prisoner’s life” showing he displays some form of regret for the man he has become.
Nautical- In this song we see the “true colors” of the prison guard as he tells us how civil glory has dismembered his civility” or how society has turned him into a monster. He questions whether or not it is correct for society to choose who lives and dies by saying execution is “the closest thing to a fashion trend that’s never been put on trial” displaying society’s obsession with punishing those who have broken its rules. He then goes onto say that those who founded this kind of society have committed the ultimate crime that to him is “the treacherous use of reason” that they use in order to justify the execution that the guard must carry out. The prison guard then regrets that this is the example that his current generation is setting for posterity. The song ends with the words of the prison guard cursing the prison by saying “And I'm still a cigarette softly smoking on the edge of a metal ashtray I begged this place to let me burn, and it whispered, ‘burn away’”. In these final words he basically tells the listener that because of the things he has done he slowly wasting (or burning) away much like a cigarette would.
Blindfolds Aside- This is the last song sang by the prison guard who will execute Kezia. In this song he truly sees that his job as an executioner is immoral because before he has never felt anything about any of the prisoners. Now that he has to kill Kezia, a women who has committed a crime that to him does not fit the punishment, he feels great remorse. As he continues his thoughts throughout the course of the song we see that his fate is truly tied to Kezia’s fate because he likens his hopes and future with her situation, “blindfolded”, meaning primarily hopeless. To the prison guard Kezia truly represents the only hope left in his life, he says this in the line: “And no one ever said that hope would be so beautiful And no one ever said I'd have to pull the trigger on her”. As the song goes on he truly regrets that he has to kill her and he even wishes that he could “still her trembling hands”. The prison guard then states that he and his fellow guards are numbed by the fact they aren’t held responsible if they kill this girl, but he is different because he knows that if he “pulls the screaming trigger” it will psychologically “bleed him dry” because he knows for sure that he has done something wrong. The song ends just before he shoots Kezia as he repeats the phrase stated earlier in the song which is a commentary on his job: “A sin I didn't care for, but a sin that paid my debts A sin that fed my children and burned my smiles and cigarettes”.
She Who Mars the Skin of the Gods- This song, which is told from the point of view of Kezia, shows Kezia’s harsh upbringing and it displays her mother’s harsh view of the world which may have caused her to commit the crime that she has been sentenced to execution for. In the first few sentences the listener understands that Kezia’s mother had a very negative outlook on life when she states: “the warmest of blankets is six feet of soil”. Kezia also talks about how her poor lifestyle and upbringing were the direct effect of her father leaving her mother at her birth, Kezia then looks into a mirror and sees her father’s face staring back which symbolizes Kezia’s mother blaming her for all of her father’s shortcomings. Finally the song comes back to present day Kezia as se is writing a letter to her mother from her prison cell begging her to come and visit. After writing the letter Kezia notices her hope for her mother to come visit her is futile and instead of her mother tucking her in to go to sleep the “shotgun will instead” which obviously is a reference to her execution being close at hand.
Turn Soonest To The Sea- This song is primarily a commentary on the lessened view of women in society. In the beginning of the song Kezia comments on how the Greek goddess Vesta (the goddess of hearth and home) is no protectorate of women rather she is a symbol of female servitude, and this is the first of many things that Kezia begins to notice as one of the “gaping holes in our social fabric”. Later in the song she makes a reference to the book of Genesis when she says “I know we'll wake up one day with a gun to the back of our brains You'll be asking for your rib and I'll smile and call you brave”. In the book of Genesis Adam gives one of his ribs in order for god to create Eve, which creates a sort of “debt” between men and women in the Catholic religion. At the end of the song she notices she is doomed to her fate because of societies view of women. She does exhibit hope for the future in that she hopes that society will see their mistakes and fix them.
The Divine Suicide of K- This is the final song from the point of view of Kezia. It takes place as she is walking down the long hallway out to the prison yard to be executed. In the beginning of this song she begins to accept her inevitable death displayed by the first verse “I better think of my answers now because pretty soon questions will be asked” in this line she is referring to the questions about to be asked by whoever will judge her in the afterlife. She starts to reflect on her current situation and she states that she is being killed “In tattered shoes that aren't even mine Because my own are in a box locked up with possessions I can't have Like the gunman with his future and the prison priest's golden calf”. In this line she liken her shoes which she cant have to the priests golden calf and the prison guards future in that at the moment it is the only thing that is truly bothering her. From this line the listener truly feels sorry for Kezia because Kezia’s problem of facing death and wanting some small amount of comfort, in this case her shoes, makes the prison guard’s future and the priest’s “golden calf” seem fairly unimportant in comparison because no matter how bad their predicaments are they are purely psychological and at no point so far are they truly facing death. Finally the song comes to a close as she reflects on her life and the little girl that she used to be before her mother stole her innocence, and a recent development that she received a letter that the listener can assume was from her mother “resurrected” her. Since her hope is renewed she decides to approach her death knowing that she will “always be Kezia as long as any hope remains”. These are her last words and the song ends before the prison guard executes her but the listener can at least take solace in the fact that she died with some hope left.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
My Memorial Day Weekend
I had an exciting vacation where many interesting things took place. The first thing me and my friends did was we went to see Iron Man in theaters what an epic movie there were so many explosions and there was such a good ending. Then the next night I went to my friend's house and we played video games. then the next day I had work at the tennis courts where I get payed for sitting in a gazebo and playing guitar and occasionally cleaning up the courts and checking peoples' tennis badges, its quite an eventful job. then finally on thursday i spent the day renting movies and watching them at home, I watched Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and I must say what an awful movie it tried to be funny but it was just garbage I almost fell asleep trying to get to the end of it. the other movie I watched that day was 30 Days of Night which was insane vampires killed an entire own and there were 7 survivors trying to hide from them it was crazy! Anyways thats all of my vacation that I can remember see you later.
English Final Paper Rough Draft
Our current curriculum for English states that we must read certain books throughout the year, these include Catcher in The Rye, and Montana 1948; however, what the curriculum is lacking is a book that students need to read. I have found this book, it is The World is Flat, this novel shows what the world is really like, and I will propose to remove The House on Mango Street from our curriculum to be replaced with the better choice, The World is Flat. The World is Flat is written by an award winning author and columnist for The New York Times named Thomas Friedman. The World is Flat discusses the changes in the world’s economy due to always changing technology, this novel will better help students understand the business-world they will be put into after high school. Of course I have to take a book out of our curriculum and as I have said I will choose The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, this novel is a coming of age tale of a young girl in an impoverished neighborhood. The reason I am proposing to remove this book from the curriculum is because we already have two coming of age tales already in the curriculum, The Catcher in the Rye, and Montana 1948.
Firstly, The World Is Flat will give students a better idea of today’s business world and it will teach them about techniques companies use in order to make more profit such as outsourcing. From this book students could get a better understanding of how difficult it is to get a job without a college degree. One columnist from Business Weekly said this about The World is Flat, “Friedman describes three primary changes at the dawn of the 21st century as the keys to the changing world. One is the addition of China, India, the former Soviet Union and other countries with a combined population of 3 billion to the global world economy. The second is technological changes such as the Internet that have made distance less of a factor. And the third is the shift from hierarchical, vertical power structures in business and government to democratic, diffuse ones in which it is easier for individuals to make their own destinies.”(Business, 2005) In this quote the speaker clearly states all of the changes in the world that Thomas Friedman presents throughout the book. The teaching of these changes in the world is imperative to the student’s because the author is putting new thoughts in the student’s mind about the new world’s economy. These ideas would be much more beneficial than the vignettes written in The House On Mango Street because a coming of age tale cannot be applied in today’s ever changing business world.
The World is Flat also makes several well thought-out predictions about the business world of tomorrow, and many of these predictions have already come true since the book has been written. Thomas Friedman takes the current situation in today’s business world then he uses that knowledge to tell us of possible things to come. “According to Friedman's thesis, the world is becoming more networked. Federal leaders either can be part of that by connecting with leaders elsewhere in the world, or they can be left out.” (Business, 2005) In this quote you can see that the speaker read Tom Friedman’s novel and he points out some major ideas in the novel. Tom Friedman using these ideas, theorized that in the future the business world will change the world more than it ever has, he says that instead of having countries in the economy far above other countries, the world will be “Flat” or on an even playing level for all countries. The students in our school would benefit greatly from these sort of business lessons, this book would be a better teacher of life lessons then The House on Mango Street could, because the lessons in the House on Mango Street are those seen in any teenage coming of age tale. The World is Flat will tech these lessons in a more straightforward way as compared to The House on Mango Street which attempts to teach these lessons through vignettes that tell of the life of a fictitious young woman.
Now, I will further focus on the book I plan to remove from the current English curriculum, The House on Mango Street. The House on Mango Street can be compared to any generic coming of age teenage novel due to the themes put forth by the author. These themes include the struggle for finding oneself spiritually, and struggling while being a teenager and trying to fit in. Both of these themes can be seen in any teenage novel such as Catcher In The Rye, which is already a part of our school English curriculum; therefore, having another novel that teaches the same themes of another book on the curriculum that is a tried and true teaching tool is unnecessary. The House on Mango Street is also a more difficult teaching tool than any other book on the curriculum due to the poor story telling through the vignettes involved in the novel. The vignettes were not told in any particular order and required a good amount of thought to get a story out of them. This novel is not the best teaching tool for today’s students as compared to The World is Flat because ideas in the World is Flat are very different as compared to those in the fictional collection of vignettes in The House on Mango Street.
Finally, the ideas taught in The World is Flat certainly apply much more in today’s world than those in The House on Mango Street. The House on Mango Street takes place in a time period where current students could find it hard to relate to the fictitious young woman’s childhood in this novel, because of this the messages in this novel could be hard to gather for children of the current generation. In The World Is Flat the author addresses current technology and advancements in the business world that students of today’s world could relate to. Neil Shister a columnist for an internet website for business said this about Tom Friedman’s new an innovative ideas, “Friedman writes, will be ‘the creation of a global, Web-enabled playing field that allows for multiple forms of collaboration--the sharing of knowledge and work--in real time, without regard to geography, distance, or, in the near future, even language’.” This quote shows how interesting students will find The World is Flat because the quote shows how new technology is applied in the world and students can relate to this as part of a generation that uses plenty of new technology.
In summation the World is Flat should replace The House on Mango Street in the current English curriculum because The World is Flat would be much more valuable to a student’s education than The House on Mango Street because of the reasons stated in this essay. There is no better choice than The World is Flat for a student’s education because it presents ideas that are relevant in The World today.
Firstly, The World Is Flat will give students a better idea of today’s business world and it will teach them about techniques companies use in order to make more profit such as outsourcing. From this book students could get a better understanding of how difficult it is to get a job without a college degree. One columnist from Business Weekly said this about The World is Flat, “Friedman describes three primary changes at the dawn of the 21st century as the keys to the changing world. One is the addition of China, India, the former Soviet Union and other countries with a combined population of 3 billion to the global world economy. The second is technological changes such as the Internet that have made distance less of a factor. And the third is the shift from hierarchical, vertical power structures in business and government to democratic, diffuse ones in which it is easier for individuals to make their own destinies.”(Business, 2005) In this quote the speaker clearly states all of the changes in the world that Thomas Friedman presents throughout the book. The teaching of these changes in the world is imperative to the student’s because the author is putting new thoughts in the student’s mind about the new world’s economy. These ideas would be much more beneficial than the vignettes written in The House On Mango Street because a coming of age tale cannot be applied in today’s ever changing business world.
The World is Flat also makes several well thought-out predictions about the business world of tomorrow, and many of these predictions have already come true since the book has been written. Thomas Friedman takes the current situation in today’s business world then he uses that knowledge to tell us of possible things to come. “According to Friedman's thesis, the world is becoming more networked. Federal leaders either can be part of that by connecting with leaders elsewhere in the world, or they can be left out.” (Business, 2005) In this quote you can see that the speaker read Tom Friedman’s novel and he points out some major ideas in the novel. Tom Friedman using these ideas, theorized that in the future the business world will change the world more than it ever has, he says that instead of having countries in the economy far above other countries, the world will be “Flat” or on an even playing level for all countries. The students in our school would benefit greatly from these sort of business lessons, this book would be a better teacher of life lessons then The House on Mango Street could, because the lessons in the House on Mango Street are those seen in any teenage coming of age tale. The World is Flat will tech these lessons in a more straightforward way as compared to The House on Mango Street which attempts to teach these lessons through vignettes that tell of the life of a fictitious young woman.
Now, I will further focus on the book I plan to remove from the current English curriculum, The House on Mango Street. The House on Mango Street can be compared to any generic coming of age teenage novel due to the themes put forth by the author. These themes include the struggle for finding oneself spiritually, and struggling while being a teenager and trying to fit in. Both of these themes can be seen in any teenage novel such as Catcher In The Rye, which is already a part of our school English curriculum; therefore, having another novel that teaches the same themes of another book on the curriculum that is a tried and true teaching tool is unnecessary. The House on Mango Street is also a more difficult teaching tool than any other book on the curriculum due to the poor story telling through the vignettes involved in the novel. The vignettes were not told in any particular order and required a good amount of thought to get a story out of them. This novel is not the best teaching tool for today’s students as compared to The World is Flat because ideas in the World is Flat are very different as compared to those in the fictional collection of vignettes in The House on Mango Street.
Finally, the ideas taught in The World is Flat certainly apply much more in today’s world than those in The House on Mango Street. The House on Mango Street takes place in a time period where current students could find it hard to relate to the fictitious young woman’s childhood in this novel, because of this the messages in this novel could be hard to gather for children of the current generation. In The World Is Flat the author addresses current technology and advancements in the business world that students of today’s world could relate to. Neil Shister a columnist for an internet website for business said this about Tom Friedman’s new an innovative ideas, “Friedman writes, will be ‘the creation of a global, Web-enabled playing field that allows for multiple forms of collaboration--the sharing of knowledge and work--in real time, without regard to geography, distance, or, in the near future, even language’.” This quote shows how interesting students will find The World is Flat because the quote shows how new technology is applied in the world and students can relate to this as part of a generation that uses plenty of new technology.
In summation the World is Flat should replace The House on Mango Street in the current English curriculum because The World is Flat would be much more valuable to a student’s education than The House on Mango Street because of the reasons stated in this essay. There is no better choice than The World is Flat for a student’s education because it presents ideas that are relevant in The World today.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Intro Paragraph and First Body Paragraph for English Final Essay
Our current curriculum for English states that we must read certain books throughout the year, these include Catcher in The Rye, and Montana 1948; however, what the curriculum is lacking is a book that students need to read. I have found this book, it is The World is Flat, this novel shows what the world is really like, and I will propose to remove The House on Mango Street from our curriculum to be replaced with the better choice, The World is Flat. The World is Flat is written by an award winning author and columnist for The New York Times named Thomas Friedman. The World is Flat discusses the changes in the world’s economy due to always changing technology, this novel will better help students understand the business-world they will be put into after high school. Of course I have to take a book out of our curriculum and as I have said I will choose The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, this novel is a coming of age tale of a young girl in an impoverished neighborhood. The reason I am proposing to remove this book from the curriculum is because we already have two coming of age tales already in the curriculum, The Catcher in the Rye, and Montana 1948.
Firstly, The World is flat will give students a better idea of today’s business world and it will teach them about techniques companies use in order to make more profit such as outsourcing. From this book students could get a better understanding of how difficult it is to get a job without a college degree. One columnist from Business Weekly said this about The World is Flat, “Friedman describes three primary changes at the dawn of the 21st century as the keys to the changing world. One is the addition of China, India, the former Soviet Union and other countries with a combined population of 3 billion to the global world economy. The second is technological changes such as the Internet that have made distance less of a factor. And the third is the shift from hierarchical, vertical power structures in business and government to democratic, diffuse ones in which it is easier for individuals to make their own destinies.” In this quote the speaker clearly states all of the changes in the world that Thomas Friedman presents throughout the book. The teaching of these changes in the world are imperative to the student’s because the author is putting new thoughts in the student’s mind about the new world’s economy. These ideas would be much more beneficial than the vignettes written in The House On Mango Street because a coming of age tale cannot be applied in today’s ever changing business world.
Firstly, The World is flat will give students a better idea of today’s business world and it will teach them about techniques companies use in order to make more profit such as outsourcing. From this book students could get a better understanding of how difficult it is to get a job without a college degree. One columnist from Business Weekly said this about The World is Flat, “Friedman describes three primary changes at the dawn of the 21st century as the keys to the changing world. One is the addition of China, India, the former Soviet Union and other countries with a combined population of 3 billion to the global world economy. The second is technological changes such as the Internet that have made distance less of a factor. And the third is the shift from hierarchical, vertical power structures in business and government to democratic, diffuse ones in which it is easier for individuals to make their own destinies.” In this quote the speaker clearly states all of the changes in the world that Thomas Friedman presents throughout the book. The teaching of these changes in the world are imperative to the student’s because the author is putting new thoughts in the student’s mind about the new world’s economy. These ideas would be much more beneficial than the vignettes written in The House On Mango Street because a coming of age tale cannot be applied in today’s ever changing business world.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Outline For Final Paper
What is the question you are answering in your own words?
Should The House on Mango Street be replaced with Tom Friedman’s The World Is Flat? Why?
What is your thesis statement? This sets up the entire paper with your focus and direction.
Our current curriculum for English states that we must read certain books throughout the year, these include Catcher in The Rye, and Montana 1948; however, what the curriculum is lacking is a book that students need to read. I have found this book, it is The World is Flat, this novel shows what the world is really like, and I will propose to remove the House on Mango Street from our curriculum to be replaced with the better choice, The World is Flat.
BODY PARAGRAPH 1
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
The World Is Flat will be beneficial for a student’s knowledge of the current business world, which is more important than a coming of age tale.
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. “Friedman describes three primary changes at the dawn of the 21st century as the keys to the changing world. One is the addition of China, India, the former Soviet Union and other countries with a combined population of 3 billion to the global world economy. The second is technological changes such as the Internet that have made distance less of a factor. And the third is the shift from hierarchical, vertical power structures in business and government to democratic, diffuse ones in which it is easier for individuals to make their own destinies.”
b. This book addresses ideas that are more important to teenagers and benefit them more than The House on Mango Street could.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. In The World is Flat he references these ideas many times because he writes the book around these ideas.
b. I will state a story from the House on Mango Street and compare the ideas of at novel up to those of The World is Flat.
BODY PARAGRAPH 2
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
The World is Flat explains the future of the business world and things to come rather than tells a story of a teenager’s childhood.
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. “According to Friedman's thesis, the world is becoming more networked. Federal leaders either can be part of that by connecting with leaders elsewhere in the world, or they can be left out.”
b. In the one of the articles I read, it explains how Tom Friedman’s novel addresses the future of our business world.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. This book addresses problems we might face in the future such as the world becoming ‘flat’ meaning that the countries in the world will eventually be equals in having the same amount of resources.
b. I will take examples from the book and apply them in my essay to show how they will be more beneficial to the education of a teenager,
BODY PARAGRAPH 3
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
The House on Mango Street will not be beneficial to the education of today’s students.
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. “Esperanza is a young version of an aging widow who spends her days rocking on the front porch watching the movements of her neighbors. She knows about everyone living on Mango Street.”
b. What can we learn from this novel that we haven’t already learned from our current experience in life?
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Quoting from The House on Mango Street will show how it is not truly a book that will not educate students in things they will need for their future.
b. I will use examples from a review I found from a credible source and show that The House on Mango Street presents the wrong ideas.
BODY PARAGRAPH 4
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
The World is Flat, has ideas that can be applied to today’s world in a more effective way than any of the ideas from The House On Mango Street.
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. I plan to quote directly from the The World is Flat to show some key ideas in the novel.
b. I plan to show how The House On Mango Street is truly not appropriate reading for our school.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. “Readers of World Trade will be familiar with his list: Internet communication, outsourcing, off-shoring, synchronized supply chains. What they may not fully appreciate is the extent which, according to Friedman, these different elements have already converged past the tipping point of no return.”
CONCLUSION
What should we now understand after reading your paper? Where idea(s) does your paper lead to?
a. The book The World Is Flat, should replace the book the House on Mango Street.
b. The World is Flat is a great book that informs the children of today of the current business and the future of the business world.
Should The House on Mango Street be replaced with Tom Friedman’s The World Is Flat? Why?
What is your thesis statement? This sets up the entire paper with your focus and direction.
Our current curriculum for English states that we must read certain books throughout the year, these include Catcher in The Rye, and Montana 1948; however, what the curriculum is lacking is a book that students need to read. I have found this book, it is The World is Flat, this novel shows what the world is really like, and I will propose to remove the House on Mango Street from our curriculum to be replaced with the better choice, The World is Flat.
BODY PARAGRAPH 1
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
The World Is Flat will be beneficial for a student’s knowledge of the current business world, which is more important than a coming of age tale.
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. “Friedman describes three primary changes at the dawn of the 21st century as the keys to the changing world. One is the addition of China, India, the former Soviet Union and other countries with a combined population of 3 billion to the global world economy. The second is technological changes such as the Internet that have made distance less of a factor. And the third is the shift from hierarchical, vertical power structures in business and government to democratic, diffuse ones in which it is easier for individuals to make their own destinies.”
b. This book addresses ideas that are more important to teenagers and benefit them more than The House on Mango Street could.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. In The World is Flat he references these ideas many times because he writes the book around these ideas.
b. I will state a story from the House on Mango Street and compare the ideas of at novel up to those of The World is Flat.
BODY PARAGRAPH 2
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
The World is Flat explains the future of the business world and things to come rather than tells a story of a teenager’s childhood.
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. “According to Friedman's thesis, the world is becoming more networked. Federal leaders either can be part of that by connecting with leaders elsewhere in the world, or they can be left out.”
b. In the one of the articles I read, it explains how Tom Friedman’s novel addresses the future of our business world.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. This book addresses problems we might face in the future such as the world becoming ‘flat’ meaning that the countries in the world will eventually be equals in having the same amount of resources.
b. I will take examples from the book and apply them in my essay to show how they will be more beneficial to the education of a teenager,
BODY PARAGRAPH 3
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
The House on Mango Street will not be beneficial to the education of today’s students.
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. “Esperanza is a young version of an aging widow who spends her days rocking on the front porch watching the movements of her neighbors. She knows about everyone living on Mango Street.”
b. What can we learn from this novel that we haven’t already learned from our current experience in life?
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. Quoting from The House on Mango Street will show how it is not truly a book that will not educate students in things they will need for their future.
b. I will use examples from a review I found from a credible source and show that The House on Mango Street presents the wrong ideas.
BODY PARAGRAPH 4
What is the topic/idea of this paragraph?
The World is Flat, has ideas that can be applied to today’s world in a more effective way than any of the ideas from The House On Mango Street.
What quote(s) ideas from research will you use to help prove your points?
a. I plan to quote directly from the The World is Flat to show some key ideas in the novel.
b. I plan to show how The House On Mango Street is truly not appropriate reading for our school.
What example(s) from the book(s) will you use to help prove your points?
a. “Readers of World Trade will be familiar with his list: Internet communication, outsourcing, off-shoring, synchronized supply chains. What they may not fully appreciate is the extent which, according to Friedman, these different elements have already converged past the tipping point of no return.”
CONCLUSION
What should we now understand after reading your paper? Where idea(s) does your paper lead to?
a. The book The World Is Flat, should replace the book the House on Mango Street.
b. The World is Flat is a great book that informs the children of today of the current business and the future of the business world.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Cornell Notes on Sources
Source 1:
TITLE: Buisness Without Borders
AUTHOR: Friel B. Business
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2007
Main Idea #1: The ideas Tom Friedman proposes in his book are no longer predictions but they have actually taken place in today’s world.
Summary: The basis of The World is Flat, is that the author proposed that over the next few years China, India, and the former Soviet Union, would eventually level the economic ‘playing field’ with America and they would become very competitive. He based this prediction on the fact that America is outsourcing all the IT jobs to foreign countries such as these and pay them low wages. These people are happy to be paid low wages because their countries are normally over populated and it is difficult to find a job. So now that these jobs have left America most of the corporations in America are aying their money to countries outside the US. Tom Friedman attributes this huge cange in today’s economy to one thing, technology.
Quote: “Friedman describes three primary changes at the dawn of the 21st century as the keys to the changing world. One is the addition of China, India, the former Soviet Union and other countries with a combined population of 3 billion to the global world economy. The second is technological changes such as the Internet that have made distance less of a factor. And the third is the shift from hierarchical, vertical power structures in business and government to democratic, diffuse ones in which it is easier for individuals to make their own destinies.”
Question: Will America face these same problems in years to come?
Main Idea #2: America's imperative to be competitive with new players in the global economy is only part of Friedman's vision.
Summary: This book addresses problems we might face in the future such as the world becoming ‘flat’ meaning that the countries in the world will eventually be equals in having the same amount of resources. Friedman predicts that since we will be employing internationally we will eventually have to find some way to police internationally as well.
Quote: “According to Friedman's thesis, the world is becoming more networked. Federal leaders either can be part of that by connecting with leaders elsewhere in the world, or they can be left out.”
Question: Can these problems proposed in this article be applied today?
How will this source help you write your paper?
This source will help me write my paper because I want to show that this new book that I am trying to put into the curriculum has ideas that truly relate to today’s world. This article really does just that, it first explains what The World is Flat stated for those who haven’t read the novel, then it shows how the idea in the novel could relate to today’s changing economy.
Source 2:
TITLE: best Practices gear You Supply Chain To Compete
AUTHOR: Neil Shister
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2005
Main Idea #1: As a business gets larger and larger the need to take your business international gets greater and greater, but there are a few things to take into consideration beforehand.
Summary: This author talks about the new idea of Globalization that the novel I chose proposes. Tom Friedman proposes Globalization is currently happening through Internet communication, outsourcing, off-shoring, synchronized supply chains. The author then says we have gotten to the point of no return and that Globalization will hav already happened.
Quote: “Readers of World Trade will be familiar with his list: Internet communication, outsourcing, off-shoring, synchronized supply chains. What they may not fully appreciate is the extent which, according to Friedman, these different elements have already converged past the tipping point of no return.”
Question: Is it necessary to educate people about the ongoing Globalization?
Main Idea #2:
Summary: The author then explains what is going on in today’s world and he displays the results of this Globalization of world trade. The results are an even playing field for the world’s countries, this is very important because before this rise of technology America did not have too many important competitors but now that our corporations can outsource the competitors for Americas have gotten much greater.
Quote: The net result, Friedman writes, will be "the creation of a global, Web-enabled playing field that allows for multiple forms of collaboration--the sharing of knowledge and work--in real time, without regard to geography, distance, or, in the near future, even language."
Question: What can be one to prevent America from becoming just like the other countries?
Main Idea #3:
Summary: In this next part of the article the author discusses how many products have been outsourced for lesser costs. So now that companies have invested in other countries those countries in turn will have more money to compete with America and reinvest into their own economies.
Quote: On a related front, PRTM Consulting's Roger Wery surveyed several hundred World Trade C-level readers about globalization, a third of whom have implemented at least one product development involving a significant portion of overseas resources
Question: Why study this sort of subject?
How will this source help you write your paper?
This source displays why this content should be taught to students at my grade level because when they get older it is important they know about the world around them and now is not a bad time to teach that to them.
Source 3:
TITLE: The House on Mango Street: Review of Sandra Cisneros' popular coming-of-age novel
AUTHOR: MB Levine
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2005
Main Idea #1: The book The House on Mango Street is told from the perspective of Esperanza Cordero through a series of Vignettes.
Summary: Sandra Cisneros, the main character of the novel The House on Mango Street tells of her childhood living in a rather poor neighborhood with her family of 6 in her house. She frequently talks about her disliking of her home and her neighborhood and wonders why she is not privileged enough to have more.
Quote: “The House on Mango Street is an often amusing, frequently sad collection of vignettes that come together to tell the story of Esperanza Cordero and her family of six.”
Question: Should this novel be removed from our required reading list?
Main Idea #2: Cisneros talks about the people who venture into her neighborhood scared because they do not know any better.
Summary: The main character discusses different people who come into her neighborhood. During this novel she talks about things as if she was much older and wiser than she actually is and the critic in this article seems to be very impressed with this.
Quote: Esperanza is a young version of an aging widow who spends her days rocking on the front porch watching the movements of her neighbors. She knows about everyone living on Mango Street.
Question: What do we learn from this novel?
How will this source help you write your paper?
I intend to use this article in my final essay because I am going to remove this book from our school curriculum in order to replace it with The World Is Flat. I intend to show how the House on Mango Street is not a very good book to have in our curriculum and instead I will replace it with Friedman’s novel.
TITLE: Buisness Without Borders
AUTHOR: Friel B. Business
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2007
Main Idea #1: The ideas Tom Friedman proposes in his book are no longer predictions but they have actually taken place in today’s world.
Summary: The basis of The World is Flat, is that the author proposed that over the next few years China, India, and the former Soviet Union, would eventually level the economic ‘playing field’ with America and they would become very competitive. He based this prediction on the fact that America is outsourcing all the IT jobs to foreign countries such as these and pay them low wages. These people are happy to be paid low wages because their countries are normally over populated and it is difficult to find a job. So now that these jobs have left America most of the corporations in America are aying their money to countries outside the US. Tom Friedman attributes this huge cange in today’s economy to one thing, technology.
Quote: “Friedman describes three primary changes at the dawn of the 21st century as the keys to the changing world. One is the addition of China, India, the former Soviet Union and other countries with a combined population of 3 billion to the global world economy. The second is technological changes such as the Internet that have made distance less of a factor. And the third is the shift from hierarchical, vertical power structures in business and government to democratic, diffuse ones in which it is easier for individuals to make their own destinies.”
Question: Will America face these same problems in years to come?
Main Idea #2: America's imperative to be competitive with new players in the global economy is only part of Friedman's vision.
Summary: This book addresses problems we might face in the future such as the world becoming ‘flat’ meaning that the countries in the world will eventually be equals in having the same amount of resources. Friedman predicts that since we will be employing internationally we will eventually have to find some way to police internationally as well.
Quote: “According to Friedman's thesis, the world is becoming more networked. Federal leaders either can be part of that by connecting with leaders elsewhere in the world, or they can be left out.”
Question: Can these problems proposed in this article be applied today?
How will this source help you write your paper?
This source will help me write my paper because I want to show that this new book that I am trying to put into the curriculum has ideas that truly relate to today’s world. This article really does just that, it first explains what The World is Flat stated for those who haven’t read the novel, then it shows how the idea in the novel could relate to today’s changing economy.
Source 2:
TITLE: best Practices gear You Supply Chain To Compete
AUTHOR: Neil Shister
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2005
Main Idea #1: As a business gets larger and larger the need to take your business international gets greater and greater, but there are a few things to take into consideration beforehand.
Summary: This author talks about the new idea of Globalization that the novel I chose proposes. Tom Friedman proposes Globalization is currently happening through Internet communication, outsourcing, off-shoring, synchronized supply chains. The author then says we have gotten to the point of no return and that Globalization will hav already happened.
Quote: “Readers of World Trade will be familiar with his list: Internet communication, outsourcing, off-shoring, synchronized supply chains. What they may not fully appreciate is the extent which, according to Friedman, these different elements have already converged past the tipping point of no return.”
Question: Is it necessary to educate people about the ongoing Globalization?
Main Idea #2:
Summary: The author then explains what is going on in today’s world and he displays the results of this Globalization of world trade. The results are an even playing field for the world’s countries, this is very important because before this rise of technology America did not have too many important competitors but now that our corporations can outsource the competitors for Americas have gotten much greater.
Quote: The net result, Friedman writes, will be "the creation of a global, Web-enabled playing field that allows for multiple forms of collaboration--the sharing of knowledge and work--in real time, without regard to geography, distance, or, in the near future, even language."
Question: What can be one to prevent America from becoming just like the other countries?
Main Idea #3:
Summary: In this next part of the article the author discusses how many products have been outsourced for lesser costs. So now that companies have invested in other countries those countries in turn will have more money to compete with America and reinvest into their own economies.
Quote: On a related front, PRTM Consulting's Roger Wery surveyed several hundred World Trade C-level readers about globalization, a third of whom have implemented at least one product development involving a significant portion of overseas resources
Question: Why study this sort of subject?
How will this source help you write your paper?
This source displays why this content should be taught to students at my grade level because when they get older it is important they know about the world around them and now is not a bad time to teach that to them.
Source 3:
TITLE: The House on Mango Street: Review of Sandra Cisneros' popular coming-of-age novel
AUTHOR: MB Levine
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2005
Main Idea #1: The book The House on Mango Street is told from the perspective of Esperanza Cordero through a series of Vignettes.
Summary: Sandra Cisneros, the main character of the novel The House on Mango Street tells of her childhood living in a rather poor neighborhood with her family of 6 in her house. She frequently talks about her disliking of her home and her neighborhood and wonders why she is not privileged enough to have more.
Quote: “The House on Mango Street is an often amusing, frequently sad collection of vignettes that come together to tell the story of Esperanza Cordero and her family of six.”
Question: Should this novel be removed from our required reading list?
Main Idea #2: Cisneros talks about the people who venture into her neighborhood scared because they do not know any better.
Summary: The main character discusses different people who come into her neighborhood. During this novel she talks about things as if she was much older and wiser than she actually is and the critic in this article seems to be very impressed with this.
Quote: Esperanza is a young version of an aging widow who spends her days rocking on the front porch watching the movements of her neighbors. She knows about everyone living on Mango Street.
Question: What do we learn from this novel?
How will this source help you write your paper?
I intend to use this article in my final essay because I am going to remove this book from our school curriculum in order to replace it with The World Is Flat. I intend to show how the House on Mango Street is not a very good book to have in our curriculum and instead I will replace it with Friedman’s novel.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Sources For My Final Project
Source 1: Business, Friel B. "Management Matters." Government Executive Feb. 2007: 69+. EBSCO. EBSCO. 6 May 2008. Keyword: Tom Friedman's the World is Flat.
THis article addresses how the book the World is Flat is beneficial to the business student and how it can truly be applied to todays world and the book addresses very real problems with business today. I chose to use this article in my final essay because I think it will show that The World is Flat is truly worthy to be added to the student book list.
Source 2: Kirkland, Rik. "Will the U.S. Be Flattened by a Flatter World?" Fortune 27 June 2005: 19-20. EBSCO. EBSCO. 8 May 2008.
This article discusses the book the World is Flat and it reviews the book praising the author for bringing the problems of outsourcing to the country's attention. I chose this article because I intend to use quotes from it to further support my point.
Source 3: Shister, Neil. "INSIDE WORLD TRADE." World Trade July 2005: 6+. EBSCO. Masterfile Premier. 8 May 2008.
This article informs the US public about outsourcing and why large corporations use it instead of hiring people locally to do the same jobs. I intend to use quotes from this article to show that outsourcing is a real problem and that high school students should be educated about the business world they will later be thrown into.
Source 4: Levine, M B. "The House on Mango Street." The Library Reviews 25 Aug. 2007. EBSCO. Masterfile Premier. 8 May 2008.
This article is a review of The House on Mango Street a coming of Age tale that is currently in our schools cirriculum. I chose this article as one of my sources because it is a review of the book I am going to take out of our school curriculum and I intend to use this review to compare both novels to show the novel I chose is better fit to be a part of our required reading.
Source 5:"The Future of Outsourcing." Business Week 30 Jan. 2006. 8 May 2008.
This article talks about the future of outsourcing, the focus of the book I am suggesting in my essay. I believe that it will be a crucial part of my research because I can quote showing the important of knowledge on the subject.
THis article addresses how the book the World is Flat is beneficial to the business student and how it can truly be applied to todays world and the book addresses very real problems with business today. I chose to use this article in my final essay because I think it will show that The World is Flat is truly worthy to be added to the student book list.
Source 2: Kirkland, Rik. "Will the U.S. Be Flattened by a Flatter World?" Fortune 27 June 2005: 19-20. EBSCO. EBSCO. 8 May 2008.
This article discusses the book the World is Flat and it reviews the book praising the author for bringing the problems of outsourcing to the country's attention. I chose this article because I intend to use quotes from it to further support my point.
Source 3: Shister, Neil. "INSIDE WORLD TRADE." World Trade July 2005: 6+. EBSCO. Masterfile Premier. 8 May 2008.
This article informs the US public about outsourcing and why large corporations use it instead of hiring people locally to do the same jobs. I intend to use quotes from this article to show that outsourcing is a real problem and that high school students should be educated about the business world they will later be thrown into.
Source 4: Levine, M B. "The House on Mango Street." The Library Reviews 25 Aug. 2007. EBSCO. Masterfile Premier. 8 May 2008.
This article is a review of The House on Mango Street a coming of Age tale that is currently in our schools cirriculum. I chose this article as one of my sources because it is a review of the book I am going to take out of our school curriculum and I intend to use this review to compare both novels to show the novel I chose is better fit to be a part of our required reading.
Source 5:"The Future of Outsourcing." Business Week 30 Jan. 2006. 8 May 2008
This article talks about the future of outsourcing, the focus of the book I am suggesting in my essay. I believe that it will be a crucial part of my research because I can quote showing the important of knowledge on the subject.
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