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.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Paragraph Evaluation
Sibling rivalry is a major theme in the novel, Montana 1948, between the Hayden brothers’. Sibling rivalry is a normal part of having a sibling and in our novel David’s father Wesley and, his uncle Frank struggle with each others’ presence because each of them tries to be better than the other at something and tries to compete for their father’s love. We find out that uncle Frank is the favorite to their father and is seen as the better son overall because of his war hero status, and being a better looking person. Of course Wesley feels inside that this is unfair and this is exhibited in David’s flashback, of Uncle Frank’s welcome home party where everyone in the county showed up to celebrate his return and him being a war hero. While the celebration goes on Frank is called up by his father in front of the entire crowd and his father speaks very highly of him while Wesley stands by and watches with young David, our narrator. Sadly sibling rivalry can result in sadness for one or more sibling when the other seems favored in their parents’ eyes, this can be very hurtful to the children. In summation, sibling rivalry has positive and negative influences on the children and it affects them psychologically.
Sibling rivalry takes place in all families where there is more than one child, children feel that one or the other could be their parents’ favorite, as seen in our novel this takes place in David’s flashback when he is discussing his uncle’s “welcome back from the army” celebration. But of course this like many other sibling rivalry problems can be solved by “walk(ing) away before someone loses their temper,”(Henry, 2008) and just trying to coexist with your sibling. Sibling rivalry is most prevalent in our novel between David Hayden’s father, Wesley Hayden, and his uncle Frank a doctor. Frank was always his father’s favorite and because of this he was viewed as being perfect. Our narrator David even admits this when he compares Frank to his father and admits that his uncle is nice and charismatic and seemed like a greater man than his father in many ways. Wesley felt that he was not seen as being the perfect son by his father and he over time accepted that; however, same form of sibling rivalry between David’s father and David’s uncle is still prevalent in the our novel. This happens a lot in the world of sibling rivalry, but strangely enough “It’s a normal part of family life.”(Henry, 2008) According to that quote the Hayden brothers’ behavior is completely normal and it occur frequently in families and in people of all ages. Finally, it is a good idea to avoid conflict with your sibling in general and to just try, and get along because after all you do have to live with your sibling.
Check out My friend's blog he did a great job!
Sibling rivalry takes place in all families where there is more than one child, children feel that one or the other could be their parents’ favorite, as seen in our novel this takes place in David’s flashback when he is discussing his uncle’s “welcome back from the army” celebration. But of course this like many other sibling rivalry problems can be solved by “walk(ing) away before someone loses their temper,”(Henry, 2008) and just trying to coexist with your sibling. Sibling rivalry is most prevalent in our novel between David Hayden’s father, Wesley Hayden, and his uncle Frank a doctor. Frank was always his father’s favorite and because of this he was viewed as being perfect. Our narrator David even admits this when he compares Frank to his father and admits that his uncle is nice and charismatic and seemed like a greater man than his father in many ways. Wesley felt that he was not seen as being the perfect son by his father and he over time accepted that; however, same form of sibling rivalry between David’s father and David’s uncle is still prevalent in the our novel. This happens a lot in the world of sibling rivalry, but strangely enough “It’s a normal part of family life.”(Henry, 2008) According to that quote the Hayden brothers’ behavior is completely normal and it occur frequently in families and in people of all ages. Finally, it is a good idea to avoid conflict with your sibling in general and to just try, and get along because after all you do have to live with your sibling.
Check out My friend's blog he did a great job!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Annotated Bibliography
Poch, Cheryl. "Transcript of Larry Watson Interview for 2007 Livingston Reads!" Livingston Reads. 23 Feb. 2007. Pinckney Library. 29 Apr. 2008 .
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Guilt In Macbeth
Throughout Macbeth guilt is a major theme, a lot of people in the book feel guilt and their actins are fueled by it. We see an example of this after Macbeth has his best friend Banquo murdered, the ghost of Banquo shows up to Macbeth’s feast along with King Duncan’s ghost and haunts him as his guilt does. This guilt then makes him do even more irrational things such as have Macduff’s family killed because he notices that Macduff could finally expose him for who he really is. Also guilt overcame Lady Macbeth when we learn she has died and we the readers’ assume that she took her own life. The guilt of knowing she had a part in killing another human being finally over came her and she couldn’t handle that feeling anymore apparently. Guilt is a very powerful theme in this novel and it’s effects can be seen on several different characters.
Guilt is a very prominent theme in Macbeth but it is also seen in real life, this is seen in Rafael Robb's case when he resigned from his post at the University of Pennsylvania after admitting he killed his wife. He murdered her after they had a fight and he recently admitted to it and resigned from his position. Clearly in this case his guilt finally got him and he had to admit he had killed his wife, therefore guilt is a very powerful thing if it makes you admit horrible crimes you have committed. In Macbeth, Macbeth himself has been changed by things he has done in order to get in his position of great power. Deep down inside I’m sure Macbeth still feels very guilty for killing his friend and his king, and it seems now that he feel even more guilt for the death of his wife which now is causing him to lose the desire to live.
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Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Blog Post Numbah 3! Feminism
It’s that time again when we have to post about a topic that our teacher gives so here it goes. This week we examined feminism, specifically feminism in today’s world and in the time period Macbeth is set in. Today’s feminist movement consists of trying to get equal pay for women because in some workplaces women are paid less than men, this does not happen too often but wherever there is some sort of issue there is always a group of people who will support the cause until they get the issue resolved. Another focus feminist groups have today is creating a positive image of a woman that young girls could look up to and aspire to be. In today’s world of hip hop and rap music, women are viewed as possessions more than people and feminist groups are certainly looking to change this. Also another problem is the role models' girls have today are tainted in some ways, such as Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Both are spoiled women who have no direction in life, this is not setting a good example for young women, so many feminist groups protest when they see that some rapper is objectifying a woman, or feminists try to replace the negative role models in today’s society. In my opinion I think feminist groups have every right to protest the objectification of women , because if a woman is viewed as an object in today’s day and age then we haven’t really improved on how we treated women since the 1700’s.
Lady Macbeth is a very strong woman and she uses her marriage to Macbeth to control his actions and she eventually convinces him to kill the king and she eventually corrupts him. Lady Macbeth is and absolute horrible example of a positive role model for women. She lies, she cheats the ones she supposedly loves, she supports ideas of backstabbing and murder, she is the exact opposite of what you want your child to become. Lady Macbeth although very powerful, she obtains her power in an ill-gotten manner and not only that, but she uses her power in a negative way.
Lady Macbeth is a very strong woman and she uses her marriage to Macbeth to control his actions and she eventually convinces him to kill the king and she eventually corrupts him. Lady Macbeth is and absolute horrible example of a positive role model for women. She lies, she cheats the ones she supposedly loves, she supports ideas of backstabbing and murder, she is the exact opposite of what you want your child to become. Lady Macbeth although very powerful, she obtains her power in an ill-gotten manner and not only that, but she uses her power in a negative way.
Socratic Seminar!
Well this week it came that magical time once again for our peers to share their ideas with the class and possibly be strongly criticized by you peers for doing so, fun fun fun… Anyways, we started off our seminar by asking the same question, “ How do you like the book so far?” And of course all the students gladly replied for an easy point or two to start off the seminar. Next my peers were asked what we had all week to prepare for, our talk about feminism and whether women today and in our novel, Macbeth, fit the criteria for being feminists. One student stated that to determine whether a women was a feminist or not some sort of criteria would have to be made to claim someone to be a feminist. The class of course agreed and they determined Lady Macbeth was a feminist in the sense she had control over her husband; however, as a woman in her time period she really had no power and she was not doing anything to better her fellow women. We also took into consideration whether Paris Hilton could be seen as a strong feminist role model, of course just having Paris Hilton and the words ‘role model; in the same sentence is laughable. The class agreed that Paris Hilton, while being exceedingly wealthy, is also somewhat of a moron in the sense that she does very stupid things.
The next portion of the class we discussed whether it was moral for a woman to use sexuality in order to gain power in today’s world. Personally I feel for a woman to gain power through sexuality is wrong morally and if a woman gains power that way the power they gain is sort of tainted. Another student brought up the point that men use brute force to gain what they want; however, I do not know what sort work environment that person was in but the males who tend to use brute force to gain power are commonly arrested because its labeled as assault. Males can only use brute force in a schoolyard setting such as high school, but in the real men cannot simply push people around physically to get what they want, they use the tactics that have been applied for years, hard work, persistence, and maybe lying once in awhile. Those are the techniques that people go about getting their way, but brute force and sexuality are not valid ways to gain power in my opinion.
The next portion of the class we discussed whether it was moral for a woman to use sexuality in order to gain power in today’s world. Personally I feel for a woman to gain power through sexuality is wrong morally and if a woman gains power that way the power they gain is sort of tainted. Another student brought up the point that men use brute force to gain what they want; however, I do not know what sort work environment that person was in but the males who tend to use brute force to gain power are commonly arrested because its labeled as assault. Males can only use brute force in a schoolyard setting such as high school, but in the real men cannot simply push people around physically to get what they want, they use the tactics that have been applied for years, hard work, persistence, and maybe lying once in awhile. Those are the techniques that people go about getting their way, but brute force and sexuality are not valid ways to gain power in my opinion.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Good People Do Bad Things!
Macbeth's current deeds are not ones that have not gone without being repeated by other good people. Macbeth, a good person with a respectable past, had been corrupted with power and his wife convinced him to kill King Duncan in order for him to get closer to the throne and to eventually become king. The CEO from the company Enron has established a similar situation. The CEO of Enron, was a very respectable man who clearly had a good past of abiding the law and they all were very credible men however he tricked the system by moving money around in their company to make it look like there was an increase in their stock; however, the contrary was actually going on the contrary the company wasn't making more money he was just moving money around making it seem like there was profit being made. This man then sold his shares in the company making himself and his accomplices' millions of dollars then the company's stock crashed leaving all of the company's employees unemployed and without any compensation. The CEO of this company clearly was not a bad man before this event, but he was corrupted by the promise of wealth he would receive after leaving millions of employees in financial ruin. Macbeth's situation can certainly be compared to this because he as been corrupted by the promise of power that he would receive by becoming the king. In my opinion Macbeth is really not such a bad person but since he falls to the pressure of his controlling wife and since he is power hungry his personality has been tainted for the time being in this story.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Macbeth Blog Post Number 1
As a frequent viewer of movies and television, and also as a reader, I believe the first few minutes of a book movie or television show should tell the reader or viewer about the characters and the setting and also maybe some past information about the characters that would explain why the characters are the way they are. In the novel Macbeth, Shakespeare, one of the great masters of writing, does just that. In the first two acts we find out a little bit about Macbeth and what is to come for him in the play, we learn he is going to be named ‘Thane of Cawdor’ because the past Thane had been stripped of his title for betraying the king. We also learn of Banquo, Macbeth’s good friend and fellow soldier, and through the witches’ prophetic speech we learn he is to be the father of kings, which comes as quite a shock to Banquo. Shakespeare does a wonderful job of establishing the main characters in the play just as you should do in a novel or movie. Another example of a good introduction in a television show is in the first book of the Harry Potter series. In the first few pages we learn of Harry Potter’s fate being left at privet Drive by an ominous group of wizards, in these first few pages we learn a little bit about Harry, not a lot, but enough to get he the book starter and to draw the readers interest in.
Macbeth has a lot of symbols motifs, and themes, one of these symbols/motifs that I believe will be recurring throughout the novel, is the three witches and their prophecies. I did some research on this motif/symbol, and apparently not only are the three witches important in Macbeth, but apparently they are a symbol for a grim future in German literature. I believe that the Three Witches are going to be a recurring theme because our class has only read two acts and The Witches have made an appearance twice where they foretell Macbeth’s future and talk about themselves. Finally I believe that power is going to be a large recurring theme/motif through out this novel because Macbeth, as told by the witches, will gain a lot of power in a short amount of time and the witches predict he will soon become king and the power he was promised may force him to become a person he is not used to. I will also make a prediction about what will happen in this play, i think he will eventually feel the need to kill the king because it is natural to thirst for more power especially if you are in a position to gain it. Also he will be pushed into killing the king by Lady Macbeth his wife because she seems quite bent on making him king and she seems like she will do anything in her power to get him there.
Macbeth has a lot of symbols motifs, and themes, one of these symbols/motifs that I believe will be recurring throughout the novel, is the three witches and their prophecies. I did some research on this motif/symbol, and apparently not only are the three witches important in Macbeth, but apparently they are a symbol for a grim future in German literature. I believe that the Three Witches are going to be a recurring theme because our class has only read two acts and The Witches have made an appearance twice where they foretell Macbeth’s future and talk about themselves. Finally I believe that power is going to be a large recurring theme/motif through out this novel because Macbeth, as told by the witches, will gain a lot of power in a short amount of time and the witches predict he will soon become king and the power he was promised may force him to become a person he is not used to. I will also make a prediction about what will happen in this play, i think he will eventually feel the need to kill the king because it is natural to thirst for more power especially if you are in a position to gain it. Also he will be pushed into killing the king by Lady Macbeth his wife because she seems quite bent on making him king and she seems like she will do anything in her power to get him there.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
First Post!
Hello, I am posting for my first time because I want to kind of test out this site, but as long as I'm posting I mind as well say something thats moderately interesting. Lately I've been listening to the album Songs for The Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age, and while most of these songs are mildly creepy alot of them have a great sound and rhythm to them and I love the guitar riffs they come up with. If you have the time you should definately check out their other album Lullabies To Paralyze it will blow your mind, it has the same sort of style as Songs for the Deaf only it has a lot more eerie sounding tracks which Queens of The Stone Age is definately known for. My favorite track off of Lullabies to Paralyze is "You Got A Killer Scene There Man..." it is really creative and it has seemingly strong jazz influences. Queens of the Stone Age certainly isn't Led Zepplin but at least they are a few steps up from the garbage you hear on Z100.
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