Youth

I might be a bad influence; but here kids take this gem.
Parents agree or not but unlike you I only the length of this paper to influence them.

Will my peers opinions only matter when we're over 30, and in debt to the economy.

Is it then our parents will acknowledge our autonomy.

Is it because we'd rather send an email than a letter?
Take notes on an iPad than a ledger, and the more my opinions are posted online; they become more like the value of the american dollar. Lesser and lesser.
We text one handed, still hold conversations, while checking our news feed out of the corner of our eye all of this faster than we can write.

So let me welcome you to the coded generation.
The youth of YOLO since we only live once and take advantage of every situation.
So it's smh ttyl  g2g brb c2c and I know parent's are like omg idk
But the kids are reading laughing LMFAO.

We know the saying "Momma knows best."
But at some point she didn't so we need to update that to "Momma wants best."
However the youth could do better as to make Momma not stress.
But we both have different paths that blaze our trail to success.

Ask kids: You know we want what's best for you?
And we will agree naturally, but how do you expect us to listen to message you never addressed to us.
We know you want what's best for us, but some dumb things make you think less of us... like our appearance.

You don't want us to make the same mistakes, but if you ask us most of you still turned out great.
But you better get used to us, because you're looking at you future teachers and leaders.
You mumble Lord Jesus... but as long as you don't destroy this world first we will definitely give it a change.
Which is much needed.

But if you take a sip from the fountain of youth maybe you'd understand we're not all that different.
Let's replace Rihanna with Madonna
Lionel Messi with Diego Maradona
Sean Connery with Daniel Craig
Microsoft with Apple
Obama for Bill Clinton
You'd all have better understanding of my way of thinking.

Education: Students

Students!
How many times have you crammed the night of an exam
Filling your mind with dates, formulas, and quotes just to never use them again?
How many grades have you recieved that you were never asked about during an interview?
How many times have you remembered an answer too late after you'd turn in your exam?
Does the poor timing of your memory make you more or less qualified for a job?
Well on a application form it would have.
We all have different callings, talents, dreams, and genes.
So why is a classroom of individuals tested by the same means?
It comes to a climax when Jason thinks he's dumb because he can't equate sums, but can fix anything around the house.
Or when Susan can't write well, but can sing every song word for word after hearing it once.
And our schools have the audacity to have a policy on equality. Irony!

Don't let society tell you your worth
For this is the society of pastors that preach charity, but own private jets.
Parent's that want "educated kids" but won't/can't help with their child's homework.
Governments that speak peace, but endorse war, calling for people to pursue higher education and further learning. Yet they raise tuition every single year?

Our professors say our exam grades will be imperative for our success, and we believe them.
We were always taught to listen to our teachers, and yet if we take the teacher out of the equation who are we going to listen to?
One should realize we need to learn to think for ourselves instead of follow when misled.

Tests are tests, and finals are not final.
For they never prepare for life's test of survival.
This rant goes to those kids who feel his or her worth from that D or that A on results day.
The ones who found what they were searching for on google, tweeted to popularity on Twitter, pictured success on Instagram, liked there future on Facebook, my world changers and my dream chasers.
This one's for my generation.

So whether it's 74 or 63, 96 or 88 success is more than an option and these tests do not hold our fate!

Education: Parents

Can you hear me?
Is this message overlooked,
Because this message did not come from The Old Book
Nor was this message burning in a bush
It wasn't in a novel
Neither did it come in a floatin' bottle
This message is doesn't stem from millions petitionin'
or from the masses marchin' with their feet blisterin'.
So to get my message out I had to improvise
Put it on the net and watch it digitalize.

"I never had this opportunity when I was younger."
"Without school your mind will hunger."

"You need school to be successful."
"Your life will be a lot less stressful."

"It'll help you get a job."

"Make us proud."

"Education is the key."

All of which our parents say.
At the time we all thought it a help to our resume'
But now we know that our parents didn't realize this was a lie.
Since they don't know better themselves.

Even though our parents stopped helping us with homework in 6th grade.
Never used or applied the pythagorean theorem, pathetic fallacy, or the preamble to the constitution.

Parents will rely on standardized testing to value their child's intelligence
who may actually have the sharpest mind in the school.
They will listen to a boring teacher who encourages those test and believe their child
is hyper active, misguided, and unfocused.

The error in the way is that society grades the students' worth
but this is the same society that says abortion is wrong, but looks down on teenage parents.
Need I say more?

Eisenheim the Illusionist: What’s Real and Illusion?

            The concept of what is "real" and what is not has plagued and delighted man transcendently from past, and will continue to do so after the present.  In this "high-tech" day-and-age, we have conformed to believe that what we call technology is in fact "real"; that the flickering images on our televisions are caused by definable means, that the processes completed by computers have more to due with science than with the enchanted. An indication of the flirtation with conflicting forces brings the words of a theater manager in “Eisenheim the Illusionist”:

            “Life and death. Space and time. Fate and chance. Theses are the forces of the universe. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a man who has unlocked these mysteries. From the furthest corners of the world where the dark arts still hold sway he returns to us to demonstrate how nature's laws may be bent. I give you Eisenheim!”

Our highly specialized minds have taken away from us the spark of imagination and the wonder we once each possessed as a child.  In Steven Millhauser's short story "Eisenheim the Illusionist" part of his collection The Barnum Museum, the childlike quality has returned.  As Eisenheim's character is revealed to the reader, the line between reality and fantasy entwine more and more until that line no longer exists.

            Steven Millhausers short story, “Eisenheim the Illusionist” also known as “The Illusionist” has an almost academic tone to it, as its narrator refers to old eyewitness accounts of Eisenheim and his performances (from critics, audience members, neighbors, et al.). The narrator’s acknowledgment of his uncertainty lets us trust him more: aren’t we more inclined to believe a person who appears to present us with the facts, rather than a clod declaiming his own interpretations as fact? But Millhauser’s direct language also lends credence to the most farfetched ideas:

            “Some said that Eisenheim had created an illusory Eisenheim from the first day of the new century; others said that the Master had gradually grown illusory from trafficking with illusions.”

            Eduard Abramowitz, Eisenheim's given name, is born halfway through the nineteenth century to a talented cabinetmaker.  Well on the way to becoming a craftsman himself, fate intervenes in the form of a traveling magician, mystifying young Eduard and subsequently awaking Eisenheim into existence.  The boy begins to drift more toward magic and illusion, practicing new talents and exercising old ones.  He combines his talent for crafting with his desire for magic to create devices for illusions; such as "A small beechwood box, with its secret panel, was able to withstand the most minute examination"(216).  In his early twenties, Eisenheim appears in more and more private appearances until one day, "As if suddenly, Eisenheim appeared at a theater in Vienna"(217).  This marks the beginning of the transformation of Eisenheim.  Until now, Eisenheim had been a cabinetmaker performing tricks on the side.  He now is to be a full-time magician.

            Once in Vienna, Eisenheim begins focusing solely on his art.  As with any profession, he has to pay his dues.  In this case, he begins to imitate variations of already prominent acts, except Eisenheim always has to do something bigger.  "It was clear that the restless young magician would not be content with producing clever variations of familiar tricks" (219).  Eisenheim, now including original illusions in his act, emerges at the forefront of magic.  His act begins to take on dark characteristics.  The illusions he produces himself include "The Tower of Babel," "The Satanic Crystal Ball," and "The Book of Demons" (221).  In one original trick, "The Pied Piper of Hamelin," where Eisenheim leads children from the audience to a cavern, only to have them reappear in a black chest, "a frightened child told his mother that he had been in hell and seen the devil"(221-222).  This begins the second change in Eisenheim.  He has now become a powerful magician of whom it has been said, "that Eisenheim was not a showman at all, but a wizard who had sold his soul to the devil in return for unholy powers" (220).  At this point the reader is challenged whether to think that Eisenheim is merely a talented and convincing illusionist or if he had in fact allowed the "supernatural" into the story. 

            The next change occurring to Eisenheim comes at the appearance of a worthy rival.  Ernst Passauer is the name given to the magician who threatens Eisenheim's stranglehold on the elite magic world.  Both men thrive beyond normal expectations of the day.  "It was as if the two of them had outsoared the confines of the magician's art and existed in some new realm of dexterous wonder, of sinister beauty" (223).  With each man performing at the same venue, the inevitable rivalry comes to a boiling point during what would become Passauer's final performance.  That night, after a performance of "frightening brilliance," Passauer begins to make the contents of the stage disappear.  Once everything has vanished, "he burst out into a demonic laugh, and reaching up to his face he tore off a rubber mask and revealed himself to be Eisenheim" (225).  Now the story has shifted.  What is the reader to believe as "reality"?  The tone of the story has shifted none, and yet the reader who believably is reading an account of a magician is thrown a fantastical situation.  The realm of magic that Eisenheim lives in has seeped into the context of the story, blurring what's "real" and what's not in the mind of the reader.

            The twist that the story takes on next is nothing less than inexplicable.  After a yearlong sabbatical, Eisenheim returns again to performing for people.  His new illusion, however, nobody is prepared for.  Eisenheim sits alone on a stage blemished only by a wooden chair and a small glass table.  The illusionist takes his seat, "leaning forward slightly and appearing to concentrate with terrific force" (227).  After a time, the space in front of him begins to blur, until he has, presumably, created a small black box.  The box, upon inspection by an audience member, does not have any physical properties, other than it can be seen.  Eisenheim then proceeds to create a ball and a wand, each with the same unlikely characteristics as the box.  Eisenheim's following performances continue to defy explanation as he conjures into existence images, his most popular being Elis and Rosa who, of course, become friends (233).  At this point, Eisenheim's shows consist of him in deep concentration while these masses appear and interact with the audience.  As the story states that these images can find no explanation, "reality" has become one with illusion.  If the reader is to take this story in as an account of a renowned magician, then he/she has to believe the progression of Eisenheim from master illusionist to manipulator of reality.

            The final act and transformation of Eisenheim proves to be the most enigmatic.   While the plot of the story thickens, Eisenheim comes into conflict with the watchful eye of Viennese Chief of Police, Walther Uhl.  "The official reason given for the arrest of the Master [Eisenheim], and the seizure of his theater, was the disturbance of public order" (234).  The night of the organized arrest comes and twelve uniformed policemen where in attendance of the show.  Eisenheim begins his show as he would any other night, but when he invokes Rosa into existence, the police make their move.  The policemen make their way to the stage where they pause (out of respect, or fear?).  When Eisenheim neglects to get up, Police Chief Uhl goes to grab him by the shoulder.  "That was when it happened: his hand fell through Eisenheim's shoulder" (235).  Eisenheim then turns to the audience, bows and begins "his unthinkable final act: bending the black flame of his gaze inward . . . Wavering, slowly fading, he stood dark and unmoving there" (236).  Eventually, Eisenheim is no more. 

            Little is known of the magician Eisenheim’s origins, other than that he is the product of the late Austro-Hungarian Empire and its appetite for stage magic. As with every character-related story, the character goes through a change, development or transformation.  In the case of "Eisenheim the Illusionist," he simply grows dark and ceases to be.  Who began as a cabinetmaker's son transformed into a magician, who transformed into an awe-inspiring manipulator of minds, who vanished his atoms from existence.  As Eisenheim grew into his magic, he needed constant competition.  When he outgrew his competition, he created his own.  When he outgrew himself as a magician, he was no more.  In this amazing story, Millhauser creates a character that transcends his own mind and being. Is the illusion in the disappearance of Eisenheim, or in the creating of Eisenheim?

References

Ingersoll, Earl G. "Film Magic: Neil Burger's Film The Illusionist And Steven Millhauser's Short Story "Eisenheim The Illusionist." Latch: A Journal For The Study Of The Literary Artifacts In Theory, Culture Or History 4.(2011): 89-109. Humanities International Complete. Web. 1 July 2013.

Millhauser, Steven. Eisenheim the Illusionist. New York City: Poseidon Press, 1990. Print.

Silver Reflect

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the prettiest of them all?

Look at my hair as it flows too the floor

For whose eyes sparkle more?

Whose skin is smooth as silk?

The lines above have given me a bad name for I do more than that.

I come in many forms but I do the same in all.

You look at me and see yourself, walk away and look again.

It’s almost like your looking at more than just what you’re wearing.

You are searching for answers  but find none

For I am the reflector on the wall.

You take your daily stroll and see me filled with leaves for it is Fall

Yet through all the distractions you still look into me and see yourself

You bend over me and hope I can show you other than the fishes.

As you reward me with your tears, that fill me up more than the heaviest downpour

It pains me to see you leaking

Disappointed you turn your back to me and walk away.

However I continue faithfully and reflect that as well.

You come and goe

For I am the reflector made of water.

I am silver and refined, I am wet and natural.

I am brutal but I will not lie

What you see is how it is.

I am addicting for those conceited and those looking for more.

I show you what others will not tell you.

I am your most infamous friend and greatest fiend

Look at me, shatter me, Either way I will always refect

What is true?

So What Am I To You?

Cycles

Narrator:

“As the sun beams down

So does the moon elsewhere

Being different places simultaneously

Yet they both see what’s similar.

As they trade places

A quick conversation takes place.”

Moon:

“I pierced down on a diseased world

A world that there is no cure for.

Perhaps you too see as I see.

Those who believe they are sheltered by the night

And prey on the weak.

Little do they know the weakest of my rays

Illuminate their action.

If only one with colossal power could prevent this inevitability.

This cycle is wrong

For death know longer terrifies men.

For they take and give it as they were Gods.

The smell of death is as common as roses.

The procession of funerals is more common than weddings.

So much so that the line of savagery and sensibility

Has blurred together by the colors of Hate.

Few guided by reason, some by logic, most by emotion

Those numbers equate to destruction.

Salvation still burns however for every day you (Sun) arise

Another chance does also.

Let there be salvation on your end.”

Sun

“Agreed.”

The Princess and the Frog: Multicultural Misrepresentation (abstract)

Micah Moyer

The Princess and The Frog: Multicultural Misrepresentation

            With Disney taking a step into the right direction and blurring the lines between the traditional princess and what represents all of society; that we are not a blonde haired blue eyed Aryan race society. We step into This film with the hope that finally the African American race can take pride in an epic journey of love and overcoming odds. Central to these negotiations are Tiana's racial identity and her passing as a frog, as well as the film's attempt to pass as an African American princess narrative. In order to further argue this point; a process of detailing the film's racial contexts, address its reception by critics, as well as how Disney, in its extraordinary sensitivity to racial issues and its desire to fulfill so many competing agendas, has absurdly created an animated feature which generally neglects race.

        The movie over all was quite charming with the attempted undercurrent of New Orleans Jazz and “culture.” Nevertheless we do not get the epic adventure that we expect from most of our protagonists that we’ve been trained by Disney to believe in. Mulan saved Japan, Pocahontas stopped a war, Snow White saved dwarfs, Simba restored the Pride Lands…and Tiana got to turn into a frog for the entire movie and eventually open a restaurant? Most characters have a distinct goal that saves their “kingdom.” Tiana had a dream and a mean old man that wanted to crash on her parade and was feeding everyone really what her “Kingdom” needed? All of the “Classic” are rooted in some folk tale, or historical incident.

In brevity, the story comprises Tiana and her friend Charlotte la Bouff grow up together in New Orleans dreaming of fairy tales and happy endings. Though their lives intersect through the skilled service work that Tiana’s mother does for the la Bouff family, & the resulting friendship between the girls, they live two very different lives.When they reach young adulthood, Tiana wants to fulfill her dream of owning a restaurant that will not only showcase her cooking but also the music of New Orleans and “bring the community together from all walks of life.” Charlotte wants to be a Princess. And as their two dreams intersect, both girls find themselves coming face to face with a Prince. Tiana’s journey transforms her into a frog, where she and her frog prince endure the trials of both swamp and Vodoun to find what their true hearts desires are and how to be better people.

Tiana lives in a seemingly lower middle class neighborhood with her doting father and mother. Her father, a world war I veteran work multiple jobs in order to save for a restaurant and teaches Tiana how to cook. He dies before he is able to afford the restaurant, but not before he passes the dream on to his daughter. Both he and Tiana’s mother also teach her the value of hard work and kindness. Charlotte La Bouff on the other hand, is born rich and spoiled near rotten by her father, “Big Daddy”. She has an endless supply of princess dresses for dress up, made by Tiana’s mother, and gets everything she asks for: puppies, kitties, parties, etc.  As both a child and a young adult, Charlotte is a ridiculous caricature of former Disney Princesses, cherub cheeked, swathed in pink, vacuous and prince obsessed. While she is clearly a parody of the old princess myth that is Disney’s bread and butter, she is also a troubling racial character. In many ways it seems as though the writers of The Princess and the Frog are being less satirical with Charlotte’s dewy pink skin and bright blonde hair wrapped around a package of cluelessness, ignorance, and “some day my prince will come,” and are more likely unable to imagine how to lift up Tiana as the alternative, or a more authentic, Princess figure without making her white counterpart a joke. Moreover, about our heroine’s role as a southern belle’s maid. Yes, it’s cannon for fairy tale protagonists to begin their stories having low status, but a black heroine who is a domestic could be legitimately read not as a fairy tale trope but a reinforcement of real world racial denigration. Some may claim that it would be historically accurate for a 1920’s black woman to be a maid, but Disney doesn’t even care about historical accuracy when animating actual history (for example, Pocahontas.)

All princesses are of noble lineage or perform noble acts that are accentuated by unsatisfactory situations. Cinderella, Snow White, Pocahontas, Ariel and Princess Aurora were Born of Nobel lineage, Mulan is historically based on a Chinese Folk legend that include ambiguous lines of superior lineage…but Tiana did not get her back-story explained like past Princesses. And why does Tiana’s Prince have to lose all of his money?  It’s known that we are in a time where equality is respectable and desired, but do they, Tiana and the Prince, have to be “equally poor?” As stated these Disney Princesses are mostly of noble birth, except for Tiana and Belle. Belle’s only difference is that her character does not play into any common stereotypes of her era. Would Belle’s father actually be an inventor for his day job? Would Belle honestly be able to read; yet alone, spend her days reading?  And it seemed Disney tried to justify this new classic movie as, “It’s not where you come from and not what you have that makes someone respectable.” But why did Disney change? That seems like a lot to tackle in a children’s movie with all the other plot twists. To the dismay of Disney executives — along with the African-American bloggers and others who side with the company — the film is also attracting chatter of an ugly nature.

 Is “The Princess and the Frog,” set in New Orleans in the 1920s, about to vaporize stereotypes or promote them? African-American culture, faulted the prince’s relatively light skin color. Prince Naveen hails from the fictional land of Maldonia and is voiced by a Brazilian actor; Disney says that he is not white. In a subtle form it’s as though Disney believes that a black man is not worthy of the title of prince. Some might argue that portraying interracial marriage in film is good - but why then weren't any of the white princesses given non-white princes to save them from white villains? And since Disney doesn't give white princesses non-white princes, isn't this interracial relationship at the expense of black boys who deserve a hero just as much as black girls deserve a heroine, “Disney should be ashamed,” William Blackburn, a former columnist at The Charlotte Observer, told London’s Daily Telegraph. “This princess story is set in New Orleans, the setting of one of the most devastating tragedies to beset a black community.” And wait: We finally get a black princess and she spends the majority of her time on screen as a frog? “Because of Disney’s history of stereotyping,” said Michael D. Baran, a cognitive psychologist and anthropologist who teaches at Harvard and specializes in how children learn about race, “people are really excited to see how Disney will handle her language, her culture, her physical attributes. Young girls can dream of a Prince with “nice” things and being swept off their feet. Why stop that dream now? The problem that seems to be evident is that Disney neglects the values of African American history, and the closest story we have to mimicking the formula for the ideal princess and prince story is Lion King. Is it indeed too much to ask for the traditional Disney storyline comprising black characters?

In congruence with concerns, is the way voodoo religion is treated in the film. The prince is turned into a frog by a bad voodoo “magician,” the black villain, and when Tiana’s attempt to save him by kissing him turns her into a frog as well, the two of them must seek the aid of a benevolent voodoo priestess. Most of what people know about voodoo comes from inaccurate information both in fictional entities such as books and films and in ill-informed news stories. The foundation of voodoo is not charms but monotheistic faith, belief in saints and spirits, and a focus on moral values such as charity and respect for the elderly. People do perform rites for protection and defense, but suffice it to say that voodoo is not about being a magician or a fairy godmother. Yet the rites performed in voodoo, when not exaggerated past any impression of accuracy or entirely fictionalized, are typically considered superstitious magic by non-practitioners while rites in Christianity  such as the belief that you can lay hands on people and cast devils out of them or anoint people with oil and heal them are not.

            On the other hand, Disney often gets criticized no matter how carefully it strives to put together its television shows, theme-park attractions and movies. For years, some parents for not having a black princess have lambasted Disney. Now, some of those same voices are taking aim at the company without seeing the finished product. Peter Del Vecho, a producer of the film, said the idea for a black princess came about organically. The producers wanted to create a fairy tale set in the United States and centered on New Orleans, with its colorful past and deep musical history. Something to take note of is how the debate surrounding “The Princess and the Frog” illustrates how difficult it truly is to deal with race in animation, experts say. Cartoons by their nature trade in caricatures. Mainstream producers have largely avoided characters of color for fear of offending minority groups, although black producers have been creating cartoons featuring stereotyped characters since the days of “Fat Albert. It is important to remember that Disney’s aim is not to serve any community but rather its own bottom line. Creating The Princess and the Frog is not a handout to black people any more than all the films starring white princesses were special gifts to white people. We didn’t beg Disney for a movie with a black princess nor is there any onus on us to be content with the movie or any aspect of American society out of gratitude or to remain silent in the face of issues we see as needing improvement because someone decided to throw us a bone. Floyd Norman, an African-American and a former Disney animator, said in an interview. “Are we being racist ourselves by saying this movie shouldn’t have a white prince?” Perhaps the final word should come from somebody who is. “Overly sensitive people see racial or ethnic slights in every image,” wrote Floyd Norman, whose credits span from “Sleeping Beauty” to “Mulan,” in a 2007 essay on the Web site Jim Hill Media. “And in their zeal to sanitize and pasteurize everything, they’ve taken all the fun out of cartoon making.”

            Disney did make changes to their original format for “The Frog Princess” and that alone validates the concern about what effects racial stereotypes can have on viewers young and old alike. Media influence on cultural identities, misrepresentation of ethnicities, and the ridiculous assumption that issues on race and discrimination are non-existent today: all of these factors are prevalent in mainstream media. There is an oversaturation of mainstream imagery and ideology being broadcast on a global scale. This ignorance has been present in America for so long that major media outlets making decisions and spreading misconceptions have actually disillusioned themselves.

Works Cited

Barker, Jennifer. "Hollywood, Black Animation, And The Problem Of Representation In Little Ol' Bosko And The Princess And The Frog." Journal Of African American Studies 14.4 (2010): 482-498. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Gehlawat, Ajay. "The Strange Case Of The Princess And The Frog: Passing And The Elision Of Race." Journal Of African American Studies 14.4 (2010): 417-431. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Gregory, Sarita. "Disney's Second Line: New Orleans, Racial Masquerade, And The Reproduction Of Whiteness In The Princess And The Frog." Journal Of African American Studies 14.4 (2010): 432-449. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Lester, Neal A. "Disney's The Princess And The Frog: The Pride, The Pressure, And The Politics Of Being A First." Journal Of American Culture 33.4 (2010): 294-308. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Parasecoli, Fabio. "A Taste Of Louisiana: Mainstreaming Blackness Through Food In The Princess And The Frog." Journal Of African American Studies 14.4 (2010): 450-468. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Power to the Writer

The Teaching of Writing: In High School

            The power of writing is not to be underestimated. Discovering the authority and pleasure of your written voice can become one of the most utilized assets in ones repertoire. There is a certain freedom that students should feel when they are writing, and as a future educator I feel that it’s my need to influence my students that their voices are worth being heard off paper and on it as well. Writing invokes a critical facet within the confines of the writer’s mind, which in turn can be inspiring and brilliant. Teaching students writing has its prescriptive and descriptive manner; and that prescriptive manner is the portion of writing that will grant you the moans and groans of your students. For most cases the two are separated into warring factions, when in an ideal world the two should be harmoniously established together. As the articles at hand display a treaty between the two pedagogies, they also stress that teachers must tap into the creativity of students and encourage them to think critically about topics with focused writing activities especially with the demands with that of secondary education. The voice writing gives students cannot be ignored and should thus be encouraged.

            The first article interacted written by Karl Hagan poses the two interests with both the descriptive and descriptive forms of language at utilizing them in writing. Hagan points out that there is a place for both description and prescription in language study. For example, when adults learn a foreign language, they typically want someone to tell them how to speak, in other words to prescribe a particular set of rules to follow, and expect a teacher or book to set forth those rules (Hagan, 4). But how do teachers know what rules to prescribe? At some point in time, someone had to describe the language and infer those rules. Hagan argues within the article “Prescriptive vs. Descriptive” that at some point in time someone had to describe the language and infer those rules. So prescription in other words can only occur after the language has been described. In the real world, prescriptivists accuse descriptivists of being anarchists who want to do away with all rules of language. While descriptivists accuse prescriptivists of uninformed biases (Hagan, 5).  With each side attempting to validate their positions, Grammar textbooks used in K-12 education often neglect the findings of linguistics and instead copy outdated, factually incorrect material from older textbooks. The hostility between prescriptivism and descriptivism originates in a difference in focus: scientific study versus teaching. But that difference hardly explains why the two groups are so hostile (Hagan, 7). This quarrel does not occur in other disciplines. One reason may be the emotional investment we all have in language: Perhaps, even more so in our writing. Since it is the physical evidence of our language. Hence, the reason people are so much more offended about written critiques over what is vocalized. The power of writing is not to be underestimated. Hagan has raised valid intricacies within language that can easily be applied to writing. Which involves deep questions of who we are and how we envision our relationship with society at large. For that reason, pronouncements about language can provoke strong reactions (Hagan, 9). When someone tells us that the way we use or understand language is inadequate, it's only natural to bristle. A challenge to our language can be synonymous to a challenge to our inner selves. So when disagreements arise over how we use language and writing, the emotional stakes are higher.

            In the article “The Power of Voice” Susan Lee Anderson drives the sentiment that voice is the key to helping our students develop into writers. We must give them opportunities to hear their own written voices and the written voices of their peers, their teachers, and the best authors. Students who write with confidence will be more open to strategies that allow them to express their written voice. Students must be comfortable taking risks with language, genre, and topic choice because they know that everyone else in the class is ready to be amazed at their linguistic creativity, and any kind of writing. Not just imaginative writing, but writing that involves linguistic creativity, and the exercise of verbal intelligence (Anderson, 151).

                  What strategies can teachers use to help students write boldly? Utilizing quick writes to teach students to launch their voices and outrun the inner censor. Using literature persuades students develop the habit of producing language on the page without much forethought or stress. Free writing and quick writing help students develop the habit of writing without hesitation. Once students allow themselves to enter a flow of language, they begin thinking in a concentrated way that only systematic use of language makes possible (Anderson, 151). According to Anderson irresistible voices all deliver interesting information. They often employ techniques of narrative, exhibit perceptivity, and offer surprising information and observations. Quite often, they demonstrate a sense of humor. As readers, we crave information. We read to find out how a character changes, how a plot turns out, how historical events have shaped our present, how people live in other parts of the world. Show students how to gather information about their writing topics (Anderson, 151). Make sure that you and your students read novels and stories not just as readers but also as writers (Anderson, 151). It seems that every technique of strong narrative writing illustrated in literature encloses interesting characterizations, vivid scenes, realistic dialogue, and precise descriptions. Spend time with your students talking about how writers write. Anderson iterates students should talk about the surprises they experience on the playground, in the busy hallways between classes, and in their study of science and history and math. Point out how writers spring surprises on readers. Encourage students to craft their writing so that readers encounter surprises, just as the writer did. As educators the student must understand that a sense of humor can be one of the most effective strategies to lie on the table. Discuss with students the jokes; puns, and kidding that are a natural part of our interactions with others. Some students might choose to start experimenting with humor in their written voices (Anderson, 151).

                  Times have changed, and the role of teachers in the classroom has too. No longer can teachers be effective without incorporating technology into their lessons. For some, the thought of using computers, WebQuests, or Promethean Boards is a daunting proposition. There’s irony in many of today's curricular standards and teaching practices, which shy away from those technologies and literacies, opting for a push toward more traditional approaches at a time when our digitally native students are immersed in and engaging with "multiple sign systems (image, print, sound, gesture, digital) and finding their own reasons for becoming literate" (Wolsey, 236). If you are looking for a way to introduce your students to multimedia projects, try using Power Point. It is a very easy program to teach and learn. Students can practice copying and pasting pictures and text from the Internet, and experiment with colors and text effects. Once they have completed their project, students can present their finished work by showing their work slide-by-slide or having the PowerPoint presentation run like a movie. I have used Power Points to have students complete debates, book reports and multi-step projects. Before students begin work on these projects, I create a rubric that requires a specific number of slides, pictures, music etc . . . so that students know what I am expecting. I also evaluate how well the student used the available special effects. 

                  There is a new program called "Lit Trips" that is great for practically any content area. Fellow teachers create the specific topic. Each trip contains numerous activities, discussion questions, pictures and even music.  My “trip” was with "The Kite Runner."  Using Google Earth, the trip mapped out the entire book chapter-by-chapter.  Within the trip, students were able to listen to music, take 3-D tours of historical buildings, and see up to date pictures of the cities.  The “Lit Trip” is a fun and interactive way for students to learn about the text and go beyond classroom discussion. Depending on the age of your students, you may be able to let them explore the trip on their own. Otherwise, you could create a specific list of questions they have to answer, or places they have to visit. Another easy way to prepare your students for using technology is to start a blog. Blogs are an interactive way for students to communicate their ideas. The blog can be used for regular classroom assignments. After students have read a piece of literature or completed an assignment, they can comment on the classroom blog. This was a particular success with students who were afraid to share ideas in class. Using the blog, these students could communicate in a more comfortable environment. Once a week we would review the comments and questions in class. An additional benefit to using the blog format is that the same one can be used for several classes so that students can share ideas with students who aren't in their class.

                  In conclusion becoming a good writer doesn’t happen overnight, but if you take the time to build a foundation, your students will become proficient in the essential writing skills they will need to succeed in college and beyond. Once we get students producing written words with confidence, we can show them the effectiveness of writing with detail and sensory images, varying sentence length, and using active verbs. We must remember that language is "living".  That means it keeps changing because of the way it is spoken.  Rules are set down, but then speakers of a language use their own phrases, they invent new phrases etc.  No one can stop these changes from happening nor should they.  Thusly, the teaching of writing must be utilized for the well being of the students.  

                   

Works Cited

Anderson, Susan Lee. "The Power of Voice." ProQuest LLC (2009). ERIC. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.

Hagan , Karl . "Navigating English Grammar." Navigating English Grammar. (2008): 4-11. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.polysyllabic.com. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.

Roybal, Richard A. "Creating Critical Thinking Writers In Middle School: A Look At The Jane Schaffer Model." Online Submission (2012): ERIC. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Wolsey, Thomas DeVere, and Dana L. Grisham. Transforming Writing Instruction In The Digital Age: Techniques For Grades 5-12. Teaching Practices That Work Series. n.p.: Guilford Publications, 2012. ERIC. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

She

She may look like she has thick skin

But beneath it all she's made of glass

An icy stare with the warmest heart

A vault of secrets searching for someone with the key

She seems so strong, but she goes to sleep crying

She seems like nothing is wrong, but maybe she's lying.

Cognomen

And in our own way we long for
a nickname, a monicker, a label.

And through life we get them
of origins from what we wish to forget
and others we wish to relive.

The inevitable truth is
Good or bad;
Slowly these titles
Are what we become.

You are what you allow people to call you.

Dream For More

Dream For More

Lets look at the facts. Bill Cosby shined shoes. Beyonce swept up hair. Andrew Johnson was a tailor. Michael Dell washed dishes. Orlando bloom was a pigeon trapper. Hugh Jackman was a clown, but look who’s laughing now.

We all have those jobs that make us want to be more. Put your hand up if you work a 9 to 5, Or any position that takes up all your time. See there’s nothing wrong with making an honest living. Here’s the thing; let’s be honest are you honestly living? That’s the thing about jobs, yes, that’s a J-O-B. Meaning Just Over Broke every single month. Living life just for the weekend. Most in a career do it cause it’s satisfactory, but for a job you do it for the salary. Those in that latter category are stuck in a rat race, which leads you in a cycle of disconnection. If you’re among the “lucky” few to win the rat race, again the jokes on you, because you’re still just a rat.

There’s nothing wrong with having a job temporarily, but pursue a career eventually. The holidays past, and the question now is, are you happy with an extra week off, and a raise in salary?  Let’s look at the facts. The industrial revolution was beneficial to technology, which was used by people and their families, for just a ridiculous salary. This shaped peoples’ mentalities, which felt composed for centuries working for someone else exponentially.

We all wish we had an uncle named Steve, and that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. But really we all wanted the creativity to make one of Steve’s jobs. I understand more than anyone the importance of paying the bills and making a surviving. Which is where the problem lies, surviving is not living. I hope you’re aware of the difference. It’s like when you hear but don’t listen. Heed advice with action, the way knowledge with application is wisdom. Make a mark on that distinction. I once heard that, “ to grow trees pray for rain, but don’t neglect to water your seeds.”

These jobs are our safe nets, the condom the system uses, but none of our jobs would be here if every system practiced safe sex. Confucius once said,” choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

Young Heroic

Young Heroic

            On my 6^th birthday I received the greatest present that would shape my creed for the rest of my life. From that day on I never wanted to go into the quiet night without having saved at least one person in my life. This is my complex of being a Hero.

It was a proud day Mom stitched the cape

Never would have know it from windows’ drape

In a land of smoke, and fire, burning rubble

Stands a young man¾ a dreaming marvel.

Above he boasts an Afro and just below all bulging muscle

Death defying, cloud flying to the trouble.

No harm will beat me to your yell

I will come to all you damsels.

Why am I the only one who sees the need

A demand for capes there for you I will be.

Who would have thought so many would be crying out

The world is filled with ill, never so close to dying out.

Where are all those heroes?

Where are all those super heroes?

I swore that I’d protect wherever I landed

But it’s getting hard to separate the saints from the satanic  

Conspired in their own non-survival

Inside all of us is our biggest rival.

We all truly are the hero and the villain

You all stand froze, hearing a truth so chilling

Half of me will look out in disgust; the other will fly up out the ceiling

The villain just kicked over the building.

But before it hit the ground the hero flew around

And put it on his shoulders; the villain yelled

Every asteroid you smash, and bomb flown to space

You’re not saving us from danger; you’re keeping danger safe.

America: Home of the...

Home of the….

You can see it without your spectacles

of the people by the people and for the people

War and death granted at 18

A way to forget it at 21.

We feed foreign nations while some starve on our streets

America Home of the…

Children with such bright futures

Educated in history by the call of duty

The last frontier by Halo

Urban issues by Grand theft auto

And we wonder why there’s violence.

America Home of the…

Ingenuity and invention

Sad to say we’re also a place of babies with a cocaine addiction

Where democrats and republicans agree on nothing

And even if they did they don’t deserve applause

Because they tend to mend with bandages not cure the cause.

America Home of the…

System where things are always moving backwards

Where real educators make less than mediocre actors

An increasing percent of kids are growing up as bastards

Yet here I am glad to be in

America Home of the…

Society we can be whatever we want

It’ll take more than writing to change our communities

And if you so choose we all have the opportunity.

America Home of the Capable.

A Little Rant on Human Potential

Human Potential: Mind the Gap

Something that has been plaguing my mind for a few weeks is the limits to human potential. Be it potential of the mind, body, spirit, or soul. However you want to put it my question is, as humans, are there boundaries to what we are capable of? Now don’t get me wrong I know for a fact if someone believed they could do something, and were automatically able to do so. Our world would be in utter peril. So I mean this is a reasonable sense.

I am an athlete, and I have been my entire life. Of course I can honestly say I’m much faster and stronger now than I was years ago, because I am still growing. However body wise I know I will reach a point where my peak will suddenly begin its downward slope. The only limit I can think of to a body is really age. It’s definitely a double edged sword if you ask me. Nonetheless, here I am trying to figure out if there is a way around it. No I’m not talking about eternal life I’m not that delusional, however is there a way to push your limits. For an athlete knowing your limits is something you test day after day. However we call ourselves the supreme beings of our planet, yet we act no different than animals. We eat, sleep, fight, and mate, just as animals do. There is no possibility to overcome thirst, hunger and sexual urge in the world. Human beings are advanced and higher than other living beings. Yet there is no difference between animals and human beings as far as perpetuation of species by the method of mating are concerned.

The mind has yet to be truly unlocked by mankind. I believe there is more to it than brain waves, and signals. What about survival instinct, memories, déjà vu, and other unexplainable factors? Our mind is where most of our potential is stored, perhaps  this is because we know the least about it. In spite of our natural drawbacks, handicaps and limitations, man tries to overcome them by creativity and the inventive power of his mind. If we cannot do something, we devise strategies in order to make up for what we lack. It is well known that after crossing forty years and becoming blind John Milton composed the Classical Epic, Paradise Lost and then Paradise Regained that had made him immortal. Also, naturally deaf Beethoven composed classical music that brought him the title, genius. Very recently, physically crippled Stephen Hawkins, who is noted for his view of Space Science, especially the theory of Black Holes in Space and has become famous for his book, A Brief History of Time, is considered only next to Albert Einstein today. Likewise man has done so many things despite his drawbacks in the world. He has invented diving suite and submarines to discover the secrets of the ocean beds. He has invented airplanes and rockets to fly in the sky and also in the Space to discover the secrets of Nature. Materialistically man has almost mastered human body and mind but has to go a long way to know about soul or spirit.

Now we move onto the spirit and emotions of human beings. Perhaps this is what makes us different than animals. This is where we teach our bodies to push passed their limits. For when we are in danger, experience fear, or just have that type of emotional power to push our bodies to a new level is due to our resilient spirits that dwells within all of us. This is that which all original ideas that comes from, have you ever had an inspired dream or an original idea?, it’s the simple things such as, desire, hope, belief or curiosity, the things that keeps you going they fuel your life.  Just like the seeds. In here lies our inner talent, gifts, interests, dreams, goals, life purpose and all that is the fundamental of life forces. It allows us to make amends in the heat of the moment, when all seems lost, we hold on to what will drive away the opposition be it ourselves, or something else. The human spirit is the ability to recognize a mistake that we made. To look forward and to wait for the proper time to repair it. No matter if you should loose your life to find redemption.

Man kind has much to learn when it comes to ourselves, and our potential and limitations. We are still a young race, and yet we have already begin to tap into the forbidden knowledge that has hindered us from progress. Our minds, bodies, and spirits are tools for us to use for the good of mankind. I say this in hopes that we may come to use our gifts for something honorable and commendable. The fact that mankind has potential can be seen as good and bad. Good that we will always continue to grow as a species, but bad that as we have potential it is up to us to reach it and pursue our destiny within the universe.

Doesn't Everyone Like Edgar Allen Poe?

Edgar Allan Poe:  The Mastermind Behind Insanity

            Known as a troubled orphan with a troubled childhood, who in time would become America’s first great lyric poet by the name of Edgar Allan Poe. He was the inventor of the modern detective story, a trailblazer of science fiction, and a genius when it came to gothic narratives. Over the course of just forty years Edgar Allan Poe became the first internationally acclaimed American writer. His works invoke a power of the mind, provoking a sense of imbalance towards a plethora of Poe’s protagonists’ mental state. This leads to the idea that Poe too was in fact teetering on the brink of insanity. Edgar Allan Poe confirms this idea when he states,” I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.” Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. The brilliantly dark mind that has led to graphic descriptions, and morbid wording that enlighten Poe’s ability to twist insanity with readers’ uncanny fascination with the imagination.

            It’s no secret that Edgar Allan Poe was tormented by a number of skeletons in his closet. As a result the key component to these horror stories is usually the characters' insanity. The insanity that inflicts the main characters in these stories drives them to commit the acts that they do. For example in “Fall of the House of Usher,” “Tell Tale Heart,” “The Black Cat,” “The Raven,” are all prime examples that under extreme anxiety the human psyche is very susceptible to insanity. Matters haunted all the protagonists from these stories from their environment, which inevitably led to irrational minds that lacked logic, responsibility, and composure. One must wonder where the potential for insanity comes from however. The history of Poe’s short works would show evidence that the narrator has a doppelganger that represents his subconscious or his primal instincts. In "The Raven," the narrator encounters a double that embodies his deepest fears, which in turn eventually overpower his conscious, rational self. Although the narrator of "The Raven" initially ignores the message of the intruding bird, he concludes the poem by interpreting its word "nevermore" as the denial of all his hopes; he has projected his soul into the body of the bird. In both cases, the poetic separation of the two halves creates a dramatic dialogue that highlights the narrator's inner struggle. Many of these pieces

Are demented enough even if the reader does not read between the lines.

             "The Black Cat" is another example of this kind of story.  In this morbid look into the narrator's mind, the reader follows the narrator as he does many disturbing things in his household.  This story, like many of Poe's other pieces, is a venture into abnormal psychology where the narrator is completely insane, not only because of the horrible things he does to his cat and his wife, but because of his state of mind that he shows the reader throughout the story. Like the narrator in Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," this narrator also begins his story with the declaration that he isn't "mad," and that his story is no "dream" (The Black Cat, 1). He says he knows we probably won't believe it. He also says that what happened is "a series of mere household events," you know, just the day-to-day business of family life (The Black Cat, 1). The events within the text of this account are unmistakably the ramblings of a madman who cannot seem to control his actions and keeps drifting deeper and deeper into insanity. On the first page of the story, the narrator says that he "was especially fond of animals" (The Black Cat, 1).  He contradicts himself once again in talking about his cat, Pluto.  At first he loves the cat and cares for it very affectionately.  After a while, his demeanor changes and he begins to take out his anger on his pet, along with his wife.  The narrator then comes in one night "much intoxicated" (The Black Cat, 2) and cuts Pluto's eye out because the cat avoids him.  This action basically solidifies his madness in general. It is soon after this that the narrator makes an attempt to display his remorse. When in reality this is just a façade in order to prove to himself that he is not insane. Over a time after the narrator kills Pluto, he begins to descend into a deeper madness. It’s from this point forward Edgar Allan Poe flirts with the idea of the seen, the unseen, and that which is imagined to be. For the figure on the wall after the house burned down was imagined by the narrator to be a cat hanging from a tree. Which plagued his psyche far beyond someone who was still sane.  Soon after the narrator is only to be haunted by a “new” cat which at first loves, but then grows disdain towards it due to the resemblance of Pluto and the imagined formation of the gallows within the cat’s white spot. Poe prevails and continues the downward spiral when the narrator kills his wife when she tries to prevent him from killing the black cat with an axe. This is without a doubt a deal sealer, for the argument of the protagonist claim to sane.

            While Edgar Allan Poe's narrators are often unreliable, the narrator of "The Fall of the House of Usher" seems at first acutely sensitive to his environment, rather than mentally disturbed. In it, the narrator, a childhood friend of the rich Roderick Usher has come to meet him on the Usher estate to help alleviate his sickness. The narrator finds Usher unable to leave his mansion, suffering from "over-sensitivity" and unable to experience bright lights, hear loud music, or eat hardy food. He also meets the Lady Madeline, Usher's twin sister, who is caused by Poe to suffer the opposite of her brother's malady: she is almost catatonic, unable to feel any outside stimulus ("Usher" 199-203). In this story, Poe also uses insanity as a plot mover. However, instead of making a character commit a heinous act, he uses insanity to create the circumstances of the story. The hypersensitivity of Roderick Usher that brings the narrator to his estate is really an incipient madness. The insanity is further highlighted to the reader by the twisted shape that Usher's artwork takes on. The madness also ends up killing Usher, who, unable to withstand the death of his sister withdraws even further from the world. Finally, the belief that his sister is alive despite all evidence to the contrary shows the detachment Usher has from reality. In this story, instead of using madness as a motive, Poe makes it cause the main character's death.

            Edgar Allan Poe has this eerie ability to portray the human psyche in a way that has never been accomplished before.  He seems to be sincerely asking, why do we do things we know will be bad for us? Is the narrator insane, or is he just taking normal human behavior due to certain extremes? The human obsession of the seen, the unseen, and that which is imagined to be tend to plague our minds to the point of unrest. He is able to use insanity as a central character and plot motivator three different ways in three different stories. He is also able to show the reader how insanity can cause someone to commit a murder, how it can cause a person to exaggerate an insult to cause irrational anger, and how it can ravage the mind and even cause death. Because of his many insights into the human mind, Poe will live eternal in the annals of American literature.

Works Cited

Bloom's Major Short Story Writers: Edgar Allan Poe. Broomall, Pennsylvania: Chelsea House, 1999.

Coughlin, E.K. "Research Notes: Poe Said To Explore Issues Of Insanity Defense In His Crime Stories." Chronicle Of Higher Education 38.18 (1992): A8. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 June 2012.

Cromwell, Jill. “Literary analysis: The Black Cat, by Edgar Allan Poe – by Jill Cromwell – Helium.” Helium – Where Knowledge Rules. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://www.helium.com/items/1754877-edgar-allan-poe>.

Graham, Jorie. "Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven.." Paris Review 42.154 (2000): 236-241. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 June 2012.

Poe, Edgar A. The Fall of the House of Usher. Edgar Allan Poe: Sixty-Seven Tales. Avenel, New Jersey: Gramercy Books, 1985. 199-212.