Spring class registration starts soon.....

Starting Monday Nov. 2nd the Spring class registration begins. Though, I have to meet with my advisor/counselor to finalize my plans, I am all set to register for 4 classes. Within next 2 weeks I should have it all taken care off, by then we will have about a month left for this semester. This coming Spring it will be a year since I am a full-time student at HACC. I think I have about 30 more credits to finish before I graduate, and my anticipated graduation is May 2011.

"COMMERCIALS"

Has anyone else seen the billboards from values.com, two or three years I started noticing them and that really caught my attention. Together with my son we looked at their website and it is very inspirational, they have a message that is very thought provoking and instills values for a better life.
Than, I also remember seeing the TV show of World's best commercials and the World's funniest commercials as well. Commercials and advertisement are out there to influence people either to buy their products and or services. Some are very touching and have a message like Coca-Cola and Nike. The more they show the better their chances of capturing your thoughts so that you buy their merchandise. Every media is filled with these advertisement and commercials; from print, online to multi-media(TV/movies). They are also involved in sponsoring and promoting events like sports, stadiums and street cleaning. There is a set budget for marketing and advertising to stay competitive in the market.

President Obama - Nobel Peace winner.

Does anyone else gets more stunned then I did on the news of the President winning the coveted prize. Even the President himself was quite surprised to hear the news himself, and he acknowledge that more work needs to be done in order to justify the win. This is the third time a US president has won; the previous winners are President Woodrow Wilson and President Jimmy Carter. And I am sure President Bill Clinton deserves this recognition as well. When making major decisions for war related efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan this win will play a big role in President Obama's mind. Maybe now he will use more diplomacy then force to set the US agenda around the globe. I want to see how it plays out in the next few years, I hope he has good advisers to guide him through. Mr. Rahm Emanuel and Mr. David Axlerod needs to think more morally correct then politically correct.

Last Thought On F-451

Finally an end to a very engaging and informative discussion of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit-451. All the class discussions and assignments were very helpful in understanding the novel from many different perspective. There were many theories and analogies pitched in by fellow classmates. I find them all very interesting and insightful, these even helped me understand the novel better. Even the class presentation this week were very detailed and professionally handled. My project and much of the graded work is the product of all of the above. I am very thankful to all the classmates for a rich and vibrant exchange over the book discussions. Now, I will be presenting my project on Professor Faber on Monday, this is my creativity and fictional ideas for him.

The Mid-term

We are officially in the mid-term of the semester and I like to share my thoughts about the achievements of learning in English-101. In the beginning of the class I was very nervous and frustrated of the class, because of my limited ability to write multiple page assignment on a single topic. Now, I am happy of my few success and triumphs over my graded work. We still have 3 or 4 more writing assigments to finish and hopefully by end of them all, I should achieve a proficency in writing.
My problem is in the beginning few paragraphs and the first page, once I get through those then it gets little easy with overflow of information. I let it all out in a free writing and then keep revising and editing multiple times till I feel comfortable with my final product. I also find this class preparing me for public speaking, speech and presentaion as well.

Characters with Character

Their are 3 characters that stood-out in the F-451; they are Clarisse, Faber and Granger in the order of there introduction in the novel. They are like three legs of a tripod who helped Guy at critical moments to stabilize the situation.
Clarisse was introduced earlier in the story and she creates a fire within a firemen asking him why instead of how of things in the society. She starts the change in Guy that sparks his enthusiasm to know the reason of the culture portrayed in the story. Faber is the guiding light and the force behind Guy's fight against the censorship and civil liberties. He played a pivotal role in shaping the revolution for Guy and paving the path with strategies. Whereas in the end Guy meets Granger who is the leader of the resistance and a scholar just like Faber who puts final touch to the demise of the autocratic government.

Class Discusssions

The past few weeks had been very engaging and involved for the English composition class. It felt more like a literature class then a writing class. I enjoyed most of the class discussions and got involved in most of them, sharing my point of view. We had open dialogue and different opinions from many classmates.
No two person had similar understanding of the novel, the scenes and their characters, these really helped me understand the book more in depth. Which helped me understand the F-451 in a wide screen panoramic view. I was very skeptical in the beginning and was hoping as of to have just one class discussion because, I find the beginning chapters very twisted and confusing. But now I am glad as learning from all those class encounters which will help me write a literary analysis.
Thanks everyone in the class for productive and intersting inputs.

What is with F-451???

When at times of war and crisis in the past the history points to some unfortunate facts. Censorship and a ban on civil liberties are products of weak regimes. They are in denial of their eminent defeat and use a propaganda to divert attention. In this first chapter there is a reference of war on the horizon with fighter planes flying. There is censorship of thoughts, speech, and action where everybody is kept under vigil. They are using media and the state to promote the message of everyone to be equal but not free. People are fed and raised like machines and they have no self emotions, personal goals or desires.
It is a scary and depressing to be part of that society as per the novel; although, it is a sci-fi-a very chilling scenario. We are made aware by some of the references in the novel of how despicable and brutal times were. There are some in the present World who have experienced those and that is such an irony.

The Hearth and the Salamander - An Explanation

I tried to look up the meaning of the chapter, and wanted to see how that fits the title of the book. They define hearth as paved surface in front of the fireplace, whereas as salamander is a kind of lizard. None of them make sense to what the storyline is, but if one looks harder they may find some connection to them both.
My explanation is that the hearth is where Guy hides all his books saved from being incinerated. This is the storing place; before they end up in the fire, it is very hot here. This is like how in front of the fireplace they have a bricked or stoned finish which will be hot and one does not place anything of importance that close. So maybe Guy was protecting all those books from fire, but in reality they are were all in danger of fire and will end burnt or damaged anyway. Guy tried but in the end, as Beatty said "fire is clean and powerful" and all the books vanished.
Whereas the Salamander is a metaphor for the mechanical hound. It is scary looking and an reptile. Some even define Salamander as an medieval creature, a character in role playing games. This fits the description very well for the hound, who eradicates those who oppose and are resistance elements.

The Fahrenheit novel readings

After reading through the first chapter of the novel I am very unclear of the plot. It seems like a futuristic sci-fi novel, but the plot seems to be moving from different characters and scenes. Maybe this is just the beginning and I failed to understand that. There is a fireman, his depressed wife and a friend/neighbor who is questioning how instead of why about the society they live in. Then we have fireman burning books and impeding war on the horizon. I am looking forward to the class tomorrow so as to understand more about the plot and hear different views.
I also like to know more about the blog assignment; do we all need to comment to each other's blog, this is my 10th blog and and yet we are not active within the group.

Right to Read : An Argument

All the constitutional rights and liberties that we as Americans enjoy has been challenged and misinterpreted many times in the past. Let me here make my point about the Right to Read; it is a birth right of every citizen to a good education. That should not be confused with right to information and right to be informed. The government is not our enemy, we make it our enemy. Society needs some kind of structure (the government) that helps maintain the civilization. It is we who make the government; they serve us. There seems to be a fight between them (the government) and us (the civilians) for many of our rights.
Some of the thoughts discussed in the class about censorship and the books that were banned and or challenged needs more insight. We have movies, music, games, smoking, drinking.....etc that is not made easily available to kids under the age of 18 and for some 21. These have contents and the message which may be damaging to a minor. Well, lets say if some of those books (banned & challenged) have a theme or a plot that is not a minor material. Then the parents have the right to oppose it with an argument of an minors right to fair education; contrary to that the literary body has the right to freedom of speech. To settle this may be we can have a non-profit organization which is a body of experts from literary, educators, parents, counselors and others . There job is to find a solution to this mess and take an unbiased stand.
There already maybe an entity like that and we need to make it more transparent and effective. If we all keep negotiating and discussing this through we will have a solution, and lastly lets not forget the government, maybe there involvement can help too.

Writing a self literacy narrative

Here we are now describing the journey to the knowledge I have. There are so many paths taken and not taken to educate myself. Lots of missed opportunities and shyness that shaped my present; then there also is effort and dedication to acquire the education. There has been so many challenges learning new material and mastering that, and it is not over yet - it is a never ending cycle. The quest for knowledge is over when one quits and fails to try again. I have many experiences and will choose some of the good ones to create my own literacy narrative.

Reaction to Writing from the Darkness

It seemed like been written almost half a century ago, it reflects struggle and sacrifice of that era. An African-American female growing up in racially tense time, and her commitment to be different from the rest. The author does sense the pulse of those like her and easily relates to them. The narrative is very touching and emotional, and it joins those who have a talent yet are introvert and aloof. It also is a message to the rest who fail to see the genius in people who are like the author. The author's journal is like an inspiration to all us giving hope and to never quit to achieve our goals.

Current events

Does anyone else gets distured by the current events; the healthcare reform, President's address to the Congress, THE WAR and the depression? I do follow the news and politics very closely and I think the solution is in our hands. Rather than asking for bailouts and help, we must exercise our civic duties more often to resolve. Liberties comes with lots of responsibilities and we must ask more from our representatives and local elected officials. If we are more involved and act as a watchdog, then they will be more vigilant and concerned.

Writing and a Writer

Maybe I know how to write, but through this class I want to be a writer. I do read a lot, mainly magazines and newpaper; now I want to create my own writing portfolios. It seems like a challenge right now as it is still in infancy and I will master this art soon. My mind when writing is clouded up with so many thoughts, yet I fail to communicate effectively. Hopefully, by end of this month after getting inputs from the teacher and others I will correct my mistakes and progress.

An explanation of literacy narrative by me

The literacy narrative reading from chapter-7 is very touching and resourceful. These are challenges faced by immigrants trying to assimilate with the society and culture. I myself have those experiences and setbacks and did find comfort in going through them. There is still a lot to learn and achieve, and I will look up to those experiences and get encouragement and guidance.

What is my understanding of a Thesis statement

Writing a thesis statement was an interesting experience for me. Although so simple when read, it took a lot of effort for me. My understanding of a thesis statement has to be concise and thought provoking. It has to be your mission statement that inspires and involves readers.

My view on Stanley Fish's article

America has a better education system then is portrayed by Stanley Fish. There are some issues in the education system, but they can be easily addressed with consensus among the educators and administrators. The U.S has many of the best Universities in the World and some of the best research and technologies is creation of them. Students from around the World strive for U.S education and I am very proud to be a part of that.

What good writing is and what is not.

For good writing, the writer needs to write effectively to capture the audience with good research of the topic. It must be easy to read and interesting at the same time. The material researched must address the reader with active language. Good use of grammar and punctuation is a must and writing is an art that engages the writer and readers.
Poor writing will confuse the reader and will not get the message across. Poor grammar and spelling usage reflects sloppy work and laziness. Writing that does not have a topic and a clear sense of purpose will loose the audience. Inept research can cause major communication error between the two parties.