Brandon’s Blog

In this article by Ruben Navarrette Jr., the author heavily criticizes President-elect Barack Obama for not awarding the strong Latino support by giving a Latino a seat in his cabinet.  The comments at the end of his report were all criticizing his article and his stance on this issue.  So where did this author lose the connection and support?  I would say right off the bat.  Just because an ethnic group’s majority supported someone does not mean that they should be awarded with a prestiguous position of power.  The job should go to the most qualified and experienced person, not just to someone because they are of a different race.  The author uses President Bush’s appointment of Alberto Gonzales as an example of a good choice, but isnt this the man that has been under investigation numerous times for countless offenses?  Not so good of an example now.  I think that these positions, as well as the jobs in our country, should be given out to the best without regard to race.  If you are the best suited and most experience applicant, you should get the job.  That is the only way in my opinion that our country can come closer to everyone being equal.  The author helps to draw the line thicker between ethnic groups with is why his article fails.

Orwell’s Animal Farm is another great text that is still widely read despite being written in 1945.  The text itself is considered a higher-level read, but it is a success with many younger kids; at least it was in my school (first read it when I was 12).  So why is this text able to connect with so many younger kids and still get the point across?  The answer is that Orwell uses a common setting, a farm, to portray the events that Communism followed in Russia.  Instead of using people as characters, he uses animals to portray the people.  This gave us a better understanding of the characters’ traits and personalities because we know what ideas and actions come with certain animals.  For example, he uses pigs to represent the Communist leaders, a horse to represent the working force, and ferocious dogs to represent the fear and dominance to keep the people in check.  Using animal characters made it easier to understand the characters and allowed Orwell to dive right into the story instead of having to take extra time to explain the characters.  This is why this text is so engaging to adults and kids, and why it is still being read.  It is an entertaining take on a rather serious issue.

When people think of Slipknot and the masks that the band wears, they associate the masks with Satanic and dark beliefs; and transfer those beliefs to the band as well as metal music.  Many masks of the first masks in history were developed as representations of hope and faith, so when did the view on masks turn so evil?

Masks are a rich part of most cultures’ history and cover the world from Africa and Asia to Europe and even North America.  The truth is that a very large percentage of the first masks that are known to man represent spiritual powers, gods, and goddesses.  They represented strength, faith, and cultural values.   Another large portion of masks in early times were created to portray the history of the culture and how the cultures developed.  These masks were not only representation of spiritual powers, but also education and well being.

It was not until Christianity was developed and widespread that masks of cultural and spiritual relevance became the forces of evil and demonic spirits.  Masks that were previously made to represent gods and godesses now represented demons and devils.  If one is to look at African and Asian countries, who still use masks regularly as part of their culture, the masks show good vs. evil and offer hope and guidance to the people.  In the eyes of Christianity, these masks offer nothing more than false belief in a demonic source.  So according to most of the world, or those outside of Christianity and Western thinking, masks are still a source of hope, faith, and power; and not the evil and Satanic beliefs that are cast upon them.

Owl Mask (Wisdom)                                            African Mask (Fertility)

George Orwell’s 1984 was a look into the future at the time when he wrote the book in 1949.  Today this book is very popular, highly regarded, and is still read by numerous students in many classes.  So what made this book last even past his prediction of what 1984 would be like?  I believe it is the dark nature of the book and the eerie parallel that our society seems to be following with the book.  Orwell highlights many of the sophisticated technologies that the government in the book uses to control and watch over the citizens.  What really catches readers is that in reality our government has this technology and could only be a step away from imposing it.  1984 connects with readers on the underlying fear that our government may not be as honest as we think and that we could easily move into a total government-controlled society.  Paranoia and fear are very dark and powerful themes and everyone can connect at some point with being fearful of something our government is doing or could do.  Even though our government might not transform into the one in 1984, the hidden fear is what keeps this book alive and thriving.

This book has to be one of my favorite books that I have read.  It portrays a year in the life of Nikki Sixx, a member of the rock band Motley Crue, and his constant battle with drug addiction.  For some people, this text sounds dark and worthy of not reading because it portrays extravagant drug use.  But the text is so much more than this.  This book succeeds as a whole because of the motivation that is drawn from it and because it is in the words of Nikki Sixx himself.  If the book would have been written by a friend of Sixx, we would have lost the insight and view into Sixx’s personal life.  Sixx goes into gruesome detail about his experiences while under the influence of heroin and how he felt before, during, and after injecting it into himself.  From shooting up under his Christmas tree all alone on Christmas to hiding in his closet with a shotgun, he leaves out no detail to show what drugs are really like.  The first-person view and extreme experiences of an individual’s battle against a horrible enemy are what makes this text so engaging.  With personal connections being lost with friends and family, how can we not connect with him?

This is an article about USC’s embarrassing, but at the same time sweet-as-sugar, loss to Oregon State in football on September 25, 2008.  The article as a whole succeeds due to its appeal to everyone outside of Southern Cal and its flow between the bashing of USC and talking up other schools who have a shot at the National Title.  The author examines the fact that USC was credited as the team to beat this season and had a walk into the National Championship in Miami.  Why would USC get this kind of credit after only two games?  The author talks about USC’s previous opponents in Ohio State and Virginia, and then slams the teams for being horrible.  The author provides a realistic look into the college football world that exists outside of ESPN and California.  USC is overrated.  The author then mentions the teams that the door is now opened up for with the exposure of USC.  I believe this article works as a whole with the author being a realist connecting to most football fans, giving teams outside of the SEC and Pac-10 credit, and showing that USC was getting too much credit for what they had done.

I have read this book a couple of times all the way through because one, it is hilarious, and two, it presents the big issues in politics that regular people can understand.  In his book, Stephen Colbert covers any issue from old people to religion to homosexuals to race.  You might think that this book is just a stand-up routine with the problems in America, but it actually points out the important issues that the government should be focusing on.  Colbert brings up the issues in common-talk so that most people can understand what is being said.  Within his description of these big issues, he inserts his hilarious commentary which really helps to keep people interested.  If you were to give a book on the issues of politics in America without the aid of comedy and told them to read it, chances are that hardly anyone would read with close attention due to boredom.  The book flows nicely starting with more basic issues and eventually moving up to the bigger issues in America. With Stephen Colbert injecting politics with humor, most people will read the book and be entertained, but at the same time actually learn something about politics.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, more commonly known as SIDS, is a very complex disorder that raises numerous questions.  I have read many articles on the condition before, but this article captured my attention the most.  I found myself locked into the text and absorbing every detail.  So what did the author do that was so different in this article?  For me, it was the combination of the personal story in the beginning followed by clear-cut separations of the main interest points of SIDS.  The personal story of Melissa and Rudy Haberzettl losing their three month old son to the condition really set up the seriousness and abruptness of SIDS.  A personal connection to the readers like this in the beginning was a really effective way to capture and hold attention.  The flow of the author was also very fluid.  The author asks the question of why SIDS is not yet solved, followed by her own reasoning about the difficulty of diagnosis and what is unknown.  With the readers already being locked into the article, the author asks the big, important question that the reader is thinking.  This article is a solid example of engaging the reader to receive the message.

CNN: Will Palin’s tough talk win over undecideds?  By Kristi Keck

I read an article about John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin for VP and her speech and the Republican National Convention.  The GOP claims that Palin is a highly intelligent choice by McCain because she will connect to the female voters of America.  Is Palin really the answer that the republicans are looking for?  The answer is a resounding no.  The female voters who avidly supported Hillary Clinton were supporting a woman with immense experience in the proceedings of our government, as well as a highly intelligent Yale Law School graduate.  What does Sarah Palin have to offer?  She attended multiple colleges where she graduated with a Bachelor in Communications-Journalism and did not attend graduate school.  With one term as a governor and a former beauty queen status under her belt, Palin feels that Barack Obama is a political lightweight who is not ready to lead our country.  If the republicans think a trash-talking beauty queen will save the presidency, they are wrong.  I believe McCain is insulting American women’s intelligence by saying that Sarah Palin is the right woman to represent the working women of America.  This insult will ultimately lose him votes, as well as the election.