"Shooting Dad" analysis

In Sarah Vowell's memoir she tells of how her father and herself are completely different.  She uses many examples, for instance, she implies that her father is a republican and she is the democrat.  Vowell opposes guns while her father is gun obsessed.  She thinks of herself as artistic and unique, while her father is simple minded and stubborn.  In one instant her father said to her mother after he mother scolded him for shooting the gun her father claimed "Why, shooting crows is a national pastime, like baseball and apple pie."  This showed that he was content on shooting his gun when he pleased.  This whole ordeal has made the author very conscious on how different she was from the family, where her own twin sister was into guns. What the author realizes in the end is that her father and herself are very similar.  After she finally accepted her father's fetish for guns, she finally convinced herself to go see this new cannon in action.  This is when she saw that her father,as well, is artistic in his craftmanship.  As different as they may have seemed, they were very much the same at heart.

Family Conflicts

My father has had many problems with my grandparents which has resulted in many conflicts between them. To start off, my father worked forty to sixty hours a week on my grandfathers farm starting at the age of nine without pay.  He did this because my grandparents had promised him that when he grew up he could have a place farming with them and they would buy him a home and property.  My dad liked this idea so he worked tiring hours from when he was nine years old until he was eighteen without complaint.  When my dad turned eighteen my grandparents had then told him that he was on his own and if he wanted to be successful like them he would have to earn it all by himself.  This is the starting point to where my father turned very bitter.  Growing up, I hardly got to see my grandparents, and when I did it had to be with my mother.  It was always awkward and nobody ever knew what to say when we would come visit. One experience that affected me most was seeing my father at my grandfather's funeral.  He had not shed one tear or would help comfort my grandmother.  Never had I seen someone act so indifferent during a "loved ones" funeral.  I almost think he may have been relieved by this.  Although I have never been close to my grandparents myself, it is easy to tell that their relationship with their job was much more important than with their family.  With all of this though, it is not so bad.  By having been treated so cruelly by his parents, my father learned what not to do as a father and cherishes the bond we have.

"A Letter From Birmingham Jail" summary followed by response

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in response to his fellow white clergymen who criticized his actions that landed him in jail.  He used Biblical examples to show that his nonviolent actions were necessary for African Americans to move forward in this country.  This letter was mainly directed to those religious leaders who have the power to do something about segregation but don't.  The purpose is to hopefully get the backup from powerful religious leaders and end segregation.  He communicates this message very effectively to these men from his examples from Saint Paul and King Solomon which is preached within the churches of these religious leaders.  He also justifies his nonviolent action by comparing it to "just" and "unjust" laws with one example of Hitler.  King claims there is no better timing for something that has been at conflict for 340 years and that there was no wrong-doing during this "sit-in."  Martin Luther King Jr. is asking for the help of the clergymen so they can move forward with Civil Rights.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s major audience is the clergymen he is writing to.  These men possess the power to change people's minds and yet do not even try.  King gives such overwhelming emotion when he compares the situation in Birmingham with Biblical situations.  He is very professional and polite at the beginning which helps the audience to really listen to what he has to say.  When he really gets his point through is when he gradually gets firmer and firmer throughout the text yet at the same time still being polite.  King portrays himself as one of the clergy men, but one that has to overcome the many obstacles of the average African American.  He acts as a friend and yet in the middle of the letter he portrays the religious leaders as an enemy that he hopes will reconsider their position on Civil Rights.

"I Want a Wife" summary followed by response

Judy Brady writes of the harsh responsibilities of a wife in the 1970s in her essay "I Want a Wife."  She talks of this subject in a role reversal as the husband where she defines what is expected of a wife.  Some of responsibilities in her list include taking care of the children, cleaning, cooking, keeping appointments, and grocery shopping.  Brady shows that in her experience, women are supposed to do most of the work without complaint or appreciation.  The purpose of this is to show the wives of this time of era what they were typically putting up with since it was broadcasted in a women's magazine.  This message seemed to be effectively communicated by sounding like an ungrateful and greedy man.  The piece is supposed to influence a change in the roles of men and women.

Brady effectively communicates her piece by appealing to the wives of the 1970s with sympathy and emotion.  This audience is mainly wives who can empathize with her from having to take on the many tasks described in the piece.  The purpose is mainly to show how under appreciated wives are and how ungrateful husbands can be.  Brady shows this by reversing her role as wife to husband and listing all the things she wants in a wife but would refuse to do in return.  Since the tone of this is so greedy, it makes this essay more effective by giving the women reading it feel many hostile emotions towards it.  The only evidence used for this is Brady's own experience or people she knows experiences so it is sort of hard to give it much credibility. 

Describing Kevins Photo

The image looks as if there is a small African American boy keeling over because he is so starving.  The vulture behind him looks like he is ready for the boy to kick the bucket at any minute, ready to spring on his pray.

Kevin's Photo

1. This photo makes me think that this boy is so thin and ghastly looking that even the vulture is tempted to eat him.  The point being made is possibly that there is inadequate living conditions in Sudan.  It grosses me out that children can look this way.
2. The image looks as if there is a small African American boy keeling over because he is so incredibly starving. The vulture behind him looks like he is ready for the boy to kick the bucket at any minute, ready to spring on his pray.
3.  I think the message is to appreciate what one has, since others are much less fortunate.  Along with that, to lend a hand, send food, money, or bring your services to Sudan to help the people who cannot afford or do not know how to raise children properly.  The photo is supposed to make you reflect and possibly try to persuade you to have a purpose in life.
4.  My reaction to this photograph has changed quite a bit after hearing that the man had committed suicide.  He was probably so moved by the sadness he has seen that he could not bare it.  Also, the fact that the child was only a kilometer away from this camp makes me wonder how nobody knew what happened to him.  I had foreseen the fact of the vulture waiting for the boy to die, but with hearing the after-effects of it really changes my emotion to a deeper sadness.