Feats in Literature

Rhetorical Reading Response: Born in Amrika by Mona Maisami Written by: Mina Raines Mona Maisami’s memoir, Born in Amrika (2003), suggests that a part of her culture is missing. She uses personal experiences and emotion to develop her memoir. Maisami’s purpose is to share her life experience in order to show her internal turmoil. Her intended audiences are first-generation Americans and, in a lesser sense, a general audience. Image via Pinterest I am delighted that Maisami has an interest in her culture. She wishes to know her Iranian culture. She shows an appreciation for the language and cuisine. She is pleased that she gets to serve the tea to her guests. Maisami is also proud of her current culture.  She is so proud of her American privileges and freedom that she wants her cousin to seek them as well. She assumes her cousin is jealous of her younger brother’s ability to blend in with the other kids at the park. Emotions and personal experiences abound in Mai...

Marcus Griffin Dr. Cantice Green English 1102 23 September 2017 The Big Lie        In the essay “How Serious Was the Volkswagen Scandal” (2017) Jacob Skovran highlights the details that became the largest scandal in automotive history.  Skovran reveals how the US EPA asserted Volkswagen was using sophisticated software to create a "defeat device" (203) to circumvent test that would show its diesel vehicles failed US emissions standards.  Skovran supports his argument by first providing background details about differences between diesel and gasoline engines and pollution; then he thoroughly explains how Volkswagen's actions impacted the environment in order to highlight the negative impact of carbon emissions.  The audience for this essay is anyone interested in business ethics or environmental issues. Getty Image      I can recall first hearing about the VW scandal in 2015.  As the owner of ...

I think 'you' right by Kai Thomas If Black English isn’t a Language, then Tell me, What is? , by James Baldwin (1979), claims that the argument of whether Black English is a language is not about the criteria needed to be a language but the role Black English has in society, namely in the lives of the speaker (the users of the language) and the audience (the people who do not use the language). The author explains the situation and this theory in the introduction, describes the role language in general has on society in the body paragraphs by using anecdotal evidence, and proposes a possible cause to these phenomenon by using historical evidence paired with logic in the conclusion. His purpose is to reveal the importance of the role of language in society, in order to further reveal the reasons in which the audience would not and could not allow Black English to be a language. James Baldwin’s relationship with the audience seems to be forged over his authority on the subje...

Rhetorical Reading Response: The War on High Schools by Wendy Kaminer Written by: Mina Raines  Wendy Kaminer’s essay, The War on High Schools (2001), claims that schools are attempting to remove students’ rights. Kaminer uses facts and evidence to develop her essay. Her purpose is to provide information in order to show that students are being suspended or simply persecuted because of the narrow-mindedness of school officials. Kaminer attempts to link with the general audience through the high school experience. Image via Crunchyroll After reading Kaminer’s essay, I was shocked at how seemingly harmless acts or potentially misunderstood words lead to severe sanctions. I also agree with her, what the schools are doing is wrong. Prohibiting students from expressing themselves is wrong, especially if what the students are doing is peaceful. I find myself confused at the actions and interpretations of assumedly intelligent, mature educators. How does a school official go ...