Response to Stuart Keisman’s Reflection Essay Example for Free

Response to Stuart Keisman’s Reflection Essay I agree with what Stuart wrote about people using unique methods when they speak. Everybody does have their own, individual way of speaking, and this results from people’s personal character, combined with the environment that they were raised in. I have noticed this myself, but it also seems that people speak in different manners when they are around various people. The same person can sound like, or give others the impression of, a completely different person depending on how they speak in different environments. This particularly affects shy people. Around people that a shy person does not know very well, he or she may be reserved, but when in comfortable settings, he or she may be much more outgoing and talkative. This is also when people, such as myself, choose to use slang words or speak in familiar ways, but around strangers, people generally tend to speak in more formal manners. Stuart did a great job summarizing how most people operate when speaking. I do the same things that he described. In my own experience, I have basic ways of talking, but they are different when I am around different people. I find myself able to joke around with friends, where it would be hard for me, and make me uncomfortable to do the same with strangers or new acquaintances. In my life I have also noticed that people seem to form opinions about my character base on my word choice, just like people do about Stuart has when he refrains from using bad words. Also, when I joke around with people who do not have a good sense of humor, I find it harder to communicate or connect with them. If I were going to apply Stuart’s ideas to my teaching, I would emphasize the different word choices that people use when they are in particular settings. I think it is amazing that people may seem like different people when they are in school, or church, but they are their usual, relaxed self when in they are in familiar company. Identifying how people verbally react to particular settings is a great way to understand how individuals think and it provides insight to their character. Response to Jodi Arbus’ Reflection I agree with Jodi that particular regions of various countries have individual dialects. People in the Midwestern states speak very differently from people in the south, or northeast. Sometimes the accents are so strong that it is hard to understand what people from other parts of the country are even saying. But dialect, or accent, seems to result not at all from the personal character or word choice of someone, but from the environment he or she was raised in. People are able to adapt, and accents or dialects are examples of our adaptation, because we blend in with them. When we move to a new place, eventually most of us will lose our own accents and adopt the one of our new home. I do not know whether or not Jodi is right about male and female speech, as people of both sexes seem to have unrestricted speech characteristics based on their gender. In my own experience, I have noticed that my own accent separates me from certain people, and gives me something in common with other Mexican Americans. As English is my second language, I have a noticeable accent, and it lets people identify certain things about me. This accent also allows people to know things about how, and what community, I was raised in. Jodi also talked about the difference between male and female speech. I am not sure if I have noticed any differences other than that males usually use more slang and a more relaxed form of speech when in comfortable settings. I have also noticed the differences in formality that people use in certain areas. In the areas where I grew up, people often address each other in familiar tones, but when speaking to people from other areas, we are more formal. In the south, Jodi notices a key feature that people use when speaking: they are often very formal and courteous, even to people who are somewhat familiar. This is interesting, because in my experience, I have noticed that many people do not even address strangers in ways that are very formal or customary. But I have noticed that this is different in other areas. I would use what Jodi wrote in my teachings by emphasizing accents or dialects that people use. These are important ways of understanding the characters of individuals, and determining what is a result of people’s character, instead of a result of the environment they were raised in. Also, it would be important to teach the differences in language from certain regions. Not only are the accents different, but the formality may be different as well. In the south, where people address one another in more formal ways, and say ‘ma’am’ and â€Å"sir† more often , it is important to know the ways that people speak to know how to be inoffensive. So I would teach the differences in speech of certain regions, as that would help outsiders to seem friendly and polite when visiting. Understanding lingual characteristics in certain areas, and the differences from place to place will help people to communicate in friendly manners with people who are unfamiliar.

The Jacksonian Era Essay -- American History, Politics

Three specific ways in which American expansion shaped the Jacksonian period was through the advancement of technology, by way of slavery, and the Indian Removal Act. Jackson used any political and economic means necessary in order to see American frontier regions expand across the nation. Jackson’s Indian Removal policy had some of the most important consequences and paved the way toward American expansion. In the beginning of the Jacksonian era, colonial Americans’ settlements had not yet extended far beyond the Atlantic seaboard, partly because bad roads and primitive technology limited their ability to expand, and because both hostile Indians and British imperial policy discouraged migration beyond Appalachian Mountains. However, all of this changed after Jackson was in office and American expansion was well underway. One of the ways in which American expansion shaped the Jacksonian period was through technology. The economic and political growth as well as American settlement can only be described in detail as a side effect of the advancement in technology. First the rising dominance of trade, commerce, and growth would not have been possible without the development of the first canals and then the railroads. (C-108) For example, Western New York had not yet been settled by white Americans. It was not until the impact of the Erie Canal that things began to change. The Erie Canal was one of the most significant and largest transportation projects of the era. Even before the project was completed, production of wheat began to take off and was shipped to eastern customers. Toll revenues on the canal grew so large that the project became self-financing. The expansion of westward trade turned New York into an urban powerhouse. ... ...The Indian Removal Act was all a part of Jackson’s expansion process, and he would stop at nothing until America made the most of its land. American expansion shaped the Jacksonian period in a number of ways which included the advancement of technology, by way of slavery, and most importantly through the Indian Removal Act. Although, very diverse, these three aspects are similar in that they all made their mark during the Jacksonian period. Technology and new developments had connected this vast expansion of land being acquired. Slavery had helped acquire these lands because of the labor needed for production. And most importantly, the Indian Removal Act had made a clear statement that American’s were taking over what was rightfully theirs. American expansion would not have been possible if not for these three ideas which greatly affected the Jacksonian period.

How I Stumbled Across Universal Literacy

I acquired, through being part of many discourses that, eventually, everything connects. I had always heard the same thing, â€Å"Graduate from a good college and find a cent living, and you'll be happy and successful. † Ha! What a capitalistic, factory- produced, fairy tale to tell impressionable children, I thought. Nope, I was smarter than that. I would be the one to take the road less traveled†to go against the grain and live my own life the way I wanted to. After barely graduating high school with a GEED (or a GEED equivalent actually†¦ ), I took off to LA to become a music-producer.I was going to be big. I learned the trade, worked inside multi- million dollar studios, and formed a band. I had It all figured out and I was going to how everybody that school was for fools. As with everything In life. This Intoxicating success did not last. I began to feel something was missing. Here I was, living the dream that I had imagined for myself, and yet, I didn't feel m uch fulfillment. Bills were stacking, the girlfriend was becoming distant, and the excitement of living on my own slowly began to degrade with each passing day.Soon, I could no longer make enough to afford living on my own. And so, I packed up and return home to the Bay Area. Life had defeated me, or so It felt, and I had to reevaluate what I wanted to do with mine. That's when the unexpected happened: I started going back to school again. I began taking courses seriously and I learned that, not only was I pretty good at most of the stuff, I really liked it. I found that an obscure subject like calculus, could be applied to something even more obscure like computer programming. I learned lessons in swimming that helped me learn how to socialize.Hell, if I took an extensive course on rock-paper-scissors, I could find a hidden lesson that could ring true In another study. I guess you could say I slowly realized how to learn, rather than what to learn. After all, James Paul Gee writes in his paper, Ð’Â «owing† is a matter of â€Å"knowing how to proceed† (â€Å"go on†) in specific social interactions† (Discourse and Coloratura Studies in Reading, 196). Once I realized that I had a plethora of knowledge and life-experiences up my sleeve already, navigating through new areas in life began to be much more comfortable and rewarding.An unexpected part of life had showed up In my life as well: religion. If you had the reasons wrong with the Bible and how there couldn't possibly be a God. Openness eased my stubbornness. I wanted to â€Å"hear out† what all these people in Christianity had to say. As I attended sermons, I checked all Judgments at the door and listened. I remember the words of a wise teacher I had in high school. He told us to empty our cups†to be ready to fill it with more knowledge. I found that what they preached in church was certainly applicable to somebody not religious at all.Instead of seeing the religion as a brain-washing cult, I began to understand it as a form of volunteer-work. These people were here for help, or to help. How could I speak negatively anymore about something that humans should be doing for each other? I kicked up a sense of humbleness from immersing myself in religious-discourse. It was not only Christianity that I researched. I started pouring my curiosities into Buddhism, Shamanism, and Islam. In all these religions, they teach a similar purpose: healing. Heal yourself, heal others, and heal the Universe.Within you, without you. We are all one, yet amazingly unique. All these â€Å"Faceable†-queues pseudo babble started to make sense to me! Trying new ideas had given me a fulfillment that I Just could not describe. I felt like a scientist, and that my field of study had now been shifted to understanding life. The doors that academic and religious discourse opened for me was like staring into a hallway that had even more interesting and unique doors to b e opened. That would never have been available to me had I not looked in their direction and remained open.James Paul Gee puts it very elegantly, â€Å"Analogously, one can deepen the insight by taking successively deeper views of what interpretation means† (Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics, 540). At times, I can still feel dejected, depressed, or Just plain lazy; after having been through these types of situations before, some many times worse, I learned that eventually, everything will urn out okay again†it has to. Physics proves this, religion speaks of this, and there are sayings I'm sure you've heard before like, â€Å"the dawn is darkest before the day. Recognizing this helps me deal with the inevitable problems that we all share, and how to stress out in a healthy way. A big part of life for me is music. I would not have traveled to LA with such reckless abandon, were it not for the passion and fuel that music provides me. I identified heavily with the punk- (counter)culture during my teenage years. I still do, but again, with a fresh perspective on the community. Punks look intimidating to a lot of people. They have messy hair, spikes in every direction on their clothing, and a penchant for destroying things.The irony is, these very people are often the ones who are insecure, bold, and most understanding. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, and some punks are Just dicks, but being surrounded by a culture of misfits where the majority of members inside felt they were not right for the â€Å"mainstream discourse†, led me to take a look at the way things were established. I saw a lot of paranoia in the community, and I had to face my own. Let me explain. Paranoia, on one end of the spectrum, can lead people to believe things like, in 1969, America staged the whole moon landing.Or that the Pope is really a lizard. But on the other end of the spectrum, complete naivetà ©Ã‚ © can lead people to believe that banks have your b est interest in mind, or that marijuana causes death. Somewhere in between them is an inner-balance much like the yin and yang in Buddhism. I learned that I revealed when the people spreading an idea can learn to communicate well enough without offending another's ideas. We must listen to others as well, and learn to be dead to change our own ideas. How can we do this? How can I be sure that the color red looks the same to me, as it does to you?And more importantly, how can we find a .. That reading and writing cannot be separated from consensus? Gee argues, † speaking, listening, and interacting† (Reading as Situated Language: A Cognitively Perspective, 714). He makes a rather elegant point here in that it is not a matter of â€Å"street smarts† vs†¦ â€Å"Book smarts†, rather, it is a marriage of the two that is necessary for communication. â€Å"Eventually, everything connects† was said by Charles Names, a designer. An app on the phone called , â€Å"Dots, A Game About Connecting†, displays his quote prominently.Each time I play this game, I think about the many ways to accomplish one simple goal: connect the dots. There are ups and downs, lefts and rights. But there are also boxes and zigzags. The more unique ways you find to connect the dots, the easier and more fun the game becomes. Learning many tools from hands-on life- experiences greatly increases the fulfillment I feel for them. They boost my confidence, encourage me to eat healthier, to do well in school, and to live happier with family. You can say Vie stopped rebelling like I used to, and to that, I would have to agree.But I'm also rebelling against ignorance. I'm rebelling against preconceived molds society can place on us, and I'm rebelling against egoism. It's a never-ending pursuit, but it's much more preferable to never pursuing. James Paul Gee says, † . .The master discourse is not Just the sum of its parts, it is something also over and abo ve them† (Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics, 537). Perhaps once we've connected all the dots, we are still not done. We may never be done, and to me, that is an exciting thought.

American solar technology - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 900 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/07/26 Category Energy Industry Essay Level High school Tags: Solar Energy Essay Did you like this example? When we think of solar power we think of an energy source that is free and sustainable, but aside from the obvious drawbacks, such as price and the inability to harness solar energy at night, there are some significant issues that may need to be addressed. Solar energy has made significant strides, yet when we think of solar power, cost usually plays a major role. Currently 49 percent of all the electrical power in the United States is generated by coal, yet solar electricity can be delivered at the same or less cost. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "American solar technology" essay for you Create order Traditional flat panel systems are being replaced by thin-film solar material which can decrease overall cost by 20 percent. This thin film has been an innovation breakthrough in the energy industry and one of the major reasons that solar power will overtake coal. Another major concern is the idea that the sun does not shine at night, so how can solar energy be harnessed. MIT scientists have developed a method of storing solar power in a fuel cell for later use. They can do this by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen and storing it, while using solar panels during the day to power homes. In the evening, the hydrogen and oxygen can be combined to create energy while the solar panels are inactive. Another concern is the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced with the consumption of coal. Solar power electricity produces no greenhouse gases or emissions which makes it an energy source of choice. Over a year, one solar power system could save the same amount of carbon dioxide as one car can produce during a year. Currently, half of the United States uses coal due to its abundance and cheap price. Yet with increased demand, especially in developing economies such as China and India, coal prices continue to rise resulting in solar power becoming cost competitive with coal generated electricity. Shifting to solar power will result in lower electric bills, a cleaner environment; prevent disruptions in service, while making us less vulnerable to terrorist attacks. One of the disadvantages to solar power, and one that definitely needs to be reviewed in depth, is the efficiency under varying environmental factors. One factor in general is haze caused by pollution. Scientists have been attempting to determine how the efficiency and output from solar panels can be affected in urban areas that suffer from high levels of pollution resulting in haze. It was ultimately determined that these effects are substantial and can negatively impact the expected level of output resulting in a failed installation. O verall, this means that the cost of solar power installation would be substantially more than the revenue it could generate. This financial impact could deter companies from investing in solar projects. With the understanding that haze can cause a barrier between the suns energy and the solar power, then it is the solar power that can cure this problem. With the continued advancement within the industry, it is a matter of time before the thin film mentioned earlier can be applied to widows of cars and buildings alike resulting in an inexhaustible energy source that can fuel automobiles resulting in little to no emissions. If this occurs, then the haze barrier would begin to dissipate resulting in more efficient solar products and more fuel for our cars. Even with solar power being one of the fastest growing energy industries, it may do American little good after the recent tariffs on China was levied. The tariffs that were levied in an attempt to buy time for American solar manufacturers to catch up with China, may actual cause the opposite effect by discouraging domestic investment in American innovation. After China flooded the global market with below-cost solar panels, President Obama enacted tariffs on solar imports. Yet, by this time several domestic solar technologies had already folded and were unable to compete with the Asian market. President Trump has enacted a thirty percent tariff on all solar imports in an attempt to stimulate investment in domestic innovation. These tariffs could potentially eliminate a vast amount of jobs within the United States. The majority of solar jobs within the United States revolve around installation. With rising solar panel prices, the demand of solar units with the country could potential decline resulting in less work for solar installers, which currently is one of the fastest growing jobs with the U.S. If President Trump continues to place America first, then it may be reasonable to expect that he will promote American solar technology by applying federal funds to assist innovation and promote domestic investment. If the product that China used to flood the world market was below cost and substandard, it leave a reasonable amount of doubt that the product would be the product of choice. This could potentially open the door for American made solar products. If domestic manufacturers rise to the challenge, we may see a solar technology boom in our county. Solar energy is free and sustainable. Applied in the right circumstance and it could improve the quality of our daily lives. Ridding the planet of toxic emissions from cars alone could have a positive effect on the planet and health of the public. It could provide a low cost alternative to fossil fuel consumption without disruption in service. Understandably, there will be complications overcoming obstacles but in the end solar powe r is worth the effort.