"Unemployed"

In Kenyon MacDonald's personal essay “Unemployed,” (2016),he claims that people should appreciate the things in life more, because it’s never guaranteed and can always be lost. The author develops and supports his thesis by recalling an experience  he had when he was younger. MacDonald wrote this essay in order to inform people that once things are gone, they’re gone, so it’s best to learn to appreciate things while you still can. The intended audience of the essay is people who may not appreciate the things they have in life enough.

The message behind the story is relatable to not only me but also everyone else. The message is nothing is guaranteed in the world, so appreciate what you have before it’s gone. Kenyon didn’t appreciate his job while he had it. He was devastated when he got fired. The “job” can refer to anything you have in life. Whether it’s a person or a career that you’re taking advantage of. I lost someone that was very close to me to cancer. It taught me to appreciate everyone in my life because once it's gone, it’s gone. I enjoy reading this because the underlying message stood out to me a lot. Nothing is guaranteed so just live life to the fullest everyday.

The purpose of this personal essay was to show portray the fact that a lot of people take their opportunities for granted. It is a fact that a lot of younger individuals end up not appreciating what they have, usually because they don’t know what it is like to lose something until they lose it themselves. “I took for granted that my job would always be there.” (MacDonald, 143) Many people go through life with the mindset that it won’t happen to them, whatever it is. But this mindset gets a lot of people in trouble because in the end, they aren’t prepared for what ends up taking place. The things that we acquire don’t usually last a lifetime, so it is always good to appreciate it while we have it because we can never know if or when it will leave us for good. “Nothing is guaranteed in this world; start appreciating the things you have because once it is  gone, it is gone.”(MacDonald, 143)

"Swiss Miss"

        In Amanda Thompson’s personal essay, Swiss Miss, (2015), she suggests that it’s not all the bad when someone figures you out and wants to try to socialize with you, even if it may scare you at first. The author develops her stance by recalling an experience she had when she was younger. Thompson wrote this essay in order to demonstrate that showing feeling, breaking out of your shell, and letting people figure you out a little is totally okay. The intended audience of Thompson’s essay was people who may be socially awkward or apprehensive of making friends with others.
        I can relate to Thompson’s essay in so many ways. I myself can appear nonchalant most
of the time. This leads to many people misinterpretation of who I actually am. Unless someone
is my friend, they tend to think I have a “I’m too good for everyone” type attitude. I realized
when somebody fully understand you, they start to develop negative judgement of the kind of
person you are. I feel that’s because we’re only human. We always have to understand and
know everything. The girls on the bus for example. They couldn’t understand Amanda’s stoic
personality; they thought Amanda hated them. Towards the end of the essay, they came to
their own conclusion of her, trying to make sense in their mind of her passive behavior.
       Everyone knows at least one anti social person. This personal essay was written as a way to get people to better understand a person’s decision to separate themselves from others, at least a little bit. In the text we can see that in the time that Thompson took for herself, she was simply thinking. “... I refused to participate when I wasn’t needed so that I could observe and think about the things that piqued my interest…”(Thompson, 134) However, because this behavior is not seen as normal, she was often misunderstood. When they were on their trip, the girls that were roomed with Thompson tried to identify what ever emotion she was feeling that caused her to appear mute and separated. This is because that sort of behavior is always paired with a negative emotion. The girls finally realize that Thompson would rather just stay separated from everyone as to not get too involved, however they still made an extra effort to make her feel included. “Regardless of my apprehension, i continued to spend time with the very people i had once detested...”

"Watch Your Language"

       In Mark Larson’s English journal, The Great Debate (Again): Teaching Grammar and Usage, (1996), he asserts that the effectiveness of a piece of writing is more important than the correctness of it. In this piece of writing, Larson supports his thesis by explaining personal experiences of his and by quoting people who are experts in the field of linguistics. Larson wrote this piece in order to inform people that it’s okay not to have totally correct grammar as long as you know how to effectively get your message across depending on the context in which you are writing. The intended audience of Larson’s writing is English teacher and experts.
        I was really happy when reading this article because I didn’t believe teachers like him existed. Mark Larson believed student should contribute their own “language” to their work not just the standard English. He’s not the strict stick to the book type of teacher which is why I like him. He works towards individualism in each student. I definitely agree with him when it comes to students doing the work just for the grade. Writing should be a tool for student to express themselves. Forcing students to stick to the rules and regulations is taking the true purpose of writing away for many people.
       The purpose of this essay was to open the eyes of many who are blinded by the rules and regulations of grammar. Being a teacher, Larson figured out that students see the many rules placed on our language as impassible barriers, simply because we are told that what we know is wrong. “‘...the linguistic form a student brings to school is intimately connected to loved ones, community, and personal identity. To suggest that this form is ‘wrong’ or even worse, ignorant, is to suggest that something is wrong with the student and his or her family’”(Larson, 93). The purpose of writing is to bring your point across in a way that other people will understand as well. “...[writing] is, as Anne Lamont (1994) says, ‘about our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives, to wake up and grow and belong.’”(Larson, 95) However, when these rules are implemented so harshly, it stops being something we enjoy, but rather becomes a task to write. It is not very enjoyable to write a piece that is just going to be considered wrong and incorrect. “It is not as if our students do not hear the standard form of English every day. Much of what we witness and are likely to misinterpret in the classroom is resistance, shyness, and disinterest, not lack of linguistic ability.” (Larson, 94)

"A Trip to the Library"

In Richard Wright’s, personal essay, A visit to the Library, (1945), he suggests that reading is important because it can have an immense impact on the way people view their environment and others around them. In this essay, the author supports his thesis by recalling events from his past. Wright wrote this essay in order to inform people of the impact that reading can have on a person, especially when reading hasn’t always been accessible to them. The intended audience of the piece is people who face discrimination and people who would really benefit from the new knowledge that can obtained by simply reading.  

I enjoyed reading this essay because it reveals the struggle African American faced back in the Civil Rights era. It amazed me the risk one man will take just to educate himself. Richard was really brave to ask a white man for help. It became very sad at the end. After reading many novels, it became evident to Richard that he missed out on so many opportunities in life because of the color of his skin. At first, he was like a child and candy, always wanting to read books. Then the harsh knowledge stripped his innocence away. He became more aware of the world he lived in.

One of the reasons for this story was to portray the importance of reading and the effect that reading has on an individual. Whenever he was caught reading, he was either warned or it peaked the interest of the person who found him. And one thing he constantly heard was “... when you’re through reading those books, I want you to tell me what you get out of them.”(Wright, 129) At the time, it was very taboo for a black person to actually read, but that just made him want to read even more. However, the more he read and gained knowledge, we can see the change it made in him and on his outlook of the world. He began to see differently because he was no longer ignorant to how other people thought. “Again I would read and wonder as only the naive and unlettered can read and wonder, feeling that I carried a secret, criminal burden about with me each day.” (Wright, 132)

"We are the Same"

       In Emily Renie’s personal essay, “We are the Same,” (2015), she suggests that two people from totally different cultures and backgrounds can have a lot more in common than what meets the eye. The author develops her thesis by recalling a couple of experiences she had regarding the way people see herself and others. Renie wrote this essay in order to tell people not to let others define who they are. The audience of Renie’s essay was her English Composition professor.
       As human beings, we tend to always see the negative more than the positive things about other people. The narrator, Emily, was able to connect to the Tonga girl due to past experience of being bullied. My best friend, Shona, and I became friends because emotionally we were connected to each other. When she tells me her problem I was able to see a reflection of myself. I was in Shona's position once; therefore, I was able to empathize with her story. Over the years, Emily learned to love herself, and she was hoping the little girl would soon learn to embrace herself also. This is very crucial for everyone to understand. Self-love is the best love.
       Renie’s personal essay was written to highlight that everyone, no matter where they come from, experience insecurities. “Although we lived 8,000 miles apart, grew up in different cultures, and did not share the same skin color...We both felt the same insecurities and the way they constantly pick away our source of courage.” Renie gave us insight to an insecurity that she held concerning her smile, and how it did not affect her until someone rudely pointed out her “flawed” teeth. I’ve noticed that no one is ever insecure about themselves until they see something that tells them or makes them think of that part of themselves as not beautiful. Renie wanted to combat this by making a girl who had been picked on feel better about herself. “I smiled and very gently touched the tip of her nose. ‘Mubontu’...‘Mubontu’ means beautiful in Tonga I wanted her to know exactly what she is despite what others say.”(Renie, 147) Even though Renie did not have to encourage the girl, she seemed to realize that sometimes it helps to hear positive words from someone else.

"Talking in Color"

       

       In Tiffany Hendrickson’s personal essay, “Talking in Color: Collision of Cultures,” (2013), she explores the idea that different people speak differently depending on their race or background. The author develops by explaining her experience with the different ways people spoke around her. Hendrickson wrote this essay to explain how developing your voice is important in determining where you stand in society. The intended audience was her English composition professor at University of Cincinnati.
       It is sad that as a nation we are divided in so many ways such the colors of our skin, our cultural background, and even the differences in our dialect. Obviously, the sound of our voice has colors attached to it. This is the problem Tiffany Hendrickson faced throughout her life; she is a white person with a “black voice”. I can relate to Tiffany when she stated she was afraid to talk due to her accent. I don’t speak perfect English because I am not from this country. Time and time again I tend to have an Asian accent which I think is really embarrassing. I believe if I do not speak English the white/proper way or with the right accent, then I am being judged and looked down upon. Tiffany’s story is very inspiring because she learned to love her dialect and accent. She also brought up a social issue in our society. People tend to shame those who speak broken and improper English and classified it as talking “black”. This stereotype has been going on for so long and it is degrading the African American people. 

        This text was written to ask the question, “is there a voice associated with color?” Hendrickson went throughout life with a “black voice” simply because she grew up around black people. Her mother was deaf and her father had a limited education, so she learned speech from her environment. However, she wasn’t aware of how black she sounded until it was pointed out. “ this... walked right up to me and said, ‘Are you white?’ I replied, ‘Ahhhh, yes.’ He had this look of disappointment on his face and said, ‘Well, then talk white. Stop talking like a nigger!’” (Hendrickson) Hendrickson did a good job of her confusion of the linguistic gap by using her own life experiences. “ I’ve always been told, ‘You sound like a black girl.’ Is it because my language isn’t white enough? ... What does a black girl sound like? Illiterate? I ask myself this regularly.”

"Context"

In Dorothy Allison’s short story, “Context,” (1994), she suggests that having context is important in understanding people of different classes or backgrounds.  The author supports this claim by recalling a personal experience of hers.  Allison wrote this story in order to inform people of the importance of context.  The audience was people who are interested in literature and are concerned about issues amongst different classes of people.

Even though my family is not financially struggling, I can feel her pain and embarrassment. However, nobody is perfect and neither are their family members. Obviously, you are not going to have the perfect ideal family that will suit your girlfriend/boyfriend best. Therefore, it’s always nerve wrecking to bring your significant other around your family for the first time. Lucky for me, my generation is more open to homosexual or gay relationships compared to back in the day. I am not in one but  I cans see why Dorothy was concerned about how her folks might have perceived them in a negative way.

In this short story, the word “context” is used to mean perspective. I say this because, when Dorothy is laying next to her girlfriend, she says “I thought I understood what you meant when you said working class’ but I just didn’t have a context.” This means that Dorothy’s girlfriend didn’t have anything to compare Dorothy’s words to. She hadn’t experienced what Dorothy had in order to fully understand until she came and visited for herself. At the very end of the text, Dorothy wrote that “Context is so little to share, and so vital.” This means that context, or in this case one’s perspective, is important in every relationship, and it does not take much to share it. But what I also gathered from this story was that not everyone is so quick to share their experience. This comes from a fear of judgement and betrayal. “I wondered what she would have thought of Folly Beach, the poor man’s Jersey Shore, or of us if she could have seen us there. I burned with old shame...” Allison did a good job portaying this theme of context with sharing some of her life story with the readers.