"A Risk-Free Life"

David Bouvier

ENGL 0250-154

H. Susi

10/30/11

"A Risk-Free Life"

In the short story "A Risk-Free Life" written by Leonard Pitts is about a woman whom her name is still a kept a secret for her own 

safety and reasonings. Her whole family Has been struggling from a horrible disease called Alzheimer's. This woman is trying to have her unborn child's DNA screened for the disease. Pitts talks about how in the future people may be able to choose and depict distinct features

out of their children's DNA and pretty-much make their children's features from a check list.

I thought that this article was very interesting because knowing that a lady is going through this much to know what her child is
most likely to be like when it is born. I think that it is very smart to use the technology to figure out if your child will have a generic
disease, but I do not think that a parent should be able to choose and depict weather if your child will have blue eyes, brown hair, dark
skin and have a great smile. If you were too basically create your own dream baby, I think this would just be abusing the power of

technology. I would garentee that their would be some type of problem or glitch in this system. If this does happen I think people should  just think and ask them selves before they do it. Who would be the test dummies? Would it work? What would it happen if it didn't work?

I believe that your child should look like you and your spouse and have the intelligence of you both. In the future if Pitts is correct 

about this technology of choosing your baby's features from a check list then having a baby would just be like going to the mall and 

creating a build-A-Bear. I truly do just think that would be completely wrong and I would choose to not do it. I would want my baby to 

have my features not features of what i want.

Maybe instead of using this technology for looks. We can use it to our advantage and use it to maybe stop a disease from beginning. 

Maybe we could prevent diseases from happening that could potentially kill our selves in the future. I believe in fate. If my fate is to have 

an ugly baby, or a baby with distinct features weather they are bad or good, I think that we should all accept our fate and live with it. 

David Bouvier

ENGL 0250-154

H. Susi

10/23/11

"Good Grammar Gets the Girl"

The short story “Good Grammar Gets the Girl” by Elissa Englund is about a girl who tries to join internet dating services. She meets a guy online named Craig who seemed like a nice guy but he had really bad grammar. Craig misspelled words left and right and didn't seem like he knew the differences between certain words that sounded the same. Elissa thought he was dumb. Elissa talks about how many people have also exchanged their first flirting words through instant messaging, e-mail and on the online dating services. Elissa tells you five rules for people to remember before they type something and post it with all errors.

I think that the issues she discussed had good information that some people need help with their writing. I believe that this should be used for more than just internet talking, I know she is referring all this to internet dating because every one is speaking through words but you can use all of this in an every day use. I think she also she could use her advice for people who are writing resumes for a job interview, or for someone who is writing an article for a paper or a magazine. 

I personally have a problem with my writing. I know for a fact my language and grammar use needs to change in my writing and speaking. I have always had a problem with speaking and writing but I do not think that it is helping because of all these texting terms and slang I use with my friends on a daily basis.

Since the first couple weeks of My english class I can see the improvements in my writing I learn new grammar skills every day and I can see the writing improve in my texting and writing, I try and use the newly learned skills in my writing so I can better my self for my future, but it is really hard because using slang and short terms and abbreviations are so much easier and faster to text with.

I believe that one of the biggest problems is that our generation of kids are very lazy including my self and I like to use the terms and abbreviations it makes my life easier and its faster. There fore I think more kids should use some sort of a motive to better them selfs in their grammar and knew how important it is and maybe practiced by using texting. This would help them selfs in their future and they would grow as a better writing it will help them in the future if they have to write papers in college.

ONLY DAUGHTER

"Only Daughter," by Sandra Cisneros Describes how a father has high expectations for his daughter. In the past her father mentioned how he had seven sons one being her. She is the only daughter he has but still referred her to a son. Her father brings up all his children having seven sons if he wanted a metal. Her father expected his daughter to marry so he allowed her to go to college. When she graduated and went to  two years of grad school with no husband he thinks her schooling was a waste of time and money.

The quote that catches my eye is when she says "Being only a daughter for my father meant my destiny would lead me to become someone's wife." I think her father expects a lot from his daughter. And to me it seems like she's not ready for marriage. Cisneros dad tells his children to use their head and not their hands and always showed his beat up hands as an example. Thats exactly what she did, She went through college and worked very hard even went through two years of grad school and her father is still unhappy.

Cisneros Father criticizes her and how she wasted all her time, but all of her schooling paid off because she became a professional writer. Her book was sold and published to a New York publishing house. Her father was a huge part of her life and I believe her father inspired her to become such a good writer and pursue her dreams. Her father read her story. He asked if he could have more copies for him self and the family to read. She actually had this story translated so he could read it. i thought it was very interesting that she took such interest in her story after so many years of being hard on her and treating her like she beneath him. It all paid off for Cisneros, She made him laugh and ask questions. He was very interested in her story.

My thought on this short story is that maybe it was very good that her father was hard on her because maybe if not she would have nothing to prove to anyone. Also maybe she would not have gotten to where she is today. She has many short stores out books and more published. She is a very well known writer. I believe her Family experiences help her achieve Her goals.

       This story reminds me of some of the same reasons why i am the person I am today. The way Cisneros was inspired is the same way why I do things in my life. When some one tells me I can not do something it makes me want to do achieve it that much more. I can relate to this story on a daily basis I see things like this happen to my friends and even in different parts of my family. Their will always be that stereotype in every ones life at one point weather if it is good things or in bad ways.

David Bouvier

ENG 0250-154

H. Susi

10/9/11

A Brother's Murder

A Brothers Murder by Brent Staples is a story about how Staples grew up having a rough life. He grew up in Chester, Philadelphia where he recalls people being stabbed, shot, and killed all around him daily. Staples went to college, graduated, and became a journalist. When he accomplished these tasks he decided to forget about his hometown completely and never go back. As Brent Staples left Blake Staples, his brother, stayed and got caught up in the trouble. Brent tried to save his brother but he was to caught up and by the time he tried to save him it was to late. Brent told his brother to meet him one day, a meeting he never showed up to, because he was killed.

Staples did only do what he could at the time of when he was growing up. He had to save himself before he could help any one else. I'm sure losing his brother put a huge weight on his shoulders, he got the feeling he could have done more and that it is his fault. He woke up night after night for weeks crying up set with him self. Living in the hardship he did must have given him the strength to pull him self though this tradgety. He thought he could have saved his brothers life by having him read a document he read that has turned his life round. 

It is very hard to live a life like staples did. I do not know what i would possibly do if i had to go through the things that he went through and still have a head on my shoulders. what some people don't under stand is that things that happen, happens for a reason weather it makes you a better person or changes your ways of doing things. Anything that happens it could always be worse.

I personally do not have many same experiences like staples did but i do know a hand full of friends that have been through worse and same experiences. I have friends that have been through things like staples and they are still normal and they know how to keep their composure. I also have a hand full of people that have been through difficult things in their life and can not deal with and and revert to drugs, alcohol or suicide. I have a close friend that committed suicide just about a year ago because he could not deal his life. it is really sad because he was like a brother to me and i share some sort of feeling with staples. 

It is always sad knowing that a lot of people deal with things like staples did, but these kind of things happen on a daily basis with more people than you would think. Some people know how to deal with it and live a normal life through or after their downfalls. Other people can not deal with it and become their own enemy, they will hurt them self or let their lives go to wast. Just like staples story there are many more stories or people you may know that will inspire you to love everything you have and not to take anything for granted. 

Dear Dads: Save Your Sons

David Bouvier

ENGL 0250-154

H.Susi

9/26/11

Dear Dads: Save Your Sons

This short story Dear Dads written by a psychologist, Christopher N. Bacorn was a very emotional story for many kids and mothers around the world. Just about anyone can relate to this story. He explained the importance of having a father in a child's life. He mentions the effects and emotional problems a child can have with out a father role mode in their lives. In this short story he meets with a mother and her child that shows this problem. This kid is 15 years old, fatherless and is into drugs and gang related problems.

As i was reading this story it has touched my feelings because i know how it feels to have a father in my life physically but he's never there emotionally. As i grew up my father was one of those fathers that i was never able to play catch with, watch him cheer for me or even take me to any practices. Never did he help me with my school work. He was always too busy working for himself and playing with his toys. It was like he was never there and that it was just my mother, sister and I. I have never looked up to my father because i simply did not know him. He did not talk to me. He did not teach me how to become the person i am i taught my self. Sometimes i think maybe if he actually was not there in my life would i really be a different person?

After having my own experiences with father problems, I always think about how my life would have changed if he payed attention to me. I do not believe so because i had a lot of other role models. My grandfather, cousins, uncles, and just friends and their parents. All of my role models payed attention to me. That changed my life because i never on a daily basis got this attention from people. I still meet new role models that affect my life every day. I feel that i am a mix of all my role models i have met because i would depict certain aspects about people and bring them into my own life. How some one acts, speak, communicates and most important if you are able to pay attention to someone and let them know you care they will look up to you. Your friends, girlfriends and siblings can be your best role models. Looking up to someone is very important. What some kids problems are that they look up to the wrong people. Some kids just do not have any good people in their life.

I believe over time you can change the way some one thinks and acts no matter how strongly they feel about their opinions. If you can create a relation between some one and your self you can talk to them for ever. Weather if it's about sports or cars dirt bikes, reading anything you can use as a gate way to their feelings. If some one looks up to you, you can tell them anything you want and they might believe you. The power you have when some one looks up to you is endless. This could be an advantage or disadvantage. 

Every child should not necessary have a father, but a father figure that can point them into the right direction. Showing them what is right from wrong. Having  role model can depict what a child wants to do for a career or what hobbies they enjoy. Not just children should have role models but as well as adults. A role model does not have to be older but just has to give a certain person inspiration. Role models can have the power to ruin a childs life or have the power to set children's goals to further their life.