Image of Jefferson

Eli Pardue
10/29/07
AP Lang Lit
LaMags

Melting Pot Entry One

The image of Thomas Jefferson I get from my American history textbook is one that portrays him as a founding father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and President of the United States. On a deeper level, it talks about him as a Virginian plantation runner and slave owner. Thomas Jefferson certainly had prejudice against African-Americans. Based on the text, he thought that they were all-in-all less intelligent than whites. According to his writing, they are not as insightful or comprehensive as whites, and give only basic narrations rather than thoughtful insights. The only thing that he rated African Americans as being more proficient in was basic musical skills, but doubted that they had comprehension for more intensive melodies and harmonies. He was absolutely one of the more prejudiced Fathers, with good reason, coming from a tobacco plantation.
The photograph of his family has a group of whites to the right of his grave, and the the left, an African American family. This immediately gives the idea that Jefferson may have been one of the more Open minded Fathers, one who truly believed in the equality for all Americans that he wrote of. However, based on the historical context of his view on slaves, this assumption would not be valid. However, it is true that Jefferson had an affair with one of his slaves, and had a child with her. The descendants of this child are still alive today, and I believe that it is those descendants who stand to the left of the grave. It is rather fitting, in a sad way, given his stance on African Americans, that these descendants stand to the left rather than the position of power, to the right.

death of a salesman

Eli Pardue
10/13/07
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

Death of a Salesman-Individual Opportunity

To Willy Loman, individual opportunity is equal to all people, and that people just need to be well liked. He thinks that regardless of the grades you got in school, or the social background you come from, to get ahead of the game, you have to be well liked. For example, f one is well liked, then they are more likely to receive the promotion out of the mailroom and into the sales floor. With hard work, one can go from the sales floor to a management position, and then on and on. All its takes is good soial skills and hard work
Willy always bragged about how he could make six or seven calls a day in Boston and make a sale with each one. This was because he was a well-liked salesman. He takes pride in his sons because they are well liked. He is disappointed in Biff because Biff does not use the fact that he was well liked in school to his advantage. He goes out west as a cattle herder, which disappoints Willy because Willy thought that he could be a successful anything with his personality. Happy, on the other hand, has done just what Willy wanted Biff to do, but feels empty inside because he feels he has nothing in his career which fulfills him.

Self Reliance

Eli Pardue
10/08/07
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

Ralph Emerson states that self reliance is the key to success. What he means is that the key to success is believing in yourself, and working all the way to the top through your own means with minimal help or assistance from outside sources. IT takes belief in yourself and a knowledge that the potential and knowledge that is in you is also in everyone else, and that you have to use that knowledge to get ahead.

I do not think that this is all it takes to be successful. Certainly, one would utilize the skills that they have to the best of their advantage, but there is not equal opportunity for everyone in the world, which is what I disagree with Emerson about he said that all have the same amount of potential and knowledge in them, and that you must assume this too get ahead. Being that not everyone is born into the same socio-economic status, do not have opportunities to equal education or care, and therefor can have a distinct disadvantage to those around them greatly affects the way that people approach success. Sometimes it is necessary to receive help in order to get ahead, whether it be from a superior or from a peer, to get ahead in success.

Wednesday's blogs

Eli Pardue
10/10/07
AP Lang. Comp.
LaMags

Todays presentations I remember as for the most part being very well done (there were so many it is hard to evoke all of them back to the present). I remember two particular favorites.

Nick Martin's presentation of the Big Brothers, Big Sisters foundation was truly moving. He was very well qualified to present not because he researched them so thoroughly, but because he himself is actually a little brother. He was passionate in his speech, made excellent eye contact and drew the audience in with his strong presence. I donated several of my donor bucks to Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

Tony Schlehuber's presentation was the other that touched me more than the others. He spoke of the Lord's Pantry with four years of experience working with the Lord's Pantry. He made points of how the Pantry provides food to some people, so that they can spend the funds that would normally go to food to better their lives. He looked at his paper for support only 3 times, stood in the center of the room to fully gain the attention of all those listening. HE did a great job. I also gave donor bucks the the Lord's Pantry

Tuesday blogs

Eli Pardue
10/09/07
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

In particular, I really enjoyed Alex Meregalia's blog. I thought that he spoke for a very worthy cause. Goodwill is a nonprofit that helps many of those in need by providing jobs and education on how to present oneself when participating as an active member of the workforce. I like the approach that Goodwill has on making money. They accept private investment, of course, but they are more interested in your physical donation, such as clothing and old furniture which they can resale. On top of that, I enjoyed his presentation. he spoke passionately, with a good voice and geed gestures. He made an effort to move about the room as he spoke. The only complaints that I have about his presentation is that he spoke a little too fast and it seemed as if his presentation was over-rehearsed. I think that it is better to speak from the heart rather than memory. I plan on giving donor bucks to Alex at this point.

My own presentation I think also went very well. I of course think that my nonprofit organization has a fantastic cause. I am particularly sympathetic towards it because it advocates children and fathers who have not been active in their children's lives, and my single mother raised me since I was seven or eight. I think I spoke with emotion and conviction, and am very confident about my presentation.

paper topic

Eli Pardue
10/3/07
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

Presentation topic

For my presentation, I have chosen the non-profit organization Dads, Inc. because of the great support they provide to dads in Indiana. They make the experience of being a father much easier, more productive, and more beneficial for both the father and the child/children. Some fathers find themselves in positions where they are unable to support their children in being part of their life as a male role model. I chose Dads Inc. because their mission statement states that "The mission of Dads Inc. is to provide support and education for fathers in order to develop healthy relationships and involvement in their children's lives." Having been raised by my mother since I was seven year old, I see the difference that a constant father figure makes in a kids life more than the average child.

Horatio Alger

Eli Pardue
10/1/07
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

Horatio Alger

Horatio Alger’s myth is exciting and full of prospect, but ultimately deceiving. America is not a land of unlimited opportunity, and it is on unbiased to merit based on race, sexual orientation, gender, and religion. Dalton says that the Alger myths need to be eliminated from society. A society such as ours, which has such biases outside of merit, would have a lot of difficulties controlling the biases. One way that we have tried to control the biases was to cerate the Civil Rights Act, which gives slight preference for a company to hire an ethnic person as an employee rather than a white person. Other legal actions could come forth and make it impossible or against the law for a company to not have at least a said number of ethnic employees. These legal treatments of the problem are not fantastic solutions because they allow the un-ethnic population to be discriminated, which most of the time would be met with resistance.
I do not believe that there is a truly effective was to diminish the biases that exist in America. The race biases in America especially run very deep in the country’s history. The only way to truly eliminate them is for time o make racism less and less pronounced.

Ragged Dick

Eli Pardue
9/30/7
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

Ragged Dick

Ragged Dick is a short story about a young man trying to make a name of himself who had an opportunity of success fall on his lap due to a reward from a kind hearted and grateful man. In Roger & Me, thousands of people drop into poverty due to a mass layoff from General Motors for a preference over Latin American workers because they work for cheaper wages.
I think that the situation involving General Motors is not necessarily a more likely scenario, but a scenario that is much more realistic to be prepared for. It is unwise to have the hopes that a man would provide charity in order to better the life of a person because it is putting too large of a burden on too small a chance. In terms of the General Motors scenario, it is a very real prospect that one would lose a job, just as being a recipient of charity. The difference is that it is more self sufficient to be prepared for the situation that you lose a job and have a backup than to never get a job because you never received charity.
The Ragged Dick scenario is more pleasing to think about. We like stories where the hero is happy at the end. But it is not a reap prospect that America is a land so abundant with opportunity that one does not even need to try one’s hardest before assistance becomes avalible.