In "Reflections on Indexing My Lynching Book," Ashraf H.A. Rushdy meditates and reflects on another work he has nearly finished completing. In this way, he uses nostalgia to interrogate his own writing process as well as the historical contexts and traumas that formed the subject of his books.
1. If you were to look back on something you've written for another class that affected you and that left you feeling "lost," what assignment would that be?
Rushdy begins his essay by using the second-person pronoun "you" to create a scenario and put the reader into the writer's experience.
2. With what sort of scenario could you use the second-person perspective in a similar way in your "Lost & Found" essay?
One way Rushdy organizes his essay is to divide and classify the people in his books (and in American history).
3. In your essay, who would be on your list of "someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed" (174)? Who would be on your "personal axis of evil" (176)?
1. In one of my previous classes I had to do an assignment about role models and heros. We had to come up with several people to talk about and I could only think of a few people who I actually considered role models.
ReplyDelete2. A way that I would the second-person perspective in a similar way in my "Lost & Found" essay would be to tell a story using you as well to help the reader feel more involved with what they are reading.
3. In my essay someone who would be on my list of "someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed" would be my mom. And someone who would be on my list for "personal axis of evil" would be... well the list could go on and on.
1. I have written two essays regarding HIV/AIDS, one about the effect of stigma on children with HIV/AIDS and one about how the community can affect the adolescent with HIV/AIDS. Both have showed me the effects of the disease on different populations. Because of this knowledge, I feel more aware of the issues regarding the disease, but I also feel sad about the millions who deal with the disease daily.
ReplyDelete2. I would use the second-person perspective in the introduction to open the paper. This would allow the reader to become more involved and think about the scenario I am providing before I continue with my essay.
3. I would put my mother on my list of "someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed". She has been through a lot in her life and there have been many times where she has had to stand up for herself when no one else would.
I do not have a lot of enemies, or have any, but I know a man who would be on my "personal axis of evil". Years back, I had a crush on him, but when he had a crush on me, he was emotionally cheating on his girlfriend at the time. He ended up being a waste of my time and I am glad nothing worked out between us. The only good he has done for me was introduce me to the man who is now my boyfriend.
1. I was enrolled in a Religious Studies/Philosophy class that focused on the reason for religion. We discussed western and eastern religions and philosophies to find purpose for their making. I wrote a paper on the significance of Nihilism. I chose this topic because I am a fairly optimistic individual; Nihilism is a drearier philosophy. This paper really impacted my perspective on how the world worked, and it took my ideation and brought it towards a more realistic perspective. I felt lost without the cheeriness that I had become so used to, but now I see the realism and truth which gives me a sense of accomplishment that I can comprehend the reality of the situation while still experiencing delight and happiness.
ReplyDelete2. To use the second person effectively, I would have to know my audience very well. As a college student, I understand that developing a sense of self is essential at this stage of my life. I would address the reader; by using second person, on their identity, future, and expectations for the world. For example, “You think you would have known your career path in kindergarten. That’s what they tell you. Doctor? Vet? You think you’d figure out that you like skirts and not pants, or neither, and you’d really think that your expectations aren’t too high. But, what would you know?”
3. Alan Turing was homosexual. He was condemned for his sexual orientation, but he cracked the enigma and put the war in our favor. His intellect and progress for our modern day technology has given us the ability to understand the intelligence of a computer and future possibilities at artificial intelligence. His sexual orientation has also offered the LGBTQIA a wonderful example of great individuals who happen to be a part of the sexual minority. A modern day axis of evil is Kim Davis. She received media support for her anti-gay agenda because her religious beliefs are from a fundamentalist perspective. She is a negative individual who preaches; a religion based on love and community, about the condemning of gays.
1. It would be this assignment that had to do with looking at the health issues in your family tree. I had to get information about relatives as far back as siblings of my grandparents on both sides. I had to state the names of each relative and describe what health issues there were. I also had to connect what health issues were common and may possibly affect me or my own children. It made me feel a bit lost because many of the relatives I wrote about were relatives I never met, yet here I was writing about their health issues and learning about the struggles they have to endure in their life. I did not know them, but it was sad to hear so many had different health issues like cancer and heart disease and passed away early.
ReplyDelete2. I could use a scenario that can explain how the reader may look at a situation, but then explain how that situation is different for me because of my excessive and irrational anxiety.
3. Saint Francis of Assis would be. He was a very sweet hearted person who cared about those in poverty, the environment, and animals in ways that seemed strange for people to understand. He felt that people had to take care of nature and be its steward. For a “personal axis of evil”, I have nobody. I do not feel that way towards anyone. While I may be able to distinguish people who may fall into a category of evil due to their actions, I still do not have a “personal axis of evil” against them.
1. If I had to look back on something that that I have had to write for another class that affected me it would have to be the very first English class I took coming into CSUB, English 100. I had to write a ten page, single spaced essay on Africa. I was very saddened by all of the children that are born with diseases because their mother had them or how many people were going hungry in that area. This affected me because it was in that moment that I realized that my problems will never be as big as their problems are.
ReplyDelete2. For my “Lost& Found” essay I could open the introduction or one of the body paragraphs with the sentence “You could imagine….”.
3. In my essay I could use Martin Luther King Jr. as someone who stood up for justice and righteousness. On a personal level I could use my sister as someone who performed a heroic deed, she stood up for a disabled student at her high school because he was being taunted. I feel like my “personal axis of evil” could be my second oldest sister. Although she isn’t always evil she is the one that first comes to mind. Other than that nobody else comes to mind.
1. A previous writing assignment that has left me feeling "lost" is a research paper I wrote on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Having a limited nursing background at the time, I was solely interested in the idea of writing on this topic because I wanted to learn more about preventative measures. However, through reviewing literature on the subject, I became saddened. The topic is a sensitive subject and there is much that is still not understood about SIDS. This pressed me to continue to research the subject long after the assignment was completed. I am a person who wants to know "why." Particularly, why do innocent infants die in these cases.
ReplyDelete2. Using the second-person pronoun in an essay is difficult because it implies that the writer knows the one reading the paper. At the same time, including "you" in my essay could create a feeling of inclusion of the individual reading the essay. I will attempt to use this strategy throughout my paper to involve the reader in my experiences.
3. My aunt Sharon is "someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed." Through my childhood, my aunt cared for me as I was her own daughter. My mother worked nights, so I spent a lot of time growing up with my aunt and cousins. My aunt always put me and her children before herself. Though I am not one to hold grudges, an example of a "personal axis of evil" would be an unfaithful person who I used to trust.
1. I cant think of anything in specific, but, in general, history and humanity has always left me feeling lost. For instance, why is there so much discrimination against one another and racism? Why desire to hurt others in search of power and leadership? Why cant humans just get along?
ReplyDelete2. I am guessing I can use the second-person perspective by relating it to present discriminatory/racist situations.
3. My dad would be that "someone." When I was younger he always confronted those who tried causing problems with me. Maybe that is why I do not know how to defend myself because Daddy always came to the rescue. He has also taken several risks on trying to support his family. He is such a hard working man, which is why I admire him so much. Someone who would be on my "personal axis of evil" is my boyfriend's youngest sister. She makes me feel less of a woman.
1. My first quarter of nursing school I had to write a paper based on patient centered care and add a personal story regarding patient care to the research that I had already done. My personal story was when my grandpa was in the hospital and the nurses/doctors only reviewed his chart instead of assessing him to see that he had recovered. Because of their mistake, he died of malnutrition. Bringing up these events made me have a sense of feeling “lost.”
ReplyDelete2. In my essay I could use the second-person perspective in the beginning and end of the paper to draw the reader into the paper and its contents relating back to them and their lives.
3. In my essay, my mom would be on my list of “someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed.” As for someone who would be on my list for “personal axis of evil” would be an old high school friend.
1. The one paper that I know for sure made an impact on me and made me feel lost throughout it was my Religious Studies Senior Paper. Exploring how Buddhist practices can be used as a source of healing.
ReplyDelete2. This sounds cruel, but I would use a second person perspective when asking the reader to put themselves in these women's positions. I would do this to make the reader REALLY think and analyze the situation; it is a sort of self-introspection.
3. Both women I will be exploring are on my list of standing up for what is right and if I would have to pick someone on my "personal axis of evil", it would be the perpetrator; the person who committed the abuse. But I would rather not categorize anyone as that because Buddhism emphasizes forgiveness in order to heal and blaming the perpetrator can disrupt the healing process.
1.I had to do a paper for a criminal justice class in which I had to interview a woman in her 50's or older about women's rights during their time and how much different it is now from how it used to be. One of the questions was regarding domestic violence. My grandmother was the woman I chose to interview and I came across a hurdle due to the fact that she was living in Mexico at the time and women and no rights and domestic violence was prohibited to speak about. She did not have much to say due to her limited knowledge of what rights were available so I had difficulty coming up with a paper.
ReplyDelete2. I would use a second person perspective in the beginning and at the end of my paper so that the reader could see how it ties in together and how the thoughts have evolved throughout the paper.
3. I would put my mom on my list of "someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed". She is a strong independent woman who has accomplished a lot as a single mother. For my "personal axis of evil" I personally do not have anybody, but I believe supervisors are always a good option for that category.
1. A writing assignment that I a few years ago that left me lost was my child abuse paper. It made me feel very sad reading about child neglect and abuse. The research that I had to do for the paper was tough. I work with kids so anything that has to do with child abuse or neglect really hurt because of my love for children. I felt like I could never really understand the meaning behind people actions they took towards their own children and the ways they proceed to beat and hurt them.
ReplyDelete2. I could very well use a second person pronoun in the beginning of my essay maybe asking a question to the reader. I could use it to grab the attention of the reader and make it have the reader reflect on metaphor.
3. In my essay, “someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed" would be my mom. I don’t have a person whom I find as a "personal axis of evil."
1. One of my earliest assignments during the nursing program was an essay that reflected the idea of patient-centered care tied into a personal experience. For my own experience, I related the positive care received during a loved one's stay in a NICU hospitalization. The essay allowed me to re-evaluate and reminisce on the experience that had become a distant memory. In this way I became "lost" once again in reliving the tidal of emotions I had once felt.
ReplyDelete2. In my essay I plan to use the second-person perspective to introduce the topic, by asking a "you" framed question. I feel like using this as an opener automatically places the reader in a relatable mindset to think of a time in which they have had love lost or found themselves.
3. In my essay my mom would be "someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed." As for my "personal axis of evil" I am undecided and unsure how to incorporate this aspect into my essay as an antagonist.
1. I took the class Gangs in America and I had to write an essay on a topic of our choice. We learned about the history of gangs and how it has changed throughout the years. Gangs ranging from prison gangs, biker gangs, women involved with gangs, and juveniles involved with gangs. I felt that writing about women would be more interesting because I wondered what made these women want to devote their life in this type of way. There was a lot to research in the way that they started out in gangs, married into gangs, the way they dressed, acted, and abused. I was lost in how I wanted to direct and highlight my essay topic. It was difficult researching and reading the hardships that came their way.
ReplyDelete2. I would try to use the second person pronoun in the beginning and/or at the end of my Lost & Found essay so that I can include the reader as they are reading. The reader can think and relate it to themselves.
3. Someone who stood up for "righteousness and justice" would be a man like Martin Luther King Jr. I don't know of anyone that would be on my list of "personal axis of evil."
1. The assignment that probably left me feeling “lost” would probably be my very first writing assignment in college. The assignment was to write about an interview I was asked to do on a woman who had been born before World War II. This assignment because very difficult because I obviously didn’t know many people born in the U.S. during that time; however, I found one in a senior home, who was willing to contribute to my interview. However, the interview did not go as planned and to my surprise, people will help you for the good cause but will probably end up leaving you in the same place you began with.
ReplyDelete2. I would probably use the second- person pronoun throughout most of my paper because a lot of the examples would set the reader in a questionable position when it comes to talking about life.
3. In my essay, on the list for “someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic dee” would be my grandma. She has dealt with me for most of my life and has had to put up with every change of attitude, personality or anything that I have gone through my life growing up. On my list of “personal axis of evil” would be a couple of people who I used to trust, or have trusted and ended up showing their true colors after.
1. An essay that left me feeling “lost” that I have written in the past was for a history class and the topic was pretty open so we were able to choose to write on whatever we desired. I wrote a very general paper on the topic of Buddhism. I was aware of the religion but I didn’t know too much about it. I ended spending more time on it than I anticipated and I even decided to visit a Buddhist church to learn more about it. Their teachings and beliefs intrigued me, which left me feeling confused about my own principles and what I believed in.
ReplyDelete2. A way I could include a second-person perspective would be to ask a serious of questions to the reader by implementing the pronoun “you”. This will put the reader into the story and be more relatable.
3. Someone I would consider heroic would be Malala Yousafzai. She is a Pakistani activist that speaks out for female education. After going through a traumatic experience, she dedicated herself to becoming a spokesperson for equal education, and going against the Taliban. I truly do not think I have anyone on my “personal axis of evil”.
1. I recently wrote a paper for a Sociology class. It was the ABC-X Family Crisis Model. It was the only paper I ever received a horrible grade on. The model discusses the effects of stress and depending on how a family copes with the stressor determines whether or not they stress or use the stressor as an opportunity of growth.
ReplyDelete2. I would include a second-person perspective by asking thought provoking and common questions. Many of us fall in love, get crushed but I might emphasize that despite the heartache. How did you handle it? If you were to pull away the layers of callouses would you be able to identify the feeling you truly have?
3. Personally, I don't know that I truly see anyone as heroic at least not in my personal life. I do, however; believe our troops are amazing and true heroes. I also believe that Christ is my hero. I have a grip of personal axis of evil including those that try to change our constitution, give away American liberties etc. I also despise those who lie and anyone that hurts children. I am very passionate about what I do not like.
1. When I was a Freshman at CSUB for my English class I had to write a 10-12 page paper about "Sexism". I was lost in the sense that the subject was too broad and I had a tough time narrowing my paper down to one thing. I did a variety of research and just felt "lost" because I didn't know where to begin.
ReplyDelete2. Personally, I would use second-person perspective in my paper. By using words such as "you" it allows for the reader to relate the text to his or herself.
3. My "someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed" would be my mother. I have a grip of "personal axis of evil" for people that do not have any respect for family.
1. An essay that left me feeling "lost" was an essay that I wrote for a special education studies class. The essay was about the different types of disabilities that students have that are in special education programs. The essay gave me more knowledge regarding special education but I felt lost because there’s so many students out there that struggle with disabilities and being different and I felt an urge to help them but didn’t know how to.
ReplyDelete2. I could use the second-person perspective in my essay in the introduction when talking about the topic and first I would express my feelings on the topic. I would then put the reader into “my shoes” and turn it into their perspective but in my situation.
3. The person on my list for “someone who stood up for justice and righteousness” would be my mother. She is always trying to do the right thing and help out everyone else. As for people who would be on my “personal axis of evil” list would be a lot of people, there are many people in the world that break and bend rules when they shouldn’t.
1. An assignment that had me "lost" recently was a paper I wrote for my geology class. My professor let us chose our own topic, so I felt like it was far too broad and it took me more time to figure out a topic and evidence for it then it actually took me to write the paper. Figuring out the topic had me lost because we could chose ANYTHING as long as we could relate it to California's geography.
ReplyDelete2. I would use the second-person perspective by addressing the reader by using "you" and also asking questions to allow the reader to imagine themselves in the same situation.
3. The person I see as "someone who stood up for justice and righteousness" would be my boyfriend's mom. She has done a lot for me with my personal issues and always takes care of everyone else first. She is the most selfless person I know and I can never thank her enough for all she's done. My "personal axis of evil" would include anyone who mistreats children. Children are so sweet, genuine and naive, and it absolutely kills me that they aren't treated properly.
1. An assignment that affected me and left me feeling a bit "lost" was a speech I had to write for my public speaking class. The topic was Physician Assisted Suicide. As I gathered information about the laws regarding physician assisted suicide and read personal stories about why people felt this should be legal, I felt very lost as I could not decide where I stood on the matter. Knowing that I have a family member who is terminally ill and has said at times that he would take advantage of this, it became a difficult topic for me to address objectively and I felt lost.
ReplyDelete2. I would use the second person-perspective by using "you" to address the reader in order to draw the reader in and make them feel a personal connection to what they are reading.
3. A person I would say is "someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed" would be my mother. She has always stood up for not only her children in any situation but always stands up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. A person I would say is a "personal axis of evil" are the people I have encountered in my life who are dishonest and do not consider the consequences of their actions, only personal gain.
1. I once had to write a paper on a case study done by itinerant teacher for visually impaired children who witnessed a general education teacher excluding a student with a disability. This particular paper affected me because I was saddened to find a general education teacher who blatantly did not care for her student. This teacher was observed leaving a visually impaired child behind in the curriculum because she simply did not care. She didn’t sign up to have a child with a disability in her class, so she was not going to support this student. This paper left me feeling lost because teaching is the profession I am going into and I find it reprehensible for an educator to treat their student that way.
ReplyDelete2. I suppose I could use the second-person perspective in my “Lost and Found” essay in my introduction or narration of my paper by using the pronoun “you” to create a scenario and put the reader into my personal experiences. The use of second-person perspective helps the reader relate to the author’s life.
3. In my essay, someone my list of “someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed” would be someone I don’t want to name or say on relation to on an open blog. This person was struggling with substance abuse for a long time and finally ended that viscous cycle. This person has redeemed themselves as a trusting, loving, and responsible person and is now helping others who are struggling the way they did for so long. Though I don’t have a specific person in mind when thinking of someone who is “personal axis of evil”, I suppose I would have to characterize this type of person as someone who I trusted and they have proven to untrustworthy.
1. For one of my computer science classes we were asked to write a sorting algorithm. I did not know where to start or what to do. I felt completely lost as I felt this was something I should have known. Some of my classmates helped me out and I did not feel as lost after.
ReplyDelete2. One of the ways I could use the second person perspective in my essay is to describe how it might be hard to accomplish simple things we might take for granted. An example would be you wake up in the morning, open the water faucet and hot water comes out. This is something we expect but it is a luxury in other less developed countries.
3. In my essay I would list one of my high school teachers as someone who “stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed.” Mrs. Auforth always taught us how to accept each other and to overcome differences. Our English class was probably one of the most accepting classes at school. We did not laugh at people’s accents, preferences, or believes. This in high school is a major accomplishment since high school kids really don’t care. All of this was due to her efforts. I do not have a person who is my “personal axis of evil” but if I had to choose one it would be all the people who cannot see how beautiful diversity is. This people believe they are the only ones right and the world revolves around them, which is not the case.
1. I written an oral report about my motocross background, and I was not allowed to use pictures to help my audience visualize the terms used in this sport. I gave the definition to the terms, but people still looked confused as to what whoops and rhythm sections were. In the end, I was lost because people were asking me questions what some the terms actually were and I could not explain in more detail without a picture.
ReplyDelete2. Scenario could be when the person is thinking. By saying “you” instead of “he”. This perspective could put you, the reader, into the writing like you are asking the character questions or telling he/she what to do.
3. The person I would select in my best friend, Bryan. Even though he passed away a long time ago, he was someone who stood up for me. I was always being picked on because of my height. Bryan was the most popular guy in in middle and high school, and he chose to hang out with me for all those years until he passed away in May of our junior year. The person for my “personal axis of evil” are people who hurt or mistreat other people or animals. Those are people who just don’t care about anything else, but themselves.
1. An assignment that left me feeling lost was a speech I gave in a previous class about how HIV in developing countries. I knew the issue was bad and of course would be a sad topic but as I began the research, it truly saddened me to think about how we are so fortunate to have the advances we have here in the U.S. There are kids in Africa who die daily before their first birthday because they are born with HIV and they don’t have the resources needed to extend their life.
ReplyDelete2. A scenario in my essay where I can use the second person would be to really engage the reader. Using "you" speaks to the reader directly and can really make the reader understand that they along with anyone else can lose themselves at any given moment.
3. In my essay, the person who would be my "someone who stood up for justice and righteousness, someone who performed a daring intellectual or heroic deed" would be my boyfriend. He constantly stand up for those who are bullied especially with cyber bullying becoming a bigger issue in today's day. The person for the "personal axis of evil" would be those who are doing the bullying. So many people think is is okay to cyber bully someone because they are behind a computer or phone but sometimes those words can damage a person so much that it causes them to end their life.