Advice Columnist

Advice Columnist

Dear Advice Columnist,

My name is Grant and I am having a problem. I am trying to educate a man on death row named Jefferson but it is of no use. He thinks himself a pig and will not listen to anyone. It seems as though nothing will get through to him. Can you please help me make him realize that he is a man and not a pig?

Sincerely,

Grant

Blog Assignment: A Lesson Before Dying Ch. 3-4/ Quotation Assignment

Ch. 3

1.     How does Henri Pichot's insistence that Jefferson "did it" redirect the plot narrative?Pichot's insistence that Jefferson did it redirected the plot narrative by setting a darker tone. She went from asking him in the at least somewhat dignified response to begging him to do so. It also showed his true opinion about the family that even though he respected hurt It still did not help his opinion of Jefferson. It also lost some of his more racist feelings to surface. He believes that the African Americans are below them and belittles everything she says to him me. It's almost like he thinks of her as a slave even though she's a free woman and she acts as though it he is her master.

2.     Miss Emma keeps saying that Grant "doesn't have to go" to visit Jefferson in prison. The narrator comments, "She was looking at me but not seeing me, and not meaning what she was saying either." What is Grant implying by this, and what does he think she means?
Grant is implying that what Miss Emma is doing this strictly out of formality. She said he doesn't have to go but it doesn't truly mean it. It it further emphasizes that she actually wants him to go and want him to be there.  Her distant gaze furthers this cause showing that she's basically in some sort of autopilot. She's obviously in some distant place, thinking about what is to come.


3.     What does the back door of Henri Pichot's plantation house symbolize to Grant and his aunt? Why does having to enter the plantation house through the back door rankle Grant?
The back door to Mr. Pichot's Plantation House symbolizes the past to both Grant and his aunt. It's is the time before they were out from under his thumb. Before they were simple servants and did not have the ability to enter any other way. Call grant in particular is a great loss of dignity he never thought he'd have to go through that door again and yet here they were back begging for a favor from a man that did Jefferson doesn't even really like.

4. How does Miss Emma prevail on Henri Pichot to speak to the sheriff on her behalf? 
Miss. Emma prevails in getting Mr. Pichot to speak to the sheriff by basically begging him. She brings up the all the things that she's done for this family and also kind of makes him feel sorry for her. She also acts very submissive towards him of reminiscent of times she was working for him.

Ch. 4

1. In describing Beyonne, the narrator mentions that of  the town's major industries include "a slaughterhouse, mostly for hogs." How does this echo and expand on the public defender's summation in Jefferson's trial in Chapter 1?
The fact that town has a slaughterhouse for hogs enforces the fact that the defender actually wanted Jefferson to be sentence guilty. He was comparing him as a pig to the slaughter, something that deserved to die. It proves that everything was stacked against Jefferson and he was gonna be proven guilty either way.

2. Several ties in the course of the novel, including Chapter 4, the narrator expresses the need to get away from the town where he lives. Explain why he feels compelled to flee and what keeps him there despite the urge to leave? 
The reason Grant wants to flee so badly is because he doesn't feel like he is living here. He feel sad in this town he's being basically controlled and has no choice of what to do. The only thing that makes him stay is his girlfriend Vivian. She is committed to teaching in does not want to leave. He wants to flee with her, away from her husband which she is separated from and away from the obligations to the town. He is tired the commitment and feels that he needs an escape.

Quotation Assignment

Quote:  “I need to go someplace where I can feel I’m living,” I said. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life teaching school in a plantation church. I want to be with you, someplace where we could have a choice of things to do. I don’t feel alive here. I’m not living here. I know we can do better someplace else.”

1. Does the quotation indicate a conflict? If so, what conflict?

This quote indicates the conflict between Grant wanting to stay versus wanting to leave. He feels that they could do better anywhere else but not here where they were trapped, locked into to doing whatever the town tells them to. He cares about Vivian and wants her to come as well and she's the only reason he stays in the first place.

2. Does the quotation symbolize the lack of freedom of a black person at this time? Does the quotation symbolize the history of oppression of a black person? If so, to what part of history does the quotation relate?

The quote does in fact symbolize the lack of Freedom and the oppression of black people at the time. It shows defective segregation can have on an African American, and emphasizes the lack of freedom they have at the time in  any career  that they do such as teaching. In later chapter it can be seen  how Grant is conflicted about what he is teaching and wants to do more.

"I Have A Dream"

     Martin Luther King use many rhetorical skills in his speech, one being pathos. Pathos is used throughout his speech to incite the feelings of suppression among his audience. He periodically mentions what America is supposed to be and what they deliver to the people. He makes it known that freedom is the right of all American citizens, and inspires those watching to stand up against segregation.
     He also use much figurative language throughout the speech. Metaphors can be seen often in the speech. For example he compares America's reward of freedom as a bounced check. He uses this skill to make his speech easier to relate to. The comparisons make his examples stand out as well, and bring more attention to each of his points. They are effective because in his use of them, he makes them easier to understand and increase his speech's ability to effectively dictate his position.

Blog post assignment 7

1.  Why was Kien hallucinating?

2.  Why was Kien able to write even though it caused him great sorrow?

3.  Why did Kien feel changed by his writing?

4.  How was Kien feeling sitting in the park?

5. Why did Kien let the novel write itself?

6.  How are dead soldiers more significant than living soldiers?

7. Was Kien superstitious?

8.  Why did Than attempt to help the injured man?

9. Why did Kien not shoot Quang?

10. What drove Tung crazy?

Writing Weaknesses and Strengths

  When it comes to writing, I have always been just decent at it. I was never terrible, but I also could be a lot better. It's not necessarily my mechanics that are bad, but rather it was my ability to write creatively. My writing is not very new or innovative and ends up being just a run of the mill paper. The reason it ends up like this is because of my interest in the topic. For the most part the topics I write about don't grab my attention enough for me to care about them. I write to the best of my ability, but my writing just doesn't have the voice I want.
  I'd like to be able to have my own personal flare in all of my papers, no matter how dull the topic. I plan to fix this by first off paying attention to the writing process. Prior to this class, I never even knew about a writing process. Based on what I've learned so far, I consistently stop mid way through the steps, leaving the paper without revision or any fixes. I also need to practice writing with random topics so that I can find ways to make myself interested in any topic. As for my strengths, I feel I have a really solid foundation of grammar and word usage. My vocabulary is larger than most and I tend to use it often. I also feel another good strength of mine is the fact that I actually enjoy writing. If i love to do it, it's easy to get inspired to better my skills.

Introduction

Hello! My name is Stephen Early Cahoon III. I am top of my class and a junior at B.C Rain High school. I have a passion for learning and love to find out interesting and new things about people and the world as a whole. I also really like to talk and socialize with others, because I find it fun to make people laugh. Another passion of mine is music. I greatly enjoy listening to a large variety of music, stuff like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Pantera, Black Sabbath and much more. My goal for this class, as well as all of my classes, is to do well and learn as much as I can about what I'm taught. In the future I will to go to college, majoring in Chemical Engineering and getting my Masters Degree.