letter to myself

Sepideh Rahimi
English 1B- Lewis
Final in- class Essay (letter to myself)
June 25, 2010

Dear Sepideh,
Throughout this last quarter in English 1B you had some good and bad times. This class gave you a lot to think about and challenged you quite often. But I remind you it was all for a good reason. Pushing through it, I guarantee, has helped prepare you for future writing challenges that you will, without doubt, come across. Not only in writing has it helped you progress, but in critical thinking and analyzing as well. You learned many new concepts and techniques in the past twelve weeks. In general, there wasn’t just one important thing that you learned. I feel you learned a few important things including: better writing skills, time management, critical analyzing, and lastly many thought provoking topics about California.
First of all, your writing has improved since last quarter. Your teacher really challenged you with the essay topics you were given, especially since you tend to have a difficult time writing papers. One thing though you might want to still work on is your organization. Yes, I believe you have improved somewhat in that area, but you can defiantly improve. On the topic of critical thinking, you were challenged. You learned that in order to fully understand something you have to keep on re-reading it several times. While doing this you realized that you have to focus in on different parts each time. You should be thankful you had a teacher that taught you those skills. On the other hand, you weren’t particularly fond of the writing logically book. Knowing you, you probably would’ve rather spent that time doing something else like reading or improving you writing ability. But that’s ok I’m sure it did give you some sort of benefit. Another thing you did learn that needed some help was your time management. I know ever since you’ve been in school, It’s your style to do things last minute, but good thing you’re starting to realize that way of working doesn’t always work out so well. It makes you more stressed out. So therefore you at least figured out now to starts paper few days to a week before they’re due. Also you did a good job for doing your homework assignments and get to talk a lot about the state California. That was interesting because you have lived here for four years and getting to hear other people’s opinions and views was fun. Moreover, the California song analysis was a cool assignment. Getting to learn about the California Dream through music was a great way to grab your attention. You have never sat down and fully analyzed song before and learning how to do that was a great experience. Since then I realized you’ve taken that skill and analyze many of the songs you hear. You also have learned to incorporate some of the other skills acquired through this class into your life.
Since starting this class, I’ve noticed that everything you read, you know how to pull apart and better understand. Your knowledge about this state and history of it has improved as well. Though I know you think too much of the class was based on California and Multiculturalism. You would have liked if the class only focused one or two sections on that topic. But besides that, in the future you will continuously use these skills you have learned. You have many more years of school to go and many more papers to write. Now you know where your strong and weak areas are and can focus on them. I know you would like to thank your teacher for his time and devotion he put into this class and for giving you the opportunity to experience of thinking and wring critically. In the end, the overall class was beneficial to you and you will take these skills with you and put them to use. This was a tough quarter but you got through it and for that you are very thankful! Good luck in the future and keep up with the effort, for it will leave you more satisfied.
Sincerely,

Multiculturalism (out of Class essay#3)

The Individual Borders of a Multicultural California
As a society, we have created borders that separate us form others who are different. If we cross these lines without permission, a conflict breaks out for violating each other’s space. Even though we have created these borders, curiosity and great ambition causes us to want to step onto newer grounds. California was one of the first states in the U.S. to allow outsiders form different countries. Ironically, borders distance its citizens with the people on the other side (politically, culturally, etc.). It is still common to see people of other cultures, who have immigrated here, live together as a community. California is famous for the acceptance of international people to become American citizens- the idea Californian dream. The result follows with a multicultural mix of people within the state. We, as Americans, take pride in the fact that we present a cornucopia of ethnicities and social groups and yet, cannot fully handle the temptation to judge and/or stereotype our own people (legal or illegal citizens). This comes back to the idea of borders again because our “multicultural” California still has borders in between each cultural niche. When these individual, self-containing social/cultural groups run into each other as usual, the possibilities of reactions, are immeasurable. They either associate with one another or interact peacefully and respectfully, or they can crash into each other and cause conflict, leaving all affected groups feeling indifferent form each other. As a chain reaction, social order becomes unpredictable; individuals have the difficult task to decide whether they should assimilate into the “common” American standard, maintain their cultural identity, or try to approach both. It is that complex situation, of which an individual has to balance their self-identity with the openness to adapt with the Californian majority, which is a key illustration for defining multiculturalism. Through these three works the characters actions of stereotyping, prejudice, fear, and loss in identity give us a better understanding of the individual borders of a multicultural California.
In relation to the California’s feelings of being around other cultures, every one of us has our own opinion and judgments of others. The concept of assimilation comes into mind with the horrible connotation of forcefully abandoning our own background and personal principles. It is although common in the California, let alone the U.S., for migrants to pronounce their loyalty to their new home in order to be accepted with the current residents. Unfortunately, this is harder for some people than others when it comes to letting go of their heritage and past life. Many of these individuals take pride in being associated with their own culture and beliefs. One can only imagine the hardships that this may cause, unless they actually undergo through a similar experience.
Culture Clash, a satirical comedy group meant to spread awareness of intercultural experiences, created the play, “Bordertown”, on which the previously mentioned issues were addressed, set in two locations: San Diego and Tijuana. In one scene, we find that a married couple is seen sleeping in two separate beds, split from each other by a fence:
…the American husband climbs over the “border” and makes love to his wife, roughly. She is indifferent but does not protest. After he is done with her, he climbs back over the fence to his side of the bed and covers himself with the American flag… (Culture Clash: Bordertown p.42)
This scene was made to illustrate the fact that Americans use the outer foreign place, in this case Tijuana, as a means of leisure and benefit, but in the end, they usually return home as truly an American. There is much insight to this small scene because the man’s actions represent the tendencies of many Americans when it comes to interacting with other cultures. We embrace the culture and enjoy the new experiences, but are not quick to accept it as our own. What does this say about assimilation? We obviously are not doing that, but rather, acculturate-joining the seemingly foreign majority but keeping the status of our own culture. There is not a problem with this at all; it is almost natural to do so. Although, the injustice becomes apparent when we ask other people that are different from us, to do the exact opposite. It is not a straight demand that multicultural California makes for new incomers, but it is still oddly seen as a prerequisite for living here there peacefully. As the women, Tijuana says, “Our marriage is political. It is a physically imposing monument, a symbol impressed into our consciousness” (Culture Clash: Bordertown p.42). In reality, these so called “borders” are nothing more than political and severe no true necessary purpose except to keep the division obvious and strong.
The progressive splitting that borders create between two or more interacting groups, cause more than just demographic separation; it exhausts a toxic wave of social problems within the personal level of a person living in an intermixed society. These borders are not just limited to being physical dividers, but their existence can actually take on the forms of misguided expectations. This type of social border can create an obstacle for the minority. The minority find themselves stressing over the tough personal decision of leaving behind their heritage in hopes to fit in. That issue has developed into something much more complex over the years up to today- the task of accepting a sense of hybridity. Hybridity is a sense to mix and many of today’s people
are a product of that. A fictitious, but realistic novel, “American Son” by Brian Ascalon Roley, touches that instance of mixing cultures by telling a story through the eyes of a Filipino-Caucasian hybrid, Gabe. Gabe describes how he feels ashamed of his Filipino identity. Gabe fight his self image, by ridiculing himself on how different he looks compared to white people. There is one part of this novel that illustrates this when Gabe sees his own reflection on a tinted restaurant window on his way in the building. He describes his own image with such negative tone and an almost alien impression for his features by saying, “I noticed my reflection in the mirrored glass and it appears so obviously Asian I almost stop in my tracks. My eyes look narrow and my hair straight and coarse and black. … I have slender Asian hips, and my cheekbones are too high. My eyes jerk away” (American Son p.90). This racial hybrid judges his physical traits, ones that are seen as culturally specific, and almost implies that it is somewhat unacceptable in the restaurant dominated by mostly white people. It takes upbringing with social borders, deeming what looks are preferable for the rest of the population, that leads the minority to feel distant from everyone. There is no true evidence to support the idea that minorities are any less below the majority, so the expectations from either the person observing the minority, or the minority individual’s self, is quite unnecessary and only causes more problems by creating anxiety and self- consciousness.
With these certain expectations, can come stereotypes. Often, stereotypes are used to associate a certain type of people, in order to understand their identity. When the expectations are misled in a multicultural California, stereotypes become conflicting and sometimes dangerous because it leads the person judging the other person, to act upon his own distorted perception of that individual. “Crash” is a movie that exposes different kinds of social and multicultural differences, giving us a quick example of how these conducts affect our society now in days. Two of the behaviors observed, are Prejudice and Stereotyping. Identified as the causes of where all the events eradicate. These behaviors are viewed as thoughts and feelings that almost everyone has felt more than once. It is about the individual lives of a group of diverse people living in Los Angeles, starts off with a monologue of one character about the affect of individual borders prevents any sense of interaction in this city through a metaphorical statement:
It’s the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something. (Crash, first lines)
What Graham meant by this, was to describe how in the people in Los Angeles, in an environment of diversity, do not associate with one another because of these superficial border bubbles. It takes something significant, like a crash just to have the different groups dealing with each other, even if that means to lead into conflict and anger. Unfortunately prejudice is not simply an attitude that remains internal to its owner; it impacts behavior. When negative attitudes on the basis of differences translate into behavior, we have as a result, discrimination and the social inequity it produces. Therefore, efforts to reduce prejudice are well advised to take the social context into consideration when focusing on the individuals' attitudes. This is an issue not only found in America but in the whole world. In our global economy requiring functional and respectful relationships between nations, prejudice and stereotypes can be a destructive force both in the world and in individual societies, especially in diverse ones.
This movie shows us the different point of view of people in our society; it gives us an insight of the stereotypes we have built within our society, within the world. It invites us to see and understand how such a small stereotype and negative attitude can go a long way and affect people in different ways. It is important that we learn how to control prejudice and the stereotypes we hold against other groups, since this is attitudes and feelings that learned and not innate we can teach ourselves to discard these negatives behaviors by not being judgmental and predisposing ourselves negatively towards others. The key to changing stereotypes and prejudice is largely the job of individuals. Each of us should examine the assumptions that we make about others and ask ourselves where those assumptions come from. Upon what information are they based? Most groups have moderates and extremists, try to get to know people as individuals, instead of groups will reduce the stereotypes you hold of others, and it is also likely to reduce the stereotypes others hold of us. Everyday we'll be faced with reactions. How we interpret the situation will color our perception of daily life.
The issue with borders is simply that it does its job well. A border separate one side with another and distinguishes differences. If negativity forms when crossing these borders, why must we have them in existence at all? Since borders do exist in our multicultural California, it means that society will be split apart from each other demographically or personally. Although, can we not say that is these borders that define multiculturalism, since it separates cultures? We have seen that different cultures living together naturally bring with them a border around them from the majority. Multiculturalism is the mash of different cultures, and it is observed that California is no exception. A reason why borders are still in existence today, even in a multicultural state, is because they do in fact come with an intertwining world of mixed group of people. Human nature is familiar to being territorial and in different form our own species. It is usually common to see people to fear and distance themselves from what they do not understand; hence, borders ironically hold together a multicultural world because it causes its people from either side of the lines to be cross onto each other’s spaces. Looking back at California’s history, we can see that past immigrants were interested in the attractions of the states and made the initial decision to migrate over, but, in order to get there, they had to go through the transition of penetrating the borders. So, it is because of borders, that we have a multicultural society in California. This shows that borders are really superficial and can be penetrated. It can be said that multiculturalism is the result of various cultures and backgrounds, overcoming obstacles, which creates insight on the importance of why people choose to live in this type of community.
All these different forms of expression of diversity and multiculturalism show very similar issues that the diversity causes. The exact same city is seen as so many different places, even though it is the same city. Depending on the person telling you of the city, the perspective is different, especially when it is between different races. Growing up as a mixed ethnic person from two very different races in such a diverse area such as Los Angeles, a person is bound to be confused and angry at not having any real connection to his or her own culture. Prejudices come from experiences, and even though every single experience involves individuals, if they are of different races, it becomes a racist issue. People quite often tend to forget that though a culture may be diverse that we are all people with the same basic skills and abilities. Once we can truly see a person for who they are and what they have to offer us we can finally see the depths of their soul and the basic human value that is attached to it.

Reflections

In class essay #1:

In the short story, “Under the wire”, I learned that “California Dream” was a big dream for Mexican migrant family. They believed that they’ll make a good living in California and it is true that life is better over there. They were a poor family in Mexico and want to have a good life with finding an appropriate job, more opportunity (more money), and more success in California. However, they approach with lots of problems and obstacles after they arrive in California, but they still had dream and hope to catch the life in more comfortable style than Mexico, where they used to live before.

Actually, I have to say in the first essay (In class essay #1); I learned lots of important lessons as a writer, reader, or critical thinker because I did a very big mistake which I think it can be include as a good experience for me. However it makes me sad and disappointed whenever I remember because I relate this story to my story, although I shouldn’t do this stupid thing because it wasn’t relate to the focus question in the prompt. Next time, I want just to concentrate the “Focus Question” and try to support and analyze it. I hope next time I’ll do it better than before to reach my goal or my dream, which is a “good grade” to satisfy myself because I really worked hard for the first in class essay and I don’t want to repeat my mistake again to vain my time, effort, and energy.


out of class essay #1:

My first out of class essay was about analyzing peom, which was my first experience to read and write critically about poem. I have to say that was a great experience because I kind of learned how to think and analyze the poem critically. My poem " Californication", which I tried to analyze it in my first out of class essay #1 was very interesting and wonderful about California and California dream because it shows some realities and unrealities about California, which people like to come to complete or reach their dreams. In this essay I also learned how to use "fiction-diction" through my essay, which I think it really helps the reader and also the writer to understand the point of the song or poem more deeply. Besides, some activities that we did in class really helped me to understand the meaning of the song like: listening to the song, summary and respond to the song, and group discussion. I also really work hard on my essay individually and spend lots of time to understand the song in the correct way, and right now I'm satisfied bcause I think I did a good job as my first experience. I also have to say I got a good grade (B), and thank you so much Lewis.

out of class essay #2:

This essay was really cool for me to write. I felt I did a pretty good job at using the styling subject this time (verbals) and that the use of another writing style did indeed help my writing become more complex and well-rounded. I always enjoy improving my writing, it is one of my passions (as long as I have a good subject) and I am always seeking to improve on it. Fortunately, verbals were easier to get the hang of than appositives. I don’t know why that is, but it is so I will keep working on and with both.

Overall I felt the essay was pretty good. Going back and reading it, there are places I could have improved, and it bugs me that I didn’t go through it one more time and fixes a couple of things. Hopefully I will keep up the trend of improvement. I am really happy I was able to do an essay on this topic. Though it was not one I would usually choose myself, (and I don’t usually choose too many myself…time is crazy to try and find extra of, as most people know) I was really able to connect to a few very important people in my life, and especially with my grandpa. That was very important to me because my grandpa is generally a pretty closed off person and this let us connect on a very special level which nothing else has enabled us to do. He now has a copy of this essay and I will be forever grateful of it because it did give me that special bond with someone I look up to very much who won’t be around much longer. So as much as the essay itself was cool to write, I have to thank you (Lewis) for this special experience.

in class essay #2:

This essay was a little harder to write because right up until I actually started writing in class, I wasn’t picking out the fallacies and naming them correctly. However, once I got one of them I started picking them out one right after the other. At that point this essay became a fun challenge for me. Constructive criticism is hard enough to take, but to give it in a scholarly way was definitely a fun challenge.

I did really well on it, I thought. Rereading it there were points where I thought it could have been better, but then couldn’t visualize how. I am actually pretty proud of this paper and am glad I wrote it. I don’t feel completely taken in when I read the newspaper now because I am picking it apart better!


out of class essay #3:


This essay was really…it was hard to begin. Once I got the ball rolling I got it pretty well, but it still took quite a while for me to feel it was done well enough. I still think it could be better, and will likely go back and keep fixing it until I am satisfied long after this class is done, but for now I am happy enough with it. I liked assimilating the works together, but it was hard because there were three of them. If there had not been three of them I don’t think I could have even got close to eight pages, though. We will see how well I do with this grade. I don’t know if it will do as well as the others, but we can always hope.

“Indian Cartography” / “Itch like Crazy: Resistance” (out of class essay #2)

For solid understanding of some significant parts of poem, it’s important to have background of the history because it reflects all the complexity and uncertainty of the past. History has been distorted, biased and opinionated since the dawn of time. It’s a solid thing, impossible to change and even more impossible to recreate. However, history has been interpreted during the time, and what we know about the past has been changed many times in even the most recent years due to new discoveries and new ideas on writing histories events. History has become less and less glossed over and started to become more truthful to the events that have actually taken place in the past. Poetry and history are much alike in these facts. Authors have become much more truthful and guileless in their words and portrayals of their lives and their points of view on any aspect of any subject. People have started to write about and make public true events that have happened in their lives and been agonizing to get through. Though there are many poems that touch my heart on a certain level, there are two that I have read recently that touch on a piece of my mind. Reliving history through memories, Deborah Miranda in “Indian Cartography” and Wendy Rose in “Itch Like Crazy: Resistance” are based on the destruction on native culture. Rose’s poem is more about standing up against those who try to destroy the culture; whereas Mirada’s poem is more about the loss and mourning it.
The poem by Deborah Miranda, “Indian Cartography” is based solely on a metaphor set in the very beginning of the poem, “My father opens a map of California - /traces mountain ranges, rivers, county borders/like family bloodlines.” She begins by telling us that her father is telling her stories of his memories of his land, people, and the significant places where significant events took place. The most significant event that he remembers is the day when they, who we can only assume is the white people who had come to “civilize” Indian tribes and “share” their lands, flooded a valley after trying to buy the Indians out of their land. Many people died that day, and Deborah’s father relives this in his memories every night. The memories, it seems, have pushed him to heavy drinking, which leads him into troubled sleep where he tries to make sense of the events. Deborah states “In my father’s dreams / after the solace of a six-pack, / he follows a longing, a deepness” which shows us that he is drinking to get away from the pain of memories of unjust events that each time making the reader feel more sorry for this man who must relive the horrible things that have happened in his past every single night.
Throughout the rest of the “Indian Cartography”, the metaphor is emphasized as the author continues to speak of landmarks and a specific dam that was set in place by the government that drowned a valley that her father used to call home. This is also emphasized by her discussing the salmon that used to spawn in the river that was shut off by the dam, and how they died and suffered from the dam’s placement. This also seems to be a metaphor, for those who suffered and died and moved away from their homeland simply because people messed with the natural order of the land and everything was changed. This poem is very strong in metaphors and imagery as well. Lines such as “he learned to swim the hard way, /and days he walked across the silver scales/swollen bellies of salmon coming back” show the authors pain from the flooding of the valley and loss of the river her father grew up with. “The government paid those Indians to move away. /he says: I don’t know where they went.” Just like the salmon, they left, were forced to leave their homeland, and no one really knows what happened to them after they realized their homeland was gone.

Therefore, the theme of the “Indian Cartography” is very much about the pain and suffering native Californian Indians have suffered. This is shown in the tone the author sets with such morbid images such as “and mouths still opening, closing/on the stories of our home.” Miranda’s father has given up the old ways because of what happened when he was little, and it seems as though she is saying that the past is giving up on the future, closing their mouths as time goes on letting the traditions die out in the hopes of an easier, less bloody future for the ancestors living counterparts. In other words, her father’s might realize that although the physical land has been disrupted and his people have been exterminated, the stories, memories and history of his people continue to thrive through the mouths of the few that remain.
“Itch Like Crazy: Resistance” by Wendy Rose is a poem with many metaphors and visual aspects to it. The setting of the character, the author, is in her office listening to a conversation being held outside her door. Explaining that “This is one of those days / when I can see Columbus / in the eyes of nearly everyone” as the introduction to her thoughts, Wendy Rose lets the reader know that she can see defeat in the eyes of those around her. Columbus was the man who brought people who tortured, killed, and suppressed many of the Indian tribes that had been coexisting fairly well for so long. Columbus, therefore, is a symbol of fear, loathing, and defeat. The defeat being spoken of is that of the Indian people still left on reservations and the choice that is made each day to give up the traditional tribal lifestyle and play into the stereotyped version of Indian life the world has grown accustomed to seeing or to keep the traditions alive, even if that means being worse off monetarily for it. Keeping traditions alive is spoken about when Rose states “Ghosts so old / they weep for release,” she then goes on to talk about specific places with their traditional names, which shows the true lifestyles of old and local Indians.

Moreover, “Itch like Crazy: Resistance” is written with the perspective of a descendant of a native Californian Indian. This poem is full of wonderful imagery that seems to hide anger and frustration the author has towards the injustices done to her ancestors. In lines such as “The voices beyond my office door/speak of surveys and destruction, /selling the natives/to live among strangers,” have the connotation of negativity, just from the words used and the context in which they are used. Saying that one is “selling” a person, and the “destruction” being discussed is the perfect example of that hidden anger. The author goes on to write about defiance and wanting to stand together against those who bring the “destruction.” When she writes “The terror crouches there/in the canyon of my hands, /the pink opening rosebud mouths/of newborns or the helplessness/of the primal song.” It seems as though she is using the wonderful imagery of rosebuds in her hands to mask the anger expressed in the “terror” and “helplessness of the primal song.” She obviously knows something about the native culture to be able to speak of how pointless it would be to follow a traditional “primal song” or ceremony to fight the “terror” she speaks of.
Later in “Itch like Crazy: Resistance,” the author writes of resistance against those who are trying to destroy the culture she seems to come from. “Now I dance the mission revolts again, /let the ambush blossom in my heart, /claim my victory with their own language, /know the strength of spine tied to spine,” Again, the author uses imagery to express the actions taken against the “terror” and “destruction” that threatens the “primal song” and natives. I really liked how she uses “their-own language” against those who threaten her heritage. The mockery helps set the tone of the poem, helps emphasize the anger she feels and expresses. The theme of this poem is the natives resisting change and destruction of their life styles, even though alterations have to be made in order to survive at all, such as the usage of “their own language” even though they show strength together as one as “spine tied to spine.”
Though the text and tone of both of these poems is so different, the overall message is much the same. Both of these poems are about the personal histories of natives and the suffering they have gone through. Both poems speak of bravery, but bravery and defeat go hand in hand. Both poems speak of tradition and the past events that have affected the lives of their people today. Both poems speak of the pain and heartache that never seems to heal. However, as much as either poem sings of sorrow, each has an undercurrent of hope; each is being written in such a way that is pointing people in the direction of gaining their voices back and being able to fight the battle that was previously lost. Fighting in the battle will give those in the future the chance that the present Native Americans have not had for many years. They are giving their future family the ability to live in peace the way they choose with the traditions they value, standing alone in their rightful pride in what they have accomplished for their freedom. Both authors used imagery and have similarly sad tones, but Wendy Rose’s poem seems to be more angry than sad. That’s why the theme of Rose’s poem is about anger and defiance, but the theme of Miranda’s poem is the forced loss of native homeland. Miranda’s poem is more morbid and depressing as well. Both authors derive their passion and expressions from personal histories of either immediate family or of relatives they seem to be close to in heritage.
In conclusion, both poems are very powerful and really impact those who read them by phrasing things in certain and unusual ways, authors convey more meaning and make the reader think and analyze the text more closely. The way authors skew their normal sentences into broken thoughts can turn a person’s opinion of the meaning of that which the author is meaning to convey. This means that in many poems, each and every word can potentially be the most important word in the whole text.

Fallacies in the article “State Needs a “Time-Out” from Mass Immigration” (In Class Essay#2)

In this century media is an important tool to transfer information to people. One of the forms of media, journalism, can be referred to any kind of information from songs and poems to literature and news. However, skewing information and leaving things out in the written word, as we have seen in many of the old history books, is easily done giving a misleading impression of the reality of many situations. There are also styles of writing-the use of appositives, verbals, and fallacies to name a few-that can be used to make a particular written work much stronger and more convincing. Fallacies can be used in order to give a sense of urgency to a particular matter and to convince a person of a subject’s importance, but mostly are used giving false impressions of a situations’ drastic position. Writers use this style in order to get a point across quickly and effectively, no matter how false that point is, and to hopefully get their desired action taken. One of the issues that is especially important in California is immigration. Not only does immigration to our great state add to the rich culture and diversity of our cities, but it also causes great outrage among many who claim that it should be slowed down or stopped completely because of the supposed affect it has on California’s economy. In the article “State Needs a “Time-Out” from Mass Immigration” by Yeh Ling-Ling stands out in my mind as a piece of literature that uses the different forms of fallacies to get her point across.
In Yeh Ling-Lings first opening paragraph she states “Education, jobs and the economy, electricity, and the state budget rank as the top four concerns for California voters. But can any state leader effectively address those concerns without simultaneously advocating a ‘time-out’ from mass immigration?” With this statement Ling-Ling uses an appeal to fear. If we break down what she is saying we can see that the background message is that no leader can take care of the most important concerns of their states people because immigration is being allowed to continue. However, there are no facts backing up the fact that the reason a leader cannot deal with these issues is because of immigration. Yeh is trying to instill fear by making us believe that those new to the state are tying up the hands and the time of our state leaders, making it impossible for them to even pay attention to our concerns as citizens, which is a ridiculous notion.
The next fallacy in this article is false cause or post hoc reasoning. The author states: “Due to current economic woes, hundreds of thousands of workers in California, professional and low-skilled, are unemployed or underemployed. In addition, according to a study released in 1997 by the National Academy of Sciences, each native household paid an additional $1,200 a year due to services provided to immigrants families.” Though the two may be correlated, one did not cause the other. Many jobs have been lost to budget cuts and advanced technology making humans in certain work places a superfluous expense. Computers can now do the work of many men around the clock and in less time than it would take any human to accomplish a task, leaving a high amount of “low-skilled” and “high-skilled” employees out of jobs. Economic problems have also cause lay-offs and firings in many companies. Many companies have gone belly-up in California due to rising prices of any and all expenses. Though these things may have happened in conjunction with one another, one did not happen because of the other.
Later in the essay we read “Ruth Milkman, director of the UCLA Institute for Labor and Employment, was quoted earlier this year as saying: ‘We’re beginning o resemble much more a Third World society where a class of people are stuck at the bottom.” With this appeal to authority, Yeh is trying to get people reading her article to jump on the anti-immigration bandwagon by basically stating that since someone important thinks our economy is declining that we should listen to them. The problem with this argument is that this person was not being quoted on the fact that he thinks immigration is the root of this problem. Earlier in her paragraph with this quote Ling-Ling does use a quote from a poll that says “legions of working-poor immigrants contribute mightily to inflated poverty levels and declining per capita incomes”, but this quote and her appeal to authority essentially have nothing to do with each other.
In the last paragraph of this essay Yeh Ling-Ling says, “Deterioration quality of life affects natives as well as immigrants. Therefore, if Governor Gray Davis is serious about addressing Californians’ concerns, he should urge President Bush and Congress to adopt a moratorium on most categories of legal immigration and fund measures to curb illegal immigration.” This argument takes a dual position as an appeal to fear and a slippery slope. Ling-Ling is saying that if Governor Davis does not urge President Bush to take these actions, then our quality of life will deteriorate, hoping to get as many people on her side to stop immigration by instilling fear that our lives will essentially begin to become worse and worse as immigration continues. There is no information that states, however, that immigration is the reason for the deteriorating quality of life she speaks of. Though I agree that quality of life is important and does affect us all, quality of life is a personal matter that has nothing to do with outside sources, therefore her point is not only incorrect, but also invalid.
In reading this essay by Yeh Ling-Ling, it is easy to get swept up in the flurry of emotion and well-spun fallacies. However, in holding a magnifying glass to her words and exploring her points one by one, any person can easily see that her arguments have no true facts to back them up, that her accusations often have nothing to do with one another, and that she has haphazardly thrown together facts claiming that they have anything to do with one another. This does not sound like the kind of paper to take into consideration when trying to make such an important decision such as immigration policy. Though it is easy, we all need to remember that the most important thing in reading an opinion piece is to make sure not to get swept up in the author’s emotions, and remember to closely inspect the facts and fallacies used so that we as citizens of the great state of California do not get duped into agreeing to a policy we end up resenting.

Images of the California dream in “Californication” ( out of class essay #1)

When I look at the title of the song “Californication” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, it reminds me the word “globalization”. In fact, it reminds me the globalization of California culture because this song relates to spread of California culture in the world. Especially, it more talks about how Hollywood has everything we need and how it could be as a center of culture, music, sex, and even as a big dream. It might be because “Hollywood sells Californication”, which cause California to be a place where a lot of hopeful teens go in order to accomplish their dream of becoming a rock star, movie star, or trendsetting entrepreneur. It might be a place, where dreams are crushed as those same teens realize they don’t have what it takes to make it in the world they so eagerly seek. “Californication” is what people desire, whether it is fame, fortune, recognition, or just to get away to a wonderful place like they see on T.V., Hollywood promotes it. Sometimes it pays off, but sometimes it doesn't. In this song we can see how California is like an idealistic country that fails to materialize in reality. It is very influential in the world today, and sometimes it might send the wrong messages to the people on the other side of the silver screen. The song “Californication” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is about the deterioration of society, showing how the world is becoming very fake and plastic, much like California.
The artist, “Red Hot Chili Peppers” in “Californication” describes how Hollywood creates roles for certain groups of people that most believe to be true. People might come to California with dreams of movie making. They might think of it as some dream world, but this shows how ignorant those people are. People on the outside see it as a wonderful place, however, those within might know the problems and deal with it. Throughout the song it more talks about the negative effects Hollywood has on the world. Hollywood has a lot of influential power over the world because people can watch and listen to it in the movie and music. For example, “Little girls from Sweden/ dream of silver screen quotation” here the artist is referring to young girls from Europe that wish to be famous actresses simply because they resemble movie stars from the silent screen movie days. Also shows how young girls the world over aspire to be just like what they see in TV and film. These girls grow up thinking that exploiting their bodies to get what they want is perfectly all right, and that in fact it’s expected of them. This is “Californication” because the girls are either willing or forced to sexual activities to be Hollywood stars, and to think they are reaching their dreams. However, growing up with that kind of mindset can be very harming to their self image and self esteem. This can be related to “Californication” because people want to come to California to live the life of the movie stars, although they know that their privacy is at risk.
The second point that the artist, Red Hot Chili Peppers describes in “Californication” is California has unrealistic expectations of how people should look. Many people devote so much time, energy, life, and money fighting age. They might think to keep up with the "scene" of Hollywood; they have to spend a lot of money to look a certain way. They can also see from this that although they know it’s going to cost them, they have a craving for the California dream that they will do anything to satisfy. For example, in the lyric that says “pay your surgeon very well/ to break the spell of aging/ sicker than the rest there is no test/ but this is what you’re craving”, it’s all about the war against aging. In this lyric the artist explains how just for the right amount of money anyone can buy their happiness in the form of plastic surgery. Hollywood stars have plastic surgery in order to appear more attractive. This sends a bad message to people who admire the celebrities: looks are the most important thing people need to worry about. That message is false and can harm someone in the long run if they go on living believing this statement to be true. It also becomes a problem when people think they need to look as good as celebrities just to get by in life. If the audience can’t reach these high expectations to look as beautiful as Hollywood stars then they will have issues with their self esteem as well as other social problems. The only way to fix it is to realize that what we are doing is wrong and the views portrayed by Hollywood are biased and unrealistic.
Another point that the artist, Red Hot Chili Peppers explains in “Californication” is how Hollywood creates an unrealistic point of view of California and encourage people to come. It might be because Hollywood sells California as a place where we want to be because decisions that will influence the world are taken here in California. For example, in the lyric of the song that says, "First born unicorn" sells a fantasy world, because we know that unicorns don't exist. The unicorn stands for the ultimate image of strength, independence, and power which people go to California to get. Also the phrase "Hard core soft porn" which is very contradictory explains Hollywood sells as much sex as possible, but still tries to hold an image that is innocent and polished. As a result of the Hollywood impact on people's mind we can see that in the article “Suburban Eden” by Krise May mentions that, "[the] National opinion surveys heralded California as the "best" state in the Union" (13). The author might want to say how California culture has spread throughout the world and has become a mainstream culture. In other words, people believe on the unrealistic ideas expose to them by Hollywood, thinking that California is a paradise where unicorn and power are on every corner. Indeed, “Californication” is being sold to the public by Hollywood as in the lyric of the song say, "It's understood that Hollywood sells Californication". Basically Hollywood sells Californication, by using its influence on people; Hollywood makes unrealistic images of California.
Besides things that I mentioned above, the artist in the “Californication” song describes many of the superficial scenes characteristic of Hollywood life that are negatively impacting the California image. Hollywood's role in shaping our understanding of many ideas in our lives and the future of the lifestyle it has created. The artist in “Californication” song paints a picture of the bleached, false culture that Hollywood exports, which favors a unified image over individualism. One example of this is seen through the words "Space may be the final frontier", which may be understood as a reference to Hollywood films about the final frontier. Ideas of expansion and advancement, like the ones in Star Wars and Star Trek, as well as the deeper beliefs and ideas about our lives portrayed in other films have often been distorted by Hollywood's representation of them. We are reminded, however, that such ideas are just “made in a Hollywood basement,” a small confined area that has little contact with the world it is influencing. The symbol of the basement builds the paradox of Hollywood that grand ideas and dreams are constructed in confined and bounded spaces. This shows that many of the images generated by Hollywood are just superficial scenes that are removed from reality, much like the sunny advertisements described in “Suburban Eden” by Kirse Granat May. Looking beyond the false, superficial scenes, one finds a very negative image of California life such as pregnant teenage brides and plastic surgery, which connect to the broader message of the song about the corruption and insecurity of Hollywood and how corrupts people.
In conclusion, according to the artist in “Californication” song, California has archetypes for certain groups which are not always the best portrayals of these groups. It also has ridiculously high expectations in appearance that most people can’t reach. We should strive to be better as people and stop thinking the way we are so focused on superficial things in this world. People should know that we live in a working class society and our dream is what we make of it. If we live in this country don’t expect everything to be handed to us on a silver platter or “silver screen”. If we want to succeed in life and our dreams come true we have to work for it. The California dream is much like the American dream; anyone can become anything they want to be if they work hard enough. This dream relates to this song because once people realize not to rely on California as a model, then people will focus more on their needs and wants, formulating their own goals and aspirations, not goals manufactured by California.

California Dream ( In class essay #1)

The reality of the “Dream” is the driving passion in most people regardless of age, sex, and cultural background. Everyone grows up having dreams. The way of life in California has developed many different ways they believe the California dream is like. People might have different definitions of what they would prefer in their “California Dream.” The California Dream is what we would consider “is simply a vision of the good life” (Rawls 22). It can be full of happiness, money, love, food, cars, whatever you desire; everyone has a different opinion. One person’s California Dream may be totally different from someone else’s and that is what makes us all individuals in this country. In the Circuit stories from the life of a migrant child, Under the wire, the author, Francisco Jimenez has brought an independent but intertwined stories follow a migrant family through their circuit, who works hard under the worst of circumstances. Impermanence and poverty define their lives. But with faith, hope, and back-breaking work, the family endures. They believed that once they cross la frontera, they’ll make a good living in California, “it is true that life is better there” (Jimenez 4). This story really impressed me that we shouldn’t be disappointed if we want to reach to our dreams, which might be our goals in the future. We should keep going and never quit. This story reminds my story come to California, but fortunately we didn’t come under the wire like the story of this migrant child. My husband and I moved to California more than three years ago with lots of realities and dreams. Our California dreams would include opportunity and success in education and career, economic issue, social welfare, and freedom.

Opportunity and success in our education and career is the most important reason for our decision to move to California. My husband and I are from Iran. We moved to California more than three years ago for continuing our education and finding an appropriate job. Before we came to California we searched in the internet and found out California has lots of good and famous colleges and universities. As I always had dream to work at a dentist office, I decided to study Dental Hygiene and to get my bachelor degree in UOP (University of Pacific), which is my big California Dream. I hope after I graduate I could find a good job as well, which is also my dream. My husband is an electrical engineer and he always had a dream to work in a big utility company. He started to work at PG&E Company after we moved to California. He is happy with his job because it’s a big and famous utility company in California, which might help him to get more promotion and progress in his career. “Opportunity and success, these promises are at the heart of the California” (Rawls 23). Most immigrants like us dreamed of the day when they could migrate to the land of opportunity like California. The California Dream is really so named due to the opportunity, which seemingly exists only here in California, for an ambitious person to be able to be an outstanding success through their own hard work and determination. People strive to achieve their own dream. Some people, already here in California, chase their dream by wanting to be more successful than their parents, and others that migrate into this country chase their dream by giving up everything just to get here and have the opportunity to succeed like my husband and I. We decided to leave our family and our country and coming to California because we like to be more successful in our life and reach to our goals and dreams.

In addition to our education and career, economic issue is another reason for choosing California as a dream land to live. “If California were a separate nation, it would be one of the world’s major economic powers” (Rawls 29). It is a rich state in terms of agriculture, entertainment, business, and industry. Especially, Silicon Valley, in North California, is a land of dream for most engineers. For example, since my husband is an engineer, he knew there would be many career opportunities for him in California, which would impact our life economically. Everybody have a dream to reach the power of wealth and money as my husband and I have also. Since it’s a challenge to own a house in California, it might make us to think more about money and financial aspects in our life. Spooner in his article, a new perspective on the dream describes a house, which is really our California dream. He explains “embodied in single-family house, located on large lots, surrounded by landscaped lawns, and isolated from business activities” (41). Images of having California ranch houses, red wood decks and patios, outdoor barbecues and a big swimming pool is always makes us to think more about the economic and saving. Rawls in his article, California, goes so far to assert that “money-making is a kind of fixed mania for many Californians, and the evidence of California’s riches is plain enough” (28). Therefore, people should care more about money and economic if they want to reach their dream house, their dream car, and other dreams, which they have to pay for it.

Besides economic issue, social welfare is another reason for choosing California as a state to live. Spooner in his article, a new perspective on the dream, mentions that “many exciting things there would be to do for fun and entertainment in California” (45). When I was a kid, I always like to come to the U.S. especially California because of some fun and entertainment places like: Disneyland, Six flags, and Hollywood. I loved to go to the Disneyland and talk to some famous characters like Cinderella, and Mickey mouse. It was my dream when I was a kid. I remember two years ago when I went to Disneyland for the first time, I realized my childhood dream came true and had lots of fun there. Besides, the nice weather and spectacular view of mountain and ocean in California really helps to improve our life style. Rawls in his article, California says that “warmth and sunshine, more glowing promises of the California dream” (23). My husband and I always had a dream to live in place like California, which have a very nice and sunny weather. The sun makes us to feel good, happy, and more energy to live. Also we love hiking in the mountains of California, which they are green, and spectacular. Therefore, my husband and I are satisfied of living in California because it let us to reach to our dream for better social welfare.

In addition to social welfare, freedom is another reason that makes the California a dream land for many people around the world. Many immigrants from many countries have come to California looking for a better way of life. In the past and present days, many countries did not provide freedom and quality of life many yearned for. For instance, my country, Iran, is like some countries, which does not provide the freedom and liberty of criticizing about a thing which you think is wrong. Also women cannot walk in the street without veil. They should complete cover for their hair and bodies. Besides veil, there are other stuffs, which people should obey the government rule in Iran. For example, I remember a day that my husband and I went to Napa Valley, which is located in California State. There are lots of wineries in Napa Valley, which they are very huge, beautiful, and famous. One of the owners of these wineries is Iranian, and the name of the winery is Dariush, which is a very famous and beautiful winery in Napa Valley. The owner of Dariush winery is successful in California, but if he was in Iran he couldn’t establish a winery because alcohol is forbidden in Iran. Nobody have to eat alcohol, otherwise they will fall to lots of problems, like going to the jail and torture. Therefore, to be free from some stupid forces from government rule was one of our big California dream. Rawls in his article notifies that “freedom, outdoor living, and romance, those are also the bright lights of California Dream” (24). My husband and I really love California because of freedom of everything, which we think is right to do.

To sum up, people should know that we live in a working class society and our dream is what we make of it. If we live in this country don’t expect everything to be handed to us on a silver platter. If we want to succeed in life and our dreams come true we have to work for it. Even though this country is full of opportunity, it doesn’t mean that it will come easy. People made this country out to be perfect, where everything comes easy and if we live here we will automatically have a wonderful life. Just like anywhere else we have to work for our dreams to be successful. We know in our lifetime, we will come across many obstacles and we know they won’t be easy, but if we put our strong foot forward, we can conquer anything, our California Dream.