Because I’m Asian

Growing up Asian, it was always very difficult to find people who looked like me on television (Marvel movies for example 😢) To this day, I always freak out with excitement whenever I see anyone Asian on the big screen. Seeing Steven Yeun, a Korean-American actor, on The Walking Dead was one of the best surprises of…

Don’t Pick A College For Its Food.

As someone who has been a high schooler in the United States, I am quite familiar with the advertising colleges use to pull me into attending their schools. Glossy brochures presenting breathtaking architecture, testimonials about the amazing life on-campus, catchy phrases proclaiming how great _______ College is! But, in Revisionist History, Malcolm Gladwell reveals the hidden,…

Are You My Mother?

Screaming children race around the messy living room while their tired father snoozes on the couch. Amidst the chaos is their harried mother desperately slapping school lunches together, folding clothes, scrubbing stains, and organizing the random clutter strewn everywhere. This scene is familiar to anyone who has ever viewed a family sitcom or commercial on…

Guilty Is for Poor People Only

Whenever I hear news about the unfairness of the justice system between people of varying wealth, my mind always jumps to this article by the Onion making fun of the lack of consequences the wealthy face. I also immediately think of the many run-ins celebrities have had with the law from Bruno Mars to Kobe Bryant who…

Happy Mother’s Day! Now, Go Clean.

Rhetorical Situation: The publisher of this image is the Procter & Gamble Corporation, a company for consumer goods with brands like Tide, Pampers, and Bounty. All of their products are geared towards families to help in the daily lives of households. As a result, their advertising is meant to appeal to these customers by emphasizing…

Burgers – Bringing The World Together

  Even as a fellow burger lover, I think we can all agree that if we saw anyone enjoying a burger as much as Kate Upton (up above), we would be thinking two things. What the heck is going on, and also what kind of burger is that? Luckily for fast food advertisers, that reaction…

Oof, That’s Not What I Meant Though!

“They Say, I Say” Part 3 Chapter 8 “As A Result” In this section, Graff and Birkenstein explain how to make connections between different components of your writing in order to reinforce your main points, avoid choppiness, and stay on topic. According to these authors, one way to develop these connections is by subtly utilizing…

Caution: This Article Talks About Trigger Warnings

Critical Analysis https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/ Brief Summary: In this article, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt discuss the rise of trigger warnings as well as strict rules and punishments for anything deemed offensive in universities. The changes in childhood experiences, increasing political polarization, and social media are all factors causing this movement. Haidt and Lukianoff also argue that…

Right to An Unfair Trial

One of my most embarrassing memories (and one of my mother's most cherished ones) happened at four years of age when I excitedly asked a white-bearded, elderly, and white man at a grocery store if he was "magical." At the time, my only experiences with old, bearded, white men consisted of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Elf. Of…

Agreeing to Disagree… or Agree or Both?

"They Say, I Say" Part 2 Chapter 4 "Yes/No/Okay, But" In this chapter, Graff and Birkenstein focus on the "I say" component of their writing, the response or argument to what other people have said. According to these authors, there are three ways to do so: agreeing, disagreeing, or a combination of both. At the…