Self Reflection Letter

Bradford Nicholl
August 8, 2013

Reflection Letter to Myself

Today is the last day of my English 1B course. I have now taken it 3 times, but I think I have succeeded this time, applying my brain to accept the knowledge coming in. Compared to the other two quarters, I have actually learned a great amount this quarter. In my opinion, I believe that the concept of PIE was the most helpful in my writing. PIE stands for Point, Information, & Explaination. To me, PIE is a set of instructions that helps me form any argument I am presenting in my writing. It forms those arguments clearly and makes it easy for the reader to understand my argument, and see the logic in my argument.

During the In Class Essay #2, I learned how to discover fallacies in the arguments of others. These fallacies weaken their argument, jumping to a conclusion that may not be appropriately supported by the evidence. Since I have the various fallacies, I often catch fallacies given off on TV, especially the news channels. They will do anything to get viewers attention, even if it means improperly supporting a conclusion with the evidence given. Understanding fallacies will help me detect arguments in writing, especially those in which I disagree with, that are poorly supported and jump to an incorrect, or indefinite, conclusion.

I became familiar with the poetry analysis terms called fiction diction during the Out of Class Essay #2. I never used to read poetry. In fact, I never actually paid attention to the lyrics in a song, I just tended to the beat and underlying music. However, understanding fiction diction has enabled me to interpret songs and poetry, allowing me to see the beauty in their words. Being able to use fiction diction, I am better able to interpret the meaning of songs and the message the artists are trying to convey.

Another area I improved in is topic sentences. These sentences are the transition between paragraphs and introduce what the paragraph will be about. I have realized that without topic sentences, the reader has no idea what the writer will be talking about and may easily get confused in the reading. It is important to make sure your topic sentences are relevant, and that everything you will talk about in the paragraph relates back to that topic sentence.

In addition, I improved my sentence level development to make my sentences more interesting and flow better. I specifically like the sentence level activity for the Out of Class Essay #2 in which verbal phrases were used. In my opinion, it makes a great way to combine clauses or sentences and have them come together smoothly. I also feel that verbal phrases cause the sentence to sound more in the moment than looking back and recalling actions.

I learned a great amount in the English 1B class. Overall, my writing capabilities improved severely. In the future, I should be able to review this letter to myself, and re-cap on some of these great concepts on writing an essay to maintain good writing skills. You never know, I may have to write many more essays to come.

Out of Class Essay #3 (Multiculturalism)

Bradford Nicholl

August 2, 2013
 

Multiculturalism Sparks Difficulties

California is a severely diverse state, a truly multicultural region. Residents can enjoy food of various cultures, be thrilled by different cultural-themed entertainment, and share methods from each others backgrounds. However, one must be warned that California often hides great tensions between these cultures. Three forms of work will be examined throughout this essay – a novel, a play, and a movie. The novel, American Son, by Brian Ascalon Roley, follows two teenagers who attempt to find their cultural identity in a multicultural land. The play, “Bordertown”, by Culture Clash, shares multiple stories of unfair treatment toward different cultural groups by others. The 2004 hit movie, Crash, directed by Paul Higgis, follows the experiences of discrimination and stereotypes of various cultural groups that live in a common society, and how their lives connect in that society. Through these three works, the artists are demonstrating that in a multicultural society, one is likely to face discrimination and stereotypes.

Within the novel, play, and movie, we can see many cases of discrimination and stereotyping enacted upon Hispanics in a multicultural society. For example, in “Bordertown,” two Americans who came off as Mexican are incorrectly assumed to be illegal Mexican immigrants by a militia man. This militia man had stereotyped the appearance of being Mexican to be affiliated with being an illegal immigrant, in which these people are discriminated on by the militia man. He believes the area, East San Diego County, is the “gateway to the Great White North” (15) and nearly turns the men over to Border Control, calling them “possible drug runners” (12). These actions by the militia man toward the Mexican-looking Americans demonstrate the tensions that may exist between cultural groups in a multicultural society, especially near the border, where cultures clash and “there's just too much violence” (47).

Another example in the play of discrimination and stereotypes of Hispanics occurs when an American man and a Mexican woman are lying a bed. The American man feels that he is superior to the Mexican lady, informing her that he is “the best thing that's ever happened to you. You need me. Your children need me” (42). Speaking to the audience, the man admits, “I am embarrassed of her. I'm secretive. I take advantage of her. I cheat on her” (42). He is telling how he thinks less of her due to her Mexican background, justifying his actions with, “I don't trust her or her children. They want too much from me. I can't take my eyes off them for one second, her children of the serpent and the eagle. Her children of the sun are sucking the tit of this country dry and I feel cheated by that goddammit!” (43). The American man refers to the negativity of their Mexican background, referring to it by describing the Mexican flag which displays a serpent and eagle as well as the large amount of hot, sunny weather in the country. He is discriminating against her Mexican background, believing that because she is Mexican, she and her kids are using him because he is American and superior. We infer that he is affiliating their background with illegal immigrants who steal jobs for lower wages and do not pay taxes, and he feels they are trying to cheat him. The discrimination of the American man toward the Mexican woman demonstrates the experience that many Hispanics share in a multicultural society.

The movie, Crash, also shows discrimination and stereotypes of Hispanics in a multicultural society that occur frequently. A Hispanic locksmith is rudely approached by a white woman, questioning how much longer he will be to replace the locks on their doors. During this confrontation, she takes notice of some minor tattoos on the young man. Immediately, she informs her husband that she wants the locks changed again in the morning, accusing the Hispanic locksmith of being a gang member who is going to sell the key to their lock to other criminals. Shouting very loud, the young man had overheard her accusation, but respectfully turns over the key to the lock and leaves the house. The white woman had stereotyped his Hispanic background and the presence of a tattoo to be associated with gang affiliation and ill intentions, in which the Hispanic locksmith was visually disturbed. The respectable exit of the locksmith suggests that the white woman was wrong about her accusations. This scene in the movie represents the possible discriminating views of cultures in a multicultural society and how those views can be purely incorrect, stereotypical comments. Another example of discrimination toward Hispanics by the same white woman is directed toward the housekeeper. The white woman treats the housekeeper with little respect, frequently complaining and snapping at her. Nagging when gone only two hours and yelling for not having the dishes in the cupboard, the housekeeper is not treated very well due to her Hispanic background and the white woman's unwelcoming view of Hispanics. This demonstrates the repeated cultural discrimination toward Hispanics, including those services industry such as locksmiths and housekeepers, in a multicultural society.

Middle Eastern people often find discrimination and stereotypes made toward them by different cultural groups in response to the war and killings that take place in that region of the world. Crash exposes the bigotry toward Middle Easterners through the character of a Persian man and his family, a wife and a grown daughter. The Persian man experiences injustice when attempting to purchase a handgun for protection in the store he owns with his family. After hearing the Persian man speak in a foreign language, the white gun-store employee orders him to leave the store and “take [his] jihad somewhere else.” Jihad is a term used to describe a duty of Muslims to fight against non-believers, a reason for many killings in the Middle East. By saying this, the white gun-store employee is essentially calling the Persian man a terrorist, stereotyping his background and culture to be affiliated with terrorists. He becomes very offended, experiencing injustice and discrimination from stereotyping. In another instance, the Persian man experiences prejudice after his store is broken after a failure of the door to correctly close completely. The inside of the store was pillaged and a message referring to the Persian family as “Arabs” was written on the wall. The person who had wrote on the wall had assumed that just because they were Middle Easter that they were Arabs. This is similar to a Hispanic woman who is assumed to be Mexican by her black partner, but in reality, she was part Puerto Rican and part El Salvadoran. In both cases, the recipients of the attacks take great offense and are effected by the prejudice aimed toward them from these other cultures.

Discrimination is often given toward Asians in a multicultural society, and this is represented through the movie, Crash, and the novel, American Son. In Crash, an Asian woman has her accent mocked by different people. After an accident, she is teased about her pronunciation of the word “brake light” as “blake light.” Later, she is degraded in a hospital when a nurse questions whether she speaks English after yelling her husband's name. The nurse assumes that just because the words she pronounces sound Asian and she has an Asian accent, she questions her ability to speak English. In both cases, the Asian woman is disturbed by the stereotyping of the other culture groups, showing the difficulty that Asians experience in a multicultural society. In American Son, the mother experiences stereotyping in that one of the children refers to the mother as the maid of the house rather than the mother, and people believe him. People stereotype, or affiliate, Asians with maid jobs because they are seen as less masculine. As a result, the mother is destroyed on the inside because her son is ashamed of her, and furthermore, people are going with it. They are too blinded by the stereotype of an Asian as a maid to look past that and realize that she is the mother.

People often assume that just because someone is white, they are immune to discrimination and stereotypes in a multicultural society. Generally, people assume that the white person is always the one to initiate these prejudices. However, white people can often be the ones to receive and experience discrimination. For example, in “Bordertown,” a white lady, La Jolla Woman, enjoys volunteering in her diverse community, where 23 different languages are spoken. Unfortunately, these diverse cultural groups repeatedly tell La Jolla Woman to go home when she attempts to help her community. She is told, “a white woman of fifty six can't have anything to do or say about problems that face a certain neighborhood” (19). We can infer this to be because many people view whites as racists, in which these people are prejudice themselves, quick to judge a white person of whether that person will judge. In this case, the white person is experiencing the effect of discrimination. In another part of the play, two American men near the border are stereotyped by a drug trafficker to be members of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the D.E.A. They are assumed to be white based on their lighter skin color, and they are assumed to be the authorities as it is a stereotype that the numbers in law enforcement agencies are overwhelming white. The drug trafficker stereotypes the American men as white D.E.A. agents, but is proven wrong when they show they can speak Spanish and learns that they are Chicanos, people with a Mexican background living in America. Following this change in how the drug trafficker sees the two American men, viewing them as Mexicans, he asks if they have drugs, or would like any. The words of the drug trafficker go from, “Eres D.E.A. verdad? Vas a morir” to “Tienen drogas? Do you have drugs...Do you want drugs?”(40). This demonstrates the prejudice toward the American men, as when depicted to be white, they were assumed to be D.E.A. agents, but when viewed as Mexican, they are offered drugs. It should be noted that the two Americans were almost killed as a result of being stereotyped to be authorities. The drug trafficker had discriminated against the two American men, treating them entirely different based on whether he believed they were white or Mexican. This demonstrates the discrimination that white people experience in a multicultural society, which is often overlooked or not recognized by other cultural groups.

One major form of injustice and discrimination presented in Crash was directed toward a white detective. An incident had occurred in which the white detective had shot another black detective to death, claiming that he had shot at him first. Prior to the incident, the white detective had two suspicions of murder of black people on his record, but he was cleared for both. The assistant to the district attorney decides to choose the side of the dead black detective, asking, “do you have any reason why we shouldn't hang [the white detective] for this?” The assistant is attempting to try to the white detective for murder; however, he did not pick this position based on the evidence. The evidence suggested the black detective had, indeed, initiated the conflict, showing that he was far from home, had $300,000 in the car that he was driving whose owner had mysteriously fled that morning, and was likely to be found with high concentrations of drugs in his blood from the coroner's report. He chose this stance of defending the black detective as a method to avoid “feeding the flame,” in which he is referring to the tensions between blacks and whites. The assistant does not want to stir riots or disputes between blacks and whites, basically attempting to keep the peace. He defends his position, rhetorically asking, “What do you think those kids need? To make them believe, to give them hope. Do you think they need another drug dealing cop or do you think they need a fallen black hero.” The assistant is suggesting that the outcome of the black detective as a hero will be viewed better, and maintain the peace, than if the white detective had acted in self defense against the black detective. As a result of this injustice and discrimination toward whites in this multicultural society, an innocent white man will potentially be accused of murder.

There are many occasions of discrimination, stereotyping, and injustice towards blacks in a multicultural society within the movie, Crash. The first major incidence is performed by a white police officer who follows a black couple in their car. Even after being told by his partner that he did not need to follow that car, the officer was specifically targeting that couple due to their black skin color. Eventually, the officer pulls their car over, sexually assaulting the female of the couple by rubbing his hands all over her in a sexual manner when frisking her. The white police officer had targeted their car, discriminating them from all other cars on the road because of their race. This couple's experience models a real issue in the country in that blacks are often unjustly discriminated against, and targeted by, law enforcement. Another major case of stereotyping occurs in a studio where the husband from the same black couple that was discriminated on by the white police officer is directing a film. After successfully completing a scene of the film, the producer, who is a white gentleman, has an objection about the scene. The white producer tells the black director that he wants another take, but this time, he wants the black character in the scene to “dumb down.” The white producer feels that the black character came off too “white,” or intelligent, stereotyping blacks as being less intelligent, or “dumb.” As an order from the producer, the black director had no choice but to film another take of the scene. Even though the black character seemed intelligent, the white producer wanted to emphasize the a sense of stupidity in blacks. One could observe that the black director was disturbed by the matter. This demonstrates the stereotyping and discrimination that blacks frequently experience in a multicultural society.

Through “Bordertown,” American Son, and Crash, we witness a pattern of discrimination, stereotyping, and injustice in a multicultural society. These are experienced by all cultural groups, and the act of performing these are not always realized by the offender. Within these works, the artists reveal that one will likely experience discrimination of some form in a multicultural society. Those who are debating of immigrating to California, or any region consisting of a multicultural society, should consider the negative obstacles of such discrimination presented in the essay as possible experiences they may encounter.

Out of Class Essay #2 (Poetry & History Analysis)

Bradford Nicholl

July 17, 2013

Compare and Contrast "Indian Cartography" and "Itch Like Crazy: Resistance"

 

Native Americans have been removed from their lands by white settlers for a vast number of years. As a result, Native Americans have been suffering from the inability to revisit their childhood origins or to experience their culture. Deborah E. Miranda and Wendy Rose are two poets, authors of “Indian Cartography” and “Itch Like Crazy: Resistance,” respectively. These two authors, themselves, are Native Americans who are suffering from their cultural loss. Miranda writes of the destruction of her father's childhood home that white settlers have caused and the depressing effects it has on her and her father. Rose takes a more personal approach and writes about overhearing plans for the removal of Native Americans, describes the devastating effects it has on her and others, and vents her frustration. While Miranda carries a sorrowful tone and Rose conveys an angered tone, they share the same historical theme in that the culture and origins of Native Americans were destroyed by white settlers. The authors accomplish this through similes, metaphors, alliteration, imagery, and symbolism.

Miranda begins the first stanza of her poem, “Indian Cartography,” with two similes to emphasize the importance of their heritage and introduce a tragedy caused by white settlers. The first simile reads, “my father opens a map of California – / traces mountain ranges, rivers, county borders / like family bloodlines.” Here she is relating traces on a map to family bloodlines. This simile brings attention to the significance of these traces, and describes them as something family-related. Thus, we can infer that the traces have something important to do with their culture and heritage. In addition, since bloodlines allow blood to flow through it and travel, we can infer that the traces have to do with tracing back their culture to its origins. Note that alliteration can be found in the quote as well, to further brighten the simile and emphasize the importance of the locations traced on the map. In a second simile, Miranda writes, “places he was happy, / or where tragedy greeted him / like an unpleasant relative.” Describing the locations that were traced on the map, this quote informs that not all traces represent locations of good times, but may locate times of disaster, using a simile to compare them to being greeted by an unpleasant relative. The use of this simile introduces the concept of a tragedy having occurred in the past, and emphasizes the negativity that will come to one of these locations: the flooding of his childhood home in the valley by white settlers from a dam project.

Wendy Rose makes use of a metaphor in her poem, “Itch Like Crazy: Resistance,” to demonstrate her anger and convey her message to resist the white settlers. Rose states, “this is one of those days / when I see Columbus / in the eyes of nearly everyone.” This metaphor relates Christopher Columbus to white settlers she sees around. Discovering the route to America, Columbus was a Spanish explorer essentially responsible for introducing white colonization on the country, which led to the removal of Native Americans from their lands and cultures. By comparing him to white settlers that she sees, Rose is showing how she views whites to be an enemy. This gives an insight to the anger she has towards whites as they push her and other Native Americans off of their land.

Several occasions of alliteration arise in “Indian Cartography” to emphasize the depressing effect the destruction of the father's childhood home plays on him. The first instance of alliteration recounts his youth, “days he walked across the silver scales / swollen bellies of salmon coming back / to a river that wasn't there.” This quote describes the father as a child, crossing a river filled with salmon and their silver scales. These salmon have swollen bellies, indicating they are preparing to spawn, or deposit eggs. The words, silver, scales, swollen, and salmon, bring attention to the preciousness of the flow of Salmon along the river and the baby fish soon to come. This emphasizes the loss that has occurred from the destruction by white settlers. Another case of alliteration enters the father's dreams, “when he comes to the valley / drowned by a displaced river / he swims out, floats on his face / with eyes open, looks down into lands not drawn on any map.” In his dream, the father is floating on the lake peering down into the water where his home use to be. This gives the image as if he is lost, separated from his childhood home and cultural origins. The words, drowned, displaced, floats, face, down, and drawn, attract attention to bring out the tragedy of the destruction of his home by white settlers, even stating that it is no longer drawn on any map, but replaced by a lake, drowning the region. This greatly brings out the sorrow in the tone of the poem. 

“Itch Like Crazy: Resistance” contains many example of imagery that conveys Rose's anger toward white settlers. One major example of imagery reads, “every ring on Turtle's Back / a mortar to split our seeds, / every sunflower bursting from asphalt / raises green arms to the sun, / every part of Tewaquachi / has formed the placenta / from which we emerge, / every red thing in the world / is the reflection of blood, / our death and our rising.” This phrase provides imagery describing how the Native Americans and herself are adapted to their land and their culture, only to have it taken from them by white settlers. The use of imagery helps to connect the reader with the feelings that she experiences and to understand her anger. Immediately after, Rose follows with an additional major example of imagery, stating, “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, / recognize him when he arrives again, / this hungry one, must feed him / poisoned fish.” Here she is using imagery to describe how she desires to resist the white settlers from removing them from their land, and how she will fight to protect that land and her culture. The use of imagery helps to demonstrate her anger toward the white settlers and how she plans to fight to resist being removed from her land.

Miranda throws in a major play on symbolism near the end of “Indian Cartography” to show her acceptance of the past, as well as to show the impact that it leaves. She predicts of what the father views as he peers into the lake, saying, “maybe he sees shadows / of a people who are fluid, / fluent in dark water, bodies / long and glinting with sharp-edged jewelry, / and mouths still opening, closing / on the stories of our home.” First of all, we can see that a metaphor is used to relate the people from that area to the Salmon in the lake, describing them with great imagery. We can also note that she refers to the father's home as being “our home,” to include her, explaining that her father's culture is a part of her as well. The symbolism comes in as she speaks of the mouths of the Salmon opening and closing. A fish will open and close its mouth to breathe as it takes in water and pushes it out of its gills. Since we have to breathe in order to live, and the Salmon represent the people of that area, the breathing of the fish symbolizes the lives of those people. While the Salmon are breathing on the stories of their home, as Miranda states, this symbolizes those people living on their stories. In other words, these people can only live off of the stories rather than experience their culture first-hand, greatly impacting the culture of the Native Americans. However, Miranda tells us this calmly, seeming to accept the fact that their home has been destroyed by the white settlers, and that she will only experience the stories.

Symbolism is also found in “Itch Like Crazy: Resistance,” with the purpose of emphasizing Rose's anger toward white settlers for their removal of Native Americans from their land. After overhearing that she and the Native Americans will be removed from their land, 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.” This quote symbolizes her anger toward whites settlers. The terror is crouching as if about to pounce, representing her anger about to snap and fight back. She imagines the babies who will be lost from their cultural origins unless she resists, or she can sing the primal song which she understands is helpless. This use of symbolism brings out her anger and shows that the white settlers have pushed her to the edge, aiding in creating an angered tone in the poem.

Deborah E. Miranda seems to posses a calm, sorrowful tone, accepting of what took place while Wendy Rose seems to have an angered tone, ready to resist the white settlers. These tones were generated through various similes, metaphors, alliteration, imagery, and symbolism, as we have seen. While Miranda and Rose convey two entirely different tones, they share the same historical theme in that the culture and origins of Native Americans were destroyed by white settlers. After reading these poems, we should be motivated to protect the land of Native Americans and preserve their culture, which have both been decimated by white settlers.

In Class Essay #2 (Fallacies of Argument)

Bradford Nicholl
July 25, 2013

Fallacies presented within “Revamp Immigration”

Readers of an article can often be fooled into being convinced of an argument as a result of fallacies. However, if noticed, one will realize that these fallacies do not support an argument, but rather, they can be examined to show weakness in an argument. In the article, “Revamp Immigration,” by the editors of Contra Costa Times, arguments for the support of the implantation of a guest-worker system for immigrants to legally enter the country to work without permanently becoming a resident. By uncovering the fallacies in this article, one can observe that the arguments for the guest-worker system are not very supportive, causing strong disagreement with its implementation. The editors formed these sneaky, weakened arguments through the fallacies of post hoc (false cause), hasty generalizations, appeal to pity, and false dichotomy.

The editors of the article use an instance of a post hoc, or false cause, fallacy in their article, which provides a weak argument that should not be a persuading force to readers. Describing a group of illegal immigrants who suffocated in a truck while crossing the border, the editors explains, “if the big-rig victims had reached their destinations safely, they would have found jobs in the United States in a variety of industries that depend on undocumented workers.” In other words, they are declaring that these illegal immigrants would have gone on to be successful in locating a job if they had survived. The editors are listing a cause, being that the illegal immigrants survive, and an event, being their success in obtaining jobs. This is a post hoc fallacy because the argument has not shown us that the one caused the other. There is no proof whatsoever that they would succeed in finding a job as a result of surviving. In fact, with unemployment so high and large competition, it would seem rather difficult.

There are two instances in which the editors have used hasty generalizations, forming assumptions of a particular group without evidence to support it, providing a weak argument. The first case, they generalize, “the terrorist attacks changed the way the United States viewed all foreigners as potential terrorists.” The editors are saying this view of Americans from opinion but do not support this claim with any data. This cannot be used to persuade readers to implement the guest-worker system because this argument was created from opinion, and is not fact. In the second case, the editors say, “we see [undocumented workers] every day and we benefit from their labor. They harvest our food, clean our offices at night, fix our hotel beds, and work in the kitchens of some of our fanciest restaurants.” Here, she is making the assumptions of where the undocumented immigrants work. These are stereotypes of illegal immigrants, and again, are a matter of opinion. Thus, without a premise, they cannot be used to support the guest-worker program.

There are a few occurrences of the fallacy, appeal to pity, with the hopes of stirring emotion in readers to open the doors to illegal immigrants; however, these appeals to pity offer information that is not logically relevant. For example, the editors state at the beginning, “The horrific deaths in Texas of 19 illegal immigrants who suffocated while being transported in locked big rigs, puts an exclamation mark o the urgency for change in the United States' immigration policy. They are suggesting that the United States needs to change its immigration policy with the premise that some illegal immigrants suffocated while trying to illegally come into the United States. Logically, the conclusion to change immigration policy is not backed up with the evidence they offer, but rather, they are attempting to cause pity from the readers to persuade them. The next example occurs near the end, quoting, “we have tightened our border security with more guards and high-tech detection devices, but as the Texas tragedy shows us, illegal crossings with their accompanying risks are still occurring.” The editors are once again arising the issue of the illegal immigrants who have died attempting to cross into the United States and how they still occur even with the increased security. They are trying to cause an appeal to pity for the dead in order to gain support for the introduction of the guest-worker system, although the deaths and security are not relevant to changing the immigration policy, it only shows they died trying to break that policy. When examined, these cases of an appeal to pity fallacy proves to create a weak argument that does not support the conclusion and provide reason to change the immigration policy.

Additionally, there is an instance of false dichotomy, a fallacy which forms a weak argument because only two choices are given, in which one is then eliminated by the editors. They argue, “with the increase emphasis on security, it is better to know who is crossing the border, on what day, and where they're working than to continue to force them to come in the dark of night in suffocating truck trailers.” The editors only give the two options, being aware of the illegal immigrants or having the immigrants suffer, in which the latter is then struck down. This creates a false dichotomy fallacy, where they basically control the possible situations, giving you only two to chose from. However, in reality, there are many possible situations, not just the sad one they offer or the one that supports their guest-worker program. In addition, with this sadness, it can also be seen as an additional appeal to pity fallacy, as once again, the editors are bringing up the suffocating illegal immigrants crossing the border. Their deaths have nothing to do with the immigration policy, only showing that they violated it.

Through the use of the fallacies: post hoc, hasty generalizations, appeal to pity, and false dichotomy, the editors created very weak arguments to support their claim that the United States immigration policy should adapt a guest-worker program. Their arguments were so unsupported that they are easily disagreed with and do not give reasoning to their claim. Fallacies should be located and examined to determine the credibility on arguments presented to readers. Do not be fooled.

Out of Class Essay #1 (Song Analysis)

Bradford Nicholl

July 12, 2013

The California Dream in Music

California, “a region filled with promise for the future,” as Kirse Granat May describes in “Suburban Eden,” became a state in 1850. This idea attracted many to the state to live the California Dream, to gain wealth and be set for the future. Although this was possible for some, it was not as it seemed for many. As May tells us, many in search of the California Dream often found their “Edenic portrayals” to be “corrupt visions, as the California dream came into harsh contact with challenging reality.” Through a song entitled “Sinaloa Cowboys,” by Bruce Springsteen, the California Dream of two Mexican brothers is examined to demonstrate that the California Dream is not always what it appears to be. The song follows the two brothers who come to the state to find work and gain wealth; however, they learn they are working long days for little money. They enter the drug trade seeking better luck at the California Dream, until the younger brother dies from an explosion while cooking methamphetamine. The song demonstrates this misconception of the California Dream as a land of promise through various literary devices, including foreshadowing, alliteration, euphony, cacophony, and symbolism.

Foreshadowing is often used by artists to place an idea relative to the theme into the minds of the reader from early on, allowing the reader to reflect on this as they continue reading. In “Sinaloa Cowboys,” foreshadowing is used to bring forth the concept that the California Dream may not be what it seems, and that it may have a “catch.” This comes into play when the father of the two brothers advises them, “for everything the north gives, it exacts a price in return.” The father gives us the idea of a risk of traveling to California, and that something may go wrong. The father is foreshadowing the younger brother's death. The brothers had improved their income after entering the drug trade, but ultimately, the price they paid was death. This foreshadowing initially brought forth the idea that the California Dream may not be as they perceived it to be.

Alliteration is the use of of multiple nearby words with a repeated sound at the beginning of the words, and it can be used to bring attention to a matter. There are two major occurrences of alliteration in the song. The first instance occurs when describing a possible disaster that can happen during the creation of the methamphetamine that the brothers were involved in. The lyrics read, “But if you slipped, the hydriodic acid could burn right through your skin.” These three words, slipped, acid, and skin, in this phrase bring out the “s” sound. This attribute attracts attention quite well; see what I did there? By repeating this “s” syllable sound, the artist places emphasis on the issue and its negativity. This helps to reveal that the reality of the California Dream is not as it appears to be, and may involve negativity. It shows that the California Dream is not as achievable as one thinks, for the two brothers ended up gambling their lives to obtain it.

The second instance of alliteration occurs after the death of the younger brother. The older brother went to gather their wealth that they had collected, and, “there in the dirt he dug up ten thousand dollars that they'd saved.” These three words, dirt, dug, and dollars, repeat the “d” sound. This practice emphasizes their reward of wealth, but brings out the risk they took to reach it, the life of the younger brother. The California Dream that the two brothers once dreamed of was not the life that came true, and alliteration helps to bring forth this idea that the California Dream that people have in their minds is not always the reality they experience.

Similar to alliteration, euphony and cacophony can be used by artists to increase emphasis on matters. This is the use of applying language that is pleasant or harsh, respectively. There is one major case of each in “Sinaloa Cowboys,” occurring in the last stanza after the death of the young brother. It begins with euphonious language as the older brother transports the dead, younger brother, in his truck for burial “where the sunlight fell on a eucalyptus grove.” We can imagine the older brother driving to somewhere pleasant, relaxing, and beautiful, emphasized by the euphonious language. The cacophonous language is then introduced as the older brother “placed him in his grave,” reminding the reader of the disturbing thought that the younger brother had died as a result of the wealth earned. The euphony and cacophony helps to bring out the concept that the California Dream may appear to be great, but in reality, it is filled with misconception, and it can result in something unfavorably different. 

Symbolism is a great device used by artists to convey ideas and bring emphasis to them. Symbolism occurs near the end of the song, during the death of the younger brother. The song describes his death, “when the shack exploded lightning up the valley night, Miguel carried Louis' body over his shoulder down a swale.” The latter clause of the quote, going down the swale, symbolizes the death of the younger brother as he dies. It represents the fall of the younger brother. In fact, the full quote symbolizes the entire song, in that their lives appeared to improve, or went “up,” but in the end, it was at an all time low, or went “down,” with death. This quote symbolizes how the California Dream is misconceived as a place of gaining wealth for a promised future, but in reality, holds no future for many.

The song, “Sinaloa Cowboys,” entails the story of two brothers in search of the California Dream to gain wealth and be set for the future. As the lyrics explain through foreshadowing, alliteration, euphony, cacophony, and symbolism, the California Dream is filled with the misconception of promises, but it is not so obtainable in reality. It is important for readers to understand that the California Dream is a great misconception before migrating to the state in search of a better life. As Kirse Granat May warns: “Despite gold rush lore and the claims of boosters, California did not always inspire the stuff of dreams. Counter to the golden promise ran a current of negative imagery, a recognition that all was not sunny or bright.”

In Class Essay #1 (California Dream)

Bradford Nicholl

July 9, 2013

Defining the California Dream

Thousands of people travel to California every day, and thousands more dream of moving to California. In both cases, many of these people envision the California dream. This is the source of motivation to migrate to California. But what exactly is the California dream? Through the literature of “The Day of the Locus” by Nathaniel West, with additional support from “A New Perspective on the Dream” by Denise S. Spooner, the California dream is defined as the desire to seek opportunity, adventure, and freedom from judgment by the community – free from limitations on individuality by the community.

First, the California dream as the land of opportunity is examined. California is filled with a vast number of jobs, thousands of new jobs arising every day. New businesses and corporations are being set up wherever you look. In addition, average salaries are severely higher compared to most other states. California provides many opportunities for those seeking a job, an impressive income, perhaps a chance to start a family well-off. In “The Day of the Locus,” Tod Hackett, as a painter, receives the opportunity to paint new portraits and keep his passion, while obtaining a job he desires in Hollywood. California has offered opportunities to Tod Hackett, demonstrating that opportunity plays a part in his California dream, and that of many others.

Next, many of those who seek adventure have California in their dreams. California offers such diversity and is filled with so many new and exciting things. In “The Day of the Locust,” Tod Hackett even views an army of cavalry pass by his office. As the excerpt mentions, “he had been in Hollywood less than three months and still found it an exciting place.” Tod Hackett himself is adventurous, and whether in search of something to paint, or on his way home, he “began the climb into Pinyon Canyon.” California provdies Tod Hackett with adventure, and is dreamed of as an adventurous place.

In addition, many people migrate to California in search of freedom from judgment by the community. They wish to be free of the limitations on individuality placed on them by their judgment. As Tod Hackett witnesses, “A great many of the people wore sport clothes which were not really sport clothes,” where others wore clothing “somber and badly cut.” He mentions how “different” the latter are. In addition, the houses that lined the slope of the hill included Mexican ranch houses, Samoan huts, Mediterranean villas, Egyptian and Japanese temples, Swiss chalets, Tudor cottages, and even castles. The diversity is enormous. California offers a land for people who seek to be different, without the judgment of others in the community.

California is dreamed about by many, and these dreams motivate many to migrate to the state. The California dream envisions opportunity, adventure, and freedom of judgment from the community. As seen in "The Day of the Locust," Tod Hacket experiences or witnesses these aspects. The California dream is something for many to consider, and may influence you to travel to California.