Turgenev Blog 1

In “The Execution of Tropmann” Ivan Turgenev recreates an event fresh in his mind in the form of an autobiography. Tropmann is convicted of the murder of a man, his wife, and their six children and is going to be publicly executed in front of a huge audience. Turgenev gains an invitation to this somewhat exciting spectacle where he discovers the true brutality of capital punishment. Through the authors preferred tone and significant purpose in the text, he conveys his feelings towards capital punishment and the justice system as a whole.

First, throughout the majority of the text the tone is uneasy and slow. The author is trying to develop the characters, audience along with Tropmann, and the feeling towards the prison environment itself. Turgenev writes about discussing capital punishment, “but all this was so lifeless, so dull, so platitudinous, that even those who spoke did not feel like carrying on.” By using an uneasy tone the reader is able to understand the depressing mood inside the prison room and the characters too. The development of characters and environment through the sad tone contributed to the strengthening of Turgenev’s ideal.   The tone the author used helped build a negative attitude towards capital punishment because it shows the harmful effects of the process itself in society.

Turgenev’s purpose of writing was to emphasize that capital punishment is inhumane and that the system of justice should be carried on a different way. The authors experience at Tropmann’s execution was considered a horrific sight. He compares the courtyard to the execution spot, “But I thanked him and went back to the prison courtyard, which seemed to me like a place of refuge from the horrors on the others side.” He explains that the horror is not the execution itself, but the process which it was carried about. The audience was excited to watch the execution, but should they be treating this like a show. Turgenev’s is mainly trying to persuade change in capital punishment, and that something as major as death should not be treated like a toy.

Turgenev makes strong points about capital punishment in his writing. A big argument was the question for what “moral purpose” could one gain from an experience such as execution. Any death of another person has moral purpose in society because it raises the thought of life and its importance; however execution is different because it is the taking of a life. It could just be compared to murder, which is what Turgenev argues as well. Another argument is the process that comes with capital punishment. Tropmann had to wait a night, while staring death in the face. Turgenev emphasizes this injustice because it is not necessary. In my opinion I believe that capital punishment is justified because crimes such as murder are outlawed for a reason which is to benefit the world. The justice system is flawed at times, but what other way to attack crime?

Writing profile blog 11

Culminating Writers Profile
1. My writings have become better because I learned how to analyze pieces of writings and construct a well developed essay.
2. My strength in writing would have to be writing about personal perspectives and answering prompts. I have reinforced them by reading examples of good essays and writings.
3. Timed writes would have to be my weakest area. I have practiced multiple timed writes to try and  get better.

Evaluating your writing process
1. I would strengthen the concrete details and the intro paragraph to make a better essay.
2. The structure of sentences and grammar errors were easy to correct after peer feedbacks and revision.
3. Creating a better introduction and relating the facts to the thesis was the problem during the revision.

Evaluating your Successes
1. The most successful revision would have to be fixing the conclusion. At first my conclusion made no sense and had no insight, but after the revision it made sense. However I still need to work on my conclusion
2. Using descriptive, narrative, and illustrative writing in my essay did not go so well. I made to much narrative comments rather than facts and that messed up my essay.
3. I believe I did succeed in writing to the audience. I took note that they knowledgeable and expect sophisticated and logical writing.

Being Honest with Self
1. Writing about a single concept intimidated me a lot. I tried to prepare myself by researching the definition of education.
2. Reading about how the word "nigger" was used in the text we read gave me ideas of how the definition of a word can be argued and explored in an essay.
3. I didn't really take ideas from others, but i took some words so my words would not be as repetitive.
4. I learned to organize my essay structure and plan good before writing.
5. I see myself as an average writer right now. I hope to become better at writing essays similar to this one.

Cowboy blog 15

Through movies and posters, society has portrayed cowboys as macho, tough, and disrespectful. The tales of ruthless lives and exciting gun fights deceive others to believe cowboys are savages. Ehrlich disagrees with society, she believes cowboys are, compassionate, and hard-working. Ehrlich tone is warm and confident when she describes the cowboys. They are kind towards animals and even more polite to people. Her tone tries to persuade others to have good perspectives towards cowboys because she believes that they are misunderstood in society.

Secrecy Blog 14

Sante uses mulitple examples of secrecy to explore ways secrets are used and why they are kept. He uses the Soviet Union as an example because this describes secrets used to protect a nations intent and plan, a more large scale and important secret. He also uses secrets revealed through the internet.Thus explaining that secrets have less security and  that advancement in technology pressures secrets. He also relates to the confessional culture and the media where secrets in modern society have taken a less important role as society has devloped.

The internet is the nemesis of secrets because the widespread use and ease to use it. The advancement of technology has made it so information can reach others within seconds. Compared to the past, where information takes longer to travel, internet has created an insecurity with secrets.

What your kid should be learning 13

I believe the school has the absolute responsibility in teaching ethics and personal values to their students. Students spend a big part of their time and effort into school and this develops them as a character. Subjects such as sex, drugs, money, should be confronted to teach people what is right and what is wrong. These subjects are part of life and need to be debated. Subjects relating to homosexuality or handicapped should not be discussed in school as these terms are personal and should be recognized within the society. Sex, drugs, and money, can be classified as natural occurrences in life while homosexuality or handicapped subjects can be classified as non-relative occurrences in life.

Movie time 12

Drama: Coach Carter, Remember the Titans

Comedy: White Chicks, Jackass

Action: Die Hard, 300

The making of a great movie of course would have a good and appealing plot. Some other factors could be budget, because cheap movies usually don't have as high tech effects or camera angles. The actors could also be a big part of a great movie because people generally want to see the glamored and socially admired characters.

The two best movies I have watched would have to be, Coach Carter and 300. In my opinion, these two movies are great because they appealed to my interests and had somewhat a value or lesson that relates to life. Coach Carter would be categorized as a drama because it follows the life a high school basketball team. The movie appealed mainly to teenagers and basketball players, but I believe that the overall message made this movie great. The movie stressed on putting the student before athlete in sports and most people could relate to that lesson. 300 was all about the action and fighting. The movie appealed mostly to men, but the graphics, acting, and story made this movie great.

A nobody 10

The concept of nobodiness can have multiple meanings depending on the perspectives and context it is used in. One example of feeling like a "nobody" can be when someone physically has no one to talk to or relate to. Whether it is because they are shy or the circumstances they are in compel them from socializing, they are nobody in a sense that others do not appreciate or know the existence of this person. Another example of "nobodiness" could be the emotional state of feeling that depresses oneself. It could be that the person can't achieve a goal that others can and thus feels like a nobody when compared to people in a society. I believe the feeling of being a nobody can only be created by those who don't believe in themselves or give in to what their peers say.