Personal Mission Statement

I care about life. I think that everyone has a very valuable life and can spend it more by just worrying about themselves. Growing up people around me took care of eachother. I hope to be just like that some day if I'm not already. I also value people that are honest to me and theirselves. My core being has to do with pursuit of happiness, ambition, fun and solid relationships. All of those things impact my life every day. I try to succeed in every one of them to make me a well rounded person that has a good chance in life. Not just a good chance so I succeed, but so i can also help others reach their goals as well.

Social Change Reading

Creating social change has been something many people have been chasing after for a long time. I think that it takes just one idea that someone is willing to put into action to make a difference. The reading talks a lot about how people work. However, I believe that anyone, even the bad, can make a difference in everyone's life. Maybe it is not a huge change. Picking up pieces of trash on the ground can make a difference. But what I really want to see change is the relationship's between people. It has completely changed over the years. Face-to-face communication is a dying art. When people are together they bounce ideas off eachother with more emotion. Changes in communication can allow us to have a better world. A place of love, laughter, hard work and freedom are deserved for everyone.

Silent Spring

Question: Delivery

Answer: Rachel Carlson uses her delivery to get across what everything looks like. Her description of the natural surroundings is very in depth and is done for a reason. That reason is to draw the reader into what she is saying by placing them there through the detailed imagery. Almost every paragraph has a sentence or more describing exactly what is around and that shows how important the author thinks imagery is. Carlson uses her delivery to develop a vivid scene for the reader.

A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf

Question: How does the writer structure this essay and to what effect?

Answer: Muir structures this piece by getting the audience involved first with action. This action draws the reader deeper into the book because it is interesting. Then Muir switches to his own beliefs by questioning things like life and God. People are going to be more likely to read these ideas with an open mind because of what he did earlier in the book by drawing them in. Not only that the ideas will make more sense. They will do that because they are directly related to the action earlier. It is a linear style piece.

Industrial Tourism and the National Parks

Question: What specific details stay in your mind? Why? How do these small details lead to larger ideas?

Answer: Edward Abbey describes the experience of working at a national park. Being in that situation it allowed him to look differently at the situation of the national parks. That detail shows his knowledge and allows the reader to respect his opinions. Then he suggests a way of eliminating cars from the parks. In my opinion, they seem to be very good ideas. Saving money on not making roads and helping the environment is a win-win. It seemed as though the details in the beginning helped back Abbey's ideas. That is why they stayed in my mind.

A First American Views His Land

Question: How does he make these transitions? What affect do they have on the forward momentum of the piece?

Answer: Momaday structures his piece by adding poems in between some paragraphs. This adds a dramatic effect to the transitions. In my opinion, it draws the reader more into what they are writing about because it adds a different tone to the story. This allows the reader to stay focused and keep a fresh mind towards it. The piece stays in a steady flow throughout because of the smooth transitions even between the poems and essay writing.

Walden

Henry David Thoreau and Chris McCandless have a lot in comman. They share the view that a person can live disconnected from the material world. They both think and enjoy living in a natural surrounding. People like these two are hard to find in the world. It is truly an inspiration to me. I never have thought like those two before, but it opens my eyes to a whole new way to live.