Masterpiece academy question from Maddi Binney

MY MODERNIST

I selected F. Scott Fitzgerald as my choice of modernist author to study because he writes in such a manner that I adore. He's witty, cunning, and filled with description. I dream of experiencing the jazz era first hand and the closest I can get is by reading the works of Fitzgerald. I have only read The Great Gatsby, but it's on my agenda to read more. I once did an oral report on Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda and I learned a lot though I feel like I need more experience actually reading his work.

5 Logical Fallacies

-Argumentum ad logicam (argument to logic). This is the fallacy of assuming that something is false simply because a proof or argument that someone has offered for it is invalid; this reasoning is fallacious because there may be another proof or argument that successfully supports the proposition.
I imagine this scenario often being used in the court cases against unproved alibies.
-Argumentum ad misericordiam (argument or appeal to pity).
American's often use it to say things along the lines of "Think of all the poor, starving Ethiopian children! How could we be so cruel as not to help them"
-Naturalistic fallacy. This is the fallacy of trying to derive conclusions about what is right or good (that is, about values) from statements of fact alone. This is invalid because no matter how many statements of fact you assemble, any logical inference from them will be another statement of fact, not a statement of value. If you wish to reach conclusions about values, then you must include amongst your assumptions (or axioms, or premises) a statement of value. Once you have an axiomatic statement of value, then you may use it in conjunction with statements of fact to reach value-laden conclusions.
-Dicto simpliciter (spoken simply, i.e., sweeping generalization). This is the fallacy of making a sweeping statement and expecting it to be true of every specific case
This logical fallacy is often used when talking about women being inferior to men.
-Argumentum ad antiquitatem (the argument to antiquity or tradition). This is the familiar argument that some policy, behavior, or practice is right or acceptable because "it's always been done that way."
I think this is probably the most common and most widely used logical fallacy in which everyone can relate to. It can directly relate to every possible social norm worldwide.

What Jiro Means To Me

“Studying hard doesn’t guarantee you will become a respectable person. Even if you’re a bad kid, there are people like me who change…Always doing what you are told does not mean you’ll succeed in life.”-Jiro. Jiro is a very successful sushi master and owner of the only Michelin star rated sushi restaurant in the world located in Tokyo, Japan. Jiro left the house at just 9 years old and learned to fend for himself and at a very young age as he pursued his career in mastering the art of sushi as a life-long goal. He has also been awarded from the country of Japan for working at such an old age.

Jiro's story is very inspiring to anyone who watches Jiro Dreams of Sushi because of his raw talent and and expertise of sushi. He's in love with what he doesn't and he never wants to miss a day of work. A shrimp dealer in the documentary states “These days the first thing people want is an easy job. Then, they want lots of free time. And then, they want lots of money. But they aren’t thinking of building their skills. When you work at a place like Jiro’s, you are committing to a trade for life.” Everyone in collaboration with Jiro are the best of the very best in their field of work, whether they specialize in shrimp, rice, or cutting. They all know exactly what they are doing because they have spent their lives perfecting themselves in their careers and bettering their skills. Jiro restaurant is the best Japanese restaurant in the world because he does not settle for anything less than perfection.

The most motivating part about Jiro's story was the fact that he started from the bottom of society, no family to support him, no stable income, nobody to push him into being someone great. Despite his difficulties in life, he strived to learn his trade and expand his abilities in the art. It's not where you come from, it's where you go from there. The most important thing Jiro stresses is to be focused and disciplined on anything you want to devote your life into doing. Once you being that learning process you are then signed up for life in that field. It's extremely motivating to hear that piece of advice from such a successful, skilled, and focused person. 

I learned how to make homemade breakfast

I am a terrible cook. I mean terrible. I can't follow the most basic and simple recipe. My whole family makes fun of me and dreads when I attempt something in the kitchen. But since I'll be moving out of the house in 4 months, my mom said I have to learn how to cook my own meals. This has been a definite step in the right direction. I successfully prepared a homemade steel cute oat chocolate almond oat meal. It didn't have much flavor and it was slightly dry but I did it!

An Essay I wrote for my Expository Reading and Writing Class (Gender and Culture-The Strive For Gender Equality)

“Equality is not a concept. It's not something we should be striving for. It's a necessity. Equality is like gravity. We need it to stand on this earth as men and women, and the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. It is life out of balance, and that imbalance is sucking something out of the soul of every man and woman who's confronted with it. We need equality. Kinda now.” Feminism is defined as being the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Unfortunately, this term carries a very negative connotation amongst nations worldwide, including the Western world. Feminists are generally stereotyped as being extreme man hating, hairy legged lesbians who go to protests and shove their beliefs down peoples throats, these stereotypes are far from reality. The truth of the matter is, anyone who believes in political, social, and economic gender equality and who wishes to break the traditional female roles is, in fact, a Feminist.

In an article by Deborah Tannen, called “His Politeness is Her Powerlessness”, two psychologists are asked what “being very polite” means. The man said, “Subservience.” The woman said, “Sensitivity.” Both of these experts were correct with their answers, but they were both describing the view of being very polite from the two different genders. Men and women tend to have different views on how to handle everyday life situations. Even  when it boils down to small tasks such as simply asking a question. Men tend to be demanding, especially when speaking to their wives or other close family members. Whereas women are more indirect when asking questions. For example, if a woman wants her husband to cook dinner for a change she might say something to the effect of “Wow! Cooking dinner can get so tiring sometimes and I’ve had such a long day!” therefore hinting to their husbands that the would prefer not to cook that night. Whereas men in most cases would state that they were hungry and they wish that their wife prepares a meal. This may not be true for everywhere in the world, such as small villages in various African countries it is normal that the women are more direct and men are more indirect and rather vague. The point of the matter is, no matter the social norm for women, their style seems to always be seen as lower in status as men’s.

Always Tampons created a short video called “Like A Girl” to bring up the question of the very common, yet insulting phrase “Like A Girl” and what exactly people believe it means. They first asked adults and young adults to “run like like a girl”, “fight like a girl”, and “throw like a girl”. They all did so in the stereotypical way which included flailing their arms around in an enfeebled fashion and complaining about messing up their hair. They then asked young girls to do the same tasks in which they performed in a tough and passionate way. When they asked these girls what it meant to them to “run like a girl” they said “To run as fast as you can.” At what point in life does it become clear to young females that how they do something will always be weaker than the way that a male does the same thing? And when did doing something “like a girl” become an insult? We all grow up believing that women are somehow weaker than men. Statistically, that notion may be correct but when we grow up believing that women are physically weaker than men, then we, in turn, end up thinking they are weaker in every way.

In 2014, Actress Emma Watson was made UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. At the launching of a new campaign “HeForShe” she gave a speech on Feminism. In her speech she talks on the whole spectrum of Feminism and how it is often unrightfully associated with “man hating” and assumptions about Feminists and their ideals. Most people view feminists as being too aggressive and over-opinionated, only caring about being “anti-men”. Although Western Civilization doesn’t struggle to the extreme that many other countries in the world do with gaining gender equality, no nation in the world can say they have achieved this social standby. Somebody needs to fight for the rights of women in places in which they can not do so personally. But what most people don’t realize is that man are also imprisoned by unfair gender stereotypes. Men are seen to be the stronger and braver of the genders and they must always appear powerful and remain unmoved by women. Watson states “If men don’t have to control, then women don’t have to be controlled.” We need to strive for a world where male and female stereotypes are less black and white, but gray on a shared spectrum. If women are allowed to be strong, then are allowed to show weakness. Because at the end of the day, we are all human and we are all vulnerable.

Equality is a necessity if we all wish to strive for a fairer and more just world and society. All of these examples show the saddening social norms of gender stereotyping which must be acknowledged by all to move our world in a more positive direction. The fact is that right now, women are seen as inferior to men in every single country in the modern world and it’s going to take a lot to break this powerful norm. If women are allowed to be strong, then are allowed to show weakness. Because at the end of the day, we are all human and we are all vulnerable. But we should all be allowed to reach a higher level of success without our gender being the deterrent.

Vague Symbols in The Catcher in the Rye

In The Catcher in the Rye there are a couple symbols being mentioned throughout the book in which I find to be very unclear about what J.D. Salinger wants us to understand from them. One of them being Holden Cauflied's "People shooting hat" and the other being his fixation with where the ducks went when the ponds froze over. It's safe to say that these aren't just small details that J.D. Salinger simply added randomly in his novel. He meant for these symbols to represent a higher symbolic characterization to Holden Caufield.
The "People shooting hat" I believe represents Holden's individuality. He never puts his hat on when he's around people he knows which can mean that he doesn't want people to know the real him. Right off the bat we knew that he was more reserved in the way that he wants to be the only person to know his true self, he doesn't want his life to be an open book which is part of the reason why he lies so frequently and to such an extreme. The hat is both a shield for his soul and a way to stand out.
The duck leaving the pond symbolizes Holden's state of limbo between childhood and adulthood. The pond freezes over and where do the ducks go? Holden is the ducks and the pond is life. When he is too mature to be a child, yet too immature to be an adult, what is he?
He's a lost soul and these symbols pull his spirit together and make him whole by reassuring his self-proclaimed humanity.