The essay American Dream Boat is about a family that fled form Vietnam and headed to America. It is a story from the author K. Oanh Ha and her family. This tells us about how bad they had it in Vietnam and wanted to get out of the communist ruled country. They were on a boat and landed in Orange County California. They were known as the “Boat people”. There were about 13 of them staying in a 3 bedroom apartment. They go one talking about her marriage to a white-American. Her family has different beliefs about the marriage. They think that it will end up in a divorce, since most Vietnamese and white-Americans marriages do. They are just worried about her safety and children. They want her children to grow up knowing both sides of its heritage. I feel that if you are in a mixed racial relationship and have a child then you should bring them up knowing both sides of the heritage. This will help the child out in the long run, of knowing what their background is.
Archive for April, 2008
Bad Luck: Why Americans Exaggerate The Terrorist Threat
Why Americans Exaggerate the Terrorist Threat, by Jeffrey Rosen. In this essay Rosen talks about how Americans are more afraid of crimes that are least likely to happen to them then ones that are more likely to happen to them. I agree with what Rosen says through out his essay. I do believe that Americans worry more about crimes and accidents that are less likely to happen to them. Also since 9/11 I think that that percent has highly increased. I feel that television has a lot to do with the way we think and worry about violence. Like with all the new movies and television shows that are coming out I think that it worry’s people. Especially women, no offence to women, but I think that they worry a little too much sometimes. For example my mother, so worry’s about everything so a little too much. She won’t ride on an airplane and she is always worried about getting in to a car accident. And my grandmother is locks every door in the house no matter what time of day it is. We leave in a town of about 30 people, and we know everyone. Those two watch a lot of shows like CSI, Criminal Content, and lifetime movies.
The Obligation to Endure
The Obligation to Endure is an essay written by Rachel Carson. This is an essay about harmful chemicals that we spread in the air, ground, and water. Rachel talks about the harmful chemicals that we put on our crop to keep insects away. She says that the pesticides that we keep putting on these crops are harmful to us in the future and now. They are going into the ground and ruining the soil. Then the crops and other things that we are growing are contaminated with these pesticides. Also they are going into the air and can hurt us when we breathe them in. Some of these chemicals are very harmful and can even cause cancer. I think that some of the stuff she talks about is true. Like she talks about us cutting down to many tress and the new ones we plant aren’t growing fast enough. I think that we need to calm down on destroying our forest. I also think that some of the pesticides that are extremely harmful to us should not be used on food that we eat. But until we can find another way to keep insects off our crops then I guess keep using them because I don’t want to find a bug in my salad. Also the weed killer and suppose to be harmful to the ground. No shit that’s why we buy to kill the weeds so we don’t have to pick them every other day.
Aids in Africa
In the essay Aids in Africa Katz make some very strong points. Also there is a lot of stuff that I didn’t know about aids. This essay is probably one of the best that I have read in the book. Aids can be found anywhere in the world. Most cases are in Africa. This is because Africa has more poverty then other countries. The U.S., Europe and Australia Have less risk because they are all wealthy countries. But the wealthiest country in Africa Botswana is the most affected. I think that aids is a big problem in the world and I don’t think that it will be stopped for a while. I couldn’t believe that amount of deaths that aids causes, and the amount that it will cause by 2020, 68 million. I think that this number should tell us we need to do something about it. Then you have tourist going to Africa and sleeping with a prostitute and catching the disease. Africa has 250 times more unprotected sex then other countries. This has a lot to deal with the spreading of the disease.
