Why I Want a Wife by Judy Brady

  

     Judy Brady, informative essay, Why I Want a Wife (1972), explores the reasons of why she would want a wife and that explains to us why a man should want a wife also. Judy Brady begins by giving her background saying that she was a wife and a mother and she mentions to us about a male friend of hers that was recently divorced. Brady realized that she would like to have a wife because of all of the duties that a wife completes. This is directed to the general audience but mainly women that feel they have been used.
     While reading this essay I felt as though the author was explaining to us all of the responsibilities that comes with being a wife. She mentions things such as making sure the children eat properly and are kept clean (107), takes care of the children when they are sick (108), and how she is suppose to arrange to lose time at work and not lose the job (108). The author makes me feel as though the husband really doesn't have a part in raising and taking care of the children. Her life should basically revolve around him and the children and she doesn't really have a voice in the relationship. Then the author goes into more details about the wife should take care of her husband and I thought some of the points she made were pretty selfish and self-centered. In the essay it says that the wife is supposed to entertain the husband's house guest and how the wife is suppose to satisfy his sexual needs when he wants it (108-109). I feel as in a relationship everything should be 50/50 all the time and not just one-sided. Each person has a hand in raising the children because they decided together to have the child in the first place.
     This essay was written so the audience could see where she was coming from and relate to the audience. Even though I am not married, it made me rethink the whole marriage thing in whether I am ready to be responsible for all those duties as a wife. At first I felt like it was too much but then again as a wife you are supposed to do those types of things. I look at how my mother treats my father and some of the points mentioned in the essay is what my mother does. I think I am going to keep the honor and tradition going.

Suffering

     "The Deer at Providencia" by Annie Dillard is a simple narrative of chronological events that conveys the idea of suffering and how no amount of empathy can make someone understand the personal suffering of another. The passage begins with the group in an Ecuadorian jungle stumbling upon a small deer tied to a tree. The group watches the deer suffer and struggle without commentary. Eventually the deer bores the North Americans of the group and they begin to eat lunch. In this lunch is meat: fish and deer. The group returns to viewing the deer and the men of the group notice Dillard's detached demeanor and comment on it's strangeness " If it were my wife, she couldn't bare to see a creature in agony like that" (Dillard 89).
After the occurrence in The Ecuadorian jungle Dillard returns home and reads the story of a man who was burned twice in his life.
     At first glance I felt sorrowful and hopeless for the deer and the burnt man. The suffering of the two is almost incomprehensible unless you have been in the exact situation of the two, but even then the suffering may be different from person to person. For example losing a loved one might produce more suffering for me than it would to another person based on many factors. Despite all the factors that go into determining how much someone is suffering no one can truly understand each other's suffering. Universal Suffering is also seen in Dillard's piece, as in suffering exists everywhere, even in the jungle.
   The most prominent theme is Dillard's piece is clearly suffering. Although Dillard's narrative is very event based with little explanation at all the events of the narrative provide Dillard's explanation of suffering and it's universal existence in this world. The juxtaposition of the deer in the jungle and the burnt man in Miami demonstrates that suffering is everywhere and it is very much a large part of life. Without suffering humans will never become stronger, appreciate good things, or cherish those whom treat them well. Most people would claim that any God would not allow this much suffering to exist but if there were no suffering then who would appreciate eternal salvation? The narrative and simple facade of Dillard's piece only amplifies her explanation of suffering.

-Alex Simpson

"The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society" by Jonathan Kozol

          "The number of illiterate adults exceeds by 16 million the entire vote cast for the winner in the 1980 presidential contest." This is a huge statistic to open a reading with, nearly 60 million Americans are illiterate. I would consider this reading as a somewhat informative/factual peice.
           Although this reading has personal interviews, factual statistics, and great support for the topic of illiteracy, it was not my cup of tea. As you continue to read it seems as if he has some type of underlying anger or resentment or some sort of a strong feelings toward those who cannot read. "Could it be that some of us might like it better if they stayed where they belong?" By him saying "us" he is including himself in the part of society that has an obviously strong feeling towards those who are illiterate. As if they should not be a part of the same society as those who are priviledged to read.
          The author, Kozol, uses the word "illiterate" quite often in the reading, either starting a statement, pargraph, thought, or sentence, he makes is seem like a derogatory word. Talking so poorly about the less forunate who can't read and linking that to food stamps, poverty, and how they raise their childern.
          He does not offer advice on how to help those become literate. He just makes statement after statement after statement of what a person who cannot read can't do. Then goes on to say, " Do we possess the character and courage to address a problem which so many nations..have found it natural to correct","The answers to these questions represent a reasonable test of our belief in the democracy to which we have been asked in public schools to swear allegiance." He says this as if it is our governments fault for the illiteracy of some people which I no where nearly agree with.
        This reading was very informal, I had no idea that there were that many people facing these kinds of struggles. In my opinion everyone is illiterate in some way, shape or form. If you were dropped off in China, you would be illiterate in their society.

The Ignorance of Thirty Eight Steals The Life Of One

     Thirty Eight Who Saw Murder Didn't Call The Police  by Martin Gansberg is the unfortunate story of  Catherine Genovese, a woman who was stabbed thrice by a psychologically unstable man, and left to die by the thirty eight neighbors in her apartment building. Miss Genovese was stalked by her assassin upon returning from her place of employment at her bar nearby. The time was approximately 3:35 AM in the residential area in Queens when Miss Genovese was first attacked. Upon being attacked she yelled out " Oh, my God, he stabbed me! Please help me! Please help me!" despite her cries for help the apathetic citizens simply ignored the commotion some assuming it was " a lover's quarrel" (Gansberg 103). After the woman was stabbed three times she finally died on the doorstep of her apartment. Only after she passed away did her neighbor decide to call the police. The police arrived in two minutes, if someone had called earlier that woman might be alive today. 
     Upon reading the story of Miss Genovese and the thirty eight witnesses to her murder I felt sickened at the lack of humility and apathy the thirty eight demonstrated. Personally I do not know how I would react in the situation if it were 3 AM and I heard blood curdling screams from outside of my window. It did not help to know that the police arrived so quickly but only after Miss Genovese had been fatally stabbed. Overall this passage saddens me and only further fuels my pessimistic view of humanity.
     In my opinion the theme of Gansberg's passage is to do the right thing when your fellow man is in trouble. For example call the police when someone is being attacked, help someone who is stranded on the side of the road, or help a child find his lost mother. Too often do we just pass others in trouble without giving them a chance. Who knows you could save someones life just by dialing 911.

-Alex Simpson

"Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain"

           Written by Jessica Mitford, I would say this is a very informative essay. In this reading she goes through the step-by-step process of preparing the body of Mr.Jones, after he has passed. She tells of how when embalming first came about that a family member was required to be in attendance for this procedure, and now "all others are excluded by law from the preparation room"(73).
          The author then goes on to tell of the preparation room what it holds such as scaples, forceps, clamps, needles, chemicals, cosmetics, and so on. But as I am reading it has yet to gross me out. The blood is drawn out from the body before the embalming begins, I wonder what do they do with the blood. Do they donate it? Or do they simply descard it? As I continue reading I learn something new, even though this whole essay is unfamiliar, I did not know that they sewed the mouth together and tweaked to to form a slight smile.
           "The object of all this attention to the corpse, is to make it presentable for viewing in an attitude of healthy response"(76). We learned that alot of work in the body and cosmetically goes on when embalming is in full process. I am still confused on wether the person who embalms the body also handles the cosmetic side. I ask this because in the movie "My Girl" her dad is a mortician and embalms the bodies but hired a women to do the cosmetics and hair after his part was finished. This reading may have been a little to informative but not enough to make me squimish.

"How To Mark A Book"

In "How To mark A Book" by author Mortimer Adler, he disects the reasoning for writing while

you read a book. He tells that if you as he says, "write between the line"(68), it help for you to better understand what your are reading and to connect you more with the book. Personally I dont write as I read because of the simple fact that I do not undrstand how it is done and what exactly I should be writing as I read.

       He then goes on to discuss the "Three types of book owner", which I found quite true and funny. The first one he discusses is the "deluded individual who owns wood-pulp and ink, not books"(68). I know you've seen those houses that have the office with one of the four walls covered in a massive full perfectly stocked bookshelf, and you stop and think wow they reead all of these? The second kind he talks about just dabbles in books here and there never really finishing an entire book. And the third on is the one that actually "owns" the book, has marked in each of the few or many books he has digested.

Though as you continue to read this persuasive/informative essayhe begins to tell you how and where to write or scribble notes in your book. The best places are the margins, the front and back blank pages, and even inbetween the lines as you read. And if marking your book is not something you can do the get a notepad and write as you go.

This was surprisingly interesting for me to read. Alder seemed detemined to get the reader's of this essay to start marking your book. It was not something I hold interest in doing in the near future. But it does seem like a great tool for a study mechanism.

Why Leaves Turn Color In The Fall

    

      "Why Leaves Turn Color In The Fall" is an informative essay by Diane Ackerman describing how and why leaves change colors in the fall. Ackerman first starts by giving us some scenery of the outdoors and how our surroundings makes us fell at times. She gives us an introduction of how the season Fall feels and looks when it first begins saying that it has a baggage of chilly nights and spectacular, heart-stoppingly beautiful leaves.
       She begins by asking us "Where do the colors come from?" Of course we all know that sunlight is in control of most living things. All summer long, trees feed leaves so that they can process sunlight, but in the dog days of summer the trees begin pulling nutrients back into its trunk and roots, pares down, and gradually chokes off its leaves. This then causes the leaves to be undernourished which causes the leaves to lose their color. When leaves are undernourished, they stop producing the pigment known as chlorophyll, and photosynthesis ceases. The tree survives by dropping its dead leaves and by the end of autumn only a few fragile threads of fluid-carrying xylem hold leaves to their stems.
      Leaves that start to turn stay partly green at first, then they reveal splotches of yellow and red as the chlorophyll gradually breaks down. The color that seems to stay the longest is dark green which outlines and defines the veins in the leaf. Even though in the summer, chlorophyll dissolves in the heat and light, it is also being steadily replaced. In the fall, unfortunately no new pigment is produced and that is why we notice other colors.
      Not all leaves turn the same colors. Elms, weeping willows, and the ancient ginkgo all grow radiant yellow, along with hickories, aspens, cottonweeds, and poplars. Basswood turns bronze and birches turn bright gold. Sumacs, flowering dogwoods, black gums, and sweet gums turn red. Maples tend to display scarlet. Though some oaks yellow, most turn pinkish brown. Farmlands change colors too depending on which way the sun shines.
      Children love to play in piles of leaves. I know as a child, my sister and I would pile a whole bunch of leaves up and leap into them as if they were soft mattresses. We would also help my dad rake up the leaves so they could be disposed of in eco-friendly environments. Yes, as a child I have always wondered how leaves got their color and now I know thanks to Diane Ackerman.