Ever Thought About Sitting At An All Boys Lunch Table? What About All Girls?

A general hush came across the usually talkative lunch table as a teacher scuttled by, shuffling papers and high-tailing it to their room before their next class. Food was being shoved down all the mouths at the table for that short moment, hoping to account for the odd and unusual silence that swept over them all.

It’s almost like an unspoken agreement among them that anyone on the outskirts of the perimeter is not to know the specific inner-workings of their minds. Now, granted, the “specific inner-workings of their minds” include, but are in no way limited to, a rush of adrenaline courses through their veins as life plays in slow motion all because they land a water bottle flip or endless hours of jokes filed safely away in their brains from a shared list of favorite TV shows and movies or thinking hard to come up with the most pointless and embarrassing dares to drop onto their buddy sitting across from them, shaming them into any ridiculous task. The general stuff, like hating homework, being hungry, and watching sports, doesn’t have strings attached when it comes to outsiders overhearing their discussions. Heck, those loud mouths might even hope a teacher will overhear the number of hours they spent doing classwork rather than doing important tasks such as sleeping or partying.

Yet, none of the young minds are quick enough to pull an acceptable conversation out of their butt for a superior’s ears to process. Life is breathed into the unfrozen table once the faculty member was safely in her room with the door shut. Conversation moved from a relaxed tone to a depth and volume slowly increasing in animation. Bursts of laughter and fleeting moments of exhilaration from intense conversation falls over the once-dead table make up for any lost time spent in silence.

Now, in comparison to the crisp silence that overtook the first table as a faculty member passes, a second table’s volume easily fluctuates depending on how close an outsider is to the perimeter. The closer to the perimeter an adult nears, volume picks up, hoping someone will overhear the details about the a-MAZ-ing party they attended over the weekend, earning themselves some big bonus points on climbing the ladder of highly respected social status or the new fifty dollar makeup that was bought in three different shades or the sadly important number of likes their most recent selfie on Instagram has racked in.

The dress-to-impress mentality is so ingrained in the largest part of the brains at the table and each member strives to look their best, just in case they get pulled out of school for an urgent call concerning a modeling gig. However, when there aren’t any adults to act socially impressive around, the table conversation turns sharply from how much fun they can be to how much stress is contributing to the bags under their eyes and the large piles of homework assigned in higher level classes.

The unspoken reality consists of a stressful night at work last night, falling asleep halfway through the AICE Marine homework, unpopular opinions of any controversial topics shared. The vibe being radiated off of the table turns from upbeat and pumped, from the table that everyone wanted to sit at if even for just a day, to cold and uncomforting. The table that becomes enveloped in deep conversation and perimeter avoided at all costs by outsiders.

Analysis of "The Myth of The Latin Woman"

Poor experience after poor experience is what Judith Ortiz Cofer’s piece “The Myth of The Latin Woman” focuses on. From running into drunk men on buses to overdressing for simple occasions to being assumed a waitress in a restaurant, the “myth” of the Latin woman is obviously a negative perspective.

In Cofer’s writing, she uses words in English and in Spanish, to prove her statements about, “master[ing] the English language,” but to help the audience understand the idea that she has stayed connected to her culture. In paragraph 3, she mentions a “bodega,” which without use of the context is difficult for a girl like me, after three years of Spanish classes, to pick up on. Her style of writing is widely varied, focusing on sarcasm about cultural stereotypes or impressively described frustrations with the lack of respect from other cultures and ethnicities. She uses the English language and ties it in with her own background to create a stronger argument.

The speaker is all Latin women, specifically Judith, however her voice seems to speak for more than just one mouth, as she mentioned her friend working on her Ph.D who says “doctor still shakes his head in puzzled amazement at the ‘big words’ she uses.” Judith’s voice is her friend’s voice also. The occasion she is describing is a lifetime of unequal treatment and wrongful experiences. Her past that cannot be undone, that will just focus her on improvement in the future. The audience is majority groups around the world, speaking up for the minority groups about the lack of respect. She uses convincing arguments by describing her personal experiences with great detail and diction, like in paragraph 4 when she says, “... neither the music nor the colors we wore could be too loud.” Her purpose for writing such an essay is to raise awareness and to create a change. She even explicitly states that in her essay in the second to last paragraph, claiming. “My personal goal in  my public life is to try to replace the old pervasive stereotypes and myths about Latinas with a much more interesting set of realities,” and an experience at the third to last paragraph, a woman ordering a cup of coffee just based on her Latina appearance. The subject of this essay was the unequal treatment Cofer faced on a daily basis and her determination to change the world.

Cofer establishes her ethos immediately, detailing in her second paragraph her inability to leave “the island,” Puerto Rico, behind her. She is granted credibility throughout the essay as her experiences add up and her descriptions with spanish terms are taken into account. The audience feels a connection with  this woman, and is therefore drawn to feel pathos from her embarrassing or angering experiences, feeling empathy for Cofer in her descriptions. As for logos, she establishes her logical ideas with actual lifetime experiences. She justifies all the claims she makes with her own personal recollections.

I think this essay was effective is creating an awareness for the rest of the world. Judith, through use of language and choice of style in her writing, accomplishes her purpose.

I Want a Husband

I belong to that classification of people known as daughters. I live in a house with three guys (2 brothers and a father) and my mother. I am a daughter and a sister. And, not altogether incidentally, I am a girlfriend.

Not too long ago an older female friend of mine in college came to me concerning a recent breakup. Her male ex-counterpart had danced upon the idea of a forever-together but, when the time came to put all his words to the test, he somehow disappeared. Now she is looking for a husband, for a man who will commit. As I thought about her while I was running one morning, it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like a husband. Why do I want a husband?

I would like to have a man who will get a good paying job so we are in a strong financial situation to raise a family. I want a husband who will support me on my quest to find a job of my own that I enjoy. And while I work or look for work, I want a husband who wants to spend time with his kids and be a part of their life. I want a husband who will coach their sports teams or go to their dance recitals or do whatever it takes to help them pursue their passions. I want a husband who will take turns with me packing their lunches at night and bringing them to school in the mornings. I want a husband who wants to spend time with me just as much as he wants to spend time with the kids. I want a husband who I can rely on when I need it. I want a husband who won’t leave. I want a husband who I can tell everything to and vice versa, a husband who is my best friend.

I want a husband who will help me when I am in a crisis, no matter the level of urgency. I want a husband who will help me fix a garage door or trade cars with me on a busy day if mine has a flat tire. A husband who will take my car in to get said tire patched while I’m out. I want a husband who will listen to me when I need to talk and who will talk to me when he needs someone to listen. I want a husband who respects me. I want a husband who wants the best for me. I want a husband who will support me. I want a husband who loves me.

I want a husband who is optimistic and fun. When my husband and I are invited out by my friends, I want a husband who will make the best of the situation just as I will try to do when the tables are turned. I want a husband who will enjoy a quiet night in with the family just as much as a night out with his guy friends, keeping in mind I feel the same way.

I want a husband who will take me out on fancy dates and offer to pay for the bill, a husband who will give me his jacket when I get cold, a husband who will laugh with me and tell me I’m beautiful even with spilled spaghetti sauce on the collar of my new white dress. And, of course, I want a husband who will comfort me during scary movies and who will let me fall asleep on him when I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. I want a husband who isn’t lustful. I want a husband who is genuine and sincere. I want a husband who will always be down to spend extra time with me. And I want a husband who will stick with me.

My God, who wouldn’t want a husband?

I Want a Wife Analysis (super interesting !!!!)

Satire runs through the words of Judy Brady’s essay, “I Want a Wife,” faster than any Olympic sprinter I’ve ever seen. She opens her essay with an ironically sarcastic tone, the first two paragraphs capitalizing on her relevant classification and her experience on the topic, immediately establishing ethos by expressing her knowledge on the topic. For being an essay written in 1971, where women were still looking to crash workplace stereotypes, the statement she is making is fairly bold. But going referring even farther back than the first two paragraphs, this essay could draw initial attention through the title, “I Want a Wife,” and through the fact that it was written by a woman. One could be led to question her sexual orientation just off first glance. She is engaging her audience, US citizens, immediately.

In Brady’s longest paragraph, #3, she discusses her subject immediately, combating the average roles of, what I’d assume to be, her usual chores. Washing clothes, keeping track of appointments and children, and keeping her spouse in check. Each task is mentioned with a sarcastic undertone, giving us a feel for the purpose of her writing; to discuss her opinions through irony and humor.. Brady makes usual activities seem ridiculous like, for example, “I want a wife who takes care of the children when they are sick, a wife who arranges to be  around when our children need special care, because, of course, I cannot miss class at school.”  This adds an element of irony to the piece, her discussion barely touching the traditional “American Dream” giving me the mental picture of a white picket fence around her house and the classic “Man-in-the-movies” husband that rushes off to work in the morning after kissing his wife goodbye.

In her next five paragraphs, Brady continues with similar essay structure, drawing in examples that make the audience question what purpose the spouse serves at all. Looking for a wife that can “plan the menus, do the necessary grocery shopping, prepare the meals, serve them pleasantly, and then do the cleaning up.” Does the spouse in this home do anything? Each following paragraph contains similar examples and statements with an undertone of frustration. She draws the essay to an end with as sarcastic an  end as her start. After listing all the qualities of a perfect wife, her final point is, “My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?”

Now, where I feel that the situation is still relevant today, I think it is less intense. In 2017, it still is an issue for sure, I can agree with that. But I feel like in this day and age, we have growing awareness for minority rights. We are  s-l-o-w-l-y  working towards change. I, personally, have a different experience than Brady just from my seeing my parents as I grow up. They have equal respect for one another and for the things they have to get done. They are always working together and supporting each other, rather than expecting too much of each other. However, despite my different view on the situation, I understand where Brady is coming from and I believe her essay is still relevant. On top of that though, I do believe things are changing.