Advice for Alley’s Future Student December 14, 2009

Dear Future Alley Student,

My most important piece of advice is: get ready to work, to explore, and to create. First, I will attempt to intimidate you. For English V01A, an essay will be due every time you arrive to the classroom. On top of all these essays, you will have three larger papers due throughout the semester. You will have to write every day, just to keep with Gwendolyn Alley. She never stops! I hope you are scared, but more is to come. All students are required to attend cultural events and contribute to the community through some kind of service. Okay, now you can relax, because I am all done with my intimidating part. Now I will assure you that everyone will survive. So long as you are working consistently, everything Alley has to offer will come your way. Expect to improve, to expand, and to learn. Get ready, get set, go!

Sincerely,

Ashley Lopez

A Distinctly Unique Culture December 14, 2009

A subculture is a distinct culture within an already distinct culture. Subcultures can occur anywhere. For example, there exists a culture that promotes alternative transportation methods, and the subculture that exists within this culture can promote public transportation, bicycles, or biofuels. In chapter eight of Nowtopia, “Free Fuel:  The Tinkerer’s Grail,” Carlsson describe biofuels, or alternatives for petroleum. Also, subcultures can exist within a nation. African Americans have a rich, distinct culture, which has existed for many years.

“Biodiseal is my most quixotic dream come true…Biodiesel is cheap. You can make it yourself. It smells like your favorite greasy donut shop. Most important, since my conversion to biodiesel I am no longer an accomplice to the human and environmental destruction caused by oil exploration, transportation, and policies” (Carlsson 157).

This quote explains what the biodiesel subculture is all about. Saving money, saving humans, and saving the world! The subculture of biodiesel wants to use all the resources available to present alternatives. This subculture encourages self-sufficiency and self-reliance; everyone can make their own fuel when they want to. Presently, there have already been many projects such as:  the Veggiebus, Mexican Bus,  Veggie Van, Clean Fuel, Caravan, etc. Within the alternative transportation culture, this subculture remains unique.

Another unique culture, completely different from its culture, is the African American culture. From the begin the New World, African Americans have been able to sustain their own culture. In “Salvation” by Langston Hughes and “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston, components of the African American culture at revealed. In “Salvation” Hughes describes his first time accepting Jesus in his life. He paints a vivid scene of a Baptist church filled with groans, cries, shouts, and songs. Then in “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” Hurston explains how jazz music affects her soul. “Music. The great blobs of purple and red emotion have not touched him. He has only heard what I felt” (Hurston 209). Also, Hurston expresses how African American people of the time had a common thread; they have felt the same pains.

Works Cited

Carlsson, Chris. Nowtopia:  How Pirate Programmers, Outlaw Bicyclists, and Vacant-Lot Gardeners Are Inventing the Future Today! Oakland:  AK Press, 2008. Print.

Langston Hughes. “Salvation.” 50 Essays:  A Portable Anthology. Boston:  Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2007. Print. 203-205.

Hurston, Zora Neale. “How It Feels to Be Colored Me.” 50 Essays:  A Portable Anthology. Boston:  Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2007. Print. 206-210.

The New Media December 14, 2009

In the past, the forms of media included:  books, newspapers, posters, magazines, radio, and television. In the present, a new media has formed; it’s the internet. Unlike its ancestral forms, the internet allows more freedom, more creativity, and more ideas. People can read, see, and hear what they choose. In “Virtual Spine of the Commons” of Nowtopia, Chris Carlsson describes all the internet has to offer. No longer are people constrained to one idea or image. The ideas and images of the past can be forgotten. Girls should forget about the image of the “perfect” body, which Susan Bordo describes in “Never Just Pictures.” Also, according to Marie Winn in “Television:  The Plug-In Drug,” the ideas television has created should be abandoned.

The internet has the ability to play one of the two roles:  the leader or the follower. As a leader, the internet allows people to make decisions based on their own interests and thoughts. As the follower, the internet gives people more access to easily followed thoughts and interests. If people want the internet to be unlike the other forms of media , the internet must not play the role of the follower. The internet is “expanding continuously, always reaching more people and more places, affecting ever more aspects of life and work” (Carlsson 185). Therefore, the possibilities of the internet are endless; it is the job of the people to help the internet avoid the path of media’s predecessors.

Whether it is images in magazines, fashion ads, or television networks, the human body has become a victim of media.  “Fat is the devil, and we are continually beating him-“eliminating” our stomachs, “busting” our thighs, “taming” our tummies-pummeling and purging our bodies” (Bordo 85). This notion is widely accepting in the world today.

Another widely accepted perception is the importance of television. Yet, importance of television can be perceived as an oxymoron, considering television really has no importance. Television has ruined families; it has left families disconnected. This form of media has the ability to greatly influence child in a very disconnected families.

Works Cited

Bordo, Susan. “Never Just Pictures.” 50 Essays:  A Portable Anthology. Boston:  Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2007. Print. 85-92.

Carlsson, Chris. Nowtopia:  How Pirate Programmers, Outlaw Bicyclists, and Vacant-Lot Gardeners Are Inventing the Future Today! Oakland:  AK Press, 2008. Print.185-211 .

Winn, Marie. “Television: The Plug-In Drug.” 50 Essays:  A Portable Anthology. Boston:  Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2007. Print. 457-466.

Money, Enjoyment, or Both? December 14, 2009

In order to survive, people work. In today’s world, survival depends on the job a person sustains.  Jobs allow people to pay bills, buy groceries, buy clothes, and pay for anything else that cost money, which means EVERYTHING! In chapter three of Nowtopia, “What You See Me Doing Isn’t What I Do,” Chris Carlsson tackles the concept of working for money. Then, Carlsson releases the concept of working for enjoyment.  The reasons behind working are complex; every person needs money to live, yet every person want enjoyment in life. These observations lead to one question:  what is important in life? Henry David Thoreau contemplates this question in “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For.”

Let’s face it, money matters! Money is a powerful tool in today’s world. Also, money is a factor in choosing a career, whether believed or not.  If this were not true, there would be more artists because people would not need to worry about becoming a starving artist. “On one side is the crushing necessity of making money, on the other is the creative urge to find fulfilling work, whether or not it is paid” (Carlsson 39). In this quote, Carlsson points out that money is necessity; he also describes that people have a “creative urge.” Also, Carlsson suggests that most people do not fulfill this urge through their jobs; therefore people must find ways to fulfill this urge. This leads to the concept of hobbies; hobbies allow people to do what they enjoy. Enjoyment and money are parts of life that often challenge one another. Doing it for the money, or doing it for fun, either motive has a driving force behind it.

What makes life worth living? How should life be spent? These two questions perplex every person who is living, has lived, or will live. Henry David Thoreau believes a simple life allows people to receive all that life has to offer. Thoreau removed himself from the world around him and chose to live in the forest. He would spend each day writing and exploring his thoughts and observations. A thought that often appears in his writing is removing himself from the everyday world. He did not work or consume; he attempted to live without.  Living only with the bare necessities, no money involved.

In chapter nine of Nowtopia, “Burning Man:  A Working Class, Do-It-Yourself World’s Fair” demonstrates people attempting to live without a monetary system. People do not trade, exchange, or buy anything; they simply give gifts. Everyone does what they want for their own contentment.

As of right now, most people must choose between enjoyment and money; there are not many people who are satisfied with their jobs. It is possible that in the future, the world will not revolve around money, but until that day comes it is hard to image that world.

Works Cited

Carlsson, Chris. Nowtopia:  How Pirate Programmers, Outlaw Bicyclists, and Vacant-Lot Gardeners Are Inventing the Future Today! Oakland:  AK Press, 2008. Print.

Thoreau, Henry David. “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For.” 50 Essays:  A Portable Anthology. Boston:  Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2007. Print. 424-430.

The Comings & Goings December 7, 2009

Some things come; some things go. People must be responsible for distinguishes what changes and what remains the same.  There are many aspects of human life that has changed throughout time such as:  food, entertainment, shelter, transportation; but one aspect of human life that has not changed. This is humanity. In the last chapter of Nowtopia, titled “A Vastly Better World Awaits” Chris Carlsson confirms the concept of transforming many aspects of human life, while Barbara Lazear Ascher believes one aspect, human qualities, of human life cannot be changed in her essay “On Compassion.”

In the final chapter of Nowtopia, Carlsson attempts to be optimistic, yet realizes that the practical world may halt many of the actions discussed in previous chapters. Carlsson make it evident that changing certain parts of human life will be difficult, but affirms readers that change can be done. How and when change will occur cannot be predicted, but as Carlsson continues to affirm that change will happen.              

The short essay, “On Compassion,” written by Barbara Lazear Ascher revolves around a very unique character. Ascher examines the way people react to a homeless person, or her main character. By observing how people behave, Ascher begins to analyze motives behind this behavior. When giving bread or a dollar to a homeless man; this action can indicate fear, pity, or annoyance. One can hope that compassion was the motive behind this action. Humans want to avoid humanity because, “Raw humanity offends our sensibilities” (58). Although people want to avoid humanity, it is peoples’ responsibility to understand all the qualities that make humans the same. The definition of humanity is qualities that humans share, and with this definition, humans can assume humanity will never change.

Works Cited

Carlsson, Chris. Nowtopia:  How Pirate Programmers, Outlaw Bicyclists, and Vacant-Lot Gardeners Are Inventing the Future Today! Oakland:  AK Press, 2008. Print.

Ascher, Barbara Lazear. “On Compassion.” 50 Essays:  A Portable Anthology. Boston:  Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2007. Print. 56-59.

Limerick December 3, 2009

This is a limerick for you!

Read it please, or I will say, “Boo!”

I will get mad.

I will get sad.

So please read this limerick I made for you!

DO Sweat the Small Stuff November 28, 2009

Dissimilar to the “don’t sweat the small stuff” mentality, the writing mentality is all about sweating the small stuff. From verbs and commas to tone and characters, all elements are worth sweating over. Writing revolves around details. After reading about sentence grammar in The Everyday Writer by Andrea A. Lunsford and the first two chapters of part two of Bird by Bird, I am certain that both the creative and mechanical aspects of writing rely on a writer’s attention to detail.

Anne Lamott flatly states, “Writing is about learning to pay attention and to communicate what is going on” (97). Throughout theses chapters of Bird by Bird, Lamott emphasizes looking beyond what is perceived to find something more complex. Her prime example is creating detailed characters in a respectful and compassionate manner. Instead of simply looking at physical attributes, emotional and mental attributes must also be examined. Although observing only physical characteristics is easy, scrutinizing the emotional and mental characteristics is the detailed, complex part that makes writing interesting, fun, and creative. In order to make this creative writing clear, sweating even smaller details is necessary.

Sentence grammar, and its many details, gives writing fluidity, precision, and clarity. “Understanding the grammatical structures presented in this chapter can help you produce sentences that are grammatical-and appropriate and effective as well” (Lunsford, 262). In this section of The Everyday Writer the mechanics of sentences are the main focus. Lunsford explains parts of speech, subject-verb agreement, comma splices, and sentence fragments. Once again, sweating the small stuff is essential.

Paying close attention while writing is a necessity. To create an appealing and understandable writing piece writers must look beyond the simple details. Therefore if someone tells me not to sweat the small, I will know that idea does not apply to the writing process.

Work Cited

Lunsford, Andrea A. The Everyday Writer. Boston: St. Martin’s/Bedford, 2009. Print. 258-322.

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird. New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Print. 95-109

My Writing Kingdom November 28, 2009

The second section, “The Writing Process,” in The Everyday Writer by Andrea A. Lunsford begins with a very strong emphasis on planning, organization, and revision. Without a doubt, all these all elements are essential for creating the best writing possible. In contrast, after reading the chapters, “Getting Started” and “Short Assignments” in Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, the emphasis is placed on comfort, freedom, and random thoughts. Though these two books are completely different, each book provides important tools for writing.

Ever since the sixth grade, a thesis statement has ruled my writing world. Thesis statement, thesis statement, thesis statement! Once again the thesis statement has prevailed, conquering my writing kingdom. According to The Everyday Writer, writers must create a clear, precise thesis, then must support this thesis in their writing with details, details, and more details. First, a writer must think of several topics. The result will be a focused thesis statement. Second, a writer must organize information. The result, supportive body paragraphs. Lastly, a writer must revise. The result, a gloriously written paper. This process of writing has been true throughout most peoples’ schooling, yet there is a challenger that waits my long reigned kingdom.

Completely opposite of the current kingdom, anne Lamott is the challenger. She is quick to praise freedom, spontaneity, and creativity. She commands her students to “Just start getting it down” (4). Writing anything that is vividly a part of memory is the key to the beginning of a nicely written work. Lamott’s goals do not include the adjectives:  clear, precise, organized, or revised. A major step in creating good writing is write everyday, whether you want to, or do not want to. By writing about random, even possibly horrible ideas, there is always a possibility that a splendid idea is awaiting your attention.

Tools and creativity can give success to people of all different backgrounds. From business men to starving artists. Similarly, tools and creativity can give success to writers. The Everyday Writer gives writers the tools; and Bird by Bird gives writers the creativity. In the future, I will have completely read The Everyday Writer and Bird by Bird, then I will be prepared to endeavor into my newly “united” kingdom of Andrea A. Lunsford’s emphasis on the thesis statement and Anne Lamott’s emphasis on creativity.

Works Cited

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird. New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Print.

Communities & Connections November 28, 2009

To have as a hobby or to have as a source of food in modern life are the reasons for gardens. According to Chris Carlsson, author of Nowtopia, and N. Scott Momaday, author of The Way to Rainy Mountain, there are more meaningful purposes that gardens serve. Carlsson believes gardens create a sense of community; Momaday believes gardens, or nature, connect people with their past.

In The Way to Rainy Mountain, Momaday speaks of his connection with his deceased grandmother and his disappearing culture. Although the words deceased and disappearing insinuate loss, Momaday’s grandmother and culture remain alive through many beautiful scenes in nature. First, Momaday describes his grandmother’s memories, which connected her to her past. “She could tell of the Crows, whom she had never seen, and the Black Hills, where she had never been” (Momaday, 93). Unlike his grandmother who saw a beautiful landscape without using her eyes, Momaday travels to Rainy Mountain to see the image his grandmother could easily picture. After his visit to Rainy Mountain, Momaday says, “There where it ought to be, at the end of a long and legendary way, was my grandmother’s grave. Here and there on the dark stones were ancestral names. Looking back once, I saw the mountain and came away” (297). By visiting Rainy Mountain, Momaday connects with his grandmother and culture by departing to a place that was important to his grandmother and the people of Kiowa. Momady connection was to his people’s history, yet connections can be made other ways.

Through gardens, people of a certain location are able to unite and form communities. Carlsson states, “Many community gardens grow food, but-just as importantly-they also grow community” (89). In today’s society a sense of community is lacking in many neighborhoods, Carlsson notices this as an issue. The many benefits of community gardens include: knowing neighbors, accepting people of different backgrounds, exchanging ideas, and sharing skills. “Gardens are patches of land containing many purposes and possibilities…” (83). Carlsson is correct; the benefits of community gardens are stupendous.

Gardens, or nature, have the ability to create new communities, or connect old communities. Carlson wants to promote creating communities by having community gardens. Momaday wants to connect with his past by visiting a special place in nature.

Works Cited

Carlsson, Chris. Nowtopia: How Pirate Programmers, Outlaw Bicyclists, and Vacant-Lot Gardeners Are Inventing the Future Today! Oakland: AK Press, 2008. Print. 81-114.

Cohen, Samuel. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2007. Print. 291-297.

Soon in Berkeley November 27, 2009

Winter’s here, I’m gone.

Life at Berkeley will begin.

Ventura will end.