PEER REVIEW

 

Title: " I just wanna be average"

Author: Mike Rose

From:  Smiljana Živkov

 

It is a present -day situation in schools that teachers pay more attention to those students for whom they think have potential to achieve something in their life. But how do they get to decide who will get that chance and who won’t?  The school system is built that if you don't excel in the "normal" classes you will be viewed as either "slow" or just an "average" student trying to get by with minimal effort. And just like that, teachers will stop paying attention to you and you will be one of those who will, according to them, probably end up making ends meet till the rest of their lives or in the worst case, end up in prison before the age of 25. 

 I agree with Smiljana that such behaviour of teachers can lead to low self-esteem and the lack of self-respect.  When someone is told enough times that they are dumb or just don’t expect much from them, that person will start to believe it and do work at that level. Therefore, as Smiljana states as well, teachers play an important part in our education. If they write students off at the very beginning, they may never realize their full potential and may settle for less.

 Sometimes “less is more” but not when it comes to education. I agree that every student is responsible for their  own education and should make a lot of effort in order to succeed but school system should not make it harder for them by placing limits who and how far can each one of them go. 

 

 

Title:  "What's Eating America"

Author:  Michael Pollan 

From:  Dunja Šarić

 

Americans have always been known as fast food “pros”. Their way of life may not come to Europe for another 10 years. However, it seems that we all forgot where food comes from. We can’t live without it, but it can also lead to our destruction. In order to make a profit, food industry abused the soil so much that it may never recover again.

I agree with Dunja that the use of all kinds of chemicals in agriculture negatively affected the quality of food we are eating today. There is no need to mention the abnormal amounts of ammonium nitrate placed in the soil where our favourite vegetables or crops grow. When chemicals became good? Some of them kill vermins, but they don’t differentiate bad insect from a good one.  It is like an endless chain. In order to get, someone else has to lose. And while we play with our health, the situation just gets worse. While we benefit from nature, the nature suffers and it is only the matter of time when this chain will end. We have to think not only about what we eat, but where that food is from. And finally, as Dunja stated as well, our self-destructive nature will eventually kill us all. But until we stop to think about the consequences, it will be too late

 

Title:  "The Way We Lie" 

Author:  Stephanie Ericsson

From:  Sreten Pantić

 

As Sreten also says , there is no person in the world who has not said a single lie in whole his life. Everyone who tells you that he does’t tell lies- he lied you.  No matter which type of lie you use, once you get caught, you won’t get away with it easily. It is actually quite interesting how we hate being lied to, yet, we do it all the time. Even though we lie all the time , the fact is that not all lies are intentionally told to hurt people. Some of them are justified, we tell them to avoid hurting someone’s feeling,but most of them hurt unconsciously. Sreten mentions a person who is so used to lying that he doesn’t know how and when to stop- this is a pathological liar, the worst of them all. This is a kind of a compulsive liar who tells untruth all the time: starting from some trivial things to the more serious and damaging ones.

There is just one point on which I don’t agree with Sreten. He mentioned that lying doesn’t always get out of control and then gave an example of well-mastered manipulation of people. Those who „skillfully“ lie and manipulate other people are already pros when it comes to telling lies. Even though they are calculated,their behaviour is way out of control. They  are compulsive liars who abuse truth to the great extent.

We can put ourselves on a test to see how much we can live without lying but each and every one of us will tell it eventually. Lie is just like a smile or a tear, it is the essential part of human being, it is just who we are. The fact that we lie, doesn’t make us bad persons as long as we do it for the sake of others, to protect them from being hurt. 

 

 

 


 

Reading Journals

 

 

Title: A Modest Proposal

Author: Jonathan Swift

 

Summary:  A Modest Proposal is a satirical essay written to mock the hypocrisy of the wealthy and their heartless attitude toward the poor in the 18th century Ireland.  The focus is on the poor: the landlords (most of whom were the English) treated their farm workers badly: the taxes were very high, the income was low and as a result of all this, many Irish families lived on the edge of starvation. Mothers, unable to provide food for their children, had to beg for alms and these children usually grew up to be thieves or simply emigrated from their country. Swift offers a solution to this problem, he finds ”a fair, cheap and easy method of making these children sound and useful members of the Commonwealth” (Swift, par.2). His suggestion is to fatten up these undernourished children and sell them to rich landowners as food. At the age of one, as Swift says, they should be sold into a meat market. The calculations he makes show the exact number of children to be sold, their price, consumption patterns, etc. He even mentions some culinary recipes for the rich. He says that his proposal, if adopted, will solve several problems in the country such as overpopulation, unemployment, additional expenses of child-bearing, etc.  In few points, he makes a conclusion saying that the realization of his plan may improve the social, political as well as economical situation in the country. 

Quotes: "It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, ad importuning every passenger for an alms" (Swift, 1). 

“I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London; that a young healthy child, well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food; whether stewed, roasted, baked or boiled, and I make no doubt, that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or ragout” (Swift, 3).

"I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavouring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the public good of my country" (Swift, 7).

Questions: What are the advantages and disadvantages of his plan? Whose side Swift takes in this essay and how do we know it? What problem does Swift seek to solve with this essay? Is there anything ambiguous in the text? For whom is this essay written? Does Swift blame anyone in particular for the situation in the country? How would a 21st century society react to this suggestion of Swift?

My personal response: I must confess I knew very little of Ireland in the 1700s, however, once I read the text it wasn’t hard to conclude what the situation in the country was. I was little sceptical when I read the title of the essay: I expected a reasonable and relevant suggestion but instead, I got a big joke. One needs to read only several lines of the text to see that Swift’s proposal is everything but modest. When Swift finally began to introduce the true nature of his suggestions, I took a step back to make sure I understood what he was implying. But it was impossible to misunderstand him as he went into too many details. He elaborated his plan, providing an argument for every statement he had made.  His real intentions are well hidden under irony and sarcasm, which he used so skilfully. While reading the text I had a feeling that the author wanted us (readers) to feel perfectly normal about his plan, just as he did. It seemed like he wanted us to identify with those unscrupulous people who didn’t care about anyone. However, if we think about the purpose of this essay, which is to mock the hypocrisy and tyranny, I think we can all agree that Swift did an amazing job.  He is merciless, almost cruel to the wealthy. Unfortunately, I think that very few poor people managed to read this essay at the time. Education was a luxury and something reserved only for the wealthy. My opinion is that their [of the wealthy] feedback to this essay of his was not negative. On the contrary, I think they thought of it as a comedy, written to entertain them. 

 

 

 

Title: Kid Kustomers

Author: Eric Schlosser

 

Summary: In his essay, Eric Schlosser discovers the tactics marketing companies and manufacturers use to target children. According to him, it all started in the 1980s when parents started spending large sums of money on their children. They [parents] felt guilty for not spending more time with their children and this was their way to make it up to them. Advertising companies took advantage of the so-called “decade of the child consumer” and focused their campaign on children. They observed children of specific ages to discover their interests and habits. This provided them insights on how to improve their business plan to attract more children and create “cradle-to-grave customers” (Schlosser, 2). Their strategies usually included mascots such as fast food clowns, talking Chihuahuas or cartoon characters like Joe Camel. A great number of research showed that these strategies were very effective as they led to a constant nagging of children in order to get what they wanted. There were many attempts to ban television ads directed to the children under the age of seven but none of them were realized. As E.Schlosser states, children will continue to spend too much time in front of a television, not differentiating programmes from commercials, and the advertising companies are the only ones to benefit from it (5).

Quotes: “Hoping that nostalgic childhood memories of a brand will lead to a lifetime of purchases, companies now plan “cradle-to-grave” advertising strategies. They have come to believe what Ray Kroc and Walt Disney realized long ago- a person’s “brand loyalty” may begin as early as the age of two. Indeed, market research has found that children often recognize a brand logo before they can recognize their own name” (Schlosser, 2).

The Saturday-morning children's ads that caused angry debates twenty years ago now seem almost quaint. Far from being banned, TV advertising aimed at kids is now broadcast twenty-four hours a day, closed-captioned and in stereo. Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel, the Cartoon Network, and the other children's cable networks are now responsible for about 80 percent of all television viewing by kids” (Schlosser, 3).

 Questions: What can we expect from advertising companies in the future?  Is there any difference between a 21st century family and 19th century one when it comes to fulfilling their children’s requests and demands? How can we protect our children from advertising companies?

My personal response: I had known before that commercials have a lot of influence on children but I didn’t know to what extent. Now, when I read this article, I definitely think it is parents’ responsibility to protect their children from being hypnotized by these ad industries. Children should not spend so much time in front of a television as they are under a constant influence of its content. Parents should control what they are watching and if possible, watch that same programme with them. This is a good opportunity to socialize with them and make them turn their head and thoughts from the screen.  It is in the child’s nature to nag when he/she wants something. It is ok and perfectly normal to take them to McDonalds for a meal, to buy them an ice-cream even though they hadn’t had dinner, to buy them a certain toy: every parent will do it under the excuse that they love their child. But it is also very important to be careful when fulfilling their desires: children are insatiable and always want more thus pushing the boundaries, which may lead to a syndrome of a spoiled child. As mentioned in the article, the advertising industry is getting worse and worse and one can only guess what its next means of persuasion will be. 

 

 

 

Title: Television: The Plug-In Drug

Author: Marie Winn

 

Summary: The Plug-In Drug by Marie Winn is an article about television and its effects on family lives. It seemed like the invention of a television set would bring a family together. And it did, but not for a long time. No one expected that such an expensive toy would lead to a family decay. Families used to have certain rituals like a Sunday lunch, a walk, reading a story to children before bedtime and with the invention of television, all these rituals disappeared. The author writes about the importance of these family rituals as they are essential part of child’s growing up: through games, jokes and celebrations children accumulate memory making experiences that will follow them into their adulthood (Winn, 4). Television dominated family: there are no more conversations during meals, no more outings, gatherings and many other things that families did together. As Winn states, the home has become a caretaking institution and without its warmth the bond, that tied a family together, has gone (5). Too much time in front of a television can have serious consequences: children may have difficulties making eye contact, maintaining conversations and sometimes their interaction with parents may be endangered. As Winn states, so far nothing has changed but since the future of television is uncertain, one can only hope that the things will improve (9).

Quotes: “The kids were effectively shunted away and rendered untroublesome, while their parents enjoyed a life as undemanding as that of any childless couple. In reality, it is those very demands that young children make upon a family that lead to growth, and it is the way parents respond to those demands that builds the relationships upon which the future of the family depends. If a family does not accumulate its backlog of shared experiences, shared everyday experiences that occur and recur and change and develop, then it is not likely to survive as anything other than a caretaking institution” (Winn, 5).

“Families frequently use television to avoid confronting their problems, problems that will not go away if they are ignored but will only fester and become less easily resolvable as time goes on” (Winn, 7).

“As family ties grow weaker and vaguer, as children’s lives become more separate from their parents’, as parents’ educational role in their children’s lives is taken over by the media, the school, and the peer group, family life becomes increasingly more unsatisfying for both parents and children” (Winn, 9).

Questions: Can you think of any other invention that had a negative effect on a family? Why would children rather watch television for hours than go outside and play? In what way is a television “drug”? Will the situation improve or become even worse?

My personal response: The life of a family described in this article is a problem that we all face, but none of us is ready to talk about it. Nowadays, it is completely normal for an ordinary family to have two or three television sets or computers in their home. One thing is guaranteed here: no quarrels will arise among its members since hours can pass until they see each other. With one person sitting in a living room and another one lying in a bedroom there is no chance that conflicts of any kind will appear. We are usually not aware of the fact that technology constantly changes our lives. We are happy when a new gadget appears on the market and worry how to buy it, but the truth is that none of us thinks about the changes that certain gadget has brought. Television is not the single destroyer of the family life, there are many others, such as the Internet, social networks, cell phones, etc. They certainly make our lives easier but also bring many problems: they affect our social life, our family and love relationships. No one knows what future holds, there may be million gadgets, but none of them will help you fix your social life once it is destroyed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Literacy narrative: The Joy of Learning to Read

I was 5 and it was one of my earliest memories. Actually, I can’t say for sure whether it is a memory or revival of a story told over hundreds of time. My grandmother, the heroine of my story, worked in a public library throughout her whole life. Every day, after kindergarten, my parents would take me there, as they had to go back to work. We lived in a period of socialism and my parents worked really hard to earn some money.

The public library was one of the most beautiful buildings at the time. Placed in the centre of the town, in a small park, it could hardly be seen in the spring when everything starts to blossom. I can still recapture that silence, so unbearable to me, and that indefinable smell- a combination of freshly polished wood, old paper and grandma’s perfume. I practically grew up there, among thousands of untold stories and my grandmother, my childhood companion. What I didn’t quite understand was grandma’s job. Lots of people would come, talking with her about things I didn’t understand. She would leave them for several minutes and then she would return with her hands full of something that she called “books”. I was seeing the same faces day after day. The fact that everybody in the town knew my grandmother confused me even more. But as children show curiosity about everything, I was no different.

Every day, after she finished working, I would sit in her lap and she would read me a story- each one different from the other. I enjoyed listening to them and I always admired her ability to come up with so many different characters, situations,…

“It is all written down in books my dear”, she said. 

 At the time, I knew a story of The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Baš čelik, and many others. I heard them so many times that I knew to retell them on my own. I remembered the colours of the front pages, the images and very soon I knew that part of the library as my own palm. Suddenly, toys and puzzles seemed less interesting to me. Every day I would go through hundreds of pages, looking at the pictures and recapturing grandma’s stories. Grandmother told me it wasn’t long until I could combine picture with the text. She never forced me, she was a passive observer as I was opening a whole new world in front of me- the world of imagination and fantasy hidden in the dozen of dusty shelves.

When she saw my interest in reading, she helped me make progress, encouraged me not to give up- and I wasn’t planning to. I was determined to explore every single corner of that world. All that attention and time spent studying the pages of the stories Grandma once read me, resulted in me learning to read when I was around 6 years old. I was tireless, I wanted to read everything, from books to magazines and posters. My parents were very proud of me, but like all other parents, very protective: they always paid attention to what I was reading, making sure that everything is age appropriate.

At the age of 7, when I started going to school, I was already proficient in reading. Thanks to my grandmother, my love for books never ceased. She played an important role in my life, she showed me a whole new world and thanks to her, I came out as a winner.