Chapter 1, Activity 3

In the beginning of this excerpt, Twain gives the speaker the persona of an optmistic. The jovial and euphemistic words he uses show that the reader has a lot of hope for life. The reader's imagination is seen as very festive and exuberant. The reader is seen as full of hope and believes that the world is a wonderful place to be, the descriptive words such as "delightful", "rose-tinted", "fancy", "voluptuous votary", "graceful", "delicious", and "elysian" prove this point. Mark Twain also characterizes the speaker as a dreamer though using the words "fairylike" and "enchanting." But in the midst of all these fancy visions, the reader has a sudden realization and enlightening that his/her vision is not really reality. The speaker is then catergorized as a cynic and disbeliever. The speaker then goes on to say that what he/she had envisioned is "all vanity." The ending sentence is also a conclusion of the speaker's sudden change and negative attitude towards his/her dreams - "earthly pleasures cannot satisfy the longings of the soul!"

My Learning Style

I think this Learning Style quiz was pretty accurate. I am pretty versatile with all the different styles of learning. Although not one style's characteristics are completely true for me, they pretty much go in order of my preference.
Visual - I love maps. Reading maps, making maps, explaining maps, I also organize my notes in flow charts and I have a whiteboard in my room.
Verbal - I really enjoy reading. But I think this aspect should be placed after aural and physical.
Aural - I memorize my French verb conjugations with songs/chants. And I usually know what song is by whom after I hear it a few times.
Physical - Although I don't like jigsaw puzzles, I really like working with my hands and creating things. Like bread tie-ing wire thing, I like to play with those.
Social - People do come to me a lot for my opinion on even some of the most trivial things. But only that aspect of social learning is true. I do not prefer to work in groups, I prefer partners or at most, groups of three. I also do not enjoy team sports.
Solitary - I think this should've came before Social. When I do homework, I prefer the atmosphere to be quiet and not disturbing.
Logical - I detest math. I also cannot do simple adding & carrying over in my head, I need to use my fingers. But I do solve problems in a "systematical way" because I like structure and order. Although I like brainteasers, the brainteasers are more of the verbal/reading type, not Sudoku.

Chapter 1, Activity 2

1) What kind of persona did Randall try to present to each of his three audiences - Brandon, Kim, and Nate?
To Brandon, Randall presented himself as his best pal. To Kim, he presented himself as a guy with smooth pick up lines, hoping to impress her. To Nate, he presented himself as a trustworthy and dependable lab partner

2) What assumptions do you think Randall made about each of the three audiences - Brandon, Kim, and Nate - that led him to make decisions about how to present his case?
Randall assumed that Brandon thought of him as his best bud also, so Randall was more open and honest about his request. With Kim, Randall thought he could win her over with his sweet comments so he opted for flattery. With Nate, Randall knew that he had to be very persuasive and have a good reason for Nate to help him but because of the good history between them, Randall had less problems.

3) What kinds of plea, evidence, or proof did Randall employ with each of the audiences to try to persuade Brandon, Kim, and Nate to lend him the bus fare?
For Brandon, Randall made himself seem very important to the company he works for, hoping Brandon would understand. For Kim, Randall tried to make him self look helpless so Kim would take pity on him and lend him money. For Nate, Randall used his "reliable labpartner" experiance to persuade Nate into lending him the bus fare.

4) What do you think Brandon, Kim, and Nate knew about Randall - his personality, his job, and so on - that led them to react the way they did to his entreaties?
Brandon must've known that Randall was not really reliable and he was just careless, which resulted in him forgetting his bus money. Kim must've known that Randall's flattery was only used when he needed something, so she thought the compliments were false. Nate, remembering that Randall had been very dependable on the lab, assumed that Randall would be reliable once again and lent him the bus fare.

Chapter 1, Activity 1

When Randall Leigh first asked his friend, he made himself sound conceited and that Brandon should give him the money because they are friends. That resulted in Brandon giving him an excuse that he needed the money.

Next, when Randall asked his crush, Kim, he tried to play it smooth and layered compliment after compliment. These compliments were obviously false and mainly pick up lines, so they didn't work in helping Randall borrow money.

Lastly, when Randall asked Nate, he used their past history to lay a base for trust and reason. Randall played humble and called himself "absentminded," this probably gave Nate the feeling that Randall was really sorry/regretful that he forgot his money so Nate lended him some.

Interview Questions

1. What is your life's ambition, whether possible or pure imagination?

2. If you were a gemstone, what gem would you be?

3. Which animal would you like to be?

4. Would you marry for love or money?

5. For what would you give up your life for? Why?

6. Do you believe in life on other planets?

The Color of Water : Ruth or James?

James McBride's inconsistant persona is what I can relate to the most. The indecisiveness of what job or life he wants is potentially harmful and unadvised, but that is the way he is, and that is the way I am. While James quits his jobs like people change underwear, I quit hobbies and interests pretty much at the same rate. We are of one mind on the prospect of the future, we really just don't know what will satisfy us for the longrun. I think James is somewhat hesitant to devote himself to one catergory in fear of the prejudice and conflicting opinions from the people around him. Although I know that my parents will support me without question, it is still hard for me to block out my relative's opinions and suggestions for what I should or should not do with my life.

Although the color of water, religion, and race is concluded as having no color in this book, the specks of other religions and races will taint the water a different color. James had spent a good deal of his childhood and adolescent years trying to pave a way for his skin color. Although I won't ever have his problem, I always find myself wondering which kind of race would make better friends or potential boyfriends and which kind of race is "approved" by the majority of the community around me. I believe James wanted approval for what he was born as, but was on tenderhooks and too scared to be confident and embrace his uniqueness. As with James, I worry about what gossip or criticism will ensue if I happen to favor a certain race or religion over another, so I never discuss or give my opinions on topics like these.

Author, Orator, Philosipher, Teacher, Actor, Artist, Musician?

Twelve years of spending a google hours in their presence, the teacher category is what I fall under. I get a thrill from issuing instructions and being boss. Teachers are in touch with each and every student, they earn their students' respect and admiration. While staging an open-ended discussion, one can learn about the various opinions of students and get a peek at their unique personality. Helping others succeed is also a teacher's job, I always enjoy teaching someone something, it allows me to share my knowledge and boosts my self-esteem. Being a teacher can never get old either, they meet a new group of people every year. And every year, the teacher will have the challenge of bringing together the different and conflicting student personalities/backgrounds. I always love catergorizing people I meet, and as I gradually learn about them, I can see how wrong or how right my first impression of the person was. What is also appealing of the teacher title, is the fact that they rule with an iron fist.

Skateboard, Sailboat, Airplane, Truck, Train, Bicycle?

There are mixed feelings and opinions associated with airplanes, there are mixed feelings and opinions associated with me. What is most feared about airplane rides is the unexpected turbulence, that correlates to my unanticipated and unpredictable personality. Airplanes take off and land, that represents the beginnings and endings of each little journey that makes up life. Layovers occur during long flights, I also need a break from time to time. Airplanes plunge into the vast open and endless sky, I learn to chart my way safely through the mass of different people in the universe. Only when the gas tank is full, will an airplane be able to take off; I need an abundance of motivation to get me off the lazy-port. But what ties the airplane to me the most is the love of travelling with others.

Let's Talk Food

Not only is Diamond Tony's close to TAS and joined at the hip with Haagen Dazs; it's also open all day, willing to serve any hungry customer with it's A-list calamari and ceasar salad. The clean and quiet surroundings starting from outside the restaurant doors provide a sense of trust and ease for the customer. Also placating a customer's harried heart are the waiters and waitresses, who are friendly and well mannered. They are also trained to perfection; they understand the menu and what exactly is inside each dish, they can also give recomendations that will suit the customer's taste. For the germ-phobes, Diamond Tony's pristine foodwares all seem like new and their comfy chairs don't have the previous customer's food stuck on them. Besides being hygenic, Diamond Tony's table layout is also well planned; one feels a sense of privacy and one's personal space respected. And last but not least, the price for each paramount dish is reasonable and affordable.