Writing Suggestion #2

The practice of embalming and restoration should be abolished or should only be allowable if people are consulted before the practice is performed. It is inhumane to allow someone to mutilate a dead person’s body and rearrange it to please an audience, especially when the person having the procedures done on has no say over it. A mouth is sown with a “needle directed upward between the upper lip and gum and brought out through the left nostril” creates a more pleasant facial expression, describes the way in which a cadaver is treated to please those that will attend the funeral service in Milton’s Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain. The passage of Milton’s book successfully portrays the evils behind embalming and corpse restoration. Embalming should only be legal if a person gives their consent, while alive, for this American practice to take place. It is cruel to automatically assume that every family desires to have embalmment fulfilled on their deceased loved one, especially with the cost of the procedure being so high.  People should be educated on what really goes on behind the restoration process before they make the choice for their departed one.  Once the embalmer begins to “restore” what is to be underground for many decades to come, the natural death of the deceased person is no longer what it was meant to be. Embalmment should only be performed in extreme cases, in which a corpse is no longer recognizable. Nevertheless, it is up to the person to decide what should be done with their body rather than a mortician or family member make the choice. 

Compare and Contrast Essay

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Books and Lives

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The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society

The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society structure
In the passage by Jonathan Kozol, the author supports in part his thesis through the structure of the passage. The arguments made by the author are followed by specific yet short examples of how illiterate people suffer, even in daily activity. Most paragraphs begin with the word "illiterate" and the proceed to provide examples that demonstrate situations which are to the illiterate person's disadvantage. Each paragraph is begun with a short sentence that explains a disadvantage illiterates hold, and then the setrnces become substantially longer and more informative.

The structure portrays the author's opinions and examples provided. For example, when Kozol mentioned the incident in which an illiterate Detroit woman brought home a gallon of Crisco for her children he idea long sentence structure to appeal to the reader, "She had enough Crisco now to last a year- but no more to go back and buy the food for dinner (22)." Throughout the passage, sentence structure such as the one used in the Detroit woman's case is used by Kozol. Although the use of long syntax is evident throughout the passage, the author also uses staccato-like styntax to have a more frantic effect when revealing a fact to the reader.
Paragraph lenght varies greatly from paragraph to paragraph throughout the piece, hut every paragraph has the same effect on the reader. The author provides many real life examples from people that suffer from illiteracy, the examples support the point the author is making in the previous sentences. His use of example such as; "the hardest thing about is that I've been places where I didn't know where I was. You don't know where you are... You're lost" and "I tried it one day reading from the pictures. Donny looked at me. He said 'Mommy thats not right'", are strategically placed in order to appeal to the reader. The author idea formal diction to convey the disadvantage illiterates' face, even in ordinary days. His use of formal diction is more effective in making his point clear rather than using informal diction.
The overall lenght of the passage is short, but to the point. The passage is loaded with examples that portray all the negatives about illiteracy in the United States.  Jonathan Kozol uses a simple structure that successfully displays the illiteracy that a percentage of American citizens struggle with during their lives. Each paragraph presents a new struggle, and each struggle is supported by a person that suffers from illiteracy.

Running

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Greasy Lake

Enlly Bugarin

AP English Lang

Mrs. Guerard

September 7, 2012

Greasy Lake

Greasy lake is a funny story about three nineteen-year-old boys enjoying their third day of summer,  they see themselves as rebels. The narrator describes these “dangerous characters”, Digby and Jeff, in a serious tone. Nevertheless, his description of these “bad characters” makes the reader think the total opposite of bad; “Digby wore a gold star in his right ear and allowed his father to pay his tuition at Cornell,” and “Jeff was thinking of quitting school to become a painter/musician/headshop proprietor.” The narrator refers to Digby as a dangerous character, but then he proceeds to say that he will be attending Cornell, an Ivy League, completely discrediting his previous description. T.C Boyle then starts off describing Jeff’s decision to quit school, but this decision to quit school is not for any radical reason such as going into drugs or just out of pure laziness. On the contrary, I found it was hilarious when the narrator described Jeff’s decision to drop out of school, to become a painter or musician, as a decision that a “dangerous character” would make.

The narrator’s descriptions in the two paragraphs of the essay are meant to portray the boys as carefree. Instead, his descriptions have an opposite effect of what he desires. “We drank gin and grape juice, Tango, thunderbird, and Bali Hai,” the narrator carefully names all the “hardcore beverages”  they were consuming with the motive to make themselves look “badass”, when in reality they are all cheap liquor. After Boyle’s descriptions of the mock-worthy activity conducted by the “dangerous characters”, the story takes a serious turn when the incident at Greasy Lake begins to take place.  “Whatever it was we were looking for. We weren’t about to find it as Greasy Lake. Not that night”, this foreshadows the event that the boys later experience at the Lake as well as change the tone of the story.

The fight scene is serious and at the same time comical. I could imagine the greasy character that the boys had molested taking action against their joke. The narrator’s description of the fight is very vivid. Building off of the description earlier provided by Boyle, I am not surprised by the “fighting skills” held by the boys. For example, Digby’s skills in martial arts, which he attained through completing a course for physical education, were no match for the greasy character’s uneducated punches.  “Digby poked the flat of his hand in the bad character’s face..”  and “Jeff was on the guy’s back, biting at his ears.”

The scenes that prorceed seem somewhat rushed and unexplainable. Like the dead corpse that is found by one of the boys. Overall, the story has a good plot. It is casual and comical at the same time, and it portrays the ignorance of the boys who considered themselves “bad”.

Brownies!

The amazing Brownie

Brownies, “special” or not, are the most amazing pieces of baked goods that exist on Earth. These chocolate indulging squares, rectangles, circles, or whatever shape of goodness they chose to hold can bring joy to anyone.  Their flaky and toasty surface, crunchy bottom, and smooth center will captivate the taste buds of any sane person.  When you bite into this pleasant pastry it is like the whole world doesn’t matter; only the brownie does.  Any chocolate lover can spoil their senses with these chocolaty existences.  My love for brownies is increased when the square, rectangle, or circle of goodness is loaded with chocolate chunks. My passion for brownies often goes to extremes.

My personal record is eating more than seventeen brownies within a two-hour time span; I devoured them after a successful cross country race at the Sac-Joaquin Sub-section meet in which our team qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Championships. I am known for my obsession with brownies, and other sweets, by my fellow cross country teammates. Coach Ruegg decided to make these scrumptious beings my motivation to run faster races and my motivation to work much harder at practice. Occasionally he will hold negative feelings against my morbid consumption of brownies, especially when it influences my running performance.  I know obsession with brownies can lead to me becoming overweight or obese. It is an extremely painful act when I have to limit my consumption of brownies.

Brownies are the perfect companion for ice cream or just about anything. They make the perfect daytime snack or a delicious yet simple dessert after dinner. I always find myself pairing brownies with a different dish, even when the two combined don’t appeal to the common person. After races I munch down on brownies while most of my teammates gag at the thought of eating anything.  

One of my major hobbies is baking, especially brownies. I experiment and try to better the taste of my brownies every time I bake them. Sometimes I add nuts, chocolate sauce, or bake them at different temperatures. It is difficult to better the taste of something that is already perfect, but I find my ways. Brownies are an inspiration for me, not the special ones though; the clean version of this scrumptious dessert is all that is needed to better my day.

I enjoy baking for others; I believe it promotes happiness and pleases the occasional craving that we have. Brownies are a huge part of my life, and influence many of my actions. To most, brownies are seen as an occasional treat, but to me brownies are my main dietary supplement.  I always find myself baking brownies, it doesn’t matter if it’s one-hundred degrees outside or if it’s pouring rain, they always bring joy to me. 

Descriptive Essay

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