Summary and Choice of Analysis

The first article was entitled "Fish Cheeks", by Amy Tan. The author details her struggles growing up as a first generation American being raised by very traditional Chinese parents. As a young girl, her desire to fit in with her peers tugged against her love and respect for her family. The short essay describes her family's Christmas dinner, at which the minister and his family are in attendance. The story continues as her mother serves a traditional Chinese menu, and the house is full of her traditional Chinese relatives. She is mortified that they are so different than their guests, and she can sense their discomfort with the situation as well. During her reflection, she realizes, many years later,  that her mother had created the evening with all her favorite foods, in an attempt to teach her the following lesson: "...You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame". (Tan 111)

The second article, written by Sherman Alexie, is called "Superman and Me". This essay describes the author's childhood growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He is different from a lot of his classmates in that he loves to learn and to read, and is seen as incredibly intelligent. He sees his world in terms of words, and paragraphs, and his family as an essay. He goes on to describe that how he sees the world, exiles him from the other members of his community. Because Indian children were "expected to be stupid" (Alexie 584), and despite the fact that his classmates played the part in class, outside of school, in their community events and so on, they were smart too. He aspired to be more than what the world told him he was supposed to be, however. He now goes back to the reservation schools and tries to instill the same love of reading and writing that he has in the children there. To show them they can be as much as they want to be. His essay ends with the telling quote: "I am trying to save our lives". (Alexie 586)

I have chosen to do my analysis essay on "Superman and Me". I chose this essay because I feel as though I can relate more to this author's upbringing, as well as the situation he grew up in. I think his frame of mind is quite interesting in that the words in the books were all he had, and the hope for his future rested on those words.

Works Cited

Alexie, Sherman. "Superman and Me." 1998. The Bedford Reader. By X.J. Kennedy              et al. 12th ed. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. 582-86. Print.

Tan, Amy. "Fish Cheeks." 1987. The Bedford Reader. By X.J. Kennedy et al. 12th                  ed.  Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. 110-11. Print.

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My Favorite Place

Unfortunately, I do not have a photograph of this place, as it has been far too long since I have been back. When most people think of California, they think of beautiful white sand beaches, blue skies, and warm clear water. This place is not that! One of my favorite places to go is more often than not overcast, windy, pretty cold, and all around not what most people would consider a good time. The water is icy cold; you wouldn’t dare swim in it unless you are one of the few fearless surfers in the area. I am not one of those people! The sand isn’t exactly rocky, but you probably don’t want to take your shoes off. Aside from the cold, the whole stretch is littered with hidden rocks, broken sea shells, and slimy strands of assorted seaweed.

One of my sister and I’s favorite thing to do when we were little when we were there was to find the kind of seaweed that has the sort of bulb like buds on the stem. I don’t know that name of it, but if the bulb was soft enough, you could sometimes use it as a water balloon. Looking back at that, it seems pretty gross actually, but hey, we were hippy kids!

It’s hard to describe, as it’s not really something tangible, but it is a common theme whenever I am asked about where I grew up. There is something about the air there. It’s not hot, it’s not muggy, it’s not dirty. It’s clean and cool, and it smells alive. I don’t think I can breathe quite as well anywhere else as I can there. Something about it, just fills your lungs better, more full. Everything there is alive.

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Why We Lie - Dan Ariely

1. The article Why We Lie, by Dan Ariely, explains the author’s theories and conclusions about why, and to what extent, people lie. Ariely explains that, aside from a very small portion of the population on either end of the spectrum, everybody lies and everybody cheats, but only a little bit. The points at which people cheat are dependent upon two rules: we all want to attain the most money or glory, and we all still want to consider ourselves virtuous.

One of the main methods that Ariely and his team used to test what prompts a person to cheat is called the 'matrix test'. This is a simple numerical puzzle which can easily be modified to change the reward or the risk. The researchers also did experiments concerning cheating on tax forms: How accurate would people’s numbers be when they were asked to sign their disclaimers before or after completing the worksheet.

The outcomes of all of their tests told them a few definitive things: people are more likely to cheat if certain variables are present, such as: other people will benefit from the lie, any monetary reward seems more distant from the act, or if others are seen to be dishonest in the task as well. However, across all these rationales that we give ourselves to cheat and lie, one thing seems to be quite efficient at decreasing dishonesty: reminders of our morality. Examples of this are swearing on the bible (regardless of religious affiliation), signing disclaimers, or simply asking people to recall the Ten Commandments.

Ariely reiterates that none of these methods would likely apply to the big scam artists we hear about on the news, but that those people are in the minority. What this would help, is keeping the average person a little bit more honest. (Ariely, 440-446)

2. In paragraph ten, Ariely takes what he already knows about the fact that everybody cheats and lies sometimes, and asks the important question: What are the circumstances under which the average person decides it is worth it? (Ariely, 442)

3. My favorite quote in the article is “The purpose of locks…is to protect you from the 98% of mostly honest people who might be tempted to try your door if it had no lock.” (Ariely, 440). Perhaps it is not the most thought provoking passage I could have chosen, but it seems like a good reminder that given the right circumstances, everybody can rationalize doing what will benefit them, despite the rules. Trust is a good thing, but realism needs to balance it out.

Works Cited

Ariely, Dan. "Why We Lie." The Bedford Reader. 12th ed. Boston: Bedford/St.                       Martin's, 2014. 440- 446. Print.

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