Benjamin Nguyen Ms. Moccia
3/18/16 Ap Language
Satire Project Update
Over this weekend, my group and I talked in our group chat created over iMessage about how would we proceed about using our limited class time and how we would arrange meeting outside of school since we decided recording our project would be best suited for our type of project. For our class time, it would mainly be towards developing our scripts and perfecting our roles and if this is done in a timely manner, could be used to write our individual reflections and developing our written components of the project. As for the time allotted for meeting outside of school, this would be time for rehearsal and developing our comedic talents. We also discussed how not everything needed to be word for word like the script, but improv could be a useful element in conveying our satirical piece. Overall, this was a productive weekend in organizing our project for weeks to come and developing our roles/scripts.
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Reflection to the Implications of Politically Correct Language Seminar
Benjamin Nguyen Ms. Moccia
2/4/16 Ap Language
Reflection to Implications of Politically Correct Language Seminar
In this week's seminar, we discussed the effectiveness of politically correct language in everyday life, and how life would be different if everyone stopped using euphemisms and politically correct language. During the seminar, much of the class shared similar viewpoints that politically correct language is detrimental to society and that if everyone decreased or eliminated politically correct language from their vocabulary all together, many aspects of society would benefit. For example, Abby brought up the example where corporations in making public addresses say "exploring for energy" rather than "drilling for oil'. This euphemism for drilling for oil distracts from the real intent at hand which is misleading and strays from the truth. I very much so agreed with this and provided my own example with the "waitron", which could possibly be the top ten stupidest things I have ever heard of in my entire life. The notion that I or any sensible human being would appease your feelings by calling you a "waitron" is absurd. I brought up the point that nothing would ever inwardly would change with individuals who would use politically correct language, and was simply a "mask" for the issues, as evident by the question Ms. Moccia had brought up.
2/4/16 Ap Language
Reflection to Implications of Politically Correct Language Seminar
In this week's seminar, we discussed the effectiveness of politically correct language in everyday life, and how life would be different if everyone stopped using euphemisms and politically correct language. During the seminar, much of the class shared similar viewpoints that politically correct language is detrimental to society and that if everyone decreased or eliminated politically correct language from their vocabulary all together, many aspects of society would benefit. For example, Abby brought up the example where corporations in making public addresses say "exploring for energy" rather than "drilling for oil'. This euphemism for drilling for oil distracts from the real intent at hand which is misleading and strays from the truth. I very much so agreed with this and provided my own example with the "waitron", which could possibly be the top ten stupidest things I have ever heard of in my entire life. The notion that I or any sensible human being would appease your feelings by calling you a "waitron" is absurd. I brought up the point that nothing would ever inwardly would change with individuals who would use politically correct language, and was simply a "mask" for the issues, as evident by the question Ms. Moccia had brought up.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Reaction to Orwell's Critique of the English Language Seminar
Benjamin Nguyen Ms. Moccia
1/15/16 Ap Language
Reflection to Orwell's Critique of the English Language Seminar
In this week's lecture, I had originally thought it was going to be very mundane and a simple debate over the simple conventions of the English Language. However, I was surprised to the fact that Ms. Moccia had let us decide the questions for the debate which made it more interesting. During the debate, we talked about political conformity, which excited me, because in almost every case, politics always piques my interests. In the debate, we essentially discussed whether it was beneficial that politicians "sugarcoat" the real issues at hand in order to appease or spare the feelings of the public. I was very strongly against this sugar coating of the English language, because time and time again it has been used to distract or straw away from the real issue at hand in order to garner attention/approval towards one's political party. Especially in an area like politics, you should never sugarcoat the real issues at hand, because there is simply too much at stake, such as the livelihoods and overall well being of people across the globe. This week's seminar was a pleasant surprise, and I throughly enjoyed it.
1/15/16 Ap Language
Reflection to Orwell's Critique of the English Language Seminar
In this week's lecture, I had originally thought it was going to be very mundane and a simple debate over the simple conventions of the English Language. However, I was surprised to the fact that Ms. Moccia had let us decide the questions for the debate which made it more interesting. During the debate, we talked about political conformity, which excited me, because in almost every case, politics always piques my interests. In the debate, we essentially discussed whether it was beneficial that politicians "sugarcoat" the real issues at hand in order to appease or spare the feelings of the public. I was very strongly against this sugar coating of the English language, because time and time again it has been used to distract or straw away from the real issue at hand in order to garner attention/approval towards one's political party. Especially in an area like politics, you should never sugarcoat the real issues at hand, because there is simply too much at stake, such as the livelihoods and overall well being of people across the globe. This week's seminar was a pleasant surprise, and I throughly enjoyed it.
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Reflection to Affirmative Action Video
Benjamin Nguyen Ms. Moccia
1/15/16 Ap Language
Reflection to Affirmative Action Video
In this week's video pertaining to affirmative action, I was surprised to see how well balanced it was as to accurately detailing both sides of the argument. In the past, I was always shown why affirmative action was always right and that it needed to be implemented in society so that it could "level the playing field" for minorities. Being not easily influenced, I was not willing to accept just this based upon what I was told. Arguments against affirmative action were brought to my attention by my own research such as that it draws distinction because of race, which in modern society is like threading a very, very fine needle. In fact, I chose to write a 10 page research paper concerning the topic in Junior year for my final individual research paper. I have heavily considered both sides, and in my research have found that proponents of affirmative action rarely use statistic and fact in proving their arguments. They like to say "minorities are a disadvantaged group" but fail to provide any numerical backing or logos to their argument. One fact for example would be that Asian-Americans are 60% more likely to make a six figure salary over their white counterparts, does that mean we, as Asians, are a disadvantaged group? I have also questioned the distinction of "minority" in my paper. Would a white man be able to benefit from affirmative action if he were to apply to a job of African-Americans? At what point is someone considered a minority? If my great-grandfather was Hispanic, and both of my parents and parent's parents are white, can I use my hispanic lineage to my advantage? I answer these questions in my research paper where I end up providing a solution that does not look at race, but more socioeconomic factors so that it may apply to more of modern day society.
1/15/16 Ap Language
Reflection to Affirmative Action Video
In this week's video pertaining to affirmative action, I was surprised to see how well balanced it was as to accurately detailing both sides of the argument. In the past, I was always shown why affirmative action was always right and that it needed to be implemented in society so that it could "level the playing field" for minorities. Being not easily influenced, I was not willing to accept just this based upon what I was told. Arguments against affirmative action were brought to my attention by my own research such as that it draws distinction because of race, which in modern society is like threading a very, very fine needle. In fact, I chose to write a 10 page research paper concerning the topic in Junior year for my final individual research paper. I have heavily considered both sides, and in my research have found that proponents of affirmative action rarely use statistic and fact in proving their arguments. They like to say "minorities are a disadvantaged group" but fail to provide any numerical backing or logos to their argument. One fact for example would be that Asian-Americans are 60% more likely to make a six figure salary over their white counterparts, does that mean we, as Asians, are a disadvantaged group? I have also questioned the distinction of "minority" in my paper. Would a white man be able to benefit from affirmative action if he were to apply to a job of African-Americans? At what point is someone considered a minority? If my great-grandfather was Hispanic, and both of my parents and parent's parents are white, can I use my hispanic lineage to my advantage? I answer these questions in my research paper where I end up providing a solution that does not look at race, but more socioeconomic factors so that it may apply to more of modern day society.
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Reflection to Paul Theroux's "Being a man"
Benjamin Nguyen Ms. Moccia
12/18/16 AP Language
Reflection to Paul Theroux's "Being a man"
Paul Theroux's "Being a man" resonated with me on some points, feeling as if it were detailing an autobiography about my life. Theroux covers many "manly" stereotypes, many of which I conform to. I typically do enjoy sports, tend to be more aggressive as a male e.g by participating in sports such as Jiu-Jitsu and Taekwondo my whole life and tend to be less emotional. However, I asked myself, is this really such a bad thing? I looked back at my upbringing as a child, and whenever I would cry over a loss in match or cry over pain I felt during training, my mother would always tell me, "Ben, stop crying. Only girls cry. You're a man. Go to the bathroom and wash your face." Memories like these always stuck with me. I look back on it now and I have to say, I thank my mom for doing this as a child. My mother exposed me to the reality that the world isn't sunshine and rainbows, and that sometimes you have to show that you are strong and resilient. Of course there are situations when crying is applicable, such as a death in the family or tears of happiness, but when I look in the media today and see those who cry over an election or even a broken pinky, it seems so trivial to me. My father had also over time injected me with my quick wit and cleverness that has come to be known as a stereotype for being a charming man. Whether it be helping me getting out of a ticket, hold down a conversation, a job interview, easing tension in the room or even talking to girls, this quick wit has helped me so many times. So I say it, that these stereotypes of being a "man", I don't mind conforming too, however, there are some distinctions in the political course that a man loses out to then compared to a women, which is entire different discussion in of itself.
12/18/16 AP Language
Reflection to Paul Theroux's "Being a man"
Paul Theroux's "Being a man" resonated with me on some points, feeling as if it were detailing an autobiography about my life. Theroux covers many "manly" stereotypes, many of which I conform to. I typically do enjoy sports, tend to be more aggressive as a male e.g by participating in sports such as Jiu-Jitsu and Taekwondo my whole life and tend to be less emotional. However, I asked myself, is this really such a bad thing? I looked back at my upbringing as a child, and whenever I would cry over a loss in match or cry over pain I felt during training, my mother would always tell me, "Ben, stop crying. Only girls cry. You're a man. Go to the bathroom and wash your face." Memories like these always stuck with me. I look back on it now and I have to say, I thank my mom for doing this as a child. My mother exposed me to the reality that the world isn't sunshine and rainbows, and that sometimes you have to show that you are strong and resilient. Of course there are situations when crying is applicable, such as a death in the family or tears of happiness, but when I look in the media today and see those who cry over an election or even a broken pinky, it seems so trivial to me. My father had also over time injected me with my quick wit and cleverness that has come to be known as a stereotype for being a charming man. Whether it be helping me getting out of a ticket, hold down a conversation, a job interview, easing tension in the room or even talking to girls, this quick wit has helped me so many times. So I say it, that these stereotypes of being a "man", I don't mind conforming too, however, there are some distinctions in the political course that a man loses out to then compared to a women, which is entire different discussion in of itself.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Reflection to "What does it mean to own something?" prompt
Benjamin Nguyen Ms. Moccia
12/3/16 Ap Language
What does it mean to own something?
When I had originally seen the prompt of "what it meant to own something?", it had truly got me thinking and wondering what it mean to truly own something and it's reflection on one's self identity. I thought about how my entire life has been in the pursuit of "ownership", whether it be money, possessions, or even the ownership of another person's love or admiration. I asked myself, does this make me a bad person? Have I been clouded by my own selfish desires? Or have I been working hard for others so that I can share in my success? I felt very conflicted when I saw this prompt, because for the first time in a while, I haven't taken a solid stance in a topic for a while. I look forward to writing this argument essay in the future and to see how I further develop my position.
12/3/16 Ap Language
What does it mean to own something?
When I had originally seen the prompt of "what it meant to own something?", it had truly got me thinking and wondering what it mean to truly own something and it's reflection on one's self identity. I thought about how my entire life has been in the pursuit of "ownership", whether it be money, possessions, or even the ownership of another person's love or admiration. I asked myself, does this make me a bad person? Have I been clouded by my own selfish desires? Or have I been working hard for others so that I can share in my success? I felt very conflicted when I saw this prompt, because for the first time in a while, I haven't taken a solid stance in a topic for a while. I look forward to writing this argument essay in the future and to see how I further develop my position.
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Reflection on This weeks Seminar
Benjamin Nguyen Ms. Moccia
11/20/16 Ap Lang
Reflection On Seminar
This week's Seminar covered the app "Peeple" and whether or not today as a society, are we really that far from it. We also discussed the definition of "trolling" and how social media is changing the scope of the way that we argue. Although less controversial topics, it was good to take a break and step back after so much discussion concerning more controversial topics such as the Election and abortion, where it definitely became more lively. During Round 1 of the seminar, I especially enjoyed Jordan's philosophical take on how today's society has turned into a desire for belonging and not being authentic to oneself, but conforming to their identity on social media. During Round 2, I enjoyed how we made many connections to our own selves referring to our "private" Instagram accounts on how social media affects our interactions with other people. Overall, I enjoyed this seminar and actively got my input in even without being in the center by being able to pass notes and track within my notebook.
11/20/16 Ap Lang
Reflection On Seminar
This week's Seminar covered the app "Peeple" and whether or not today as a society, are we really that far from it. We also discussed the definition of "trolling" and how social media is changing the scope of the way that we argue. Although less controversial topics, it was good to take a break and step back after so much discussion concerning more controversial topics such as the Election and abortion, where it definitely became more lively. During Round 1 of the seminar, I especially enjoyed Jordan's philosophical take on how today's society has turned into a desire for belonging and not being authentic to oneself, but conforming to their identity on social media. During Round 2, I enjoyed how we made many connections to our own selves referring to our "private" Instagram accounts on how social media affects our interactions with other people. Overall, I enjoyed this seminar and actively got my input in even without being in the center by being able to pass notes and track within my notebook.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)