Saturday, March 18, 2017

Satire project Update

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 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.

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.

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.