Modern Family

The variety of different character types in the show Modern Family makes it a hit comedy.  Almost every character has a foil to contradict each other. The show displays a family full of all different types of stereotypes. It is trying to portray the fact that traditional family is very hard to find now a days. Jay is the man of the house and his personality reflects that. He is a man’s man that doesn’t believe in showing his feelings or emotions. This is a foil to his son, Mitchell, who is homosexual. Jay cares a lot about how tough and rugged people view him as. In the episode Virgin Territory, Mitchell tells Jay’s co-workers that he didn’t actually hit a hole in one. Jay’s fake hole in one made him a legend in the office and established his dominance. Knowing that it was a bluff, Jay’s co-workers view him very differently. This was a huge blow to Jay’s ego.

            Another character that attributes to Jay’s comic effect is that he has a petite young South American wife who is much younger than him. His spicy wife Gloria supports his character because together they point out how Jay is the stereotypical old rich man in the family that chases a younger mate in order to compensate for his old deteriorating body. Gloria has son named Manny, he acts very mature for his age yet he is still babied by his mother. Jay sees fit to treat Manny as though he were a real man by being much tougher on him. Like when Jay tells Manny what he really thinks of his centerpiece project “Cards on the table, this is not your best work” You would think a father figure would support his wife’s son’s artistic views but Jay crushes Manny’s ideas relentlessly. All of these character’s help add to the comic effect of Jay on the show through their contradicting and stereotypical personalities

Switch

I am really glad I transfered to Norton High School. I was very questionable about my decision to come back to Norton at first. Adjusting back to a public school seemed like it would be impossible. I always kept in touch with my old friends but I thought I would be out of place coming back to school with them. I met tons of new people that made my adjustment so much easier. I had a majority of awesome teachers this year that made the year fun. Coach Currle really helped me get used to the school during the first month. Winning the TVL in basketball was great too. All in all, I feel like I made the right decision.

Old TV Shows

           The TV shows, “The Cosby Show” and “All in the Family” uniquely display socio-cultural problems while using comedy. The “Cosby Show” is based on the Huxtable family and focuses on Bill Cosby trying to teach his youngest son life lessons. The show was groundbreaking, as it was the first to profile an African-American family. Bill’s son believes he will still be rich whether he goes to college or not. Bill explains to his son that he will barely get by in life without a college degree. To show his son how, Bill uses Monopoly money and they argue about how much money he’ll end up with. In the show, “All in the Family”, Archie Bunker is an old, racist factory worker. He has a very short temper and is very easily irritated. He refuses to sell his house to an African-American real estate agent and claims he is a block buster. Also, when faced with a tough decision of who to fire at the factory, he chooses a Puerto Rican. Although he was the best worker, Archie couldn’t fire another white man. Although these shows were once a hit, they are very different from each other.

Mono

Over the past month, I've come to realize how horrible having mono is. Mononucleosis, or better know as mono, is the work of the devil. It starts off with the worst sore throat I've ever had. Then gradually all your energy is taken away and you do nothing but sleep. Your spleen and liver swell up causing you not to be able to play sports or do anything active for a month. A hit to the stomach could be all she wrote to someone who is infected with mono. I began getting sick over vacation, which was the most perfect time to get it. Then I missed the next 9 days of school while laying in my bed all day. Having an 18 day vacation seems fun but it was absolutely miserable

My Modest Proposal

            There are a few issues in the world that need to be addressed. The biggest issues in America seem to be gas prices and obesity. Statistics shows that 63% of Americans are either overweight or obese. When more than half the country is plus sized, the issue needs to be taken care of. Obesity starts at a young age now-a-days. Another huge problem in the United States is the price of gas. In San Francisco, gas prices rose to $3.96 a gallon over the past year. If the government could find a solution to both of these problems at the same time, America would be better off.

            Obesity is an issue that can be addressed very easily. If people that are overweight just choose to spend some time at the gym, they would be healthier. Gas prices on the other hand are a global dilemma. The problem with gas is that we don’t have control over it. We rely on other countries to give us the amount of gas we need. America should only give out gas to people under a certain weight. Stepping on a scale before you pump gas should be able to decide whether you need it or not. It would be embarrassing to some people but an effective way to create change. Fat people that aren’t given gas should be forced to ride a bicycle or walk to where they need to go. This would cause them to shed some pounds and decrease the obesity rate in the United States. Gas would be better managed if it was only distributed to 37% of the country. It seems like a drastic solution but it would only benefit the country.

            Killing two birds with one stone would make life easier for the government. If their jobs were far away, it wouldn’t take long for obese people to lose their extra weight. No one would complain about the price of gas if it was limited to a select few. They could pass one law that would change two major problems in the United States.

Letters From Birmingham

3. Ethos-

"While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely."

"I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia."

Pathos-

"But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms."

"A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God."

Logos-“But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here.”

Literary Devices

2.  Absurdity- “The constant breeders, besides the gain of eight shillings sterling per annum by the sale of their children...”
     Blue Humor- “We should soon see an honest emulation among the married women, which of them could bring the fattest child to the market.”

     Black Comedy- “Infant’s flesh will be in season throughout the year, but more plentiful in March, and a little before and after…”

Thesis: In A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift tries to develop and alternate solution by using absolute absurdity, witty blue humor, and situational black comedy to come up with a way to decrease the population of infants.