Building Credibility



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What would happened if an English-student wrote a skilled article but no matter how many pages he had written, his professor told him it was still missing credibility? As defined by Google, “Credibility is the quality of being trusted, convincing or believable.” In the next comparison of the articles “Why Don’t We Complain?” By William F. Buckley Jr., and “The Bystander Effect,” by Dorothy Barkin, both authors have the same central idea of trying to persuade the readers to speak up when circumstances occurs. However, we will see how well they build credibility in their argument, by using personal experiences or newspaper articles as evidence, quotations, and their rhetorical strategies.

In William F. Buckley Jr.’s article, “Why Don’t We Complain?” Buckley Jr. uses several personal-experiences as evidence. People say that anything in large amounts is harmful and/or has a negative effect; Buckley went off the limits. For instance, Buckley introduces his article by telling us his experience about one below-freezing day that he was inside of a steamy-hot train. He states that no one complained about it. Buckley explains, “The conductor had nonchalantly walked down the gauntlet of eighty sweating American freemen… not one of them had asked him to explain why the passengers in that car had been consigned to suffer” (Buckley Jr. 1). Buckley Jr. continues arguing about his experiences inside of a movie theater, a café, an airplane, and on a line at some ski repair store in Pico Peak, Vermont. On each one of the example given by Buckley, he states that people, especially Americans, instead of complaining about a situation, they are “expecting someone else to take the initiative in going back to speak” (Buckley Jr. 2). Buckley might get his readers tired of his complaining of why we do not complain. In addition, to encourage his audience to do not be afraid to speak up, Buckley uses too many personal experiences, and just a few researches to enforce his argument.

In contrast with Dorothy Barkin’s article, “The Bystander Effect,” the lack of researched sources as evidence in Buckley Jr.’s article, made his argument lose credibility. In Barkin’s article, she hooks the audience by putting us in four different situations, and makes us think about how we would react if they happened. Barkin explains that “Bystanders are often reluctant to intervene in criminal or medical emergencies for reasons they are well aware of” (Barkin 2). Then, on each situation given by Barkin, she states the percentage of people who react like good Samaritans, while the majority tends to abandon the person in danger and/or stay away from an injustice. Later, Barkin tell us about the brutal murder of Catherine “Kitty” Genovese. According to Barkin, Genovese’s tragedy was a shocking crime that outraged the nation. She uses lots of researches details while she continues explaining when, how, and who was involved in Genovese’s tragedy. Barkin makes her audience believe in her, and take actions when an injustice occurs. Barkin number-pointed her sources and she added quotations and interviews through her article.

Like a fish in water, quotations have to stick to its owner (even if the expression was said by Jane or John Doe). When William F. Buckley Jr. quotes an editor of a national weekly news magazine, he left us with big questions. For example, who was this editor? When his article was written? And, in what news magazine did he work for? Buckley explains that this unknown editor mentioned how only twelve protest-letters (against an editorial stance) were sent to the news magazine, and that he explained, “So few people complain, or make their voice heard…we assume a dozen letters represent the unarticulated view of thousands of readers” (Buckley Jr. 4). The information given by Buckley might be true; however, how do we know? Once again, Dorothy Barkin scored more credibility points than William Beckley Jr., when she writes citations and quotations made by bystanders in her research.

Dorothy Barkin writes about how Kitty Genovese shouted “Oh my God, he stabbed me! Please help me! Please help me!” while she was being stabbed by an unidentified man. Barkin makes reference about how the bystander in Genovese’s murder said they were “afraid”, “tired”, “did not want to get involved”, and even “thought it was a lovers’ quarrel” (Barkin, 4). Barkin writes about the cruel rape of a woman, another incident that happened nine years later in Trenton, New Jersey. According to Barkin, a witness of the incident said, “We thought, well, it might turn out to be her boyfriend or something like that” (Barkin 4). Barkin article posted on the Townsend Press website, clearly shows how she makes reference on every statement or information she had made (by numbers placed at the right-side). Unfortunately, the website seems to have something wrong in order to link Barkin’s sources. Barkin uses more than thirty references on her article. However, she does not stop there; she also built credibility by delivering rhetorical strategies to her readers.

Although both authors use Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos, William Buckley Jr. appeals more to reasons: Logos. Buckley makes his point clear from the first paragraphs of his article, “Why Don’t We Complain?” In which Buckley Jr. states that “From one end to the car to the other, as we rattled though Westchester Country, we sweated; but we did not moan” (Buckley Jr. 1). In almost every paragraph of Buckley Jr.’s article, we could read about how he argues about Americans. For instance, he says, “we are reluctant to make our voices heard, hesitant about claiming our right…we are afraid that our cause is unjust, or that if it is not unjust, that it is ambiguous; or even that, that it is too trivial to justify the horrors of a confrontation with Authority; we will sit in an over or endure a racking headache before undertaking a head-on, I’m-here-to-tell-you complaint” (Buckley Jr. 2). Like most Disney-Pixar movies; Buckley wants us to speak up, to fight for our rights, and not be complacent under any circumstances. On the other hand, Dorothy Barkin appeals to the emotions, beliefs and values of her audience.

In the fourth page of Barkin’s article, when she was talking about Genovese’s murder, she mentions that “The same question was on everybody’s mind –how could thirty-eight people have done so little?” By sharing this information, Barkin persuades her audience to think as victims and take action as heroes. She states, “If you find yourself witnessing an emergency with a group, remember that everybody is waiting for someone else to do something first. Is you take action, others may also help” (Barkin 5). Then, Barkin make us think about the unfortunate, tragic moment of Kitty Genovese, by concluding with, “Imagine what it feels like to need help and have a crowd watching you suffer and do nothing” (Barkin 5). Barkin made her voice heard; the way she uses Pathos, make her readers feel touched by her persuasion.

When we are writing an essay or discussing an article, if we do not know how to make our audiences believe in what we have to say, our paper would not satisfy them at all. Even if our essay is ten-page long of well-written, extremely-professional vocabulary, we need to give evidences to our readers. For example, give our readers some modest amount of our personal experiences, and enforce our argument with articles and researches. In addition, we might need to add quotations, citations, and/or interviews; and of course, give credit to each person mentioned in our paper. We must include Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos, as strategies to persuade our audience. Even tough, we might need to apply the phrase introduced into modern language in the late twentieth century, “Fake it till you make it.” We must build credibility in our writing, if we want to make our readers believe in our words.




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Barkin, Dorothy. “The Bystander Effect.” Understanding Ourselves. Townsend Press. Web
http://www.townsendpress.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/writing%20and%20motvn/vv_ch14.pdp

Fuller, William F. Buckley, Jr. “Why Don’t We Complain?” 50 Essays. Ed. Samuel Cohen. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. 64-70. Print

 

Fully Awake

Song Tra Bong, Vietnam. by tbuteaug2

Ask any woman who has not yet had the pleasure of giving birth naturally and without any anesthesia how she felt in the process of the labor and she probably would say, “It was the most wonderful moment in my life.” However, asking the same question to those who felt every little detail –the pain, kicks, anxiety, desperation, angriness, and, by the same moment, love, passion, faith, appreciation, and power, the answer would be almost inexplicable; difficult to articulate. In Tim O’Brien’s story, The Things They Carried, “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,” the main character, Mary Anne Bell, found herself at the climax of finding the woman in her, and leaving the girl behind. Similar to those women having birth without anesthesia, Ms. Bell could not well-articulate her statements about all her emotions, even when she never felt more awake –fully conscious than she was the day she encountered herself, near to the Song Tra Bong. 

“You just don’t know,” Mary Anne Bell said after seeing the confused expression of her fiancé, Mark Fossie. After nearly three weeks without hearing from her, Fossie found her inside of the Green Berets hootch. Standing barefoot in front of him, and wearing human tongues as jewelry, she continued, “You hide in this little fortress, behind wire and sandbags, and you don’t know what it’s all about.” Picturing Ms. Bell adding the adjective “little” is like watching a lion roar in front of a lizard. The sarcasm, the cruelty of her tone, her soundless laughs hiding behind the little “little,” made Fossie insignificant. She was in charge –for sure. She put away her innocence, her charming next-door-girl appearance and all the American-dream-girl behind. Ms. Bell was no longer the person that Fossie met in Cleveland Heights, Oh, and she had no intentions of going back. This time she had nothing to lose; this time she was fully awake, while her fiancé was still dreaming away.

The picture-perfect couple: Mary Anne Bell and Mark Fossie from Cleveland Heights, OH. They had been lovers since sixth grade and had planned their life together since then. Ms. Bell was a beautiful-blond-tall-sweet 17-year-old girl. On the other hand, her fiancé, Fossie, was an 18-year-old handsome-blond, tall, polite, and a good-heart medic, working at the top of a flat-crested hill of Tra Bong, Vietnam. Like most men living miles away apart from their lovers, Fossie felt the urge to be with his beloved one. Consequently, he managed to fly her in. Once she arrived, he put his arm around his possession –his own doll, and presented her to the crew. They were very in love; always holding hands, laughing of their own private jokes, and even planning how many kids they should have. In addition, their way of showing their sweetest love to each other could give diabetes to anyone. 

So far, we could say Fossie is in charge. He has his girl by his side, and a good job position in a safe zone where the war could not reach them; it was a dream come true –what else could he ask for? However, not every love story ends with “They lived happily ever after.” Soon, Ms. Bell became curious about her surrounding: the villagers and their culture, the medical equipment and procedures, and artilleries that soldiers use. It was like seeing a baby crawling and suddenly running away. Fossie, on the other hand, was not paying attention; he was standing in front of his sweetheart, seeing her, yet, not deeply observing what was going on. He was not realizing her sweetness was becoming sour. 

There are many ways a person could see without observing. For instance, on a common day of a college student we could see several sleepwalking zombies and marching robots in –what it seems to be their curious routine: walking with their head down using their smartphone, going straight to the classroom, opening their backpack, removing the notebook and/or handouts, letting the body be attached to a chair while their mind at who-knows where. They hear the teacher teaching while they keep using their phone in-between. Closing their backpacks, walking out the classroom with the cellphone in their hands, and repeating the same process on their way back. Perchance, some of those students might not fail by the end of the semester, yet, for most of them, it is a totally different story if they do not open their eye on time. 

Likewise, there are students who do not care if their grades are going down; like Ms. Bell told Fossie, “You just don’t know.” They just do not get it. They are just too comfy in their safe zone with non-expectations, or self-governing; just following the group but not themselves –like living in a social-coma. For instance, in John Updike’s “A & P,” the character, Stokesie is similar to Fossie from Tim O’Brien’s “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong.” Stokesie is a young hard-working man, who apparently has to work to support his family. On the same hand, Fossie is a young hard-working medic, who apparently has to work to support his country. Both of them have a motive, they have hero material; nonetheless, they seem to be comfortable with what they do –nothing more, nothing less. 

On the other hand, Sammy, from Updike’s “A & P,” is a more-realistic male version of Ms. Bell (O’Brien’s “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”). Sammy was a cashier in a grocery store in the north of Boston; similar to Ms. Bell, he was curious and very meticulous. Sammy was spending his time by naming customers for fun, like his friend used to do as well. Although Sammy was trying to figure out the customers –why they buy the stuffs they buy, why they have to walk in circles, he was more interested in one particular girl who he named his “Queenie.” Sammy was following his same safe routine until he had sudden presence of how rude his boss, Lengel, was to his dream-girl –who was in front of him, looking vulnerable, humble, and just real to him, he realized that he had been acting immature and that had to be ended.

Lengel assumed that Sammy’s Queenie was not decent because of her walking around the grocery market in a bathing suit. Sammy stopped looking at her like he used to do; now he was observing her with shame. She was blushing –perhaps embarrassed, and Sammy did not like it; thus, he quit. In addition, he opened his eyes. He spoke; he made Lengel knows that embarrassing a girl was not a good option to do. Moreover, He made his point clear and stood on it with responsibility and no regrets, and that is being mature. 

On the same hand, Ms. Bell experienced a similar situation, still, in a different lap of time. When she spent the night hunting –or doing who-knows-what with a standard M-16 automatic assault rifle, and came back by the morning, Ms. Bell told Fossie that she did not want to talk about it. However, after Fossie whispered something to her, he raised his voice, and told her, “Not later! Now!.” This new Fossie made her realized she was not the same anymore. Several days went by on Ms. Bell’s process of waking up; in the meanwhile, she would not speak at all. She disappeared inside herself, and her blue eyes were opaque. She was like a caterpillar inside her cocoon. Figuring out herself; she no longer wanted to be the beautiful American-girl who was supposed to marry the handsome medic. She did not want to have children, or live in a suburban house. Moreover, her pretty-pink-bubble was about to shatter. At last, the caterpillar became a free butterfly. She escaped; gone with the Green Berets.

Fossie might have been an excellent partner; however, he failed to read between the lines. Perhaps, he did not want her to go after the Green Berets because he wanted to protect her from the rumors of them being acting strange or the possibility of abusing drugs. However, Fossie was not clear. After nearly three weeks of her strange disappearance, Ms. Bell had been seen along with the Green Berets walking around like shadows. Fossie did not give-up on her. Moreover, he went to the Special Forces area and found her inside of their hootch. She stepped out of the shadows looking like she was before –for a moment. She wore a pink sweater and a white blouse and a cotton skirt. Nevertheless, the more she came close to Fossie, the more he witnessed her change. 

“There’s no sense talking,” Ms. Bell said to Fossie, but this time she was not the girl that hushed and obeyed like the day Fossie yelled at her. Now, it was her turn to speak up. “You are in a place where you don’t belong,” she said. Then, began to explain to Fossie what she thought would be a simple meaning for him to swallow. First, she underestimated him by saying that he did not know about the hill, the villages, and its mysteries because he was just safe inside his fortress, isolated from the reality. Next, Ms. Bell expanded her argumentation by cutting her point of view in pieces, “Sometimes I want to eat this place…the dirt, the death –I just want to eat it and have it inside me.” When something is too difficult to be explained, we ought to divide into details and expand them little by little.

“It’s not bad. You know?” said Ms. Bell. She knew Fossie would not understand her behavior –even when any person would not understand (or really do not want to understand) why she had to wear a human-tongues necklace –perchance making her look in control, strong, or someone we should be afraid of. Back to her development, Ms. Bell was happy of becoming mature and self-confidence; she carried on by saying, “I feel close to myself…I feel close to my own body, I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything, it’s like I’m full of electricity and I’m glowing in the dark –I’m on fire almost –I’m burning away into nothing.” Ms. Bell said, and then concluded by saying that Fossie could not feel like that anywhere else. “It doesn’t matter because I know exactly who I am.” 

Likewise, Sammy’s experience of maturity was pretty much the same by the moment he quit his job. “I know you don’t, but I do,” said Sammy to his boss, Lengel, before he passed the front door of the grocery store to never coming back as an employee. He knew about the consequences of his actions and he knew the world was going to be hard for him; however, he did not turn back. He held still and acted like a grownup man. Just like Ms. Bell, Sammy started to think, speak, and act for his own; free at last, finally awake. 

When life put us in any difficult or tough situation, for instance, getting low grades at school, quitting a job, or no having a job at all –you name it, it is just to push us to a limit where we have to make a choice. We could choose the easy path –which involves laziness, boredom, and the feeling of walking asleep on the streets, or we could choose to stop for an instant of inner-peace –even if the situation might feel like caving in on us. And then, at that moment with ourselves we might think what would be the best for us, for our future. 

When a woman is delivering a child without anesthesia, all the pain and the thrill, is nearly the sensation that someone might feel when she is becoming mature, and waking up from a social-coma. Mary Anne Bell felt that way, she stepped up and shined. She knew something could be considered bad for the society; still, she maintained her point of view and was willing to prove at any cost. Even when the words might not have wrapped all of her emotions, she felt happy with herself. Ms. Bell knew there was something more to be conquered, thus, she became secure, optimistic, and mature; she was fully awake–Are we?

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, is a colorful book about the starvation, and transformation of its main character, the caterpillar. The story started with the caterpillar inside of his egg; lying on a big, brown and green leaf. When the tiny caterpillar came out of its egg, he was starving; thus, he spent a whole week feeding himself fruits –from Monday until Friday, and then, he ate some snacks and unhealthy food by Saturday. His last large meal caused him a stomachache; as a result, the poor little caterpillar spent the night sick. By Sunday morning, he ate through a healthy green leaf, which made him feel much better. 

Suddenly he was no longer tiny or hungry. When he was ready to emerge from the cocoon, he bore a hole from the inside and pushed himself out. No longer a caterpillar, he had transformed in to a beautiful and colorful butterfly. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great book for all ages, specially, for babies and toddlers; for the variety of its attention-grabbing artworks, which goes along with every step made by the caterpillar. From the first until the very last page of the book, you could see huge –and apparently handmade paintings of the moon and the sun, the caterpillar and his meals, and the trees and leaves. In addition, the book have a very interesting part; when the author revealed the caterpillar’s meals thought the weekdays, every meal had a circular hole on it. These holes are representative of how the caterpillar ate through every kind of fruits, snacks, and unhealthy food. This made the book much more enjoyable 

and fun.

It was a simple, understanding short story. Nevertheless, the wide and bright-colored illustrations are the one that make The Very Hungry Caterpillar educational, interesting, and one-of-a-kind book.

Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. NY: Scholastic, 1987.

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The Patchwork Quilt

Flournoy, Valerie. The Patchwork Quilt. Pictures by: Pinkney, Jerry

The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy is a heart-touching story about a girl named Tanya, her grandmother, and the rest of their family. The illustrations made by Jerry Pinkney make this book’s story comes to life. Flournoy tells about a middle-class African girl and how she feels fascinate of helping her grandmother in the making of a quilt for the whole family. The quilt represents the family’s treasure: Their memories and experiences. Perhaps, Flournoy is trying to make her readers feel touched by telling Tonya’s story; how family comes together, not just in the holidays.

Flournoy vocabularies are expressive; she uses a wide-selection of adverbs and adjectives, and college-level words while she is narrating the story. Although the story is written in well-understanding professional English, its character, Grandma, speaks like most of their African culture –living in the States; when she cut words at their end, especially when the verb is in gerund. The conversations are simple, like an every-day conversation between our family and friends. The character’s pictures are like paintings that Pinkney took from photographs; they look like real people that anyone could see in the street or living in the next door. Just by looking at Pinkney’s pictures, we can tell what the story is about; the expressions on every character tell the story along. Flournoy’s meaningful book teaches a valuable lesson: The value of family, and how to convert simple things -like fabrics, in this case, into an extraordinary and memorable masterpiece -the quilt- for all the family.

Flournoy, Valerie. The Patchwork Quilt. Pictures by: Pinkney, Jerry. NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.1985. Print

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America is... / America es...

Borden, Louise. America is… Illustrations by Stacey Schuett

America is… by Louise Borden is an inspiring, pictures enriched book about the United States of America. Although America is a whole continent; perhaps, Borden uses this tittle because the US had being named like that since forever. In the cover and the first page of the book, we can see a picture of the emblematic bald eagle; in representation of freedom. In this book, Borden talks and makes poems about all the states within USA and their aspects. For instance, Borden honors the United States all-races people and families, its atmosphere and seasons, coasts and oceans, barns and mountains, its national song and flag, highways and skyscrapers, holidays and celebrations, schools, and sports. Borden’s statements are modest; she do not uses as much adjectives as others children’s books. However, in her simplicity, and with the help of the fascinating illustrations made by Schuett, Borden makes her book magnificent.

The book is full of colorful and excellent pictures made by Stacey Schuett. Each page has full-length pictures that go hand by hand with Borden’s text. For instance, Schuett shows us a picture of a farmer, his son, and his barn; in this picture, we can see the greatest colors within a sunset, how the farmer and his son are dressed, the corn plants growing, and the beautiful barn landscape. Borden’s America is… is a wonderful, educational and inspirational book, that not only shows us the greatest places and people of United States of America, but makes us honors and love this nation even more.

America is… por Louise Borden es un libro inspirador y enriquecido con ilustraciones acerca de los Estados Unidos de América. Aunque América es el continente entero; quizás Borden usa este título porque EU ha estado siendo llamado de este modo desde siempre. En la portada y la primera página del libro, podemos ver una pintura de la emblemática águila calva; en representación de libertad. En este libro, Borden habla y hace poemas acerca de todos los estados en EUA y sus aspectos. Por ejemplo, Borden hace honor a todas las razas, personas y familias, la atmosfera y estaciones, costas y océanos, granjas y montanas, el himno nacional y la bandera, carreteras y rascacielos, días feriados y celebraciones, escuelas, y deportes de los Estados Unidos. Los criterios de Borden son modestos; ella no usa muchos adjetivos en comparación con otros libros infantiles. Sin embargo, en su simplicidad, y la forma en la que las fascinantes ilustraciones hechas por Schuett la ayudan, Borden hace que su libro sea magnifico.

El libro está lleno de coloridas y excelentes pinturas hechas por Stacey Schuett. Cada página contiene una ilustración que cubre una página entera y que van de la mano con el contexto de Borden. Por ejemplo, Schuett nos muestra una pintura de un granjero y su hijo, y su granja, podemos ver los grandiosos colores de un atardecer, como el granjero y su hijo están vestidos, la plantación de maíz creciendo, y la hermosa vista de la granja misma. America is… es un libro excelente, educacional e inspirador, que no solo nos muestra las grandeza de sus personas y lugares de los Estados Unidos de America, sino que también nos hace honorar y amar esta nación aún más. 

Borden, Louise. America is… Illustrations by Stacey Schuett. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2002. Print

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Yellow Elephant / Elefante Amarillo

Larios, Julie. Yellow Elephant, A Bright Bestiary. Illustrations by Julie Paschkis

Yellow Elephant, A Bright Bestiary is a fourteen poems book written by Julie Larios and illustrated by Julie Paschkis. In the short poems about certain animals –frog, donkey, owl, giraffe, elephant, puppy, kitty, fish, finch, mouse, gull, lizard, turtle, and goose- we could read about their physical appearance and personalities. On each delightful and colorful painting made by Paschkis, we could appreciate Larios’ poems even more.

The poems are easy-to-read; according to the back cover of the book, this book is intended for kids from age five to ten. However, Larios slightly used word choices that could make children ask about their signification. For example, while I was reading one of the poems (Brown Mouse) to my 6 years old boy, Michael Joel, the word Jitterbugging located in the sentence, “Little brown clown, looking for crumbs, comes sneaking, sniffing, skittering, all around-sounds like she’s jitterbugging on tinfoil…though the house” (Larios, 22), made my son ask, “what is that, mommy?” Uncertain, I went online and looked for a correct answer. Nevertheless, I believe is a good way to –not only teach children about poetry, but awaken their curiosity of knowing the meaning of new words.

One of my favorite poems in this charming book is Pink Kitty:

“Pink collar.

Pink bell.

Pink pillow.

Pink bowl.

And a pink yawn at dawn.

Outside, the city –hot and hazy.

Inside, cool kitty

Feeling pink and lazy” (Larios, 16).

I am a cat lover, also, one of my favorite colors is pink; however, what I love the most about this poem, is the way Larios described the best definition of an adorable (and always lazy) kitty cat. She made me remember a cat that I had for a long time during my infancy.

Yellow Elephant, A Bright Bestiary by Julie Larios is a great introduction-to-poetry book. Every parent should have one copy at their home, in order to engage their children to read poetry and develop their vocabulary. In addition, the illustrations made by Julie Paschkis perfectly complement this book, by making it educational and entertaining.

Elefante Amarillo, Un Bestiario Brillante es un libro de 14 poemas escritos por Julie Larios e ilustrado por Julie Paschkis. En los cortos poemas acerca de ciertos animales –sapo, burro, búho, jirafa, elefante, perro, gato, pinzón, ratón, gaviota, lagartija, tortuga, y ganso- podemos leer acerca de sus apariencias y personalidades. En cada encantadora y colorida pintura hecha por Paschkis, podemos apreciar los poemas de Larios aún más.

Los poemas son fácil-de-leer; de acuerdo a la reseña escrita en la parte trasera del libro, este libro está previsto para niños entre las edades cinco a diez. Sin embargo, Larios ligeramente usa opciones de palabras que podrían hacer que estos niños preguntasen por su significado. Por ejemplo, mientras estuve leyendo uno de los poemas (Ratón Castaño, pagina 22) a mi hijo de seis años, Michael Joel, la palabra “jitterbugging” (bailando acrobáticamente al ritmo de jazz o bugui-bugui) hizo que me preguntara, “¿Qué es eso, mami?”  Dudosa, fui a la web a encontrar el significado correcto. No obstante, creo que es una buena manera de –no solo ensenarle a los niños sobre poesía, pero de despertarle su curiosidad sobre saber el significado de nuevas palabras.              

Uno de mis poemas favoritos en este encantador libro es el Gato Rosa:

“Collar rosa.

Cascabel rosa.

Almohada rosa.

Tazon rosa.

Y un bostezo rosa al atardecer.

Afuera, la ciudad –caliente y brumoso.

Adentro, gato fresco.

Sintiéndose rosa y vago” (Larios, 16.)

Soy una amante de los gatos, también, uno de mis colores favoritos es el rosa; sin embargo, lo que amo más acerca de este poema, es la manera en la que Larios describe a un adorable (y siempre vago) gatito, en su mejor definición. Ella me hizo recordar una gata que tenía hace mucho tiempo, durante mi infancia.

Elefante Amarillo, Un Bestiario Brillante de Julie Larios es un grandioso libro de introducción-a-la-poesía. Cada padre debería tener una copia en sus casas, para así comprometer a sus hijos a leer poesía y enriquecer su vocabulario. En adición, las ilustraciones hechas por Julie Paschkis complementan perfectamente este libro, haciéndolo educacional y entretenido.

Larios, Julie. Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary. FL: Harcourt, INC, 2006.

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The Path to Success (Camino al Éxito)

Yaritza and I. Tiendas Jimenez - Srping Fashion Photo-shoot.

Many people tend to confuse what really means to have success, because for them it could be resumed by finishing a career or acquiring some highly price goods. Both of those mentioned are valid in the goals-to-complete list. However, there are situations that might seem easily to go through for ones, yet almost impossible to others. To achieve success is a non-easy work that requires patience, effort, and wisdom.

The patience is a gift that we could have if we ask for it in a moment we are not impatient. For instance, when a person, on a desperate situation, pleads God for this gift, his mind could blocks, do not let him see the problem from all perspective, and as an effect, the problem could be prolonged. Who waits could be desperate, but at the end he should have his recompense. In fact, the better patient we are, the better satisfied we would feel.

Without effort there is not victory. Consistence must be hand by hand with patience. In some circumstances, we could feel to quit. Thus, if we are not perseverant we might allow failure to enter into our lives. However, for every not-to-good-experience we might learn to rise and be willing to success by the next time.

At last but not least, there is wisdom. This gift belongs to anyone who requires with faith. I think this one is who better defines the other gifts. For instance, a wise man might have success easily, for his wisdom make him acts with patience –without hurry things up, and be optimistic. Therefore, is really important to be wise before, during, and after the trajectory of any of our plans.

Some examples (that we might know already) of one person goals are:

- To finish an education level (elemental, high school, associate, bachelor, master, post-grade, etcetera).
- To obtain a better job or to escalate in one.
- To have an own business.
- To travel and run into new cultures.
- To buy a car (or any kind of automobile).
- And others.

Now, have we stopped to think in those goals that a human being put forward to himself for a short-term or long? For instance:

- Waking up every morning with a positive mood.
- To finish a book that was put aside for months.
- To be able to walk one step forward, after having a surgery in the legs.
- To be able to forgive and forget about it.

- To listen all the nicest comments that a teacher says about your kids.
- To choose life before taking it with an abortion.
- Pushing a child out (labor), and see how amazing this would be.
- To quit using drugs or all additive “things.”

- To love yourself. Don’t letting anyone to insult you, not even your partner, or friend, or lover.
- To brush your teeth after every meal.
- To be able to walk or run a few miles.
- To be able to stand in front of your mirror and love your body.

- Having that girlfriend/boyfriend that you always wanted.
- To know that your children respect God, and you as well.
- To keep believing in God.
- Etcetera.

In brief, no one could list unlimited goals that we might be planning during the day. However, is always good to know not to play to randomly choose the options God put us in front. Finally, to success and be successful, is significant to be patience, to put all our effort, and to act and be wise.

 

☻/ L♥ve and ✗O✗O
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Taking Risks / Tomando Riesgos

"My Point of View" - Middlesex Community College, Room 406.

As Mark Zuckerberg says, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks;” thus, I will not be the one who stayed behind. Today, I am taking a new risk; a challenge for myself. I am starting with writing my Public Secrets in two languages: English, and Spanish; in order to expand my voice and sharing my experiences as a single mother, adult student, and all in-between. 

I started taking my risks since I moved to the United States along with my children, our culture and manners. I did not change who I am, however, I had to change the way I see things; my attitude. For instance, if I was willing to keep learning English, I had to follow my Reading and writing teacher’s advice. She wanted us, her international students, to start thinking in English. At first, I started thinking how funny would that be; I even made an essay explaining why this could not be as possible as it seem, until I found myself amazed by doing it. Changes are truly good; taking the risks, even more.

Like the seasons, changes might bring beauty in to our life. In addition, changes are like planting a tree, and this could represent our changing. As a result, if we create an aura of negativity, we could not expect to harvest beauty nor sweetness at all. Finally, in this changing world, full of risks-to-be-taken, I challenge you to take yours before it’s too late. For the question here is not “what are you waiting for,” but, who?

Tal y como Mark Zuckerberg dice, “El mayor riesgo es no tomar ningún riesgo… En un mundo que cambia realmente rápido, la única estrategia que garantiza el fracaso es no tomar riesgos;” así que, yo no seré esa que se quedó atrás. Hoy, estoy tomando un nuevo riesgo; un reto para mí misma. Estoy empezando con escribir mis Secretos Públicos en dos idiomas: inglés y español; en orden de expandir mi voz y compartir mis experiencias como madre soltera, estudiante adulta, y todo entre estas. 

Empecé a tomar mis riesgos desde que me mudé a los Estados Unidos junto a mis hijos, nuestra cultura y hábitos. No cambié quien soy, sin embargo, tuve que cambiar la manera en la que veo las cosas; mi actitud. Por ejemplo, si estaba dispuesta a seguir aprendiendo inglés, tuve que seguir los consejos de mi profesora de lectura y escritura. Ella quería que nosotros, sus estudiantes internacionales, empezáramos a pensar en inglés. Al principio, empecé a pensar cuan chistoso seria esto; hasta hice un ensayo explicando el por qué esto no podría ser tan posible como parecía, hasta que me encontré asombrada haciéndolo. Los cambios son realmente buenos; tomar los riesgos, aún mejor.

Como las estaciones, los cambios podrían traer belleza a nuestras vidas. En adición, los cambios son como plantar un árbol, y esto podría representar nuestros cambios. Como resultado, si creamos un aura de negatividad, no podemos esperar cosechar belleza ni dulzura en lo absoluto. Finalmente, en este mundo cambiante, lleno de riesgos-por-tomar, te reto a que tomes el tuyo antes de que sea demasiado tarde. Porque la pregunta aquí no es “que estas esperando,” sino, ¿a quién?





☻/ L♥ve and ✗O✗O
/▌ From
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Nimia

Cerré mis ojos como escudo, protegiéndome de sus incoherentes e humillantes insultos. Extendí mis manos hacia él, en busca de esperanzas, mas nunca dijo nada esperado. Se quedó atascado en sus ataques, mientras que mis manos regresaban a su posición inicial. Permanecía encallado en su idea de que yo había planeado todo para atarle y embaucarle. Afligida; como animal herido y sin auxilio, me hacía más nimia. Culminó maldiciendo el día en que me conoció; se arrepintió de haberse atravesado en mi camino. De inmediato le imploré a Dios, para que sus palabras no fueran tomadas en cuenta, ya que mi vientre no solo llevaba aquella deseada hamburguesa.

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Razones Inconclusas

 

 

“¡Por eso es que este mundo está como está!”

La misma oración es repetida día tras día. Entre quejas y gimoteas, un grupo de ignorantes, y unos cuantos inteligentes, pero sin sabiduría, prefieren repetir la frase y enfocarse en ese escueto y majadero punto de vista.

Si una mala madre no vigila a su cría: “Por eso es que este mundo está como está.”
Si una moza opta por dedicar su tiempo a la con...cupiscencia: “Por eso es que este mundo está como está.”
Si un individuo prefiere quitarle la vida a su ex pareja, antes de tener que verla con un nuevo amante: “Por eso es que este mundo está como está.”

Todo suceso trae su resultado. Esas consecuencias solo estipulan que la palabra de Dios no se equivoca; cuando en Proverbios 1:7 dice, “El principio de la sabiduría, es el temor a Jehová.” Entonces, si todos le temiéramos a Dios antes de ejecutar un acto, ¿Este mundo no estaría cómo está?

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Amor Añejo

“Tantos viejos detrás de ti, y no te dejas arreglar la vida.” Una frase común de las personas que han practicado lo mismo (o continúan haciéndolo), y pretenden que me guie de su instruido consejo. “Gracias,” respondo, “pero no es lo que deseo.”

Si Dios me ha enseñado a salir adelante por mi esfuerzo y consistencia, ¿para que requeriría un “viejo?” Siempre he dicho que la edad provecta puede reflejarse más en la personalidad, que en la misma edad. No obstante, me sentiría incomoda al tener que complacer sexualmente a una añejada pareja. En otras ocasiones, me han recomendado salir con hidalgos de trascendentales recursos sospechosos, siendo ésta la razón primera para que un “no” salga de mi boca.

Mi cuerpo no está en venta; aun cuando con exiguo amor le han pagado, para mi bien o para mal, continuo creyendo en el amor. Enfocada, e invirtiéndole a mis erudiciones, prefiero seguir siendo indigente de capital, a tener que conformarme con poseer unas nalgas atestas, y un cerebro lerdo y vacío.

☻/ L♥ve and ✗O✗O
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