Humanities Seminars
Brynn Nelson
Mexican Whiteboy Seminar Pre-Write
In the culture that Danny and Uno live in, the majority of the race is Mexican. Neither Danny nor Uno are fully so. In Danny’s case, he is too mexican for his peers at the school he attends, Leucadia Prep, and too white for his family in National City. As far as Uno goes, he is half african american, so since he hasn’t ever experienced the fully white culture, he is simply too dark for his peers in National City. Uno also seems to build himself up to be the tough guy, whether it is necessary or not. Even though as Danny starts to become better friends with him, we as the reader find out that he really isn’t. Danny seems to have the mindset that he simply shouldn’t let anyone into his life, even though that changes throughout the book. Instead of hiding or trying to change his characteristics as Uno does, he just pretends they’re not there, or doesn’t let anyone know about them. It seems as though they start to confide in each other, because they are both different.
Matt De la Pena’s, “Mexican Whiteboy” really looks into the culture of a low economic class and a racial target group. Most of the people in the town it takes place in are mexican and poor. Since they start out on the bottom of the social ladder, the kids in the book seem to have given u0p, before it started. A lot of them are very smart and good people. They have been socialized to think of themselves as minorities, so they don’t think they can accomplish things like going to college. The author shows characters that seem to think that there is a certain person that they have to be based on what they look like or how much money they have. One character, Uno, is half black and his dad always tells him that because of it, he needs to work extra hard to be a good kid and make a good self image for himself. Another one, Sofia states that she can’t go to college because she has no money and, who would want a poor mexican girl at some college. The book is a great book that shows perfectly the life of a minority and an outcast.
Throughout this book, I realized that there are a lot of racial and economic stereotypes, that aren’t necessarily true, but the people that fall into the categories that they portray seem to conform to them, and believe them merely because that is what everyone has told them. I also learned that races are much more segregated throughout certain parts then I thought. In my community people don’t typically view race as a character trait. As I read this book, I started to realize not everywhere is as ideal as that. In places like Leucadia, race is a character trait. I learned how uneducated some people were about simple things like how dark your skin is and how much money you have, both positively and negatively. This book not
only taught me new things, but it opened my eyes to things I never thought where there.
Mexican Whiteboy Seminar Pre-Write
In the culture that Danny and Uno live in, the majority of the race is Mexican. Neither Danny nor Uno are fully so. In Danny’s case, he is too mexican for his peers at the school he attends, Leucadia Prep, and too white for his family in National City. As far as Uno goes, he is half african american, so since he hasn’t ever experienced the fully white culture, he is simply too dark for his peers in National City. Uno also seems to build himself up to be the tough guy, whether it is necessary or not. Even though as Danny starts to become better friends with him, we as the reader find out that he really isn’t. Danny seems to have the mindset that he simply shouldn’t let anyone into his life, even though that changes throughout the book. Instead of hiding or trying to change his characteristics as Uno does, he just pretends they’re not there, or doesn’t let anyone know about them. It seems as though they start to confide in each other, because they are both different.
Matt De la Pena’s, “Mexican Whiteboy” really looks into the culture of a low economic class and a racial target group. Most of the people in the town it takes place in are mexican and poor. Since they start out on the bottom of the social ladder, the kids in the book seem to have given u0p, before it started. A lot of them are very smart and good people. They have been socialized to think of themselves as minorities, so they don’t think they can accomplish things like going to college. The author shows characters that seem to think that there is a certain person that they have to be based on what they look like or how much money they have. One character, Uno, is half black and his dad always tells him that because of it, he needs to work extra hard to be a good kid and make a good self image for himself. Another one, Sofia states that she can’t go to college because she has no money and, who would want a poor mexican girl at some college. The book is a great book that shows perfectly the life of a minority and an outcast.
Throughout this book, I realized that there are a lot of racial and economic stereotypes, that aren’t necessarily true, but the people that fall into the categories that they portray seem to conform to them, and believe them merely because that is what everyone has told them. I also learned that races are much more segregated throughout certain parts then I thought. In my community people don’t typically view race as a character trait. As I read this book, I started to realize not everywhere is as ideal as that. In places like Leucadia, race is a character trait. I learned how uneducated some people were about simple things like how dark your skin is and how much money you have, both positively and negatively. This book not
only taught me new things, but it opened my eyes to things I never thought where there.
Brave New World
Brynn Nelson
Brave New World Socratic Seminar Pre-Write
What is the overall message of Brave New World?
I think that the overall message of Brave New world is that you can’t truly have happiness without also having pain. Also, sometimes control is a very difficult thing to possess and it backfires a lot of the time. Even if you break out of the cycle, it could still catch up to you and change or control your life.
In what ways has Brave New World made you think about happiness?
As I previously stated, this book made me think about how maybe you can’t have happiness without having pain also to make you realized what happiness is. It also made me think about how happiness may not have one clear definition to go off of.
What does John mean by saying that nothing in civilization costs enough?
I think that what John is trying to convey by stating this is that the “civilized” society isn’t worth what it takes away from you. Since John came from the exact opposite side of the civilization spectrum, he really sees the differences between the two and I think that because of this he analyzes that the “civilization” takes more away from a person then it gives them.
How much of the society do you think is focused on comfort and how much do you think is focused on truth and beauty? Give overall percentages and explain why.
I believe that about 30% of the society is based on comfort and 50% is focused on truth and beauty. The society in the book valued actually comfort very unfavorably. Although, they valued happiness, or at least their version of it, extremely highly and I think that would fall in the category of happiness. AS for truth and beauty, I do not believe that truth is necessarily valued more than anything else, but in the book it did talk a lot about beauty and how important physical appearances are. As for the rest, I think it falls into the category of various other things not as important or relevant.
Brave New World Socratic Seminar Pre-Write
What is the overall message of Brave New World?
I think that the overall message of Brave New world is that you can’t truly have happiness without also having pain. Also, sometimes control is a very difficult thing to possess and it backfires a lot of the time. Even if you break out of the cycle, it could still catch up to you and change or control your life.
In what ways has Brave New World made you think about happiness?
As I previously stated, this book made me think about how maybe you can’t have happiness without having pain also to make you realized what happiness is. It also made me think about how happiness may not have one clear definition to go off of.
What does John mean by saying that nothing in civilization costs enough?
I think that what John is trying to convey by stating this is that the “civilized” society isn’t worth what it takes away from you. Since John came from the exact opposite side of the civilization spectrum, he really sees the differences between the two and I think that because of this he analyzes that the “civilization” takes more away from a person then it gives them.
How much of the society do you think is focused on comfort and how much do you think is focused on truth and beauty? Give overall percentages and explain why.
I believe that about 30% of the society is based on comfort and 50% is focused on truth and beauty. The society in the book valued actually comfort very unfavorably. Although, they valued happiness, or at least their version of it, extremely highly and I think that would fall in the category of happiness. AS for truth and beauty, I do not believe that truth is necessarily valued more than anything else, but in the book it did talk a lot about beauty and how important physical appearances are. As for the rest, I think it falls into the category of various other things not as important or relevant.