The Individual Reactions

June 21

It is the due date of individual action. I introduced my personal proposal which is about international communication to every group member. Also, I came up with the idea like holding a basketball game to promote the communication between students in college rather than just talking. After the introduction of each group member, we decided to combine everyone’s idea together to form our project, which is going to an elementary school, talking to kids about consumerism and world hunger and doing some activities with them. Thus, I thought we may hold a game to play with kids together.

June 23

Ryan realized the information about Boys and Girls Club of Story County from his football coach, so we decided to implement our project in Boys and Girls Club. I thought that was an extremely good chance to communicate with American kids. Also, it would be a fantastic way to feel the different life style during the break compared to children’s lives in China. After that, we explored the website of Boys and Girls Club to acquaint every group member with this club as well as to search the open time and contact information. It was very helpful to have a deep realization of the place we would go to.

On the other hand, Ms Dixon suggested us to narrow down our topic because it is too broad to achieve it in short term. Therefore, when we contacted Todd Jorgensen who is the program director of the club, we asked him to choose one among three prepared topics. Also, we inquired and made sure the presentation time and the audiences.

After the contact with Todd, we thought out a better topic – healthy living in which we could include both eating healthy and being active. Thus, we confirmed “healthy living” as our project topic.

I believe that it was a successful start. We worked effectively to make sure the purpose and audiences. Meanwhile, we also took shape in action.

June 26/27

During this weekend, we firstly met in Park Library to make an outline of the presentation to kids. We did our best to make this presentation vivid and discussed the availability of different games and activities. I suggested that we should begin the presentation with some interesting questions so that we could engage the kids who are our audiences. For examples, we could show them some food pictures and ask them what their favorite food is and what food they think is the healthy food. Then, we assigned the work to each group member. My work was on nutritional fact and healthy food for kids. Therefore, I did some research on the Internet and found a fun game in which children are asked to color a nutrition pyramid so that they could realize how much nutrition they need every day. After that, we took the action shots outside the library and went to Hyvee to take photos of eating healthy. We supposed to use these photos to make some videos used during presentation.

June 30

This morning, we had a conference with Ms Dixon. During the meeting, we reported what we have done and what we are going to do. After meeting, we had a brief discussion outside the office. The point mainly focused on combining the videos and materials prepared by each one. In the afternoon, I went to Nidhi’s office to prepare the Powerpoint which would be used in presentation to kids together with her because both of us worked on the part of eating healthy. I searched a lot of cartoon characters of healthy food and put them into my Powerpoint to make it vivid and attract kids’ attentions. All the group members met in the library again in late time this day. We brought everyone’s work and put them into one Powerpoint and modified a little to make a unique style. Besides that, we did some practice and checked everything done to the presentation next day.

July 1

Today is the day that we went to the Boys and Girls Club and achieved our presentation to kids. The group assembled in front of East Hy-Vee and bought healthy food as prizes for kids around 7:50am. After arriving the Boys and Girls Club, We did some preparations and began our presentation. The entire procedure was very successful and we had a great time with the kids there. Honestly, I really like them. Although there was a little talking difficulty sometimes because of my poor oral English, I still appreciated to play with these cute kids. They let me think back my childhood when I lived without any bother.

July 5/6/7/8

After finishing the presentation in Boys and Girls Club, we transferred our main emphasis to the final paper and presentation in class. We met every night in Molecular Biology Building which is the place Nidhi works. We were still allocated with different tasks. I worked on the implemented plan of action with Yinfei. Besides finishing the paper writing, I also prepared the Powerpoint of my part. I searched some related pictures and adopted some photos taken during our activities to put them into my Powerpoint, which could make the presentation more visually and attractive.

What is more, there were also some other actions during these days. On July 6^th, we went back to the Boys and Girls Club to collect the feedbacks from kids and director of the club. Meanwhile, we played the game “jeronimo” with kids to enjoy the best time together with them. There was also an amusing thing happened that day: a boy in the club who didn’t attend our presentation last week gave me two new English names: Fred and Steve and kept calling me Steve throughout the activity. At last, all the kids began to call me Steve. Although this might be my last time going there, I will never forget the happy time with them.

"Manifesto" and "The Making of a Marginal Farm"

In "Manifesto", the author looks forward to a simply life in which we don't need to consider and worry too much. Also, we don't need to pursue the so-called profit like money or houses. Everything in the environment can be our profit. Just keep a positive mind.
In "The making of a marginal farm", the author described the experience of how his marginal farm grows. That gives me a vivid and new realization of farm life. I think he intents to tell people it is also possible to make a good farm with marginal earth.

Having Faith

I think the purpose that she wrote this is to advocate an healthy environment and prevent the harm to children. The audiences should be all who care about the health of future generations. She conveys her messages through describing her pregnancy period and exploring her earlier life. I think I should consider it as activism because she wrote this writing with her own experiences.

Personal Response to "SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL CHANGE"

Generally, this is a meaningful paper. The author listed some facts to engage the audiences at first place. Then he clarified some significant points. After that, the author advocated a lot of actions which are from big scope to individual actions. This is the major part of this paper. I agree with most of his suggestions in the paper. Meanwhile, I also have a little doubts for a few actions. For example, "vote with your dollars". It is kind of like a commercial advertizement. We can decide where we want to spend our money.

About bad apple

I have never been in a group with a "real" bad apple. In my opinion, a bad apple is a kind of people who break the group's chemical reaction. He/She may distract other members or steal someone's achievement. However, I used to meet some people who didn't do anything helpful to the work as if he was not a member in this group. For this situation, what I usually do is to leave him alone and focus on my own work. If he is willing to do some help sometimes, I will still be kind to him, or I just regard him as air.

Group Work

One of the group works I have attended is the lab experiment in course EE331. I did the assignment together with my partner. I believe we finished it very well. Basically, the assignment are divided into two parts: simulation and circuit establishment. Therefore, we are responsible to one part separately. When we meet any difficulty, we discuss together and try to figure it out. Finally, we validate our consequences from two different parts. I think this is a very effective group work.

Homeplace

The summer is coming.
There should be the yell of cicada,
but not.
There should be many people sitting under the tree to summer,
but not.
My homeplace,
like many other big modern cities,
has been rapidly developing.
Insects disappear at all,
people prefer to stay at home to enjoy the cool brought by air-condition.
It seems a big change,
but few people notice the vanishment of those lively creatures,
they all focus on the better living condition.
no one cares if there is cicada around them,
sometimes, it is even better without that "noise",
as long as they can hear the pop music.
The road is covered by concrete,
no one knows where the grass goes,
sometimes, it is even better without that "mess",
as long as they have the convenience to walk and ride cars.
We realize one aspect of changes that caused by ourselves,
but neglect the changes of nature that caused by ourselves as well.

The changes I made to the surroundings

I tried to recycle all the beverage cans I drank with and sold them to the Cub Food market. Geneally, I drank apprximate 5 boxes of beverage which are about 60 cans in one semester. I didn't throw them away directly as usual. Oppositely, I gather them together and sold them at the end of the semester. It was not only an environment-friendly action, but also brought me some extra money.

Personal mission statement

I am committed to living a peaceful, easy, country life. Life is a little stream for me, without any wave. I intend to enjoy the life with family in a harmony community.

Silent Spring

Context: How does the author convey the purpose of the text?

The main purpose of this writing is to show that the abuse of pesticide - DDT is not only harming even killing the insects and birds, but also human beings. In order to materialize the harms caused by pesticide, the author describes a town in detail. It used to be a harmony and beautiful town, but then the cattle and sheep sickened and died. Even the adults and children died. The whole town is in a shadow of death, which is extremely horrible. Although this town doesn't exist in real, the author uses this exaggerate depiction to draw audience's attentions to the serious harm from pesticide.

A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf

What specific details stay in your mind? Why? How do these small details lead to larger ideas?

In this piece, the author depicts a man he met with his experience that his dog is caught by an alligator and this man has a tough fight with him." It is a vivid description as if the audience was standing beside that shallow. Through this story, the author draw into a discussion about the relationship between human beings and nature. Why are they evil? Then the author also talks about the creator and god.

Polemic: Industrial Tourism and the National Parks

What are the major themes in this piece?

The major theme of this piece is to propose to keep national parks from industrial developments. The author introduces his job at first place, and then describes what is happening in the national parks. At last, he comes up with some proposals. In his opinion, people are disconnected with nature, and government funds to increase it though. It is not only costly to pave roads, but also destroys the natural landscape.

A First American Views His Land

How does the writer structure the essay and to what effect?

The author inserts several poems throughout the writing. These poems engage the audiences very well. At the same time, they work as good transitions between paragraphs. One of the advantages of the poem is to depict and express the profound emotions with only a few words. The author writes with these poems to make the writing vivid and give audicens more spaces to image.

The similarities and differences between Chris McCandless and Thoreau

The similarities between Chris McCandless and Thoreau are both of them intent to have a simple life, and they want to isolate from the society as well.

However, they are also different in many ways. Thoreau doesn't leave the society absolutely. He just lives near the town, not far from his family home. He works to earn money to build his small cabin. Also, he reveives visitors and returns their visits. On the other hand, the life of McCandless is totally in the wilderness. Although he also works to get the money to Alaska, he burns all of his money after he arrives the Alaska, and he lives in there without any help from other people or "society". Additionally, he lives alone all the time.

In The Nature (the imitation poem based on the poem in page5 of Blood Dazzler)

I see

what the nature does

and taste

bead on my lip

and feel

Adam's ale soaking my body

and hear

thunderous waterfall

and want it

all

Blood Dazzler --- What was the first sound

Look at the transitions between paragraphs or between sections. How does he or she make these transitions? What effect do they have on the forward momentum of the piece?

Basically, the author made the transitions between paragraphs by repeating the last sentence in the foregoing paragraph. This kind of use may look like a little repetitive in a formal paper, but when it is used in a poem, it makes the transition become coherent. It combines the all pieces together.

Chicago in different sights 3

shuttling in the downtown of Chicago,
many different people walk across me,
some with business suits,
some with sweaters,
some with T-shirts,
some with tattered coats......
Even so,
all of them walk so fast,
no time to slow down the steps to look around carefully.
This is the real life in Chicago.

Chicago in different sights 2

Wander along the beach,
went down to touch the sand,
beyond, a young couple are frolicking with their dog,
an adolescent rides across me,
slowly close the eyes,
feel the moderate wind,
listen the mew.
This is another world in Chicago.

Chicago in different sights 1

Standing in the 94th floor of John Hancock Center, overlook the whole Chicago City. There is a serpentine beach along the Michigan Lake in the east. Looking through the windows in the north and west of John Hancock center, the scene outside is not like the 3rd biggest city of American at all. Oppositely, it is more like a small town as same as Ames. However, the core of Chicago is shown in our eyes when we look toward south. Numbers of skyscrapers stand in the downtown.

The Summer Day: Theme

The author began the poem with three questions which cause audience's thinking. Then, she described the motion of the grasshopper in detail. Along with the following poem, I guesss what she wants to express to audiences is that we should spend our short life on feeling the nature. Slow down our steps and observe the nature around us. In addition, as what she said that "I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass......", I think that shows her atitude toward the life, which is also the theme of this poem. Just make life easier.

Ninemile Wolves: Themes

The story of Ninemile Wolves is connected by tracking a pack of wolves. The main ideas of this piece is to give audiences a brief realization of wolves' habits and the change in America in the past years. In 1920s, the government planned to hunt and kill all the predator including wolves in America. People replaced wild land with farms. Obviously, America lost its wilderness. Almost all the wolves were exterminated. The increaseing population of deers and elks broke the balance of nature. After that, the government began to do the reintroduction of wolves. The author also talked about the balance between wolves and human beings. The wolves are chasing deers while people are chasing wolves.

Refuge: The specific details stay in my mind

At the beginning of this article, the author introduced a lot about the Great Salt Lake especially on the rise of the level of Great Salt Lake. In order to make the boring geographic depiction lively, the author cited an all-known experiement in school to illustrate the characteristic of the lake. Also, the specific experiement enable us to understand the variety of area and volume of the lake better. Besides that, the author specialized a lot of exact numbers to show the rise of water level, and one of them, which is the water level that meant the flooding of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, is the number that the author really cared about. It smoothly lead up to the following paragraphs which are about Refuge and her family. In addition, the details introduced above claimed the importance of water level change to the Rufuge which is the main point of this article.