Talk of the Town, The Reflection

      Both of these well written pieces by Updike and Sontag display the relevance of one of the most lamentable events in American history, 911. Updike's piece focuses on where he was and what his immediate intake of the situation was when the tragic events took place. I find it terrifying that he was so close to the towers when it happened and I don't think I would react the same way he did, with a more observant, curious approach. My reaction would have been to call everyone I know/ care about and tell them I am fine and ask them (if they were in the vicinity) if they are okay. I was curious as to why he addressed the entire situation at the very end where he says "New York looked glorious" because for me personally it came off as a triumphant statement as if something great just had happened, when it was the complete opposite. I would not be surprised if he received criticism for that.

      Sontag's honesty came out as cheeky and more leaning towards al-Qaeda, almost as if she was trying to justify their actions. I find her piece extremely controversial, but I totally get where she is coming from. Every story has two or more sides to it. Most of us here in the U.S. have most likely only heard the version in which we were innocent and unexpectedly attacked for no apparent reason. Songtag's testimony raises up questions like "Did we really not do anything?", or "Are we really innocent?", and sadly the answer is "no". The U.S. has been involved in the Middle East for a long time, even before the 911 attack happened, and our Special Forces certainly killed many innocent people that were not involved with al-Qaeda in any way.

     Despite of the strong sentiments displayed in both of these well-written essays, I strongly believe that a good literary piece is written with a plethora of passion and interest for the subject. It is not for nothing that it is taught that when writing, honesty and interest for the topic is a must have, and at the end of the day, that is what separates an average writer from a good writer.

The Beginning of Something Great

     Hello there, fellow AP Comp students. My name is José Ignacio Montalvo, better known in McFarland as Jose or Josie. As many of you may know by now I am from Quito, Ecuador, and moved here (to Wisconsin) five years ago. It may seem obvious enough, but my life has been a roller coaster ever since.

 

     The nuances between Hispanic and American culture are opulent, to say the least. Life works very differently here, and it can be shocking from time to time. It appears to me as if everyone in the U.S does his/her own thing and only fends for him/herself, which is very contrasting from Hispanics that seem to have a more communal mentality where everyone tries to help the other as much as possible. Perhaps one of the most shocking things I have encountered is the fact that family is not as important as -in my opinion- should be. In Hispanic culture (and many others as well) family is the core of society, meaning that everything revolves around it. Usually, kids do not leave their households until a few years after they finish college, or until they are not dependent on their parents economically anymore. In the counterpart, young adults here want to leave their homes as soon as they turn 18, which is hard for me to wrap my head around. Regardless of how different the U.S is from Ecuador, it is still a gorgeous country and my experience here has been phenomenal so far.

     My first language is Spanish, and I speak it very fluently, but at this point in time, I would not hesitate on saying that my level of English and Spanish are basically the same. Throughout the years I have lost my accent significantly, but there are days where I cannot help butchering words, which can be embarrassing. 

     My favorite activities consist of traveling, music, and being with friends. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I love going to new places and exploring new cultures and lifestyles. This summer I got the chance to go to Panama for a bit over a week and I had a stupendous time. Obviously traveling is made easier knowing two of the most spoken languages in the world, which is a nice asset to have. I travel constantly back and forth from Ecuador to visit family and friends which can be melancholic at times, but great nonetheless. Music is one of the main aspects of my life. I play the guitar and also the drums, and I am into most music genres except for country, but that is something I can rumble about in another occasion. My friends mean the world to me, and I consider myself to be a very sociable person. Over 70% of my summer time is spent hanging out with friends, specially my two best friends Schuyler and Quintin. I always have a blast when I am around them. We all share the same passion which is soccer, so we spend endless hours playing "the beautiful game".

     I'm looking forward to AP Composition this upcoming school year and I hope everyone enrolled in the class does too!