Chapter 1: "Mother Tongue"

Question: Do you believe, as Tan does, that the way people speak affects our perceptions about that person’s skills or abilities? Have you ever been involved in a situation in which someone was stereotyped because of the way he or she communicated? Describe the situation and explain what you took away from the experience.

I agree with Tan. Unfortunately, our society is run by competitors, and people love taking advantage of people, especially strangers. When they come across someone who doesn’t speak perfect english, they incorrectly assume that they lack other skills, such as reasoning or decision-making. What they don’t realize is that the person may completely understand the person trying to trick them, they just may not be able to express their thoughts fluently out loud. I’ve never seen a situation where this occurred, but I’m sure it happens all the time.

Chapter 1: "The Meaning of Work"

Question: What do you value in a job or career-- Flexibility, fulfillment, a high salary, or something else? Has this always been your view, or has it changed while you've matured?
I value a high salary in a job or career, like anyone else in the world. However, I think it is even more important that you love what you do. Sure, the high wages are rewarding and exciting, but is it really worth it if you hate what you're doing in life? I would hate to go into work every day dreading my existence because I had to be there. I want a job that I can smile about, and enjoy doing. I haven't always thought this way. I used to value high salary more than anything else. But that was before I got my current job, that I absolutely love, and the money at the end of the pay period is just an added bonus.

Chapter 1: "Let the Colors Run"

Question: Have you ever tried to do a formal piece of writing about something you felt passionately about, especially something that had personal impact on you? What impact does your emotional relationship with the topic have on the effectiveness of your argument? What are the benefits of writing about something you care about? What are the potential problems?
I have written papers about subjects that I can relate to myself. The emotional relationship to the essay topic facilitates the writing of it, because it is important to the writer. It's so much easier to write about something you care about than something you have no opinion on. The words come into your head faster, and more examples come to mind, as if the paper is writing itself. An issue with that would be that the person might get carried away or too emotional about the subject, leading to nonsensical or harsh sentences.

Chapter 1: "Abandoned but Not Alone"

Question: Oliphant takes a strong position against Alan Keyes and some other parents whom he accuses of "parental abandonment because their children happen to be gay." Do you think Oliphant's argument is reasonable? Why or why not?
I think Oliphant's argument is reasonable. It is downright cruel to abandon your own offspring simply because of their sexual preferences. These preferences cannot be controlled or changed, and are not sufficient reason to shun your own child. Parents are given the responsibility to take care of their children, and love them no matter who they are. It is not fair to "undermine a child's future" for such a ridiculous reason. (Oliphant 27) Earning a degree in college is hard enough, even with a parent's love, and those children expelled don't deserve to go without it.

Chapter 3: "Good and Bad Procrastination" by Paul Graham

Question: Rather than providing advice about how not to procrastinate, Graham offers some guidance on how to do it well. In your own words, how would you summarize Graham's advice? Do you agree with Graham? Why or why not?
What Graham is saying is that no one can do everything at once. It's impossible to not procrastinate, because there's just too much to do. Since procrastination is inevitable, one might as well focus on the more important tasks, such as writing a novel or a "magnum opus on Sumerian temple architecture," instead of small errands like cleaning the house or doing laundry. I agree with Graham because he is right, we can't do it all, so the parts we can do should be most important. The more important things we do, the better we make society and leave marks on this world, and everyone wants to be remembered.