"This Land is Your Land" by Woodie Gunthrie

Is Guthrie's Message Individualist or Collectivist? Explain
Guthrie's message is from an individualist trying to take a step as best he can in a collectivist direction. HE uses "You" and "Me" - an individualistic word, one a collectivist would use would be 'us', to say lets unite under one land - a collectivist goal. 
Do you Find that this Song is Anti-Government or Pro-Government? Explain
Anti Government.  It uses a comedic/Sarcastic by government "that side was made for you and me"

The Egg Discussion Questions

What Kind was the Narrators Father before he Married? What Changes did he Undergo Afterwards?
Before the marriage he was happy and kind, but after the marriage he was lost in his ambitions.  


How does the Narrator Feel About Chickens? What does he View of them?
The narrator despised the chickens, but he also pitied them. He could never look at chickens the same after growing up with them because of the abhorrent amounts of disease and death that would occur with them and he expounded upon this by saying that if the disease "does not kill them they wait until your expectations are thoroughly aroused and then walk under the wheels of a wagon." 


Why does the Narrator Claim to have had Trouble being Happy? What are we to Make of the Narrator's Supposed Gloominess and Cautions against Optimism. 
The narrator claims to have trouble being happy because of his discouragement. This occurred because of the amount of sickness and death and the waste that became of his parent's labor. 

What Role does the Father's Collection of Grotesques play in the Story.
 The father's collection of grotesques show that he never forgot his first disappointment.


What Decisions does the Father make Regarding his Personality and Behavior? What is Wrong with this Decision and what Happens? 
The father becomes even more ambitious and decides to open up a restaurant, but does not get many customers. He later decides that this is because of the lack of entertainment so he does tricks with eggs that end in failure and him looking pathetic. 


What is the Meaning of the Narrator's Statement about the Complete and Final Triumph of the Egg?
I think the egg symbolized disappointment. Because no matter the fathers hope or ambition- to open up a chicken farm, to open up a restaurant, it always ended in failure and disillusionment, thus the triumph of the egg. 

Ebonics vs Standard English

Should people have to "code switch"? 
People should have to 'code switch' because it is what propels us as an American culture. Moving forward from our old ways and becoming educated.


What is the "standard" for American English? Is it race related? 
The standard for American English is proper, pronounced English. 
It is race related in the sense that some cultures have trouble pronouncing certain words, but i feel it should not affect the African American race like it does because unlike those of other cultures whose race causes a speech impediment, they simply refuse to speak the other method. 


Should it be a teacher's job to correct speech? Why/Why not? 
It should be a teacher's job to correct speech because it propels the learners ability which is the teachers job. 


Should the race of a teacher matter in the correction of a student's speech? Why/Why not?
Is correcting speech the same as correcting a math problem? Why/Why not?
The race of the teacher should not matter in the correction of the student's speech because a teacher should speak correct English because they are teaching. Correcting speech is not the same as correcting a math problem, because it is not as short and easy as that of a math problem, it requires time, endurance, and patience. 

American Friendship

What could be Some Reasons Americans could be Perceived in this Way?
In the article it elaborates that American don't look at friends in the Eastern sense, but simply as an acquaintance. This is due to their individualistic culture underlying the friendship to a point that they lack dependability on their friends while those of Eastern cultures, coming from a collectivist culture, depend on their friends. As well, the American connotation for friends is someone you've spoken to a few times while Eastern connotation is someone you can can depend on and who you value.

Me vs We

In a Collectivist Culture and Individualistic Culture what Personality Traits are Ideal? 
Collectivists:

• Loyal
• Family Oriented
• Sentimental
• Progressive for the Group

Individualist:

• Individualistic
• Unloyal
• Progressive for Themself 

How would you Respond to a Person of Authority in you Collectivist/Individualistic Culture?
In a Collectivist culture you would analyze your position in comparison to that of the person with authority and analyze if a move against them would strengthen your group as whole. An individualistic culture would do the same, but only to strengthen his/her position.

Evaluate the Conflict of Values when Someone from an Individual Culture Goes to a Collective one and Applies for a Job. Is it Internal or External, Explain. 
A person from an individualistic culture would only do things to help him/herself and would not care about the group which would cause of a clash of loyalty and dependability to the person giving the job to the individualist. It's internal because it is within yourself/ your own values, but it could also be external because it is how it affects your group.


What is an Acquaintance, does it have a Negative or Positive Connotation.
An acquaintance is someone who you know and acknowledge, but you do not have any personal friendship with. In today's day and age it can be anything. Most american societies perceive an acquaintance as the same thing as a friend while most eastern societies separate the two vastly almost to the point that it has a negative connotation.

"2+2=5" by Radiohead

What is this Song Talking about Lyrically?
The world does not actually grant us rights, it is all put in our minds to the point that we could believe 2+2=5

How does the Music Mirror or Help Push the Message?
The music is consistent at the beginning when he explains our world. However, when he tells us our world is a dystopia it becomes unruly and sporadic.


The Title is an Allusion to 1984 - Explain the Connection
In George Orwell's 1984, Orwell illustrates a world made up of a government -  "Big Brother" -  brainwashing its people to believe that they have rights and freedom or whatever Big Brother wants them to believe. Specifically in the book, Winston Smith compares this sense of authority the government have when he says that if the government wanted them to believe 2+2=5 they would. s

In  your opinion, why is Winston having a difficult time buying in to what Big Brother and the State are selling? Explain and support. 
Winston is having a hard time because his job puts him in a position where he still recalls what life was like before the Big Brother government took over. As a result, he can compare his life to the old life and see the corruptness of the new.


Are his small acts of defiance (questioning) a form of protest? Why/Why not? 
His acts of questioning are not a form of defiance let alone protesting. He has simply questioned the ways of the society, but he has not made any open outbursts of antagonism towards the society at all.


Compare/contrast Winston's small rebellion to a more current act of rebellion within the United States (think Tea Party Movement, Occupy Wall Street, Anti-War Protests, etc.)
The act of so called 'defiance' made by Winston most represent those of the Tea Party Movement, because they are not open declarations of opposition like those of Occupy Wall Street or Anti - War Protests, but rather simple ideas and questions that may or may not formulate into a movement that encompasses the society as a whole. 


In all facets - what they are fighting for, who they are rebelling against, the way their protests seen by the government, the way their protests are seen by the masses?
 The government does not see any protests other than the obvious ones that they must deal with through the wars that they have shielded from the eyes of their citizens. However the masses are fearful of what they have perceived to be protests in questioning the decisions of the government and having such thoughts of revolution.