"Multiple Intelligences" by Howard Gardner

The essay “Multiple Intelligences” criticizes traditional ideas about intelligence in favor of a more broad view of intelligence. These days, intelligence is largely quantified by test-taking, however, as Gardner points out, this process hardly captures the breadth of intelligences that we find useful in society. Gardner lists and describes the seven intelligences: musical, bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Through studies of prodigies and people who have become somehow cut off from particular intelligences, Gardner argues that these intelligences are independent from one another.
I agree with Gardner on the level that understanding the many facets of intelligence should be considered when evaluating someone’s capabilities. At the same time, however, I found the entire essay to be slightly pointless. In the Logical-Mathematical portion, he mentions that for “the gifted individual, the process of problem solving is often remarkably rapid…”(292). This comment made me wonder, aside from mental capacity, did speed matter? Is someone still considered intelligent in a particular category if they’re capable of solving problems but only at an incredibly slow rate? Or if someone is a mediocre but prolific writer or photographer, yet he/she is able to weed through lots of bad writing or bad photography to obtain the good works, don’t we still consider this person intelligent and beneficial to society? In this sense, intelligence seems like a pointless thing to measure anyway, if things like stamina and persistence could be the factors that cause the person to perform well.

“The Car” by Harry Crews

Crews looks back on his life owning cars nostalgically, but he explains that his perception of cars as extensions of himself was unhealthy and it allowed his cars to define and “own” him. I found Crews’ connection between his car and his sexuality to be interesting. When Shirley broke the wing vent while participating in “the first few lovely frantic moments”, Crews didn’t replace it as a trophy to his sexuality. Further, in his memory, he equates the smell of burned hamburgers and hot dogs as one of the most erotic smells, remembering the carhops that left him feeling sexually charged while he leaned against his car and talked about the speed and strength of the car as if “it was my speed and my strength that got rubber in three gears.” (403)
I can relate to the idea that a possession can shape your attitudes towards yourself. After my 18th birthday I got a tattoo. Besides purely liking the tattoo as a form of body art, I attach meaning behind my tattoo, and hope that it will shape my ideas in the future. The tattoo is of a tic-tac-toe board, and is meant to remind me several things. First, my life is not eternal, so the permanence of a tattoo isn’t really that permanent or significant at all. Second, my body is mine, and I have the freedom to play with it and mark it up as I please. And third, since life is ephemeral, I may as well have fun while I can. I could think these ideas without needing to physically ink them onto myself, but I recognize that putting the ideas into a possession help solidify my ideology for myself.

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker

“Everyday Use” is about the relationships between the mother, the narrator, and her two daughters, Maggie and Dee. Maggie has burn scars, walks like a “lame animal”, and seems to accept the fact that God has always favored her sister over her. (245) Dee has “faultfinding power”, likes nice things, gets what she wants, and is part of the black rights movement. (246) The most interesting aspect of this essay, I found, was the contrast between the two sisters. Dee wants to be in touch with her heritage, as can be seen by her fondness for the quilts and the churn she wishes to hang on her walls like art, and as can be seen by her adoption of the African name, “Wangero”. However, as the narrator describes, Dee previously cast off her background. “I didn’t want to bring up how I had offered Dee (Wangero) a quilt when she went away to college.” (250) Further, the mother is open to calling Dee “Wangero”, but finds it ironic that her daughter would want to cast off the name that is actually true to her heritage, since her grandmother and aunt carried that same name as well. Maggie highly contrasts Dee: she understands that she cannot always get what she wants, and she is not involved in the fight against “the people who oppress” her (247). Maggie reflects the generation of her mother, where “colored asked fewer questions than they do now” (246). Part of Walker’s craft as a writer is to use the contrast between Maggie and Dee to point out the tensions between different generations of black people in America in the 1960s and 70s. Maggie and her mother seem in awe of Dee, while at the same time feeling as if she is “forcing words, lies, other folks’ habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice.” (246)

"Night Song" by Stephen Kuusisto

“Night Song” is about the author’s, Stephen Kuusisto, memories as a blind child. His memories were mostly defined by sounds, sometimes touch and smell, and sometimes by blurry patches of color. His memory of the city, for instance, was defined by the potato seller’s voice, the sound of knife blades, and “the rumble of streetcars”. The author kind of develops a relationship with sound: he understands the intricacies of sounds better than most people, and he places “such great faith in sound”. I love the message behind this story, which is that people can sometimes better experience life and its intricacies by simplifying one’s perception of things. I remember random times in my life when I have closed my eyes to listen to the rain beat against the roof or to listen to an orchestra play. By shutting off certain parts of our brains, we are more capable of focusing our attention on something unique. I know this is the case in yoga, where, in order to truly relax and sink deeply into the stretches, one must shut off the part of the brain that focuses on the things that need to get done.

"Root Cellar" and "Into Mexico"

The first poem titled, “Root Cellar”, creates a great sense of imagery and taps into the reader’s memories of smelling and feeling a rich, dank, and dark place. “Shoots dangled and drooped,/ Lolling obscenely from mildewed crates…Pulpy stems, rank, silo-rich.” The poet also describes the liveliness that comes from the things growing in the cellar by using language usually used to describe people: “congress”, ”sleep”, “hunt”, “breathing”, etc. This poem reminded me of our in-class talk about haikus and the appreciation of pure imagery.

The second poem titled, “Into Mexico”, is about the exhilaration the poet felt in visiting Mexico, which was a foreign country to her. Even the unpleasant experiences, such as going to the bathroom in a shack, are described as adventures that require bravery. The poet is so eager to experience everything, as can be seen by the desire to try every sweet roll in the market place and the line “Each noise, each name, is enchanted and necessary.” In the last stanza, the poet writes, “One starves for this journey, I think, a simple sensing of what is not thou, not it, but you…” It is as if the poet finds the journey of finding herself in a foreign country to be as necessary and as fulfilling as food or water or any other basic necessity for living. I too “starve” for particular sensory-filled experiences, but my needs are usually for journeys through nature, like hiking up a mountain, trekking through the woods, or dipping my feet in a lake.

Locker Room Talk by Stephen Dunn

In “Locker Room Talk”, Stephen Dunn makes the argument that locker room talk, rather than be the demonstration of power and self-worth, is about the bonding of men over not relinquishing power to women. I found Dunn’s choice of word, “complicitous”, to be intriguing: part of his embarrassment towards the man in the locker room was from being an accomplice to the story. Whether Dunn liked it or not, he was a member of a particular group of people, locker room men. The idea that people belong in groups and inherit stereotypes and expectations from these groups is shared between this story and the previous story, “Black Men and Public Space”. It is interesting how this story highlights how the “us” versus “them” mentality can bring a group of people together, even when its members might no want to be associated in the “us” group.
When I was still in the architecture program, I remember how embarrassed I felt during Dragon Day week. The mentality the first year architecture students place themselves in during this week is one of “us versus engineers”. The architects build a dragon; the engineers build a phoenix. The architects make fun of engineering students by dressing up like nerds; the engineers…work. I felt awkward for being a part of the architects group when in actuality I felt that there ought not be a separation between the two, and if anything, the engineers were superior.

Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples

In “Black Men and Public Space”, Brent Staples describes the ways in which being a young, tall, black man has given him the “ability to alter public space in ugly ways” (p. 40). I found Staples’ first sentence to be interesting: “My first victim was a woman…” The reader’s first impression of the author mirrors that of people within his presence. As we continue reading, we realize the first sentence contrasts greatly with the rest of the story—this man’s not to be feared at all. Just as the author redeems himself to the readers, he feels obliged to redeem himself to those around him in public places, to put them at ease, such as by whistling Beethoven or Vivaldi. It’s sad that Staples feels that he owes something to those around him, simply because of his presence as a black man, yet it’s very telling of today’s race relations.
As a young girl, sometimes I feel the opposite of Staples: simply ignored. I used to be bothered by this, feeling as if it was my duty to prove to others my abilities and making sure people were aware of my presence. I’d let people look at my test grades to prove to them I was good at math, or I’d swear like a sailor just to not be seen as dainty. Eventually I realized that being underestimated and ignored can be freeing, as no one holds expectations of you and your abilities.

Shaping up Absurd by Nora Ephron

“Shaping up Absurd”, by Nora Ephron, is about Nora’s experience during adolescence of waiting for and then acquiring breasts. To her, breasts were the ultimate sign of femininity, and not having them as a teenager cast her into the “androgynous” category. I identified with the scene where Diana came back before seventh grade was about to start, and Nora sees that Diana has matured into “a young woman”. “My best friend has betrayed me. She has gone ahead without me and done it. She has shaped up.” (p. 19) I remember the feeling of being in middle school and feeling as if everyone knew something I didn’t. Everyone seemed to know what you were supposed to do in a relationship, and what becoming older was all about. When my closest friends’ bodies matured as well, I figured that all the secrets of becoming older had been revealed to them. I felt alone in this sense, and clueless, but hopeful that if I waited long enough, I would be bestowed with womanliness as well. I also identified with the scene where Nora mimics the actions of mature women to feel less childish and androgynous. “All you had to do was make a great fuss over having enough nickels for the Kotex machine and walk around clutching your stomach and moaning for three to five days a month about The Curse and you could convince anybody.”(p. 17) This instance reminded me of a time when I was overly conscious about the way people sat. Women sat with their legs crossed. I crossed my right leg over my left knee. I felt instantly womanlier.

I found the excerpt from the article to be confusing at first. I had to reread that section to understand that the context changed. Here she was describing her first “competitive remark” about breast size, when she was just describing how her first boyfriend had felt her up. (p. 21)

I found the author’s style to be very colloquial and relatable. In the first line, she acknowledges the readers presence by saying, “I have to begin with a few words about androgyny.” (p. 16) Then she goes on to tell her story, and after she has, she ends the story by addressing the reader again, “You probably think I am crazy to go on like this: Here I have set out to write a confession that is meant to hit you with the shock of recognition and instead you are sitting there thinking I am thoroughly warped.” (p. 22) Part of her craft is that she frames her story with an intimate conversation with the reader, which makes her voice and her character ever more present.

"My Father's Life" by Ray Carver

“My Father’s Life” is about the author’s father’s life through the author’s perspective. His father is described as a hard worker who constantly hit hard times. He had difficulty holding onto money, and he was an alcoholic. The family was also abusive to one another. One night Carver’s father tried to enter their house drunk. To keep him out, his mother knocked him out with a colander. His father’s main redeeming quality was his devotion to hard work, but ironically his work was what killed him: he became sick from cutting himself on a saw. After Carver’s father's death, we see that despite his toxic tendencies, those around him loved him.
In my senior year of high school I had to read a fair number of Raymond Carver’s short stories. I rarely related to the characters in his stories, who were, to my mind, depressing. It is clear that some of Carver’s inspiration for his characters came from his father’s abusiveness and his mother’s willingness to stay with circumstances as they were. Nevertheless, I do relate to “My Father’s Life”. My half sister, Jenna, led a fairly destructive lifestyle. One of her issues was her tendency to overspend money when she came upon it, and she often found herself with none when she truly needed it. When she was at a good point in her life, her pride took the form of many phone calls to family members, but when she was struggling, she’d stop calling. After she was diagnosed with diabetes, on top of other health problems, my family hadn’t heard much from her in a while. Eventually we received a phone call from her landlord that she had died from a diabetic coma. Her lack of money left her unable to take care of herself, but she had been too ashamed to ask for help. At my sister’s funeral my family and I mourned Jenna’s life. Despite her destructive life style, that day we remembered her for the love we had for her and for her kindness.

"Boyfriends" by Susan Toth

Susan Toth’s essay, entitled “Boyfriends”, is about Toth’s teenage years during which she wanted and obtained a boyfriend. First, her motivation behind obtaining her boyfriend, Peter, seems manufactured by the expectations of others. She fears reaching sixteen and never kissing a boy, and her interest in Peter seems rooted in superficial qualities such as “older” and “an athlete”. Toth valued her relationship to Peter for what it was, an experience she needed to fulfill as a teenager and a time-filler before going to college. “I could sense new vistas opening before me, glowing horizons whose light completely eclipsed a boyfriend like Peter.” Toth ends the essay on a sentimental note, however, using the cross necklace as a symbol for how nice it is to be cared about by someone.
My own first boyfriend experience was very similar to Toth’s. I too felt the pressure to obtain a boyfriend and a first kiss before getting “too old”. Part of the urgency to obtain a boyfriend was the desire to assert my independence and maturity, which Toth and her friends felt they needed to do as well, as can be seen by their need to drive. “Driving gave us a feeling of freedom.” Even though I knew throughout my relationship that we would need to break up as there were “new vistas” elsewhere for the both of us, I did not experience the same level of detachment to my first boyfriend as Toth seems to have had with Peter. My first boyfriend is currently one of my best friends, and as far as I can tell, there is no great eclipse over that section of my life.

Public and Private Language--Richard Rodriguez

Through his essay “Public and Private Language”, Richard Rodriguez describes how from an early age he recognized his public and private identities as separate. His home was a more private world than the homes of his English-speaking peers since his family members were able to bond over their feelings of estrangement and the Spanish language they shared. Further, Rodriguez recognized his public identity at an early age, since he was more self-conscious when he spoke English, both because it was an unfamiliar language with unfamiliar sounds and because when he spoke English, there was always an audience. As his ability to speak English rose, so did his confidence in his public identity.

As I grew up, I too realized the existence of a public identity, but unlike Rodriguez, I became more silent with this realization. I have never been good at stringing words together quickly and in a way that truly conveys what I mean. Because my family and friends have gotten used to the way I speak, they usually do understand what I mean to say, or they at least have the patience for me to fully spell it out. As Rodriguez pointed out in regards to public language, “the point was not self-expression alone but to make oneself understood by many others” (p. 283). As my confidence in my ability to speak publicly declined, my public identity has become more silent and reserved, drifting farther away from my silly and easygoing private self.

I found Rodriguez’s uncertainty over how to address his parents to be the most interesting part of his essay. After English became his primary language, the words “mother” and “father” did not suit his parents, yet he did not feel as if “mamá” and “papá” were words and sounds that belonged to him anymore. The lost connection between his parents and himself due to the differences in the English and Spanish languages is particularly visible and emotional in this example he provides.

I noticed that Rodriguez’s essay was extremely personal. Not only does he delve deeply into personal content, but his style of writing is also very intimate. He uses parentheses to let the reader in on more information than what a straight narrative would provide. “Sentences needed to be spoken slowly when a child addressed his mother or father. (Often the parent wouldn’t understand.)” (p. 285) Furthermore, he italicizes words to place emphasis on them, allowing the reader to almost hear Rodriguez tell his story and connect more deeply to him.