No Place Like Home by David Guterson

As Guterson describes, the reason Green Valley is as much a verb as a noun is because it is "a place in the process of becoming what it purports to be" (pg. 183).  Green Valley, "a corporate master-planned community" (pg.183), is a former desert area that was and currently is being made into a predictable and safe community.  As Guterson describes, "Within the high walls lining Green Valley's expansive parkways lie homes so similar they appear as uncanny mirror reflections of one another-and, as it turns out, they are" (pg.183).  Nothing is out of the ordinary, giving this area a sense of calmness and simplicity.  There are no gas stations or fast-food restaurants within Green Valley's limit, and there is even a slightly scary neighborhood watch in effect with signs reading:  "Warning...neighborhood watch program in force.  We immediately report all suspicious persons and activities to our police department" (pg. 184).  All of these enforcements and community designs are changing this area south of Las Vegas into what "Green Valley" should encompass.  

Guterson's tone of voice throughout "No Place Like Home" is sarcastic.  He achieves this by presenting the goal of designers who initially create communities such as Green Valley, but by writing it so the reader can discern the mistakes and falsehoods of such plans.  For example, when Guterson describes the civic center by saying, "A promotional brochure describes its plaza as 'the perfect size for public gatherings and all types of social events,' but on that balmy day, the desert in bloom just a few miles off, no one had, in fact, fathered here" (pg.184).  By putting forward what these communities original intentions were, the ridiculous nature of some of their plans is displayed.  

Guterson supports his idea that suburbs are not safe as they claim to be by quoting Robert Fishman's ideas:  "...would agree that suburbia hasn't worked.  Suburbia, he argues, appeared in America in the middle of the nineteenth century, offering escape for the squalor and stench of the new industrial cities" (pg. 185).  As people are beginning to realize, just because a community guards itself behind "impenetrable" walls, doesn't stop evil from seeping inside.  Guterson gives countless examples, such as a rapist being loose inside of Green Valley and a killer of 23 people being a resident of the seemingly safe community (pg.188).  From my experience not necessarily living in a regulated community, but a small town, communities cannot change a person's values or curb their problems.  Just as Guterson describes Green Valley's drug problems by saying, "...the teenagers who told me that LSD and crystal meth are the narcotics of choice at Green Valley High School..." (pg. 188), problems, whether about drugs or violence, can always find a way to corrupt a town, a city, or even a well-guarded suburb community.

Home

5 Memories/Feelings about Home Drawing:
1. The circular tile floor that surrounds the front door is where my dog, which died last summer, used to always lay.
2. My house was peculiar in a sense that the front door leads to the second floor, and there is one above and below it.
3. When I was younger I wanted to play the piano, so my stepdad's mom gave us her old piano which is still in the living room even though I gave up after only a few months.
4. The kitchen has a TV, but the living room doesn't because no one ever hung out in the living room.
5. The way the second floor is laid out is one huge square room not separated by anything except for the bathroom that is the smaller square room in the center. This made my house anything but private unless you decided to go into your own room.

One memory that I will always associate with my house is my dog, which passed away this past summer. My sister and I got our dog, Mac, when we were about 6 or 7 years old and we were so excited because it was the first pet we ever had. We got the dog within the first year or two of moving into our house (more like a condo) so much of my memories associated with living there revolves around my dog. Its favorite spot to lay or sleep at was this semi-circular floor that was tile that surrounded the front door, probably because it was a cooler area to lay on as opposed to the carpet. Whenever anyone opened the door, she would always be sleeping behind it. Now, when I come in the door, sometimes it's awkward not to see her lying there anymore.

What Makes A Man Hot

1.  Straight & white teeth (nice smile)

2.  Clear complexion

3.  Pretty eyes

4.  Straight hair (short or shaggy)

5.  In good shape

6.  Healthy looking skin tone

7.  Taller than me (5'5")

8.  Funny personality

exs:  Brad Pitt, Charlie Hunnam, Johnny Depp, Dan Cook

What Do You Have to Know to Understand This Video?

In order to understand this video, you must be familiar with a certain context. Some factors include knowing who the women are in the video, knowing the differences that are brought out among the two women, understand the circumstances in which John McCain's running mate is now obviously closer to the white house than Hilary Clinton, and the well-talked about subject of women being in the White House. Because each of the women belong to different political parties it is also important to know which woman belongs to which party and some of the basic views of Republicans and Democrats. Both women are also separated based on their experience with politics, with Hilary Clinton having more ethos, and something as simple as their beauty.

What would you do if you were the opposite sex for one day?

If, one morning, I woke up and realized I was no longer female, but instead a male, my day would most likely not be the same. Being a male would mean no reason to put on make-up, straighten my hair, etc. I would take a shower and not have to worry about conditioning my hair after I washed it because shampoo would be enough. My shower would probably go from lasting 20 minutes to a total of 5 minutes. After that, I would probably eat massive amounts of food because it wouldn't matter how many calories I ingested for only one day. I would have to learn how to go to the bathroom as a boy too. Going out and seeing how people would treat me differently would be interesting as well: no more doors automatically being opened for me by other boys, etc. Many aspects of life in which I'm used to would change.

Rhetoric Scavenger Hunt

Analysis:

I believe that this particular text is rhetorically effective because of the combination of appearance and purpose. By being placed inside of a building used primarily by UT students and faculty, they are the intended audience. I believe the tone of the text is that it's not difficult to make a difference (in this case, by recycling). Also, because it is positioned right inside of the building near the door, it is an easy way to dispose of trash when entering or exiting. By putting across the message that recycling is easy, the text is also attempting to persuade its audience to do just that: recycle. I believe pathos is the main rhetoric strategy present because by using the statement UT Cares, the text is attempting to arise feelings of obligation because most of the people walking by the recycling bin are a part of UT; therefore, they should care. Overall, I believe the purpose of the text is to motivate people to recycle instead of littering or just throwing away trash.

Letters

Dear Stephanie,
I wish you had come back to Oak Ridge with me this past weekend.  I went home friday and it was pretty boring but I had that 300 dollars my mom put in my account, so that helped. After I went to Erick's house, we went out to Knoxville to Brad's. Tree came over to and he fired us up. I also saw a person who you don't like too much, but I already told you about that in person.  We just watched movies so it wasn't that much fun, but Saturday I went to the lake with Erick and his family. They took us tubing on their boat. They also cooked a really good dinner. We were supposed to spend the night but Erick's little brother was talking about spiders getting into the tent, which was where we were going to have to sleep, so I told him I wanted to go home. I was really tired from waking up at 8 in the morning, so I went to sleep pretty early. Sunday, we went over to Jake's house and threw in. We watched Street Kings. It was such a good movie, you would like it a lot. That was the same night Garrett's house got broken into. Monday I had to pack most of the day, but after I got done me and Erick drove out to Cedar Bluff to Brad's again. I actually like hanging out with him. He fired us up and we just watched TV. He had this brindled boxer and it was really sweet. It kept coming up to me and putting his head in my lap. Well that's pretty much all that happened.  Hope you had a good weekend too.

Love, Kristin





Dear Fifi,
I've been in school now for about a week and a half. I wish you had been here to see me move into the dorm and everything, but hopefully I will get to see you soon. I hope you had a good Labor Day weekend. Mine was pretty nice. I came home to Oak Ridge to be around my friends and Erick. Not much happened, except for Saturday I went out on Erick's family's boat. It reminded me of when Uncle Craig used to take us all out fishing and tubing. Of course being in the Miami Ocean is way better than Norris Lake. I was going to go to Boomsday on Sunday to see the fireworks, but I didn't feel like driving through all the traffic and finding a parking spot, so I just hung out with some friends. Monday was the first UT football game. It was an away game so I just watched it on TV. I came back to the dorm Monday night because I had classes early Tuesday morning. Well, I just thought I would say hello and tell you how I'm doing. I hope everything is going good with you and I can't wait to see you soon. I love you so much!

Love, Kristin