People Like Us

I think if I was a music artist that I would be a lot more familiar with the diversity that exists because music artist tend to be around a lot of different people. They travel the world to perform concerts and they meet so many different kinds of people in different countries. They can look into a crowd in China and see all the sorts of people that inhabit the area, and then the next week return and do a concert in the United States and see a whole different community, culture, and race in the crowd.

If i were thrity years older than I am now, I definitely think that I would know a lot more kinds of diversity now and experienced first hand those kinds of diversity. For example, my dad is exactly thrity years older than me, and he grew up through a ot of the racism that existed between the whites and the African Americans. He knows first hand the diversity that existed between the two and how much that affected the community and the places in whihc he lived. Thirty years provides a lot of diverse experiences to diverse people because one excounters countless kinds of people over a thrity year period.

Personally, I think I am somewhat in tune with the diversity around me. I notice all the different kinds of people that inhabit Florida State Unviersity. I see the different styles people where, the fraternities they belong to, the religion they have, and the race they are. However, as I grow older I know that I will continue to learn and notice many different diversities and some new ones that I have not seen a long the way. With more experiences, and the new locations I am sure to encounter, I know i will see what the world and all of its people are like.

People Like Us

I can honestly say that I am not that diverse of a person. Yes, I have a few friends that are Muslim, Mormon, Jewish, black, etc., I can’t say that I have much knowledge on their beliefs. I have done some traveling but it has been mostly inside the U.S. and Canada. I have never truly experienced a culture other than my own, though that’s not to say that I wouldn’t if I ever had the chance. It is hard to achieve diversity because we are surrounded by people that we have things in common with, be it jobs, income, hobbies, religion, or location.

If I was thirty years older I would probably be able to see diversity more clearly. That is because when I was younger I would have been able to experience and see racial discrimination and segregation in my daily life. As little back as the 1960’s blacks were still facing discrimination in many aspects of their lives. They had trouble voting, had to go to different school than whites, and even had to use different bathrooms. Now they have mostly every opportunity that whites have. Though we have come so far since I was younger there is always room for improvement.

If I was a music artist I would have a lot more diversity and experience in the world. I would be able to travel the globe performing for audiences in various countries of very different cultures and backgrounds. I feel that music is a way for people to bond and connect with one other; music really helps to bring people together in unity. At a concert you may have Asians, Hispanics, whites, upper class, middle class, all sitting in the same area and interacting together. I am so happy that my music is able to bring so many different people together for a while.

Over generalizing?

My perspective: "People Like Us..." is a little too cynical. From my point of view, people only group together with the familiar because it is comfortable, not because they expressly or consciously choose to shun other cultures. My family is Brasilian, in Pensacola we live in a predominantly white neighborhood. But yes, we have neighbors of other skin tones and cultures. America is culturally diverse, I can't tell you the amount of people I meet on any given day with different views or culture than mine, and I get along with most everyone I meet. As far as his argument for most fine arts professors and professionals being democrats, it is not a bias. I can't imagine anyone refusing to hire a music professor just because he is a republican. I think it is a fact that people who choose fine arts tend to be more open minded and liberal, therefore left leaning. People who are more business minded might lean more to the right. I think it is a matter of preference on the part of the people who choose those professions, not employers refusing to let them in on the fun due to their beliefs.

Contemporary music artist: It's my job to create music for my fans and for myself. I don't want my audience to be limited to some specific demogaphic, but that is sometimes a reality. Hopefully I will appeal to a diverse group of people, but depending on what I perform it is likely a certain group will like my style more, my manager won't let me forget it. We and most other artists cater to an audience to help sales. I still don't think that is a conscious effort to segregate. Culture or race may have nothing to do with a persons personality being more drawn to my music. I'd say more often than race we'll target age groups.

30 years older than I...: In the time I was growing up I got to witness the blatent version of the segregation he discusses. It was very real and I know it is still very real. I see the same lines drawn, the same dived neighborhoods. I think it is a shame because for the most part I see these neighborhoods dived not only by race but financial standing. Some people put themselves there, others were drawn a difficult hand and couldn't work through it, and some were given the whole silver platter. Of course there are divisions in society, I don't believe that there will ever be an even playing field. People make judgements and group themselves based on what they know, see, and believe.

People LIKE Us

Diversity depend on where I was raised and with what types of values.  Since I was born and raised in South Florida I have been a witness to some pretty diverse things.  I have experienced both public and private school, both being very diverse. Especially by making trips down to Miami and South Beach it taught me to never assume who people really are and that basically everyone is accepted for being an individual.  Obviously I am considered a diverse person because many people believe I am the stuck you Jewish brat from Boca, and to some extreme, yes.  But if you also look at me I could really care less what people think of me, the way I dress, or my pink hair.  I think what makes me such a diverse people and not so stereotypical of other people is the fact that I don't judge.  Its all in the way you judge people and you could and most likely will be wrong.  

Being a contemporary music artist I would attempt to be diverse as possible in order to be able to share my music with as many people as possible.  But I would have to include my beliefs and what I like in the creation of music.  I would not be able to focus my music on adults and children alike. I would have to pick what type of music I was interested in and then go from there.  I would never want to offend anyone with the type of music I would compose but I think I would aim for the more young adult crowd up into the adult years.  

Being almost forty eight right now would impact my beliefs greatly.  Considering I was raised around people only like me with the "different people" only taking care of my house and the children, I do not believe I would be able to be as diverse as some of the younger crowd.  I was raised with no sex while being a teen-age and to always try to wait till marriage.  Drugs were so different when I was younger, people weren't dying because the drugs weren't real, they would just die because they had an overdose.  I still get weird when I see an inter-racial couple, I just feel like I never saw that when I was growing up.  Throughout the years I have become more open to ideas, especially with my kids opening up my eyes. I allowed one of my daughters to have a boyfriend while so was in high school, which I never even imagined. I even voted for Obama! 

They are different because its three different people with three different beliefs. Me being myself I am open to anything and I just want everyone to accept people for who they are, just because you may not approve of certain things, does not make them wrong, because to me and the next person it could be totally right.  Being a music artist I do not want to offend anyone but I also know I cannot please everyone so I shouldn't try.  Being forty eight I was set in my ways of how I was raised but I am slowly opening up to new things with the help of my children and the changing ways of society. 

They are all alike because they are in tune with what is going on around them.  They are not closed minded to learning and discovering new things.  

People Like Us

Besides simple stuff such as watching different movies and listening to different types of music, I don’t consider myself that diverse. My hometown in made up of people with the same background and I went to a private school that kept my parents’ Catholic beliefs. I do try being diverse sometimes, though, by eating different types of food and visiting different countries. By traveling I have been able to experience different cultures and get a better appreciation of the world around me. Although I tend to stick to my roots, it’s always good to learn about other cultures and their way of life. I might learn something new that I might think is a good idea.
If I were a music artist, I would tend to be more diverse and learn more about different types of people so that I could sell my music to a broader audience. By being open to what other people think, I can write songs that everyone can relate too, instead of just writing about what I think. By traveling to different cities and countries to perform, I would probably learn a lot about people outside of my own neighborhood.
If I were 30 years older, I would probably be a lot more diverse. By being older, I would have experienced a lot more encounter with different people and would be a lot more educated. At this time of my life, I might be good friends with people of different values because I would probably not care what someone’s race, religion , or ethnicity is. I would be a lot more open to different cultures.
These perspectives are similar in that in all three roles, we are meeting different people through our experiences. How diverse we become depends on how many of these experiences we encounter, and our openness to accept other beliefs. A music artist or someone 30 years older would be more open then I would be right now.

I think i am a pretty diverse person. As far as culturally i lived in California where there are many Hispanics and my family and i had to get used to that moving from New York. As far as race goes i rarely see discrimination. everywhere i have ever worked there has been about an equal share of black and white. It really bothers me when people stress the whole equality issue between black and white because all of my life i have seen blacks the same way I have seen whites and talking about race equality all the time only brings it in the spot light even more and just causes all kinds of issues that are not even relevant. When i worked at Target if a black or white man came through my line wearing a suit and tie i would address him as sir, however is they came through in overalls and a ripped shirt i would more likely address them in a casual way therefore i believe diversity isn't race or culture but how you present yourself.

As a contemporary music artist i would want to be very diverse in my music and appearances. As a music artist id think you want as many fans as possible and the more diverse you are the better you are. If a group of people like you they might recommend you to their friends and so on and eventually that one fan brings in hundreds.

Somebody thirty years older than me would be expected to be not as diverse because anyone who wasn't white was discriminated against in their childhood. However from my own experience my grandparents which are 36 years old than i am are very diverse and i have never seen them discriminate against anybody.

In general i think america is very diverse and noone is harassed for having different idea whether political, cultural, or anything else.

If I were 3 people...diversity

I like to think of myself as pretty diverse. I look at the types of music I listen to which varies greatly, I look at the type of people I hang out, the foods I eat, etc. and I notice a common trait where I’m diverse in all those areas. However, in some core areas I stick to my own values, but generally I am very open to new things and new ideas and people. I really don’t focus on certain type of anything; I just go on what I like.

As a contemporary music artist, my fans would range from all different races, classes, countries, etc. (bearing I am that popular). So I would be more in tune with experiencing diversity than the average person since I would be around different cities, peoples, countries, and cultures. I would most likely “grab” certain things from those cultures I liked and incorporate them into my own life. If my fan base is strictly a certain core group of people than I would most likely put my effort and creativity in appeasing that core group of people because after all they are the ones that make me money. However, if I was more globally known or popular in different races or classes or regions than my diversity would allow me to never become bland and also force me to make music that targets all my audiences and not just one group.

As a 58 year old man, I would think that I had witnessed a lot of diversity and change that would have influenced my life greatly. I think I read a poll that said by 2025 minorities will be the majority in the US and I think that speaks volumes in itself on how I would respond to diversity 30 years from now. I think that I would have become accustom to change and new things and ideas to the point I wouldn’t notice them as much as I would earlier on in my life. But I also feel that 30 years from now a part of me would like to still have niche that represents the comfort and sort of normalcy that I experienced growing up.

people like us

As a musician, I think that diversity is important. I think that as a musician, it would be easier to incorporate diversity into my general frame of mind through touring and a diverse fanbase. Since musicians are viewed so highly in the public's eye in our culture, artists have a real place to have a stage for promoting things such as diversity and genuine integration.

Thirty years from now, I think that because our generation has stressed so strongly the idea of coexisting and having a diverse environment, I believe that we will be more diverse and willing to be in contact with people different than us. The generation before us did not place integration and hamony between peoples as much as our generation has. Thus, I believe that we will be more successful in being open to the idea of prioritizing our housing based on if people are like us, etc.

For me, I think that I am pretty openminded about this. I wouldn't really be bothered at all by living in a very diverse neghborhood, for example, but I know that the reality is that people would rather be comfortable. People that are very similar like to live in close proximity because it is more comfortable. It feels more secure. Although I think a more diverse neighborhood would maybe more interesting and less dull, it might bring some uncomfortable feelings among some, which ultimately deters them.

People Like Us

If I was a music artist, I think that I would be a lot more in tune with the subject of diversity. You have a variety of different fans which contains a diverse group in race and age. I would be traveling the world to many different countries to perform which would give me a greater outlook on the groups of different people I may not normally interact with or see in my everyday life. Though I may not be great friends with each of these people because I would only see them for a short period of time, I would still be exposed to different races at all times. By being diverse I would be able to create much more meaningful music that would inspire all different races.

If I was 30 years older, I think I would be more diverse than I am today. I would have experienced college and the different social classes and races and stereotypical people already. In the work place as a Pharmacist I would be dealing with these subjects daily, and by being accepting of different things, I would get a lot more business and earn a greater reputation. I also think that I would not be as stereotypical or shy as I am now. I mean I would be older and more experienced therefore I would be more able to go out and explore different cultures because I wouldn’t be so shy.

Today I would like to think I’m diverse but in reality I don’t think I’m very diverse. I have a lot of friends but there’s a core group I hang out with so I don’t think that I take advantage of going out to meet people like I should. I haven’t traveled and I’m usually studying so I don’t have time to explore and go out. After reading this passage I have realized that it really is true. We all seem to go off in our own separate groups without really realizing it. I hope one day we really all take the time to wander off into a more diverse world so that we can all be more cultural.

peeps like us

Myself: Growing up I was always taught to interact with people and make friends. Its hard to meet people sometimes. I have friends that come from different cultures, are of a different race, etc, but I know I am not as diverse as it seems. There are so many different people out there but I'm the type of person that wants to be friends with someone I am similar to. I think thats how most people are now-a-days, as David Brooks wrote in his essay. It's not that I'm better than them or something like that. I just like to assoiciate myself with people I can relate too. I don't really care if I'm "diverse" or not. I have, hopefully, a long life in front of me to meet and interact with people so I'm not really worried about it now.

30 Years older: If I was thirty years older I most likely would be more diverse because I would have experienced life longer. I would have through the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. I mean, If you take those years, they were all pretty different. The culture of America changed throughout those years and will essentially always change as time goes on. I would have met a lot of different people, made friends, lost friends, etc. I would always have a different outlook on life, being older and mature. I would be able to see how America has changed over the years.


Contemporary Musical Artist: If I were a musical artist, I would definitely open up to more cultures. I would most likely tour in different countries to boost record sales and by doing so I would be interacting with other much different than myself. Im going to want as many people as possible to listen/like my music. I can't really help who does or doesn't like, I gotta find people who like it and do it for them. Like If i toured in Europe and didn't get a good review then I would tour there again. But I think i would be a lot more diverse by traveling and experiencing

Response to Us and them

Looking around my daily life I would say I am not very in touch with the broad diversity of american life. I have always stayed within my comfort zone by hanging out with other people like me. I have also lived in the south my whole life, where cultural diversity is looked at differently than in other parts of the country. almost all of my friends/girlfriends have been people who are very similar to me and they come from a similar family background. although most of the people I associate with are like me, I still have good social skills with people of other races and backgrounds. I do not really care that i am not "diverse" because our society today talks a lot about diversity but no one seems to practice it. It just seems like a lot of talk people say to make themselves look better.

If I were thirty years older, I think I would be a little more diverse because I would have had thirty more years of experience interacting with people from other cultural backgrounds. I would have seen America's transition from segregation to non segregation, which would have greatly influenced the way I thought about other cultures.

If I was a music artist, I would probably be a very diverse person. As a music artist you cannot control who your fan base is nor do you care. if asians are the only people who like my music then i am going to do shows for asian people and love it cause i'll get paid regardless. that will also force me to interact with the people of other cultures which will help make me more diverse. If I was a musician I would probably be very in touch with the broad diversity of america.

Our Evolving world

Im not exactly sure i did this right.....i didnt answer the questions posed in the end. i just repsonded to the ideas propposed.

30 years older -- Being in my 50’s its amazing to see how far we have come as a nation. After so many years I have realized there is more to life than just living in your own bubble. When I was a kid we were limited to the groups we congregated in. All of my friends were of the same skin color and there were little differences between all of us. Now I watch my kids play and every child is a different color, height, weight, etc. Not a thing stops them from accepting each other and they are all equal. i never thought I would see an African American as president. Many things have contributed to these advancements. I remember thinking cell phones were way too cool and now my children are asking for hand held computers at the age of 10. What is this world coming to? Many argue there is no diversity but compared to when I was a toddler there has been worlds of difference. Sometimes I wonder what my kids will live to see.


I -- Some say that we all live in a superficial world that is all materialism. I do agree to this statement to some degree. Some also say we are not diverse one bit while others say we are as diverse as they come. I think we do congregate around the people we are the comfortable with, those people being like ourselves. This causes materialism. You judge a person off of what they look like, what they wear, how much money they have. Etc. By doing this we can easily pick out who is like us. This is why our diverse world is separated into homogenous communities. I really liked how this short story explained this. I had never thought about it as they put it but I found it to not only be very interesting, but also very true. I can even remember my brothers frowning upon interracial dating. Now it is as common as someone walking down the street. I think if the world continues as it is today, one day it really will be a diverse community


Contemporary Music Artist –- By touring the world for my musical talents I have been lucky enough to see all different walks of life. It’s peculiar to see how they interact and treat one another. When I was younger this interaction between different groups was what one would call “frowned upon.” Now a days it’s a common sight. In the future I think our nation, among others, will be extremely diverse. It is even possible for the minority count to exceed the native count. It will be interesting to see what the future holds.

Journal 3: Due Friday

Respond to "People Like Us" using three different narrative voices: Your own, a contemporary music artist, and someone 30 years older than yourself. Consider all three perspectives: how do they differ? How are they alike?

Hills Like Elephants

In the short story "Hills Like White Elephants" there are two main characters, referred only to as the woman, Jig and 'the man.' They seem to be a couple who have seen happier days. They wait at a train station in Ebro, somewhere near Barcelona. There is palpable tension seen between them while they sit, wait for the train, and exchange drinks. The woman is concerned about the 'operation' that she is preparing to undergo. The majority of the piece is back-and-forth dialogue between the two characters, with some interjected descriptions of the landscape and close elements of their relationship. The opposing imagery of the bank on either side of the river shows the dichotomy going on in the mind of Jig. The symbolism portrays that her hesitation is about an abortion and their decision to have one. The comments about their drinking reveals an element that they are both under a lot of duress concerning the decision they had to make. The fact that they are also in a foreign country and that they speak English is a good indication that they are perhaps undergoing the operation outside of the States in order to avoid certain illegalities.

Hills Like White Elephants

I'm going to be honest, this story totally confused me.  I read it like three times last night and still had no clue what was going on so I decided to think about it and come back to it this morning.  This first time I read it I passed over the whole point of the story which is based on an operation.  I then realized that the story is about a couple waiting at a train station in a foreign country.  The man speaks the same language as the woman he is with and also the waitress waiting on them.  They are in a deep discussion about what will make each other happy and make their relationship go back to how it is.  I'm pretty sure the operation they are discussing is an abortion, but I'm not 100% sure.  They say it is something that a lot of people they know have had and that it's very simple.  The woman is only concerned about making the man happy and making sure that he will love her after she has the operation.  On the other hand the man only wants the woman to be happy.  The woman seems like she is putting her feelings on the back burner in order to please the man she is with even though she comes off that she really does not want to have to operation because once she does it will be gone forever and they'll never be able to get it back, which is why I think the operation they are discussing is an abortion.  While waiting at the train station the weather seems to be a little gloomy and they try to seclude themselves from the other passengers who are also drinking beer waiting for the train to arrive.  The last part of the story the man asked the woman "do you feel better" and the woman responded by saying "I feel fine, there is nothing wrong with me."  Obviously there is nothing wrong with her because pregnancy is perfectly normal, but for this couple it is not since they do not want to have a baby. 

Hills like white elephants

The story takes place at a train station in the valley of Ebro. It is about a man and a women who are a couple having a discussion over a drink while waiting for the train. I had to read this story about three times before i figured out what they were talking about as it is not clearly mentioned in the story. What they are talking about is the women getting an abortion. The man is pushing towards the abortion, however the reader can tell that the women does not really want to go through with the operation. When the women says things like "I don't care about me" the reader can pick up on the fact that she wants to keep the child. While the man is saying how everything will go back to normal if they go through with the operation. The first few times read this story i did not find it interesting at all as i had no idea what they were talking about, but then after I figured out what was going on it made more sense to me and therefore became more interesting.

Hills Like White Elephants Short Story

Hemingway’s short story is about a man and a girl who are waiting at a train station in the Valley of the Ebro, for their train to arrive from Barcelona. They plan on going to Madrid, the capital of Spain. While they wait for the train, they sit down at a bar. The atmosphere is really hot and sunny, so they ask for a couple of beers as well as try out a new drink. They are sitting next to bead curtains with a drawing of that drink, called Anis del Toro. Based on the dialogue of their conversation, it leads us to believe that they are talking about having an abortion. He uses words such as “operation” and says that it will be simple. He also says that he only wants to do it if she does. It seems that he is unhappy that she got pregnant, since he says “It's the only thing that's made us unhappy.” We can’t really get anything else from the story, such as whether or not they are married. Although we can imply that they are at least in a relationship. It can be vague at times, but the dialogue helps keep you interested throughout the entire story, and we are given enough detail to get an idea of what is going on.

Setting and Symbolism in "Hills Like White Elephants"

“Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story that descries the struggle of a young couple over the issue of abortion. Through the utilization of setting and symbolism, Hemingway introduces the conflict of abortion to the audience through this young couple. The introduction of the American and the girl at the bar in a train station in Spain sets up the tense atmosphere of the short story. Through Hemingway’s use of symbolism, the audience is able to see the contrasting views of the issue on abortion as “on this siode there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun.” The “two lines of rails in the sun” shows the sharp contrasting views of the American and the girl on whether or not they should keep the child or use abortion to go back to how their lives once were before the pregnancy. Through the setting, Hemingway depicts the pregnant women as “the hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white.” The setting of this valley of Ebro symbolizes the fertility of nature and the fertile woman. The implementation of symbolism and imagery though the setting of the short story shows that the woman is pregnant and is opposed to aborting this child, as the man is not wanting to have the child so they can move on with their lives childless.

Hills Like White Elephants

I had actually read Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” in one of my high school English classes, and I remembered that the discussion between the two was about an abortion. On the first read it is very hard to understand this because they never mention what kind of operation it is directly and their discussion is vague. The man and girl are in a foreign country at a train station and only the man knows the language because whenever the woman with the drinks says something, the girl asks what it was that she said. The two characters were sitting outside and in the shade, signifying their want for privacy and also a gloomy and dark situation. The dialogue between the two characters is very repetitive and shows that the girl is unsure about the operation, while the guy clearly wants her to have it done. He thinks it will solve their problems and make everything between them better. I think the significance of the title is that hills and mountains represent an obstacle or hugeness, and the white elephant represents something that is precious and rare, but can also be seen as a burden to some.

"Hills Like White Elephants" Mike Prosser

The short story starts of in a train station in Spain. There is a man from America and a woman with him. They are at the train station and they are waiting for their train. They start drinking at a small bar at the train station. It seems like the man is trying to get the woman to get an abortion. For the most part, the man is fairly consistent in what he is saying. He states that an abortion is perfectly natural and healthy, and in actuality it is not. The woman seems to have doubts about if she wants to get the operation and the man repetitivley says that he does not want her to do anything she does not want to do. It is obvious he is simply saying what she wants to hear but the reality of the situation is he really wants her to get the abortion done. At first when he asked her about it, she was open to the conversation and when he kept asking her she sounded distant and turned off from him. At the end of the conversation, it seems like she has already made up her mind about the abortion and she just wants the man to leave him alone. I think the pressure from the situation has made both of them decide to start drinking and the man wants no part of the childs life if she decided to keep the baby.

Hills Like White Elephants

Hemingway did a fantastic job using descriptive details and really setting the scene in the introduction of the short story. Many parts were quite unclear as to what this story pertained to. The dialogue was confusing and didn't make much sense. It was obvious in the introduction that the man and young girl were waiting for a train in Spain and were at the train station having a few drinks before hand. The title, "hills like white elephants" can be interpreted several different ways. I think that when Hemingway titled this piece he was referring to the young girl's point of view and how she portrayed the world. It shows that the young girl is very observant to detail and enjoys the simple things in life. This short story was difficult to fully understand and it wasn't one of my favorites but I did like the sense that it's vague and each reader can interpret this in their own way, not necessarily how Hemingway saw it.

hills like white elephants

Hills Like White elephants is a short story by Ernest Hemmingway that is about an American traveler and his younger girlfriend in spain. The couple waits at the train station and talks about their future over some drinks. the girl seems upset and the american is trying to get her to feel better. it turns out that the couple is talking about abortion and it seems like the american really wants her to get one and she does not really want to. At the end they agree on what it is they are arguing about but it seems like the girl is just doing what the american wants because she feels pressured. The American probably wanted her to get the abortion because he probably has his own family back home and he cannot have something like this interfere his the rest of his life. He does not want to tell her this I guess because he tells her throughout the story that he wants her to do what she wants and he wants her to be happy and stuff.
Hills Like White Elephants was a particularly confusing short story the first time I read it in ENC1101. I was not sure what the couple was talking about for most of the story until I found out in class discussion that they were talking about getting an abortion. When I read it for the second time in LIT2020 last semester, I already knew the main points and was able to get a better understanding of the story.

Abortion Over Drinks

"Hills Like White Elephants" is a short story full of fuzzy details. I read and reread this story at least five times, the lack of specific detail made it a difficut read for me. The main characters of this story are an American man and a girl. They are a couple in love, in a bar at a train station in the valley of the Ebro. They are sitting in the bar waiting for a train to Madrid and discussing the woman's pregnancy. The characters tip toe around the subject, never blatently stating what they were discussing. At first I was sure they were talking about the woman's baby, but I thought they were talking about keeping the baby. But it became clear, once the girl says "...I'll do it. Because I don't care about me.", that they were considering aborting the baby. The girl feels as though having an abortion will ruin her, but than man assures her they will be happy again. He feels the operation is the best choice to continue their lifestyles, go back to the way they were. I find it interesting that the woman asks for more alcohol a few times, it might show a little bit of carelessness towards the health of the baby on the girl's part as well. I honestly am still a little lost on the significance of the hills that "look like white elephants". It has been frustrating me, I'm sure the statement has meaning since it is also the title of the story. So I feel like I am missing a little chunk of the story. I agree that the dialouge is realistic, because it is a sensitive matter the couple is avoiding stating the subject. I can't say I really enjoyed this story, I feel I had to analyze it to the point of no return,  after a while it drains the fun from a story for me.

Hills Like White Elephants

This story was pretty confusing and like most people, I read it more than once to attempt to understand what was going on. The characters are American in a foreign country, I believe Spain, in which the girl does not speak Spanish. They are sitting at a bar/cafe place where the man translate what the waitress says. It seems like its a nice day outside, clear and hot. The two are drinking beer waiting for a bus to come take them to Madrid. The story is confusing but it does make since that the two are talking about an abortion. The guy wants the girl to get on and says its not really an operation and that she wouldn't mind it. Clearly the guy does not want to be a father. He wants it go back to how it was before she got pregnant. He said its the only thing thats made them unhappy. The girl just does not know what she wants and just says she'll do it cause "I don't care about myself." She gets all annoyed and just tells the guy to stop talking. Its confusing to read at first, it definately took me twice to even realize what was actually going on.

Hills like White Elephants

The short story "Hills Like White Elephants" is a story I read before in ENC1101 over the summer and its almost as vague and confusing as the first time I read it. The characters in the story are an American man and girl and they are sitting at a train station waiting for their train while drinking beer and looking out at the hills (which resemble white elephants according to the girl). The setting is portrayed as warm and calming while the two people wait for their train staring out in the environment while a waitress brings them beer. Clues in the story reveal that the girl is most likely pregnant and the man wants her to get an abortion. Clues can be found in subtle descriptions throughout the story such as the description of the bags "There were labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights." This hints that they are a couple which taken into account along with the other parts of the story where the girl says how she wants to it to be like before and if he will love afterwards leads me to believe it is about abortion. Furthermore, the way the man says he is worried because of the current problem hints vaguely at her being pregrant and he not wanting to be a father. Also the fact that the man talks about the operation by saying, "They just let the air in and then it's all perfectly natural", further reinforces my belief that this about abortion because it sounds like the type of abortion used back in Hemingway's time.

Hills Like White Elephants short story

This bizarre and seemingly vague short story by Ernest Hemingway is almost vague to the point of being a riddle. It seems like it is the readers job to decipher what the context is between these two obvious lovers. These two people, an American man and this woman obviously have a past and are discussing something of importance. Although it is not explicitly stated in the story, the first thing that came to my mind was a child or pregnancy. After viewing other posts, this is generally confirmed in that the context is in the choice of an abortion operation. This seemingly "simple" operation is being debated between the couple. They ask questions like will they both be happy after the operation. Will they still love each other? There is a need for affirmation and security. They mutually hope that this won't change much between them. And apparently they believe like an abortion is the answer, which I don't personally agree with. This odd short story consistently has many short sentences and simple diction.

Hills Like White Elephants

This is the second time that I have had to read "Hills Like White Elephants", having to had read it in ENC 1101 also. I find the short stroy to be very strange and not all really that entertaining. The first time I read it, I was really confused what was going on and kinda felt like the characters may have had too much beer themselves. I didnt find it really that obvious of what they were talking about until our instructor Pete brought the point to us. After reading the story a second time, I see that they are talking about an abortion, but I don't really understand why its really all a secret. I understand they are a couple, but not married, but it seems like they live there life in a secret and that they really dont know how to communicate with one another and talk things out. I just find the story really strange and to be all over the place.

If one life is created it could change the world of many

Hills Like White Elephants was a very odd short story. i read it twice and it was still a little unclear to me. after reading the previous posts and reading it once again, i can definitely understand what it was meaning. The operation they were alluding to is an abortion. the two characters are a couple that is not married. the short dialogue and way they spoke to each other led me to believe two different scenarios. they are a very young couple and not yet married. they are not settled, travel a lot, and still have a long way until they are ready for children. the female just wants to make her other half happy. he does not want to be tied down and thinks this operation is a better idea than completely changing their lives. Or, i could also see them as being an older couple. maybe they aren't married because they have both been married before and don't feel like having a ring and a certificate makes their love any different. living by old traditions, the man in the relationship gets to make the decisions and the girl just obeys and wants him to be happy. he favors this operation so she is just going along with it. i think the title is good because you can see how it relates to the story but it doesn't give anything away. also, by never saying exactly what they are discussing keeps you intrigued and interested. also, i liked the dialogue. it never got boring.

The characters are a couple but they're not married. they talk almost like their relationship is a secret. the story takes place in a foreign country where the female doesn't speak the language but the male does and they are both American. they say in the story that the bags have many different tags from all the places they've visited together. the conversation they are having is not only awkward but seems taboo. after reading this story for the third time i realize they are talking about abortion. The male definitely wants his significant other to have an abortion but the female doesn't know what she wants. She asks what will happen after the operation and he says everything will go back to normal and that it will just be letting the air in. The conversation between the couple shows their distance from each other .

Hills Like Whit Elephants

After reading Hills Like White Elephants you can tell that the "operation" they are talking about is an abortion. The man is trying to convince Jig that it is the right thing to do and will make everything in their lives better. She seems as though she really doesn't want to go through with it but will because he wants her too. You can tell this from the dialogue they use. For example "then I'll do it. Because I don't care about me." She just wants to be in her old happy relationship and to the man getting rid of the baby would solve all of their problems. I enjoyed reading this because its the third time I've had to read it so I really comprehend what exactly is going on. I think the use of dialogue really brings the short story to life and gives it meaning. The way they go back and forth on the subject of the operation keeps you interested in the story itself. It is an easy read but the first time I read it a bit hard to tell what exactly the operation was about. After rereading it numerous times it is quite clear. Though they never really say it, it is understood.

Journal 2: Due Monday

Respond to Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants". Who are the characters and what are they doing? What is the setting or atmosphere like? What clues does the dialogue reveal about what's going on?

My Writing Experience

I have not taken ENC1101. I took AP Lit and AP Lang. Freshman year of highschool I was in Eng. I honors and we read much of Shakespeare and wrote numerous essays, etc. Sophomore yr in highschool it was very similar material in Eng II honors and we read things like Night by Elie Wiesel and To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Junior yr was AP Lang and we wrote essays thoughout the whole year, focusing on following prompts and observing well developed essays. We read things like The Scarlet Letter and Their Eyes Were Watching God, etc. Then Senior yr essays ceased to be a huge factor of class. This class primarily focused on plays and classics and poetry rather than writing things like essays. We read works of Shakespeare, William Faulkner, and EE Cummings, to name a few. We focused on interpreting and digging into text to uncover meanings of the authors, both subtle and obvious. Out of all my highschool English courses, I probably preferred AP Lit and Eng. II. I enjoyed digging into the text and getting to the heart of the author's intentions. They were fascinating. Although I don't mind writing essays, I didn't like AP Lang because I felt many of the prompts forced me to write essays that I did not really care about. It is so much harder to write about something you have no interest in as opposed to writing about something that you are attached to or at least interested in. Words flow on the page when it is something that sparks my curiosity or interest. Lastly, last semester I took WOH 1030 which was modern history since 1815. This course included 2 research papers. I really enjoyed these because they allowed me to research a subject[based on a book we read] and expound upon it in my essay. I love to learn extensively and be an expert in a subject in that way. Much was learned. My 2 topics were 1) Frederick Douglass, and 2) An American Engineer in Stalin's Russia.

Journal 1

I took ENC1101 last semester and it was overall a great experience. I learned a multitude of different strategies that help make me a better writer. One of these being to describe things really vividly as our teacher focused on this concept the most it seemed. I also learned how to plan my writing better so therefore it would be as good as possible. One of the things I really enjoyed about ENC1101 was the workshops. The Workshops I believe helped me improve my papers drastically. It was nice to get feed back on each of my papers from not only the teacher, but also a few different students. After taking ENC1101 I no longer hate writing and sometimes actually enjoy it as it is a good way to express yourself.

High School Writing Experiences

I was not required to take ENC1101 here at FSU due to my SAT scores. However, in high school I took AP Language & Composition and AP Literature & Writing only passing the latter course with a score of three. In AP Lang & Comp, there were very few long essays to be written. We wrote roughly a two-page composition every week. In AP Lit we wrote numerous essays mostly covering works by Shakespeare. We also did one research paper, which I was not too fond of because I was quite inexperienced in writing detailed research papers. I also took a 3000 level creative writing course here at Florida State University a year ago. We were required to write three creative essays and go over many drafts in class in an open workshop format. I would have to say that my least favorite writing activity to do research on things that i have very little interest or concern. My favorite was the opposite. I do not mind research papers inherently. It just has to be on a topic that I care about.

ENC1101

I took ENC1101 this past summer, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. When I registered for the class I knew that I was going to be doing a lot of witting. I have never really liked writing papers. In high school, we usually didn’t have much freedom in terms of writing because everything we wrote was based on boring topics. Plus, everything was a 5 paragraph essay. In ENC1101, we learned that not everything had to be a 5 paragraph essay. In fact, barely anything that we write in college will be the traditional 5 paragraph essay. During those 6 weeks, we wrote 3 papers, and each paper had 3 drafts each. We also had online journals on fun crazy topics, and in class journals about some reading assignments that she had given us. Our three papers were the crots paper, a position shift paper, and a significant personal experience paper. Although the crots paper was something that I had never done, which was pretty cool, my favorite paper was the position shift paper. I enjoyed this paper because we got to pick a movie or book and tell the story through the perspective of another character. I chose Aladdin and told the story through Jafar’s perspective.
Writing 3 drafts was something that was new to me too, because in high school I would always leave everything for the night before. Even though writing 3 drafts might make me a better writer, I feel that when I am assigned another paper in the future, that I will still leave it for the last minute. I don’t like writing when I have to follow guidelines and write about boring topics that I have no interest in. ENC1101 taught me that in college we have a lot more freedom in our writing, which I hope is true. Overall, I enjoyed taking ENC1101. My class had a great group of people that made the class fun and interesting.

ENC1101 Experiences

My ENC1101 experiences were surrounded by a lot of writing. We had three essays, fifteen journals, and a project reflecting the person I am as a final cherry on the cake. All the writing I did in that class did make me a stronger writer as my grades seemed to take a higher average on each big paper. The workshops helped me get to know my writing, my peers, and their writing even better which helped make English an enjoyable class. Being in a dead class like math where you sit in a lecture hall for an hour is so dull and dry that it’s sometimes not even work waking up to. My ENC1101 class had that student-driven motor where class was always interesting and moving. Although I liked the energy in the class, I still thought it was a bit much at times. Being involved in discussions, workshops, and group activities all the time did get overbearing. I also like having days where the class is teacher-driven in which more independent thinking is used. The students then wouldn’t have to deal with the confrontation of other peoples questions. It gives the mind a break for a day.

Journal 1

I did not have to take ENC1101 but I did take English classes throughout high school. My experiences in English classes were not the best, though I wouldn’t say they were bad. Freshman year I had the sweetest English teacher imaginable, and I actually enjoyed going to class because she made it very fun and entertaining. We read mostly short stories and just a few long novels and we usually had to do an essay on the novels and just quizzes on the short stories. Sophomore year English was not so pleasant. My teacher was very tough and made us do so many pointless assignments and projects that didn’t really relate to our readings at all. And the assigned readings were extremely boring and hard to get through. I would have to say my junior year English class was probably the best I have ever had. We had to do a big research paper at the end of the year and a paper on each major book that we read, but I learned so much from her class, probably more than I learned in my other English classes throughout high school combined. She taught us so many great writing techniques and strategies that I still use every time I write. Senior year of high school was probably the worst English class I have ever had. My teacher was really into British theater and so many of the assignments focused on dressing up and acting things out and I was not really into that at all. It was more like a drama class than an English class. Overall, I would say that I haven’t really enjoyed taking English classes, but maybe this semester that will change.

ENC1101 experience

I had no clue what to expect going into enc1101 this past summer because it was the first class I took at fsu. I thought the class was decently entertaining every day because our teacher often had the class participate in group activities a lot of the time. I think the first paper we wrote was the crot paper. I didnt think the crot paper was very hard since it was just many small stories about my experiences. although the crot paper was easy, i liked the short story we wrote better because i got to write whatever i wanted to. I liked the ability to be creative. one of the most important things i took away from enc1101 was concept of drafting. since the summer when i took the class, I have made several drafts for the papers i write for other classes and i think it has helped me make better grades on them. Another thing about enc1101 that i really liked was that we had individual conferences with the teacher. these conferences were helpful because she proofread my last rough draft which allowed me to make any final revisions to the paper before turning it in. one thing i noticed was that most of the material we were going over in class was stuff i had already learned in my high school research paper class. Overall, i didnt think this class was the most challenging but it was a good class to start of college with because it helped me refresh my memory about writing.

My thoughts on ENC1101

During my first summer at FSU I took ENC1101. My experience with ENC1101 was an alright experience, I viewed it more as a job than a unique way to broaden my writing. The assignments in ENC1101 ranged from Short Story to Crots to journal writing. I hated doing the journal writings because they were really dull and dealt with literature that wasen't exactly the most interesting type I have read. What I liked about the class was the writing the Crots paper because I really learned how to make my writings better with each draft and looking at the final product and comparing it with the orginial showed me how much of a better writing I can be by doing multiple drafts. We also had to do peer commenting both on the internet and in class and the teacher set a rule that you had to have a mandatory of three comments per page of the person's work to get full credit. This I didn't like because in many cases the page itself was great or didn't have anything to improve on and you had to force yourself to find a minscule detail to critic. On the other hand, the peer commentary and teacher conferences really helped improve my writing by cleaning up parts that I didn't need and improving the way I explained myself to improve my works. Ovearll, ENC1101 was different from my high school English classes in that it focused more on my writing and work and how I could improve it rather than reading literature and taking tests or writing papers on certain types of literature.

ENC 1101

I took ENC 1101 over this past summer. Looking back I am so glad it was one of the first classes I took. After taking it I used the writing processes we learned in other classes such as history. This made it possible for me to achieve an A in what was almost a junior level class. I can definitely say that I still use the tools of the course daily and probably always will. My teacher was great and really motivated us. I noticed I started writing for fun more often rather than doing it for a grade. I have never been a big reader unless it was for school. This class taught me that reading is more than scanning the terrible novels that teachers assign. Our first assignment was a personal narrative. We incorporated ourselves into the paper and had a broad topic. This made it easier to learn the new drafting process taught to us. Next, we had to write a feature article with visual aids. This was a lengthy paper but was quite easy after learning the tricks to writing. Again, we could pick our topic. The last assignment was a collection of poetry. Everyone dreaded it! After doing reflections and journals about it our teacher helped us by showing us how easy poetry can be. I have never written a poem and never wanted to. Now I find myself doing things like writing a birthday poem for a friend in their card. As you can see, this class went step by step. Our teacher let us try our old style of writing, close to what we had done in high school, but then she added the drafting process. We then had to try things we had never done before. After taking this course, I feel more comfortable with my own writing as well as my ability to review others.