Vegas Weddings

Expensive stores, grand casinos, magnificent hotels, and delicious restaurants are some of the most popular attractions you will find in the incredible city of Las Vegas. Though people are willing to splurge hundreds and thousands in the casinos, stores, and restaurants, when it comes to a couple ready to commit their love for each other, the average they will pay is between eight to fifteen dollars for their “wedding.” In “Marrying Absurd” written by Joan Didion, uses many examples of irony to portray the ridiculousness of Las Vegas weddings.

Irony becomes exposed as Didion quotes the words of Mr. James A. Brennan. Didion writes, “’I got it down from five to three minutes…People always expect more when they get married’”(102). It is ironic the how little the expectations are of people who chose to be married in Las Vegas. They are willing to go through a drive thru, pay the cheapest price possible, and be married in less than ten minutes. Such “high” expectations are wanted. The name “Strip Chapel” is also ironic in itself. A chapel should be thought of a holy and sacred place, not somewhere on the strip where a cheap 5 minute wedding takes place. Lastly, Didion mentions the song an organist plays, “When I fall in Love it Will Be Forever.” Irony is portrayed through the first words of the song, “When I Fall in Love.” The song displays that the couples are not even in love yet, but are making a commitment for forever. Didion reveals that a true promise of love should be a special and beautiful moment not a fast cheap one at a Las Vegas Strip Chapel. 

Didion's piece reminded me of the movie "The Wedding Planner." The main character Mary falls in love with a man Steve, later finding out he is about to marry another woman. Mary decides to marry a different man in hope to make her dad happy, but on the day of Steve's and Mary's wedding, they both back out of their weddings. They end up back together, portraying that a commitment of true love should be shared at the right place and with the special person that you know you will love forever. 

The Passing Down of Love

Everybody has different forms of expressing their love, but it never means they love you any less. This was a main essence of the narrative we read this past week, "Arm Wrestling with My Father." When I was reading this essay, I felt very connected to Manning. His relationship with his father is very similar to mine. My dad will fall asleep at my orchestra concerts and when he comes to my track meets he seems to always find  things I can improve on. I placed first in a relay and he told me my start could have been stronger. At the time that made me upset, all I wanted was a simple "Congratulations!" or "I'm so proud of you!" It took me while to understand that was his way of expressing his love and pride. He just wants me to do anything that will make me a stronger and faster runner. I have now learned to admire him for that.  Also similar to Manning, I think that many of us consider what it would be like without our parents. He mentions feeling scared his mom will call one day, and say his father has passed. When I am home alone and my parents are late, I always believe that they have got into a horrific car accident and have died. So I connected to how Manning feels. Everyone should appreciate their parents, because you never know how long they have. As we get older we start to recognize and appreciate our parents love more. We realize that after all the time they spent caring for us, sooner or later it will be our turn to look after them.

                                        

Fake Beauty

When I discovered the article "Fish Cheeks" first appeared in Seventeen I was not shocked at all. I have been reading Seventeen for many years, but I am now realizing how much of that magazine is filled with complete trash. If you ever have picked up a copy of Seventeen, you will see either a model, musician, or  an actress on the cover. The entire magazine is crammed with articles on how you can be just like the idolized woman on the cover. This is exactly what you will see when you flip through the pages, " The perfect jeans to make you look skinnier!" "Get pretty Fast!""Ways to achieve your DREAM body!" "Everything you need to look amazing is right here!"What ever happened to natural beauty? I have never once seen the magazine mention  that you should be proud of who you and what you look like. Seventeen is all about recognizing your ugliness and trying to cover it up with 40 different types of makeup in an effort to make you look better. This magazine is very similar to "Fish Cheeks", the women in it are embarrassed of who they truly are. One of Amy's struggles through this piece is her being ashamed and embarrassed by what she looks like. Amy mentions for Christmas how she prays for a "slim new American nose." Amy's mom also gives her a miniskirt, explaining how she must always be Chinese on the inside. Her mom helps her to look different on the outside, but she fails to mention to her daughter that she should also be proud of looking Chinese on the outside. The message I get every time i read Seventeen is don't be satisfied with yourself, always try to look prettier . Girls all over the world need to realize that that is not true. Beauty is all about recognizing that you don't have to be a certain size, look, or dress a certain way. To be beautiful. comes from accepting and being proud of who you are, inside and out.  

Not a Waste

 A discussion question I saw in The Bedford Reader was, 'What response would you give a student who said, 'Doesn't Angelou's approach to writing waste more time and thought than it's worth?' First off, I would assume the person who asked that did not look deep enough into Angelou's writing. Even though in "Champion of the World," Angelou uses much vivid imagery and description, it is those techniques that make her passage great. Angelou's use of slang like "ain't and 'bout," her detailed description of the Store, and the African Americans reaction to the announcer creates an atmosphere that causes you to feel like you are in that very Store. Angelou's writing is very effective and powerful.When I read this passage, I felt like I was one of those prideful African Americans waiting for the outcome of the fight.


Angelou's approach to writing certainly is not a waste of time. Just alone her passage "Champion of the World," helps to expose what it feels like to be an African American living during that time period and makes us recognize and appreciate the freedom we have today. Angelou uses many rhetorical devices and creates pathos by using strong verbs like lynching, hanging, ambushed, maimed, whipped, and raped. Her word choice makes the reader feel sympathy towards African Americans and recognize how important their pride was from defeating Whites. If one refuses to take enough time to think deeper into her writing, then they shouldn't be reading this type of literature.