Whenever we were reading our peers essays, I read one of my peers’ that had sort of the same concept as mine, but she included points that I had not thought about. She included the concept of corruption within the characters and that’s a point of view I didn’t consider in my writing of the argument essay. I interpreted my essay by focusing on the idea of obtaining a luxurious life and the American Dream. What makes me feel proud of my essay is how mature it sounds. I really tried to make it sound sophisticated and in depth of my argument. What I would do differently next time would gather more evidence to back up my argument to make it stronger.

The award winning novel “The Great Gatsby” was written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. Up until this day, after all those years, it remains one of most read novels throughout the world. It brings out various themes, such as wealth of what is called ‘old money’ society, segregation into classes, and the American Dream and its uselessness. Great Gatsby is a young man who managed to achieve amazing wealth despite not having a high status background, but unfortunately for him, he is still rejected by those who were born into money. Thus, in Gatsby’s example, it appears that one’s desire to ‘obtain’ the American Dream and belonging with high society is not as one expected it to be because no matter how hard one tries, it is impossible to break society’s stereotypes.  

Furthermore, Gatsby spends a major part of the novel trying to demonstrate that his achieved wealth proves his improved social status. All of these events happen in a small town in West Egg, where Gatsby builds his luxurious mansion. During World War I, he was a common soldier who could never hope to belong with high society. However, he fell in love with Daisy, a debutant who comes from an ‘old money’ family. They have been wealthy for “three generations”, descending from “Dukes of Buccleuch” (Fitzgerald 4-5). Gatsby became inspired and determined to become worthy of Daisy. Gatsby did everything in his power to fulfil the American Dream. Green colors covering Daisy’s house represent Gatsby’s desperate desire to rise above his station and be able to obtain love from Daisy. With all intents and purposes, he manages to do that because he gathers enough money to impress everyone, but in the end, it failed to earn him genuine respect from people he attempted to impress.

Gatsby reunited with Daisy but he did not win her love. He also did not gain sympathy or support from others surrounding him. Tom, who is Daisy’s rich husband, mocks at Gatsby’s achievements and suggests that he is a criminal because “these newly rich people are just big bootleggers” (Fitzgerald 115). When Gatsby dies in an accident, in an attempt to protect Daisy, only three people attend his funeral. This further comments and shows Gatsby’s failure to achieve the American Dream. This way, while he collected much money and was able to have and experience all the luxury, he remained unrecognized and unappreciated. No one even noticed his absence and only several people expressed their condolences and said goodbye to him. Therefore, despite all his attempts, Gatsby failed in achieving the American Dream or becoming actually equal with the higher class people he had hoped to belong with. This implies that if a person is not born into wealth from the beginning, they will not be able to climb the ladder of social respect regardless of how hard they try. They will never be free from their past lower standards class. 

The Great Gatsby is an outstanding award winning classic and novel that acts as a symbolism of how the American Dream is an idealized, unachievable concept. Gatsby had to overcome numerous hardships when gaining wealth and entering high society, hoping he would impress and earn love from Daisy. However, in the end, Daisy chose to stay with her husband, who is an old money representative. After Gatsby’s death, only several people visited his funeral. Thus, despite his temporary success, Gatsby failed in accepting and remained a low social class member he was born into. Through this, the novel provides American Dream criticisms, also concludes that such romanticized desires cannot be fulfilled in real life per say.

Why Read the Classics? 

By Italo Calvino, Translated by Patrick Creagh 

In Italo Calvino’s Why Read the Classics?  he argues his perspective on the importance of reading classical books, as they can have a very influential and impactful meaning on a person. Throughout Calvino’s argument he breaks down his points into a list, in which he describes each of the potential meanings that one might have of classical books as well as inserting his own thoughts. As you read the article there are a couple of main points, one of them being the impact of reading a classic at the right time and place. He expresses how one might read one of the many classics during their youth years in which the person is either not fully able to connect to the book or fully grasp the ideas that the book is trying to get across as they don’t have much experience with the outside world. He suggests that it is better for one to re-read certain classics as one starts to mature and become an adult, as you may get a completely different experience and meaning from it being able to make connections to your life experiences that as a youth you couldn’t. He goes on to say, “There should therefore be a time in adult life devoted to revisiting the most important books of our youth. Even if the books have remained the same, we have most certainly changed, and our encounter will be an entirely new thing.” He encourages the idea that everytime that you pick up a classic you will get a different experience than the previous one, there is always something different that you will notice and as you mature the concepts that are in the books might open your eyes to see things differently. In his writing he also mentions that a lot of the times we tend to have certain stereotypes about classics, whether we think that they might be boring or that they are just outdated. The importance of the classics is being able to connect to the book past a superficial level and have different outlooks on the things that we believe as individuals and they are also a way for readers to connect throughout the books. 

Reflection: 

As I was writing my assertion something that went well for me was being able to have multiple pieces of evidence that would back up my main ideas, in order to be able to describe each quote. Something that I want to do better for next time is write my ideas and connections as clear as possible so that it is easier to follow along. Overall, writing this assertion was enjoyable because the article gave various different perspectives and ideas to either agree or disagree with. I feel like getting started is the hardest part but once the ideas start flowing, it’s much easier to write. 

On the last day of internships, I did my presentation about the whole week and my experience. When I was done with my presentation the people in the room were really impressed and I was proud of myself. After the presentation we did sort of a survey with the other girls from our school in the room. The TxDOT worker asked us questions about how we would like our work space, things a job should have and provide, a perfect boss, retirement, and questions so they can. gather feedback for them. It was a nice and deep conversation. I could tell they were all really impressed with all of us. My peers also did amazing presentations. After the presentations and the discussion, we were dismissed. Overall, my experience was amazing and I was able to learn and take so much from my internship.

Thursday, February 13th, 2020. Today I met at the Cedar Park location with different people and a different team. In the morning I first met with Cullen who had interviews me the day of the interviews. He gave me a tour of the Traffic Safety Division. He showed me an actual traffic light and I was amazed because it was huge compared to when you see them on the roads. He also showed me how all the traffic light controls are in what they call cabinets and I got to see the inside of it. Then, I met with James and he gave me an idea of what he does for the division. He works with traffic signals, school flashes, and dynamic message system, and things of that sort. He showed me what a cell router is which is also what is on our phones. He told me that everything is connected through a cell router. He then showed me how he can look at the traffic lights and ongoing traffic in other areas. We looked at Lubbock. I learned how a four way intersection is broken-down and how the light system goes. After meeting with James, I met with Shawn. He showed me the cameras on the highways and obviously they were live so we could see the ongoing traffic on different places in Austin. Then he showed me the DMS signs and I was able to have my name on one which was pretty cool. After lunch, I met with the actual engineers from the division. I listened to their presentations for the rest of the afternoon.

Wednesday, February 12th, 2020. In the morning I started off by meeting with the Crash Data and Analysis team. I met Mark and Lacey and they gave me presentations about work they do. Mark tracks and analyzes crashes. He gave me a copy of an actual crash report and I learned how they’re supposed to fill them out and important factors they can’t leave out. I learned that although they do the crash report, the law enforcement brings them the report and they have the final say. I also learned how you can purchase your own crash report if you ever are in a wreck. I also learned that anybody can buy these reports they don’t have to be your own, and you can submit a request to buy, if you don’t meet the certain requirements then you are not allowed to purchase a crash report. I then met with Amber and Shawn. Amber, interprets crashes. She figures out how it happened, who got hurt, how did the vehicles approach each other, where did the crash occur, what was the road type, etc. These and more factors are what she has to analyze and put in a report. She also provides the data for the “Click it or Ticket” campaigns and such. She collects data of motor vehicle crashes, deaths, injuries throughout the whole state. The data they provide is from 2010-2020. I also learned that here in TxDOT they have a mission that is called “Road to 0.” What this means is that they are hoping that by 2050, with the help of everybody including the community, there will be 0 fatalities by 2050. With Shawn, I learned that she works with all the crash fatalities in the state. She collects the date and time of death and the severity. I learned that every fatality has to be reported and have to have a death/ toxicology report, which is just a report to determine wether the deceased or anybody who was involved in the crash was intoxicated or on drugs. After lunch, I met with the Behavioral Traffic Safety Section. I met with Tracie and she works in BTS. She gave me an overview of what her team and what she does. They educate the public about safety. By the public, they educate everybody who uses roads, so pedestrians, medalists, drivers, etc. They also educate people how to use car seats, to buckle up and the affects if you don’t and just safety overall.

Tuesday, February 11th 2020.

Today I got my cubicle. In the morning I came in and they gave me my cubicle and I was just doing work for about an hour. I then met David and he is a civil engineer. He met with me and he explained to me what he does for TxDOT. He is in charge of the road signs and where they belong, etc. We went over the manual and he showed me all types of road signs. After going through the whole manual, I was then introduced with Cynthia. Cynthia showed me the software she uses to actually make the signs which is what she does. She described how she uses her software program to show where the new sign placements are going to be, and she explained why they are those signs and not a different one. Then, she made me a sign with my name and my age as the exit number. After Cynthia, I went to talk to John. John is in charge of the speed limit signs. He was talking to me about how they have to analyze and record data by the 85th percentile in order to change a speed limit. He showed me the software he uses that shows him where all the speed limits are in the whole state of Texas. After meeting with John, I then met with Adrian. He was also with the speed limits section. He taught me that when they analyze the 85th percentile if the average speed is more than 5 miles than the current speed that they can’t change it unless they have a different reason for it. He then showed me all the catchy slogans that appear on the road signs about texting while driving and driving while impaired. After they didn’t have anything for me to do so I came to work and update my blog posts in my cubicle. After lunch, I met with Hayde. She introduced me to what she does which is also signs. They have certain rules that they need to follow in order to make a sign for example the size of the sign, fonts, and spacing. She then let me create my own read sign which was fun. After talking to Hayde, I met with Dustin and he showed me the different types of incorrect signs. His job is to go around the state of Texas and find signs that are incorrect and report them. I learned that even a sign being misplaced can have a big impact on everyone safety. They also showed me a real barrel. They are much bigger in person than when you are driving by them on the road. They also showed me a huge sign and it’s crazy because when you drive by them they look so small compared to in real life. I then met their supervisor Doug, and he broke down everything else they do.

Monday, February 11th, 2020 at Texas Department of Transportation, Traffic Safety Division. In the morning, they gave me a tour of the whole place. They also gave me my own key that opens every door. It was a very warm welcome and everybody was so nice. I met with Ann first and she was so sweet. I then met Rebecca and she gave me my safety hard hat and my shirt for when we go out into the work areas. All the people I met with were women and it was nice seeing so many women in a work space. Everybody here made me feel welcome and tried to make me as comfortable as possible. With Ann, she gave me an idea of what she does for the TxDOT Traffic Safety Division. She works with the management support. They don’t have any engineers in their team and they don’t do any of the engineering stuff. They just keep track of budgets, media, and they organize. Although they aren’t engineers, they’re really important. I then met with Shelli which is the Lead of the Management Support team. She was also super nice and she just talked to me about myself and gave me an overview of what the week was going to be like. I was then released for lunch. I went into the break room and I had my own lunch so I didn’t have to buy anything. I ate lunch by myself because nobody else is in my internship but it wasn’t so bad. After lunch, I met with Greg and he is an electrical engineer. He showed me a plan he had designed in 2014. He designed all the lights for it and the rest of the electrical components. We then went to visit the site in San Marcos. On the site he showed me how the lights worked and how they were programmed. We came back and then I was just able to do work until I was dismissed at 4:30. Overall, I had a good day. At first I was nervous but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Everybody was so nice and they all tried their best to make me feel comfortable.

I am going to. be doing my internship at Texas department of transportation, traffic safety division. I am looking forward to trying something new and seeing the workspace in such an important organization that impacts Austin and the whole state of Texas greatly. I am concerned about being the only one in my internship because that was the only thin go did not want. Although I am going in open minded, I would’ve preferred going in with a couple of my colleagues.

The thoughts and ideas that circulate around racism in society have been long instilled into our way of life, the way we view and talk about these topics can be very controversial, and in many times a sensitive topic to discuss. Claudia Rankine’s Citizen, was written to open up and start a conversation with others about their thoughts and opinions regarding the issues that many African Americans face through racism they have experienced. Rankine’s take on this book through short stories and poems tell us the experience of others and the perspectives that aren’t normally viewed or talked about. Citizen is focused around  different issues and topics that are related to racism such as microaggression, racial incidents, racist language and the effects it has on a person. The way that Citizen was written allows for an individual to make a connection between those in our society who are often times overlooked or misinterpreted due to certain ideas and stereotypes. Rankine’s writing expresses the concepts of invisibility, the idea of institutionalized racism and the effects that racism has on others.  

The concept of invisibility is often created by one’s own ignorance on the topic of racism and discrimination. Often times people in our society make certain comments in which they don’t recognize the impact that their words will have on somebody else. We tend to overlook the boundaries of certain remarks and see them as normal everyday ideas. We don’t stop to think it what ways our comments cause harm to others. We have certain ideas or thoughts about certain groups of people, specifically African Americans which are usually influenced by the media or others opinions. In part one of Citizen it focuses on microaggressions and the emotional impacts it has on people.  “Each moment is like this- before it can be known, categorized as similar to another thing and dismissed, it has to be experienced, it has to be seen. What did he just say? Did she really just say that? Did I hear what I think I heard? Did that just come out of my mouth, his mouth, your mouth?.” (Rankine 9) She expresses in this anecdote her anger and frustration towards the way in which African Americans are overlooked. Times in which people’s actions make them feel overlooked or “invisible”, many tend to say comments with no previous knowledge on the topic and their input usually angers those who are being affected. We don’t realize the amount of remarks that we make in our daily lives that we think of as something normal when really it’s only causing wounds to be created. 

The idea in which Citizen focuses on in part three is the nature of racist language and how it can truly have a harmful impact on a person. She tells the stories of those who never got the opportunity to speak up, “You take in things you don’t want all the time. The second you hear or see some ordinary moment, all its intended targets, all the meanings behind the retreating seconds, as far as you are able to see, come into focus. Hold up, did you just hear, did you just say, did you just see, did you just do that?” (Rankie 55) The actions and thoughts in the excerpt express the thinking of those who have experienced any racist incident and have internalized it and not spoken up about it. This quote goes on to show how a person who has been called out or pointed at by certain comments tends to accept it and believe that the person who made this remark was right. When they fully process what these racist remarks meant it is too late and they are at a point in which they can’t do anything about it. People in our society tend to say or make certain comments without first thinking about how the other person might take it or the way that it is going to come out. When a person realizes what they have said sounds hurtful or racist they tend to cover it up by saying “ I didn’t mean it like that” but by that time the damage has been done verbally and emotionally but these scenarios in our society are normalized. In order to fix the problems with racist comments is by getting people to discuss and talk about what being racist is and get others informed about the proper ways to express everyone’s thoughts. You never know how much of an impact your words can have on others. 

In conclusion, Claudia Rankine’s Citizen helps us to open up conversations about racism a topic that is still often times seen as a taboo topic. This book allows us to widen our perspectives and bring us together to better understand the things that define every individual and what makes everyone unique. It also opens the table for others to share their stories and the hardships they have faced just by being an African American in our society. Citizen also guides us into the idea of being able to change one’s own perspective in order to be more understanding and informed about the issue of racism. Through Rankine’s in depth anecdotes, short stories and poems it helps us analyze the perspective of other and further acknowledge these issues so that one day we are able to change our position in society to help others.