Copy of ENG4UZ-T Andy Roony (2)
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Date
Apr 3, 2024
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6
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In and of Ourselves We Trust
Last night I was driving from Harrisburg to Lewisburg, PA., a distance of about 80 miles. It was late, I was late,
and if anyone asked me how fast I was driving, I’d have to plead the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination.
At one point along an open highway, I came to a crossroads with a traffic light. I was alone on the road by
now, but as I approached the light, it turned red, and I braked to a halt. I looked left, right, and behind me.
Nothing. Not a car, no suggestion of headlights, but there I sat, waiting for the light to change, the only human
being for at least a mile in any direction.
I started wondering why I refused to run the light. I was not afraid of being arrested, because there was
obviously no cop anywhere around and there certainly would have been no danger in going through it.
Much later that night, after I’d met with a group in Lewisburg and had climbed into bed near midnight, the
question of why I’d stopped for that light came back to me. I think I stopped because it’s part of a contract we all
have with each other. It’s not only the law, but it’s an agreement we have, and we trust each other to honor it: We
don’t go through red lights. Like most of us, I’m more apt to be restrained from doing something bad by the social
convention that disapproves of it than by any law against it.
It’s amazing that we ever trust each other to do the right thing, isn’t it? And we do, too. Trust is our first
inclination. We have to make a deliberate decision to mistrust someone or to be suspicious or skeptical.
It’s a darn good thing, too, because the whole structure of our society depends on mutual trust, not
distrust. This whole thing we have going for us would fall apart if we didn’t trust each other most of the time. In
Italy they have an awful time getting any money for the government because many people just plain don’t pay
their income tax. Here, the Internal Revenue Service makes some gestures toward enforcing the law, but mostly
they just have to trust that we’ll pay what we owe. There has often been talk of a tax revolt in this country, most
recently among unemployed auto workers in Michigan, and our government pretty much admits that if there were
a widespread tax revolt here, they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
We do what we say we’ll do. We show up when we say we’ll show up.
I was so proud of myself for stopping for that red light. And inasmuch as no one would ever have known
what a good person I was on the road from Harrisburg to Lewisburg, I had to tell someone.
Now complete the deconstruction.
Your Name: Vishwa Patel
“
In and of Ourselves We Trust
”
As you read,fill in the boxes.
Introduction
How does the author grab the reader’s interest in the first paragraph?
Thesis:
What is the thesis or main idea?
What is the thesis or main idea?
Evidence
What is the evidence to support the thesis? Give at least three examples.
Descriptive phrases
What descriptive phrases or imagery does the author use?
Conclusion
How does the author conclude the personal essay?
Organization
How are events presented in the essay? Chronological? Non-linear? Flashback? Other?
Theme
Is there a central message about resilience? What is the author saying about overcoming challenges or obstacles?
Introduction
How does the author grab
the reader’s interest in
the first few paragraphs?
The author throws the reader into the relatable scenario between Harrisburg
and Lewsburg, PA. On the quiet road, the appearance of a lost traffic light
increases the suspense, as the reader wonders why the protagonist so
suddenly had to stop without any clear reason to do so. The reader gains
understanding into the protagonist's thoughts and reflections through the
protagonist's introspective inner monologue, hence, adding a layer of depth as
well as mystery to the narrative. Such reflection gives rise to a more complex
discussion on morality and belief in us, the readers, to join in. In the end, the
blend of suspense, insight, and self reflection make the novel an interesting
read that captures the reader's attention and makes them continue reading.
Thesis:
What is the thesis or main
idea?
The main idea throughout this essay was the importance of trust within society
and how it serves as a major part in maintaining a working and functional
place for everyone to live in.
Evidence
What is the evidence to
support the thesis? Give
at least three examples.
The author first starts off this main point by writing about how he went over his
past decision to stop at the light even when there was no reason to not just
run it. By writing this essay the author shows us that he had a moment of
reflection on what just happened and puts emphasis on how important it was.
The blind trust that was shown when the author wrote “I think I stopped
because it’s part of a contract we all have with each other. It’s not only the
law, but it’s an agreement we have, and we trust each other to honor it.”
explains how we all follow a set of rules that can stop the act of hurting one
another. This idea of following societal norms plays a huge part as it adds
more to the point of trusting society and the people in it because societal
norms act as a self-conscious way of thinking when playing a role in society.
To support my point more, the author goes on to explain the importance of
trust even more when he writes examples of trust in society, such as when the
author talked about how it's expected to fulfill promises to one another, and to
have trust when talking about examples of this.
Descriptive phrases
What descriptive phrases
or imagery does the
author use?
There are many different descriptive phrases and imagery that was shown
within this essay by the Author, one of them being the image of how there was
solitude within the story. The author showed an image of loneliness throughout
the drive back from Harrisburg to Lewisburg, PA. A small phrase I noticed was
the claim of “a distance of about 80 miles”, I feel that the author said this to
show that this isolation was going to be continued for a long time emphasizing
more on the emptiness with the situation. The setting of this essay was during
nighttime, this small factor changes a lot on the imaging of this story as
nighttime is related more to being alone then it is being surrounded by people.
Showing that it is night emphasizes more on how the situation involved no one
but the author because it again shows isolation. The author also chose very
personal phrases such as "I’d have to plead the Fifth Amendment to avoid
self-incrimination.", "I was so proud of myself for stopping for that red light.",
and especially "It’s amazing that we ever trust each other to do the right thing,
isn’t it?". These phrases were personal to the author to help describe the
incident more as it explains how his thinking and his decisions came into play
when reaching the red light. When the author explained how it was amazing
that there was blind trust in society when stopping at the light stood out to me
because of the importance in how the author reacted. The author showed a
sense of disbelief in that moment which causes the reader to take extra
attention on trust throughout this story. Another descriptive imagery the author
decided to choose was the comparison between the societal norms in
Pennsylvania and Italy. The author used an example of tax evasion in both
places to compare and contrast the situation on trust. The self pride the author
had in this essay when stopping at the red light when there was no reason not
to show a sense of self morals and shows that the author is a self regulated
member in society who follows societal norms.
Conclusion
How does the author conclude
the personal essay?
In conclusion the author finishes their personal essay with a feeling of pride
and rightness in following societal rules, in particular, stopping at a red light
even though there was no necessity to do so. Whereas in this case, there
were no actual effects of running the red light, the author stresses the
importance of such actions in the context of social contract theories and
mutual trust. They show the same by demonstrating how trust is the glue
keeping society together and the readiness to keep promises as well as
observe the social traditions is the basis for community. The essay's last
paragraph culminates in the author's pride at obeying the red light despite no
one else knowing this, this highlighting the personal importance of following
the standard even if it's widely ignored.
Organization
How are events presented in the
essay? Chronological?
Non-linear? Flashback? Other?
I think that the events presented in this essay are mostly in a chronological
order because it first starts with the author explaining the experience of driving
from Harrisburg to Lewisburg, PA to the audience and then stating how they
encountered a red light and in the moment reflected on the possibilities and
reasoning on if/why they stopped. This is an example of how the timelines
were set during this essay, from when they started driving to when they
approached the crossroads meeting with a red light. There is also an element
of flashback as the author shares an experience on tax evasion in Italy,
showing the audience more clarity on trust within society. This also happened
once more when later that night the author had a flashback on their decision to
stop at the red light showing they were reflecting on what happened. The
organization of this essay was mostly a chronological order but did include
flashbacks in select instances.
Theme
Is there a central message
about resilience? What is the
author saying about overcoming
challenges or obstacles?
No, I don't think that the central message is about resilience but I do think that
resilience was shown throughout the story. The central message portrayed
was more about the importance of trust within society and maintaining a
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functional society with people following societal norms. I believe this is the
central message because the author shows many instances of when trust was
a huge part in the essay such as when the author explained his past
experiences in Italy and when the author showed a sense of pride in his
decision to stop at the light. The times when resilience was shown in this
essay were not a central message but instead was a self reflection. For
example when the author reflected on their decision to stop at the light when
there were no consequences for running it instead shows the importance that
societies rules have on the author and the trust they have in one another to
follow these set rules. Because the author explained how they were already
running late and there were no consequences to running, the light showed
resilience in following their morals and taking pride in creating a safe and
trusted environment. Furthermore, the author showcases resilience again in
society when they emphasize on the importance of mutual and blind trust in
maintaining a functioning society such as the tax evasion incident and the
possible problems that come with society not following norms.
Answer the “Essential Questions”
How do you feel about what happened in the essay?
Throughout this essay I feel as to what happened the decisions made by the author were correct and was a much deeper
decision then it might look. I think the reflection on the author's sudden hesitation to keep driving just when there was no
other car around raised a few questions for me. It directly spoke to me as it explored these motivations and emphasized
that these norms should be established by trust and a mutual agreement for a better understanding of the actions done in
society. The author's reflection on the value of trust in maintaining social order reminded me of the very complicated nature
of human interactions, and the importance of trust in building cooperative relationships within society. Ultimately, the essay
left me thinking about the very profound ways in which trust makes a difference in our daily choices and how trust creates
a strong barrier in society, which proves the fundamental importance of trust in the construction of society.
What does this make you think of?
This essay made me think about how important trust is in society, it allowed me to see how staying true to your own self
practices can impact decisions you take. It made me think about how in our everyday decisions we are in charge of what
will happen whether it be following societal norms or creating a trusted environment between society and the people within
it. I thought about how your own decisions are what creates society, and how society is molded by everyone and their own
personal thoughts and decisions.
How does this relate to your own life?
This relates to my own life because this essay portrays the importance of trust in society and following societal norms. In
life trust is what keeps the world functioning as without trust there is no way society can function without facing multiple
backlashes. In my life, I also believe that trust is very important and that following societal norms is a serious factor in
creating a safe and trusted space. My past experiences with following societal norms and having blind trust corresponds to
this essay very well as the scenario shown in the essay was all too familiar to me. Like the author, everyday I find myself in
situations where I can either follow social norms and rules or I can act to my own personal thoughts and make decisions
that don't involve having/creating trust.
How might other readers think differently from you?
Other readers may think differently from me because they might not follow the same principles I do. Other readers may feel
that the decision the author made was the wrong decision and that they would ran the red light instead of waiting for it to
be green due to the lack of consequences. Other readers may not see the importance of trust in society to this degree as
they might think that since there are no consequences I can just run it this one time, neglecting the societal norms and self
morals that come with it. I believe that other people may feel as if they are not causing any harm as no one is getting hurt
nor is anyone being affected by them running the light. I also think other people might not think about the importance of
trust in society but instead think about the situation of facing the consequences due to breaking the law and committing
acts of not following rules.
What was the most important part for you?
The most important part for me along this essay would be the meaning of social standards and shared trust. The author's
self-examination about why they decided to stop for the red light (even though they could run through it and there is no
consequence) is a start for discussion of the rules and agreements that people accept to be able to coexist in a society.
The author, who then understood that the acceptance of these norms is a condition for the proper functioning of the
society, therefore shows the importance of trust and mutual respect to the stability and cooperation among people. This
reflection allows me to analyze my own understanding of social norms and to see how trust is an important part of my daily
life.
What questions do you have about the essay?
Some questions I have about the essay are
-
What pushed the author to reflect on their decision to stop at the red light instead of running through it?
-
What is the reason why the author decided to follow societal norms instead of disobeying rules?
-
How did this situation impact the rest of his trap to Lewisburg?
What would you ask the author if you could?
If I could talk with the author, a question I would ask is why did the author feel the need to tell someone about how good of
a person he was following societal norms. When the author said “And inasmuch as no one would ever have known what a
good person I was on the road from Harrisburg to Lewisburg, I had to tell someone.” It made me ask why he felt the need
to tell someone. Was it because of validation? Was it because he wanted to raise awareness on trust and how following
societal norms can create a safe and trusted environment within society? I would really like to know. This was a small
detail I noticed that stuck with me throughout answering the questions given. Another question I would like to ask the
author If I could would be to know if the author felt a sense of disobedience or felt like he was being confined to society's
rules when stopping at the red light when there was no given reason.
How has the author dealt with this adversity?
The author deals with the adversity of having thoughts and temptations to go through the red light by having a moment of
reflection in his place in society and his importance of having mutual trust in society. The author chooses to stick by these
rules and self morals to society following the norms that are put on society. Given his situation the author could have easily
fed into his temptation that was being led by the fact he was running late as well as having no consequences of his actions.
The author also deals with this adversity by considering all of the potential consequences of no trust being shown in
society, for example when he brought up the tax evasion in Italy and the threat it might have to the United States if the
same were to happen in the USA. In the end the author chooses the right decision and sticks with being true to themself
and societal norms.
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