Entry1_Bui thi Sang

Item 1: Poem

Philosophy Glass

Some people see a glass
With some water in it and say,
"Oh yes, that glass is half full!"
Some people see a glass
With some water in it and say,
"Oh no, that glass is half empty!"
I hope that I am one of the
People who is always able to
Look at each of the glasses and
See them as at least half full.
That's very important in life,
Because if you live feeling like
Your glass is half empty, well,
It may as well be empty all the way.
(Mattie Stepanek, aged 11, Heartsongs, Thorsons 2002, p.52)

Rhetorical devices:
Metaphor:
Glass:  everything happens to us in the life
Half –full:  positive, optimistic
Half-empty:  negative, pessimistic.
Message:
The situation may be seen in different ways depending on one's point of view and that there may be opportunity in the situation as well as trouble. If you tend to look at everything in a good, positive or optimistic way, then your life  is half-full. If you tend to look at everything in bad, negative and pessimistic way, your life  is half empty.

Item 2:

The Twenty Dollar Bill

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the $20 dollar bill up. He then asked, "who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied, "what if I do this?"

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

"Now who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson," he said, "no matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20."

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened, or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless ... and especially to those who love you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE.

"You are special - Don't EVER forget it." 

 Rhetorical devices:

• -          Metaphor (twenty dollar bill – the worth of a person), the actions of the speaker (crumple the $20 dollar bill up, dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe)- the hard time of life.

Message:

-          Life is full of ups and downs - many downs, twists and turns, disappointments, grief, sadness and obstacles. Life beats us up, and gets us down. When things are roughest, and life seems the toughest, we need to learn not to lose hope, confidence in ourselves, as well as self esteem, self love and our sense of self worth.

 Item 3: Cartoon 

rhetorical devices:

metaphor : old, broken car ( American economy), the surrounding place ( economic crisis)

message : 

Because of economic crisis,Although the gas prices go down, both American car's industry and American economy are not run like before.

Reference: 

1. http://cynthiawc.posterous.com/reading-poems-by-mattie-stepanek-philosophy-g
2. http://www.perrycountyillinois.net/sub409.htm
 3. http://vnexpress.net/gl/kinh-doanh/quoc-te/2008/11/3ba08d25/