In “Everything has a name” by Helen Keller she expresses her thoughts and expectations while learning about things like water and dolls. Since she is both deaf and blind, some things that we find to be simple or basic were milestones for her. She speaks about visualizing things even though she can’t physically see. Which brings up the idea that not everyone may think or “see” the same. The text is very detailed which aids in giving the reader a chance to step into her shoes and try to imagine her exact emotions throughout her experience. One moment that stood out to me was when she realized that the doll had a name and it wasn’t just an object. After she learned what it was she felt more remorseful and said “In the still, dark world in which I lived there was no strong sentiment or tenderness.” This was interesting because it seems as though now that she understands that it was a doll, she has values for it and even a name like “doll” added meaning to it. It was now labeled and noticed enough so that she could identify it. Her knowing that everything has a name gave her the push she needed to go out and learn more about the things around her. 

In “Class in America” by Gregory Mantsios starts off emphasizing that most people in the United States do not like to speak about class even though we see the obvious or evident barriers. He feels as though we need to speak on more important things like class privileges, class oppression etc. I agree with his point about having more open discussions about this because it allows us to understand our differences. We can talk about these institutions and how they were built to oppress. We could work on reinventing things so that we could focus on supporting everyone as a whole and not in superior to inferior sections. Later on he uses examples, myths, and statistics to support his idea that class whether that be economic or racially, has to be something that Americans are more aware of. He included the correlation between class and education attainment, power and oppression, American Life-styles and the economic spectrum. 

In the text “Art” by Ian Bogost, he poses the question “Are videogames art?” He brings up avant-garde to further explain that the definition of art may be different for everyone. He explained that artists re-imagined what came before them and some made art that was completely the opposite to the norm. He states that art once had one monolithic view. He emphasizes that the point of creating art is to express and reinvent ideas or beliefs. I agree with this statement because art can just be a form in which someone can communicate their emotions or thoughts. Art does not necessarily have to be a painting or a sculpture. A video game can be art because it can be considered a pixelated form of expression. It allows the creator to use their imagination and put it together and create something visual. He talks about other games like “Braid” and “Passage” as examples of an abstract memento mori and how these types of games rely primarily on computational rules to produce their artistic meaning. It allows the players interaction to create meaning.

In “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott, she explains that you have to go through trial and error in order to have a decent outcome. At first you might not convey everything on one go or on a piece of paper but you can always go back and correct it. She goes on to speak about how even the best or most well-known authors go through an exhausting drafting process. Throughout the text Lamott uses light humor which made it a little bit more interesting to read. It felt engaging and I can relate to her main point. As a student, I also used to think that I had to layout all my main points in one draft. But in actuality, it isn’t realistic to have a perfect first draft because there is always something that can be fixed. You may have written a piece and then someone could have reviewed it and interpreted it in a whole other different way. You might need multiple perspectives to aid in your final draft. Drafts are essential in the writing process and without it we would not be able to see our mistakes and it may clash with the entire message or point that you are trying to send.