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1. Don’t give an even number of roses for a romantic occasion, they are used for deaths or funerals in Russia.

2. Writing someone’s name in red ink was reserved for the deceased in South Korea so doing this to the living is seen as wishing death upon them.

3. In Singapore, it is illegal to chew gum in public places and heavy fines are given to those who litter.

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The only punishment to offer hope, fits the crime, and is strong enough to the deterrence of future homicides is the death penalty.

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1. Don’t hold hands in hallway

2. Don't go through the wrong side of the door

3. Don't poop in school

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1. Don't eat someone else's leftovers

2. Don’t walk around naked

3. Don't use your phone at the dinner table

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1.Taboos can hurt peoples feelings.

2. “The taboos hardest on the soul are those which fester in our intimacies..."(Ventura 113)

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21-24: Eighty percent of the murders in New York City were crimes of passion and this was before the death penalty was abolished,a crime of passion is when the killer carries out an act of violence against someone they know.

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3 world

1.  In african countries while speaking to a tribal cheif, don't have ur head higher than his.

2. In Thailand don't point ur hand or shoe at someone as it is considered rude.

3. Don’t ask a man his salary in the united states.

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1. Don’t run to class if you’re about to be late

2. Don’t poop at school.

3. Don’t ask if there's homework if it hasn’t been mentioned yet.

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1. No sneaking out

2. No smoking

3. No stealing money

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1.  Don’t make fun of someone if they got a failing grade

2. Don’t scream in the hallway

3. Don't play loud music or videos without headphones

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There is a current debate over capital punishment that has brought out the usual number of breast beating and teeth gnashing liberals who are eager to whine about the poor little condemned criminal.

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1. Not using honorifics in many Southeastern Asian countries.

2. Chewing gum in Singapore is illegal.

3. Extra seasoning/condiments on food in countries like Britain.

-Anna Rios

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1. You can't chew gum in Singapore

2. You can't go to sleep with a fan on in Mongolia

3.  In China, leaving the table before you finish your food is rude.

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1.asking your parents how much money they make

2.don’t use your siblings things

3.keeping your elbows on the table

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1. Using Hari Words in upper end English classes.

2. Stopping in the middle of a busy hallway.

3. Mentioning mental health/homelife.

-via flanagan-kut

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1. Giving someone flowers in Europe.

2. Biting your thumb at some. (In Shakespearean times)

3. Saying the number 4 in Chinese.

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If you are impressed with the statistics offered by the liberal camp, I'd look at the 60% increase of murder in New York over the past 6 years.

-Anna

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1. Don't write a person's name in red ink in Korea

2. Don't give a thumbs-up to Russians

3. Don't touch, kill, honk at, or disrespect Indian cows.

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2 themes, one stated one original

1. In the essay "Don't Even Think About It,” by Michael Ventura, the theme is to avoid acting disrespectfully and ignorantly towards others, to refrain from invading their personal taboos.

2. “Either that, or to submit to being lost, as most of us silently are, without admitting it to each other or to ourselves—lost in a maze of taboos.”(Ventura 119).

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Now, any punk who murders will only suffer a few years in prison at most.

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3 Taboos home

1. Don’t leave your purse on the floor

2. Don’t ask your parents how much they weigh

3. Don’t leave your shoes faced up

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3 school

1. Don't talk about current Politics (voting, current sensitive events)

2. Don't stop in the middle of the hallway

3. Don't speak with your friend's exes

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The theme of "Don't Even Think About It" is that humans avoid the ideas and truths to protect their mental stability.

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One word that can be used to describe the entire essay is the word learned. This means that the author is educated and experienced. An example of this can be found in the very beginning of the essay when the author states, "when I was a kid in the Italian neighborhoods of Brooklyn, to insult someone's mother meant a brutal fight--the kind of fight nobody interferes with until one of the combats goes down and stays down" (Ventura 1). In this example he is speaking about Taboos from his own experiences growing up. Another word that describes the entire essay is precise.This means that his writing was exact, accurate, decisive. He doesn't take a long time to get to his point, and is straight to his point and is exact. The rhetorical device that can be found in this essay is rhetorical questions. This can be found throughout the essay helping to keep the readers interested.

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1. Jumping on the sofa

2. Eating with your elbows on the table

3. Telling your parents about crushes

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“The National Organization of Women can rail against the Promise Keepers all they want (and they have some good reasons), but when you get a million working-class guys crying and hugging in public, the stoic mask of the American male has definitely cracked. And I'm old enough to remember when it was shocking for women to speak about wanting a career. Now virtually all affluent young women are expected to want a career” (Ventura 17).  I feel as if this more than any other quote really exemplified what image Ventura is trying to implant into your brain. This is not the world of fifty years ago. Expectations and taboos have changed over time, like the social stigma of men showing emotion or women in the workplace. This happens because our societies which create these taboos evolve and grow over time, and that can cause a shift in taboos.

“We needed cannibals to give us a word to describe our behav-ior, so how ‘civilized’ are we, really?” (Ventura 7).  Ventura uses some hyperbole as he says that we live very similarly to cannibals in the world of taboos. The claim that cannibals could teach us something about ourselves is outlandish. He uses it for shock and effect in his writing.

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1. Asking someone about their sex life

2. Not stepping on headstones when at a cemetery.

3. Wearing white to a wedding when you’re not the bride.

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Diction(Luke P)

In this story the author uses words like “Constrict” and "Surrendered" to describe Taboos. This shows how taboos make u give up some way of life in order to follow the Taboos way. The Taboos help create a structured system of living.

Imagery (James L)

“The National Organization of Women can rail against the Promise Keepers all they want (and they have some good reasons), but when you get a million working-class guys crying and hugging in public, the stoic mask of the American male has definitely cracked. And I'm old enough to remember when it was shocking for women to speak about wanting a career. Now virtually all affluent young women are expected to want a career” (Ventura 17).  I feel as if this more than any other quote really exemplified what image Ventura is trying to implant into your brain. This is not the world of fifty years ago. Expectations and taboos have changed over time, like the social stigma of men showing emotion or women in the workplace. This happens because our societies which create these taboos evolve and grow over time, and that can cause a shift in taboos.

“We needed cannibals to give us a word to describe our behav-ior, so how ‘civilized’ are we, really?” (Ventura 7).  Ventura uses some hyperbole as he says that we live very similarly to cannibals in the world of taboos. The claim that cannibals could teach us something about ourselves is outlandish. He uses it for shock and effect in his writing.

Details(John B)

An opinion the author gave came up when he was talking about taboos like “Little taboos: until the sixties, it was an insult to use someone's first name without asking or being offered permission.” This is an opinion because not all people may have experienced this or they could have been harsher about it and make it a big taboo.

A fact the author stated would be when he said “Notice that nearly  all of our taboos, big and small, public and intimate, involve silence” We see how  the author thinks taboos work and if you chose to respect them, then that entails that you must become silent.

Language(Lucas M)

One word that is displayed throughout “Don’t even think about it” by Michael Ventura is cultured. This word is displayed throughout the book when the author is talking about taboos. This connects to the word culture because the author argues how taboos vary from country to country. Another word that is displayed throughout this essay is vulgar. This is expressed because some of the taboos that he shares might be vulgar. The author states, “Sexual taboos: there are few communities on the planet where two men can walk down a street holding hands without being harassed or even arrested; in Afghanistan the Taliban would stone them to death”(Ventura 113). This quote shows how these taboos could be vulgar from the actions and penalties.

Syntax(Lucas M)

In “Don’t Even Think About It” by Michael Ventura, he uses dashes to create emphasis. “Taboos, big or small, are always about having to respect someone’s boundary-or else.(Ventura 112). This dash creates emphasis because it lets the readers know that there will be a negative consequence from bringing up taboos. The author also uses complex punctuation throughout the essay to create emotion and even more emphasis.

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1. 25-26: The case is that only 50% of murders in New York are crimes of passion.

2.   37-38: The lack of risk lies at the bottom of our soaring homicide rates.

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1. It’s forbidden to speak of anything sexual/hormones before marriage

2.  Using your right hand for everything

3.  Taking off your shoes as a sign of respect

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1.  Publicly speaking/questioning about religion

2.  Eye contact for too long

3.  Running to class if you're late

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1. PDA (Public Displays of Affection)

2.  In China, you cannot cut long noodle for it symbolizes cutting a life short

3.  The number “13th” in North America

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1. Wearing shoes in the house

2. Eating food upstairs

3. Opening doors/windows while the AC is running

-Joaquina

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Stated: Ventura wrote, “We needed cannibals to give us a word to describe our behavior, so how ‘civilized’ are we, really?” He explains that all of mankind is inherently heinous in a way. To further extend this, he also explains that taboos stem from hatred and human nature.

Original: Taboos cause great pain in the world, but are necessary for society to function.

-Gab

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2 themes, one stated one original

1.  “In the process, though, we’ve lost the sanctity of silence. We’ve lost the sense of dark but sacred power inherent in sex, in nature, even in crime. Perhaps that is the price of our new freedoms.” (Ventura 118).

2. The theme in the essay “Don’t Even Think About It”  is that people tend to avoid conversations that they don't feel comfortable talking about, or think are “taboo,” and would rather stay silent.

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The author of this essay provides us with extensive information about the various types of taboos and their origins. Some of the different taboos the essay discusses are those that, as a society, we tend to break, and how they also tend to silence us. “What is the keeper of your silence? The answer to that question is your own guide to your personal taboos. How must you confine yourself in order to get through your day at the job, or to be acceptable in your social circle? The answer to that is your map of your society’s taboos. What makes you most afraid to speak?” (Ventura 118-119) The author is describing to us how we, as a society, deal with taboos in our everyday lives.

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1. “Either that, or to submit to being lost, as most of us silently are, without admitting it to each other or to ourselves – lost in a maze of taboos” (Ventura 119).

2. In the essay "Don't Even Think About It" by Michael Ventura, the overall theme is to avoid making society and themselves uncomfortable by speaking about certain topics or "Taboos" which overstep personal boundaries and beliefs.

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details (Noor)

The author directly expresses his opinion through the explanation of examples and situations happening across the globe. His explanation teaches the readers that we have different cultural norms, yet globally society refuses to speak on many things in order to not disrupt anything out of the ordinary.

“If we speak of them, we may endanger the relationship; but if we do not speak, if we do not violate the taboo, the relationship may become static and tense, until the silence takes on a life of its own” (Ventura 113).

language (malak)

The author uses rhetorical devices by repeating the same phrases in the essay such as “you don’t think” “you react” “you watch” “you absorb”

The author uses irony to criticize the moderns world. a good example of that would be when he said “you think you think but you don’t. atleast not often.”

syntax (malak)

The beginnings of the paragraphs in this essay start similarly, for example, they all make bold claims, get backed up with evidence, and then get reflected upon.

The beginnings of sentences in this essay however, they begin in a variety. there are son shot and direct quotes used like “you don’t think” and others that are longer and more complex.

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DICTION

rania

An example of diction is the word taboo. “It is probably inherent in the human condition that there are no ‘last’ taboos.”(Ventura, 119). This shows how taboo seems to be a very unique and funny word from the way it is spelled and how it sounds. But it's really a word that could be very controversial. And it could raise arguments.

IMAGERY

rylinn

Michael Ventura writes, “But we stockpile weapons that can cook the entire world.” (Ventura 114). This shows personification in a way that the world cannot literally be cooked in an oven, but it’s an exaggeration and gives character to an object or idea. The author does this to add emphasis on the aspect of not actually cooking people for a meal, but metaphorically cooking the world with weapons.

Ventura states, “They get to not have their taboo cake, yet eat it too.” (Ventura 116) This quote shows symbolism in that the cake is the joy of people balancing on the acceptability or crossing a line with taboos. The author uses an object that people are familiar with to describe and explain an unfamiliar idea.

DETAILS

misha

Ventura writes, “Notice that nearly all of our taboos, big and small, public and intimate, involve silence-keeping ones silence, or paying a price for not keeping it.” (Ventura 113) This detail in the essay, “Don't Even Think About It,” shows the author's opinion on what a taboo means in his definition. Vetura’s way of describing a taboo includes the idea that we must honor other people's boundaries because it's how we would want to be treated. This is how the author conveys his definition of taboo as a detail to the audience.

LANGUAGE

hidaya

“Try sitting in a quiet room without the television on. It's hard, isn't it?”

The first half of this essay, based on this evidence, can be described and summarized as informal because the author uses a conversational tone to show the reader the influence of the media.

“We are losing the ability to think independently, and we don’t even realize it.”

The second half of this essay, based on the evidence, can be described as shocking. Ventura uses an alarming tone so the readers can think about the impact of the media and how it is affecting our minds. Ventura’s use of shocking images left a feeling of concern and fear of how their own minds are being affected by the media.

SYNTAX

rania

“In Afghanistan, as I write this, it is a sin—punishable by beatings and imprisonment—to fly a kite.”(Ventura,113). This is an example of syntax because it separates the sentence in a way where the part that's in the dashes doesn't technically need to be added. With the words in the dashes, it is still a sentence. But it helps give me depth and details to the sentence.

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1. Never put an empty cereal box back in the pantry

2. walking in the house with muddy shoes

3. not emptying the dishwasher when it needs to be emptied.

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Fact: “The taliban of Afghanistan will ride around in jeeps toting guns, searching out any woman who dares show an inch of facial skin or wear white socks (Taliban boys consider white socks provocative), and when they find such a woman they'll jail and beat her” (Ventura 116).

Opinion: The author believes our society is not civilized because we learned the word taboo from a place where cannibalism is a normal practice. Cannibalism is not right and many people don’t support this. So, for us to use and acknowledge a word that was created by cannibalism is wrong.

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One word that is used a lot during this essay is cultured. This is a good word to use talking about taboos because it gives us a better understanding that taboos are a world wide thing and there are many different taboos in many different places throughout the country. Another word to describe this essay is sensuous. I think this word describes this essay because it means passionate and people who follow these taboos are very passionate about these taboos in their countries and take them very seriously. One quote is “in china it's taboo to be christian.” This is just one sentence from the quote but it shows us how people are sensuous or passionate towards taboos because they change their religion and who they believe in to follow the taboos they have.” (Ventura 114)

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The author of this story uses syntax to emphasize many things. For example they state,  “Unclassifiable taboos: in Afghanistan, as I write this, it is a sin—

punishable by beatings and imprisonment—to fly a kite” (Ventura 113). In this the author uses a colon to show his list of taboos and emphasize that they cannot be classified.

Another example of syntax is, “I'm not denying the necessity of every society to set limits and 8 invent taboos (some rational, some not) simply in order to get on with the day—and to try to contain the constant, crazy, never-to-be-escaped longings that blossom in our sleep and distract or compel us while awake” (Ventura 114). In this the author uses the dashes in between “never-to-be-escaped” to connect the words better and show emphasis. He also uses a long senate format to get his ideas across.

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“If we speak on them, we may endanger the relationship; but if we do not speak, if we do not violate the taboo, the relationship may become static and tense, until the silence takes on a life of its own.” (Ventura 113).  Silence can’t take on a life, making it a personification.  This personification helps us understand that if we don’t face these taboos, but let them run our life, the silence will take over.

“National taboos:until the seventies, a divorced person could not run for major public office in America (it wasn’t until 1981 that our first and only divorced president, Ronald Reagan, took office); today, no professed atheist would dare try for presidency” (Ventura 113).  This demonstrates how important it was in the seventies if someone who used to be married took office.  This imagery helps us understand what it would have looked like by comparing it to an atheist taking office.

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1. sexual activity

2. bringing up controversial family history

3. Not allowed to burp

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The speaker uses words and brings up topics that are considered taboo when referring to taboos as an example of how people react because he knew that the reader would likely have a reaction when using those words or bringing up certain topics. “Sexual taboos: there are few communities on this planet where two men can walk down a street holding hands without being harassed or even arrested; in Afghanistan (a great place for taboos these days) the Taliban would stone them to death” (Ventura 113). This excerpt brings up a topic that may have shocked some readers, especially with its blunt opening of “Sexual Taboos”. The word choice was specifically chosen  because it hooks readers in and gives them a better understanding because it is a true example of what the author is saying.

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The author of this essay compares knowing a culture's taboos to knowing the secrets of a culture and being able to navigate it. “The very taboos that we employ to protect us from each other and ourselves, are a map of our secret natures. When you know a culture’s taboos (or an individual’s, or a family’s) you know its secrets –you know what it really wants” (Ventura 115). This part of the text is a metaphor, comparing a map to knowing a cultures taboos. If you know what not to say around certain people, you are able to have a productive and non-offensive conversation with those people, which is beneficial if you want to be able to have conversations with people of different cultures.

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Taboo, negative connotative concrete. “You can see how fitting it is that the word “taboo” comes from a part of the world where cannibalism is said to be practiced to this day:”(Ventura 113). The way taboo is used is making it look bad and negative because it also uses the word cannibalism which is horrible.

Another example is the word honest , denotative and abstract. “…why so many people who call themselves honest and law abiding spend so much  time with movies…” (Ventura 115). This is a abstract word because it talks about a general meaning in the word honest, its not used differently then the original meaning

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1.  Original- Some things should not be told or done when at a location that considers it taboo.

2. ‘Notice that nearly all of our taboos, big and small, public and intimate, involve silence, keeping one ones or paying ones silence, or paying a price for not.

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I agree with those not in favor of the death penalty, as the taking of a life is a serious matter; however, I reserve my tears for the innocent victim and their family.

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The syntax of “Don’t Even Think About It” by Michael Ventrura is declarative. There are uses of semicolons and rhetorical questions too. When the author discusses various taboos around the world, he speaks as if he has firsthand experience with them. For example, he states, “We needed cannibals to give us a word to describe our behavior, so how civilized are we, really? We do things differently from those cannibals, on the surface, but is the nature of what we do all that different?” This shows he is a deep thinker and philosophical and knows what hes talking about.

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DICTION

“She answered. I

obeyed. But a few minutes later, I raised the point again, with

mounting impatience. "It will be all right in a minute," she said apprehensively.” The author's way of saying or writing is very clear. He's a very straightforward person, but the word apprehensively is an adjective which derived from the Latin word.tasha

IMAGERY

’Instantly, the doleful eyes of my seatmate turned

tiredly from his newspaper to fix me with a resentful stare’

The author uses the words doleful when describing his eyes and the resentful stare to make the readers understand the significance it had when the author was going to complain because the man with the doleful eyes who gave the resentful stare was tired too, but still had the decency to complain.-Tasha

DETAILS

“Inside the railroad car

The temperature must have been about 85 degrees. I took off my

overcoat, and few minutes later my jacket” The author gives us an understanding of how hot it was using details like “I took off my over coat” someone is usually wearing a coat when it cold outside but then the author goes on to explain that he took off his jacket now, it’s safe to assume that it must be freezing outside that the author had to coats on but this also goes to explain how hot the temperature was in the train.-Tasha

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Diction

In paragraph 21 the author uses words like “breached” to describe people crossing boundaries of taboos. This shows the author's disdain for people crossing boundaries and how he really feels about it. “Without sexual taboos, for instance, what are the social boundaries between men and women? When are they breached? What is offensive?”

Imagery

In paragraph 1 it gives us examples of taboos, the taboos were described in ways that showed imagery. In paragraph one it states “Big taboos: when i was  a kid in the italian neighborhoods of Brooklyn, to insult someone’s mother meant a brutal fight–the kind of fight that no one interferes with until one of the combatants goes down and stays down.” This quote paints a picture with descriptive imagery that you imagine.

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Language in “Don’t even think about”, Micheal Ventura uses direct language to address his readers. His style in writing to speak about his concept of the division of life really is. The author has a personal inviting tone, he addresses the reader by using 2 people. We know this because he uses “you”. Ventura uses powerful metaphors in his language to describe his concept. One powerful quote being " The only thing to do with the void is to fill in. With yourself." This quote gives the readers a more dark view. When Ventura compares silence with a corrosive. Ventura has a very declarative language, in making assertive claims about culture foundation.