1. Discussing finances as parents in front of kids

2. Talking bad about other members of the family

3. Ratting out your siblings without valid reason

3 school

1.  Walking on the opposite side of the hallway against traffic

2.  Standing around and blocking the stairs so people can not get to class

3.  Sitting in your regular seat consistently when there is not a seating chart

3 world

1.  Don’t cut your grass on Sundays in Switzerland.  

2.  Don’t eat while standing in Indonesia. 

3. Don’t wear your shoes into a home in Japan.

2 themes one stated one original

1. “Notice that nearly all our taboos, big and small, public and intimate, involve silence- keeping one’s silence, or paying a price for not keeping it” (Stone 113).

2. The fear of taboos cause loss of growth as a society because we are scared of having difficult conversations. 

# from Combining Sentences

The death penalty is the only punishment that fits the crime and offers enough hope for the deterrence of future homicides.

1. It is rude to wear shoes in the house

2. It is considered rude to yell at or disrespect your parents/elders

2. Don't eat dinner without washing hands

3. Don’t leave lights on in empty rooms

2. No running in halls

3. Not participating in group projects

2. Don’t sleep with your head or feet facing door (certain asian cultures)

3. Dont spit in the uk or germany in public

1. In Italy, it is very frowned upon to order a cappuccino after 11am as it is considered a breakfast drink.

2. In most east Asian countries it is considered rude to place your chopsticks vertically in your food as it represents incense sticks and could attract spirits.

3.  In Sweden, there is a high value placed on respecting the personal space of others. 

”taboos, big or small, are always about having to respect somebody's boundaries." the theme is that taboos were "created" to make people have respect for one and other.

original theme

taboos are all about having a silent respect for each other and when the respect is broken there are consequences.

The lack of risk lies at the bottom of soaring homicide rates.

A word that stood out in “Don’t Even Think About It!” by Micheal Ventura was the term corrosive. This word has a negative connotation and is used on page 113 when Ventura states “Such silences are corrosive.”, talking about why we do not speak of taboos. Another term used that stands out is the term vigorously, which also has a negative connotation. Vigorously is used when talking about controversial art pieces, “He, like all fundamentalists, will vigorously oppose such art and all it stands for until he dies…”(Ventura 115), These words have negative connotations because the mood of this essay is serious and uncomfortable. Taboos are uncomfortable, serious things that society does not discuss so it makes sense that these words were included. (Grace)

IMAGERY

One example of figurative language is when Ventura says, “Yet keeping silent has its own price: for then silence begins to fill the heart, until silence becomes the heart- a heart swelling with restraint until it bursts in frustration, anger, even madness” (Ventura 113). When he speaks about the heart bursting he is using a hyperbole because it does not actually burst into frustration, but he feels that it accurately describes the emotion. An example of imagery in the text is when he speaks about how males in corporate and legal worlds have to wear suits with somber colors if they want to be taken seriously. This is imagery because it appeals to our sense of sight and we can imagine what the men are wearing. (Piper)

DETAILS

In the text, the author states “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.)” This quote shows that the author thinks taboos are very uncomfortable to talk about, but sometimes in the relationship if you do not speak about them your relationship will become very tense and silent. He is saying you could have an uncomfortable conversation which may lead to people to split up or sit in silence and wait for the problem to solve itself. (Maddy)

LANGUAGE

A word that describes the whole body of text is connotative. The word choices Ventura uses sets the tone for the essay and gives the vibe of what you are going to be reading. On page 114 Ventura states, “we’d ostracized, coerced, exiled, tormented and murdered…” which are all words that have very negative connotations. This sets the tone for what the whole text will be about so I believe that connotative is an appropriate word to describe the essay as a whole. (Grace)

SYNTAX

An example of syntax in the essay is when Ventura writes, “... a black man who spoke with familiarity to a white woman might be beaten, driven out of town, or (as not uncommon) lynched” (Ventura 113). The parenthesis in this quote are an example of syntax, and they are used to add extra information that is helpful to the comprehension of the text without using an extra sentence or making the existing sentence too wordy. Also, he often uses dashes in his writing which have a similar effect of adding extra information or stressing the severity of a situation, which is another example of the syntax Ventura believed to be most efficient in his writing. (Piper)

2. Mentioning family drama

3. Not inviting family to a major event

2. Good hygiene

3. Saying something offensive

2. Females must be fully/mostly covered (Middle-East)

3. Mentioning harmful stereotypes about certain people within their country

original: Everything is taboo, even silence.

1.  Mowing your lawn on a Saturday is seen as a taboo in Germany.

2. Wearing shorts in Morocco, even in the hot summer heat, is considered too relaxed for men and they're expected to wear long pants.

3. In China, you never want to wear a green hat due to the superstition that it means you're being cheated on and will be viewed differently.

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

1. Stated- The subtle, yet powerful influence of societal messages and cultural conditioning on human behavior persists in every culture. 

2. Original- As humans, taboos exist so we can stop our darkest desires from emerging. 

# from Combining Sentences

For the people who are impressed by the flurry of statistics, consider the statistics offered by the  liberal camp: the murder rate increased sixty percent in New York City over the past six years.