Johnny Got His Gun

Throughout the novel, Trumbo develops many positions about war. However, at the end of the novel he really expands on beliefs on war. He believes that the establishment causes men to rise up against each other, and if this did not exist, men would not do that. I disagree with this argument because I think it is human nature that when put in a threatening situation, our “flight or fight” instinct takes over. For example, a farmer would defend his or her land if he felt threatened by the person invading, or if a burglar came into a home, the individual in the home would have to fight to protect their home. Another position Trumbo takes on war is that one shouldn’t die for ideals, but rather “concrete things” such as a mother giving up their life for their child. I disagree with this idea that there is no idea worth dying for, because there is.

Johnny Got His Gun

I found the way the book was written to be interesting. I have never seen an author construct a piece where the reader cannot tell if the main character is conscious or hallucinating. This is important to the storyline because Joe has suffered greatly because of the war. All he has left is a functioning brain and nothing else, so his thoughts are always sporadic and sometimes confusing to the reader. One of the best parts of the book where the reader cannot tell if Joe is hallucinating or not is when he thinks he is being eaten by the rat. Trumbo uses such great imagery that the reader can picture the scenario in their mind and start to believe that this was in fact true, yet it was only a figment of Joe’s imagination. By including the thought process of Joe during the war, he is able to show reality of war and the struggles a soldier must face.

The March of the Flag

In the essay, The March of the Flag, Albert Beveridge makes the claim that Americans are, “God’s chosen people.” He assumes that Americans have a superiority over everyone else, and their sole purpose is to fight for God. He also argues that, “America’s power is to save the soil for liberty and civilization.” This means that an individual does not have a choice to fight, but rather must fight. It is similar to Johnny Got His Gun because he was forced to fight in a war that he knew little about. Joe was simply fighting for the protection of America’s wonderful gifts that God has given this country. In the book Joe describes the horrors and struggle of war that he had to face in order to preserve God’s land. Moreover, he sees Americans have a moral and global obligation to spread the knowledge and superiority of America’s religion and government to all the less fortunate people.

"America the Beautiful: What We're Fighting For"

In the essay, “America the Beautiful: What We’re Fighting For,” Dinesh D’Souza discussed the conflict between the Islamic and American worlds and opinions and controversy that keeps these worlds in tension. He also talks about how lucky Americans are and how wonderful America is as a country. There are many advantages that America has over other countries. D’Souza called American society, “the greatest, freest, and most decent society in existence,” and goes as far as to say that Islamic societies produce, “wretched, servile, fatalistic and intolerant human beings.”

In the novel, Johnny Got His Gun, a young man, who like many others, goes to war because he is told by the leaders of his country to go to war. He was injured when a bomb explodes next to him, and he loses both his arms, legs, hearing, sight and can’t even speak.

The relationship between D’Souza’s essay and Johnny Got His Gun is that Johnny Got His Gun shows the reality of what war really is like. D’Souza explains the complications and problems with war, but not necessarily the consequences that come of it. Johnny Got His Gun shows how horrifying, sad and dangerous war is and the lasting impact it has on people’s lives.

Civil Disobedience

In Henry Thoreau’s essay, Resistance to Civil Government (Civil Disobedience), he explains his reasoning for refusing to pay this tax and his views on government and why it must be resisted. He looks at the importance of justice, morality and conscious of an individual. Thoreau argues that people shouldn’t let the government overrule and that it is the duty of the people to allow the government to act with injustice. Thoreau believes that was government exists in America because of tradition, and because it was practical.

The Declaration of Independence was written to request independence from Great Britain under the rule of King George III. Much like Thoreau’s essay, the settlers were trying to resist the government that was being imposed on them. The role of resistance is in place to shape and consider the will of the people. The Declaration of Independence served as the settler’s first attempt at creating a democracy, where the power would lie in the hands of the people. Resistance to democracy is important because everyone would be forced to believe the same thing. A government that has resistance allows people the freedom of thought, which is what helps to shape and enforce a democracy. It allows citizens to live freely under an established government where everything is considered “fair and balanced.”

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

An interesting topic that has come up recently in the news is the military policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” An independent Senator named Joseph Lieberman introduced a bill that would repeal the ban on openly gay service members in the military, but at a hearing later in the day Republican lawmakers questioned why lifting the ban was necessary. Lieberman introduced the bill in response to Obama’s pledge to end the 17-year-old “don’t ask don’t tell.” This law allows gay men and lesbians to serve in the armed services only if they keep their sexual orientation secret. At the hearing panel, there was the statistic given that from 1999 to 2008, 1.9 million people were discharged by the Department of Defense, including 8,300 because of the “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Gender is personal and I believe it should remain that way and it allows people to live their lives freely, but without fear of reprisal.

Engaging the Text #2 What is Marriage?

By starting the passage with an extended definition of marriage, Wolfson is able to make himself credible and show how much power a marriage between people can hold. He starts his definition with discussing how even though people speak many different languages, there is a word for marriage, and it always describes someone’s love and dedication to another person. This shows how marriage is a universal term, and is represented the same way no matter what culture or background someone comes from. Wolfson then describes how marriage is a personal commitment, a social statement, and a relationship with the government. He also describes the legal and economic responsibilities, and the spiritual significance marriage has for many of us. Wolfson does this to show that a marriage is a big step, and requires a lot of commitment for two people. He uses the definition to primarily represent that the union between to people should symbolize their love for one another.

I think that Wolfson’s definition is fair and sensible because it describes an accurate meaning of marriage. However, since Wolfson is a gay man it is possible that in his definition he placed a higher value to the benefits he believes marriage entails as opposed to someone else who carries the same ideas, but does have the actual benefits of marriage.

It Takes a Family

Rick Santorum uses Dr. Wade Horn’s metaphor to show how a traditional marriage where both parents live in the same household is better in comparison to a child who has grown up in a single-parent household. The families that have both a mother and a father in the same home provide for a “safe destination” whereas the families that have a single parent only “land safely” part of the time, but not as successfully as the first.

Throughout the essay Santorum uses statistics. He stated, “In one study of more than 6,000 young men ages 14 to 22, it was found that boy show grew up without a married mother and father were more than twice as likely to end up in jail as boys who did.” He is implying that families with a mother and father figure provide for a better healthier family and it is less likely for the child to get into any kind of trouble. Research has been done to show that a healthy family is one that is more likely to support one another and the kids will do well. Santorum goes on to state, “Marriage matters because children matter. Without marriage, children suffer, there is simply no better investment parents can make in their children’s future than a healthy marriage.” Therefore children who have grown up in a single-parent home have a future that may or may not be good, which is why Rick Santorum suggests that we should always choose the first plane because even though both planes offer good odds, having a mother and father in the same home provides the family with more success.

Appearances

Vazquez waited until the end to reveal that Brian and Mickey were both actually straight men so that it increases the effect and adds an element of surprise. Because they were perceived as gay, they were beaten up. The disclosure that the two men were actually straight helps the reader to realize that appearances are more important than many of us would like to think. The attacks of the men were all based on their appearances. The attackers only assumed that they were gay based on the way they dressed and presented themselves. People in our society will judge and hate whomever they want for whatever reason they want, the easiest of which being the way someone looks. Her disclosure adds emphasis on the dangers of biases based on appearance and how everyone is at risk even if one is not homosexual. The issue of antigay violence changes when the victims are also heterosexual because it puts more people at risk for attack. It is sad that both heterosexuals and homosexuals are at risk for choosing to be an independent individual in society, living life according to their own values and moral standards. More people would respond to a heterosexual being attacked than a homosexual. It is sad that we grow up being taught not to judge a book by its cover and to treat people with respect, but people still remain condescending based on appearances.

Gender

I have never felt “genderized” because I have grown up in a home where my parents have encouraged me and I could do anything that I set my mind to. My parent’s roles around the house are not always typical. It is often assumed that the man of the house does the yard work and the woman does the work inside. My dad can be found doing the dishes and my mom can be found mowing the lawn. They raised me in a similar fashion. If I wanted to play soccer, I was encouraged to do so, and if I wanted to wear pants instead of a dress that was okay too. One of my favorite toys growing up was Stretch Armstrong while my Barbies sat in the corner. In terms of school, I was not like the author in the second passage where because of her height she was chosen last for things in P.E. I have always been very short, but was actually very athletic and was usually chosen first. Even today, my parents instill the values of “you can do anything,” and that doesn’t stop me from doing something a boy may do or a girl may do. I think had I grown up in a different time such as the 1950s and 1960s there would have been less opportunity for me to branch out and try the things that boys were “supposed” to do.

Transcendentalism

In many ways Eustace Conway did have some Transcendentalist qualities. Transcendentalism is the belief that nature teaches us unity and connection between all things, and that we should be engaged in processing our own world. Eustace could be considered a transcendentalist because he is someone who depends on his mind and nature, and doesn’t really need anything else. Transcendentalists also go by free thought, and understand the importance of nature and how it affects the world because you can’t trust everyone around you. One of the things that concerns Eustace is that the world revolves around material possessions and he decided to he attempts to save our nation from its own greed and sloth by living in harmony with nature. By moving away from his family and creating turtle island Eustace was able to connect with himself, escape the material world and live at peace with nature. I agree with Gilbert’s interpretation of Eustace as a transcendentalist, although I don’t believe that Eustace actively seeks to be one, his personality just included many of the beliefs of transcendentalism.

Nature

The lines in Emerson’s piece that really spoke to me were, “Undoubtedly we have not questions to ask which are unanswerable. We must trust the perfection of the creation so far, as to believe that whatever curiosity the order of things has awakened in our minds, the order of things can satisfy.” This statement means that nature is self-describing and has essentially no secrets. Emerson alludes to a higher being, God, who has made nature according to certain order in life. He discusses how there are some scientists who look into the order in nature, yet we have to wonder if this order exists at all. There are things in our lives that because of nature have to be followed in a certain order. Emerson believes that through nature and the belief in God, all of our questions in some way or another will be answered. However, many of us have unanswerable questions and by putting faith in God or a higher being we may achieve the answer we are looking for. Even though I already have a strong faith, I think that these lines are powerful because it questions the reader’s beliefs in why does nature exist? What am I here to do in life and is there a order that I must follow to ultimately reach a higher goal?

The Last American Man

Elizabeth Gilbert could have written her hero-worshipping biography of The Last American Man because she was enamored with and possibly loved Eustace Conway and that she wanted to deliver a powerful message to attempt to save our nation from its own greed and sloth by living in harmony with nature. She uses the “man of destiny,” Eustace Conway, to show the possibility that an idealistic mountain man can convert us to a mindful natural way of living. In the Last American Man, Eustace is portrayed as an extraordinary man with very ordinary flaws. Eustace lives in an idealistic world that essentially shuts others out and has no tolerance for varying levels of competence or preferences that are different than his. However, since Elizabeth Gilbert is enamored by Eustace, she often represents him as a masculine hero who can bathe in icy streams and eat road kill. On pages fifty-eight and fifty-nine Gilbert states how she feels about Eustace by describing him as a teacher and soft spoken man and compares him to many other books and so-called “mountain men.” Gilbert states, “I am the Teacher of all the People, he seemed to say as he drifted out of his world and hovered over ours. I am trusted and I am to be followed but I am not to be frenched…And he does, after all, bathe in icy streams, so the whole libido problem is a little hard to picture. Still—and this is what got me—Eustace Conway presented himself as an epic American masculine hero.”

How the Americans Understand the Equality of the Sexes

According to the beliefs of Alexis de Tocqueville, American and European attitudes toward women are completely different. In the beginning, Tocqueville believes that Americans apply the principle of political economy and democratic equality to the sexes. Further in the reading, he states that, “They hold that ever association must have a head in order to accomplish its object, and that the natural head of the conjugal association is the man.” Tocqueville means that American women are essentially inferior to men, and they cannot do anything about their position beneath men because it was accepted this way. In the opening paragraph Tocqueville stated his thesis saying, “I believe the social changes which bring nearer to the same level the father and son, master and servant, and, in general, superiors and inferiors, will raise woman, and make her more and more the equal of man.” This was an accurate prediction of the future for women, especially because during the time that Tocqueville visited the United States, woman were much inferior to men. Women did not have the right to vote, hold property, and hold jobs outside the home. It was assumed that the women’s position in life was childrearing and educating the next generation. Over the years, woman have, as Tocqueville predicted, risen up and have gained more of a prominent position in society. As we can see today with the full equality of men and women.

Tocqueville also mentions the difference between the treatment of women in Europe compared to the United States. He believes that women in Europe are considered more equal and that they would, “give to the same functions, impose on both the same duties, and grant to both the same rights.” This means that since Europe puts a high value on equality both sexes are essentially degraded and the worse that can come of the degrading is “disorderly women and weak men.”

End of Black Boy

At the end of Black Boy, Richard Wright realizes what he wants to achieve in his life through writing, even though his hunger did not really go away. He would, “hurl words into the darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of the hunger for life that gnaws in us all, to keep alive in our hearts a sense of the inexpressibly human.” Richard is saying that he can use his writing as a powerful way to express himself and his beliefs, even if the readers do not resonate with his writing. Richard uses his words to connect with the outside world because all people suffer from hunger in their lives at some point. His main goal is to challenge the world to move forward and make people think.

I agree with Wright’s realization because he found meaning in life that was once never there, and now that he has found it he can share it with the world. He is a thinker and can express his beliefs and help other people learn the same values in life. By showing people where he came from, and how he became successful he can help the reader to realize their own meaning in life.

Poem vs Chapter 17

The reading in Black Boy and the poem by Langston Hughes are similar in that they are trying to take a stand and rise up against something they believe is unjust. They both discuss how the white world suppresses the blacks to the point where they become united. In Wright’s case even though everyone is different in the communist party, they realize that they have a common bond with one another and have the power to stand up against the higher powers that have kept them in this confined room. Wright stated that, “They would have never allowed millions of perplexed and defeated people to sit together for long hours and talk, for out of their talk was rising a new realization in life. And once this new conception of themselves had formed, no power on earth could alter it.” Wright is saying that the people in the communist party were able to put aside their differences and create one common purpose. Langston Hughes’ poem is more individualized than in the group that Wright was talking about, but he also is trying to take a stand against a group of people so that one day he may “eat at the kitchen” and not be ashamed of his skin color being different.

Artists and Politicians

I agree with Wright’s theory that artists and politicians stand at opposite poles, especially when it comes to the communist party. The politicians propagate a system and group people into categories based on certain factors such as class or importance. As Wright stated, “they oversimplify the experience of those whom they sought to lead.” Many times politicians are focused on the factors that will improve their political career and don’t necessarily make decisions based on the interests of the people and really value the importance of things. Artists, on the other hand, have the ability to create evocative and elaborate creations, but are made to appeal to a specific audience and don’t always present what is candid. However, I don’t agree with Richard that they are on completely opposite poles because both groups are trying to appeal to a specific audience, and will do what they can to sway their audiences opinion, which makes the groups somewhat similar.

Chapters 15-16

(“The essence of the irony of the plight of the Negro in America, to me, is that he is doomed to live in isolation while those who condemn him seek the basest goals of any people on the face of the earth. Perhaps it would be possible for the Negro to become reconciled to his plight if he could be made to believe that his sufferings were for some remote, high, sacrificial end; but sharing the culture that condemns him, and seeing that a lust for trash is what blinds the nation to his claims, is what sets storms to rolling in his soul.”)

In this part of the book Wright has moved from the South for the subtler North where blacks are not systematically terrorized, rather made to feel less than marginal. With the many jobs he takes and leaves, he has not been able to really have friends. He really starts to discover that what he is looking for is inside of him. These deep thoughts are in parentheses because it is something that he learns about later in his life and has a better understanding of the racial conflict that occurs. In this passage Wright realizes that the African American society is often looked down upon for having a different culture and are condemned because their differences of culture. It also mentions how the desire for material wealth blinds the society from the suffering of African Americans such as Wright. This really shows how his life situation didn’t improve a whole lot, but the he gained a better understanding of his position in society. By sharing these ideas in parentheses Wright is able to display what he has learned over the course of his life, and his opinions make the novel have a bigger effect on the reader.

Malcolm X

At the beginning of the essay Malcolm X expounds on his lack of reading skills while young, and eventually how reading became important to him today. He believes that reading shapes ones morals and principles. Without the ability to read, a basis for intellect and perception, it becomes increasingly difficult to build your own ethical views. The reading empowered Malcolm X because it gave him a sense of accomplishment in life because he was finally able to understand the world around him. Throughout his reading he discovered that minority groups are covered up and his reading allowed him to really see racism for what it is, and began to work hard to overcome the racism.

Unlike Malcolm X, Richard uses books to get away from the trials and tribulations of his life and create a fairytale world where everything is perfect. The difference is that Malcolm X reads to fit in with the world and Richard Wright does it to escape from the world. However, as Richard ages, he learns that words in books can have powerful meanings and comes to terms with the world around him instead of merely escaping.

Action to Move

Wright’s decision to move was a positive one because it was the start of what Richard hoped was a new life, and one that did not have the oppressing views of the South. For almost all of his life Wright has dreamed of moving to the North where they will accept African Americans relatively better than the South, and allow him to pursue his love for reading and writing.

When Richard lived in Memphis he was constantly trying to make a better life for himself and not settle on anything like many of his African American peers had done. Richard realized the Chicago was not going to be free of discrimination, but was better than Memphis and where he had grown up in the Deep South. Richard doesn’t really know what to expect, but is moving with the assumption that he can make a better life for himself. He realizes that if he stays in Memphis his life won’t get any better and he would become stuck like his friend Shorty. The only downside to Wright’s moving was that he once again had to leave behind the people that he truly cared for and loved.

Chapters 12-14

In our society subservience is necessary and often has a negative implication. No matter how free we may free that we may feel like we are, there are the rules of the government and laws that we have to be subservient to. If we break a law we suffer the legal consequences. Governments that do not have any subservience have uprisings and have been proven to fail in structure. We are all subservient at some point in our lives. We as students, have to be subservient to our school. Likewise, children must be subservient to their parents.

In Wright’s world subservience is a necessary part of living because many people discriminate against his skin color. He is forced to be subservient to the white world. Even though Richard didn’t live in the Deep South anymore, he still had to be subservient. Memphis was a little bit more tolerant to whites than the Deep South, but he would still suffer the consequences if his authority figures thought that he was being disrespectful at all. Richard’s moves are carefully watched and because of that he has to be careful what he says and does.

Chapters 10-11

When Wright said he had, “begun coping with the white world too late,” he means that he has been forced to be a part of white society and change his behavior and life style just to fit in. The society forces Wright to be completely subservient, and he does not want to be anymore, nor does he really get the idea, unlike his friend Griggs. In the early chapters of the book, Wright doesn’t understand why blacks have to be subservient and accept their inferior position in society. In the later chapters he is starting to rebel against his position and he learned new modes of behavior, and new rules in how to live the Jim Crow life. His new outlook on his position in society manifests itself into new jobs, and deciding to violate the law. In many of his new jobs white people expected him to act a certain way, but lost the job when he did not perform his duties as the white men him wanted to. Eventually Wright just wants to get away and make a better life for himself so he committed a crime by stealing fruit preserves from a college storehouse and buying a ticket to Memphis. Even then Richard is cope with the white world for reasons unbeknown to him.

Chapter 8-9

Wright’s reason for refusing to recite the speech was justified because he had spent a lot of time on writing a speech and now the he was going to have to read an “official” speech, which won’t express his true thoughts and beliefs. This was unfair to Wright because he had worked so hard to write a speech, and the only reason the principal wanted to give him a premade speech was to “appeal to the white and colored people that night.”

Throughout the book Richard seems to reject to conformity and remain an individual. By reading someone else’s writing he was conforming to the ideas of his graduating peers and teachers. Of course Richard ends up giving his speech, but had he decided to give the “official speech,” he wouldn’t have risen above his position in society, rather he would conform in it. Richard is justified in giving his speech because he had the courage to stand up for something he believed in and didn’t conform to his “assumed” position in society as an African American boy.

Chapter 6-7

Richard Wright was mad at Uncle Tom for many reasons. Uncle Tom had just moved in with Richard’s family and everyone in the household was getting on each other’s nerves. Uncle Tom had taught school for thirty years and often told Richard what was wrong with his life. Richard would just ignore him, but Uncle Tom resented it. Then Richard was woken up from his sleep just so Uncle Tom could find out the time and that seemed unfair to Richard.

Throughout Richard’s life he has had people beat him, and he never responded well to people who attempted to beat him. He is sick and tired to getting beaten for reasons that he thinks are illegitimate. Richard really questioned the authority of Uncle Tom, perhaps because of his beatings as a young boy, and he felt that it was inappropriate for someone who was not his father or mother to beat him. Uncle Tom, as a teacher, felt that all children should respect his authority.

Chapter 4-5

Wright felt a satisfaction that he had never felt before. He felt the success of having his thoughts down on paper and didn’t care how bad it was because it was his own work. Wright liked the, “look of astonishment and bewilderment on the young woman’s face…her inability to grasp what I had done or was trying to do somehow gratified me” (121). Richard certainly enjoyed the attention that he got after impressing someone with his work. He also never got that kind of attention in his own home, because his family rarely approved of him writing fiction. It is this sense of isolation and independence that, in the end, drives Richard toward writing. In chapter four, it is still obvious that Richard is young and naïve, and doesn’t quite realize the power that words have. Instead, his writing brings him satisfaction only because his words confuse others. This is really the start of Richard Wright’s inspiration to write.

Chapter 3

As Wright describes his mother’s paralysis his youth was being taken away from him. He used to be a happy-go-lucky kid, and now he is going to have to fulfill the responsibilities of an adult and take care of the family. Wright is dumbfounded by his mother’s paralysis because he has always counted on his mother to supply for the family, and now he is going to have to contribute and provide for the family. He went through a lot of emotional pain and he stated, “I went through the days with a stunned consciousness, unable to believe what had happened.” For his whole life his mother had provided for the family, and Wright was in a state of emotional shock and can’t quite understand what will happen in the future. At one point in chapter three he talks about how he wanted to focus on one day at a time because he doesn’t know if it will be his mother’s last. Wright had really come away from his mother’s paralysis as a bigger more responsible person, and with a new understanding of life and faith.

Chapter 2

Richard Wright had grown up to dislike Jews, and that they were “Christ killers.” As Wright stated, “to hold an attitude of antagonism or distrust toward Jews was bred in us from childhood” (62). Wright never really understood why he would make fun of Jews, because it became such a standard opinion throughout his life.

His hate for Jews relates to the way African Americans were treated at the time. Whites were also taught from an early age to treat African Americans badly. Then the prejudice and dislike continues from generation to generation and many do not have the knowledge to know any better. Essentially these racial groups were scapegoating each other because each racial group thought the other one was inferior.

Richard had been discriminated against all of his life, his home life wasn’t great, and was never really formally educated. He was a smart boy, and was curious that he had to dislike the Jews. He saw that there was a large detachment between each racial group, but didn’t understand why it existed. However, he accepted it because that is what he grew up learning. He seems to question the world around him, but never fully gets the answers he deserves and just accepts it.

Hunger

Physical hunger is not the only hunger apparent in Richard Wright’s life. What seems to have driven Wright’s quest might be described as the multiple dimensions of hunger. It seems that both the absence of food and of his father have become interchangeable in Wright’s mind. When Wright reflected back on his childhood he stated, “As the days slid past the image of my father became associated with my pangs of hunger, and whenever I felt hunger I though of him with a deep biological bitterness” (16). This was not just focused against the father, but against the whole society. Wright was really longing for a better life, and this was hard to accomplish especially knowing that during the early twentieth century there was a lot of inequality between blacks and whites and his home life was a struggle as well.

Wright also has an educational and emotional hunger and he wants to be like the other boys going to school and reading. Educational hunger is one that I think Wright has the hardest time facing because he is a smart boy, but because of the Jim Crow Laws he is not really encouraged to learn. Furthermore, emotional hunger represses Richard’s life because he seems to desire attention, but doesn’t get it in his home environment and doesn’t really know how to associate well with others because of it. Whether it is physical, emotional, or educational hunger each of these affects his life significantly.

Against School

John Taylor Gatto believes that school is not really needed. However, he was not opposed to the idea of education. He was against the idea of forced schooling where a student has to attend six classes or so a day, goes for nine months of the year and for five days a week. School in his opinion, was not there just to educate, but there to have children to conform and be alike. Moreover, the students are really restricted to move ahead because there isn’t much room built in for progressing. Gatto also believes that, “we must wake up to what our schools really are: laboratories of experimentation on young minds, drill centers for the habits and attitudes that corporate society demands. Mandatory education serves children only incidentally; its main purpose is to turn them into servants” (159)

Conceptually I agree with him, but our personal responsibilities including work prohibit us from putting the time and effort into necessary education at home. I do not believe that higher education makes children conform and be alike. On the contrary, I think that higher education inspires freethinking and multiple opportunities to succeed in our society.

'Nonacademic Education'

I absolutely value my ‘nonacademic’ education because it teaches what school can’t always such as morals, religion and the ability to take care for ourselves in the real world. Our ‘nonacademic’ education comes from friends, family, and everyday life experiences. These lessons and experiences are important in shaping our personalities and affect how we make our decisions. It makes me who I am and also affects my academic performance as well. Depending on what career we choose as adults, some of the stuff we spent years studying won’t actually be applied. However, the manners that our parents taught us and our fundamental values will be more important. In the future I plan to pursue a career in the medical field, and it will be important for me to know how to communicate with my patients and fellow doctors. Without the skills learned from my academic education I would be able to perform these duties.

Presentations

There were many creative presentations that were given today. A lot of the stuff presented had meanings that we would not notice just driving by, or in our everyday life. One of the photos that stood out to me was Seth’s photo of McDonalds’ new and improved interior to make it feel like a more comfortable place to hang out. Starbucks is in somewhat of a competition in coffee with McDonalds, and I liked that Seth drew the connection that maybe it was trying to be more like its competition Starbucks with the lounge seating and fireplace. It really showed a personal environment that one wouldn’t normal associate with McDonalds. It is obvious that McDonalds is trying to catch up to its competition and grow more in popularity.

Another photo that I thought exemplified rhetoric was Kwame’s photo of the Wheaties Fuel Cereal. He had mentioned that the intense stare attracted sports fans to buy the cereal and would bring them to the level of the athletes shown on the box. He mentioned that the dark colors attract the audience right to the box, and the words fuel stand out which shows the viewer would hope to get a lot on energy. There were also other pictures of athletes on the back so that if someone doesn’t like the main athlete shown, their favorite one might be on the back.

Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption

In Diana Kendall’s article, she discusses how the media shapes public opinions about the upper; middle, working, and lower class are perceived. The media depicts each class a different way, which gives the audience a somewhat skewed opinion of each social class. The media does not differentiate between what is real and what is made up so it encourages people to, “emulate the upper classes and shun the working class and the poor” (335).

I agree with Diana Kendall in that the media does have a powerful influence on our society and does it in a promising and desirable way. The media does portray that anyone no matter what social class can buy the products seen on T.V. The American Dream has been altered by the media, maybe not with bad intentions, but does it through the distortion of reality. The media tells us what we should wear, drive or even emulate. It is sad because we have the privilege to receive a good education, and are able to think critically, yet we still allow the media to influence us and almost think for us. The lower class and working class will be drawn in to the media’s advertising and think that they too can obtain what more “privileged” people have. Advertising does cause increased credit card debt because of the appeal. However, I do believe that it is up to the consumer to make a conscious decision about what they want to purchase. Therefore the working class and lower class citizens don’t have to choose to spend all their money on something they don’t need. Advertising does everything to make money and draw in the consumer, but people should be more responsible with their money and not blame advertising companies for their debt.

Under the Sign of the Mickey Mouse and Co

In Gitlin’s piece, “Under the Sign of the Mickey Mouse & Co.,” he talked about how the streams of rhetoric pour out of America and affect other cultures. America’s pop culture influences the entire world, and draws the “urban and young into a common cultural zone where dreams of freedom, wealth, comforting, innocence, and power—and perhaps most of all, youth as a state of mind” (826). Things like Mickey Mouse and Coke are recognized everywhere and are often enjoyed. Gitlin also gave the example of how in the champagne cellar of Piper-Heidsieck the tour was dedicated to Marie Antoinette, yet it focuses on celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Clint Eastwood, both American icons. Other cultures often resent America’s influence on their culture calling it American imperialism, but “the images are not even faintly force-fed by American corporate, political, or military power” (827).

I agree that the American culture is taking a more dominant affect on other cultures, and that many countries are upset that their culture is essentially being lost. However, if countries are going to continue to complain about the American culture, they need to be the ones to do something about it and stop promoting our products. Moreover, the loss of culture is never a good thing either, but this is where you get into the idea of melting pot, and how to keep individual characteristics.

Media Icon

In recent years Sarah Palin has become somewhat of a media icon. She was the first republican woman to run for vice president in 2008 and that gave her a lot of attention. During the campaign, Palin evoked a more strongly divided response than Joe Biden among voters and continually evokes strong division and emotion. It is a mystery as to why she evokes such responses, but she does. Sarah Palin could post something on facebook and the very next day the national media has picked up on what she has said. Many people, regardless of political affiliations like Sarah Palin because she is essentially representing the “common man.” She is not afraid to speak out about controversial issues that are brought about in the media. Recently she has published the book, Going Rogue, and it has been hard to keep the book on the shelf and her book tour has been so packed that not everyone can actually get in to see her. Her popularity is continually growing, and people want the same glasses she has, and style their hair the way she does. Sarah Palin is revered and liked because of her family values and way of life. Many people like that she rises above the stereotypical political figure.

Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt

According to Kilbourne, it is dangerous to depict men and women as sex objects because it, “dehumanizes and objectifies people, especially women, and because it fetishizes products--which dooms us to disappointment since products never can fulfill our sexual desires or meet our emotional needs.” (417) Now more than ever we are being bombarded with commercials for all the latest products, and not always done in the most appropriate manner. Kilbourne believed that the objectification of women was more troubling because there was a link with violence. She talked about how there is no danger for most men, but objectified women are always at risk. Many of these advertisements do not directly cause violence, but contribute to it. Kilbourne believed that advertisements are dangerous for women because it makes it much easier for men to feel justified when causing harm to women. She implied that women are generally depicted as weaker than men; therefore they were more susceptible to violence such as rape or abuse.

I agree with Kilbourne in that it is not uncommon anymore of find sex tied into advertisements and these advertisements are often seen on a daily basis. Advertising often gives us the notion that we can essentially recreate ourselves by purchasing the right product. The irony of Kilbourne’s idea is that these advertisements might appeal to the male consumer, but it also appeals to the female consumer making her believe that the ideal woman looks and acts in the ways that a man would want her.

2010 Pro Bowl

I watched the Pro Bowl from 7:30-8:00 on ESPN. I believe that the audience of the pro-bowl is primarily sports enthusiasts of all ages who have a favorite football player or football team. This is different from the Super Bowl’s audience because the Super Bowl is marketed to both sports and non-sports enthusiasts.

Many of the ads involved some of the NFL players who were playing on one of the pro-bowl teams. There was a commercial with Aaron Rodgers trying to get donations for relief effort in Haiti and another had a Colts player who was in an advertisement for a vehicle. Having a football player in a commercial caters to the sports audience, which is what advertisement companies’ use to get people to purchase their products. If your favorite player or team has a certain car, or favorite place to eat, a lot of devoted fans will want to do the same thing. There are many food commercials and everyone knows that football and food go together, which is why it caters to the audience. There were also commercials for other sports and the air times on ESPN because many sports fans enjoy watching other sports besides football.

The Bias of Language, The Bias of Pictures

In class we had learned that the language an author uses helps to persuade the audience. For example, when we read How to Tame a Wild Tongue, Gloria Anzaldua used her native tongue and English to capture the audience in a specific way that makes her story on a more personal level, and really makes the reader understand her situation by the use of effective language. Words are “baskets of emotion,” and we learned that an effective story has your own personal point of view because that is what draws the reader in. The article, The Bias of Language, The Bias of Pictures, talked about the levels of language whose purpose is to describe, evaluate, and infer an unknown bias of what is known. It talked about how everyone has their own bias, and will interpret pieces of writing differently because of that bias. Since everyone has their own way of interpreting writing there will always be multiple perspectives. The article gave the example that for one person an idea may be explosive, and to another it may just seem trivial. Everyone will read a piece of writing differently, for no two readers will read (or ignore) the same items.

This article also discussed how pictures are a language, but the pictures “differ radically from oral and written language, and the difference are crucial for understanding.” A single picture usually speaks only to particular things, and is usually limited to “concrete representation.” The picture itself doesn’t present an idea, but we do use language to make the image into an idea. The article talked about using pictures and videos with sound in terms of a newscast. The downside to using a picture is that it can be interpreted in so many different ways that it may not be the way the news wants you to interpret it. However, the use of videos can present an audience with emotion and ideas that the news wants you to feel.

Fox News

I watched the Fox News channel after the State of the Union Address was completely finished, which was around eleven o’clock. The first thing that the newscasters discussed was the State of the Union Address that Obama had just made. They talked about how Obama was to have a new agenda for 2010 and it involved everything ranging from health care reform to job creation to immigration reform. Then the topic completely switched and moved on to how Toyota has extended its recall to Europe, how a woman who won the lottery died in a car crash on the same day, the weather all over the world, and news from Haiti.

The news has a very quick pace, it moves from one story to the next and you really have to keep up with the politics to not get confused by the terms that being used and what everything means. If you don’t keep up with the news regularly then it is easy to be confused about what is going on. I also noticed that sometimes there is a ticker on the bottom of the screen that shows other important news while the main story is going on. Last night the news was definitely dominated by Obama’s speech, and Fox News had a lot of interviews with politicians right after. It’s good to hear every opinion no matter what party the person was associated to. The news should do a good job of showing all sides to the story, but I noticed that that always isn’t the case. I also found that the way the news anchors would go on location and broadcast makes for a larger impact on people, especially when Haiti’s devastation was shown.