Sunday, November 11, 2007
Analysis of Summary
My summary was fairly neutral throughout most of the paragraphs. I tried to stick with simply summarizing and not adding much opinion, except for in the first and final paragraphs. There, I somewhat leaned toward agreeing with Williams in her analysis, but never really stated that. The quotes that I used implied that I agreed with her because I never disputed her sources, but used them to show how they helped her argument.
Summary
In Nisey Williams’ essay Why I Hate Britney, she uses a variety of reasons to analyze the evolution of pop culture and its effect on our youth. Her essay is directed entirely at Britney, mainly blaming her for sexually influencing young people. However, she does also acknowledge that Britney is not the only culprit.
One of her main criticisms of Britney is her choice of clothing. She notes that, “While [Britney] hopes to save her virginity for marriage, she also wears see-through outfits and dances like a stripper on the MTV Video Music Awards” (par. 5). To Williams, Britney’s choice of sexually appealing clothing is part of the reason that teens have been wearing more revealing clothing, also.
She also links this to being a factor in the rise in sexual activity among middle school- and high school-aged children. Some of her statistics show that children are more increasingly having sex by age fifteen, and there are more reports of sexual activity, such as oral sex, among middle school students. These statistics are not linked directly to today’s sexually driven pop culture, as “experts are torn on the long-term effects our sex-heavy pop culture may have on children, but many agree that there are likely negative consequences” (par. 10). She draws that the more sexy our pop icons appear, the more our young people are going to strive to acquire the same image.
This also leads her to her next point, and that is the increase in words such as “sexy” in children’s vocabulary. She uses an interview from Good Morning America to show this. Their interview separated boys and girls and asked them about issues pertaining to pop culture, where Williams claims that “the relationship between the mature concept of sexiness and popular music became obvious” (par. 11). They found that the two groups claimed that performers like J. Lo put certain actions in her videos “to look sexy.”
Overall, Williams presents a fair argument and uses reliable sources to back up her opinion. Her sources show that pop culture could have a dramatic effect on the mindset of children and how they view what they should be like, how they should dress, and what ideals they should carry. Her essay is persuasive enough to make parents think about what their children are surrounding themselves with in terms of pop culture.
One of her main criticisms of Britney is her choice of clothing. She notes that, “While [Britney] hopes to save her virginity for marriage, she also wears see-through outfits and dances like a stripper on the MTV Video Music Awards” (par. 5). To Williams, Britney’s choice of sexually appealing clothing is part of the reason that teens have been wearing more revealing clothing, also.
She also links this to being a factor in the rise in sexual activity among middle school- and high school-aged children. Some of her statistics show that children are more increasingly having sex by age fifteen, and there are more reports of sexual activity, such as oral sex, among middle school students. These statistics are not linked directly to today’s sexually driven pop culture, as “experts are torn on the long-term effects our sex-heavy pop culture may have on children, but many agree that there are likely negative consequences” (par. 10). She draws that the more sexy our pop icons appear, the more our young people are going to strive to acquire the same image.
This also leads her to her next point, and that is the increase in words such as “sexy” in children’s vocabulary. She uses an interview from Good Morning America to show this. Their interview separated boys and girls and asked them about issues pertaining to pop culture, where Williams claims that “the relationship between the mature concept of sexiness and popular music became obvious” (par. 11). They found that the two groups claimed that performers like J. Lo put certain actions in her videos “to look sexy.”
Overall, Williams presents a fair argument and uses reliable sources to back up her opinion. Her sources show that pop culture could have a dramatic effect on the mindset of children and how they view what they should be like, how they should dress, and what ideals they should carry. Her essay is persuasive enough to make parents think about what their children are surrounding themselves with in terms of pop culture.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Pictures
http://www.sefora.org/files/NOAA%20censorship.jpg
All of these images show censorship and how it is fed to the American public. Though simple, they all are capable of showing how what we see and hear are monitored before we receive our information. My favorite is probably the picture with the hands covering the eyes and mouth.
Articles
Horn, Karen. "A Market Like Any Other: Against the Double Standard in Judging the Media." Independent Review 12.1 (Summer 2007) 27-46. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Helmke Library, Fort Wayne, IN, 4 Nov 2007.
This article discusses overall censorship of the media. She believes that, in a democracy, the press cannot be censored but at the same time is not necessarily always justified.
Dyczok, Marta. "Was Kuchma's Censorship Effective? Mass Media in Ukraine Before 2004." Europe-Asia Studies. 58.2 (Mar. 2006). 215-238. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Helmke Library, Fort Wayne, IN, 4 Nov 2007.
In this article, the author discusses censorship that was enforced on the media in Ukraine, including its effectiveness. Using this article will allow me to compare freedom of speech in the media with another country that censored their media and what kinds of effects it brought.
"Schools Fail Free Speech 101." USA Today. 12 Feb 2007. EBSCOhost. Helmke Library, Fort Wayne, IN, 4 Nov 2007.
This article is a good example of one place where free speech actually is limited in our democracy: public schools. The article includes several instances in which the school media is limited, including a case in Cincinatti, where a principle required a page to be ripped out of the school newspaper before it could be distributed
This article discusses overall censorship of the media. She believes that, in a democracy, the press cannot be censored but at the same time is not necessarily always justified.
Dyczok, Marta. "Was Kuchma's Censorship Effective? Mass Media in Ukraine Before 2004." Europe-Asia Studies. 58.2 (Mar. 2006). 215-238. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Helmke Library, Fort Wayne, IN, 4 Nov 2007.
In this article, the author discusses censorship that was enforced on the media in Ukraine, including its effectiveness. Using this article will allow me to compare freedom of speech in the media with another country that censored their media and what kinds of effects it brought.
"Schools Fail Free Speech 101." USA Today. 12 Feb 2007. EBSCOhost. Helmke Library, Fort Wayne, IN, 4 Nov 2007.
This article is a good example of one place where free speech actually is limited in our democracy: public schools. The article includes several instances in which the school media is limited, including a case in Cincinatti, where a principle required a page to be ripped out of the school newspaper before it could be distributed
Analysis of Patriotism Essay
In my essay, my claim was that patriotism is becoming more of a fad than a genuine feeling toward the country. My reasons were that patriotism peaked during the time surrounding the events of 9/11, and also that the same trend has been followed recently in supporting our troops. One of my warrants was that people peaked their patriotism surrounding drastic national events. My backing for this was that not as many people currently seem patriotic. My evidence was the fluctuation of numbers of people who said that they were patriotic before and after 9/11, and also more recently. The authority of my evidence were numerous surveys, quotations of citizens, and reputable newspapers. My conditions of rebuttal were the people that then link patriotism and support of the troops as one and the same, therefore seeing most people as genuinely patriotic all of the time. My response was shown by breaking down important parts of supporting the troops and patriotism and showing how different the results were. I could have probably used more quotes from people and some more evidence other than polls and surveys to back my claim.
Whoopsidaisies
The links provided in Noah's article are helpful in showing where Noah got his information from and made it easier to see how he developed his opinion. Most of the links were very informative, but the links to sites like Barnes & Noble seemed fairly irrelevant. I would use the links if they helped clarify my case and were pertinent to my argument. Used correctly, they can be very helpful to the reader. Noah does argue his claim persuasively. Probably one of the most persuasive parts of his article was the logical argument in which he uses the definitions of plagiarism and also the comparisons of the quotations from her first book and their sources. It was really easy to see how closely her work resembled the work of her sources.
After reading this article, I realize that I have to be extremely careful of citing my sources correctly and thoroughly. It also almost scares me that I will not be citing sources correctly, so I now know that I am going to have to take extra time to check over my paper and make sure that I have not made any citing mistakes.
After reading this article, I realize that I have to be extremely careful of citing my sources correctly and thoroughly. It also almost scares me that I will not be citing sources correctly, so I now know that I am going to have to take extra time to check over my paper and make sure that I have not made any citing mistakes.
Dershowitz Essay
I agree with Alan Dershowitz's argument. He is very careful as to how he phrases his essay, being sure to note that though he believes that the people had their right to free speech in their poetry, he did not agree with it and also believed that others should stand up and criticize the poets, not simply censor them. A vital part of free speech is the freedom to criticize someone in return. My opinion that freedom of speech, regardless of topic, should be ensured still stands since last week. I still feel that to censor one person or one topic, in my opinion, is to censor every citizen.
Toulmin Analysis of GE Ad
In the GE ad, they claim that The Evolution is "the cleanest GE train ever made," therefore not endangering the environment through pollution. The ad also claims that GE is creating a better world. They use the inclusion of wildlife (the birds) to show that the two can coexist without harm to the environment. The advertisement, however, still allows for the inference that there is still some amount of pollution by the train by saying that it is the cleanest GE train ever made. They never state that it is pollution free, which keeps the ad sounding favorable for the company while never making any false statements about the train.
What the analysis leaves out is any hard facts that prove its cleanliness. There is also no comparison of The Evolution to any competitor's trains, only saying that it is GE's cleanest. The ad relies completely on pathos and not logos, which tends to weaken their overall appeal to those who make decisions based on factual evidence.
What the analysis leaves out is any hard facts that prove its cleanliness. There is also no comparison of The Evolution to any competitor's trains, only saying that it is GE's cleanest. The ad relies completely on pathos and not logos, which tends to weaken their overall appeal to those who make decisions based on factual evidence.
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