Alex B's American Studies

Progress?

2009-06-01T11:08:00.003-05:00

I see a man sleeping on a bench; a building covered in graffiti, and a poster of President Obama with the word ‘progress’ on it. I think it is a symbol of America trying to progress by eliminating poverty with the help and change of Obama, although it shows a lack of progress because many Americans are still living in poverty today. Poverty has always been a problem in the US and I wonder if Obama can stop the cycle and eliminate poverty? This area is similar to the description of the valley of ashes in the Great Gatsby.

Great Gatsby

2009-05-28T18:08:00.001-05:00

This past week in American Studies class we have been talking about the Great Gatsby. We have been focusing on certain ideas that have come up frequently while reading the book. My group was assigned eyes. The ideas of eyes are everywhere in Fitzgerald’s book. First, we noticed that mostly the eyes were used the cover or blind a character from someone or something. We also found that sometimes eyes were used to value material possessions and to prevent someone from seeing, like blinds. Not only were eyes used to blind characters, but also the eyes of doctor T.J. Eckelburg look down upon and protect the ashen valley in New York. The concept of eyes is very interesting in the Great Gatsby.

Marker Of Class

2009-05-16T11:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday in American Studies class we discussed markers of class while looking at different train stations on the west line for the Metra. Mr. O’Connor also brought up a great point about the bulletin board in our second floor rotunda by all of the administrative offices. This board talks about NT alum although only those who are famous and celebrities. This is definitely a marker of class because of its location. It is right by where all the parents come in to register and speak with administrators so they will walk past the board and see all of the famous people who have graduated from NT and how maybe their child will become famous someday, too. This board communicates the schools values as well. Instead of choosing to talk about a college professor or author who has graduated from NT they are choosing celebrities. This board is a marker of class and how NT view’s their graduates.

American Flag

2009-05-09T17:50:00.003-05:00

The past couple days in class we have discussed the American flag. After asking my parents what the flag means to them, they responded by saying that the flag represents the pride and accomplishments of this country. I agree with this statement, however now that I have been looking around for flags, I have noticed many things. I have been noticing where flags are placed and on which houses. My house does not currently have a flag up however, it is not that my family isn’t patriotic, but we just don’t have a flag up. I decided to walk around my neighborhood and try to find an idea for which houses or schools have flags up and why. First I drove down the street to Faith, Hope and Charity church/school and found no flag insight, however when I continued to drive to North Shore Country Day School, they had three flags up, two school flags flying underneath the American Flag. Since both of these schools are private teaching institutions, I think that there is a religious component showed here. As I continued to drive along the back streets of Winnetka, I found many houses with and with out flags. I noticed on the more secluded, one-way streets almost no houses had flags, however on busy, cross town streets almost every other house had a flag. I think that houses on busy streets are viewed more often so homeowners feel a need to display their pride in their country through the flag and to be socially acceptable. Flags are not only used for houses, I have seen flags everywhere this week from trophies and billboards to plates and clothing.

This flag is front and center on this house on a busy street. It is larger than most other flags on the street.
This flag is the first thing that you see in this picture. It draws you in to look more deeply at the house.
This house has old-American architecture and shows the flag front and center.

This flag is right by the front door. This shows how the family wants freinds and others to view them as patriotic.

This house represents American values with the white picket fence and flag in the front of the house.

This house has the white-wash, blue shutters look along with flowering plants in the front year that goes with the American pride from the flag. This house could maybe be on a poster for how 'perfect' America is.

Final Junior Theme

2009-05-02T16:24:00.001-05:00

The dreaded Junior Theme is coming to a close! Thank goodness! After many weeks of researching and writing I have finally finished my Junior Theme. I have written and re-written many aspects of my paper and I am finally happy with what I have. I will be editing the last part of my paper this weekend and then turning it in. I am so happy that we are finished and I am completely thrilled to be done with this assignment.

Junior Theme #4: Intro

2009-04-24T09:50:00.001-05:00

This is my current Introduction.

“In many ways, today is the best time in history to be a girl,” concludes Dr. Stephen Hinshaw in his 2009 book, The Triple Bind. From a historical perspective, it is hard to imagine a time of greater freedom and opportunity for American girls than at the close of the twentieth century. By 2005, 57% of the bachelor’s degrees were earned by women. (TTB 14) High school girls could qualify for athletic scholarships and aspire to play professional sports. (14) Record numbers of women worked in professional jobs in science, medicine, law, business, journalism, communications, entertainment, academia and politics. (15) Young girls saw women featured in the media as writers, editors, news anchors and political commentators not just as actresses and models. In two income households, 25% of wives now earned more than their husbands. (TTB pgs. 14-15) At a time in history when teenage girls should be excited about their many new opportunities, too many 21st century adolescents find themselves in a crisis of confidence and overwhelmed by the emotional fall-out from the new economic and social changes of the last century: widespread consumerism, loss of community and the growing influence of the media. Dr. Hinshaw makes a convincing argument that our girls’ mental and physical health is in real jeopardy. (TTB) He reports that now “at least one-fourth of all U. S. teenage girls are suffering from self-mutilation, eating disorders, significant depression, or serious consideration of suicide-or are perpetrating acts of physical violence”, and that many of the rest are struggling undiagnosed with “hatred of their bodies, obsessive dieting, sexual confusion, and the persistent sense that they are not good enough”.(TTB pg. 5) The pressures coming from our popular culture make living in a girl’s body today much more complicated and stressful than it was a century ago even though her body has not changed. Ms. Robyn Wiegman, a professor of Women’s Studies at Duke University believes that we must “historicize” and study “capitalism and consumerism” in order to understand why modern girls are so obsessed with being unnaturally thin. Our consumer culture is fueled by harmful advertising messages that exploit our girl’s social anxieties, need for approval and independence. This leads girls to treat their bodies as objects, their relationships as trivial and consumer products as their only real source of happiness. It is no wonder that today’s teens are at a greater risk for a negative self-image, unfulfilling relationships and low self-esteem which make it harder to grow into a happy, healthy and successful adult.

Please let me know what I did well and what I should work on!

Junior Theme #3

2009-04-16T09:52:00.001-05:00

We are currently in the library for the double period today working on our Junior Themes. I have read all of my sources and cited them in noodle-bib; however I am still a little unclear on what my thesis will be. I have sent out emails and will email my interview questions to my interviewees later today. I am hoping that the questions I send to my interviewees will help me formulate a thesis. Currently I am planning on talking about how culture and society affect how a girl views her body image depending on the time period she grows up in. My focus will be on the 21st century where the body image is unobtainable thin. Does anyone have any ideas for a possible thesis statement?

Junior Theme #2

2009-04-09T13:29:00.005-05:00

After researching my topic very thoroughly this week I think that I have gathered all of my information for my Junior Theme. I have read multiple articles as well as two books and I think that I finally understand my topic critically. The two books that I have read are The Body Project, by Joan Jacobs Brumberg and Am I Thin Enough Yet? by Sharlene Hesse-Biber. I have also sent both authors emails asking about an interview, however I have not heard back yet. With an introduction due on Monday, this weekend I will be outlining all of my quotes/facts/statistics and drafting my intro with my current why question being: why is the current physical ideal for women dangerously thin? I am planning on talking about the history of women’s body image by examining all of the social, cultural and popular aspects during a specific time period. Let me know if you have any other ideas!

Junior Theme #1

2009-04-04T17:36:00.001-05:00

This past week in American Studies we were assigned the dreaded Junior Theme. The age-old myth of Junior Theme is crazy and Mr. O’Connor and Mr. Bolos are trying a different approach to break the myth. At first when the paper was assigned I immediately wanted to do something with science and genetic engineering in order to create a ‘perfect society’. After talking to Mr. Bolos I changed my topic totally to how the media influences women to be perfect. Then I talked to Mr. O’Connor and I fine-tuned my topic even more. He helped me to create this why question: Why is the current physical ideal of women dangerously thin? I really like this topic and after I rejected so many of my previous topics it is nice to finally have a topic to research that I am interested in. I think that I am going to talk about how the ‘ideal’ model and celebrity are too thin. This is causing many American women to want to look exactly like this when in reality almost no one is born with the physical traits to look like the models. This is foundation for plastic surgery and eating disorders. If anyone has any other ideas, let me know!

$1.8 Million Dollar Dog Collar

2009-03-29T11:25:00.002-05:00

This past week while I was on Spring Break I was watching some T.V. There was a show on the worlds most expensive…they showed most expensive drink, bath, massage, car, hotel, dog collar and many other things that celebrities and millionaires are spending on. It shocked me that someone would spend over a million dollars for a diamond studded dog collar or a back massage with diamonds. Many of the most expensive drinks would come with a gem or jewel in the bottom running the bill up to thousands of dollars. It is crazy that somebody would spend so much money on such trivial things, especially when we are in a recession. This got me thinking about how celebrities can spend massive amounts of money on one little thing while the rest of America is barely holding on during this long recession. It made me wonder about Mr. Bolos’ question, “can you be free if you are not economically free?” Can you? Celebrities are “free” but what about the rest of American citizens who are struggling economically? Are they free, too?

Role Models

2009-03-12T20:25:00.001-05:00

Last week I was listening to a radio show in the car with my mom while they were talking about Rihanna and Chris Brown. The radio show hosts said that Rihanna had decided to get back together with her boyfriend, Chris, after he had hit her. They brought up a good point about celebrities being role models, and I immediately thought of the class discussions about Michael Phelps and Michael Vick. We had talked about how children and teenagers look up to celebrity role models and what happens when they set bad examples. All of these things got me thinking about role models and celebrities. Should famous people be conscience about their actions because many people look up to them? What do you think?

Propaganda Posters in Schools

2009-03-05T14:50:00.001-06:00

Today in class we discussed how our school’s ‘visual environment’ of posters and signs represent our student’s successes. This also relates to the World War II propaganda posters that we analyzed today as well. After leaving AIS class today I was walking down the stairs and I noticed for the first time all of the signs. I especially took note of the Boy’s swimming and diving state meet results posted on the second floor. It really struck me that after breaking state and national records the results were posted. We talked earlier today in class about how New Trier is so competitive that getting 2nd place in state is something to be upset over when in reality it is a major accomplishment. Posting the results of the meet show how accomplished the students are at New Trier. Swimming is not the only sport to be recognized through posters around the school. In fact, almost every sport will get a sign/banner that recognizes their athletic achievements. Having all these visual successes throughout the school promote propaganda that makes other want to achieve a high level of success so that their team/sport can be recognized on a banner as well. AIS has taught me to be a critical thinker and to take note of my surroundings, however, why is today the first time that I am noticing all of the signs around school? Did anyone notice any other types of signs/posters today?

Airplane Industry

2009-03-01T10:41:00.001-06:00

For a few years the airline industry didn’t have one crash. Recently this all changed. First the United flight had an emergency crash landing in the Hudson River and another plane crashed into a suburban home in Buffalo, New York. However, with the first crash nobody was injured or killed, but the second crash was completely fatal. The third crash was just this past weekend on Friday night. A small plane was flying in central Louisiana when it landed in a heavily wooded forest. All three people aboard the plane were killed. Why are so many planes crashing all of a sudden? After years without any problems in the air, there have now been three crashes within the first two months of 2009. Do you think that with the global financial crisis the airlines are not spending the money do check everything completely before take-off?

Oscars!

2009-02-21T18:43:00.005-06:00

Every year on a Sunday in February the Academy Awards are on. This night is a yearly tradition and millions of Americans watch the show. The academy gives out Oscars for best picture, director, screenplay, best actor and actress in both a leading and supporting role, as well as many others. Held at the Kodak Theater, stars walk down the red carpet and through the doors for an awesome night. This year the nominees for the best picture are: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Frost Nixon, Milk, The Reader and Slumdog Millionaire. Which movie do you think will win? Which movie do you think will win the most awards?

Social Darwinism in 2009?

2009-02-16T12:27:00.003-06:00

I was thinking a lot this weekend about the economy and the markets for 2009 after I heard on the news about Microsoft and their inability to produce and sell new smart phone software in the markets. Microsoft has been upgrading their computer software continuously for the past couple of years however the software for their smart phones has not been as successful. They are having a lot of trouble constantly producing and managing the new smart phone technologies especially when competitors like the Apple iPhone and other BlackBerry palm pilots are continuously creating new and improved software for their phones. What will happen if Microsoft cannot compete with these companies anymore? If Microsoft ends up not continuing with their line of smart phone software, then the possibility of Social Darwinism will apply. Having a monopoly in this industry would be extremely bad for the economy and the consumers in the market this year. Consolidation of companies in the same industry leads to monopolies, which can create one mega store in an industry where the company can sell products with no diversity, a single view point and increase prices. With the economic crisis continuing in 2009, what do you think will happen with Microsoft? Do you think the ideas of Social Darwinism could play a role in all this?

Crisis Continues

2009-02-09T14:51:00.001-06:00

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both fell this last week, which makes it the fourth straight week in January that the markets have decreased. The global financial crisis looks to be continuing. The January markets have decreased so much that it seems like this year is going to be just like the last. What do you think? Will February bring a new economy? With our new president, Barrack Obama, many think and hope that the economic crisis will start to clear up. Obama is currently working on an economic stimulus plan as well as many bailout plans. Do you think that this new plan will help our economy?

Bon Voyage Blagojevich

2009-01-31T15:14:00.002-06:00

This past week, Illinois senator, Rod Blagojevich was removed from his position. The vote was unanimous for the removal of the former senator. Not only was the senator removed by an impeachment trial, but also he is not allowed to hold public office in the state again. The senator's name is being taken off of toll road signs as well. The newly appointed senator, Pat Quinn, will have a lot on his plate when he takes over for Blagojevich. He will be starting during a financial crisis and Illinois is also months behind on their payments. Illinois has been known for its corrupt politics previously, however there is a new hope that with Quinn, Illinois will be able to turn itself around. Recently, I went downtown to the second city comedy club. It was a great show and there were many jokes aimed at Blagojevich and how corrupt Illinois is. I am hoping that Quinn will change Illinois so that the state isn’t at the center of political jokes around the country. What do you think will happen? Can Quinn help Illinois?

Water Crisis

2009-01-24T18:07:00.001-06:00

This past week in class we watched American Future: American Plenty. It is a documentary about how the world’s supply of fresh water is running low because of global warming and mainly overuse. Many Americans use much more water than needed and this is adding to the global water crisis. Currently, one in five people do not have access to fresh water, and in many countries there isn’t any available fresh water. This once plentiful resource is running out. The picture above represents places in the world where water was once plentiful and now is running low. When resources run low, conflict and wars breakout. Fighting wars over water access is not something the world needs in its future. What do you think will happen if the supply of fresh water keeps decreasing?

March The Mart

2009-01-19T14:11:00.002-06:00

Today I worked the fundraiser, March The Mart. It is a walk from the 18th floor to the 2nd floor of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago to raise money for Special Olympics. I helped walkers stay on the right pathways and volunteered my time to help a great cause. It was so much fun, and very interesting! It was a little time consuming preparing for the big day, although it was very worthwhile in the end. I would really recommend anyone who wants to work with Special Olympics or walk next year to do March the Mart. It was very enjoyable!

'First' Dog for the 'First' Family

2009-01-11T14:02:00.002-06:00

The Obama family is moving into the White House in just over a week! Although many big events are all happening at once the first family still found time to search for the first dog. The search has been narrowed down to two different breeds: a Portuguese water dog and a Labradoodle. Although the president elect has a lot to deal with currently, with the inauguration and the move, he still has made time to look for a new family pet for his daughters. Recently, the New Yorker magazine had a picture of Obama interviewing a dog. It is supposed to be different dogs competing to become the first pet. I think that it is funny because he is trying to form his cabinet and team by conducting interviews while in the picture it shows him interviewing a dog. What do you think about this cartoon?

Billion Dollar Bailouts? I Thought We Were In A Recession!

2009-01-04T10:08:00.002-06:00

I went to New York City for the first time over winter break! It was so much fun being able to walk around and see many famous buildings and avenues. While my family and I were walking around the city, I noticed that people were shopping and spending money left and right. For a county that is in a recession, not many people are cutting back and spending less. This surprised me even more when I saw newspaper articles on the street dealing with the auto industry bailout plans. Congress is giving General Motors and Chrysler a few months and $13 plus billion dollars to rescue the failing auto industry. Not only is congress giving the companies money now, but also in a few months more money will be available for them to use. The auto industry will either flourish from the emergency bailout money or will continue to fail throughout 2009. I think that auto industry in the United States will benefit shortly from the bailout money before having to make more job and factory cuts and close down more dealerships. This is because for most of 2009 the U.S. will be in a recession and consumers will not be spending as much as before. I believe that giving only one industry bailout money while our country is in a recession and in debt already is only going to make the global financial crisis worse.

Is Governor Going To Affect Olympic Bid?

2008-12-14T17:25:00.001-06:00

The Olympic bid committee had a meeting earlier this week to discuss the final plan for Chicago before it is due in February. The plan was really affected by some recent news. Last week, Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich was arrested. One may not think that this arrest means much to the 2016 Olympic bid committee, but it does. The Governor was going to aid in the financial section for the committee, however he was not able to complete it before the arrest. The committee has re-worked several things into the plan, including the use of more parts of Chicago, like the south side, and creating permanent structures for the games. Many people think that with the arrest Chicago will receive negative attention from the International Olympic Committee, what do you think? Does the governor’s arrest affect the chances of having the 2016 Olympics in Chicago?

Spend Or Save?

2008-12-06T18:33:00.003-06:00

The United States is in an official recession. The global financial crisis has been escalating for about a year now along with the decline of the economy and stock market. Many industries, like the auto industry, have had to cut spending and are dealing with tight budgets for the end of 2008 and 2009. With the holidays right around the corner, I am beginning wonder what will happen to the economy? Will it decline even further, because of a lack of consumer spending? Or, will people spend excessive amounts just because it’s the holiday season? I believe that most people will not spend like they have previously spent on past holiday seasons. This is because many Americans have lost jobs along with a lot of invested money that was in the markets. Not only are the consumers suffering, but also the lack of spending has created many losses for store and business owners. The recession has created bad holiday financial situations for everyone.

What do you think will happen this holiday season? What will the consumers do? Spend, or save?

Thanksgiving!

2008-11-29T16:14:00.004-06:00

Every other year my family and I travel to one of my grandmother's houses. We will stay home for the long holiday weekend and spend Thanksgiving with my father's side of the family or drive to Pennsylvania to see my mother's family. Each year we share new traditions between the two families. Although we always have new traditions, some always stay the same between the two different families. Both families always say what they are thankful for before eating, help each other cook all day and play family vs. family soccer in the back yard in the afternoon. I am happy that throughout each year these traditions have always stayed the same, but I am also glad that my family creates new ones for each year. What are your families Thanksgiving traditions?

Auto Industry Due For A Crash?

2008-11-23T14:50:00.004-06:00

Recently with the stock market falling and the global financial crisis, many industries have begun to run into trouble. The auto industry is one. GM and Ford motors have asked the government for a federal bailout. They believe that receiving money is the only way for them to stay open. Both companies have been cutting spending, letting employees go, and delaying future products. Even doing all this is still not enough to keep the companies afloat in 2009. That is why the auto industry wants to be included in the Bush administration’s $700 billion financial rescue plan. The CEOs of GM and Ford flew on the company private jet to Washington to beg for money. Does this seem a little ironic? If they are trying to cut spending why don’t the CEOs fly commercially and take taxis instead of limos? It makes no sense. However, the companies say that with the bailout they are going to change spending habits but how can one be sure? AIG was given bailout money from the government earlier this year. After receiving the money the top members of the company flew to California to spend a weekend in a nice resort to ‘talk things over’. The company spent ¾ of their bailout money getting massages, playing golf and trying to ‘figure out how to fix their financial problems’! That is crazy! This shows the government that giving bailouts isn’t necessarily going to help the company. I think that the auto industry should be given money to help with their financial problems. However, the government can not keep handing out money left and right so the CEOs of GM and Ford need to change their spending habits for 2009. What do you think? Should the government fund the auto industries bailout?

No Gray Area

2008-11-16T13:57:00.004-06:00

You either love it or you hate it. There is no in between. Lately, many more people have been protesting or supporting the war with Iraq because of the presidency. Protestors of the war can’t wait for president elect, Barack Obama, to take office so that the troops can start coming home. Some of these people believe that you either support or protest the war. You can never just be neutral and in between. I agree with this because you should be able to pick your side and fight for what you believe in. Although picking a side does not require you to be radical, it does require some sway away from being neutral and towards your side. This idea goes along with Arthur Miller’s book, The Crucible. Danforth, the judge for the witchcraft trials, wants everyone to understand, “that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between” (87). He is talking about his workers attacking the court and he wants them to know that they are either with them or against them. He makes it clear that there is no gray area. This is like the war issue. One has the choice to be ‘with it or against it’. Do you think there can be a ‘gray’ area in issues today?

Change Is Coming

2008-11-09T14:08:00.003-06:00

The campaign slogan of Barack Obama, the 44th president-elect of the United States, is “change we can believe in.” The day after Obama was elected president he was working the next morning on the issues of America. He is not in the white house until January, and he is already working hard towards a brighter future. Working right after the election makes me believe that he will make these changes while in office. Although I am confident he will change what he has promised I am not so sure how long the American people think it will take. Obama is planning on removing the troops out of Iraq immediately after taking office. This plan, along with other ideas for change, will take a couple of years to complete, because one cannot remove thousands of troops all at once. I know that with Barack in the white house change is coming; however, do the people of the United States have the patience to wait?

Civil Liberties

2008-11-02T15:59:00.002-06:00

This week in class we looked over the examination of Anne Hutchinson during her court trial in Newton, MA in 1637. We were asked as a class to determine if civil liberty issues were brought up in the trial. My group discovered that Anne was denied the freedom of speech and the right to peaceable assemble. In the trial, Anne was charged with maintaining, “a meeting and an assembly in your house that hath been condemned by the general assembly as a thing not tolerable.” (Page 35 in manuscript). She was denied the freedom of speech and assemble because she gathered men in her house and held prayer and bible group meetings. Anne was not the only person to be denied civil liberties. In Arthur Miller’s book, The Crucible, the girls were caught dancing in the forest at nighttime and were all condemned for witchcraft and conjuring of the devil. These girls were left without their rights to freedom of expression. Although in Anne’s case she was exiled whereas in the dancing girls were given a chance to confess and face jail time or be hanged. I think that they shouldn’t have had their civil liberties taken away. The right to freedom of speech, assemble and expression are very important and they shouldn’t have been denied those rights. What do you think?

First Amendment

2008-10-26T11:32:00.002-05:00

In class earlier this week we discussed the first amendment and its rights. We took a ‘quiz’ where we were given ten scenarios that stirred up controversy in the Supreme Court. In groups, we decided if the situation should be limited or protected by the First Amendment. We discussed our decisions and then found out what the Supreme Court ruling was. Yelling fire in a crowded theater was one of the more direct scenarios. I believe that many people would consider this to be limited by the first amendment. Although some of the situations were a little less direct, because only part of the setting was protected while the other part was limited. For instance, an adult wearing obscene clothing in a public place is protected where as a student is not allowed to wear the same item to school. I understand that this should be split, but I believe that the amendments should be set and not have exceptions. How is one supposed to know what is protected and what is limited when they are so many exemptions?

Palin on SNL?

2008-10-19T10:18:00.002-05:00

Recently Saturday Night Live has been creating skits about Sarah Palin. The producers have recreated interviews and debates that are humorous and make fun of the vice presidential candidate. Many people know who she is but they also want to learn more about her. Since SNL is making skits about her many Americans are tuning into the show, which is skyrocketing the show’s ratings. These skits are also keeping Palin in the spotlight, which is good for her campaign but not the way that SNL is portraying her. She was not very well known before McCain choose her to be his running mate. This is making it hard for the American people to know whom they want to vote for. They tune into SNL and see humorous skits about a relatively unknown candidate while they still don’t know the real Palin. On the other hand it is very helpful for SNL although I can’t help but wonder when is it going to stop? The producers at SNL cannot write about Palin forever. In fact, I think that after the election in November many people will not want to watch skits about a candidate when we have an actual vice president. What do you think?

Crash of 1929 Again?

2008-10-12T13:41:00.006-05:00

Recently the stock market has been decreasing in value. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been losing points daily and almost every stock price is down. Earlier this month some people predicted this 'crash' and sold their stocks thus driving prices down even further. In order to prevent the market from sliding down more, President Bush signed a $700 billion bail out plan for the banks and market. This did not help the way everyone had hoped and as a result Iceland went bankrupt and the Dow dropped even more. With this terrible economy and a presidential election going on, what do you think the current president should do? What about the presidential candidates? What should we do to prevent a crash?

Biden vs. Palin

2008-10-05T10:50:00.003-05:00

In class on Friday we talked about the Vice Presidential debates between Biden and Palin. The TV station split the screen so we were able to see both candidates while the other was talking. While Palin would be talking Biden would be taking notes. While during Biden's speech, Palin was smiling at the camera. We also noticed that Biden would talk about McCain and not Palin because he did not want to be seen as a gender biased, mean old guy that was attacking a women. All the while Palin was smiling like crazy and trying to avoid Hillary-like behavior and aggression.

Secret Messages

2008-09-26T08:54:00.000-05:00

Do biased article titles reveal secret messages? After analyzing many article headlines authors have revealed to us that the headlines and articles they write contain secret messages. Along with secret messages you will find certain words that reveal the author’s perspective or bias. While detecting bias in historical texts about various Indian tribes we found that using words like ‘massacres’ and ‘destroys’ gave a negative connotation. Although the author uses such negative words to describe the white settlers he also makes claims that are pro settler and pro Indian as well. He uses the phrase, ‘horses change the Indian culture’. He is stating the Indians are improving. If the author wasn’t pro Indian he would have used other, stronger, words to make his claim rather than using negative words for both the settlers and the Indians. The author uses certain words and phrases that reveal his bias towards the settlers and the Indians.

Election Ads

2008-09-21T09:05:00.002-05:00

Now that the race for president is heating up, we are seeing more and more negative ads on the tv. Each morning I will see ads from each candidate. McCain will write one highlighting the negative aspects of Obama and the same with Obama about McCain. Not only do the two candidates write about the other, they also talk about themselves. In one pro McCain ad, he talks about his prisoner of war story and how he loves America. Do you think that the negative commercials with persuade voters?

Did They Get What They Deserved?

2008-09-09T13:26:00.011-05:00

Today in class we watched the movie documentary, Grizzly Man. The film followed Timothy Treadwell into the Alaskan peninsula every summer for 13 years. Many see a resemblance between Mr. Treadwell and Chris McCandless from Jon Krakauer's novel, Into The Wild. Each boy passed away after living alone and off of the land for a long time. Timothy lasted 13 summers and Chris lasted 113 consecutive days. Even though they lasted so long, some people would call Timothy and Chris idiots for leaving their lives and going to Alaska to live. Since both boys died out in the wilderness some people think that they got what they deserved. However, Timothy spent 13 consecutive summers with wild grizzly bears and never suffered any injuries. Along with Chris who ate a poisonous root mistaking it for a very similar looking edible one. After lasting so long, the two made one mistake which in both cases resulted in death. After lasting so long without any mistakes, do you think that Timothy and Chris should be considered idiots for traveling into the wild and never returning? Did they get what they deserved?

Speeches With Hidden Messages

2008-09-07T15:13:00.008-05:00

For years, presidential candidates have been using certain tactics in their speeches that send hidden messages to their audiences. These past couple of weeks the Democratic and Republican National Conventions have taken place. John McCain recently turned 72 this past August. Many Americans fear to vote for a presidential candidate who is quite old. Although McCain is older than the 47 year old Obama, he isn't going anywhere. At the Republican convention, during his speech, McCain's 96 year old mother was shown on camera. She was very healthy and looked great. This hidden tactic shows that McCain still has a long time to live if his mother is 96 and living healthy. Also, in John McCain's speech, he talks about his misfortune in North Vietnam as a prisoner of war. He was at a low point in his life, nearing death, when he redeemed himself by staying and fighting for his country. In his speech he says that, "my country saved me, and I cannot forget it. I will fight for her as long as I draw breath." He continues to say that he is going to fight for everything this country needs. McCain redeemed himself in Vietnam and is now going from having misfortune to good fortune. John told his life story as a prisoner of war hero in the Vietnam war. His goal was to have his audience know his biography by the last night of the convention. He used a personal narrative to help him show his audience that he has and will continue to fight for his country. Do you think that using hidden messages in speeches will help the presidential candidate?

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2008-09-03T09:26:00.000-05:00

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