My Narrative

Intro: Despite having a major academic interest in history, one of my passions I seldom have the opportunity to engage in is acting.
Body: Discuss several childhood anecdotes and stories about how I discovered this interest.
Discuss my 9th and 10th grade acting teacher Mr. Andreassi, and acting throughout high school

Conclusion: Discuss my future in this interest and my limitations.

Dieting: Huge Conspiracy?

I found this essay to be very interesting because the author dove right into a problem that is not very obvious, the relation between Nutrition and poor Health. Modern medicine and numerous dieting pills and supplements have successfully masked the real problem of our diets – the “super” nutritious foods that we eat daily. The author makes a strong argument because he established the history of the nutrition movement. At first I thought I was reading his argument wrong when he claimed that isolated nutrients were the root of the problem. We’re so used to going to the supermarket and buying cereals that boldly claim 50% MORE CALCIUM, or orange juice brands laced with vitamin C without actually considering the implications of these nutrients. Some of us may know exactly what these nutrients “theoretically” are supposed to do, but in reality, the majority of people focus on these items because they look healthy. Pollan addresses the issue of these isolated nutrients well, showing that the supposed benefits of these nutrients are not necessarily guaranteed, but they are just what the scientists expect to happen. Like Pollan said, science is sometimes based around the notion that once things are broken down they can be better understood. Unfortunately, like Pollan explained, the rules of understanding science are not compatible with diet. His theory of interconnectedness and the webbing structure of foods, digestion and genetics seems to be much more plausible than the current “isolated variable” theory of scientists.
Pollan ended his essay well, proposing several ways for you to gain control of your diet. The only idea I felt he could have expanded more upon was the idea of the nutrition system being beneficial to capitalism and vice versa. If everyone ate well, there would not be as many dieting pills and schemes in the market. Therefore these schemes and pills don’t attack the root of the problem; they skim the surface to enable more productivity.

Abortion: Who do you choose to kill?

Abortion has been a hotly debated topic ever since its legalization in Colorado and Colorado in 1967. It usually seems to be a fight between conservative Christians and liberals. I believe abortion is usually hotly contested because it is an argument based on ambiguous definitions. A person’s definition for human, life, soul and person significantly influences a person’s stance on abortion. There are no universal definitions that cross the lines of the argument. For this reason, finding middle ground in this debate would be virtually impossible. Theoretically, there is a scientific definition for human life, which conflicts with the pro-choice stance. According to science, human life is “any living cell or collection of living cells that contains DNA from the species homo sapiens”. So, according to the law, since murder is ending human life, many consider abortion to be murder. This is not the case. Though the embryo being aborted may be considered human life because it is a mass of cells, is it sentient? Does it have a soul? Is it a person? The answer is no. By this definition of human life, the skin scraped of your hand after a hard accident is human life. Even a strand of hair can be considered human life based on this definition. None of these things are sentient, so therefore, why do they deserve human life?
Some against abortion like to take middle ground and say that abortion should be legal in the case of rape or incest. I completely disagree. Laws in this case should be universal. What makes the resulting embryo from a rape victim of any less value than the embryo of a loving couple? The answer is that there is no difference. You can’t have it both ways. If you consider it murder to terminate an embryo, then if you terminate the embryo of a rape victim, what makes it justifiable? Based on your own pro-life rules, you have committed murder. So if abortion is legal, it should be legal in all cases, and if made illegal, the same law should stand based on moral responsibility.
Abortion would also be beneficial when it comes to saving the life of the pregnant woman. In some cases it comes to choosing between the woman and the unborn fetus inside of her. Because I do not believe abortion to be murder, I can go in and take the embryo out without any qualms. You, on the other hand, must choose between taking the life of the woman, and based on your moral code, the life of the embryo. Which one do you choose to kill?

Persuasion

I found the second essay, Inter Arma Leges, to be the most persuasive. When I started reading the essay I was already skeptical to his argument because I previously considered myself a supporter of the suspension of rights of suspected terrorists. After 9/11 and the numerous other threats from Al Qaeda and the Taliban, I felt that if someone was suspected of being a terrorist, detaining them was paramount because they could prove to be a huge threat to Americans. I also felt that since protecting Americans was the main concern of C.I.A and the government, one should not question their methods; the results were the only significant factor. However, Norman opened my eyes to the other side of the story. For every one detained, guilty terrorist, it is possible that there are two non-guilty ones in imprisonment.
While reading his argument, I found myself searching for a response or a sufficient rebuttal to all of his points. He also buffered all of his points with sufficient evidence. For example, when he said the view of America had been tarnished, he provided statistics from various polls from around the world. Norman also made sound analogies, comparing the policies of this government to the mistakes of the post- Pearl Harbor government of the Roosevelt administration. Thousands of Japanese were unjustifiably imprisoned and put into camps. This is certainly something that our government regrets, and is now repeating the same mistake.
I think Norman was successful mainly because he changed my view on the treatment of suspected terrorists. He provided reasonable arguments with evidence that specifically validated each of his points. The statistical point that really convinced me was the fact that 75% of the detainees during Vietnam were innocent. This figure was only determined through fair trial, something not possible at Guantanamo Bay due to the restraining of rights. This data put me over the edge, and now I can say that I am against the new policies on terrorists and their treatment.

Orwell

I found Orwell’s essay and its critique on politics to be very interesting. After reading his essay, I felt as if my eyes were opened to the truth. I have to say that I found myself guilty of a lot of his criticisms. For example, his criticism of pretentious language and its role in “fashionable writing” definitely had some truth. I’m not going to accuse anyone of this, but I sometimes find myself searching for bigger, longer and more advanced words to express my meaning. In my view, these words give credibility to my writing while making me seem more intelligent. The truth, however, is that simply knowing these words makes me no smarter than someone who uses less advanced alternatives. Also, a lot of the time when we think we are using intelligent words or phrases, they most likely have been recycled throughout literature by many different people. And like Orwell said, these words probably have the same vague meanings that can be applied to various situations.
The connection between the decline of language and politics by Orwell was also logical. Using vague metaphors and ambiguous language not only buffers the argument, it hides the true purpose and conceals hidden points. I do disagree with him that language as a whole is declining though. I feel that this type of writing has always been present. There are negative aspects, but it is in our nature to present versions of ourselves that make us seem better than what we actually are. Using pretentious words or phrases is just a manifestation of that desire in our language. This will also not change. I feel that if all writing was short and to the point, some of the beauty of language will suffer. I feel that Orwell’s critique of language was correct, but solving the problem would be impossible.

Letters from Birmingham

Right from the outset of the outset of his persuasive argument, Martin Luther King does a great job of setting up the audience he was arguing against. He also did so in a civil manner, acknowledging the severity of the matter by explaining how answering criticisms was such a rare occurrence for him. Also, he initially makes sound analogies between his crusade and the convictions of others, such as the prophets of the old testament, Jesus Christ and Apostle Paul.

In my opinion, Martin Luther King writes a successful persuasive essay because he employs all of the necessary devices. He literally views his audience as a panel of Jurors, taking into account all of their arguments and criticisms and making adequate rebuttals. In one particular section, he anticipated not only the questions of his direct audience, but of the skeptical Americans he was trying to win over. He utilized "cause and effect" to explain why direct action was necessary and how it pushes non-violent negotiation as a by product.

King also did a good job of referencing scholars and using history as evidence for his position. Although for the most part his analogies were effectual, there was one section where I felt his analogy was not accurate. He likens the possibility of his actions precipitating violence to a robbed man being condemned for having too much wealth, or Jesus being crucified because he chose to be too divine. To me comparisons such as these are way too grand. These comparisons were too much of a stretch. It is perfectly logical to assume that a non-violent demonstration in a completely unstable part of the country could lead to violence. That was my only criticism, however.

Writing on Research

A successful research paper, in my opinion, captures the reader’s interest right from the outset. Even if the topic is incredibly boring, the writer’s main objective is to keep the reader interested and engaged. Changes and writing style as well as using sources other than books and websites and using less conventional sources, such as interviews, aid in this. A good research paper also remains mostly objective throughout with a largely general thesis. A good amount of interest in the subject matter should be exhibited by the writer throughout the paper as well. If the writer enjoys the paper, the reader most likely will too. In a research paper it’s also always important to back check important data and facts from other sources to make sure the information is reliable.
Remaining objective does not mean silencing yourself and delivering a bland “copy-paste” paper, however. A good research paper will still have the voice of the writer imbedded in the writing. When writing a research paper, some just gather information from their sources and reproduce all of it in their papers virtually unchanged. The actual pros may be different, but the writing has no distinct voice or style. It is just a lumped group of data and facts. On the other hand, some write too much with their own voices, not relying on outside sources. This form of writing is also dangerous because it lacks evidence and support. Basically, a good research paper incorporates the writer’s voice and distinct style all the while remaining objective.

The Impact of Facebook

The community I decided to write my second paper on was facebook. As we all know, Facebook was a social networking website established by Harvard grad Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, and has since exploded into a community with 82 million users worldwide. I believe Facebook is just an example of our evolving world, where people’s lives are drawn closer together. Facebook has also created distinct connections between people that would not have been possible if the website did not exist. As a result, Facebook as a community has altered the way in which we communicate. Many of our friends use this website to communicate with friends and acquaintances almost instantaneously, eliminating the need to email. Facebook even recently added a chat option where friends could see who is online and instant message the person. Communication, however, is not limited to just physically talking. Pictures on Facebook profiles communicate who we are, what interests we have, and whom we hang out with to other people. The section on the profile where the interests of the person are specified also serves as a tool of communication. Facebook has now created an environment where people can portray false version of themselves. Facebook also fosters false, shallow friendships. In a short span of time, only 4 years, this community has influenced the way in which a whole generation communicates and forms friendships. My paper will focus mainly on our generation, (adolescents and young adults) and facebook’s effect on the way we communicate and the friendships we form.

Facebook and Communication

The community I will be observing is one we most likely are all apart of: the phenomenon known as Facebook. Since it is such a large topic I will be focusing on the effect of the website on communication and relationships (for teenage-young adult relationships). I have found a couple articles in the database that actually confirm this notion. One article, Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers' use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression, examined how facebook created superficial relationships. According to a website, Facebook also is aiding in creating a conceited generation bent on presenting their lives for everyone to see. Another article I was able to find explained the role of facebook and mainstream media. Facebook Proves Elusive was an article that documented the number of Facebook users that joined groups devoted to news corporations like Fox News, ABC News, and NBC News. Theses corporations realized the size of Facebook as a community and decided to capitalize on it.

Hardey Home-Life

What’s really interesting about Boston College and my transition is how quickly I have become accustomed to this school as my new home. Just the other day I was chatting with my roommate, Ian Weill, about what sort of experience I would have going back home for break in October. I came to the conclusion that I would feel like I was visiting. You know that feeling when you wake up in a place away from home, and you feel as if you should be in your bed, but when you look around you momentarily become freaked out because everything is foreign to you? Since moving in that has only happened to me one night. I basically brought up everything from my previous room to Boston. When I go home, most of my stuff will be here, and my former room will feel barren, making me feel as if I was just on vacation. I suppose the fact that I live on Newton also contributes to me feeling as if I have a new home. After I’m done with classes I take a bus away from main campus back to my room. Separating myself from my classes and the main school creates the illusion that my home is not affiliated with the school, which is a good feeling. My room in the Hardey basement is the largest dorm room on Newton Campus. Because the space is so huge, I am comfortable spending considerable amounts of time in my room without feeling the need to leave, further pushing the illusion of home.
Of course, with a home, a family is needed, and I feel like my roommates have been almost adequate substitutes. In fact, one of my roommates was my best friend from high school, so we are practically brothers. My other two roommates are really nice too, and they complete a well-balanced substitute family for me. Of course we have our own friendships, but in the end, we can come together and enjoy each other’s company before sleep. All of these factors contribute to a healthy, home-like environment.

Hills and Elephants

I found Hills Like White Elephants to be an awkward piece, and I think Hemmingway did a good job of painting the picture he wanted us to see. Let me explain what I mean when I say awkward. I believe there was an “awkward” tone in the righting on purpose, as if Hemmingway wanted the reader to notice something was wrong in the story. Right from the onset of the story it is clear that there is something hindering the relationship between the man and the girl. For starters, even though they are clearly a couple, Hemmingway never specifies this and he also never calls them anything other then “the man” and “the girl”. When “the girl” first brings up the White Elephants, instead of questioning her or trying to understand what she says, “the man” simply says, “I’ve never seen one”. Through just these two sentences it is clear that something is on his mind and he is not fully committing himself to the girl or to the conversation. The label “girl’ should also be noted. It is clear she wasn’t given this title by default, as she could have been called “woman”, just like the waitress. The name “the girl” was given to show her innocence, and this child-like innocence is displayed throughout the story in various points. Her ignorance to the taste of alcoholic drinks (comparing it to licorice) as well as her talking about the white elephants alludes to her childlike innocence. But the awkwardness of the story really lies in the conversation. Hemmingway did a great job of using conversation to set up the scene and mood. I see the man as brooding and thinking over an issue that has come up in the relationship. This is evident in the text when the couple talks about drinks and the conversation suddenly moves to “the man” talking about the operation (abortion) and how simple it would be. I sensed a tone of exasperation because it was really the only place he called her by name. The girl clearly had mixed feelings of the operation and the man kept pushing her to do it, even going as far as to claim that he didn’t want anyone but her. The couple was holding onto the notion that after the abortion everything would be well again, but clearly that would not be the case. There was also a sense that the abortion was pushing their relationship too fat into places they did not want to go. I believe this was verified with the train situation. “The man” was told that the train was coming in 5 minutes and rushed really quickly to move the bags over. When he didn’t see the train in sight and saw everyone else relaxing he realized that the train was nowhere in sight. The concept of rushing for a train that was not there could be applied to the relationship of the couple. Maybe they just needed to realize that there was no hurry at all and taking it slow was necessary.

Elections and Campaigning

The election websites that I really found interesting were the non-major ones. Of that group, the website I feel that did the best job was the constitutional website. First off, to me, the graphics were only second to the Republican site. Also, the symbolic value of the colors red, white and blue were used the right way. After reading some of the articles I sort of realized the demographic this website was reaching. They were obviously looking for socially conservative voters, but the more I read the more I realized that this party was taking a step back from the battle of the major parties, coming out of the fray, and representing an alternative. Conservative voters voting republican by default may be drawn to his party. Also, I feel this website did a good job of conveying their message and values.

Conversely, I feel the democrats did a bad job conveying their message. McCain’s face and name appears more on the website than either Barack’s or Biden’s. In fact, you have to scroll all the way down to the lower left hand corner to see a picture of the two. In my view, the democratic website shows what big name politics have degraded too. The website devoted much less space to it’s party’s values and ideals and much more to the ideals of the opposition. It’s obvious that at this point that the Republicans are the only real opposition for the Democrats but that does not change the fact that they are not visibly putting their stance out their on the website. What they are doing is urging voters to align themselves with their party because the other party and candidate are terrible choices. Again, winning votes by default. Furthermore, Democrats have this luxury because of the last 8 unsuccessful years spent under the Republican regime. They also have the luxury of critiquing the position our government is in right now and offering change. Those two points sort of justify the layout of the website.

Advertising

The first advertisement I will talk about today is the Aveda Spa and Salon. The tactics used in this advertisement are unbelievable. First off, the actual salon is barely mentioned or advertised, in fact a picture of the actual salon isn’t even in the advertisement. The only thing reminding us of this product is safely tucked away in the right hand corner. (the logo). And though I know the context of this advertisement, to me, it was poorly produced. By focusing on global warming the company was trying to present itself as a contributing member of the tree hugger group but I don’t buy it. For instance, Aveda promises that a portion of their profit will go to non-profit environmental groups but they fail to specify exactly the percentage. But of course they can’t take all the credit. YOU are the ones contribution to this plan therefore solidifying our mutual effort to protect the Earth. To top all of this poor advertising off, Aveda places four very earthy pictures of our beautiful planet to draw our attention. Notice how all of these pictures use very bright colors and capture nature in its full beauty. The ray of sunshine through the forest. The clear clean water splashing off what appears to be the hands of a child. The beautiful tall mountain landscape. All these pictures are meant to stir up nostalgic feelings of our beautiful planet, and then associate these feelings with Aveda. Not working.
I actually liked looking at the Breyers Light Advertisement. You see a woman who is clearly enjoying her FAT FREE yogurt in the comfort of her kitchen. From looking at this woman I can see that she is most likely a very hard working (possibly stay at home) mother who has very little time for herself. The kitchen alone suggests that she has a family based on the groceries on the counter. Even the clothes she is wearing scream MOM loud and clear. You can even tell that the woman has had a long day by the way her body language and the way she is positioned against the counter. You can see a satisfying look of gratification on her face as she takes that tiny moment out of her busy schedule for herself. It is clear that this advertisement is targeting middle age women who may not necessarily stay at home, but still are mothers that take care of their children and remain health conscious all the while.

NightHawks

In my high school teachers forced us to take notes in all of our readings. We would be given an assignment for a night, take notes in the actual text, then go over the reading in class with the teacher slyly eyeing our pages as we read to make sure they were sufficiently marked. My approach for analytical reading would be to first do a complete read through, stopping and taking note of words I did not understand with my dictionary. Then I would go back to search for symbolism and hidden meaning (especially in Shakespeare). Analyzing non- creative works and/or passages for classes like history was slightly more difficult for me. Instead of searching for hidden meanings or motifs, important facts would have to be noted and handpicked from the selection. Sometimes distinguishing what was of value and what was irrelevant was hard. What I eventually learned was the picking out relevant points became easier as I focused in on the main idea of the subject matter. I realized that in every persuasive essay, speech, informative paper and historical document there was a central thesis to start from. Once this central thesis was identified, moving on with my notes became much simpler.
After reading Benjamin Killip’s analysis of Night Hawks I have to say that I can’t find much to disagree with. The dark colors outside of the window do suggest a desolate world and the light inside of the restaurant undoubtably represents a safe haven. One thing I can say about Killip’s is that he assumes to much in the painting without evidence. It is fine to examine how shades of colors and lighting contribute to a painting, but to draw inferences about relationships from this amount of detail seems to be too much of a stretch for me. In fact, his assumption about the couple could actually be false because it appears that their hands are actually touching which suggests intimacy. Despite this slip up (in my opinion), Killips provides historical evidence for the rest of his paper, recalling the mindset of isolation plaguing many Americans throughout the Great Depression era. He also makes a connection between this painting and the Realism movement that artists during this time period were a part of.

Analytical Writing Part 1

In my high school teachers forced us to take notes in all of our readings. We would be given an assignment for a night, take notes in the actual text, then go over the reading in class with the teacher slyly eyeing our pages as we read to make sure they were sufficiently marked. My approach for analytical reading would be to first do a complete read through, stopping and taking note of words I did not understand with my dictionary. Then I would go back to search for symbolism and hidden meaning (especially in Shakespeare). Analyzing non- creative works and/or passages for classes like history was slightly more difficult for me. Instead of searching for hidden meanings or motifs, important facts would have to be noted and handpicked from the selection. Sometimes distinguishing what was of value and what was irrelevant was hard. What I eventually learned was the picking out relevant points became easier as I focused in on the main idea of the subject matter. I realized that in every persuasive essay, speech, informative paper and historical document there was a central thesis to start from. Once this central thesis was identified, moving on with my notes became much simpler.

Orwell and Didion

I see myself as an amateur writer who only writes because he has too. That doesn't mean that I hate writing, it just means that it is not my favorite thing to do. I'd much rather sit down to interpret and enjoy a great book than to write a decent essay. I enjoyed reading both Orwell and Didion's reasonings for why they write, and I have to say that I found Didion's to be much less interesting but more believable. Didion sort of explained o the reader that she was basically a writer by default. Because she could not think, she was forced to articulate and formulate her thoughts in words. Her reason for writing is much less spectacular than Orwell's glorified  call to political activism. What I found most interesting in Orwell's reasoning was his understanding of the way aggression played into writing. I do believe everyone has a voice they want others to hear and agree with.