“Please Read This Story, Thank You”
-Linton Weeks
Central argument: The words people use and their behavior to show their appreciation and gratitude, nowadays, have transformed from the “traditional magic words” and polite ways to something that makes it seem ruder.
“Yo!” or “what up?!” used instead of “hello,” or “gotcha” in place of “okay,” are few of terms used frequently in the 21st century. Linton Weeks’ “Please Read This Story, Thank You” addresses the issue of how etiquette is slowly fading away in most parts of modern society, whether it may be in the form of body language or speech. This, she says, is due to the environment and “social norms” that change in time. I agree with Weeks’ argument as it present in the speech of many teenagers, including me, as well as the behavior of fellow schoolmates that I have observed during school. Though it is unfortunate that majority of the people are following suit, there are still those that are well mannered and will have a positive impact on those around them.
“Dhoenkyi, please could you get me a cheese on the way back,” says my friend. “Yup,” I respond. That is just one of the million situations in which I have used the word “yup.” Ever since I heard my elder sister replace the word “yes” for “yup” (which was around grade 8), that word stuck in my vocabulary like a leech. I used that word whenever the answer would (or rather should) have been a “yes,” a word that definitely is a lot more respectful and polite. However, I began changing my ways after an incident that took place during the Parent-Teacher Conference, in the second semester of grade 10. My father had come for the conference and was talking to my math teacher as I stood at the side and listened to them quietly. Before parting ways, my math teacher asked me a few questions, all of which my answers were“yup.” As I looked at my teacher while answering the first two questions, I did not notice my father’s stern glare on me until the last one. Right after the talk, my father told me just how rude it sounded to reply with a “yup” instead of a “yes.” He told me how frequently I used that word and what shocked him the most was that it did not matter whether it was to someone older than me or younger, I would still reply in the same manner. “It’s just like it is in Tibetan,” he said, “You would never use the same language and tone to speak to and elder person and a younger person.” He asked to me to make an effort on going back to saying “yes” especially to those that are older than me and whom I should show respect to.
During a presentation by one of the advisors of my class, I was reminded of how indeed students were becoming more self-absorbed and seemed to forget their “good” behavior. Students will just walk by an adult without greeting them or showing any sign of interest. Even if they did not know the adult’s name, a smile and a nod of the head would have been so much more polite. In the school that I attended before coming here, all the students were taught the importance of teachers and other supervisors and how they should be respected at all times. Even though that was taught to me way back in grade 1, each and everyone one of us, 5,6, and 7 year olds, practiced what was preached to us. However, as years go by, it seems like many of us have forgotten the importance of those adults we seem to ignore or show little interest to. The little things that were taught in the early stages of our lives, like saying “please” and “thank you” or proper etiquette, seem to be a thing of the past.
Though times have changed, the words that have replaced the “classic polite phrases” do not express the same meaning as those “polite phrases,” even though they may hold the same meaning. The change in speech and behavior, especially that of students, is appalling and can be seen on a regular basis. These actions and words, seem rather rude to an extent, and is what Weeks writes about in the article.
Saturday 31 March 2012
Saturday 24 March 2012
Does Surveillance Make Us Morally Better?
Does Surveillance Make Us Morally Better?
Central argument: There definitely is a relationship between surveillance and moral edification, as surveillances make people act the way they do by inducing fear or other forms of consequences into them.
While watching cartoon shows, especially Tom and Jerry, you may have noticed two characters that pop up on the shoulder of the main character (usually on Tom) when he is deeply troubled and has to make a difficult, moral choice. These two characters that appear out of nowhere usually take the form of an angel and a devil that eventually convince you into making a choice. However, if you are constantly being watched, even if the “devil” figure did manage to convince you, you would think twice before acting. In Emrys Westacott’s "Does Surveillance Make Us Morally Better?" article, she argues that surveillance does affect the behavior of a person in a positive way as they seem to behave better. However, Westacott’s argument is not true and can be seen in the behavior of some Woodstock School students, as well as one of my friend’s behavior after a test. Both these examples have students being watched over, but it’s their values that come into play when making a choice.
In my school, Woodstock, we certain rules while taking tests. Many teachers often make us separate our desks, we have an honor pledge to sign after taking the test, and they keep watch while we take the test. If anyone is caught cheating, they are sent to the honor council - who then deal with you in an unpleasant way, I presume. However, even though these strict rules are imposed on the students, many of them cheat and get away with it. This shows that even though someone is watching over them, they feel no need to worry as long as they can get away with it. After doing it a few times without getting caught, those students make it a habit of some sort and continue doing it. This shows how little they value honesty and how they are stooping to such a level to take credit for someone else’s work.
In contrast to those students that keep cheating without getting caught, my friend could not overcome the guilt she felt after doing so. In grade four we had weekly spelling tests, which we considered a very big and difficult task. One Friday, my friend, Nina, cheated on the test, got away with it, and got a perfect score. However, at the end of class, instead of going for recess, she stayed back in the classroom. A few minutes later she came out wiping her tears. She told me that she confessed to cheating. Her honesty probably impressed the teacher as only one point was deducted from her overall score – which meant that she still had an A+. Even though she was being watched, she did cheat; however, the fact that she went and admitted to her mistake voluntarily shows that surveillance does not always make you act for the better.
In both these cases, the presence of surveillance did not alter the decisions that were already made up in the student’s minds. If those students decided on cheating, they do so, even when they are being watched upon by the teacher and are lying to themselves by signing the honor pledge. In Nina’s case, even though she cheated, she owned up willingly, and rid herself of the guilt she felt. Surveillance does not always get you to act in a positive way, as people have ways to get past it, and the only thing that stops them from doing anything wrong are their morals.
Central argument: There definitely is a relationship between surveillance and moral edification, as surveillances make people act the way they do by inducing fear or other forms of consequences into them.
While watching cartoon shows, especially Tom and Jerry, you may have noticed two characters that pop up on the shoulder of the main character (usually on Tom) when he is deeply troubled and has to make a difficult, moral choice. These two characters that appear out of nowhere usually take the form of an angel and a devil that eventually convince you into making a choice. However, if you are constantly being watched, even if the “devil” figure did manage to convince you, you would think twice before acting. In Emrys Westacott’s "Does Surveillance Make Us Morally Better?" article, she argues that surveillance does affect the behavior of a person in a positive way as they seem to behave better. However, Westacott’s argument is not true and can be seen in the behavior of some Woodstock School students, as well as one of my friend’s behavior after a test. Both these examples have students being watched over, but it’s their values that come into play when making a choice.
In my school, Woodstock, we certain rules while taking tests. Many teachers often make us separate our desks, we have an honor pledge to sign after taking the test, and they keep watch while we take the test. If anyone is caught cheating, they are sent to the honor council - who then deal with you in an unpleasant way, I presume. However, even though these strict rules are imposed on the students, many of them cheat and get away with it. This shows that even though someone is watching over them, they feel no need to worry as long as they can get away with it. After doing it a few times without getting caught, those students make it a habit of some sort and continue doing it. This shows how little they value honesty and how they are stooping to such a level to take credit for someone else’s work.
In contrast to those students that keep cheating without getting caught, my friend could not overcome the guilt she felt after doing so. In grade four we had weekly spelling tests, which we considered a very big and difficult task. One Friday, my friend, Nina, cheated on the test, got away with it, and got a perfect score. However, at the end of class, instead of going for recess, she stayed back in the classroom. A few minutes later she came out wiping her tears. She told me that she confessed to cheating. Her honesty probably impressed the teacher as only one point was deducted from her overall score – which meant that she still had an A+. Even though she was being watched, she did cheat; however, the fact that she went and admitted to her mistake voluntarily shows that surveillance does not always make you act for the better.
In both these cases, the presence of surveillance did not alter the decisions that were already made up in the student’s minds. If those students decided on cheating, they do so, even when they are being watched upon by the teacher and are lying to themselves by signing the honor pledge. In Nina’s case, even though she cheated, she owned up willingly, and rid herself of the guilt she felt. Surveillance does not always get you to act in a positive way, as people have ways to get past it, and the only thing that stops them from doing anything wrong are their morals.
"Awesome"
The Rise of “Awesome”
Central argument: Like how the meaning of words, such as “awesome,” has evolved throughout time, so has the English language and every other aspect of nature and things that affect our everyday life.
Throughout time, change is bound to take place; it usually starts off small, but in the end the change is evident and not so small anymore. This article, “The Rise of ‘Awesome’” states the theory of evolution through the word “awesome.” Evolution is evident in every other aspect of life. The evolution of human is explained in Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. The everyday life of a human has also evolved due to the advancement of technology as well as the evolution of gadgets.
There is scientific proof that humans have indeed evolved from apes from all the fossil evidence that have been discovered. Darwin concluded that all form of life is related and has a common ancestor. These ancestors were simpler creatures who, over thousands of years, evolved into a more complex version and made a “new” form of life. Everyone is familiar with the evolution picture which starts off with an image of a monkey, proceeding to couple of hunched human-like figures with a few changes as you look towards the right of the picture, to finally a human that we associate ourselves with. That picture shows how humans have evolved physically, but throughout that period, the mental ability of humans evolved as well.
In the first few forms of humans in the evolution picture, humans lived their lives as nomads, constantly moving from place to place in search of food. However, as they evolved physically, so did their minds and thoughts. They realized that they could settle down in one place and plant food and tame animals. From the use of simple tools like the sickle, they upgraded their tools to the use of ploughs, tractors and combines. People nowadays no longer need to farm for a living, as their source of food is the closest supermarket. The way people spend their 24 hours has changed drastically from moving from one place to another for food to a regulated schedule of getting up, working eight hours of the day, and going back to the same how throughout the year. The advancement in technology has played a big role in this evolution as people can communicate faster than ever nowadays due to the internet.
With the evolution of the mind comes, new, innovative, and creative ideas. In the 21st century, everybody is competing with each other to be, have, or come up with the best. This is especially true for the gadget industry. Each industry is competing for the most sales; to achieve maximum profit they must make their product look better than the rest. For this reason people have been coming up with the newest, unimaginable ideas. Just over a decade ago, I remember my mother carrying a colorless, tiny screened, ugly, black Samsung phone, but now she carries one of the latest phones going around. That Samsung phone she once owned is nowhere to be found in the market. All the cell phones on sale are colorful, have big screens, have numerous applications built within the phone and support a large variety of other services. There definitely has been a drastic and rapid evolution in the technology provided and demanded.
Evolution has taken place throughout history, and still takes place today. Humans, physically and mentally, have evolved from ape-like creatures to what we are today, and believe it or not, we are still evolving. Just like humans, so have gadgets, such as the mobile phone, evolved from unattractive, bulky, colorless gadgets, to sleek, slim, and colorful ones. These are just a few examples of evolution that has taken place and still are, just like the meaning of the word “awesome.”
Central argument: Like how the meaning of words, such as “awesome,” has evolved throughout time, so has the English language and every other aspect of nature and things that affect our everyday life.
Throughout time, change is bound to take place; it usually starts off small, but in the end the change is evident and not so small anymore. This article, “The Rise of ‘Awesome’” states the theory of evolution through the word “awesome.” Evolution is evident in every other aspect of life. The evolution of human is explained in Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. The everyday life of a human has also evolved due to the advancement of technology as well as the evolution of gadgets.
There is scientific proof that humans have indeed evolved from apes from all the fossil evidence that have been discovered. Darwin concluded that all form of life is related and has a common ancestor. These ancestors were simpler creatures who, over thousands of years, evolved into a more complex version and made a “new” form of life. Everyone is familiar with the evolution picture which starts off with an image of a monkey, proceeding to couple of hunched human-like figures with a few changes as you look towards the right of the picture, to finally a human that we associate ourselves with. That picture shows how humans have evolved physically, but throughout that period, the mental ability of humans evolved as well.
In the first few forms of humans in the evolution picture, humans lived their lives as nomads, constantly moving from place to place in search of food. However, as they evolved physically, so did their minds and thoughts. They realized that they could settle down in one place and plant food and tame animals. From the use of simple tools like the sickle, they upgraded their tools to the use of ploughs, tractors and combines. People nowadays no longer need to farm for a living, as their source of food is the closest supermarket. The way people spend their 24 hours has changed drastically from moving from one place to another for food to a regulated schedule of getting up, working eight hours of the day, and going back to the same how throughout the year. The advancement in technology has played a big role in this evolution as people can communicate faster than ever nowadays due to the internet.
With the evolution of the mind comes, new, innovative, and creative ideas. In the 21st century, everybody is competing with each other to be, have, or come up with the best. This is especially true for the gadget industry. Each industry is competing for the most sales; to achieve maximum profit they must make their product look better than the rest. For this reason people have been coming up with the newest, unimaginable ideas. Just over a decade ago, I remember my mother carrying a colorless, tiny screened, ugly, black Samsung phone, but now she carries one of the latest phones going around. That Samsung phone she once owned is nowhere to be found in the market. All the cell phones on sale are colorful, have big screens, have numerous applications built within the phone and support a large variety of other services. There definitely has been a drastic and rapid evolution in the technology provided and demanded.
Evolution has taken place throughout history, and still takes place today. Humans, physically and mentally, have evolved from ape-like creatures to what we are today, and believe it or not, we are still evolving. Just like humans, so have gadgets, such as the mobile phone, evolved from unattractive, bulky, colorless gadgets, to sleek, slim, and colorful ones. These are just a few examples of evolution that has taken place and still are, just like the meaning of the word “awesome.”
Friday 16 March 2012
“Of Youth and Age”
Central Argument: Even though the youthful mind makes hasty decisions, they have a greater imagination and newer ideas compared to older, experienced minds.
It is said by many that the future lies in the hand of the younger generation. In this essay, “Of Youth and Age” Francis Bacon states that the creative, fresh minds of the youth allow change to take place and ideas to flourish as they are focused in reaching their goal. I agree with Bacon completely as nowadays it seems like the youth are the ones that strive to achieve their goals and make a change in society by finding the flaws in it and fixing them. These actions taken by the youth are evident through the Kony 2012 film campaign, as well as the actions taken by Ryan Hreljac in building wells in Africa.
The Kony 2012 is a short film and a campaign by the Invisible Children, hoping to reach the world for support against Joseph Kony, a leader of a rebel party in Uganda. Kony has been taking millions of children, making sex slaves out of the girls and keeping the boys for his army. These children are made to kill their own parents and live their life in fear. Jason Russel and his team’s attempt to stop Kony began a few years ago, but the government took no action. However, recently after the release of this video, millions of youth have come together to act against this one case. The youth protests have gotten so large that the American government are willing give aid to them. Even though these people were rejected by the government a few years ago, Russel found another way to get his message across. According to Bacon, men from the older generation would try, but leave it if it did not work.
I heard about Ryan Hreljac from my mother a few years ago, as she read an article about this boy that decided to sponsor a well in Africa. At an early age, Hreljac was told of the misery faced by many African children as they had little education and poor health care systems. Many of these children often got sick due to the contaminated water. The students were also told of how they could help by building a well. When Hreljac got home, he told his parents about his plan of building a well in Africa. However, the actual cost of building a well was much more than what the teacher said it was, but he kept agreeing to any task set by his parents to earn that money. By the time he had earned enough money and built a well in Africa, he had become known worldwide for this act of kindness. Even though it was a teacher who put the thought into his mind, it was his decision to carry it out and did not let anything stand in his way.
Even though these acts are of two completely different topics and of different levels, these young people are making an effort for a change in the ways things are dealt with. Both Russel and Hreljac are taking steps using their imagination and creativity of their youthful minds to spread the awareness and anything necessary for the public to react. These people, the younger generation, are the future of a better tomorrow.
It is said by many that the future lies in the hand of the younger generation. In this essay, “Of Youth and Age” Francis Bacon states that the creative, fresh minds of the youth allow change to take place and ideas to flourish as they are focused in reaching their goal. I agree with Bacon completely as nowadays it seems like the youth are the ones that strive to achieve their goals and make a change in society by finding the flaws in it and fixing them. These actions taken by the youth are evident through the Kony 2012 film campaign, as well as the actions taken by Ryan Hreljac in building wells in Africa.
The Kony 2012 is a short film and a campaign by the Invisible Children, hoping to reach the world for support against Joseph Kony, a leader of a rebel party in Uganda. Kony has been taking millions of children, making sex slaves out of the girls and keeping the boys for his army. These children are made to kill their own parents and live their life in fear. Jason Russel and his team’s attempt to stop Kony began a few years ago, but the government took no action. However, recently after the release of this video, millions of youth have come together to act against this one case. The youth protests have gotten so large that the American government are willing give aid to them. Even though these people were rejected by the government a few years ago, Russel found another way to get his message across. According to Bacon, men from the older generation would try, but leave it if it did not work.
I heard about Ryan Hreljac from my mother a few years ago, as she read an article about this boy that decided to sponsor a well in Africa. At an early age, Hreljac was told of the misery faced by many African children as they had little education and poor health care systems. Many of these children often got sick due to the contaminated water. The students were also told of how they could help by building a well. When Hreljac got home, he told his parents about his plan of building a well in Africa. However, the actual cost of building a well was much more than what the teacher said it was, but he kept agreeing to any task set by his parents to earn that money. By the time he had earned enough money and built a well in Africa, he had become known worldwide for this act of kindness. Even though it was a teacher who put the thought into his mind, it was his decision to carry it out and did not let anything stand in his way.
Even though these acts are of two completely different topics and of different levels, these young people are making an effort for a change in the ways things are dealt with. Both Russel and Hreljac are taking steps using their imagination and creativity of their youthful minds to spread the awareness and anything necessary for the public to react. These people, the younger generation, are the future of a better tomorrow.
"Of Marriage and Single Life"
Central Argument: If men get married at a young age, they are bogged down by their family responsibilities and cannot help the community. However, if men marry when they are in their middle ages they can simultaneously help their family as well as contribute to the society.
Marriage, an oath taken by a man and woman to live with each other for the rest of their lives is usually considered a positive act, yet some people find this way of living life a burden. Francis Bacon addresses the lives of single and married men in his essay, “Of Marriage and Single Life.” He mentions the free life lived by single men, and how by marrying at a young age they are both, restricted from experiencing new things and cannot contribute to society; however, after a certain age, men should marry as they have a new perspective on things after marriage which can help contribute to society and as they grow old, they need company. I agree with Bacon’s essay as the animated movie, The Incredibles, represent the situations faced by a single man and a married man, and also because I have witnessed the effect a woman has on a man in the later stages of life.
The Incredibles is an animated movie of a family with superhero powers. Before getting married, the protagonist – Mr. Incredible, is shown as the hero of the city catching every criminal and putting order back into place. He lives his life exactly the way he wants and does not care about anything else. However, after falling in love and getting married, he realizes the responsibilities he now holds as a father and a husband. He is restricted from what he wants to do and what he does best, and is stuck in a small cubicle in his work building to earn a living and support his family. Bacon mentions this situation faced by married men as they have to pay so much attention to their wife and children that they have little time for themselves. However, after a certain incident in which Mr. Incredible puts his and his family’s life at risk, he realizes the importance of a family. He matures over that time and realizes that he has had his fun as a young adult and now he must act his age and be content with what he has.
Living in a close-knit neighborhood, my mother often took me to visit the elderly couple that lives next door. We have been visiting more frequently in the last two years as the man lives alone due to the sudden death of his wife. Last year, my mother told me about this man’s life story about how he made a big mistake as a young man. This man ran away with the girl he thought he loved, and spent his early-twenty years slogging to earn a living and please this woman, who eventually ended up leaving him, instead of studying , partying, and living a normal 20 year-old life. He had wasted precious time and effort on nothing, and my mother kept emphasizing the regret that he must have felt. This man married again, to a woman that actually loved him back, around 15 years later. They lived a happy married life; always organizing get-togethers and no matter where I saw them they would be together. This woman was his “companion [during his] middle age” and his “nurse” during his old age. This shows that there definitely is a right time for everything, especially marriage.
Through this essay, Bacon says that there is an age at which men should marry. They should not be too young, as that is the time for them to contribute to society and experience new things; neither should a man remain single during old age as that is the time in which company is needed the most.
Marriage, an oath taken by a man and woman to live with each other for the rest of their lives is usually considered a positive act, yet some people find this way of living life a burden. Francis Bacon addresses the lives of single and married men in his essay, “Of Marriage and Single Life.” He mentions the free life lived by single men, and how by marrying at a young age they are both, restricted from experiencing new things and cannot contribute to society; however, after a certain age, men should marry as they have a new perspective on things after marriage which can help contribute to society and as they grow old, they need company. I agree with Bacon’s essay as the animated movie, The Incredibles, represent the situations faced by a single man and a married man, and also because I have witnessed the effect a woman has on a man in the later stages of life.
The Incredibles is an animated movie of a family with superhero powers. Before getting married, the protagonist – Mr. Incredible, is shown as the hero of the city catching every criminal and putting order back into place. He lives his life exactly the way he wants and does not care about anything else. However, after falling in love and getting married, he realizes the responsibilities he now holds as a father and a husband. He is restricted from what he wants to do and what he does best, and is stuck in a small cubicle in his work building to earn a living and support his family. Bacon mentions this situation faced by married men as they have to pay so much attention to their wife and children that they have little time for themselves. However, after a certain incident in which Mr. Incredible puts his and his family’s life at risk, he realizes the importance of a family. He matures over that time and realizes that he has had his fun as a young adult and now he must act his age and be content with what he has.
Living in a close-knit neighborhood, my mother often took me to visit the elderly couple that lives next door. We have been visiting more frequently in the last two years as the man lives alone due to the sudden death of his wife. Last year, my mother told me about this man’s life story about how he made a big mistake as a young man. This man ran away with the girl he thought he loved, and spent his early-twenty years slogging to earn a living and please this woman, who eventually ended up leaving him, instead of studying , partying, and living a normal 20 year-old life. He had wasted precious time and effort on nothing, and my mother kept emphasizing the regret that he must have felt. This man married again, to a woman that actually loved him back, around 15 years later. They lived a happy married life; always organizing get-togethers and no matter where I saw them they would be together. This woman was his “companion [during his] middle age” and his “nurse” during his old age. This shows that there definitely is a right time for everything, especially marriage.
Through this essay, Bacon says that there is an age at which men should marry. They should not be too young, as that is the time for them to contribute to society and experience new things; neither should a man remain single during old age as that is the time in which company is needed the most.
Friday 9 March 2012
Why Good Advertising Works
Why Good Advertising Works (Even When You Think It Doesn't)
- Nigel Hollis
Central Argument: Advertisements, or rather marketers, do influence the behavior of people as they are imbedded somewhere in our memory which is the main goal for advertisements, and hopefully get the people to act.
No matter what you do, whether it is watching TV, walking down the street, reading the daily newspaper, you are bound to encounter an advertisement of some product or the other, a job opportunity, a concert or something along those lines in which the reader has a choice to purchase the product, attend the show or interview. In the 21st century no company will get anywhere without the use of advertisements as the competitive market is just too large. To catch the attention of the buyers, marketers make sure to include “images, jingles, and stories to focus attention on the brand.” Many a times, we, as the buyers, overlook these advertisements and think that they have no affect on us. However, this perspective we have, is refuted by Nigel Hollis in this article as he says that the main goal of an advertisement is to leave a lasting, hopefully positive, impression of the brand if not the product, on the audience and get them to act.
At a very early age, I started to have a weird obsession of watching TV, I knew every cartoon possible and I enjoyed everything the TV had to offer on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. However, there was one thing that I despised, and I still do – even after I have overcome my TV obsession – were the commercial breaks. Those two minute breaks seemed like forever to me back then but I would impatiently watch all the commercials like waiting. This one commercial on Maggi, Indian instant noodles, did influence me. Two children, tired and hungry, would be walking back from school to find two bowls of Maggi sitting on the dinner table. As they rush towards the table and start gobbling up the food, a woman appears and smiles lovingly as she sits in between the two children. The way the children ate made the noodles look so much better than it actually is. As I come from Nepal, the most popular noodle is WaiWai and I knew nothing about Maggi besides what I saw on TV. When I came to India where the most popular noodle is Maggi, I thought about the commercial and how delicious the noodles looked. This thought led me to buying the product and enjoying eating every bit of it, even though it did not look as good as the commercial.
Advertisements tend to stay in our memory even though we do not really focus on them due to the number of times we see them. Through studies, it is evident that repetition of things will remain in our memory sooner and for a longer period of time. This is especially true in TV commercials as the commercials are repeated two-to-four times during a single break! By the third break, the person watching TV is bound to know the product that is being advertised and more or less everything about it. To make it more memorable, advertisements usually have a significant person – an actor or famous athlete – or something unique about it. This makes it stand out more and is easier to remember it.
Through personal experience and the scientific reasons, it is evident that commercials do influence people. Though it may not get us, the audience, to act immediately, it is in our memory and certain things may just trigger that memory.
- Nigel Hollis
Central Argument: Advertisements, or rather marketers, do influence the behavior of people as they are imbedded somewhere in our memory which is the main goal for advertisements, and hopefully get the people to act.
No matter what you do, whether it is watching TV, walking down the street, reading the daily newspaper, you are bound to encounter an advertisement of some product or the other, a job opportunity, a concert or something along those lines in which the reader has a choice to purchase the product, attend the show or interview. In the 21st century no company will get anywhere without the use of advertisements as the competitive market is just too large. To catch the attention of the buyers, marketers make sure to include “images, jingles, and stories to focus attention on the brand.” Many a times, we, as the buyers, overlook these advertisements and think that they have no affect on us. However, this perspective we have, is refuted by Nigel Hollis in this article as he says that the main goal of an advertisement is to leave a lasting, hopefully positive, impression of the brand if not the product, on the audience and get them to act.
At a very early age, I started to have a weird obsession of watching TV, I knew every cartoon possible and I enjoyed everything the TV had to offer on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. However, there was one thing that I despised, and I still do – even after I have overcome my TV obsession – were the commercial breaks. Those two minute breaks seemed like forever to me back then but I would impatiently watch all the commercials like waiting. This one commercial on Maggi, Indian instant noodles, did influence me. Two children, tired and hungry, would be walking back from school to find two bowls of Maggi sitting on the dinner table. As they rush towards the table and start gobbling up the food, a woman appears and smiles lovingly as she sits in between the two children. The way the children ate made the noodles look so much better than it actually is. As I come from Nepal, the most popular noodle is WaiWai and I knew nothing about Maggi besides what I saw on TV. When I came to India where the most popular noodle is Maggi, I thought about the commercial and how delicious the noodles looked. This thought led me to buying the product and enjoying eating every bit of it, even though it did not look as good as the commercial.
Advertisements tend to stay in our memory even though we do not really focus on them due to the number of times we see them. Through studies, it is evident that repetition of things will remain in our memory sooner and for a longer period of time. This is especially true in TV commercials as the commercials are repeated two-to-four times during a single break! By the third break, the person watching TV is bound to know the product that is being advertised and more or less everything about it. To make it more memorable, advertisements usually have a significant person – an actor or famous athlete – or something unique about it. This makes it stand out more and is easier to remember it.
Through personal experience and the scientific reasons, it is evident that commercials do influence people. Though it may not get us, the audience, to act immediately, it is in our memory and certain things may just trigger that memory.
"Rick Santorum, Meet My Son"
“Rick Santorum, Meet My Son”
-Emily Rapp
Central Argument: In this article, Emily Rapp disagrees with Rick Santorum’s assumption that prenatal testing immorally correct as it increases the number of abortions as she says it is the woman’s choice whether to abort the baby or not depending on the situation, in this case illnesses.
Imagine two children are born in a hospital, both boys for simplicity’s sake; however, one of them is from a wealthy family and the other from a poor family. They are both diagnosed with the genetic, incurable disease Tay Sachs, which will eventually be the cause of their death. These two boys will lead a very similar life filled with difficulty and suffering and being an unintentional cause of pain to those around them, even though there is a great difference in their financial backgrounds. This is just one of the numerous circumstances that could take place if prenatal testing were banned or if a woman was not allowed to abort the baby in her stomach. Emily Rapp faced a similar situation, though in her case the disease of her child, Ronan, was undetected, and she wishes that she had known earlier so she could have stopped her child from all the misery he is facing. Like Rapp, millions of woman of all ages face such harsh conditions as abortion is looked down upon and is considered immoral. However, Rapp refutes Rick Santorum’s moral views by arguing that women should make the decision on whether they should abort their child or not according to the situation that she and her child will be facing.
In this article Rapp gives us a glimpse of the hard life her son is facing, as every breath he takes could be his last due to Tay Sachs. This puts as much pressure on her as she is the mother and in the eyes of a mother nothing can be compared to her child. She tells us that she would have aborted Ronan if she had known he had this disease. She does so because she loves him and is in no way morally wrong – you might as well take a life of a person to stop all the suffering faced. By aborting Ronan, she would not yet have that attachment between a mother and child as she would not have known him physically and mentally, this would make the situation much easier.
In Rapp’s argument she does not only specify the choice of aborting a child due to an illness, but to any situation in which the mother and the child would face difficulties. There are many cases of underage pregnancy due to rape and stupid choices. I know a girl who had to face the thought of becoming a mother at the age of 14. This girl, Bina, was the neighbor’s housemaid’s sister. On an unfortunate night, Bina had been drugged and deceived by her friend. In the weeks to come she was pregnant with the child of an unknown man. Bina, an orphan whose sister could barely support the family, was in no condition to bring up a child and she had to resort to abortion. Though abortion is looked down upon in her community, she went back to living a normal teenage life again. Being a single mother at the age of 15 would have been a worse condition to be in than aborting the child. Bina did herself a favor and saved her child to-be from all the financial issues they would have faced.
The debate over abortion being morally incorrect stills goes on. However, if abortion is conducted before the embryo turns into a fetus; it is not considered as taking a life. The embryo shows no sign of life and no one needs to feel bad about it. If it is likely that the baby will have a disease, it the possibilities of a stillbirth are greate
-Emily Rapp
Central Argument: In this article, Emily Rapp disagrees with Rick Santorum’s assumption that prenatal testing immorally correct as it increases the number of abortions as she says it is the woman’s choice whether to abort the baby or not depending on the situation, in this case illnesses.
Imagine two children are born in a hospital, both boys for simplicity’s sake; however, one of them is from a wealthy family and the other from a poor family. They are both diagnosed with the genetic, incurable disease Tay Sachs, which will eventually be the cause of their death. These two boys will lead a very similar life filled with difficulty and suffering and being an unintentional cause of pain to those around them, even though there is a great difference in their financial backgrounds. This is just one of the numerous circumstances that could take place if prenatal testing were banned or if a woman was not allowed to abort the baby in her stomach. Emily Rapp faced a similar situation, though in her case the disease of her child, Ronan, was undetected, and she wishes that she had known earlier so she could have stopped her child from all the misery he is facing. Like Rapp, millions of woman of all ages face such harsh conditions as abortion is looked down upon and is considered immoral. However, Rapp refutes Rick Santorum’s moral views by arguing that women should make the decision on whether they should abort their child or not according to the situation that she and her child will be facing.
In this article Rapp gives us a glimpse of the hard life her son is facing, as every breath he takes could be his last due to Tay Sachs. This puts as much pressure on her as she is the mother and in the eyes of a mother nothing can be compared to her child. She tells us that she would have aborted Ronan if she had known he had this disease. She does so because she loves him and is in no way morally wrong – you might as well take a life of a person to stop all the suffering faced. By aborting Ronan, she would not yet have that attachment between a mother and child as she would not have known him physically and mentally, this would make the situation much easier.
In Rapp’s argument she does not only specify the choice of aborting a child due to an illness, but to any situation in which the mother and the child would face difficulties. There are many cases of underage pregnancy due to rape and stupid choices. I know a girl who had to face the thought of becoming a mother at the age of 14. This girl, Bina, was the neighbor’s housemaid’s sister. On an unfortunate night, Bina had been drugged and deceived by her friend. In the weeks to come she was pregnant with the child of an unknown man. Bina, an orphan whose sister could barely support the family, was in no condition to bring up a child and she had to resort to abortion. Though abortion is looked down upon in her community, she went back to living a normal teenage life again. Being a single mother at the age of 15 would have been a worse condition to be in than aborting the child. Bina did herself a favor and saved her child to-be from all the financial issues they would have faced.
The debate over abortion being morally incorrect stills goes on. However, if abortion is conducted before the embryo turns into a fetus; it is not considered as taking a life. The embryo shows no sign of life and no one needs to feel bad about it. If it is likely that the baby will have a disease, it the possibilities of a stillbirth are greate
Sunday 26 February 2012
-SONG-
song - Right Here Waiting for You
artist - Richard Marx
Analysis:
"Right Here Waiting for You" is a song that brings back numerous memories for me, as my father used to play it occasionally during road-trips or as a soft background music during dinner. This song, like Adele's "Someone like You”, is filled with emotion and has a melancholic yet dramatic tone. The song has a very repetitive pattern until just about reaching the third minute. At that moment his repetitive pattern is changed as the notes tend to get higher, the melody changes, and both the accompaniment and soloist tends to sing louder. This change brings in a bit of “tension” which is resolved the familiar melody of the chorus is played again. Overall, “Right Here Waiting for You” has all the features needed to be included in the top-50 greatest songs list. Its “heartfelt” lyrics sung by a “powerful” voice naturally bring out the audience’s emotions.
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Just another song that I really like as well.
-Lion King will always be one of the best animated movies- :D
artist - Richard Marx
Analysis:
"Right Here Waiting for You" is a song that brings back numerous memories for me, as my father used to play it occasionally during road-trips or as a soft background music during dinner. This song, like Adele's "Someone like You”, is filled with emotion and has a melancholic yet dramatic tone. The song has a very repetitive pattern until just about reaching the third minute. At that moment his repetitive pattern is changed as the notes tend to get higher, the melody changes, and both the accompaniment and soloist tends to sing louder. This change brings in a bit of “tension” which is resolved the familiar melody of the chorus is played again. Overall, “Right Here Waiting for You” has all the features needed to be included in the top-50 greatest songs list. Its “heartfelt” lyrics sung by a “powerful” voice naturally bring out the audience’s emotions.
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Just another song that I really like as well.
-Lion King will always be one of the best animated movies- :D
Friday 27 January 2012
Neighborhood
12. Tell us about the neighborhood that you grew up in and how it helped shape you into the kind of person you are today. (Yale and the University of Chicago)
In my memory, my day has usually always started early. This being so as I used to accompany my mother as we circumambulated the Boudha Stupa, around 10 minutes away from home. Having a religious monument right next to home allowed me to perceive the different nationalities that came to worship at the Stupa. Going to the stupa at an early age allowed me to get an early start to the Buddhist practices and gave me a better idea of my culture. The Boudha community that I was within was filled with people that respected my maternal grandfather. I heard numerous stories about him and other hard workers, and in the process each story increased my respect for him and those that suffered and finally became what they are today – great business men that gave back to society. In this community I saw the goodness of humans as I saw people give to the poor and needy, clean up the stupa compound, and even feed the pigeons that often fluttered around the area. Those people that helped the community usually were not the wealthy people, but the ones that were from the lower-middleclass. This made me realize how selfish a majority of the people were and I did not want to be like that. I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my mother who I often saw going to orphanages and non-governmental organizations donating clothes and giving out our toys that we no longer needed. Going everywhere with my mother allowed me to see the good, bad, and the ugly of society, and I knew from then that I would rather choose to help the community than to do nothing about it.
Wednesday 25 January 2012
Article 3: Don't Eat Dogs!
By: Peter Shadbolt
Date published: Jan. 25, 2012 Date accessed: Jan 25, 2012
Summary:
The consumption of dog meat in Vietnam and Southern-China is at its peak during the time of the Chinese New Year. The dogs are smuggled across from Thailand into Laos and across the Mekong River into Hanoi. Most of these dogs that are smuggled are usually stolen, domesticated pets as they seem to have collars around them and seem to be trained. The rest of the dogs are picked up from alleys. Dog meat has been considered to be a “warming” food and is considered lucky in Vietnam; therefore approximately 500,000 dogs are sold every year according to the Thai Veterinary Medical Association. These dogs are stuffed into cages and majority of them die due to starvation, suffocation, or trauma. The dogs that are still alive are then “beaten” or “skinned alive” until they die – as it is assumed that stress hormones tenderize the meat. Even though the trade is illegal in Thailand, smugglers receive light sentences of about two or three months in prison.The Soi Dog Foundation and the Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to ANials are working to stop such activities by consulting the Thai parliament.
Response:
I’ve always had a pet dog and I never believed my parents when they said that people did eat dog meat. I was horrified as I read about it and heard other people talking about it. This article, yet again reminded me of how cruel humans can be. This case cannot be compared to the consumption of other meat products as most of the other animals are raised in farms and follow such a fate. These dogs, on the other hand, are stolen from homes, temples, and picked off the street. They are further tortured as they are stuffed in cages. This dog situation can be compared to the transport of Africans to western countries during the slave trade! No one wants to be in that position, so why let them suffer? Dogs too have feelings of their own! A family might be waiting anxiously for the return of their dog, knowing little that it is probably in some stew. I think the first thing that needs to be done for such an activity to come to a halt is for that smugglers should receive harsh punishments.
Vocabulary:
A. Aficionados
a. Dog meat aficionados claim that stress hormones tenderize the strong-tasting meat, and killing methods range from beatings to being skinned alive.
b. An ardent devotee; fan, enthusiast; Root: Spanish – literally, amateur, past participle in –adoate of aficionar to engender affection
c. Having once been a missionary school, Woodstock has a lot of Christian aficionados.
B. Nouveau riche
a. Traditionally the time of peak demand for dog meat in Vietnam, the dog smugglers of the Mekong work deep into the night shipping thousands of animals -- sometimes dozens to a cage -- across the river border with Laos to be trucked on to the dinner tables of the nouveau riche in Hanoi.
b. a person who is newly rich; Root: French – new rich (person)
c. (cannot think of a way to relate it to school) You can immediately tell a nouveau riche Tibetan as they still lack etiquette and proper manners.
C. Boon
a. The recent floods in Thailand have also been a boon for dognappers for whom lost and displaced dogs are an easy target.
b. Something to be thankful for; Root: Old Norse bōn prayer; cognate with Old English – bēn
c. The announcement of a fair-weather holiday was a boon for students that had an exam that day.
Friday 20 January 2012
Article 2 Population shift
Title: China'surban explosion: A 21st century challenge
By: Jaime A. FlorCruz
Date published: Jan. 20, 2012 Date accessed: Jan 20, 2012
Summary:
Zhou Jie, a farmer living in the rural parts of China, has moved into the outskirts of Beijing taking his family along. Having to adapt to the city lifestyle, Zhou has found a job in which he sells construction material and his wife adds to the family income by working as a housemaid. Millions of urban dwellers, peasants that leave the countryside and come into the city, hope for a better way of life as wages are much higher in the cities. These people are given the “dirty and dangerous” jobs which urban people no longer willing to do. The number of peasants that have moved into cities has been so large that China’s urban population is greater than that of the rural population. This is the first time such a thing has happened and is all due to China’s rapid urbanization. This change is making China more metropolitan and prosperous and has given a large number of people jobs. However, crime, traffic and housing problems are raising issues and the government has to keep a lookout for “city diseases” such as overcrowding, unemployment, and scarcity of resources.
Response:
I was in Beijing around eight months ago and the fact that you were never alone, no matter where you went, was a plus point as well as a negative point. I stayed there for a little over a month and throughout my visit I saw about two beggars and not many people that seemed financially unstable. As I talked to my cousin, who has been studying in Beijing her whole life, she said that all those people that I had said I hadn’t seen were in the nooks and corners of the city, where tourists and other visitors would not be able to see them. I think that this population shift will have a greater negative impact than a positive one. This being so as the gap between city dwellers and those from the countryside is very evident. Their mindsets and way of living are completely different and it will be very difficult for peasants to adapt to city life. Vocabulary:
A. Exacerbates
a. Critics of the policy say it causes discrimination against the mingong and exacerbates social tensions between the haves and have-nots.
b. to increase the severity, bitterness, or violence of (disease, ill, feeling, etc.) root: from Latin exacerbāre to irritate, from acerbus bitte
c. When a teacher favors a particular student that you don’t like, it exacerbates the hatred you have against them.
B. Cumbersome
a. Some rural migrants secure temporary residence certificates but getting them is a cumbersome and expensive process
b. burdensome; troublesome. Root: Middle English cummyrsum; cumbre – defeat
c. Leaving all the work till the very day before its due makes everything so cumbersome as it results in a very tired student on the day the work is due.
C. Augment
a. His wife augments the family's income by working in the city as a household maid.
b. to make larger; enlarge in size, number, strength, or extent; increase. Root: late Middle English au (g) menten; Anglo-French au (g) menter; Latin augmentāre toincrease, derivative of augmentum an increase
c. Every student wants extra-credit projects by the end of the semester to augment their grade.
Sunday 15 January 2012
Best teachers
188. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Coaches are the best teachers. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Monday 9 January 2012
236. What are some things you observed today?
Today, I woke up again, in the white-walled, empty room with one chair one a lousy bed. This was a so-called hotel, in Bodhgaya, in the corner of what seemed like nowhere, and I was furious at my mother for not finding a better place. The previous night she had explained to me how difficult it was for anyone to find a place. She had tried booking seven months in advanced, yet still was unable to find a hotel fit for my luxury. She kept telling me how lucky we were to have a shelter and a bathroom close at hand. However, I just ignored that and the day continued.
As we walked to the hotel – a much nicer hotel with proper bed s, a table and a television – where my maternal grandmother, Momola, was staying, I noticed how many people following the Buddhist faith and showed up to this tiny village for the teachings. Tibetans, Ladakhis, Bhutanese, Chinese, Americans, Russians
The plan for the day was to visit the old age home Momola had sponsored from Nepal. The first step of the four kilometer journey was a 10 minute rickshaw ride until a barrier where cars were stopped. We were then transferred onto a tempo for another 10 minute ride. Throughout the journey I saw people everywhere and what my mother said struck me, it is difficult to find a roof over one’s head, I thought. People are living so far away and yet I am still complaining.
As we got to the camp, the first thing I realized was that everyone who had registered to stay in the camps had to live in tents, similar to the circus tents. The old men and women were delighted to see my grandmother as they thanked her with tear-filled eyes. They were told to line up like a set of kindergarten children as we handed out the shawls my grandmother had bought for them.
As evening drew closer and we headed back to the hotel, I realized how grateful the people from the old age home were to be living in a tent and to be here. My grandmother was like a fairy godmother to them. She had granted their last wish, to see the Dalai Lama and attend his teachings.
I realized today that I should not complain about how easy I have life at the moment. I have whatever I need and I have no illnesses that act as a barrier towards anything I do. Therefore, I should stop complaining and live life as it comes.
(this too is from Bodhgaya)
222: Where would you go hide and why
-Go into a crowd
-Wear a disguise
-Go to a remote place
The three options above are just a few places you would go or things you would do as you try to hide. However, the place where I would go has all these three alternatives. At present, I am in a tiny village in Bihar, a sate in India, called Bodhgaya. This is the place where Buddha gained enlightenment and is also a place in which many high monks, the Dalai Lama, the Karmapa, give their teachings. These are the only times when people actually come to this place. Therefore, I would like to think that the person who I’m hiding from wouldn’t even consider looking for me in this place. There are over three hundred thousand Buddhists, from all over the world, here at present. This would make it extremely difficult to find the person you need. Because there aren’t many places to go in Bodhgaya, no matter where you go there is a crowd of people. If you want to eat at a restaurant, you have to wait at least 10 minutes to find a seat. If you want to go to the main temple, you have to wait in a never-ending line amongst a hundred other people. This shows how many people are present here and how difficult it would be for the person I’m hiding from to find me. If they consider announcing for me at the main office I would probably not respond as they would announce for ‘Tsewang’ and that is a very common name and probably more than 10 people here have that name. Besides, no one in my family calls me that so I would know that it is a stranger. Lastly, because this place is so dusty and germs of various diseases are floating around in the air, majority of the people here are wearing face masks. This would obscure the path for the person looking for me. I could be any ordinary girl amongst the thousands and wearing a pair of shades would just complicate the chase for him/her.
(i wrote this while was in Bodhgaya, but i forgot to post to post it then)
Article 1: Monk puts himself on fire
Date published: Jan. 9, 2012 Date accessed: Jan 9, 2012
Summary:
A Tibetan monk, and a significant spiritual leader within his home community, set himself on fire the previous Sunday in the Qinghai, a north-western province of China. Over 15 Tibetans have died due to self-immolation in the past year, and most of these cases have been around north-west China, including Qinghai and other provinces around Sichuan. This is the first time such a protest is taking place in this region. The Tibetans are protesting in such a way due to the lack of religious freedom they are facing. The Dalai Lama himself expresses disapproval of such acts, yet he feels that they are “being driven to desperation by ‘cultural genocide’” due to the oppression they have to live under. However, Chinese authorities say blame the Dalai Lama for encouraging self-immolation. As the Chinese government is unwilling to allow journalists to access ‘Tibet-sensitive’ information, it is very difficult to verify anything.
Response:
Last semester, I had a project in which we had to carve out an issue of some sort, and later on make it into a poster with the help of technology. I chose a political issue – the oppression of Tibetans in China, the region of Tibet specifically. This was a few months ago and around 5 people had set themselves of fire then. The number of people that have died due to the self-immolation since then is alarming! Majority of the victims of this act have been young students who have no other way to show their desperation for freedom and their anger towards (probably) the Chinese government. Ever since that project, I have been keenly reading any article that has to do with the self-immolations and have been following through with events in China.
Vocabulary:
A. Vigil
a. “‘Due to his position as a local spiritual leader, approximately 2,000 local Tibetans are said to have held a candlelight vigil urging the local police authorities to release his body,’ it said.”
b. wakefulness maintained for any reason during the normal hours for sleeping. Root: from Old French vigile, from Medieval Latin vigilia - watch preceding a
religious festival, from Latin: vigilance, from vigil alert, from vigēre to be lively
c. My friends and I are usually vigil when we have an essay due the next day.
B. Avert
a. The statement said that police agreed to do this in order "to avert further tension".
b. to turn away or aside. Root: French avertii; Latin āvertere – vertere to turn.
c. To avert any possibilities of meeting a monkey on the way to school, I make sure I walk along with a group of people.
C. Self-immolation
a. Most self-immolations have taken place in the neighboring province of Sichuan.
b. voluntary sacrifice or denial of oneself, as for an ideal or another person. Root: Latin immolātus, past participle of immolāre to sprinkle with holy meal prior to sacrificing.
c. It is sad yet inspiring reading about all the Tibetan self-immolators as they seem very courageous and patriotic.
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