Ethos can be defined as an individual's ethics, what they consider right and wrong and what they value. I think that someone's ethos says a lot about their character. Ethos is a combination of one's beliefs and values that they have developed over the course of their lives. Each person has a different ethos because no two lives are the same. We all have different experiences that influence our perspectives on life differently. I believe writing is one of the best demonstrations of an individual's ethos. People write what they believe and why allowing for the audience to better understand what kind of person the writer is and where they are coming from. I believe that my personal writing reflects my personality and ethos. Assignments that I accomplished this semester allowed me to voice my opinion and demonstrate my ethos.
The first assignment was to analyze an advertisment on a piece of technology we use. My Dell Inspiron laptop is the piece of technology I use the most so I chose to analyze one of its advertisements. Although I love my Dell Inspiron and would recommend it to other laptop users, i was not particularly impressed by the commercial I analyzed. The commercial featured a young man carrying a Dell Inspiron and being praised by everyone who saw him. At the end of the commercial a logo for a charity appeared on the screen. The audience was then informed that a portion of the Dell Inspiron profits go to help people in need. Through this assignment I was able to express my disgust with corporations that use something as honest as a charity to attempt to increase sales. At the same time, I expressed my gratitude and respect for companies who do donate a percentage of their profits to help others. While I don't think it's right to use a charity to make money, I appreciate Dell's generosity.
The second assignment allowed me to demonstrate my ethos even more than the first. This assignment was to talk about an effect technology has had on society whether it be positive or negative. I was particularly excited about this prompt because I feel like I have a unique opinion on the advancements in technology for reasons that few other people consider. I support progress in our society and appreciate the conveniences advanced technology has offered me. However, I am deeply concerned that people, Americans in particular, are becoming lazy. I felt that the best way I could demonstrate the consequences of being too technology dependent was to write about the rise in American obesity. I found a statistic from TIME magazine that stated that two thirds of American adults are overweight along with fifteen percent of American children between the ages of six and nineteen. I wanted this statistic to capture my readers' attention and make them realize that obesity has become a serious issue. Obesity, especially in children, is a problem that I think should be taken more seriously. To me, a childhood should be filled with physical activity. My favorite childhood memories are ones that consist of my friends and I playing outside and being active. However, it seems that modern childhoods consist of television and computer games; hobbies that involve minimal physical activity. This perspective of mine was influenced by my own childhood and values of which were expressed through this assignment.
I have yet to write anything that goes against my personal beliefs and values. Everything I write about and how I write is a reflection of myself and something I can take pride in. I think that very few people can write against something they believe in and that''s why I think writing is one of the easiest ways to judge someone's character. No matter how neutral a piece of writing is there is always a hint of that writer's ethos.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
A Day Without Facebook
Wendell Berry is an author and essayist who formerly taught English at the University of Kentucky. In his essay, "Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer" he explains his reasons for his resistance in purchasing this increasingly popular piece of technology. His reasons were as followed:
1. He does not want to become dependent on computers
2. Computers don't bring society closer to his personal values
3. Computers are expensive and will eventually have to be replaced with a newer model for a higher price
4. Computers do not improve writing
I was surprised at how much I identify wiht Berry's beliefs; I also choose to write everything by hand and do not want to become too dependent on technology in order to be productive. My personal perspective on technology is that a piece of technology does not improve the quality of work, it just makes it easier. I believe the effectiveness of a written piece comes from the writer, not the medium the writer chose to use.
Facebook is a digital social networking website that allows users to post pictures, statuses, comments, and chat with friends online. Being a college student, I am constantly fighting the urge to log on this website and spend hours mindlessly wasting time. I often am using the Internet to complete school assignments. The temptation is especially strong because I am using the same medium to log on as I am using to complete school assignments. It is so easy to simply log on while also typing a paper in another window. With this week being finals week, this is the technology I chose to give up for a day for this assignment.
Giving up Facebook for a day allowed me to see how much time I actually waste logging on. I admit I was appalled how dependent I am on Facebook for entertainment. I was first tempted to log on right after I woke up and got ready in the morning. My usual morning routine includes waking up, getting ready, and logging on to Facebook while eating breakfast. After breakfast, I decided to work on a paper. Each time I experienced some form of writer's block I was tempted to check my Facebook. I was astonished at how many times I would usually check the site while also trying to complete an assignmen. As I expected, I was able to complete this paper in a shorter time than I would have been able to had I allowed myself to log on. I also must admit that I was much more impressed with my writing than I usually am.
The day without Facebook not only increased my productivity but it also improved th quality of my work. Without having Facebook as a distraction I was able to focus more on what I needed to accomplish. I must admit I was excited and releaved to be able to log on the next day. However, I realize now that my quality of work improves dramatically when I eliminate the Facebook as a distraction.
1. He does not want to become dependent on computers
2. Computers don't bring society closer to his personal values
3. Computers are expensive and will eventually have to be replaced with a newer model for a higher price
4. Computers do not improve writing
I was surprised at how much I identify wiht Berry's beliefs; I also choose to write everything by hand and do not want to become too dependent on technology in order to be productive. My personal perspective on technology is that a piece of technology does not improve the quality of work, it just makes it easier. I believe the effectiveness of a written piece comes from the writer, not the medium the writer chose to use.
Facebook is a digital social networking website that allows users to post pictures, statuses, comments, and chat with friends online. Being a college student, I am constantly fighting the urge to log on this website and spend hours mindlessly wasting time. I often am using the Internet to complete school assignments. The temptation is especially strong because I am using the same medium to log on as I am using to complete school assignments. It is so easy to simply log on while also typing a paper in another window. With this week being finals week, this is the technology I chose to give up for a day for this assignment.
Giving up Facebook for a day allowed me to see how much time I actually waste logging on. I admit I was appalled how dependent I am on Facebook for entertainment. I was first tempted to log on right after I woke up and got ready in the morning. My usual morning routine includes waking up, getting ready, and logging on to Facebook while eating breakfast. After breakfast, I decided to work on a paper. Each time I experienced some form of writer's block I was tempted to check my Facebook. I was astonished at how many times I would usually check the site while also trying to complete an assignmen. As I expected, I was able to complete this paper in a shorter time than I would have been able to had I allowed myself to log on. I also must admit that I was much more impressed with my writing than I usually am.
The day without Facebook not only increased my productivity but it also improved th quality of my work. Without having Facebook as a distraction I was able to focus more on what I needed to accomplish. I must admit I was excited and releaved to be able to log on the next day. However, I realize now that my quality of work improves dramatically when I eliminate the Facebook as a distraction.
War on Drugs Unsuccessful, Drug Czar Says
This article explains what exactly has been (or rather has not been) accomplished in the past forty years in regards to America's war on drugs. Forty years ago President Nixon declared a war on drugs. However it would appear that this fight against drug abuse is a failed attempt and has already cost our country around $1 trillion. According to this article, America is fighting a losing battle. The budget for the war on drugs has increased dramatically and yet our country is not getting the results we want. In all, this article informs readers that America's war on drugs is nothing more than an expensive failure. I was appalled when I read how much this war is costing our country when that money could be put towards finding effective solutions to other society issues such as healthcare.
While I do agree that drug abuse is a serious issue in American society, I feel like the money being spent on fighting drug abuse would be better spent elsewhere. Billions of dollars are being spent on advertising the "Just Say No" campaign and arresting drug offenders when they will be back on the streets in just a few years. What happens to the drug addicts after they get arrested? Arresting addicts does not cure the addiction. If anything the money being spent on the war on drugs should go primarily to rehabilitation clinics, not prisons. The United States should be helping those addicted to drugs; not arresting them and sending them to jail. Drug addiction is a mental disease. While its a person's decision whether or not they do drugs they don't have a say in whether or not they become addicted. Once a person is addicted they need help and support in order to break their addiction. America needs to reevaluate how we are battling drug abuse before we spend any more money on it because obviously, as proven by this article, our current approach is ineffective.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/201005/13/politics/main6480889.shtml?tag=topnews
While I do agree that drug abuse is a serious issue in American society, I feel like the money being spent on fighting drug abuse would be better spent elsewhere. Billions of dollars are being spent on advertising the "Just Say No" campaign and arresting drug offenders when they will be back on the streets in just a few years. What happens to the drug addicts after they get arrested? Arresting addicts does not cure the addiction. If anything the money being spent on the war on drugs should go primarily to rehabilitation clinics, not prisons. The United States should be helping those addicted to drugs; not arresting them and sending them to jail. Drug addiction is a mental disease. While its a person's decision whether or not they do drugs they don't have a say in whether or not they become addicted. Once a person is addicted they need help and support in order to break their addiction. America needs to reevaluate how we are battling drug abuse before we spend any more money on it because obviously, as proven by this article, our current approach is ineffective.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/201005/13/politics/main6480889.shtml?tag=topnews
Fast Food Nation and the Slow Food Movement
Of all the topics we talked about in class I found the unit on slow food the most interesting. The slow food movement is a movement meant to encourage resistance against the increasingly popular fast food industry and processedfoods in general. Shortly after this movement I read a novel by Eric Schlosser called Fast Food Nation. In this book, Schlosser researches the truth in the American food industry.
Schlosser walks the reader through the journey of some of America's food from where its made and how it's prepared and distributed to customers. Most of the food distributed through the fast food restaurants is created by scientists not farmers. Ninety percent of what humans taste comes from smell. Knowing this, scientists are able to manipulate different chemicals in order to make something taste a certain way. For example, when we eat McDonald's chicken nuggets we are really eating a chicken flavored substance. Most of this kind of food arrives frozen and packaged. Even the sodas and shakes arrive as syrup. Steps to prepare this "food" include either deep frying or simply heating up.
The food served through fast food restaurants consist of chemically created flavor and artificial perservatives. This book really opened my eyes to what I am really eating when I go to a fast food restaurant. I would suggest this book to anyone interested in the slow food movement or anyone who is interested or cares about what exactly they are eating.
Schlosser walks the reader through the journey of some of America's food from where its made and how it's prepared and distributed to customers. Most of the food distributed through the fast food restaurants is created by scientists not farmers. Ninety percent of what humans taste comes from smell. Knowing this, scientists are able to manipulate different chemicals in order to make something taste a certain way. For example, when we eat McDonald's chicken nuggets we are really eating a chicken flavored substance. Most of this kind of food arrives frozen and packaged. Even the sodas and shakes arrive as syrup. Steps to prepare this "food" include either deep frying or simply heating up.
The food served through fast food restaurants consist of chemically created flavor and artificial perservatives. This book really opened my eyes to what I am really eating when I go to a fast food restaurant. I would suggest this book to anyone interested in the slow food movement or anyone who is interested or cares about what exactly they are eating.
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