What Is Thoreau Saying?

Henry David Thoreau is big supporter of the following three things; nature, education, and the individual. And throughout the paragraph he zeros in on the individual by pointing out our need for clothes and materialistic items that hold no true unchanging meaning for us through his pointed diction and harsh tone.

            Thoreau expresses that the hunger for materialistic items, specifically clothes, is disgusting due to men’s “childish and savage taste.” It makes me think that we’re the animals trapped in a zoo running after a piece of meat; reminding us that we are a part of the animal kingdom. It causes a person to be taken out of reality and to take a good look at themselves. One may re-access what they did every time they went shopping or think about the amount of clothes or shoes they have in their closet. And as that person thinks of this, it reminds them of the true beast within the civilized body we call man. But this is how new trends begin, because the manufacturers see our “childish and savage taste” as “merely whimsical.” It’s sad because we are supposed to be man; true thinkers and not shallow, hungry beasts. It’s like the manufacturers are the zookeepers who throw us the meat and watch us fight for it, laughing at our “savage” like actions.

            It makes the reader feel chastised for acting in such a manner. But, it has the power to make one realize what truly is important and admirable, especially when he does a dramatic tone shift at the end of the paragraph when he says, “It is not barbarous merely because the printing is skin-deep and unalterable.” As one reads this aphorism, it all comes together. It makes one realize why they felt chastised throughout the paragraph. And it’s because we think shopping and being materialistic isn’t barbarous due to the fact that these materials hide our nakedness and keeps us warm. However, he sets the tone with his use of phrases showing us that we shop unnecessarily; making us see that it holds no meaning. But when something does hold a true  unchanging meaning it is not barbarous. It is proof that man has the power to feel and think with the act of attaching a feeling to an action or an object.  

Outsourcing Rhetorical Analysis

The new popular kids on the block, in terms of business, are offshoring and outsourcing. It has become quite the topic of many people due to its amazing pros and devastating cons. Apurva Bose in her article, “Outsourcing: An Indian Perspective” shows off her parallel structure and wide range of diction to explain that outsourcing is a flourishing trend, but shouldn’t compromise a career’s true purpose.                                   

            Throughout the article it seems to me that the author has an affinity for parallel structure. It was used several times throughout the article; however, it got repetitive. It was effective in terms of getting her arguments across clearly. It was interesting in the beginning because the claim that was made was elaborated on, and made it more clear to the reader. After some time of using, it actually did opposite of what it was doing in the beginning. The claim became a little lost in her constant use of parallel structure. There were points in the article such as, “…getting skilled expertise…to to saving on manpower…” became more of like a catalog, a listing of ideas, than using parallel structure to get her major claim across clearly and effectively.         

            Unlike the parallel structure confusing the reader, the diction clarified her claim a little bit more. Her choice of words captured situations very well, helping to make the major claim understandable. The first word of many great word choices was, “bandwagon.” When she used this word she was describing how outsourcing became a big trend. The term “bandwagon” has a lot of connotations to it. It’s more of neutral word, it doesn’t have any good nor bad connotations to it; however, when you think of bandwagon it’s just the hot new things. It’s not a necessity. Since outsourcing isn’t a necessity, it’s just a way to do business more effectively. It’s nothing more than an aid, and an aid shouldn’t compromise the integrity of anything. And that’s what the author is trying to point out. If outsourcing is the hot new trend and aid, it shouldn’t compromise the integrity of a line of work such as, architecture.

            Her diction was a little more enjoyable than her tone. The tone was very critical towards India and the US. No country was better than the other in this situation, which is good because there is no bias in this article. The critical tone added to the sense of power in this article. It gave the article a little jump start because her critical tone was driven by the pathos she introduced in the beginning with her anecdote about the position she was offered.

            The claim had the potential to be really strong because she had great diction, a strong voice, and a strong consistent tone. But the main reason that it was weighed down is because the overuse of parallel structure. Other than that, this article was pretty good, but could’ve been better and more clear.

Middle Class Erosion: Offshoring and International Outsourcing

 Offshoring and Outsourcing has its benefits and negatives; however, it’s causing America’s class division and erosion of the middle class to gradually increase. International outsourcing and offshoring may sound like a great idea in theory. Companies are able to get more bang for their buck; it’s similar to a thrifty shopper. But the difference between a thrifty shopper is that their getting good quality products for less money, which isn’t hurting anyone in the long run. Offshoring and international outsourcing has an immediate satisfaction for the company, but a horrible outcome in terms of America’s people and economy. The middle class of America is slowly eroding away because  a California study shows that “14 million white-collar jobs are vulnerable to being outsourced offshore”(Roberts). The big companies, unfortunately, are selfish at heart; only wanting to gain more and more money and expand their company. People are continuously are getting displaced in another sector of their company because of the offshoring of that sector. It would cost the company a lot less; however, it will increase their capital. The employee will end up with less money in the end, but that’s okay with the company.

            Not only is offshoring and outsourcing causing major hiccups in the decline of well paying jobs, but it’s causing many students to study things other than the “technical and scientific disciplines” (Roberts). The students know that if they go into this field looking for a job, their job could possibly be offshored. This is because the “the goods-producing sector”(Maclay) of many companies are usually offshored. If this continues, then there wouldn’t be anyone that can fight this issue with these “technical and scientific” skills. The future wouldn’t consist of people of who are getting modest life in the middle class. You’ll either be struggling to make ends meet in a job that pays a very low wage, or you’ll be an employer that is making the decision to offshore and to outsource internationally.   

            Offshoring and international outsourcing have very few benefits, and those benefits only address the company. These benefits have nothing to do with American employees. America should be rising with our companies, not deteriorating because of them. America is supposed to represent the freedom, choice, and a better way of living. But that can’t be true if we our middle class, the comfortable class, is falling apart. We’ll be like all the other countries that we’re often trying to differentiate ourselves from.  

Works Cited

Maclay, Kathleen. "Report: Offshoring and Outsourcing a Mixed Bag for American Jobs,             Wages." UC Berkeley NewsCenter. N.p., 18 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

 

Roberts, Paul, Dr. "Global Research." Global Research. N.p., 09 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

 

My Mother Tongue and Standard English

Honestly, I think the constant use of Standard English is a bunch of bullshit. Standard English isn’t a good way to talk about philosophy and all that other hyped up shit. But it’s just a way to make your ass sound smarter. It honestly confuses the fuck out of me. Every time I hear someone speak with hyped up vocab, I’m like, “What the hell!” But obviously I say that to myself because I don’t want to seem like a dumbass.

            But where is the ability to communicate clearly and effectively? What happened to being able to get your point across quickly? What happened to making your audience understand the best way you know how? What the fuck happened to that! Philosophy isn’t about language and making a person sound smart, it’s about the meanings and ideas of life and groups in the world around you. Fuck all that other talk about how Standard English is the right English; it’s the white English. It’s just a way to separate people into different classes; a form of oppression. Many people believe if you don’t speak “Standard English” you’re less educated. Fuck that! I definitely don’t speak Standard English da time; but if you’ve been following me for a while, you know I am an educated young female writing for her AP Language and Composition class.

            The language a person uses doesn’t fuck up a way a person communicates deep thoughts. It shouldn’t matter what language you speak, it honestly depends on the audience. If your audience speaks the way you speak, then obviously that person or group of people will be able to understand you clearly. And if your audience doesn’t speak the same way you speak, well fuck, switch it up. Gotta’ put your fake-ness on. Fuck, I gotta do it every day. Yes, it’s tiring, but hell you gotta’ do what ya gotta’ do. Unless you make them understand; which can be equally as tiring. It all depends on what you want to do and how you want to do it.

            This experiment of me writing in my mother tongue was interesting. It was very liberating because I was able to be me. Personally, I was never able to write how I spoke on an everyday basis because it’s seen as an uneducated way to write or speak. For the first time in my life writing came easy to me. I didn’t stress about punctuation too much, I didn’t stress about how many words I had in a sentence, or how clear I was coming across. I was truly and honestly comfortable. The experience was second nature to me because that is the way I speak the most often. Well, when I’m with my family it’s less swearing, but none the less it’s definitely not Standard English.  

            This experience was some-what unlike Anzaldua’s code switching or Jordan’s students. Anzaldua wasn’t really comfortable speaking her mother tongue anywhere. Her mother would reprimand her for speaking English like a Hispanic; she spoke English with her friends, who also spoke Spanish, because it might not be the “right” Spanish. Whereas Jordan’s students didn’t even know that Black English could be typed, they had no idea what they were reading, and that they spoke Black English every day. Whereas I am very comfortable speaking my mother tongue any where I go, except for school and school related events. I also knew that Black English existed and that I speak it every day. However I know if Anzaldua had the opportunity to participate in this assignment she would also feel liberated. She would finally be able to have her mother tongue heard and allowed for the first time.  

            Which leads me to say that I think it’s possible to communicate meaningful ideas to others without Standard English. But it depends on your audience; it comes down to what’s the most effective way to communicate an idea. This causes a person to assess the situation at hand. A person has to decide whether they want to make their audience understand them or if they want to conform to the audience.  

The Ukrainian Crisis Based off Other Countries Perspectives

In the past couple of years it has been a time of revolutions. First it was Egypt, and then there was Syria, and now Ukraine. The people are tired and want to stand up against their governments. Even though these movements have far deeper meanings to them, they are all basically the same. When times like these come around the world is in worry and distress. And these worries come down to safety of the world, power, and money. Even though many different countries such as Poland, Britain, and France have different concerns they also have similar concerns.

            One thing that Poland, Britain, and France all have in common is that they are worried about what Russia is going to do and how they’re going to handle Crimea. In the French article they talked about the Russian troops in Crimea. The articles stated, “Early reports said the truck had smashed down the gates of the base in an attempt to seize the key base at Crimean port city of Sevastopol” (www.france24.com). Obviously, this is not the main concern for just these three countries, but for basically the whole world. The Crimean referendum is declared illegal based off the Ukrainian constitution. Poland, Britain, and France’s main concern is how the U.S is going to handle this? Honestly no one knows; the U.S. seems to be planning as things progress, trying to end this as quickly, as safely, and as cost effectively as possible. There is a lot of talk about sanctions being put in place, but everyone’s on the lookout because of the possibility of there being a World War III starting with the two most powerful countries in the world.

            One thing that was very surprising in my finds from the three different countries is that not all of the countries are concerned on how this could affect them. The only country that’s concerned about how they will come out of this Ukrainian crisis is Poland, and for obvious reasons. Poland is right next to Ukraine. They are concerned about their energy system.      However, this wasn’t the highlight of Poland’s article. The polish article’s main concern was the possibility of upcoming occupations. The MEP and the deputy foreign minister stated, “We are in a situation where our maps will perhaps need to be redrawn marking territories under occupation” (www.thenews.pl). This showed me they’re not just concerned about the U.S. and Russia, the two power houses of the world, but that there could be a possible trend of less sovereignty in the world, which is extremely scary.

            These three countries are all concerned about what’s going to happen to Ukraine and what kind of precedent it will set in the future based off Russia’s act of trying to annex Crimea. They are also concerned about the United State’s involvement; however, who isn’t concerned about these two countries crossing paths. It could cause something very messy and expensive. None of these countries seemed to have different concerns at all because they all know that there is a slight possibility of a war. And all of these countries know that this is bad for them.

Toni Morrison and The Blues

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is like a soft, sad, slow song. So beautifully written to the point that it’s a poetic ballad; it’s that song that brings you to tears, but you can’t stop listening to it. It strikes a chord inside you. She does this with her unique writing style, and her developed and transparent characters. So what started out as a book ended up being like a beautiful blues song.

            This book speaks of the hardships Claudia, Frieda, and specifically Pecola had to face, much like how a blues song addresses the hardships of the average African-American prior to the civil rights movement. Claudia is a young girl. She has her own personal battles that she faces, and they’re specifically about her anger towards anyone that she perceives as “above” her. Usually these are white people and the “mulattos” because white was the dominant race during that time period. She breaks out into random rages where she wants to hit someone. She does try to hit Maureen, but doesn’t succeed, she explains, “I swung at her and missed, hitting Pecola in the face (Morrison 73).” Claudia has such a raging attitude. She expresses her pain and confusion in such a physical and verbal way. Maureen starts to make fun of Pecola’s “black daddy” and Claudia feels the need to defend her, not only because she knew Pecola wouldn’t defend herself, but because she also has a “black daddy”. She has her emotional pain and adversities she has to deal with, just like all of the other African-Americans that is not only singing the blues, but living it too.

            However, Pecola and her life is the epitome of a sad blues song. She’s a young tender girl who lives in a house full of complete chaos. Her parents beat each other; her mother beats her and her brother, while everyone else just turns the other cheek. Her father also takes complete advantage of her and her body, unfortunately leading her to bear her first child. Pecola is such an innocent young girl; not knowing much at all about the average things, but she has experienced it all. This is why I think her life is the epitome of a blues song. She’s an innocent girl, but then has all of that taken away from her due to tragic events and not being able to turn to anyone; especially not the justice system because of the color of her skin and the fact that she was “ugly.”

            When a person sings the blues it’s usually because they’re expressing their hardships. Most of the characters in The Bluest Eye live in pain and misery, especially Pecola. She lives a life full of repression and hatred from everyone, besides Frieda and Claudia. And the main reason it’s like a blues song is because Toni Morrison made it s raw. There was no sugar coating; she showed Pecola’s life for what it was, complete and utter pain and heartache.

Advertisement Analysis

       

            Visual ads are one of the most effective ways of promoting a product. There’s so many different ways to get your message across and so many different techniques a person can use. A person’s creativity is endless when it comes to an advertisement. And this Tom Ford ad used certain design techniques to showcase the items and the brand, but also some other subliminal cultural values as well.

            Obviously this is a Tom Ford ad. The big, bold, black letters are the first things that my eyes go to. Then my eyes traveled from her gold robot-like shoes to her silver sequin dress, to her dramatic eye makeup, and finally her vibrant red-brown hair. Tom Ford wants you to buy his clothing; which is the main reason for this ad. But he did it in a very unique way. He takes a female with these unique textures and shades and puts her in front of a white background. With no other words or uses of media expect for the brand name. This use of media not only allows for the clothing and the beautiful female to pop, but also the words Tom Ford.

            The use of media is very sleek, modern, and sexy; evoking many different cultural values. However, the main ones are sex appeal, freedom, and economic power. Sex appeal is the obvious main cultural value being portrayed in this advertisement; the model is very beautiful with the new cutting edge style, especially with the gold shoes that many celebrities have been spotted wearing. This advertisement is obviously stating that if you buy these pieces, whether individually or all together, you are bound to be deemed a sexy individual like this girl in the ad.

            But there are some more discreet cultural values that many people don’t notice that’s in this advertisement. One of them is freedom; freedom to be different, unique, and to be the epitome of individuality. When you access the people around you when you’re going to a special event, I’m pretty sure you don’t see many females wearing gold metallic thigh high shoes. But the female in the advertisement is; this is because she has the freedom and the power to be unique; to stand out in a big crowd with her shiny and light reflecting outfit. As a viewer of this ad, it’s showing me that I have the freedom to be different, that I can shine bright in a crowd full of people if I were to purchase these pieces.

            The brand name is showcased to tell you who designed the outfit, which is Tom Ford. Tom Ford is a well known brand and often purchased from many different celebrities, meaning that the brand is associated with economic power and having a lot of money. To be able to buy anything from this brand, you need to have a lot of money because they’re pieces are far from inexpensive. And in this ad everything is gorgeous, making the viewer want to have the things model is wearing. If you had these things you will not only be viewed as sexy and unique, but you’ll also be portraying the idea that you’re rich, despite the fact that a person could be gathering a lot of debt in order to purchase these products.   

            An ad can have a lot of power over their viewer, slowly sucking them into different cultural values and ideologies that the viewer may not notice. Many people may not realize this because some advertisement can be as simple as this one; a female plopped in front of a white background with the name brand next to it. As a viewer and a victim to these ads it’s important to be aware what the ads are portraying to you, and whether the obvious or subliminal messages are positive or negative. This is because you want to make sure you don’t fall victim to the subliminal and sometimes, unintentional, ideologies the creator and distributor may be portraying.