Making Journal Entries

I thought it was helpful to make the journal entries after reading the assigned essays. It really made me think about what I had read. I have a tendency to fail to concentrate as I read (reading comprehension is not one of my strong characteristics) but knowing that I had to write the blog forced me to focus. I found it interesting, that many times, some of the things that I wrote in my blog were the same impressions others in class brought up during the class discussion about the essay. I do not see that keeping the journal assisted in selecting a research topic, if that was the intent. A guided entry would possibly have made me look deeper into each essay than I did. Overall, it was an interesting experience.

The Cow versus the Animal Rights Activist

What a great essay! I really enjoyed Linda Hasselstrom's position. Too many people criticize something they actually know nothing about. I have never agreed with the animal activists that get away with attacking someone wearing a mink coat. If I were the person in the mink, I would sue them for everything they have! I would love nothing more than to go along with her recommendation to get a couple of friends a buy beef directly from the rancher. The folks actually mis-treating the animals are the middle-men that buy the cattle from the ranchers then fatten them up with grains and chemicals to make more money at the end of the line.

Maybe I'm dense, but I saw very little similarities between this essay and "A Modest Proposal". Aside from the obvious, that they are talking about raising or breeding for the purpose of providing food for human consumption. To me, eating meat is natural. Indians ate buffalo - meat. People eat goats. We do not eat babies.

A Modest Proposal

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift was rather difficult to read primarily because it was written during an Irishman's lifetime of between 1667-1745. Once you get past the language, the premise is gross and recommends cannibalism. Due to the huge number of beggars and starving people, he recommends selling babies once they reach 1 year old for meat. Even if this was written as satire, it is still disturbing to me. Probably the only part of the essay that I found amusing was that he argues that the husbands will refrain from beating their wives, at least while they are pregnant. The husband not wanting to risk causing a miscarriage and losing the revenue in the wife's womb. I also noticed that the only folks he mentions that have ever tried a dish of "human child" were Americans. That says a lot about the European opinion of Americans at the time.

Entropy

This was a very informal essay. The writer used a lot of pronouns - which I am not allowed to use in my English Composition class. I thought it was very disjointed and all over the board. There were many examples and it seemed to lack cohesiveness to me.

Why The Reckless Survive

The author made some very interesting points and also performed a lot of research. Much of the statistics I found boring. This was a very difficult reading assignment for me because I thought the essay went way off the topic and quoted unnecessary facts. I understand the idea that we make choices but I don't know that we always think about the consequences or that we deliberately make the choices because we are thrill-seekers. I just did not think it was effective because, personnally, it bored me. The beginning was interesting, but I got lost about halfway through when he went off topic. Then at the end, the idea was brought back to point. I am not looking forward to writing this type of essay.

Why We Crave Horror Movies

Interesting essay and perception. It was very difficult for me to relate to because I HATE horror movies and do not watch them. I don't want to be scared to death or see blood and guts. I do agree (in a sense) that we are all mentally ill - some people I know more than others. From a cause and effect point of view the concept that we all have a dark side and this is the way we express it, or get to share it, was unique. I view entertainment of all types as escapism rather than a way to fulfill hidden desires. But perhaps that is one in the same. If you are taken away to Narnia through the cupboard with the movie characters, aren't you putting yourself in their skin? This is exactly what Steven King is saying except that he is only focusing on the "dark side".

Advertisements

All of the four advertisements were interesting. Although the condom ad featuring the pigs was hilarious and probably my favorite, I did not choose that ad for my essay. The one that I felt offered the best opportunity for an essay to compare and contrast was the credit card ad. The very first thing that caught my eye was the background of one was black while the other was white - huge contrast, right off the bat. Some of the features that I will probably focus on will be the large number of words on the Master Card add versus the one word on the Visa ad; the various vibrant colors vs lack of color; numerous ideas and ways to put charges on your credit card vs one word that leaves the possibilites endless and to your imagination; and finally one company uses their well-known slogan and the other does not. I may also consider the ad with the black background is sleek and sophisticated while the other features dirt and will appeal to the more "common" element.