Panopticism, and “Prison Reform”

I liked Panopticism and I did not like “Prison Reform.”  While “Prison Reform” talks of a need for reform and gives many statistics supporting the idea that the current system is broken, it provides few details on how reform may be accomplished, and the details that are provided seem naive and impractical.

The Panopticon is itself a new system of reforming people, not just inmates, but workers, school children, and patients as well.  The system works on inmates because their entire time is spent under observation, when they are eventually released the feeling that they are constantly being watched sticks with them, almost like God himself is watching.  This feeling that they are constantly being watched keeps them from breaking the law again; not simply the fear of going back to jail, which has proven itself so ineffective.

“Prison Reform” is very naive in it’s approach to criminals and crime, the author empathizes with the inmates and hypothesizes that they do bad things because they did not lead lives of priveledge.  But the cold reality of the matter is that people do bad things for bad reasons: greed, anger, addiction, jealousy, and hate are the reasons that people end up in prison.  To say that poverty is the reason for crime is to say that all the poor are potential criminals, but in a country that gives as many opportunities to its citizens as ours does, a life of crime requires a personal choice.

The Wretched of the Earth

Out of the entire piece, one idea stuck in my head.  The author believes that The United States is a “Second Europe.”  While I acknowledge that he may have some pertinent thoughts on the matter, his position is fundamentally flawed.  The idea that the United States is similar enough to Europe as a whole to call it a “Second Europe” is silly.  America is completely unique from Europe in how it has influenced the world with its power.

The United States, since it’s founding, has always sought to be a land of freedom, justice, and equality.  Being the first successful nation with this unique experimental foundation we have placed ourselves in a unique position of enjoying these benefits, and still having the responsibility to protect them.  Over the decades the United States has been called to defend these values in many places around the world, and we have not always been victorious.  Sometimes our efforts to protect freedom in the world have been interpreted as “imperialism” or “exploitation” and in some cases these allegations have a valid point, but the fact of the matter is that the world is a better place for having the United States.

Sometimes in competition with Europe, the U.S. is baited into some very un-American practices like imperialism and exploitation of native peoples, but without us the world would be a very bleak place.  Kings and Queens would still be seeking more and more power, unrestrained by law or reason.  Brutal dictators would torture, kill, and exterminate without fear of interference.  And those without privelege of family or money, would be without opportunity.  Yes, the United States is always seeking to maintain its power in the world, just like Europe.  The exeption is that Europe gathers power for accomplishing its own ends, the United States works for the greater good of all.

Tally of arguments and outline of one of them: Dane Cook- Retaliation

·         You (the crowd) are going to enjoy the show

·         People getting hit by cars is funny to watch

·         We love violence in this country

·         We all want to leave behind a legacy, and it’s easy to do.

·         It would be cool to be abducted by a UFO

·         America gets a little full of itself sometimes

·         It is annoying when strangers turn around in your driveway

·         Certain sounds effect the way you feel

o   Gives examples in a humorous manner, including sounds that illicit violent reactions.

§  Uses examples to show that they could have a calming effect

·         A babbling brook

·         A running dryer full of laundry

§  Uses an example that a sound could aggravate you to the point that you would want to punch a baby

·         “god forbid that you are in a nursery when you hear this sound, because you could go off on some kind of baby punching tangent!”

§  Explains his love of the show “Justice Files”

·         Uses an example of how annoying it is when he is trying to watch his show and a car alarm goes off

o   Sings a song that he made up to go along with the car alarm.

·         All guys want to be involved in a heist.

John McCain is a Better Presidential Candidate than Barack Obama

John McCain would be a better president than Barack Obama for three very important reasons.  He has more experience, a proven track record of integrity, and he is a leader that the world will take seriously.  In these uncertain times facing our nation today; we cannot afford to take a chance on an unproven, untested, and disingenuous rookie politician.

First and most importantly, McCain has an overwhelming amount of experience.  Excluding his Military service McCain has been a part of the federal government since 1983, the year Obama Graduated from Columbia University’s undergraduate program.  Comparatively, Obama has only twelve years of experience in politics, and only four years of that at the federal level!  Despite the tragic pattern of the majority of politicians, the longer they are in office the more corrupt they become, McCain has shown remarkable integrity by turning down lobbyists and special interest groups in his fight against wasteful spending.

McCain’s Integrity shows through in his history of votes in both the house and the senate.  He has frequently gone against his own party’s official policies in order to do what he believed was right rather than doing what was popular at the time.  McCain’s integrity is also supported by his vehement opposition to wasteful government spending, he promises to veto any bill with “pork-barrel spending” attached to it.  Despite his superficial idealism, Obama’s record in the Illinois senate shows the beginning of a disturbing pattern of using his position as a politician to do favors In return for kickbacks from big business owners.  One particular case involving support for a tourism grant to a company owned by Robert Blackwell Jr. who has to date Raised more than $200,000 for the Obama Campaign in return for the large grant of tax payer money.  Obama’s questionable past and his demonstration that he is willing to go against his promises*, makes him an unreliable person to be dealing with foreign nations who will not be able to trust him.

(*referring to his promise to accept public money to fund his campaign for the White House, which he had agreed to do if McCain did, but when it turned out he could get more money from private donors, he reneged, but McCain followed through on his promise leaving him with significantly less money.)

On an International level, McCain has real clout.  Being a sort of “elder statesman” McCain’s long track record of integrity is what earns him international respect.  His words would be heard, respected, and believed by the international community if for no other reason than his reputation as a man of character and principle.  Obama on the other hand, despite his elegant speaking skills, would be, perhaps literally, laughed at.  He speaks as a voice of experience and power, and yet he has no history or content to back up what he says.  He has become both a media darling, and a pseudo-savior at the same time, making him outrageously popular, but also making him extremely dangerous.  Some of the worst leaders in history (Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin) got their start in the same fervent atmosphere, so great care must be taken to ensure that Obama is not able to simply leverage his media firestorm into a presidential victory, he must stick to the issues and put more effort into educating his “followers” rather than blindly mobilizing them.

In Closing, I conclude that after much intensive and dispassionate study of both candidates’ backgrounds, policies, and characters, that John McCain is a better candidate for President of the United States.  His experience and background of integrity and patriotism are a strong foundation on which his sound, historically proven, economic and spending reform policies are built on.  His intentions are clearly worded and no effort is wasted in flowery, deceptive language.  Although he is clearly the more qualified candidate, I fear that many voters have “drank the Obama kool-aid”, and not taken the same care in making their decision.  My only hope is that America will make the right choice, it could be the popular choice, but it is usually not.

Blog Analysis Assignment

http://kulturindustrie.blogspot.com

Mark Scroggins’ blog on academic issues focuses mostly on reviewing obscure literature.  It usually follows the same basic review format, providing short summaries, quotes and Mark’s opinions.  Occasionally Mark changes from his review style and writes a journal style entry keeping his “fan base” informed on what’s going on in his life.

                The intended audience is obviously a very specific group of people who have an appreciation for literature, the more obscure the better.  The intended audience is indicated by the types of literature that Mark chooses, they are not anything that one could consider “mainstream.”  The audience probably reads the blog as a way to find out what book they may like to read next.  And if you are looking to expand your literary base this blog may be a good place to start.  Visitors can respond with comments to each post, and the interactivity serves to keep Mark’s selections on track with what people like

                Mark’s writing style is very intelligent, building up his ethos by demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of each piece of literature he evaluates.  His large archive of past posts also serves to build his ethos by showing the reader that he has been writing his blog for a long time.  Mark’s writing style builds his ethos but it also serves to make his writing a bit impersonal.  His impersonality makes it difficult for him to use pathos in his arguments because it is difficult to relate to any kind of personal emotion

 

http://www.postsecret.com

Post secret, is an open forum for people to send post cards to with their secrets written on them.  The only rule of the forum is that your secret be written on the picture side of the post card that you send to the operators of the website.  The site also has various announcements of post secret community events that occur at various other functions.

The intended audience is the type of people who like hearing about other people’s secrets, the one exception being that post secret does not display any names.  The result is a site that allows people to get secrets, sometimes harmless and sometimes life altering, off their chest and not face any consequences.  The impact of this is that people can feel better about some terrible secret they may have, but they still have not done anything to rectify it.  Visitors can respond to posts by email, emails are probably screened thoroughly, and they can also send in their own postcards.  There is a lot of talk about a “Post Secret Community” which is meant to contribute to a pathos of comfort and support that the blog promises.

The ethos of the blog comes from two very basic sources, anonymity of the posters, and the “Everybody’s doing it” effect.  The simple fact that a lot of people have posted on the site, and the fact that there is no way that anything can come back to haunt you (provided you take necessary precautions) both contribute to the ethos of the site as a safe place to dump your emotional garbage.

The site is very personal, allowing you to key into the emotions felt by each poster.  The personalized postcards are usually very creative, and pertinent to what the secret written on them is.  The idea of seeing someone’s deepest secrets just spilled out in front of the world has a powerful appeal to pathos.  Each poster’s voice comes through in the message and form of their card, posts are frequently in code, or simply a foreign language, providing another layer of safety for the poster but still allowing the world to see the message if you put in the work.  The blog primarily serves as an emotional outlet for the average person who needs to get rid of something that is nagging them.

Rhetoric of Emerson Hall

The architecture of Emerson hall, both inside and out, makes the claim that this building is a comfortable place to live.  Its supports for its claim are its familiar red bricks, its nostalgic chimneys, the comforting colors of its hallways, and its cleanliness.  The warrants of the building’s claim is that people know that it is a residence hall, people associate this kind of Georgian architecture with comfort, and that people have actually seen the building.

The building itself establishes its own ethos through its considerable size: four floors including the basement, an east wing and a west wing connected by a considerable corridor, and the familiar red brick that covers all of the buildings on campus.  The ethos the building gives is one of permanence, a sense that it has been here for a long time before you and will be here long after you leave.  This stability adds to its credibility in offering a comfortable environment.

Pathos is accomplished by its coloring, inside and out, and its similarity to the other buildings.  The coloring gives a subtle calming feeling and the similarity to other buildings promotes the idea that the hall, and thus its residents, fit in comfortably with the rest of campus.

The logos of the building is also provided by its similarity to the other buildings on campus.  It gives a sense of “If it ain’t broke dont fix it.”  It doesn’t need to be different because people like that style and it is comfortable to live in because people like it.

Rhetorical Analysis

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow – this sacred ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

 

 

 

Rhetorical Analysis: The Gettysburg Address

I believe that this speech is the best example of the power of rhetoric to make real change in the world.  The speech was given in the months after the horrifying battle of Gettysburg, which despite being a win for the North was incredibly demoralizing to both sides due to the extremely high casualties.  I believe that this single speech, which took so little time to deliver, was the “last full measure” of inspiration that the country needed to finish the job.

Lincoln immediately establishes a sense of ethos, by recalling the very foundation of our nation he points out the great historical gravity of what he is about to say.  To this day, every junior high school student studies this speech because of its intense historical value.  He continues with his ethos-building by changing the scope of his speech in the middle.  He puts himself on the same level as the crowd, admitting that he is in awe of the men who fought there, saying that they have “consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”

Because of the Speech’s brevity, Lincoln’s strongest appeal is pathos, throughout the piece he uses images of the struggle that the country is enduring, and emphasizes their historical gravity.  Lincoln also appeals to the crowd’s patriotism in his line, “… that government, of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” His brilliant generalization of what democracy is supposed to be immediately draws the crowd in, it makes him seem like he is no longer a figurehead of a government that is indirectly responsible for their suffering, but he makes it their government, their war, which they must commit themselves to finish.

It is difficult to find the logos in the speech, but it is incredibly powerful.  So powerful that the line was copied and quoted in many a post 9/11 speech.  The line, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”  Is so powerful that it still brings tears to your eyes when you hear it in 9/11 memorials.  It is immediately followed by a call to action, “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”  These two lines are powerful examples of logos because they effectively say, “We can talk about it all we want, but if we don’t continue the cause that these men died for, then they have died in vain.”  Which is really a brutally honest statement given the state of the country at the time, but Lincoln found a way to deliver it in a manner that inspired, rather than angered.

The idea that one man could influence so many hearts and minds with a speech that took only two minutes to deliver; is itself an inspiration.  But to inspire so many exhausted, war weary citizens to finish the fight and save the country, was simply a miracle of oratory.  This kind of ability to inspire comes around very rarely, but when it does, great things are accomplished.  People like Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan, have always inspired people to do great things.  Whether it was fighting the Nazis for the greater good, or competing with the Russians for global domination.  Great speakers have always inspired ordinary men to do extraordinary deeds, not always acts of war but also acts of peace: Dismantling the Berlin wall, Going to the moon (“Not because it is easy but because it is hard.” (JFK))  What the world needs now are more great speakers to emerge from the background noise to speak for the cause of peace.

What is Rhetoric?

In the article the author presents the idea that rhetoric is using language purposefully, to accomplish a desired result.  The connection between rhetoric and place goes all the way back to Aristotle, and is even present in the modern word “topic”.  The author also points out how the speaker, the subject and the audience are dynamically linked.  And in order to use rhetoric effectively you have to be able to balance all three of them.  The author also presents the basic elements of rhetoric, namely the rhetorical appeals, and the elements of an argument.

From the article I learned that used effectively, rhetoric can be a powerful tool to inspire real change in the real world.  The idea that rhetoric can be used as more than just flowery language meant to trick the audience into believing what the author wants them to believe was a new idea for me.  I consider myself a bit of a cynic, and I’ve always seen rhetoric as a tool used by sales people and politicians in order for them to get what they want.  Thinking about it now it makes sense that this same technique could be used to achieve a worthwhile cause.

On Seeing England for the First Time

2.) The author of the piece is at the center of the clash between her own culture and Imperial Britain.  She points out that before she had ever even seen England, she had her own image of what England was.  Her image was so complete that she didn’t even want to actually see the shape of the country itself.  Her life up to that point had been so totally dominated by her idea of England that she hated the very shape of the island.  While she realizes that her own idea of what England is has been warped by separation from the actual place, this still doesn’t take away from her feeling that England some how took something away from her identity.

3.) Personally I thought that the essay was overly negative, the author absolutely refused to see anything good in the situation that life had dealt her.  People sometimes have the limitation of not being able to see past their own situation, she is one such case.  For example, she could have been born into a very poor locally governed, probably feudal society; been malnourished, exploited, and ridden with disease, leading to her premature death.  But instead she chooses to focus solely on the negative aspects of growing up in an English colony, primarily the introduction of foreign ideas and practices and the displacement of her own.  When the alternative could have been so much worse, the idea that she refuses to acknowledge it is a little immature.

Place Blog

Word picture

Marbled ceiling, blue carpet, white walls, beige chair rail, doorways, brown doors, florescent lights, smoke detectors, exit sign, fire alarms, water fountain, fire extinguishers, bulletin boards, window at one end, RA gathering people to go to dinner

What I hear

I hear the distant muffled sound of music from down the hall.  I hear the low hum of the air conditioners in the rooms next to me.  I hear someone warming up something in a microwave.  I hear Housekeeping vacuuming the hall downstairs.  I hear the occasional door slam as people come and go.  All of them are normal, everyday sounds on this perfectly normal day.

An alternate view

Our end of the hallway, (we have the window! 😛 )  This is where I sat for my place blog.

 

This was the view from my chair as I sat typing this, there were more people when I was working.

 

Positioning myself in my place

I’m sitting on the floor in the middle of my hall.  I am leaning against the wall to stay out of other people’s way.  The wall is smooth but in a painted kind of way, kind of grainy in texture but most people would describe it as smooth.  The short blue carpet isn’t very comfortable to sit on, probably to discourage people from sitting in the middle of the hallway working on their laptops… There is a smoke detector on the ceiling above me, silently waiting to carry out it’s only purpose for existing.  Just to my right is the water fountain, It periodically cycles on and off to keep the water nicely cold.  The smell is that strange mix of soap, food, and various bodily odors that proliferates on any male coridor.  I still hear all the sounds that I heard before, but now the music is less muffled because I am closer to it now, and I am in a higher traffic area so I catch pieces of people’s passing conversations.