In the excerpt "Regarding the Pain of Others," by Susan Sontag, she claims that "there is no such thing as collective memory, but there is collective instruction." Sontag uses the idea of collectivity to help explain that memories of tragic events such as the Holocaust are not necessarily permanent or important to each person.The reason for this apathy is that each memory is based on the individual and the effect this memory might have on the individual. Consequently, there is a need for direction. Collective instruction encourages people to care and demands for horrific events such as the Holocaust to be remembered, without any excuses. Commemoration is one method of forcing people to learn about historical tragedies. Therefore, museums such as the Israeli Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem, purposefully designed the museum in an architectural manner which forces each visitor to pass through each exhibit and stimulates introspection amongst all. Memorialization methods, such as the layout of Yad Vashem, promote awareness and activism. Other commemorative ways, such as representation in the media and photographs, help with the progression of history, and ensure that there are constant reminders of the past that help shape our future. Archives and memorials are crucial in aiding everyone to identify with the tragedy.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Andrea Varnava-Introduction
Through out history people’s obsession with disaster exploits affected families for their own entertainment and gain. After major disasters occur many movies are made and these movies soon become apart of history and this is what people remember. In these films the major disasters are down played while there are smaller fictional sections that become the main focus in the story. Therefore undermining the importance of the event that actually occurred. Now a few major questions are, are these movies appropriate? Do the people writing these movies take into consideration the people that were affected? And how do these movies affect themselves and the public? Does it affect anybody at all? In this paper I will research and discuss a variety of things like the way movies undermine the importance of a major disaster by creating smaller fictional sections and making them focal parts in movies. Another will be the writers connection with the event; do they have any or is it just because they want to make a good movie that make profit? And lastly how do they affect the families and what are the pros and cons between movies and documentaries.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Melissa's Introduction
On April 16th, 2007, a gunman shot a killed 32 students and faculty at the Virginia Tech University then killed himself. In the National Ledger on April 17th, 2007, journalist Jon Shanks wrote an article revealing the identity of the gunman, “Virginia Tech University officials have identified an undergraduate student from South Korea as the gunman who shot and killed at least 30 students and professors on Monday. Police identified the classroom shooter as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a senior from South Korea who was in the English department at Virginia Tech and lived in a different dorm on campus.” According to Susan Sontag in Regarding the pain of others, “American prefer to picture that evil was there and from which the United States … is exempt.” The way the identity of the Virginia Tech University shooter was revealed, by constantly repeating that he is South Korean, it seems like they are saying that because Cho Seung-Hui was South Korean had something to do with why he killed 30 people. Americans like to believe that this country is better and do not have problems. In this example we could see that by labeling the gunman as South Korean, the Americans feel that they did not cause such a tragic event, that they had nothing to do with it, it was not an American but a South Korean that caused so much grieve. The Americans constantly blame others when a tragic event occurs so that they can still feel that they are better and they do not have problems.
Elizabeth John Introduction
When the death of an important individual occurs the media plays a significant role in how the death of this individual is reported to its viewers. The media portrays these stories with key missing information, and stories with something interesting about the story itself with a certain emphasis on the story because of its uniqueness or lack of details. Two examples of reports that are incomplete and unique is the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, and the unfortunate drug overdose of Heath Ledger both of these stories contain skeptical details on the cause of their deaths. By comparing CNN.com and FowNews.com this paper will examine the reporting of these two tradgic stories. There is a certain phenomena that occurs when media reports are released about the death of an important individual, the story evolves around the events of what happened in the person's last minutes alive, and how the person passed, these are key questions that need to be answered by the media because as a viewer when a death occurs these questions are of interest, and the media is a basic source to recieve this information from, and when the media cannot produce the details they become obsessed with the missing information since they are not reporting the whole story to the public.
zhi yang: introduction
Have you been aware of the fact that when a mass killing is brought to the conversation, you actually only remember the names of the ruthless killers other than that of the victim? Isn’t it weird that you have vivid images of the murderers but fail to recall those of the victims? As supposed, our moral won’t allow such villains store in our mind for such a long time. They appear to be erased by the passage of the time. However, that doesn’t apply to the reality. In the real world, we seem to be stuck by all the stuff associated with the killers. Never mind the victims; they tend to be forgotten in our memory. What on earth is happening to our mind? Are we brain-washed or something like that? Let’s not rush to find the answers. Just have a second to think about how these horrible accidents come to our mind in the first place. Yes, it is the newspaper. Newspaper plays a prominent role in our daily life. It strongly affect the way how we view this world. Yet the point is that of the newspaper’s excessive coverage of the killers. The newspaper tends to cover much more about the killers than the victim and his family. In other words, the newspaper pays primary attention to the killers other than the victim. That can be partially understood as to satisfy reader’s curiosity. Moreover, newspaper appears to escape their responsibility to report those victims who need help and support, which can be resulted from their difficulty to find the victim or victim’s refusal to cooperate with them. The excessive report of the killers can have an adverse effect on the teenagers. The teenagers might consider it’s a cool thing to kill people. They can get famous by slaughtering people. In addition, the insufficient report of the victim does not raise the social mood to have sympathy for the victim or to awake general’s conscious to blame the killers.
Magdalena's introduction
Can you imagine how cold it is in Syberia? It is one of the coldest places in the world. It is really hard to survive there in a normal condition in a warm house with a fireplace. It is hard to imagine how people were working there , outside during WW2. The concentraton camps which were functioning during WW2 were set up by the Russians and Germans. The Russian ones are unknown for many reasons. First of all there are not so many books about this and most people are confused about the camps. People don't get into Russian history because it is a very poor country and is not able to pay off to the victims families. People tend to think that WW2 was about Jewish suffering and the don't pay attention to other things in history. the truth is that The Jewish people were the first in line in German camps but right after that were the Slavic, Gyspies ans so on. The same thing was with the Russian camps. Germany and Russia were speeding up and were pulling everyone to the camps. I think now both countries have attachments; Germany=WW2, Russia=Communism. The misunderstandings about the camps are connected to the political system. During history my mother didn't learn about Russia invading Poland in 1939 because the teacher had to say that the Russians were good.
Magdalena's outline
People usually know a lot about concentration camps made by the Germanns but they know nothing about the Russian camps. The truth is that the Russian camps also killed a lot of Jewish people and others. The Russian camps are not in history book that much. This could be only one of the reasons why they are so unknown. Russia is a very poor country so people think it is not important to mention this. German camps are described in more detail and cruelty in almost every book of history. People can go to Poland and view the actual place of the tragedy which is Aushwitz -Birkenau. People don't go to Russia to view the camps. Russian camps are not clear and the murders were discovered after so many years after WW 2.
Russian camps are mysterious and the murders were discovered so many years after the war. In Katyn, Russians killed 10,000 of Polish officers and others. This was presented 65 years after the war. People worked in very bad conditions and had to amputate parts of their bodies to survive.The book called '' History of Poland, God's playground'' written by English writer Norman Davies explains the conditions.
Not so many people know that Both Germans and Russians attacked Poland in 1939 . It was only two weeks of difference between the German ocupans and the Russian. Usually man were in the Russian camps but German had everyone in it.
''The Jewish people on the way to gas chambers were impatient and didn't know where they were going so the Germans said to calm them down'' You are just going to take a bath''. This is what my own teacher in Poland told us in fifth grade of elementary.
The book by Davies describes some interviews with real Gestapo and SS. It describes the typical life of the prisoner.
Sources ; God's playground- Norman Davies.
The Pianist, also the movie Katyn nominated to Oscar.
Russian camps are mysterious and the murders were discovered so many years after the war. In Katyn, Russians killed 10,000 of Polish officers and others. This was presented 65 years after the war. People worked in very bad conditions and had to amputate parts of their bodies to survive.The book called '' History of Poland, God's playground'' written by English writer Norman Davies explains the conditions.
Not so many people know that Both Germans and Russians attacked Poland in 1939 . It was only two weeks of difference between the German ocupans and the Russian. Usually man were in the Russian camps but German had everyone in it.
''The Jewish people on the way to gas chambers were impatient and didn't know where they were going so the Germans said to calm them down'' You are just going to take a bath''. This is what my own teacher in Poland told us in fifth grade of elementary.
The book by Davies describes some interviews with real Gestapo and SS. It describes the typical life of the prisoner.
Sources ; God's playground- Norman Davies.
The Pianist, also the movie Katyn nominated to Oscar.
Golda Markowitz- Introduction
“Two hundred fifty million dollars given by the federal government to a state in response to a tragedy” might arouse many different assumptions about the government's way of responding. Such a case occurred in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in response to the bridge collapse that occurred there. The public responses to tragic events often correlate with the magnitude of the attention they receive in the media, which in turn is greatly influenced by the socio-economic classes of the victims of the tragedy. For instance, due to the fact that Minneapolis is a wealthy, upper class area, it attracted major aid from the government and the public in response to the bridge collapse that occurred there.
Elizabeth John Outline
I. Introduction
a. Subject of Essay: This essay will discuss the phenomena of how the media portrays stories with key missing information about the story, a unique story that has something interesting about the story itself, and how twenty four hour news channels are always demanding more information and when it is not there, the channel needs something to talk about so they obsess over certain details of a story.
b. Argument: (2 or 3 sentences)
Thesis: There is a certain phenomena that occurs when media reports are released about the death of an important individual, the story evolves around the events of what happened in the person's last minutes alive, and how the person passed, these are key questions that need to be answered by the media because as a viewer when a death occurs these questions are of interest, and the media is a basic source to recieve this information from, and when the media cannot produce the details they become obsessed with the missing information since they are not reporting the whole story to the public.
As a story progresses through the media the story evolves and changes. There are certain details that are skeptical because of missing or insufficient evidence. The media becomes obsessed with the missing or uncertain information because they are not reporting the whole story to the public, or there is a phenomena about the story itself, and twenty four hour news channels demand more news and when there is nothing to report about they find something to obsess about.
c. Method by which this paper will prove that argument: This paper will compare how CNN.com and FoxNews.com reported the assasination of Benazir Bhutto and the unfortunate death Heath Ledger.
II. Body
a. Paragraph 1: (state the overall point in a complete sentence.)
When a media report is released about the death of an important individual, there are important questions that need to be answered in regards to how the person passed and there last seconds alive. When the evidence is not recovered right away to answer these key questions or is skeptical information the media becomes obsessed with the story and the missing information.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
When the report on the Assasination of Benazir Bhutto was released by CNN it read "Conflicting reports about what caused the death of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto are fueling questions about the circumstances of her assassination."(CNN.com). For example "An Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig. Javed Iqbal Cheema, said Bhutto "fell down or perhaps ducked" and apparently hit her head on a lever connected to the car's sunroof. Cheema added that the lever was stained with blood." Then "Cheema's version of events conflicts with that of the government-run news agency Associated Press of Pakistan, which at first quoted the Interior Ministry as saying shrapnel from the bomb blast killed Bhutto. The suicide bomb killed more than 20 others, and at least 100 were wounded." Lastly "On Thursday, an initial report from the Interior Ministry said Bhutto died of a gunshot wound to the neck. Bhutto's death did not result from a bullet or shrapnel, Cheema said, and nothing entered her head.
ii. (If needed, further evidence for the point)
As in the death of Heath Ledger the intial reports released by CNN read "Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said. The Academy Award-nominated actor was 28.
Ledger was found naked and unresponsive, facedown on the floor at the foot of his bed by a housekeeper trying to wake him for an appointment with a masseuse, said police spokesman Paul Browne.
"Pills were found in the vicinity of the bed," he told CNN.
"This is being looked at as a possible overdose, but that is not confirmed yet." CNN becomes obsessed with skeptical details of the person passed.
b. Paragraph 2: (Repeat format of II (a), as necessary) (state the overall point in a complete sentence.)
As in the deaths of Benazir Bhutto and Heath Ledger FoxNews also reported the stories of these two individuals. Fox News reported the same confusions with how these individauls died and did not stop until the official cause of death was accepted.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
"Bhutto was killed Thursday when a suicide attacker shot at her and then blew himself up as she left a rally in Rawalpindi. Authorities initially said she died from bullet wounds, and a surgeon who treated her said she died from the impact of shrapnel on her skull.
But Cheema said she was killed when she tried to duck back into the vehicle, and the shock waves from the blast smashed her head into a lever attached to the sunroof, fracturing her skull, he said.
Cheema said Pakistani security forces would hunt down those responsible for her death: "They will definitely be brought to justice."
He said other senior politicians were also under threat of militant attack, including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who promised to boycott parliamentary elections on Jan. 8 in response to Bhutto's assassination.
ii. (If needed, further evidence for the point)
"The doctors — one in California, one in Texas — are believed to have supplied the "Brokeback Mountain" star with the painkillers Oxycontin and Vicodin, law enforcement sources said. Authorities want to know if the drugs were prescribed illegally.
"It's an ongoing investigation," a law enforcement source told The News Tuesday. "It's not clear if there was any wrongdoing."
The New York City medical examiner ruled Ledger, 28, died on Jan. 22 of an accidental overdose of six prescription drugs, including the two painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has subpoenaed the medical examiner's findings as part of its probe into the doctors, the sources said.
People magazine claimed to have confirmed the Daily News' report.
"We are investigating doctors in Los Angeles and Texas with regard to Ledger’s prescriptions," a source told People."
III. Conclusion
a. Summary of Supporting Information: (2 or 3 sentences)
From the information supplied it is concluded that important media reports initially contain details about the death of an important individual, but the cause of death may not be accurate as in the case of Benazir Bhutto because of the lack of evidence. Therefore the media becomes obsessed with the causes of death because of their uncertainty due to insufficient evidence and different explanations in the possible reasons and ways of their death. The media then reports and reports the story and different versions of how the death occured unitl a conclusion is reached.
b. Conclusion Reached:
Media reports want to tell the full and truthful story of a celebrity death and will not come to a hault until the full details are released because of the public's concern and interest in celebrities.
a. Subject of Essay: This essay will discuss the phenomena of how the media portrays stories with key missing information about the story, a unique story that has something interesting about the story itself, and how twenty four hour news channels are always demanding more information and when it is not there, the channel needs something to talk about so they obsess over certain details of a story.
b. Argument: (2 or 3 sentences)
Thesis: There is a certain phenomena that occurs when media reports are released about the death of an important individual, the story evolves around the events of what happened in the person's last minutes alive, and how the person passed, these are key questions that need to be answered by the media because as a viewer when a death occurs these questions are of interest, and the media is a basic source to recieve this information from, and when the media cannot produce the details they become obsessed with the missing information since they are not reporting the whole story to the public.
As a story progresses through the media the story evolves and changes. There are certain details that are skeptical because of missing or insufficient evidence. The media becomes obsessed with the missing or uncertain information because they are not reporting the whole story to the public, or there is a phenomena about the story itself, and twenty four hour news channels demand more news and when there is nothing to report about they find something to obsess about.
c. Method by which this paper will prove that argument: This paper will compare how CNN.com and FoxNews.com reported the assasination of Benazir Bhutto and the unfortunate death Heath Ledger.
II. Body
a. Paragraph 1: (state the overall point in a complete sentence.)
When a media report is released about the death of an important individual, there are important questions that need to be answered in regards to how the person passed and there last seconds alive. When the evidence is not recovered right away to answer these key questions or is skeptical information the media becomes obsessed with the story and the missing information.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
When the report on the Assasination of Benazir Bhutto was released by CNN it read "Conflicting reports about what caused the death of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto are fueling questions about the circumstances of her assassination."(CNN.com). For example "An Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig. Javed Iqbal Cheema, said Bhutto "fell down or perhaps ducked" and apparently hit her head on a lever connected to the car's sunroof. Cheema added that the lever was stained with blood." Then "Cheema's version of events conflicts with that of the government-run news agency Associated Press of Pakistan, which at first quoted the Interior Ministry as saying shrapnel from the bomb blast killed Bhutto. The suicide bomb killed more than 20 others, and at least 100 were wounded." Lastly "On Thursday, an initial report from the Interior Ministry said Bhutto died of a gunshot wound to the neck. Bhutto's death did not result from a bullet or shrapnel, Cheema said, and nothing entered her head.
ii. (If needed, further evidence for the point)
As in the death of Heath Ledger the intial reports released by CNN read "Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said. The Academy Award-nominated actor was 28.
Ledger was found naked and unresponsive, facedown on the floor at the foot of his bed by a housekeeper trying to wake him for an appointment with a masseuse, said police spokesman Paul Browne.
"Pills were found in the vicinity of the bed," he told CNN.
"This is being looked at as a possible overdose, but that is not confirmed yet." CNN becomes obsessed with skeptical details of the person passed.
b. Paragraph 2: (Repeat format of II (a), as necessary) (state the overall point in a complete sentence.)
As in the deaths of Benazir Bhutto and Heath Ledger FoxNews also reported the stories of these two individuals. Fox News reported the same confusions with how these individauls died and did not stop until the official cause of death was accepted.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
"Bhutto was killed Thursday when a suicide attacker shot at her and then blew himself up as she left a rally in Rawalpindi. Authorities initially said she died from bullet wounds, and a surgeon who treated her said she died from the impact of shrapnel on her skull.
But Cheema said she was killed when she tried to duck back into the vehicle, and the shock waves from the blast smashed her head into a lever attached to the sunroof, fracturing her skull, he said.
Cheema said Pakistani security forces would hunt down those responsible for her death: "They will definitely be brought to justice."
He said other senior politicians were also under threat of militant attack, including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who promised to boycott parliamentary elections on Jan. 8 in response to Bhutto's assassination.
ii. (If needed, further evidence for the point)
"The doctors — one in California, one in Texas — are believed to have supplied the "Brokeback Mountain" star with the painkillers Oxycontin and Vicodin, law enforcement sources said. Authorities want to know if the drugs were prescribed illegally.
"It's an ongoing investigation," a law enforcement source told The News Tuesday. "It's not clear if there was any wrongdoing."
The New York City medical examiner ruled Ledger, 28, died on Jan. 22 of an accidental overdose of six prescription drugs, including the two painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has subpoenaed the medical examiner's findings as part of its probe into the doctors, the sources said.
People magazine claimed to have confirmed the Daily News' report.
"We are investigating doctors in Los Angeles and Texas with regard to Ledger’s prescriptions," a source told People."
III. Conclusion
a. Summary of Supporting Information: (2 or 3 sentences)
From the information supplied it is concluded that important media reports initially contain details about the death of an important individual, but the cause of death may not be accurate as in the case of Benazir Bhutto because of the lack of evidence. Therefore the media becomes obsessed with the causes of death because of their uncertainty due to insufficient evidence and different explanations in the possible reasons and ways of their death. The media then reports and reports the story and different versions of how the death occured unitl a conclusion is reached.
b. Conclusion Reached:
Media reports want to tell the full and truthful story of a celebrity death and will not come to a hault until the full details are released because of the public's concern and interest in celebrities.
Jessica's Introduction
Media's presence in our daily lives is very important and crucial as it connects us everywhere around the world without stepping a foot outside our countries, cities, town's, neighborhoods, or even our homes. It is a reliable source of information found and passed on to the viewer with a truth to every story whether it may be altered a bit. Still an average person can see through all the theories, exaggerations, alternations, and added information and can grab the basic input of the story. Sources of media make our lives much easier as it can connect us around the world, provide us with knowledge, pass around helpful tips and precautions, help us prepare our day, and saves our time by providing substantial amount of information in the least amount of time. Media sources helping important situations to be encountered and dealt with can be added to the lists of media's importance in our society. It can be claimed that Media cares more about helping with issues than any other person or group elsewhere. Examples of media's standing and hold on each important issue can be determined and demonstrated by references of the Tsunami in Southeast Asia case where various sources of media's input of the story will be presented from Newspapers to the Internet and from the television to Photographs.
Rena Adler- Introduction
Although newspapers such as The New York Times argue that their portrayal of news is accurate, “in a world of second opinions, get the facts first”, in reality newspapers are politically slanted and display differing points of view to meet their readers needs. As illustrated by Davidson and Lytle in Where Trouble Comes, even when regarding a news story, “the report of the morning’s story becomes distorted, not only by height but by distance…” The above assertion can clearly be seen through news coverage by The New York Times, New York Post and The Guardian regarding the tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Nikita 's first paragraph
Media has become a larger truth then truth itself. All kind of people have faith and trust in media; therefore, media companies take advantage. Television and news channels reporters have learned to play with issues, such as victims of disasters are shown has they were given proper care and help; however, these reporters forget to demonstrate the truth. Tsunami victims are left behind to rebuild their lost lives, while many media companies show that billions were given to these victims. Yet their houses remain in ruble and smashed pieces. Many newspapers such as New York Times reveal that first there is no warning system, and then it shows that people are living in ruble. Some people still searching for their loved ones; while there no clear evident that aid was given direct to victims, but many videos display that Red Cross and private help was given to victims. The media figures are so corrupted, yet they explain to society that the information they disclosing is true. Why isn’t anyone there to question them and ask for proof? Is there limit to stop this media plaque? The larger issue then is we violating their right to freedom of speech? While victims of hurricanes and tsunami are trying to survive.
3.30.08
At a parade today with my son, saw this van, which puts the World Trade Center into an odd context.
Insia Saleh - First Paragraph (Introduction)
The media is an intricate part of the society, intertwined with the practice of democracy with huge extent influences public opinion. In today’s modern day society, media plays a very important and powerful role. Media can make or break the society. It is truly said, “The pen is mightier than the sword” i.e. words are more powerful and effective than weapons. And this is what media takes advantage of---advantage of their writing. It is almost like having a war in their writing. But in this modern era, media is facing fierce competitions in their own world and as such always reports incidents dramatically and sometimes even in sleazier way to attract the viewer ship. I believe that media also sometimes gets biased and shows only one sided story, pushing a viewpoint, instead of reporting news in an objective way. They exaggerate certain irrelevant stories while ignoring some of the important parts and give little thought to the ramifications and consequences behind an eye-catching coverage of the story. The way of their reporting the facts is as such that people get a false impression for the sake of a good story. In order to get good ratings and to get rich, media is often held in a similar level regard, like politicians, in blaming other kinds media like violent movies, video games and music. But they always fall back on the mantle of public interest just to get fame. In this essay, I would like to draw attention towards what media is showing and what it is ignoring and also what can be done to prevent media from doing such things and as such affecting the society as a whole. I would like to give some examples from the newspapers about how media is throwing its bombshells on public.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
3.27.08
If all goes well, you'll have my comments on your outline here by the end of the weekend, so if you haven't posted that you'll miss out. In addition, write the first paragraph of your essay and post it here, thinking about the elements we discussed in class:
- captivate the audience
- establish the subject/argument
- establish your authorit
- establish thesis (optional)
- establish/describe the method by which the paper will prove its point.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Arielle's Outline
EN 110
Spring 2008
Henkle
The Outline
The outline will follow the traditional format, and will display your paper from beginning to end. These should all be full sentences. The outline must follow this format:
I. Introduction
a. Subject of Essay: Representation of the Holocaust in Society and its’ impact on the Individual
b. Argument:
In the excerpt "Regarding the Pain of Others," by Susan Sontag, she claims that "there is no such thing as collective memory, but there is collective instruction." Sontag uses the idea of collectivity to help explain that memories of tragic events such as the Holocaust are not necessarily permanent or important to each person.
c. Method by which this paper will prove that argument:
The reason for this apathy is that each memory is based on the individual and the effect this memory might have on the individual. Consequently, there is a need for direction. Collective instruction encourages people to care and demands for horrific events such as the Holocaust to be remembered, without any excuses. Commemoration is one method of forcing people to learn about historical tragedies. Therefore, museums such as the Israeli Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem, purposefully designed the museum in an architectural manner which forces each visitor to pass through each exhibit and stimulates introspection amongst all. Memorialization methods, such as the layout of Yad Vashem, promote awareness and activism. Other commemorative ways, such as representation in the media and photographs, help with the progression of history, and ensure that there are constant reminders of the past that help shape our future. Archives and memorials are crucial in aiding everyone to identify with the tragedy.
II. Body
a. Paragraph 1: (state the overall point in a complete sentence.)
People tend to have difficulties in accepting tragedy as “habituation is not automatic, for images (portable, insertable) obey different rules than real life” (P653)
Evidence:
People require evidence in order to believe something. People are not prone to just believe things without having a photograph or video to substantiate them. Just imagine reading an article online about a nuclear bomb going off in china without any proof. The reader would just dismiss such a notion as hersesay. However, if images or even a video were presented (even if it was fake) the individual would be more susceptible to believing the event took place. It is only after the photographic evidence is presented that the individual can decide if they are moved by the event. It is for that reason that it is imperative to maintain the concentration camps. It would be difficult for any individual to fathom that such atrocities could have taken place in our modern civilization. However, when individuals visit the camps they are overcome with emotion, when they see the beautification present after such an atrocity.
Quote: “indeed, the very notion of atrocity, of war crime, is associated with the expectation of photographed evidence”
President Roosevelt understood the importance of the evidence, and it is thanks to him, as well as the Nazis, that pictures were taken of the victims and of the camps during the war.
The significance of representation in society as it applies to photography is one in which
Paragraph 2: (Repeat format of II (a), as necessary)
Photographs are also able to evoke certain memories of other tragedies.
“It was inevitable that the photographs of emaciated Bosnian prisoners, at Omaska, the Serb death camp created in northern Bosnia in 1992, would recall memories of the memories of the photographs taken in the Nazi death camps in 1945” (654).
Moreover, “photographs of atrocity illustrate as well as corroborate.”
“The familiarity of certain photographs builds our sense of the present and immediate past” (654).
“Photographs help construct-and revise-our sense of a more distant past, with the posthumous shocks engineered by the circulation of hitherto unknown photographs” (654).
“All memory is individual, unreproducible-it dies with each person” (654).
“Photographs of the suffering and martyrdom of a people are more than reminders of death, of failure, of victimization. They invoke the miracle of survival” (654).
III. Conclusion
a. Summary of Supporting Information: Photographs are crucial in sparking emotions in individuals. With regards to the tragedy of the Holocaust, photographs aid the viewer in identifying with the event that took place. For this reason, museums, such as Yad –Vashem serve as an important function in the memorialization process.
b. Conclusion Reached: Accurate representation of a tragedy is extremely significant in helping observers relate to the event. Photographs, archives, television footage, and other media tactics enlighten each individual, and hope to evoke emotion and awareness, encouraging people to contribute and realize that there are atrocities are ubiquitous.
Andrea Varnava-Outline
Outline
I) Introduction:
a) Through out history people’s obsession with disaster exploits affected families for their own entertainment and gain. After major disasters occur many movies are made and these movies soon become apart of history and this is what people remember. In these films the major disasters are down played while there are smaller fictional sections that become the main focus in the story. Therefore undermining the importance of the event that actually occurred.
b) I have a few things I would like to research and discuss. One would be the way movie undermine the importance of a major disaster by creating a smaller fictional section making them a focal parts of the movies. Another would be writers connection with the event; do they have any or is it just because they want to make a good movie that make profit? The last two are how do they affect the families and what are the pros and cons between movies and documentaries
c) I will prove these arguments by researching different types of movies made with major disasters and compare and contrast how they are portrayed. Two examples of movies would be
Ø Pearl Harbor
Ø World Trade Center
II) Body:
a) Discussing in dept my first argument of movies undermining the importance of the event with fictional sections
b) My second; do writers have connections to the events or are they using the peoples emotions to get a profit.
c) The effect movies have on people either w connections or not
d) Documentaries and movies
III) Conclusion:
Come up with an answer on why people are so obsessed with movies and disaster
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Golda Markowitz- Outline
I. Introduction
a. The public and government responses to tragic events correlate according to the socio- economic classes of the victims of the tragedy.
b. The public responses to tragic events often correlate with the magnitude of the attention they receive in the media, which in turn is greatly influenced by the socio-economic classes of the victims of the tragedy. For instance, due to the fact that Minneapolis is a wealthy, upper class area, it attracted major aid from the government and the public in response to the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota
c. The New York Times, Minneapolis City of Lakes, and Minneapolis City Radio all mention the responses that the public and government gave to the event. For example, Minneapolis City of Lakes newspaper mentions in one of their articles that on August 15, 2007: “In his first speech to the City Council since the I-35W Bridge collapse, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak today said that the City’s response to the disaster showcased Minneapolis’ significant investments and planning in public safety and emergency preparedness over the last five years.” So it is shown that due to the fact that Minneapolis is such a wealthy upper class area, it attracted major aid from the government and public in response.
II. Body
a. Favoritism to wealthy areas such as Minneapolis is shown by the fact that there has been continued cooperation between all levels of government to build a new I-35W Bridge and make necessary investments in public infrastructure in the state.
i. The Minneapolis City of Lakes quoted: “The best way to show respect for those lost on the 35W Bridge is to make the tough decisions that lie ahead with dignity, sustained compassion and continued cooperation,” Rybak said. “We should remember a lesson from this tragedy: when you invest in quality government you get quality results; when you don’t invest, there are consequences.”
ii. The New York Times said that: “The state’s congressional delegation was pressing leadership in both chambers to fast-track the bill (HR 3311), which would authorize the government to give the state as much as $250 million to reconstruct the bridge and relieve congestion until it is rebuilt.”
b. However it is easy to argue and say that not all favor the socio-economic classes.
i. Minneapolis City Radio said that “Gov. Tim Pawlenty is contemplating extra aid for the worst-hurt bridge collapse victims. Pawlenty told The Associated Press on Monday that he still supports a $400,000 limit on compensation for individual victims of the Interstate 35W bridge disaster. That's the approach endorsed by the Minnesota Senate last week.”
III. Conclusion
a. From examining the responses that came about after the bridge collapse in Minnesota, one might assume that the government and the public tend to cater more to the socio-economic classes. However one can argue and say that this is not true, as shown for instance by the New York Times.
b. Although one might say that the government and the public don’t favor the victims of a tragedy from a wealthier area, it is still tempting and clear to say that major aid is attracted more to such areas. As an effect from this, the magnitude of the attention they receive in the media plays a big factor in the public responses that occur to tragic events.
a. The public and government responses to tragic events correlate according to the socio- economic classes of the victims of the tragedy.
b. The public responses to tragic events often correlate with the magnitude of the attention they receive in the media, which in turn is greatly influenced by the socio-economic classes of the victims of the tragedy. For instance, due to the fact that Minneapolis is a wealthy, upper class area, it attracted major aid from the government and the public in response to the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota
c. The New York Times, Minneapolis City of Lakes, and Minneapolis City Radio all mention the responses that the public and government gave to the event. For example, Minneapolis City of Lakes newspaper mentions in one of their articles that on August 15, 2007: “In his first speech to the City Council since the I-35W Bridge collapse, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak today said that the City’s response to the disaster showcased Minneapolis’ significant investments and planning in public safety and emergency preparedness over the last five years.” So it is shown that due to the fact that Minneapolis is such a wealthy upper class area, it attracted major aid from the government and public in response.
II. Body
a. Favoritism to wealthy areas such as Minneapolis is shown by the fact that there has been continued cooperation between all levels of government to build a new I-35W Bridge and make necessary investments in public infrastructure in the state.
i. The Minneapolis City of Lakes quoted: “The best way to show respect for those lost on the 35W Bridge is to make the tough decisions that lie ahead with dignity, sustained compassion and continued cooperation,” Rybak said. “We should remember a lesson from this tragedy: when you invest in quality government you get quality results; when you don’t invest, there are consequences.”
ii. The New York Times said that: “The state’s congressional delegation was pressing leadership in both chambers to fast-track the bill (HR 3311), which would authorize the government to give the state as much as $250 million to reconstruct the bridge and relieve congestion until it is rebuilt.”
b. However it is easy to argue and say that not all favor the socio-economic classes.
i. Minneapolis City Radio said that “Gov. Tim Pawlenty is contemplating extra aid for the worst-hurt bridge collapse victims. Pawlenty told The Associated Press on Monday that he still supports a $400,000 limit on compensation for individual victims of the Interstate 35W bridge disaster. That's the approach endorsed by the Minnesota Senate last week.”
III. Conclusion
a. From examining the responses that came about after the bridge collapse in Minnesota, one might assume that the government and the public tend to cater more to the socio-economic classes. However one can argue and say that this is not true, as shown for instance by the New York Times.
b. Although one might say that the government and the public don’t favor the victims of a tragedy from a wealthier area, it is still tempting and clear to say that major aid is attracted more to such areas. As an effect from this, the magnitude of the attention they receive in the media plays a big factor in the public responses that occur to tragic events.
COLTON HELLER: THESISSSS
There is a basic confusion in the minds of American people as to the difference between fear and respect accounting for their attraction to mobsters. There is a sense in which mobsters think they are respected and trusted by everyone, but in the sense of reality that they are really feared. They have a sense of money, but it doesn’t get saved and invested, it gets spent on cars, bars, and women. Also, mobsters think they are invincible, but in reality, they mostly get caught and spend little or much time in jail. Mobsters such as Capone, Gotti, and Luciano were created into ideal figures of society and viewed as powerful, but never the less were they, because the reality contradicts the illusion of the mobster lifestyle.
Melissa's Outline
Introduction
a) Americans like to believe that evil was there and not in America, therefore blaming others for tragic events.
b) Americans like to believe that this country is better and do not have problems and in tragic events, Americans distinguish the person that’s related to the event from Americans. As in the Virginia Tech event, the media, for example BBC News, The New York Times and The National Ledger referred to the shooter as, Cho as the South Korean.
c) This could be seen in the New York Times and New York Post after the Virginia Tech event. On April 18th, 2007, in the New York Times, Jennifer Steinhauer wrote in the article Korean-Americans Brace for Problems in Wake of Killings “Across the nation, Koreans have braced for harassment in the wake of the Monday shooting rampage on the Virginia Tech campus that left 33 dead, including Cho Seung-Hui, the South Korean-born gunman.” In addition, according to Susan Sontag in Regarding the pain of others, “American prefer to picture that evil was there and from which the United States - a unique nation, one without any certifiably wicked leaders throughout its entire history - is exempt."
Body
a) In tragic events, Americans distinguish the person that’s related to the event from Americans.
i) On the BBC News on April 17th, 2007, the identity of the Virginia Tech shooter was revealed, “Police have named a student who shot dead at least 30 people at a US university on Monday as Cho Seung-hui, a 23-year-old South Korean.” The media emphasis on that he was South Korean as if the fact he was South Korean had influenced what he did. In the same article, the mention again that he was South Korean and migrated to the United States at the age of 8 with his family.
ii) In the National Ledger on April 17th, 2007, in the article by Jon Shanks, “Virginia Tech University officials have identified an undergraduate student from South Korea as the gunman who shot and killed at least 30 students and professors on Monday. Police identified the classroom shooter as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a senior from South Korea who was in the English department at Virginia Tech and lived in a different dorm on campus.” This shows that not only one media distinguished Cho Seung-Hui from Americans.
b) Distinguishing the Americans from other Citizens that have been involved in tragic events causes discrimination. On Sept. 06th, 2006, an article in ABC News states “Five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Muslims and Arab Americans say they still feel the sting of discrimination and fear in America.” This article shows that because a few Arabs caused a very tragic event the Americans discriminate against all Arabs.
Conclusion
a) Americans like to distinguish themselves from others when a tragic event has occurred, so that they can have someone else to blame for the event. This could be seen in the way the media reports the event.
b) The media needs to stop reporting events in a basis way that tends to distinguish Americans from other Citizens that causes the Americans to blame someone else when a tragic event has occurred so that people can have the actual events and see what can be done instead of playing the blame game.
a) Americans like to believe that evil was there and not in America, therefore blaming others for tragic events.
b) Americans like to believe that this country is better and do not have problems and in tragic events, Americans distinguish the person that’s related to the event from Americans. As in the Virginia Tech event, the media, for example BBC News, The New York Times and The National Ledger referred to the shooter as, Cho as the South Korean.
c) This could be seen in the New York Times and New York Post after the Virginia Tech event. On April 18th, 2007, in the New York Times, Jennifer Steinhauer wrote in the article Korean-Americans Brace for Problems in Wake of Killings “Across the nation, Koreans have braced for harassment in the wake of the Monday shooting rampage on the Virginia Tech campus that left 33 dead, including Cho Seung-Hui, the South Korean-born gunman.” In addition, according to Susan Sontag in Regarding the pain of others, “American prefer to picture that evil was there and from which the United States - a unique nation, one without any certifiably wicked leaders throughout its entire history - is exempt."
Body
a) In tragic events, Americans distinguish the person that’s related to the event from Americans.
i) On the BBC News on April 17th, 2007, the identity of the Virginia Tech shooter was revealed, “Police have named a student who shot dead at least 30 people at a US university on Monday as Cho Seung-hui, a 23-year-old South Korean.” The media emphasis on that he was South Korean as if the fact he was South Korean had influenced what he did. In the same article, the mention again that he was South Korean and migrated to the United States at the age of 8 with his family.
ii) In the National Ledger on April 17th, 2007, in the article by Jon Shanks, “Virginia Tech University officials have identified an undergraduate student from South Korea as the gunman who shot and killed at least 30 students and professors on Monday. Police identified the classroom shooter as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a senior from South Korea who was in the English department at Virginia Tech and lived in a different dorm on campus.” This shows that not only one media distinguished Cho Seung-Hui from Americans.
b) Distinguishing the Americans from other Citizens that have been involved in tragic events causes discrimination. On Sept. 06th, 2006, an article in ABC News states “Five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Muslims and Arab Americans say they still feel the sting of discrimination and fear in America.” This article shows that because a few Arabs caused a very tragic event the Americans discriminate against all Arabs.
Conclusion
a) Americans like to distinguish themselves from others when a tragic event has occurred, so that they can have someone else to blame for the event. This could be seen in the way the media reports the event.
b) The media needs to stop reporting events in a basis way that tends to distinguish Americans from other Citizens that causes the Americans to blame someone else when a tragic event has occurred so that people can have the actual events and see what can be done instead of playing the blame game.
OUTLINE- tommy
ESSAY OUTLINE
I. Introduction
· Media: How certain Newspapers such as the “New York Times” and the “New York Post” differ due to ownership; One being a Liberal, and the other being a Conservative Newspaper.
· The Media reports stories in ways that have certain viewpoints. They use certain aspects of the story to entice the reader and sell more copies of their newspaper. Although the stories are exactly the same the ways they are produced differ between magazines.
· In stories such as the Bridge collapse in Minnesota, The Shooting of Sean Bell, and others. The New York Times and The New York Post stories aspects and perspectives differ. They illustrate the story in complete different ways; One using a liberal standpoint and the other a conservative. Quotes can be taken from the articles, and even the use of the headlines can show each newspapers view points and perspectives.
II. Body
Paragraph 1: The History of the New York Post, The Owner, and the company which makes it a liberal newspaper. Also will use The Sean Bell shooting, as an example of how the newspaper uses its power to influence the reader to believe that the accused officers are automatically guilty. They also entice people to read into the story further by making accusations that it was “racism”. Newspapers such as the New York Post use their front covers and headlines to entice readers. The New York Post is very liberal.
· The Sean Bell shooting in The New York Post, the cops are portrayed as the criminals in the story. Although there hasn’t been a trial to decide who is responsible, and if the force the police at the scene used was excessive. They focus on the 31 Shots that were fired by one of the cops. The Media gives us the impression that the cop used excessive force where it wasn’t needed.
· The Media also portrays pictures of the grieving family that suffered a loss. They focus on the family of the man who died. Also reports of “racism” were suggested in the story.
Paragraph 2: The New York Times focuses more on the facts and the purpose of informing the reader about information they want, not on trivial information they don’t need to know. They have a conservative view on the story in whole.
· They don’t use many pictures, they get to the point, such as in
· The New York Times describes the incident in a proper manner. They do not try to lie or misinform any information. They don’t use their headlines as the enticement to get people to read the article.
· The New York Times also uses people of the city such as Rev. Al Sharpton to help provide their conservative standpoint. They don’t take the liberal side of the story and blame or accuse anyone of any crime. They just provide information about the story.
Paragraph 3: The Bridge Collapse in the New York Post, as an example, portrays how the media uses its power to influence the reader to believe it wasn’t just an accident, and that there should be someone to blame. They also use their
· The New York Post uses its headlines to entice the reader.
· The New York Post uses quotes from people in the story to help the reader relate, and uses to liberal viewpoint to express the horror of what occurred at the scene, such as when they write “I slammed on my brakes and saw something in front of me disappear…”
III. Conclusion
a. The owners of the newspapers put their own viewpoints on every story. The New York Times is a conservative newspaper.
b. The New York Post is a liberal newspaper. It has a very unique way of addressing the issue. They use pictures and other forms of “wow” to entice the audience.
I. Introduction
· Media: How certain Newspapers such as the “New York Times” and the “New York Post” differ due to ownership; One being a Liberal, and the other being a Conservative Newspaper.
· The Media reports stories in ways that have certain viewpoints. They use certain aspects of the story to entice the reader and sell more copies of their newspaper. Although the stories are exactly the same the ways they are produced differ between magazines.
· In stories such as the Bridge collapse in Minnesota, The Shooting of Sean Bell, and others. The New York Times and The New York Post stories aspects and perspectives differ. They illustrate the story in complete different ways; One using a liberal standpoint and the other a conservative. Quotes can be taken from the articles, and even the use of the headlines can show each newspapers view points and perspectives.
II. Body
Paragraph 1: The History of the New York Post, The Owner, and the company which makes it a liberal newspaper. Also will use The Sean Bell shooting, as an example of how the newspaper uses its power to influence the reader to believe that the accused officers are automatically guilty. They also entice people to read into the story further by making accusations that it was “racism”. Newspapers such as the New York Post use their front covers and headlines to entice readers. The New York Post is very liberal.
· The Sean Bell shooting in The New York Post, the cops are portrayed as the criminals in the story. Although there hasn’t been a trial to decide who is responsible, and if the force the police at the scene used was excessive. They focus on the 31 Shots that were fired by one of the cops. The Media gives us the impression that the cop used excessive force where it wasn’t needed.
· The Media also portrays pictures of the grieving family that suffered a loss. They focus on the family of the man who died. Also reports of “racism” were suggested in the story.
Paragraph 2: The New York Times focuses more on the facts and the purpose of informing the reader about information they want, not on trivial information they don’t need to know. They have a conservative view on the story in whole.
· They don’t use many pictures, they get to the point, such as in
· The New York Times describes the incident in a proper manner. They do not try to lie or misinform any information. They don’t use their headlines as the enticement to get people to read the article.
· The New York Times also uses people of the city such as Rev. Al Sharpton to help provide their conservative standpoint. They don’t take the liberal side of the story and blame or accuse anyone of any crime. They just provide information about the story.
Paragraph 3: The Bridge Collapse in the New York Post, as an example, portrays how the media uses its power to influence the reader to believe it wasn’t just an accident, and that there should be someone to blame. They also use their
· The New York Post uses its headlines to entice the reader.
· The New York Post uses quotes from people in the story to help the reader relate, and uses to liberal viewpoint to express the horror of what occurred at the scene, such as when they write “I slammed on my brakes and saw something in front of me disappear…”
III. Conclusion
a. The owners of the newspapers put their own viewpoints on every story. The New York Times is a conservative newspaper.
b. The New York Post is a liberal newspaper. It has a very unique way of addressing the issue. They use pictures and other forms of “wow” to entice the audience.
Nikita's outline
Introduction:
a. Most media representatives, who suppose to signify the common people, present that proper cares and help was given to the victims of disasters; however, these media companies forget to demonstrate the truth.
b. Tsunami victims are left behind to rebuild their lost lives, while many media companies show that billions were given to these victims. Yet their houses remain in ruble and smashed pieces.
c. Many newspapers such as New York Times reveal that first there is no warning system, and then it shows that people are living in ruble. Some people still searching for their loved ones. While there no clear evident that aid was given direct to victims, but many videos display that Red Cross and private help was given to victims.
Body:
I: Media display false information and media doesn’t allow public to view the truth.
II: according to The Guardian, many Thailand tsunami‘s victims had to sell their kidneys in order to survive.
III: It clearly stated many government and media companies display that aid was given. There was Red Cross and other form of aid given to the victims. The victims were provided with the necessary supplies such as food, water, shelter, clothing, etc.
IV: What do media gain from by present public with false information? Are media companies involve with large corporation? Are these corporations filling up their pockets with aid money?
Conclusion:
Tsunami victim are not even getting their promised aid. The have deal with all sort of problems. The media forget to show reality that many victims are still suffering and they have sell their organs in order survive. Above of all there is no indicating whether victim received any warning. Even though tsunami was unpreventable, media companies try to convince the public that all necessary help was given to the victims. People are left to die, while larger corporation officials and government fill their pockets.
a. Most media representatives, who suppose to signify the common people, present that proper cares and help was given to the victims of disasters; however, these media companies forget to demonstrate the truth.
b. Tsunami victims are left behind to rebuild their lost lives, while many media companies show that billions were given to these victims. Yet their houses remain in ruble and smashed pieces.
c. Many newspapers such as New York Times reveal that first there is no warning system, and then it shows that people are living in ruble. Some people still searching for their loved ones. While there no clear evident that aid was given direct to victims, but many videos display that Red Cross and private help was given to victims.
Body:
I: Media display false information and media doesn’t allow public to view the truth.
II: according to The Guardian, many Thailand tsunami‘s victims had to sell their kidneys in order to survive.
III: It clearly stated many government and media companies display that aid was given. There was Red Cross and other form of aid given to the victims. The victims were provided with the necessary supplies such as food, water, shelter, clothing, etc.
IV: What do media gain from by present public with false information? Are media companies involve with large corporation? Are these corporations filling up their pockets with aid money?
Conclusion:
Tsunami victim are not even getting their promised aid. The have deal with all sort of problems. The media forget to show reality that many victims are still suffering and they have sell their organs in order survive. Above of all there is no indicating whether victim received any warning. Even though tsunami was unpreventable, media companies try to convince the public that all necessary help was given to the victims. People are left to die, while larger corporation officials and government fill their pockets.
Outline
I. Introduction
a. Subject of Essay:
The representation of Muslim Women in the western media, has been slightly distorted for different reasons. In the common Western imagination, the image of a veiled Muslim woman stands for oppression. Images that are seen in the news portray women as helpless, ruled by males, and ruled by their religion. These images are very true, but they have been used for the wrong reasons.
b. Argument: (2 or 3 sentences)
These images are vivid in our minds when we think about women in Muslim countries, but they have become so much more persistent since 9/11. Many women feel the need to help with Afghani women that are oppressed by fundamentalist Taliban, the women who are covered head to toe with their burqas, unable to go to school or anywhere without the accompaniment of a male in their family. These are the images that the Bush administration has used to get moral justification for the military invasion of Afghanistan. There are so many untold horrors that these invasions have caused the women of Afghanistan. I would argue that the use of these images has been bad for us, in the countries of the West where they are mostly circulated; because of the effect they have on our capacity to appreciate the complexity of Muslim women’s lives as human beings. While this is true, throughout my research I found many interesting facts that contributes to the oppression of Muslim women, their religion is the key factor. Islam is a religion that has been rumored to be male dominating, during my research I found that it isn’t a rumor, women are belittled in this religion not by slightly suggesting it, but by clearly stating it in the verses known as suras in the Qur’an. I am a feminist, so while reading several articles about Islam and what it promotes, I felt so passionate to argue the other side of this argument which I presented. I would like to state that not all Muslim women deal with these hardships, mostly women in Afghanistan and Pakistan are faced with severe oppression. These images that are presented by the media should not represent all Muslim women. But the images of these women are real, and no woman should have to undergo any abuse or oppression because of their religion.
c. Method by which this paper will prove that argument:
In order to justify my claim that their religion promotes sexism and abuse towards women, I will quote several verses from the Qur’an and other articles.
II. Body
a. Paragraph 1: (state the overall point in a complete sentence.)
Islam was founded by Prophet Mohammed, the article “The Wondrous Treatment of Women in Islam” revealed the history of Prophet Mohammed which explains why the Qur’an is written so demeaning towards women.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
“Lets start with the "great" Mohammed himself, the founder of this "fabulous" faith. Mohammed was married to Khadija Bibi, his employer and 15 years his senior. At that time Mohammed was 25 years old. He was Khadija Bibi's third husband. Khadija Bibi was a widow when she married Mohammed. For the first time in his life, Mohammed enjoyed a luxurious life. This shows the parasitic nature of Mohammed who married his employer so that he can live a rich life without putting in a single day's work. Khadija Bibi died when Mohammed was 49 years old. Between the ages of 49 and 63 the "great prophet" married at least 11 times. This shows how he treated the institution of marriage. For him, women were nothing but objects for sexual fulfillment. Marrying at least 11 women in 14 years throws light on his insatiable sexual appetite. Mohammed's favorite wife was Ayesha Bibi who was 6 years old when she was married to him. Marrying a 6 year old baby clearly shows that Mohammed was not only a womanizer but also a child molester. Mohammed's adopted son Zayed was married to Zainab, daughter of Jahsh. But one day the prophet "beheld in a loose undress, the beauty of Zainab, and burst forth into an ejaculation of devotion and desire. The servile, or greatful, freeman (Zayed) understood the hint and yielded without hesitation to the love of the benefactor." Mohammed was not satisfied with his own overflowing harem and had to marry his son's wife. His son being a devoted follower of the "great" prophet was more than happy to divorce his wife. What a great father-in-law Mohammed was, a model for all Islamic father-in-laws.”Based on the excerpt, you begin to understand where Mohammed’s theories and justifications for some unacceptable behaviors come from. He was just a regular man who had an epiphany one day and decided he was the enlightened one. He then decided to share his “wisdom” in the form of Islam with everyone else. He was said to be Allah’s Prophet, in Islam a prophet is god’s messenger who is sent to relay spiritual teachings to their people. In Eastern culture tradition is so strong that this religion was passed on generation after generation.
Paragraph 2: (Repeat format of II (a), as necessary)
With regards to Muslim behavior toward women, let’s go to Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an. The following are a few verses pertaining to the treatment of women in Islam.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
Surah 4:15 “If any one of your women is guilty of lewdness...confine them until death claims them.” This Surah is also a warning to women that the Islamic god Allah is not forgiving when it comes to them and they will suffer death. But, note that the very next verse does forgive men for aberrant sexual behaviors
ii. (If needed, further evidence for the point)
Surah 4:16 “If two men among you commit indecency (sodomy) punish them both. If they repent and mend their ways, let them be. Allah is forgiving and merciful.” This verse clearly proves how sexist this was written.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
Surah 4:34 “Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other.. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them”. First point to notice here is that Quran clearly states that Men are superior to women. Secondly, Islam instructs that a man should control his woman through brutal violence and fear. Because men are superior to women they are also allowed to falsely testify against their wives, with little to no proof whatsoever and have said lies believed by Islam’s Shari’a court system. The Qur’an states:“As for those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves, let the testimony of one of them be four testimonies…” – Surah 24:6-7 Here we see, that a husband can easily accuse his wife (or wives) and eventually sentence her to death by merely declaring four times that the accusation is true. On the other hand, women have no such right in Islam.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
The Hadith, is oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed. There are several verses in the Hadith and Tirmzi which allows the discrimination of women by “god”. “If a woman's conduct is mischievous or immodest, the husband has the right to beat her up but must not break her bones. She must not allow anybody to enter the house if her husband does not like him. She has the right to expect sustenance of her husband. (TR. P 439) It is forbidden for a woman to be seen by any man except her husband when she is made up or well-dressed. (TR. P 430) A woman is not a believer if she undertakes a journey which may last three days or longer, unless she is accompanied by her husband, son, father.A woman must veil herself even in the presence of her husband's father, brother and other male relations. (TR. P 432) If prostration were a legitimate act other than to God, woman should have prostrated to her husband. (TR. P 428)
If a man is in a mood to have sexual intercourse the woman must come immediately even if she is baking bread at a communal oven. (TR. P 428) The marriage of a woman to her man is not substantive. It is precarious. For example if the father of the husband orders his son to divorce his wife, he must do so. (TR. P 440) A woman who seeks KHULA i.e. divorce from her man, without a just cause, shall not enter paradise. (TR. P 440) On the contrary, a husband can divorce his wife at will. Majority of women would go to hell. (Muslim P 1431) If a woman refuses to come to bed when invited by her husband, she becomes the target of the curses of angles. Exactly the same happens if she deserts her husband's bed. (Bokhari P 93) Women who are ungrateful to their men are the denizens of hell; it is an act of ingratitude for a woman to say: "I have never seen any good from you." (Bokhari P 96) A woman in many ways is deprived of the possession of her own body. Even her milk belongs to her husband. (Bokhari P 27) She is not allowed to practice birth control either”.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
Australia’s most senior Muslim cleric, Sheik Hilali in a religious address on adultery to about 500 worshippers in Sydney said: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat? "The uncovered meat is the problem. If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred." These teachings have completely polluted the morality of Muslims so much that, if a woman is raped in an Islamic-run country, it is the woman’s fault. She will be put to death in an “honor killing”, while the rapist goes free to commit other future rapes. A lot of Australian Muslims were outraged by his remarks. Robert Spencer wrote in Frontpagemagazine that: It was also somewhat surprising that Al-Hilali’s remarks generated any uproar at all. After all, the idea that a woman is responsible if she is raped did not originate with him, and this was not the first time it has been enunciated in the West. One notorious example occurred in September 2004 in Denmark, when the mufti Shahid Mehdi of the Islamic Cultural Center in Copenhagen said on the Danish television program Talk to Gode that women who venture outside without a hijab are “asking for rape.”
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
“In Germany the problem of domestic violence in Muslim homes is so bad that thirty per cent of the occupants in women’s shelters in German cities are Muslim. And even there, these unfortunate women are not safe. Husbands and other male clan members, who can number up to 300, often set up round the c lock surveillance of the shelter, in which the woman has sought refuge. One young Muslim woman, who fled a planned forced marriage and is now living what the police term a ‘submarine existence’ (she is in hiding), said her father told her when she was a child never to play with German girls because they were whores and that he would kill her if he ever caught her playing with boys. This ‘man of honor’, she says, has now threatened to pour gasoline over her and burn her to death if he ever finds her.” This excerpt taken from the article Islam and Women goes to show that if a religion promotes this violence there is no way to stop it, this results in the high rate of domestic violence in Germany.
III. Conclusion
a. Summary of Supporting Information: (2 or 3 sentences)
b. Conclusion Reached:
After gathering all my thoughts on this issue, Muslim women face all the oppression and humiliation because of their religion. A man is allowed to beat his wife according to Islam, because “god” says its ok. So a Muslim woman in Afghanistan can’t call 911 or social services to intervene if she’s getting beaten and has broken bones everyday. What can she do? Nothing is the answer, because there is no separation of state and religion in Muslim countries. I came across so many articles about women who chose to change their faith because they were educated and realized that Islam has no respect for women. One might wonder how can a religion promoting such violence and abuse against women last so long? No one knows. American feminists haven’t stepped in the fight against Islam because it is controversial and can cause major uproar, so it is a topic that remains unaddressed. The representation of Muslim women in the media, are not all Muslim women but it is definitely the majority of Muslim women in eastern countries who deal with all these issues because of their religion. Perhaps the greatest abuse of Islam towards women is turning them into extremist suicide bombers. According to Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir, who has interviewed bin Laden, there is a ready supply of female Jihadists in his country alone who would be thrilled to help al Qaeda. "Our women are more extremist than the men," he said in a recent magazine interview. "There are hundreds here." Women who become suicide bombers are coerced into believing that they are finally doing the job of a man and that they will enter paradise, which is promised by Allah. Based on all of my research Islam seems to brainwash their followers. Men believe they have a right to abuse women, because Allah permits it, and women believe they deserve it because Allah says so. How do you put an end to this? Can you protest a religion that makes up 1.8 billion of the population?
a. Subject of Essay:
The representation of Muslim Women in the western media, has been slightly distorted for different reasons. In the common Western imagination, the image of a veiled Muslim woman stands for oppression. Images that are seen in the news portray women as helpless, ruled by males, and ruled by their religion. These images are very true, but they have been used for the wrong reasons.
b. Argument: (2 or 3 sentences)
These images are vivid in our minds when we think about women in Muslim countries, but they have become so much more persistent since 9/11. Many women feel the need to help with Afghani women that are oppressed by fundamentalist Taliban, the women who are covered head to toe with their burqas, unable to go to school or anywhere without the accompaniment of a male in their family. These are the images that the Bush administration has used to get moral justification for the military invasion of Afghanistan. There are so many untold horrors that these invasions have caused the women of Afghanistan. I would argue that the use of these images has been bad for us, in the countries of the West where they are mostly circulated; because of the effect they have on our capacity to appreciate the complexity of Muslim women’s lives as human beings. While this is true, throughout my research I found many interesting facts that contributes to the oppression of Muslim women, their religion is the key factor. Islam is a religion that has been rumored to be male dominating, during my research I found that it isn’t a rumor, women are belittled in this religion not by slightly suggesting it, but by clearly stating it in the verses known as suras in the Qur’an. I am a feminist, so while reading several articles about Islam and what it promotes, I felt so passionate to argue the other side of this argument which I presented. I would like to state that not all Muslim women deal with these hardships, mostly women in Afghanistan and Pakistan are faced with severe oppression. These images that are presented by the media should not represent all Muslim women. But the images of these women are real, and no woman should have to undergo any abuse or oppression because of their religion.
c. Method by which this paper will prove that argument:
In order to justify my claim that their religion promotes sexism and abuse towards women, I will quote several verses from the Qur’an and other articles.
II. Body
a. Paragraph 1: (state the overall point in a complete sentence.)
Islam was founded by Prophet Mohammed, the article “The Wondrous Treatment of Women in Islam” revealed the history of Prophet Mohammed which explains why the Qur’an is written so demeaning towards women.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
“Lets start with the "great" Mohammed himself, the founder of this "fabulous" faith. Mohammed was married to Khadija Bibi, his employer and 15 years his senior. At that time Mohammed was 25 years old. He was Khadija Bibi's third husband. Khadija Bibi was a widow when she married Mohammed. For the first time in his life, Mohammed enjoyed a luxurious life. This shows the parasitic nature of Mohammed who married his employer so that he can live a rich life without putting in a single day's work. Khadija Bibi died when Mohammed was 49 years old. Between the ages of 49 and 63 the "great prophet" married at least 11 times. This shows how he treated the institution of marriage. For him, women were nothing but objects for sexual fulfillment. Marrying at least 11 women in 14 years throws light on his insatiable sexual appetite. Mohammed's favorite wife was Ayesha Bibi who was 6 years old when she was married to him. Marrying a 6 year old baby clearly shows that Mohammed was not only a womanizer but also a child molester. Mohammed's adopted son Zayed was married to Zainab, daughter of Jahsh. But one day the prophet "beheld in a loose undress, the beauty of Zainab, and burst forth into an ejaculation of devotion and desire. The servile, or greatful, freeman (Zayed) understood the hint and yielded without hesitation to the love of the benefactor." Mohammed was not satisfied with his own overflowing harem and had to marry his son's wife. His son being a devoted follower of the "great" prophet was more than happy to divorce his wife. What a great father-in-law Mohammed was, a model for all Islamic father-in-laws.”Based on the excerpt, you begin to understand where Mohammed’s theories and justifications for some unacceptable behaviors come from. He was just a regular man who had an epiphany one day and decided he was the enlightened one. He then decided to share his “wisdom” in the form of Islam with everyone else. He was said to be Allah’s Prophet, in Islam a prophet is god’s messenger who is sent to relay spiritual teachings to their people. In Eastern culture tradition is so strong that this religion was passed on generation after generation.
Paragraph 2: (Repeat format of II (a), as necessary)
With regards to Muslim behavior toward women, let’s go to Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an. The following are a few verses pertaining to the treatment of women in Islam.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
Surah 4:15 “If any one of your women is guilty of lewdness...confine them until death claims them.” This Surah is also a warning to women that the Islamic god Allah is not forgiving when it comes to them and they will suffer death. But, note that the very next verse does forgive men for aberrant sexual behaviors
ii. (If needed, further evidence for the point)
Surah 4:16 “If two men among you commit indecency (sodomy) punish them both. If they repent and mend their ways, let them be. Allah is forgiving and merciful.” This verse clearly proves how sexist this was written.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
Surah 4:34 “Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other.. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them”. First point to notice here is that Quran clearly states that Men are superior to women. Secondly, Islam instructs that a man should control his woman through brutal violence and fear. Because men are superior to women they are also allowed to falsely testify against their wives, with little to no proof whatsoever and have said lies believed by Islam’s Shari’a court system. The Qur’an states:“As for those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves, let the testimony of one of them be four testimonies…” – Surah 24:6-7 Here we see, that a husband can easily accuse his wife (or wives) and eventually sentence her to death by merely declaring four times that the accusation is true. On the other hand, women have no such right in Islam.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
The Hadith, is oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed. There are several verses in the Hadith and Tirmzi which allows the discrimination of women by “god”. “If a woman's conduct is mischievous or immodest, the husband has the right to beat her up but must not break her bones. She must not allow anybody to enter the house if her husband does not like him. She has the right to expect sustenance of her husband. (TR. P 439) It is forbidden for a woman to be seen by any man except her husband when she is made up or well-dressed. (TR. P 430) A woman is not a believer if she undertakes a journey which may last three days or longer, unless she is accompanied by her husband, son, father.A woman must veil herself even in the presence of her husband's father, brother and other male relations. (TR. P 432) If prostration were a legitimate act other than to God, woman should have prostrated to her husband. (TR. P 428)
If a man is in a mood to have sexual intercourse the woman must come immediately even if she is baking bread at a communal oven. (TR. P 428) The marriage of a woman to her man is not substantive. It is precarious. For example if the father of the husband orders his son to divorce his wife, he must do so. (TR. P 440) A woman who seeks KHULA i.e. divorce from her man, without a just cause, shall not enter paradise. (TR. P 440) On the contrary, a husband can divorce his wife at will. Majority of women would go to hell. (Muslim P 1431) If a woman refuses to come to bed when invited by her husband, she becomes the target of the curses of angles. Exactly the same happens if she deserts her husband's bed. (Bokhari P 93) Women who are ungrateful to their men are the denizens of hell; it is an act of ingratitude for a woman to say: "I have never seen any good from you." (Bokhari P 96) A woman in many ways is deprived of the possession of her own body. Even her milk belongs to her husband. (Bokhari P 27) She is not allowed to practice birth control either”.
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
Australia’s most senior Muslim cleric, Sheik Hilali in a religious address on adultery to about 500 worshippers in Sydney said: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat? "The uncovered meat is the problem. If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred." These teachings have completely polluted the morality of Muslims so much that, if a woman is raped in an Islamic-run country, it is the woman’s fault. She will be put to death in an “honor killing”, while the rapist goes free to commit other future rapes. A lot of Australian Muslims were outraged by his remarks. Robert Spencer wrote in Frontpagemagazine that: It was also somewhat surprising that Al-Hilali’s remarks generated any uproar at all. After all, the idea that a woman is responsible if she is raped did not originate with him, and this was not the first time it has been enunciated in the West. One notorious example occurred in September 2004 in Denmark, when the mufti Shahid Mehdi of the Islamic Cultural Center in Copenhagen said on the Danish television program Talk to Gode that women who venture outside without a hijab are “asking for rape.”
i. Evidence for that point: (generally, this will be a cited quote from your research and an explanation of its relevance)
“In Germany the problem of domestic violence in Muslim homes is so bad that thirty per cent of the occupants in women’s shelters in German cities are Muslim. And even there, these unfortunate women are not safe. Husbands and other male clan members, who can number up to 300, often set up round the c lock surveillance of the shelter, in which the woman has sought refuge. One young Muslim woman, who fled a planned forced marriage and is now living what the police term a ‘submarine existence’ (she is in hiding), said her father told her when she was a child never to play with German girls because they were whores and that he would kill her if he ever caught her playing with boys. This ‘man of honor’, she says, has now threatened to pour gasoline over her and burn her to death if he ever finds her.” This excerpt taken from the article Islam and Women goes to show that if a religion promotes this violence there is no way to stop it, this results in the high rate of domestic violence in Germany.
III. Conclusion
a. Summary of Supporting Information: (2 or 3 sentences)
b. Conclusion Reached:
After gathering all my thoughts on this issue, Muslim women face all the oppression and humiliation because of their religion. A man is allowed to beat his wife according to Islam, because “god” says its ok. So a Muslim woman in Afghanistan can’t call 911 or social services to intervene if she’s getting beaten and has broken bones everyday. What can she do? Nothing is the answer, because there is no separation of state and religion in Muslim countries. I came across so many articles about women who chose to change their faith because they were educated and realized that Islam has no respect for women. One might wonder how can a religion promoting such violence and abuse against women last so long? No one knows. American feminists haven’t stepped in the fight against Islam because it is controversial and can cause major uproar, so it is a topic that remains unaddressed. The representation of Muslim women in the media, are not all Muslim women but it is definitely the majority of Muslim women in eastern countries who deal with all these issues because of their religion. Perhaps the greatest abuse of Islam towards women is turning them into extremist suicide bombers. According to Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir, who has interviewed bin Laden, there is a ready supply of female Jihadists in his country alone who would be thrilled to help al Qaeda. "Our women are more extremist than the men," he said in a recent magazine interview. "There are hundreds here." Women who become suicide bombers are coerced into believing that they are finally doing the job of a man and that they will enter paradise, which is promised by Allah. Based on all of my research Islam seems to brainwash their followers. Men believe they have a right to abuse women, because Allah permits it, and women believe they deserve it because Allah says so. How do you put an end to this? Can you protest a religion that makes up 1.8 billion of the population?
Rena Adler- Outline
I. Introduction
a. Following an event, different newspapers elect to convey or omit certain facts or details so as to effectively cater to the diverse needs and desires of their respective readers.
b. Although newspapers such as The New York Times argue that their portrayal of news is accurate, “in a world of second opinions, get the facts first”, in reality newspapers are politically slanted and display differing points of view to meet their readers needs. As illustrated in Where Trouble Comes, even when regarding a news story, “the report of the morning’s story becomes distorted, not only by height but by distance…”
c. The above argument can clearly be seen through the tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
i. For instance, The Guardian, a British newspaper, overtly states problems found in American infrastructure, “77,000 Bridges in Need of Urgent Repair.” Conversely, American newspapers such as The New York Times and New York Post work to tone down the severity of the matter, “States across the Country Race to Inspect Bridges.” The use of diction such as “urgent” which strongly connotes a sense that the bridges are in dire need of immediate repair, do not appear in American headlines.
II. Body
a. While American newspapers or films work to display nationalism and a sense of control rather than urgency and lack of proper attention, non- American newspapers are written for readers who do not have nationalistic feelings toward America.
i. For instance, The Guardian, a British newspaper, in direct contrast to American newspapers, states, “the collapse highlights again the lack of investment by the world’s superpower in much of its infrastructure…” The above statement is surely not one which Americans wish to hear. Indeed, The New York Post claims, “even after billions of tax dollars were spent to repair the city’s bridges over the past decade…”
ii. American newspapers such as The New York Times are sure to reiterate that necessary measures had been taken to prevent the collapse, “Governor Pawlenty said the bridge…was inspected in 2005 and 2006. No structural deficiencies were detected, he said. “
In addition, The New York Post states, “City Needs a Dr.; 84% of Crossings are Rated ‘Poor’ or ‘Fair’” thereby subtly causes readers to feel less worry toward the situation of bridges all over New York through comically relaying the city’s need to call upon a “doctor”.
iii. As Susan Sontag writes in Regarding the Pain of Others, "criticism of America does not sit well with the founding…powerful belief in American exceptionalism.”
iv. Additionally, in Where Trouble Comes, its author states that when making a film on Vietnam, John Wayne in The Green Berets worked to represent an ongoing message that is entrenched in Americans, the idea of “the American melting pot”, and that “Americans…protect innocents and promote democracy.”
b. Furthermore, newspapers which relay information that is outside their realm of readers, do not tend to give the news large amounts of prominence.
i. The Guardian does not choose to elaborate on the reasons for the disaster in Minnesota or what must be done in the future for other American bridges in need of repair. As The Guardian is written for non- American readers, their interest in an American bridge collapse is limited. Rather, it focuses upon the emotional aspects involving individual stories of escape, “cars started flying and I was falling and saw the water.” In contrast, The New York Times analyzes and intellectually examines the cause of the bridge collapse as well as what to do about similar problems found in bridges all over the United States. As The New York Times headline states, “Hundreds of Inspectors Check Nation’s Old Steel Bridges”
ii. As Richard Porter of BBC News relates, “in such a competitive market, you need to be clear about what you stand for, what your strengths are.”
c. Amongst newspapers, a simple news story contains many political facets and clear Democratic or Republican leanings.
i. The New York Times, a Democratic newspaper targeted toward Democratic readers, chose to portray Republican President George W. Bush from a strongly negative standpoint. Prior to the disaster in Minneapolis, President Bush had chosen to veto a bill which would increase taxes on gas in order to provide additional funds for bridge protection. As the title of a New York Times article states, “Bush Rejects Gas Tax as a Way to Shore up Bridges”. However, dislike toward President Bush then proceeds to a larger magnitude; The New York Times uses the opportunity of the bridge collapse as a way to augment past issues they had with the President. The article states, “Mr. Bush…using earmarks to pay for transportation projects like the one supposed to pay for “the bridge to nowhere” in Alaska…” and “America has had just about enough of President Bush’s misguided opportunities.” The ability of the New York Times to make a general statement about the opinion of all Americans, “America has just about had enough…”, shows they are targeted toward a fraction of American readers, namely, Democrats.
ii. Furthermore, The New York Times showed their negative, strongly Democratic position, on the War in Iraq through linking it to the devastation in Minnesota. In an article entitled, “Dad’s in Iraq and the Family’s on Edge”, New York Times journalist, Michael Winerip, writes, “The mother saw a look of fear and noticed her daughter’s eyes well up…That bridge collapsed in Minnesota of course, and Jay- Dee’s daddy is in Iraq”.
iii. In contrast, The New York Post articles are produced mainly for Republican readers. The writers of New York Post articles show President Bush in a positive manner: “President Bush said he would visit the disaster scene tomorrow…federal government would give aid to Minneapolis”. On the issue of the President vetoing a bill to increase gas taxes so as to provide funds for transportation projects, The New York Post writes, “President Bush should call off his plan to veto a bill that would provide much- needed funding…” By use of the word “should” The New York Post tones down the enormity of President Bush’s decision.
d. Aspects of a story that a newspaper article may choose to omit or relay often depends upon the size of the audience.
i. For instance, the New York Times articles are not aimed exclusively toward New Yorkers, but rather toward readers from all over the United States. This can be deduced from the fact that after the collapse of Minnesota’s bridge, The New York Times did not only focus on the dire state of New York bridges, “more than 2,000 bridges in New York State meet the federal government’s definition of ‘structurally deficient’”, but on bridges all over the country, “Missouri has only 11 bridges with a design similar to the one in Minneapolis, but Pennsylvania has about 55”.
ii. However, The New York Post is clearly targeted toward New York readers. This can be seen by the fact that after the catastrophe in Minnesota, The New York Post focused on bridges across New York that are in need of repair, “state inspectors have determined that 84 percent of the city’s 19 largest spans remain in poor or fair condition...” and “in New York we do not have any bridges that are structurally deficient”. The New York Post scarcely mentions the problems found in bridges all over the United States; something which is a prevalent topic in The New York Times.
e. Additionally, whether an audience is lower or upper class is a huge factor as to what the news stories will choose to relay.
i. For example, The New York Times relates the general story of the disaster that struck Minnesota, “at least 7 people were killed and more than 60 were injured”, as well as tell of the heroism of people such as Jeremy Hernandez who saved an entire bus load of children, in an article entitled, “Stunned Victim Turns Hero”, that is not their focal point. Rather, as they are written for well educated, upper class readers, the majority of articles analyze and intellectually examine the cause of the bridge collapse as well as what to do about similar problems found in bridges all over the United States. As The New York Times headline states, “Hundreds of Inspectors Check Nation’s Old Steel Bridges”.
ii. Unlike The New York Times, The New York Post is uninterested in the logistics of why the bridge collapsed, “it is clearly much too early in the initial stages of this investigation to have any idea what happened”. Instead, The New York Post’s articles tell countless personal anecdotes involving individual stories of escape from the collapsing bridge, “I slammed on my brakes and saw something in front of me disappear…” The New York Post provides for its lower and middle class readers by giving them the emotional aspects of the story.
III. Conclusion
a. Through news coverage of The New York Times, New York Post and The Guardian regarding the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one can clearly see that different newspapers choose to exclude or express information in order to effectively cater to the diverse needs of their readers. In addition, Where Trouble Comes and Susan Sontag’s Regarding the Pain of Others as well as BBC News work to further prove the argument’s validity.
b. Whether due to nationalism, political leanings, audience size, class or a desire to relay information that is most relevant to their readers, news coverage remains biased.
a. Following an event, different newspapers elect to convey or omit certain facts or details so as to effectively cater to the diverse needs and desires of their respective readers.
b. Although newspapers such as The New York Times argue that their portrayal of news is accurate, “in a world of second opinions, get the facts first”, in reality newspapers are politically slanted and display differing points of view to meet their readers needs. As illustrated in Where Trouble Comes, even when regarding a news story, “the report of the morning’s story becomes distorted, not only by height but by distance…”
c. The above argument can clearly be seen through the tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
i. For instance, The Guardian, a British newspaper, overtly states problems found in American infrastructure, “77,000 Bridges in Need of Urgent Repair.” Conversely, American newspapers such as The New York Times and New York Post work to tone down the severity of the matter, “States across the Country Race to Inspect Bridges.” The use of diction such as “urgent” which strongly connotes a sense that the bridges are in dire need of immediate repair, do not appear in American headlines.
II. Body
a. While American newspapers or films work to display nationalism and a sense of control rather than urgency and lack of proper attention, non- American newspapers are written for readers who do not have nationalistic feelings toward America.
i. For instance, The Guardian, a British newspaper, in direct contrast to American newspapers, states, “the collapse highlights again the lack of investment by the world’s superpower in much of its infrastructure…” The above statement is surely not one which Americans wish to hear. Indeed, The New York Post claims, “even after billions of tax dollars were spent to repair the city’s bridges over the past decade…”
ii. American newspapers such as The New York Times are sure to reiterate that necessary measures had been taken to prevent the collapse, “Governor Pawlenty said the bridge…was inspected in 2005 and 2006. No structural deficiencies were detected, he said. “
In addition, The New York Post states, “City Needs a Dr.; 84% of Crossings are Rated ‘Poor’ or ‘Fair’” thereby subtly causes readers to feel less worry toward the situation of bridges all over New York through comically relaying the city’s need to call upon a “doctor”.
iii. As Susan Sontag writes in Regarding the Pain of Others, "criticism of America does not sit well with the founding…powerful belief in American exceptionalism.”
iv. Additionally, in Where Trouble Comes, its author states that when making a film on Vietnam, John Wayne in The Green Berets worked to represent an ongoing message that is entrenched in Americans, the idea of “the American melting pot”, and that “Americans…protect innocents and promote democracy.”
b. Furthermore, newspapers which relay information that is outside their realm of readers, do not tend to give the news large amounts of prominence.
i. The Guardian does not choose to elaborate on the reasons for the disaster in Minnesota or what must be done in the future for other American bridges in need of repair. As The Guardian is written for non- American readers, their interest in an American bridge collapse is limited. Rather, it focuses upon the emotional aspects involving individual stories of escape, “cars started flying and I was falling and saw the water.” In contrast, The New York Times analyzes and intellectually examines the cause of the bridge collapse as well as what to do about similar problems found in bridges all over the United States. As The New York Times headline states, “Hundreds of Inspectors Check Nation’s Old Steel Bridges”
ii. As Richard Porter of BBC News relates, “in such a competitive market, you need to be clear about what you stand for, what your strengths are.”
c. Amongst newspapers, a simple news story contains many political facets and clear Democratic or Republican leanings.
i. The New York Times, a Democratic newspaper targeted toward Democratic readers, chose to portray Republican President George W. Bush from a strongly negative standpoint. Prior to the disaster in Minneapolis, President Bush had chosen to veto a bill which would increase taxes on gas in order to provide additional funds for bridge protection. As the title of a New York Times article states, “Bush Rejects Gas Tax as a Way to Shore up Bridges”. However, dislike toward President Bush then proceeds to a larger magnitude; The New York Times uses the opportunity of the bridge collapse as a way to augment past issues they had with the President. The article states, “Mr. Bush…using earmarks to pay for transportation projects like the one supposed to pay for “the bridge to nowhere” in Alaska…” and “America has had just about enough of President Bush’s misguided opportunities.” The ability of the New York Times to make a general statement about the opinion of all Americans, “America has just about had enough…”, shows they are targeted toward a fraction of American readers, namely, Democrats.
ii. Furthermore, The New York Times showed their negative, strongly Democratic position, on the War in Iraq through linking it to the devastation in Minnesota. In an article entitled, “Dad’s in Iraq and the Family’s on Edge”, New York Times journalist, Michael Winerip, writes, “The mother saw a look of fear and noticed her daughter’s eyes well up…That bridge collapsed in Minnesota of course, and Jay- Dee’s daddy is in Iraq”.
iii. In contrast, The New York Post articles are produced mainly for Republican readers. The writers of New York Post articles show President Bush in a positive manner: “President Bush said he would visit the disaster scene tomorrow…federal government would give aid to Minneapolis”. On the issue of the President vetoing a bill to increase gas taxes so as to provide funds for transportation projects, The New York Post writes, “President Bush should call off his plan to veto a bill that would provide much- needed funding…” By use of the word “should” The New York Post tones down the enormity of President Bush’s decision.
d. Aspects of a story that a newspaper article may choose to omit or relay often depends upon the size of the audience.
i. For instance, the New York Times articles are not aimed exclusively toward New Yorkers, but rather toward readers from all over the United States. This can be deduced from the fact that after the collapse of Minnesota’s bridge, The New York Times did not only focus on the dire state of New York bridges, “more than 2,000 bridges in New York State meet the federal government’s definition of ‘structurally deficient’”, but on bridges all over the country, “Missouri has only 11 bridges with a design similar to the one in Minneapolis, but Pennsylvania has about 55”.
ii. However, The New York Post is clearly targeted toward New York readers. This can be seen by the fact that after the catastrophe in Minnesota, The New York Post focused on bridges across New York that are in need of repair, “state inspectors have determined that 84 percent of the city’s 19 largest spans remain in poor or fair condition...” and “in New York we do not have any bridges that are structurally deficient”. The New York Post scarcely mentions the problems found in bridges all over the United States; something which is a prevalent topic in The New York Times.
e. Additionally, whether an audience is lower or upper class is a huge factor as to what the news stories will choose to relay.
i. For example, The New York Times relates the general story of the disaster that struck Minnesota, “at least 7 people were killed and more than 60 were injured”, as well as tell of the heroism of people such as Jeremy Hernandez who saved an entire bus load of children, in an article entitled, “Stunned Victim Turns Hero”, that is not their focal point. Rather, as they are written for well educated, upper class readers, the majority of articles analyze and intellectually examine the cause of the bridge collapse as well as what to do about similar problems found in bridges all over the United States. As The New York Times headline states, “Hundreds of Inspectors Check Nation’s Old Steel Bridges”.
ii. Unlike The New York Times, The New York Post is uninterested in the logistics of why the bridge collapsed, “it is clearly much too early in the initial stages of this investigation to have any idea what happened”. Instead, The New York Post’s articles tell countless personal anecdotes involving individual stories of escape from the collapsing bridge, “I slammed on my brakes and saw something in front of me disappear…” The New York Post provides for its lower and middle class readers by giving them the emotional aspects of the story.
III. Conclusion
a. Through news coverage of The New York Times, New York Post and The Guardian regarding the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one can clearly see that different newspapers choose to exclude or express information in order to effectively cater to the diverse needs of their readers. In addition, Where Trouble Comes and Susan Sontag’s Regarding the Pain of Others as well as BBC News work to further prove the argument’s validity.
b. Whether due to nationalism, political leanings, audience size, class or a desire to relay information that is most relevant to their readers, news coverage remains biased.
Jessica- Outline
I. Introduction: Developed Nations lack of attention to situations beforehand which is better observed by the media to help control matters before they begin.
a. In many cases, it can be observed that the root of a problem can be traced way back in time where circumstances begin brewing the essence of a new situation. Normally at the beginning of a problem, people tend to ignore the situation as in its present state, it cannot pose a threat to anyone, but little do they know that the little speck of problem can build up and create a wide rift in our lives. Each society is presented with their own problems but the developed nations, the U.S. and England amongst the vast numbers, gain the upper-hand as they can cooperate from such incidents faster than an under-developed nation. In this case, under-established nations should also gain help from the developed countries which there is a shortage of at the time.
b. According to my interpretations and surroundings, it can be stated that progressed countries, lack the help and support they can provide to other countries. On the other hand, sources of media are able to instill a much needed support to these countries that are not already established as they peak their heads much farther than anybody else and go in depth for any case.
c. This bold claim can be backed up with two sources from different newspaper articles and texts from a book with examples incorporating natural disasters and racial seperations.
II. Body
a. When unexpected events, such as natural disasters occur, one may think that nothing can be done beforehand as it is just nature's fury upon us but this isn't true. Before any disaster or catastrophe occurs one must have precautions and safety measures instead of being left vulnerable and who would be better off handling this much needed support except developed nations, who already posses the technology advanced to protect themselves against the weather or even have devices called warning systems that prevent the unnecessary loss of lives. But unfortunately the media is always ahead in resolving the matters than any progressed county itself.
i. A piece of evidence was collected from the New York Times, which evidently reports "A tsunami warning system that could have saved thousands of lives in Southeast Asia is being encouraged by the United Nations. The technology to detect earthquakes under the sea and predict their consequences already exists in the Pacific and must now be extended to the Indian Ocean." As you can construe from this citation, Developed areas surrounding the Pacific Ocean had already developed these warning systems in advance but these surrounding countries in the Pacific should have taken a step to help establish systems in the Indian Ocean which would have been a sensible thing to do. If developed nations could build such devices for the protection of their people, why didn't this useful knowledge spread in order to save the lives of thousands in poverty areas. The media places the emphasis on this issue through the newspaper and finally the United Nations, an Well-established Nation is finally showing some importance to the issue.
b. Racial barriers is yet another issue that can be helped by progressed-countries who are in the condition to react and help lessen any true horrible events from taking place such as genocides. Like always, the media's input through photographs of the genocides that were occurring by the hands of the Nazi Party in Germany triggered World War II and the downfall of Hitler and the Nazi's who were on a mission to cleanse their country of Jewish people by exterminating their kind along with disabled people and Gypsies.
i. A piece of evidence from the text-book Seeing and Writing 3, a Susan Sontag essay titled Regarding the Pain of Others, quotes " All memory is individual, unreproducible-- it dies with each person. What is called collective memory is not a remembering but a stipulating: that this is important, and this is the story of how it happened, with the pictures that lock the story in our minds... Important Historical Moments; indeed, the triumphalist ones (the picture of the A-bomb excepted) become postage stamps. Fortunately, there is no one signature picture of the Nazi death camps." From this intense little quote, you can make out that the images, photographs, or even historical films that are produced by the media leave an ever-lasting impression on the viewer which leads to the person, group or even nation to take a step against the violence being promoted and to support those in need of help who can't defend themselves against tyrants, immorals or their enemies. Sontag also states in this quote that each picture gives us a sense of the general backround story as pictures tell a thousand words. When the United States of America and the Great Britain viewed these harsh images of the Jews being burned in stoves in the concentration camps in themorning paper while having breakfast, or on the radio while enjoying their sports or entertainment, a tough reaction and a response was bound to form against the cruelty that was being practiced.
III. Conclusion
a. The Natural Disaster and Racial Differentiations examples help expand everyone's view on the lack of efficiency the Developed Nations are providing with their attention and time to tackle each issue at hand. If each progressed country focused on other less-efficient countries that are not highly advanced on technology, then each problem will be lessened or finished before it becomes a reason for a big situation which is created due to the lack of attentiveness.
b. As you as the reader might have grasped by the end of this essay through the evidences provided, that the media's response to each issue is the quickest as they approach each event thoroughly right to the last detail while the Developed Nations as a whole, take each issue with a delayed response and this response only occurs after it has been brought to their attention by the media first. The heat put on these Progressed Nations by the media puts the countries in a bad position which they must correct and alter by providing aid.
a. In many cases, it can be observed that the root of a problem can be traced way back in time where circumstances begin brewing the essence of a new situation. Normally at the beginning of a problem, people tend to ignore the situation as in its present state, it cannot pose a threat to anyone, but little do they know that the little speck of problem can build up and create a wide rift in our lives. Each society is presented with their own problems but the developed nations, the U.S. and England amongst the vast numbers, gain the upper-hand as they can cooperate from such incidents faster than an under-developed nation. In this case, under-established nations should also gain help from the developed countries which there is a shortage of at the time.
b. According to my interpretations and surroundings, it can be stated that progressed countries, lack the help and support they can provide to other countries. On the other hand, sources of media are able to instill a much needed support to these countries that are not already established as they peak their heads much farther than anybody else and go in depth for any case.
c. This bold claim can be backed up with two sources from different newspaper articles and texts from a book with examples incorporating natural disasters and racial seperations.
II. Body
a. When unexpected events, such as natural disasters occur, one may think that nothing can be done beforehand as it is just nature's fury upon us but this isn't true. Before any disaster or catastrophe occurs one must have precautions and safety measures instead of being left vulnerable and who would be better off handling this much needed support except developed nations, who already posses the technology advanced to protect themselves against the weather or even have devices called warning systems that prevent the unnecessary loss of lives. But unfortunately the media is always ahead in resolving the matters than any progressed county itself.
i. A piece of evidence was collected from the New York Times, which evidently reports "A tsunami warning system that could have saved thousands of lives in Southeast Asia is being encouraged by the United Nations. The technology to detect earthquakes under the sea and predict their consequences already exists in the Pacific and must now be extended to the Indian Ocean." As you can construe from this citation, Developed areas surrounding the Pacific Ocean had already developed these warning systems in advance but these surrounding countries in the Pacific should have taken a step to help establish systems in the Indian Ocean which would have been a sensible thing to do. If developed nations could build such devices for the protection of their people, why didn't this useful knowledge spread in order to save the lives of thousands in poverty areas. The media places the emphasis on this issue through the newspaper and finally the United Nations, an Well-established Nation is finally showing some importance to the issue.
b. Racial barriers is yet another issue that can be helped by progressed-countries who are in the condition to react and help lessen any true horrible events from taking place such as genocides. Like always, the media's input through photographs of the genocides that were occurring by the hands of the Nazi Party in Germany triggered World War II and the downfall of Hitler and the Nazi's who were on a mission to cleanse their country of Jewish people by exterminating their kind along with disabled people and Gypsies.
i. A piece of evidence from the text-book Seeing and Writing 3, a Susan Sontag essay titled Regarding the Pain of Others, quotes " All memory is individual, unreproducible-- it dies with each person. What is called collective memory is not a remembering but a stipulating: that this is important, and this is the story of how it happened, with the pictures that lock the story in our minds... Important Historical Moments; indeed, the triumphalist ones (the picture of the A-bomb excepted) become postage stamps. Fortunately, there is no one signature picture of the Nazi death camps." From this intense little quote, you can make out that the images, photographs, or even historical films that are produced by the media leave an ever-lasting impression on the viewer which leads to the person, group or even nation to take a step against the violence being promoted and to support those in need of help who can't defend themselves against tyrants, immorals or their enemies. Sontag also states in this quote that each picture gives us a sense of the general backround story as pictures tell a thousand words. When the United States of America and the Great Britain viewed these harsh images of the Jews being burned in stoves in the concentration camps in themorning paper while having breakfast, or on the radio while enjoying their sports or entertainment, a tough reaction and a response was bound to form against the cruelty that was being practiced.
III. Conclusion
a. The Natural Disaster and Racial Differentiations examples help expand everyone's view on the lack of efficiency the Developed Nations are providing with their attention and time to tackle each issue at hand. If each progressed country focused on other less-efficient countries that are not highly advanced on technology, then each problem will be lessened or finished before it becomes a reason for a big situation which is created due to the lack of attentiveness.
b. As you as the reader might have grasped by the end of this essay through the evidences provided, that the media's response to each issue is the quickest as they approach each event thoroughly right to the last detail while the Developed Nations as a whole, take each issue with a delayed response and this response only occurs after it has been brought to their attention by the media first. The heat put on these Progressed Nations by the media puts the countries in a bad position which they must correct and alter by providing aid.
Insia Saleh - Outline of essay on effects of media over society
I. Introduction about Media: Media can make or break the society.
A.Media reporting is not for the benefit of the public but benefit to themselves, which they can get even going out of their way.
B. 1. The media, facing fierce competitions in their own world, always reports incidents dramatically and sometimes even in sleazier way to attract the viewer ship but gives little thought to the ramifications and consequences of an eye-catching coverage of the story.
2. The way of reporting is in such a way as to allow people to get a false impression for the sake of a good story.
3. Media also sometimes gets biased and shows only one sided story, pushing a viewpoint, instead of reporting news in an objective way.
C. 1. They exaggerate certain irrelevant stories.
2. In order to get good ratings and to get rich, media is often held in a similar level regard, like politicians, in blaming other kinds media like violent movies, video games and music.
II. Body:
A.Media repeatedly reports the crime in such dramatic manner that one can have a false interpretation of doing the same thing.
1.Virginia Tech killer, Cho Seung-Hui was reported as a kind of hero by reporting his pictures on front page, with weapons in his hands.
i.By reporting again and again gives importance to the killer, who receives publicity and anyone who want to become famous can inspire by that and repeat the same thing and gain publicity.
ii.New York Post reported one of the pictures of the shooter on their newspaper on April 18, 2007, and said, “After he killed two people but before he slaughtered 30 more at Virginia Tech, killer Cho Seung-Hui sent NBC a package, including this chilling image…”
iii.New York Post again reported on April 19, 2007, “Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui took a break between murders to mail a chilling multimedia missive - which included videos explaining the twisted reasons why "I did it. I had to!" and dozens of snapshots of himself in hostile poses with guns.”
iv.Word usage like “chilling” and “hostile poses” are attractive for one who can be easily convinced and weak minded person who want to become famous.
B.Media generally gets biased and favors one side over the other and shows only one sided story.
1.By presenting only one side of the story concerning the war in Iraq, the mainstream media gives the American public an incomplete and inaccurate picture of what is really happening and they avoided reporting about the consequences of the war.
i.During Iraq war voting, media was passively supporting the war and was giving reasons why we should go for war.
ii.On August 21, 2002, The New York Times reported, “The Bush administration has floated a succession of possible justifications for war with Iraq -- Saddam Hussein's purported links with international terrorism, Baghdad's membership in a worldwide ''axis of evil,'' Iraq's efforts to develop nuclear weapons.”
iii.The New York Times on Sept. 30, 2002, reported, “Undoubtedly, Saddam Hussein is eager to procure weapons of mass destruction, including a nuclear bomb, and to dominate the Persian Gulf region. These facts provide the basis for strong arguments in favor of removing him from power.”
iv.By reporting all these reasons favoring war, changes people’s minds and they get public support under the influence of politicians.
v.But after 5 years, now all know that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and unnecessarily we plunged into a war.
C.Media reports only interesting story through which it can get more viewer ship and avoids important stories.
i.Media is an industry and all businesses concern with the advertising and selling their merchandise and same concept is followed by the media.
ii.The media gives more attention to violent acts than to acts of kindness.
iii.Newspapers reports, “One US soldier and two Marines were killed and seven other service members were wounded in Iraq, along with at least 18 deaths from a suicide car-bomber near the Syrian border. This brings total Coalition deaths in Iraq to 1,800.” But news of a baby girl with a circulatory condition who needed surgery getting medical help from US soldiers and a concerned nurse did not become news, nor will it be included in a media release.---Michael Yon Online Magazine
iv.Media reports gossips like Jennifer Lopez delivered twins in its front page and charity acts like Brangelina’s charity was reported somewhere in the small section of 5th or 6th page.
III. Conclusion:
A.Media gets biased, reports in a dramatic way and also in a sleazier way to increase its viewer ship and to sell its product. We have seen above, all the taunts and tricks that media uses to make money.
B.Fair and accurate reporting could do much to change the public’s opinion, merely by providing both sides of the story.
C.Great care should be given to the way media reports stories. Improper reporting techniques can lead to “contagion” crimes (copycat crimes)
D.The media must retain the ability to present information accurately and quickly, while presenting many points of view.
A.Media reporting is not for the benefit of the public but benefit to themselves, which they can get even going out of their way.
B. 1. The media, facing fierce competitions in their own world, always reports incidents dramatically and sometimes even in sleazier way to attract the viewer ship but gives little thought to the ramifications and consequences of an eye-catching coverage of the story.
2. The way of reporting is in such a way as to allow people to get a false impression for the sake of a good story.
3. Media also sometimes gets biased and shows only one sided story, pushing a viewpoint, instead of reporting news in an objective way.
C. 1. They exaggerate certain irrelevant stories.
2. In order to get good ratings and to get rich, media is often held in a similar level regard, like politicians, in blaming other kinds media like violent movies, video games and music.
II. Body:
A.Media repeatedly reports the crime in such dramatic manner that one can have a false interpretation of doing the same thing.
1.Virginia Tech killer, Cho Seung-Hui was reported as a kind of hero by reporting his pictures on front page, with weapons in his hands.
i.By reporting again and again gives importance to the killer, who receives publicity and anyone who want to become famous can inspire by that and repeat the same thing and gain publicity.
ii.New York Post reported one of the pictures of the shooter on their newspaper on April 18, 2007, and said, “After he killed two people but before he slaughtered 30 more at Virginia Tech, killer Cho Seung-Hui sent NBC a package, including this chilling image…”
iii.New York Post again reported on April 19, 2007, “Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui took a break between murders to mail a chilling multimedia missive - which included videos explaining the twisted reasons why "I did it. I had to!" and dozens of snapshots of himself in hostile poses with guns.”
iv.Word usage like “chilling” and “hostile poses” are attractive for one who can be easily convinced and weak minded person who want to become famous.
B.Media generally gets biased and favors one side over the other and shows only one sided story.
1.By presenting only one side of the story concerning the war in Iraq, the mainstream media gives the American public an incomplete and inaccurate picture of what is really happening and they avoided reporting about the consequences of the war.
i.During Iraq war voting, media was passively supporting the war and was giving reasons why we should go for war.
ii.On August 21, 2002, The New York Times reported, “The Bush administration has floated a succession of possible justifications for war with Iraq -- Saddam Hussein's purported links with international terrorism, Baghdad's membership in a worldwide ''axis of evil,'' Iraq's efforts to develop nuclear weapons.”
iii.The New York Times on Sept. 30, 2002, reported, “Undoubtedly, Saddam Hussein is eager to procure weapons of mass destruction, including a nuclear bomb, and to dominate the Persian Gulf region. These facts provide the basis for strong arguments in favor of removing him from power.”
iv.By reporting all these reasons favoring war, changes people’s minds and they get public support under the influence of politicians.
v.But after 5 years, now all know that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and unnecessarily we plunged into a war.
C.Media reports only interesting story through which it can get more viewer ship and avoids important stories.
i.Media is an industry and all businesses concern with the advertising and selling their merchandise and same concept is followed by the media.
ii.The media gives more attention to violent acts than to acts of kindness.
iii.Newspapers reports, “One US soldier and two Marines were killed and seven other service members were wounded in Iraq, along with at least 18 deaths from a suicide car-bomber near the Syrian border. This brings total Coalition deaths in Iraq to 1,800.” But news of a baby girl with a circulatory condition who needed surgery getting medical help from US soldiers and a concerned nurse did not become news, nor will it be included in a media release.---Michael Yon Online Magazine
iv.Media reports gossips like Jennifer Lopez delivered twins in its front page and charity acts like Brangelina’s charity was reported somewhere in the small section of 5th or 6th page.
III. Conclusion:
A.Media gets biased, reports in a dramatic way and also in a sleazier way to increase its viewer ship and to sell its product. We have seen above, all the taunts and tricks that media uses to make money.
B.Fair and accurate reporting could do much to change the public’s opinion, merely by providing both sides of the story.
C.Great care should be given to the way media reports stories. Improper reporting techniques can lead to “contagion” crimes (copycat crimes)
D.The media must retain the ability to present information accurately and quickly, while presenting many points of view.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
3.20.08
Those of you who have had your topics approved can move on to the next phase, which is composing a five to six page paper along the lines described in the prompt found here. Your next step, then, is to sketch the paper out in outline form for Wednesday, March 26th. Look over the tutorial on developing an outline. The key here will be to develop a topic sentence for each paragraph and to find evidence to back it up. I've posted here a sample format that needs to be followed. This outline is rather comprehensive, so don't start Tuesday night. When finished, the bulk of the work for your essay will be done.
Post the outline here for your classmates to see, and also bring a copy to class on the 26th.
Those of you who have not yet received approval for your topic need to immediately. You will not get feedback from me or be able to turn in a paper until that step is completed.
In addition, for Wednesday, read and be ready to discuss (and be quizzed) on the New Yorker article to the right about one of the soldiers and photographs taken at Abu Ghraib. And expect a quiz on the reading.
Post the outline here for your classmates to see, and also bring a copy to class on the 26th.
Those of you who have not yet received approval for your topic need to immediately. You will not get feedback from me or be able to turn in a paper until that step is completed.
In addition, for Wednesday, read and be ready to discuss (and be quizzed) on the New Yorker article to the right about one of the soldiers and photographs taken at Abu Ghraib. And expect a quiz on the reading.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Arielle's New Topic
In the excerpt "Regarding the Pain of Others," by Susan Sontag, she claims that "there is no such thing as collective memory, but there is collective instruction." Sontag uses the idea of collectivity to help explain that memories of tragic events such as the Holocaust are not necessarily permanent or important to each person. The reason for this apathy is that each memory is based on the individual and the effect this memory might have on the individual. Consequently, there is a need for direction. Collective instruction encourages people to care and demands for horrific events such as the Holocaust to be remembered, without any excuses. Commemoration is one method of forcing people to learn about historical tragedies. Therefore, museums such as the Israeli Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem, purposefully designed the museum in an architectural manner which forces each visitor to pass through each exhibit and stimulates introspection amongst all. Memorialization methods, such as the layout of Yad Vashem, promote awareness and activism. Other commemorative ways, such as representation in the media and photographs, help with the progression of history, and ensure that there are constant reminders of the past that help shape our future. Archives and memorials are crucial in aiding everyone to identify with the tragedy.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
veronica , New thesis
MEDIA PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN MANIPULATING THE WAY PEOPLE THINK TOWARD AN ISSUE.THE MISSISSSIPPI RIVER BRIDGE IS A LATETLY EXAMPLE HOW THE MEDIA CAN USE THE DISASTER TO MAKE THE PEOPLE FOCUS ON HOW BAD THEIR COUNTRY IS ACTING TOWARD THEIR DOMESTIC PROBLEMS,EXAMPLE THE GUARDIN IS A EXTERIOR NEWSPAPER WHILE COVERING THE DISASTR IT MAINLY FOCUS ON HOW THE USA IS NOT DOING A GOOD USE OF THE MONEY.DO YOU RHINK THE MEDIA CAN CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT AN ISSUE?
Andrea Varnava-Thesis Statement?
Through out history peoples obsession with disaster exploits affected families pain for their own entertainment. After major disasters occur many movies are made, these movies soon become history and this is what people remember.
Elizabeth John Thesis Statement (hopefully almost there)
There is a certain phenomena that occurs when media reports are released about the death of an important individual, the story evolves around the events of what happened in the persons last minutes alive, and how the person passed, these are key questions that need to be answered by the media because as a viewer when death occurs these questions are of interest, and the media is a basic source to recieve this information, and when the media cannot produce the details they become obsessed with the missing information since they are not reporting the whole story to the public.
Golda Markowitz- Thesis Statement
Public responses to tragic events often correlate with the magnitude of the attention they receive in the media, which in turn is greatly influenced by the socio-economic classes of the victims of the tragedy. For instance, due to the fact that Minneapolis is a wealthy, upper class area, it attracted major aid from the government and the public in reponse to the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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