Taxes, Poor People, and the rhetoric of the animal

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
World of Class Warfare - The Poor's Free Ride Is Over
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Context: Here, John Stewart is criticizing conservatives claim that raising the taxes on the rich would not help balance the budget.

1.) He shows how conservatives contradict themselves when they say that "we have to start somewhere" (meaning cutting programs), but say that raising taxes on the rich will not produce enough revenue to help the budget.  "When its cuts its a million dollars, but when its taxed its 700,000,000 milion dollars. . ."  

2.) Rather than taxing the rich, the conservatives argue that we should consider that "51%" of Americans pay nothing at all. The solution: we should "broaden the base,' which means that we need to make sure everyone pays something in income taxes. This yields the claim: The poor are on a 'free ride'

a sub point that Stewart makes between the main arguments is that these people don't have a job. Furthermore, his rhetoric "esta over" is a (not so) subtle claim that the poor are mexican immigrants (who are purportedly 'taking our jobs away'). This is not so much an argument, but a suggestion by Stewart that the conservatives may be targeting a particular class of people--immigrants. This is significant because immigration is another important issue in today's political climate.

3.) Conservatives: Taxing the 'poor' (euphemistically said 'broaden the base) will help balance the budget.

4.) Stewart: The poor control 2.5% of our nation's wealth. Stewart rounds this figure to about 1.4 trillion dollars "of everything they have on this earth."

5.) Stewart proposes let's take half of that. That's a 50% tax on the poor's income, which is an insane tax rate that would never pass. The conservatives are merely calling for a contribution, but surely even they would not tax 50%!

6.) Half of 1.4 trillion is 700,000,000 ---Where does this number sound familiar?

7.) 700,000,000 dollars is the amount of revenue (within 10 years) that would occur if we raised the tax rate on the top 2% only minimally (at least that's the way I understand it. For more information about this see:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/us/politics/obama-tax-plan-would-ask-more-of-millionaires.html?pagewanted=all).

8.) Conservatives claim this is only a "fraction" of the government's budget, but this is precisely the amount that we would be able to generate if we took half of what the nation's poor owned in this world.


So, even if the tax base is "broadened" and everyone pays something (the bottom 50% included), considering that no sane person would consider taxing the poor 50% of what they own, this will generate less revenue in order to balance the budget.


The bottom line: a wavy one at that. . .

Since the conservatives  can no longer appeal to an economic incentive, their argument can only be justified by what one might call "fairness." The question we would then have to ask is, is it fair for the "makers" to carry the "takers" in the society? Is it fair for the rich to be burdened with balancing the budget?

This is a complex question and one that depends on your beliefs of the role of government, the role of business, and the role of the nation's wealthy. As Stewart points out in another segment regarding our "first world" status, we may be considered "third world" in that we have a VERY large gap in income inequality.

Now, the argument we might make is that these "rich" people are job creators and producers in society whereas many of the poor are not. However, we have to ask if our society would even function if all of these people stopped working their more mundane jobs that are supposedly created through the rich's benevolence. Who is more "productive" in society: the cleaning ladies at a hotel or big investors?

I want to make clear that this is not an easy question and it rests on one's values and definitions. However, there does seem to be a kind of misunderstanding or disregard for people we consider poor. Before we claim that it is "unfair" for the rich to carry such a burden, we need to remember that we are not all on an equal playing field. Rather, there are historical circumstances that have advantaged some people at the expense of others. To claim that the status quo is not already implicated in a kind of "class warfare" does not take into account the socio-political history of this country.

Furthermore, the fact that the "poor" have "modern conveniences" just show how necessary it is to have things like cell phones to participate in today's society.

Rhetoric of the Animal

 Indeed, if these people did not have these "modern conveniences" we may consider them more like "animals" because they are still using "primitive" methods. So, it seems as though we are saying that having these modern conveniences doesn't make them any less of an animal. As Stewart points out, this rhetoric is already employed in conservative arguments. The poor are described as:

Parasites
racoons
"irresponsible animals"

Ascribing animals status to those of us who are different than us in order to persecute them is a common tactic when we want to commit some sort of injustice against them. As an analogy, we used the same kind of language to designate Jews (they were "rats") who were destroying the economy. I make this statement NOT to suggest that the conservatives are like "Hitler," but rather that the use of these terms have justified some pretty horrible stuff. I refuse to engage in the hyperbolic rhetoric that calls Obama Hitler or Bush Hitler, but it is a fact that calling the poor "parasites" and "racoons" resonate with historical rhetorical tactics.

Compare this "animal rhetoric" with the way Buffet (and sometimes conservatives) claim they are being treated:

"These and other blessings are showered upon us by legislators in Washington who feel compelled to protect us, much as if we were spotted owls or some other endangered species" (Buffet, "Stop coddling the rich").

Buffet is not the only one to use this rhetoric, as Stewart points out in another segment.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Moneybrawl - The Extinction of Subway, Bill O'Reilly & the Super Rich
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The Rhetoric of the Endangered Species

So let's recap here. We have a contrast between 2 types of animal:

The Poor are parasites, racoons, , 'animals' (in general) 

These are all animals that we consider "pests" who mooch off those who are "producing." But, of course, we would have to take into account that racoons are only mooching off, say, the middle class, who are not producing that rotten produce that they throw away because its a day old, but bought it at a grocery store. A grocery store that probably shipped that rotten tomato from some poorer country, who are producing the 'produce' we sell in the store.

The Rich are endangered species

Why do we protect endangered species? Do they add something essential to our ecosystem? Have we forgotten the idea of natural selection?

I'd like to suggest that perhaps we protect endangered species because they are beautiful to behold. To be really cynical, its as if we protect them so we have a more diverse zoo for human beings to look at. Endangered species are the "exceptions" to the animal realm--they are the rare ones that are difficult to attain. Sound familiar? Are we creating diversity or are we valuing these animals because they are rare like how we value people of an exceptional nature and in the same way that we except ourselves from the designation "animal"?

To end my exploration, I'd like to return to the response to Warren Buffet's article:

"The best way to balance the budget is for the economy to produce a lot more American success stories like Warren Buffett." (Stephen Moore, "Warren Buffet is wrong on Taxes"). 


Just as we see endangered species as exceptional, rare, and important, we see millionaires/billionaires as exceptional, rare, and important. Why do we look up to these people as if they were superhuman beings? Do we really want to be them?

Sequence versus Structure

When you read "The Banking Concept of Education," I want you to focus on the structure of the argument. This is slightly different from the 'sequence'

The 'sequence' of the argument would be "then Freire argures. . .then this. . .then this. . ." Talking about the "sequence" lends to paraphrasing the entire argument.

Instead, I want you to focus on the structure. So try to focus on how Freire transitions between paragraphs and then how the paragraphs work together to create a linear argument. The question to ask is not "what's next" but why is what's next in that position? Why did F. argue this before this? Are there 'premises' at the beginning that are necessary for F. to argue his further points. What contrasts does F. set up?

Great Student Example of Summary/Analysis

Summary/Analysis of Kanye West’s “Power”

            Rapper Kanye West, well-known for his cleverly-constructed yet controversial song lyrics and videos, compares his rise in the music industry to the rise to the superiority of Greek gods in his video “Power”. In this one minute and forty-three second video, a stern and omnipotent West plays the role of a Greek god as a number of subordinate Athenian characters slowly and gracefully move around him. West, who gradually marches forward in front of the open gates of heaven, exerts dominance and resilience even in the growing presence of these characters, which symbolize what he calls “the cruel world”. In both the lyrics and video, Kanye West reminds critics that his rise to the elite as a rapper has given him such power and responsibility that no one can knock him off his pedestal except for power itself.

Through his body language, Kanye West captures the role and journey he has taken as a song artist. He embodies a tough-as-nails persona through his piercing eyes and bull-like charge in his walk. As West steps forward, he encounters a growing crowd of Athenian figures, most of which are females portrayed as sex symbols. West’s forward walk signifies his ascending toward the pinnacle of his music career. The encounter of the female characters as well as the two male characters that leap in the air and draw their swords refer to the distractions that West himself inevitably faces in his career: women in search of fame, sex, or money; criticism from the media; and feuds with other artists. Just as notable is the placement of the female figures that resemble runway models; West deliberately positions these Athenian female characters below him to indicate that women are inferior to him. Throughout the entire video, West stares straight ahead

at the viewer, paying no attention to the characters surrounding him; by doing so, West insinuates that his focus is on his career and that he will not let anyone keep him from attaining and maintaining success in the music industry.

In addition to body language, Kanye West’s choice of words to describe himself and to address his critics highlights his egocentric personality. West admits that he “embodies every characteristic of the egotistic,” and in the chorus, he refers to himself as a “21^st century schizoid man.” Schizoid, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is a type of personality disorder characterized by aloofness and detachment from others, little desire or enjoyment for close relationships, “difficulty relating to others, indifference towards praise or criticism, and daydreams or vivid fantasies about complex inner lives.” These characteristics may well describe Kanye West, but it is the deliberate insertion of the phrases “embodies every characteristic of the egotistic” and “21^st century schizoid man” that one realizes that West is fully aware of his arrogant, self-centered personality. This awareness empowers him to ward off any form of criticism hurled at him.

 In the music business, great power draws greater scrutiny from the media and the public. As Kanye West points out in his lyrics, many of his critics believe that West is an “abomination of Obama’s nation” or a hated figure in present-day American society.  While such a comment may have at first offended West, West simply shrugs it off and reminds critics that “at the end of the day goddamn it he is killin’ [it]/[he] knows damn well [his critics and supporters] are feelin’ [it].” In other words, despite people’s abhorrence toward him, he continues to excel in both album sales and song charts. His music still resonates with people, and based on his prolonged success in record sales and on billboard charts, people continue to value his music, which is what matters to him most.                                                                                                                       

Finally, in an unexpected turn of events, Kanye West adds a suicidal element to the end of the song when he reiterates that he is “jumping out the window [and] letting everything go”. While West accepts and embraces the power that he has gained through his success as a music artist, West knows that he is vulnerable to the added pressure and scrutiny that comes with power. This overwhelming pressure can eventually lead to the demise of the powerful, but West sees this tragedy as a “beautiful death”. In this paradox, West suggests that there is beauty in the reassuring fact that by achieving success in his career, he has obtained the freedom and power to rid himself of everything he has gained. One may question why West would want to purge himself of his accomplishments. In response, West implies that he is only human and that one can only take so much pressure before he or she can no longer handle the demands of the media and the public, thus leading the almighty to dispose his or her power.

In the video “Power,” Kanye West appears not as a human being but as a god; a force that shows no sign of slowing down or losing strength, but beneath his tough exterior lays this vulnerability that feeds on growing power. As shown in his dominant stride, West, infamous for his detached, self-absorbed personality, embraces his egotism in order to protect himself from those figures—women, critics, foes--that take advantage of him or that wish to see him fail. In the lyrics, West considers himself “chosen” in a “white man’s world”, given the adversities that those particularly in the black community are going through such as poverty, education, and incarceration, and yet he still struggles with his own hardships, including taking on adult responsibilities as a prominent musical figure in society. For West, “reality is catching up with [him] taking [his] inner child [while he is] fighting for custody,” his “inner child” being that comfort zone that allows him to use his imagination and to engage in complex and creative thinking. This obstacle suggests that while Kanye West’s critics are not a major threat to his power, he, however, is.

Summary/Analysis: Reflections

 Organization/Paragraphing
The biggest problem I saw with the summary/analysis was the way paragraphs were formed and organized. Although sentence level issues related to grammar and style were frequent also, they are less important as they can always be fixed and honed.

If you organized your paragraphs as a kind of "chronological" analysis, your paragraphs were uneven and rarely focused on one point. Instead, they drift off in other directions. In order to write about any text, you must be able to create your own "temporality" that you can write within. Your argument should somehow "develop" or "move" and you need to be able to signpost these movements with words like "Although," "However," "But," "In contrast," rather than merely saying "x" represents this. Although this may be a great way to take notes (simply moving through the video and interpreting all the images), it produces a disorganized and non-unified paper.

I suspect that some of this stems from your wish to speak in terms of "symbolizing." Now, I am not saying in the least that there are not symbols within the Kanye West video (Sword of Damocles, Horus Chain, daggers,etc), but you have to be able to say something with these symbols more explicitly than that they "relate" to power. When discussing things" symbolically, it seems as though you think that the argument does not have to move linearly in some sort of logical progression. Furthermore, its important to show how these symbols connect with each other. These images cannot be interpreted in isolation of one another--they are all part of the same 'image'/painting/video.

 You have to decide what your paragraphs will be "about"--this is what teachers have meant by "topic sentence" and then you can take paragraphs, move them around, and think about how to transition between them. What is the connection between one paragraph and the next? What is the connection between a paragraph on the women surrounding Kanye and the men that replace them? Is it one of contrast? analogy? etc. etc.

This "movement" of paragraphs  is what Bartholomae and Petrosky mean by writers "punctuating" essays. We will talk more about this as we move through the other texts we will be using.

Sentence-Level issues


A couple of common ones:

• avoid "you" as much as possible
• avoid using contractions (don't, can't, etc.) in any formal writing--it sounds too colloquial 
• check for unneeded words and passive voice. Examples of unneeded words are intensifying adverbs and adjectives  like "completely," "obviously," "clearly," "very," "really." 
• Unneeded passive voice--this only obscures what you are trying to say (or poorly masks that you have nothing to say)

Argument

 Prezi: 

Classical Argument on Prezi

Syllogisms and Enthymemes

I hope you all enjoyed your little logic lesson in Syllogisms and enthymemes. Just to review, I will post an example of the syllogism I wrote on the board today in class.

Major Premise
Minor Premise
Conclusion

A is B
B is C
Therefore, A is C

All men are mortal
Socrates is a man
Therefore, Socrates is mortal

Enthymeme:  A syllogism that is missing one of its premises, which assumes an underlying connection between the first and third premise.


Socrates is a man, therefore Socrates is mortal.  The implied premise here being all men are mortal.

The "underlying assumption" is the point I wanted to get across most forcefully in class today. An underlying assumption tends to be a value held by a particular audience or group of people. By identifying these values, one can understand where an argument is coming from. Attacking the underlying assumptions is a great way to attack an argument!

An underlying assumption in a lot of arguments can be framed as an imperative, that is, as what one "should" or "ought" to do. 

For example, in 3rd period class, we did an exercise (on pg 345) "Creating argument schemas.

Claim with reason: We should buy a hybrid car rather than an SUV with a HEMI engine bceaues doing so will help the world save gasoline.

underlying assumption: we should save gasoline (even more specific: we should help the world conserve gasoline). Or, "saving gasoline is good" (the "good" and the "should" sort of amount to the same thing here)

Taxing the Rich--Readings for Friday

Class,

Please print out these articles and read them through for FRIDAY. We will talk about the strengths and weaknesses of these two writer's arguments.

The Warren Buffet Controversy:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stop-coddling-the-super-rich.html?ref=opinion

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903999904576466541882356616.html

Peer Review Process

This first 30 minutes of class will be silent. We will not talk to the person who has our draft. We will keep reading, re-reading, and writing notes that will help us discuss the draft.

I. Exchange drafts with a partner

II. Read Draft once all the way through, marking only places that you are confused are are particularly good (without comments)

III. Identify and write down what you consider their "thesis sentence." Now rephrase their thesis in your own words. If you cannot find a thesis, mark that.

III. Identify 4 things:

1.) At least one spot in the draft you are reading where you were confused; explain why in "readerly" terms ("I was confused when. . .because. . ." rather than "your sentences are confusing)

2.) At least one place where the ideas seem "thin" and may need more development/elaboration

3.) At least one place where you do not see the significance of what the other person is saying--why is it there? so what?

4.) At least one place where you could play "devil's advocate" or 'object' to the writer's ideas.

IV. Check for grammar/spelling/syntax errors.

V. Edit for "style" (if you think things can be said better).

VI. Write a final "summary" of the review. What are its "strong points" what are its "weak points" Make two-three suggestions for revision.

For the remaining 15-20 minutes of class, discuss your notes on the student's draft. This is also the time when you can raise your hand and ask me questions.

PETA is freaking nuts

Thanks to Frank Carleton for posting this about the lengths PETA will go to get people to go veggie:

http://news.yahoo.com/peta-plans-porn-website-promote-message-171544732.html

Richard Rodriguez's "The Achievement of Desire"

Today, we had a couple of really great discussions about this essay. Mostly we focused on "content" oriented comments rather than form, but this is a great essay for students to relate personally to. My hope is that the essay resonated in a way that Biss may not have as all of you are currently involved in separating from your parents, whether or not they are like Rodriguez's parents.

In the first section, I forced all of you to talk for 15 minutes (you talked for 25) without me saying a word. I was impressed by the class's ability to mediate and facilitate their own discussion! I want to do more of this because I believe in fostering conversation among students and not just addressing me as the teacher-as-judge "well yes, that is very interesting, but. . ."

I hope that writing for a bit at the beginning of class helps you all have something to say--these essays are hard to hold in one's head. Furthermore, you may be able to just transfer some of that stuff to your blog!

We talked about several things:

• The difference between college and high school with regard to parents expectation
•  
• The idea that Rodriguez was "bookish" but not necessarily a good reader
•  
• How we tend to get "lost" in reading and questioning whether the kids of today have a harder time reading because of the various distractions. 
•  
• Personal connections with trying to balance your family's culture/language and the "educated" language one learns in college. How one's family can seem "ignorant" but not "stupid." This comes with a sense of guilt.
• 
  
• I think it was Shirley who said something about being the "translator" for one's family and how frustrating that can be. "Why don't you just learn English?"
• 
  
• Katie discussed how she could not imagine a childhood without reading with her parents. We found that not everyone had that luxury. 

In the other class, because of the set-up, we were unable to do the same activity, which is unfortunate. Katie, Micole, and Brianna discussed how Rodriguez's experience reminded them a lot of Matilda (a great movie and a good connection!)


Elina discussed how she understands where Rodriguez is coming from because english is her 3rd language (which astounds me given Elina's mastery of spoken English!).


Zach talked about how some people have the opposite experience of Rodriguez--where many kids who have "genius" parents (a word that Micole used to describe her parents) cannot or do not want to live up to that (or feel like they HAVE to). This can also present problems. This reminds me of Laura's point (in the other class) that since her dad is an engineer, she can do complex physics problems with him in a way that may isolate other members of her family.


Arti asked a question about Rodriguez's capitalization of Romantics. I explained that the Romantics are a literary/artistic movement. Poets include Shelly, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Goethe (German), Edgar Allen Poe, etc. There are also Romantic painters. Romantics tended to praise the working-class and, as Rodriguez argues, because it is "and adult way of life."


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For my blog today, I want to talk about some of the rhetorical techniques Rodriguez uses to write about his experience.


1.) Repetition


Rodriguez repeats several phrases throughout the text, the most significant one being "Your parents must be proud." Why does he repeat this phrase? I see two reasons: First, he hears it over and over again so he mirrors that fact in his prose. Second, he wants to show how that phrase constantly has changed meaning with the context in which it was spoken. At first, he has an answer, but then he is not so sure.


2.) Incorporating other people's language into his prose


Beginning with the above phrase, we notice that Rodriguez quotes people so as to make his essay more like a narrative. Sometimes these are explicit, such as "Hey Four Eyes!" and when he tells his father "I'll try to figure it out some more by myself" (516).


But other times, he puts the discourse in parantheses. examples: ("Your parents must be proud. . ."), his father's words, for instance when Rodriguez is explaining his father's past: "He had great expectations then of becoming an engineer. ("Work for my hands and my head")" (522). The reader can assume that this is how is father speaks and explains his choices. Another example might be helpful here: "Later he became a dental technician. ("Simple")" (522).

We get the sense that his father is a man of few words. This recalls for me Rodriguez's interest in the "complex sentences" of his teacher rather than the "Sentences of astonishing simplicity" that seemed lifeless (525). Perhaps his father's discourse is like the lifeless, simple sentences? Contrast his mother and father's discourse with the big, bloc quotes from Hoggart's text, filled with complex sentences. What is the effect of Rodriguez incorporating quoted lines from people he describes? Why does it have this effect?


 3.) Varying sentence length (sometimes breaking conventions): "I kept so much, so often, to myself. Sad. Enthusiastic. Troubled by the excitement of coming upon new ideas [. . .] Alone for hours. Enthralled. Nervous." (520).

Why these one word sentences? Is Rodriguez here struggling to describe his emotions?


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What is left out?

What is left out is more traces of his Hispanic origins! We have two spanish words cited, both from his mother and father, in the entire essay.

gringos (520) (although, for some reason, this word is not in quotation marks. Rather, the word in quotation marks is "shown." Why is that? I'm not sure) Denotes foreignness--particularly people from the United States.

iPochos! (519)

What is a Pocho? (and why the I? is this a grammatical construction particular to Spanish?)  How does this word, this one Spanish word, relate to the whole essay? Why is it that he only uses these two Spanish words?

I looked it up--will you?

The Beaufort Scale

Importance of Allusions

"In the second circle of Dante's Inferno, the adulterous lovers cling to each other, whirling eternally, caught in an endless wind. My next-door neighbor who loves Chagall, does not think this sounds like Hell. I think it depends on the wind" --Eula Biss, "The Pain Scale"

"We float like two lovers in a painting by Chagall" --The Weepies, "Painting by Chagall"

"I think it depends on the wind"

The infernal hurricane that never rests
  Hurtles the spirits onward in its rapine;
  Whirling them round, and smiting, it molests them.
When they arrive before the precipice,
  There are the shrieks, the plaints, and the laments,
  There they blaspheme the puissance divine.
I understood that unto such a torment
  The carnal malefactors were condemned,
  Who reason subjugate to appetite.
And as the wings of starlings bear them on
  In the cold season in large band and full,
  So doth that blast the spirits maledict;
It hither, thither, downward, upward, drives them;
  No hope doth comfort them for evermore,
  Not of repose, but even of lesser pain."

--Dante's Inferno, Canto V, lines 31-45


"The description of hurricane-force winds on the Beaufort scale is simply 'devestation occurs'"

--Eula Biss, "The Pain Scale"

Summary of Research Prospectus

A research paper should. . .

• pose an interesting and significant problem
• respond to the problem with a contestable thesis*
• use sources purposefully and ethically

 Today, I elaborated on what constitutes a contestable thesis. Contestable means, to put it simply, that you can imagine a rational audience that may disagree with your point. It means that you have tension in your thesis. I gave the example of the girl who wrote a paper on heart disease without a point that could really be contested (or showed why her point might be contested--this is an important part of the paper).

I also explained the research prospectus which can be found on Sakai.

Topics Focus --> Question Focus

We now want to make sure we ask a good research question rather than just circle around a topic. Having a question focus will do 2 things:

• requires you to be a critical thinker who must assess and weigh data and understand multiple points of view
• encourages active construction of meaning

Infernal Cartography

Thereby Cocytus wholly was congealed.
  With six eyes did he weep, and down three chins
  Trickled the tear-drops and the bloody drivel.
At every mouth he with his teeth was crunching
  A sinner, in the manner of a brake,
  So that he three of them tormented thus.
To him in front the biting was as naught
  Unto the clawing, for sometimes the spine
  Utterly stripped of all the skin remained.
"That soul up there which has the greatest pain,"
  The Master said, "is Judas Iscariot;
  With head inside, he plies his legs without.
Of the two others, who head downward are,
  The one who hangs from the black jowl is Brutus;
  See how he writhes himself, and speaks no word.
And the other, who so stalwart seems, is Cassius.
  But night is reascending, and 'tis time
  That we depart, for we have seen the whole."

-Dante, Inferno Canto XXXIV

The Pain Scale--Class Notes and a preliminary interpretation

Today in class, we read "The Pain Scale" by Eula Biss. This is an interesting piece--a prose piece that reads more like poetry. The very first adjective we came upon for this piece was "weird" (in BOTH classes!). I understand that. The piece does not easily fit into a genre. Is it fact? Is it fiction? Is it autobiography? Perhaps all of these things?

My students described the piece's tone as "thoughtful." I think that this is the mode of the piece. It is a kind of figurative exploration of pain and measurement. I think the tone wavers between a kind of "objective" fact checking and doubt. Biss will claim something, but then immediately put it into question. For instance, when she discusses the Christianity that is not hers, it seems that she is critiquing that religion. Indeed, she does seem to be critiquing the idea that "pain is holy." Biss instead takes comfort in the idea "This too shall pass," a phrase taken from the bible. This phrase, these words, become "holy" to Biss (181).

BUT WAIT! Is this phrase in the bible? A simple google search will reveal a controversy over these very words: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_is_this_too_shall_pass_in_the_bible. The way this person explains it is that this is derived from biblical teachings. Hmmm. . .so this is a fiction we've come up with, based on biblical teachings, that help us through life. So why is it in "quotations"? It is not an actual citation from the bible, but a saying, some common wisdom. These words, which are actually not holy in the sense that they were written by God (according to Christian belief in the bible) but rather they become holy for Biss. The secular and the religious mix, just as math mixes with Christ. The point here seems to be that the main "teachings" of religion can help us through life, can even become something we have "faith" in, but has nothing to do with "knowledge" in the strict sense. We do not have to believe in the Christian Mystery to take comfort from "This too shall pass." We do not have to believe suffering is divine. Indeed, this phrase focuses on the transitory nature of existence, like something from Ecclesiastes ("All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.").

This sort of indifference to the truth of Christ's birth goes back to the section "0," where Biss writes, "the problem of zero troubles me significantly more than the problem of Christ" (171). In a way, she wants the enigmas to go away, she wants to be able to do something with her knowledge--she wants to measure it. Is this not why we have scales? This divorce between knowledge as Truth (and certainty) and knowledge that helps us deal with life is a theme that permeates the text. She begins this idea here: "I'm sitting in the hospital trying to measure my pain on a scale from zero to ten. For this purpose, I need a zero" (171, italics mine). Thus, zero has a purpose, even if zero is merely an idea. In the same way, we see that Biss does not have to understand calculus in order to use it: " Just as I am incapable of actually understanding calculus although I could once perform the equations correctly" (175).

Perhaps in the same way, we can think of religion as having the purpose of comfort, regardless of whether we understand such biblical mysteries as the immaculate conception or the Holy Trinity. Does zero require a "faith" or can we simply use it? Furthermore, it also seems that Biss its more troubled by the problem of zero than Christ because measuring pain, is something we need to be able to do in order to communicate our need to others (or our feelings to others). It is an immediate demand. The problem of Christ can wait--I still have a bit of time before I need to convert and not go to Hell.



Themes to Explore in "The Pain Scale"

Faith/knowledge
Religion/Christianity
Mind/Body
Dante's Inferno (fiction/truth)
Hot/Cold
Pain/Suffering
Scales
Zero
Mathematics
Autobiography
"Facts"
Duration (Time)
Subjectivity/Objectivity
Practical knowledge/"Truth" knowledge (facts)

Levels of Interpretation

In class today, I discussed this idea of the levels of interpretation in meta-reflecting on a piece of text. Here is a linear representation of the process:

Meta-Reflection

1.) Find a piece of text that affects you intellectually or emotionally or just plain confuses you.
2.) Put the point of the text ("what it says") into your own words--you may also need to refer to other parts of the text or outside texts (if the piece of text is an unfamiliar allusion)
3.) Describe the text's function in the overall argument--how does the text work? What is it appealing to? (ethos, pathos, logos)
4.) Now ask how the elements of the text's concrete language or composition of the image is creating that "effect" on you--you have now come full circle and worked to understand why that piece of text interested you in the first place.

Ways to Approach the Blog

1.) see above process
2.) Look up an allusion--speculate as to why the author may have used this allusion? How does this new information change the way you look at the first text?
3.) Summarize a part of the text
4.) Choose a piece of text--comment on why it confuses you/affects you (see above).
5.) Explore a "main idea" in the text that you think the author is trying to get at--make sure to cite the text to demonstrate that the text relates to this idea.
6.) Analyze the structure of the text as a whole--how does the author set up his/her argument?
7.) Think about what details about an experience or an argument are omitted. What is "not" there and why is that significant to the argument.
8.) Argue against the author's main point
9.) Introduce another text that you have read that relates to the author's main ideas or points--comment on how this affects your reading of the text.
10.) Speculate on the ideal "audience" of this piece. Who is the author addressing? How do you differ/resemble this "ideal audience."
11.) Take up one of the author's points and offer more examples that helps support their argument/point. 
12.) Look at dominant "image" or "metaphors" in the text (its figurative language). How does the author use this language throughout the text? What is its effect/meaning?

I'm sure there are many more, but this will get you started!

Summary and Strong Response Presentations

Prezifications of my colleague's powerpoint presentations:

Summary and Analysis--Take 2 on Prezi

Assignment for Summary/Analysis

 Introduction:

I discussed in class today how music videos are one area where we can test our visual literacy. I also like music videos because you are able to pay attention to lyrics, visuals, and even music (if you are musically inclined). Your first assignment is a summary/analysis, which corresponds in your book roughly to the "Strong Response" explained in your book (and which we will go over in class) in Ch. 5 of Allyn and Bacon Guide (see pgs 104-123).

Assignment:

You are to write an approximately 1000 word summary/analysis of Kanye West's video/song "Power" (linked below). Pay attention to the way the lyrics and video interact as well as purely visual elements. Refrain from using outside sources (i.e. blogs where people have already interpreted the video--there are several) and make sure to properly cite the lyrics. Focus your essay around a clear thesis about the video/song.

Questions to Consider (in order to form a thesis):

What is Kanye saying about himself and his career?
What is the significance of the video's images?
What medium does the video imitate?
How are various figures in the video contrasted

Your analysis should strive to combine these forms of strong response writing:

• Rhetorical Critique
• Ideas critique

Some reflection may be taken into account, but we are striving for a bit more 'objective' analysis of the video.  This video is full of interesting things, so you need to watch it/listen to it several times.

If you decide to include the lyrics (if they are relevant for the argument you want to make about the video), you should consider the complete lyrics of the song (which goes on for quite some time after the video ends:

Power

I'm living in that 21st century doin' something mean to it
Do it better then anybody you ever seen do it
Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it
I guess every superhero need his theme music

[Chorus]
No one man should have all that power
The clocks tickin' I just count the hours
Stop trippin' I'm tripping off the power
(21st century Schizoid Man)

The system broken, the schools closed, the prison's open
We ain't got nothing to lose motherfucker we rollin',
Ha? motherfucker we rollin'
With some light skinned girls and some Kelly Rowland's
In this white man world we the one's chosen
So goodnight cruel world I see you in the mornin',
Ha? I see you in the mornin'
This is way too much, I need a moment.

[Chorus]
No one man should have all that power
The clocks tickin' I just count the hours
Stop trippin' I'm tripping off the power
Till then, fuck that the world's ours
(21st Century Schizoid Man)

Fuck SNL and the whole cast
Tell them Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass
More specifically they can kiss my ass hole
I'm an asshole? You niggas got jokes!
You short minded niggas, thoughts is napolean
My furs is Mongolian, my ice brought the goalies in
I embody every characteristic of the egotistic
he knows, he so fuckin' gifted
I just needed time alone, with my own thoughts
Got treasures in my mind but couldn't open up my own vault
My child-like creativity, purity and honesty is honestly being crowded by these grown thoughts
Reality is catching up with me, taking my inner child I'm fighting for custody
With these responsibilities that they entrust in me
As I look down at my diamond crush to piece thinking...

[Chorus]
No one man should have all that power
The clocks tickin' I just count the hours
Stop trippin' I'm tripping off the powder
Till then, fuck that the world's ours
(21st Century Schizoid Man)

Colin Powers, Austin Powers
Lost in translation with a whole fuckin' nation
They say I was the abomination of Obama's nation
Well that's a pretty dour way to start a conversation
At the end of the day goddamn it I'm killin' this shit
I know damn well ya'll feelin' this shit
I don't need your pussy, bitch I'm on my own dick
I ain't got a power trip who you going home with?
How 'Ye doin'? I'm Surviving
I was drinkin' earlier now I'm driving
Where the bad bitches huh? where ya hidin'?
I got the power make your life so excited..

(Oh hey Oh hey Oh hey
Hey Hey)

Now this'll be a beautiful death
[Dwele]
I'm jumping out the window
Letting everything go
Letting everything go
[x3]

You got the power to let power go..

[ad-lib]
(21st Century Schizoid Man)

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Power (video)

Rhetoric, Argument, and Visual Persuasion Prezi

Rhetoric, Persuasion, and Visual Argument on Prezi

Exploring Ideas and Topics

Review Questions:

What is wallowing in complexity?
What is the difference between what describing what an author is saying and what and author is doing?
What is the "believing and doubting" game?
What are the four exploratory writing strategies?


Surprising Thesis Statements: Creating tension:

"Many people believe x, but I am going to show y"

"Points and Particulars": The same thing as arguments/evidence.


Class Commentary:

Today we worked on generating ideas/topics/questions. The suggestions on pg 189 gave us some direction.

I think that coming up with a topic is one of the hardest parts of a research paper. It is very easy to write about a very broad topic that takes books and even careers to cover! The point of the research paper is to focus on one aspect of some of the more general topics we were exploring today.

One of the keys to this I think is to look at problems and issues that relate to your own discipline/major. Rather than think from the perspective of "we" as, say, "college students" or "humanity in general", think from the perspective of "we chemists" or "we health professionals" or "we philosophers" or "we sociologists." Remember, you want to try to enter into an academic community.

I may have mispoke when I emphasized the importance of an "original" thesis or position. There are only so many positions to take on a subject. The key is to determine what community you want to speak with (and hopefully from).

Let's take an example. A few of you seemed to be interested in questions about social networking, but there are several different ways people have addressed social networking. We cannot merely rely on our own experience with these sites to create a research paper. Rather, we need to look at the bigger picture (but perhaps not too big.

The necessity for Research

In order to really get to a workable thesis question, you need to be googling these topics and questions. While wikipedia entries and blogposts may not be a legitimate "academic source" it can help you realize that your initial positions can be further narrowed.

When someone suggested to me they want to talk about social networking, I simply typed "Social Networking" into amazon.com books. I yielded many books on this topic. 

If one looks to the left, we see that there are books in "social sciences," "politics," "Marketing."

If I click on "Social Sciences" I get a book that may be a good starting point: The Digital Divide: Arguments For and Against Facebook, Google, Texting,  and the Age of Social Networking 

If I click on "Politics," I get a book that addresses social networking from a different point of view: Digitally Enabled Social Change: Activism in the Internet Age

This is just amazon!

Library Card Catalog 

If I type in "Social networking" in the card catalog I get other results--even more surprising stuff:

We see fascinating sounding books, right? Network Power: the social dynamics of globalization and The healing web: Social networks and human survival. 

Now I hope your brain is going nuts thinking about how social networking could affect a very particular aspect of our lives. Just by merely searching the internet, I already have some interesting things to connect social networking to. This is one of the only ways to get interesting topics--so USE YOUR RESOURCES!