Over the weekend, you will need to finish reading chapter 6 on your own and look over the list of themes and big ideas below. Select one from the list and do the following:
1) define what the idea means in your own terms
2) apply the idea to chapter six in particular describing how you see it occurring, shaping, developing or transitioning
3) apply the idea to the outside world. Where do you see it being applied? To who? Fairly or unfairly?
Please post your response on your blog by Monday's class!
Big Ideas:
1) define what the idea means in your own terms
2) apply the idea to chapter six in particular describing how you see it occurring, shaping, developing or transitioning
3) apply the idea to the outside world. Where do you see it being applied? To who? Fairly or unfairly?
Please post your response on your blog by Monday's class!
Big Ideas:
Power: Leadership and Corruption
Power: Control Over the Intellectually Inferior
Lies and Deceit
Rules and Order
Foolishness and Folly
Dreams, Hopes, and Plans
Guilt and Blame
Cunning and Cleverness
Perseverance
Violence
Defeat
Victory
Pride
Religion
Competition
Friendship
Sample: Power: Control over the intellectually inferior
Having power often times means having control and dominance over others. This particular idea means having power over the intellectually inferior or those who cannot think for themselves.
There is a particular example that jumps off the first page of chapter six when Napoleon declares that there will be work on Sunday afternoons on the farm in addition to the other days of the week. He prefaces it by saying it's on a volunteer basis, "but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half" (59). By using the word "voluntary", he's allowing the animals to think they have choice and control in their decisions. They do have choice, but along with their choice, they also have consequences. He's playing off their dutiful mindset to work for each other, but abusing his power by selfishly depriving the animals of leisure in place of work he finds valuable for only himself.
I see this happening in communities across the United States. We manipulate advertisements and media to make people think the products they are buying or the shows they are watching will either help them or make them believe that they too can change their life through a magical pill or surgery. It's only when people actually do research on advertisements, particularly food labels do they really understand what they are eating. But our fast food companies would make you think otherwise. They would make you believe that the products they are selling are good for you because they manipulate the commercials to only show the healthy options, or lure people under false advertising. One man's testimonial states that he ate McDonald's for one month straight for every meal. He didn't gain a single pound. Okay, that's fine on paper. But upon closer study, the damage to his heart, cholesterol, sodium levels, caloric intake, you name it went through the roof. So yes, sir you didn't gain any weight eating crappy food for a month. Good for you. But don't distort the information for the masses and pretend as though McDonald's is fine dining, and it just depends on what you order. McDonald's is good every now and then and serves a purpose in our society, but to pitch it as anything other than a run of the mill fast food chain is both asinine and simply untrue.
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