This weekend, as I was thinking about another topic for this long, arduous 1000-word essay, I suddenly thought of an idea, a clever idea. I thought of the phrase “a picture is worth thousands of words”. I was thinking of just posting a huge picture on the blog post and just put a caption of the bottom of that picture saying “this is worth thousands of word”. But then I thought of the risk of that action. I mean if I was the teacher, I would definitely give this guy a F. So I just decided not to use that tactic and tried to think of a new topic.
I really tried hard to think of an idea. I mean to write a 1000 word essay, you need a darn good idea, something you are willing to write about, or else it takes hours. I thought about writing about my recent personal experience but failed to find an inspiring or even entertaining event. I saw that many kids have written about their parents coming over this weekend but I couldn’t because my parents didn’t come over. So I was thinking about it again, about the topic. I decided to go on to the Scholars and read the “blogging” on the assignments to refresh my mind with what kinds of ideas are acceptable. It was pretty much limitless but the part where it said our blog can be something we talked about in class, I thought about analyzing. We pretty much only worked on some kind of analyzing skills in class lately.
As I was thinking about something to analyze, somehow, the phrase about a picture being worth thousands of words kept popped out of my head. That phrase definitely had some controversial matter in it. I decided to analyze that phrase just like how we are doing bunch of analysis in English class lately. First I questioned that phrase. Is picture really worth thousands of words? Yes but only to certain perspective. For the criteria of description I think picture is far better than words are. In fact in this case, picture can even worth millions of words. For example, you can just show other people how your new car looks like by picture rather than saying, “my car has two head lights that has straight bottom and curves up forty degrees and another twenty degrees …”. In that case I think unless that other person knows the brand and the car type, it is almost impossible for one to describe what his car looks like without using a picture. But I don’t think picture is always worth thousands of words, at least in the right sense.
I think with words, something that can be represented that the picture cannot. Personally, I hate writing and it is really hard for me to support what writing can do. But this I know for sure that sometimes, few words can be more powerful and understandable than a picture, which is supposed to be worth thousands of words, can be. Picture is just a picture and it leaves for each audience to understand in his or her own perspective. Picture sometimes has meaning or message in it but it is not always received by audience in the same way. For example, in our Everything’s an Argument book, we saw an American Flag with company logos instead of stars in the beginning of the semester. That definitely had a meaning to it and whoever made the design should have thought of one meaning, his perspective. However, we had little argument in our class, some people taking it as a negative sign saying that it represents how America is obsessed with products of America rather than the American county itself, while others were saying that design was positive because it represented diversity economic variation in America. Unless the designer intended to sprout a controversy about what he has made, his design did not carry out the job fully because not everyone had same idea about the message of the design. If that design was to be described in words, it would definitely take thousands of words, describing what each logo is and how they look like. However if the meaning of the design was described in words, it should have did so much better job. The pictorial design definitely simplified the thousands of words in simple easy picture but the meaning was not carried out in the right sense. This is what I meant above. Picture is worth thousands of words, but only in terms of describing something physically. Pictures incorporated with meaning cannot be accepted by the audience as the author intended to unless that picture with meaning is dead concrete, which is the rarely the case in my opinion.
Just think about it. I have written few blogs since the beginning of the year and if picture is worth thousands of words, each of my blogs could have been described in one picture. I don’t think that is going to work. Even if I do, not everyone is going to accept the meaning in a way I intended to do because everyone has his or her unique perspective. Unlike picture, which leaves the audience to view in their own perspective, words can guide the audience in the writer’s perspective. Writings can guide audience in one, straight way, because author talks his way through with explanations and evidences, unless the writings of the author is very broad. So, again, if I was the teacher, if a student sends a picture instead of 1000 word essay, I would give him F. It is not because he didn’t fulfill the requirement – thousand words- but because that essay wouldn’t have any focus that is straight. I think point of this blogging is to express our thought and unless we were expert at expressing message with a picture, the point would not carry out clearly. I believe that picture is worth thousands of words in describing only physical matters.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Technology Doom?
Technology is rapidly developing as the time goes by. Just about few decades ago, electricity along with other technologies such as telephone was invented. Now, technology has developed up to the point that probably was not imaginable in the time when electricity was developed. We sure get a lot of comfortableness and pleasure from such development. We have television, refrigerator, computer, dish washer, etc. We have everything and that everything tends to do everything for us.
Because of our huge dependence on technology, some critics are saying that people are becoming “stupid”. They say that we cannot do anything without technology, that we are becoming incapable. I do feel that sometimes, too. I find myself using computer every day, seriously every single day. Through computer, we communicate, research, entertain, and much more. Also, I find that people nowadays cannot live without cell phone. Cell phone kinds of became one of people’s “cloth”; people have to “wear” it every time they leave home.
In Korea, calculators are not allowed in schools. Everything is done by your hand. Those calculations include from the range of simple addition and subtraction to multiplications, divisions of seven digits numbers. In high school when students are starting to learn derivatives and further calculus, calculators are not even allowed then. It takes pages of work to solve one problem. Few months ago, I noticed about myself something unbelievable. I was in American since fifth grade and all the math classes I took were allowed to use calculators. I did not use calculator when I was in fifth grade because I was used to not using calculators in Korea. Arithmetic that involved more than three digits naturally made other students to take out their calculators and punch in the numbers. For me, it was far more comfortable to write down on piece of paper including my mental math skill that I acquired over the years through practices and practices. It is in my high school senior calculus BC class that I found something out about myself. I found that myself using calculator for simplest math as far as something like 4+3. That was really weird. Of course I could do those kinds of arithmetic in my head and with accuracy but I did not feel comfortable with the answer. I only felt comfortable and secured only and only if the calculator specifically said 7 on its screen.
That was when I really thought of power of technology, how it is replacing our natural skills. But despite many criticisms and my own pro founding experience, I am actually not against rapid technology development. As the time goes by more technology will be developed and we will be depended on it. But why are people thinking about our lack of skills and incapability of us without the use of technology? I know that use humans are never going to be separated from the use of technology and our skills is measured by our own natural skills combined with help of technology. Even though I found myself incapable of doing math without the aid of calculator, I only found it surprising and only surprising, not despaired. I was surprised that how much I relied on small technology but not despaired because even though I noticed my incapability, technology is always going to be there to support it.
That is why I am not really worried about our dependence on technology. We humans led up to this point and those technologies all sprouted from human mind. Why can’t human freely be using the technology that was invented by their own? Technology was designed to help and aid humans and makes them more comfortable, and therefore we should not care about us becoming incapable or “stupid”. Say that after few centuries, we become totally incapable; I mean we cannot literally do anything without technology. It does not matter. We should have become incapable because there was technology that replaced such human skills. Just like we cannot understand how past people lived without refrigerator, phones, or electricity, the future people would not understand how people of in this century lived without technology that is going to be developed in the future.
My only concern about technology is alien invasions. That might sound childish but it really isn’t. Aliens with highly developed electromagnetic pulse or EMP might stop the humanity. EMP is pulse that disrupts and stops current and voltage flow. If the humanity is almost hundred depended on technology, therefore electricity, such alien invasion with EMP is going to destroy the humanity in seconds. I do not believe that aliens exist but who knows. A space is considered infinity and aliens are might be few light years away right now, ready to invade the earth. Few centuries later, they might be arriving in earth with much more developed technology than we humans will have.
Again, I do not stand against human dependency on technology. But I think no progress in technology won’t harm the humans. I believe that our comfortableness will always stay constant whether or not technology is developed. Our own nature skill plus skills of technology will equal constant comfortableness. For example, people in 1700s felt same satisfaction from their compared to us right now. Even though people of 1700s did not have our technology, they had more natural skills to replace it. On the other hand, even though our natural skills are decreased now, technology skill is replacing the gap. For those of critics who are saying technology development is bad, I want to say to them to think again because technologies were indeed invented from our own natural skills in the beginning.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Rhetorical Analysis about an Article
As I was checking my mails from hotmail.com I checked out some Today’s news. There was a lot of news. There was something about Obama’s health care plan, something about man getting arrested because of crime, etc. But one topic really interested me and made me laugh. The title of the article was “Man who killed ex’s fish gets probation”. From the title, I had a sense of what the story was going to be like.
“A Portland man who attacked his ex-girlfriend and impaled her pet fish this summer has been sentenced to two years probation, a psychological evaluation and community service.
Donald Earl Fite III, 27, pleaded guilty Tuesday to animal abuse and domestic violence assault.
According to court records, Sarah Harris had broken up with Fite but returned to her Portland apartment July 25 to find him lying on her bed, saying he wanted to get back together.
Donald Earl Fite quoted that, ‘If she can’t have me, she can’t have the fish’ to the police.”
This was basically the whole article, not even 100 words long and yet I though this article would a great source to analyze rhetorically. This article concluded that killing of a fish was an animal abuse and Donald Earl deserved the punishment for it. I would say that a lot of people would oppose such judgment yet other people might agree to it. Personally I think the punishment was bit little harsh. When I think of animal abuse and domestic violence assault, I usually think of abusing mammals, such as dogs, cats, or as far as reptiles. But a fish? I do understand that fish can be a pet but for one thing it does not have “brains” like dogs and cats do. Dogs and cats recognize their owners but fish never do. Only thing that fish recognize is fish food.
I think the way the author approached this crime shows that author also tried to say this situation was bit odd. I mean if it was some serious issue, the author would have not used that tone. The tone of this article tells me that author is sort of playing around. For example, other than killing fish the main reason for such a harsh punishment was maybe because Donald attacked his girlfriend physically. But the author does not emphasize on that idea, rather he focuses metaphorically how Ronald stabbed the fish as if fish is some kind of mammal or a human, and focuses on animal abuse. The way that the author just briefly talks about Ronald attacking his girlfriend might show that his girlfriend was not really attacked after all. If she was attacked and hurt badly, the main focus would be on the girl not on the fish. The way that Ronal just invaded his girlfriend’s house was wrong and it is considered domestic violence. Still, punishment is little too harsh.
I also think that this article brings up the argument about whether or not fish is a pet. I believe fish is a pet but not dog and cat like pets. One should not be accused of animal abuse just because he/she killed a fish. Pouring a toxic into a lake and killing a thousands of fish is a definitely a crime because it actually impacts that population. Killing a pet fish also can be a crime in this case because fish was other people’s property. But I think unless Ronald killed large number of fish, he should have been accused for destroying other people’s property rather than animal abuse. I mean, we could accidently kill some fish while we fish but we do not get punishment for that. On the other hand, if we accidently kill dog or cat we get fined or even jailed because that is an animal abuse. Both fish and dogs or cats are pets but not to the same degree.
This article also brings up the idea about how crazy and psychotic some people actually can be. I mean who actually thinks like if she can’t have me she can’t have the fish. The quote from Ronald gave me laughter. He actually broke into his ex’s house and killed a fish just because he thought his ex does not deserved to have fish if she did not have him. In this sense, Ronald definitely deserves psychological evaluation because Ronald may commit a bigger crime when his ex dates a new guy and Ronald might actually try to “stab” him too.
By reading this article I do agree with the author and this crime to a certain point but some things just does not make sense. I think author also tried to mock this situation by his word choice such as “stabbing” the fish. I, too, think that this article deserved to be mocked because it is not that of a serious crime to be up in the news, I mean killing a fish? Really? But I also think that author tried to tell us that this world is very funny and there are people who are just unthinkable. Or maybe author just tried to give us laughter by posting a comical situation.
“A Portland man who attacked his ex-girlfriend and impaled her pet fish this summer has been sentenced to two years probation, a psychological evaluation and community service.
Donald Earl Fite III, 27, pleaded guilty Tuesday to animal abuse and domestic violence assault.
According to court records, Sarah Harris had broken up with Fite but returned to her Portland apartment July 25 to find him lying on her bed, saying he wanted to get back together.
Donald Earl Fite quoted that, ‘If she can’t have me, she can’t have the fish’ to the police.”
This was basically the whole article, not even 100 words long and yet I though this article would a great source to analyze rhetorically. This article concluded that killing of a fish was an animal abuse and Donald Earl deserved the punishment for it. I would say that a lot of people would oppose such judgment yet other people might agree to it. Personally I think the punishment was bit little harsh. When I think of animal abuse and domestic violence assault, I usually think of abusing mammals, such as dogs, cats, or as far as reptiles. But a fish? I do understand that fish can be a pet but for one thing it does not have “brains” like dogs and cats do. Dogs and cats recognize their owners but fish never do. Only thing that fish recognize is fish food.
I think the way the author approached this crime shows that author also tried to say this situation was bit odd. I mean if it was some serious issue, the author would have not used that tone. The tone of this article tells me that author is sort of playing around. For example, other than killing fish the main reason for such a harsh punishment was maybe because Donald attacked his girlfriend physically. But the author does not emphasize on that idea, rather he focuses metaphorically how Ronald stabbed the fish as if fish is some kind of mammal or a human, and focuses on animal abuse. The way that the author just briefly talks about Ronald attacking his girlfriend might show that his girlfriend was not really attacked after all. If she was attacked and hurt badly, the main focus would be on the girl not on the fish. The way that Ronal just invaded his girlfriend’s house was wrong and it is considered domestic violence. Still, punishment is little too harsh.
I also think that this article brings up the argument about whether or not fish is a pet. I believe fish is a pet but not dog and cat like pets. One should not be accused of animal abuse just because he/she killed a fish. Pouring a toxic into a lake and killing a thousands of fish is a definitely a crime because it actually impacts that population. Killing a pet fish also can be a crime in this case because fish was other people’s property. But I think unless Ronald killed large number of fish, he should have been accused for destroying other people’s property rather than animal abuse. I mean, we could accidently kill some fish while we fish but we do not get punishment for that. On the other hand, if we accidently kill dog or cat we get fined or even jailed because that is an animal abuse. Both fish and dogs or cats are pets but not to the same degree.
This article also brings up the idea about how crazy and psychotic some people actually can be. I mean who actually thinks like if she can’t have me she can’t have the fish. The quote from Ronald gave me laughter. He actually broke into his ex’s house and killed a fish just because he thought his ex does not deserved to have fish if she did not have him. In this sense, Ronald definitely deserves psychological evaluation because Ronald may commit a bigger crime when his ex dates a new guy and Ronald might actually try to “stab” him too.
By reading this article I do agree with the author and this crime to a certain point but some things just does not make sense. I think author also tried to mock this situation by his word choice such as “stabbing” the fish. I, too, think that this article deserved to be mocked because it is not that of a serious crime to be up in the news, I mean killing a fish? Really? But I also think that author tried to tell us that this world is very funny and there are people who are just unthinkable. Or maybe author just tried to give us laughter by posting a comical situation.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Procrastination
I think I am addicted. I am really addicted that I could not get out of this since I was in middle school. I do this because it is really comfortable but it has really bad side effect. It is procrastination and I can’t stop myself from doing it. I do not remember when I started procrastinated. I think I never procrastinated in elementary school because there was never a single homework. Even if there was one, I think I never did them.
Anyway, my addiction to the procrastination started in middle school. Middle school is where everything begins for us students. Seriously, elementary school was a joke. All we did during the elementary school was learning how to wash hands, how to make friends, simple math and when the Independent day was. But in middle school, I actually started to make choices and had to work for that choice. In the beginning of the year, I got to actually sign up for classes that I want to take. Of course, there are some required classes but at least for electives, I could choose something. Also, in middle school, such things as “honors” class are there. It is a class that is much more difficult than that of the regular class. Having typical Asian parents, I was sort of forced to take challenging class.
It was those honors class which gave out tons of homework every day. At least back then, it felt a lot. I started on my homework as soon as I came back from the school for the first few weeks because my parents told me so. Plus, I felt like I had to do all my homework first in order for me to play comfortably. Then after few weeks, I got sick of school. I could not wait until the school to be over every day. Every minute of last five minutes of school felt like an hour. The eager to play sort of built in me as somewhat like a potential energy. Every minute I felt bored in the school added energy to my stress potential energy. The end of the school bell was only thing that could release the energy. As soon as the school bell rang, I stormed out of the class and got on the bus. In the bus, I was so excited; excited to get home and do whatever I wanted to do. As soon as I got home, I just threw my backpack on the floor, forgetting what I am supposed to do before anything else. I threw in a frozen from the fridge into the microwave and turned on my computer. After the microwave finished warming up my food, I grabbed it and sat in front of my computer. I ate my food as I played games on my computer. Hours passed by and it was few minutes before mom was supposed to come back from the work. It is then I actually started on my homework so my mom won’t see me playing on computer without ever finishing up my work.
That was pretty much the schedule for my middle school years. But I never had severe side effect of the procrastination until the high school. In high school not only there is tons of homework but there are projects and tests from seven different classes. I think I never started on my homework until like 10 pm every night. I slept at like 1 am and felt really tired every day during the school. That is probably the main reason why I slept in my first period class. Procrastinating homework is only has small, weak side effect. I just feel little tired the next day. Sometimes I just do not have any homework so I just sleep at 10pm. Tests are the killers. I never, literally never (until I came to college where I am trying to learn time management) started studying for the tests until the right before the test day. I know all of you can understand this, pulling off the all nighters. It is really painful. I usually go to sleep at 5am when I pulled all nighters and when I try to wake up in the morning for the school bus, it feels like crap. I cannot describe how I feel and what I go through to wake up from such a short sweet sleep. Somehow when I am taking the test, I do not feel any tiredness, I guess it is because of focus and nervousness. It is when test is over I go to sleep without my will. I just put my head on my desk and sleep. This goes same for projects, essay, etc. Procrastination always was part of my life.
I really cannot understand why I procrastinated so much; I mean it has so many side effects. But I never could start on my homework or study for the test on the day when I assigned to it. There are just so many things to do right after the school such as hanging out with friends. And I think that is the most major reason that I procrastinate, there are just too many things to do in the afternoon. But also another reason why I procrastinated so much is because of such a strict nature of middle school and high school. Securities ask for passes why you are in the hall way. You cannot be late or leave early from the classes unless the bells ring. Teachers also check your homework and give you assigned seats. That is why I got so much stress from since I go to school and I leave school. That is way as soon as I get out of school, I play and relax to relieve those stress. But in college, with so much more freedom and not strict environment, I do not procrastinate much. I do not need to. Even if I do, I cannot survive the academic requirement of the college. Procrastinate was a bitter-sweet thing to do in my life. I was so addicted to it but starting to get out of that addiction since I came to Virginia Tech. I think the time I don’t procrastinate anymore is the time I truly learn the time management and succeed in college.
Anyway, my addiction to the procrastination started in middle school. Middle school is where everything begins for us students. Seriously, elementary school was a joke. All we did during the elementary school was learning how to wash hands, how to make friends, simple math and when the Independent day was. But in middle school, I actually started to make choices and had to work for that choice. In the beginning of the year, I got to actually sign up for classes that I want to take. Of course, there are some required classes but at least for electives, I could choose something. Also, in middle school, such things as “honors” class are there. It is a class that is much more difficult than that of the regular class. Having typical Asian parents, I was sort of forced to take challenging class.
It was those honors class which gave out tons of homework every day. At least back then, it felt a lot. I started on my homework as soon as I came back from the school for the first few weeks because my parents told me so. Plus, I felt like I had to do all my homework first in order for me to play comfortably. Then after few weeks, I got sick of school. I could not wait until the school to be over every day. Every minute of last five minutes of school felt like an hour. The eager to play sort of built in me as somewhat like a potential energy. Every minute I felt bored in the school added energy to my stress potential energy. The end of the school bell was only thing that could release the energy. As soon as the school bell rang, I stormed out of the class and got on the bus. In the bus, I was so excited; excited to get home and do whatever I wanted to do. As soon as I got home, I just threw my backpack on the floor, forgetting what I am supposed to do before anything else. I threw in a frozen from the fridge into the microwave and turned on my computer. After the microwave finished warming up my food, I grabbed it and sat in front of my computer. I ate my food as I played games on my computer. Hours passed by and it was few minutes before mom was supposed to come back from the work. It is then I actually started on my homework so my mom won’t see me playing on computer without ever finishing up my work.
That was pretty much the schedule for my middle school years. But I never had severe side effect of the procrastination until the high school. In high school not only there is tons of homework but there are projects and tests from seven different classes. I think I never started on my homework until like 10 pm every night. I slept at like 1 am and felt really tired every day during the school. That is probably the main reason why I slept in my first period class. Procrastinating homework is only has small, weak side effect. I just feel little tired the next day. Sometimes I just do not have any homework so I just sleep at 10pm. Tests are the killers. I never, literally never (until I came to college where I am trying to learn time management) started studying for the tests until the right before the test day. I know all of you can understand this, pulling off the all nighters. It is really painful. I usually go to sleep at 5am when I pulled all nighters and when I try to wake up in the morning for the school bus, it feels like crap. I cannot describe how I feel and what I go through to wake up from such a short sweet sleep. Somehow when I am taking the test, I do not feel any tiredness, I guess it is because of focus and nervousness. It is when test is over I go to sleep without my will. I just put my head on my desk and sleep. This goes same for projects, essay, etc. Procrastination always was part of my life.
I really cannot understand why I procrastinated so much; I mean it has so many side effects. But I never could start on my homework or study for the test on the day when I assigned to it. There are just so many things to do right after the school such as hanging out with friends. And I think that is the most major reason that I procrastinate, there are just too many things to do in the afternoon. But also another reason why I procrastinated so much is because of such a strict nature of middle school and high school. Securities ask for passes why you are in the hall way. You cannot be late or leave early from the classes unless the bells ring. Teachers also check your homework and give you assigned seats. That is why I got so much stress from since I go to school and I leave school. That is way as soon as I get out of school, I play and relax to relieve those stress. But in college, with so much more freedom and not strict environment, I do not procrastinate much. I do not need to. Even if I do, I cannot survive the academic requirement of the college. Procrastinate was a bitter-sweet thing to do in my life. I was so addicted to it but starting to get out of that addiction since I came to Virginia Tech. I think the time I don’t procrastinate anymore is the time I truly learn the time management and succeed in college.
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