Friday, December 4, 2009

On Compassion and Homeless


On Compassion

“On Compassion” simply states the reality of compassion. Though it does not state it in a very straight forward way, the use of small scenarios brings about the question of whether compassion is in some cases natural or “just because”.

These small scenarios are more like examples of compassion or at least why some people have the reaction of compassion. As the essay begins a poor main is described in he city of New York, as the scenario continues a Caucasian woman is introduced with gripping onto a stroller with her baby in it. The point of this scenario is that eventually she looks for money to give to the poor black man, who ends up standing right in front of her and her child. Though she ends up giving money to the poor man, the real argument here is whether or not she did it as a result of having compassion for the man, or if she was simply afraid of him, and wanted him to just go away.

Though one might begin to read this essay with an open mind and maybe even argue that, no most people give money or help others as a result of having compassion. However, the scenarios which follow the first example are rather interesting to the point that it would leave a person or two, in question about compassion and fear.

The last two examples are that of a coffee shop and an owner who instantly gives a beggar coffee and bread, instantly, as soon as he walks into the fancy coffee shop. The question that rises from this example is whether or not the owners’ decision of giving away coffee and bread was out of compassion for the old man, or was simply to just get rid of his presence in her “fancy coffee shop”. In addition to this example the very last example is very intriguing. The scenario is about New York City’s mayor, who decides to basically “scoop” some if not all poor or homeless people from the streets and/or parks of NYC, to be moved into Bellevue Hospital. The question of this example is that one can argue about freedom, and whether or not poor people are free to be poor and homeless are free to homeless. Were the mayors’ intentions an action of compassion towards these poor or homeless people, or were his actions leaning more towards having his city “clean cut”.

There were three lines that were very interesting to me in this essay.

“They question whether the rights of these people who live in our parks and doorways are being violated by involuntary hospitalization.”

Personally, I disagree with this line, especially the last two words of it. Though the question in general raises the question about the rights of people, the fact that “involuntary hospitalization” was included, did not really make me agree with the idea. The reason is because involuntary hospitalization would make anyone believe that these poor and homeless people are being brought into a hospital where bad things will be done to them. On the contrary these so called “involuntary hospitalized” patients are fed and offered a warm bed to sleep on when they arrive to the hospital.

“Raw humanity offends our sensibilities.”

This is one short yet straight to the point line that I very much agree with in this essay. This sentence describes reality. Though it only contains five words, thinking out of the box and really analyzing what it is trying to explain, will automatically make one agree with it. The fact that the truth about the world, or even just NYC, is something that if not “offends”, scares people who are surrounded by it. The reality of the homeless and the poor is something that in an involuntary way disturbs people. The reason is because people are extremely sensible. I can personally include myself as a sensible one. When I stop at a red light and someone comes up to beg for money, I fear them. However, I don’t fear the way they look or the way they beg. What I fear is the reason why they beg. In most of not all cases, people beg because they have nothing. And that nothing, and that nothing means something to those of us who can at least go to a home or have dinner at a certain restaurant, it means that one day we can to have nothing. Regardless of anything, it is a very small world, and anything can happen to anyone.

“Ladies in high-heeled shoes pick their way through poverty and madness.”

This line is one that I agree with. Though it only focuses on women and their high heels, there is more to this sentence then it reads. The truth behind it all is that in a city like Manhattan, everyone is basically in their own world. People come and go, they eat here and there, and they run to this cab or this bus. They all do one same thing though, and that is, they all do it through poverty and madness. Manhattan can be as bright and luminous as it is but the reality is that it is too covered with poor and homeless people as well as well dressed ladies in high heels.

Homeless

This essay is mainly about the homeless as the title states. However, the message of this essay is of what the meaning of being homeless is. It is the meaning that is not mistakenly believed by many but the meaning that has been lost throughout time. The true meaning of having a home and not having one is that a person losses options, decisions, likes, dislikes, but most importantly ownership. Having a home is being able to make it ones sacred place a place where he or she feels comfortable. A home is not just a place where one can sleep, eat, have fun, and not be cold. It is a place where memories are shared and experiences are experienced. It is a place that has not become a real estate and more like an “object” than a place of love. A person can have a mansion but a person living in a shack could probably have more love in it than any million dollar mansion.

There were three lines that were very interesting to me in this essay.

“You are where you live.”

I agree with this line because I can relate to it. Personally, I wouldn’t be the person I am if it weren’t for the home I have. Others can consider me lucky for having such a nice big place, but the truth to it is that where I live makes me who I am not because of my well fit room or because of all the electronics I have. I am where I live because of the love I come home to every day. It is of the decision I hold to sit and have dinner with my family, walk my dog, look in my mirror, and watch television with my family. “You are where you live” in my opinion does not define one because of what he or she has but because of what he or she can do in it and I with it.

“Suddenly where you lived was where you lived for three years, until you could move on to something else and something else again.”

This line is very interesting because it is an example of the reason why homes aren’t “homes” anymore. It is a good example of how homes have now turned into “a place to stay”. Having a family move from one place to another not only makes the family lose memories of each other, but simply separates them. Having an unstable place to call home makes each member if not every single one, live in his or her own world.

“Homes have stopped being homes. Now they are real estate”

This line caught the most attention to me. The reason is because not only is it true but more and more people buy real estates. People are now deciding to buy a house, not a home.

A quick personal story, my brother works for Weicherts real estate, and every other day he’ll tell me a funny story about the people that call asking to buy houses, apartments, or others estates. However, with this reading, I noticed that not only has he never said, “So today I got a call and the lady said I would like to buy a home.” Maybe I am taking it to personal or maybe thing extremely out of the box, but when I thought about it. A home has become more of an object to people. Luxurious so called “homes” have beautiful dining rooms with extremely expensive china and a sixteen to twelve seats, but what is the whole point of having such things when there is no family to sit, share stories, and eat together.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Summary and Response "But Enough About You…"

Summary and Response

"But Enough About You…"

In Brian Williams, “But enough about you…” he clearly states that “Americans have decided the most important person in their lives is…them” therefore meaning that some things if not everything should revolve around what a “typical” American citizen wants. Whether it is what he or she wants to hear, see, and or experience, what he or she wants to buy, sell, show, or even not show…

Media in the past was definitely not as advanced as it currently is. “Media” in the early 1900’s to maybe even the early late 1900’s was considered to be Newspapers, Magazines, Advertisements, and Radios. Now; “Media” consist of a Blackberry or a PDA, of Direct TV or Comcast, of a Desktop or a Laptop, of a Flat screen TV or a Projector.

One can see the development of Media, but can one really tell whether the development of “Media” has been for the best or the worst? “Back in the Day”, families got together to watch television, to hear the NEWS, to watch “Family” shows together. Now, it’s “In with the new, out with the old”, why the TV if there is the Web. As Brian William states in his essay, “All of it exists to fill a perceived need”. The Web is something that delivers a person anything he or she wants to know, hear, see, or experience with no limits what so ever.

In this essay, it is made clear that though an anchor like Brian Williams himself directs a Broadcast like before with nothing but slight better changes for their viewers is currently having a reduced amount of viewers. According to Williams, the journalist and reporters are still doing their jobs. Their research, preparation, and presentations of a day’s news has not changed from when it “use” to be; what has changed is the audience, which has become a much more smaller audience. And as he states, “…many have been lured away by a dazzling array of choices and the chance to make their own news.”(p540)

One can debate that the Web indeed is a wonderful invention, personally speaking… “WHAT WOULD THE WORLD BE WITHOUT THE WEB?” And personally, I think it would be more involved in REAL problems. The world would be more aware of what is really going on around them and not what they want to be going on around them. It would be more of a REALITY CHECK to the world.

Brian Williams’s idea that the Media has changed from what a person really needs to know, such as a War to what a person wants to know or hear is more than partially true. With the help of the Web people are creating their own ideas, their own news, and their own reality. They are living a fantasy world by considering “Paris Hilton in jail” something more important than a shooting of 13 innocent people at an Army Base.

If one were to really analyze how the Web has affected society in general, the Web is something considered extremely “important” too many if not most of American Citizens. The web is easy and something that gives you what you want, when you want, and wherever you want it, whether it is to see it, hear it, or have it. The web is making a person selfish, little by little, by proving to a person that everything indeed is about them regardless of anything and at the tip of their hands.

Information that citizens should be informed of is information that are only shown to citizens if they take the initiative of typing it, or texting it, or changing the channel to it. It is not like before when people were more aware of what in reality was going on around them. “Americans have come to regard the act of reading a daily newspaper – on paper –…” Americans now rather view what are considered to be updates on Blackberrys, Iphones, PDA’s, or Laptops. The problem is, that these updates don’t consist of information about the country or its people, but more of what’s the fashion on the next addition of Vogue, or the deals for Black Friday.

What American citizens were to what they have become, is something very critical. People are more concerned about themselves and or too busy to actually notice what is going around them that they are missing out on what really is important. If the Web doesn’t begin to change people for the “better”, then indeed as William states in his concluding paragraph, we might just “miss the next great book or the next great idea...”

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Critical Analysis of Picture.

The picture I decided to analyze is titled: Untitled, by William Eggleston, 1965

The photograph was taken by William Eggleston, as a photographer, his first photos were taken in black and white. He later on began to take pictures in color around the 1960's.

In the photo, one can tell that the stores are closed and a young man appears to be working quickly in order to put away the carts in the store. Behind him, one can see a classier older lady walking towards him, probably with intentions to want to go in the store; even if it’s closed.

Personally, at a glance I believe that this photograph is trying to educated the public. It is trying to educated the public by showing how some people work really hard, (young boy) are sometimes “stepped” on by wealthy people who believe they can do everything and anything because they are “classy” and “wealthy” (older woman).

The elements of this photograph that stand out are the facial expressions of each character. The young boy looks as if he is in a rush or hurry to get his work done. The facial expression of the lady is as if she’s walking on top of the world, free of worries and just looking fashionable.

The composition of this photograph emphasizes hard work. The contrast in this photo gives one details that are important and only thought of, if thought carefully. Although the position of the worker is in front of the classy lady, in the shadow, the hard worker is behind the wealthy woman.

In the photograph the creator shows the values of each character. The young man is worried about his job, and getting the store carts inside, and ready for closing. However, the classy woman, looks as if she’s just ready to barge into the store regardless of whether or not it’s closing; showing that her value is that of her money.

The feelings that this work seems to intend is that of hard work. Viewers who see this photograph can in some cases relate their own life to it. The reason being because many people work extremely hard to have the little they have, but there are always people who like to come and just act like they can do whatever they want or act however they want because they have money.

This photograph affects me in many ways. One being that I have seen this happen, I have seen people who work very hard trying to fold clothes in stores or organize books just to have someone come and make a complete mess of everything, all because they believe they “can” just because they are “wealthy” or have the mentality that “it’s their job to fix it”.

The creator’s work does not offend me, amuse me, bore me, but it does affect me in the way that it moves me. It moves me because its reality; reality of life captured and frozen for many to see and analyze.

Personally, I believe the work was creative. It was creative because William Eggleston was able to capture everything. He was able to capture; the glare, the facial expression of each character, and most importantly the shadow in the photograph, which to me, said a lot.

Friday, September 4, 2009

hiiii ! i;m arelis ! && this is my blog for English 106 !