12 Language Arts
Mrs. Lowe
How Media Literacy has Changed Me
Media is something that I think is absolutely revolutionary. In my lifetime alone I have seen the evolution of media. I feel that media is an expression, a voice. It speaks out to all people from anywhere because it is so vast. Media exposes what goes on in the world on a day to day basis, or even just reminding us of our past. We can get notified about multiple events. Everything from an airplane going missing in Indonesia, or Kim Kardashian announcing her second pregnancy. All these events come to our knowledge within a fraction of a second thanks to media. It has been a world changing aspect to our everyday lives that has caused us to become not only more aware of the world we live in, but also more active. Take the “Black Lives Matter” campaign. Twenty, or maybe even ten years ago, we would only here of injustice every now and then. Today, we turn on the news and someone, somewhere, is getting hurt, or facing injustice. It’s not that there is “more crime” today, it’s just that we get more informed on the crime today. Because so many people are aware of these injustices, an entire campaign emerged, and people began to speak out. Everything about media encouraged this movement. From the news updates on CNN, to celebrity tweets and Instagram posts. To be truly Media Literate, I think one needs to be well informed and well educated. Media should be used for the purpose of good and not negativity. People in the public should be able to analyze, evaluate, and comprehend the messages that are being put out there. These messages come from television, radio, social media, books, magazines, music, and more.
Journal #2
What Role Social Media Plays in My Life
I personally don’t have much of an attachment to social media, simply because I don’t have any. I don’t have an Instagram, a Twitter, or a snapchat, but I do frequently use Youtube. I know it sounds absolutely insane to some people, but I honestly don’t feel as though it’s that odd. I chose not to have social media for a number of reasons. I’m someone who loves interacting with people and being social. I’m someone who can talk to anyone, and it feels weird to me if I’m not connecting with people on a regular basis. However, I enjoy that interaction face to face rather than on my phone. I feel like social media is a way for other people to see and know more about your own personal life, and the truth is, I’m just not that interesting. I go to school, go to work, and hang out with my friends. I simply just don’t see the need for people to have constant updates on my life, because it’s not like I’m famous or anything. Also, I get extremely camera shy. I don’t know what it is, but I feel extremely uncomfortable taking selfies, let alone one that could be “Instagram worthy”. I love knowing that the people around me are doing great, but that is something that I could do in person, or send a quick text. I love my life is in no way extravagant. I have never been on a vacation, never met anyone famous, and I suppose I still feel insecure and stuff. I have seen how rude and mean people can be on the Internet. Even the most beautiful of girls get hurtful comments, so there’s no way I could have the courage to pictures of myself online. It’s just excess negativity that I can easily prevent in my life by simply just not having social media. Don’t get me wrong, I think social media is a great innovation that has changed the way we interact with each other, I guess I’m just a little old fashioned in that way.
Journal #3
Sex, Stereotypes, an Beauty
I think I am not the only one in society who simply just never paid too much attention to advertisements. Of course I notice the beautiful, thin model wearing practically nothing in order to sell a product. However, I always thought that it was just the way of the world. That it was simply just business and marketing, and that it wasn’t that big of a deal. When observing the PowerPoint and the listening to the lecture that was told in class it immediately grabbed my full attention. For someone who is into using as much natural products as possible, I am very much aware of how large and manipulative the beauty industry is. In recent years I began to feel as though it has been making society too obsessive with their looks. Worst of all, these advertisements has caused us to look at ourselves differently. Now it’s not just about “improving” or “enhancing” our beauty, but trying to get it as close to “perfection” as possible. I have always noticed that they choose the most beautiful of girls to be in commercials. Perfect nose, frizz free hair, and porcelain skin. The unfortunate part about that is that most of don’t look that “perfect”. A trend I saw within those ads was how beauty is defined by how much attention you can get from men. Many times when average, every day, amazing women look at these ads and they feel as though they can’t relate. So we ask ourselves, “If I don’t look like that, then does that make me undesirable?” I can admit to the fact that I have insecurities on to of low self-esteem, wrapped up in a blanket of self-doubt. But over the last couple of years I had a realization that it’s okay to not look perfect, or to not look like a supermodel. There’s nothing wrong with it. Your outer appearance should not be the quality that gives you self-confidence. I have gained more confidence over the last few tears because I am completely secure and proud of the person that I am. I love the fact that I work hard, how I’m independent, how I care for others, and trying to improve myself as a person not just my appearance. It really upset me how advertisements need to depict women as just the opposite. This is the year 2016! Since when do we support or encourage a woman being date raped, a woman with a bullet hole in her head, a women being associated with violence and in a pornographic image. I admit that unless the ad is super bold in it sexist manner then I won’t notice it. But that’s the issue! Even the smallest form of sexism, and using women as a sex symbol encourages and promotes society’s way of thinking. We need to stop letting the media influence us. It pains me to think about a thirteen year old boy playing a video game with a naked woman on the cover, having a snake and sword give her pain. It pains me to think about how this young boy thinks that plays this “innocent” video game thinks its entertainment to be abusing a woman that is depicted as a prostitute in this virtual world. Whether he realizes it or not, he is being influenced. I just feel as though he is going to grow up with this depiction of women and treat them as horrible in the real world as they do in the virtual world.
Smore #4
Smore #5
1. The Paris Commune was so powerful because the working people of Paris decided to overthrow their capitalist state with their own form of government because they wanted to end the exploitation and oppression the government was enforcing onto the people.
2. The people of France enacted on this rebellion because after losing the Franco-Prussian War the country was in a chaotic state therefor the National Assembly tried to conclude a peace with Germany, but the Parisian workers feared that the National Assembly meeting would restore monarchy. This led to the worker revolting against the French government.
3. The Parisian workers responded to the severe economic crisis in France with strikes. They organized labor unions and several political clubs. The First International was an organization of workers that defended the Revolutionary ideas of workers. The working class, also known as the National Guard, was favored by the French army and eventually the middle class.
Works Cited
Works Cited
"The Paris Commune." (1871). N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
"The Paris Commune of 1871." In Defence of Marxism. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
"Speak Out Now." Speak Out Now. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Journal #6
Is O'brien the Victim or the Villain?
In my personal opinion I feel as though O'brien is the victim of this situation. I know many would like to disagree with me, but after plenty of consideration and thought I feel as though victim is a better way to describe O'brien. I know that O'brien was the one who was in charge of administering the torture, there's no denying that. He has the responsibility and he is guilty of harming Winston. However, a villain always has an underlying reason, unless they're just plain evil and crazy. The Party is the higher power and the main holder of authority in this entire book. O'Brien could have possibly been forced to administer this torture which is no excuse for his actions but I'm just saying that there is a reason for his actions. The definition of a victim is "a person who is cheated or fooled by someone else". This exactly what the Party is doing to everyone in Oceania and that even includes its own Party members such as O’Brien. “The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power."(3.3.14) this is what O'brien tells Winston and this quote alone speaks volumes about the bigger issue here. It is Winston being physically tortured, but it is O'brien who has his brain washed and mentality disfigured. He practically does not own his own mind, it is being controlled and manipulated by a higher authority. This is usually the case with most victims, they are oppressed under a higher authority or someone who happens to have more power.
Journal Entry 7
As I look back at the previous entries I have made over the course of the semester I feel as though some of my opinions changed and some of them still stay the same. When I look at my first entry I feel like I have the same opinion that media is quite revolutionary and it has helped us in the long run. It has allowed us to be able to speak to a large audience in an instant which is great when trying to get the attention for a good cause. Throughout this course I have learned that not all social media, or media in general is god. It has the ability to gain negative attention and perhaps spread terrible thing just as well as the good. One of my favorite things that I learned in this class was about how sexism is portrayed in advertising and we don’t even realize it. There was this particular advertisement of a woman being gang raped in an advertisement for Gucci. It was beyond disturbing to see, and the most astonishing part was that the ad probably had to be seen by several people before it could have been put out for the public to see. I learned that although media has given us so much freedom and educational opportunities, that freedom unfortunately will get into the hands of the wrong people and they could put out a negative influence on society. Another thing I have learned was that it is up to us to stop any negativity when we see it instead of standing idly by. This class is different than other Language Arts classes because it isn’t as systematic and I really do enjoy that because it’s a nice change, and it takes the stress off of having to take tests every week. In the future I would like more lecture/discussion days like what we did with the advertisements. Something where the teacher brings us a topic and asks us for our point of view.
Smore #8
I can kind of agree with Prince Ea’s message. Even though I feel like I am connected with the world doesn’t mean that everyone else always is. I stay off social media for a reason, because like he said it can be easy to turn it into “vanity”. However, AI feel like as long as a person knows what is right and wrong, and is not obsessing over it then there shouldn’t be an issue. But the more and more social media apps that come up, and the more we see everything being dependent on via social media I start to worry. For example a trending celebrity story right now is Ciara and Future fighting over their relationship and child custody issues over Twitter. The first thing that shocked me was the fact that such an intimate and private situation between a family is being consumed all over the Internet and it was as if they couldn’t have handled it face to face, which is disappointing for their family’s sake. The best way to stop and prevent situations like this from getting worse is to speak up. Just like Prince Ea did and many other social media advocates who speak about life, we must express our feelings and talk about what the problems in society are instead of ignoring them. When we are aware of the issue it helps us realize the mistake we are making and helps us rethink the choices we are making. Any addiction can be controlled, especially one as simple as social media. The best way to get a hold of it is to limit your time spent on social media. You can give yourself a time slot every day that allows you to spend on social media, and each day cut it down little by little that way you won’t get consumed by it. Make sure you filter whatever you say on social media. If it is negative, then don’t post it. Instead use it to inspire people and make other feel good. That way you can feel good about yourself and know that you are using this tool for a good cause.