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American materialism and consumerism
American materialism and consumerism
Consumerism in fahrenheit 451
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Since the 20th century, bright pink flamingos have captivated the hearts of Americans as a representation of leisure and vacation. From decorative lawn ornaments to various themed decorations, the pink plastic flamingo has been idolized in American culture for decades. In her essay, “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History”, Jennifer Price examines the history of the plastic pink flamingo in American culture, and how it became to be the symbol we see today. Through the appeal to authority of notable writers, ironic understatement of the previous views on flamingos, and repetition to convey the significance of the flamingo in other cultures, Price lightheartedly criticizes the materialistic, flamboyant nature of American culture.
To
The dispute over whether Native American mascots should be used as a team symbol dates back to the 1970’s (Price 2). People differ on the basic issue, but there is a more important underlying principle. It is called freedom. Determining whether or not someone is harmed by a practice can reveal whether that practice can or should be morally justified. Wherein lies the truth about exercising the use of American Indian mascots? The reality is that they cannot be morally justified. The certainty is not ascertainable by way of any comparison to other similar phenomena. No such comparison can be made as none exits. Then, are not the only relevant voices those of the Indians themselves? If so, the truth regarding this imagery can only be discovered by conferring with the groups that are depicted. Only those portrayed should have a voice. Or at the very least, be heard louder and more clearly than those who are not mirrored in the representations.
For her first point of the “still-life on the counter” she argues that the objects on the counter are for “public consumption” and that the labels on the bottles
The book Zoot Suit has symbolic significance for Mexican Americans and tells about the riots during World War II. The Sleepy Lagoon Murder was one step in the fight for the rights and respect of Mexican American's. This riot involved young servicemen and civilians who clashed in the streets of the city with young Mexican Americans who wore the noticeable "Zoot Suit." At their height, the riots involved several thousand men and women. In the end no one was killed and only a few were injured but even today, the Zoot Suit riots are remembered for their significance.
In his Sports Illustrated article, “The Indian Wars,” S.L. Price argues that there is no easy answer to whether or not the use of Native American mascots by high school, college, and professional sports teams is offensive. “It's an argument that, because it mixes mere sports with the sensitivities of a people who were nearly exterminated, seems both trivial and profound -- and it's further complicated by the fact that for three out of four Native Americans, even a nickname such as Redskins, which many whites consider racist, isn't objectionable.” Whereas Price provides ample evidence that his claim is true, I disagree with the way it was presented and I still insist that Native American names and mascots are offensive.
The zoot suit symbolized several different things for the Mexican American population in the Los Angeles community. Not only was it a symbol of pride in their Mexican heritage, but also a form of rebellion from the norms emplaced upon the Mexican teenagers by their parents. These suits were also a symbol of unity, these young men wanted to look different and feel as if they’re culture could be something they could display and be proud of. This whole image was seen by the modern culture of Los Angeles to be “gang” related or distasteful. These “Pachuco” or punks often spoke a hybrid of English and Spanish, this was known as “calo.” However, many of the Mexican American teenagers at the time, spoke only English. The outfit often included pants wide at the knee often 40 inches or more, a broad shouldered jacket, hat, chain wallet and shined shoes called “calcos.”
Graphic novels are something that requires a lot of deliberate thought and dedication to create a novel that affects the reader in the way authors want them to. Everything within a graphic novel is conscious decision to enable the tones, story, characters, and messages to get through as best as they can. Due to this it is difficult to create an adaption based on someone else’s work, as you want to portray their messages and tones accurately, but also how the creator interoperates the original authors work. This is a problem I had in the creation of my mini graphic adaption of The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews. The Flying Troutmans is about a family going on a trip in America in search of the father of the kids Hattie is in charge of after
Since the 1930's, plastic pink flamingos have been a trendy statement piece at hotels and in yards across the country. Jennifer Price, the author of "The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History", uses tone, satire, and diction to show her view on United States culture. Price's view is that United States culture is flashy, cocky, and that Americans tend to try and stand out to get attention.
Zoot Suit is a political play designed to display the Chicano struggle against oppression and injustice. Although Zoot Suit reaches back to a historical event for Mexican-Americans, the play concerns all ethnic minorities in America. The Zoot Suit is a historical image that embodies a form of agency imbued with political power and rebellion for Chicanos and Chicanas alike. This play is counteractive to the prejudice and misrepresentation of Zoot Suiters of the time and is a tool for historical education. Not only does this play educate those who were unable to bear witness to such discrimination, but it also displays the ways in which counterculture can be powerful and make changes in society.
The thoughts presented in the stories are very similar as both characters are somewhat childlike and are quite naive. Choy once again uses dialogue to show how Mie isn’t as wise as her parents. Mie’s mother who is much wiser says “Well, when I was your age I had many dreams, as children do,”(Choy 11). Here Mie’s mother sees Mie’s dream as childish as she needs to be worried about things that are much more important. Imagery is also used to show how Mie wants to see the red cranes. Mie’s thoughts are still presented similarly through dialogue between her and her parents. Sachiko has many experiences with the fireflies and takes actions unlike Mie who wishes to see red cranes. Tanizaki also continues to use symbolism and imagery, with many descriptions to indicate how Sachiko’s character develops throughout the
As the speaker hunts with his father, he has learned to meditate. When the speaker grows older, he can “spend whole mornings in the bush, … [his] senses riveted on the changing patterns of light, colour, form, and sound in the forest” (4). Meditation strengthens his connection with the nature and merely sitting in the bush satisfies him. Meanwhile, his children follow the culture of instant pleasure. On Christmas morning, the children at first “thoroughly [explore] the possibilities of [the] new [toys]” (7), but their level of satisfaction drops rapidly and by lunch time, “[they] were off playing with the empty boxes” (7). Their behaviour suggests that the culture of consumption heavily influences them and the many material goods can only entertain them for half a day. This creates a contrast with the speaker’s meditation and implies that people nowadays only focuses on
In our current generation, the year 2016, one may think racism would be diminished but it has yet to be acknowledged. Most people would have thought discrimination ended with the time of slavery, but it continues to exist in indirect ways. When people think Native Americans, they think about how they were the true Americans and how they aided Columbus’s settlement into the Early Americas. Native Americans experience discrimination to this day, yet nothing has been said about the Indian’s existence and rights. In Kimberly Roppolo’s essay, “Symbolism, Racism, History, and Reality: The Real Problem with Indian Mascots,” constructs the reason and gives us an idea on why this type of racism still exists and why people continue to unknowingly discriminate
The article “The problems with Native American Mascots” written by Laurel R. Davis covers many arguments regarding the use of Native American names and images for sports teams’ mascots. Rather or not sports teams should be able to continue using Native American names for their teams and images for their mascots is a highly controversial topic. Opinions will vary, especially when a person of Native American heritage is being asked opposed to a person of non-Native American heritage. Native American images should not be used for sports teams’ mascots as their use stereotypes the group, misrepresents many aspects of the Native American culture, as well as negatively impacting the lives of those that come from Native American heritage.
Bold and intriguing, this sculpture, “Balloon Dog (Magenta)” by Jeff Koons, induces a sense of wonder and happiness. Jeff Koons’ “Balloon Dog (Magenta)” is a part of the Celebration series that begun in 1994. The Balloon Dog is an archetype connecting people to the monumental and the everyday. Looking at this sculpture you can hear the sound of festivity. We can hear the sound of children laughing and running around playing games. We can hear the sound of balloons popping and also the twisting shrieks from a party clown as he creates this wonderful balloon animal. This sculpture also evokes a sense of smell at these celebrations where the balloon dog would be present. A smell such as the smoke from blowing out the candles on a birthday cake, or perhaps even the smell of fireworks at a New Year celebration or carnival. Balloon Dog gives a feeling of happiness and warmth. It reminds the viewer of joyful memories from the past and even makes you wonder about new memories to come. New memories of birthdays, baby showers, anniversaries, all delightful events where a simple balloon animal may just be present in the hands of little children eating there chocolate cake and munching on their potato chips and lollies.
People label things as “normal” because they have become habituated with these things. Beth Harry’s book, Melanie, Bird with a Broken Wing, her ideal view of a mother is challenged when she gives birth to a child with cerebral palsy. Through her story, she provides an insight into what she felt as a mother of a child with a disability and her journey up until Melanie’s death. The memoir left me with mixed emotions because, in the beginning, Harry expressed her thought of wanting her child to die, if the child had caused any trouble. Harry challenges my core beliefs and values, however, through Melanie, I was able to see Harry grow as a mother and a person. The little ackee seed sprouted a new perception for her mother, as well as it did for
The large ground finches have a higher curve while the medium ground finches have a smaller head and a tiny beak. The place in which the finches live is what changes their appearances and also the weather helps decide the appearance of these finches.