Biological Determination of Morality?

            In a world without religion or beliefs that assist us in judging our actions, things would develop in completely different ways; things quite simply would not even resemble their current state if we changed people’s beliefs from an earlier point. Also, actions like justice, agency, and even existence wouldn’t exist, so evaluating our ideas of religion, and our positions in morality become increasingly valuable and important. Assuming that God did create us, we are able to fill in many of the blanks that science has yet to understand, and speculative action towards areas that science may never explain are “revealed.” However, taking the non-theological understanding of the world, how would things play out? What would be the likely outcome of the evolution of man and the world? In this essay, some of the analysis given by Professor de Waal shows us a new perspective of religion and morality that is captivating, and interesting. A dip into the discourse and literary strategies used to establish logos, ethos, and pathos, will undoubtedly give a new synthesis of ideologies from a new framework and perspective that hopefully develops an interesting spin on the topic of religion and morality.

            One of the first ideas that is introduced by the author in this text, is the depiction of the area that he grew up in, an author that lived there long before, and one of his paintings describing an idealistic existence inside of nature (how could art describe something otherwise?) This influence set into motion some of his initial interests regarding the topic of morality in nature, and appears as one of his first appeals in the establishment of ethos. Though he states that he isn’t an expert in the art of Bosch, he does call on this artistic piece with a hope that others might be able to understand or compare similar experiences to his own, and gain a model of perspective for a future application of his pathos or logos.

            Following his description of artistic influence in the development of his thought, he introduces a biological perspective to morality, which could definitely be considered his strongest appeal to the general audience, is the main point of the article, and is the author’s strongest use of logos. The discussion of a biological perspective in the understanding of morality gives a substantive way to measure whether something is or isn’t moral and gives us a strong appeal to logos. Studies of the prefrontal cortex and various primates with similarly structured brains have shown that actions generally considered as altruistic and human are programmed in animals also. However he doesn’t assume the probability difference of animals and humans exhibiting these characteristics, he makes a generalization that they will act similarly much of the time, but basic experience would indicate otherwise. Our ability to obtain a higher level of consciousness means greater reasoning capabilities and conclusions of action that are usually dramatically different than animals. This is a fundamental perspective that is not acknowledged by de Waal, but it’s likely that his analysis on this topic would follow the rest of the paper, and remain atheistic and naturalistic. This issue is partially addressed later in the paper, but nevertheless is an assumption that he holds on to, to a large degree.

            A strong evocation of pathos occurs here also. The author proves he knows his audience by tossing in comments about religion, that are snippets directly contradicting the logical approach of biology, and tuning in to the more agnostic/atheist audience accustomed to reading articles of this sort. Some examples of this are proved when he mentions the comment by Reverend Al Sharpton, the one line comment about what would happen to Christianity in the abyss of evolution and especially the inevitable demise of Christian beliefs with the acceptance of ultimate factual ethos belonging to science. His acknowledgement of these beliefs immediately grips the audience, no matter what side they are on, to read on and see what choice he will ultimately elucidate as prevailing. All the while the author is prancing on a topic—morality-- that is generally considered to be of central value in a person’s perception, thereby evoking strong emotion through his speculation regarding religion and the use of logic through biology.

            One of the most powerful phrases from this opinion paper comes when the author partially rebuts Reverend Sharpton’s comment that without God there is no morality. De Waal says “Perhaps it is just me, but I am wary of anyone whose belief system is the only thing standing between them and repulsive behavior.” This is a comment that I’m sure all of us agree with; we certainly hope that there is something inherent in nature that disallows us to fall prey to our “worse” side and exhibit harmful behaviors. I strongly dislike approaching things from a strongly theological perspective, but from an Latter-Day Saint perspective this inherently smacks of the “Light of Christ” arguments we believe about human nature. This shows another—completely unintended-- appeal to the logos of what is probably the minority in the audience, the Latter-Day Saint grouping and definitely helps to establish some of his credibility and ethos among these select few readers.

            In the next section de Waal looks into some empirical examples in studies that he has done or observed, to strengthen his view, as well as some short but fairly succinct analysis of the notion of pleasure in influencing altruistic action. The citation of behavior exhibited by the animals in his empirical examples is really strong, and gives a strong appeal to his ethos, but also the logos of the text. The fact that the author has conducted experiments to prove his point, and the experiments have produced the expected results, shows he has the capacity to look for external variables that could influence a view like the one that he holds, and proves that his point is tenable from a logical perspective with observations that can be proved many times over, with different animals, and completely different environments and social groups.

            The view that morality evolved from social instincts in the evolutionary progression of nature is used to make his point appeal to both the religious man, and the scientist. The author tries to tell the religious man that his actions have not been contradictory to the nature of things, and in this action perhaps reduces the pain of any “toes that have been stepped on” by his biologically determined bulldozer. At the same time, he tries to prove that his point is legitimate from a logical perspective by showing examples of animals acting extremely altruistic.

            He continues in the text to argue that the evolution of nature, specifically the nature of primates, is to try to create a greater amount of fairness and equality, specifically this perspective is an example of logos. He cites examples of primates helping each other, and even finding joy in helping their fellow animals. It is at this point that he reflects a tone of passion, he states “I am a firm believer in the Humean position that reason is the slave of the passions.” He uses this as an assumption in his assertion that altruism is biological, and although it is an interesting point, he leaves himself susceptible to a reduction of logos due to the difficult time he would have in proving this point completely, like he indicates he believes. Also, the firmness of his position in this belief and the emotion that he has toward this topic is partly revealed at this point, and reflects an example of pathos.

            The final portion of this opinion page was likely to leave the assumed main audience – the scientific atheist – slightly bewildered by an unpredictable ending. De Waal concludes the essay with the final assertion that science has no authority in the determination of morality and the determination of action. He also concedes a major point, and says that inevitably people will fall prey to the western culture, and are steeped in the Christian morality that accompanies it. This argument is very interesting in comparison to the rest of the paper, because he concedes that the biological arguments that are cited to prove why altruistic morality is good actually don’t matter. The scientific crowd reading this is really left with no option but to embrace the Christian morality, even though they might not believe that it’s true. The author continues along this train of thought and even says that even if we could get rid of organized religion and replace it with science, religion would inevitable make a comeback in issues of a speculative nature. This tone lacks the optimism of most mainstream atheists and agnostics.

In conclusion, the option of participating in social politics that reflect the Christian altruism and beliefs is, according to de Waal, inevitable despite the commonly held belief in the scientific community that God doesn’t live. The author seems to establish really strong ethos among the scientific readers, using strong logic as an connection to pathos, but the “Atheist Dilemma” section of the text seems to dash a viable alternative to Christian morality, and leaves the reader with a question. If the God doesn’t live, what underlying force or physiological process motivates actions that aren’t calculably selfish?

the onion

"Everyone is worrying about an uncertain future and coming together to express their outrage, and I don't get to be a part of it."

The article "Rich Guy Feeling Left Out of Recession", found on The Onion website, begins with a photo of a lonely looking man, Michael Chandler, who is a real estate developer and whose grandfather was a wealthy oil baron. Alone in his shiny limo in his business suit, holding his cell phone and staring off into the bleak distance, Chandler's forlorn look makes the reader ask the question, "Why on earth is he sad?"

The answer to that question is that Mr. Chandler simply feels left out--of the recession. Like a scraggly third grader picked last for a soccer game at recess, Chandler wants to be a part of something (the recession) that he doesn't fit into. He wants to have that bonding experience of hardship with his fellow Americans, but the truth is he's not 'fortunate' enough to be unfortunate enough. Chandler even "took the extraordinary step last week of speaking openly with a chauffeur about how hard the recession has been on everyone. He even went so far as to tip the driver 50 percent less than usual in an attempt to show the man that he, too, was hurting financially."

The Onion is dedicated to providing an endless source of sarcastic and rhetorically backwards articles. It's similar to magazines like "The National Enquirer" which are known for their ridiculous and inaccurate stories and rarely have any truth to their articles. It's appeal to ethos is its reputation for providing a hilarious satirical news article for all sorts of events in the world. The audience knows what they're getting themselves into when they enter this website. They know they entering a zone of sarcasm and poking fun at people. Even though the stories are ridiculous, they are extremely relatable to life, just on a more exaggerated scale. The sarcastic approach makes the rhetoric of this article interesting and is actually effective, but this will be discussed later. The appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos, are all made in an interesting and unusual way. The arguments are backwards and this contrast with reality convinces the reader of the point that The Onion is trying to make.

This certain article narrates a rich man's unhappiness due to his lack of participation in the current recession. He feels secluded from the world and its problems and he wants to have a part in them. Like Chandler says, "Everyone's supposed to get a fair shake at this misery." This article does a great job of emphasizing how ridiculous the world is getting in terms of creating universal equality by illustrating a situation where a man wants to be as unfortunate as everyone else instead of vice versa. This is where the appeal to pathos comes in. Chandler wants pity for the way his life is going. He wants sympathy and just wants to be accepted. The audience, of course, cannot feel bad for this man who has a picture perfect life with everything one would ever need. The audience starts to despise him for his lack of logic and his senseless jealousy for whatever he can't get. The newspaper delivers the story with an objective view and doesn't insert any opinions about Chandler's attitude; it just states the facts. The reader then forms his own opinion purely from Chandler's behavior.

The audience is expected to have a sense of humor on the topic. Although the recession is a very serious subject to almost everyone, The Onion knows how to pull the reader in and get him to laugh about it. The rhetorical situation isn't likely to appeal to everyone because of its sarcastic approach. The article probably appeals to people ages 20 to 40 because of its accessibility online and the way it jokes about politics and other current matters. It requires an audience who is updated in news and wants to laugh about political matters. The article isn't focused towards one gender, so it easily appeals to both. The reader should have a basic education regarding the economic situation, but does not need an extensive one. The message is very basic but it is also biting in its regards to the way humans act and the way society has changed recently. According to The Onion, "Chandler 'constantly' inquires as to whether any of his diversely invested mutual funds are losing money, but is always let down." It is quotes like these which make the reader keep coming back for more.

"And here I am, not scrimping and saving at all, with no demoralizing periods of financial hardship, or frantic weeks living paycheck to paycheck. What about me, you know? Where's my struggle?"

Human tendency is to want what you can't have. People envy others for their cars, their jobs, their homes, their looks, etc. The Onion takes this to its extreme meaning when they apply it to a wealthy man wanting a part in the risk and uncertainty of the recession. "Every month they announce tens of thousands of layoffs," Chandler said, "and every time, I'm not one of them. No matter what I say or do, it'll never be me. My only memory of this historic point in time will be the prosperity I have always known." His reasoning makes no sense, and that is what makes the article so hilarious. There is no direct appeal to logos in the article, but through the ridiculous situation written about, the reader makes his own connections to reason and logic. The best part of the article, and all of the articles on The Onion, is the way that truth is achieved. Through the usage of a sarcastic tone and exaggeration, the rhetoric of the article is very strong. The reader can't walk away thinking, "that had no relation to reality, nobody ever acts like this." The truth is, so many people do such ridiculous things when they want to fit in. Logos is appealed to in an indirect way. Through the senselessness of the article, the reader finds sense. Especially when Chandler's financial advisor speaks about how Chandler has been part of the cause of what happened with the economy, he provides a contrast to Chandler's nonsensical argument. His contrast helps the reader come back to reality and be able to directly relate to someone in the article.

According to Chandler's financial advisor,"his only real connection to the recession is that he helped to cause it by artificially inflating home prices and making millions off unstable derivatives trading." In the end, this quote seals the deal. Chandler has no idea how he is affecting the recession. All he knows is he wants to be a part of his own monster. People can relate this to actual events in these past couple of years when the wealthy have not taken any part of the blame for the recession. The disaster in the realty market with high defaults on mortgages, bank and other businesses' bailouts, and other factors are all ways that people have messed up the economy because of someone's irresponsible decisions. The reader can clearly see the relationship the article has and the way Chandler acts, to the way people in the country have been acting. The Onion does a remarkable job of keeping readers entertained and also get them thinking. It is much easier to formulate ideas and opinions when you have something ridiculous to contrast them against. The sarcasm, exaggeration, and satirical approach of this article give a new perspective for the reader and that is why The Onion succeeds.

Cake Wrecks

I have been a fan of the blog Cake Wrecks since my friend showed it to me about a year ago. Since then, I’ve followed and laughed with each post, enjoying the photos of ridiculous cake mistakes and the very witty writing that went along with them. While the blog would probably could stand with the photos alone, it’s the commentary that really makes the place hilarious. Jen Yates, the brilliance behind the blog, writes for a large audience because of the wide appeal of grossly mis-decorated cakes. However, the blog has a predominantly-female audience, most of whom are in their 20s to 30s (I base these statistics off of a Cake Wrecks event I attended in Salt Lake). Yates’ posts don’t just show photos. She often breaks them down, offering sarcastic analysis of why the cake is so bad. Often times, the cake only becomes funny because of her writing. This is where rhetoric comes in. Some of the favorite posts are funny because Yates made them that way.

So much more than a house

In 'Picturing the Crisis', the author Paul Reyes reminds us that while we can all remember the horrors of the Great Depression, something just as terrible is happening. That is, the housing crisis. However, something so terrible can be a work of art. In the Great Depression and in other crisis, the pictures were easy to come by when compared to today's world. The housing crisis is something hard to take pictures of. There are no breadlines, no hopeless faces looking over a desolate farm. What there are things to take pictures of are empty homes. Bare walls. Half finished homes- and dreams. This appeals to a sensitive side of the reader. When thinking of what I want in my life, a house is near the top of the list. I see the pictures and read the article and worry what is to become of me and my future family. This is what Paul Reyes is trying to do. His audience is the American, and the New York Times is well suited to carry it to every one of us. His tone is one of somberness, but of beauty. His purpose in writing is to find something beyond the empty homes, the holes in the wall, and the scratches on the table. Every person has a story, and every house has had a person. This crisis is tragic. Unemployment is very high, and the college student has much to worry about. But this very tragedy contains a sense of true beauty.

The Morals of Nature

Article Here: qualifies under 1A of the Pre-Approved texts. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/morals-without-god/?ref=opinion

The title of this article as I was scanning down was "Morals Without a God." I found this title to be very interesting because of the instant base of people that it would bring, and turn away. It is highly doubtful that you would find an extremely devoted Christian to be reading this article and evaluating seriously, many of the claims that are made. Often it is the most controversial pieces of literature that give us so much insight into society. In this text it can also be assumed that most of the readers would come from a more liberal perspective that is interested in the reshaping of morality post-God. Of course here at BYU this is a notion that would be generally controversial among both students and faculty, and the points raised are legitimate, but still wouldn't appeal to to many hard Christians. Nevertheless, some of the main readers of this would undoubtedly be members of the scientific community who are searching for the 'rules of existence' as determined by nature and the fundamentals of science.

HRC Petition Response

On October 12, 2010, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement responding to the delivery of a Human Rights Campaign petition concerning the church’s position on Gay and Lesbian marriage. In its statement, the church was addressing not only the HRC but the world as a whole. It was a letter of outreach and love to those who feel as if the LDS church is attacking them and their values. The audience for this statement is particularly frail at this time due to the recent deaths of homosexuals who committed suicide because of anti-Gay or anti-Lesbian harassment. Knowing that many are offended and some are openly hostile towards the church, the statement is very careful to be sensitive to the audience’s feelings. There is, however, an implied meaning that the audience as a whole is misinformed concerning the LDS faith’s position and feelings towards the homosexual community. It is implied that although the church doesn’t agree with their beliefs, they still respect and love them as Christ himself would.

HRC

The Church's audience for the response to the outcry from President Packer's message is the Gay Community in general, but also any who would criticize or call out the Church for following the commandments and dictates that we have. I personally find it appalling that so many people are offended that President Packer gave an address in line with our standards at our General Meeting in Our meeting house to our people. What happened to freedom of speech? He has a right to have beliefs opinions, and to teach the people of the church for which he holds the calling of President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles those ideals. The response was very kind given these feelings of mine, very polished, and emphasized our idea of love for everyone along with our inability to condone immorality or homosexuality.

Picturing the Crisis

The rhetoric used in "Picturing the Crisis" was very interesting. The author, Paul Reyes, tried to show the horrible nightmare of foreclosure as being a beautiful aspect of art. His targeted audience: American citizens, particularly the "lower-class" who are experiencing economic hardships as a result of the recession. Not only does he target those who are struggling, but he involves all of America. He brings up events that effected us all: the Depression and Stock Market crash, the 9/11, Hurricane Katrina. Each are major emotional triggers for us because they bring up the painful memories that were attached to those times. The author is using those emotions to emphasize his rhetoric. Tying emotions into anything creates a powerful effect. Thus so, he relates the hardships to foreclosure, and then connects them with art.

Since the New York Times is a relatively prestigious and well-known newspaper, the targeted audience is adults who will understand what a foreclosure is and how it is caused. It's a source for those who want to stay informed about what's happening in our nation.

I was very interested when I read the article where the Church responded to a HRC petition. I was scrolling through Facebook last Tuesday, and saw a link for the article on one of my friend’s pages. Having no idea what it was about, I clicked on the link, read the article, and was shocked. I didn’t even know there was a controversial issue going on. I personally think that things were blown a little bit out of proportion, but I was nevertheless impressed by the way the Church handled the situation. The spokesman, Michael Otterson, used a variety of tactics to make it seem as though the Church meant no harm. He stated that although we strongly believe in principles regarding marriage and sexual relations outside of marriage, those beliefs are not justification to be unkind to others with different viewpoints. He blatantly said that our Church’s doctrine is based on love and the ability to make our own decisions. Otterson seemed to be very direct in stating what our Church believes in, but also clarified that everyone has the ability to believe in their own things too.

Pardon or Life (and Death) in Prison

Article found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/16/opinion/16herbert.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

This article is about two sisters who are serving double life sentences in Mississippi for being implicated in an $11 robbery in which no one was hurt. These sisters are appealing to the governor for a pardon from their sentences because of one of the sister's failing health (both of her kidneys are failing). The governor has already pardoned five murderers from life sentences, so why not these two sisters?

The audience for this article is comprised of the citizens of Mississippi, readers of the New York Times, and political activists. I also think this story is structured to appeal to people in general because it uses pathos to make us feel compassion for the sisters and their plight to receive a pardon, including a quote from their mother in the article.

The New York Times is read mostly by people ages 25-50 who have higher education, own their own home, have high paying jobs, and a full-time employee. The audience here is a well-educated and more well off than average person, who doesn't necessarily fear job loss of financial insecurity.

The Spoils of Happiness

After reading the opinionater section of the New York times, I found many interesting details concerning the audience this article was directed at. First off, I concluded that anyone reading this article must have some desire or interest in obtaining happiness--for the article was entirely about how to obtain happiness. After digging deeper into the article, I found that more specifically this article was about moods and whether or not happiness can be artificially decided by the brain. This helped narrow the audience once again; for the audience must be educated, as well as have some interest in the role of psychology. Also, after looking up statistics on readership of the New York Times, I found that average readership age has gone up 6 years in the past few years(http://www.businessinsider.com/the-average-newspaper-reader-is-now-older-than-ever-2009-5); this helped me conclude that most likely many of the people reading the times, as well as interested in the article, are most likely older than young adults on average. The tone of the issue was intellectual and optimistic, allowing the reader to feel good towards the claims made about the issue. Whether or not the reader agrees is less influenced by emotion in this sense, for the writer did a good job in leaving emotion out of the argument. Lastly, I concluded that, on average, people reading this article--and that are truly interested in the issue--most likely aren't satisfied with their own personnel happiness level. The fact that the audience is reading the article suggests that possibly the average reader is looking for advice on obtaining happiness.

Winning the Hearts of Women

I like to consider myself a loyal Dove customer, and I probably always will. If their NutriumMoisture body wash hadn’t already convinced me, Dove’s campaign for Real Beauty probably would have done the trick. Sure, a part of me knows that getting customers is the real angle, but the rest of me doesn’t care. While I like to think I made it out of high school with a reasonable amount of self-esteem still intact, I’ve seen the effects that worldly expectations can have on women both young and old. The more I explored the campaign’s website, the more I could feel the sincerity of the campaign. I am sure that many companies focus their media messages on young girls in the hopes that they will grow to buy their products or read their magazines, unconcerned with the effect these messages will have on their intended audience. Dove, however, focuses a great deal of the campaign on the self-esteem and mental well -being of young girls, providing them with real tools to combat the onslaught of negative and unrealistic images. By understanding the real needs of their audience, Dove has won the hearts of daughters and mothers alike, resulting in both moral and monetary success.

Beauty is More than Skin Deep.

Dove is launching a “campaign for real beauty” to help women of all ages improve their self esteem. It’s an interesting rhetorical situation: Dove is a company that sells soap, body wash, shampoo, lotion - all products to improve our outward appearance. They’re trying to sell these products but at the same time, telling women that beauty is more than skin deep. It’s similar to Crayola’s green movement to plant as many trees as were destroyed in the production of their products. Though getting advice about inward beauty from Dove may seem a bit contradictory, in a strange way, it validates their statement. If they who sell their products which enhance our outward beauty teach us that it is what’s on the inside that really counts, then it must be true! As they target females of all ages, from grown women to 13 year old girls, their message is sincere: beauty is more than skin deep.

"Rich Guy Feeling Left Out of Recession"

The article "Rich Guy Feeling Left Out of Recession" is found on The Onion website. This website is dedicated to providing an endless source of sarcastic and rhetorically backwards articles. This certain article defends a rich man's lack of participation in the current recession. He feels secluded from the world and its problems and he wants to have a part in them. He even tries to get sympathy from his chauffeur by talking about his 'hard times' and he even tries tipping him 50% less than usual. This article does a great job of emphasizing how ridiculous the world is getting in terms of creating equality by illustrating a situation where a man wants to be as unfortunate as everyone else instead of vice versa. The audience is expected to have a sense of humor on the topic. The rhetorical situation isn't likely to appeal to everyone because of its sarcastic approach. The article will probably appeal to mostly people between the ages of 20 and 40. The article isn't focused towards one gender, so it probably appeals to both genders. The reader should have some education regarding the economic situation, but not an extensive one. The message is very basic but biting in its regards to the way humans act.

Responce to the HRC

I was very impressed by the Church's response to the HRC. When I heard their (the HRC)comments, I simply just wanted to yell at them through the computer. But that's why I wasn't in charge of making this statement (well, that's not the only reason). I feel like the Church was addressing more than the HRC as well. Church leadership was responding to theirs comments, however, they knew that many more people would be listening than just them. They used this opportunity to again state our doctrinal beliefs and reaffirm our love for all - even those struggling with same-sex attraction. This was very impressive. I could tell that the tone was calm, not frantic; explanatory, not vague; loving, not scathing. They just wanted people to know our stand without any equivocation. I think the Church leadership did an impeccable job, but of course they would, this is the Church!

Let It Be

Some Clever Title
Music is arguably one of the influential things here on earth. Lyrics, when coupled with stirring rhythms and beats, can have increased power on the heart of a person. Millions on this earth have attempted to add worthy compositions to the overall music library; some, successfully, some, not. One song in particular has stood the test of time and can be found on music libraries for persons of any age or background. That song was written by Paul McCartney in 1970 and has come to define entire generations; that song is Let It Be. This song has crossed generational bounds and touched millions of listeners like no other song of this modern music era. But why? What makes this song such a strong opus in comparison to the vast number of other songs? By looking at several aspects surrounding this song – its historical context and its literary and musical devices – we may gain insight that will answer this question.
As stated, the song Let It Be was written by Paul McCartney in 1970. His inspiration for this song – coming in the form of a dream as McCartney tells it – was his mother.
McCartney said he had the idea of "Let It Be" after a dream he had about his mother during the tense period surrounding the sessions for The Beatles (the "White Album"). McCartney explained that his mother—who died of cancer when McCartney was fourteen—was the inspiration for the "Mother Mary" lyric. McCartney later said, "It was great to visit with her again. I felt very blessed to have that dream. So that got me writing 'Let It Be'." He also said in a later interview about the dream that his mother had told him, "It will be all right, just let it be." (Spitz)
This song also was released at a very pivotal point in The Beatles’ career. Having announced their official break-up before the song was even released on the album, the song obtained much more weight and meaning.

Nighthawks

Rachel Zitting
Kathy Cowley
12 October 2010
Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks

On a choir trip to Chicago this past spring, I had the opportunity to visit the Art Institute of Chicago. I didn’t think much of this event until we showed up at the huge museum, which was filled with pieces by many great artists, sculptors, and architects. One of my favorite pieces was Edward Hopper’s piece entitled Nighthawks.

When first viewed, the artwork seems slightly like a Norman Rockwell, just with a heavier tone. I had bought a print of this piece about a year before, and it hung in my room. I bought it on a whim, not really knowing its meaning. When I saw the piece in the Art Institute, I stared at it for five whole minutes. That’s a long time, for me. I read the background information and was amazed I had never looked at it in that certain light before. Nighthawks is a painting of four individuals inside a brightly lit restaurant in the 1940s in the middle of a city. Two of them are there together, one is the counter boy, and another is a lone man.

What is most interesting about this painting, for me, is the fact that the restaurant has no door. The people look like they may be trapped inside, not knowing it. Also the title adds to the mysteriousness of the painting. The term Nighthawks sounds slightly scary, like someone is looming. All of the subjects look like they may be the ‘nighthawk’ because they all look suspicious and alienated.

Hopper also incorporates many types of contrast in his piece. The light of the restaurant contrasts the darkness outside. The old-fashioned cash register contrasts the new fluorescent lights of the time period. Also, the horizontal shape of the diner contrasts the vertical buildings in the background.

The Choice of Happiness

Spencer Tolson

Katherine Cowley

Writing 150 Honors: Writing and Rhetoric

12 October 2010

Life is Beautiful

Personal Reflection- Life is Beautiful left me with so many emotions swirling through my brain. A truly great movie, it has inspired me in many ways. As a college student, I am sometimes discouraged or depressed about how much I have ahead of me to do, or have feelings of inadequacy. By watching this movie, I realize that it is a choice to go on. Guido had all odds against him as he went through the traumatic experience of being a Jew during WWII. However, not only did he himself put on a brave face, but through this brave face he protected this son and cared for him when he had so little. He shared food when he had so little. He risked everything to help his child. This in and of itself is inspiring. The way he did so is truly the most amazing part. As a viewer, I found myself laughing out loud at his antics during his experience in the war camp. He turns a worst case scenario into a heroic story just by being the happiest he could be. This proves that happiness is a choice, not a reflection of our surrounding. As Guido does die in the movie, he will never die within me. When the going gets tough, I will put on my best smile and face it head on.

"Flora" by J. Alden Weir

This piece was painted in 1882, when the Women’s Suffrage movement was in full swing. By this time, several territories including Wyoming and Utah had granted women the right to vote. Women were becoming comparatively more independent and beginning to break out of their simple role. The woman depicted in the painting seems to be content with her life, despite her lack of rights.
Weir painted this as the Romantic period was ending. The romantic period was characterized with escapes from modern realities and an emphasis on heroic qualities of its characters. While his sister is very subdued and quiet, definitely a conservative women, because she is alone, she is significant to the piece. From her elegant clothes and sophisticated hair style, it can be inferred that she belongs to the upper class. The women of the upper class had more influence, but I do not believe that this woman used her status to promote this cause. I believe that Weir chose to paint her because she was heroic in the sense that she was happy with her fortune and didn’t want anything that might detract from her current life style. New rights and voting privileges were not something she needed to make her happy.
The women is sitting alone, clearly escaping her day to day duties, if even just for a moment. She is sitting fingering the flowers looking into the corner at the unknown. She is portrayed as downhearted. I believe she came outside to take a break from whatever may be troubling her in her life and she surrounded herself with the beautiful flowers for comfort. The predominant color of the painting is white - her dress, the flowers - which symbolized purity. However, in the bottom right corner, there is a red flower that is not the same as the surrounding white ones. The red flower could be symbolizing what is out of place in her life and is causing her to be upset. As much as she surrounds herself with goodness and tries to make herself wholesome, there is still that corner of her conscience that reminds her of past wrongdoings.

Wilbur's The Writer

A Writers Response to “The Writer”

Richard Wilbur describes for us the unique joys he experiences as he watches and experiences his young daughter write. The writer is a poem near to my heart, because it describes some of what I feel as I daily strive to put to words the feelings that swirl around in my clouded brain; teeming with the life of a story that desires to be written. The daughter is described as much the same way. She is busy, typing furiously, full of a fervor that cannot be delayed in her desire to allow her work to come forward. She wishes only for the opportunity to let her feelings fly upon the page. Wilbur tells us this by hinting at the cargo she’s holding, and wishing her well.

Writing has been a human tradition for as long as paper has been available for two reasons: memory and venting. When something is written down, it stays around, is easy to reference, and can be called upon to prove a point when a plagiarism dispute is in order. But more important is the ability of the pen and page to take feelings, raw emotion, and transfer them into a form of art just as expressive as any canvas, melody, or dance. Writing, words, are the window into an author’s soul. Wilbur expresses this metaphor in his poem through the story of the bird trapped in the room. The bird desperately desires freedom, has a need it wants so to be fulfilled, but the window is closed. Wilbur opens this window for the bird, just as he opened it for his daughter, and in so doing he allows the bird a few more tries (not all of which are successful) until it finds the window and soars, its spirit caught high on the breeze of newfound freedom.

This parallel is easily drawn to Wilbur’s daughter, who he “wishes a lucky passage”. Teaching, inspiring, or even allowing someone to write where there is a real desire is as liberating as a pair of wings. Wilbur gives her the type writer, and away she goes, soaring on her own journey to find truth within herself.

I used to feel the same way; I thought I was writing to find truth, but I wasn’t, not really. I was writing to satisfy a desire for fame, to become published perhaps, and to tell a story that I really wanted to read and that I couldn’t find. Now my motivations are different, after reading and being exposed to truly great literature one begins to feel like there are real meanings, real stories left in the world. I want to write one, and I have a plan. That’s what this poem gives to me, a desire to write really, and to find it in myself.