I also pointed out that the 3rd quarter ends February 18th. Yikes! While it may not have much repercussion in English, you should be aware that classes which have a quiz/quiz/test format may be a little tough this quarter. (If you really hate this idea, consider writing your argument paper about it...)
Today we read an article by Susan Crabtree: "How Trash TV Pulls America Down the Tubes." Clearly, she wants her reader to take a dim view of television talk shows, but how does she try to get you to think that way? I asked you to look for three kinds of appeals:
- Those made to your common sense/intelligence;
- Those made to you moral sensibilities/understanding of right and wrong;
- Those made to your emotions.
Though we got through the reading, we didn't get a chance to discuss the appeals, but will do so on Monday, when we discuss articles covering both sides of the trash TV debate: "cultural rot" or "moral reinforcement"? The article also mentions some controversial Calvin Klein ads and the furor they sparked. To learn more about them and what resulted, click here. Really makes you wonder about the company, or at least about their choice in advertisers...
I also mentioned today that Jerry Springer once had a respectable career in politics (insofar as such a thing is possible, of course...). His meteoric rise to fame and spectacular plunge to the nadir that is daytime TV makes for great, epic drama. You can hear all about it here. (See? "This American Life" IS a great show!) Do you buy his excuses for what he does, or is he some kind of evil out of Mordor?
This isn't mandatory, but I'd be interested to hear what you have to say about the likes of daytime talk shows, South Park and the like. Do they damage the moral fabric of society? What would your Middle School morality test have to say? You (and I) are exposed to a veritable cesspool through media, and yet you all strike me as thoughtful, kind, reflective souls who genuinely do what is good for the community and yourselves. Why aren't you tainted if this is the kind of crap you can get your hands on? Fun stuff, these cultural debates. Do tell your opinions!
YOUR HOMEWORK (DUE MONDAY, JAN. 12):
1. Write sentences on the wikispace.
2. Read Barbara Ehrenreich's "In Defense of Talk Shows" on pages 60-63 of the Seagull Reader (forget your book? NO PROBLEM.). TIME magazine has the article on line!
For each article, identify the types of appeals named above.
according to the all-powerful assignment notebook, it states that 3rd quarter ends on February 28th. Seeing as how the digit "1" is right next to "2" if you meant 28th, I can see where you made a simple mistake. If not, if you could double check to see whether the paper is wrong or if you were under a false impression, it'd be much appreciated as 6 weeks seems a tad bit short of a quarter.
ReplyDeleteIt's wrong in the assignment notebook. Check the school portal. They may have made the decision to switch after the assignment notebook went to press, but it is definitely the 18th. Think of it like the blink-of-an-eye quarters of first semester, I guess...
ReplyDelete