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The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore demonstrates an array of rhetorical devices. Prevalent examples are imagery and foreshadowing. Imagery is visual or figurative descriptions, seen especially throughout literary work. Moore displays this through; “The Bronx was in its post-apocalyptic phase. Whole blocks were abandoned, buildings blackened and hollowed out by fires set by arsonists — many of whom were employ of landlords looking to cash out of the deteriorating ghetto. I didn’t have much of a frame of reference back then, though. I didn’t know that drug fiends were still making use of those abandoned buildings for activities that would’ve blown my mind, or that the swollen hands on the man leaning against the telephone pole by himself — eyes flickering, head nodding — were telltale signs of needle injections. I walked past neighbors whose eyes overflowed with desperation and depression, people who watched their once-proud neighborhood become synonyms with the collapse of the American inner city.” This aids growth within the story because it allows us to fully visualize the living conditions of character, as well as the troubled surroundings he is placed in the middle of. It also adds an element to both of the main themes, growing up and success. This places the character in a setting of drugs and strong gang presence, this applies more and different pressures than the average child would face. On the contrary, this emphasizes the theme of success the character achieves in his life. Much like imagery, foreshadowing is a frequent rhetorical device within the novel. Wes Moore presents this through; 'He knew what the game was, the same game that had consumed Tony and put a bullet or two in him. The same game Tony continually urged Wes to stay out of. But Wes rationalized. I am not selling drugs...He didn't bother thinking about Tony's warnings, that no matter what job or position you took within it, this was a game for keeps.' This example allows the author to influence the theme growing up through the rhetorical device of foreshadowing. The quote helps us to assume the next point within the story. Foreshadowing, allows for an educated guess of the future of the story.

Adding on the abundant amount of rhetorical devices seen within, The Other Wes Moore, are allusion and metaphors. Though some are seen only a couple of times throughout they still aid style with in novel. Wes Moore presents allusion through; “It was The Shawshank Redemption, and I was Andy Dufresne.” Allusion is also displayed through; “Just recently off my first encounter the movie The Godfather, I pulled a Sonny Corleone and flew out the door to find Latishia.”

The author used allusion by drawing an analogy from a fictitious character and their personality. By doing this he is indirectly leading the reader down a path to draw conclusion of who he is as a person. This helps bring deeper meaning to the story, as well as, adding to the style of the novel. This is also brought into the novel by the use of metaphors; “In West Baltimore, white people were a rare sight, so White Boy took the brunt of constant teasing. Despite clowning him about it, they loved him. Wes would always say, 'the only thing white about him is his skin. Everything else is black. He's a real black dude.’” The quotation shows how stereotypes and expectations are broken and not followed for many reasons. For example, this proves that the white boy in the story, even though the color of his skin is white, which doesn't represent the normal behavior of a white boy that was assumed within the community. The author uses the metaphor to exemplify the surrounded stereotypes of race. This also bring up the theme of growing up and allows us to see inside the stereotypes around race that Wes often came in contact with throughout his life. Whether it was the backlash from going to a “rich white school” and living in a black neighborhood or being the “poor black kid” at the wealthy school. He was in a place where both racial and economic stereotypes surrounded him.

The novel also uses several rhetorical devices to support themes and style. Diction and personification are just some displayed. Diction, the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing; “The burn consumed the entire left side of my face. Not willing to show fear or weakness, I stood there looking back at her. I guess she was expecting tears or apologies. When neither came, she reached back and unloaded another slap to my face. She looked at me again, waiting for a reaction. My jaws clenched, and my hands balled into fists. By this time, I was five ices taller than she was, and my recently defined shoulders, biceps, and triceps made me look older than my age. Every reflex inside said to strike back, but I didn't. How could I? She was my everything, the person I loved and respected most in my world. I had no idea what to do. Neither did my mother, it seemed. Her almond- shaped eyes were overflowing with anger, disappointment, and confusion, and maybe even a little fear. I would never hit my mother.'

In chapter five, the author hits his sister in the face, and she ends up telling their mom. The mother storms into Wes's room, screaming and scaring Wes, which provokes yet another theme of how love can conquer all. The author uses diction, in the excerpt, like the words slap, clenched, balled, strike, and overflowing to evoke inner emotions of fear within the reader. The quote also supports the theme statement because the author Wes Moore is saying that he loves his mom more than anything therefore he decided not to hit her. This allows advances within the plot because the reader sees how the author reacts to other characters, in this case his mother.

Personification is also used several times throughout the story. This can be shown through; “I realized that I had to make sure these schools knew my name regardless of what I did on the ninety feet of hardwood that had brought me to their attention. Just as military school had slowly grown on me, so had academic life. I actually liked reading now... I was riveted by that book. The characters jumped off the page, and I felt myself as engulfed in their destiny as I was in my own.' The author Wes is in military school within chapter 7. He learns many lessons and that inspires him to do more with his life. The author uses personification to show how Wes has really learned from this school because he says: 'just as military school had slowly grown on me.' This is personification because a school cannot grow on you, therefore using human characteristics to define something. This also exemplifies how seriously Wes really took military school and it's a part of his life.

In this essay we have analyzed different rhetorical devices used in the novel The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore.  Prevalent examples were imagery, foreshadowing, allusion, diction and personification.

Rip Van Winkle analysis (essay)

When talking about American mythology, there are quite a few characteristics that are shared by many mythological stories and fanciful literary works. Some of these characteristics say they are set in the past and are often times set in exciting places, are filled with remarkable and exaggerated characters, feature mystical, and mysterious happenings, and lastly they convey a positive message about a nation and its people. One of the first stories American Mythology often lead back to Washington Irving. He wrote the literary work, ‘Rip Van Winkle”. The story “Rip Van Winkle” is a great example of American Mythology because of the remarkable characters, the incredible and unbelievable events that occur, and the fact that it gives hope and presents positive messages about America through the long journey Rip takes in the story. To make a Rip Van Winkle analysis, this essay will look at the novel throught the characteristics of American Mythology.

The first characteristic I’ve chosen of American mythology is the setting which is in the past and often times set in exciting places in the story. The story is set in the Kaatskill mountains (also known as the Catskill mountains). They are a segmented branch of the great Appalachian family, and are seen westward of the river, and very tall considering the surrounding country. Rip Van Winkle is a farmer who goes off into the Kaatskill Mountains, where he soon finds a small group of dwarfs playing a game. When they offer him a drink of liquor, Rip accepts their offer and promptly falls asleep.

The second American mythology characteristic I chose is the featuring of mystical and mysterious happenings. Washington Irving includes many mysterious, magical characters, and events in his writing. It tells the story of a man named Rip Van Winkle, a man who casts off into the deep woodland of slumber for twenty years. He returns to find only that where he’d once lived and all who were his friends had long gone. He grows as a person in the story to find that his careless actions have had great consequences upon his life.

The greatest and final characteristic I’ve decided to write about is the remarkable characters, the incredible and unbelievable events. The very fact that it gives so much hope and presents such a positive message about America through the long journey Rip takes in the story, physically and symbolically, makes it a great example of American mythology. A character named Deidrich Knickerbocker is the narrator of the story. Rip Van Winkle himself is quite a character, however when it comes to the extraordinary happenings of the story, you couldn’t deny it if you tried. Rip falls asleep for twenty years for crying out loud!

So when you’re talking about American mythology, there are many characteristics that are shared by mythological and fanciful stories. Some of these characteristics say they are set in the past and are often times set in places quite exciting, they are filled with remarkably exaggerated characters, feature mystical, mysterious happenings, and lastly convey a positive message about a nation and its diverse population of people. Washington Irving wrote the literary work, ‘Rip Van Winkle” published in 1819. The story “Rip Van Winkle” is a great example of American Mythology and I hope to do an essay like this again soon.

Works Cited

1. Irving, W. (1819). Rip Van Winkle. In The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (pp. 187-204). Carey & Lea.
2. Martin, T. (2018). Washington Irving: Fiction, Myth, and the Mechanisms of American Romanticism. Cambridge University Press.
3. Kennedy, J. G. (2007). The Routledge Companion to Native American Literature. Routledge.
4. Martin, J. R. (2015). Myths and Legends of the Hudson Highlands. The History Press.
5. May, G. (2004). Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle: A Comparative Analysis of Two Interpretations. Connotations: A Journal for Critical Debate, 14(1-3), 54-73.
6. Van Winkle, A. M. (1994). Washington Irving: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. Twayne Publishers.
7. Fenn, E. (2012). Washington Irving: The Alhambra. In E. Fenn & P. Balderston (Eds.), A New Companion to Hispanic Mystical Writings (pp. 221-234). Brill.
8. Fantini, G. (2017). The Myth of Rip Van Winkle: A Study in Evolution. Bloomsbury Academic.
9. McWilliams, J. P. (2011). The Hudson River Valley in the American Imagination: 1865-1918. Syracuse University Press.
10. Zipes, J. (2008). Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion: The Classical Genre for Children and the Process of Civilization. Routledge.

For a lot of people, the clothes we wear help define who we are. Clothes give us a sense of belonging and personality, as well as displaying our individuality and giving us confidence. Earlier this, River Island released its #LabelsAreForClothes campaign with a anti-bullying charity called “Ditch The Label”. The campaign exhibited bright and eye-catching imagery. Brilliantly picturing 12 new spokespeople who have all been experienced discrimination due to outdated social stereotypes, River Island’s #LabelsAreForClothes campaign acknowledges and celebrates that each of their customers are all uniquely different.

River Island made great use of the digital trifecta to market the #LabelsAreForClothes campaign. The Digital Trifecta is a powerful tool used in digital marketing to help reach your target audience and build brand awareness. The Digital Trifecta differentiates the owned, earned and paid media that are fundamental in a digital marketing strategy. By applying the correct skills and approach across the three digital media platforms, it can ensure that your brand is being delivered across all available channels effectively to your target audience. All three channels offer their own benefits. For example, Owned media is fully controlled by the brand but is not as trusted as earned media channels. Earned media is honest and authentic, but is not controlled by the brand.

Owned media is all the digital channels that your brand owns and controls such as the website, blog, and social media accounts. Brands can share their core brand message and interact with customers increasing both brand awareness and loyalty. Owned media, especially social media intern evokes earned media as it creates a platform for people to interact with you. Creating a new always-on campaign to showcase the diverse identities of their customers, River Island used their owned media as one of their main tools for promoting their #LabelsAreForClothes campaign. The #LabelsAreForClothes advertisements across the River Islands owned media, features a rich and diverse cast, of all ages, shapes, sizes and abilities. Using the same core and consistent message, River Island used their Website, Blogging, Social Media, Email newsletters and their social media accounts to promote their campaign. All the digital marketing material throughout the campaign directed you to the River Island website. Showing off their new A/W18 range, a diverse range of models were photographed in some of their latest releases in what is one of the most inclusive high street campaigns. Throughout all of River Islands owned media, they headline 12 new spokespeople, with beautiful eye catching imagery and a powerful message. Here each individual has a different message, describing their source of their individual empowerment. Targeting specific personas, each individual, has a direct link to the specific clothing range. Each spokesperson has a slogan stating with ‘100%’. With a consistent core brand message throughout all their owned media, River Island embeds into their customers minds that they are an inclusive brand and that they celebrate individuality.

River Island promoted their campaign across all their social platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Constantly trying to earn shares and gain mind share through word of mouth.

Earned media is advertising generated by customers and is essentially digital word of mouth. Earned media is when a customer advertises by word of mouth or uses social media, a personal blog, or review website to recommend a brand. This type of recommendation or review can be the best endorsement your brand could hope to have. According to the Global Trust in Advertising Report by Nielsen, 92% of consumers around the world trust recommendations from family and friends more than all other forms of advertising. In other words, most people will trust when their mother tells them a certain brand of chewing gum is the best before they will believe the same message in an advertisement for the gum. What a brands audience says about the brand is just as important as who says it.

River Island’s campaign #LabelsForClothes was unique, different, current and shareable. By creating share-worthy content, the River Island campaign went viral. #LabelsAreForClothes the hashtag behind the campaign that is all about removing social labels and taking apart the social constructs. People were able to connect on an emotional level with the campaign.

Paid media is similar to traditional marketing, where you pay to promote a brand on a digital platform. There are various different types of paid media including display ads, Facebook ads, retargeting etc. Paid media gives a company the ability to widen their audience and grow their business. When done so correctly, paid media can drive the right customers to you. Paid media, however, presents two challenges. First, the platform has become especially cluttered, which means consumers might overlook your advertisement. Second, new technology has made it possible for consumers to block your ad, diminishing the response rate for your ad. Although it has less impact on organic search results than owned and earned media, paid media can provide significant, measurable results within your search campaign, supporting the overall strategy.

Table of contents

1. Analysis of 'The Road Not Taken'
2. Conclusion
3. References

Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American artist. His work was at first distributed in England before it was distributed in America. Known for his practical delineations of rustic life and his direction of American casual speech, [2] Frost every now and again expounded on settings from country life in New England in the mid twentieth century, utilizing them to inspect complex social and philosophical topics.

Robert Frost was regarded much of the time during his lifetime and is the main writer to get four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He wound up one of America's uncommon 'open scholarly figures, right around a masterful establishment. He was granted the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his wonderful works. On July 22, 1961, Frost was named artist laureate of Vermont.

Robert Frost was conceived in San Francisco, California, to writer William Prescott Frost, Jr., and Isabelle Moodie. His mom was a Scottish migrant, and his dad dropped from Nicholas Frost of Tiverton, Devon, England, who had cruised to New Hampshire in 1634 on the Wolfrana.

Robert Frost was a relative of Samuel Appleton, one of the early pilgrims of Ipswich, Massachusetts, and Rev. George Phillips, one of the early pioneers of Watertown, Massachusetts.

Robert Frost’s dad was an instructor and later a manager of the San Francisco Evening Bulletin (which later converged with The San Francisco Examiner), and a fruitless possibility for city charge authority. After his passing on May 5, 1885, the family moved the nation over to Lawrence, Massachusetts, under the support of (Robert's granddad) William Frost, Sr., who was an administrator at a New England factory. Ice moved on from Lawrence High School in 1892. Frost's mom joined the Swedenborgian church and had he purified through water in it, however he left it as a grown-up.

Robert Frost, known for his later relationship with country life, Frost experienced childhood in the city, and he distributed his first ballad quite in a while secondary school's magazine. He went to Dartmouth College for two months, in length enough to be acknowledged into the Theta Delta Chi crew. Ice returned home to instruct and to work at different employments, including helping his mom show her class of boisterous young men, conveying papers, and working in a plant keeping up carbon circular segment lights. He didn't appreciate these occupations, feeling his actual calling was verse.

In 1894, he sold his first ballad, 'My Butterfly. An Elegy' (distributed in the November 8, 1894, version of the New York Independent) for $15 ($434 today). Glad for his achievement, he proposed union with Elinor Miriam White, yet she challenged, needing to complete school (at St. Lawrence University) before they wedded. Ice at that point went on a trip to the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and asked Elinor again upon his arrival. Having graduated, she concurred, and they were hitched at Lawrence, Massachusetts on December 19, 1895.

Robert Frost went to Harvard University from 1897 to 1899; however he left deliberately due to illness. Shortly before his demise, Frost's granddad acquired a homestead for Robert and Elinor in Derry, New Hampshire; Frost worked the ranch for a long time while composing promptly in the mornings and creating huge numbers of the lyrics that would later end up well known. Eventually his cultivating demonstrated fruitless and he came back to the field of training as an English educator at New Hampshire's Pinkerton Academy from 1906 to 1911, at that point at the New Hampshire Normal School (presently Plymouth State University) in Plymouth, New Hampshire.

In 1912, Frost cruised with his family to Great Britain, settling first in Beaconsfield, a community outside London. His first book of verse, A Boy's Will, was distributed the following year. In England he made some significant colleagues, including Edward Thomas (an individual from the gathering known as the Dymock writers and Frost's motivation for 'The Road Not Taken'), T. E. Hume, and Ezra Pound. Despite the fact that Pound would turn into the main American to compose an ideal audit of Frost's work, Frost later disdained Pound's endeavors to control his American prosody. Frost met or become a close acquaintance with numerous contemporary artists in England, particularly after his initial two verse volumes were distributed in London in 1913 (A Boy's Will) and 1914 (North of Boston).

Analysis of 'The Road Not Taken'

The poem is named after the way that was at last not picked, leaving the pursuer to accept to think it was composed with lament. In stanza 4 the lament is exposed with a metrical gadget. 'Murmur' is a sound to word imitation that underscores the characters lament or alleviation. That single word makes the peruse need to return and rehash the lyric to ensure the subject is comprehended. The voyager is either lamenting his choice that he made or he is calmed that he settled on the best decision for himself. It is surrendered over to the pursuer’s elucidation to find what the writer was attempting to state. Some other metrical gadgets utilized are symbolism, imagery, exemplification, rhyming, similar sounding word usage, and purposeful anecdote. The peruser is given symbolism in 'two streets veered in a yellow wood' and again in 'And both that morning similarly lay in leaves no progression had trodden dark'. This gives the peruser something to picture. Representation is utilized in 'on the grounds that it was verdant and needed wear.' A Street can't create an inclination to need wear. The rhyme plan of ABAAB in this ballad produces intrigue and makes for an engaging read. Similar sounding word usage is utilized when the artist states 'needed wear'. Moral story presents itself when the writer expounds on the two ways when his ulterior message is about decisions. The majority of the gadgets utilized in the sonnet bolster the artists in general topic. Out of the majority of the 'streets' looked in life the streets not picked to take have the same amount of effect as the streets that are picked. (Robert, 2015)

The sonnet, 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost expresses that in life we happen upon numerous choices, and there are indicates where we have given destiny a chance to lead the pack. 'The Road Not Taken' utilizes two ways as an image of an actual existence choice. To comprehend this lyric you must have comprehension of life's significance. The creator encourages us better comprehend the message by his utilization of tone and artistic gadgets, for example, similitudes and imagery. In this sonnet we come to understand that life is a blend of choices and destiny. The two ways symbolize the life of the explorer and for his entire life choices. This lyric communicates life, in light of the fact that throughout everyday life, there are significant choices that in certain examples can make a huge change, some of the time it's elusive out of something, and there are numerous potential ways you can do it.

'At that point took the other, as similarly as reasonable, and having maybe the better guarantee' are sections where we can obviously observe this is a choice in to which he is putting a great deal of thought. All through the sonnet, we discover that there are two ways to take, yet the explorer, who we assume is Robert Frost, is dubious of which one to take. We discover this is extremely a real existence choice, and not only a decision between two ways. Towards the end, there is a radical difference in the hesitant tone to a tone of disappointment.

In this lyric there is a line that is 'I will tell this with a murmur'; Robert Frost gives an indication of disappointment, which means he settled on an inappropriate choice. Not all choices must be plainly considered or over-thought. In our lives once in a while we settle on some off-base choices as well. By relying upon time we can't generally query that why we committed error. In this situation we must be increasingly cautious about our choice. The street we pick is loaded with difficulties and should be investigated. First and foremost we figure we would pick a superior way than past way, however the street never appeared to end. What we choose today is going to influence our future. Some of the time the choices we make cannot be right yet that is route superior to standing and not picking anything.

The writer/pundit Randall Jarrell regularly adulated Frost's verse and expressed 'Robert Frost, alongside Stevens and Eliot, appears to me the best of the American artists of this century. Ice's temperance’s are phenomenal. No other living writer has composed so well about the activities of normal men; his magnificent emotional monologs or sensational scenes leave a learning of individuals that not many artists have had, and they are written in a section that utilizations, some of the time with outright dominance, the rhythms of real discourse'. He likewise lauded 'Robert Frost reality and trustworthiness', expressing that Frost was especially talented at speaking to a wide scope of human involvement in his poems.

Jarrell's prominent and persuasive articles on Frost incorporate the papers 'Robert Frost's 'Home Burial'' (1962), which comprised of an all-encompassing close perusing of that specific poem, and 'To The Laodicea’s' (1952) in which Jarrell shielded Frost against pundits who had blamed Frost for being excessively 'customary' and withdrawn from Modern or Modernist verse.

In this lyric 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost express that the streets are viewed as an image of his life choices. The reality the Frost utilized this image to depict the message causes us to have a reasonable thought of what he is experiencing. Towards the finish of the lyric, indications of disappointment appears how in life a choice can truly affect your life and who you befriend. Life is made up of choices. The choices people make in their lifetime not only shape their life, but they can make or break it. Every once in a while a person is offered a monumental decision that will decide the path of their entire life. Still, knowing a choice needs to be made does not make it easy to decide. In this line, “sorry…could not travel both”, Robert Frost does not know which road to take, what decision to make. He only knows that he cannot travel both. However, indecision is part of the beauty of life. Some of the best choices are result of careful thought. A person does not always have to take the road of the ones before them; they can take an entirely new path with an unknown future. We have to be observant and to choose the correct path among the various paths life sets in our way.

Robert Frost states that “I took the one less travelled by, and that has make all the difference”, the poem felt very connected to me as I have also had some difficult times choosing the correct way or option in my life. One of those decisions was coming to City Tech which I am sure I will never regret. Before coming to this college I had been doing Associate first year in another community college. When I got selected, many of my relatives and friends suggested me not to come here as I was already going to another college. However, I chose to come here although I knew that this way would be full of challenges. Now, I am also sure like the poet that the new challenges and struggles I will have to face here will make a difference in my life. Hence, there are many options in our life and it is obvious to be confused. We should be able to choose the correct path and move forward. Once we choose to travel in one way, we cannot travel back in time and choose the next one. So, we should be careful and observant while taking decisions and choose the path which we will not regret.

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Conclusion

Life is full of choices, some pre planned, some decided as situations unveil. The road being referred to in this poem is really a metaphor explaining decisions that we make. Sometimes there are monumental choices that will affect the rest of someone’s life, whether they know it or not. The poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is about one of those special moments where one choice will change the course of one person’s life. We believe that depending on the road a person chooses, their life will turn out for better off for worse. In this poem in which we learn that sometimes we have to let fate take the lead. Life is a combination of decisions and fate. According to the author, the two paths symbolize the life of the traveler and all his life decisions. Every decision is very important and can really affect your life.

References

1. 'Robert Frost'. The Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 18 February 2015
2. Jeffrey Meyers (1996). Robert Frost: a biography. Houghton Mifflin.
3. Meyers, Jeffrey (1996). Robert Frost: A Biography. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 107–109. ISBN 9780395728093.
4. 'Robert Frost Collection'. Jones Library, Inc. website, Amherst, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on 2009-06-12. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
5. Leithauser, Brad. 'Introduction.' No Other Book: Selected Essays. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.
6. Nancy Lewis Tuten; John Zubizarreta (2001). The Robert Frost encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-313-29464-8.
7. Jay Parini (2000). Robert Frost: A Life. Macmillan. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-0-8050-6341-7.
8. Vogel, Nancy. 'Robert Frost, Teacher.' (1974).
9. Harris, Kathryn Gibbs, ed. Robert Frost: Studies of the poetry. GK Hall, 1979.
10. Thompson, L. (1959). Robert Frost (Vol. 2). U of Minnesota Press.
11. Morrow, Patrick. 'The Greek Nexus in Robert Frost's' West-Running Brook'.' (1968).
12. St. C. Crane, Joan. 'Robert Frost's' Kitty Hawk'.' Studies in Bibliography 30 (1977): 241-249.

It’s 1986, and there had just been a great tragedy that defined the American Race for Space. Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger had occurred before the eyes of billions of Americans as they watched it on live TV. This day in January was supposed to be another one of those successes, instead the whole world watched as hopes and dreams exploded along with the challenger, resulting in major losses and grief with answers as to how it could’ve happened. President Ronald Reagan addresses the nation in a logical and emotional level to help insure connection, remorse and make sure americans got through the crisis strong.

January 28, seven bright and hopeful astronauts go into space in the space shuttle flight. By noon it became a whole different occasion. People across America were struggling with losses, more to those who saw it go down with their very own eyes. People started accusing and questioning things. They needed a leader to step up and address the nation on what had happened and what this really meant for the American future. President Ronald Reagan, whom was also very popular among the American people for his words and actions decided to step up. His speech connected with each American individual through emotion and making sure that it was important for them to see that space travel was risky and this is something that comes along in the package, but it wasn’t what they should be focusing on. He wanted to help the public grieve but also prepare them to move forward right after some time. In his speech he opened up by saying “Today is a day of mourning and remembering …we are pained to the core by the tragedy of the Shuttle Challenger”, telling the public that it was a time when everyone should feel the sadness to move on to the next step. Through the words he spoke or the expressions he made on his face shows that he was an American that had lost just like the person on the other side of the TV. Reagan presents the explosion in a way people can understand by stating it was a “loss” , “tragedy”, or an “accident”. I could tell his message was honest and came from his heart because his face showed heartbreak and that it was a tragedy to him as it was to the family of the seven who lost their lives. He talks about them to try and touch their emotions personally while shifting back to public by reminding them that this wasn’t the only time an astronauts lost their lives. He connects his reaction to what the public is feeling.

In his speech Reagan shows how exploring and experiencing new things is a risky thing and those who volunteered knew that. “..and perhaps we’ve forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle…were aware of the dangers, but overcame and did their jobs brilliantly”. He tells the school children that sometimes when people go off do do new things there is a chance that they are going to get hurt and then saying “ the future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted, it belongs to the brave”, it shows that he believes why people do risky things and if it’s worth it. This was not only to please the children but also their parents as well, this is so they have different ways they can view his message.

President Reagan’s goal was a way to connect directly to the American people by making it personal throughout the whole speech. He exclaimed that this tragic event not only affect the lives of the lost and their families but every American as well. He saw grief and wanted to show his as well to make it clear that his emotions were true and relatable while adding comfort by reassuring that life will go on and it will all go to normal again. Allowing the space program to go on with more volunteers reveals that they can improve and life moves on. “We’ll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews…more volunteers, more civilians…nothing ends here…journeys continue.”

Closing the speech, he wants the audience to connect the risk they took with the chance of them getting hurt as they understood that very day, and to see that the astronauts would feel as though the risk was worth it. President Reagan takes a pause and then says a sentence that touched the nation even today. “ We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God’.” This showed a sense of imagery because it helped the public feel more at peace and let go. In my opinion, this speech was well delivered by a man who was well trusted by the public. It recognized the grief that the people felt, it helped them see that taking a risk can end up with someone getting hurt, but as Americans we do things that are difficult because of who we are.  

Works Cited

1. History.com Editors. (2010). Challenger Disaster. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/1980s/challenger-disaster
2. Reagan, R. (1986). Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Retrieved from https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/address-nation-explosion-space-shuttle-challenger
3. NASA. (n.d.). Space Shuttle Challenger. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/challenger/index.html
4. Shribman, D. (2011). Ronald Reagan's Speech After the Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion. Retrieved from https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/01/27/ronald_reagans_speech_after_the_space_shuttle_challenger_explosion_108785.html
5. McCurdy, H. (2009). Space and the American Imagination. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved from https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/space-and-american-imagination/online/
6. Brinkley, A. (2018). American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race. HarperCollins.
7. Logsdon, J. M. (2019). Ronald Reagan and the Space Frontier. University of Chicago Press.
8. Rogers, D., & Sidun, N. (2016). Challenger: An American Tragedy. Open Road Media.
9. Launius, R. D. (2004). Frontiers of Space Exploration. Greenwood Publishing Group.
10. Chaikin, A. (2007). A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts. Penguin Books.

‘Super Size Me’ is a 2004 American documentary film directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. Spurlock's film follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2, 2003, during which he ate only McDonald's food. The film documents this lifestyle's drastic effect on Spurlock's physical and psychological well-being and explores the fast food industry's corporate influence, including how it encourages poor nutrition for its own profit.

Morgan interviewed the people effectively in his documentary by using various types of ways to show a very professional setting. Such as when he shows the doctors faces and asking them questions about the experiment, and them giving him their professional point of view and also letting him know the risks that may affect his body, from cholesterol to diabetes, and other fatal diseases such as colon cancer and also hypothermia. The interview helps the viewer understand the dangers that may occur and how junk food is a common addictive lifestyle.

The use of narrating in this documentary was outstanding, it makes the scene feels way more professional in a way that it uses scientific facts to prove its points about the dangers of junk food and it shows that people as young as 10 years old singing about pizza and Kentucky Fried Chicken and how society accepts junk food as normal thing but as the narrator says that is dangerous habit that has dangers almost worse than smoking. For example, the narrator voice was not too loud and not too faint it was just right. The narrator did a great job delivering information in his own way which gives the documentary the cherry on top.

Stock footage was used in this documentary to clarify some background information and complete unclear information. For example, they used a map of the United States to show the other branches of McDonald’s locations in the different states which lets the viewer understand the crisis and the bad state of our current world is in.

Super Size Me is a 2004 American documentary film which a man named Morgan Spurlock follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2, 2003, during which Morgan ate only McDonald's food. Morgan interviewed doctors in his documentary asking them questions about the experiment.

The narrating in this documentary was outstanding, It makes the scene feels way more professional in a way that it uses scientific facts to prove its points about the dangers of junk food. Stock footage was used in this documentary to clarify some background information and complete unclear information.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Analysis of Shrek: a Sociological Perspective
3. Conclusion
4. Works Cited

Introduction

Symbolic interactionism in our society is present everywhere and on everything; Shrek from its comedic and light hearted nature proves to be an antithesis to this idea of symbolism amongst our society. Shrek is about a story of an ogre who is represented to be ugly, feared and a terrifying protagonist that breaks the stereotypical expectations of the society. Other characters like Princess Fiona, Donkey and Lord Farquaad break the typical notions of a society by going directly against our stereotypical beliefs. This different take on a fairytale has resulted in a movie unlike others at the time which really highlights the sociological perspective, particularly with symbolic interactionism when looked into from the various stereotypes, notions and beliefs we have towards symbols in society.

Analysis of Shrek: a Sociological Perspective

“Shrek” is about the story of an ogre who lives a lonely life; being banished from the society by being an ogre, he likes to spend his time alone and enjoy it with himself. But due to Lord Farquaad, his private alone time is hindered by the banishment of all the “fairy tale creatures” that now live in his swarm. To get his swarm back he makes a deal with Lord Farquaad that when he rescues Princess Fiona from her castle and brings her back to Farquaad for marriage, he will get his swarm back. During his journey with donkey, Shrek and Princess Fiona fall in love with each other but due to the complications between ogres and humans and the princesses curse they are unable to be together; a misunderstanding leads Shrek to fall back into a naive state away from society but finally understands the right thing to do with the help of Donkey. Shrek eventually fights Lord Farquaad’s knights; Fiona and Shrek reveal their love for each other; the curse of Fiona is lifted; Shrek finally finds himself within a community; both of them have a wonderful and happy wedding.

Shrek is a classic amongst children of the early 90’s and 2000’s from its comedic style and the class leading animation for the period. In this 2001 Dream works 3D animated film most people would probably miss out on the vast amounts of symbolic interactionism and different sociological perspectives present in it that has been covered up by the excellent comedy present in the movie. “Symbolic interactionism views society as being composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, define their relationship, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another.” Symbolic interactionism is a framework to better understand how individuals perceive and communicate with each other through repeated interactions. Symbolic interactionism in Shrek can be seen sprinkled throughout the interactions between the four main characters of Shrek, Donkey, Princess Fiona and Lord Farquaad and how this fantasy world is operating in the current social structure. The storyline in the movie portrays Shrek as an angry and terrifying creature but as the story goes on this is revealed to be far from the truth. As Shrek himself states ogres to be like onions which have multiple layers to them. The use of the onion analogy about how judgment by appearance is misleading and should be done by character is exactly what symbolic interactionism has resulted in. The prejudice put upon Shrek is invalid due to the countless years of ogres that came before him which led the society in the movie to have a negative symbol of ogre’s amongst the community. According to Henslin, he describes this to be symbols that are present in our everyday lives; symbols used to define and distinguish parts in society help in defining status, position and relationship amongst our society. In this case, Shrek is a symbolic monster to the society and that is why he is feared, hated and banished from it.

The movie breaks the stereotypical symbolic interactionism present in the society by the use of two main characters, Princess Fiona and Lord Farquaad. During the rescue of Princess Fiona she is portrayed as a classic damsel-in-distress waiting for her hero/prince to come and rescue her from a dragon. This portrayal in my opinion was done in the movie intentionally to showcase and contrast how Fiona as a princess broke this stereotypical role later in the movie. The stereotype and symbol of princesses to have lady like manners and be a damsel-in-distress is broken as Fiona stands up herself by excellently fighting off her male counterparts. Becoming at ease with Shrek perceived Lady like manners the society are dismissed as she is very informal with Shrek and does things like one upping him in burping. “Sexual behavior, like all human behavior, is symbolic.” (Longmore, 1998) Fiona goes against this statement and breaks the generalized symbols put up by the society and the same can be said for Shrek as to how Heroes traditionally are tall, handsome and powerful that the society loves but Shrek is exactly the opposite of these generalized symbols amongst fairytale heroes. Lord Farquaad proves to be an antithesis to the expectation of a valiant knight-in-shining armor. Stereotypically Farquaad would be portrayed as a tall, handsome, young knight but is short, old(er) and although rugged looking is disreputable and villainous. To compensate for his shortcomings and his failure to meet this stereotype Faquaad wears a suit designed to portray his arms and legs to be longer and in a comedic fashion stands on stools in the public.

Conclusion

Shrek as a movie has excellently captured the symbolic interactionism our society is used to and has perfectly encapsulated the antithesis to this theory. The portrayal of Shrek, the protagonist to be ugly, repulsive, feared; Fiona, the princess to be independent, transparently “unladylike”, and not a damsel-in-distress; Farquaad, a knightly king to be short, disreputable and villainous; the movie lets the audience realize the preconceived notions our society has placed on different symbols. These multiple examples of symbolic interactionism in the film portray how our societal structure functions by the use of different symbols help differentiate and define status, position and relationships amongst individuals in society; this different take in our views and perspectives of society lead the movie to validate how prejudice and preconceived notions society places on things cannot always be believed.

Works Cited

1. Henslin, J. M. (2018). Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (13th ed.). Pearson.
2. Longmore, P. K. (1998). Symbolic Interaction and Sexual Identity. In D. Seidman (Ed.), Queer Theory/Sociology (pp. 99-119). Blackwell Publishers.
3. Powell, T. A. (2007). Symbolic Interactionism. In J. M. Ryan & P. G. Witenstein (Eds.), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (pp. 4736-4740). Blackwell Publishing.
4. Schlenker, B. R., & Hallam, J. R. (2014). The Social Psychology of Good and Evil. Guilford Publications.
5. Schroeder, J. E. (2012). The Social Meaning of Symbols and Rituals. In W. A. Darity Jr. (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (2nd ed., Vol. 8, pp. 112-115). Macmillan Reference USA.
6. Shrek. (2001). Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson. DreamWorks Animation.
7. Shrek: A Sociological Analysis. (2019). The Sociological Cinema. https://www.thesociologicalcinema.com/videos/shrek-a-sociological-analysis
8. Turner, J. H. (2007). Symbolic Interactionism. In R. A. Scott & S. M. Kosslyn (Eds.), Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (pp. 1-13). John Wiley & Sons.
9. Turner, R. H. (2002). Role Theory. In N. J. Smelser & P. B. Baltes (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Vol. 20, pp. 13768-13772). Pergamon.
10. Weinstein, D. (2017). Symbolic Interactionism: Origins, Critiques, and Reinterpretations. Rowman & Littlefield.

Slavery by Another Name reveals the grim reality that – contrary to popular belief about the abolition of slavery – African Americans were still subject to forced labor without compensation after The Civil War, despite having passed the 13th Amendment. Instead of freedom, they faced even worse animosity in the South and were the target of racially-charged legislation that kept them marginalized until World War II. The county criminal justice system in eight southern states funded itself by arresting black men for vagrancy and other misdemeanors that were applied only to African-Americans, assessing them a fine they couldn’t pay, and then selling their labor to companies that paid the fine and put the defendants to work in coal mines, quarries and other places where conditions were harsh, disease rampant and the death rate high. Guarded by bosses who used whips, “they were slaves in all but name.” Blackmon, who works for the Wall Street Journal, wanted to know what might be revealed if American corporations such as U.S. Steel were examined through the same lens of historical responsibility as the one being trained on German corporations who relied upon slave labor during WWII? More about that later.

This book of more than 400 pages reflects impressive research. Blackmon found a vast record of original documents describing the arrest, sale and delivery of tens of thousands of African Americans into mines, lumber camps, quarries, farms and factories. The victims were typically guilty of indigence and given a cruel sham of due process. “Sentences were handed down by provincial judges, local mayors and justices of the peace who were often men in the employ of the white business owners who relied on the forced labor produced by the judgments. A world in which the seizure and sale of a black man – even a black child – was viewed as neither criminal nor extraordinary had reemerged.” States discovered a source of steady revenue from selling or leasing convicts to corporations.

By the end of Reconstruction in 1877, every former confederate state except Virginia had adopted the practice of leasing black prisoners into commercial hands. But county prisoners soon far surpassed the number of men pressed into forced labor by the state. The number of arrests was not in response to crime rates, but with the demand for convict labor. “Increasingly, it was a system driven not by any goal of public protection against serious offenses, but purely to generate fees and claim bounties.” The companies were empowered to punish prisoners with no actual checks and balances. Conditions were brutal: nearly 20 percent of Alabama’s leased prisoners died in the first two years, with 35 percent mortality in the third year and 45 percent in the fourth. Before the Civil War, the slave owner who leased his property had an interest in how the slave was treated. After the war, the sheriff had no interest in their treatment nor in whether they even survived. Alongside the lease of convicts, another system grew under which debtors would agree to work for a white farmer without compensation. Black debtors agreed to this arrangement as preferable being convicted and sentenced to hard labor in a mine. The result was that black tenant farmers and share-croppers often returned as uncompensated convict laborers, subject to shackles and the lash, in the same fields they and their forebears had worked during slavery. In short, this new system served not only as a source of revenue but of control and intimidation of the freedmen to comply with a social order of white domination in counties where African Americans were the majority. Incredibly, the power structure tried to justify this cruel system by blaming the victims, claiming the lawless behavior of the freedmen required strict measures.

Alabama State inspectors sent to convict work camps in the 1870s always reported the convicts were being humanely treated. W.D. Lee, an Alabama inspector of convicts, gave a speech at the National Prison Congress in Cincinnati in 1890 where he defended conditions in the mines, calling all criticism “exaggerated” and “falsehoods.” He claimed that convicts actually enjoyed improved health! “I assert here, without fear of successful contradiction, that the negro convicts…are better housed, better fed, better clothed, and receive better medical care and treatment in sickness than do the majority of the same class, as free men, in their homes.” Whites were indifferent.

Reconstruction ended in 1877, and the Chicago Tribune expressed a common viewpoint: “The long controversy over the black man seems to have reached a finality.” Meanwhile, the SCOTUS emasculated civil rights laws, Jim Crow laws were gradually adopted requiring segregation, funding for black schools was slashed, and 1892 was the peak year for lynchings in the US with 250. By 1900, the right to vote had all but disappeared for African-Americans. Federal authorities during this era turned a blind eye to the shocking violation of basic human rights. The exception came during several years of Theodore Roosevelt’s administration when a local US attorney in Alabama was given permission to intervene. Though a handful of business owners were convicted, they paid fines and none went to prison. It was not until the US entry into WWII that the US DOJ again showed interest in the mistreatment of African-Americans. FDR recognized that the mistreatment of African-Americans would be used against the US by our enemies to show we didn’t practice the ideals of democracy we preached. He had Attorney General Francis Biddle issue a directive – five days after Pearl Harbor was attacked – urging US attorneys to reverse their long inaction on prosecuting slavery. The lingering persistence of slavery has been largely ignored by history; it conflicts with “the mythology most white Americans rely upon to explain our past and to embroider our present.” There is reluctance of most corporations and families to reopen the details of how they profited from the racial practices in the early 20th century. Those who inherited wealth at the expense of others aren’t eager to recognize how they benefited from their ancestors’ crimes. The notion of reparations is dismissed out of hand. The commercial sectors in this country, writes Blackmon, have never been held accountable for profiting from the revival of forced labor after the Civil War. Should they have any obligation to the descendants of the slave victims who did the labor without compensation?

Blackmon proposes that the era he studied be renamed: Instead of the Jim Crow era, it should be called the Age of Neoslavery. Jim Crow was the name used by a white actor’s minstrel performance, a caricature called Jim Crow. “Only by acknowledging the full extent of slavery’s grip on US society – its intimate connections to present-day wealth and power, the depth of its injury to millions of African Americans, the shocking nearness in time of its true end – can we reconcile the paradoxes of current American life.”

Works Cited

1. Blackmon, D. A. (2008). Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. Anchor.
2. Blight, D. W. (2019). Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom. Simon & Schuster.
3. Du Bois, W. E. B. (1903). The Souls of Black Folk. A.C. McClurg & Co.
4. Foner, E. (2010). Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877. Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
5. Jones, M. (2013). The Known World. Amistad Press.
6. Madden, K. P. (2018). Black Men Built the Capitol: Discovering African-American History In and Around Washington, D.C. Globe Pequot Press.
7. McPherson, J. M. (1988). Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. Oxford University Press.
8. Patterson, T. C. (2003). The Civil Rights Movement: Major Events and Legacies. Oxford University Press.
9. Rothman, A. S. (1971). The South and the Reconstruction of American Journalism. University of Illinois Press.
10. Trelease, A. W. (1971). White Terror: The Ku Klux Klan Conspiracy and Southern Reconstruction. Harper & Row.

Book analysis

In “The Things They Carried”, by Tim O’Brien, the audience can see the lives of many soldiers in their time in Vietnam before, during and after their time. Many soldiers in the story have to deal with the effects of having other people's pressure on their psyche without knowing how to deal with it. While some expectations may drive soldiers to engage in war heroics, expectations may lead soldiers to do things that ultimately utilizes them and leaves them feeling shocked. When faced with the thought of failing to meet the expectations set for them, soldiers tend to obsess with the idea of failing to reach them.

The author, Tim O'Brien, was struggling with this enormously. O'Brien found himself thinking the night before going to war about how others would react if he ran away from the war. Tim imagined how others would take it, how neighbors would talk and 'The conversation slowly zeroed in on the young O'Brien kid, how the damned sissy had taken off for Canada. At night, when he couldn’t sleep, he’d sometimes carry on fierce arguments with these people.” Although no one was fighting with him, Tim is unable to walk away from his peers ' thought of judgment, the pressure of not doing what people expect of him clearly taking control. This will take Tim to a war he is unable to escape.

The war itself introduces Tim to Curt Lemon, who wants to keep his new respect of brother hood. When Curt appeared cowardly in front of the men by fainting at the dentist, the boy seemed to take it quite poorly. The soldiers looked over this, saying, 'He seemed a little dazed. We might hear him cussing now and then, bawling himself out. Anyone else would’ve laughed it off, but it was to much for Curt Lemon.”

Although no one pressures him, Curt Lemon's thinking of not living up to his expectations of what a soldier should be takes on a harsh tole. His failure to let go of appearing cowardly makes him feel like he's letting down somebody. Then Curt would pull his tooth out to try to show that he wasn't the coward he thought he was, despite the fact that his teeth were fine.

Soldiers seem to care too much about what others are going to say, even if nobody seems to care. After the war, we find that while soldiers fulfilled the expectations of their family, they are in a much worse position than expected. It is shown that characters like Norman Bowker are struggling to regain a connection with others, mostly his father. The father of Norman had a misguided idea of what his son was going to be like in the war, how many medals he was going to win.

Norman brings several medals to show for his service when he returns home, but he can't get over not getting The Silver Star yet. He would only bring up his Silver Star with his father when he thought about talking to others about the experience, he would keep thinking how, “He would not say a word about how he’d almost won the Silver Star for Valor… “The Silver Star?” his father might have said.”

The inability of Norman Bowker to let go of his medal fixation and the need for a better relationship with his father is not healthy. It brings Norman back to the dark places he'd better forget about in the war and makes him feel distant from other civilians. In this, Norman is much the same as Tim because both of them regret not being able to accomplish things in the past. After he decided to go to war, when he says, the readers learn more about Tim's current feelings about this “I survived, but it’s not a happy ending.

I was a coward. I went to war.” The idea of letting people down was driven by Tim never wanted to go to war. He still believes that this was a mistake and when he went along with it, his own opinion of himself was ruined. Some might argue that soldiers ' expectations are important because they push them to reach a certain war standard, but what is unknown is that they can not distinguish when that standard is met. War veteran Jake Wood was interviewed to discuss fellow soldier Clay Hunt's suicide.

Jake expresses his sense of responsibility for the suicide of Clay, saying, “I was Clay's partner in sniper school, and if there's one thing that you learn, is that you never under any circumstance, let your partner down.” Jake hoped that he could protect his fellow men at all times, even after the war. Jake put a pressure on him that no one put on him, but a pressure from the necessities of war.

Expectations on soldiers have a clear negative effect regardless of their expectations. They are putting pressure on the soldiers to achieve impossible goals and putting the need to avoid disappointment ahead of the soldier's own beliefs that lead to their unhappiness. To be expected to do great things is quite common for young men, but in something as confusing and vague as war instead of school or work is very difficult for them to live up to.

References

1. Bloom, Harold. Tim OBriens The Things They Carried. Chelsea House, 2011. “The Life and Death of Clay Hunt.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, www.cbsnews.com/news/the-life-and-death-of-clay-hunt/3/.

The critical analysis essay, "Some Lessons From the Assembly Line" by Andrew Braaksma, explores the author's goal of emphasizing the importance of higher education and hard work. Initially, it was understood that the author's goal was to inform his audience of the importance of higher education and to work hard. Thus, the initial interpretation was based on the belief that he intended to persuade the audience by stressing the differences in on-campus life versus off-campus life. Now, the understanding is that the author's aim was not to persuade the audience by noting the differences between on and off campus life, but instead, to explain that education is invaluable, can provide a more stable career, and not undervalue hard work. In his statement, "Factory life has shown me what my future might have been like had I never gone to college in the first place" (Braaksma, para. 6), he recounted his experiences as a factory worker to prove the significance of the investment in higher education and that lessons aren't only learned in school.

Through the application of analytical reading techniques, it became clear that two of the original key points mentioned previously weren't strong enough to support the author's goal. Therefore, a choice was made to identify more specific key points that will provide a stronger foundation in support of the author’s claim. One key point from the initial reading of the article was the author struggled with the reality of the blue-collar worker wage, as opposed to the life he could be afforded as a degreed professional. The second key point was the author’s feeling of guilt for using his blue-collar summer job to benefit his financial desire to finish his education while others made the life of labor their livelihood. The third and most profound key point was when the author displays maturity and growth gained by working hard for his money and his dream.

The most appropriate audience for this essay will be graduating high school seniors because they have the most to gain from Braaksma’s insight. This group consists of adolescents, between the ages of 17 and 19, contemplating a future in college or the workforce after high school. Providing adequate content to support the argument reasoning could be one potential challenge while presenting to this particular audience. Another likely challenge will be if the audience does not agree with the reasoning or evidence presented and disputes the interpretation in support of the author's goal. Appealing to young adults with little to no financial responsibilities or experience outside of their parental home will also be a challenge. The author hinted at this mentality in his article but sets a good example for those students who face a decision similar to his.

The goal I hope to accomplish at the end of this critical analysis essay is to effectively convey support of the author's views that education is invaluable, can provide a more stable career, and not undervalue hard work. The state of the future is in the hands of the youth, and education should be at the forefront. Though the blue-collar worker’s strong work ethic and willingness to labor more intensely for their earnings is commendable, the career stability and higher salary from having a degree are less stressful. Consequently, knowledge opens countless doors that would otherwise be closed to the typical blue-collar worker. Joining the workforce with a strong educational foundation offers more leverage and unlimited earning potential in the competitive job market. Therefore, providing additional context will give the audience insight into my decision to agree with the author.

As mentioned in the first key point, the writer struggled with feeling undervalued in his role as a blue-collar laborer and it was obvious in his statement, "There are few things as cocksure as a college student who has never been out in the real world" (Braaksma, para. 4). The mindset of putting in a few labor hours and receiving a huge payout is not a concept easily grasped by young adults. They tend "to overestimate the value of their time and knowledge" (Braaksma, para. 4). He expresses his disbelief further by saying, "After a particularly exhausting string of 12-hour days at a plastics factory, I remember being shocked at how small my check seemed" (Braaksma, para. 4). However, campus living is expensive and a part-time food service or retail job is not as financially rewarding as the overtime pay from the factory and savings by staying at home during the summertime. (Braaksma, 2005)

Struggles of life in the factory begin to weigh heavily on the author’s conscience as implied in key point two. Evidence of the author’s guilt is shown when he utters,

“Many people pass their lives in the places I briefly work, spending 30 years where I spend only two months at a time. When fall comes around, I get to go back to a sunny and beautiful campus, while work in the factories continues. At times I feel almost voyeuristic, like a tourist dropping in where other people make their livelihoods” (Braaksma, para. 8).

Even though the assembly line and equipment required his full attention, Braaksma could not free himself from the need to fulfill his educational requirements, so he garnished a way to sneak in some reading on the job. Noticing his commitment to his studies, one of his coworkers encouraged him to "study hard and keep reading” because she knew firsthand how years of unrelenting physical labor can wear down the fittest of physiques (Braaksma, para. 8). In support of key point three, the author humbly acknowledged how life in the factory all those summers had made a huge impact on his life as evidence of his maturity and growth. In a modest, yet mature tone, he said, "the things that factory work has taught me--how lucky I am to get an education, how to work hard, how easy it is to lose that work once you have it" (Braaksma, para. 9). Maturing means accepting things for what they are and coming to grips with the realizations of life. There are lessons in every aspect of life and no one is exempt from receiving them. The most important thing is learning how and when to apply them to real life experiences.

The Importance of Education

The first thing that strikes our minds when we think about education is gaining knowledge. Education is a tool that provides people with knowledge, skills, techniques, information, enables them to know their rights and duties towards their family, society, and nation. It gives us knowledge about the world around us. It develops in us a perspective of seeing life. Without education, man will not explore new ideas. It means that one will not be able to develop the world because without ideas there is no creativity and without creativity, there is no development of the nation.

Education is an essential tool for bright future for all of us. Meanwhile it is the secret to step the stage of success. It is also the main reason to live a wealthy and respected lifestyle in the current millennial generation. Educational phase plays an important role in each and everyone’s life. It provides a person a unique standard in the life and feeling of well being. Education provides ability to solve any big social, political and economical issue even in national and international standards. No one can unsee the importance of education in the life in every aspect. It turns the minds of young millenials to lead with positivity in life and removes all the negativity and other daily faced factors by illiterates.

In such tough futuristic world, it is essential to have a proper education so that’s one economical and social standings depend on it. As an example now days getting a stable job or achieving career advancement is depending on higher education obtained by the person.. Proper education creates lots of ways to go ahead in the future. The more knowledge we acquire the more successful we will be in our career. Everyone has a unique dream to be someone and change the world as once great minds. To make the dream a reality everyone needs a push start and one will obtain such advancement only with education .

Similarly, education also helps in making a person independent. When one is educated enough, they won’t have to depend on anyone else for their livelihood. They will be self-sufficient to earn for themselves and lead a good life.Above all, education also enhances the self-confidence of a person and makes them certain of things in life. When we talk from the countries viewpoint, even then education plays a significant role. Educated people vote for the better candidate of the country. This ensures the development and growth of a nation.

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In conclusion, to say that education is your doorway to success would be an understatement. It serves as the key which will unlock numerous doors that will lead to success. This will in turn, help you build a better life for yourself.