6 March, 2008

I have learned some things about my writing through this course such as how to contextualize quotes into essays more cleanly. I have also learned about the idea of an analysis paragraph as a way to put points together and establish something new by combining them into one explanatory paragraph for analysis and synthesis. I also have generally learned how to write more effective research papers by finding better sources and by really analyzing the sources I find.

I’ve learned the importance of rhetorical analysis with regards to writing, meaning that I know more to look for in sources such as the audience, possible bias, and other things that might change how the writing should be taken.

I would say learning about the many avenues of finding sources from examining bibliographies to using focused search engines to access sources I might not have found normally.

In Class

One important thing discussed was that the topic should involve something that is genuinely at stake. There needs to be a reason and purpose for the paper or no one will have interest in reading. The argument pursued should have a reason why it is pursued.

Another important topic was pushing beyond pros and cons in your argument. It is important because usually topics are not in black and white, there is a grey area to them to them that should be explored. Neither side in a debate is usually completely correct or completely wrong. This is a necessary factor to take into account when making an argument

In Class Discussion

How have other, less horrific, images served to desensitize us as a society?
Do Images only capture our attention when they are provocative? Think of advertisements, do we remember the scandalous ones over the tame ads?

I think being exposed daily, through TV, movies, the internet, etc. to strong imagery has certainly contributed to our society becoming desensitized to the effects of the most provocative imagery over time. The level of indignity needed to stimulate people to act has certainly increased over time. As striking as the Brookes diagram is, the image of the Vietnam Girl running is a photo, rather then a drawing, and is more graphic then the Brookes diagram I believe.

Compare the diagram of Abu Ghraib with the diagram from the Brookes and examine the graphic nature of each, the effect of each on the psyche of the citizens exposed to it, and other possible comparisons to see how the effects of images on our psyche has changed over time.

Critical Review

The review of Bury the Chains, done by Brookhiser, seems strongly accurate. The book is shown to be very anti-religion, and being prejudiced towards a group of people in a book striking down the mistreatment of a group of people seems hypocritical. I think at times it did indeed get in the way of the flow, as well, when he took any opportunity to bash a Christian. It made the tale come across as catty at points and Hochschild should have relied more upon his ability to establish striking imagery moreso then his bias against religion.

In the review of Bury the Chains by Robinson of the New York Times, the sentiment that Hochschild's method of inquiry seemed more indicative of a novel then a historical account is a point well taken. The way that he always presents the abolitionists as against all odds makes it feel more like he's trying to make it a page turner then give a true discussion to what really did cause the end of slavery in Great Britain. If the movement was so unlikely to succeed then, like Robinson says, it seems likely that other factors must have contributed to it that Hochschild does not delve deeply enough into.

Chapter 18 Summary

Chapter 18 of Hochschild's Bury the Chains begins by discussing that a time of revolt was occuring throughout Europe in the 1790s. The chapter then moves into discussing a major slave revolt that took place on the island of St. Dominique. This revolt shocked the world, not only because of the scope and violence, but because St. Dominque was seen as the "crown jewel" of European colonies at the time. The successes and horrors of the revolt in St. Domique brought fear to the forefront throughout the rest of Europe. Not only was the vast scale of the revolt something new, but it was also the first revolt where mulattos rose up alongside the slaves as they too were mistreated. In addition to that, some whites were in support of the anti-slavery cause. The chapter then moves into the war between Britain and France in 1793. The British headed to Dominque and achieved many early victories and assumed victory but they were fought tooth and nail by Touissant L'Ouverture and his army of illiterate rebel slaves. Eventually the British realized that even if they attained victory it would be a hollow one. Their bravado got the better of them and they continued to send fresh troops and continued to be turned back. Eventually St. Dominque attained victory and it marked the first time that "the soldiers of the world's greatest slave-trading nation had given way before an army of ex-slaves."

Essay Lead

One of the most powerful weapons that British Abolitionists had at their disposal during their quest to end slavery was a diagram that exposed the conditions on slave ships, with slaves packed together like sardines. More recently, in 1972, the American people were exposed to a horrific photo of a young girl running naked, her flesh burning as she ran down a dirt road. The photo turned American opinions even more against a war they already were certainly not enamored with and it was a major catalyst that provoked the end of the war. In 2004 Americans were exposed to similarly graphic and disturbing photos from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq but America did not get the same momentum towards ending the war in Iraq after seeing the atrocities, and three years later as the war rages on, the photos are largely forgotten. Were Americans as greatly scarred by those horrific photos as people were in the past, but would prefer to wait on the world to change? Or have we become so desensitized to everything due to the more graphic things people are exposed to every day that images like that lose their chilling effect that brings about change?

Chapter 15 Summary

Chapter 15 of Hochschild's Bury the Chains begins by giving a rundown of what has happened so far and how far they'd come in their efforts to end slavery in Britain. The chapter then moves into describing some of the methodology used by the abolitionists in an effort to plead their case. One reason he cites is that due to the smaller, more densely populated geography of Great Britain they were able to spread their anti-slavery message throughout the country more efficiently then most and were able to get the message to more people in a shorter period of time. Their effort to make people aware of the ills of slavery was also strongly aided by the British Postal Service which was the most advanced in the world at the time. The thing I found most interesting about the chapter though was the short poem "Rule Britannia! Britannia rules the waves. Britons never, never, never shall be slaves". The idea of shock and horror that Britons had for seeing their countrymen enslaved might have led to the national opinion on slavery beginning to change once Britons were made aware of the humanity of those that they had enslaved.