Analysis Blog #1

The Declaration of Independence

"The Declaration of Independence" was written in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson, who bravely took on the role of being the "voice" for the American colonies. The main reason for this document was to state and explain why the American colonies' were choosing to separate from Britain. Jefferson talks about how mankind are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness", which in this case the King of Britain was not granting to the people. In his plea for the colonies' independence, he gives a long list of the King's ignorant behavior which shows lack of respect towards the people and their rights to prove they have good reason to be set free from the so called "tyrant". Thomas Jefferson created a great argument for the people allowing them to break free from Britain and establish their own independent states. I think that his argument was so good because he felt so strongly about the situation and felt pressure to defend the people and their rights. "The Declaration of Independence" is such a huge part of American history, and truly was one of the most influential documents of all time. 

Sex And The Cinema

The essay "Sex and the Cinema" and it's strongly opinionated author Edward Epstein, propose an interesting view on nudity in films. He claims that movies that want to succeed and be a "top grossing" film should stay away from nudity. Epstein gives examples such as Shrek 2, and The Incredibles to prove his point. Neither films had any nudity and were strictly made to be an all-around family movie. At first I was confused by this, I would have thought that with the way the media portrays "sex appeal" as being "In", it would be the opposite. Plus actors usually get paid much more for sex scenes and nudity. However, once I continued to read his points it made more sense. He states that movies, which are rated R or NC-17 due to nudity verses violence, are much harder for big sellers such as Wal-Mart to put out on their shelves. This is because of the "family atmosphere" they want and have created in their stores. Also many television stations will not play adds for these movies for the same reasons. This doesn’t help the movie get noticed which in the end doesn’t help it make money or even come close to being a "top grossing" film. Although I felt like he made a good argument I would have liked for him to have listed some of the movies that contained nudity and compared the amount of money they made to a movies, which did not contain nudity. Actual numbers would have defiantly made his argument more believable and compelling. 

No-Win Situations

In "No-Win Situations" Alfie Kohn discusses the problems of competition and the damage it causes for those who engage in it. He talks about how all sports are designed for there to be a "winner" and a "loser", which in turn causes feelings of dislike towards opponents. He explains that this holds us back from doing our best. Kohn also believes that those who are involved in competition, especially children, unconsciously start to view everyone and everything as an "enemy" or their "competition", not allowing for trust to come easily. This creates major psychological issues and affects a person’s life enormously. Therefore, Kohn suggests that humans should instead engage in activities that don't revolve around "beating" someone. Rather, activities that encourage group effort or games that are just about having a "good time". I found it very interesting how in his experiment with non-competitive games, all the girls preferred them, but only two-thirds of the boys did. Overall, Kohn makes a good point and gives the readers something to think about. However, I don’t necessarily feel that competition could ever be dismissed. People thrive on success and the feeling of achievement. And competition is only natural.