In the novel“Blink” by Gladwell, the act of thin-slicing is a resounding theme throughout the novel. Thin-slicing is an unconscious decision-making process which is said to occur behind a closed door of the mind; we make decisions and draw conclusions which we cannot articulate how we got them. The snap-judgements and conclusions that thin-slicing feeds to our conscious brain are not created at random, but are taken from our personal experiences and personal knowledge. Thin-slicing is a very powerful tool of the mind and assists in keeping us safe from potentially dangerous or uncertain situations; but does it close minds to new or different experiences? Thin-slicing is very powerful and is a large factor of cultural discourse. In Blink, Gladwell introduces us to a man named Bob Golomb who is a very successful car salesman who sells an average …show more content…
Just a few weeks ago, I met a young man at a bar who for some reason really caught my attention-I cannot say why, I suppose the answer is locked behind the secret door in my mind. Nonetheless, he invited me over after the bar closed and advised me that he is temporarily living at his father’s house. No problem. My vehicle followed his off of the interstate to head in the direction to his home; it was snowing and it was well after 3:00 AM. Be reminded that I am a Santa Clara County native for only the first 27 of my 30 years, so snow is still a curious occurrence for me. I continued to follow his truck down roads with no street lights and a sparse scattering of homes. When we arrive, I walk in to a modern-looking home. Upon entering his bedroom, I could not help but notice the two large, Confederate (Rebel as they call them in the south), tapestry-sized flags hanging on the walls to the left and to the right. Whatever I was thinking in that moment must have also been behind that locked door because in that moment, I did not know what to
John Robertson was a Confederate soldier, which lived in a mostly Unionist town in east Tennessee. When the Union Army was able to establish control over east Tennessee, Robertson had no choice but to go on the run. He was caught and became very religious. He wanted to settle down and start a family with a woman he had met, but William Brownlow refused to allow former Confederates to live private life’s. John Robertson knew he was in danger so embarked in a journey towards north to Indiana and Chicago.
Joshua Foer’s “The End of Remembering” and Kathryn Schulz’s “Evidence” are two essays that have more in common than one might think. Although on two totally different topics, they revolve around the central point of the complexities of the human mind. However, there are some key elements both writers have contemplated on in differing ways.
~~For many American citizens, a controversial flag such as the Confederate flag flying above a government edifice delivers a great amount of pain. Emett Burns, an African-American involved in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, spoke of his views on the Confederate flag: "It [the flag] says to me 'If I could put you in your place, I would.'" (qtd in Schaiver) The NAACP finds the flag extremely offensive and explained their outlook on it with frustration, saying, "enough is enough." (qtd in Cabell) Mims, an African-American 42 year old disabled paper worker, announced his vista upon the flag: "It is like the Germans and the Jews—they are trying to eliminate us." (qtd in Burritt) A recent legal case concerning the Confederate flag, the Plaintiff argued the fla...
As Tony Horwitz illustrates in Confederates in the Attic, the Civil War is far from over. Horwitz, determined to find the answers to this conflict, treks through the South, seeking to explain man's longtime obsession with a war that divided the nation. Talking to historians and Civil War reenactors of all kinds, he finds that people are still divided today when it comes to the war and present issues in society. He collects a vast amount of data, which proves to make things very difficult in drawing a general conclusion. Horwitz learns how differently the south views the war, discovers the way in which people use history to suit their own needs, and explores issues of race.
Everyday of our lives we all make snap decisions. We don’t even think about them, we just do it. We make unconscious decisions all the time. Blink explores and explains the power of our unconscious decisions that we all make everyday. “Blink is a book about the first two seconds.” (pg.8) Throughout the book Gladwell is building his main message that the spontaneous decisions we make are often just as good as, or better than the carefully planned conscious decisions that we make, although there can be risks and dangers to them. Gladwell conveys this message in a very interesting and unique way throughout the book. Gladwell conveys this message through the interesting and effective way he structures his book, the use of logos
The Confederate flag is a famous symbol of the South’s side in the American Civil War. The controversy surrounding this flag has received a great bit of media attention considering how deeply affected and offended some people have become. Southerners consider themselves to be personally affected. A majority of supporters state that banning the Confederate flag strips them of their heritage, referring to the South’s part in the American Civil War. Persons who do not support the continued showing of the Confederate flag, such as non-Southerners, African Americans, and many others say that while the flag is a symbol of southern history, much of the history in the South includes racial segregations, lynchings, and slavery. As a matter of fact, the purpose of the Confederacy in the Civil War was to make sure slavery stayed an institution in America. The man who created the Confederate flag, William T. Thompson, stated this about the symbol of heritage: “As a people we are fighting to maintain the heavenly ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race; a white flag would thus be emblematical of our cause” (Miessler par. 3). This alone clearly shows what the goal of the Confederacy
“The Confederate Flag: Controversy and Culture.” David Sarratt American Studies University of Virginia. Web. 22 Feb. 2014
The novel Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley and the Giver, directed by Phillip Noyce, both warn that the over reliance on technology can take over independent thinking and lead to the loss of emotions required to make wise decisions. This is demonstrated through the lack of freedom, the usage of drugs and the absence of family bonds. Firstly, lack of freedom is prominent in both articles, showing that reliance on technology removes independent thinking among citizens. Firstly, In Brave New World, Bernard understands that his view on the community is very different and feels imprisoned because he cannot act without restrictions.
Yet Wallace tells his audience that they can control this at times, that they can show sympathy for the giant SUV that just cut them off on the high way, or the old lady who could be making her final trip to the grocery store. Wallace reasons that being thinking in this mindset is not our unconscious thought, that in order to embrace this empathetic and compassionate train of thought “it depends on what you want to consider.” (208). Informing his audience that awareness is essential and Wallace also declares that “you get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn’t.” (208).
“I think it wiser not to keep open the sores of war but to follow the examples of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife, to commit to oblivion the feelings engendered” written by Robert E. Lee in 1866. Monuments celebrate origins. They demonstrate a community’s symbolic honoring of events and people for qualities it finds indispensable to its identity. But the ones in Virginia do not. They represent a various amount of These confederate monuments ought to be placed in a more private area for individuals who want to view them can. Likewise, these monuments influence individuals to feel awkward in their consistently lives. A few people differ and feel that these remembered monuments not be brought down, and should stay up.
The Grand Mosque of Córdoba remains to this day, one of the finest mosques, of that which once was part of the west of the Islamic Umayyad Caliphate. Córdoba was once the capital and seat of the Umayyad Caliph in Spain; then known as Al-Andalus. As such, this city was graced in the days of Islamic Rule by the building of a mosque; a most fundamental part of any Islamic city. If one were to think of Spain now, Islam is of course not the first thought that would usually come to mind. Spain is, after all, a Christian land with a deep Roman Catholic history, and the location of many Christian Pilgrimage destinations. Thus, one would be forgiven for thinking that the Islamic Empires had probably never even reached as far as West Europe. The Grand Mosque of Córdoba tells a different story.
Both 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale are dystopian novels, however, these books are a lot more complex than mere portrayals of dystopia, it can be argued that they are explorations of dystopia rather than mere portrayals. In order to explore dystopia, many themes must be considered, such as; feminism, love and repression. Nonetheless, it is apparent that human characteristics are the driving point of the two novels, predominantly, the depiction of human resilience. In an imperfect world, it is important to have certain qualities which, if plentiful, it can mean success, whereas if it lacks, it can mean failure, this characteristic is resilience. The protagonists in each novel, Winston in 1984 and Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale face situations which leave them both in disarray, and both even consider suicide. The authors tentatively highlight human resilience, its limits and most importantly its strengths into the two novels.
The Hunger Games was a critically acclaimed movie when it came out; however, some critics would argue that the movie can be sometimes too violent for its intended audience. In this essay I would dissert Brian Bethune’s essay “Dystopia Now” in order to find its weaknesses and compare the movie Battle Royale with his essay.
“‘They score! Henderson has scored for Canada!’” Foster Hewitt wordlessly described” (Pelletier) when Paul Henderson scored the series-winning goal. This allowed Canada to win the 1972 Summit Series, a moment that no one would ever forget since it all happened during the climax of the Cold War. Prior to this, the Soviets had won the previous three Olympic gold metals since Canada could not use its NHL players. Thus, this provided Canada with the chance to play hockey against the USSR using its best players. This raised the question: if Canada were able to send its best players, would it still be enough to beat the Soviets? Everyone in Canada was certain that the Soviets would not win a single game, but little did they know they underestimated the extent of the Soviets abilities. Tied in the last few minutes of game eight, Canada had to score or they would lose the series. However, when Paul Henderson scored the game-winning goal, never before had a single sporting event meant so much to Canadians. Therefore, Paul Henderson’s goal is a defining moment for Canada in the twentieth century becauseit provided Canada with the opportunity to evolve hockey, proved that Canada and our democratic society were superior to the USSR and their communist society, and brought citizens together to unify Canada as a nation.
The American Civil war is considered to be one of the most defining moments in American history. It is the war that shaped the social, political and economic structure with a broader prospect of unifying the states and hence leading to this ideal nation of unified states as it is today. In the book “Confederates in the Attic”, the author Tony Horwitz gives an account of his year long exploration through the places where the U.S. Civil War was fought. He took his childhood interest in the Civil War to a new level by traveling around the South in search of Civil War relics, battle fields, and most importantly stories. The title “Confederates in the Attic”: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War carries two meanings in Tony Horwitz’s thoughtful and entertaining exploration of the role of the American Civil War in the modern world of the South. The first meaning alludes to Horwitz’s personal interest in the war. As the grandson of a Russian Jew, Horwitz was raised in the North but early in his childhood developed a fascination with the South’s myth and history. He tells readers that as a child he wrote about the war and even constructed a mural of significant battles in the attic of his own home. The second meaning refers to regional memory, the importance or lack thereof yet attached to this momentous national event. As Horwitz visits the sites throughout the South, he encounters unreconstructed rebels who still hold to outdated beliefs. He also meets groups of “re-enactors,” devotees who attempt to relive the experience of the soldier’s life and death. One of his most disheartening and yet unsurprising realizations is that attitudes towards the war divide along racial lines. Too many whites wrap the memory in nostalgia, refusing...