ryphill

Ryan Phillips
2/21/2008

                                                                                                   Definitional Argument

On September 11, 2001, a day known by most as 9/11, American citizens watched in astonishment as our nation was attacked by a terrorist group known as al-Qaeda. On that unforgettable September morning, four commercial jets were hijacked by 19 members of al-Qaeda. Two of the four airliners were intentionally flown into the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, New York. The impact from the planes caused the towers to collapse. Another one of the hijacked airliners hit the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. Passengers and crew members on the fourth commercial jet, which came to be well known as “United Airlines Flight 93”, attempted to regain control of the plane, and although they were unsuccessful in regaining control of the aircraft, the struggle prevented the terrorists reaching their target, and instead crashed into a deserted, grass field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In all, nearly 3,000 people died on that horrific day. The attacks that occurred on that day would eventually send us to war with Iraq.

The song “Have You Forgotten?” by Darryl Worley is a protest.

Material should be considered a “protest” if it meets at least one of four criteria. If it expresses strong objection, if there is a formal declaration of disapproval or objection issued by a concerned person, group, or organization, and if it is an individual or collective gesture or display of disapproval.

The song “Have You Forgotten?” by Darryl Worley is a protest because Worley clearly expresses strong objection to the idea that we should not be at war with Iraq, because he makes a formal declaration of disapproval which he issues as a concerned American citizen, and because in writing the song he’s making an individual display of disapproval with American citizen’s attitudes toward the event that occurred on 9/11 and our reaction.

“It will just bread anger, that’s what the experts say. If it was up to me I’d show it everyday.” In this Worley is not objecting to the fact that it would provoke anger, he’s showing objection to the thought that we shouldn’t be angered by the tragic events of 9/11. He begins the song by formally declaring his disapproval and concern for those arguing that we shouldn’t be at war with Iraq, saying “ I hear people saying we don’t need this war, well I say there’s some things worth fighting for”. The entire song is a collective display of disapproval.

Because the song expresses strong objection, is a formal declaration of disapproval or objection issued by a concerned person (Toby Keith), and it the song is a collective display of disapproval, this is sufficient criteria for saying “Have You Forgotten” is a protest.

People who oppose the war in Iraq often argue that it “would damage peace and stability throughout the region and the world.” There is another reason for opposition known as the “Westphalian concept”. This concept argues “that foreign governments should never possess a right to intervene in another sovereign nation’s internal affairs (including terrorism or any other non-international affair). Many Americans favored a diplomatic solution to the Iraq situation. In addition to these reasons, there was opposition from national security and military personnel. “On July 28, 2002, eight months before the invasion of Iraq, the Washington Post reported that ‘many senior U.S. military officers’ including members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff opposed an invasion on the grounds that the policy of containment was working.” Only a few days after this, General Joseph P. Hoar reportedly warned the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that invading Iraq would be taking a risk and he thought it might even be unnecessary. Many also question claims that Saddam Hussein had a Weapons of Mass Destruction capability. Possibly the most popular opposing view lies in the belief that president Bush’s reason for invading Iraq had more to do with oil than controlling Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction.

I realized that the last paragraph which i intended to be the rebuttal is completely wrong and i'm going to redo the whole thing and I also still need to do a qualifier but I'd be greatful of any other mistakes you could point out for me.

 

 Two theorists, Adorno and Fiske, have opposing views on the media's influence on the audience. Personally i agree more with Adorno, who says that the media greatly influences culture, so much in fact, that he says media controls the culture. Adorno believes that the media shapes what we value and that we actually are not making our own choice but the choice the media tricks us into making.
For my project, i'm writing on the effect of steroids in professional sports today. I chose this topic because I'm very interested in sports and steroids has become a huge issue in how the public views professional athletes, as well as debate over those athletes who have accomplished great achievements and whether or not they deserve credit.

Adorno believes that the media controls culture through advertisement and many other things, and the thought that each individual is making their own personal choice when buying a cd, for example, is really just an illusion. Adorno says that because we never see anything different, we want more and more of the same. He uses movies as an example, stating that new movies are the same as old ones with minor changes, but all follow the same storyline. 
Fisks opposes Adorno's theory by saying "popular culture is made by the people, not produced by the culture industry". He supports this with the example of any new product that fails to become popular, called a flop. Fisks also states that the audience has the ability to decide what they do and don't like.

Songs:
Characteristics
        usually rhyme
        have a constant beat
        most have lyrics which stay in rhythm with the beat
        most songs have a chorus which is typically played several times throughout the song
        most have verses between the chorus which do not repeat
        usually have several verses 
        only one chorus
        many have an intro which establishes the beat of the song with instruments only
Genre:
        depending on how all the characteristics vary determines the genre of music that song is
        common genres include....
                 country
                 jazz
                 pop
                 rap
                 rock
         the beat of a song determines the mood. For example, a sad song about a father who has just lost his son is almost always of the country genre, because the beat needs to be soft and slow to establish the appropriate mood. 
Language
        language also plays a role in determining genre
        often words are pronounced and/or spelled slightly different in songs to make them rhyme better with another word

 I never have really enjoyed writing. I consider myself more of a math person. Though I don't enjoy it, i consider myself a pretty decent writer when i put my mind to it. The reason i don't like to write is because i'm such a perfectionist that it takes me quite a while to have a paper i'm satisfied with. When writing on a topic i'm interested in thoughts come easier and i enjoy writing more, however, i've rarely had the opportunity to do this. 

Name:   Ryan 
Major:   undeclared ( pre-dental)
Music:   I like pretty much all kinds of music but i listen to hip-hop, pop, rap, and country most often
Hobbies:   Working out, hunting, fishing, video games
Fun facts:   I once caught an 80 pound catfish.