Once an LSD consumer, Ken Kesey, defines the importance of freedom throughout his world renowned Post-Modern novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. One element of Postmodernism in the novel, is the effect of society against the individual. Society and government power systems become the machine and our postmodern anti-hero rages against that machine (Bendingfield). In the story, Chief, the narrator, in the book is a damaged ex-soldier who sees the machine enemy all around him. The reader takes it as metaphor, but Chief who is a paranoid schizophrenic, sees it as reality.
Journal 03: America Tony Hoagland’s poem “America” uses specific nouns and metaphors to tell readers that America is too obsessed with material objects and self-satisfaction. Hoagland uses these nouns and metaphors to hide truth from the naked eye, specific diction is also used in combination with these metaphors to expose corruption in American society. In the opening lines, Hoagland writes, “Then one of the students with blue hair and a tongue stud / Says that America is for him a maximum-security prison / Whose walls are made of Radio Shacks, Burger Kings, and MTV episodes.” Hoagland almost lists the details of American trends by mentioning hair color and piercings, and by describing businesses like Radio Shack which sell 70-inch flat screen televisions, which are completely unnecessary, and fast food restaurants like McDonald’s that give super-sized food portions. These allow readers to immediately see the ridiculous
Big Food, Big Money, Big Arguments In the mist of the recent backlash against big multi-national corporations there has also been a growing movement against Big Food and a call to bring back real food into schools and homes. A few blogs and online new magazines have written a few entries and articles trying to shine a light on what the American public is actually eating. The Blog of Bruce Bradley is a blog written by Bruce Bradley who is a former food industry marketer with over fifteen years of experience at big food companies such as General Mill, Pillsbury, and Nabisco. Bradley uses his blog to inform readers on how Big Food uses clever marketing to persuade the consumer to buy more processed food and create the perception of how that
They’re rich and powerful. They promise good quality food at their restaurants, but instead their food harms others. Ads produced by fast food chains completely wash kid’s minds, making them believe some of the most ridiculous things. Workers that process they’re meat are taken advantage of and abused. Cattle that are slaughtered for their meat are fed each other’s manure.
Adam Weindling Gordon English 12 6 October 2008 Milo and Major In Joseph Heller’s novel Catch-22 he uses satire to lampoon the absurd and dangerous military life. Heller effectively mocks the corruption and the horrors of war by creating characters like Milo Minderbinder and Major Major. The way Heller goes about ridiculing the military organization can even be applied today. Milo Minderbinder is in charge of the mess hall, but is mainly known for being the ruler of the black market. Milo’s business that started out selling eggs eventually blossomed into a huge money making organization where “everyone has a share.” This all started when Milo was looking for an out to his air raid missions.
The Holocaust may very well be one of the most devastating events to happen in history. When Hitler gained power and took credit for improving the economy, he marked his position as a dictator. Hitler wanted change but he needed followers. Hitler had a great disliking of Jews. Hitler had written a book called “Mein Kampf” (My Struggle) while serving time in prison.
Advertising of fast food keeps costumers wanting more and more. Anytime costumers see the satisfying sandwich, instantly their mouth waters for the taste of it. Local grocery stores and convenient shops have ads and coupons from the local fast food franchises. The coupons increase the costumers appeal to the restaurant because of a possible discount and full belly. The situation is very ironic because the grocery stores with nutritious food advocates for fast food restaurants that are, in context, competing with their sales.
Many novels challenges society’s ways, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is one of these novels. The novel is about how the government, the World State, develops humans to believe in its model, “Community, Identity, Stability” (Huxley 1). In order to do this, the World State strips everybody of emotions, desires, and opinions. The novel is a satire of what society could become if technology became too great. Brave New World should be studied in school because it is a satire that challenges technology, human emotions, and society as a whole.
By Benjamin Barber, The Student and the University by Allan Bloom, and Class in America by Gregory Mantsios, the connection between the three is the idea of how education is the key to the people’s future, how it classifies them, and how it builds a nation. In Letter to America, written by David Boren, a former US Senator and president of the University of Oklahoma, quotes, “One of our greatest shortcomings as Americans is our failure to be intellectually curious about what is happening to us as people.” (Boren, 11). The problem is that education is being disregarded, and America needs to realize this as a whole. If the education in the United States is declining, the students are affected, and then the building of a great nation is disrupted. Barber, Bloom, and Mantsios all provide opinions and ideas that could solve this problem and help future generations succeed in a functional nation.
It’s HOW you do it There are many careers to choose from in our society. We have the right and the freedom to do what we want in life, how we do it is up to us. With standards raising and the economy going the way it is, we all know that getting a college degree is a requirement to get a job. As Jane Jacobs mentions in Credentialing vs. Educating ‘without it, as North American high school students are forever being warned, they will be doomed to a work life of “flipping hamburgers.”’ Just because someone is flipping burgers doesn’t mean that they are doomed and unsuccessful, if someone wants to flip burgers their whole life they should do it.