TOW #20 - A General Theory of Love, pt. 1 - IRB

I found the first half of the book to be really interesting. It explained the different parts of the brain and how they developed during evolution to serve their specific function - the reptilian brain is basic functioning like breathing and heartbeat, the limbic brain is emotional and social, and the neocortex (the most recently developed part of the brain) is primarily for logic, reasoning, and communication. After this, the authors described the need for social interaction and the effects isolation can have on an animal, and how animals interact with each other, primarily social animals like humans and the way they can communicate through facial expressions because humans have the ability to tell emotions from other people and have universal displays of emotion, like happy smiles or angry expressions. I found it was interesting to approach emotions from a scientific and biological standpoint, and the parts of the brain that influence emotion and interactions. The authors also investigated what happens when these mechanisms go wrong, like with Aspergers syndrome or anxiety disorders. The authors used a lot of examples in the book, with different studies that have been done about the brain and how they demonstrate the authors' arguments (like the example of the monkeys who didn't have care from their parents or the twins who were raised apart) and individual people who demonstrate their points, like the man with no explicit memory as well as hypothetical examples like the boy with Aspergers. The book explored the different parts of the brain and how they relate to human emotion, and so far, primarily love between parents and children and how that can be affected by altering the chemistry of the brain. It not only explained how the brain functions with emotion and social connections, but also what happens if these mechanisms are not functioning properly and the way people can be fundamentally changed if this happens. Primarily, the first part of the book was concerned with describing the functioning of the brain and how evolution has created the ability for humans to experience the complex emotions that they do.

TOW #19 - UNEP advertisement - Visual

This was an interesting ad that I found online, from the United Nations Environmental Program to raise awareness for global warming. It shows the melting of icebergs that would alter sea levels, and that the raising of sea levels would cause destruction to coastlines and the sinking of coastal cities. There was juxtaposition between the city skyline and the icebergs, which aren't something that is usually seen together. This made it quite unique, as most people don't connect the melting of glaciers with destruction of cities. I found the contrast between the ice and the blue water/sky to be effective, because it clearly separates the two parts of the image. It was interesting how the sky was composed of ice, because if the ice in the top of the image melted, the image of the city would be destroyed, which would be an interesting parallel between the melting of real glaciers and the destruction of the cities because of rising sea levels. It is interesting how if that ice melts completely, the image of the city will be completely gone, in order to emphasize the damage that can be caused by global warming. Also, I thought the caption was interesting - the message was short, but memorable. If the icebergs melt, the skylines sink. At first glance, I wasn't entirely sure what the image was, I had to read the caption first. It would have been more effective to make it more clear what the image was - maybe making the caption bigger, or making the skyline more immediately obvious. I also thought it might have been better if the ad provided a way for people to prevent the melting of the icebergs. This is an interesting way of raising awareness of the issue of glacial melting, and the problems it could cause for the future, like the sinking of coastal cities like New York City and will make people want to learn more about environmental preservation and global warming.

TOW # 18 - Madam C.E.O., Get Me a Coffee - Written

This article was written by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant for the New York Times about women in the workplace. The article explored the misogyny and gender stereotyping inherent in the professional world, with how women are supposed to helpful and caring, assisting others with their tasks while still managing to do their own, while men aren't expected to do this. I found it interesting that this phenomenon is based on what should be antiquated stereotypes that women are supposed to be more communal and helpful, and the belief that women who aren't like this are selfish or uncaring. The authors used a personal story in order to support the argument, with the example of the manager who did more than her share of work and still didn't receive the promotion she clearly deserved. There was also another specific example, where the a female senior executive was asked to fetch a soda for someone who had a lower position.The authors also use lots of statistics in order to support their claim, with the research that shows these trends that still continue today; women are expected to be altruistic and helpful while men are supposed to be doing the most useful work and anything extra is purely optional and praise-worthy. Women are supposed to do the trivial things, or things that aren't their responsibility. The data shows that women receive less praise when they do additional work, and they also receive more backlash when they don't volunteer to do extra work. This data supports the argument because without statistical evidence, the article would have been less convincing, and it is important for a claim like this to be substantiated. The authors also used support from people as well as numbers, like the reference to Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Joan C. Williams, and their opinions on the issue, as they are credible sources. As well as addressing the problem, the authors provide a possible solution for the problem. It is easy for men to offer to do some of the "office housework" as the authors called it, instead of leaving it to women, and this will help to end harmful stereotypes and internalized misogyny in the workplace. Women who seek power and leadership are "bossy", but men who do this are "driven". Men are supposed to make important contributions to society, while the contributions of women are hidden in the background. Women should be done with being second best. It's time that men learned women don't owe you anything.

IRB 3 Intro

This marking period, I chose to read "A General Theory of Love". I want to read this book because I don't usually read these sorts of books and it's a topic I don't know much about. I think it'll be an interesting exploration of love from a biological and social view.

TOW #17 - "My Zombie, Myself" - Written

This is an essay that was featured in The Language of Composition. It was written by Chuck Klosterman, who has written for many newspapers and also essay collections. I found it really interesting, as it analyzed popular monsters as their relevance to different aspects of society, and relevant concerns about society in the past, and that continue until today. It explored why people today are interested in zombie stories, by suggesting it's because many aspects of zombies are similar to things in real life, the way life can seem to get monotonous and seemingly pointless, like killing zombies. He compares normal life to zombie killing, in a way that's interesting and understandable. He used comparison and contrast throughout the essay, first comparing other monsters to aspects of life, such as Frankenstein and fearing unrestrained science, and the things that humans might create if they were allowed to experiment as they chose, resulting in bioethics and other ethical problems that result when considering the future advancement of science. He compared zombies to answering voice mails or filling out paperwork, because the actions of fighting zombies (as well as normal work) is often tedious and relentless. Klosterman also uses examples of the monsters in popular culture, such as Twilight and Dracula, as well as popular TV shows today, including True Blood and The Walking Dead. By referencing popular entertainment, readers understand what the author is saying, and see the relationship between these popular shows/books and how the monsters are not just for entertainment but also provide a message about society, which the author argues is why these monsters appeal to us. I think it was effective, because the reader understands the author and his claims about monsters, as well as relating to what the author says about working, with the repetitive nature of most peoples's work. I also like how in the end of the essay, the author says that we don't have to live like zombies. We may live in the world of zombies, but we make our own choices and can choose to make our lives more interesting.