Fallacies

"Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind?  Will you join in that historic effort?"


This quote "begs the question" because JFK assumes that we will join him and his views and something will come out of it. When he says that it "begs the question," will we actually find "a more fruitful life for all mankind?"


The reason why a speech like this one can still be successful is because the fallacies fly over the public's head and, to them, make the speech sound fantastic.

Duck and Cover

The overt message of this film is how to be ready for dangers.
The covert message of this film is that the United States is disliked and expects and atomic bomb attack.
This is an informational video which educates students of how to react to a warning siren or an atomic bomb flash.

Destination Earth

The overt message is that the way to a better life is having a good source of energy and competition.
The covert message is that monopolies and communism are bad and will hurt the style of American life. I understood this because all of the people on Mars were unhappy about Ogg but were overjoyed at the opportunity of competition.
This is propaganda because there is an underlying message and they aren't trying to persuade you to do anything.

Propaganda

The overt message is that cooking is a woman's job and that is a good thing.
The covert message is that women can be a major factor in the war's outcome.
The repetition of the overt message flatters you and eventually makes you think about why and what actually lies in the propaganda. This reveals the covert message which either will or won't persuade you.

Clampdown

This song is about wanting independence; this is proved by the quote, "the governments to fall / how can you refuse it?"
The beat was a primary emphasis in this song and the rhymes corresponded with it. This made them more emphatic.
It shows that governments have so much control over the societal environment they can essentially control and mold the people to be exactly what they want them to be.

Quotes

#507
#536
#581
#586

#586:  "How one thinks and what one thinks about are molded by the language one uses to express one’s
thoughts."
         
This quote, I believe, is heavily intertwined in what we are talking about in class. For example, today we talked a lot about word choice and how that affects the effectiveness of persuasion. In 1984, it always said "Big Brother is watching you," but what it meant was that "Big Brother' had control over you. However, this word choice wouldn't express what it needed too. By using "watching," it implied that if one did something wrong, the consequences would be inescapable. The genius behind that word, however, is that to the person who experiences the propaganda it seems like they have the choice to do whatever they want to do, even if "Big Brother" wouldn't approve. Plus the constant reinforcement of this propaganda makes the citizens, like Winston, who are somewhat free thinkers, think about their consequences and weigh their options. All of this brings them back to the brainwashed state of being an average citizen in that society.

Final Brave New World Blog

1. Though the societies are very similar, what are some of the differences between the two that define them both to be independent societies? If these differences were altered, how would the societies be affected? (BNW & 1984)

2. Provided that John had not committed suicide, how would he have affected the society? Would the effects of the rest of his life have become global or stayed local? Would he have had a drastic effect on society and potentially changed it forever, or would he have been just another blip on the radar? (BNW)

3. After reading Brave New World we can sense that Huxley is afraid of this potential society and that he is not writing just to prove a point. What characterizes his fears of the ideology behind a utopia, and how does he embody it in Brave New World? (BNW)