Debuting in 2010, the critically acclaimed documentary GasLand follows the growing shale gas industry. The film begins in the filmmaker, Fox's, home in northeastern Pennsylvania. He is offered $100,000 for drilling rights to his property. Fox deeply explores the method used by these drillers called "hydrofracking" - which is potentially harming and polluting near by water supplies. The documentary - shot through vivid and almost frightening filters - is a clear and passionate attack on the shale gas industry. Fox suggests these companies are working with federal and state regulators to hide the true environmental damage their trade causes. The movie, appearing on HBO, is a source of controversy among everyone from critics to shale executives. Throughout the film (from an ignorant viewer's perspective), it appears that Fox is exaggerating the process and effects of hydrofracking. In fact, after the movie premiered Fox was hit with the claim that he took liberties with the true facts of the fracking industry.
Fox uses the "shock" method to expose fracking companies. In a town called Dimock, GasLand shows how the tap water can actually catch fire. This, he claims, is a result of the drilling going on near by.Fox profiles different people in Dimock as well as other places to see their reactions and how drilling has affected their lives. One Dimock resident is clearly amused by the fire-water and enjoys holding a lighter up to the faucet. Another cowboy-like man growls at the thoughts of the gas company because they do not stay true to their word.
While Fox's view of the gas companies portrayed in GasLand is somewhat apocalyptic and the gas companies are described heroes, the truth lies somewhere in between. Gas companies are not completely bad. They provide jobs and money to hardworking people. However, this comes at a cost and GasLand shows that it is up to the individual to create their own idea of the gas companies. Despite Fox's complete contempt.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
TOW #27 - TOW Reflection
Throughout my past TOWs, particularly one from each marking period I notice a significant change in style of writing between them. In the first TOW, I am very disorganized and the entire essay is just one paragraph. It is obvious that I didn't know how to effectively organize and split up the points I wanted to make. However, in the second and especially third TOW the organizational skills steadily increase. I started to create a solid thesis statement and then create paragraphs based on it. By the last TOW, my organizational skills had greatly improved.
This TOW experience has helped me master thesis statements and the ability to write about the effect of rhetorical devices. Prior to writing TOWs, my thesis statements were flimsy and did not provide enough structure to help develop solid paragraphs. However, as I wrote more TOWs I realized the importance of a strong thesis statement and I worked to ensure I had one in every TOW. I also mastered the art of analyzing rhetorical devices (not completely but I started out totally lost). Before writing TOWs this year, I found it extremely difficult to write about the effect of rhetorical devices because the concept seemed very foreign. However, as the year progressed, I became more comfortable and even confident in writing my TOWs.
I still strive to improve my knowledge of rhetorical devices and ability to stay focused throughout an entire TOW. I only know of names of rhetorical devices and find it difficult to phrase the device or strategy an author uses to achieve his purpose. Also, I have a tendency to write my TOWs without prewriting and this affects my ability to remain on topic throughout a TOW.
I greatly benefitted from these assignments because it helped me write analysis essays with great confidence and ease. These TOWs are a really great practice for the analysis essay. However, TOWs would be more helpful (to me) if instead of only analysis every other cycle or so we did a mini-synthesis and argument, just to keep all three essay styles fresh in the students minds and make them more comfortable with these styles.
This TOW experience has helped me master thesis statements and the ability to write about the effect of rhetorical devices. Prior to writing TOWs, my thesis statements were flimsy and did not provide enough structure to help develop solid paragraphs. However, as I wrote more TOWs I realized the importance of a strong thesis statement and I worked to ensure I had one in every TOW. I also mastered the art of analyzing rhetorical devices (not completely but I started out totally lost). Before writing TOWs this year, I found it extremely difficult to write about the effect of rhetorical devices because the concept seemed very foreign. However, as the year progressed, I became more comfortable and even confident in writing my TOWs.
I still strive to improve my knowledge of rhetorical devices and ability to stay focused throughout an entire TOW. I only know of names of rhetorical devices and find it difficult to phrase the device or strategy an author uses to achieve his purpose. Also, I have a tendency to write my TOWs without prewriting and this affects my ability to remain on topic throughout a TOW.
I greatly benefitted from these assignments because it helped me write analysis essays with great confidence and ease. These TOWs are a really great practice for the analysis essay. However, TOWs would be more helpful (to me) if instead of only analysis every other cycle or so we did a mini-synthesis and argument, just to keep all three essay styles fresh in the students minds and make them more comfortable with these styles.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
TOW #26- Article "Happiness is a Glass Half Empty" by Oliver Burkeman
Goals: My writing and reading goals for this TOW are to successfully identify rhetorical strategies and devices that the author uses to achieve his purpose. Also, I want to choose a particularly challenging, possibly lengthy, piece of text to construct my TOW from.
In a world in which success is equated to happiness, author Oliver Burkeman hypothesizes that happiness is a result of learning to be content with losing: " Failure is everywhere. It's just that most of the time we'd rather avoid confronting that fact." In Ann Arbor, Michigan lays a museum of failed products. Products that met the market and almost immediately went under like: caffeinated beer, self-heating soup cans, and microwavable scrambled eggs. The museum was started by a man who wanted to accumulate all the products that recently went on the market starting in 1960. However, years later he realized that most of the products he had purchased had gone under. "According to some estimates, the failure rate is as high as 90%. Simply by collecting new products indiscriminately, McMath had ensured that his hoard would come to consist overwhelmingly of unsuccessful ones." Burkeman begins to cite modern philosophy's belief that success is the act of something going right. However, he acknowledges that Greek and Roman philosophy believed in the opposite: Our relentless struggle to achieve success, or the perpetuated idea of happiness, is exactly what is making us unhappy. Burkeman brings up Greek and Roman philosophers to bring other theories to light and suggest another path to happiness. "This involves learning to enjoy uncertainty, embracing insecurity and becoming familiar with failure. In order to be truly happy, it turns out, we might actually need to be willing to experience more negative emotions – or, at the very least, to stop running quite so hard from them." Burkeman uses the pronoun "we" to draw his audience in and involve them in the conversation. Unhappiness is guaranteed at some point in life and Burkeman is drawing on this shared experience. He's rallying the audience to accept failure as opposed to dreading it; learning instead of running. Burkeman simply wanted to change the way his audience thinks of failure through different theories of success.
In a world in which success is equated to happiness, author Oliver Burkeman hypothesizes that happiness is a result of learning to be content with losing: " Failure is everywhere. It's just that most of the time we'd rather avoid confronting that fact." In Ann Arbor, Michigan lays a museum of failed products. Products that met the market and almost immediately went under like: caffeinated beer, self-heating soup cans, and microwavable scrambled eggs. The museum was started by a man who wanted to accumulate all the products that recently went on the market starting in 1960. However, years later he realized that most of the products he had purchased had gone under. "According to some estimates, the failure rate is as high as 90%. Simply by collecting new products indiscriminately, McMath had ensured that his hoard would come to consist overwhelmingly of unsuccessful ones." Burkeman begins to cite modern philosophy's belief that success is the act of something going right. However, he acknowledges that Greek and Roman philosophy believed in the opposite: Our relentless struggle to achieve success, or the perpetuated idea of happiness, is exactly what is making us unhappy. Burkeman brings up Greek and Roman philosophers to bring other theories to light and suggest another path to happiness. "This involves learning to enjoy uncertainty, embracing insecurity and becoming familiar with failure. In order to be truly happy, it turns out, we might actually need to be willing to experience more negative emotions – or, at the very least, to stop running quite so hard from them." Burkeman uses the pronoun "we" to draw his audience in and involve them in the conversation. Unhappiness is guaranteed at some point in life and Burkeman is drawing on this shared experience. He's rallying the audience to accept failure as opposed to dreading it; learning instead of running. Burkeman simply wanted to change the way his audience thinks of failure through different theories of success.
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