Brittany Stanly

FDENG 201- Sec 42

Brother Slagle

MWF 11:30- 12:30

Academic Skills Portfolio

Section 2- PTIC Analyses

“Preface” by Kip Hartvignsen. Kip Hartvigsen studied at Brigham Young University and Washington State University. Hartivgsen has been a professor at BYU-Idaho for over the past 25 years.

Purpose- Persuasive

Topic- Critical thinking in education

Issue- Why is it important to think critically?

Conclusion- It is important to think critically because “the object of this existence is to learn”. The more we critically think the more we learn.

“How to Mark a Book” by Mortimer Adler. Adler was the the founder of the Great Books Program, and was an editor of Encyclopedia Britannica. He is also a distinguished author on topics such as education and philosophy.

Purpose- Persuasive

Topic- Marking books

Issue- How do you absorb book and truly have ownership over them?

Conclusion- To absorb books fully and really make them yours you must write in them. Write in them anything that you interpret or is important to you. By doing this you will become an active reader.

“Corn-pone Opinions” by Mark Twain. Twain was an American author and well known for his novels such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is world notorious among presidents and intellectuals for his satire and has been called “ The Father of American Literature”.

Purpose- Expository

Topic- Thinking for ourselves

Issue- Do we think for ourselves?

Conclusion- We do not think for ourselves but base all of our beliefs and opinions on the opinions of the masses.

“Propaganda Under a Dictatorship” by Aldous Huxley. Huxley received his degree in English Literature from oxford and was a well known writer in England. Huxley has become infamous for his controversial novel Brave New World.

Purpose- Expository and Persuasive

Topic- Propaganda

Issue- What happens to society if propaganda is used in a negative fashion?

Conclusion- The value and integrity of the individual won’t be preserved and society will continue to not think for themselves buy base their opinions on the actions and opinions of others.

Section 3- 20 Questions

1. Why is critical thinking important to my education? (Kip Hartvigsen)2. Why hasn’t the educational system taught students how to inquire and ask questions

about facts (Harold Morowitz)3. What are “first-hand views”? (Mark Twain)4. What does it mean to think that the public opinion is like the Voice of God? (Mark

Twain)5. What is the preaching style of the village clergymen? (Mark Twain)6. Why doesn’t he want to get caught listening to Jerry? (Mark Twain)7. Why does Twain listen to Jerry’s sermon from inside the house? (Mark Twain)8. Why was Hitler the greatest demagogue in history? ( Aldous Huxley)9. Why do people lose their individuality and identity when they become part of a

group? (Aldous Huxley) 10. Why are orators more persuading then writers? (Aldous Huxley) 11. Why is our “object of our mortal existence to learn”? (David Bednar) 12. Why do intellectuals interfere with propaganda? (Aldous Huxley)13. What are the symptoms of herd-poisoning? (Aldous Huxley)14. Do all forms of media encourage us to waste our time? (Neil Postman)15. Why does television make religion fun? (Neil Postman)16. Are all forms of media evil or harmful? (Neil Postman) 17. What are “pancake people”? (Nicholas Carr)18. Why does how we read affect our conversations? (Nicholas Carr) 19. How does learning how to learn relate to critical thinking? (David Bednar)20. Are there any good forms of propaganda? (Aldous Huxley)

Section 4- “Fast-write” Responses

1. Why are orators more persuading then writers?

Orators or public speakers are more persuasive then writers because they have the ability to utilize the herb-poisoning that exists within a group. Herb-poisoning consists of irrational thinking based solely on emotion. While people are in groups they lose a sense of who they are and what they stand for. They begin to take on the beliefs and ideas of the majority of the group. The more people there are the smaller chance there is that individuality exists. When individuality is no longer present chaos and insensibility consume the masses. The masses are “incapable of abstract thinking and uninterested in any fact outside the circle of their immediate experience”. Orators are able to trick the masses into buying into whatever is coming out of their mouths. Orators also have the big advantage of knowing what the crowd needs and the hidden forces that motivate their actions. Orators are able to manipulate these forces and appeal to the collectiveness of the group. Writers however have the disadvantage of not being able to reach a mass of people. Reading isn’t typically an activity done in a large group with music and movies playing and people chanting. Reading is a private past-time that allows one to think and contemplate the ideas of the writers. This quiet time that they are allowed to have lets them read when they want to never having to be forced into anything. They are also allowed to freely think and discuss their ideas with others. A person in a group takes on the characteristics of the group, and they would never want to be an outcast who doesn’t agree with the majority. A writer can only get their opinions across so much on a piece of paper, while an orator can entertain the crowd with music, movies, and enthusiasm. The reader is allowed to be intelligent and that is the exact opposite of what propaganda is about. Propaganda is used to get people to believe in something because of the excitement of the crowd and the belief of the majority of the masses. An intellectual would never survive in a crowd. Intellectuals desire level-headedness and wisdom; they aren’t easily impressed by screaming crowds of people who don’t even know what they are supporting. One of the greatest advantages that orators have over writers is technology. Orators are able to exploit the technological advances of the radio, television, and all other forms of entertainment. This make is so much easier to send their message to the masses.

2. Do all forms of media encourage us to waste our time?

In Neil Postman’s essay “Amusing Ourselves to Death”, he recounts how the media has had such a large influence on our culture and our intellect. While the media has made news and important serious events readily available to the public, it may have also lessened our capacity to learn and to be serious. Postman said “The problem is not that TV presents the masses with entertaining subject matter, but that television presents all subject as entertaining”. People use to watch CNN and the news because they could be informed about the events that were taking place in the world around them. Now everything that was once serious is viewed as entertainment. We are not sitting in front of the television or listening to the radio to be educated and informed but just for our own amusement. One of the main objectives of this course is to learn to think

critically. Critical thinking involves so much more then just listening to a talk or reading a book. It’s about utilizing your brain and your intellect. Media doesn’t encourage us to think. It encourages us to just be mindless, and it involves no interaction. The purpose of media is no longer to inform the public of serious news, but is filled with mind-numbing reality shows and gossip. Serious television shows that provoked intellectual growth are non-existent, and have been replaced with mere entertainment. Television isn’t the only form of media that has affected our society. Religion and philosophy were once only heard at the pulpit, but have now been transformed into a huge source of entertainment. People had to leave their homes and socialize and feel inspiration from God. However, nowadays people don’t have to leave their couch and watch only to be amused and entertained. The media has also largely affected politics. It surprises no one to see prominent political figures appear in the latest blockbuster hits. So what does that say how we view politicians and the leaders of our country? The television has made appearance so important that “ideas are irrelevant to political success”. It’s clear that the every increasing role that media has in our society is not benefiting us it is making us unintelligent. We know longer care to be enlightened through serious philosophical discussions, but want to be entertained every moment of our life. I think a reason that we enjoy being entertained is because we don’t have to use our minds and think.

Section 5- Paraphrasing a “More Perfect Union” by President Obama

1. Page 6, paragraphs 4 and 5

For the American people to come together and be united with full purpose of heart, we must strive to overcome the racial inequalities and differences that have plagued our nation for centuries. This doesn’t only apply to just races; but to men, women, and children of all ages. Men must spend more time with their families and teach their children correct principles, and women must try as hard as then can to succeed in the work force of their choice. It’s our own personal responsibility to try to succeed in America, and try to unite all of the American citizens together so that our country may be stronger.

2. Page 7, paragraph 1

The discrimination and prejudices of the past and present must be recognized and be made known to the white community that they really do exist. The white community must come to accept the fact that for our nation to succeed in becoming a unified and strong nation we mustput aside our differences and come together to benefit the youth of America. If all people of all races could realize that if the children, whether they have black or white skin, are all allotted the same education and resources it will greatly benefit our nation in ways we can only imagine.

3. Page 7, paragraph 2

For America to become a more perfect union we must practice the golden rule; do unto others, as you would have then do unto you. What kind of nation and society are we if we look the other way when our neighbors are in need, or our to busy to care? What we portraying to the world? The key to practicing the golden rule lies in how we view each other, if we find just one common thread between two peoples lives we could build bridges to a life of charity and prosperity.

4. Page 7, paragraph 3

Our nation has to make the choice of whether we want our politics, policies, and our society to remain the same; or if we are ready to change into a better and newer direction. Our nation can twist and bend everything a politician says, and we the American people can believe it, or we can look for ourselves what the truths and facts our. If we continue to just go with the past and focus on the latest news media spotlight that our politicians have come under, then we will see this same behavior in the next elections; it will just be a different topic and person, but still not actually focusing on the real issues our country is facing.

5. Page 4, paragraph 4

Race is enormous issue in our society and if we back away from it or try to resolve it in a superficial fashion, then we are only fueling the fire that is driving the United States of America away from a perfect union. If we are to fix the serious and grom issues that are immanent within our society, such as health care, education, and the economy, then we must begin to repair the racial issues that exist within our nation today.

Section 6- “Hot Spot Passages”

Postman, N. P. (2009). Amusing Ourselves to Death. In W. Brugger, D. Hammond, M. K. Hartvigsen, A. Papworth & R. Seamons (Eds.), The way of wisdom (pp. 1-6). Rexburg, ID: BYU-Idaho. Retrieved October 2, from http://ilearn.byui.edu.

Original

“Political figures may show up anywhere, at anytime, doing anything, without being thought odd, presumptuous, or in any way out of place. I can assure you that no American would be surprised if Geraldine Ferraro1 showed up in a small role as a Queens housewife in a Francis Coppola film.

In America, all forms of social life strive to be like television shows or are thought to have potential as TV shows. We are now televising our courtroom trials, most recently and notably a rape trial in New Bedford, Massachusetts, which took audiences away from their favorite soap operas for several weeks. We have also discovered that real-life surgery is, if anything, more engrossing than fictional medical shows. In this connection, perhaps the most significant statement made in America, recently, about the state of our culture was inadvertently uttered by Mr. Bernard Schuler, who became an instant celebrity by allowing Dr. Edward Dietrich to perform triple by-pass surgery on him while on television. Mr. Schuler was uncommonly confident about the operation because, he said, ―There is no way in hell they are going to lose me on live TV’"

Paraphrased Passage

With the ever-expanding role that television is having on our society, it surprises no one to see a prominent political leader in a cameo in the latest blockbuster hit. We’ve even had former movie stars become President of the United States of America.

With television being a constant part of our lives you would think that broadcast stations would run out of new sitcom ideas or reality shows. But it’s just the opposite; TV is booming and now a day they can make a television show about anything. There is rarely anything so taboo that it won’t make it onto at least one channel. With the market of people who enjoy reality shows drastically increasing there are even more opportunities to air new series all the time. From a rape trial to a life-threatening surgery if it’s on television you can be sure that someone somewhere is going to be watching.

Section 7- Summary of “Drinking Hemlock and Other Nutritional Matters

Harold J. Morowitz, a professor of molecular biophysics at Yale, argues that students should be taught to use discerment to decide what statements are facts or opinions, in his essay “Drinking Hemlock and Other Nutritional Matters”. Often times teachers will evade any subject that questions their validity to ensure that what they say is taken as a true concrete statement. If a student isn’t taught to question a teacher then they will never learn to question a parent, religion, or government. They will never learn to ask “How do you know that what you are saying is indeed a statement of fact?” (2). This issue of whether the students are being properly equipped to be able to question where people may have gotten their information or came to a certain conclusion is rarely addressed. Socrates, an ancient greek philospopher, addressed this issue and encouraged young people to question everything and uncover for themselves whether it is true. Mormowitz says “Inquiry is indeed a challenge to the acceptance of things as they are” (3). He then goes on to say though that “it is more dangerous not to teach it to them” (3). If they are not taught the “art of injuriy” then they will be left as feeble minded individuals who follow everything they are ever told and never learn to learn. For the sake of the students they should be taught by the time they enter school all the way through college, what Moroqitz calls the fourth R, “Reality”.

(250 words)