Global Eyes: Nasr City, Egypt

This essay was written as an extension from an MLK piece, "Letter from Birmingham Jail".

I know it's a little outdated because I wrote it during the summer 2013 when the incident happened but I never got the chance to upload it.

Prompt: Read your local newspaper for several days, collecting articles about a
controversial subject that interests you. Using information from the articles take a position
on the issue, and write an essay supporting it. Be sure to document all material you borrow
from your sources.

 

Chaos in Egypt

By Katy Zou

A country that does not seek to separate its religious and military interests from its political aspirations will surely find itself in failure and chaos. The American constitution has shown that separation of religion and political party militaries places order in the governmental structure, ensuring well representation and fair representation for the people. The ongoing power changes and violence brewing in Egypt resulted in strong adherence of politics to the Islam faith and the militarist self-interests meddling with politics. As hard as Egypt struggles to convert herself to a democracy, this cannot be done if certain aspects of interference continue to influence government politics. The Egyptian military, in order to restore order, should not interfere with politics to support their own self-interests or harm peaceful protesters.

The Nasr City protesting event is a prime example of unregulated control of the military. Peaceful protestors in Cairo were massacred like herds of animals when the plan was originally to disperse them peacefully and guarantee safe passage. The specific death toll is uncertain but about more than 400 lay dead and thousands wounded. Doctors, family members, and people attempting to help the injured were shot with snipers and rifles as well. The lack of enforcement power and failure to carry out the actions promised by leaders of the military resulted in the death of hundreds and furthermore muddled the complications in Egypt.

The peaceful protestors who stood ground in Nasr City had every democratic right to be there. Egypt is not a democracy. However, Egypt should realize that democracy or not, violence should not be enacted on peaceful protesting; it can erupt in civil disorder. With the ever-increasing complications of the Egyptian political affairs, unnecessary violence increases as well. The question of whether the military or the protestors opened fire first but either way, the peaceful should not have been killed. It is the duty of the police to protect the people, not kill them. It is the duty of the police to protect the rights of the people, not strip them away. The police force, or military, should stay out of the political sphere of influence, keeping it one sole job as to protect its citizens.

Egypt is in a current disorder of unpredictable chaos and violence. The protectors of the people are killing the people and interfering in politics, greedy for power. In this time of violence and discontent, the best solution would be to protect the opinion of the masses, the opinion of the people. In order to restore the peace, the military must consume itself to protecting the people and remain neutral in politics.

Sources

1.       Coker, Margaret. "Egyptians Brace for More Bloodshed." Wall Street Journal 16 008 2013, A1. Print.

also on webpage: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324139404579014371839426440.html

2.      Entous, Adam, Carol E. Lee, and Julian E. Barnes. "U.S. Treads Lightly as Crisis Deepens." Wall Street Journal 16 008 2013, A1 &A7. Print.

Also on webpage: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323455104579015171553352730.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

3.      Abi-Habib, Maria. "Vicious Backlash Shakes One Egyptian Town." Wall Street Journal 16 008 2013, A6. Print.

Also on webpage: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324139404579015061439067186.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

4.      "America's Interests in Egypt." Wall Street Journal 16 008 2013, A12. Print.

Also on webpage:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323639704579012864220982826.html

5.       "The storm before the storm." (2013): n. page. Web. 19 Aug. 2013. <http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21583718-bloody-confrontation-streets-cairo-damaging-development-and-could-be>.

6.      Mohamed, Feisal G. "Egypt in Crisis: Ten Observations." Dissent. (2013): n. page. Web. 19 Aug. 2013. <http://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/egypt-in-crisis-ten-observations>.

7.      Trew, Bel. "They Struck Us Down Like Animals." Foreign Policy. n. page. Web. 21 Aug. 2013. <http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/08/14/they_struck_us_down_like_animals_muslim_brotherhood_violence_egypt?page=0,1>.

On the Extension: "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society"

This essay was written using Jonathan Kozol's "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society" as a resource while supporting Madison's thesis.

Prompt: Using Kozol’s essay as source material, write an essay in which your
thesis is Madison’s statement, “A people who mean to be their own governors must arm
themselves with the power knowledge gives” (2). Be sure to document any information you
borrow from Kozol.

                                               Literacy as a Mean of Democratic Power

                                                           Katy Zou

America prides herself in the establishment of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness- the three virtues of proclaimed democracy. Democracy is characterized by a country run by the people and for the people, where decisions and important matters are governed and elected by the people. Therefore, it is absurd to support the idea of equal life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness when 35 million of America’s residents are illiterate or below the level of literacy needed to function in society, not to mention, unable to make basic political decisions to protect their own constitutional rights.

As James Madison once stated, “A people who mean to be their own government must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives”. Literacy, the power to be informed of decisions and to inform others about one’s own opinion, often times is an undermined weapon of democracy. Literate people are given the power to voice themselves in elections, putting in their ballot’s share. Literate people are able to participate in their country’s decision-making. Literate people are the only people that define the term democracy in America.

Kozol, in his “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society”, describes the ways illiterate citizens are in a way crippled when it comes to the democratic, decision-making process. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, of the 26 million people living in California, 23%, or about 6 million Californians are illiterate. Illiterate citizens rarely vote. Those who do vote are “forced to cast a vote of questionable worth” (Kozol). Their ballot is based on imagery or glitz of the candidate, rather than material of worth or possible future contributions of their candidate.

When more than 10% of our country’s population is unrepresented, how can America call herself a democracy? Voices of minority groups are neglected. The illiterate cycle that circulates generation after generation as shown by Kozol’s second-degree murder case concerning Stephen, creates an on-going rift in America’s society. Some citizens are represented while others have their tongues cut out. In order for America to thrive as a democratic nation, the people must arm themselves with the power literacy gives.

James Madison in a letter once wrote to W.T. Barry, “A people who mean to be their own government must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives”. 200 years later we still hold these words to be self-evident, that in order for the people to deem themselves governors of a democratic state, they, themselves, must hold the power to decide right from wrong. Without the power literacy gives, the people follow blindly, and America should therefore be called by another name. 

Compared: Dystopian Society and Entertainment

This essay was to some extent more difficult to write because it requires sufficient background knowledge on dystopian novels and the way they use entertainment as a mean of pacification.

Prompt: In a three-paged, double-spaced paper, synthesize evidence/ideas from four dystopian stories (at least one must be a novel, but the others can be a movie or short story) to defend, challenge, or qualify the assertion that entertainment as pacification is a recurrent motif in dystopian fiction.

Oh geez. Well, here's my go at it.

 

Dystopian Societies: Entertainment as Pacification 

By Katy Zou 

With the increasingly accurate predictions of dystopian novel writers, the dystopian society genre is ever-gaining popularity. It depicts the possibility of a future society oppressed by the government, a society where everyone is conformed and controlled. The citizens are generally fed propaganda to convince and distract them from the truth of their lives. They are made to believe the government is fair and a utopia exists. The ever-recurrent motif of entertainment as a means of pacification repeats itself in dystopian fiction.

In the Running Man, originally written by Stephen King (Richard Bachman) then made into a 1987 science-fiction action film, describes the future in a fallen global economy. America has turned into a totalitarian police-state. All cultural activity is monitored. The government uses a violent game show to pacify Americas as a form of entertainment. The game show appeals to the viewers as a way to remove themselves from their lives of increasing poverty. The Running Man relates to a time period in the future where entertainment is the only mean of escape from one’s poverty-stricken life.

A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is about a futuristic society where all emotions except happiness are stamped out. John the Savage states “I want to know what passion is. I want to feel something strongly”. The citizens of the World State no longer feel real emotions or innate desires of family and relationship structures. People are administered a type of drug called soma that puts them into a dream-like coma state where they are able to relieve of all troubles and truths. They are encouraged to participate in recreational sex from early childhood and never spend time alone. Citizens are constantly engaged in recreational activities when not assigned to work.  Recreational entertainment is constantly fed to the people in order to distract them from the empty discontentment in their lives. The dystopian society government in A Brave New World relies on entertainment and drugs to appease innate emotions and desires in order to better control the people.

“Harrison Bergeron” a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut tells about a society where everyone is equal in intelligence and physical attributes. No one is more graceful or more beautiful. The government mandates that the intelligent and strong wear physical restrainers. The characters in “Harrison Bergeron” are fed constant, meaningless television. The television set in the short story played the role of spreading the idea of equality to the people. When families gathered around to watch TV and realized that everyone of TV was as equal in intelligence and physical features as themselves, it propagandized the idea of forced equality and controlled the people. 

In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, books were banned and burned off by firefighters. In each of the homes, a television screen listens and watches to every sound and movement, monitoring the habitant. The television screens are mounted on each wall and take up the entire area. The sounds coming out from the screen are immensely loud and occupy most of housewives’ time. By taking up all the time, people no longer had the desire to think deeper or more meaningful topics than to discuss what was on TV the other night. The entertainment the screen provides and the ban on books are means of pacifying the people from any forms of thought.

Entertainment as pacification is a recurrent motif in dystopian fiction. Overdose of entertainment envelopes the people in the novels, making them oblivious to the actual circumstances they live in. With large use of entertainment, the government is placed in a positive, almost utopian light. The role of entertainment in dystopian novels is becoming increasingly accurate to our society, almost eerily so.

Rhetoric Defined: Amusing Ourselves to Death

Here's my essay on the rhetorical devices used in Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman.

 

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Rhetorical Devices

By Katy Zou

Rhetorical devices are methods of persuasion used by authors to advocate their points across to the audience. Successful incorporation of rhetorical devices validates the author’s argument, giving the audience a “push” in the direction of favoring the author’s opinions. The three types of rhetorical devices are ethos, pathos, and logos. In Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman emphasizes the use of ethos while restraining from the use of pathos to show how television has begun to influence our lives deeply as a communication medium that only provides entertainment. 

Postman over excesses the use of ethos in Amusing Ourselves to Death to give himself a “privilege” to speak on the matter of television effecting society. Postman, on his imaginary soapbox, delivers a lengthy speech full of pathos rhetoric, much of which refers back to quotes from famous orators or statistics from professional evaluators. He brings up characters in America’s history such as Henry Kissinger and Benjamin Franklin as well as including members of America’s pop culture such as Susan Sontag and Dr. Ruth, mainly used to appeal to the audience. His arguments on the influence of television are supported by his references to historical figures and the famous, for example, “Franklin describes this sentiment…” or “We have here a criticism of the epistemology of the written word worthy of Plato” (Postman 24). Although Postman deems television to be a factor of decreasing literacy rates and the replacement of intelligent discourse with pure entertainment, he points out that he enjoys the entertainment it provides. He admits to the audience that he too has succumbed to the appeal of it. By relating himself to the audience he connects with them in a psychological way, making the reader more likely to agree with his argument. This form of ethos rhetoric gives the audience a feel that the author is an “everyday man” which relates to them. He states that “I raise no objection to television's junk. The best things on television are its junk” (Postman 14). The way Postman relates to the audience and refers to famous people using ethos rhetoric supports his argument greatly.

Postman also incorporates much logos rhetoric into Amusing Ourselves to Death. He includes decreasing literacy rates and refers to many specific time periods of which books were published.  For example, “the literacy rate for men in Massachusetts and Connecticut was somewhere between 89 percent and 95 percent” (Postman 25). The logos rhetoric put into Postman’s novel gives credibility and evidence to support his assertions. The relation presented between decreasing literacy rates and the rise of the television age is supported by these included statistics. Postman’s use of logos rhetoric helps to solidify his arguments.

Postman refrains from the use of pathos when referring to the effects of television on society. He avoids the use of pathos mainly to create solid, emotionless evidence in his arguments. This gives more credibility to his arguments and validates his statements as they are not based on emotional reasons. Pathos is mainly exempt from Amusing Ourselves to Death.

 The use of logos and ethos rhetoric are clearly shown in Amusing Ourselves to Death. Postman relies on rhetoric to convince the audience to become more aware of the roles television plays in our lives. The three types of rhetoric, logos, pathos, and ethos, gives the audience a forward “push” in supporting the author’s arguments. Postman has successfully incorporated the use of rhetoric.

The Break Down: Amusing Ourselves to Death

Here's a chapter by chapter breakdown of Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, soapbox speech extraordinaire.

 

Foreword:

Compares two dystopian novels, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell.  He states he relates to Huxley

Part I: Background and historical analysis

Ch 1: “The Medium is the Metaphor”- “media-metaphor” concept that the medium the culture uses to convey its ideas influences the ideas. The television age is influencing our way of communication and ideas.

Ch 2: “Media as Epistemology”- the serious, facts and truths of a civilization are almost wiped away by the use of television as a way of relaying them.  In oral civilizations with spoken proverbs and passed down history, the truth is found in the orator. In a written culture, truth lies in documented papers. “Serious forms of discussion have turned into mere entertainment”

Ch 3-5: “Typographic America” influences the “Typographic Mind”- the decrease of literate population compared to that of the colonial times led to a decrease in rational discourse and rational thought. With the technology to perceive information from around the world w/ pictures, people became more interested in the collectiveness of irrelevant facts than in-depth, rational analyzation.

Part II: details the process by which media-metaphor infected our public discourse by valuing entertainment

Ch 6: “The Age of Show Business”- we now value the glamour and flashiness over substances of worth. Entertainment is our discourse topic now and it is watered down so much to mean even less than the actual entertainment itself. Television demands “rapid-fire editing” and “non-stop stimulation”, not “rational deliberation”.

Ch 7: “Now…This”- we no longer feel a part of the news we receive but rather only develop opinions on it. It doesn’t affect our lives. It’s merely for entertainment purposes only.

Ch 8-10: Examines other important public discourses that have been reduced to entertainment through the use of television as a medium

Ch 8: “Shuffle off to Bethlehem”- religion an empty spectacle on television, lacks power to deliver true religion

Ch 9: “Reach out and elect someone”- political elections became a battle of advertisements

Ch 10: “Teaching as an Amusing activity”:- television as a way of education only teaches children how to love tv- not learning.

Ending: 

“The Huxleyan Warning”- to become aware that television is only a means of media and to not let it control us.